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Hypertension is a serious concern as it is one of the causes of kideny failure and pulmonary fibrosis. An important therapeutic strategy for treating chronic hypertension is to inhibit the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). ACE inhibition reduces kidney damage, pulmonary artery pressure, and high blood pressure. Due to their high efficacy and low risk of side effects, natural renin‐angiotensin system inhibitors have drawn increasing attention over the past decades. Alkaloids, amino acids, anthocyanidins, flavonoids, glucosinolates, isoflavonoids, phenolic acids, polyphenolics, and triterpenoids are among the bioactive metabolites pocessing an impressive ACE inhibitory activity. Many herbs including Rosmarinus officinalis, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Curcuma longa, Rauwolfia serpentina, Emblica officinalis, Cynara scolymus, Punica granatum, Mucuna pruriens, Capsicum annuum, and Moringa olifera were found having ACE inhibitory activities comparable to captopril and enalpril. These enticing natural ACE inhibitors deserve to be a safeguard medicine against hypertension, respiratory distress syndrome, and chronic kidney diseases. More clinical trials are required before new natural compounds and herbs can be used to treat chronic hypertension and its ramifications, such as respiratory distress syndrome and kidney failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ayurvedic literature has demonstrated the healing properties of ghee when used systemically and topically. Ghee possesses regenerative properties that can heal wounds, and therefore, the study aimed to compare different types of Tunisian ghee (traditional and industrial cow, goat and sheep) for their wound healing activity. Comparison of the ghee was achieved by studying their antioxidant activity, oxidative stability, fatty acids and vitamin composition analysis, as well as their ability to stimulate dermal fibroblast migration and wound healing process. This study indicates that this Tunisian product with high antioxidant capacity rich in vitamins A and E could improve fibroblast migration, suggesting thus an application as a healing element in an ointment base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Solvent‐free microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) is a green extraction method capable of boosting the yield and quality profile of hemp essential oil when compared with other conventional extraction techniques. During this process, two by‐products are produced, namely the aqueous residue containing bioactive phenolics and the residual deterpenated biomass, which can be used for further extraction and purification of phytocannabinoids. To date, the hemp industry has not utilized these products, although they can be valuable for the food, cosmetic, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical market. RESULTS: This study assessed and optimized the variables affecting MAE efficiency, namely microwave irradiation power, extraction time and added water, which were studied using a central composite design approach, and results were used to optimize the extraction process for recovering three valuable fractions: essential oil, polyphenols and phytocannabinoids. The products obtained using the optimized conditions were characterized in terms of yield, chemical profile and antioxidant potential. Moreover, the by‐products obtained during the optimized run were further analyzed in terms of their biological activity using both enzymatic and non‐enzymatic assays. The aqueous residue demonstrated a powerful α‐glucosidase inhibition, a good activity in terms of superoxide radical scavenging activity, a modest efficacy in terms of inhibition of advanced glycation end products formation and no activity in terms of lipase inhibition. The residual deterpenated biomass did not possess significant biological activity. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrated valorization of industrial hemp essential oil and its by‐products, obtained by a sustainable and eco‐friendly extraction method, through an almost waste‐free approach. Cannabinoids as well as other valuable bioactive compounds such as glycosidic flavones may be recovered from the residues of the essential oil extraction, representing interesting substances in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical fields. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spent coffee ground (SCG) is the remaining residue produced after extraction of coffee, and it is considered a source of unextracted bioactive compounds. For this, in the latest years, the attention has been focused to innovative reuses that can exploit the potentiality of SCG. Unfortunately, the content of bioactive compounds has not been thoroughly studied yet, and the major of publication has investigated the caffeine and chlorogenic acids levels, total polyphenol contents, and total flavonoid content. Hence, these approaches have determined only an estimation of flavonoids and polyphenols content and lack on single polyphenols investigation. Therefore, the objective of the current work was to provide a deep characterization of bioactive compounds in SCG. For this purpose, a new analytical method for the quantification of 30 molecules, including caffeine, chlorogenic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and secoiridoids, has been developed using high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Moreover, several extraction procedures, that is, liquid–solid extraction assisted and not by ultrasounds, testing diverse solvents, were evaluated. Liquid–solid extraction assisted by sonication, with water/ethanol (30/70, v/v), resulted the best in terms of total bioactive compounds, and, once validated, the new analytical method was applied to five different espresso SCG samples. Data showed that caffeine (means: 1193.886 ± 57.307 mg kg−1) and chlorogenic acids (means of total CQAs: 1705.656 ± 88.694 mg kg−1) were the most abundant compounds in all SCG samples followed by phenolic acids such as caffeic, ferulic, gallic, p‐coumaric, syringic, trans‐cinnamic, and vanillic acid. Moreover, some flavonoids, that is, rutin, cyanidin 3‐glucoside, and quercetin, occurred in almost all samples. This work provided a deepened characterization of bioactive compounds in SCG and can contribute to develop new strategies of reuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lignans are polyphenolic compounds that are considered phytoestrogens for their plant origins, and they possess different biological activities. Three different extraction methods, ie, “dilute and shoot”, acidic hydrolysis, and enzymatic digestion, have been compared for extracting lignans (secoisolariciresinol (SECO), matairesinol (MAT), and lariciresinol (LARI)) from espresso coffee (EC) by using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The best recovery values (SECO: 97%, LARI: 98%, and MAT: 93%) were obtained by using enzymatic hydrolysis with Clara‐Diastase at 10% (w/v), keeping the sample at 37°C for 3 hours. For this reason, this method has been chosen and then applied to quantify lignans in 9 different EC samples from 5 different geographical origins (Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and India). Secoisolariciresinol and LARI were found in all EC samples from 27.9 to 52.0 μg L−1 and from 5.3 to 27.8 μg L−1 respectively, contrary to MAT that it was not possible to detect it in each type of coffee. This method confirms the high specificity and sensitivity of MS/MS system for detecting bioactives in complex matrix such as coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new, fast and simple analytical method that is able to identify and quantify simultaneously 17 steroid hormones and metabolites (pregnenolone, 17-OH-pregnenolone, progesterone, 17-OH-progesterone, androsterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone and estradiol) has been developed in equine serum using the ultrahigh- performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique. A total of 400 μl of sample was deproteinized with 1000 μl of acetonitrile, evaporated, restored with 50 μl of a solution of 25% methanol and injected in ultrahigh- performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry triple quadrupole. The recovery percentage obtained by spiking the matrix at two different concentrations with a standard mixture of steroid hormones was in all cases higher than 85.60% and with the percentage of coefficient of variation lower than 8.37%. The range of the correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds was 0.9922-0.9986, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.002-2 and 0.0055-5.5 ngml-1, respectively. The detected limit of quantification for testosterone (i.e. 50pgml-1) is twofold lowerwith respect to its threshold admitted in geldings plasma (100pgml-1 free testosterone). The high sensitivity and the quantitative aspect of the method permitted to detect most of the steroids in equine serum. Once validated, the method was used to quantify 17 steroid hormones in mare, stallion and gelding serum samples. The main steroids detected were corticosterone (range 37.25-51.26 ngml-1) and cortisol (range 32.57-52.24 ngml-1), followed by 17-OH-pregnenolone, dihydrotestosterone and pregnenolone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for extracting isoflavones from espresso coffee (EC) was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography- tandemmass spectrometry (MS/MS) for the first time to analyse five isoflavones, which included both a glycosilated form, genistin and the aglycons daidzein, genistein, formononetin and biochanin A. Isoflavones were extracted fromcoffee samples usingmethanol, stored in a freezer overnight to precipitate proteic or lipidic residues and purified on SPE C18 cartridges before highperformance liquid chromatography-MS/MS analysis. The recovery percentages obtained by spiking the matrix at concentrations of 10 and 100 μg l-1 with a standard mixture of isoflavones were in the range of 70 to 104%. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.015-0.3 μg l-1 and 0.05-1 μg l-1, respectively. Once validated, the method was used to analyze the concentrations of isoflavones in six ECs and ten ground coffee samples. Only formononetin and biochanin A were found, and their respective concentrations ranged from 0.36 to 0.41 μg l-1 and from 0.58 to 3.26 μg l-1 in ECs and from 0.36 to 4.27 μgkg-1 and from 0.71 to 3.95 μgkg-1 in ground coffees. This method confirms the high specificity and selectivity of MS/MS systems for detecting bioactives in complex matrices such as coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of our research on local plants, including neglected horticultural crops to be rediscovered as culinary vegetables, we focused on Smyrnium olusatrum, a biennal herb used in cuisine for many centuries by Romans that has now been replaced by celery. We investigated the essential oil compositions of different plant organs collected in 18 populations of central Italy (Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo, Tuscany and Latium) by gas chromatography (GC) with a flame ionization detector and GC with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the main chemotypes that occur. Owing to the presence of thermosensitive molecules such as isofuranodiene, curzerene and germacrone undergoing Cope-rearrangement during the GC run, a truthful quantitative determination of these constituents was accomplished by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD). Chemical data were supported by a chemometric technique in the form of principal component analysis, which allowed identification of chemical differences among organs. Furanosesquiterpenoids were the main fraction of the oils, with isofuranodiene as the most abundant in flowers and roots, furanoeremophil-1-one in leaves and roots and 1-β-acetoxyfuranoeudesm-4(15)-ene in fruits. To complete the phytochemical analysis, polar compounds such as chlorogenic acid, isoquercitin, 3-indoleacetic acid and saccharose were isolated from the ethanolic extracts of the plant by column chromatography and structurally elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, a morphological and histochemical survey on the secretory structures was performed, with the special aim to localize the sites of terpenes biosynthesis in both above- and belowground organs. Overall, the results can be considered important in the light of the recent interest in neglected edible plants for botanical food supplements and functional foods market. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoflavones and coumestranes are the most important classes of compounds among phytoestrogens; by binding to estrogen receptors, they mimic or modulate the effect on the endogenous receptors. Little information can be found in literature about the presence of isoflavones and coumestrol in the environment, even if it is known that this may have significance, being these substances classified as endocrine disrupting compounds. In this research, we aim to explore the capabilities of the LTQ Orbitrap Discovery hybrid MS in full-scan acquisition mode, with high resolution, to validate an analytical method for the quantification of nine isoflavones (genistein, genistin, glycitein, daidzein, daidzin, (R,S)-equol, biochanin A, formononetin and coumestrol) in wastewater samples. The correlation coefficients of calibration curves of the nine analyzed compounds were in a range of 0.996-0.999; recoveries at two different levels of concentration (0.05 and 0.5 µg/l) were in the range 73-98%, and the limits of detection ranged between 0.0014 and 0.017 µg/l, proving that this method is sensitive enough in comparison with other methods available in literature. This method has been applied for the analysis of 20 wastewater treatment plants in County Cork, Ireland. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Poncirus trifoliata, also known as trifoliate orange, is a tree native to China and Korea and widely used all over the world as a rootstock breeding material. In this study the differences among the volatile profiles of flavedo, pulp and seeds from two cultivars (var. trifoliata and var. monstrosa) grown in Italy (Marche, Abruzzo and Sicily) were determined. Headspace solid phase microextraction and hydrodistillation techniques were used in combination with GC/FID and GC/MS to obtain the volatile profiles of the samples. RESULTS: Both techniques permitted the differentiation of fruit parts based on the main volatile components: the flavedo was characterized by monoterpene hydrocarbons such as limonene and myrcene, the seeds were characterized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as (E)-caryophyllene and germacrene D, while the pulp showed an intermediate composition. The main differences in volatile profiles obtained by the two techniques were analyzed by chemometric techniques such as principal component analysis. CONCLUSION: The study did not highlight significant differences in volatiles between the two cultivars of trifoliate orange, while few differences in the number of volatiles in the fruit parts were revealed by the two techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogenic amines (BAs) are considered to be important indicators of freshness and quality in food. In this work, an analytical method for analyzing ten underivatized BAs in meat by performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed. Comparison between ion trap and triple quadrupole as mass analyzers indicated that the latter provides greater sensitivity and selectivity. The range of the correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds was 0.987-0.999, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.002-0.1 mg l−1 and 0.008-0.5 mg l−1, respectively. Once validated, the method was used to analyze the concentrations of BAs in 16 commercial meat samples, for evaluating the freshness of food through the study of BA indices, i.e. biogenic amine index (BAI) and the ratio spermidine/spermine (SPD/SPE). The results indicated that all the samples were fresh, with a BAI lower than 1.49 mg kg−1 and a SPD/SPE ratio lower than 0.41 in each case. This methodology for testing the freshness of meat has potential for quality control applications along the entire production chain of meat products. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two organic acids isomers, 3‐isopropylmalic acid (3‐IPMA) and 2‐isopropylmalic acid (2‐IPMA), were identified and quantified in wine samples by using an LC–MS/MS method without any chromatographic separation, but processing the MS/MS data with a recently developed deconvolution algorithm (LEDA: linear equations deconvolution analysis), thus decreasing the time necessary for the process. In particular, the LEDA tool processes the MS/MS signals and assigns the relative concentrations (abundances) of the isomers in the sample, at the mg L−1 level. The efficiency of MS/MS signal assignment was improved by introducing five linear equations to define the LEDA matrix. Then, as a novel approach, an overdetermined system of linear equations was applied for the deconvolution of isomers. The use of LEDA to identify and quantify the isomers in wine samples, together with the choice of a short LC column and a fast elution gradient, simplifies the process and shortens the time needed. Furthermore, it was evaluated the quantitative determination of the IPMA isomers by using the calibration curve provided by the precursor ion MRM transition data. The calculated values of accuracy (recovery between 82.6% and 99.8%) and precision (RSD between 0.4% and 4.0%) confirm the validity of this quantitative approach and the ability of LEDA to establish the correct percentage of the MS/MS signal for each isomer. Finally, to compare the conventional LC–MS/MS method and our proposed method of LC–MS/MS coupled with LEDA post‐processing elaboration, a series of real wine samples were analysed by both methods, and the results were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]