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Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 19003

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniel Granato

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Guest Editor

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Interests: food chemistry; natural product; antioxidant; phenolic-rich foods; food processing and extraction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ioannis Zabetakis

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Guest Editor

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Interests: inflammation; polar lipids; nutritional status; functional foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The relation between health and dietary choices and habits is well known. The mechanisms of action still trigger the development and optimization of new analytical methods to quantify certain compounds in foods and biological samples. In this respect, bioactive compounds have been studied for a variety of bioactivities using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo protocols. Most research approaches focus on optimizing the extraction of these secondary metabolites in addition to their in vitro antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antihemolytic effects in human erythrocytes, hypolipidemic, and antiproliferative activities, proved by different in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies. Although the in vitro observations are of pivotal importance, they should be considered as screening studies for further investigations in more complex protocols, such as in vivo studies using animals or, preferably, clinical trials.

This Special Issue is devoted to compiling review papers and original contributions related to food chemistry and health, from analytical methods to bioactivities in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Granato
Dr. Ioannis Zabetakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Chemical composition
Analytical methods
Multivariate statistical methods
Cell-based experiments
Bioactivity in vitro
Antioxidants
In vivo experiments
Inflammation markers
Reactive oxygen species

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1984 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Antioxidant Capacity and Network Pharmacology of Phloretin and Phlorizin against Neuroinflammation in Traumatic Brain Injury

by Kubra Kizil Ongay, Daniel Granato and George E. Barreto

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 919; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28030919 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2149

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of traumatic brain injury (TBI)’s acute and chronic phases. Despite the medical and scientific advances in recent years, there is still no effective treatment that mitigates the oxidative and inflammatory damage that affects neurons and glial cells. Therefore, searching for compounds with a broader spectrum of action that can regulate various inflammatory signaling pathways is of clinical interest. In this study, we determined not only the in vitro antioxidant capacity of apple pomace phenolics, namely, phlorizin and its metabolite, phloretin, but we also hypothesize that the use of these bioactive molecules may have potential use in TBI. We explored the antioxidant effects of both compounds in vitro (DPPH, iron-reducing capacity (IRC), and Folin–Ciocalteu reducing capacity (FCRC)), and using network pharmacology, we investigated the proteins involved in their protective effects in TBI. Our results showed that the antioxidant properties of phloretin were superior to those of phlorizin in the DPPH (12.95 vs. 3.52 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/L), FCRC (86.73 vs. 73.69 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/L), and iron-reducing capacity (1.15 vs. 0.88 mg GAE/L) assays. Next, we examined the molecular signature of both compounds and found 11 proteins in common to be regulated by them and involved in TBI. Meta-analysis and GO functional enrichment demonstrated their implication in matrix metalloproteinases, p53 signaling, and cell secretion/transport. Using MCODE and Pearson’s correlation analysis, a subcluster was generated. We identified ESR1 (estrogen receptor alpha) as a critical cellular hub being regulated by both compounds and with potential therapeutic use in TBI. In conclusion, our study suggests that because of their vast antioxidant effects, probably acting on estrogen receptors, phloretin and phlorizin may be repurposed for TBI treatment due to their ease of obtaining and low cost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus)

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14 pages, 2375 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) Peel as a Sustainable Source of Anthocyanins and Ellagitannins Delivered by Phospholipid Vesicles for Alleviating Oxidative Stress in Human Keratinocytes

by Ines Castangia, Maria Letizia Manca, Mohamad Allaw, Jarkko Hellström, Daniel Granato and Maria Manconi

Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6697; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26216697 - 05 Nov 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2402

Abstract

The Brazilian berry scientifically known as jabuticaba is a fruit covered by a dark purple peel that is still rich in bioactives, especially polyphenols. Considering that, this work was aimed at obtaining an extract from the peel of jabuticaba fruits, identifying its main components, loading it in phospholipid vesicles specifically tailored for skin delivery and evaluating their biological efficacy. The extract was obtained by pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), which is considered an easy and low dissipative method, and it was rich in polyphenolic compounds, especially flavonoids (ortho-diphenols and condensed tannins), anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside) and gallic acid, which were responsible for the high antioxidant activity detected using different colorimetric methods (DPPH, FRAP, CUPRAC and metal chelation). To improve the stability and extract effectiveness, it was incorporated into ultradeformable phospholipid vesicles (transfersomes) that were modified by adding two different polymers (hydroxyethyl cellulose and sodium hyaluronate), thus obtaining HEcellulose-transfersomes and hyaluronan-transfersomes. Transfersomes without polymers were the smallest, as the addition of the polymer led to the formation of larger vesicles that were more stable in storage. The incorporation of the extract in the vesicles promoted their beneficial activities as they were capable, to a greater extent than the solution used as reference, of counteracting the toxic effect of hydrogen peroxide and even of speeding up the healing of a wound performed in a cell monolayer, especially when vesicles were enriched with polymers. Given that, polymer enriched vesicles may represent a good strategy to produce cosmetical and cosmeceutical products with beneficial properties for skin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus)

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14 pages, 1270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Untargeted Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Capacity and Enzyme Inhibitory Activity of Cultivated and Wild Lupin Seeds from Tunisia

by Amna Ben Hassine, Gabriele Rocchetti, Leilei Zhang, Biancamaria Senizza, Gökhan Zengin, Mohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally, Mossadok Ben-Attia, Youssef Rouphael, Luigi Lucini and Safia El-Bok

Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3452; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26113452 - 07 Jun 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2343

Abstract

Lupin seeds can represent a valuable source of phenolics and other antioxidant compounds. In this work, a comprehensive analysis of the phytochemical profile was performed on seeds from three Lupinus species, including one cultivar (Lupinus albus) and two wild accessions (Lupinus cossentinii and Lupinus luteus), collected from the northern region of Tunisia. Untargeted metabolomic profiling allowed to identify 249 compounds, with a great abundance of phenolics and alkaloids. In this regard, the species L. cossentinii showed the highest phenolic content, being 6.54 mg/g DW, followed by L. luteus (1.60 mg/g DW) and L. albus (1.14 mg/g DW). The in vitro antioxidant capacity measured by the ABTS assay on seed extracts ranged from 4.67 to 17.58 mg trolox equivalents (TE)/g, recording the highest values for L. albus and the lowest for L. luteus. The DPPH radical scavenging activity ranged from 0.39 to 3.50 mg TE/g. FRAP values varied between 4.11 and 5.75 mg TE/g. CUPRAC values for lupin seeds ranged from 7.20 to 8.95 mg TE/g, recording the highest for L. cossentinii. The results of phosphomolybdenum assay and metal chelation showed similarity between the three species of Lupinus. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activity was detected in each methanolic extract analyzed with similar results. Regarding the butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme, it was weakly inhibited by the Lupinus extracts; in particular, the highest activity values were recorded for L. albus (1.74 mg GALAE/g). Overall, our results showed that L. cossentinii was the most abundant source of polyphenols, consisting mainly in tyrosol equivalents (5.82 mg/g DW). Finally, significant correlations were outlined between the phenolic compounds and the in vitro biological activity measured, particularly when considering flavones, phenolic acids and lower-molecular-weight phenolics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus)

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Review

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16 pages, 649 KiB

Open AccessReview

Microbial Hyaluronic Acid Production: A Review

by Mónica Serra, Ana Casas, Duarte Toubarro, Ana Novo Barros and José António Teixeira

Molecules 2023, 28(5), 2084; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28052084 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5066

Abstract

Microbial production of hyaluronic acid (HA) is an area of research that has been gaining attention in recent years due to the increasing demand for this biopolymer for several industrial applications. Hyaluronic acid is a linear, non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan that is widely distributed in nature and is mainly composed of repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid. It has a wide and unique range of properties such as viscoelasticity, lubrication, and hydration, which makes it an attractive material for several industrial applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. This review presents and discusses the available fermentation strategies to produce hyaluronic acid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus)

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17 pages, 1782 KiB

Open AccessReview

Industrial Application and Health Prospective of Fig (Ficus carica) By-Products

by Izza Faiz ul Rasool, Afifa Aziz, Waseem Khalid, Hyrije Koraqi, Shahida Anusha Siddiqui, Ammar AL-Farga, Wing-Fu Lai and Anwar Ali

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 960; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28030960 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5861

Abstract

The current review was carried out on the industrial application of fig by-products and their role against chronic disorders. Fig is basically belonging to fruit and is botanically called Ficus carica. There are different parts of fig, including the leaves, fruits, seeds and latex. The fig parts are a rich source of bioactive compounds and phytochemicals including antioxidants, phenolic compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and vitamins. These different parts of fig are used in different food industries such as the bakery, dairy and beverage industries. Fig by-products are used in extract or powder form to value the addition of different food products for the purpose of improving the nutritional value and enhancing the stability. Fig by-products are additive-based products which contain high phytochemicals fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. Due to the high bioactive compounds, these products performed a vital role against various diseases including cancer, diabetes, constipation, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Concussively, fig-based food products may be important for human beings and produce healthy food. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integration between Food Chemistry and Health in Focus)

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