Antiproliferative effect of beer and hop compounds against human colorectal adenocarcinome Caco-2 cells

Preparation and characterization of a solid dispersion of Hexahydrocolupulone and its application in the preservation of fresh apple juice

Hops extracts and their derivatives have many important biological activities, among them, excellent antibacterial and antioxidant properties make them a promising food preservative. However, poor water solubility limits their application in the food industry. This work aimed to improve the solubility of Hexahydrocolupulone (HHCL) by preparing solid dispersion (SD) and investigating the application of the obtained products (HHCL-SD) in actual food systems. HHCL-SD was prepared by solvent evaporation with PVPK30 as a carrier. The solubility of HHCL was dramatically increased to 24.72 mg/mL（25 ℃)by preparing HHCL-SD, much higher than that of raw HHCL (0.002 mg/mL). The structure of HHCL-SD and the interaction between HHCL and PVPK30 were analyzed. HHCL-SD was confirmed to have excellent antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Furthermore, the addition of HHCL-SD proved to be beneficial for the sensory, nutritional quality, and microbiological safety of fresh apple juice, hence prolonging its shelf-life.

Bioactive Properties and Phenolic Composition of Wood-Aged Beers: Influence of Oak Origin and the Use of Pale and Dark Malts

Ageing beer in contact with wood is a common technological procedure that has been used for centuries to improve colour, structure, and certain flavours. Herein, the impact of the addition of French and American oak wood to two beer styles, pale and dark, on beer phenolic composition (total phenolics, total flavonoids, and HPLC-DAD) and bioactivity (FRAP, DPPH, anti-inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7, and antiproliferative in Caco-2 cells) was assessed. Thirteen phenolics were quantified with values according to previous reports. Dark malt resulted in higher values of total phenolics, to which m-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, p-coumaric acids, and xanthohumol contributed considerably; the exception was (+)-catechin and salicylic acid, which were found to be higher in pale beers. American oak significantly increased 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic, vanillic, and syringic acids up to roughly 3, 2, and 10 times, respectively, when compared with French wood. FRAP and DPPH values varied between pale and dark beers, with a less pronounced effect after wood addition. All samples presented considerable cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well as antiproliferative activity, but differences were found only for the antiproliferative activity, which was higher for the dark beers, which reached about 70% inhibition. Overall, the influence of malts was more pronounced than that of wood, in the studied conditions, highlighting the overwhelming impact of malts on the bioactivity of beer.

Metabolomic and Proteomic Profile of Dried Hop Inflorescences (Humulus lupulus L. cv. Chinook and cv. Cascade) by SPME-GC-MS and UPLC-MS-MS

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is grown mainly for the production of beer. The flowers of the female plant give it the bitter taste and pungent aroma. There are a large number of hop varieties differing in their α-acid content, essential oil levels and odor profiles. Aside from their use in brewing, more recently, hops have been used for the pharmacological properties of its derivatives that are of great importance to the pharmaceutical industry. Hop is known to have a fairly complex chemistry characterized by the presence of a variety of sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids and triterpenoids, phytoestrogens and flavonoids. Additionally, considering the countless applications in the pharmacological sector in recent years, a chemical characterization of the different cultivars is essential to better identify the source of specific secondary metabolites. For this purpose, the dried inflorescences of two hop cultivars, Chinook and Cascade, were investigated using Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS and LC-MS-MS) to describe their metabolomic and proteomic profile. Furthermore, thanks to an in-depth statistical survey, it was possible to carry out a comparative study highlighting interesting implications deriving from this investigative study.

Xanthohumol reduces inflammation and cell metabolism in HT29 primary colon cancer cells

Xanthohumol (XN) is a prenylated flavonoid known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and has been studied as an anti-cancer agent. In this study, we aimed at analysing the effect of XN on a primary colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, HT29, on cell viability, inflammatory and antioxidant gene expression, and metabolism. For this purpose, cells were treated with 10 nM and 10 µM XN, and cell viability, H₂O₂ production, lipid peroxidation and gene expression of inflammatory, antioxidant, and mitochondrial-related genes, as well as protein levels of metabolic enzymes, were determined. Results showed no significant effects on cell viability and a general decrease in pro-inflammatory, antioxidant and mitochondrial biogenesis gene expression with the lower concentration of XN. Furthermore, glucose and oxidative metabolism enzymes were also reduced. These results suggest that XN treatment, at low doses, could stop the proliferation and progression of HT29 cells by downregulating inflammatory signals and cell metabolism.

Hop bitter acids: resources, biosynthesis, and applications

Diversified members of hop bitter acids (α- and β-acids) have been found in hop (Humulus lupulus). Mixtures of hop bitter acids have been traditionally applied in brewing and food industries as bitterness flavors or food additives. Recent studies have discovered novel applications of hop bitter acids and their derivatives in medicinal and pharmaceutical fields. The increasing demands of purified hop bitter acid promoted biosynthesis efforts for the heterologous biosynthesis of objective hop bitter acids by engineered microbial factories. In this study, the updated information of hop bitter acids and their representative application in brewing, food, and medicine fields are reviewed. We also speculate future trends on the development of robust microbial cell factories and biotechnologies for the biosynthesis of hop bitter acids. KEY POINTS: • Structures and applications of hop bitter acids are summarized in this study. • Biosynthesis of hop bitter acids remains challenging. • We discuss potential strategies in the microbial production of hop bitter acids.

The Role of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds on the Impact of Beer on Health

This review reports recent knowledge on the role of ingredients (barley, hop and yeasts), including genetic factors, on the final yield of phenolic compounds in beer, and how these molecules generally affect resulting beer attributes, focusing mainly on new attempts at the enrichment of beer phenols, with fruits or cereals other than barley. An entire section is dedicated to health-related effects, analyzing the degree up to which studies, investigating phenols-related health effects of beer, have appropriately considered the contribution of alcohol (pure or spirits) intake. For such purpose, we searched Scopus.com for any kind of experimental model (in vitro, animal, human observational or intervention) using beer and considering phenols. Overall, data reported so far support the existence of the somehow additive or synergistic effects of phenols and ethanol present in beer. However, findings are inconclusive and thus deserve further animal and human studies.

Beer and its non-alcoholic compounds in health and disease

Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with beneficial effects on human health. Specifically, consumption of red wine and beer has shown a J-shape relation with many important diseases. While a role of ethanol cannot be excluded, the high content of polyphenols in both beverages has been proposed to contribute to these effects, with beer having the advantage over wine that it is lower in alcohol. In addition to ethanol, beer contains a wide variety of compounds with known medicinal potential such as kaempferol, quercetin, tyrosol and phenolic acids, and it is the main dietary source for the flavones xanthohumol and 8-prenylnaringenin, and bitter acids such as humulones and lupulones. Clinical and pre-clinical evidence for the protective effects of moderate beer consumption against cardiovascular disease and other diseases has been accumulating since the 1990s, and the non-alcoholic compounds of beer likely exert most of the observed beneficial effects. In this review, we summarize and discuss the effects of beer consumption in health and disease as well as the clinical potential of its non-alcoholic compounds which may be promising candidates for new therapies against common chronic diseases.

Modeling of α-acids and xanthohumol extraction in dry-hopped beers

The practice of dry-hopping has been used by the brewing industry to obtain beers with increased contents of flavor and bitterness compounds. Notwithstanding this, other compounds such as α-acids (AA) and xhanthohumol (XN) are co-extracted influencing the final characteristics of the beer, particularly its beneficial bioactivity. In this context a model for the understanding of AA and XN extraction by dry-hopping is proposed. The varieties Chinook (CHI), East Kent Goldings (EKG) and Tettnanger (TET) were assayed and robust statistical approaches were applied for data interpretation. Concentration of AA in beers post-maturation reached values higher than 20 mg/L using 2.8 g/L of CHI hops and 10 days of maturation. For XN, a similar behavior was verified. The maximum efficiency of AA and XN extraction (transfer rate) were reached at 13.5 days with dose rates of 147 and 13.9 mg/L, respectively.