Phytochemical Extracts of (L.) Greuter from Agroecological Systems: Seed Antigerminative Properties and Effectiveness in Counteracting Alternaria Leaf Spot Disease on Baby-Leaf Spinach.

(L.) Greuter subsp. (Asteraceae) is a perennial species naturally distributed in arid and marginal areas whose agroecological cultivation could be a useful innovation to produce quality biomass to extract phenolic-rich phytochemical blends.

Spontaneous Officinal Plants in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: Tradition, Protection, Enhancement, and Recovery.

The aim of this study was to deepen our knowledge on the heritage and traditional uses of some medicinal plants of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Salerno province) and to evaluate their productive potential, in order to increase possible uses to recover and enhance the territory. Biometric surveys and biomass evaluation were carried out. Two types of aqueous extract were prepared using air-dried samples of six harvested species and tested for anti-germination activity on L.

Oil distillation wastewaters from aromatic herbs as new natural source of antioxidant compounds.

Distillation wastewaters (DWWs) are generated during the essential oil steam distillation from aromatic herbs. Despite of growing interest on novel source of natural antioxidant compounds as food additives, studies on DWWs are scarse. Herein, the potential of DWWs produced by the distillation of packaged fresh basil, rosemary and sage wastes was evaluated by chemical and antioxidant characterization.

Chemical profile and cellular antioxidant activity of artichoke by-products.

Artichoke by-products, produced from agricultural procedures and the processing industry, represent a huge amount of discarded material. In this research, the main artichoke by-products, bracts and leaves, were characterized in terms of their bioactive constituents (phenolic compounds and inulin) and cellular antioxidant potential to estimate their nutraceutical potential. The ultrahigh-performance-ultraviolet detection-high resolution mass spectroscopy (UHPLC-UV-HRMS) profiles of both by-products show that 5-caffeoylquinic acid and 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid are the most abundant bioactive compounds, and the content of flavone glycosides can be used to discriminate between bracts and leaves.

Essential-Oil Variability in a Collection of Ocimum basilicum L. (Basil) Cultivars.

Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant of great tradition in the Mediterranean area. Its economic importance is growing up determining an expansion of cultivation.

Chemical composition and biological activity of essential oils of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare L. under different growth conditions.

This research was aimed at investigating the essential oil production, chemical composition and biological activity of a crop of pink flowered oregano (Origanum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare L.

Phytomorphological and essential-oil characterization in situ and ex situ of wild biotypes of oregano collected in the Campania region (Southern Italy).

Oregano is an aromatic species of great interest, which spreads spontaneously over the Mediterranean area, but its genetic resources are not yet adequately developed. Moreover, the results of studies of wild strains of different origin - although quite numerous - are not always comparable, and, therefore, the influence of the environment and genotype on the variability cannot be distinguished. Hence, the plant morphology and the essential-oil composition of three wild, white-flowering biotypes of oregano collected in the Campania region (southern Italy) were characterized, and the effects of genotype and environment were assessed by comparison in situ and ex situ.

Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of anethole-rich oil from leaves of selected varieties of fennel [Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ssp. vulgare var. azoricum (Mill.) Thell].

The chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oils obtained from the leaves of two different cultivars of Florence fennel cropped under three different fertilization treatments (Control not fertilized; Mineral Fertilization; Compost from Municipal Solid Wastes) have been analyzed. All the oils were characterized by high anethole concentration and some showed also a good percentage of limonene. Thus, the leaves of Florence fennel, which are agricultural wastes, could be used for the recovery of anethole to be used for its flavoring and biomedical properties.

Immunological evaluation of the alcohol-soluble protein fraction from gluten-free grains in relation to celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-sensitive enteropathy with an immune basis. We established the immune reactivity of the alcohol-soluble fraction from two minor cereals (tef and millet) and two pseudocereals (amaranth and quinoa) which are believed to be nontoxic based on taxonomy. Grains were examined in intestinal T-cell lines (iTCLs), cultures of duodenal explants from HLA-DQ2(+) CD patients and HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice for signs of activation.

Chemical composition and antigerminative activity of the essential oils from five Salvia species.

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Salvia africana L., Salvia elegans Vahl, Salvia greggii A. Gray, Salvia mellifera Green and Salvia munzii Epling, cultivated in Eboli (Salerno, Southern Italy), was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analyses.