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Food waste is a serious problem for food processing industries, especially when it represents a loss of a valuable source of nutrients and phytochemicals. Increasing consumer demand for processed food poses the problem of minimizing waste by conversion into useful products. In this regard, onion (Allium cepa) waste consisting mainly of onion skin is rich in bioactive phenolic compounds. Here, we characterized the flavonoid profiles and biological activities of onion skin wastes of two traditional varieties with protected geographical indication (PGI), the red "Rossa di Tropea" and the coppery "Ramata di Montoro", typically cultivated in a niche area in southern Italy. The phytochemical profiles of exhaustive extracts, characterized by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry, revealed that flavonols and anthocyanins were the characteristic metabolite classes of onion skins. Quercetin, quercetin glucosides and their dimer and trimer derivatives, and, among anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-glucoside, were the most abundant bioactive compounds. The potential of onion skins was evaluated by testing several biological activities: ABTS/oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and in vitro alpha-glucosidase assays were performed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of the extracts and of their main compounds, respectively, and proliferative activity was evaluated by MTT assay on human fibroblasts. In the present study, by observing various biological properties of "Rossa di Tropea" and "Ramata di Montoro" onion-dried skins, we clearly indicated that this agricultural waste can provide bioactive molecules for multiple applications, from industrial to nutraceutical and cosmetical sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC–PAD) combined with chemometric analysis was developed to describe, for the first time, the sugar profile of sixty-one honeys of different botanical origin produced in southern Italy (Calabria Region). The principal component and linear discriminant analysis used to describe the variability of sugar data were able to discriminate the honeys according to their botanical origin with a correlation index higher than 90%. For the purpose of the robustness of the conclusions of this study, the analytical advantages of the HPAEC–PAD method have been statistically demonstrated compared to the official Italian HPLC–RI method (Refractive Index detection). Finally, as the characterization of the floral and geographical origin of honey became an important issue due to high consumer demand, 13 acacia honeys originating from Europe and China were studied by using the same method. By chemometric method it was possible to discriminate the different geographical origin with an index of 100%. All results proved the possibility to identify the sugar profile obtained by HPAEC–PAD combined with a robust statistical analysis, as a tool of authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study the levels of aflatoxins (AF B1, B2, G1 and G2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) were monitored in several food products imported in Italy with a high contamination risk. A total of 345 samples were collected from the Maritime Authority of Salerno Customs Port during the period from January 2008 to December 2009 and analyzed by immunoaffinity chromatography as clean-up, high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for quantification and tandem mass spectrometry for confirmation. The analytical methods were validated on different food matrices and meet the performance criteria set by EC Regulation No. 401/2006 for mycotoxin analysis. The results obtained in this survey showed that 7% of the total samples contained detectable levels of AFs and OTA, and 1.2% had AFs concentrations exceeding the maximum limits set by EU regulation. OTA was the most prevalent mycotoxin, with an incidence of 17.6% of samples analyzed for OTA. The highest detected levels were 23.70 μg kg−1 of OTA in a green coffee sample and 70.69 μg kg−1 of AFs in an apricot kernels sample. Among the food products analyzed, hazelnuts paste and dried vine fruits were the commodities mainly contaminated with AFs and OTA, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A methanol extract of the dried bark of Liriosma ovata afforded two new isoprenoid glycosides, a eudesmane sesquiterpene, 1alpha(beta- d-glucopyranosyloxy)eudesma-3alpha,4beta, 11-triol ( 1), and a C 13-norisoprenoid, 3alpha,6alpha-dihydroxymegastigman-7-en-9-one 3- O-beta- d-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta- d-glucopyranoside ( 2), as well as a known constituent, isopropyl-beta- d-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta- d-glucopyranoside ( 3). The structures of 1 and 2 were determined using spectroscopic methods. The methanol extract had a significant topical anti-inflammatory activity (ID 50, dose inducing 50% edema inhibition = 780 microg/cm (2)) about 8 times less than that of indomethacin (ID 50, 93 microg/cm (2)) assayed by the croton oil ear test in mice. In addition, the chloroform extract and compounds 1 and 2 showed weak antimicrobial activity against S taphylococcus aureus (MIC = 5.1, 2.1, and 4.0 mg/mL, respectively) using a broth microdilution assay.

Changes in the concentration of tocopherol, monophenols, o-diphenols, squalene, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in olive oil were evaluated during 1 year at various storage conditions. Samples of two different extra virgin olive oil (EOO), produced in Calabria (Italy), were stored in dark and in colorless bottles, filled up completely or to half, in order to simulate the domestic storage conditions. The extent of oxidation or photooxidation was monitored by periodic measurements of peroxide values and the rate of degradation of alpha-tocopherol, o-diphenols, squalene, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The quantitative analysis of the constituents has been performed by HPLC-DAD, HPLC-MS, and GC-MS. The main changes in the concentrations of the analyzed compounds were associated with the major oxygen level in the half-empty glass bottles. alpha-Tocopherol was the first molecule to be oxidized (-20% after 2 months, -92% after 12 months). Squalene and o-diphenols were protected in the first months by the presence of alpha-tocopherol, and their content decreased significantly only after 6 and 8 months, respectively, in the half-empty bottles. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids remained almost constant during 8 months for all four different storage conditions; their oxidation started when the level of the antioxidants decreased.