Paprika, obtained from dried red pepper (), is valued for its characteristic colour and flavour. Its carotenoid content, which is important for both sensory and nutritional quality, varies depending on several factors (agronomic conditions and technological treatment with special attention to the drying methods) that influence the colour and antioxidant capacity of the samples. This study investigated the effect of an accelerated thermal treatment (80 °C for 8 h) applied to evaluate the oxidative stability of the carotenoids and the colour of ground paprika depending on its origin (Peru or China).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHoney is traditionally used for its medicinal properties attributed to its antibacterial and antioxidant effects. It is considered a natural alternative to conventional antibiotics. This effect has been attributed to their physico-chemical properties, as various chemical parameters can synergistically influence this effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLemon peel represents an interesting by-product owing to its content of dietary fibre (DF) and (poly)phenols, which is of great importance for its valorisation. Hence, the objective of this study was to characterise the DF, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity of two lemon-peel-derived ingredients using two different methods (drying with warm air and enzymatic hydrolysis with pectinesterase). The analysis included a DF assessment, followed by neutral sugars characterisation through GC-FID and uronic acids determination via colorimetry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Europe, around 31 million tonnes of food by-products are generated during primary production and trade. The management of these by-products may cause a negative impact, both at the economic and environmental levels, for both industry and society. In this regard, taking into consideration that these by-products retain the dietary fibre compositions and the bioactive compounds of the starting materials, plant food agro-industries have an interest in taking advantage of them, from a nutritional point of view.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe industry generates large amounts of by-products to which value could be added because of the characteristics of their composition. The aim was to extract different fibre fractions from broccoli stalks to obtain potential new added-value ingredients. Using an ethanol and water extraction procedure, two fibre-rich fractions (total fibre fraction, TF, and insoluble fibre fraction, IF) were obtained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRaspberry is a source of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds, which are metabolised by the gut microbiota, resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and phenolic catabolites; but the formation of these compounds depends on the microbiota composition. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the raspberry and its fractions (phenolic extract, total and insoluble dietary fibre) affect the microbial activity depending on the body weight condition. For this, in vitro fermentations of raspberry fractions were carried out using faeces from normal-weight (NW) and overweight volunteers (OW) during 48 h, and phenolic catabolites and SCFAs were analysed at 0, 6, 24 and 48 h.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: peri- and post-menopausal women exhibit a high tendency towards obesity and visceral fat deposition, which increases cardiometabolic risk. Objective: to evaluate through a prospective nutritional study the effect of carotenoid consumption on cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in peri- and post-menopausal women. Material and methods: twelve peri- and post-menopausal women without previous symptoms of cardiovascular disease, but with some cardiometabolic risk factor, were recruited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEating chocolate in the morning or in the evening/at night, may differentially affect energy balance and impact body weight due to changes in energy intake, substrate oxidation, microbiota (composition/function), and circadian-related variables. In a randomized controlled trial, postmenopausal females (n = 19) had 100 g of chocolate in the morning (MC), in the evening/at night (EC), or no chocolate (N) for 2 weeks and ate any other food ad libitum. Our results show that 14 days of chocolate intake did not increase body weight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferent strategies have been developed to increase the concentration of bioactive compounds in tomatoes during post-harvest, with ultraviolet light (UV) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) being interesting tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet (UVA at 366 nm and UVC at 254 nm) pre-treatment (1 kJ/m) and red-blue LED light (25.4 µmol/m/s) on the concentration of carotenoids, (poly)phenols and hydrophilic/lipophilic antioxidant capacity during 7 days of refrigeration storage of green tomatoes ( L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Neuronal populations involved in the regulation of food intake, particularly the orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) hormone ghrelin, are found in the hypothalamus. Changes in plasma ghrelin levels have been observed following different bariatric surgery procedures, but the results from different studies are contradictory. Much remains unknown regarding the role of ghrelin in the weight loss process following bariatric surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe nutritional composition - including total and individual phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and the antioxidant capacity - of two commercially available edible flowers, pansy and snapdragon, was studied. The edible flowers did not differ in their carbohydrates, fat, or ash contents, or in total energy, but pansy had higher values of moisture, protein, and total dietary fiber than snapdragon. Phenolic compounds were more abundant in pansy than in snapdragon, and flavonoids were the major compounds, followed by anthocyanins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a thermotolerant bacterium able to grow in fruit juices and drinks, as the spoilage by Alicyclobacillus in the final product does not product any gas, but leads to a "medicine flavor" due to the formation of guaicol. Also, its detection is a challenge for the quality control departments, because it takes several days to get the results of traditional microbiology methods. This study aimed at developing a more accurate electrical impedance technique for the detection of A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies using a BALB/cOlaHsd model have shown the impact that the supplementation of infant formula with polyamines has on the modulation of microbial colonization and immune system development. To contribute to deciphering and identifying new complex interactions underlying the host response to polyamines, a systems biology approach integrating data from microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract, lymphocyte populations and immune system gene expression analysis of a lactating mice model fed different diets was carried out. The study design included four different dietary regimens including the following: mice fed by normal lactation; early weaned mice given commercial infant formula; and early weaned mice fed with infant formula enriched with two different concentrations of polyamines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder in Western countries, with a high prevalence, and has been shown to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), etc. Tomato products contain several natural antioxidants, including lycopene-which has displayed a preventive effect on the development of steatosis and CVD. Accordingly, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of tomato juice consumption on the urinary peptide profile in rats with NAFLD induced by an atherogenic diet and to identify potential peptide biomarkers for diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aims of the present study were to ascertain, indirectly, the prebiotic role of tomato juice, by analyzing its effect on the content of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in feces of rats, and to determine the plausible mechanisms related to the hypocholesterolemic effects of tomato juice and lycopene, evaluating the activity of hepatic HMGCR and the formation of propionic acid. Two commercially available tomato juices with differing contents of lycopene (low and high lycopene contents: Llyc and Hlyc tomato juices) were used. Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups (n = 8): control group, normal diet and water; group 1, normal diet and Llyc tomato juice; and group 2, normal diet and Hlyc tomato juice, which were fed ad libitum for three weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroducción y objetivos: la evolución que ha experimentado en los últimos años la sociedad española ha originado una serie de cambios sociológicos y/o culturales que afectan claramente a los hábitos y preferencias alimentarias. El objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido evaluar la adherencia a la dieta mediterránea (DM) de la población universitaria en la ciudad de Murcia y la calidad de su desayuno, estableciendo la relación existente entre estas dos variables entre sí, y otras variables sociológicas analizadas.Métodos: se evaluó la adherencia a la DM en una muestra de 312 estudiantes mediante el test KIDMED, cuestionario de 16 preguntas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEdible flowers are commonly used in human nutrition and their consumption has increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to ascertain the nutritional composition and the content and profile of phenolic compounds of three edible flowers, monks cress (Tropaeolum majus), marigold (Tagetes erecta) and paracress (Spilanthes oleracea), and to determine the relationship between the presence of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity. Proximate composition, total dietary fibre (TDF) and minerals were analysed according to official methods: total phenolic compounds (TPC) were determined with Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent, whereas antioxidant capacity was evaluated using Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Tomato products are a dietary source of natural antioxidants, especially lycopene, which accumulates in the liver, where it exerts biological effects. Taking into consideration this fact, the aim of the present study was to ascertain the effect of tomato consumption on biomarkers and gene expression related to lipid metabolism in rats with induced steatosis.
Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly grouped (n = 6 rats/group) in four experimental groups: NA (normal diet and water), NL (normal diet and tomato juice), HA (high fat diet and water) and HL (high fat diet and tomato juice).
In this work, two different technologies (electrospraying and nanospray drying) were evaluated for the encapsulation of folic acid using both a whey protein concentrate (WPC) matrix and a commercial resistant starch. The morphology of the capsules, molecular organization of the matrices upon encapsulation, encapsulation efficiency, and stability of the folic acid within the capsules under different storage conditions and upon thermal exposure were studied. Results showed that spherical nano-, submicro- and microcapsules were obtained through both techniques, although electrospraying led to smaller capsule sizes and to an enhanced control over their size distribution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hypocholesterolemic effect of tomato juice has been investigated in an intervention study with rats, along with the possible inhibition effect of bioactive tomato compounds binding to the HMGCR enzyme. Two experimental groups (n = 8 Sprague-Dawley rats) were fed ad libitum for five weeks, with water or tomato juice provided to the control and intervention groups, respectively. Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and total triglycerides were analysed in plasma, and the lycopene content and the expression and activity of the enzyme HMGCR were determined in liver samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: We previously described the isolation and characterization of three probiotic strains from the feces of exclusively breast-fed newborn infants: Lactobacillus paracasei CNCM I-4034, Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-4036. These strains were shown to adhere to intestinal mucus in vitro, to be sensitive to antibiotics and to resist biliary salts and low pH. In the present study, a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 100 healthy volunteers in three Spanish cities was carried out to evaluate the tolerance, safety, gut colonization and immunomodulatory effects of these three probiotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfant cereals are often the elected foodstuff for beginning complementary feeding and provide carbohydrates which are different to those found in maternal milk. The objective of this preliminary study was to ascertain the colonic effects of two infant cereals, with different carbohydrate profiles, in a randomised and double-blind trial in healthy infants. Nineteen term infants between 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of cultivar, on-vine ripening, and year of harvest on the folate content of raw tomatoes were studied. Folate content in hot-break tomato puree (HTP) subjected to pasteurization at different temperatures and its evolution during the shelf life of tomato juice were also investigated. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (5-CH(3)-H(4)-folate) was the only folate compound identified in raw tomatoes and HTP, but tetrahydrofolate (H(4)-folate) was 10% of the folate detected in tomato juice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe analytical process of lycopene extraction and photometrical determination was critically examined for raw tomato and processed tomato products by means of a 2 IV (15-10) Plackett-Burman experimental design in order to identify the key factors (KFs) involved. Fifteen apparent key factors (AKFs) reported in the literature were selected: sample weight (X1); volume of extraction solution (X2); antioxidant concentration (BHT, X3); neutralizing agent concentration (MgCO 3, X4); light presence during lycopene extraction (X5), homogenization velocity (X6) and time (X7), agitation time (X8), and temperature (X9) during the extraction process; water volume for separation of polar/nonpolar phases (X11); presence of inert atmosphere throughout the process (X12); time (X13), temperature (X14), and light presence (X10) during separation of phases and time delay for reading (X15). In general, higher lycopene concentrations in samples led to a higher number of key factors (KF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aging of the population is giving rise to a large number of studies aimed at improving the quality of life, considering diet as a major contributing factor in this life stage. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the nutritional status of a group of institutionalized elderly in Murcia, Spain, and to relate the diet to anthropometric and biochemical indices, paying special attention to total antioxidant status. The dietary evaluation showed excessive intakes of proteins and lipids, and deficiencies in those of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, zinc, iodine and vitamins A, E and D.
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