Phytochemical characteristics of bergamot oranges from the Ionian islands of Greece: A multi-analytical approach with emphasis in the distribution of neohesperidose flavanones

A novel diglycosidase for the transformation of naringin to naringenin and neohesperidose

A novel fungal diglycosidase that transforms naringin into naringenin and neohesperidose, a rare biotransformation, has been purified to homogeneity using a simple procedure involving precipitation of the enzyme from the culture filtrate of the fungal strain using 80 % saturation of ammonium sulphate, dissolving the precipitate in minimum volume of the buffer and dialysing that against the buffer. The purified enzyme gives single protein bands of molecular mass 64.6 kDa in SDS-PAGE analysis. The purity of the enzyme has been further confirmed by the appearance of single protein band in native page analysis. Using naringin as the substrate, the diglycosidase has Km and kcat values of 0.20 m mol L-1 and 0.66 s-1, respectively, at pH 4.0 and 313 K. The specific activity of the purified enzyme using naringin as the natural substrate is 1.018 katal/kg. The diglycosidase also transforms rutin into quercetin and rutinose but has no effect on hesperidin. The feasibilities of preparing neohesperidose from naringin and rutinose from rutin on milligram scales using the pure enzyme have been demonstrated. These results open the way for developing an enzymatic process for preparation of neohesperidose from naringin. The reported diglycosidase has immense future applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Effects of Bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) By-Product on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Growing Rabbits

This study aimed to investigate the effects of feeding dried bergamot pulp to rabbits on animal performance and meat quality. Thirty rabbits were assigned to two groups (balanced for body weight, 804.4 ± 2.35 g) and fed individually for 60 days a basal diet (control) or the basal diet in which part of the cereals was replaced with 10% of dried bergamot pulp (DBP). There were no effects of DBP on growth performance, carcass yield, or the crude protein and ether extract composition of meat. The concentrations of α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3) increased in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (p < 0.01 and p = 0.021, respectively) after integrating dried bergamot pulp into the diet, leading to higher levels of total of ω-3 fatty acids (p < 0.01) compared to the control treatment. The inclusion of dried bergamot pulp improved the oxidative stability in meat (p < 0.001), where TBARS values were lower after 4 and 7 days of refrigerated storage (p < 0.001) in the DBP group than in the control group. Finally, feeding dried bergamot pulp to rabbits improves meat quality without negatively influencing growth performance.

Rheological properties, biochemical changes, and potential health benefits of dehulled and defatted industrial hempseeds after fermentation

Dehulled hempseed (DHS), fermented dehulled hempseed (FDHS), hempseed cake (HSC), and fermented HSC (FHSC) were examined for their phytochemical composition, health benefits, and rheological characteristics. At 500 µg/mL concentration, DHS, FDHS, HSC, and FHSC extracts exhibited the ability to inhibit DPPH radicals, with 32.46 %, 47.35 %, 33.85 %, and 47.41 %, respectively. Similarly, they demonstrated potential to scavenge ABTS radicals by 13.7 %, 27.87 %, 14.40 % and 25.70 %, respectively. For lipase inhibition activity, FDHS (72.92 %) and FDHS (85.89 %) outperformed DHS (52.94 %) and HSC (43.08 %). Furthermore, FHSC enhanced the survival and reduced fat accumulation in glucose-supplemented Caenorhabditis elegans. We used HPLC and UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS for metabolite analysis, quantifying eight polyphenols using HPLC and identifying thirty-four metabolites with UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. Generally, metabolomics indicated an improved metabolite profile after fermentation. Fermentation also showed impact on rheological characteristics, modifying viscosity, loss modulus, and storage modulus. These findings collectively demonstrate the ability of fermentation in enhancing overall value of hempseed.

Screening the Citrus Greek National Germplasm Collection for fruit quality and metabolic footprint

Citrus fruits are one of the most important fruits in the global food industry due to their unique taste and nutritional benefits. Herein, we characterize the physicochemical and bioactive attributes of twenty-nine Greek citrus accessions, including oranges, mandarins/clementines, lemons, bergamot, citrons and lime along with twenty-seven highly commercial international cultivars. The assessed genotypes differ in various quality traits including color, ripening, and textural attributes. Several indigenous cultivars displayed desirable organoleptic traits, such as the oranges 'Valencia Oval Porou' (e.g., juice content and ascorbic acid) and 'Sanguine Gouritis' (eg., soluble solids (SSC) and acidity (TA) ratio), the mandarin 'Clementine Porou' (e.g., SSC/TA) and the lemon 'Vakalou' (e.g., firmness, acidity). Differences in primary metabolites, mainly in sugars, organic acids and amino acids were recorded among the tested species and cultivars. In addition, the autochthonous orange cultivars 'Sanguine Gouritsis' and 'Valencia Oval Porou' contained high sucrose levels whereas 'Lainato Chanion' had high hesperidin content. This large-scale analysis supports the ample availability of genetic resources for the development of citrus cultivars with improved nutritional quality traits.

Study of Active Phytochemicals and Mechanisms of Cnidii Fructus in Treating Osteoporosis Based on HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and Network Pharmacology

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to clarify the anti-osteoporosis mechanism of Cnidii Fructus (CF) via network pharmacology and experimental verification.

METHODS

HPLC fingerprints combined with HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis confirmed common components (CCS) of CF. Then, network pharmacology was used to investigate the anti-OP mechanism of CF, including potential anti-OP phytochemicals, potential targets, and related signalling pathway. Molecular docking analysis was carried on investigating the protein-ligand interactions. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed to verify anti-OP mechanism of CF.

RESULTS

In this study, 17 compounds from CF were identified by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and HPLC fingerprints and then were further screened key compounds and potential targets by PPI analysis, ingredient-target network and hub network. The key compounds were SCZ10 (Diosmin), SCZ16 (Pabulenol), SCZ6 (Osthenol), SCZ8 (Bergaptol) and SCZ4 (Xanthotoxol). The potential targets were SRC, MAPK1, PIK3CA, AKT1 and HSP90AA1. Molecular docking further analysis indicated that the five key compounds have a good binding affinity with related proteins. CCK8 assays, TRAP staining experiments, and ALP activity assays concluded that osthenol and bergaptol inhibited osteoclast formation and promoted osteoblast bone formation to improve osteoporosis.

CONCLUSION

Based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiments analysis, this study revealed that CF possessed an anti-OP effect, and its potential therapeutic effect may be involved with osthenol and bergaptol from CF.

Comparison of Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activities for the Immature Fruits of Citrus changshan-huyou Y.B. Chang and Citrus aurantium L

Quzhou Aurantii Fructus (QAF), the dried immature fruit of Citrus changshan-huyou Y.B. Chang, is similar to Aurantii Fructus (AF), the dried immature fruit of Citrus aurantium L. or its cultivars, in terms of composition, pharmacological action, and appearance. However, potential chemical markers to distinguish QAF from AF remain unknown owing to the lack of a comprehensive systematic chemical comparison aligned with discriminant analysis. To achieve a better understanding of the differences in their composition, this study aimed to identify the basic chemical compounds in QAF (n = 42) and AF (n = 8) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electron spray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were used to further analyze, screen, and verify potential chemical markers; the antioxidant capacity was assayed in vitro. A total of 108 compounds were found in QAF and AF, including 25 flavonoids, 8 limonoids, 2 coumarins, and 73 volatile components. The chemometric analysis indicated that the main components in QAF and AF were very similar. Trace differential components, including 9 flavonoids, 2 coumarins, 5 limonoids, and 26 volatile compounds, were screened as potential chemical markers to distinguish between QAF and AF. Additionally, the antioxidant capacity of QAF was found to be greater than that of AF. This research provides insights into the quality control and clinical application of QAF.

Determination of Flavonoids in Selected Scleranthus Species and Their Anti-Collagenase and Antioxidant Potential

A new 5,7-dihydroxy-3′-methoxy-4′-acetoxyflavone-8-C-β-d-arabinopyranoside-2″-O-(4‴-acetoxy)-glucoside (6) and three known flavone C-glycosides—5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone-6-C-xyloside-8-C-β-d-glucoside (lucenin-1) (7), 5,7,3′-trihydroxyflavone-6-C-glucoside-8-C-β-d-glucoside (vicenin-2) (8), and 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3′-methoxyflavone-6-C-β-d-glucopyranoside-8-C-α-arabinopyranoside (chrysoeriol-6-C-β-d-glucopyranoside-8-C-α-arabinopyranoside) (9)—were isolated from aerial parts of Scleranthus perennis L. (Caryophyllaceae). Their structures were determined through the use of comprehensive spectroscopic and spectrometric methods, and a method for the quantification of the major constituents of S. perennis and S. annuus L. was developed. Furthermore, the anti-collagenase and antioxidant activities of all isolated compounds obtained from extracts and fractions from both Scleranthus species were evaluated. The highest percentage of collagenase inhibition (at 400 µg/mL) was distinguished for methanolic extracts (22.06%, 32.04%) and ethyl acetate fractions (16.59%, 14.40%) from S. annuus and S. perennis. Compounds 6–9 displayed moderate inhibitory activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 39.59–73.86 µM.

Prediction of Permeate Flux in Ultrafiltration Processes: A Review of Modeling Approaches

In any membrane filtration, the prediction of permeate flux is critical to calculate the membrane surface required, which is an essential parameter for scaling-up, equipment sizing, and cost determination. For this reason, several models based on phenomenological or theoretical derivation (such as gel-polarization, osmotic pressure, resistance-in-series, and fouling models) and non-phenomenological models have been developed and widely used to describe the limiting phenomena as well as to predict the permeate flux. In general, the development of models or their modifications is done for a particular synthetic model solution and membrane system that shows a good capacity of prediction. However, in more complex matrices, such as fruit juices, those models might not have the same performance. In this context, the present work shows a review of different phenomenological and non-phenomenological models for permeate flux prediction in UF, and a comparison, between selected models, of the permeate flux predictive capacity. Selected models were tested with data from our previous work reported for three fruit juices (bergamot, kiwi, and pomegranate) processed in a cross-flow system for 10 h. The validation of each selected model's capacity of prediction was performed through a robust statistical examination, including a residual analysis. The results obtained, within the statistically validated models, showed that phenomenological models present a high variability of prediction (values of R-square in the range of 75.91-99.78%), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) in the range of 3.14-51.69, and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in the range of 0.22-2.01 among the investigated juices. The non-phenomenological models showed a great capacity to predict permeate flux with R-squares higher than 97% and lower MAPE (0.25-2.03) and RMSE (3.74-28.91). Even though the estimated parameters have no physical meaning and do not shed light into the fundamental mechanistic principles that govern these processes, these results suggest that non-phenomenological models are a useful tool from a practical point of view to predict the permeate flux, under defined operating conditions, in membrane separation processes. However, the phenomenological models are still a proper tool for scaling-up and for an understanding the UF process.

Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis Using FTIR and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS of Two Curculigo Species and Evaluation of their Antioxidant and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities

Curculigo orchioides and C. latifolia have been used as traditional medicines such as antidiabetic and anticancer. This study measured the total phenolics and flavonoid contents as well as analyzed the functional groups and chemical compounds using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS profiling for the discrimination of plant parts, geographical origin, and compounds that presumably have a significant contribution as antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitors on both plants. The total phenolics and flavonoids contents in Curculigo species varied from 142.09 to 452.47 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE/g) and from 0.82 to 5.44 mg quercetin equivalent (QE/g), respectively. The lowest IC₅₀ for antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities is presented by C. latifolia from a higher altitude region. Principal component analysis (PCA) from FTIR and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS data could discriminate the plant parts and geographical origin. Partial least squares (PLS) analysis has identified several functional groups, such as O–H, C–H, C=O, C–C, C–O, and chemical compounds, unknown-185 and unknown-85, that are most likely to contribute to the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.