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The effects of deep-fat frying performed using different culinary fats (extra virgin olive oil, conventional sunflower oil and high-oleic sunflower oil) and different frying temperatures (160 and 180 °C) on the composition of the preponderant fish phospholipid classes, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), were investigated on Sardina pilchardus. The total fish lipid fraction was injected into the HPLC system coupled on line with a second order mass spectrometer (MS–MS) by means of electronebulization interface (ESI), without a prior clean-up of the phospholipid fraction. The deep-fat frying process caused significant changes on PE and PC molecular species composition of the fish fillet. In all cases, the deep-fat frying process caused a significant (P Both PE and PC compositions were not influenced by the frying temperature, whereas the nature of the culinary fat had an effect on the PC composition. Particularly, the frying tests with conventional sunflower oil produced a statistically significant increase of PC species containing saturated/polyunsaturated fatty acids and a significant decrease of PC species formed by the combination of two polyunsaturated fatty acids.

This paper aims to provide a solid base for the utilisation of pomegranate whole seed ethanolic extract (PSEE) as a nutraceutical/functional food ingredient. PSEE was tested for its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities against different human cancer cell lines. Bioactive lipid compounds were identified by studying the PSEE lipid portion. PSEE exhibited a protection of lipid peroxidation threefold higher than a positive control. PSEE showed a promising antiproliferative activity against hormone dependent prostate carcinoma LNCaP, with an IC50 value 3 times lower than the positive control vinblastine, and against human breast cancer cell lines (IC50 = 9.6 μg/ml). PSEE contained lipid bioactive compounds, such as neutral lipids, consisting of 72.8% punicic acid, glycolipids and phospholipids rich in essential fatty acids (α-linoleic and α-linolenic acids). Due the presence of bioactive compounds and the remarkable antiproliferative activity, the use of PSEE as a value-added ingredient in formulations of products aimed to prevent diseases, especially cancer, could be promoted.

The olive paste obtained after crushing was fast preheated under different time/temperature conditions and then malaxed in an industrial oil mill (600 kg Frantoio/Leccino olive blend). Legal parameters (peroxides, free acidity and sensory panel), oil yield, total phenolic content, oxidative stability and phenolic profile were monitored during 12 months of storage of the virgin olive oil (VOO) kept in closed bottles in the dark. A fast preheating not longer than 72 s at 38 °C without malaxation lead to an extra VOO with a shelf-life of at least 12-months, similarly to the traditional EVOO obtained with malaxation. A fast preheating not longer than 72 s at 38 °C followed by 10 min malaxation lead to an EVOO with a ‘mild’ sensory profile and a shelf life of at least 12-months. Thus, the use of a specific designed fast preheater instead or before (a shortened) malaxation allows to obtain an EVOO with a low bitter/pungent attribute from olives which are rich of (sometimes unpleasant) phenolic compounds with the aim to meet the preference of targeted groups of consumers. Time and temperature of fast preheating are the critical parameters of the process.

The composition and structure of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and partial glycerides of crude palm oil obtained from interspecific hybrid Elaeis oleifera×Elaeis guineensis, grown in Colombia, were fully characterised and compared to data obtained by analysing crude African palm oil. Hybridisation appears to substantially modify the biosynthesis of fatty acids (FAs) rather than their assembly in TAGs. In fact, total FAs analysis showed significant differences between these two types of oil, with hybrid palm oil having a higher percentage of oleic acid (54.6 ± 1.0 vs 41.4 ± 0.3), together with a lower saturated fatty acid content (33.5 ± 0.5 vs 47.3 ± 0.1), while the percentage of essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, does not undergo significant changes. Furthermore, 34 TAG types were identified, with no qualitative differences between African and E. guineensis×E. oleifera hybrid palm oil samples. Short and medium chain FAs (8:0, 10:0, 12:0, 14:0) were utilised, together, to build a restricted number of TAG molecular species. Oil samples from the E. guineensis×E. oleifera hybrid showed higher contents of monosaturated TAGs (47.5-51.0% vs 36.7-37.1%) and triunsaturated TAGs (15.5-15.6% vs 5.2-5.4%). The sn-2 position of TAGs in hybrid palm oil was shown to be predominantly esterified with oleic acid (64.7-66.0 mol% vs 55.1-58.2 mol% in African palm oil) with only 10-15% of total palmitic acid and 6-20% of stearic acid acylated in the secondary position. The total amount of diacylglycerols (DAGs) was in agreement with the values of free acidity; DAG types found were in agreement with the representativeness of different TAG species.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different skin contact percentage (0, 150 and 600 g L −1 of pomace), on the phenolic content and on the reduced glutathione levels in white Verdicchio musts and in the derived wines by using reductive conditions in an industrial winery. The results were compared with those from a control must obtained without maceration. The samples were taken after pressing, during alcoholic fermentation and after six months of storage. The skin contact in low-oxygen atmosphere lead to an increase of the phenolic content and glutathione in must and white wine. At the end of fermentation, the macerated samples with pomace at 600 g L −1 showed higher reduced glutathione and phenolic content, with respect to the other samples. Glutathione and tyrosol were positively correlated with yeast activity but then decreased during ageing. Ethyl caffeate increased in all samples during fermentation and wine ageing, thus confirming its origin as a condensation product between caffeic acid and ethanol after the hydrolysis of caftaric acid.

The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (TBVM) is a high-valuable Italian specialty that, for reasons not yet fully explained, may undergo non-equilibrium degrading phenomena involving phase separation and flow arrest caused by solidification with or without crystalline order. TBVM was probed for its microstructure and composition as well as for its flow ability under low- and high shear limits. Results indicated vinegar concentration, temperature and viscosity as three independent variables affecting the extent of solidification in TBVM. Polymer-mediated mechanisms and diffusion-limited kinetics were hypothesized for structure development. Three main experimental evidences offered a convincing proof unifying all solidification phenomena observed in TBVM under the concept of colloidal jamming transition: (i) simultaneous presence of fractal-like aggregated colloids and polydispersed biopolymers; (ii) non-linear shear dependence above a critical level of vinegar concentration; (iii) a modified Krieger–Dougherty model satisfactorily described scaling behavior of relative viscosity accounting for the fractal dimension of jammed structure. Threshold for jamming in TBVM was defined in terms of critical concentration of the overall structure-active constituents (corresponding to 72°Bx and 40% w/w of the main sugars) and maximum resistance to the Newtonian flow (the onset for shear-thinning flow was achieved with a low-shear limiting viscosity of about 0.95 Pa·s).

The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (TBVM), an Italian valuable specialty produced from cooked grape must becomes viscous through a long-ageing process. TBVM may undergo jamming transition which causes its depreciation. A liquid and jammed TBVM were investigated for their microstructure and elemental composition by coupling two non-destructive techniques, i.e. Environmental Scanning Electronic Microscopy (ESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The same samples were also analyzed for their molecular size distribution by Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and their shear viscosity with a stress-controlled rheometer. TBVM in the jammed state behaved as a pseudoplastic fluid due to the presence of nitrogen-free polymers with a molecular size dispersion lower than a liquid TBVM, the latest showed the Newtonian flow behavior. TBVM solid particles detected close to jamming transition showed a C/O ratio of 2.5 (liquid TBVM) and 3.7 (jammed TBVM), thus much higher than the main TBVM constituents (glucose, fructose and acetic acid). The Fe and Mg content was higher and pH was lower in the jammed TBVM. It was hypothesized that jamming transition in TBVM was the result of the unbalance between two time-dependent phenomena, i.e. the increase of the bulk viscosity and the structure relaxation of nitrogen-free polymers.

Polyglucosamine (PG) is a low-molecular-weight chitosan (125 kDa) mixed with vitamin C and tartaric acid in standardised proportions. The aim of this study was to determine its effect on the body weight of male rats and clarify the mechanism of action. Three groups of 12 young male rats were fed a standard diet, or a diet containing PG (1% or 2%), for nine weeks. Body weight, food and water intake, and total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured before and at the end of treatment; low-density (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the amount of faeces, and their lipid, glucose and acetate content were also measured at the end of treatment. Total body weight increased by 234 ± 44.2 g in the controls, 233 ± 32.4 g in the rats fed PG 1%, and 206 ± 32.8 in those fed PG 2%; the weight increase was significantly less only in the PG 2% group, with the greatest difference being reached after four weeks (p Dietary PG 2% reduces body weight, increases faecal weight (and faecal lipid and water content), and makes available fats and glucose as fuel for colon bacteria, as indicated by the higher acetate content.

Camel ( Camelus dromedarius ) milk fat triacylglycerols (TAGs) were characterized using high performance liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and high temperature gas chromatography. The complex nature of the fat meant that prefractionation was necessary to provide simpler fractions for more detailed molecular analyses. Data showed that camel fat contained a wide variety of molecular weight species. No predominant TAG was synthesized by the mammary gland. Of the quantified TAGs, 99% contained at least one of the four major fatty acids (FAs), i.e., C 14:0 , C 16:0 , C 18:0 , C 18:1 (that by themselves represented 74% of the total FAs), and about 75% contained at least one unsaturated FA. Experimentally determined distributions of TAG molecular weights deviated from distributions predicted by a random hypothesis method. Mixed TAGs containing C-14, C-16 and C-18 FAs were preferentially synthesized by the mammary gland to the detriment of TAGs rich in medium chain FAs or long chain FAs alone.

White grapes (Chardonnay, Grechetto and Orvieto) were vacuum-pressed (up to −0.99·10 5 Pa) using two different 250-hL membrane presses (with or without nitrogen as a blanketing gas). Nitrogen gas increased the total phenolic content of the musts by 21% (Folin index) and 16% (HPLC method). The fraction of oxidized phenolics was inversely correlated with the total phenolic (Folin) index ( R = −0.803, P = 0.0002). The strongest protective effect of nitrogen on phenolics was observed in Chardonnay and Grechetto musts, whose mean fraction of browned phenolics decreased by 87% and 10%, respectively, with respect to normal conditions. Total browning of the musts was significantly positively correlated with catechin ( R = 0.590, P = 0.016) and gallic acid ( R = 0.505, P = 0.046) only in the case of normal atmosphere. GRP was a marker of must oxidation only in the case of normal atmosphere ( R = 0.737, P = 0.001), but was uncorrelated with total browning when the vacuum press tank was filled with nitrogen. Quercetin glucoside showed opposite correlations with respect to GRP. Nitrogen gas is therefore particularly recommended not only in positive pressure, but also for vacuum-pressing of white grapes containing high levels of catechin or gallic acid due to early harvest or peculiar varietal composition.

In the lipid fraction of camel (Camelus dromedarius) milk the percentage of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) was 62.8% with a content of palmitic acid of 28.5%. The unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) fraction was dominated by oleic and palmitoleic acids. Enzyme digestion and chemical degradation methods were used to determine the intramolecular fatty acid (FA) composition and then the intermolecular FA distribution in the three sn-positions of the triacylglycerols of the camel milk. FAs showed a specific preference for a particular position: in all samples studied, SFAs were prevalently esterified in the sn-2 position, while UFAs occupied mainly the sn-1 and sn-3 position. As the carbon chain lengthened from 8 to 16 the percentages of SFAs decreased in the sn-2 position and increased in the outer positions. Such data indicated that the length of the carbon chain could be a discriminating factor in the acylation process of SFAs.

The object of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant properties and cholinesterase inhibitory activity of Salvia leriifolia Benth extracts and fractions. The functional role of herbs and spices and their constituents is a hot topic in food-related plant research. Salvia species have been used since ancient times in folk medicine for cognitive brain function and have been subjected to extensive research. Thus, we hypothesize that S leriifolia , because of its functional properties, would be a good candidate to use as a nutraceutical product for improving memory in the elderly or patients affected by Alzheimer disease (ad). To test this hypothesis, we examined the cholinesterase inhibitory activity using the modified colorimetric Ellman's method against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The n -hexane exhibited the highest activity, with inhibitory concentration 50% (IC 50 ) values of 0.59 and 0.21 mg/mL, for AChE and BChE, respectively. This extract was fractionated, and 9 of these fractions (A-I) were obtained and tested. Fraction G, characterized by the presence of sesquiterpenes as major components, was the most active against AChE (IC 50 = 0.05 mg/mL). Because oxidative stress is a critical event in the pathogenesis of AD, we decided to screen the antioxidant activity (AA) using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl test, β -carotene bleaching test, and bovine brain peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid) assay. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest activity, with IC 50 values of 2 and 33 μ g/mL on β -carotene bleaching test and thiobarbituric acid test, respectively. These results suggest potential health benefits of S leriifolia extracts. However, this finding requires additional investigation in vivo.

Furan fatty acids (F-acids) were characterised in the fillet of European hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) , horse mackerel ( Trachurus trachurus ), common sole ( Solea solea ), European anchovy ( Engralius encrasicolus ), Atlantic mackerel ( Scomber scombrus ), European pilchard ( Sardina pilchardus ) was harvested in Adriatic Sea during the spring and the summer. The main F-acids were of the saturated series: 12,15-epoxy-13-methyleicosa-12,14-dienoic acid [MonoMe(11,5)] in European hake and 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethyleicosa-12,14-dienoic acid [DiMe(11,5)] in all the other fish species; 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethyloctadeca-12,14-dienoic acid, 10,13-epoxy-11-methyloctadeca-10,12-dienoic acid and 14,17-epoxy-15,16-dimethyldocosa-14,16-dienoic acid were present in all fish species in trace amounts. Other identified F-acids were the olefinic congeners 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethyleicosa-12,15,16-trienoic acid and 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethyleicosa-10,12,14-trienoic acid. European pilchard had the highest F-acids content (30 mg/100 g fillet), whereas horse mackerel showed the lowest content (less than 0.1 mg/100 g fillet). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was positively correlated with MonoMe(11,5) and DiMe(11,5), showing that the biosynthesis of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is presumably competitive with that of F-acids.

The essential oils of Origanum ehrenbergii and O. syriacum collected in Lebanon were analysed by GC and GC–MS and evaluated for their anticholinesterase, NO production inhibitory activities, and antioxidant properties. O. ehrenbergi essential oil was characterised by the presence of 37 components, representing 94.9% of the total oil of which thymol (19%) and p -cymene (16.1%) were the main abundant compounds. Thirty-six compounds characterised the O. syriacum essential oil, representing 90.6% of the total oil. The most abundant components were thymol (24.7%) and carvacrol (17.6%). O. ehrenbergii demonstrated interesting scavenging effects on DPPH with an IC 50 value of 0.99 μg/ml. In addition, both O. ehrenbergii and O. syriacum oils inhibited oxidation of linoleic acid after 30 min of incubation, as well as after 60 min of incubation with IC 50 values of 42.1 and 33.6 μg/ml, and 46.9 and 58.9 μg/ml, respectively. Interestingly, O. ehrenbergii oil inhibited NO production in the murine monocytic macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 with an IC 50 value of 66.4 μg/ml. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition was assessed by modifications of the Ellman’s method. O. ehrenbergii exhibited a strong activity against both cholinesterases with IC 50 values of 0.3 μg/ml. The data suggest that O. ehrenbergii and O. syriacum oils could be used as a valuable new flavour with functional properties for food or nutriceutical products with particular relevance to supplements for the elderly.

Within the European Union, indications of ‘first cold pressing’ and ‘cold extraction’ can only be used for virgin olive oil (VOO) obtained below 27 °C from mechanical processing. Three different malaxing temperatures (25, 35 and 45 °C) are here evaluated for the quality of the VOO obtained in a continuous industrial plant. The oils were stored at room temperature in the dark for 12 months. Initially, oil obtained from a blend of Frantoio/Leccino cultivars (F/L) had higher acidity and peroxide levels and lower phenolic content than a Coratina cultivar (Cor). The oxidative stability of the oils positively correlated with malaxation temperature (F/L, R 2 = 0.818; Cor, R 2 = 0.987) as the phenolic content was directly proportional to the temperature (F/L, R 2 = 0.887; Cor, R 2 = 0.992). Only oils obtained at 45 °C were rejected because of ‘heated or burnt’ off-flavour. Decarboxymethylation of secoiridoids and further hydrolysis of phenolic esters occurred during storage. The oxidation products of derivatives of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol were detected after nine months in both the F/L and Cor samples. Thus, VOO obtained at a processing temperature lower than 27 °C does not show higher chemical and sensory qualities than VOO obtained at 35 °C.

Upon mixing a solution of sodium taurocholate with a solution of chitosan acetate, both at pH values close to 4, immediate precipitation of chitosan taurocholate salt is observed. The salt obtained with nearly stoichiometric amounts of both reagents was characterized by infrared spectrometry, and found to exhibit new bands indicative of its ionic nature. Similar compounds were obtained from Na taurodeoxycholate and Na glycocholate. When exposed to a number of hydrolases at pH values close to neutrality and 20 and 37 °C they were found to be poorly susceptible to enzymatic degradation: only Trichoderma reesei cellulase, egg white lysozyme and barley malt α-amylase were effective on chitosan taurocholate and glycocholate. The observed capacities of the freeze-dried salts for olive oil were 22 g oil/g of chitosan taurocholate, 60 g oil/g of chitosan glycocholate, and 27 g oil/g of chitosan taurodeoxycholate. The capacities were 22.1 g butter oil/g of chitosan taurocholate and 22.1 g of corn oil/g chitosan taurocholate. These data, substantially much higher than similar data published for plain chitosan and various oils, mean that the lipid uptake mainly takes place by hydrophobic interactions with the insoluble salts formed by chitosan upon contact with bile. The profile of fatty acids and some components of the unsaponifiable (cholesterol, α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol) were not different in treated and untreated lipids. A model for the action of chitosan in vivo is discussed.

Two white d.o.c. wines produced with grape varieties typical from the region of Marche (Italy) were subjected to high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in order to characterize the phenolic fraction. Unlike Verdicchio, Passerina showed relatively high concentrations of tyrosol (up to 45 mg L −1 ) and quercetin, with the glucuronide (20 mg L −1 ), being more concentrated with respect to the free form (6 mg L −1 ). Conversely, Verdicchio showed high concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (hydroxytyrosol) and hydroxycinnamic acids, such as caffeic, caftaric, coumaric and 2-S-glutathionylcaftaric acid and remarkable amounts of their esters with ethanol (total amount in the order of 30 mg L −1 ). The different composition of the phenolic fraction had a strong impact on the sensory properties, as confirmed by the sensory data elaborated with principal component analysis (PCA): the taste of burning and astringent was associated with caftaric, ethyl coumarate and 2-S-glutathionylcaftaric acid (thus with Verdicchio), whereas the taste of honey, fruity and exotic fruits was related to Passerina. The identification of 2-S-glutathionylcaftaric acid was performed with HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry in the positive and negative electrospray ionization mode and is discussed here.

Analysis of Verdicchio (a white wine produced in Italy) with high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI-MS–MS) showed a concentration of ethyl caffeoate (CfE), a natural phenolic substance, of 67.3 μmol L −1 ; CfE was then purified from wine with preparative reversed phase HPLC and tested on rat hepatic stellate cell cultures (HSC). HSC proliferation induced by iron(III) nitrilotriacetate (FeNTA), a pro-oxidant agent (absorbance = 0.68 ± 0.03 versus 0.32 ± 0.02 in controls), was significantly inhibited by CfE starting at a concentration of 10 μmol L −1 (absorbance = 0.45 ± 0.01), with a maximal effect at 20 μmol L −1 (absorbance = 0.32 ± 0.02). The formation of intracellular hydroperoxides induced by FeNTA was significantly reduced by CfE starting at a concentration of 10 μmol L −1 and completely prevented by CfE at a concentration of 20 μmol L −1 . The increase in α1(I) procollagen mRNA synthesis induced by FeNTA was inhibited by CfE starting at a concentration of 10 μmol L −1 and almost completely at a concentration of 20 μmol L −1 . Thus, Verdicchio wine is a remarkable source (about seven-fold the bioactive concentration) of CfE, an interesting drug to be tested as an antifibrotic agent.

Chitin, chitosan and the newly synthesized and fully characterized N-lauryl chitosan and N-dimethylaminopropyl chitosan, endowed with higher hydrophobicity and cationicity, respectively, were tested for their capacity to alter the composition of olive oil upon percolation of the latter through a bed of their respective powders. The oil samples were extracted, saponified and submitted to gas-chromatography. Results indicated that the percentages of 12 fatty acids were not modified, but the diacylglycerol and steroid concentrations were greatly altered. The percolated oil was depleted of C34 and C36 diacylglycerols (lowered to 42% of the control) when the oil was contacted with chitosan and N-lauryl chitosan, whilst the oil fraction percolated through chitin became 30% enriched. N-Dimethylaminopropyl chitosan was also effective in retaining diacylglycerols. The direct analysis of the unsaponifiable fraction revealed that campesterol, stigmasterol and avenasterol were enriched in the oil fraction retained by chitin and N-lauryl chitosan, while β-sitosterol increased slightly in the fraction retained by chitosan and N-lauryl chitosan. Triterpene alcohols were higher in the oil fraction retained by chitin. This work indicates that chitin might be more suitable than chitosan for sequestering steroids, and that, in general, the chitin derivatives discriminate among the various lipids.