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Four experimental diets were formulated with 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg of phenolic compounds (PCs) kg-1 feed, derived from mango peel. The control diet did not contain PCs. A total of 120 male zebrafish (Danio rerio) (average weight: 166 mg) were fed for eight weeks to assess the ability of PCs to prevent lipid peroxidation and enhance antioxidant status. Growth performance was calculated at the end of the experimental trial. Lipid peroxidations in muscle and antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver were evaluated at the end of the experiment. There was no significant difference in growth performance among treatments. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in muscle were significantly lower in fish fed diets containing 50 and 100 mg of PCs per kg of feed. Incorporation of PCs into zebrafish diet did not have any significant effects on glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. However, catalase (CAT) activity increased significantly in fish with diets containing 100, 150 and 200 mg of PCs kg-1 feed. These results suggest a potential protective effect against in vivo lipid peroxidation and CAT-modulating effects.

Mexico is the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of avocados. “Hass” avocado is the most commercialized cultivar, while the native Mexican avocado varieties have been displaced. Thus, studies regarding their chemical and nutraceutical characterization are scarce. We studied the total lipid content, fatty acid profile, carotenoid content, and free radical-scavenging activity of the fruit pulp from 12 accessions of the native Mexican avocado (Persea americana var. drymifolia). The results show that the chemical and nutraceutical characteristics depend on the accession type. The total lipid content ranged from 13.22 to 23.41%. The major saturated fatty acid in all the avocado accessions was palmitic acid (15.54–22.68%). Monounsaturated fatty acids, like oleic (56.58–74.19%), linoleic (5.62–16.85%) and linolenic (0.63–2.85%) acids were the most abundant unsaturated fatty acids in all the native Mexican avocado accessions. The total carotenoid content (1.57 to 7.83 mg eq. of β-carotene 100 g-1 fresh weight) and the free radical-scavenging activity (7.58–88.62 mMol trolox equivalent 100 g−1 fresh weight) also varied significantly (p

Blue maize owes its coloration to a high anthocyanin content, and is therefore a promising source of unstable bioactive compounds. Spray-drying microencapsulation (SDM) can maintain the integrity of labile compounds during storage and digestion. We microencapsulated blue maize polyphenols by SDM in two matrices, maltodextrin (MD) and maltodextrin-pectin (MP) mixture. Morphology, degradation kinetics during storage and release were analyzed. Particle size ranged from 3 to 5 µm, with spherical morphology and surface depressions. The compounds and antioxidant activity had longer half-life in the MP matrix. Both matrices showed near complete release under simulated digestion (~ 95%), the majority of the compounds in the MP matrix were released during the intestinal phase, while those in the MD matrix were released during the gastric phase. These results suggest that microencapsulating blue maize polyphenols allows their incorporation into other products, and the addition of pectin improves the protective properties of MD, possibly due to its lower reactivity.

Feruloylated arabinoxylans were obtained from nixtamalized maize bran under alkaline conditions (0.5 N NaOH) at different times (2 h, 4 h and 6 h). They were analyzed for neutral sugars composition, dietary fiber and ferulic acids content, as well as the antioxidant capacity, to establish if they can be considered as soluble antioxidant dietary fiber. The yields of the arabinoxylans following alkaline extraction treatments were 4.89%, 8.23% and 7.17% for 2 h, 4 h and 6 h, respectively. The purity of arabinoxylans ranged from 55.58 to 61.16%, while arabinose to xylose (Ara/Xyl) ratio ranged from 0.82 to 0.87 which indicated that all arabinoxylans had a moderately branched structure. The soluble dietary fiber accounted for more than 85% of the chemical composition of feruloylated arabinoxylans. Monomeric and oligomeric forms of ferulic acid were influenced by the alkali extraction time. The monomeric form was the main phenolic acid in feruloylated arabinoxylans (77.05–86.97%), followed by dimers (11.57–14.20%), and trimer (0.93–9.36%). Total phenols ranged from 9.01 to 6.48 mg FAE/g, while antioxidant capacity ranged from 29.49 to 31.69 µmol TE/g, 16.60 to 21.27 µmol TE/g, 39.23 to 58.33 µmol TE/g and 17.03 to 60.65 µmol TE/g in DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and ORAC methods, respectively. The phenol content and antioxidant capacity were in the order: 2 h extract > 4 h extract > 6 h extract and in accordance to the ferulic acid content. The results indicated that alkali extracted feruloylated arabinoxylans obtained from nixtamalized maize bran byproduct are synonymous with soluble antioxidant dietary fiber.

This research evaluated the nutritional, nutraceutical, antimicrobial, as well as the growing promoter effect of Moringa oleifera (MOR) leaves flour in fodders for fattening Japanese quails. The antimicrobial activity was measured using the method of Kirby-Bauer. A completely random design with 4x2 factorial arrangement was used, fodders included 0, 7, 14, and 21% of MOR, with and without Virginiamycin (100 ppm), during 35 d of fattening, 480 one-day old unsexed quails were used, each treatment had 5 replicates with 12 quails/cage. MOR inhibited the growth of bacteria gram (+) and gram (-). The inclusion of MOR in the period from 1 to 14 d inhibited the weight gain (p

The fruit of 18 Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme accessions from Mexico were evaluated for total phenolics (TP) by the Folin-Ciocalteau assay, phenolic profiles by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), antioxidant activity (AoxA) by 2,2´-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazolin)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenil-1-pycrilhydrazyl (DPPH), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and antimutagenic activity (AmuA) by the Ames assay. TP was measured as Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE) and the AoxA as Trolox Equivalents (TE). TP varied from 37 to 86 mg GAE 100 g−1 fresh weight (fw). The AoxA by ABTS (568-1187 µmol TE 100 g−1 fw) and DPPH (157-350 µmol TE 100 g−1 fw) correlated with TP and the levels of caffeoylquinic acids and rutin. The AmuA did not correlate with the levels of phenolics. Some accessions had higher AoxA and AmuA than those reported for commercial cultivars and also showed high levels of caffeoylquinic acids and rutin; thus, their consumption could have good health promoting effects.

Low temperature (LT) and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation are abiotic factors that cause plant stress and limit crop production because of their detrimental effects on photosynthetic components. There is evidence of chlorophyll and carotenoid degradation by LT and UV-B radiation, as well as the production of phenolic compounds as defense components against these stress factors; however, there is scarce information about the interactions between LT and UV-B radiation. Therefore, in this study, the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds were analyzed in response to LT, UV-B radiation and the combination of both (LT + UV-B) in leaves of bell pepper plants. The LT + UV-B condition produced the greater degradation of chlorophyll in the bell pepper leaves and the higher accumulation of carotenoids, chlorogenic acid and the flavonoids apigenin-7- O -glucoside (A-7-G) and luteolin-7- O -glucoside (L-7-G) compared to the LT and UV-B conditions applied separately. UV-B radiation induced a higher total flavonoid concentration than LT, but the highest flavonoid concentration was observed in the leaves exposed to LT + UV-B. The higher accumulation of chlorogenic acid and A-7-G biosynthesis in leaves exposed to LT than control, indicate a higher resistance of plants to UV-B radiation damage because chlorogenic acid and A-7-G both have high UV-B absorbance capacities. However, a higher concentration of L-7-G, respect to A-7-G, in leaves exposed to UV-B and LT + UV-B indicates a higher necessity to quench ROS, because L-7-G has a higher antioxidant capacity than A-7-G. The increment of carotenoid and L-7-G concentrations in bell pepper plants exposed to LT and UV-B radiation stress displayed a high correlation with the raise of total reducing capacity in their leaves.

Lippia alba essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation (HD) and supercritical fluid (SFE) extraction methods. These were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-flame ionization detector (GC-FID-MS). Antioxidant activity was tested by DPPH and ABTS methods, and total soluble phenolics (TSP) were also determined. While in the SFE extract 14 compounds were identified (mostly: myrcenone 3.4%, α-terpineol 1.0% and β-caryophyllene 2.3%), in the HD extract 17 compounds were identified (mostly: eucalyptol 15.6%, myrcenone 9.3% and Z-ocimenone 5.8%). The results showed that L. alba essential oils obtained by SFE was IC50=17.35 mg/mL and by HD was IC50 = 12.45 mg/mL in DPPH assay. L. alba has an excellent eucalyptol content. Key words: Antioxidants, bioactive compounds, supercritical fluid, green technologies.

Mango bark is an important agro-industrial residue from mango pruning. In traditional medicine, the aqueous extract from mango bark (MBE) has been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of many diseases. However, there is scarce information using cellular models to evaluate the potential use of this plant material for human consumption. In this study, the phenolic content from the MBE from four varieties (Kent, Keitt, Ataulfo and Tommy Atkins) was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/MS-TOF). Additionally, the cellular antioxidant activity of the MBE from the four mango varieties were compared. Finally, the intestinal permeability of the main polyphenols found in the MBE (mangiferin and gallic acid) was evaluated. RESULTS Mangiferin and gallic acid were the main constituents in the MBE from the four mango varieties. Furthermore, the Ataulfo variety showed the highest cellular antioxidant activity (67%) at the concentration of 100 µg mL?1. The intestinal permeability of mangiferin present in the bark extracts was 3- to 4.8-fold higher than those of mangiferin as standard, whereas the intestinal permeability of gallic acid varied among the tested extracts. CONCLUSION MBE has the potential to exert antioxidant activity at the cellular level and can have an impact on human health. It may also be a good source for the extraction of polyphenols mainly mangiferin. ? 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that have an impact on gut microbiota composition and activity, which in turn results in the improvement of health conditions. Nowadays, the production of prebiotics from agro-industrial by-products is under investigation. In this regard, polysaccharides are usually found in these sources and their potential use as prebiotics has been studied recently since these compounds act as substrates for the human gut microbiota, and they have the potential to modulate its composition through many mechanisms. Additionally, the use of agricultural by-products is advantageous because it is a cheap and abundantly available material. This review focuses on the recent scientific literature regarding the prebiotic properties of polysaccharides from agro-industrial by-products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Currently, the maintenance of gut homeostasis is a target for the improvement of human health. This review can broaden the perspective on the utilization of agro-industrial by-products that can compete in the market with the commercial ones or act as a source for new food ingredients.

Free and bound phenolics, antioxidant capacity and anthocyanins content of five elite blue maize hybrids and two native blue varieties grown in Mexico highlands were evaluated. Phenolic content of free and bound fractions was found from 1037 to 1488 and from 9064 to 11,987 mg gallic acid/kg, respectively. The free phenolic fraction of hybrid maize showed 3.7-fold higher hydrophilic antioxidant capacity than landrace counterparts. The highest anthocyanin content was found in hybrid 503 × 67 (1052 mg Cy3Glu/kg), which represented 73.1% of the free phenolics. Results indicated that elite blue maize hybrids could be an important source of antioxidant compounds with potential for either food or nutraceutical industries.

High levels of cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6, are associated with chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer; therefore cytokine inhibition might be an important target for the treatment of these diseases. Most drugs used to alleviate some inflammation-related symptoms act by inhibiting cyclooxygenases activity or by blocking cytokine receptors. Nevertheless, these drugs have secondary effects when used on a long-term basis. It has been mentioned that flavonoids, namely quercetin, apigenin and luteolin, reduce cytokine expression and secretion. In this regard, flavonoids may have therapeutical potential in the treatment of inflammation-related diseases as cytokine modulators. This review is focused on current research about the effect of flavonoids on cytokine modulation and the description of the way these compounds exert their effect.

El cultivo intensivo de peces es una estrategia económicamente importante para producir alimento. Sin embargo, las prácticas de cultivo intensivo generan estrés oxidativo e inmunosupresión, lo que ocasiona pérdidas de la calidad del espécimen y aumento en la mortalidad. Para contrarrestar estos efectos, se ha optado por la administración de vegetales como fuente de polifenoles con propiedades antioxidantes e inmunoestimulantes en peces carnívoros de cultivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir los efectos de los polifenoles de origen vegetal como antioxidantes e inmunoestimulantes en peces carnívoros, y promover su uso como ingredientes funcionales en la acuicultura. Los vegetales como fuente de polifenoles tienen la capacidad de mejorar los sistemas de defensa inmune y antioxidante de las especies analiza- das, con un tejido de mejor calidad nutricional y un mayor contenido endógeno de antioxidantes. No obstante, las propiedades biológicas de los polifenoles dependen del tipo y concentración en el vegetal, de la dosis y el tiempo de administración, así como de la matriz alimentaria, la cual determina la bioaccesibilidad y biodisponibilidad de los polifenoles en el organismo. Es escasa la información generada sobre el efecto de los polifenoles en la calidad post mortem, por lo que se deben realizar más estudios.