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Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 31701

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Dr. Hui Zhao

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Guest Editor

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, China
Interests: natural compounds; prevention of gastrointestinal damage; inflammation; dietary stilbenes; polymethoxylated flavones; blood diseases; breast cancers

Dr. Shiming Li

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Guest Editor

1. Hubei Key Laboratory for EFGIR, Huanggang Normal University, Hubei, China
2. Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Interests: herb medicine; functional foods; natural products; drug discovery; dietary supplements; functional beverages

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, increasing knowledge has highlighted that reasonable food intake usually constitutes a sufficient nutritional content in order to qualify for a health claim, whereas unreasonable food intake may cause or exacerbate health problems. To a large extent, chemical compositions and bioactivities of foods help us to better understand the above-mentioned issues due to their important roles in regard to body health problems.

The biological property of functional foods comes from bioactive phytochemicals (biophytochemicals) in foods. In addition to the basic requirement of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, the biofunctionality of foods, i.e., in functional foods such as herbs, dietary supplements and medical foods, becomes more and more important and even urgent in health promotion, disease prevention and treatment. To explore and comprehend the action of mechanisms of functional foods on human health, it is critically important to identify and profile the biophytochemicals in foods and further examine the biological properties and associated pathways, which lays the foundation for further human study and application of these bioactive properties of biophytochemicals.

This Special Issue will cover the isolation, characterization, biological activity screening and molecular mechanism elucidation as well as the application of biophytochemicals in foods. Submissions are welcome for the following topics listed below. The types of contributions welcomed in this Special Issue include full research articles, short communications, and reviews focusing on the biophytochemicals in foods.

Extraction and identification of biophytochemicals from foods;
Isolation and characterization of biophytochemicals from foods;
Biological activity screening of biophytochemicals;
Investigation of molecular mechanisms of food bioactives;
Interaction of biophytochemicals and microbiota;
Human study of biophytochemicals or biophytochemicals enriched foods;
Bioavailability and or PK/PD study of biophytochemicals;
Study of adverse effects of certain biophytochemicals.

Dr. Hui Zhao
Dr. Shiming Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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 2700 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

foods
phytochemicals
biophytochemicals
food bioactives
chemical compositions
functional foods
dietary supplements
medical foods
biological pathway
molecular mechanisms

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 1556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioactives from Crude Rice Bran Oils Extracted Using Green Technology

by Donporn Wongwaiwech, Sudthida Kamchonemenukool, Chi-Tang Ho, Shiming Li, Nutthaporn Majai, Tepsuda Rungrat, Kawee Sujipuli, Min-Hsiung Pan and Monthana Weerawatanakorn

Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062457 - 7 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3482

Abstract

Crude rice bran oils from different rice cultivars and extraction methods bear different contents of nutraceuticals. The health benefits of lowering cholesterol activity of rice bran oil being confirmed by many reports are partly attributed to non-nutrient nutraceuticals, especially γ-oryzanol, phytosterols, and policosanols. As the world has been facing the global warming crisis, green extraction technology is gaining attention from many sectors. The current study aims to compare the nutraceutical composition with respect to γ-oryzanol, phytosterol, and policosanol content as well as the antioxidant properties of crude rice bran oils extracted from white and red rice bran using three green technologies, comparing with conventional hexane extraction. The data show that the traditional solvent extraction gave the highest oil yield percentage (26%), but it was not significantly different from subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction (24.6%). Subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction gave higher oil yield than supercritical CO₂ extraction (15.5–16.2%). The crude rice bran oil extracted using subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction produced the highest total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities. The highest γ-oryzanol content of the crude rice bran oil was found in oil extracted by conventional cold press (1370.43 mg/100 g). The γ-oryzanol content of the oil obtained via subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction was high (1213.64 mg/100 g) compared with supercritical CO₂ extraction. The red rice bran yielded the crude rice bran oil with the highest total phytosterol content compared with the white bran, and the oil from red rice bran extracted with subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether generated the highest total phytosterol content (1784.17 mg/100 g). The highest policosanol content (274.40 mg/100 g) was also found in oil obtained via subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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18 pages, 5015 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Anti-Alzheimer Properties of Mogrosides in Vitamin B12-Deficient Caenorhabditis elegans

by Denia Cai Shi, Chunlin Long, Ella Vardeman, Edward J. Kennelly, Michael A. Lawton and Rong Di

Molecules 2023, 28(4), 1826; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041826 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1811

Abstract

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to oxidative stress, which is known to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mogrosides are plant-derived triterpene glycosides that exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in animal cell lines and mouse models. Since amyloid-β toxicity is known to cause oxidative stress and damage to brain cells, we hypothesized that mogrosides may have a protective effect against AD. In this study, we investigated the potential anti-AD effect of mogrosides in vitamin B12-deficient wild-type N2 and in transgenic CL2355 Caenorhabditis elegans expressing amyloid-β peptide. Our data indicated that mogrosides have a beneficial effect on the lifespan and egg-laying rate of N2 and vitamin B12-deficient N2 worms. Additionally, the results revealed that mogrosides can effectively delay the paralysis of CL2355 worms as determined by serotonin sensitivity assay. Our analysis showed that mogrosides increase the expression of oxidative protective genes in N2 worms fed with vitamin B12-deficient OP50 bacterium. We conclude that mogrosides may exert preventative rather than curative effects that counteract the detrimental vitamin B12-deficient environment in N2 and CL2355 C. elegans by modulating oxidation-related gene expression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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15 pages, 12051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses of Phytochemicals in Two Elite Sweet Potato Cultivars for Table Use

by Lingxiao Zhao, Donglan Zhao, Shizhuo Xiao, An Zhang, Yitong Deng, Xibin Dai, Zhilin Zhou, Zhixian Ji and Qinghe Cao

Molecules 2022, 27(24), 8939; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27248939 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1698

Abstract

To elucidate nutritional components in sweet potato cultivars for table use and to compare the phytochemicals of cultivars from different countries, ‘Kokei No. 14′ and ‘Xinxiang’ were selected. The physiological parameters and metabolites were determined using the colorimetric method and widely targeted metabolomics, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to explain the mechanism that resulted in phytochemical differences. ‘Xinxiang’ showed higher flavonoid and carotenoid contents. Metabolomics showed five upregulated flavonoids. Two essential amino acids (EAAs) and one conditionally essential amino acid (CEAA) were upregulated, whereas four EAAs and two CEAAs were downregulated. Unlike lipids, in which only one of thirty-nine was upregulated, nine of twenty-seven differentially accumulated phenolic acids were upregulated. Three of the eleven different alkaloids were upregulated. Similarly, eight organic acids were downregulated, with two upregulated. In addition, three of the seventeen different saccharides and alcohols were upregulated. In ‘other metabolites,’ unlike vitamin C, 6′-O-Glucosylaucubin and pantetheine were downregulated. The differentially accumulated metabolites were enriched to pathways of the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ABC transporters, and tyrosine metabolism, whereas the differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in the metabolic pathway, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and transmembrane transport functions. These results will optimize the sweet potato market structure and enable a healthier diet for East Asian residents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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23 pages, 25893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutraceutical Difference between Two Popular Thai Namwa Cultivars Used for Sun Dried Banana Products

by Donporn Wongwaiwech, Sudthida Kamchonemenukool, Chi-Tang Ho, Shiming Li, Tipawan Thongsook, Nutthaporn Majai, Duangporn Premjet, Kawee Sujipuli and Monthana Weerawatanakorn

Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5675; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175675 - 2 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2726

Abstract

Musa (ABB group) “Kluai Namwa” bananas (Musa sp.) are widely grown throughout Thailand. Mali Ong is the most popular Kluai Namwa variety used as raw material for sun-dried banana production, especially in the Bangkratum District, Phitsanulok, Thailand. The sun-dried banana product made from Nanwa Mali Ong is well recognized as the best dried banana product of the country, with optimal taste compared to one made from other Kluai Namwa varieties. However, the production of Mali Ong has fluctuated substantially in recent years, leading to shortages. Consequently, farmers have turned to using other Kluai Namwa varieties including Nuanchan. This study investigated the nutraceutical contents of two popular Namwa varieties, Mali Ong and Nuanchan, at different ripening stages. Nutraceuticals in the dried banana products made from these two Kluai Namwa varieties and four commercial dried banana products were compared. Results indicated that the content of moisture, total sugar, and total soluble solids (TSS) (°Brix) increased, while total solids and texture values decreased during the ripening stage for both Kluai Namwa varieties. Rutin was the major flavonoid found in both Namwa Mali Ong and Nuanchan varieties ranging 136.00–204.89 mg/kg and 129.15–260.38 mg/kg, respectively. Rutin, naringenin, quercetin and catechin were abundant in both Namwa varieties. All flavonoids increased with ripening except for rutin, gallocatechin and gallocatechin gallate. There were no significant differences (p < 0.05) in flavonoid contents between both varieties. Tannic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid were the main phenolic acids found in Mali Ong and Nuanchan varieties, ranging from 274.61–339.56 mg/kg and 293.13–372.66 mg/kg, respectively. Phenolic contents of both varieties decreased, increased and then decreased again during the development stage. Dopamine contents increased from 79.26 to 111.77 mg/kg and 60.38 to 125.07 mg/kg for Mali Ong and Nuanchan, respectively, but the amounts were not significantly different (p < 0.5) between the two Namwa varieties at each ripening stage. Inulin as fructooligosaccharide (FOS) increased with ripening steps. Production stages of sun-dried banana products showed no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the two Namwa varieties. Therefore, when one variety is scarce, the other could be used as a replacement in terms of total flavonoids, phenolic acid, dopamine and FOS. In both Namwa varieties, sugar contents decreased after the drying process. Sugar contents of the dried products were 48.47 and 47.21 g/100 g. The drying process caused a reduction in total flavonoid contents and phenolic acid at 63–66% and 64–70%, respectively. No significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for total flavonoid and phenolic contents between the dried banana products made from the two Namwa varieties (178.21 vs. 182.53 mg/kg and 96.06 vs. 102.19 mg/kg, respectively). Products made from Nuanchan varieties (24.52 mg/kg) contained significantly higher dopamine than that from Mali Ong (38.52 mg/kg). The data also suggest that the banana maturity stage for production of the sun dried products was also optimum in terms of high nutraceutical level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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14 pages, 2346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization Extraction and Antioxidant Activity of Crude Polysaccharide from Chestnut Mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) by Accelerated Solvent Extraction Combined with Response Surface Methodology (ASE-RSM)

by Bin Du, Fei Peng, Ying Xie, Huiying Wang, Jinhui Wu, Chang Liu and Yuedong Yang

Molecules 2022, 27(8), 2380; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27082380 - 7 Apr 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2387

Abstract

The present work is conducted to investigate the optimal extraction technology of polysaccharide from chestnut mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) using a new method based on accelerated solvent extraction combined with response surface methodology (ASE-RSM). The conventional reflux extraction (CRE) method and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) method were also carried out. Additionally, the in vitro antioxidant activities, including ABTS and DPPH assay, were evaluated. The RSM method, based on a three level and three variable Box–Behnken design (BBD), was developed to obtain the optimal combination of extraction conditions. In brief, the polysaccharide was optimally extracted with water as extraction solvent, extraction temperature of 71 °C, extraction time of 6.5 min, number of cycles of 3, and extraction pressure of 10 MPa. The 3D response surface plot and the contour plot derived from the mathematical models were applied to determine the optimal conditions. Under the above conditions, the experimental value of polysaccharide yield was 19.77 ± 0.12%, which is in close agreement with the value (19.81%) predicted by the model. These findings demonstrate that ASE-RSM produce much higher polysaccharide and consumed environmentally friendly extraction and solvent systems, have less extraction discrimination and shorter time and provide scientific basis for industrialization of polysaccharide extraction. Moreover, it was proved that the polysaccharide had the potential ability to scavenge ABTS and DPPH. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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14 pages, 772 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Efficient Deacidification Process for Safflower Seed Oil with High Nutritional Property through Optimized Ultrasonic-Assisted Technology

by Leyu Xin, Limin Guo, Salamet Edirs, Zepeng Zhang, Chenyang Cai, Yongxing Yang, Yali Lian and Haiyan Yang

Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2305; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072305 - 1 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2058

Abstract

Safflower seed oil (SSO) is considered to be an excellent edible oil since it contains abundant essential unsaturated fatty acids and lipid concomitants. However, the traditional alkali-refined deacidification process of SSO results in a serious loss of bioactive components of the oil and also yields massive amounts of wastewater. In this study, SSO was first extracted by ultrasonic-assisted ethanol extraction (UAEE), and the extraction process was optimized using random centroid optimization. By exploring the effects of ethanol concentration, solid–liquid ratio, ultrasonic time, and the number of deacidification times, the optimum conditions for the deacidification of safflower seed oil were obtained as follows: ethanol concentration 100%, solid–liquid ratio 1:4, ultrasonic time 29 min, and number of deacidification cycles (×2). The deacidification rate was 97.13% ± 0.70%, better than alkali-refining (72.16% ± 0.13%). The values of acid, peroxide, anisidine and total oxidation of UAEE-deacidified SSO were significantly lower than those of alkali-deacidified SSO (p < 0.05). The contents of the main lipid concomitants such as tocopherols, polyphenols, and phytosterols in UAEE-decidified SSO were significantly higher than those of the latter (p < 0.05). For instance, the DPPH radical scavenging capacity of UAEE-processed SSO was significantly higher than that of alkali refining (p < 0.05). The Pearson bivariate correlation analysis before and after the deacidification process demonstrated that the three main lipid concomitants in SSO were negatively correlated with the index of peroxide, anisidine, and total oxidation values. The purpose of this study was to provide an alternative method for the deacidification of SSO that can effectively remove free fatty acids while maintaining the nutritional characteristics, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant capacity of SSO. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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9 pages, 1262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Secondary Metabolites from Hericium erinaceus and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities

by Guangbo Xie, Lan Tang, Yu Xie and Liyuan Xie

Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2157; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072157 - 27 Mar 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3348

Abstract

Hericium erinaceus, a culinary and medicinal mushroom, is widely consumed in Asian countries. Chemical investigation on the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus led to the isolation of one new ergostane-type sterol fatty acid ester, erinarol K (1); and eleven known compounds: 5α,8α -epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3β-yl linoleate (2); ethyl linoleate (3); linoleic acid (4); hericene A (5); hericene D (6); hericene E (7); ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (8); hericenone F (9); ergosterol (10); ergosterol peroxide (11); 3β,5α,6α,22E-ergosta-7,22-diene-3,5,6-triol 6-oleate (12). The chemical structures of the compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, mass spectra, etc. Anti-inflammatory effects of the isolated aromatic compounds (5–7, 9) were evaluated in terms of inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediator (TNF-α, IL-6 and NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The results showed that compounds 5 and 9 exhibited moderate activity against TNF-α (IC₅₀: 78.50 μM and 62.46 μM), IL-6 (IC₅₀: 56.33 μM and 48.50 μM) and NO (IC₅₀: 87.31 μM and 76.16 μM) secretion. These results supply new information about the secondary metabolites of Hericium erinaceus and their anti-inflammatory effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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Review

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17 pages, 1557 KiB

Open AccessReview

Health-Promoting Activities and Associated Mechanisms of Polygonati Rhizoma Polysaccharides

by Shuzhen Wang, Feng He, Hongmei Wu, Fu Xiang, Hongyan Zheng, Wei Wu and Shiming Li

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031350 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3011

Abstract

Polygonati Rhizoma, a typical homology of medicine and food, possesses remarkable anti-fatigue, anti-aging, metabolic regulatory, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetes, and anti-cancer effects. Among bioactive phytochemicals in Polygonati Rhizoma, polysaccharides play important roles in the health-promoting activities through the mechanisms mentioned above and potential synergistic effects with other bioactives. In this review, we briefly introduce the updated biosynthesis of polysaccharides, the purification method, the structure characterization, and food applications, and discuss in detail the biological activities of Polygonati Rhizoma polysaccharides and associated mechanisms, aiming at broadening the usage of Polygonati Rhizoma as functional food and medicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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25 pages, 5985 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plants of the Genus Zingiber: A Review of Their Ethnomedicine, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

by Miao Deng, Xuan Yun, Shurui Ren, Zhixing Qing and Fenglian Luo

Molecules 2022, 27(9), 2826; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27092826 - 29 Apr 2022

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4646

Abstract

Plant of the genus Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) have primarily distributed in subtropical and tropical Asia, South America and Africa. The species of this genus have been widely used as food and in folk with a long history for treating various diseases. Reports related to the phytochemistry and phytochemistry of Zingiber species are numerous, but articles on the summary of the genus Zingiber remain scarce. This review aims at presenting comprehensive information about the genus Zingiber and providing a reference for the future application by systematically reviewing the literature from 1981 to 2020. Currently, a total of 447 phytochemical constituents have been isolated and identified from this genus, in which volatile oils, diarylheptanoids, gingerols, flavonoids and terpenoids are the major components. Gingerols, which are the main functional components, are the spicy and aromatic ingredients in the Zingiber species. Extracts and single compounds from Zingiber plants have been discovered to possess numerous biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, larvicidal, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities. This review provides new insights into the ethnomedicine, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Zingiber and brings to the forefront key findings on the functional components of this genus in food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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17 pages, 2076 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bioactives of Momordica charantia as Potential Anti-Diabetic/Hypoglycemic Agents

by Bilin Xu, Zhiliang Li, Ting Zeng, Jianfeng Zhan, Shuzhen Wang, Chi-Tang Ho and Shiming Li

Molecules 2022, 27(7), 2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27072175 - 28 Mar 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5269

Abstract

Momordica charantia L., a member of the Curcubitaceae family, has traditionally been used as herbal medicine and as a vegetable. Functional ingredients of M. charantia play important roles in body health and human nutrition, which can be used directly or indirectly in treating or preventing hyperglycemia-related chronic diseases in humans. The hypoglycemic effects of M. charantia have been known for years. In this paper, the research progress of M. charantia phytobioactives and their hypoglycemic effects and related mechanisms, especially relating to diabetes mellitus, has been reviewed. Moreover, the clinical application of M. charantia in treating diabetes mellitus is also discussed, hoping to broaden the application of M. charantia as functional food. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Compositions and Bioactivities of Foods)

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