Nieves Baenas

Natural Bioactive Compounds from Winery By-Products as Health Promoters: A Review

The relevance of food composition for human health has increased consumers’ interest in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as foods enriched in bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals. This fact has led to a growing attention of suppliers on reuse of agro-industrial wastes rich in healthy plant ingredients. On this matter, grape has been pointed out as a rich source of bioactive compounds. Currently, up to 210 million tons of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are produced annually, being the 15% of the produced grapes addressed to the wine-making industry. This socio-economic activity generates a large amount of solid waste (up to 30%, w/w of the material used). Winery wastes include biodegradable solids namely stems, skins, and seeds. Bioactive compounds from winery by-products have disclosed interesting health promoting activities both in vitro and in vivo. This is a comprehensive review on the phytochemicals present in winery by-products, extraction techniques, industrial uses, and biological activities demonstrated by their bioactive compounds concerning potential for human health.

Elicitation: A Tool for Enriching the Bioactive Composition of Foods

Elicitation is a good strategy to induce physiological changes and stimulate defense or stress-induced responses in plants. The elicitor treatments trigger the synthesis of phytochemical compounds in fruits, vegetables and herbs. These metabolites have been widely investigated as bioactive compounds responsible of plant cell adaptation to the environment, specific organoleptic properties of foods, and protective effects in human cells against oxidative processes in the development of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. Biotic (biological origin), abiotic (chemical or physical origin) elicitors and phytohormones have been applied alone or in combinations, in hydroponic solutions or sprays, and in different selected time points of the plant growth or during post-harvest. Understanding how plant tissues and their specific secondary metabolic pathways respond to specific treatments with elicitors would be the basis for designing protocols to enhance the production of secondary metabolites, in order to produce quality and healthy fresh foods.

Selecting sprouts of brassicaceae for optimum phytochemical composition.

Cruciferous foods (Brassicaceae spp.) are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. Edible sprouts are becoming popular fresh foods and, therefore, the phytochemical profiling of nine varieties of Brassicaceae (broccoli, kohlrabi, red cabbage, rutabaga, turnip, turnip greens, radish, garden cress, and white mustard) was evaluated for this purpose. The glucosinolates in seeds were significantly higher than in sprouts, and day 8 of germination was considered the optimum for consumption. The sprouts with higher concentrations of glucosinolates in 8-day-old sprouts were white mustard, turnip, and kohlrabi (∼815, ∼766, and ∼653 mg 100 g⁻¹ FW, respectively). Red cabbage and radish presented great total glucosinolates content (∼516 and ∼297 mg 100 g⁻¹ FW, respectively, in 8-day-old sprouts) and also higher total phenolic contents, biomass, and antioxidant capacity. The selection of the best performers in terms of germination quality and phytochemical composition is the key to optimize new fresh foods enriched in health-bioactive compounds. Further research on the bioavailability of the bioactive compounds in Brassica foods will allow backing of recommendations for dietarily effective dosages for nutrition and health.

Biotic elicitors effectively increase the glucosinolates content in Brassicaceae sprouts.

Several biotic elicitors have been used in Brassicaceae species to enhance their phytochemical quality. However, there is no comparison between elicitors under controlled growth conditions. In order to draw general conclusions about the use of elicitors to enrich ready-to-eat sprouts in health-promoting glucosinolates, the aim of this study was to unveil the effect of the phytohormones methyl jasmonate (25 μM), jasmonic acid (150 μM), and salicylic acid (100 μM), the oligosaccharides glucose (277 mM) and sucrose (146 mM), and the amino acid dl-methionine (5 mM) as elicitors over 8-day sprouting Brassica oleraceae (broccoli), Brassica napus (rutabaga cabbage), Brassica rapa (turnip), and Raphanus sativus (China rose radish and red radish), representative species high in glucosinolates previously studied. Results indicated that the phytohormones methyl jasmonate and jasmonic acid and the sugars acted as effective elicitors, increasing the total glucosinolate contents of the sprouts, particularly, glucoraphanin (from 183 to 294 mg·100 g(-1) in MeJA-treated broccoli sprouts), glucoraphenin (from 33 to 124 mg·100 g(-1) and from 167 to 227 mg·100 g(-1) in MeJA-treated China rose radish and red radish, respectively), and glucobrassicin (from 23.4 to 91.0 mg·100 g(-1) and from 29.6 to 186 mg·100 g(-1) in MeJA-treated turnip and rutabaga sprouts, respectively).

Integrated Analysis of COX-2 and iNOS Derived Inflammatory Mediators in LPS-Stimulated RAW Macrophages Pre-Exposed to Echium plantagineum L. Bee Pollen Extract

Oxidative stress and inflammation play important roles in disease development. This study intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of Echium plantagineum L. bee pollen to support its claimed health beneficial effects. The hydromethanol extract efficiently scavenged nitric oxide (•NO) although against superoxide (O2 •−) it behaved as antioxidant at lower concentrations and as pro-oxidant at higher concentrations. The anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The levels of •NO and L-citrulline decreased for all extract concentrations tested, while the levels of prostaglandins, their metabolites and isoprostanes, evaluated by UPLC-MS, decreased with low extract concentrations. So, E. plantagineum bee pollen extract can exert anti-inflammatory activity by reducing •NO and prostaglandins. The extract is able to scavenge the reactive species •NO and O2 •− and reduce markers of oxidative stress in cells at low concentrations.

Flavan‐3‐ols, anthocyanins, and inflammation

The process of inflammation constitutes a reactive response of the organism to tissue damage and is an important factor making part of a number of degenerative pathologies as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, all of them comprised in the metabolic syndrome. There is an increasing interest in plant products rich in flavan‐3‐ols and anthocyanins because of their potential beneficial effects observed in epidemiological studies against inflammatory‐related diseases. Their anti‐inflammatory effects are exerted by modulation of cell redox status and inhibition of signaling pathways as NF‐κB activation. The effects depend on their concentrations in target tissues and hence the bioavailability pathways followed by each particular compound. In this sense, in vitro studies performed with parental compounds at doses exceeding to those found in vivo may be drawing erroneous conclusions about their real efficacy. Contradictory results have been observed in human intervention trials, which may be ascribed to the type of population studied, length of study, source of flavan‐3‐ol/anthocyanin, and dose provided. Human studies are required to confirm the positive effects found in vitro and in animal models. Future research should be focused on the understanding of dose/flavonoid intake–response relationship with pharmacokinetic studies, evaluating proper biomarkers of intake. Long‐term dietary interventions are necessary to observe effects on markers of late activation as well as the possible preventive effects of these compounds on long‐term inflammation‐related diseases.

Optimizing elicitation and seed priming to enrich broccoli and radish sprouts in glucosinolates

Elicitation is a cheaper and socially acceptable tool for improving plant food functionality. Our objective was to optimize the treatment doses of the elicitors: methyl jasmonate (MeJA), jasmonic acid (JA) and DL-methionine (MET), in order to find a successful and feasible treatment to produce broccoli and radish sprouts with enhanced levels of health-promoting glucosinolates. Also a priming of seeds as a novel strategy to trigger the glucosinolates content was carried out with water (control), MeJA (250μM), JA (250μM) and MET (10mM) before the elicitor exogenous treatment. The results showed that almost all treatments could enhance effectively the total glucosinolates content in the sprouts, achieving the most significant increases from 34% to 100% of increase in broccoli and from 45% to 118% of increase in radish sprouts after MeJA priming and treatments. Consequently, our work demonstrates the feasibility of using elicitors, such as plant stress hormones, by priming and exogenously, as a way of increase the phytochemical profile of these sprouts to enhance their consumption in the diet.

Grape stems as a source of bioactive compounds: application towards added-value commodities and significance for human health

Phenolic compounds occur in high concentration in grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) and grape’s by-products as secondary metabolites responsible for distinct functions linked to plants protection against biotic and abiotic environmental stress. Once integrated as an ingredient in added-value products, these compounds are responsible for the protective effect described regarding plant material extracts, which has become an increasingly important area of applied research. Grape stems constitute the less valorised residue from grapes derived from the winery industry. Moreover to their value as a source of bioactive (poly)phenols, this material could display an additional advantage due to their content in complex carbohydrates, which provide benefits through improving the digestive process as insoluble fibres that reduce the absorption of unhealthy fats and promote detoxification processes. However, the application of this material as a functional ingredient might entail the modification of the (poly)phenolic profile resulting from processing procedures. These microbiological derived compounds require a further evaluation concerning their biological activity and technological applications. The inclusion of intact (poly)phenolic extracts of grape-stems in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations may allow to evaluate directly the biological effect of these compounds in vivo. This is an overview of the compounds present in grape stems and their potential to exert valuable biological and technological applications through their integration in distinct added-value products as well as the impact of available processing alternatives.

Guayusa (Ilex guayusa L.) new tea: phenolic and carotenoid composition and antioxidant capacity

BACKGROUND Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes) is an evergreen tree native of South America that grows particularly in the upper Amazon region of Ecuador. For its health benefits, it has been cultivated and consumed since ancient times by Amazon indigenous tribes. RESULTS A total of 14 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. Chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-O-hexose were the main representatives of the hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols, respectively. Five carotenoids were identified, showing lutein the highest concentration. Guayusa leaves revealed high antioxidant capacity determined by two analytical methods, DPPH and ORAC. The industrial processing applied to the leaves modified the composition of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of guayusa. In general, blanched guayusa retained the concentration of phenolic compounds and some carotenoids and similar antioxidant capacity as untreated green leaves. In contrast, fermentation reduced the content of bioactive compounds and showed the lowest antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSION Therefore, blanched guayusa has potential for product development as a functional ingredient in the food industry.

Metabolic Activity of Radish Sprouts Derived Isothiocyanates in Drosophila melanogaster

We used Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to study the absorption, metabolism and potential health benefits of plant bioactives derived from radish sprouts (Raphanus sativus cv. Rambo), a Brassicaceae species rich in glucosinolates and other phytochemicals. Flies were subjected to a diet supplemented with lyophilized radish sprouts (10.6 g/L) for 10 days, containing high amounts of glucoraphenin and glucoraphasatin, which can be hydrolyzed by myrosinase to the isothiocyanates sulforaphene and raphasatin, respectively. We demonstrate that Drosophila melanogaster takes up and metabolizes isothiocyanates from radish sprouts through the detection of the metabolite sulforaphane-cysteine in fly homogenates. Moreover, we report a decrease in the glucose content of flies, an upregulation of spargel expression, the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian PPARγ-coactivator 1 α, as well as the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro. Overall, we show that the consumption of radish sprouts affects energy metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster which is reflected by lower glucose levels and an increased expression of spargel, a central player in mitochondrial biogenesis. These processes are often affected in chronic diseases associated with aging, including type II diabetes mellitus.