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This research was funded by CICYT [AGL2016-75329-R] and CIBEROBN from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, ISCIII from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, (AEI/FEDER, UE), Generalitat de Catalunya (GC) [2017SGR196]. The PREDIMED-Plus trial was supported by the official Spanish Institutions for funding scientific biomedical research, CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (four coordinated Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias projects lead by J.S.-S. and J.V., including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI14/00972, PI14/00728, PI14/01471, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926 and PI19/00781), the Especial Action Project entitled Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensiva sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus grant to J.S.-S., European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2014–2019, 340918) to M.Á.M.-G., the Recercaixa grant to J.S.-S. (2013ACUP00194), grants from the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013, PS0358/2016, and PI0137/2018), a grant from the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2017/017), a SEMERGEN grant, Fundació la Marató de TV3 (PI044003), 2017 SGR 1717 from Generalitat de Catalunya, a CICYT grant provided by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (AGL2016-75329-R), and funds from the European Regional Development Fund (CB06/03). Food companies Hojiblanca (Lucena, Spain) and Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero (Madrid, Spain) donated extra virgin olive oil, and the Almond Board of California (Modesto, CA, USA), American Pistachio Growers (Fresno, CA, USA), and Paramount Farms (Wonderful Company, LLC, Los Angeles, CA, USA) donated nuts. J.K. was supported by the “FOLIUM” program within the FUTURMed project entitled Talent for the medicine within the future from the Fundació Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Illes Balears. This call was co-financed at 50% with charge to the Operational Program FSE 2014-2020 of the Balearic Islands. This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme to J.S-S. M.M.-M. is supported by the FPU17/00513 grant, J.F.R.d.A. is supported by the FAPESP [2019/11324-8, 2013/07914-8] grants, Á.-H. is supported by the [CD17/00122] grant., We thank all the volunteers for their participation in and the personnel for their contribution to the PREDIMED-Plus trial. M.M.-M. would like to thank Dennis Helsel and Emily P. Laveriano-Santos for their valuable help and support with the statistical treatment of the data, the CCiT UB facility for the LC-MS/MS equipment support, Esperanza Muñoz-Cano for the English advice and Carlos Guimerà-Esteve for the graphical abstract design., Carotenoids are pigments contained mainly in fruit and vegetables (F&V) that have beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health. Due to their lipophilic nature, co-ingestion of fat appears to increase their bioavailability via facilitating transfer to the aqueous micellar phase during digestion. However, the extent to which high fat intake may contribute to increased carotenoid plasma concentrations is still unclear. The objective was to examine the degree to which the consumption of different amounts of both carotenoid-rich foods and fats is associated with plasma carotenoid concentrations within a Mediterranean lifestyle context (subsample from the PREDIMED-Plus study baseline) where consumption of F&V and fat is high. The study population was categorized into four groups according to their self-reported consumption of F&V and fat. Carotenoids were extracted from plasma samples and analyzed by HPLC-UV-VIS-QqQ-MS/MS. Carotenoid systemic concentrations were greater in high consumers of F&V than in low consumers of these foods (+3.04 mu mol/L (95% CI: 0.90, 5.17), p-value = 0.005), but circulating concentrations seemed to decrease when total fat intake was very high (-2.69 mu mol/L (-5.54; 0.16), p-value = 0.064). High consumption of F&V is associated with greater systemic levels of total carotenoids, in particular when fat intake is low-to-moderate rather than very high., Consejo Interinstitucional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CICYT) European Commission AGL2016-75329-R, CIBEROBN from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, ISCIII from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, (AEI/FEDER), Generalitat de Catalunya 2017SGR196, CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutricion (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through the Fondo de Investigacion para la Salud (FIS) - European Regional Development Fund PI13/00673 PI13/00492 PI13/00272 PI13/01123 PI13/00462 PI13/00233 PI13/02184 PI13/00728 PI13/01090 PI13/01056 PI14/01722 PI14/00636 PI14/00618 PI14/00696 PI14/01206 PI14/01919 PI14/00853 PI14/01374 PI14/00972 PI14/01471 PI16/00473, Especial Action Project entitled Implementacion y evaluacion de una intervencion intensiva sobre la actividad fisica Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus grant, European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 340918, Recercaixa grant 2013ACUP00194, Junta de Andalucia PI0458/2013 PS0358/2016 PI0137/2018, Generalitat Valenciana European Commission PROMETEO/2017/017, SEMERGEN grant, Fundacio la Marato de TV3 PI044003, Generalitat de Catalunya 2017 SGR 1717, CICYT grant by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades AGL2016-75329-R, European Commission CB06/03, "FOLIUM" program within the FUTURMed project entitled Talent for the medicine within the future from the Fundacio Institut d'Investigacio Sanitaria Illes Balears, ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme, Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) 2019/11324-8 2013/07914-8, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through the Fondo de Investigacion para la Salud (FIS) - European Regional Development Fund PI16/00501 PI16/00533 PI16/00381 PI16/00366 PI16/01522 PI16/01120 PI17/00764 PI17/01183 PI17/00855 PI17/01347 PI17/00525 PI17/01827 PI17/00532 PI17/00215 PI17/01441 PI17/00508 PI17/01732 PI17/00926 PI19/00781 PI14/00728 PI16/00662 PI16/01873 PI16/01094 FPU17/00513 CD17/00122

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species are bioactive lipids participating in neurodevelopmental processes. The aim was to investigate whether the relevant species of LPA were associated with clinical features of alcohol addiction. A total of 55 abstinent alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients were compared with 34 age/sex/body mass index-matched controls. Concentrations of total LPA and 16:0-LPA, 18:0-LPA, 18:1-LPA, 18:2-LPA and 20:4-LPA species were quantified and correlated with neuroplasticity-associated growth factors including brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-2, and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). AUD patients showed dysexecutive syndrome (22.4%) and memory impairment (32.6%). Total LPA, 16:0-LPA, 18:0-LPA and 18:1-LPA concentrations, were decreased in the AUD group compared to control group. Total LPA, 16:0-LPA, 18:2-LPA and 20:4-LPA concentrations were decreased in men compared to women. Frontal lobe functions correlated with plasma LPA species. Alcohol-cognitive impairments could be related with the deregulation of the LPA species, especially in 16:0-LPA, 18:1-LPA and 20:4-LPA. Concentrations of BDNF correlated with total LPA, 18:2-LPA and 20:4-LPA species. The relation between LPA species and BDNF is interesting in plasticity and neurogenesis functions, their involvement in AUD might serve as a biomarker of cognitive impairment. The present study has been supported by the following programs and research projects: Subprograma Redes Temáticas RETICS (Red de Trastornos Adictivos RD16/0017/001 and RD12/0028/0021) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) and the European Regional and European Regional Development Funds/European Social Fund (ERDF/ESF); Proyectos de Investigación en Salud (PI16/01953, PI16/01698 and PI17/02026) funded by ISCIII and ERDF/ESF; Proyectos de Investigación en Drogodependencias (PND2017/043, PND2018/033, PND2018/044 and PND2019/040) funded by Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas, Ministerio de Sanidad, Secretaría de Estado de Sanidad and ERDF/ESF; Proyecto de Investigación en Salud (PI-0140-2018) funded by Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social, Junta de Andalucía and ERDF/ESF. NGM holds a “Sara Borrell” research contract (CD19/00019) funded by ISCIII and ERDF/ESF. FJP, AS and JS hold a “Miguel Servet II” research contract (CPII19/00022, CPII19/00031 and CPII17/00024, respectively) funded by ISCIII and ERDF/ESF. RTF holds a Grant (2017 SGR 138) funded by Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (CIBEROBN), ISCIII and ERDF/ESF. Yes

Beer is a fermented beverage with beneficial phenolic compounds and is widely consumed worldwide. The current study aimed to describe the content of three families of phenolic compounds with relevant biological activities: prenylated flavonoids (from hops), simple phenolic alcohols (from fermentation) and alkylresorcinols (from cereals) in a large sample of beers (n = 45). The prenylated flavonoids analyzed were xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, 6- and 8-prenylnaringenin. The total prenylated flavonoids present in beer ranged from 0.0 to 9.5 mg/L. The simple phenolic alcohols analyzed were tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, ranging from 0.2 to 44.4 and 0.0 to 0.1 mg/L, respectively. Our study describes, for the first time, the presence of low amounts of alkylresorcinols in beer, in concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 11.0 &micro, g/L. The results in non-alcoholic beer and the differences observed in the phenolic composition among different beer types and styles highlight the importance of the starting materials and the brewing process (especially fermentation) on the final phenolic composition of beer. In conclusion, beer represents a source of phenolic compounds in the diet that could act synergistically, triggering beneficial health effects in the context of its moderate consumption.

Diabetic subjects are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis, the common soil of most of the cardiovascular complications, is more prevalent and extensive in this population due not only to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, but also to inflammation and oxidative stress. Lycopenes are bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities mostly supplied by tomato and tomato byproducts. We investigated the association between circulating lycopenes and carotid plaque burden in diabetic patients, in a cross-sectional study in 105 newly diagnosed diabetic subjects. Atheroma plaque (wall thickness &ge, 1.5 mm), number of plaques, and plaque burden (sum of maximum heights of all plaques) were assessed by sonographic evaluation of carotid arteries. Plasma lycopenes (5-cis-, 9-cis-, 13-cis-, and trans-lycopene) were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography&ndash, mass spectrometry HPLC-MS. Atheroma plaque was observed in 75 participants, from which 38 presented one plaque and 37 two or more carotid plaques. No differences were observed in the plasmatic concentrations of lycopenes between subjects with and without atherosclerotic plaque presence. However, plaque burden was inversely associated with 5-cis-lycopene, all cis-lycopene isomers, trans-lycopene, and total lycopene isomers (all, p &lt, 0.05). High plasma levels of lycopenes inversely relate to atherosclerotic burden. We provide novel evidence that suggests that the consumption of compounds found in tomato and tomato byproducts might be beneficial for the prevention of atherosclerosis.

The menopausal transition can be a challenging period for women’s health and a trigger of uncomfortable symptoms. Beer is the main food source of isoxanthohumol, a precursor of 8-prenylnaringenin, the strongest phytoestrogen identified to date. As phytoestrogens are reported to reduce perimenopausal symptoms, we evaluated if a daily moderate consumption of beer with (AB) and without alcohol (NAB) could improve menopausal symptoms and modify cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 37 postmenopausal women were enrolled in a parallel controlled intervention trial and assigned to three study groups: 16 were administered AB (330 mL/day), 7 NAB (660 mL/day), and 14 were in the control group. After a 6-month follow-up of the 34 participants who finished the trial, both interventions (AB and NAB) significantly reduced the severity of the menopause-related symptoms (p-value AB vs. Control: 0.009, p-value NAB vs. Control: 0.033). Moreover, AB had a beneficial net effect on psychological menopausal discomforts compared to the control group. As the sex hormone profile did not differ significantly between the study groups, the effects of both types of beers (AB and NAB) are attributed to the non-alcoholic fraction of beer. Furthermore, moderate NAB consumption improved the lipid profile and decreased blood pressure in postmenopausal women.

The role of gut microbiota in human health has been investigated extensively in recent years. The association of dysbiosis, detrimental changes in the colonic population, with several health conditions has led to the development of pro-, pre- and symbiotic foods. If not absorbed in the small intestine or secreted in bile, polyphenols and other food components can reach the large intestine where they are susceptible to modification by the microbial population, resulting in molecules with potentially beneficial health effects. This review provides an overview of studies that have detected and/or quantified microbial phenolic metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography as the separation technique, followed by detection through mass spectrometry. Both in vitro experimental studies and human clinical trials are covered. Although many of the microbial phenolic metabolites (MPM) reported in in vitro studies were identified in human samples, further research is needed to associate them with clinical health outcomes.

Sofrito is a Mediterranean tomato-based sauce that typically also contains olive oil, onion, and garlic. The preparation of sofrito modifies the bioactive compounds (carotenoids and polyphenols) in the ingredients to more bioavailable forms, promoting cis-lycopene formation and polyphenol bioaccessibility. To evaluate the health benefits of this cooking technique, the effect of consuming an acute dose of sofrito on the inflammatory status was studied. In a clinical trial, 22 healthy male subjects consumed a single dose of sofrito (240 g/70 kg) after three days without ingesting any tomato products and following a low-antioxidant diet the day before the intervention. Plasma carotenoids and total polyphenol excretion (TPE) were evaluated, as well as the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1&beta, (IL-1&beta, ) and tumor necrosis factor-&alpha, (TNF-&alpha, ). After the sofrito intake, a significant decrease in CRP (p = 0.010) and TNF-&alpha, (p = 0.011) was observed, but only TNF-&alpha, was inversely correlated with an increase in TPE and plasma &beta, carotene (not the major carotenoid, lycopene). The positive health effects of this tomato-based product may be attributed not only to lycopene, but to the bioactive compounds of all the ingredients.

Eight different Serbian genotypes were analysed for their polyphenol, carotenoid, vitamin C content and evaluated for their antioxidant properties. The highest content of biologically important carotenoids such as lutein (4.58 mg/10 g), lycopene (160.64 mg/10 g) and beta-carotene (189.64 mg/10 g) were detected in the genotype S606. Rutin was the most abundant phenolic compound in all tastes samples, but its content is highest in the genotype S615 (1424.30 mu g/100 g dw). All tomato samples were the great source of vitamin C, where the sample S615 stood out (68.54 mg AA g(-1) of dw). Their content of antioxidant compounds suggested that genotypes S606 and S615 showed the best antioxidant potential. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Partial least squares (PLS) were applied to analyse results. The results obtained in the present study could be of considerable interest for breeding programmes wishing to select tomato genotypes with high biological and nutritional properties.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and red wine (RW) are two basic elements that form part of the so-called Mediterranean diet. Both stand out because of their high phenolic compound content and their potential related health benefits. The present study is focused on the metabolic disposition of resveratrol (RESV), tyrosol (TYR), and hydroxytyrosol (HT) following the consumption of EVOO, RW, and a combination of both. In this study, 12 healthy volunteers consumed a single dose of 25 mL of EVOO, 150 mL of RW, and a combination of both in a crossover randomized clinical trial. Urinary recovery of RESV, TYR, and HT was analysed in urine samples collected over a 6-h period following the intake of each treatment. Higher HT levels were observed following EVOO compared to RW (3788 &plusmn, 1751 nmols and 2308 &plusmn, 847 nmols respectively). After the combination of EVOO and RW, the recovery of TYR and HT metabolites increased statistically compared to their separate consumption (4925 &plusmn, 1751 nmols of TYR and 6286 &plusmn, 3198 nmols of HT). EVOO triggered an increase in glucuronide conjugates, while RW intake raised sulfate metabolites. Marginal effects were observed in RESV increased bioavailability after the combination of RW with the fat matrix provided by EVOO.

Phenolic compounds are present in human fluids (plasma and urine) mainly as glucuronidated and sulfated metabolites. Up to now, due to the unavailability of standards, enzymatic hydrolysis has been the method of choice in analytical chemistry to quantify these phase II phenolic metabolites. Enzymatic hydrolysis procedures vary in enzyme concentration, pH and temperature; however, there is a lack of knowledge about the stability of polyphenols in their free form during the process. In this study, we evaluated the stability of 7 phenolic acids, 2 flavonoids and 3 prenylflavanoids in urine during enzymatic hydrolysis to assess the suitability of this analytical procedure, using three different concentrations of β-glucuronidase/sulfatase enzymes from Helix pomatia. The results indicate that enzymatic hydrolysis negatively affected the recovery of the precursor and free-form polyphenols present in the sample. Thus, enzymatic hydrolysis does not seem an ideal analytical strategy to quantify glucuronidated and sulfated polyphenol metabolites.

Grape pomace (GP) is known to be a rich source of polyphenols with biological activity which may be used as functional ingredients for the development of new health-promoting products. Numerous studies have reported that bioactive compounds may act through multiple mechanisms. In order to verify the oral absorption and metabolism of grape polyphenols, we performed a prospective, randomised and cross-over acute study in 12 volunteers with two interventions: 500 mL of a functional beverage enriched with 200 mL of GP and 500 mL of a control beverage without GP. In this work, liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) technique has been used to accurately identify phenolics in GP and human urine. In GP, 41 phenolic compounds were identified mainly procyanidins, phenolic acids and flavonols, and in human urine over 70 metabolites of phenolic compounds including microbiota metabolites, glucuronides and sulfate derivatives were detected. Overall, high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) enhances the identification of a large variety of polyphenols and their metabolites with great mass accuracies for all molecular ions.

Strong adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with improved cognitive function and a lower prevalence of mild cognitive impairment. Olive oil and red wine are rich sources of polyphenols which are responsible in part for the beneficial effects on cognitive functioning. Polyphenols induce endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms by modulating transcription factors such as the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). This review discusses the scientific data supporting the modulating effect of olive oil and red wine polyphenols on Nrf2 expression, and the potential health benefits associated with cognitive functioning.

The concentration of carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins in human plasma may play a significant role in numerous chronic diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and some types of cancer. Although these compounds are of utmost interest for human health, methods for their simultaneous determination are scarce. A new high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method for the quantification of selected carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins in human plasma was developed, validated, and then applied in a pilot dietary intervention study with healthy volunteers. In 50 min, 16 analytes were separated with an excellent resolution and suitable MS signal intensity. The proposed HPLC–MS/MS method led to improvements in the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for all analyzed compounds compared to the most often used HPLC–DAD methods, in some cases being more than 100-fold lower. LOD values were between 0.001 and 0.422 µg/mL and LOQ values ranged from 0.003 to 1.406 µg/mL, according to the analyte. The accuracy, precision, and stability met with the acceptance criteria of the AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) International. According to these results, the described HPLC-MS/MS method is adequately sensitive, repeatable and suitable for the large-scale analysis of compounds in biological fluids.

There has been increasing interest in tomato products rich in lycopene Z-isomers since these carotenoids present greater bioavailability and antioxidant capacity than the all-E lycopene form. Intrinsic food properties as well as processing and the interaction between dietary components can all influence the content, type and bioavailability of carotenoids. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether carotenoid content and isomerization in tomato-based Mediterranean sofrito is affected by the process of home cooking and the presence of other ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, onion and garlic. We used a full factorial design to clarify the contribution of each ingredient to the carotenoid composition of sofrito and to determine whether this can be improved by the cooking time and ingredient synergism. Cooking time and onion content were associated with a higher production of 5-Z-lycopene, 9-Z-lycopene and 13-Z-lycopene in sofrito. Onion proved to be the most interesting ingredient in the sofrito formulation due to their enhancing effect on lycopene isomerization. The use of onion combined with an adequate processing time may improve the bioavailability of lycopene in tomato products.

As common constituents of tomatoes and other fruits and/or vegetables, naringenin and quercetin are usually ingested together, so for a clearer understanding of their bioavailability, metabolic fates and health benefits, it is more insightful to study them together. The purpose of the present work was to study how co-administration of naringenin and quercetin at realistic doses (3.5 μg ml(-1) and 2.36 μg ml(-1), respectively) influences their absorption and intestinal first-pass metabolism. A single-pass intestinal perfusion model in mice (n = 4-6) was used. Perfusate (every 10 minutes), blood (at 60 min) and bile samples were analysed by an UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method to evaluate the presence of the aglycones and their metabolites. Both naringenin and quercetin showed high permeability coefficients when administered separately (7.71 ± 0.82 × 10(-4) cm s(-1)vs. 7.30 ± 1.95 × 10(-4) cm s(-1), respectively), but these values decreased by 50% with co-administration (4.09 ± 0.89 × 10(-4) cm s(-1) for naringenin and 3.18 ± 0.45 × 10(-4) cm s(-1) for quercetin). Moreover, the level of phase II metabolites in perfusion, plasma and bile samples increased when naringenin and quercetin were administered together. The higher biliary excretion of these metabolites could thus favour the entero-hepatic recycling of the aglycones and metabolites. The results of this study may have several useful applications: to know and consider the possible interactions between polyphenols and drugs that use the same mechanism of absorption and elimination; when polyphenol-rich nutritional supplements are supplied, and in our regular diets to optimize the health benefits afforded by the biological activities of such aglycones and/or metabolites.

International audience; Several biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic) are attributed to naringenin (NAR)-a predominant flavonoid of citrus fruit and tomato despite its low bioavailability after ingestion. NAR undergoes extensive metabolism when crossing the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in enteric, hepatic and microbial metabolites, some of them with recognized beneficial effects on human health. This study sought to provide new insights into the metabolism of NAR in regions of the gastrointestinal tract where it has been less studied: the stomach and colon. With this purpose, liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry technique (LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) was used for an accurate identification of NAR metabolites, and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) on a triple quadrupole was used for their identification and quantification. The combination of both analytical techniques provided a broader metabolic profile of NAR. As far as we know, this is the first in-depth metabolic profiling study of NAR in the stomach of mice. Three of the metabolites determined using the LC-LTQ-Orbitrap could not be identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS in stomach perfusion samples: apigenin, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid and phloroglucinol. The number of colonic metabolites determined using the LTQ-Orbitrap-MS was more than twice the number identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS.

A simple and accurate reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method for simultaneously determining and quantifying the antioxidants carotenes, xanthophylls, and retinol in human plasma is presented in this paper. Compounds were extracted with hexane, a C30 column, and a mobile phase of methanol, methyltert-butyl ether, and water were used for the separation of the compounds. A total of 8 carotenoids, 3Z-β-carotene isomers, and 1 fat-soluble vitamin (retinol) were resolved within 72 min at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Detection was achieved at 450 nm for carotenoids and 330 nm for retinol. To evaluate the effectiveness of themethod, it has been applied to an intervention study conducted on eight volunteers.Results. Limits of detection were between 0.1 μg/mL for lycopene and astaxanthin and 1.3 μg/mL for 15-Z-β-carotene. Recoveries were ranged between 89% and 113% forα-carotene and astaxanthin, respectively. Accuracy was between 90.7% and 112.2% and precision was between 1% and 15% RSD. In human plasma samples compounds studied were identified besides three lycopene isomers, demonstrated to be suitable for application in dietary intervention studies.Conclusions. Due to its accuracy, precision, selectivity, and reproducibility, this method is suitable to dietary habits and/or antioxidants status studies.

Scope Tomato contains a variety of phenolics associated with health-promoting properties. However, the effects of processing and the addition of oil during tomato sauce preparation on microbial metabolism of phenolics in the small intestine are still unclear. Methods and results An open, controlled, randomized, and crossover feeding trial with 40 healthy volunteers was carried out to analyze the metabolites in plasma and urine after the consumption of tomato and tomato sauces, with tomato sauce enriched with refined olive oil (ROOE) and without refined olive oil (oil-free: OF). Ten phenolics in plasma and 93 metabolites in urine were quantified. Processing tomatoes into sauce enhanced the bioavailability of flavanones, flavanols, and some hydroxycinnamic acids, as reflected by the increase in the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve. An increase in their plasma half-life was also observed, particularly after ingestion of ROOE, possibly favored by enterohepatic circulation. A wide variety of gut microbial metabolites was also detected, namely flavanones, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, hydroxyphenylpropanoic acids, hydroxyphenylacetic acids, and hydroxybenzoic acids. Conclusions Flavanones and flavonols in ROOE presented higher bioavailability, suggesting that the processing undergone by the raw tomato improved their absorption.

cope : To evaluate the effects of carotenoids from tomato juice (TJ) on inflammatory biomarkers, by performing a 4-week dose-response nutritional trial in a population at high cardiovascular risk. Methods and results : An open, prospective, randomized, cross-over, and controlledclinical trial was carried out with 28 volunteers (mean age 69.7 ± 3.1 years; mean BMI 31.5 ± 3.6 kg/m2) at high cardiovascular risk, which were assigned to consume daily for 4 weeks in random order: 200 mL (LD) or 400 mL (HD) of TJ, or water as a control (C), with a 21-day wash-out period between each intervention. Blood samples were collected at baseline (B) and after each intervention. Endpoints included significant changes in plasmatic carotenoids, and adhesion molecules ICAM-1, and VCAM-1, as well as a tendency to decrease the chemokine IL-8. Compared to C, concentration of ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 were significantly lower (p ˂ 0.001), after each TJ intervention. Decreases were correlated remarkably with the trans-lycopene, while the other carotenoids present in TJ have presented a minor association or no association with changes in these molecules. Conclusion : trans-Lycopene from TJ may attenuate the risk of CVD by reducing the concentration of important inflammatory molecules related to atherosclerosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Epidemiological studies have observed a negative association between tomato intake and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. As tomato sauces are usually cooked with the addition of oil, some studies have pointed out that both processes may increase the bioavailability of the bioactive compounds. However, the effect of consumption of raw tomatoes and tomato sauces on inflammation biomarkers and adhesion molecules related to atherosclerosis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to test the postprandial effects of a single dose of raw tomatoes (RT), tomato sauce (TS) and tomato sauce with refined olive oil (TSOO) on cardiovascular disease risk factors. We performed an open, prospective, randomized, cross-over, controlled feeding trial in 40 healthy subjects who randomly received: 7.0 g of RT/kg of body weight (BW), 3.5 g of TS/kg BW, 3.5 g of TSOO/Kg BW and 0.25 g of sugar solved in water/kg BW on a single occasion on four different days. Biochemical parameters and cellular and circulating inflammatory biomarkers were assessed at baseline and 6 h after each intervention. The results indicate that, compared to control intervention, a single tomato intake in any form decreased plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and several cellular and plasma inflammatory biomarkers, and increased plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol and interleukine (IL) 10 concentrations. However, the changes of plasma IL-6 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) from T-lymphocytes and CD36 from monocytes were significantly greater after TSOO than after RT and TS interventions. We concluded that tomato intake has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, especially cooked and enriched with oil.