Characterization of dark chocolates based on polyphenolic profiles and antioxidant activity.

Dark chocolates were characterized according to geographical origin, cocoa variety, and cocoa content using the methylxanthine and polyphenolic composition and antioxidant activity as the data. The main study objective was to uncover sample patterns and identify possible markers of quality, variety, or origin to deal with authentication or fraud detection issues. In the study, a set of 26 dark chocolates from different varieties (e.

Olive tree leaves as a great source of phenolic compounds: Comprehensive profiling of NaDES extracts.

Waste from the olive industry is a noticeable source of antioxidant compounds that can be extracted and reused to produce raw materials related to the chemical, cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical sectors. This work studies the phenolic composition of olive leaf samples using liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-UV-MS). Olive leaf waste samples have been crushed, homogenized, and subjected to a solid-liquid extraction treatment with mechanical shaking at 80 °C for 2 h using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDES).

Elemental Fingerprinting Combined with Machine Learning Techniques as a Powerful Tool for Geographical Discrimination of Honeys from Nearby Regions.

Discrimination of honey based on geographical origin is a common fraudulent practice and is one of the most investigated topics in honey authentication. This research aims to discriminate honeys according to their geographical origin by combining elemental fingerprinting with machine-learning techniques. In particular, the main objective of this study is to distinguish the origin of unifloral and multifloral honeys produced in neighboring regions, such as Sardinia (Italy) and Spain.

Microwave-assisted extraction with natural deep eutectic solvents for polyphenol recovery from agrifood waste: Mature for scaling-up?

Agrifood industries generate large amounts of waste that may result in remarkable environmental problems, such as soil and water contamination. Therefore, proper waste management and treatment have become an environmental, economic, and social challenge. Most of these wastes are exceptionally rich in bioactive compounds (e.

Honey fraud detection based on sugar syrup adulterations by HPLC-UV fingerprinting and chemometrics.

In recent years, honey-producing sector has faced the increasing presence of adulterated honeys, implying great economic losses and questioning the quality of this highly appreciated product by the society. Due to the high sugar content of honey, sugar syrups are among its most common adulterants, being also the most difficult to detect even with isotope ratio techniques depending on the origin of the sugar syrup plant source. In this work, a honey authentication method based on HPLC-UV fingerprinting was developed, exhibiting a 100% classification rate of honey samples against a great variety of sugar syrups (agave, corn, fiber, maple, rice, sugar cane and glucose) by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).

Authentication of Cocoa Products Based on Profiling and Fingerprinting Approaches: Assessment of Geographical, Varietal, Agricultural and Processing Features.

Cocoa and its derivative products, especially chocolate, are highly appreciated by consumers for their exceptional organoleptic qualities, thus being often considered delicacies. They are also regarded as superfoods due to their nutritional and health properties. Cocoa is susceptible to adulteration to obtain illicit economic benefits, so strategies capable of authenticating its attributes are needed.

Green Extraction of Antioxidant Compounds from Olive Tree Leaves Based on Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Agri-food industries generate a large amount of waste that offers great revalorization opportunities within the circular economy framework. In recent years, new methodologies for the extraction of compounds with more eco-friendly solvents have been developed, such as the case of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES). In this study, a methodology for extracting phenolic compounds from olive tree leaves using NADES has been optimized.

Bioactive Amines in Wines. The Assessment of Quality Descriptors by Flow Injection Analysis with Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Biogenic amines (BAs) occur in a wide variety of foodstuffs, mainly from the decomposition of proteins by the action of microorganisms. They are involved in several cellular functions but may become toxic when ingested in high amounts through the diet. In the case of oenological products, BAs are already present in low concentrations in must, and their levels rise dramatically during the fermentation processes.

Characterization and Classification of Spanish Honey by Non-Targeted LC-HRMS (Orbitrap) Fingerprinting and Multivariate Chemometric Methods.

A non-targeted LC-HRMS fingerprinting methodology based on a C18 reversed-phase mode under universal gradient elution using an Orbitrap mass analyzer was developed to characterize and classify Spanish honey samples. A simple sample treatment consisting of honey dissolution with water and a 1:1 dilution with methanol was proposed. A total of 136 honey samples belonging to different blossom and honeydew honeys from different botanical varieties produced in different Spanish geographical regions were analyzed.

Off-Line SPE LC-LRMS Polyphenolic Fingerprinting and Chemometrics to Classify and Authenticate Spanish Honey.

The feasibility of non-targeted off-line SPE LC-LRMS polyphenolic fingerprints to address the classification and authentication of Spanish honey samples based on both botanical origin (blossom and honeydew honeys) and geographical production region was evaluated. With this aim, 136 honey samples belonging to different botanical varieties (multifloral and monofloral) obtained from different Spanish geographical regions with specific climatic conditions were analyzed. Polyphenolic compounds were extracted by off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) using HLB (3 mL, 60 mg) cartridges.

Recovery of phenolic compounds from wine lees using green processing: Identifying target molecules and assessing membrane ultrafiltration performance.

Winery wastes are rich in polyphenols with high added value to be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products. This work aims at recovering and purifying the polyphenolic fraction occurring in the malolactic fermentation lees generated during the production of Albariño wines. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, and related compounds were recovered from this oenological waste by green liquid extraction using water as the solvent.

Characterization, Classification and Authentication of Spanish Blossom and Honeydew Honeys by Non-Targeted HPLC-UV and Off-Line SPE HPLC-UV Polyphenolic Fingerprinting Strategies.

Honey is a highly consumed natural product produced by bees which is susceptible to fraudulent practices, some of them regarding its botanical origin. Two HPLC-UV non-targeted fingerprinting approaches were evaluated in this work to address honey characterization, classification, and authentication based on honey botanical variety. The first method used no sample treatment and a universal reversed-phase chromatographic separation.

High-Throughput Flow Injection Analysis-Mass Spectrometry (FIA-MS) Fingerprinting for the Authentication of Tea Application to the Detection of Teas Adulterated with Chicory.

Tea is a broadly consumed beverage worldwide that is susceptible to fraudulent practices, including its adulteration with other plants such as chicory extracts. In the present work, a non-targeted high-throughput flow injection analysis-mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) fingerprinting methodology was employed to characterize and classify different varieties of tea (black, green, red, oolong, and white) and chicory extracts by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Detection and quantitation of frauds in black and green tea extracts adulterated with chicory were also evaluated as proofs of concept using partial least squares (PLS) regression.

Data Fusion Approaches for the Characterization of Musts and Wines Based on Biogenic Amine and Elemental Composition.

Samples from various winemaking stages of the production of sparkling wines using different grape varieties were characterized based on the profile of biogenic amines (BAs) and the elemental composition. Liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) combined with precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride was used to quantify BAs, while inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques were applied to determine a wide range of elements. Musts, base wines, and sparkling wines were analyzed accordingly, and the resulting data were subjected to further chemometric studies to try to extract information on oenological practices, product quality, and varieties.

Characterization, Classification and Authentication of Turmeric and Curry Samples by Targeted LC-HRMS Polyphenolic and Curcuminoid Profiling and Chemometrics.

The importance of monitoring bioactive substances as food features to address sample classification and authentication is increasing. In this work, targeted liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) polyphenolic and curcuminoid profiles were evaluated as chemical descriptors to deal with the characterization and classification of turmeric and curry samples. The profiles corresponding to bioactive substances were obtained by TraceFinder software using accurate mass databases with 53 and 24 polyphenolic and curcuminoid related compounds, respectively.

Sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of tacrolimus in minipig whole blood.

Tacrolimus, a potent immunosuppressant drug widely used systemically to reduce the risk of organ rejection in transplants, has been repositioned for topical treatment of atopic dermatitis. This work describes the optimization of a new method for the determination of tacrolimus in whole blood after topical administration. Sample treatment consisted of an automated procedure based on protein precipitation followed by solid-phase extraction.

Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for metabolite profiling in the field of drug discovery.

The identification and characterization of the metabolites during the early stages of discovery and development of new drug candidates are essential to establish the metabolic clearance as well as the potential pharmacological and/or toxicological effects. Hence, feasible methods of analysis, preferably rapid and simple, are required to satisfy the increasing demand of metabolite profiling studies. Areas covered: This paper reviews the topic of metabolite profiling in drug discovery based on liquid chromatography, with especial emphasis on chromatographic modes and detectors.

Voltammetric and electrogeneration approaches for the assessment of the oxidative drug metabolism.

In this paper, electrochemical (EC) methods have been proposed to evaluate the oxidative behavior of drugs as rapid, simple, and cheap strategies to predict some metabolic features. Various commercial drugs belonging to different therapeutic families have been assayed to deal with a wide variety of biotransformations and to cover different metabolism extents. First, differential pulse voltammetry has been applied to evaluate the oxidative behavior of drugs.

Strategies for metabolite profiling based on liquid chromatography.

This paper aims at covering the principal strategies based on liquid chromatography (LC) for metabolite profiling in the field of drug discovery and development. The identification of metabolites generated in the organism is an important task during the early stages of preclinical research to define the most proper strategy for optimizing, adjusting metabolic clearance and minimizing bioactivation. An early assessment of the metabolite profile may be critical since metabolites can contribute to pharmacological and/or toxicological effects.

Recent Advances in the Determination of Biogenic Amines in Food Samples by (U)HPLC.

The determination of biogenic amines (BAs) in food products stirs increasing interest because of the implications in toxicological and food quality issues. Apart from these aspects, in recent years, the relevance of BAs because of some organoleptic and descriptive concerns has been pointed out by several researchers. This overview aims at revising recent advances in the determination of BAs in food samples based on liquid chromatography.