An Acad Bras Cienc
September 2024
Cardiovascular diseases, resulting from the deposition of clots in blood vessels, are the leading cause of death worldwide. Fibrinolytic enzymatic activity can catalyze blood clot degradation. Findings show that 36 fungal isolates recovered from Caatinga soils have the potential to produce fibrinolytic protease under submerged conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(BE) is a mushroom well known for its taste, nutritional value, and medicinal properties. The objective of this work was to study the biological effects of BE extracts on human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2), evaluating parameters related to oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, a hydroethanolic extract of BE was obtained by ohmic heating green technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroalgae are a group of microorganisms, mostly photoautotrophs with high CO fixation capacity, that have gained increased attention in the last decades due to their ability to produce a wide range of valuable metabolites, such as carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, for application in food/feed, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical industries. Their increasing relevance has highlighted the importance of identifying and culturing new bioactive-rich microalgae species, as well as of a thorough understanding of the growth conditions to optimize the biomass production and master the biochemical composition according to the desired application. Thus, this review intends to describe the main cell processes behind the production of carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, in order to understand the possible main triggers responsible for the accumulation of those biocompounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study assessed the chemical profiles and bioactivities of the infusions, decoctions and hydroethanolic extracts of tarragon, basil and French lavender. The extracts were chemically characterised (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) and their bioactivities were evaluated in vitro. All extracts revealed antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThroughout history as well as the present, food microorganisms have been proven to play a significant role in human life [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn cheese-making, a starter culture composed of adequately chosen lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may be suitable to ensure the rapid acidification of milk, improve textural and sensory characteristics, and avoid pathogen proliferation. In this work, 232 LAB isolates collected from artisanal goat's raw milk cheeses produced in Portugal were evaluated for their antimicrobial capacity (at 10 and 37°C), as well as their acidifying and proteolytic properties. Among the 232 isolates, at least 98% of those isolated in De Man- Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) agar presented antagonism against , Typhimurium, or , whereas less than 28.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrape stems have emerged as a promising natural ingredient in the cosmetics industry due to their abundance of phenolic compounds, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds have shown great potential in promoting skin health, fighting signs of aging, and shielding against environmental stressors. With high concentrations of resveratrol, flavonoids, and tannins, grape stems have garnered attention from cosmetic scientists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study characterises the effect of a customised starter culture (CSC) and plant extracts (lemon balm, sage, and spearmint) on (SA) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) kinetics in goat's raw milk soft cheeses. Raw milk cheeses were produced with and without the CSC and plant extracts, and analysed for pH, SA, and LAB counts throughout ripening. The pH change over maturation was described by an empirical decay function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrit Rev Food Sci Nutr
October 2024
Obesity, a highly prevalent condition worldwide that leads to the development of multiple metabolic diseases, has been related to gut microbial dysbiosis. To understand this correlation, models have been extremely useful. However, its use is limited by associated ethical concerns, high costs, low representativeness, and low reproducibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood is rarely kept in a sterile environment and the composition of microbial associations found in various foodstuffs is widely varied. Microorganisms in food usually originate from the natural microbiota of raw materials and the surrounding environments. Whether a species prevails depends upon its ability to adapt to intrinsic factors associated with foods, such as nutrient content; pH; water activity; oxidation-reduction potential; and antimicrobial properties, with various extrinsic factors playing a role, including temperature, relative humidity, atmosphere, and ambient pressure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoods
March 2023
Diffusion methods, including agar disk-diffusion and agar well-diffusion, as well as dilution methods such as broth and agar dilution, are frequently employed to evaluate the antimicrobial capacity of extracts and essential oils (EOs) derived from L., , and L. The results are reported as inhibition diameters (IDs) and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobial production of hyaluronic acid (HA) is an area of research that has been gaining attention in recent years due to the increasing demand for this biopolymer for several industrial applications. Hyaluronic acid is a linear, non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan that is widely distributed in nature and is mainly composed of repeating units of N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid. It has a wide and unique range of properties such as viscoelasticity, lubrication, and hydration, which makes it an attractive material for several industrial applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants are rich in bioactive phytochemicals that often display medicinal properties. These can play an important role in the production of health-promoting food additives and the replacement of artificial ones. In this sense, this study aimed to characterise the polyphenolic profile and bioactive properties of the decoctions, infusions and hydroethanolic extracts of three plants: lemon balm ( L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon- yeasts represent a very appealing alternative to producing beers with zero or low ethanol content. The current study explores the potential of seven non- yeasts to produce low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beer, in addition to engineered/selected yeasts for low-alcohol production. The yeasts were first screened for their sugar consumption and ethanol production profiles, leading to the selection of strains with absent or inefficient maltose consumption and consequently with low-to-null ethanol production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSulfur dioxide (SO), the main preservative in wine, may affect the sensory properties of the wines, as well as cause allergic reactions and headaches in sensitive people. The aim of this work was to evaluate the replacement of SO in Tempranillo wines with Mazuelo grape stem products. Five Tempranillo red wines were elaborated: positive control (60 mg/L SO); negative control with no preservatives; Mazuelo extract (200 mg/L); Mazuelo extract combined with SO (100 mg/L + 20 mg/L); and Mazuelo stem (400 mg/L).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, there has been an increased motivation to reduce meat consumption globally due to environmental and health concerns, which has driven the development of meat substitutes. Filamentous fungal biomass, commonly known as mycoprotein, is a potential meat substitute since it is nutritious and has filaments to mimic meat fibrils. The current study aimed to investigate the potential use of a cheap substrate derived from the food industry, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe quality standards for the export of chestnuts generate large quantities of rejected fruits, which require novel processing technologies for their safe industrial utilization. This study aimed to investigate the impact of high-pressure processing (HPP) and hydrothermal treatments (HT) on the physicochemical properties of rejected chestnut starch. Chestnuts were treated by HPP at 400, 500, and 600 MPa for 5 min and HT at 50 °C for 45 min.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBee pollen is an imperative product for human use. Seven bee pollens were harvested from Morocco, and their chemical, biological and techno-functional properties were studied. All samples showed acceptable physicochemical and nutritional quality with a mean energy value of 239 kcal/100 g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBee products are known for their beneficial properties widely used in complementary medicine. This study aims to unveil the physicochemical, nutritional value, and phenolic profile of bee pollen and honey collected from Boulemane-Morocco, and to evaluate their antioxidant and antihyperglycemic activity. The results indicate that pollen grains were the majority pollen in both samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGreen extraction techniques (GreETs) emerged in the last decade as greener and sustainable alternatives to classical sample preparation procedures aiming to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of analytical methods, simultaneously reducing the deleterious side effects of classical extraction techniques (CETs) for both the operator and the environment. The implementation of improved processes that overcome the main constraints of classical methods in terms of efficiency and ability to minimize or eliminate the use and generation of harmful substances will promote more efficient use of energy and resources in close association with the principles supporting the concept of green chemistry. The current review aims to update the state of the art of some cutting-edge GreETs developed and implemented in recent years focusing on the improvement of the main analytical features, practical aspects, and relevant applications in the biological, food, and environmental fields.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFhas been medicinally used for centuries. Its bioactive compounds have been shown to be very effective in the treatment of numerous diseases. In this work, a novel functional beverage was developed and characterized to combine the health benefits of probiotic bacteria with the plant itself.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNatural bioactive compounds from food waste have fomented interest in food and pharmaceutical industries for the past decade. In this work, it purposed the recovery of bioactive avocado peel extract using an environmentally friendly technique: the ultrasound assisted extraction. The response surface methodology was applied in order to optimize the conditions of the extraction, ethanol-water mixtures and time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBee products are a promising source of phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. The present study was designed to explore the protective effect of honey, propolis, and their combination on gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and hepatorenal dysfunction. This study was conducted on male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injections of gentamicin (120 mg/kg BW/day, i.
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