ERA-NET Biomarkers for Nutrition and Health implementing the JPI HDHL objectives

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Publications

Publication . Castro, Vera; Carpena Rodríguez, María; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Lopez-Soria, A.; Garcia-Perez, Pascual; Barral Martínez, Marta; Perez-Gregorio, R.; Cao, Hui; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.

Sulfur (S) is an essential nutrient assimilated through the diet and incorporated into organic structures such as amino acids, coenzymes, and other bioactive compounds. Plants’ ability to regulate stress resistance via secondary metabolism has extended the interest in S-containing compounds, driven by their additional properties as bioactive molecules. Among plant families that produce S-compounds, the Brassicaceae, which includes broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, and the Liliaceae family, which includes garlic and onion, stand out. In recent years, the research has been focused on S-containing amino acids (mainly methionine and cysteine) and glucosinolates (GSLs) and their hydrolysis products like isothiocyanates but also in other S-containing compounds such as phytoalexins or cysteine sulfoxides. GSLs are becoming more popular because of their specific biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial, among others. Accordingly, a diet rich in vegetables containing S-containing compounds has been associated with a lower risk of developing cancer, neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular diseases, several skin disorders, and obesity. Hence, S-metabolites can therefore be used as therapeutic and preventative components in functional foods and nutraceuticals, as well as cosmeceutical products. This chapter aims to revise the most important features related to sulfur metabolism and S-containing compounds from plant sources, with emphasis on their involvement in secondary metabolism, natural sources, structural classification, biological functions, and applications in human nutrition and health.

2023Book part

Restricted access

Mass spectrometry‐based approaches to assess the botanical authenticity of dietary supplements

Publication . Grazina, Liliana; Mafra, Isabel; Monaci, Linda; Amaral, Joana S.

Dietary supplements are legally considered foods despite frequently including medicinal plants as ingredients. Currently, the consumption of herbal dietary supplements, also known as plant food supplements (PFS), is increasing worldwide and some raw botanicals, highly demanded due to their popularity, extensive use, and/orwell-established pharmacological effects, have been attaining high prices in the international markets. Therefore, botanical adulteration for profit increase can occur along the whole PFS industry chain, from raw botanicals to plant extracts, until final PFS. Besides the substitution of highvalue species, unintentional mislabeling can happen in morphologically similar species. Both cases represent a health risk for consumers, prompting the development of numerous works to access botanical adulterations in PFS. Among different approaches proposed for this purpose, mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have often been reported as the most promising, particularly when hyphenated with chromatographic techniques. Thus, this review aims at describing an overview of the developments in this field, focusing on the applications of MS-based techniques to targeted and untargeted analysis to detect botanical adulterations in plant materials, extracts, and PFS.

2023Journal article

Open access

Fig “Ficus carica L.” and its by-products: A decade evidence of their health-promoting benefits towards the development of novel food formulations

Publication . Ayuso, Manuel; Carpena Rodríguez, María; Taofiq, Oludemi; Albuquerque, Tânia Gonçalves; Simal-Gandara, Jesus; Oliveira, Beatriz; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian

The food industry constantly searches for natural derived bioactive molecules with preventive and therapeutic effects using innovative and sustainable strategies. Fig production and processing generate a considerable amount of by-products (leaves, pulp, peels, seeds, and latex) with limited commercial exploitation and negative impact on the environment. These by-products are important sources of high value-added in- gredients, including anthocyanins and pectins that can be of particular interest to the food industry as functional colourants, emulsifiers, and additives. Scope and approach: This review curates recent advances in the valorisation of fig by-products as valuable sources of bioactive molecules for functional food development. Special attention was given to widely used extraction processes, main bioactive compounds, relevant biological properties, and the application of recovered bioactives for functional food development. Key findings and conclusions: Fig by-products are essential sources of structurally diverse bioactive molecules with unique antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, immunomodulatory and cardioprotective properties. Owing to these health-promoting potentials, an integral valorisation approach involving sustainable technologies to recover these high value-added ingredients and its utilisation in novel food formulation development should be further stimulated.

2022Journal article

Open access

Non-alkaloid nitrogen-containing compounds from fungi

Publication . Hached, Hanine; Cassani, Lucia; Zbiss, Yosra; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Oliveira, Izamara; Pereira, Antia Gonzalez; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Marcio

Fungi represent an ancient ubiquitous and interesting kingdom that can be classified into Phycomycota, Oomycota, Microsporidiomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Deuteromycota divisions. These microorganisms are considered as a reservoir of bioactive compounds that can be exploited in crucial fields: food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Non-alkaloid nitrogenated compounds are considered a prolific bouquet composed of proteins such as enzymes playing an essential role in the synthesis of compounds that are involved in vital life processes, lytic enzymes possessing depleting effects, antibiotics, toxins applied as antimicrobials and antifungals, immunosuppressive molecules, etc. Moreover, a number of species found in phyla like Oomycota and Microsporidiomycota have been and are still used as biological control agents for crops as a counterpart to chemical products.

2023Book part

Restricted access

Challenges for future food systems: from the green revolution to food supply chains with a special focus on sustainability

Publication . Soria‐Lopez, Anton; Garcia‐Perez, Pascual; Carpena, Maria; Garcia‐Oliveira, Paula; Otero, Paz; Fraga-Corral, Maria; Cao, Hui; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Simal‐Gandara, Jesus

Finding a food system to feed the growing worldwide population remains a challenge, especially in the current era, where natural resources are being dramatically depleted. From a historical point of view, the Green Revolution, together with biofortification and sustainable intensification, was established as a possible solution to counter hunger and malnutrition during the second half of the 20th century. As a solution, to overcome the limitations attributed to the Green Revolution, food supply chains were developed. The current food system, based on the long food supply chain (LFSC), is characterized by globalization, promoting several advantages for both producers and consumers. However, LFSC has been demonstrated to be unable to feed the global population and, furthermore, it generates negative ecological, environmental, logistical, and nutritional pressures. Thus, novel efficient food systems are required to respond to current environmental and consumers’ demands, as is the case of short food supply chain (SFSC). As a recently emerging food system, the evaluation of SFSC sustainability in terms of environmental, economic, and social assessment is yet to be determined. This review is focused on the evolution of food supply systems, starting from the Green Revolution to food supply chains, providing a significant perspective on sustainability.

2022Journal article

Open access