Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.5
2.7
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants
share announcement

Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 8953

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Kanellaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Section of Analytical Environmental and Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, GR-26500 Patras, Greece
Interests: fermentation technology in food production; immobilized cell biocatalysts in food production; wine making and brewing; potable and fuel grade alcohol production; biotechnological exploitation of agro-industrial wastes for added-value products; dairy products-probiotics; industrial bioprocesses, bioreactor design and scale-up
Dr. Boura Konstantina

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Section of Analytical Environmental and Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, GR-26500 Patras, Greece
Interests: fermentation technology in food production; immobilized cell biocatalysts; cell factories; consolidated bioprocessing; wine making and brewing; biotechnological exploitation of agro-industrial wastes for added-value products; industrial bioprocesses, bioreactor design and scale-up

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions to a Special Issue entitled Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants.

Phytochemicals and antioxidant properties of edible plants (and isolated compounds, essential oils, plant extracts, etc.) play an important role in human health. The use of plants as antioxidants is becoming of increasing importance in the food and pharmaceutical industry as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants. Many recent studies have highlighted the importance of phenolics and terpenes from natural sources for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Plants have also formed the basis of traditional medicine systems (phytomedicine) that have been in existence for thousands of years. Even in modern times, plant-based systems continue to play an essential role in healthcare.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions exploring cutting-edge research and recent advances on the topics of phytochemicals and antioxidant properties of edible plants. Both theoretical and experimental studies are welcome, as well as comprehensive reviews and survey papers.

Prof. Dr. Maria Kanellaki
Dr. Boura Konstantina
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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • phytochemicals
  • antioxidant
  • edible plants
  • herbs
  • terpenes
  • phenolics

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

22 pages, 4529 KiB  
Article
Aloysia citrodora Extracts Cultivated in Greece as Antioxidants and Potent Regulators of Food Microbiota
by Vasileios K. Gkalpinos, Vasiliki A. Anagnostou, Gregoria Mitropoulou, Vasiliki Kompoura, Ioanna Karapantzou, Christodoulos K. Fasoulis, Efstathios P. Vasdekis, Yiannis Kourkoutas and Andreas G. Tzakos
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3663; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063663 - 13 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1472
Abstract
Plant extracts contain valuable sources of biologically active molecules and, lately, have attracted scientific and industrial interest as inhibitors of food-borne pathogens and growth stimulators of beneficial microbes. In this vein, the aim of this study was to explore and exploit the effect [...] Read more.
Plant extracts contain valuable sources of biologically active molecules and, lately, have attracted scientific and industrial interest as inhibitors of food-borne pathogens and growth stimulators of beneficial microbes. In this vein, the aim of this study was to explore and exploit the effect of Aloysia citrodora extracts as potent functional regulators of food microbiota by stimulating the growth of probiotic strains and by suppressing the evolution of common food-spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of A. citrodora, rich in polyphenols, were prepared and their phytochemical composition was unveiled by LC-triple quadruple and LC-QToF mass spectrometry. The growth stimulatory activity of a wild-type Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus strain, along with L. rhamnosus GG, used as a control, was assessed by monitoring cell growth in the presence of sodium chloride, bile salts, thermal stress, and alcohol. We found that the aqueous extract stimulated the growth of probiotic strains at 0.5 mg/mL. At the same concentration, stimulatory activity was observed for the wild-type L. rhamnosus in the presence of bile salts and alcohol and for L. rhamnosus GG in the presence of NaCl and under thermal stress. The ethanolic extract of A. citrodora exhibited prebiotic activity at 0.25 mg/mL, but did not promote the growth of the strains under the stress conditions tested. In addition, minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) against food-spoilage and pathogenic microbes were determined. The strongest growth inhibitory activity of foodborne pathogens was noted by the A. citrodora ethanolic extract, while the aqueous A. citrodora extract had no effect against Escherichia coli. Importantly, the spoilage and pathogenic microbes tested were more sensitive to the extracts than the probiotic strains, indicating a significant contribution to the functional regulation of food microbiota, provided that they are used at the optimum concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 989 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Effects of Pistacia terebinthus Resin on Wine Making
by Michalis Kallis, Konstantina Boura, Ioannis K. Karabagias, Maria Kanellaki and Athanasios A. Koutinas
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9097; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189097 - 09 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1352
Abstract
In this work we studied the use of Pistacia terebinthus resin as carrier of a psychrotolerant and alcohol resistant yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1 for 27 repeated fermentation batches of white must (12.5 °Be) at 28, 21, 14 and 7 °C. The immobilized [...] Read more.
In this work we studied the use of Pistacia terebinthus resin as carrier of a psychrotolerant and alcohol resistant yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1 for 27 repeated fermentation batches of white must (12.5 °Be) at 28, 21, 14 and 7 °C. The immobilized biocatalyst showed high operational stability during this process. Regarding the repeated fermentation batches with free cells, the fermentation time proved to be higher and so ethanol productivity was lower. Extracted terpenes, terpenoids and polyphenols from P. terebinthus resin were detected in the produced wines contributing to their preservation for at least 35 days at room temperature and 95 days at 4 °C without any addition of potassium metabisulfite. Those extracted compounds from resin gave also a particular pleasant aroma to the produced wines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1331 KiB  
Article
In Vitro and In Silico Studies to Assess Edible Flowers’ Antioxidant Activities
by Eftichia Kritsi, Thalia Tsiaka, Alexandros-George Ioannou, Vassiliki Mantanika, Irini F. Strati, Irene Panderi, Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis and Vassilia J. Sinanoglou
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7331; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147331 - 21 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
The incorporation of edible flowers in the human diet and culinary preparations dates back to ancient times. Nowadays, edible flowers have gained great attention due to their health-promoting and nutritive effects and their widespread acceptance by consumers. Therefore, edible flowers are ideal candidates [...] Read more.
The incorporation of edible flowers in the human diet and culinary preparations dates back to ancient times. Nowadays, edible flowers have gained great attention due to their health-promoting and nutritive effects and their widespread acceptance by consumers. Therefore, edible flowers are ideal candidates for use in the design and development of functional foods and dietary supplements, representing a new and promising trend in the food industry. Thus, the present study attempts to assess the potential of various edible flowers against oxidative stress by applying a combination of in vitro, in silico and spectroscopic techniques. Specifically, the spectroscopic profiles of edible flower extracts were evaluated using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, while their total phenolic contents and antioxidant/antiradical activities were determined spectrophotometrically. The most abundant phytochemicals in the studied flowers were examined as enzyme inhibitors through molecular docking studies over targets that mediate antioxidant mechanisms in vivo. Based on the results, the red China rose followed by the orange Mexican marigold exhibited the highest TPCs and antioxidant activities. All samples showed the characteristic FTIR band of the skeletal vibration of phenolic aromatic rings. Phenolic compounds seem to exhibit antioxidant activity with respect to NADPH oxidase, myeloperoxidase (MP), cytochrome P450 and, to a lesser extent, xanthine oxidase (XO) enzymes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 1386 KiB  
Review
Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Flowers
by Panagiotis Kandylis
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9937; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199937 - 02 Oct 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3384
Abstract
Nowadays there is a growing interest among consumers for functional food products, and edible flowers could be a solution to fulfill this demand. Edible flowers have been used throughout the centuries for their pharmaceutical properties, but also in some areas for culinary purposes. [...] Read more.
Nowadays there is a growing interest among consumers for functional food products, and edible flowers could be a solution to fulfill this demand. Edible flowers have been used throughout the centuries for their pharmaceutical properties, but also in some areas for culinary purposes. There is a great variety of edible flowers, and numerous studies are available regarding their chemical composition and potential antioxidant and functional characteristics. Therefore, the present work focuses on gathering a vast amount of data regarding edible flowers. Phytochemical content, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, etc.) of more than 200 edible flowers are presented. The main phytochemicals belong to the groups of phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids and tocols, while great variability is reported in their content. The present study could be a useful tool to select the edible flowers that can be served as sources of specific phytochemicals with increased antioxidant activity and evaluate them for their safety and potential application in food industry, during processing and storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Edible Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop