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Special Issue "Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits"

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2023) | Viewed by 9828

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zheng Ruan

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Nutrition and Processing, Institute of Nutrition and School of Food Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
Interests: phytochemicals; polyphenol; functional foods; gut health; intestinal microbiota; metabolic syndrome; metabolomics; molecular nutrition
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Prof. Dr. Stefania Moccia

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National Research Council, Institute of Food Sciences, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: polyphenols; biomaterials; biotechnologies; carotenoids; antioxidant activity; telemedicine; technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Giuseppina Crescente

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Guest Editor

Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council (ISA-CNR), 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: food chemistry; antioxidant activity; natural products; secondary metabolites; chemical characterization; spectroscopic techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The extraction of plant specialized metabolites represents a challenge still today. Indeed, the recovery of bioactive compounds from by-products deriving from agri-food chains fits with the concept of environmental sustainability and circular economy. For this reason, the optimization of extraction processes based on green technologies, characterized by low energy-consuming, represents the goal for the development of large-scale methods to be implemented at an industrial level.

The topical issue regards the validation of the functional activity of the extracts on specific experimental models, that take into account the poor bioavailability and structural changes of these compounds, also due to modulation of the gut microbiota. Thus, the study of the biological effects of in vivo bio-transformed metabolites could represent another important advance in the knowledge of the mechanisms of action triggered by these compounds.

Prof. Dr. Zheng Ruan
Prof. Dr. Stefania Moccia
Dr. Giuseppina Crescente
Guest Editors

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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

phytochemicals
green extraction
natural extracts
bioavailability
gut microbiota
health effects

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study between Microwave Hydrodiffusion and Gravity (MHG) and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE): Chemical and Biological Characterization of Polyphenol-Enriched Extracts from Aglianico Grape Pomace

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Foods 2023, 12(14), 2678; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142678 - 11 Jul 2023

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Abstract

The wine industry produces large amounts of grape pomace (GP), a waste that needs to be disposed of properly. Bioactive compounds with high added value can be recovered from GP as an interesting strategy to reduce the environmental impact. Here, two different technologies were employed to recover polyphenol compounds from GP: microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The further purification of UAE and MHG extracts was carried out through solid-phase extraction (SPE) to obtain three fractions, F1, F2 and F3. ATR-FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of sugar and polysaccharide components in F1, as well as non-anthocyanin and anthocyanin compounds in F2 and F3, respectively. Also, the chemical profile was determined by HPLC-UV-DAD, identifying the presence of catechin in F2, and malvidin-3-O-glucoside chloride and cyanidin chloride derivative as the main anthocyanin compounds in F3. The fractions and their parental extracts were characterized for total phenolic content (TPC) and scavenger activity by in vitro assays. We found that F2-MHG and F3-MHG contained phenol contents 6.5 and 8.5 times higher than those of the parental non-fractionated extracts. Finally, F3-MHG (100 μg/mL, w/v) was shown to reduce the proliferation of HT-29 cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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Open AccessArticle

Neuroprotective Effect of White Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Petal Tea in Rats Poisoned with Mancozeb

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Foods 2023, 12(11), 2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112175 - 28 May 2023

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Abstract

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (N. nucifera) tea is used as food and folk medicine to reduce toxicity in Southeast Asia. Mancozeb (Mz) is used for controlling fungi in agriculture and contains heavy metals. This study aimed to examine the effect of white N. nucifera petal tea on cognitive behavior, hippocampus histology, oxidative stress, and amino acid metabolism in rats poisoned with mancozeb. Seventy-two male Wistar rats were divided into nine groups (n = 8 in each). Y-maze spontaneous alternation test was used to assess cognitive behavior, and amino acid metabolism was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR) from blood. There was a significant increase in relative brain weight in the Mz co-administered with the highest dose (2.20 mg/kg bw) of white N. nucifera group. The levels of tryptophan, kynurenine, picolinic acid, and serotonin in blood showed a significant decrease in the Mz group and a significant increase in the Mz co-administered with low dose (0.55 mg/kg bw) of white N. nucifera group. However, there was no significant difference in cognitive behavior, hippocampus histology, oxidative stress, and corticosterone. This study demonstrated that a low dose of white N. nucifera petal tea has a neuroprotective effect against mancozeb. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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Open AccessArticle

The Hepatoprotective Effect of Two Date Palm Fruit Cultivars’ Extracts: Green Optimization of the Extraction Process

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Foods 2023, 12(6), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061229 - 13 Mar 2023

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Abstract

Date palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera: Arecaceae) is rich in essential nutrients and possesses several pharmacological and medicinal activities. The current study aimed to optimize a water bath-assisted extraction method for two cultivars of date palm fruits, Anbara (An) and Reziz (Rz), and investigated the protective effect of the optimized date palm fruit extract against CCl₄-induced liver toxicity in relation to oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and DNA integrity. The optimization process of two date palm fruit cultivars was applied, using response surface methodology through adjusting three “factors”; time, temperature, and rotation, to allow maximum contents of total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), reducing power (FRAP) and scavenging activity (ABTS) of the extract “responses”. Extraction factors’ application significantly enhanced TPC, TFC, FRAP, and ABTS responses by 1.30, 1.23, 3.03, and 2.06-fold, respectively in An and 2.18, 1.71, 1.11, and 2.62-fold, respectively in Rz, in relation to the convectional water extraction. Furthermore, co-administered CCl₄ with An or Rz optimized extracts enhanced body weight gain, amended hepatic architecture, and diminished collagen fiber accumulation. Furthermore, An or Rz extracts reduced liver enzymes, hydroxyproline, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), MDA, inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, NF-κB) levels, and DNA fragmentation, while increasing deteriorated adiponectin (ADP) and antioxidant enzyme (GSH, GPX, NO, and IFN-γ) levels, relative to CCl₄-administered animals. The protective effects of An or Rz-optimized extracts were also evidenced by suppressing hepatic fibrosis and improving liver function and structure via modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, in CCl₄-induced hepatic damage. Hence, the optimized extraction process for the two date palm fruits resulted in extracts which are rich in phenolic and flavonoid contents and with an elevated antioxidant power. The presence of these rich extracts could help to explain their proven hepatoprotective activity against CCl₄-induced liver toxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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Open AccessArticle

Si-Wu Water Extracts Protect against Colonic Mucus Barrier Damage by Regulating Muc2 Mucin Expression in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

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Foods 2022, 11(16), 2499; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11162499 - 18 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1600

Abstract

A high-fat diet (HFD) could cause gut barrier damage. The herbs in si-wu (SW) include dang gui (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels), shu di huang (the processed root of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch.), chuan xiong (rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.), and bai shao (the root of Paeonia lactiflora f. pilosella (Nakai) Kitag.). Si-wu water extracts (SWE) have been used to treat blood deficiency. Components of one herb from SW have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity activities. However, there have been no reports about the effects of SWE on gut barrier damage. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the effect of SWE on gut barrier damage. In this study, we found that SWE effectively controlled body weight, liver weight, and feed efficiency, as well as decreased the serum TC level in HFD-fed mice. Moreover, SWE and rosiglitazone (Ros, positive control) increased the colonic alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level, down-regulated serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and reduced intestinal permeability. In addition, SWE increased goblet cell numbers and mucus layer thickness to strengthen the mucus barrier. After supplementation with SWE and rosiglitazone, the protein expression of CHOP and GRP78 displayed a decrease, which improved the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress condition. Meanwhile, the increase in Cosmc and C1GALT1 improved the O-glycosylation process for correct protein folding. These results collectively demonstrated that SWE improved the mucus barrier, focusing on Muc2 mucin expression, in a prolonged high-fat diet, and provides evidence for the potential of SWE in the treatment of intestinal disease-associated mucus barrier damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Anthocyanins and Vascular Health: A Matter of Metabolites

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Foods 2023, 12(9), 1796; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091796 - 26 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 904

Abstract

Anthocyanins are a subgroup of flavonoid polyphenols previously investigated for improving cardiovascular health and preventing the development of endothelial dysfunction. However, their poor bioavailability raises the question of whether the observed biological activity is due to their metabolites. Phenolic metabolites can reach higher plasma concentrations and can persist in the circulation for periods much longer than their original anthocyanin form; therefore, the biological activity and health promoting effects of anthocyanins may differ from their metabolites. To address this, recent studies have facilitated different cell models, in vivo studies and explored physiologically relevant concentrations to better understand their mechanisms of action. The criteria were chosen based on previous reports demonstrating that anthocyanins can improve endothelial function via modulation of the Akt-endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway and transcription factors Nrf2 and NF-κB, which made it critical to assess the phenolic metabolites’ modes of action via these pathways. This review demonstrates how phenolic metabolites differ in bioactivity from their precursor anthocyanin, demonstrating improved endothelial function in response to inflammatory mediators at concentrations that are tolerated in vivo. The review highlights the crucial need for further studies to focus on improving the bioavailability of metabolites in isolation and explore the effect of metabolites in mixtures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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Open AccessReview

A Comprehensive Review of Moringa oleifera Bioactive Compounds—Cytotoxicity Evaluation and Their Encapsulation

Oana Lelia Pop

Andreea Diana Kerezsi

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Călina Ciont (Nagy)

Foods 2022, 11(23), 3787; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233787 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4197

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam. has gained a lot of attention due to its potential use as a functional food not only for human health but also for animal health. Its bioactive molecules include carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, fatty acids, essential amino acids, and functional peptides. Despite significant efforts to isolate and characterize bioactive metabolites with health functions, few effective metabolites are accessible. The current review aims to describe the main processes for extracting and encapsulating bioactive compounds from Moringa oleifera for potential impact on food science and public health. Researchers have shown that different extraction techniques significantly impact the Moringa polysaccharides’ molecular structure and biological activity. Encapsulation has been proposed to reduce oxidative stability and entrap active agents within a carrier material to deliver bioactive molecules into foods. Currently, polysaccharides and proteins, followed by lipids, are used for material encapsulation. Recent techniques include spray drying, cross-linking gelation, freeze-drying, nanoencapsulation, electrospinning, and electrospraying. Moreover, these encapsulations can overlap concerns regarding the Moringa oleifera compounds’ cytotoxicity. Future studies should prioritize the effect of new encapsulation materials on Moringa extract and develop new techniques that consider both encapsulation cost and efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: From Extract Technology to Health Benefits)

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