Development of a Cranberry Standard for Quantification of Insoluble Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) Proanthocyanidins

Pacran®, a powder obtained from cranberries, and defence against bacterial pathogens in the lower urinary tract: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following an application from Givaudan, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Italy, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Pacran® and defence against bacterial pathogens in the lower urinary tract. The Panel considers that the food Pacran®, a powder obtained from cranberries, is sufficiently characterised. Defence against bacterial pathogens in the lower urinary tract is a beneficial physiological effect. The applicant identified two human intervention studies which investigated the effect of Pacran® on the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) as being pertinent to the claim. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that one human intervention study showed a beneficial effect of Pacran® consumed daily at doses of 500 mg for 6 months on the incidence of symptomatic, culture-confirmed UTI in women with a history of recurrent UTI, whereas such an effect was not consistently observed in another study under similar conditions. The Panel also took into account that limited evidence has been provided for a mechanism by which Pacran® could exert the claimed effect. The Panel concludes that the evidence provided is insufficient to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of Pacran® and the defence against bacterial pathogens in the lower urinary tract.

Differences in P-Type and Type 1 Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Urinary Anti-Adhesion Activity of Cranberry Fruit Juice Dry Extract Product and D-Mannose Dietary Supplement

BACKGROUND

Urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention benefits of cranberry intake are clinically validated, especially for women and children. To ensure the benefits of cranberry dietary supplement products, the anti-adhesion activity (AAA) against uropathogenic bacteria is routinely used in in vitro bioassays to determine the activity in whole product formulations, isolated compounds, and ex vivo bioassays to assess urinary activity following intake. D-mannose is another dietary supplement taken for UTI prevention, based on the anti-adhesion mechanism.

OBJECTIVE

Compare the relative AAA of cranberry and D-mannose dietary supplements against the most important bacterial types contributing to the pathogenesis of UTI, and consider how certain components potentially induce in vivo activity.

METHODS

The current study used a crossover design to determine ex vivo AAA against both P- and Type 1-fimbriated uropathogenic Escherichia coli of either D-mannose or a cranberry fruit juice dry extract product containing 36 mg of soluble proanthocyanidins (PACs), using bioassays that measure urinary activity following consumption. AAA of extracted cranberry compound fractions and D-mannose were compared in vitro and potential induction mechanisms of urinary AAA explored.

RESULTS

The cranberry dietary supplement exhibited both P-type and Type 1 in vitro and ex vivo AAA, while D-mannose only prevented Type 1 adhesion. Cranberry also demonstrated more robust and consistent ex vivo urinary AAA than D-mannose over each 1-week study period at different urine collection time points. The means by which the compounds with in vitro activity in each supplement product could potentially induce the AAA in urines was discussed relative to the data.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of the current study provide consumers and healthcare professionals with additional details on the compounds and mechanisms involved in the positive, broad-spectrum AAA of cranberry against both E. coli bacterial types most important in UTIs and uncovers limitations on AAA and effectiveness of D-mannose compared to cranberry.

Procyanidins from Cranberry Press Residues-Extraction Optimization, Purification and Characterization

Procyanidins are a polyphenolic group that can be found in a variety of foods such as chocolate, tea, cranberries and others. Type A procyanidins can be found in a handful of sources and one of the richest sources are American cranberries. These compounds possess antioxidative, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities and are most widely used as prevention for urinary tract infections. Cranberries are utilized for jam and juice production, and the latter produces industrial food waste press residues. Press residues contain free and bound procyanidins which can be extracted for use as nutraceuticals. In this study, the extraction of cranberry press residues has been optimized using RSM and the resulting extracts have been purified and fractionated. The obtained procyanidin fractions have been investigated for their antioxidative potential and analyzed using LC-ESI-FTICR-HRMS to determine individual procyanidins. The optimization showed that the optimal extraction can be conducted using acetone in a concentration of 53% without the addition of an acidifying agent. Strong correlation was observed for procyanidin contents and their antioxidative activity using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. The purified fractions contained 78 individual (65 Type A) procyanidins with the degree of polymerization of up to 9.

Daily consumption of cranberry improves endothelial function in healthy adults: a double blind randomized controlled trial

Background: Previous studies indicate cardiovascular health benefits of cranberry juice consumption. However, whether daily consumption of whole cranberries will have sustained vascular benefits in healthy individuals is currently unknown. Objective: To investigate the vascular effects of acute and daily consumption of freeze dried whole cranberry in healthy men and how effects relate to circulating cranberry (poly)phenol metabolites. Methods: A double-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 45 healthy male adults randomly allocated to 1 month daily consumption of either cranberry (9 g powder solubilized in water equivalent to 100 g of fresh cranberries, 525 mg total (poly)phenols) or control (9 g powder, no (poly)phenols). Flow-mediated dilation (FMD, primary outcome), pulse wave velocity (PWV), aortic augmentation index (AIx), blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipids, and blood glucose were assessed at baseline and at 2 h on day 1 and after 1 month. Plasma and 24 h-urine were analyzed before and after treatment using targeted quantitative LC-MS methods including 137 (poly)phenol metabolites. Results: Cranberry consumption significantly increased FMD at 2 h and 1-month (1.1% (95% CI: 1.1%, 1.8%); p_treatment ≤ 0.001; p_{treatment × time} = 0.606) but not PWV, AIx, blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipids, and glucose. Of the 56 and 74 (poly)phenol metabolites quantified in plasma and urine, 13 plasma and 13 urinary metabolites significantly increased 2 h post-consumption and on day 1, respectively, while 4 plasma and 13 urinary metabolites were significantly higher after 1-month of cranberry consumption, in comparison with control. A multi-variable stepwise linear regression analysis showed that plasma cinnamic acid-4'-glucuronide, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid-3-sulfate, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3'-hydroxycinnamic acid, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid were significant independent predictors of 2 h FMD effects (R² = 0.71), while 3'-hydroxycinnamic acid, 4-methoxycinnamic acid-3'-glucuronide, 3-(4'-methoxyphenyl)propanoic acid 3'-sulfate, and 3-(4'-methoxyphenyl)propanoic acid 3'-glucuronide predicted the 1-month FMD effects (R² = 0.52). Conclusions: Acute and daily consumption of whole cranberry powder for 1 month improves vascular function in healthy men and this is linked with specific metabolite profiles in plasma. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-randomized trial records held on the NIH ClinicalTrials.gov website (NCT02764749). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02764749.

Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Proanthocyanidins from Fagopyrum dibotrys

Proanthocyanidins are natural glycosidase inhibitors with excellent antioxidant activity. This study aims to search for a new source of proanthocyanidins for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes with higher content and better activity and get their structure elucidated. First, the total proanthocyanidins contents (TOPCs), antioxidant activity, antidiabetic activity of seven common Polygonaceae plants were analyzed and compared. Then proanthocyanidins from the rhizome of Fagopyrum dibotrys were purified, and the detailed structure was comprehensively analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C NMR), reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC-ESI-MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The rhizome of F. dibotrys showed the highest TOPCs, the strongest antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities; the TOPCs, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities were all very significantly positively correlated. Proanthocyanidins purified from the rhizome of F. dibotrys showed better antidiabetic activity than grape seed proanthocyanidins (GsPs). Seventy-two proanthocyanidins from trimer to undecamer with a mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of about 5.02 ± 0.21 were identified with catechin and epicatechin as the dominant monomers. Conclusion: Proanthocyanidins are the main antioxidant and antidiabetic active substances of F. dibotrys and are expected to be developed into potential antioxidant and hypoglycemic products.

Differences in Urinary Bacterial Anti-Adhesion Activity after Intake of Cranberry Dietary Supplements with Soluble versus Insoluble Proanthocyanidins

A number of clinical trials support the use of standardized cranberry supplement products for prevention of urinary tract infections; however, products that are not well-characterized for sufficient levels of bioactive components may contribute to negative clinical outcomes. Cranberry supplements for consumer use are not regulated and can be formulated different ways using cranberry juice, pomace or various combinations. This can lead to consumer confusion regarding effectiveness of individual products. The current study compared two commercial supplement products, one made from cranberry juice extract and the other from a blend of whole cranberry. The influence of formulation and proanthocyanidin (PAC) solubility on in vitro and ex vivo P-fimbriated Escherichia coli bacterial anti-adhesion activity (AAA) was determined. Both supplement products as well as whole, frozen cranberries were chromatographically separated into crude polyphenolic, sugar and acid fractions. In vitro AAA testing of all fractions confirmed that only those containing soluble PACs elicited activity. The cranberry juice extract product had higher soluble PAC content than the whole cranberry blended product, which contained mainly insoluble PACs. The influence of soluble and insoluble PAC levels in each product on the urinary (ex vivo) AAA was determined following ingestion. The juice extract product was associated with significantly higher urinary AAA than that of the whole berry blended product when consumed once daily over the 1-week intervention period.