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Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety

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A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Aberrant Oxidation of Biomolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 36232

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Costantino Paciolla

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Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", I-70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: antioxidant systems; plant defense responses; secondary metabolites; light in post-harvest; shelf-life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Martina Loi

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Italian National Research Council, CNR · Institute of Sciences of Food Production ISPA, Bari, Italy
Interests: redox-active enzymes; phenols; antioxidant activity; food safety; biological methods for mycotoxin reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, plant antioxidants have attracted considerable attention due to their many biological activities and their ability to counteract oxidative stress. Plant antioxidants belong to a broad range of compounds, such as carbohydrates and derivatives (ascorbic acid, oligosaccharides), polyphenols (flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins), terpenoids (carotenoids, saponins, tocopherols), and essential oil components. In vivo, antioxidants quench radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other triggers of oxidation. Oxidative species are normally produced by the cellular metabolism in every living organism and act as signal molecules in several physiological pathways, such as apoptosis, gene expression, and ion transportation. Nonetheless, an excessive ROS production or imbalance may lead to oxidative damage of biological membranes (proteins and lipids), damage to nucleic acids, vitamins oxidation, and irreversible cellular alterations and, ultimately, cell death. Indeed, a diet rich in antioxidants has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to inflammation process, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as to improve the cardiovascular and gut health.

A high antioxidant content is also beneficial to foods, whether they are naturally present or artificially added, because they reduce the oxidation of lipids, proteins, vitamins, and other compounds prone to oxidation. Oxidation of food components is responsible for the generation of off-flavors, off-odors, change in color, and decrease in shelf life and nutritional value. Eventually, due to their antimicrobial and antifungal properties, some plant antioxidants have the potential to be used as natural preservatives together with mild preservation technologies.

Owing to the great interest in our previous Special Issue “Plant Antioxidants for Food Safety and Quality” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants/special_issues/food_safety_quality), this second edition aims to bring together novel, innovative research and critical thinking on plant antioxidants. We encourage the submission of new contributions to increase knowledge and further investigate this topic, which would be of great interest to scientists, stakeholders, and consumers.

In particular, we welcome original research papers and reviews dealing with the characterization and use of plant antioxidants as pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, or food additives, as well as with innovative agronomic, molecular, biochemical, or technological approaches to improve the content or reduce the loss of antioxidants at harvest or during shelf life, also in foods of animal origin. The effects of plant antioxidants on human health, studies on bioavailability and bioaccessibility are also included in the topics of this Special Issue.

We look forward to your contribution.

Dr. Costantino Paciolla
Dr. Martina Loi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

plant antioxidants
antimicrobial compounds
food safety
food quality
antioxidant mechanism
shelf life
oxidation

Published Papers (13 papers)

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13 pages, 3028 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integration of Untargeted Metabolomics and Object-Oriented Data-Processing Protocols to Characterize Acerola Powder Composition as Functional Food Ingredient

by Kewen Wang, Lu Mi, Xue Wang, Linyan Zhou and Zhenzhen Xu

Antioxidants 2023, 12(7), 1341; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12071341 - 25 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1313

Abstract

Acerola powder has been experiencing a surge in demand as a functional food ingredient, particularly due to its usage in vitamin C supplements. However, limited research has been conducted on its other bioactive compounds. In this study, we employed metabolomics and object-oriented data-processing protocols to comprehensively characterize acerola powder. To ensure maximum coverage of metabolomics, we selected a 50% methanol aqueous solution as the extraction solvent and utilized the HSS T3 column for chromatography analysis. Through this approach, we successfully identified a total of 175 compounds in acerola powder, encompassing amino acids and peptides, polyphenols, organic acids, and various other compounds. Additionally, we measured the total phenolic content (TPC) and assessed the antioxidant activity of acerola powder. Furthermore, we analyzed the differential composition of acerola fruit and juice powder, identifying polyphenols and lipids as primary markers in fruit powder, while peptides emerged as key markers in juice powder. Notably, two specific peptides, Thr-Trp and Val-Tyr, were identified as antioxidant peptides. Overall, our study provides novel composition data for acerola powder, shedding light on its potential as a functional food ingredient. These findings contribute to the development and utilization of acerola powder in the formulation of functional food products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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19 pages, 958 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

3D Printing of Functional Strawberry Snacks: Food Design, Texture, Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds, and Microbial Stability

by Anica Bebek Markovinović, Predrag Putnik, Tomislav Bosiljkov, Deni Kostelac, Jadranka Frece, Ksenija Markov, Adrijana Žigolić, Jelena Kaurinović, Branimir Pavlić, Boris Duralija, Sandra Zavadlav and Danijela Bursać Kovačević

Antioxidants 2023, 12(2), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12020436 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2133

Abstract

3D printing technology (3DP) as additive manufacturing is an innovative design technology that can meet the individual nutritional and sensory needs of consumers. Therefore, the aim of this work was to apply 3DP in the production of a strawberry-based functional product with the addition of two hydrocolloids (corn and wheat starch) in three proportions (10, 15 and 20%) and to investigate the influence of 3DP process parameters on physico-chemical and textural properties, as well as the bioactive and antioxidant potential and microbiological stability, with(out) the addition of natural antimicrobial agents. Starch type had a significant effect on all tested bioactive compounds, as well as on starch content, except for total phenolic and hydroxycinnamic acid contents. Considering the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity, program 2 proved to be more suitable than program 1. All samples exhibited good textural properties, a high degree of stability and minimal geometric deviations. Regarding microbiological safety, no pathogenic bacteria were found in the 3DP samples during storage. The 3DP sample with added citral at a concentration of 75 mg L⁻¹ showed the best microbiological quality. Ultimately, 3DP can be successfully used for the production of new strawberry-based functional products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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18 pages, 3597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Anthocyanins and Their Antioxidant Activities in Indian Rose Varieties (Rosa × hybrida) Using HPLC

by Poonam Kumari, D. V. S. Raju, K. V. Prasad, Supradip Saha, Sapna Panwar, Surinder Paul, Namita Banyal, Aarti Bains, Prince Chawla, Melinda Fogarasi and Szabolcs Fogarasi

Antioxidants 2022, 11(10), 2032; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11102032 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5432

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the anthocyanin profile and antioxidant activities in Indian rose varieties (Rosa × hybrida). Among fifty varieties, Ashwini recorded the highest total phenolic content (427.59 ± 3.47 mg GAE/100 g) along with the highest FRAP (397.15 ± 0.82 µmol trolox/g) and DPPH free radical scavenging activity (93.47 ± 0.19%) on a fresh weight basis. A significant positive correlation was observed between total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activities. Four distinct clusters were formed according to total anthocyanins, total phenols, and antioxidant activities; white- and yellow-colored varieties were most distant from red ones. Principal component analysis revealed that variable total anthocyanin content contributed to the maximum variation among the fifty rose varieties studied. Highly anthocyanin-rich rose varieties were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PAD), which identified two major components of anthocyanins, i.e., cyanidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside and pelargonidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside. Cyanidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside was the predominant anthocyanin in red- and pink-colored varieties, whereas pelargonidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside was the major one in the orange variety. The maximum cyanidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside content was recorded in variety Ashwini (497.79 mg/100 g), whereas the maximum pelargonidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside content was recorded in Suryakiran (185.43 mg/100 g). It is suggested that the rose varieties with high anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity can be exploited as a potential source of nutraceuticals in the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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19 pages, 692 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Berries and Leaves of Raspberry Genotypes and Their Genotyping by SSR Markers

by Vadim G. Lebedev, Tatyana N. Lebedeva, Elena O. Vidyagina, Vladimir N. Sorokopudov, Anna A. Popova and Konstantin A. Shestibratov

Antioxidants 2022, 11(10), 1961; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11101961 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2360

Abstract

The red raspberry is one of the world’s most popular berries. The main direction of its breeding has switched to nutritional quality, and the evaluation of raspberry germplasm for antioxidant content and activity is very important. As berries, raspberry leaves contain valuable bioactive compounds, but the optimal time for their collection is unknown. We evaluated 25 new breeding lines and standard raspberry cultivars for their polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant activity of berries correlated better with the content of total phenolics (0.88 and 0.92) and flavonoids (0.76 and 0.88) than with anthocyanins (0.37 and 0.66). Two breeding lines were significantly superior to the standard cultivars and can be used in further breeding. Leaves collected in three phenological phases of the raspberry contained more phenolics (5.4-fold) and flavonoids (4.1-fold) and showed higher antioxidant activities (2.4-fold in FRAP assay, 2.2-fold in ABTS) than berries. The optimal time for harvesting raspberry leaves is the fruit ripening stage, with exceptions for some cultivars. Genetic diversity analysis using microsatellite (SSR) markers from flavonoid biosynthesis genes divided the genotypes into five clusters, generally in agreement with their kinships. The relationship between genetic data based on metabolism-specific SSR markers and the chemical diversity of cultivars was first assessed. The biochemical and genetic results show a strong correlation (0.78). This study is useful for further the improvement of raspberry and other berry crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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21 pages, 1410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Meal as a Natural Antioxidant on Lipid and Protein Quality and Shelf-Life of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Enriched Eggs

by Petru Alexandru Vlaicu, Arabela Elena Untea, Raluca Paula Turcu, Tatiana Dumitra Panaite and Mihaela Saracila

Antioxidants 2022, 11(10), 1948; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11101948 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2332

Abstract

Eggs are a common food of animal origin, inexpensive, and rich in bioactive substances with high biological value. Eggs enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are extremely desired by the progressive consumer. However, during storage, eggs undergo some physiochemical changes, which decrease their value. In this regard, the effect of dietary rosehip meal and flaxseed meal on hens’ egg quality characteristics, amino acids, fatty acids, health-related indices, antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols content, and shelf life was examined. For this study 120 Tetra SL laying hens, 29 weeks of age, were fed, for 4 weeks, three diets that included control (basal diet—RF0), basal diet + 1.5% rosehip and 7% flaxseed meal (RF1), and basal diet + 3% rosehip and 7% flaxseed meal (RF2). Productive performance of hens were recorded. The content of essential amino acids (EAA), antioxidant amino acids (AAA), and sulfur amino acids (SAA) was higher in RF1 and RF2, compared with RF0. Eggs belonging to the RF1 and RF2 groups had significantly (p < 0.05) higher content of n-3 PUFAs, especially linolenic and docosahexaenoic acids. Total antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content increased in both rosehip supplemented groups, but especially in RF2. Moreover, eggs from RF1 and RF2 groups maintained significantly higher egg quality parameters after storage for 14 and 28 days in the refrigerator (5 °C) and ambient temperature (21 °C), compared with those from the RF0 group. In the Haugh unit, yolk and albumen pH presented better values in RF1 and RF2 eggs compared to the RF0 eggs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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21 pages, 3244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioactive Compounds, Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Capacity of the Red-Fleshed Kirkwood Navel and Ruby Valencia Oranges

by Jaime Zacarías-García, Laura Pérez-Través, José-Vicente Gil, María-Jesús Rodrigo and Lorenzo Zacarías

Antioxidants 2022, 11(10), 1905; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11101905 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2159

Abstract

Kirkwood Navel and Ruby Valencia are two spontaneous bud-mutations of the ordinary Washington Navel and Valencia late oranges characterized by the red coloration of their flesh. The purpose of this study was to analyze the physiological features, internal fruit quality, contents of relevant bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in the pulps of the red-fleshed fruits compared with the ordinary oranges during late development and maturation. In general, the content of sugars, organic acids, vitamin C, tocopherols, total phenolics and flavonoids, the hydrophilic antioxidant capacity and their changes during maturation were similar in the red-fleshed oranges and in the corresponding blond oranges. However, the mature Ruby fruits contained lower concentrations of sugars, malic and succinic acid and higher levels of citric acid than the ordinary Valencia. The major difference between the pulps of the Kirkwood and Ruby oranges and those of the ordinary oranges was the higher lipophilic antioxidant capacity and SOAC (singlet oxygen absorption capacity) of the former. Together, the high and unique content and composition of carotenoids in Kirkwood and Ruby may contribute to an enhanced antioxidant capacity without any detrimental effects on other fruit-quality attributes, making these varieties good sources of phytochemicals for the fresh-fruit and juice-processing citrus industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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16 pages, 331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioxidant Effect of Ocimum basilicum Essential Oil and Its Effect on Cooking Qualities of Supplemented Chicken Nuggets

by Hafiz Rehan Nadeem, Saeed Akhtar, Tariq Ismail, Muhammad Qamar, Piero Sestili, Wisha Saeed, Muhammad Azeem and Tuba Esatbeyoglu

Antioxidants 2022, 11(10), 1882; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11101882 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2092

Abstract

A commonly observed chicken meat issue is its lipid oxidation that leads to deterioration of its organoleptic and nutritional properties and its further-processed products. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the traditional culinary herbs exhibiting food preservation properties. The current study investigated the essential oil composition, antioxidant activity and in vitro cytotoxic capacity of the essential oil of basil indigenous to Pakistan. GC–MS analysis of the essential oil revealed the presence of 59 compounds that constituted 98.6% of the essential oil. O. basilicum essential oil (OB-EO) exhibited excellent antioxidant activity, i.e., IC₅₀ 5.92 ± 0.15 µg/mL as assayed by the DPPH assay, 23.4 ± 0.02 µmoL Fe/g by FRAP, and 14.6 ± 0.59% inhibition by H₂O_2. The brine shrimp lethality assay identified an average mortality of ~18% with OB-EO at 10–1000 µg/mL, while that of the same concentration range of the standard drug (etoposide) was 72%. OB-EO was found to be non-toxic to HeLa and PC-3 cell lines. TBARS contents were significantly decreased with increase of OB-EO in chicken nuggets. The lowest TBARS contents were recorded in nuggets supplemented with 0.3% OB-EO, whereas the highest overall acceptability score was marked to the treatments carrying 0.2% OB-EO. The results suggest OB-EO as a promising carrier of bioactive compounds with a broad range of food preservation properties, and which has a sensory acceptability threshold level for chicken nuggets falling between 0.2-0.3% supplementation. Future research must investigate the antibacterial impact of OB-EO on meat products preserved with natural rather than synthetic preservatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

14 pages, 1921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Inhibitory Effect of Quercetin on Biofilm Formation of Listeria monocytogenes Mixed Culture and Repression of Virulence

by Pantu Kumar Roy, Min Gyu Song and Shin Young Park

Antioxidants 2022, 11(9), 1733; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091733 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2406

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is the species of foodborne pathogenic bacteria that causes the infection listeriosis. The food production chain employs various methods to control biofilms, although none are completely successful. This study evaluates the effectiveness of quercetin as a food additive in reducing L. monocytogenes mixed cultures (ATCC19113, ATCC19117, and ATCC15313) biofilm formation on stainless steel (SS), silicon rubber (SR), and hand glove (HG) coupons, as well as tests its antimicrobial activities. With a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 250 µg/mL, the tested quercetin exhibited the lowest bactericidal action with no visible bacterial growth. In contrast, during various experiments in this work, the inhibitory efficacy of quercetin at sub-MICs levels (1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 MIC) against L. monocytogenes was examined. A control group was not added with quercetin. The current study also investigates the effect of quercetin on the expression of different genes engaged in motility (flaA, fbp), QS (agrA), and virulence (hlyA, prfA). Through increasing quercetin concentration, swarming and swimming motility, biofilm formation, and expression levels of target genes linked to flagella motility, virulence, and quorum-sensing were all dramatically reduced. Quercetin (0–125 μg/mL) was investigated on the SS, SR, and HG surfaces; the inhibitory effects were 0.39–2.07, 0.09–1.96 and 0.03–1.69 log CFU/cm², respectively (p < 0.05). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) corroborated the findings because quercetin prevented the development of biofilms by severing cell-to-cell contacts and inducing cell lysis, which resulted in the loss of normal cell shape. Our findings suggest that plant-derived quercetin should be used as an antimicrobial agent in the food industry to control the development of L. monocytogenes biofilms. These outcomes suggest that bacterial targets are of interest for biofilm reduction, with alternative natural food agents in the food sector along the entire food production chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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21 pages, 2050 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Pectin and Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Active Packaging Enriched with Itaconic Acid and Apple Pomace-Derived Antioxidants

by Bernadette-Emőke Teleky, Laura Mitrea, Diana Plamada, Silvia Amalia Nemes, Lavinia-Florina Călinoiu, Mihaela Stefana Pascuta, Rodica-Anita Varvara, Katalin Szabo, Patricia Vajda, Cristian Szekely, Gheorghe-Adrian Martău, Simon Elemer, Floricuța Ranga and Dan-Cristian Vodnar

Antioxidants 2022, 11(9), 1729; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091729 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3636

Abstract

The production of active and biodegradable packaging materials is an emerging and efficient alternative to plastic packaging materials. By combining poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), pectin, and itaconic acid (IA), biodegradable and water-soluble packaging materials can be obtained that can also increase the shelf-life and quality of foodstuff. In the present study, the generated film-forming solutions were enriched with organic or phenolic extracts from apple by-products (apple pomace). These extracts possess an efficient antioxidant activity of 9.70 ± 0.08, and 78.61 ± 0.24 μM Trolox/100 g fresh weight, respectively. Furthermore, the lyophilization of these by-products increased the extract’s organic and phenolic content and the antioxidant activity to 67.45 ± 0.28 and 166.69 ± 0.47 μM Trolox/100 g fresh weight, respectively. These extracts influence the physical-chemical properties of the biofilm solutions by facilitating the polymerization process and thus positively influencing their viscosity. The resulting biofilms presented low water vapor permeability and reduced solubility in water. Adding IA and organic/phenolic compounds facilitates the resistance against intrinsic and extrinsic factors; therefore, they might be applicable in the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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24 pages, 4177 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zeolites and Biochar Modulate Olive Fruit and Oil Polyphenolic Profile

by Sandra Martins, Ermelinda Silva, Cátia Brito, Carlos Martins-Gomes, Alexandre Gonçalves, Margarida Arrobas, Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues, Carlos M. Correia and Fernando M. Nunes

Antioxidants 2022, 11(7), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11071332 - 06 Jul 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1855

Abstract

Soil degradation processes and climate change threaten the sustainability of Mediterranean rainfed olive orchards, with repercussions on crop yield and quality of olives, olive oil and olive by-products. Using soil amendments can enhance soil fertility for sustained environmental quality and plant performance. For two years, we evaluated, under rainfed conditions, the effects of a fertilizer compound (FC) and its combination with zeolites (ZL) and biochar (BC) amendments on soil moisture, yield, fruit and oil polyphenols and quality indices. The polyphenolic composition was strongly influenced by treatments, although no effects were observed on crop yield. ZL improved soil moisture (average increase of 26.3% compared to FC), fruit fatty acid composition (increase of 12.4% in oleic/linoleic ratio in 2018) and oil quality, BC enhanced the concentrations of polyphenols with high nutritional value (average annual increase of 25.6, 84.8 and 11.6% for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, oleuropein and rutin, respectively). In contrast, olive oil from FC fruits showed the poorest quality, with oxidation and hydrolytic breakdown signals. The applied soil amendments appear to be a promising sustainable strategy to implement in olive rainfed orchards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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18 pages, 2720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Horned Melon Pulp, Peel, and Seed: New Insight into Phytochemical and Biological Properties

by Olja Šovljanski, Vanja Šeregelj, Lato Pezo, Vesna Tumbas Šaponjac, Jelena Vulić, Teodora Cvanić, Siniša Markov, Gordana Ćetković and Jasna Čanadanović-Brunet

Antioxidants 2022, 11(5), 825; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11050825 - 23 Apr 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2444

Abstract

Artificial neural intelligence was established for the estimation, prediction, and optimization of many agricultural and food processes to enable enhanced and balanced utilization of fresh and processed fruits. The predictive capabilities of artificial neural networks (ANNs) are evaluated to estimate the phytochemical composition and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus) pulp, peel, and seed. Using multiobjective optimization, the main goals were successively achieved through analysis of antimicrobial potential against sensitive microorganisms for peel (Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus brasiliensis, and Penicillium aurantiogriseum), pulp (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Typhimurium), and seed samples (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans), and its connection with phytochemical and nutritional composition and antioxidant activity. The highly potent extracts were obtained from peels which represent a waste part with strong antioxidant and antifungal capacity. Briefly, the calculated inhibition zone minimums for sensitive microorganisms were 25.3–30.7 mm, while the optimal results achieved with carotenoids, phenolics, vitamin C, proteins, lipids, DPPH, ABTS, and RP were: 332.01 mg β-car/100 g, 1923.52 mg GAE/100 g, 928.15 mg/100 g, 5.73 g/100 g, 2.3 g/100 g, 226.56 μmol TE/100 g, 8042.55 μmol TE/100 g, and 7526.36 μmol TE/100 g, respectively. These results imply the possibility of using horned melon peel extract as an antioxidant and antifungal agent for food safety and quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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18 pages, 1766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutraceutical Profile of “Carosello” (Cucumis melo L.) Grown in an Out-of-Season Cycle under LEDs

by Onofrio Davide Palmitessa, Miriana Durante, Annalisa Somma, Giovanni Mita, Massimiliano D’Imperio, Francesco Serio and Pietro Santamaria

Antioxidants 2022, 11(4), 777; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11040777 - 13 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2230

Abstract

The world population is projected to increase to 9.9 billion by 2050 and, to ensure food security and quality, agriculture must sustainably multiply production, increase the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables, and preserve genetic variability. In this work, an Apulian landrace of Cucumis melo L. called “Carosello leccese” was grown in a greenhouse with a soilless technique under light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used as supplementary light system. The obtained results showed that “Carosello leccese” contains up to 71.0 mg·g⁻¹ dried weight (DW) of potassium and several bioactive compounds important for human health such as methyl gallate (35.58 µg·g⁻¹ DW), α-tocopherol (10.12 µg·g⁻¹ DW), and β-carotene (up to 9.29 µg·g⁻¹ DW under LEDs). In fact, methyl gallate has antioxidative and antiviral effects in vitro and in vivo, tocopherols are well recognized for their effective inhibition of lipid oxidation in foods and biological systems and carotenoids are known to be very efficient physical and chemical quenchers of singlet oxygen. Finally, it was demonstrated that the LEDs’ supplementary light did not negatively influence the biochemical profile of the peponids, confirming that it can be considered a valid technique to enhance horticultural production without reducing the content of the bioactive compounds of the fruits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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17 pages, 918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Phenolic Compounds and Pigments Content in Yellow Bell Pepper Wastes

by María del Carmen Razola-Díaz, Ana Mª Gómez-Caravaca, Julia López de Andrés, Ana Voltes-Martínez, Alberto Zamora, Gema M. Pérez-Molina, David J. Castro, Juan Antonio Marchal and Vito Verardo

Antioxidants 2022, 11(3), 557; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11030557 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4445

Abstract

Bell peppers are one of the most important species consumed and cultivated in Spain. Peppers are a source of carotenoids and phenolic compounds widely associated with biological activities such as antimicrobial, antiseptic, anticancer, counterirritant, cardioprotective, appetite stimulator, antioxidant, and immunomodulator. However, undersized and damaged fruits are usually wasted. Thus, in order to evaluate the phenolic content, a Box–Behnken design has been carried out to optimize the extraction from Capsicum annuum yellow pepper by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The independent factors were time (min), ethanol/water (% v/v) and solvent/sample ratio (v/w). The model was validated by ANOVA and confirmed. Furthermore, the whole pepper and the pepper without peduncles and seeds were extracted using optimal conditions and characterized by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS. Moreover, their antioxidant activities, measured by three different methods (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), carotenoid composition, assessed by HPLC-MS, and chlorophyll content, assessed by a spectrophotometric method, were compared. A total of 38 polar compounds were found of which seven have been identified in pepper fruit extracts for the first time. According to the results, whole pepper (WP) samples presented higher content in phenolic acids; meanwhile, the edible portion (EP) was higher in flavonoids. No differences were found in the antioxidant activity except for the FRAP assay where the WP sample showed higher radical scavenging activity. EP samples showed the highest content of carotenoids and WP ones in chlorophylls. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Antioxidants and other Bioactive Compounds for Food Quality and Safety)

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