Water-in-Oil-in-Water Double Emulsions as Protective Carriers for Sambucus nigra L. Coloring Systems

The use of natural colorants is needed to overcome consumer concerns regarding synthetic food colorants′ safety. However, natural pigments have, in general, poor stability against environmental stresses such as temperature, ionic strength, moisture, light, and pH, among others. In this work, water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) emulsions were used as protective carriers to improve color stability of a hydrophilic Sambucus nigra L. extract against pH changes. The chemical system comprised water and corn oil as the aqueous and oil phases, respectively, and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), Tween 80, and gum Arabic as stabilizers. The primary emulsion was prepared using a W1/O ratio of 40/60 (v/v). For the secondary emulsion, W1/O/W2, different (W1/O)/W2 ratios were tested with the 50/50 (v/v) formulation presenting the best stability, being selected as the coloring system to test in food matrices of different pH: natural yogurt (pH 4.65), rice drink (pH 6.01), cow milk (pH 6.47), and soy drink (pH 7.92). Compared to the direct use of the extract, the double emulsion solution gave rise to higher color stability with pH change and storage time, as corroborated by visual and statistical analysis.

Molecular Authentication, Propagation Trials and Field Establishment of Greek Native Genotypes of Sambucus nigra L. (Caprifoliaceae): Setting the Basis for Domestication and Sustainable Utilization

In the context of sustainable utilisation of valuable but neglected plant resources, a multifaceted study is presented herein for Greek native genotypes of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L., Caprifoliaceae), a species with an appreciated pharmaceutical and nutritional value. At the first phase, fresh plant materials (leaves, softwood cuttings) were collected from nine geographically separated genotypes originating from wild-growing Greek native germplasm of S. nigra. The leaf samples were genetically authenticated using DNA barcoding (ITS2). The next phase included the development of an asexual propagation protocol via cuttings which included screening of the collected genotypes in terms of propagation success, and further experimentation over a two-year period on a prioritised genotype. The propagation results highlighted the importance of external application of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) rooting hormone at levels of 2000–4000 ppm, which consistently presented high rooting rates (100%) of summer softwood, leafy cuttings of apical or sub-apical type. At the same time, rooting quality in terms of root number and length as well as early plant growth after rooting, were improved by external hormone application resulting in high rates of plant survival. This study reports first-time data on multifaceted assessment of Greek native S. nigra genotypes on molecular authentication and asexual propagation, thus ultimately setting the basis for domestication and sustainable utilization of this species.

Sustainable Valorization of Sambucus nigra L. Berries: From Crop Biodiversity to Nutritional Value of Juice and Pomace

Improvement of dietary and ecological biodiversity, namely by exploring autochthonous varieties, is a key point to the construction of a more sustainable food system and planetary health. However, the environmental sustainability continues to face huge challenges, reflecting the importance of achieving a better understanding about the functional role of biodiversity in ecosystems. Thus, the main objective of this research is to contribute to the sustainable valorization of Sambucus nigra L. berries through a comprehensive approach to evaluate the effects of elderberry’s cultivar, harvest year, and plantation field on the physicochemical berry composition. Moreover, the nutritional value of elderberry juice and respective dried pomace was determined. This complementary information is of huge utility for the rational and, as much as possible, integral use of elderberries. The harvest year, followed by field and the interaction of harvest × field, accounted for the highest impact on the berry’s physicochemical parameters, indicating the importance of the combined impact of the macro- and mesoclimate conditions on plant metabolism. Elderberry juice and dried pomace are a good source of carbohydrates (ca. 12 and 82%, respectively) and have low amounts of fat (≤2.5%), making them low-energy foods. Dried pomace may also represent a potential alternative source of vegetal protein (ca. 6%).

Investigation of selected properties of the black elder wood (Sambucus nigra L.)

Investigation of selected properties of the black elder wood (Sambucus nigra L.). The work has defined the selected chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the black elder wood, such as content of non-structural substances, shrinkage and density, speed of sound propagation, dynamic modulus of elasticity, acoustic resistance and sound attenuation, modulus of elasticity, bending strength, compressive strength, Brinell hardness, cold and hot-water extractives content and pH of hot-water extract. The black elder wood is hard and moderately shrinking. Mechanical properties are reduced by going from the pith to the perimeter, which is most likely affected by the increasing twist of the fibres. The distance from the pith also affects the acoustic properties and the size of the shrinkage, while the density remains constant.

Incorporating rainy season and reproductive phenology into the survival and transition rates of the invasive species Sambucus nigra: An approximation with multi-state models

Although it has been demonstrated that environmental changes within a year can affect the reproduction, survival, and growth of invasive species, these factors have rarely been incorporated into the demographic analysis. Therefore, we applied multi-state demographic models (based on capture–recapture animal methods accounting for imperfect detectability of individuals in natural conditions) to evaluate the effects of reproductive phenology and rainy season on the survival and transition/retrogression rates among stage categories of Sambucus nigra (L)—an invasive tree species, widely distributed in temperate forests of Europe and America. In the Abies religiosa temperate forest, Mexico City, a multi-state demographic model of S. nigra was built using bi-monthly censuses during a year. We selected the best-fitting model according to Akaike’s information criterion (AICc). We determined the response of reproductive phenology of S. nigra to the rainy season for two years through repeatability and phenotypic plasticity indexes. Our results showed that the reproductive phenology of S. nigra has a low repeatability index and a high phenotypic plasticity index. We demonstrated that additive and interactive effects of reproductive phenology and rainy season promote changes in survival and transition/retrogression rates among stage categories. During the rainy season, the survival probability of seedlings and transition probability towards the adult category increased. Therefore, our study represents a significant contribution to the knowledge of the demographic dynamics of invasive species on an intra-annual scale.

ЭКОЛОГО-ФИТОХИМИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЦВЕТКОВ БУЗИНЫ ЧЕРНОЙ SAMBUCUS NIGRA L. В УСЛОВИЯХ УРБАНИЗИРОВАННОЙ СРЕДЫ

The impacts of the urbanized environment of Donetsk region on the contents of biologically active substances and heavy metals in black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) flowers and on the total antioxidant activity of their preparations were evaluated. The contents of lead, cadmium and mercury in all samples studied were within the tolerable limits specified for herbal medicinal raw products. The accumulation coefficients of lead and cadmium were found to decrease with increasing soil levels of these toxicants, whereas the level of mercury did not depend on the degree of soil pollution. The contents of active substances in all samples collected in Donbas conform to the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. In fact, the contents of carotenoids, flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids are increased in S. nigra flowers collected in urbanized areas; however, the contents of other phenolic substances (anthocyanins and tannins) are decreased. The contents of ascorbic and free organic acids are highest under moderately urbanized conditions, so as the antioxidant activity of S. nigra flower preparations is. The results suggest that prospects for the pharmaceutical use of S. nigra flowers collected in urbanized areas of Donbas are promising.

Evaluation of Sambucus nigra L. Biopotential as an Unused Natural Resource

An unbreakable relationship between plants, nutrition, and health has directed researchers to deeply investigate and characterize the biopotential and medicinal properties of traditional foods. The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the phytochemical composition and biological potential of plant extracts with the idea of defining the most potent extracts as a natural source of bioactive molecules and their application in different industries. We evaluated unused plant species Sambucus nigra L. for investigation of bioactivities as potential natural products. Extracts of fresh elderberry fruits were obtained by modern (microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)) and traditional (maceration (MAC)) extraction techniques, using 50% ethanol (50% EtOH) and water (H2O) of different polarities. In analyzed extracts, rutin and chlorogenic acid were dominant compounds in both 50% EtOH and H2O extracts, while ursolic acid was identified in 50% EtOH extracts as a terpenic compound with notable concentration. Elderberry extracts were evaluated regarding antioxidant, neuroprotective, antityrosinase, and antidiabetic abilities: MAE extracts had the best overall activity, and in general, 50% EtOH extracts were more potent than water extracts. The correlation of the dominant compound—rutin with all biological activities, indicates the importance of its presence in elderberries. S. nigra fruits showed excellent biopotential and opened possibilities of creating new food products or remedies, which are not present on the market because elderberry extracts are an exceptional source of rutin, chlorogenic acid, and ursolic acid.