Bioactive compounds and "in vitro" antioxidant activity of some traditional and non-traditional cold-pressed edible oils from Macedonia

Enhancing Oxidative Stability and Nutritional Quality of Flaxseed Oil Using Apricot, Sesame, and Black Cumin Oil Blends

There is an unmet need for an affordable, high-quality, and non-thermally processed source of omega-3 fatty acids. Cold-pressed flaxseed oil comes closest to meeting these criteria. Flaxseed oil is also subject to rapid oxidative degradation. Sesame, black cumin, and apricot kernel oils are already used as functional foods and are more resistant to oxidative degradation. GC, HPLC, DPPH, the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and OXITEST were applied to the four cold-pressed oils and their binary blends with flaxseed oil. The fatty acid profile showed that the dominant fatty acid in flaxseed oil was linolenic acid with a content of 52.27 ± 0.17%, while oleic acid dominated in apricot kernel oil (69.45 ± 0.18%) and linoleic acid (58.80 ± 0.07%) in black cumin oil, while sesame oil was characterized by approximately equal proportions of oleic (42.21 ± 0.20%) and linoleic acids (43.37 ± 0.07%). The content of oleic acid showed a moderate, statistically significant correlation with the oxidative stability of oils and blends. The antioxidant capacity of flaxseed oil (25 ± 1.4 μmol TE/g) was most strongly influenced by the addition of black cumin oil (75 ± 3.5 μmol TE/g), so that the highest antioxidant capacity was achieved by the blend with an addition of 50% of this oil (57.5 ± 2.4 μmol TE/g). Oxidative stability tests show that apricot kernel oil stabilizes flaxseed oil the most and increases the oxidative stability of the blend by up to 60%.

A Comprehensive Review on Characterization of Pepper Seeds: Unveiling Potential Value and Sustainable Agrifood Applications

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) processing generates significant byproducts, with seeds emerging as a promising resource due to their rich content of oils, proteins, phenolic compounds and minerals. This comprehensive review critically evaluates the existing literature on the characterization of pepper seeds, highlighting their significant nutritional value and diverse bioactive constituents. The substantial oil content, characterized by a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and oleic acids, positions pepper seeds as a valuable source for edible oil and potential biofuel production. In addition, the presence of significant amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fibre and essential amino acids underlines their potential for the development of functional foods and dietary supplements. The current review also summarizes the findings on the phenolic profile and antioxidant activities of pepper seeds, indicating their relevance for nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. Finally, the potential utilization of pepper seeds in various agri-food industrial applications, such as food condiments, biostimulants, and biomass for energy, is discussed, promoting sustainability and a circular bioeconomy approach to valorise this underutilized resource. This systematic review summarizes current knowledge, identifies knowledge gaps, and highlights the potential of pepper seeds as a sustainable and economically viable alternative in multiple sectors.

Selection of Key Genes for Apricot Kernel Oil Synthesis Based on Transcriptome Analysis

The purpose of this study was to identify the key genes regulating apricot kernel oil (AKO) biosynthesis and understand the molecular pathways of AKO synthesis and accumulation. This study used two varieties of apricot kernel to determine the oil contents and primary fatty acid compositions at different developmental stages. Candidate genes for AKO biosynthesis were selected through transcriptome sequencing technology and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and these genes were verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results indicate that during apricot ripening, the content of AKO exhibits an 'S'-shaped accumulation pattern. The primary fatty acid components are C18:1 and C18:2. The transcriptome sequencing produced 164.19 Gb of clean data and 17,411 differentially expressed genes. The WGCNA results indicate that significantly differentially expressed genes cluster into seven modules-gene clusters (module)-with the strongest correlations to AKO indicated in pink. Nineteen candidate genes were selected from the oil synthesis pathway and WGCNA results. The qRT-PCR results indicate that six key enzyme genes and three transcription factors play significant regulatory roles in AKO biosynthesis. This study elucidates the molecular pathways involved in AKO biosynthesis and explains the difference in oil content between bitter and sweet apricot kernels.

Using rice bran as a press aid during the cold-pressing of sesame seeds improved the extraction yield and quality of the resultant oil

Simple, cost-effective, and practical techniques can enhance the shelf life of cold-pressed oils. This study evaluated sesame seed (SS) cold-pressed oil with various percentages of rice bran (RB) as press aid, including 0% (control or TSSO), 1% (T1), 2.5% (T2.5), 5% (T5), 7.5% (T7.5), and 10% (T10) w/w. The results demonstrated that adding RB considerably boosted extraction yields (p < .05), with 5% RB constituting the ideal combination. Adding 7.5% and 10% RB to the SS reduced free fatty acid (FFA) levels compared to the control sample. The oxidative stability index (OSI) and peroxide value (PV), however, significantly increased at combination ratios ranging from 2.5% to 10% (p < .05). Rice bran oil (TRBO) had the greatest OSI of all the studied oils, with 18.99 h, while the extracted oils showed an increase in OSI as RB contents rose. Total phenolic compounds (TPC), tocopherols, γ-oryzanol content, and total antioxidant activity (TAA) increased directly with the RB level. Despite the addition of RB altering the fatty acids concentration, linoleic and oleic acids continued to be the predominant fatty acids in TSSO, TRBO, and other extracted oil samples. Increasing the combination ratio increased the palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, and linolenic acid content and decreased the stearic and linoleic acid content. In summary, the study demonstrated that the simultaneous cold-pressing of oil-bearing seeds and agro-industrial by-products is a potentially advantageous technique to increase the extraction yield, qualitative attributes, and shelf life of the extracted oils without the addition of synthetic antioxidants.

Apricot kernel characterization, oil extraction, and its utilization: a review

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels, one of the economical stone fruit kernels, are utilized worldwide for edible, cosmetic, and medicinal purposes. Oil from the apricot kernel is valued by the richness of unsaturated fatty acids, the high proportion of oleic acids, phenols, and tocopherol content. Oil yield with quality from apricot kernel varies with region, variety, and adopted method of oil extraction. This review discusses apricot kernel characterization, different conventional and novel methods of oil extraction, their merits and demerits as reported in the literature. Novel technologies such as microwave-assisted oil extraction, ultrasound-assisted oil extraction, enzyme-assisted oil extraction, and supercritical fluid oil extraction have emerged as the most promising extraction methods that allow efficient oil recovery in very environment-friendly ways. Knowledge of the extraction technique aids in giving higher oil recovery with minimal nutritional losses while retaining the original organoleptic properties.

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Perilla Fruit Oil-Fortified Soybean Milk Intake Alters Levels of Serum Triglycerides and Antioxidant Status, and Influences Phagocytotic Activity among Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

This study aimed to develop perilla fruit oil (PFO)-fortified soybean milk (PFO-SM), identify its sensory acceptability, and evaluate its health outcomes. Our PFO-SM product was pasteurized, analyzed for its nutritional value, and had its acceptability assessed by an experienced and trained descriptive panel (n = 100) based on a relevant set of sensory attributes. A randomized clinical trial was conducted involving healthy subjects who were assigned to consume deionized water (DI), SM, PFO-SM, or black sesame-soybean milk (BS-SM) (n = 48 each, 180 mL/serving) daily for 30 d. Accordingly, health indices and analyzed blood biomarkers were recorded. Consequently, 1% PFO-SM (1.26 mg ALA rich) was generally associated with very high scores for overall acceptance, color, flavor, odor, taste, texture, and sweetness. We observed that PFO-SM lowered levels of serum triglycerides and erythrocyte reactive oxygen species, but increased phagocytosis and serum antioxidant activity (p < 0.05) when compared to SM and BS-SM. These findings indicate that PFO supplementation in soybean milk could enhance radical-scavenging and phagocytotic abilities in the blood of healthy persons. In this regard, it was determined to be more efficient than black sesame supplementation. We are now better positioned to recommend the consumption of PFO-SM drink for the reduction of many chronic diseases. Randomized clinical trial registration (Reference number 41389) by IRSCTN Registry.

Quality of Pepper Seed By-Products: A Review

Peppers are grown all around the world, usually for fresh consumption, as well as for the industrial production of different products. Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds are mostly considered a by-product. Recent investigations have shown that pepper seeds have the potential to be a valuable source of edible oil and fiber-rich flour and protein after processing. Pepper seed oil is a high-quality edible oil according to quality analysis (nutritional, chemical, sensory and antioxidant characteristics) and is suitable as an ingredient for use in the food and nonfood industries (pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic industries). The literature review presented in this paper revealed the high quality of two pepper seed by-products (pepper seed oil and pepper seed flour (Capsicum annuum L.)), which could guide the food industry toward new product development based on the circular bioeconomy.

Potentials of Antitussive Traditional Persian Functional Foods for COVID-19 Therapy†

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a worldwide pandemic resulting in a severe acute respiratory syndrome. Remdesivir is the only FDA-approved drug for hospitalized patients older than age 12. It shows the necessity of finding new therapeutic strategies. Functional foods (FFs) could have co-therapeutic and protective effects against COVID-19 infection. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM), one of the safest and most popular schools of medicine for hundreds of years, has recommended potential FF candidates to manage such a global pandemic. To reveal the potential of TPM in terms of antitussive FFs, traditional Persian pharmacopoeia "Qarabadin-e-Salehi" was searched using the keywords "Soaal" and "Sorfeh." Also, a search of MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, and Science Direct was performed for the relevant literature published from the inception up to March 2021. A combination of search terms including "cough, antitussive, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, antiviral, COVID-19, mucoactive, mucolytic, expectorant, and mucoregulatory" was also applied. The potential mechanism of action in SARS-CoV-2 infection was discussed. Twelve TPM FFs were found including Laooqs, Morabbas, a Saviq, a soup, and a syrup. They are combinations of two to seven ingredients. Natural compounds of mentioned formulations have the main pharmacological mechanisms including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihistamine, bronchodilator, immunomodulatory, and mucoactive effects as well as central or peripheral antitussive activities. FFs are cost-effective, easily accessible, and safe options for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19. They might have positive psychological effects along with their pharmacological effects and nutritional virtues. They could also manage persistent respiratory discomforts after recovery from COVID-19.