Coffea arabica: A wonder gift to medical science

Ginsentide-like Coffeetides Isolated from Coffee Waste Are Cell-Penetrating and Metal-Binding Microproteins

Coffee processing generates a huge amount of waste that contains many natural products. Here, we report the discovery of a panel of novel cell-penetrating and metal ion-binding microproteins designated coffeetide cC1a-c and cL1-6 from the husk of two popular coffee plants, Coffea canephora and Coffea liberica, respectively. Combining sequence determination and a database search, we show that the prototypic coffeetide cC1a is a 37-residue, eight-cysteine microprotein with a hevein-like cysteine motif, but without a chitin-binding domain. NMR determination of cC1a reveals a compact structure that confers its resistance to heat and proteolytic degradation. Disulfide mapping together with chemical synthesis reveals that cC1a has a ginsentide-like, and not a hevein-like, disulfide connectivity. In addition, transcriptomic analysis showed that the 98-residue micrcoproten-like coffeetide precursor contains a three-domain arrangement, like ginsentide precursors. Molecular modeling, together with experimental validation, revealed a Mg2+ and Fe3+ binding pocket at the N-terminus formed by three glutamic acids. Importantly, cC1a is amphipathic with a continuous stretch of 19 apolar amino acids, which enables its cell penetration to target intracellular proteins, despite being highly negatively charged. Our findings suggest that coffee by-products could provide a source of ginsentide-like bioactive peptides that have the potential to target intracellular proteins.

Fruits as nutraceuticals: A review of the main fruits included in nutraceutical patents

Fruits have relevant usefulness in the elaboration of nutraceutical compositions and, as it is considered a "natural medicine", its market has been growing exponentially each year. Fruits, in general, contain a large source of phytochemicals, carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids, peptides and antioxidants that are of interest to be prepared as nutraceuticals. The biological properties of its nutraceuticals can range from antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-Alzheimer, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, among others. Furthermore, the need for innovative extraction methods and products reveals the importance of developing new nutraceutical compositions. This review was developed by searching patents of nutraceuticals from January 2015 until January 2022 in Espacenet, the search database of the European Patent Office (EPO). Of 215 patents related to nutraceuticals, 43% (92 patents) were including fruits, mainly berries. A great number of patents were focused on the treatment of metabolic diseases, representing 45% of the total patents. The principal patent applicant was the United States of America (US), with 52%. The patents were applied by researchers, industries, research centers and institutes. It is important to highlight that from 92 fruit nutraceutical patent applications reviewed, 13 already have their products available on the market.

Coffee pulp supplement affects antioxidant status and favors anti-aging of skin in healthy subjects

BACKGROUND

Coffee and coffee products are known potentially to reduce levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in humans.

OBJECTIVE

This investigation evaluates the effects of coffee pulp extract as a functional supplement (in coffee pulp drink, CPD) and a cosmetic ingredient (coffee pulp serum, CPS).

PATIENTS/METHODS

The effects of CPD and CPS for anti-oxidation and anti-aging were investigated. Forty subjects were randomly allocated to CPD or placebo drink groups (50 ml of a CPD/placebo drink daily for 8 weeks for each subject), and another 40 subjects were recruited to CPS or placebo serum groups (about 3 ml of a CPS/placebo serum day and night/daily for 4 weeks for each subject) in a double-blind study.

RESULTS

The CPD and CPS (20%) can increase free radical scavenging activities by 93.3% and 85% (p < 0.001) for DPPH, 94.5% and 61.3% (p < 0.01) for ABTS·⁺ , 43.8% and 15.3% (p < 0.05) for NO· than placebo. The inhibition of tyrosinase activity was increased by 91.6% and 51.0% (p < 0.05) after CPD and CPS application. The CPD comprehensively improved the moisture, brightness, elasticity, spotting, texture, and collagen content of skin for most subjects after 8 weeks, relative to the baseline without treatment (p < 0.05). After 4 weeks of CPS serum consumption, the brightness, elasticity, spotting, UV spots, and collagen content of skin were slightly better than those at week 0 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The daily consumption of coffee pulp extract products can slow the skin aging process and improve skin health.

Can We Prevent Coffee Stains on Teeth?

This study evaluates whether some common beverages treated before coffee could protect or increase tooth staining caused by coffee. Initial color of 50 incisor teeth were measured with a spectrophotometer and recorded according to CIELAB color system. Teeth were randomly divided into five groups, water (control), milk, green tea, orange juice, and cola (n = 10) and were kept in selected beverage for 10 min. Immediately afterward, they were immersed in coffee and allowed to stand for 24 h. The treatment was repeated for 5 days. At the end of the fifth day, L*a*b* color measurements of the teeth were repeated. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium changes on representative teeth surfaces were also investigated with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Color differences were calculated with both CIE_ab and CIE₀₀ formulas. Groups were compared with Kruskal-Wallis test complemented by the Bonferroni correction and Mann-Whitney U test for pairwise comparisons (P = .05). The teeth submitted to coffee challenges after distillated water or beverages showed a perceptible color change. Soaking in cola or orange juice before coffee immersion caused severe tooth discoloration. All the beverages tested here were not able to protect the tooth from coffee staining. People should be informed that some acidic beverages consumed before a coffee can worsen the coffee-based tooth discolorations.

A signal-on electrochemical aptasensor based on silanized cellulose nanofibers for rapid point-of-use detection of ochratoxin A

An innovative ultrasensitive electrochemical aptamer-based sensor was developed for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection in cold brew coffee through revolutionary combination of nanofibers, electrochemical method, and aptamer technologies. The assembly of the aptasensor was based on the activation of silanized cellulose nanofibrous membranes as a supporting matrix for methylene blue (MB) redox probe-labeled aptamer tethering. Cellulose nanofibrous membranes were regenerated by deacetylating electrospun cellulose acetate nanofibrous membranes with deacetylation efficacy of 97%, followed by silanization of the nanofiber surfaces by using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). A replacement of conventionally casted membranes by the nanofibrous membranes increased the active surface area on the working electrode of a screen-printed three-electrode sensor by more than two times, consequently enhancing the fabricated aptasensor performance. The developed aptasensor demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity toward OTA in a range 0.002-2 ng mL^-1, with a detection limit of 0.81 pg mL^-1. Moreover, the assembled aptamer-based sensor successfully detected OTA in cold brew coffee samples without any pretreatment. The aptasensor exhibited good reusability and stability over long storage time. Graphical abstract.

Effects of encapsulated green coffee extract and canola oil on liquid kashk quality

In this study, we used a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion encapsulation technique to enhance green coffee extract in the novel kashk product and protect it against hot filling. Green coffee extracts (GCE) in free (1%, 0.5%, and 0.25%) and encapsulated form (EGCE) (5%, 2.5%, and 1.25%) were added to kashk during hot filling, and their physicochemical and sensory properties were investigated. The EGCE kashk had higher oxidative stability (0.43 h) than the control due to the extract’s high phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity (74%). Although a high concentration of GCE caused a higher pH (4.02), the latter declined in all the samples during the storage period. Further, the size of droplets in the emulsion varied from 3.20 to 8.51 μm, confirming the well-encapsulated GCE by Fourier transform infrared. In addition, palmitic acid and oleic acid were detected in GCE by gas chromatography as the main saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. All the treatments had similar rheological properties and the highest flow index was observed in the samples with EGCE 5% on day 60. The sensory evaluation showed that the assessors preferred the kashk formulated with 1% GCE. Finally, GCE encapsulation protected the color of the samples, and the b* value remained unchanged, whereas the lightness (L*) increased. We suggest that a W/O emulsion is a successful technique for GCE encapsulation in kashk and can offer the latter to consumers as an alternative type of flavored dairy product with a better shelf life and health benefits.

Anti-cholinesterase potential of diverse botanical families from Malaysia: Evaluation of crude extracts and fractions from liquid-liquid extraction and acid-base fractionation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Enhancement of cholinergic functions in the brain via acetylcholinesterase inhibition is one of the main therapeutic strategies to improve symptoms associated with Alzheimer's or related cognitive deficits. There is a pathophysiological correlation between Alzheimer's and Diabetes Mellitus, as well as inflammation and oxidative stress that may cause cognitive decline.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was intended to evaluate anti-cholinesterase potential of 177 Malaysian plant extracts from 148 species known to have related ethnomedicinal uses such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, epilepsy, headache, memory enhancement and anti-aging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Anti-cholinesterase screening against both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes was performed on the basis of in-vitro colorimetric 96-well microplate-based assay method. Potent active plant extracts were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction and acid-base fractionation for further analysis.

RESULTS

Fifty-seven plant extracts exhibited potent anti-cholinesterase activities (50-100% inhibition) at 200 μg/ml. Majority of the active plants originated from Fabaceae family. Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L. stem extract manifested the lowest IC₅₀ of 3.78 μg/ml for AChE and 5.94 μg/ml for BChE. A few native species including Tetracera indica (Christm. & Panz.) Merr., Cyrtostachys renda Blume and Ixora javanica (Blume) DC. showed cholinesterase inhibition despite limited local medical applications. Further anti-AChE evaluation (50 μg/ml) of 18 potent plant extracts harbored active polar components in butanol and water fractions, except Senna pendula (Willd.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby (leaves and stems), Acacia auriculiformis Benth. (leaves), Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson ex F.A.Zorn) Fosberg (leaves), and Macaranga tanarius (L.) Mull.Arg. (leaves) that showed inhibitory activity in less polar fractions. The acidic extraction of these four plant species improved their inhibition level against AChE.

CONCLUSION

This study rendered a preliminary overview of anti-cholinesterase activity from diverse Malaysian botanical families in which provided the medical relevance toward these native plant species, especially ones with limited ethnobotanical record or practice.

Coffee Silverskin Extract Protects against Accelerated Aging Caused by Oxidative Agents

Nowadays, coffee beans are almost exclusively used for the preparation of the beverage. The sustainability of coffee production can be achieved introducing new applications for the valorization of coffee by-products. Coffee silverskin is the by-product generated during roasting, and because of its powerful antioxidant capacity, coffee silverskin aqueous extract (CSE) may be used for other applications, such as antiaging cosmetics and dermaceutics. This study aims to contribute to the coffee sector’s sustainability through the application of CSE to preserve skin health. Preclinical data regarding the antiaging properties of CSE employing human keratinocytes and Caenorhabditis elegans are collected during the present study. Accelerated aging was induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) in HaCaT cells and by ultraviolet radiation C (UVC) in C. elegans. Results suggest that the tested concentrations of coffee extracts were not cytotoxic, and CSE 1 mg/mL gave resistance to skin cells when oxidative damage was induced by t-BOOH. On the other hand, nematodes treated with CSE (1 mg/mL) showed a significant increased longevity compared to those cultured on a standard diet. In conclusion, our results support the antiaging properties of the CSE and its great potential for improving skin health due to its antioxidant character associated with phenols among other bioactive compounds present in the botanical material.

Coffee with ginger - interactions of biologically active phytochemicals in the model system

This study evaluated the interactions between antiradical and anti-inflammatory compounds from coffee and ginger. Results obtained for whole plant material extracts were compared with those for chlorogenic and caffeic acids (the main hydroxycinnamic acids of plant material). All the tested samples showed the ability to scavenge free radicals and to inhibit lipoxygenase (LOX) activity. Both of these activities increased after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Aromatic additives, such as ginger, are able to change the antioxidant properties of coffee extract and antioxidant interactions may be identified using two methods. Antiradical phytochemicals from coffee and ginger acted synergistically - isoboles adopted a concave form, while after digestion in vitro an additive reaction was observed; in turn, chemical standards acted antagonistically. Water extractable LOX inhibitors acted antagonistically; however, after digestion in vitro synergism was observed. The same kind of interaction was determined for standard compounds. These results were confirmed by IF (interaction factor) analysis.

Transfer of ochratoxin A into tea and coffee beverages

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, immunotoxic, neurotoxic, reprotoxic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic (group 2B), being characterized by species and sex differences in sensitivity. Despite the fact that OTA is in some aspects a controversial topic, OTA is the most powerful renal carcinogen. The aim of this study was to make a small survey concerning OTA content in black tea, fruit tea, and ground roasted coffee, and to assess OTA transfer into beverages. OTA content was measured using a validated and accredited HPLC-FLD method with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.35 ng/g. The OTA amount ranged from LOQ up to 250 ng/g in black tea and up to 104 ng/g in fruit tea. Black tea and fruit tea, naturally contaminated, were used to prepare tea infusions. The transfer from black tea to the infusion was 34.8% ± 1.3% and from fruit tea 4.1% ± 0.2%. Ground roasted coffee naturally contaminated at 0.92 ng/g was used to prepare seven kinds of coffee beverages. Depending on the type of process used, OTA transfer into coffee ranged from 22.3% to 66.1%. OTA intakes from fruit and black tea or coffee represent a non-negligible human source.