Metabolomics Approach to Characterize Green Olive Leaf Extracts Classified Based on Variety and Season

The challenges faced by multifunctional ingredients: A critical review from sourcing to cosmetic applications

In response to the growing consumer demand for natural ingredients and simplified formulations, the cosmetic industry has seen a surge in the development and application of multifunctional ingredients. These versatile components, capable of serving multiple roles, effectively streamline the ingredient list of final cosmetic products, aligning with the current market trends. This review provides an overview of the advancements made and limits encountered in the field of multifunctional cosmetic ingredients over recent years (from 1998 to present time). The pursuit of sourcing these multipurpose ingredients has become a significant focus, with a clear shift towards natural and bio-based products, while answering the requests of consumers for eco-friendly options. By prioritizing sustainable and ethics, researchers not only adhere to regulatory standards but also pioneers innovations that set new benchmarks for quality and responsibility. The review also delves into formulation strategies for multifunctional ingredients, a critical aspect of their development process. It discusses the various approaches adopted by researchers to effectively incorporate these ingredients into cosmetic products, ensuring their safety and stability. Lastly, the review addresses the regulatory landscape surrounding cosmetic ingredients. It underscores the importance of adhering to the regulations set forth by governing bodies, ensuring the safety and efficacy, and highlights the lack of dispositions for these innovative multifunctional ingredients. In conclusion, this review offers a comprehensive insight into the multifunctional cosmetic ingredients, from their sourcing and formulation to their application and regulation, providing a valuable resource for researchers and industry professionals alike.

Recycling Agricultural Waste: Sustainable Solutions for Enhancing Livestock Nutrition

The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices prompts a reevaluation of feeding strategies in ruminant nutrition. Agricultural waste, often viewed as a by-product (BP), presents a promising opportunity to enhance the sustainability of livestock production systems. This review explores the potential of incorporating various agricultural BPs into ruminant diets. Utilizing these BPs reduces the environmental impact of livestock farming and contributes to the circular economy by recycling nutrients back into the food system. The nutritional composition of these wastes varies widely, and their inclusion in ruminant diets improves feed efficiency, animal performance and overall health. Research indicates that specific treatments, such as fermentation and ensiling, enhance the digestibility and nutrient availability of these materials. Moreover, incorporating agricultural waste into ruminant nutrition leads to financial benefits for farmers by reducing reliance on conventional feed sources. However, key challenges remain, particularly the need for further research to optimize inclusion rates and address potential anti-nutritional factors found in some agricultural wastes. Notably, adding these materials to ruminant diets results in 10%-30% reductions in feed costs and improvements of 5%-20% in key performance metrics, such as weight gain and milk production. These findings highlight the economic and sustainability benefits of utilizing agricultural BPs in livestock feeding practices. This review emphasizes the necessity of developing innovative and sustainable feeding strategies that leverage agricultural waste, calling for interdisciplinary approaches that combine animal nutrition, agronomy and environmental science. By adopting these practices, the livestock sector contributes to food security while minimizing its ecological footprint. Future research focuses on innovative processing techniques, effective management of anti-nutritional factors, and assessing long-term impacts on animal health and productivity. Additionally, examining the nutritional and health aspects of commonly used BPs, such as pomegranate, grape, pistachio, saffron, raisin, olive and tomato, is essential for fully understanding their potential in ruminant nutrition and guiding the development of targeted feeding strategies.

Combined modulatory effects of dietary arginine and olive leaf phenolic extract on growth performance and immune functions of broiler chickens, and meat antioxidant potential during frozen storage

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, broilers reared in intensive farming become more susceptible to oxidative stress, which impairs their performance and the quality of their products. Arginine (G) is a crucial amino acid for chickens and feeding on arginine beyond the recommended levels has been shown to positively impact the growth performance of broiler chickens and their immunity. Olive leaves phenolic extract (OLE) is a natural source of powerful antioxidants. The current study aimed to investigate the combined efficacy of these functional feed additives (G + OLE) in enhancing broilers' growth performance, immunity, and muscle development, as well as potentiating meat quality and antioxidant capacity during freezing.

METHODS

Broilers (n = 250) were randomly assigned into control (without supplementations) and four groups fed control diets plus 1.5 g/kg arginine alone (G) or with three different levels of OLE; 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% (G + OLEǀ, G + OLEǀǀǀ and G + OLEǀǀǀ, respectively).

RESULTS

During whole rearing periods, G + OLE inclusion boosted efficacy on body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio in a dose-dependent manner. The postmortem pH values at 0.5, and 24 h, drip loss, and cooking loss % of meat were considerably minimized in G + OLE-supplied groups, especially at high levels. Even after 4 weeks of frozen storage, G + OLEǀǀǀ, G + OLEǀǀ groups exhibited the most prominent increase in the breast meat scavenging ability for free radicals (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, and ferric reducing antioxidant power) with an inverse minimization in lipid peroxidation attributes (malondialdehyde). Total flavonoid, and phenolic contents, total antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant enzymes' activities in the breast meat were significantly improved by increasing the concentrations of dietary G + OLE. Concordantly, upregulation of genes encoding immunity (immunoglobulins A, G and M), antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, peroxiredoxin-1, heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1, xanthine oxidoreductase, and heme oxygenase 1), and muscle development (myogenic determination factor, myogenin and mammalian target of rapamycin), and downregulation of myostatin, were remarkably recognized in G + OLE-supplied groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of the current study supported the usage of dietary G + OLE as an innovative feed supplement in the broilers industry to improve broilers` production, and meat quality during frozen storage.

Olive Leaves as a Source of Anticancer Compounds: In Vitro Evidence and Mechanisms

Olive trees not only produce olives but also generate a substantial amount of waste and by-products, including leaves, pomace (the solid remains after pressing olives for oil), and wastewater from the olive oil-making process. The waste products, particularly the leaves, contain bioactive compounds, especially phenolic compounds, known for their health benefits, such as high antioxidant potential and the ability to reduce inflammation. These compounds have shown promise in preventing and treating cancer. This review, based on in vitro evidence, provides a detailed description and discussion of the mechanisms through which these compounds from olive leaves can prevent development, the ways they might act against cancer cells, and their potential to increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to conventional anticancer therapy. The possible synergistic effects of these compounds suggest that olive leaf extracts may offer a promising approach for cancer treatment, compared with isolated compounds, thus providing novel possibilities for cancer therapy.

Phenolic Extract from Olive Leaves as a Promising Endotherapeutic Treatment against Xylella fastidiosa in Naturally Infected Olea europaea (var. europaea) Trees

(1) Background: Since 2013, the pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa has been severely affecting olive production in Apulia, Italy, with consequences for the economy, local culture, landscape and biodiversity. The production of a phenolic extract from fresh olive leaves was employed for endotherapeutic injection into naturally infected olive trees by Xylella fastidiosa in Apulia region, Italy. (2) Methods: The effectiveness of the extract was tested in vitro and in planta in comparison with analogous treatments based on garlic powder and potassium phosphite. (3) Results: The uptake of phenolic compounds from olive leaves through a trunk injection system device resulted in a statistically significant increase in leaf area index and leaf area density, as well as in the growth of newly formed healthy shoots. Plant growth-promoting effects were also observed for potassium phosphite. Moreover, the bacteriostatic activities of the phenolic extract and of the garlic-powder-based solution have been demonstrated in in vitro tests. (4) Conclusions: The results obtained and the contained costs of extraction make the endotherapeutic treatment with phenolic compounds a promising strategy for controlling X fastidiosa to be tested on a larger scale, although the experiments conducted in this study proved not to be suitable for centenary trees.

Olive Leaf Extract (OLE) as a Novel Antioxidant That Ameliorates the Inflammatory Response in Cystic Fibrosis

The deletion of phenylalanine at position 508 (F508del) produces a misfolded CFTR protein that is retained in the ER and degraded. The lack of normal CFTR channel activity is associated with chronic infection and inflammation which are the primary causes of declining lung function in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients. Moreover, LPS-dependent oxidative stress downregulates CFTR function in airway epithelial cells. Olive leaf extract (OLE) is used in traditional medicine for its effects, including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory ones. We found that OLE decreased the intracellular ROS levels in a dose-response manner in CFBE cells. Moreover, OLE attenuates the inflammatory response to LPS or IL-1β/TNFα stimulation, mimicking the infection and inflammatory status of CF patients, in CFBE and primary nasal epithelial (HNE) cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that OLE restored the LPS-mediated decrease of TrikfaftaTM-dependent F508del-CFTR function in CFBE and HNE cultures. These findings provide strong evidence of OLE to prevent redox imbalance and inflammation that can cause chronic lung damage by enhancing the antioxidant activity and attenuating inflammation in CF airway epithelial cells. Additionally, OLE might be used in combination with CFTR modulators therapy to improve their efficacy in CF patients.

Intra- and Interspecies Differences of Two Cecropia Species from Tabasco, Mexico, Determined through the Metabolic Analysis and 1H-NMR-Based Fingerprinting of Hydroalcoholic Extracts

The genus Cecropia is used in the traditional medicine of Tabasco, Mexico, in diabetes and hypertension treatments, mainly without distinction of the species. This contribution aimed to carry out the metabolic analysis and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy-based fingerprinting of the hydroalcoholic leaf extracts of Cecropia peltata (Cp) and Cecropia obtusifolia (Co) collected in five sub-regions of the State of Tabasco (Cp1, "Centro"; Cp2, "Chontalpa"; Cp3, "Pantanos"; Cp4, "Ríos" and Co5, "Sierra"). Firstly, the extracts were evaluated for their Total Phenol Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) by spectrophotometric methods. In addition, metabolic analysis was performed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection HPLC-DAD, which allowed the quantification of the chemical markers: chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, and orientin, as well as a vitexin analog. Finally, metabolomic analysis was carried out based on the ¹H-NMR spectra. The Cp4 extract (C. peltata from the "Ríos" sub-region) presented the highest values of TPC (155 ± 9.1 mg GAE/g E) and TFC (724 ± 22.2 mg RE/g E). The metabolic analysis was similar among the five samples; the highest concentrations of the four chemical markers were found in Cp3 (C. peltata from the "Pantanos" sub-region) for chlorogenic acid (39.8 ± 2.3 mg/g) and isoorientin (51.5 ± 2.9 mg/g), in Cp4 for orientin (49.9 ± 0.6 mg/g), and in Cp2 (C. peltata from the "Chontalpa" sub-region) for the vitexin analog (6.2 ± 0.2 mg/g). The metabolic analysis and the ¹H-NMR fingerprint analysis showed intraspecies differences among the C. peltata samples and interspecies between C. peltata and C. obtusifolia, which were attributed to variations in the metabolite groups as well as in the proportion of sugars such as glucose and xylose.

Innovations towards sustainable olive crop management: a new dawn by precision agriculture including endo-therapy

Olive trees (Olea europaea L.) are deeply interwoven with the past, present and future of Mediterranean civilizations, both as essential economical as well as cultural valuables. Olive horticulture constitutes one of the primary agroecosystems in the Mediterranean regions of today. Being inhabitant of ecological niches, Olea europaea is prone to a peculiar vulnerability towards climatic and socioeconomical transformations that are briskly reshaping regional and global agroecosystems. Because of climatic changes and the biosafety risks of global agricultural trades, olive plants are highly susceptible to newly emerging diseases and pests, and the traditional olive horticultural crop protection practices are under scrutiny towards reducing their ecological impact. Hence there is an eminent demand for a more nature-positive olive tree crop management. Recent innovations in precision agriculture are raising the prospect for innovative crop protection methods that may provide olive farmers the required agility to respond to present and future agricultural challenges. For instance, endo-therapy, which is the systemic delivery of active ingredients via trunk injection, is a technology that holds promise of a true step-change in sustainable olive crop management. Endo-therapy allows reaching vascular diseases inaccessible to foliar treatments and delivers active ingredients in a precise manner with no risks of off-target drifts. Similarly, progresses in biological precision delivery using controlled release of active ingredients based on innovative formulation technologies are showing an exciting potential for more targeted and sustainable crop protection solutions. This review summarizes the latest innovations on both physical and biological precision deliveries in the realm of olive arboriculture in the Mediterranean regions and gives an outlook how these technologies may help orchestrating innovative olive culture practices soon.

Application of Agri-Food By-Products in Cheesemaking

Agri-food companies produce large quantities of plant by-products that in many instances contain functional bioactive compounds. This review summarizes the main applications of agro-industrial by-products in cheesemaking, considering their bioactivities and functional properties. Polyphenol-rich by-products increase antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in cheeses, positively impacting their shelf life. Contrasting results have been obtained regarding the color and sensory properties of enriched cheeses depending on the selected by-products and on the technology adopted for the extract preparation. Furthermore, functional compounds in cheeses perform a prebiotic function and their bioavailability improves human health. Overall, the use of agri-food by-products in cheese formulation can offer benefits for agri-food chain sustainability and consumer health.