Vegetable phytochemicals: An update on extraction and analysis techniques

Optimization of Two Methods for the Rapid and Effective Extraction of Quinine from Cinchona officinalis

This study successfully optimized two advanced extraction methods, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), for the efficient and rapid recovery of quinine from Cinchona officinalis. Among the evaluated parts of the plant, the bark consistently yielded the highest quinine concentration, highlighting its significance as the primary source for alkaloid extraction. The optimized conditions for MAE (65% ethanol, 130 °C, 34 min) achieved a maximum yield of 3.93 ± 0.11 mg/g, while UAE (61% ethanol, 25 °C, 15 min) provided a faster but slightly lower yield of 2.81 ± 0.04 mg/g. These findings confirm the superiority of MAE and UAE over conventional methods like Soxhlet extraction in terms of time efficiency and sustainability. The quantification of quinine using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with advanced detection methods further validated the reliability and reproducibility of the results. While this study focused on optimizing extraction and quantification parameters, it sets the groundwork for future research into the sustainable utilization and potential valorization of C. officinalis byproducts. These findings not only provide a standardized protocol for extracting quinine but also contribute to the broader application of green chemistry principles in pharmaceutical production.

Determination of antibacterial and antioxidant potential of organic crude extracts from Malus domestica, Cinnamomum verum and Trachyspermum ammi

Plants are the rich source of biologically active compounds which can be obliging against various pathogenic microorganisms and cancerous diseases. The current study evaluated the antibacterial potential of aqueous, methanol, ethanol, and acetone extracts of Malus domestica (apple), Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon) and Trachyspermum ammi (ajwain) via agar well diffusion methods and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in (mm) against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Salmonella typhi (ATCC 19430). The antioxidant properties including total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH and reducing power was determined by UV/VIS spectrophotometery and all the results interpreted through one way ANOVA (STATISTICA). In the results, methanolic and acetonic extracts of C. verum has shown maximum zone of inhibition (22.3 ± 0.58 mm) against S. aureus while for C. verum and T. ammi, ethanolic extracts has expressed the maximum zone of inhibition (22.3 ± 0.58 mm) against S. typhi and for M. domestica the methanolic extracts has exhibited highest zone of inhibition (18 ± 0.56 mm) among all other extracts of M. domestica. The MIC values were comparable with antimicrobial activity. Among the antioxidant activity analysis, the highest level of TPC has observed in aqueous extract of M. domestica 72.15 ± 1.80 mg GAE/g, while highest TFC was observed in methanolic extracts of M. domestica 15.62 ± 0.25 µg CE/g. The DPPH assay showed maximum percentage inhibition 123% in the methanolic extract of M. domestica, while highest reducing potential 13.42 ± 1.15 nm was observed in aqueous extract of C. verum. This study has compared three potential medicinal plants with biological active and eco-friendly components which play crucial role in therapeutics.

Hypolipidemic activity of phytochemical combinations: A mechanistic review of preclinical and clinical studies

Hyperlipidemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of lipids in the blood, poses a significant risk factor for various health disorders, notably cardiovascular diseases. Phytochemical compounds are promising alternatives to the current lipid-lowering drugs, which cause many undesirable effects. Based on in vivo and clinical studies, combining phytochemicals with other phytochemicals, prebiotics, and probiotics and their encapsulation in nanoparticles is more safe and effective for managing hyperlipidemia than monotherapy. To this end, the results obtained and the mechanisms of action of these combinations were examined in detail in this review.

New horizon of rosehip seed oil: Extraction, characterization for its potential applications as a functional ingredient

In recent years, rosehip is gaining more attention due to its high nutritional and medicinal value. Rosehip seeds usually discarded as waste, contain oil with high bioactive potential. These nutritional properties recommend the use of rosehip seed oil (RSO) to develop innovative food, pharma, and cosmetic products. In this review, different conventional and novel technologies for the extraction of RSO in terms of optimized conditions for better extraction of oil are discussed. In the lateral section of the manuscript, the detailed composition and biological activities of RSO are reviewed. Finally, a glimpse of the recent applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry are provided. This review could provide a comprehensive understanding of the value of RSO and promote its nutrition research and commercial product development.

A major facilitator superfamily transporter MdtH in Escherichia coli is involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and secretion

Anthocyanin cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G) is a natural pigment widely used in food and nutraceutical industries. Its microbial synthesis in Escherichia coli is a promising and efficient way toward large-scale production. The current production titer is low partly due to the accumulation of C3G inside the producing microbes; thus, it is important to explore native transporters responsible for anthocyanin secretion. Currently, there has been only one native E. coli transporter identified with C3G-transporting capability, and its overexpression has a very limited effect on the promotion of extracellular C3G production. In this study, we report the identification and verification of an efficient intrinsic C3G efflux transporter MdtH in E. coli through transcriptomic analysis and genetic/biochemical studies. MdtH could bind C3G with high affinity, and its overexpression increased the extracellular C3G biosynthesis in E. coli by 110%. Our study provides a new regulation target for microbial biosynthesis of C3G and other anthocyanins.

IMPORTANCE

Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G) is a natural colorant with health-promoting activities and is, hence, widely used in food, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries. Its market supply is currently dependent on extraction from plants. As an alternative, C3G can be produced by the microbe Escherichia coli in a green and sustainable way. However, a large portion of this compound is retained inside the cell of E. coli, thus complicating the purification process and limiting the high-level production. We have identified and verified an efficient native transporter named MdtH in E. coli that can export C3G to the cultivation medium. Overexpression of MdtH could improve extracellular C3G production by 110% without modifications of the metabolic pathway genes or enzymes. This study reveals a new regulation target for C3G production in bacteria and provides guidance to the microbial biosynthesis of related compounds.

Photocatalytic evaluation of synthesized MnO2/Fe3O4 NCs by Q. infectoria extract for removal Ni(II) and phenol: Study phytochemical, kinetics, thermodynamics, and antibioactivity

In the present study, the plant extract of the Quercus infectoria galls was used as a reducing, capping, and stabilizer agent for green synthesized MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and MnO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposites (NCs) due to its reduction ability from polyphenol and antioxidant content. The green synthesized nanomaterials have been characterized by various techniques such as FTIR, UV-vis, XRD, SEM, EDS, and TEM. The average size of about 7.4 and 6.88 nm was estimated for the NCs crystals of SEM images and XRD analysis by the Scherrer and Williamson-Hall methods. The green synthesized MnO2/Fe3O4 NCs (dosage: 0.1 g) have shown high photocatalytic activity for the removal of Ni(II) in acidic and basic solutions under visible irradiation (220 V lamp). The removal efficiency for the Ni(II) solution (3.6 × 10-3 M) at pH = 3 was increased to pH = 12 from 56 % to 98 %. The oxidase-like activity of MnO2/Fe3O4 NCs at different dosages (0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 g) for the removal and colorimetric of phenol (1 g/40 mL) in the presence 4-AAp (1 g) was seen after only 28, 13, and 5 s, respectively. The kinetic evaluation results showed the pseudo-second-order kinetics model closely matched the adsorption capacity theoretical values qe,cal (578.03, 854.70, 892.85, and 917.43 mg.g-1) and experimental values qe,exp (521.84, 839.74, 887.86, and 913.22 mg.g-1) at different initial pH solution (3-12) for Ni(II) removal. In addition, the investigation of isotherm models revealed that the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.9955) explains a better estimate for a monolayer and favorable removal of Ni(II) ions onto NCs. Also, the low Temkin constant, BT < 0 (0.0200 kJ.mol-1), and positive ∆H° value (0.103 kJ.mol-1.K-1) illustrated that Ni(II) removal is physical sorption and endothermic process. However, the obtained thermodynamic results showed the negative values ΔG° with the increase in temperature (303-318 K) toward a spontaneous removal process of Ni(II). Finally, the plant antioxidant (200 to 3200 μg/mL) and antimicrobial activities (0.001 to 0.1 g/mL) for plant extract, MnO2 NPs, and MnO2/Fe3O4 NCs were evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria species.

Improving the Technology of Primary Purification of the Safflower Oil Using Secondary Products of Processing on a Biological Basis

Safflower oil is a very valuable product for the body and human health. It is rich in macro- and microelements, vitamins and minerals, and also has antioxidant properties. The primary purification of safflower oil is an important stage of its production and directly affects the quality of the final product and its storage ability. Purifying safflower oil using a combination of filtration and sedimentation processes in an experimental cone-shaped centrifuge is a new direction in its processing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of flax fiber as a filter material for safflower oil. The Akmai variety of the safflower was tested. The results showed that the quality indicators of safflower oil before and after filtration through flax fiber are different. The amount of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic (18.31 ± 0.874%) and cis-linoleic acid (82.52 ± 1.854%) increased, as well as the content of arginine (2.1), tyrosine (0.57), methionine (0.4), cystine (2.5), tryptophan (2.6), and other amino acids (in oil g per 100 g of protein). The increase in the total amount of phenols (322.12 ± 6 mgEAG/kg of oil) was observed, which directly caused the higher antioxidant activity (42.65 ± 8%) of the safflower oil. These results demonstrate that flax fiber can enrich safflower oil. To find the optimal conditions for safflower oil centrifugation in a cone-shaped sedimentary-filtering centrifuge, the thickness of the flax fiber and the distance between the inner and outer perforated filter rotor were tested. It was found that the optimal and effective thickness of the flax fiber is 1.5 × 107 nm, while the thickness of the sediment is 0.5 × 107 nm.

Extraction of Functional Components from Freeze-Dried Angelica furcijuga Leaves Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Angelica furcijuga (A. furcijuga), as a material for traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in Asian countries, such as China, Korea, and Japan, for several centuries owing to its therapeutic effects. In this study, A. furcijuga leaves were used as starting materials to extract functional substances using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) at pressure and temperature ranges of 20-40 MPa and 40-80 °C, respectively. The extraction process was performed in a semibatch-type system with extraction times of 15-120 min. The high-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that kaempferol, ferulic acid, ligustilide, and butylidenephthalide as selected functional substances were successfully extracted under these operating conditions. An operating pressure of 30 MPa with an extraction time of 60 min seems to be an appropriate pressure to extract functional components from A. furcijuga leaves. The Hansen solubility parameter values and statistical analysis showed that SC-CO2 with 10% ethanol addition is a feasible tool to isolate these selected functional substances from the A. furcijuga matrix.