Carotenoids and xanthophyll esters of yellow and red nance fruits (Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) Kunth) from Costa Rica

Byrsonima crassifolia L. Kunth a bio-resource with potential: Overview and opportunities

Byrsonima crassifolia L. Kunth is a plant native to the Americas that grows in tropical and subtropical areas. Fresh B. crassifolia fruits are a good source of ascorbic acid and carotenoids and contain volatile compounds such as butyric and caproic acids. Although B. crassifolia is commonly exploited from wild natural ecosystems, it exhibits the potential to become a crop plant. When optimal agronomic management systems support propagation by seed, fruits with more homogeneous characteristics can be produced compared to those obtained from wild or backyard plants. B. crassifolia fruits can be found in local markets in Central and South America. The pulp, peel, and other B. crassifolia fruit components can be processed to make traditional and innovative food products, namely candies, cookies, cakes, candied fruits, ice creams, sorbets, jellies, juices, liqueurs, jams, nectars, pickles, and fruit drinks as an alternative to avoid the waste of overripe fruits. Additionally, the woody fraction of the B. crassifolia tree is used as a source of firewood, as shade, and for constructing living fences. These uses also allow the maximum use of biomass by establishing support for cultivation with the circular economy and strengthening food security. Therefore, this review aims to provide insights into the generation and dissemination of knowledge supporting the development of strategies in the areas of agronomy, postharvest management, and technological processing of B. crassifolia to promote its sustainable use and exploitation.

Recent advances in respiratory diseases: Dietary carotenoids as choice of therapeutics

A group of bioactive, isoprenoid pigments known as carotenoids is mostly present in fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids are essential for the prevention of physiological issues, which makes maintaining excellent health easier. They are effective functional ingredients with potent health-promoting properties that are widely present in our food and linked to a decrease in the prevalence of chronic diseases, including respiratory diseases. Respiratory infections are the primary cause of death and life-threatening conditions globally, wreaking havoc on the global health system. People rely on dietary sources of carotenoids to reduce a plethora of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, asthma, and so on. Carotenoids have received a lot of interest recently in several parts of the world due to their therapeutic potential in altering the pathogenic pathways underlying inflammatory respiratory diseases, which may improve disease control and have beneficial health benefits. This review aimed to provide a thorough understanding of the therapeutic potential of dietary carotenoids in the treatment of respiratory diseases and to identify possible candidates for novel therapeutic development.

Bioactive Compounds and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Cytoprotective Effects of Murici Pulp Extracts (Byrsonima crassifolia) Obtained by Supercritical Extraction in HepG2 Cells Treated with H2O2

The use of clean technologies in the development of bioactive plant extracts has been encouraged, but it is necessary to verify the cytotoxicity and cytoprotection for food and pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the objective of this work was to obtain the experimental data of the supercritical sequential extraction of murici pulp, to determine the main bioactive compounds obtained and to evaluate the possible cytotoxicity and cytoprotection of the extracts in models of HepG2 cells treated with H2O2. The murici pulp was subjected to sequential extraction with supercritical CO2 and CO2+ethanol, at 343.15 K, and 22, 32, and 49 MPa. Higher extraction yields were obtained at 49 MPa. The oil presented lutein (224.77 µg/g), oleic, palmitic, and linoleic, as the main fatty acids, and POLi (17.63%), POO (15.84%), PPO (13.63%), and LiOO (10.26%), as the main triglycerides. The ethanolic extract presented lutein (242.16 µg/g), phenolic compounds (20.63 mg GAE/g), and flavonoids (0.65 mg QE/g). The ethanolic extract showed greater antioxidant activity (122.61 and 17.14 µmol TE/g) than oil (43.48 and 6.04 µmol TE/g). Both extracts did not show cytotoxicity and only murici oil showed a cytoprotective effect. Despite this, the results qualify both extracts for food/pharmaceutical applications.

Antimicrobial activity of plant extracts against carbapenem-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and in vivo toxicological assessment

The global spread of multidrug-resistant strains has prompted the scientific community to explore novel sources of chemicals with antimicrobial activity. The aim of the study was to examine the antimicrobial activity in vitro of 28 extracts against carbapenem-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, individually and in combination with antibiotics and in vivo toxicological assessment of the most active product. The multi-resistant K. pneumoniae strain was submitted for phenotypic and molecular characterization. The antibacterial activity of 28 plant extracts was evaluated alone and in combination with antibiotics against this strain through the agar disk diffusion. Of these, 16 extracts showed synergism against carbapenem-producing K. pneumoniae, being that B. crassifolia extract exhibited synergism with three antibiotics. Based on this assessment, B. crassifolia-extract-induced toxicity on Swiss male mice was evaluated by administering this extract and subsequently determining apoptosis and splenic phagocytosis using the comet and micronucleus assays. The results of this study showed that B. crassifolia extract had synergistic activity promising and groups treated with B. crassifolia exhibited no genotoxic or mutagenic activity, indicating that B. crassifolia extract exerted beneficial effects and appeared safe to use at the studied concentrations.

Physicochemical composition, phytochemical analysis and biological activity of ciricote (Cordia dodecandra A. D.C.) fruit from Yucatán

The physicochemical properties, proximate composition, minerals, total polyphenols, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of ciricote (Cordia dodecandra A. DC.) tropical fruit were investigated. Minerals were quantified by using micro-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence. Lutein and β-carotene were identified in ciricote fruit by using UPLC-PDA analysis. The highest values of the total polyphenols content and antioxidant activity were presented in ethanolic crude extracts obtaining by the ultrasonic-assisted method with freeze-dried fruit. The phenolic acids profile was identified and quantified by UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS. The main phenolic acids were caffeoyl hexoside, rufescenolide, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, and rosmarinic acid. The ciricote extracts presented antibacterial activity against Staphylococus aureus (Gram+) and Salmonella typhymurium (Gram-). In conclusion, the ciricote (Cordia dodecandra A. DC.) tropical fruits could be very useful source of biological macromolecules, micro-elements, and phytochemical compounds for the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Common Nutritional Components, in Feed and Food

Food and feed laboratories share several similarities when facing the implementation of liquid-chromatographic analysis. Using the experience acquired over the years, through application chemistry in food and feed research, selected analytes of relevance for both areas were discussed. This review focused on the common obstacles and peculiarities that each analyte offers (during the sample treatment or the chromatographic separation) throughout the implementation of said methods. A brief description of the techniques which we considered to be more pertinent, commonly used to assay such analytes is provided, including approaches using commonly available detectors (especially in starter labs) as well as mass detection. This manuscript consists of three sections: feed analysis (as the start of the food chain); food destined for human consumption determinations (the end of the food chain); and finally, assays shared by either matrices or laboratories. Analytes discussed consist of both those considered undesirable substances, contaminants, additives, and those related to nutritional quality. Our review is comprised of the examination of polyphenols, capsaicinoids, theobromine and caffeine, cholesterol, mycotoxins, antibiotics, amino acids, triphenylmethane dyes, nitrates/nitrites, ethanol soluble carbohydrates/sugars, organic acids, carotenoids, hydro and liposoluble vitamins. All analytes are currently assayed in our laboratories.