Minor bioactive lipids.

Bioactive lipids-major and minor-comprise an array of compounds belonging to different chemical categories. Among the minor bioactive lipids carotenoids, sterols and tocochromanols attract continuously the interest of food scientists, nutritionists and medical doctors for their importance in food processing, preservation and for their health properties. Provitamin A and non-provitamin A carotenoids are found in various food sources of plant and animal origin and are added to foods as colorants.

Building a novel strategic research agenda for METROFOOD-RI: design process and multi-stakeholder engagement towards thematic prioritization.

Introduction: The European research landscape suffers widely from fragmentation and little cross-border research collaboration. Efforts are underway to bring the European Research Area to a higher level of performance and capacity in cutting-edge science, with high anticipations for the promotion of multidisciplinary research infrastructures of transnational engagement. A European distributed research infrastructure active in this framework is METROFOOD-RI, committed to promoting metrology in food and nutrition with particular focus on measurement research related to agrifood systems.

The Contribution of Theoretical Prediction Studies to the Antioxidant Activity Assessment of the Bioactive Secoiridoids Encountered in Olive Tree Products and By-Products.

Assessment of the antioxidant activity of different types of natural compounds is a complex research area that encompasses various in vitro tests and in vivo studies. Sophisticated modern analytical tools permit the unambiguous characterization of the compounds present in a matrix. The contemporary researcher, knowing the chemical structure of the compounds present, can carry out quantum chemical calculations that provide important physicochemical information assisting the prediction of antioxidant potential and the mechanism behind the activity of target compounds before further experimentation.

On the Importance of the Starting Material Choice and Analytical Procedures Adopted When Developing a Strategy for the Nanoencapsulation of Saffron ( L.) Bioactive Antioxidants.

Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world. It is comprised of the dried stigmas of the pistil of the L., which is a cultivated, sterile crocus plant.

Bay Laurel ( L.) Essential Oil as a Food Preservative Source: Chemistry, Quality Control, Activity Assessment, and Applications to Olive Industry Products.

Essential oils (EOs) find application as flavoring agents in the food industry and are also desirable ingredients as they possess preservative properties. The Mediterranean diet involves the use of a lot of herbs and spices and their products (infusions, EOs) as condiments and for the preservation of foods. Application of EOs has the advantage of homogeneous dispersion in comparison with dry leaf use in small pieces or powder.

Strategic Priorities of the Scientific Plan of the European Research Infrastructure METROFOOD-RI for Promoting Metrology in Food and Nutrition.

The pan-European distributed Research Infrastructure for Promoting Metrology in Food and Nutrition (METROFOOD-RI) has evolved in the frame of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) to promote high-quality metrology services across the food chain. The METROFOOD-RI comprises physical facilities and electronic facilities. The former includes Reference Material plants and analytical laboratories (the 'Metro' side) and also experimental fields/farms, processing/storage plants and kitchen-labs (the 'Food' side).

Edible oils from olive drupes as a source of bioactive pentacyclic triterpenes. Is there a prospect for a health claim authorization?

Virgin olive oil and olive-pomace oil constitute high nutritional value edible oils due to the presence of oleic acid and a variety of bioactives. Among the latter, the group of pentacyclic triterpenes (PcTr) is the least studied. This review provides an insight into the biosynthesis of PcTr in the olive fruit, mainly of oleanane-type, and the factors influencing their transfer to the oil.

On the Squalene Content of CV Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki (Greece) Virgin Olive Oil.

This work is a continuation of efforts to establish the nutritional profile of virgin olive oil (VOO) from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki and to strengthen its positioning in the global VOO landscape. VOOs produced at an industrial scale in different olive mills of the Chalkidiki (Greece) regional unit as well as VOOs obtained at the laboratory scale from drupes of different maturity stages for four consecutive harvesting years were examined for their squalene (SQ) content using both HPLC and GC procedures.

The Potential of Virgin Olive Oil from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki (Greece) to Bear Health Claims according to the European Legislation.

The European food legislation authorizes the use of certain health claims based on a scientific basis. This study aimed to evaluate the fatty acid, tocopherol, and polar phenol composition of virgin olive oil (VOO) from cv. Chondrolia Chalkidikis and Chalkidiki regarding the fulfillment of official requirements for the health claims of 'oleic acid', 'vitamin E', and 'olive oil polyphenols'.

Suggestions on the Contribution of Methyl Eugenol and Eugenol to Bay Laurel ( L.) Essential Oil Preservative Activity through Radical Scavenging.

The present study examined the radical scavenging potential of the two benzene derivatives found in the bay laurel essential oil (EO), namely methyl eugenol (MEug) and eugenol (Eug), theoretically and experimentally to make suggestions on their contribution to the EO preservative activity through such a mechanism. Calculation of appropriate molecular indices widely used to characterize chain-breaking antioxidants was carried out in the gas and liquid phases (-hexane, -octanol, methanol, water). Experimental evidence was based on the DPPH scavenging assay applied to pure compounds and a set of bay laurel EOs chemically characterized with GC-MS/FID.

Quality aspects of European virgin olive oils with registered geographical indications: Emphasis on nutrient and non-nutrient bioactives.

European virgin olive oil with geographical indications are strictly regulated and are of importance for the producing member states, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Slovenia and Croatia. These products are consumed locally, or within the European Union but are also exported worldwide. The chapter stresses on the importance of combining origin indications with other certifications or opportunities raising from European legislation in the agri-food sector so that to tighten consumer loyalty for this category of products.

Flavored Olive Oil as a Preservation Means of Reduced Salt Spanish Style Green Table Olives (cv. Chalkidiki).

Reformulation of products fermented in brine is a challenging area of research. Continuing the efforts toward the establishment of table olives as a healthy food for all population groups, this study aimed at examining whether olive oil flavored with essential oils can be used as a preservation means for reduced salt Spanish style green table olives (cv. Chalkidiki).

Getting inside on virgin olive oil (VOO) photooxidation kinetics through combined generalized 2D correlation analysis and moving window 2D correlation analysis of ATR-FTIR spectra.

The generalized two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (g2D-COR spectroscopy) analysis combined with its extended version moving-window 2D-COR (MW-2D-COR) was performed on a set of kinetic ATR-FTIR spectral data. The former is a mathematical method that is applied to a set of spectra collected for a sample exposed to an external perturbation (e.g.

Diagnostic Potential of FT-IR Fingerprinting in Botanical Origin Evaluation of L. Essential Oil is Supported by GC-FID-MS Data.

The last years, non-targeted fingerprinting by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy has gained popularity as an alternative to classical gas chromatography (GC)-based methods because it may allow fast, green, non-destructive and cost-effective assessment of quality of essential oils (EOs) from single plant species. As the relevant studies for L. (bay laurel) EO are limited, the present one aimed at exploring the diagnostic potential of FT-IR fingerprinting for the identification of its botanical integrity.

Toward a Harmonized and Standardized Protocol for the Determination of Total Hydroxytyrosol and Tyrosol Content in Virgin Olive Oil (VOO). The Pros of a Fit for the Purpose Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) Procedure.

Τoward a harmonized and standardized procedure for the determination of total hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol content in virgin olive oil (VOO), the pros of a recently published in house validated ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) protocol are discussed comparatively with those of other procedures that determine directly or indirectly the compounds hosted under the health claim on "olive oil polyphenols" (EC regulation 432/2012). Authentic VOOs were analyzed with five different liquid chromatographic separation protocols and H-NMR one in five different laboratories with expertise in VOO phenol analysis within three months. Data comparison indicated differences in absolute values.

Real time monitoring of the combined effect of chlorophyll content and light filtering packaging on virgin olive oil photo-stability using mesh cell-FTIR spectroscopy.

The present work aimed at examining the combined effect of chlorophyll content and light filtering packaging material on the photo-stability of virgin olive oil (VOO) via mesh cell-FTIR spectroscopy monitoring. Four different VOOs of Koroneiki cultivar differing in total chlorophyll content (∼12-46 mg/kg) were exposed in parallel to direct visible light (6000 lx, 24 °C, 344 h) and FTIR spectra were recorded periodically with or without applying light protection by an industrial filter used for packaging. Findings suggested that the protective role of light filtering material was more evident in the VOO with the lowest total chlorophyll content.

In House Validated UHPLC Protocol for the Determination of the Total Hydroxytyrosol and Tyrosol Content in Virgin Olive Oil Fit for the Purpose of the Health Claim Introduced by the EC Regulation 432/2012 for "Olive Oil Polyphenols".

An ongoing challenge in olive oil analytics is the development of a reliable procedure that can draw the consensus of all interested parties regarding the quantification of concentrations above the required minimum value of 5 mg of bioactive "olive oil polyphenols" per 20 g of the oil, to fulfill the health claim introduced by the European Commission (EC) Regulation 432/2012. An in-house validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) protocol fit for this purpose is proposed. It relies on quantification of the total hydroxytyrsol (Htyr) and tyrosol (Tyr) content in the virgin olive oil (VOO) polar fraction (PF) before and after acidic hydrolysis of their bound forms.

Storage behavior of caseinate-based films incorporating maize germ oil bodies.

Composite films based on sodium caseinate, plasticized with glycerol and incorporating oil bodies recovered by applying ultrafiltration on maize germ aqueous extract were stored at 25 °C and relevant humidity 53% and the changes in their physicochemical and mechanical properties were monitored over a storage period of 2 months. The rearrangement of the protein matrix molecules, oil droplet reorganization and movement during ageing was revealed through the generalized 2D correlation FTIR spectra analysis. Both the control and the oil bodies-containing caseinate films showed marked alterations of their mechanical and optical characteristics upon storage, mainly due to water uptake and glycerol or oil bodies movement, as the application of 2D correlation of the FTIR spectra time series revealed.

Properties of encapsulated saffron extracts in maltodextrin using the Büchi B-90 nano spray-dryer.

The production, characterization and stability of nanoencapsulates of saffron hydrophilic apocarotenoids, i.e. crocins and picrocrocin, in maltodextrin using spray-drying are presented.

A stepwise approach for the detection of carminic acid in saffron with regard to religious food certification.

The stepwise approach takes advantage of simple, versatile, low-cost screening tools that can be applied to several posts of the saffron trade chain to specifically detect adulteration with carminic acid (CA). This natural dye is of insect origin and should not be present in Kosher and Halal foods such as saffron. For gross adulteration levels (>25.

Changes in Phenolic Compounds and Phytotoxicity of the Spanish-Style Green Olive Processing Wastewaters by Aspergillus niger B60.

This study systematically investigated the degradation kinetics and changes in the composition of phenolic compounds in Spanish-style Chalkidiki green olive processing wastewaters (TOPWs) during treatment using Aspergillus niger B60. The fungal growth and phenol degradation kinetics were described sufficiently by the Logistic and Edward models, respectively. The maximum specific growth rate (2.

Latest advances in the extraction and determination of saffron apocarotenoids.

Saffron, the dried red stigmas of Crocus sativus L. plant, is the most expensive spice in the world. It is highly valued not only for the color and flavor that exerts to various foods and drinks but also for its functional properties.

Balsamic type varietal vinegar from cv. Xinomavro (Northen Greece). Optimization and scale-up of the alcoholic fermentation step using indigenous multistarters.

Taguchi design was used to examine the effect of parameters that should be optimized in order to control the alcoholic fermentation of the concentrated grape must (CGM) from cv. Xinomavro using the best-performing indigenous Hanseniaspora uvarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains as multistarters. The "optimum" combination of conditions (cell ratio of H.

Implementing principles of traditional concentrated grape must fermentation to the production of new generation balsamic vinegars. Starter selection and effectiveness.

In an effort to implement principles of traditional concentrated grape must fermentation to the production of new generation balsamic vinegars (BVs), the specific goals of the study were the isolation and molecular identification of the predominant yeasts in concentrated grape must (cv. Xinomavro), their technological characterization and the evaluation of the fermentative aptitude of the selected strains. Tolerance against 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) and furfural, acetic acid and glucose concentration was examined by appropriate methods and tests.

On the Traceability of Commercial Saffron Samples Using ¹H-NMR and FT-IR Metabolomics.

In previous works on authentic samples of saffron of known history (harvest and processing year, storage conditions, and length of time) some biomarkers were proposed using both FT-IR and NMR metabolomics regarding the shelf life of the product. This work addresses the difficulties to trace back the "age" of commercial saffron samples of unknown history, sets a limit value above which these products can be considered substandard, and offers a useful tool to combat saffron mislabeling and fraud with low-quality saffron material. Investigations of authentic and commercial saffron samples of different origin and harvest year, which had been stored under controlled conditions for different lengths of time, allowed a clear-cut clustering of samples in two groups according to the storage period irrespectively of the provenience.