scholarly journals Variation in the Accumulation of Phytochemicals and Their Bioactive Properties among the Aerial Parts of Cauliflower

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1597
Author(s):  
Natalia Drabińska ◽  
Maja Jeż ◽  
Mariana Nogueira

Vegetables from the Brassicaceae family are excellent sources of bioactive phytochemicals and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Variation of phytochemicals in the edible part of cauliflower is known. However, information about the distribution of bioactive and nutritive compounds as well as antioxidant activity among aerial organs of cauliflower is unavailable. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the distribution of glucosinolates (GLS), phenolics, flavonoids, chlorophylls, nutritive compounds and antioxidant capacity between the aerial parts of the common variety of cauliflower and to evaluate whether these changes contribute to the differences in the antioxidant capacity between the plant organs. Our study showed that all the aerial organs of cauliflower are a rich source of health-promoting bioactive compounds, including GLS, phenolics and flavonoids, exhibiting antioxidant capacity. The highest contents of phytochemicals and the highest antioxidant capacity were found in leaves. Cauliflower organs were also found to be rich in nutritive compounds, including minerals, proteins and amino acids. Our study showed that the non-edible organs, such as stems and leaves, being neglected parts of cauliflower, if not consumed as the main ingredient, can be used as additives for developing new, functional foodstuff.

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1801301
Author(s):  
María D. López ◽  
Nieves Baenas ◽  
Jorge Retamal-Salgado ◽  
Nelson Zapata ◽  
Diego A. Moreno

The Biobío Region in Chile presents special edaphoclimatic characteristics and biodiversity that make it suitable for the introduction and development of some berries that are understudied in terms of their health-promoting composition and characteristics. Chilean strawberry ( Fragaria chiloensis ssp. chiloensis, form chiloensis) and calafate ( Berberis microphylla G. Forst.) have been underused despite having interesting nutritive values and health-promoting capacities. The polyphenolic compositions of Chilean strawberry and calafate were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn analyses, as well as their antioxidant potential (in ORAC and DPPH assays). The major secondary metabolites present in Chilean strawberry and calafate were ellagic acid derivatives and anthocyanins, respectively, being the anthocyanins more closely related to the higher antioxidant capacity found in the berries. Therefore, the Biobío Region berries analyzed are rich in bioactive phytochemicals with health-promoting characteristics. This represents an opportunity for the food industry and for international trade with Chilean berries, as well as a potential way of promoting rural development in the region.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Immacolata Faraone ◽  
Daniela Russo ◽  
Lucia Chiummiento ◽  
Eloy Fernandez ◽  
Alka Choudhary ◽  
...  

The genus Minthostachys belonging to the Lamiaceae family, and is an important South American mint genus used commonly in folk medicine as an aroma in cooking. The phytochemical-rich samples of the aerial parts of Minthostachys diffusa Epling. were tested for pharmacological and health-promoting bioactivities using in vitro chemical and enzymatic assays. A range of radical scavenging activities of the samples against biological radicals such as nitric oxide and superoxide anion and against synthetic 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals, the ferric reducing antioxidant power and the lipid peroxidation inhibition were determined and ranked using the ‘relative antioxidant capacity index’ (RACI). The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest RACI of +1.12. Analysis of the various fractions’ inhibitory ability against enzymes involved in diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), and against enzymes associated with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases (acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) also suggested that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most active. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction showed more than 30 polyphenolic compounds, including triterpenes. The inhibitory cholinesterase effects of the triterpenes identified from M. diffusa were further analysed by in silico docking of these compounds into 3D-structures of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. This is the first study on pharmacological activities and phytochemical profiling of the aerial parts of M. diffusa, showing that this plant, normally used as food in South America, is also rich in health-promoting phytochemicals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Achilonu ◽  
Karabo Shale ◽  
Georgina Arthur ◽  
Kuben Naidoo ◽  
Michael Mbatha

The growing world population is challenging the animal products supply system, particularly in developing countries, where demand for meat and milk in 2050 is estimated to increase to 109% and 116%, respectively, amidst deteriorating livestock feed sources. Globally, adequate production and availability of animal feed products to subsistence farmers has been declining due to factors such as global warming, growth in population, and low economic growth. This paper seeks to examine the existing scientific literature on the utilization of some unconventional feed resources, to abate the challenge of feed deficit and thus improve animal nutrition. The use of fruit waste and agricultural farm residues affords alternative, nutritive livestock dietary supplements; it has been proven they contain a spectrum of vital bioactive phytochemicals essential for sustainable growth and development of animals. The biochemical composition of the plant wastes and residues include carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and fatty acids, while the common bioactive phytochemicals are polyphenols, alkaloids, carotenoids, and flavonoids, along with tannins, terpenes, and saponins, which play vital roles in reducing disease-causing agents, such as bacteria, viruses, and free radical-associated diseases. The phytochemicals exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-parasitic and antiprotozoal properties. However, it is important to guard against antinutritive and toxicity levels in animal feed products. The paper concludes that agroresidues’/wastes’ nutritive and therapeutic potential could serve as alternative livestock feed resource, while also acting as additional job and income generator for communities.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
María López-Pedrouso ◽  
José M. Lorenzo ◽  
Paula Borrajo ◽  
Daniel Franco

The search for antioxidant peptides as health-promoting agents is of great scientific interest for their biotechnological applications. Thus, the main goal of this study was to identify antioxidant peptides from pork liver using alcalase, bromelain, flavourzyme, and papain enzymes. All liver hydrolysates proved to be of adequate quality regarding the ratio EAA/NEAA, particularly flavourzyme hydrolysates. The peptidomic profiles were significantly different for each enzyme and their characterizations were performed, resulting in forty-four differentially abundant peptides among the four treatments. Porcine liver hydrolysates from alcalase and bromelain are demonstrated to have the most antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, hydrophobic amino acid residues (serine, threonine, histidine and aspartic acid) might be reducing the hydrolysates antioxidant capacity. Seventeen peptides from collagen, albumin, globin domain-containing protein, cytochrome β, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, dihydropyrimidinase, argininosuccinate synthase, and ATP synthase seem to be antioxidant. Further studies are necessary to isolate these peptides and test them in in vivo experiments.


Antioxidants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Hernan Speisky ◽  
Fereidoon Shahidi ◽  
Adriano Costa de Camargo ◽  
Jocelyn Fuentes

Flavonoids display a broad range of health-promoting bioactivities. Among these, their capacity to act as antioxidants has remained most prominent. The canonical reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging mode of the antioxidant action of flavonoids relies on the high susceptibility of their phenolic moieties to undergo oxidation. As a consequence, upon reaction with ROS, the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids is severely compromised. Other phenol-compromising reactions, such as those involved in the biotransformation of flavonoids, can also markedly affect their antioxidant properties. In recent years, however, increasing evidence has indicated that, at least for some flavonoids, the oxidation of such residues can in fact markedly enhance their original antioxidant properties. In such apparent paradoxical cases, the antioxidant activity arises from the pro-oxidant and/or electrophilic character of some of their oxidation-derived metabolites and is exerted by activating the Nrf2–Keap1 pathway, which upregulates the cell’s endogenous antioxidant capacity, and/or, by preventing the activation of the pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory NF-κB pathway. This review focuses on the effects that the oxidative and/or non-oxidative modification of the phenolic groups of flavonoids may have on the ability of the resulting metabolites to promote direct and/or indirect antioxidant actions. Considering the case of a metabolite resulting from the oxidation of quercetin, we offer a comprehensive description of the evidence that increasingly supports the concept that, in the case of certain flavonoids, the oxidation of phenolics emerges as a mechanism that markedly amplifies their original antioxidant properties. An overlooked topic of great phytomedicine potential is thus unraveled.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Bochnak-Niedźwiecka ◽  
Michał Świeca

This study evaluates nutrients and health-promoting compounds responsible for antioxidant capacity in eight novel formulations based on lyophilized fruit and vegetable powders. The composition contained lyophilized carrot, pumpkin, lentil sprouts, raspberry, strawberry, and apple. The effect of functional additives on the antioxidant, nutritional, and functional characteristics of powdered beverages was determined in the powders and after rehydration followed by in vitro digestion. The antioxidant activity, phenols, vitamin C, and reducing power were significantly higher in the powders enriched with additives having potential functional properties. Furthermore, the analyses indicated that all the powdered formulations may be potential sources of total starch (100–112 mg/100 mL) and proteins (125–139 mg/100 mL). The designed powdered beverages after reconstitution exhibited high antioxidant content, reasonable consumer acceptance, and good in vitro bioaccessibility. The best results of antioxidant capacity were obtained for beverages enriched with raspberry, i.e., 10.4 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 mL and 12.1 mg TE/100 mL rehydrated at 20 °C and 80 °C, respectively. Additionally, color characteristics were used as indicators of the quality of the powdered beverages. This research promotes the reduction of food waste, since whole plant tissues are used, thus allowing maximum exploitation of food raw materials; moreover, drying provides stable shelf life.


2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilip Chokshi

The number of available dietary supplements containing “starch blockers” intended for weight loss has risen dramatically in recent years. These supplements are believed to reduce carbohydrate-derived calories by interfering with α-amylase, the digestive enzyme responsible for conversion of complex carbohydrates to simple absorbable sugars. The present paper reports the findings of single- and multiple-dose (4-week) oral toxicity studies in rats of the marketed dietary supplement Blockal. Blockal contains as its main ingredient Phase 2 Starch Neutralizer (Phase 2 or Phaseolamin 2250), a standardized extract derived from the common white kidney bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris) that has been shown to have α-amylase-inhibiting activity. The Blockal acute oral LD50 exceeded the highest dose tested (3 g/kg body weight [bw]), which provided a single dose of 1668 mg/kg bw of Phase 2 white kidney bean extract. The no-observed-effect level (NOEL) seen in the 4-week study was equivalent to the highest Blockal dose tested (2 g/kg bw/day), which provided 1112 mg/kg/day of Phase 2 white kidney bean extract. The results of these studies support and are consistent with the safety of the marketed dietary supplement Blockal, and indirectly, the safety of its main ingredient, Phase 2 Starch Neutralizer (Phase 2 or Phaseolamin 2250), a standardized extract derived from the common white kidney bean.


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