Triacylglycerol and Fatty Acid Compositions of Blackberry, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry and Cranberry Seed Oils by Ultra-Performance Convergence Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Cranberry Oil: A Potent Natural Intimate Care Ingredient Displaying Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects and Promoting Beneficial Vaginal Lactobacillus

Cranberry oil is known for nutritional benefits, and this work is aimed at studying its soothing properties and potential as an intimate care ingredient. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-irritation properties of cranberry oil were evaluated on epithelial cells and tissues, including the vaginal epithelium. The impact of the oil on vaginal microbiota was assessed in vitro. Cranberry oil reduced oxidative stress in keratinocytes (ROS -43%) and lowered inflammation by lessening the release of cytokines IL-8 (-33%) and TNF-α (-32%). Irritation induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in skin explants was lowered by 24%. Cranberry oil and fruit extract acted synergistically on inflammation, decreasing TNF-α release by 75% (vs. -34% and -16%, respectively). Cranberry oil reduced inflammation on EpiVaginal™ tissue, decreasing IL-6 by 36%. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cranberry oil on the pathogenic vaginal microorganisms C. albicans and G. vaginalis was 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively. The oil promoted the growth of commensal L. jensenii (×79 at 0.1%) and favored a high proportion of lactic acid bacteria when co-cultured with C. albicans. Cranberry oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties on skin. Anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed on vaginal epithelium, and initial in vitro evidence indicates that the oil can balance vaginal flora to prevent dysbiosis.

Process Modeling and Convective Drying Optimization of Raspberry Pomace as a Fiber-Rich Functional Ingredient: Effect on Techno-Functional and Bioactive Properties

This study aimed to transform raspberry pomace, a by-product of the berry industry, into a sustainable, fiber-rich functional ingredient using convective drying. Drying experiments were conducted at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 °C to identify the optimal conditions that balance process efficiency and preservation of functional and bioactive properties. The best results were achieved at 70 °C, where a high drying rate (DR) of 0.46 kg H2O·kg-1 db·min-1, effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) of 1.53 × 10-10 m2·s-1, and activation energy (Ea) of 34.90 kJ·mol-1 were observed. The Page model accurately represented the drying behavior (R2 = 0.9965-0.9997). Total dietary fiber (TDF) content remained stable across temperatures (52.52-64.76 g·100 g-1 db), while soluble dietary fiber (SDF) increased by 43.40%, resulting in a solubility (SOL) of 71.8%, water-holding capacity (WHC) of 8.2 mL·g-1 db, and oil-holding capacity (OHC) of 3.0 mL·g-1 db. High retention of bioactive compounds was achieved at 70 °C, including phenolics (32.10 mg GAE·g-1 db) and anthocyanins (25.84 mg C3G·g-1 db), resulting in significant antioxidant activities (DPPH: 33.29 mg AAE·g-1 db, IC50 0.016 mg·mL-1; ABTS: 35.85 mg AAE·g-1 db, IC50 0.029 mg·mL-1). These findings demonstrated the potential of convective drying at 70 °C to efficiently transform raspberry pomace into a high-quality functional ingredient. This process promotes sustainable production and waste reduction in the berry industry.

Exploring the Antioxidant Potential of Blackberry and Raspberry Leaves: Phytochemical Analysis, Scavenging Activity, and In Vitro Polyphenol Bioaccessibility

The goal of this research was nutritional evaluation through the phytochemical analysis of blackberry and raspberry leaves, the screening of their biological activity (antioxidant capacity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation), and the investigation of the effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID) of blackberry and raspberry leaves on the bioaccessibility of polyphenol subclasses. The concentrations of the analyzed liposoluble antioxidants were higher (p < 0.05) in blackberry leaves compared to raspberry leaves, while a significant (p < 0.05) higher content of water-soluble antioxidants was registered in raspberry leaves (with a total polyphenol content of 26.2 mg GAE/g DW of which flavonoids accounted for 10.6 mg/g DW). Blackberry leaves had the highest antioxidant capacity inhibition of the superoxide radicals (O2•-), while raspberry leaves registered the highest inhibition of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), suggesting a high biological potency in scavenging-free radicals under in vitro systems. The maximum inhibition percentage of lipid peroxidation was obtained for blackberry leaves (24.86% compared to 4.37% in raspberry leaves), suggesting its potential to limit oxidative reactions. Simulated in vitro digestion showed that hydroxybenzoic acids registered the highest bioaccessibility index in the intestinal phase of both types of leaves, with gallic acid being one of the most bioaccessible phenolics. The outcomes of this investigation reveal that the most significant release of phenolic compounds from blackberry and raspberry leaves occurs either during or after the gastric phase. Knowledge about the bioaccessibility and stability of polyphenol compounds during digestion can provide significant insights into the bioavailability of these molecules and the possible effectiveness of plant metabolites for human health.

Characteristics of Unripened Cow Milk Curd Cheese Enriched with Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Industry By-Products

The aim of this study was to apply raspberry (Ras), blueberry (Blu) and elderberry (Eld) industry by-products (BIB) for unripened cow milk curd cheese (U-CC) enrichment. Firstly, antimicrobial properties of the BIBs were tested, and the effects of the immobilization in agar technology on BIB properties were evaluated. Further, non-immobilized (NI) and agar-immobilized (AI) BIBs were applied for U-CC enrichment, and their influence on U-CC parameters were analyzed. It was established that the tested BIBs possess desirable antimicrobial (raspberry BIB inhibited 7 out of 10 tested pathogens) and antioxidant activities (the highest total phenolic compounds (TPC) content was displayed by NI elderberry BIB 143.6 mg GAE/100 g). The addition of BIBs to U-CC increased TPC content and DPPH- (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl)-radical scavenging activity of the U-CC (the highest TPC content was found in C-RaNI 184.5 mg/100 g, and strong positive correlation between TPC and DPPH- of the U-CC was found, r = 0.658). The predominant fatty acid group in U-CC was saturated fatty acids (SFA); however, the lowest content of SFA was unfolded in C-EldAI samples (in comparison with C, on average, by 1.6 times lower). The highest biogenic amine content was attained in C-EldAI (104.1 mg/kg). In total, 43 volatile compounds (VC) were identified in U-CC, and, in all cases, a broader spectrum of VCs was observed in U-CC enriched with BIBs. After 10 days of storage, the highest enterobacteria number was in C-BluNI (1.88 log10 CFU/g). All U-CC showed similar overall acceptability (on average, 8.34 points); however, the highest intensity of the emotion "happy" was expressed by testing C-EldNI. Finally, the BIBs are prospective ingredients for U-CC enrichment in a sustainable manner and improved nutritional traits.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Blackberry Seed Oil: Optimization and Oil Characterization

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was applied to extract oil from blackberry (BB) seeds. The effect of UAE conditions on oil recovery and quality was investigated. Favorable experimental conditions (ultrasound intensity (UI), extraction temperature, and time) were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). A Box–Behnken design was used to predict optimized conditions for BB seed oil extraction. These conditions were as follows: 13.77 W/cm2 UI, 45 °C extraction temperature, and 15 min extraction time. The experimental value obtained for extraction efficiency under optimal conditions was 87 ± 0.34%, in good agreement with the optimized predicted value. UAE does not affect the oil composition and confers higher antioxidant values in BB seed oil in comparison with Soxhlet extraction.