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Antioxidant Activity of Foods and Natural Products

Publication . Pinela, José; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Alonso-Esteban, José Ignacio

Today, there is growing recognition of the importance of antioxidants in promoting human health and well-being. These compounds play a vital role in protecting the organism from oxidative stress, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of various chronic degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and different types of cancer [1]. Furthermore, antioxidants serve as indispensable agents in food preservation by preventing or slowing down oxidation processes, which could otherwise result in the deterioration of food quality, flavor, color, texture, and nutritional value [2]. This underscores ongoing research endeavors and the emergence of novel applications for antioxidant compounds across different disciplines, including chemistry, food science, nutrition, pharmacology, and medicine. This Special Issue, titled “Antioxidant Activity of Foods and Natural Products”, has brought together an interesting collection of cutting-edge research and development contributions. A total of 30 manuscripts were submitted for consideration, each undergoing the Molecules journal’s rigorous pre-check and peer review process. Ultimately, 12 articles were accepted for publication in this Special Issue, comprising 1 review article and 11 original research articles. These studies address current challenges and topics related to the antioxidant properties of foods and natural products, including the antioxidant activity of plant extracts, botanical preparations, and isolated compounds, the mechanisms of action of antioxidants and pro-oxidants, and their potential therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo.

2024Journal article

Open access

Gastrointestinal digestion of yerba mate, rosemary and green tea extracts and their subsequent colonic fermentation by human, pig or rat inocula

Publication . Correa, Vanesa G.; Garcia-Manieri, Jessica Amanda Andrade; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Mandim, Filipa; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Peralta, Rosane M.; Bracht, Adelar

Polyphenolic compounds are common constituents of human and animal diets and undergo extensive metabolism by the gut microbiota before entering circulation. In order to compare the transformations of polyphenols from yerba mate, rosemary, and green tea extracts in the gastrointestinal tract, simulated gastrointestinal digestion coupled with colonic fermentation were used. For enhancing the comparative character of the investigation, colonic fermentation was performed with human, pig and rat intestinal microbiota. Chemical analysis was performed using a HPLC system coupled to a diode-array detector and mass spectrometer. Gastrointestinal digestion diminished the total amount of phenolics in the rosemary and green tea extracts by 27.5 and 59.2 %, respectively. These reductions occurred mainly at the expense of the major constituents of these extracts, namely rosmarinic acid (-45.7 %) and epigalocatechin gallate (-60.6 %). The yerba mate extract was practically not affected in terms of total phenolics, but several conversions and isomerizations occurred (e.g., 30 % of trans-3-Ocaffeoylquinic acid was converted into the cis form). The polyphenolics of the yerba mate extract were also the least decomposed by the microbiota of all three species, especially in the case of the human one (-10.8 %). In contrast, the human microbiota transformed the polyphenolics of the rosemary and green extracts by 95.9 and 88.2 %, respectively. The yerba mate-extract had its contents in cis 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid diminished by 78 % by the human microbiota relative to the gastrointestinal digestion, but the content of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (also a chlorogenic acid), was increased by 22.2 %. The latter phenomenon did not occur with the rat and pig microbiota. The pronounced interspecies differences indicate the need for considerable caution when translating the results of experiments on the effects of polyphenolics performed in rats, or even pigs, to humans.

2024Journal article

Restricted access

Editorial: Emerging unconventional plants for derived food products and ingredients

Publication . Dias, Maria Inês; Corrêa, Rúbia C.G.; Steinmacher, Nadia Cristiane; Pinela, José; Pereira, Carla

The “Emerging Unconventional Plants for Derived Food Products and Ingredients” Frontiers in Nutrition Research Topic aimed to address innovative solutions to ensure food security, such as nutrient-rich alternatives, sustainable agriculture, and advanced industrial technologies, by exploring Unconventional Edible Plants for developing new, nutritious, and safer food products. This Topic falls in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, driven by societal, economic, and environmental factors, to eliminate world hunger and poverty. Research on sustainable agriculture, nutritional profiling, and innovative food development holds promise in integrating these unconventional plants into daily base diets worldwide, a perspective that has been shared in academia, not only for food purposes (1) but also medicine (2). The present Research Topic gathered 41 authors from China, Israel, India, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia that provided in-depth scientific knowledge regarding the potentiality of unconventional plants to be applied as functional ingredients in food and pharmaceutical formulations. The use of Unconventional Plants has been carried out for hundreds of years by local populations, who, knowing their attributes, use them in their daily lives for various purposes. By applying state of the art technologies and methodologies in the studies mentioned above, we have clear examples of the practicality of this topic at an economic level, but above all at a social level.

2024Other

Open access

Exploring the impacts of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) germination on the flour’s nutritional, chemical, bioactive, and technological properties

Publication . Salvati, Diogo; Paschoalinotto, B. H.; Mandim, Filipa; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Steinmacher, Nádia Cristiane; Pereira, Carla; Dias, Maria Inês

Germination is a natural, simple, and economical process used to improve the quality of nutritional and technological grains. In this study, native and sprouted sorghum flours were characterized regarding their technological properties (particle size distribution, water, and oil absorption capacity, swelling power and solubility, microscopy of starch granules, and pasting and thermal properties). Nutritional and phytochemical characterization profiles, including free sugars, fatty acids, organic acids, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds, were explored through chromatographic methods. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities of the respective hydroethanolic extracts were also evaluated. The results showed that the germination process caused significant changes in the flour composition and properties, causing reduced gelatinization temperature and retarded starch retrogradation; an increased content of free sugars and total organic acids; and a decreased content of tocopherols and phenolic compounds. In terms of bioactivity, the sprouted sorghum flour extract showed better lipid-peroxidation-inhibition capacity and none of the extracts revealed hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity, which are important results for the validation of the use of the flours for food purposes. Germination is an efficient and alternative method for grain modification that gives improved technological properties without chemical modification or genetic engineering.

2024Journal article

Open access