Daniele Naviglio

Characterization of High Purity Lycopene from Tomato Wastes Using a New Pressurized Extraction Approach

In this paper, a method for the extraction of high purity lycopene from tomato wastes is presented. The method is based on a pressurized extraction that uses the Extractor Naviglio, and it is performed in the 0.7-0.9 MPa range. Tomato skin, the byproduct deriving from manufacturing of tomato, in a water dispersion, are used as starting material. Lycopene is transferred, for the effect of the high pressure used, in the form of molecular aggregates into the water as a dispersion, while apolar compounds remain in the matrix. The aggregates are easily purified in a single subsequent step by using methanol, thus, obtaining lycopene at 98% chromatographic purity or higher. A new stationary phase, phenyl-hexyl silicone, and a simple water/acetonitrile gradient were used for HPLC analysis of lycopene. The extract was characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. An average recovery of 2.8 mg lycopene/kg tomato waste can be obtained after 4 hours of extraction and using tap water as the extracting liquid. The recovery percentage was of about 10%. The exhausted tomato byproduct can be easily dried and used in agriculture or as feeding for animals.

Effects of whole-grain cereal foods on plasma short chain fatty acid concentrations in individuals with the metabolic syndrome

OBJECTIVE Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from dietary fiber fermentation by gut microbiota have been identified as one of the mechanisms behind the association between habitual whole-grain intake and a lower risk of cardiometabolic diseases. The aims of the present work are: (1) to evaluate whether a whole-grain wheat-based diet may increase SCFAs concentration, and (2) to identify possible associations between SCFAs and metabolic changes observed after the nutritional intervention. METHODS Fifty-four subjects participated in the trial. They underwent a 12-wk dietary intervention based on whole-grain or refined cereal products. At baseline and after the intervention, glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-1 ra, IL-6, and TNF-α), and SCFAs plasma concentrations were evaluated. RESULTS After the intervention, in the whole-grain group fasting plasma propionate concentrations were higher than at baseline, whereas a reduction was detected in the control group. The absolute changes (end of trial minus baseline) in fasting plasma propionate concentrations were significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.048). The absolute changes of fasting propionate correlated with cereal fiber intake (r = 0.358, P = 0.023), but no significant correlations with clinical outcomes were found. However, postprandial insulin was significantly decreased in the group having the absolute changes of fasting propionate concentration above the median value (P = 0.022 versus subjects with fasting propionate changes below the median value). CONCLUSIONS A 12-wk whole-grain wheat-based diet increases fasting plasma propionate. This increase correlates with the cereal fiber intake and is associated with lower postprandial insulin concentrations.

The Natural cAMP Elevating Compound Forskolin in Cancer Therapy: Is It Time?

Cancer is a major public health problem and the second leading cause of mortality around the world. Although continuous advances in the science of oncology and cancer research are now leading to improved outcomes for many cancer patients, novel cancer treatment options are strongly demanded. Naturally occurring compounds from a variety of vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants have been shown to exhibit various anticancer properties in a number of in vitro and in vivo studies and represent an attractive research area for the development of new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer. Forskolin is a diterpene produced by the roots of the Indian plant Coleus forskohlii. The natural compound forskolin has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and its safety has also been documented in conventional modern medicine. Forskolin directly activates the adenylate cyclase enzyme, that generates cAMP from ATP, thus, raising intracellular cAMP levels. Notably, cAMP signaling, through the PKA‐dependent and/or ‐independent pathways, is very relevant to cancer and its targeting has shown a number of antitumor effects, including the induction of mesenchymal‐to‐epithelial transition, inhibition of cell growth and migration and enhancement of sensitivity to conventional antitumor drugs in cancer cells. Here, we describe some features of cAMP signaling that are relevant to cancer biology and address the state of the art concerning the natural cAMP elevating compound forskolin and its perspectives as an effective anticancer agent. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 922–927, 2017.

Lactic dehydrogenase and cancer: an overview.

Despite the intense scientific efforts made, there are still many tumors that are difficult to treat and the percentage of patient survival in the long-term is still too low. Thus, new approaches to the treatment of cancer are needed. Cancer is a highly heterogeneous and complex disease, whose development requires a reorganization of cell metabolism. Most tumor cells downregulate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and increase the rate of glucose consumption and lactate release, independently of oxygen availability (Warburg effect). This metabolic rewiring is largely believed to favour tumor growth and survival, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Importantly, the correlation between the aerobic glycolysis and cancer is widely regarded as a useful biochemical basis for the development of novel anticancer strategies. Among the enzymes involved in glycolysis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is emerging as a very attractive target for possible pharmacological approaches in cancer therapy. This review addresses the state of the art and the perspectives concerning LDH both as a useful diagnostic marker and a relevant molecular target in cancer therapy and management.

Improved Fumigation Process for Stored Foodstuffs by Using Phosphine in Sealed Chambers

In this paper we present an innovative device designed and constructed to improve the fumigation process for stored foodstuffs with the use of phosphine gas in sealed chambers. The device allowed a considerable reduction in phosphine production time (from about 5 to 7 days for traditional systems to 2 days for the equipment considered), maintaining the system below the inflammability threshold, and at the same time achieving the total exhaustion of aluminum (or magnesium) phosphide so as to avoid toxic residues at the end of the process. With the standard device currently available on the market, after the normal 5-7 day fumigating period, the powder residue contains as much as 1-2% (w/w) of phosphide. Thus the residues, according to current legislation, have to be considered toxic and harmful. To overcome this disadvantage, appropriate modifications were made to the cylindrical tray used for the fumigation process: a nebulizer was installed, which has the function of increasing the moisture of the air spreading around the phosphide pellets and allowing a more rapid reaction with phosphide. Moreover, the cylindrical tray was also heated by means of an electrical resistance, and temperature was checked by a thermostat, so as to always obtain the same efficiency, independently of outside temperature, for both hot and cold periods, since reaction speed depends on the system temperature considered. In addition, a control device for air saturation allows condensation processes to be avoided. Using the modified cylindrical tray we performed tests to determine the best values of humidity and temperature for the process concerned, avoiding phosphine concentrations that might result in a fire hazard, and the remixing of phosphide pellets inside the cylindrical tray. Our experimental data allowed us to obtain a mathematical model used to gain an insight into the process in question.

Effects of Baked Products Enriched with n-3 Fatty Acids, Folates, β-glucans, and Tocopherol in Patients with Mild Mixed Hyperlipidemia

Objective: To assess whether a diet containing foods enriched with β-glucans (3.6 g/d), folic acid (1600 μg/d), long-chain (800 mg/d) and short-chain (400 mg/d) n-3 fatty acids, and tocopherols (120 mg/d) is able to modulate positively the cardiovascular risk profile in people at slightly increased cardiovascular risk. Methods: Sixteen subjects with mild plasma lipid abnormalities were studied according to a randomized crossover design. After a 2-week run-in period, they followed a diet containing baked products enriched with active nutrients (active diet) or a diet containing the same products but without active nutrients (control diet) for 1 month and then crossed over to the other diet. At the end of each period, a test meal of the same composition as the corresponding diet was administered, and plasma samples were obtained before and for 6 hours after the meal. Hunger and satiety were evaluated by the visual analog scale at fasting and after the meal. Results: Fasting plasma triglycerides were significantly lower after the active versus the control diet (1.56 ± 0.18 vs 1.74 ± 0.16 mmol/l, p < 0.05), as was the postprandial level of chylomicron triglycerides and the insulin peak (p < 0.05). The active diet also reduced fasting homocysteine (8 ± 0.6 vs 10 ± 0.8 μmol/l, p < 0.05) and the feeling of hunger at the fifth and sixth hour (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Baked functional products enriched with n-3 fatty acids, folates, β-glucans, and tocopherols within the context of a balanced diet lower fasting and postprandial plasma triglycerides, fasting homocysteinemia, and the postprandial insulin peak. They induce a greater feeling of satiety with possible beneficial implications on energy intake.

Evaluation and Improvement of Transesterification Methods of Triglycerides

Abstract The causes responsible for the low reproducibility of the gas chromatographic method used to analyze fatty acid methyl esters, derived from the transesterification of triglycerides in n-hexane by means of methanol potassium hydroxide, were identified and eliminated. Partition coefficients (Kd) of short-chain fatty acid methyl esters between n-hexane and methanol were determined. These results indicate that even under the best experimental conditions, a substantial portion of these compounds are transferred in the methanol phase and therefore are not analyzed. Accurate results, to within 2%, were obtained by rigorously controlling the volume of the reagents and introducing appropriate correction factors. The accuracy of the results, reported as a percentage by weight, did not depend on the completeness of the transesterification reaction. In the analysis of fatty acids as butyl esters, a measurable quantity of butyric ester was lost during the washing phase with water. By contract, butyric acid pe...

Determination of sterols and their esters in fats by way of transesterification in different solvents

The interference of triglycerides in the analysis of sterols and their esters in fats can be eliminated by transesterification of the sample dissolved in n-hexane with a solution of sodium hydroxide 2 mol/L. Since the analytes are distributed equally in n-hexane and in methanol, better results can be obtained by accurate measurements of the volumes, and processing the standards as the samples. Triglycerides and steryl esters are transesterified quantitatively by a solution of sodium hydroxide 2 mol/L using diethyl ether as solvent. At 40°C, ten minutes are sufficient to complete the reaction. The sterols are determined in fats using a mass spectrometer detector, at concentrations as low as 5 mg/Kg. Using FID, it was possible to analyze sterols present in concentrations higher than 100 mg/Kg.

Determination of Moisture in Powder and Lyophilised Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) by Karl Fischer Method

Saffron is a spice obtained from the dried stigmas of the purple-flowered saffron crocus (Crocus sativus L.). The determination of the water content in saffron is very important in order to establish its microbiological stability and consequently to determine the commercial value. The average moisture content in dried saffron powder ranges between 10-12% causing a slow degradation of the product. On the other hand lyophilised saffron has lower water content and a better stability. The reference method commonly used for the determination of moisture in saffron it is based on the gra- vimetric loss of weight after heating at 105 °C for 16 hours. In this paper a procedure to obtain lyophilised saffron is proposed and two different methods, namely the infrared balance and the Karl Fischer titration, are used to determine moisture in dried and lyophilised saffron powder, and results are compared with the reference method. The Karl Fischer method, never applied so far to determine moisture in saffron, gave the best results. The average values determined were 6.87% and 4.01% (w/w) for conventionally dried and lyophi- lised saffron powder, respectively. The Karl Fischer titration method allows to determine in a faster manner the moisture in saffron powder and in lyophilised saffron, without any interference and using a minor quantity of saffron compared to the gravimetric procedure reported in the reference method. The volatile matter content, differently from the reference method, this way is not determined.

Study of the effects of a diet supplemented with active components on lipid and glycemic profiles

OBJECTIVES Currently, there are numerous studies on risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the potential for functional foods to bring benefits or improve peoples health. However, most of these studies are conducted with middle-aged individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing a typical diet with some functional components, which are substances that when consumed in small quantities can improve peoples welfare. METHODS The participants in this study were young; slightly overweight; had normal glucose tolerance; and had lipid values indicating dyslipidemia or close dyslipidemia. Following a 4-wk run-in phase, participants followed either a diet containing foods enriched with ω-3 fatty acids, β-glucans, phytosterols, and vitamin E or an isoenergetic diet without the active components. Sixteen individuals (age range 20 to 37 y) were randomly assigned to one of two groups. At the end of treatment, while fasting, plasma concentrations of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol were measured. Furthermore, blood glucose was evaluated after fasting and after a meal enriched with β-glucans. RESULTS There was a statistically significant reduction (α < 0.05) across the lipid profile. A meal rich in β-glucans produced a glycemic response significantly lower than the nonenriched meal. CONCLUSION The dietary supplements used in this work, based on the integration of functional components into the usual diet of the population, have proved effective in reducing peak levels of postprandial glucose and the risk for dyslipidemia. Therefore, these functional components proved a valuable aid in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.