Natural colorants based on anthocyanins obtained from bioresidues

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Flavonoid composition and in vitro anti-proliferative activity of the hydroethanolic extracts of Garcinia mangostana L. pericarp

Publication . Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Dias, Maria Inês; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Oliveira, Beatriz; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian

Garcinia mangostana L., known as mangosteen, is a tropical fruit belonging to the Clusiaceae family, native from South Asia but can also be found in other tropical territories, such as South America [1,2,3]. The fruit comprises an inedible dark purple epicarp (> 60%) that encases an edible succulent pulp [2]. Nowadays, mangosteen pulp and pericarp have been used in beverages as food supplement by virtue of the traditional knowledge about its health benefits. However, correlation studies between the folk medicine usage and its chemical composition are scarce in the literature [2,3]. Aiming to elucidate part of the chemical composition, the present study carried out the determination of the main flavonoids, including anthocyanin compounds, present in mangosteen pericarp by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a diode array detector and mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn). Furthermore, the cytotoxicity effects of its hydroethanolic extracts were evaluated on four human tumor cell lines (NCI-H460 - lung carcinoma, MCF-7 - breast carcinoma, HepG2 - hepatocellular carcinoma, and HeLa - cervical carcinoma) by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Mangosteen pericarp presented nine non-anthocyanin flavonoid compounds, most of which belonging to the procyanidin class (seven compounds), one taxifolin derivative (taxifolin-O-rhamnoside, found in low concentrations), and one quercetin derivative (quercetin-3-O-rutinose, found in trace amounts). Regarding the anthocyanin flavonoids compounds group, two were found and tentatively identified as cyanidin-O- dihexoside and delphinidin-O-dihexoside. Regarding the total amount of flavonoids, the extracts presented 53 ± 1 mg of non-anthocyanin flavonoids/g of extract, 3.66 ± 0.02 mg of anthocyanins/g of extract. Concerning the cytotoxic activity, the hydroethanolic extracts presented activity against all tumor cell lines studied (GI50 < 75 μg/mL). The results obtained from the present study showed that mangosteen pericarp could be an interesting natural source of high added value and bioactive compounds, with the potential to the applied in several industrial fields including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, among others.

2021Conference object

Open access

Phenolic profile and antioxidante activity of Nephelium lappaceum L. epicarp hydroethanolic extracts

Publication . Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Oliveira, Beatriz; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian

Nephelium lappaceum L., popularly known as rambutan, is a tropical fruit belonging to the Sapidaceae family. It is native to Asia, but widely distributed in other tropical regions, such as Latin America, Australia, and some African countries [1,2]. This fruit is very appreciated for its exotic appearance and pleasant taste, and its commercialization and processing has been growing all over the world [1-3]. However, only a small portion of this fruit is edible/processed, with up to 67% corresponding to its inedible epicarp, which can generate a high volume of bioresidues and economic losses [2,3]. In order to propose a valorisation of rambutan epicarp as a source of bioactive molecules, the present study aimed to identify its anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector and a mass spectrometer functioning by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS), and determine the antioxidant activity of its hydroethanolic extract by two in vitro assays: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) and oxidative haemolysis inhibition assay (OxHLIA). The rambutan epicarp extract presented seven phenolic compounds, among which two anthocyanin compounds (O-glycosylated delphinidin derivatives) and five non-anthocyanin compounds (ellagitannin derivatives), in a total concentration of 11.57±0.08 and 31.6±0.5 mg/g of extract, respectively. Delphinidin isomers, geraniin isomers, and ellagic acid were the compounds detected in higher concentrations. In terms of antioxidant activity, rambutan extract was able to inhibit the lipid peroxidation in a low concentration (EC50 value of 2.79 ± 0.03 μg/mL), and a moderate amount of extract was required to exert oxidative haemolysis inhibition (EC50 value of 72 ± 2 μg/mL). The results obtained allow to conclude that rambutan epicarp could be an interesting matrix to be used as source of bioactive compounds for further application in food/pharmaceutical fields.

2021Conference object

Open access

By-products of tropical fruits as sources of bioactive molecules: Sicana odorifera (vell.) Naudin epicarp case study

Publication . Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Petrović, Jovana; Soković, Marina; Oliveira, Beatriz; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian

Tropical fruits are widely appreciated for their sweet taste and generally known for their rich composition in bioactive compounds. However, the processing of this type of fruits can generate a large amount of non-edible and non-tradable by-products, consisting mainly in peels and seeds. These by-products have already been described as having a greater amount of bioactive compounds than the edible parts; this fact has been increasing the interest of the scientific community as also of several industrial fields for the application of these by-products. 1 In this context, the rigid non-edible epicarp of Sicana odorifera (vell.) Naudin, a purple-black tropical fruit from Brazil, 2 was evaluated for the anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic composition by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector and a mass spectrometer functioning by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS). The bioactive potential was assessed thought several in vitro assays: the antioxidant activity was determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) and by the oxidative hemolysis inhibition assay (OxHLIA) and the antimicrobial activity was tested in four bacteria and four fungi strains using the microdilution method. S. odorifera epicarp hydroethanolic extract presented four phenolic compounds, namely two O-glycosylated quercetin and kaempherol derivatives and two O-glycosylated anthocyanins, being the latest group the most abundant one with a total amount of 24±1 mg of anthocyanins/g of dry epicarp. Concerning its bioactive potential, S. odorifera hydroethanolic extract revealed considerable antioxidant activity (EC50 values of 48.2±0.5 and 27±1 μg/mL for TBARS and OxHLIA assays, respectively) and antimicrobial action against all bacteria and fungi strains evaluated (minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ≤ 2.2 mg/mL). The results obtained allow to classify this tropical fruit epicarp as a potential source of bioactive compounds with great market value, since they can be applied in several industrial sectors, including the food and pharmaceutical industries.

2021Conference object

Open access

Jabuticaba residues (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg) are rich sources of valuable compounds with bioactive properties

Publication . Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Pereira, Carla; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Alves, Maria José; Abreu, Rui M.V.; Barros, Lillian; Oliveira, Beatriz; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.

The main environmental issue associated with compost production is the production of a liquid leachate. Leachate from municipal wastes contains carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements that can be used as nutrients by plants. The advantages of the use of organic wastes such as compost leachate as fertilizers are evident. Their use would reduce the consumption of commercial fertilizers, which need, with their production, high cost and energy. This work aims to determine the physical and chemical properties of a specific leachate with a variable composition, collected from the composting line of a mechanical and biological treatment facility. The goal is to assess if the leachates can be used as a potential source for fertilizers, and thus develop and design a sequence of processes which could effectively convert the leachates to commercial fertilizers according to the requirements of the proposal of regulation of the European Parliament of 2016 for fertilizers. Preliminary results show that the leachate samples qualitatively meet the requirements established for the composition of commercial fertilizers, especially organo-mineral fertilizers. Furthermore, there is no production cost of leachate as a raw material. The results show that the leachate is characterized by manageable concentrations of heavy metals which can be removed by adsorption processes, and it presents suitable amounts of organic carbon after a water removal procedure. However, the establishment of the conditions for suitable conversion processes are still under investigation considering the high composition variability due to factors like storage and environmental conditions.

2020Journal article

Open access

Food bioactive compounds and emerging techniques for their extraction: Polyphenols as a case study

Publication . Câmara, José S.; Albuquerque, Bianca R.; Aguiar, Joselin; Corrêa, Rúbia C.G.; Gonçalves, João L.; Granato, Daniel; Pereira, Jorge A.M.; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.

Experimental studies have provided convincing evidence that food bioactive compounds (FBCs) have a positive biological impact on human health, exerting protective effects against noncommunicable diseases (NCD) including cancer and cardiovascular (CVDs), metabolic, and neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs). These benefits have been associated with the presence of secondary metabolites, namely polyphenols, glucosinolates, carotenoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins, vitamins, and fibres, among others, derived from their antioxidant, antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, cardioprotective, and vasodilator properties. Polyphenols as one of the most abundant classes of bioactive compounds present in plant-based foods emerge as a promising approach for the development of efficacious preventive agents against NCDs with reduced side effects. The aim of this review is to present comprehensive and deep insights into the potential of polyphenols, from their chemical structure classification and biosynthesis to preventive effects on NCDs, namely cancer, CVDs, and NDDS. The challenge of polyphenols bioavailability and bioaccessibility will be explored in addition to useful industrial and environmental applications. Advanced and emerging extraction techniques will be highlighted and the high-resolution analytical techniques used for FBCs characterization, identification, and quantification will be considered.

2021Journal article

Open access