Nicola Condelli

Focused Review: Agmatine in Fermented Foods

Polyamines (PAs) are ubiquitous substances considered to be bioregulators of numerous cell functions; they take part in cell growth, division, and differentiation. These biogenic amines are also involved in tissue repair and in intracellular signaling; in fact, because of their polycationic character, they interact to a large extent with membrane phospholipids and may play an important role in the regulation of membrane-linked enzymes. The intracellular polyamine content derives from the simultaneous regulation of the synthesis, catabolism, uptake, and elimination of the polyamines; furthermore, PAs are present in all cell types at different concentrations, but the highest levels are found in rapid-turnover tissues. In addition to spermidine, spermine, and putrescine, also agmatine (AGM), deriving from arginine and identified in mammals in the 1990s, is a polyamine and several studies have reported its potentially positive role in the production of secretagogues, and in neuronal, vascular, metabolic, and therapeutic functions. Because of the low arginine decarboxylase (ADC) activity in mammalians, the amounts of AGM found in their tissues can be only minimally ascribed to an endogenous de novo synthesis by ADC, while a substantial quantity of AGM may be of dietary origin. Several food products contain only small amounts of polyamines, while higher concentrations can be found in fermented foods. PAs could also be considered as indicators of freshness in fish and meat products; as these moieties are produced during food storage, it would seem to confirm the main role of microorganisms in their synthesis. In particular, high levels of AGM are present in alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, sake, which would seem to confirm the role of yeasts in AGM production. Although many biological functions have been attributed to polyamines, high levels of these compounds in foodstuffs can have toxicological effects; however, no safe level for the intake of polyamines in a diet has yet been established. In this paper the presence of AGM in different foodstuffs is discussed, also taking into account the various factors affecting its presence and concentration.

Prediction of the antioxidant activity of extra virgin olive oils produced in the Mediterranean area

A chemical characterisation was conducted on 75 commercial extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) produced in the years 2011-2012 in Southern Italy from five different olive monovarieties (Coratina, Leccino, Maiatica, Ogliarola del Vulture and Ogliarola del Bradano). The possibility of estimating the antioxidant activity of EVOO by using a chemical index as predictor of this property was considered. In order to build up and validate an antioxidant activity predictive model, the relationship between the antioxidant activity and the chosen chemical parameters was systematically investigated. The results indicated that oil antioxidant activity, measured as IC50, could be satisfactorily predicted, for olive oils from the considered region, by using a simple index, such as the K225 value of oil samples, which represents a spectrophotometric index of the compounds responsible for oil bitterness measured at 225 nm.

Extra virgin olive oil bitterness evaluation by sensory and chemical analyses.

An experimental investigation was performed on blend extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from different cultivars and EVOO from different olive monovarieties (Coratina, Leccino, Maiatica, Ogliarola) with the aim to evaluate the possibility of estimating the perceived bitterness intensity by using chemical indices, such as the total phenol content and the compounds responsible for oil bitterness measured spectrophotometrically at 225 nm (K225 value), as bitterness predictors in different EVOO. Therefore, a bitterness predictive model, based on the relationship between the perceived bitterness intensity of the selected stimuli and the chosen chemicals parameters has been built and validated. The results indicated that the oil bitterness intensity could be satisfactorily predicted by using the K225 values of oil samples.

Effect of preservative addition on sensory and dynamic profile of Lucanian dry-sausages as assessed by quantitative descriptive analysis and temporal dominance of sensations.

The quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was combined with temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) to assess the sensory properties of Lucanian dry-sausages either added with nitrate, nitrite and l-ascorbic acid (NS), or not (NNS). Both QDA and TDS differentiated the two groups of sausages. NNS products were perceived with higher intensity of hardness (P<0.05) and tended to be perceived with higher intensities of flavor (P<0.10), pepper (P<0.20), and oiliness (P<0.20), while resulting lower in chewiness (P<0.20). TDS showed that in all the sausages hardness was the first dominant attribute; then, in NNS products flavor remained dominant until the end of tasting, whereas in NS products oiliness prevailed. In conclusion, TDS showed that the perception of some textural parameters, such as oiliness, during mastication was more dominant in NS products, whereas using conventional QDA this attribute appeared higher in sausages manufactured without preservatives. Therefore, TDS provided additional information for the description and differentiation of Lucanian sausages.

Encapsulation of health-promoting ingredients: applications in foodstuffs

Abstract Many nutritional experts and food scientists are interested in developing functional foods containing bioactive agents and many of these health-promoting ingredients may benefit from nano/micro-encapsulation technology. Encapsulation has been proven useful to improve the physical and the chemical stability of bioactive agents, as well as their bioavailability and efficacy, enabling their incorporation into a wide range of formulations aimed to functional food production. There are several reviews concerning nano/micro-encapsulation techniques, but none are focused on the incorporation of the bioactive agents into food matrices. The aim of this paper was to investigate the development of microencapsulated food, taking into account the different bioactive ingredients, the variety of processes, techniques and coating materials that can be used for this purpose.

Nutraceutical properties of wild berry fruits from Southern Italy

BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, such as berry fruits, reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutraceutical proprieties of wild and cultivated blackberry (Rubus sp.) and wild elderberry (Sambuca nigra) fruits produced in some regions of Southern Italy, such as Basilicata and Campania. METHODS: Liquid chromatography and HPLC-UV system were used for the identification and quantification of individual health-promoting compounds. RESULTS: A comparative analysis of nutraceutical compounds in berry fruits produced by different regions of South Italy showed a high significant variability inter species (p < 0.05), independently on location area, with higher values for wild than cultivated blackberries for the major part of compounds. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, differences in the health-promoting compounds of berry fruits belonging from different areas of South Italy were reported.

Electrolysed Water in the Food Industry as Supporting of Environmental Sustainability

Food safety is a priority for the food industry and to achieve this result a correct plant sanitation programme is of the utmost importance. Among various disinfection techniques, an emerging one is represented by the use of electrolysed water (EW) as the disinfecting agent. The use of EW is compliant with the desire to find alternatives to chlorination and heat treatments, representing a green cleaning alternative to toxic disinfectants. EW is an activated liquid, obtained by passing a diluted saline solution (NaCl, KCl or MgCl2) through an electrolytic cell, thus causing the production from the anode side of electrolysed oxidising water, containing high dissolved oxygen, free chlorine and characterised by a low pH (2.3–2.7) and a high oxidation–reduction potential (ORP > 1,000 mV). At the same time from the cathode side electrolysed reduced water is produced, with high pH (10.0–11.5), high dissolved hydrogen and low ORP (−800 to −900 mV). Unlike other chemical disinfectants, EW is not harmful for skin and mucous membranes and is quite easy to handle. Furthermore, the use of EW is relatively inexpensive and, above all, is a sustainable technique. Currently used sanitisers (e.g. glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, etc.) are effective, but their adverse effects on the environment are well known. Differently from these chemicals, the use of EW has a reduced impact on the environment and because of its properties, it may find several applications in the food industry. In this work, the characteristics and some EW applications as sustainable sanitation technique applied in the food industry are reported and discussed.

The potential of near and mid-infrared spectroscopy for rapid quantification of oleuropein, total phenolics, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity in olive tree (Olea europaea) leaves

Natural foods and food-related antioxidants such as phenolic phytochemicals are of great interest due to their preventive properties against oxidative damage. Olive tree leaves contain high quality and amount of phenolic compounds including oleuropein and therefore considered as nutraceutically valuable materials. The composition of olive leaves, its phenolics and antioxidant power are influenced by numerous factors causing great variation among samples. Additionally, traditional analytical methods performed to quantify these parameters in each product entail long and complicated sample preparation procedures, the use of toxic chemicals, skilled labors, instrumentation and sophisticated laboratory conditions. One appealing alternative is the use of infrared spectroscopy since it gives information about the food composition quickly and it is a multi-parametric and environmentally friendly choice. Therefore, we investigated the oleuropein, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity levels of 23 common cultivars of olive leaves harvested from Turkey and Italy using traditional reference methods and also developed near and mid-infrared based partial least squares regression (PLSR) models to predict these parameters without the need of sample preparation. Internal validations of the PLSR calibration models were done using full cross-validation and yielded very high correlation coefficients (≥ 0.95) and low errors in predictions (% standard error of cross-validation for parameters were lower than 7.54%). The levels of all the parameters of interest could be successfully predicted using both NIR and MIR instrumentation within seconds. Overall, infrared spectroscopy along with chemometrics exhibited great potential for future olive leave studies.

Preparation and characterization of microencapsulated phytosterols for the formulation of functional foods: Scale up from laboratory to semi-technical production

Phytosterols were microencapsulated by spray drying in a shell represented by WPI, inulin and chitosan at four different combinations through the formulation of aqueous suspensions. Moreover, two concentrations of Tween 80 (1.25% and 2.50% w/w) and two inlet temperatures (125 °C and 155 °C) were tested. The effect of the different experimental conditions on the process yield and on the microcapsules properties was evaluated. A significant effect of all variables on the microcapsule properties was found. Accordingly, the best performance, with the maximum loading capacity of 25%, was obtained by using only WPI as shell material, Tween 80 at 1.25% and inlet temperature of 155 °C. The process was successfully scaled-up from laboratory equipment to a semi-technical scale keeping the optimal shell formulation and process conditions.