Remigius Chizzola

Botanical species being used for manufacturing plant food supplements (PFS) and related products in the EU member states and selected third countries.

A great wealth of plants and plant derived preparations are used in the intention to supplement the basic nutrition in order to sustain and promote health. They may be used directly or consumed as manufactured plant food supplements (PFS) in dosed form. The use of these plants may already have a long tradition as fruit, vegetable or (folk) medicinal plants. Due to globalisation, more and more plants originating from all over the world are now offered and marketed in European countries, including species from China, South Africa and the American continent. For reasons of security, EU wide lists of plants accepted or prohibited to be used in food supplements are in elaboration. A crucial point is the correct identification of the plant material. The identity can be assessed by morphological, chemical and DNA specific methods. The active substances usable in PFS are secondary plant products that are often characteristic for certain plant groups (taxa), species or plant parts. They comprise not only polyphenols, essential oils, carotenoids and phytosterols, but also glucosinolates or saponins. The quality of the plant material used for PFS depends on a variety of factors, including the natural phytochemical, intraspecific variation with the occurrence of chemotypes, the ontogenetic variation, the considered plant parts and environmental influences during plant growth. In the production of the raw materials for PFS international standards (good agricultural practice, fair trade) should be applied.

Rapid sample preparation technique for the determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in plant extracts

Abstract To determine toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids from various plant sources, a sample preparation technique is described that affords alkaloid fractions suitable for capillary GC or TLC determination. The procedure includes the reduction of the alkaloid N-oxides with the oxygen-absorbing resin Serdoxit and a clean-up with strong cation-exchange solid-phase columns. If desired an enrichment of the alkaloids can be obtained. The method was tested with methanolic extracts from Senecio vulgaris , Petasites hybridus and Symphytum officinale .

Chemical characterization by GC-MS and in vitro activity against Candida albicans of volatile fractions prepared from Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia abrotanum, Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia vulgaris

BackgroundA large number of essential oils is reported to have significant activity against Candida albicans. But the different chemical composition influences the degree of their activity. The intention of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and the activity against Candida albicans of volatile oils obtained from Artemisia dracunculus, A. abrotanum, A. absinthium and A. vulgaris (Asteraceae). The aim of the study was to identify new chemical compounds that have effect against C. albicans.The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation or extraction with dichloromethane (a new procedure we developed trying to obtain better, more separated compounds) from air dried above ground plant material and analyzed by GC-MS. Additionally commercial essential oils from the same species were tested. The Candida albicans inhibition studies were carried out by the paper disc diffusion method.ResultsThe essential oils shared common components but presented differences in composition and showed variable antifungal activity. Davanone and derivatives thereof, compounds with silphiperfolane skeleton, estragole, davanone oil, β-thujone, sabinyl acetate, herniarin, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate, 1,8-cineol, and terpineol were the main components of Artemisia volatiles.ConclusionsAmong the volatile fractions tested those from A. abrotanum containing davanone or silphiperfolane derivatives showed the highest antifungal activity. The in vitro tests revealed that the Artemisia oils are promising candidates for further research to develop novel anti-candida drugs.

Variability in chemical constituents in Petasites hybridus from Austria.

Petasites hybridus (Asteraceae), butter bur, is an ancient medicinal plant with spasmolytic sesquiterpene esters. Two chemotypes, the petasine and the furanopetasine chemotype, occur in Austria. The first one is considered as pharmaceutically useful due to its spasmolytic constituents, but it is restricted to the northern parts of the Alps. This use, however, is impaired by the presence of low amounts of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), mainly senecionine and intergerrimine. PA are usually concentrated in the metabolically active parts of the complex rhizome which are the thickenings just below the leaves. They are also present in flower stalks but are almost absent in leaf buds, the petioles and the leaf blades. The alkaloids showed a great variability within and between populations; the values recorded ranged from less than 2 to 500mgkg(-1) PA, median PA of 77 populations varied from 2 to 191mgkg(-1) in the rhizomes. In nearly 25% of the samples analysed the PA content was below 10mgkg(-1), another 25% had between 10 and 20mgkg(-1) PA. Histograms of PA concentrations in a population often showed a distinct skewness toward lower alkaloid contents. Alkaloid content was independent of sesquiterpene chemotype. The seasonal influence on PA content of rhizomes was little in comparison to the variability within the population or within the rhizome itself. Nevertheless, when comparable rhizome parts within a population were considered, the PA content may remain stable over several years. Although plants totally free of PA could not yet be found, it is possible to select populations low in alkaloids. Several populations of the petasine chemotype containing less than 10mgkg(-1) in the rhizomes could be found in the area investigated.

Effects of thyme as a feed additive in broiler chickens on thymol in gut contents, blood plasma, liver and muscle

BACKGROUND Aromatic herbs as feed additives in animal production are encountering growing interest, but data on the fate of the aromatic compounds from the plant in the animal body are very scarce. In the present study, thyme (Thymus vulgaris) herb consisting of leaves and flowers without stems was used as an ingredient in the diet for broilers. The herb was fed for 35 days to five groups of broilers (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 1% w/w in the diet). Animal performance and the concentrations of the main essential oil component from thyme, thymol, were measured in gut contents, plasma and liver and muscle tissues using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS There were no differences between the groups in feed intake, daily weight gain, feed conversion and slaughter weight. Thymol was detected in gut contents, plasma and liver and muscle tissues. Increased intestinal thymol concentrations were found in the group with 1% thyme compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). In liver and muscle tissues the thymol levels were close to the limit of quantification. CONCLUSION The data do not indicate a positive effect of thyme on animal performance. With high dietary levels of thyme herb, thymol concentrations increased in gut contents and plasma but were very low in edible tissues such as liver and flesh.

Composition of the Essential Oil from Daucus carota ssp. carota Growing Wild in Vienna

Abstract Wild carrots (Daucus carota L. subsp. carota (L.) Thel., Apiaceae) are widely distributed in Europe and occur on dry meadows, along roadsides and on slopes. They are present throughout the municipal area of Vienna. The present study reports the composition of the essential oil from different plant parts of the wild carrot collected at two locations in the urban area. At one site the plants were collected during two consecutive years. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger type apparatus and were analysed by GC-MS. At harvest time the plants had fully developed fruits and gave oil yields of 0.2, 0.1 - 0.3 and 0.8 - 1.6 % (v/w) for roots, leaves, and fruits, respectively. The root oil was dominated by α-terpinolene (26 and 56 %from one site on two consecutive years) and contained beside α-pinene, β-pinene, and myrcene also the phenylpropanoid myristicin. Leaves had α-pinene and sabinene as main compounds in varying proportions, followed by myrcene and limonene. α-pinene and sabinene dominated also in the fruits, but in one year also an appreciable amount of geranyl-acetate could be recorded. The results show that even in the restricted urban area the essential oil of carrots is highly variable.

Fruit Oil of Laserpitium siler L. Grown in France

The water-distilled fruit oil of Laserpitium siler L. (Apiaceae) grown in southern France was analyzed by GC/MS. The main compounds found were perillaldehyde (75.0%) and limonene (22.0%).

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of garlic essential oils evaluated in organic solvent, emulsifying, and self-microemulsifying water based delivery systems

The chemical composition of garlic essential oils (GEOs) extracted from two different cultivars has been characterized using GC-MS analysis. GEO that was extracted from the white-skin cultivar (WGO) had a lower percentage of the major constituents diallyl trisulfide and diallyl disulfide (45.76 and 15.63%) than purple-skin cultivar (PGO) which contained higher percentages (58.53 and 22.38%) of the same components, respectively. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of WGO and PGO delivered in organic solvent (isopropanol) showed dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogenic bacteria and fungi, especially with WGO. On the other hand, formulation of both GEOs in water-based emulsions totally suppressed the antimicrobial activity of GEO. Re-formulation of GEOs in water-based microemulsion (particle size 10.1nm) showed better antimicrobial activity than emulsions at the same concentration of GEOs. This study can assist in designing the proper water-based delivery system of GEO for application in food preservation.

Cadmium and Zinc Interactions in Trace Element Accumulation in Chamomile

ABSTRACT In many contamination situations, various heavy metals act simultaneously and may interact; the present study examines the effects of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), two chemically similar elements, on trace-element accumulation under different environmental conditions. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) was grown in pot experiments with increasing additions of Cd, Zn, or a combination of both metals to the substrate. The plants were tested on a sandy soil and a humus garden soil. The experiment was performed twice, in summer and in autumn. Because the Cd concentrations reached up to 19.3 mg kg− 1 when the Cd supply in the soil was 3 mg kg− 1, chamomile can be characterized as a plant accumulating this heavy metal. More Cd was taken up from the sandy soil than from the humus garden soil, whereas the Zn contents were higher in the plants grown in summer on the garden soil. The addition of Zn to the soils led to a suppressed Cd accumulation into the above-ground plant parts. A further increase in the Zn supply, however, did not afford a further decrease in the Cd levels in the plants. On the other hand, the Cd supply did not influence the Zn accumulation. Thus an appropriate Zn supply to the plants can reduce, but cannot prevent totally, Cd accumulation in chamomile to meet the limits imposed for a pharmaceutical use of this plant. The copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) contents were little influenced by the Cd and Zn additions to the soils.

Fortification of dried distillers grains plus solubles with grape seed meal in the diet modulates methane mitigation and rumen microbiota in Rusitec

The role of dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) and associative effects of different levels of grape seed meal (GSM) fortified in DDGS, used as both protein and energy sources in the diet, on ruminal fermentation and microbiota were investigated using rumen-simulation technique. All diets consisted of hay and concentrate mixture with a ratio of 48:52 [dry matter (DM) basis], but were different in the concentrate composition. The control diet contained soybean meal (13.5% of diet DM) and barley grain (37%), whereas DDGS treatments, unfortified DDGS (19.5% of diet DM), or DDGS fortified with GSM, either at 1, 5, 10, or 20% were used entirely in place of soybean meal and part of barley grain at a 19.5 to 25% inclusion level. All diets had similar DM, organic matter, and crude protein contents, but consisted of increasing neutral detergent fiber and decreasing nonfiber carbohydrates levels with DDGS-GSM inclusion. Compared with the soy-based control diet, the unfortified DDGS treatment elevated ammonia concentration (19.1%) of rumen fluid associated with greater crude protein degradation (~19.5%). Methane formation decreased with increasing GSM fortification levels (≥ 5%) in DDGS by which the methane concentration significantly decreased by 18.9 to 23.4 and 12.8 to 17.6% compared with control and unfortified DDGS, respectively. Compared with control, unfortified DDGS decreased butyrate proportion, and GSM fortification in the diet further decreased this variable. The proportions of genus Prevotella and Clostridium cluster XIVa were enhanced by the presence of DDGS without any associative effect of GSM fortification. The abundance of methanogenic archaea was similar, but their composition differed among treatments; whereas Methanosphaera spp. remained unchanged, proportion of Methanobrevibacter spp. decreased in DDGS-based diets, being the lowest with 20% GSM inclusion. The abundance of Ruminococcus flavefaciens, anaerobic fungi, and protozoa were decreased by the GSM inclusion. As revealed by principal component analysis, these variables were the microorganisms associated with the methane formation. Grape seed meal fortification level in the diet decreased DM and organic matter degradation, but this effect was more related to a depression of nonfiber carbohydrates degradation. It can be concluded that DDGS fortified with GSM can favorably modulate ruminal fermentation.