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In our study, we investigated the effects of Expando, a commercial biostimulant derived from seaweed and yeast extracts, on the secondary metabolism of Lady cot and Orange prima apricot cultivars. Notably, treatments with or 5.0 L/ha of Expando improved fruit uniformity and harvests synchronization, providing agronomic benefits. Expando positively influenced the biosynthesis of essential bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins in both apricot pulp and peel, as validated by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. These metabolic enhancements translated into significantly increased total antioxidant activity, particularly evident in the peel samples. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed distinct effects of the 5.0 and 4.0 L/ha treatments, distinguishing them from lower doses and the control group. Our findings emphasize the potential of Expando to enhance the phytochemical profile of apricot fruits, positioning biostimulants as pivotal tools for improving fruit quality and sustainability in agriculture. Expando offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to enhancing crop yield and nutritional value, representing a significant step towards more resilient and environmentally conscious farming practices. Further research is needed to explore its broader implications and optimize application strategies for commercial orchards.

Abiotic stress, such as salt and osmotic stress, negatively impacts plant growth and productivity, making it crucial to explore sustainable solutions that can improve plant resilience. In this study, we investigated the effects of a biostimulant formulation containing betalain degradation products (BDPs) on the growth and stress resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings subjected to salt stress (SS) and osmotic stress (OS) conditions. Specifically, we fortified the medium culture of stressed seedlings with 0.02, 0.10, and 0.20 mg/mL of BDPs-enriched biostimulant, revealing significant improvements in growth and biomass under both SS and OS conditions, with the most notable effects in OS condition. In this study, we applied these findings to stress conditions, demonstrating that treatment with the formulation containing BDP-related compounds significantly enhanced seedling growth and biomass in both salt stress (SS) and osmotic stress (OS) environments, with the most significant effects observed in OS conditions. Specifically, seedlings treated with 0.20 mg/mL of BDP-enriched biostimulant exhibited growth increases of up to 150 % under OS conditions and a 116 % increase under SS conditions, restoring growth metrics comparable to control conditions. We analyzed the impact of the formulation on the dynamics of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activities of antioxidant enzyme, revealing that BDP-containing formulation effectively balanced ROS levels by modulating superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and the glutathione peroxidase-glutathione reductase (GPX-GR) system in both stress conditions. Furthermore, BDP-containing formulation affected proline metabolism by reducing its accumulation under stress conditions and enhancing proline catabolism, as demonstrated by the upregulation of the genes for proline dehydrogenase (PDH), pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH), and ornithine aminotransferase (OAT). These findings suggest that the biostimulant enriched in BDP-related compounds enhanced the resilience of Arabidopsis seedlings to abiotic stress by regulating both oxidative stress responses and proline metabolism, highlighting their potential applications for improving crop tolerance to challenging environmental conditions.

This study investigates the potential of a biostimulant derived from Selenicereus undatus peel waste and enriched in betalain degradation products (BDP), to influence Arabidopsis thaliana seedling development. Notably, lower BDP concentrations enhanced seedling development, while higher dosages exhibited adverse effects. Assessment of mitochondrial activity in both seeds and purified organelles showed that the tested biostimulant did not affect mitochondrial activity or integrity, highlighting its independence from mitochondrial performance. Mechanistically, BDP-enriched biostimulant modulated ROS-signaling, diminishing H2O2 by regulating the enzymatic activity and gene expression of SOD, CAT, GPX, and GR. Particularly, analyzing their different isoform via qRT-PCR, the primary cellular compartment where detoxification occurred were identified. Furthermore, biostimulant was able to influence proline-accumulation, altering both the expression of metabolism (PC5S, P5CR and OAT) and catabolism (PDH and P5CDH) related genes. Finally, the BDP-enriched biostimulant altered phytohormone levels, mainly affecting ABA/ABA-glu, tZea/tZea-rib, and tZea/IAA. Concerning GAs, the increase in GA4 and GA7 suggested an involvement of GA13ox, a hypothesis encouraged by qRT-PCR analysis. In summary, this study underscores the potential of BDP-based biostimulant as sustainable promoters of plant growth, influencing critical regulatory pathways during germination. Further research is necessary to explore their extensive applications in agricultural practices.

This study focuses on developing an active and biodegradable packaging using electrospinning, with polylactic acid (PLA) as the matrix and bamboo leaf extract (BLE) as the antioxidant compound. The research systematically evaluates the relationship among process parameters, material properties, and structure. The electrospun membranes were produced using different BLE contents (10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, and 40 wt%) and characterized by their morphology, mechanical properties, wettability, and antioxidant activity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed BLE’s influence on fiber morphology, with a slight increase in diameter in PLA/BLE at 10% and 20%, attributed to higher viscosity. Conversely, PLA/BLE 30% and 40% showed a mild reduction in fiber diameter likely due to polyphenols’ capacity to enhance PLA chain mobility. Mechanical tests indicated proportional reductions in modulus, maximum stress, and strain at break, upon increasing the BLE concentration, although these parameters are still suitable for packaging applications. The decrease in modulus is attributed to polyphenol capacity to increase PLA chain mobility, while increased fragility results from embedded particles acting as local defects. Wettability tests demonstrated increased hydrophilicity with higher BLE content. Total polyphenol content, estimated through FOLIN assay, increased proportionally with incorporated BLE, impacting antioxidant properties assessed via FRAP assay.

Antioxidants are essential for mitigating oxidative stress and maintaining vascular health. Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are pivotal in endothelial regeneration and angiogenesis and serve as a model to study the diversity of endothelial cells across various organs. This study evaluated the effects of peel, pulp, and seed extracts from Diospyros digyna Jacq. fruit (black persimmon) on human cord blood-derived ECFCs (CB-ECFCs) to determine how the distinct antioxidant profiles of the fruit’s different parts influence cellular functions. The extracts did not affect endothelial marker expression, cell proliferation, or nitric oxide production, indicating no cytotoxic or inflammatory effects. However, functional assays revealed that the seed extract significantly enhanced tube formation, increasing closed tubular networks by 1.5-fold. All extracts promoted cell migration, with the seed extract demonstrating the most substantial effect, surpassing even vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Additionally, the seed extract exhibited the strongest reduction in cellular senescence, both before and after oxidative stress induction with H2O2. These findings underscore the potential of black persimmon extracts, especially from the seed, to enhance the regenerative capabilities of CB-ECFCs and reduce cellular senescence without affecting the normal endothelial phenotype. This positions them as promising candidates for developing endothelial cell therapies and advancing vascular regeneration.

Griffonia simplicifolia, a tropical plant endemic to West Africa, is highly regarded for its significant pharmacological potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolomic profile and to explore the antioxidant properties, antiproliferative activity, and antimicrobial potential of G. simplicifolia seed extracts obtained through either maceration, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), or Soxhlet extraction using water, acetone, methanol and ethanol as solvents. Overall, methanol possessed superior total extraction efficiency. HPLC analyses confirmed the efficacy of acetone and ethanol as optimal solvents for the extraction of flavonoids and flavan-3-ols, whereas MAE exhibited enhanced effectiveness in extracting N-containing compounds, including 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). HPLC-MS analyses identified forty-three compounds, including thirty-four phenolic compounds and nine N-containing molecules. Isomyricitrin, taxifolin and a flavonol glucuronide were the main polyphenols, whereas 5-HTP was the main N-containing compound. Hydroalcoholic G. simplicifolia extracts showed the highest radical scavenging and metal-reducing antioxidant power, suggesting that most of the contribution to antioxidant activity depends on the more polar bioactive compounds. G. simplicifolia extracts showed dose-dependent antiproliferative activity against three distinct cancer cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-7), with notable variations observed among both the different extracts and cell lines and divergent GI50 values, emphasizing substantial discrepancies in cell sensitivity to the various extracts. Furthermore, G. simplicifolia extracts revealed antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Our results highlight the potential of G. simplicifolia phytochemicals in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements.

In this study, the phytochemical profile and the antioxidative properties of Eugenia involucrata fruits were evaluated. Spectrophotometric assays indicated that these berries are a rich source of polyphenols with very high radical-scavenging and metal-reducing activities. High-performance liquid chromatography–Orbitrap analysis was able to carry out the annotation of 36 different compounds, mainly belonging to the flavonol, flavan-3-ol, and anthocyanin families. Antioxidant activity of the fruit extract was evaluated in a cell-based lipid peroxidation model. Obtained data showed that the extract, at very low concentration, was able to prevent oxidative damage in HepG2 cells exposed to oxidative stimuli. Moreover, the evaluation of the gene expression of the most important antioxidant enzymes suggested that the observed antioxidant protection in cells also involves an improvement in enzymatic antioxidant defenses. Finally, the collected data show that E. involucrata fruits are a good source of natural antioxidant molecules and provide evidence of their potential application in the nutraceutical field.

In the context of the contemporary research on sustainable development and circular economy, the quest for effective strategies aimed at revaluation of waste and by-products generated in industrial and agricultural production becomes important. In this work, an ethanolic extract from red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) seed waste (WRSP) was evaluated for its phytochemical composition and functional properties in term of antioxidative, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities. Chemical composition of the extract was determined by both HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and spectrophotometric methods. Phytochemical analysis revealed that flavan-3-ols and flavonols were the major phenolic compounds contained in WRSP. The extract demonstrated very high radical-scavenging (4.86 ± 0.06 µmol TE/DW) and antioxidant activity in a cell-based model (0.178 ± 0.03 mg DW/mL cell medium). The WRSP extract also exhibited antiproliferative activity against three different epithelial cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2, and HeLa cells) in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, microbiological assays showed the absence of colonies of bacteria and microscopic fungi (yeasts and molds) and revealed that the WRSP extract has a large inhibition spectrum against spoilage and pathogenic bacteria, without inhibitory activity against pro-technological bacteria. In conclusion, the obtained results show that WRSP is a rich source of phytochemical compounds exerting interesting biological activities. For these reasons WRSP could find applications in the nutritional, nutraceutical, and pharmacological fields.

Proanthocyanidins (PACs) are a class of polyphenolic compounds that are attracting considerable interest in the nutraceutical field due to their potential health benefits. However, knowledge about the chemistry, biosynthesis, and distribution of PACs is limited. This review summarizes the main chemical characteristics and biosynthetic pathways and the main analytical methods aimed at their identification and quantification in raw plant matrices. Furthermore, meta-analytic approaches were used to identify the main plant sources in which PACs were contained and to investigate their potential effect on human health. In particular, a cluster analysis identified PACs in 35 different plant families and 60 different plant parts normally consumed in the human diet. On the other hand, a literature search, coupled with forest plot analyses, highlighted how PACs can be actively involved in both local and systemic effects. Finally, the potential mechanisms of action through which PACs may impact human health were investigated, focusing on their systemic hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering effects and their local anti-inflammatory actions on the intestinal epithelium. Overall, this review may be considered a complete report in which chemical, biosynthetic, ecological, and pharmacological aspects of PACs are discussed.

In the past century, plant biostimulants have been increasingly used in agriculture as innovative and sustainable practice. Plant biostimulants have been mainly investigated as potential agents able to mitigate abiotic stress. However, few information is available about their ability to influence fruit quality or change fruit phytochemical composition. In particular, very little is known about their effects on anthocyanin synthesis and accumulation. Due to the increasing demand of consumers for healthier foods with high nutraceutical values, this review tries to fill the gap between anthocyanin content and biostimulant application. Here, we elucidate the chemical structure, biosynthetic pathway, plant distribution, and physiological role of anthocyanins in plants. Moreover, we discuss the potential implications for human health derived from the consumption of foods rich in these molecules. Finally, we report on literature data concerning the changes in anthocyanin content and profile after the application of biostimulant products on the most common anthocyanin-containing foods.

In this work, the food quality of four international (Campas, Chaffey, Fino de Jete and White) and three local (Daniela, Torre1 and Torre2) cultivars of Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill) was investigated. With this aim, pomological traits, sensorial attributes, physiochemical parameters (pH, total soluble content and total acidity), nutritional composition (macro- and micro-nutrients) and nutraceutical values (bioactive compounds, radical scavenging and antioxidant properties) were evaluated. Among the seven observed cultivars, Fino de Jete was identified as the best, not only for its commercial attributes such as pomological traits and physiochemical values, but also for its nutritional composition. On the other hand, Chaffey and Daniela were the cultivars with the highest content of polyphenols, proanthocyanidins, and with the strongest antioxidant capacity. Concerning the two local ecotypes, Torre1 and Torre2, they displayed a balanced nutritional profile that, if combined with their discrete nutraceutical, physicochemical and pomological values, may result in a reassessment of their commercial impact. In conclusion, our data provide interesting information about the pomological, nutritional, and nutraceutical properties of cherimoya fruits. Our results, in addition to promoting the commercial impact of local cultivars, may increase the use of individual cultivars in breeding programs.