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Fresh-cut fruits in ready-to-eat packaging are convenient healthy snacks that can be composed of one type of fruit or a mixture of different fruits to attract consumer's attention. However, to date, no studies have been performed to determine whether fruit mixing could impair fruit quality traits or their shelf-life. Here, we aimed at evaluating quality and hormonal changes in unmixed and mixed cut fruits in packaging of kiwis, mangoes, oranges and pineapples over a 6-day period in cold storage to (i) determine endogenous events compromising cut fruit quality and (ii) assess whether fruit mixing could have an impact in their storage. Results showed fruit cutting led to rapid losses in water content and firmness, while respiration rates increased. Fruit mixing altered several quality parameters, delaying firmness loss in mangoes, oranges and pineapples, and increasing ratios of sugars by acids (TSS/TA) over time. Fruit mixing increased vitamin C contents in mangoes and oranges but decreased total phenols accumulation in oranges and pineapples. Kiwis had an opposite pattern of vitamin C accumulation, with unmixed kiwis having the highest ascorbate contents, while no significant differences were found for total phenols. Increased abscisic acid contents were also found in mangoes, oranges and pineapples of unmixed packaging, and kiwis displaying a much lower accumulation compared to the other fruits. Other phytohormones were also affected by fruit composition, suggesting an active involvement in fruit quality regulation. In conclusion, fruit composition in ready-to-eat packaging is an important factor determining the final quality and shelf-life of cut fruits. • Fruit cutting effects on quality properties and antioxidant composition in ready-to-eat packaging were partially improved by fruit mixing. • Mangoes, oranges and pineapples considerably benefit from the fruit mix, retaining higher firmness and improving their ascorbate contents. • Abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, gibberellins and cytokinins were actively involved in the preservation of quality traits and antioxidants in the mix. • Fruit shelf-life and quality traits can be modulated considering the fruit packaging composition and its effects on the hormonal balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lipopeptides DCS1 inhibit hydroperoxides formation in sunflower oil-in-water emulsion. • Lipopeptides DCS1 preserve the nutritional properties of the emulsion. • The conservative effect of lipopeptides on raw beef is similar with that of synthetic antioxidant. • Lipopeptides DCS1 are considered as nontoxic up to a concentration of 250 µg/ml. Lipid oxidation was considered as a problem in food conservation. The present study aims to investigate the effect of lipopeptides DCS1 on the conservation of food models against lipid oxidation by determining the primary and the secondary oxidation products. Lipopeptides DCS1 are able to preserve the nutritional properties of the emulsion during 23 days of storage, at a concentration of 0.0125% (w/w of emulsion), by slowing down the formation of hydroperoxides and malondialdehyde (MDA) compounds. The direct incorporation of lipopeptides in ground beef patties at a concentration of 0.5% (w/w of meat) was found to be more effective than gelatin film enriched with lipopeptides (2.5%, w/w of gelatin) as a coating, in inhibiting lipid oxidation. Furthermore, lipopeptides DCS1 are not toxic to human kidney cells HEK293 up to a concentration of 250 µg/ml. The results indicate that lipopeptides DCS1 are effective for the preservation of fatty foods against lipid oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ω-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduce risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other pathologies that involve low-grade inflammation. They have recently been shown to exert complementary functional effects with proanthocyanidins. As the reduction of health-promoting gut bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria has been linked to a number of alterations in the host, the aim of this study was to determine whether PUFAs and proanthocyanidins also cooperate in maintaining well-balanced microbiota. To this end, rats were supplemented for 6 months with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) 1:1 (16.6 g/kg feed); proanthocyanidin-rich grape seed extract (GSE, 0.8 g/kg feed); or both. Plasma adiponectin, cholesterol, and urine nitrites were measured. Gut bacterial subgroups were evaluated in fecal DNA by qRT-PCR. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were determined in feces by gas chromatography. Body and adipose tissue weights were found to be higher in the animals given ω-3 PUFAs, while their energy intake was lower. Plasma cholesterol was lower in ω-3 PUFA supplemented groups, while adiponectin and urine nitrites were higher. ω-3 PUFAs reduced the population of Lactobacillales and L. acidophilus after 6 months of supplementation. GSE significantly reduced L. plantarum and B. longum . The combination of ω-3 PUFAs and GSE maintained the health-promoting bacteria at levels similar to those of the control group. Acetic acid was increased by the ω-3 PUFA individual supplementation, while the combination with GSE kept this value similar to the control value. In conclusion, while individual supplementations with ω-3 PUFAs or GSE modify the populations of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and microbial products (SCFAs), their combination maintains the standard proportions of these bacterial subgroups and their function while also providing the cardiovascular benefits of ω-3 PUFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) (0–5 kV/cm) on the improvement of the aqueous extraction of polyphenols and antioxidant compounds from borage leaves. The extracts were assessed by using total polyphenols content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity through the assays of Folin–Ciocalteu and Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC), respectively. Extractions along the time were conducted at different temperatures (10, 25 and 30 °C). The PEF treatments incremented the TPC and ORAC values of the extracts between 1.3 and 6.6 times for TPC and between 2.0 and 13.7 times for ORAC, compared with the control. The TPC values were plotted and fitted to the kinetic model with an adjustment of 0.96 < R 2 < 0.99. Significant differences between the treated and control samples were found as well in this study. This procedure enhances the antioxidant capacity of the extracts and reduces extraction times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Adriamycin (ADR) is an anticancer agent that increases oxidative stress in cells. We evaluated the protective effect of the long term consumption of white tea at two different doses against this drug. For this purpose rats were given distilled water (controls), 0.15mg (Dose 1) or 0.45mg (Dose 2) of solid tea extract/kg body weight for 12months. All the animals received an injection of ADR, except half of the control group, which were given an injection of saline solution. This gave four experimental groups: Control (C), C+ADR, Dose 1+ADR, and Dose 2+ADR. The antioxidant activity (in liver, heart and brain microsomes) was analysed. White tea consumption for 12months, at a non-pharmacological dose, reversed the oxidative damage caused by ADR, on both protein and lipid levels in all three organs. The heart recovered its antioxidant activity only at the highest dose of tea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]