Natural phytochemicals and probiotics as bioactive ingredients for functional foods: Extraction, biochemistry and protected-delivery technologies

he well-known correlation between diet and physiology demonstrates the great possibilities of food to maintain or improve our health, increasing the interest in finding new products with positive physiological effects. Nowadays, one of the top research areas in Food Science and Technology is the extraction and characterization of new natural ingredients with biological activity that can be further incorporated into a functional food, contributing to consumer's well-being. Furthermore, there is a high demand for effective encapsulation methodologies to preserve all the characteristics of bioactive compounds until the physiological action site is reached. Scope and approach: In this review, the relevance of developing standard approaches for the extraction of the highly diverse bioactive compounds was described, as it defines the suitability of the following steps of separation, identification and characterization. Special attention was also dedicated to the encapsulation techniques used on hydrophilic and/or lipophilic compounds (e.g., emulsification, coacervation, supercritical fluid, inclusion complexation, emulsification-solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation). Key findings and conclusions: Some useful conclusions regarding the selection of the best extraction methodology (Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, or shake extraction) were achieved, considering important aspects such as cost, required technical skills, extract integrity, green chemistry principles, solvent type, sample size, pH, temperature and pressure. In addition, this comprehensive review allowed defining the best protective approach to solve the limitations related to the extremely low absorption and bioavailability of bioactive phytochemicals, overcoming problems related to their low solubility, poor stability, low permeability and metabolic processes in the GI tract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Controlling Factors Determining The Selective Hscn Addition To Double Bonds And Their Application To The Synthesis Of 7-isothiocyano-7,8-α-dihydro-bisabolene

The reactivity of terminal and trisubstituted double bonds of monoterpenes with HSCN has been examined by GC giving evidence that kinetics is responsible for the chemoselective addition to terminal double bonds in terpenes. The results show that the addition to the terminal double bond is about 17 times faster than for trisubstituted double bonds and that the presence of the first SCN group in the molecule prevents a second addition. The presence of a hydroxyl or methoxy group in the molecule, decreases the reaction kinetics. Based on these kinetic experiments a two steps synthesis of the natural product 7-isothiocyano-7,8-dihydro-α-bisabolene using bisabolol as starting material, was planned and successfully accomplished.125661666Drobnica, L., Kristían, P., Augustín, J., The Chemistry of the Cyanates and Their Thio Derivatives, , Saul Patai Ed., John Wiley & Sons, New YorkEdenborough, M.S., Herbert, R.B., (1988) Nat. Prod., p. 229Faulkner, D.J., (1994) Nat. Prod., p. 355(1993) Nat. Prod., p. 497(1992) Nat. Prod., p. 323(1991) Nat. Prod., p. 97(1990) Nat. Prod., p. 269(1988) Nat. Prod., p. 613Fraga, B.M., (1994) Nat. Prod. Rep., p. 533Piers, E., Young, B.W.A., Rettig, S.J., (1987) Tetrahedron, 43 (23), p. 5521Piers, E., Yeung, B.W., (1986) Can. J. Chem., 64, p. 2475Chenera, B., Chuang, C.P., Hart, D.J., Lai, C.S., (1992) J. Org. Chem., 57, p. 2018Da Silva, C.C., Almagro, V., Zukerman-Schpector, J., Castellano, E.E., Marsaioli, A.J., (1994) J. Org. Chem., 59, p. 2880Da Silva, C.C., Almagro, V., Marsaioli, A.J., (1993) Tetrahedron Lett., 34, p. 6717Martin, V.S., Woodward, S.S., Katsuki, T., Yamada, Y., Ikeda, M., Sharpless, K.B., (1981) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 103, p. 6237Rakels, J.L., Straathof, A.J.J., Heijnin, J.J., (1993) Enzyme Microb. Technol, 15, p. 1051Diveley, W.R., Buntin, G.A., (1969) J. Org. Chem., 34, p. 616Queiroga, C.L., Ferracini, V.L., Marsaioli, A.J., (1996) Phytochemistry, 42, p. 1097(-)Bisabolol (8) [(αS, 1S)-1-methanol-α,4-dimethyl-α-4-methyl-3-pentenyl-3-cyclohexene] was obtained from commercial candeia oil (CITRÓLEO - S.Paulo, SP, Brazil)Sullivan, B.W., Faulkner, D.J., Okamoto, K.T., Chen, M.H.M., Clardy, J., (1986) J. Org. Chem., 51, p. 5134Dubois, J.E., Lomas, J.S., (1971) Tetrahedron Lett., 7, p. 599Delay, F., Ohloff, F., (1979) Helv. Chem. Acta, 62, p. 326A sample of dihydrolimonene was kindly provided by Prof. Marcio C. S. de Mattos from IQ/UFRJ, RJ, Brazi

GluA3-Mediated Synaptic Plasticity and Dysfunction in the Cerebellum and in the Hippocampus

The hippocampus and the cerebellum are two different brain regions that encode different types of memories. Whilst the hippocampus deals with declarative memory, the cerebellum is mainly involved in procedural memory. In the cerebellum, granule cells give rise to parallel fibers, which form synaptic points with Purkinje cells - the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse. We found five mutations in cerebellar granule cell that did not affect phase reversal, a type of cerebellar learning. However, in looking at Purkinje cells whose GluA3 subunit of the AMPA receptors was knocked out, we saw an impairment of phase reversal adaptation. We show, then, that the GluA3 AMPA receptor subunit is involved in crucial cerebellar motor learning. We also show that this GluA3-mediated mechanism defies some long-established rules regarding the potentiation of the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse. In the hippocampus, learning depends on the trafficking of GluA1-containing AMPARs to synapses. GluA3-containing AMPARs, however, don’t seem to contribute much to synaptic currents, synaptic plasticity or learning, though they are present. We found that, in the hippocampus, the GluA3 subunit doesn’t contribute to memory formation but does control memory retrieval. We see how the effects of knocking out GluA3 reveal that the hippocampus AMPAR-mediated rules for learning are opposite to the rules uncovered for the cerebellum regarding the GluA1 and GluA3 subunits of the AMPA receptors. Lastly, we found that memories coded in the hippocampus are affected by amyloid-β, and that its effects occur through the removal of GluA3 from synapses. We demonstrate GluA3 subunit’s role in rendering the synapses susceptible to amyloid-β and how it requires PKCα phosphorylation of the GluA3 subunit at serine 885. We finally propose that Aβ causes synaptic deficits by corrupting the constitutive cycling of GluA3-containing AMPA-receptors at synapses

Biological, Psychological, and Physical Performance Variations in Football Players during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Prospective Cohort Study

none6This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate whether COVID-19 lockdown caused biological, psychological, and/or physical performance variations in footballers. We compared the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons evaluating the plasma volume, hematological parameters, iron/ferritin, creatine kinase, vitamin D, cortisol, testosterone, and physiological state of players of the Italian football major league (Serie A). Measurements were performed before the preparatory period (T0), at the beginning (T1) and in the middle (T2) of the championship, and in March (T3) and at the end of season (T4). The results showed that in the 2019/2020 season affected by the lockdown, the weight, BMI, and fat mass percentage were higher than in the previous season. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and ferritin decreased during both seasons, more significantly than in the regular season. During both seasons, creatine kinase increased from T2 whilst iron concentrations decreased in T3. Testosterone increased in both seasons from T0 to T3 and returned to initial levels at T4; cortisol increased in T2 and T3 during the 2018/2019 season but not during the COVID-19 season. Physical performance tests revealed differences associated with lockdown. Thus, although from a medical point of view, none of the evaluated changes between the two seasons were clinically relevant, training at home during lockdown did not allow the players to maintain the jumping power levels typical of a competitive period.openMy G.; Marsigliante S.; Bianco A.; Zangla D.; da Silva C.M.; Muscella A.My, G.; Marsigliante, S.; Bianco, A.; Zangla, D.; da Silva, C. M.; Muscella, A

Three-dimensional analysis of jaw kinematic alterations in patients with chronic TMD - disc displacement with reduction

The study investigated whether chronic TMD patients with disc displacement with reduction (DDR), performing non-assisted maximum jaw movements, presented any changes in their mandibular kinematics with respect to an age-matched control group. Moreover, it was examined whether jaw kinematics and a valid clinic measure of oro-facial functional status have significant associations. Maximum mouth opening, mandible protrusion and bilateral laterotrusions were performed by 20 patients (18 women, 2 men; age, 18-34 years) and 20 healthy controls (17 women, 3 men; age, 20-31 years). The three-dimensional coordinates of their mandibular interincisor and condylar reference points were recorded by means of an optoelectronic motion analyser and were used to quantitatively assess their range of motion, velocity, symmetry and synchrony. Three functional indices (opening-closing, mandibular rototranslation, laterotrusion - right and left - and protrusion) were devised to summarise subject's overall performance, and their correlation with the outcome of a clinical protocol, the oro-facial myofunctional evaluation with scores (OMES), was investigated. TMD patients were able to reach maximum excursions of jaw movements comparable to healthy subjects' performances. However, their opening and closing mandibular movements were characterised by remarkable asynchrony of condylar translation. They had also reduced jaw closing velocity and asymmetric laterotrusions. The functional indices proved to well summarise the global condition of jaw kinematics, highlighting the presence of alterations in TMD-DDR patients, and were linearly correlated with the oro-facial functional status. The jaw kinematic alterations seem to reflect both oro-facial motor behaviour adaptation and a DDR-related articular impairment

Anthocyanin profile of elderberry juice: A natural-based bioactive colouring ingredient with potential food application

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is a widely disseminated plant that produces bright black berries containing high quantities of anthocyanins, acknowledged for their bioactivity and dye capacity. Besides other applications, anthocyanins might be employed as natural colouring agents to reduce/eliminate the use of artificial dyes, while providing positive e ects on consumers’ health. Herein, the anthocyanins profile of elderberry juice was characterised by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn. In addition, its antioxidant capacity and cytotoxicity were also evaluated. As a proof-of-concept of its colouring capacity, elderberry juice was added (di erent percentages) to a highly appreciated and consumed pastry product (croissant) and compared with a commercial dye (black carrot). In general, the nutritional properties of control and coloured croissants were similar, despite some individual di erences in sugars and fatty acids. In turn, the appearance obtained with elderberry juice incorporation might be considered innovative, besides partially maintaining the anthocyanins content of fresh juice and showing considerable antioxidant activity.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programmer PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019), Sandrina A. Heleno, João C.M. Barreira, Ricardo C. Calhelha and L. Barros contracts; to the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289: DeCodE and project Mobilizador ValorNatural®; and FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Resposta da casta ‘Syrah’ à monda de cachos

Este trabalho teve por objectivo estudar o efeito da monda de cachos na produção e nas características analíticas das uvas e do vinho, casta ’Syrah’, bem como analisar a vertente económica da operação. Num ensaio realizado no ano de 2007 na região vitícola de Alenquer, Quinta do Pinto, Merceana, comparou-se uma modalidade testemunha não mondada (T) com duas modalidades mondadas, em dois estados fenológicos distintos, bago de ervilha (MBE) e pintor (MP), ambas com a mesma intensidade de monda (50% de cachos removidos). A monda induziu uma redução significativa no rendimento (-36%) e uma melhoria nos parâmetros da qualidade, excepto na acidez total e na tonalidade da cor que apresentaram valores idênticos aos da testemunha não mondada. Destaca-se o efeito positivo da monda no grau alcoólico e nos compostos fenólicos, principalmente nas antocianinas. Os vinhos elaborados a partir das uvas das modalidades mondadas foram significativamente melhor classificados e preferidos em prova organoléptica. O vigor e expressão vegetativa da videira não foram significativamente influenciados pela monda. O efeito da época de monda não foi significativo em qualquer dos parâmetros analisados. A monda aumentou os custos de produção, principalmente quando realizada ao bago de ervilha, sendo uma opção viável em vinhas com produções potenciais elevadas, quando o objectivo é a produção de vinhos de qualidadeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito da monda de cachos na produção e qualidade das uvas e do vinho, casta ‘Syrah’, região da Estremadura

Num ensaio instalado numa vinha pertencente à Quinta do Pinto, Merceana, estudou-se o efeito da monda de cachos na produção e qualidade da uva e vinho da casta ’Syrah’. Comparou-se uma modalidade testemunha não mondada com duas épocas de monda (50% de cachos removidos): bago de ervilha e pintor. Comparativamente à testemunha não mondada, apesar da monda ter provocado um aumento significativo do peso médio do cacho, as modalidades mondadas apresentaram um rendimento significativamente inferior (- 36%). A monda induziu uma melhoria significativa da qualidade da uva, particularmente no grau alcoólico e nos compostos fenólicos. Os vinhos elaborados a partir das uvas das modalidades mondadas foram melhor classificados em prova organoléptica. A monda não provocou quaisquer efeitos significativos no vigor e expressão vegetativa da videira. O efeito da época de monda não foi significativo em qualquer dos parâmetros analisadosinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Crossover effects in a discrete deposition model with Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling

We simulated a growth model in 1+1 dimensions in which particles are aggregated according to the rules of ballistic deposition with probability p or according to the rules of random deposition with surface relaxation (Family model) with probability 1-p. For any p>0, this system is in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class, but it presents a slow crossover from the Edwards-Wilkinson class (EW) for small p. From the scaling of the growth velocity, the parameter p is connected to the coefficient of the nonlinear term of the KPZ equation, lambda, giving lambda ~ p^gamma, with gamma = 2.1 +- 0.2. Our numerical results confirm the interface width scaling in the growth regime as W ~ lambda^beta t^beta, and the scaling of the saturation time as tau ~ lambda^(-1) L^z, with the expected exponents beta =1/3 and z=3/2 and strong corrections to scaling for small lambda. This picture is consistent with a crossover time from EW to KPZ growth in the form t_c ~ lambda^(-4) ~ p^(-8), in agreement with scaling theories and renormalization group analysis. Some consequences of the slow crossover in this problem are discussed and may help investigations of more complex models.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev.