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Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 13014

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dalene De Beer

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Guest Editor

Plant Bioactives Group, Post-Harvest & Agro-Processing Technologies, Agricultural Research Council, Stellenbosch, South Africa Department of Food Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Interests: phenolic compounds; flavonoids; chromatography; food processing; fruit; herbal tea

Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Joubert

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Guest Editor

1. Plant Bioactives Group, Post-Harvest & Agro-Processing Technologies, Agricultural Research Council, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2. Department of Food Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Interests: herbal tea; nutraceuticals; processing; quality; stability; composition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Damiani

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Guest Editor

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Interests: herbal teas; antioxidant activity; steeping conditions; photoprotective natural compounds; UVA oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tiziana Bacchetti

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Guest Editor

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Interests: plant bioactive compounds; functional food and beverages; oxidative stress; antioxidants; lifestyle-related diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phenolic compounds in foods and beverages play important roles in functional properties such as colour, taste and bioactivity, while extracts from foods and other plant sources can be used as phenolic-rich functional food ingredients. The processing and storage of foods, beverages, and functional ingredients can affect their phenolic composition and, consequently, their functional properties. In order to understand the functional properties of phenolic compounds, they should be identified and quantified using reliable and robust analytical methodologies.

Topics that will be covered in this Special Issue include:

Methodology for the identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in foods and beverages (including advanced analysis and the latest approaches);
Phenolic composition of foods and beverages;
Factors affecting phenolic composition with a specific focus on post-harvest processing and storage;
Production and use of phenolic-rich functional food ingredients, including extraction, drying, storage, and stability;
Contribution of phenolic compounds to colour and taste;
Role of phenolic compounds in bioactivity.

Prof. Dr. Dalene De Beer
Prof. Dr. Lizette Joubert
Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Damiani
Prof. Dr. Tiziana Bacchetti
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

foods
beverages
phenolic compounds
chromatography
colour
taste
bioactivity
processing
storage

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 2373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stability, Morphology, and Effects of In Vitro Digestion on the Antioxidant Properties of Polyphenol Inclusion Complexes with β-Cyclodextrin

by Sunday Ntuli, Machel Leuschner, Megan J. Bester and June C. Serem

Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3808; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27123808 - 14 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1838

Abstract

Polyphenols are inversely associated with the incidence of chronic diseases, but therapeutic use is limited by poor stability and bioaccessibility. Encapsulation has been shown to overcome some of these limitations. A selection of polyphenols (catechin, gallic acid, and epigallocatechin gallate) and their combinations were encapsulated in beta-cyclodextrin (βCD). Encapsulation was characterized and the thermal and storage stability was evaluated using the 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. The samples were then subjected to in vitro digestion using a simple digestion (SD) model (gastric and duodenal phases) and a more complex digestion (CD) model (oral, gastric, and duodenal phases). Thereafter, the chemical (oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay) and cellular (dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay in Caco-2 cells) antioxidant and antiglycation (advanced glycation end-products assay) activities were determined. Inclusion complexes formed at a 1:1 molar ratio with a high encapsulation yield and efficiency. Encapsulation altered the morphology of the samples, increased the thermal stability of some and the storage stability of all samples. Encapsulation maintained the antioxidant activity of all samples and significantly improved the antiglycation and cellular antioxidant activities of some polyphenols following SD. In conclusion, the formed inclusion complexes of βCD with polyphenols had greater storage stability, without altering the beneficial cellular effects of the polyphenols. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents)

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15 pages, 3775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Ingestion of Natal Plums (Carissa macrocarpa) and Marula Nuts (Sclerocarya birrea) in a Snack Bar and Its Effect on Phenolic Compounds and Bioactivities

by Vimbainashe E. Manhivi, Retha M. Slabbert and Dharini Sivakumar

Molecules 2022, 27(1), 310; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27010310 - 04 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2062

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of co-ingesting Natal plums (Carissa macrocarpa) and Marula nuts (Sclerocarya birrea) on the bioaccessibility and uptake of anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity, and the ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. A Natal plum–Marula nut bar was made by mixing the raw nuts and the fruit pulp in a ratio 1:1 (v/v). The cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside (Cy-3-Sa) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside content (Cy-3-G) were quantified using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS). Inclusion of Natal plum in the Marula nut bar increased the Cy-3-Sa, Cy-3-G content, antioxidants capacity and α-glucosidase inhibition compared to ingesting Marula nut separately at the internal phase. Adding Natal plum to the Marula nut bar increased bioaccessibility of Cy-3-Sa, Cy-3-G, quercetin, coumaric acid, syringic acid and ferulic acid to 80.2% and 71.9%, 98.7%, 95.2%, 51.9% and 89.3%, respectively, compared to ingesting the Natal plum fruit or nut separately. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents)

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15 pages, 11731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rooibos Flavonoids, Aspalathin, Isoorientin, and Orientin Ameliorate Antimycin A-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Improving Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in Cultured Skeletal Muscle Cells

by Sinenhlanhla X. H. Mthembu, Christo J. F. Muller, Phiwayinkosi V. Dludla, Evelyn Madoroba, Abidemi P. Kappo and Sithandiwe E. Mazibuko-Mbeje

Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6289; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26206289 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2476

Abstract

The current study investigated the physiological effects of flavonoids found in daily consumed rooibos tea, aspalathin, isoorientin, and orientin on improving processes involved in mitochondrial function in C2C12 myotubes. To achieve this, C2C12 myotubes were exposed to a mitochondrial channel blocker, antimycin A (6.25 µM), for 12 h to induce mitochondrial dysfunction. Thereafter, cells were treated with aspalathin, isoorientin, and orientin (10 µM) for 4 h, while metformin (1 µM) and insulin (1 µM) were used as comparators. Relevant bioassays and real-time PCR were conducted to assess the impact of treatment compounds on some markers of mitochondrial function. Our results showed that antimycin A induced alterations in the mitochondrial respiration process and mRNA levels of genes involved in energy production. In fact, aspalathin, isoorientin, and orientin reversed such effects leading to the reduced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species. These flavonoids further enhanced the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial function, such as Ucp 2, Complex 1/3, Sirt 1, Nrf 1, and Tfam. Overall, the current study showed that dietary flavonoids, aspalathin, isoorientin, and orientin, have the potential to be as effective as established pharmacological drugs such as metformin and insulin in protecting against mitochondrial dysfunction in a preclinical setting; however, such information should be confirmed in well-established in vivo disease models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents)

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15 pages, 2839 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unambiguous NMR Structural Determination of (+)-Catechin—Laccase Dimeric Reaction Products as Potential Markers of Grape and Wine Oxidation

by Stacy Deshaies, Christine le Guernevé, Lucas Suc, Laetitia Mouls, François Garcia and Cédric Saucier

Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6165; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26206165 - 13 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2073

Abstract

(+)-Catechin—laccase oxidation dimeric standards were hemi-synthesized using laccase from Trametes versicolor in a water-ethanol solution at pH 3.6. Eight fractions corresponding to eight potential oxidation dimeric products were detected. The fractions profiles were compared with profiles obtained with two other oxidoreductases: polyphenoloxidase extracted from grapes and laccase from Botrytis cinerea. The profiles were very similar, although some minor differences suggested possible dissimilarities in the reactivity of these enzymes. Five fractions were then isolated and analyzed by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The addition of traces of cadmium nitrate in the samples solubilized in acetone-d₆ led to fully resolved NMR signals of phenolic protons, allowing the unambiguous structural determination of six reaction products, one of the fractions containing two enantiomers. These products can further be used as oxidation markers to investigate their presence and evolution in wine during winemaking and wine ageing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents)

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Review

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44 pages, 4459 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cherries and Blueberries-Based Beverages: Functional Foods with Antidiabetic and Immune Booster Properties

by Ana C. Gonçalves, Ana R. Nunes, José D. Flores-Félix, Gilberto Alves and Luís R. Silva

Molecules 2022, 27(10), 3294; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27103294 - 20 May 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3528

Abstract

Nowadays, it is largely accepted that the daily intake of fruits, vegetables, herbal products and derivatives is an added value in promoting human health, given their capacity to counteract oxidative stress markers and suppress uncontrolled pro-inflammatory responses. Given that, natural-based products seem to be a promising strategy to attenuate, or even mitigate, the development of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and to boost the immune system. Among fruits, cherries and blueberries are nutrient-dense fruits that have been a target of many studies and interest given their richness in phenolic compounds and notable biological potential. In fact, research has already demonstrated that these fruits can be considered functional foods, and hence, their use in functional beverages, whose popularity is increasing worldwide, is not surprising and seem to be a promising and useful strategy. Therefore, the present review reinforces the idea that cherries and blueberries can be incorporated into new pharmaceutical products, smart foods, functional beverages, and nutraceuticals and be effective in preventing and/or treating diseases mediated by inflammatory mediators, reactive species, and free radicals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterisation of Phenolics in Foods and Beverages and Their Role as Functional Constituents)

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