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This study aimed to explore more efficient ways of administering caffeine to the body by investigating the impact of caffeine on the modulation of the nervous system's activity through the analysis of electrocardiographic signals (ECG). An ECG non-linear multi-band analysis using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) was employed to extract various features from healthy individuals exposed to different caffeine consumption methods: expresso coffee (EC), decaffeinated coffee (ED), Caffeine Oral Films (OF_caffeine), and placebo OF (OF_placebo). Non-linear feature distributions representing every ECG minute time series have been selected by PCA with different variance percentages to serve as inputs for 23 machine learning models in a leave-one-out cross-validation process for analyzing the behavior differences between ED/EC and OF_placebo/OF_caffeine groups, respectively, over time. The study generated 50-point accuracy curves per model, representing the discrimination power between groups throughout the 50 min. The best model accuracies for ED/EC varied between 30 and 70 %, (using the decision tree classifier) and OF_placebo/OF_caffeine ranged from 62 to 84 % (using Fine Gaussian). Notably, caffeine delivery through OFs demonstrated effective capacity compared to its placebo counterpart, as evidenced by significant differences in accuracy curves between OF_placebo/OF_caffeine. Caffeine delivery via OFs also exhibited rapid dissolution efficiency and controlled release rate over time, distinguishing it from EC. The study supports the potential of caffeine delivery through Caffeine OFs as a superior technology compared to traditional methods by means of ECG analysis. It highlights the efficiency of OFs in controlling the release of caffeine and underscores their promise for future caffeine delivery systems.

Background: Beef burgers are perishable meat products, and to extend their shelf life, EU Regulation 1129/11 permits the use of certain additives. Objectives: However, given the concerns of health-conscious consumers and the potential toxicity of synthetic substances, this study aimed to explore the use of fennel waste extracts as natural preservatives. Methods: This study characterized the bioactive compounds (phenolic content), the antioxidant activity (ABTS+ and DPPH assay), and the antimicrobial properties (against Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereusi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) of different fennel waste extracts (LF, liquid fraction; SF, solid fraction and PF, pellet fraction). Additionally, the potential use of the best fennel extract was evaluated for its impact on beef burger shelf life (up to 18 days at 4 ± 1 °C) in terms of microbiological profile, pH, and activity water (aw). Results: The PF extract, which was rich in flavones, hydroxybenzoic, and hydroxycinnamic acids, demonstrated the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Microbiological analyses on beef burgers with PF identified this extract as a potential antimicrobial substance. The aw and pH values did not appear to be affected. Conclusions: In conclusion, fennel extracts could be proposed as natural compounds exploitable in beef burgers to preserve their quality and extend their shelf-life.

Vaginal infections (VIs) are the result of the nefarious vaginal polymicrobial universe (i.e., Gardnerella vaginalis, Prevotella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Candida albicans, etc.), the inhabitants of which multiply and infect the surface of the vaginal epithelium, which serves as a scaffold for the adhesion of pathogenic poly-complexes with interactive abilities. VIs affect over 1 billion women per year and have a stunning annual relapse rate of 30%. These conditions impact women’s quality of life and fertility and cause oncogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) persistence. VIs are typically treated with oral (i.e., Flagyl®) and localized drug tablets and creams/gels (i.e., Clindesse®), with potential leakage from the vaginal tract upon administration leading to the failure of the treatment. This study intends to highlight polyphenols as potential therapeutic agents in terms of their benefits and limitations and suggest strategies to increase their effectiveness. Polyphenols are natural compounds rich in phenolic structures which have an impact on this type of pathology and deserve the utmost attention from researchers. Natural polyphenols have several advantages: renewability, biodegradability, low environmental impact, biocompatibility, application versatility, bioactive properties, and the potential for sustainable applications. These compounds, formulated in advanced delivery systems, may natively exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. The main objective of this review is to highlight the importance of researching new and effective formulations to prevent and treat VIs based on natural, controlled, and sustainable systems.

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating natural mineral waters (NMW), including thermal water (TW) and bottled mineral water (BMW), into bread (‘biju’ type) to enhance its mineral content and explore their impacts on physicochemical, technological, biochemical, and chemical composition. NMW, rich in sodium, potassium, and magnesium, resulted in bread formulations with higher contents of these minerals and greater total mineral levels, thus potentially enriching food products. Proximate composition analysis showed no significant differences in moisture, proteins, carbohydrates, and energy, except for lipids and soluble sugars. Texture analysis revealed that water type influenced textural properties, with salt content affecting hardness, springiness, and cohesiveness. Viability analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed consistent results across formulations, suggesting water pH and mineral content did not significantly affect fermentation. In addition, bread formulations without added salt were developed to assess the potential of sodium-rich NMW as a natural source of salt. For these samples, and considering the parameters assessed, except for salt and sodium content, the differences observed were slight compared to salt-added formulations, highlighting NMW’s potential to produce low-salt bread. These findings not only enhance the value of local resources but also offer an innovative and sustainable strategy for utilizing NMW springs across Europe.

The gut microbiome is shaped early in life by dietary and lifestyle factors. Specific compounds in the gut affect the growth of different bacterial species and the production of beneficial or harmful byproducts. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome has been linked to various diseases resulting from the presence of harmful bacteria and their byproducts. Existing methods for detecting microbial species, such as microscopic observation and molecular biological techniques, are costly, labor-intensive, and require skilled personnel. Biosensors, which integrate a recognition element, transducer, amplifier, signal processor, and display unit, can convert biological events into electronic signals. This review provides a comprehensive and systematic survey of scientific publications from 2018 to June 2024, obtained from ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Scopus databases. The aim was to evaluate the current state-of-the-art and identify knowledge gaps in the application of aptamer biosensors for the determination of gut microbiota. A total of 13 eligible publications were categorized based on the type of study: those using microbial bioreceptors (category 1) and those using aptamer bioreceptors (category 2) for the determination of gut microbiota. Point-of-care biosensors are being developed to monitor changes in metabolites that may lead to disease. They are well-suited for use in the healthcare system and offer an excellent alternative to traditional methods. Aptamers are gaining attention due to their stability, specificity, scalability, reproducibility, low production cost, and low immunogenicity. While there is limited research on using aptamers to detect human gut microbiota, they show promise for providing accurate, robust, and cost-effective diagnostic methods for monitoring the gut microbiome.

Since ancient times, thermal spring water has been proven to be beneficial to the skin and to improving dermatologic disorders, explaining its incorporation into cosmetic formulations as an active ingredient. Chaves thermal spring water, from northern Portugal, has been used as a local spa since Roman times, and its customers are satisfied with its medicinal quality. Despite the lack of published evidence on its specific effects on the skin, this study evaluates the potential of using Chaves thermal water as a cosmetic ingredient. The physiochemical composition demonstrated that Chaves thermal spring water is low-mineralized water, and its major components are sodium, potassium, silicon, and calcium. In vitro experiments demonstrated that this low mineralization might explain the absence of antioxidant and antiaging potential, and the maintenance of collagen and fibronectin levels. The quantification of the IL-6 levels showed that Chaves thermal spring water could be used as an anti-inflammatory product, suggesting its use by individuals with skin diseases. In agreement with this result, in vivo experiments revealed that Chaves thermal spring water improved the integrity of the skin barrier and preserved the skin microbial community. Overall, the present work suggests that Chaves thermal spring water might be used as a cosmetic product.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and serves multiple functions such as barrier protection and thermoregulation. The maintenance of its integrity and healthy structure is of paramount importance. Accordingly, technological advances in cosmetic sciences have been directed towards optimizing these factors. Plant-derived ingredients have been explored for their bioactivity profiles and sustainable sources. Grape by-products contain a group of bioactive molecules that display important biological activities. Nonetheless, many of these molecules (e.g., phenolic compounds) are unstable and susceptible to degradation. So, their encapsulation using nano/microsystems (i.e., microdispersions) has been explored as a promising solution. In this work, two grape seed extracts were obtained, one from a single grape variety (GSE-Ov) and another from a mix of five grape varieties (GSE-Sv). These extracts were analysed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, as well as their chemical composition and molecular structure. The extract that showed the most promising properties was GSE-Ov with a DPPH IC50 of 0.079 mg mL−1. This extract was encapsulated in soy lecithin microdispersions coated with pectin, with an encapsulation efficiency of 88.8%. They showed an in vitro release of polyphenols of 59.4% during 24 h. The particles displayed a zeta potential of −20.3 mV and an average diameter of 13.6 µm. Microdispersions proved to be safe under 5 and 2.5 mg mL−1 in HaCaT and HDF cell models, respectively. Additionally, they demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity against IL-1α when tested at 2 mg mL−1. This work enabled the valorisation of a by-product from the wine industry by using natural extracts in skincare products.

Preservative ingredients in cosmetic formulations undertake a necessary role in the prevention of microbial contamination. In this field, there is an unmet need for natural, sustainable, and effective preservatives. Thus, the main goal of this work was to evaluate a sugarcane straw extract-based ingredient and investigate its potential as a preservative for cosmetic applications. Different ingredients were developed using several cosmetic solvents to improve the solubility of the extracted compounds. The antimicrobial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The 1,2-hexanediol was the solvent that allowed us to achieve the ingredient (20% dry extract dispersed in 25% 1,2-hexanediol in water) with the best antimicrobial performance, showing a minimum inhibitory concentration of between 5% and 3% (I). The 5% (w/v) concentration of this ingredient complied with the USP51 standards for cosmetic preservatives. Real-time (25 °C, 65% RH) and accelerated stability (40 °C, 75% RH) tests were conducted to determine the ingredient stability, and it was found that one month of storage time at room temperature would be ideal for better ingredient stability and performance in terms of composition, pH, color, and antioxidant activity.

Fish by-products can be converted into high-value-added products like fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs), which have high nutritional value and are rich in bioactive peptides with health benefits. This study aims to characterise FPHs derived from salmon heads (HPSs) and Cape hake trimmings (HPHs) using Alcalase for enzymatic hydrolysis and Subcritical Water Hydrolysis (SWH) as an alternative method. All hydrolysates demonstrated high protein content (70.4–88.7%), with the degree of hydrolysis (DH) ranging from 10.7 to 36.4%. The peptide profile of FPHs indicated the breakdown of proteins into small peptides. HPSs showed higher levels of glycine and proline, while HPHs had higher concentrations of glutamic acid, leucine, threonine, and phenylalanine. Similar elemental profiles were observed in both HPHs and HPSs, and the levels of Cd, Pb, and Hg were well below the legislated limits. Hydrolysates do not have a negative effect on cell metabolism and contribute to cell growth. HPSs and HPHs exhibited high 2,2′–azino-bis(3 ethylbenzthiazoline-6)-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, Cu2+ and Fe2+ chelating activities, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, with HPHs generally displaying higher activities. The α-amylase inhibition of both FPHs was relatively low. These results indicate that HPHs are a promising natural source of nutritional compounds and bioactive peptides, making them potential candidates for use as an ingredient in new food products or nutraceuticals. SWH at 250 °C is a viable alternative to enzymatic methods for producing FPHs from salmon heads with high antioxidant and chelating properties.

Residual melon by-products were explored for the first time as a bioresource of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) obtention. Two alkaline extraction methods were employed, the traditional (4.5% NaOH, 2 h, 80 °C) and a thermo-alkaline in the autoclave (2% NaOH, 1 h, 100 °C), obtaining a yield of MCC ranging from 4.76 to 9.15% and 2.32 to 3.29%, respectively. The final MCCs were characterized for their chemical groups by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), crystallinity with X-ray diffraction, and morphology analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). FTIR spectra showed that the traditional protocol allows for a more effective hemicellulose and lignin removal from the melon residues than the thermo-alkaline process. The degree of crystallinity of MCC ranged from 51.51 to 61.94% and 54.80 to 55.07% for the thermo-alkaline and traditional processes, respectively. The peaks detected in X-ray diffraction patterns indicated the presence of Type I cellulose. SEM analysis revealed microcrystals with rough surfaces and great porosity, which could remark their high-water absorption capacity and drug-carrier capacities. Thus, these findings could respond to the need to valorize industrial melon by-products as raw materials for MCC obtention with potential applications as biodegradable materials.

Given the health risks associated with synthetic colorants, natural pigments have emerged as a promising alternative. These renewable choices not only provide health benefits but also offer valuable technical and sensory properties to food systems. The effective application of natural colorants, however, requires the optimization of processing conditions, exploration of new sources, and development of novel formulations to ensure stability and maintain their inherent qualities. Several natural pigment sources have been explored to achieve the broad color range desired by consumers. The purpose of this review is to explore the current advances in the obtention and utilization of natural pigments derived from by-products, which possess health-enhancing properties and are extracted through environmentally friendly methods. Moreover, this review provides new insights into the extraction processes, applications, and bioactivities of different types of pigments.

Recently, hand sanitization has gained attention for preventing disease transmission. Many on-the-market convenient dermal sanitizers contain alcohol, which can be detrimental to the skin. Therefore, three nanoemulgel formulations (LN-F1, LN-F2, LN-F3) incorporating lemon peel extract (LE), and with various increasing concentrations of xanthan gum as a gelling agent and stabilizer, were developed and characterized as a novel alternative. All formulations showed non-Newtonian shear-thinning flow behavior, particle size values below 200 nm, and increasing zeta potential with higher xanthan gum concentrations. All nanoemulgel formulations exhibited greater in vitro phenolic compound release than free LE. LN-F2 (1.0% LE, 20.0% mineral oil, 20.0% Span 80, 4.0% Cremophor RH 40, 4.0% PEG 400, 0.5% xanthan gum, 50.5% dH2O) was selected as the optimal formulation due to improved characteristics. LE and LN-F2 potential cytotoxicity was assessed on MA-104, showing no significant cellular morphological alterations up to 10 mg/mL for both samples. LN-F2 showed in vitro antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. Typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and C. albicans, as well as antiviral activity against phiX 174, but no effect against rotavirus (SA-11). In vivo, LN-F2 presented a removal capacity of 83% to 100% for bacteria and 89% to 100% for fungi. These findings suggest that the formulated nanoemulgel holds potential as a safe and effective antiseptic, providing a viable alternative to commercial alcohol-based formulations.

Grapefruit (GF) processing generates significant nutrient and economic losses due to the production of 50% by-products, primarily peels. GF peels are a rich and sustainable source of bioactive compounds (BCs), such as essential oils (EOs) and phenolic compounds. Thus, finding value-added solutions based on a circular economy is paramount. This research aims to assess the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties of a hydroethanolic polyphenol-rich extract from crude GF peels (GF-CE), essential oil (GF-EO), and polyphenol-rich extract from GF peels after essential oil extraction (GF-PE). The GF-CE and GF-PE showed high concentrations of naringenin (7.71 and 48.60 mg/g dry extract (DE)), narirutin (15.03 and 28.73 mg/g DE), and hesperidin (0.67 and 0.29 mg/mL), respectively. Extracting firstly EOs from GF improved the release of phenolic acids (p-coumaric, ferulic, and chlorogenic acid). The GF-CE exhibited stronger free radical scavenging activity mainly in DPPH (IC50 = 75.69 ± 0.81 µg/mL) than GF-EO (1271 ± 0.85 µg/mL) and GF-PE (113.45 ± 0.85 µg/mL). The GF-EO demonstrated moderate antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria compared to the reference standard (amoxicillin) and strong activity against the yeast Candida albicans (inhibition zone of 16 mm). The major compounds in the GF-EO included D-limonene (25%), nootkatone (24%), and β-pinene (8%). Both polyphenol-rich extracts showed promising activities as COX1 and COX2 inhibitors with IC50 values of 25 ± 0.1 and 0.28 ± 0.00 µg/mL (compared to celecoxib (97.5 ± 0.1 and 0.31 ± 0.01 µg/mL) and indomethacin (6.25 ± 0.00 and 0.52 ± 0.01 µg/mL) as the standards), respectively. The study concludes that GF peels are a valuable source of BCs with significant bioactivities, offering a sustainable multi-cascade approach to recovering value-added compounds from GF peels in alignment with circular economy principles and open opportunities as functional ingredients for food applications.

To improve fish welfare, it is essential that aquafeeds are designed to help fish cope with the stressful conditions of fish farms. One effective strategy to achieve this goal is to supplement the diet with bioactive hydrolysates. Here, diet supplementation to modulate oxidative stress after air exposure was investigated in European seabass, using swine blood hydrolysates (BH), obtained either by autohydrolysis (AH) or enzymatically. The enzymatically produced BH were further submitted to a micro- (RMF) and nanofiltration (RNF). Four isolipidic, isoproteic and isoenergetic diets were developed: a plant-based diet with low (12.5%) fishmeal levels (control, CTRL) and three diets where 3% of each BH (RMF, RNF and AH) was added to the CTRL. Diets were assigned to triplicate groups of 71 European seabass juveniles (initial weight 12.3 ± 1.4 g). After 12 weeks, 9 fish per treatment were either immediately sampled or air-exposed for 1 min and let to recover in a new system for 6 h prior to sampling. Stress response increased cortisol levels, followed by an increment in plasma lactate. The challenge increased liver lipid peroxidation (LPO) due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Carbonyls decreased post-stress, maybe due to a possible interaction with the LPO radicals, reducing protein oxidation. None of the BH improved plasma stress response. By reducing catalase levels without increasing LPO, the RNF treatment appears to adjust European seabass' antioxidant defences, indicating its potential to supply exogenous antioxidants to combat oxidative stress induced by ROS. However, this impact was not sufficient to lower LPO levels compared to a control plant-based diet. The tested diets seemed to affect the fish oxidative stress response in the liver, possibly due to the presence of bioactive peptides, which aided in the non-enzymatic modulation of stress response, as observed by the total antioxidant capacity values in the liver.

Blueberries, red fruits enriched in polyphenols and fibers, are envisaged as a promising nutraceutical intervention in a plethora of metabolic diseases. Prediabetes, an intermediate state between normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, fuels the development of complications, including hepatic steatosis. In previous work, we have demonstrated that blueberry juice (BJ) supplementation benefits glycemic control and lipid profile, which was accompanied by an amelioration of hepatic mitochondrial bioenergetics. The purpose of this study is to clarify the impact of long-term BJ nutraceutical intervention on cellular mechanisms that govern hepatic lipid homeostasis, namely autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in a rat model of prediabetes. Two groups of male Wistar rats, 8-weeks old, were fed a prediabetes-inducing high-fat diet (HFD) and one group was fed a control diet (CD). From the timepoint where the prediabetic phenotype was achieved (week 16) until the end of the study (week 24), one of the HFD-fed groups was daily orally supplemented with 25 g/kg body weight (BW) of BJ (HFD + BJ). BW, caloric intake, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were monitored throughout the study. The serum and hepatic lipid contents were quantified. Liver and interscapular brown and epidydimal white adipose tissue depots (iBAT and eWAT) were collected for histological analysis and to assess thermogenesis, ER stress and autophagy markers. The gut microbiota composition and the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) content were determined in colon fecal samples. BJ supplementation positively impacted glycemic control but was unable to prevent obesity and adiposity. BJ-treated animals presented a reduction in fecal SCFAs, increased markers of arrested iBAT thermogenesis and energy expenditure, together with an aggravation of HFD-induced lipotoxicity and hepatic steatosis, which were accompanied by the inhibition of autophagy and ER stress responses in the liver. In conclusion, despite the improvement of glucose tolerance, BJ supplementation promoted a major impact on lipid management mechanisms at liver and AT levels in prediabetic animals, which might affect disease course.

Citrus peels are an important by-product of citrus processing industries, but a large part is considered waste. There has been increased attention in the last five years on these industrial by-products, especially those containing residual essential oils (EOs). Lemon, orange, and mandarin peels from Egypt were subjected to hydro-distillation to obtain EOs, which were analyzed via mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and by building Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS-MN) for the purpose of visually exploring the volatile components of citrus species. The constructed MN revealed that D-Limonene, α-pinene, and β-pinene are the dominant volatile constituents in the three Egyptian citrus species. The EOs from three citrus peels exhibited promising activities as antioxidants using two tested methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) compared with vitamin C. Lemon EO proved excellent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria. Additionally, the three citrus EOs showed good activities against the yeast Candida albicans. Regarding the anti-inflammatory assay, the three citrus EOs showed promising activities as COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors. This study concludes that EOs extracted from citrus peel waste can be valorized as an innovative strategy for food preservation or may be incorporated in cosmetics and pharmaceutical formulations in alignment with circular economy principles.

The pursuit for better skin health, driven by collective and individual perceptions, has led to the demand for sustainable skincare products. Environmental factors and lifestyle choices can accelerate skin aging, causing issues like inflammation, wrinkles, elasticity loss, hyperpigmentation, and dryness. The skincare industry is innovating to meet consumers’ requests for cleaner and natural options. Simultaneously, environmental issues concerning waste generation have been leading to sustainable strategies based on the circular economy. A noteworthy solution consists of citrus by-product valorization, as such by-products can be used as a source of bioactive molecules. Citrus processing, particularly, generates substantial waste amounts (around 50% of the whole fruit), causing unprecedented environmental burdens. Hesperidin, a flavonoid abundant in orange peels, is considered to hold immense potential for clean skin health product applications due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. This review explores hesperidin extraction and purification methodologies as well as key skincare application areas: (i) antiaging and skin barrier enhancement, (ii) UV radiation-induced damage, (iii) hyperpigmentation and depigmentation conditions, (iv) wound healing, and (v) skin cancer and other cutaneous diseases. This work’s novelty lies in the comprehensive coverage of hesperidin’s promising skincare applications while also demonstrating its potential as a sustainable ingredient from a circular economy approach.

Nowadays, plant-based bioactive compounds (BCs) are a key focus of research, supporting sustainable food production and favored by consumers for their perceived safety and health advantages over synthetic options. Lavandula pedunculata (LP) is a Portuguese, native species relevant to the bioeconomy that can be useful as a source of natural BCs, mainly phenolic compounds. This study compared LP polyphenol-rich extracts from conventional maceration extraction (CE), microwave and ultrasound-assisted extraction (MAE and UAE). As a result, rosmarinic acid (58.68–48.27 mg/g DE) and salvianolic acid B (43.19–40.09 mg/g DE) were the most representative phenolic compounds in the LP extracts. The three methods exhibited high antioxidant activity, highlighting the ORAC (1306.0 to 1765.5 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/g DE) results. In addition, the extracts obtained with MAE and CE showed outstanding growth inhibition for B. cereus, S. aureus, E. coli, S. enterica and P. aeruginosa (>50%, at 10 mg/mL). The MAE extract showed the lowest IC50 (0.98 mg DE/mL) for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and the best results for α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibition (at 5 mg/mL, the inhibition was 87 and 73%, respectively). The LP polyphenol-rich extracts were also safe on caco-2 intestinal cells, and no mutagenicity was detected. The UAE had lower efficiency in obtaining LP polyphenol-rich extracts. MAE equaled CE’s efficiency, saving time and energy. LP shows potential as a sustainable raw material, allowing diverse extraction methods to safely develop health-promoting food and nutraceutical ingredients.

Natural and sustainable anti-aging ingredients have gained attention from the cosmetic industry. This study evaluated the anti-aging potential of a sugarcane straw extract-based (SSE) cosmetic ingredient. First, cytotoxicity tests were assessed in keratinocytes and fibroblast cell lines, and sensitization was carried out through the direct peptide reactivity assay. Subsequently, various anti-aging properties were investigated, including inhibiting skin aging-related enzymes, promoting elastin and hyaluronic acid synthesis, and anti-pollution activity. Finally, a permeability assay using a synthetic membrane resembling skin was conducted. The results demonstrated that the SSE ingredient effectively inhibited elastase (55%), collagenase (25%), and tyrosinase (47%) while promoting hyaluronic acid production at non-cytotoxic and low-sensitizer concentrations. Moreover, it reduced the inflammatory response provoked by urban pollution, as evidenced by decreased levels of IL1-α and IL-6. However, it was observed that the phenolic compounds predominantly reached the skin’s surface, indicating a limited ability to penetrate deeper layers of the skin. Therefore, it can be concluded that the SSE ingredient holds anti-aging properties, albeit with limited penetration into deeper skin layers. Further research and formulation advancements are needed to optimize the ingredient’s ability to reach and exert its effects in deeper skin layers.

Sugarcane straw (Saccharum officinarum) is a valuable coproduct renowned for its abundant polyphenolic content. However, extracting these polyphenols for natural ingredients faces challenges due to their inherent variability, influenced by biotic stress factors and plant characteristics. We explored the impact of five crucial factors on sugarcane straw polyphenolic diversity: (i) production area (Guariba, Valparaíso), (ii) borer insect (Diatraea saccharalis) infestation, (iii) plant age (first to seventh harvest), (iv) harvest season, and (v) plant variety. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to optimize polyphenol extraction conditions. A second-order polynomial model guided us to predict ideal sugarcane straw harvesting conditions for polyphenol-rich extracts. The analysis identified CU0618-variety straw, harvested in Guariba during the dry season (October 2020), at the seventh harvest stage, with 13.81% borer insect infection, as the prime source for high hydroxybenzoic acid (1010 µg/g), hydroxycinnamic acid (3119 µg/g), and flavone (573 µg/g) content and consequently high antioxidant capacity. The ANN model surpasses the RSM model, demonstrating superior predictive capabilities with higher coefficients of determination and reduced mean absolute deviations for each polyphenol class. This underscores the potential of artificial neural networks in forecasting and enhancing polyphenol extraction conditions, setting the stage for AI-driven advancements in crop management.

Dietary supplementation with hydrolysates has been suggested to influence muscle protein synthesis and fish growth. This study assessed the impact of including 3% swine blood hydrolysates (BH) in a plant-based diet on muscle cellularity and the expression of molecular markers related to muscle fibre proliferation and hypertrophic growth of European seabass. Three BH fractions were obtained by two different processes, autohydrolysis (AH-H) and enzymatic hydrolysis followed by micro- (RMF-H) and nanofiltration (RNF-H). Each BH was added to a commercial-based diet, where 50% of fishmeal was replaced by vegetable proteins (negative control, NC). A fishmeal-based diet was used as positive control, PC. The diets were fed to juveniles (12 g) during 74 days. The RMF group showed down-regulation of myod1 and fgf4, essential to myoblast proliferation and differentiation, and upregulation of mafbx, responsible for protein breakdown, resulting in impairment of muscle hyperplasic growth and the lowest muscle fibres number. However, compensatory growth mechanisms were observed through capn1 downregulation and mymk upregulation, suggesting decreased muscle proteolysis and increased myoblast fusion. Despite this, the compensatory mechanisms were insufficient as RMF group had the worst growth. RNF group had a final weight similar to the NC, but downregulation of fgf4, fgf6 and capn1 may compromise growth potential at long term. The expression of these genes in the AH group was similar to that in the FM-based diet. Despite not having demonstrated growth promotion ability, BH affect muscle growth and cellularity factors, prompting further research on commercial-sized fish to reveal their impact on important commercial traits.

The increase in environmental consciousness and stricter regulations has motivated industries to seek sustainable technologies that allow valorising wastewaters, contributing to the profitability of overall processes. Canning industry effluents, namely sardine cooking wastewater, have a high organic matter load, containing proteins and lipids. Their untreated discharge has a negative environmental impact and an economic cost. This work aims to design an integrated process that creates value with the costly sardine cooking wastewater effluent. The research strategy followed evaluates coagulation/flocculation technologies as pre-treatment of the sardine cooking wastewater followed by reverse osmosis. Two different added-value products were obtained: a solid fraction rich in proteins, lipids (above 20%), and aromas that might be used for feed/pet/aquaculture applications and, from the processing of the resultant aqueous stream by reverse osmosis, a natural flavouring additive, which can be applied in food/feed. Additionally, the permeate from reverse osmosis presents a much lower organic load than the original raw material, which may be reused in the overall process (e.g., as water for washings) or discharged at a lower cost, with environmental benefits and economic savings.

Abstract The meat industry generates large amounts of by-products that are costly to be treated and discarded ecologically; moreover, they could be used to extract high added-value compounds. In this work, we present an innovative combined process which allowed the parallel extraction of both organic and mineral compounds; more specifically protein hydrolysates and single-phase hydroxyapatite were obtained. The protein hydrolysates, extracted through an enzymatic hydrolysis with alcalase, showed a degree of hydrolysis of 53.3 ± 5.1%; moreover, they had a high protein content with peptides with molecular weight lower than 1.2 kDa. Their antioxidant activities, measured with ABTS and ORAC tests, were 21.1 ± 0.5 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g of dry extract and 87.7 ± 6.3 mg Trolox equivalent/g of dry extract, respectively. Single-phase hydroxyapatite, obtained with a simple calcination at 700 °C on the residues of the hydrolysis process, showed a Ca/P ratio close to the stoichiometric one (1.65 vs. 1.67) and presented a nanometric structure. This study reports a simple and feasible process for the valorization of porcine by-products in a large-scale up generating products with potential applications for environment remediation, biomedicine, nutrition and catalysis/bioenergy. Graphic Abstract

To meet the market demand for high-quality products, researchers and manufacturers have invested in the development of accurate methods for estimating shelf-life. Tests that consider the simultaneous effects of different parameters on food degradation are useful tools in shelf-life studies, as these parameters can directly influence quality and safety. With this in mind, the objective of this review is to gather pertinent information from recent studies (2006–2022) pertaining to multivariate analysis applied in accelerated shelf-life tests in order to facilitate a comprehensive understanding. The review focuses on multivariate techniques commonly employed in accelerated shelf-life modeling, namely, principal components analysis, partial least squares regression, orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis. Through an extensive literature review, the collected data represent the evolution of these methods, taking into account current trends, advances in food shelf-life techniques, and future perspectives. It was observed that the recent literature provides limited information on the determination of shelf-life under multiple accelerated factors. However, the studies analyzed showed that multivariate analysis can be a useful tool in the interpretation of quality characteristics and can accurately predict the shelf-life of foods compared to univariate kinetic procedures. The multivariate statistical methods addressed in this work are presented as a promising method for foods tested, being applied together with different chemometric techniques. This comprehensive review contributes to the body of knowledge surrounding accelerated shelf-life testing, offering valuable insights for researchers, manufacturers, and stakeholders in the food industry.

Background: Increasing research into probiotics is showing potential benefits for health in general and mental health in particular. Kombucha is a recent beverage and can be considered a probiotic drink, but little is known about its effects on physical and mental health. This product is experiencing growth in the market; however, there are no scientific results to support its potential for physical and mental health. Aim: This review article aims to draw attention to this issue and to highlight the lack of studies in this area. Key findings and conclusions: The lack of legislation for the correct marketing of this product may also constrain clinical studies. However, clinical studies are of utmost importance for an in-depth understanding of the effects of this product on the human body. More research is needed, not only to better understand the impact of Kombucha on the human body, but also to ensure the application of regulatory guidelines for its production and marketing and enable its safe and effective consumption.

Despite being rich in starch, over half of acorn production is undervalued. High hydrostatic pressure was used to modify the properties of Q. pyrenaica (0.1 and 460 MPa for 20 min) and Q. robur (0.1 and 333 MPa for 17.4 min) acorn starches to obtain high-valued ingredients. Pressure significantly altered the span distribution and heterogeneity of the acorn starch granules depending on the species, but their morphology was unaffected. Pressurization increased the amylose/amylopectin ratio and damaged starch contents, but the effect was more prominent in Q. pyrenaica than in Q. robur. However, the polymorphism, relative crystallinity, gelatinization temperatures, and enthalpies were preserved. The pressure effect on the starch properties depended on the property and species. The solubility, swelling power, and acorn gels’ resistance towards deformation for both species decreased after pressurization. For Q. pyrenaica starch, the in vitro digestibility increased, but the pseudoplastic behavior decreased after pressurization. No differences were seen for Q. robur. Regarding the commercial starch, acorn starches had lower gelatinization temperatures and enthalpies, lower in vitro digestibility, lower resistance towards deformation, superior pseudoplastic behavior, and overall higher solubility and swelling power until 80 °C. This encourages the usage of acorn starches as a new food ingredient.

Identifying bioactive molecules from marine organisms is still vastly understudied. Fish remain an untapped source of bioactive molecules, even when considering species whose toxicity to other fish species has been noticed before. We assessed potential applications of crude body mucus of the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobratachus didactylus) and characterized its peptide fraction composition. Mucus samples from three individuals (two wild and one captive) revealed potential antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antimicrobial activities. For antioxidant activity, the best results of 2371 ± 97 µmol Trolox Equivalent/g protein for ORAC and 154 ± 6 µmol Trolox Equivalent/g protein for ABTS were obtained. For antihypertensive activity, the relevant inhibitory activity of ACE resulted in IC50 of 60 ± 7 µg protein/mL. Antimicrobial activity was also identified against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The peptide profile of the crude body mucus was obtained through size exclusion chromatography, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 800 Da. LC-MS/MS allowed the detection of the most probable peptide sequences of this dominant peptide. This is the first study where the bioactive potential of mucus from the Lusitanian toadfish is demonstrated. Peptides with such properties can be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Elevated CO2 (eCO2) increase plant biomass and might lead to nutritional losses. The results showed that eCO2 under Fe-deficiency stimulates root dry weight from 0.37–0.80 g plant−1 and shoot dry weight from 0.82–2.10 g plant−1, without compromising root/shoot ratio. Besides, eCO2 improved the chlorophyl content of Fe-deficient plants. However, downregulation of photosynthesis, reduction in stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, and an increase in water-use efficiency was observed due to eCO2. Moreover, under Fe-deficiency, eCO2 decreased K and Mg in roots, and Mg in leaves, whereas increased P and Zn in roots and leaves. In Fe-sufficient plants, eCO2 increased K, P, Mn, Zn and Fe in leaves and did not change the concentration in roots. The Fe-deficiency-induced responses in roots, including the increase in FCR activity, and the expression of Fe-uptake genes were stimulated by eCO2, but were not sufficient to increase Fe concentration in Fe-deficient plants.

Abstract Cold-adapted organisms, such as fishes, insects, plants and bacteria produce a group of proteins known as antifreeze proteins (AFPs). The specific functions of AFPs, including thermal hysteresis (TH), ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI), dynamic ice shaping (DIS) and interaction with membranes, attracted significant interest for their incorporation into commercial products. AFPs represent their effects by lowering the water freezing point as well as preventing the growth of ice crystals and recrystallization during frozen storage. The potential of AFPs to modify ice growth results in ice crystal stabilizing over a defined temperature range and inhibiting ice recrystallization, which could minimize drip loss during thawing, improve the quality and increase the shelf-life of frozen products. Most cryopreservation studies using marine-derived AFPs have shown that the addition of AFPs can increase post-thaw viability. Nevertheless, the reduced availability of bulk proteins and the need of biotechnological techniques for industrial production, limit the possible usage in foods. Despite all these drawbacks, relatively small concentrations are enough to show activity, which suggests AFPs as potential food additives in the future. The present work aims to review the results of numerous investigations on marine-derived AFPs and discuss their structure, function, physicochemical properties, purification and potential applications. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The impact of elevated CO2 (eCO2) on soybean productivity is essential to the global food supply because it is the world's leading source of vegetable proteins. This study aimed to understand the yield responses and nutritional impact under free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) conditions of soybean genotypes. Here we report that grain yield increased by 46.9% and no reduction in harvest index was observed among soybean genotypes. Elevated CO2 improved the photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate, leaf area, plant height, and aboveground biomass at vegetative and pod filling stages. Besides the positive effects on yield parameters, eCO2 differentially affected the overall grain quality. The levels of calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), boron (B), and zinc (Zn) grain minerals decreased by 22.9, 9.0, 4.9, 10.1, 21.3, 28.1, 18.5, and 25.9% under eCO2 conditions, respectively. Soluble sugars and starch increased by 9.1 and 16.0%, respectively, phytic acid accumulation increased by 8.1%, but grain protein content significantly decreased by 5.6% across soybean genotypes. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity decreased by 36.9%, but the total phenolic content was not affected by eCO2 conditions. Genotypes, such as Winsconsin Black, Primorskaja, and L‐117, were considered the most responsive to eCO2 in terms of yield enhancement and less affected in the nutritional quality. Our results confirm the existence of genetic variability in soybean responses to eCO2, and differences between genotypes in yield improvement and decreased sensitivity to eCO2 in terms of grain quality loss could be included in future soybean selection to enable adaptation to climate change.

Abstract The cleaning or removal of manganese stains on Cultural Heritage has not been much tested or successful so far. The aim of this article was to assess a new green cleaning gel for Mn-rich black-blue stains on different substrates. The black-blue stains were characterized at optical and chemical level through colour-related data, optical microscope, FTIR, XRF and XPS. Mn-stained granite found on historical churches at Vila Real (North of Portugal) and glass jars of Leclanché cells, belonging to the ISEP’s Museum (Portugal) collection, were the ideal case studies to test the efficiency of chitosan: thiourea dioxide (TD) cleaning gel. TD proved to be the best candidate to reduce insoluble manganese oxides, over Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride and Hydroxymethanesulfinic Acid. Cleaning assays performed on stained granite samples collected at a historical quarry and in situ application on stained granite churches allowed removal of the stains to a satisfactory level. Similar results were obtained on stained glass jars.

The largest human organ, the skin, serves a variety of essential functions including protection, preservation of water and electrolytes, regulation of body temperature, and fat storage. Its maintenance and preservation are supported by cosmetic products, whose functions include cleaning, protection, and modulation. The market for these products is predicted to increase from 100.13 billion USD in 2021 to 145.82 billion USD in 2028. Recently, it has been suggested that grape by-products (totalling 14.5 million tons per year just in Europe) has a great potential to be used in the creation of new cosmetic products. In this regard, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the bioactive compounds in grape pomace, the advantages of applying them to the skin, and the main cosmetic products already on the market incorporating these bioactives. Most of these compounds are derived from the Vitis vinifera L. species, and exhibit several biological properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of skin degrading enzymes, protection from UVA damage, increased cell viability, and skin whitening effect. On the other hand, nanoencapsulation techniques can provide a significant improvement in the stability of grape-derived bioactive compounds, in particular of resveratrol, and this issue is also addressed in a critical manner in this review.

Nowadays, with consumers’ requirements shifting towards more natural solutions and the advent of nutraceutical-based approaches, new alternatives for obesity management are being developed. This work aimed to show, for the first time, the potential of avocado oil-fortified cheese as a viable foodstuff for obesity management through complex in vitro cellular models. The results showed that oleic and palmitic acids’ permeability through the Caco-2/HT29-MTX membrane peaked at the 2h mark, with the highest apparent permeability being registered for oleic acid (0.14 cm/s). Additionally, the permeated compounds were capable of modulating the metabolism of adipocytes present in the basal compartment, significantly reducing adipokine (leptin) and cytokine (MPC-1, IL-10, and TNF-α) production. The permeates (containing 3.30 µg/mL of palmitic acid and 2.16 µg/mL of oleic acid) also presented an overall anti-inflammatory activity upon Raw 264.7 macrophages, reducing IL-6 and TNF-α secretion. Despite in vivo assays being required, the data showed the potential of a functional dairy product as a valid food matrix to aid in obesity management.

Mental disorders are increasing worldwide, and efforts have been developed by multidisciplinary research groups to combine knowledge from different areas such as psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and biotechnology to develop strategies and products to promote the prevention of mental disorders. Excessive antipsychotic consumption is a public health problem, and innovative strategies must be devised. The development of innovative and, if possible, natural products is one of the strategies to combat this public health problem. Oral films are recent delivery systems that have been developed with several advantages that should be applied in this area. This review intends to draw attention to these new dosage forms of drugs and bioactive molecules pertinent to the field of mental health prevention and therapy and to the need for regulatory guidelines to ensure their quality and safety. This is a critical overview about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to oral film implementation in mental disorder treatment.

The purpose of this study was to assess the extraction of cellulose from stalks of vines using auto-hydrolysis and characterize it. As the results obtained, the colorimeter readings displayed a final yellow color of the fiber, demonstrating that the bleaching process was insufficient and that multiple bleaching processes might be required. According to the FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) data, there were stretching and deformation vibrationsof characteristic peak that represent cellulose (2900, 1500, and 1200 cm−1). Although lignin and hemicellulose were partially removed according to the FTIR, distinct cellulose yields were achieved for each fraction, including fractions 500, 300, 250, 150 µm, and retain, with values of 21.98, 12.70, 7.20, 5.74, and 3.11%, respectively. In sum, we were able to extract cellulose from the stalk vine, although the last step still needs to be optimized for better whitening.

Acorns, frequently left uncollected in the fields, have been a part of the traditional medicine of different cultures. Among the different properties associated with them, their antimicrobial potential is of particular importance. However, this characterization has long been superficial and has not ventured into other topics such as biofilm inhibition. Thus, the current work aimed to characterize the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potential of an array of phenolic rich extracts attained from acorns, two different acorn varieties Q. ilex and Q. suber, considering the fruit and shell separately, fresh and after heat-treating the acorns to aid in the shelling process. To accomplish this, the extracts’ capacity to inhibit an array of different microorganisms was evaluated, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined, time-death curves were drawn whenever an MBC was found and the antibiofilm potential of the most effective extracts was drawn. The overall results showed that Gram-positive microorganisms were the most susceptible out of all the microorganisms tested, with the shell extracts being the most effective overall, exhibiting bactericidal effect against S. aureus, B. cereus and L. monocytogenes as well as being capable of inhibiting biofilm formation via the two S. aureus strains. The attained results demonstrated that acorn extracts, particularly shell extracts, pose an interesting antimicrobial activity which could be exploited in an array of food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

White and red grape stalks biomass were fractioned to maximize its economic value by the production of fermentable sugars, as other value streams. High yields of extractives and lignin were first obtained, originating a biomass rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, which was subject to acid and enzymatic hydrolysis for production of fermentable sugars. Higher concentrations of sugars were obtained by enzymatic than by dilute acid hydrolysis. These biosugars were used for fermentation processes with Pichia stipitis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The presence of higher quantities of xylose favoured P. stipitis to produce higher ethanol yields than S. cerevisiae which is glucose lover. Cellulose nanocrystals were produced from the resulting biomass without monosaccharides. For the first time an integrated valorization of grape stalks followed by an application of one of the valorized streams is presented.

Carboxymethyl cellulose use in industry is ubiquitous. Though it is recognized as safe by the EFSA and FDA, newer works have raised concerns related to its safety, as in vivo studies showed evidence of gut dysbiosis associated with CMC’s presence. Herein lies the question, is CMC a gut pro-inflammatory compound? As no work addressed this question, we sought to understand whether CMC was pro-inflammatory through the immunomodulation of GI tract epithelial cells. The results showed that while CMC was not cytotoxic up to 25 mg/mL towards Caco-2, HT29-MTX and Hep G2 cells, it had an overall pro-inflammatory behavior. In a Caco-2 monolayer, CMC by itself increased IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α secretion, with the latter increasing by 1924%, and with these increases being 9.7 times superior to the one obtained for the IL-1β pro-inflammation control. In co-culture models, an increase in secretion in the apical side, particularly for IL-6 (692% increase), was observed, and when RAW 264.7 was added, data showed a more complex scenario as stimulation of pro-inflammatory (IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and IFN-β) cytokines in the basal side was observed. Considering these results, CMC may exert a pro-inflammatory effect in the intestinal lumen, and despite more studies being required, the incorporation of CMC in foodstuffs must be carefully considered in the future to minimize potential GI tract dysbiosis.

Bioactive fatty acids possess several benefits for human health; however, these molecules show a reduced oxidative stability and consequently reduced bioavailability. This work aimed to develop novel bigels as a strategy to protect bioactive fatty acids present in three different vegetable oils with nutritional attributes (coconut oil, avocado oil, and pomegranate oil) during passage through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Bigels were prepared using monoglycerides-vegetable oil oleogel and carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel. These bigels were analyzed in terms of structure and rheological characteristics. According to the rheological properties, bigels exhibited a solid-like behavior since G’ was higher than G”. The results showed that the proportion of oleogel was essential to the viscosity of the final formulation as an increase in this fraction was responsible for an increase in viscosity. The fatty acids profile was evaluated before and after simulated GIT. The bigels protected the fatty acids against degradation; in the case of coconut oil, the reduction of key fatty acids was 3 times lower; for avocado oil, 2 times lower; and for pomegranate oil, 1.7 times lower. These results suggest that bigels can be used as part of an important strategy for bioactive fatty acid delivery for food applications.

Citrus trees are among the most abundant fruit trees in the world, with an annual production of around 124 million tonnes. Lemons and limes are among the most significant contributors, producing nearly 16 million tonnes per year. The processing and consumption of citrus fruits generates a significant amount of waste, including peels, pulp, seeds, and pomace, which represents about 50% of the fresh fruit. Citrus limon (C. limon) by-products are composed of significant amounts of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, vitamins, essential oils, and fibres, which give them nutritional value and health benefits such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These by-products, which are typically discarded as waste in the environment, can be explored to produce new functional ingredients, a desirable approach from a circular economy perspective. The present review systematically summarizes the potential high-biological-value components extracted from by-products to achieve a zero-waste goal, focusing on the recovery of three main fractions: essential oils, phenolic compounds, and dietary fibres, present in C. limon by-products, and their applications in food preservation.

Difficult-to-treat infections make complex wounds a problem of great clinical and socio-economic impact. Moreover, model therapies of wound care are increasing antibiotic resistance and becoming a critical problem, beyond healing. Therefore, phytochemicals are promising alternatives, with both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities to heal, strike infection, and the inherent microbial resistance. Hereupon, chitosan (CS)-based microparticles (as CM) were designed and developed as carriers of tannic acid (TA). These CMTA were designed to improve TA stability, bioavailability, and delivery in situ. The CMTA were prepared by spray dryer technique and were characterized regarding encapsulation efficiency, kinetic release, and morphology. Antimicrobial potential was evaluated against methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, as common wound pathogens, and the agar diffusion inhibition growth zones were tested for antimicrobial profile. Biocompatibility tests were performed using human dermal fibroblasts. CMTA had a satisfactory product yield of ca. 32% and high encapsulation efficiency of ca. 99%. Diameters were lower than 10 μm, and the particles showed a spherical morphology. The developed microsystems were also antimicrobial for representative Gram+, Gram−, and yeast as common wound contaminants. CMTA improved cell viability (ca. 73%) and proliferation (ca. 70%) compared to free TA in solution and even compared to the physical mixture of CS and TA in dermal fibroblasts.

Poor aqueous solubility, stability and bioavailability of interesting bioactive compounds is a challenge in the development of bioactive formulations. Cellulose nanostructures are promising and sustainable carriers with unique features that may be used in enabling delivery strategies. In this work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibers were investigated as carriers for the delivery of curcumin, a model liposoluble compound. Nanocellulose modification with the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), tannic acid and decylamine (TADA), and by TEMPO-mediated oxidation were also tested and compared. The carrier materials were characterized in terms of structural properties and surface charge, while the delivery systems were evaluated for their encapsulation and release properties. The release profile was assessed in conditions that mimic the gastric and intestinal fluids, and cytotoxicity studies were performed in intestinal cells to confirm safe application. Modification with CTAB and TADA resulted in high curcumin encapsulation efficiencies of 90 and 99%, respectively. While no curcumin was released from TADA-modified nanocellulose in simulated gastrointestinal conditions, CNC-CTAB allowed for a curcumin-sustained release of ca. 50% over 8 h. Furthermore, the CNC-CTAB delivery system showed no cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 intestinal cells up to 0.125 g/L, meaning that up to this concentration the system is safe to use. Overall, the use of the delivery systems allowed for the reduction in the cytotoxicity associated with higher curcumin concentrations, highlighting the potential of nanocellulose encapsulation systems.

The production of postbiotics for food applications has been growing in recent years owing to their biological potential and superior technological performance over probiotics. Their production involves the use of synthetic culture media, and in this work, we propose using sugarcane straw as a source of sugar and biological components and a sustainable alternative. Thus, this by-product was used as a substrate to produce a postbiotic extract using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a fermentative microorganism. Sugarcane straw underwent a precedent saccharification step to release the fermentable sugars. The final extracts were characterized for their total content of sugars, phenolic compounds, organic acids, and their respective chromatographic profiles. Seventeen different polyphenols were identified with the predominance of three classes, the hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonoids, where ferulic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid were most prevalent. The current work evaluated the potential use of this postbiotic extract for food applications, its antioxidant activity, gut microbiota modulatory effect, and intestinal anti-inflammatory potential. The resultant extracts showed considerable antioxidant activity and the ability to lower the pro-inflammatory mediators (i.e., interleukin 6, 8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in Caco-2 cells. During the fecal fermentability assay, no modulatory effect was observed on the main beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Nevertheless, a significant increase in short-chain fatty acids, namely, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate was observed. Moreover, the extract also demonstrated capacity to inhibit the proliferation of putrefactive bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, sustainable postbiotic extracts produced by S. cerevisiae fermentation using sugarcane straw as a substrate exhibited relevant biological properties with potential use as food and nutraceutical ingredients.

Quercus ilex leaf constitute a rich source of bioactive compounds, especially phenolic compounds, with health and technological properties. In this study, the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the bioaccessibility and bioactivity of phenolic compounds from ground leaf (GL) and leaf powder extract (PE) was evaluated for the first time. The GL showed an increase in antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and individual phenolic compounds identified in the oral and gastric phase, decreasing in the intestinal and absorption (dialysis) phases, while PE showed a slight decrease in the oral and gastric phase and a more pronounced reduction in the last phases. Although the content of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity were higher in the initial PE, the bioaccessibility (55.27% in GL vs. 34.23% in PE) and the recovery in the last step of the gastrointestinal tract in the colon-available fraction (29.24% in GL vs. 27.90% in PE) were higher in GL. The PE showed high antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica and Staphylococcus aureus, showing minimum inhibitory concentration values between 1 and 5 mg/mL. These results showed the complexity and richness of Q. ilex PE and GL in phenolics with high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, underlining their use as a source of biofunctional compounds for the development of novel food additives and nutraceuticals.

Bioactive lipids play an important role in human health and their benefits are linked to their chemical nature; for example, medium-chain fatty acids can have an important contribution to body weight management. This work aimed to test a strategy to enhance the quality profile and gastrointestinal tract resistance of previously developed vegetable oil-functionalized yogurts and further probe the biological potential of functionalized yogurts. Fortification with coconut and avocado vegetable oils led to increased nutritional value through an increase in essential fatty acids content, particularly in yogurts with vegetable oil bigels. One of the main problems with bioactive fatty acids fortification is their poor stability during in vitro digestion and consequently poor bioavailability. Despite this, the digested samples decreased lipid accumulation in Hep G2 and 3T3-L1 cells Functionalized yogurts were also responsible for high improvements in adiponectin secretion (35% for COY, 46% for CBY, 53% for AOY, and 48% ABY) compared with control yogurt. Moreover, in the inflammatory model, a reduction between 30% (for control yogurt) and 70% (for CBY) was observed for IL-6 secretion in LPS-stimulated cells. Considering these results, yogurt’s fortification with vegetable oils can be a viable alternative strategy to be scaled up for obesity management.

In the last decade, selectively tuned bio-based polyesters have been increasingly used for their clinical potential in several biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. With a biomedical application in mind, a flexible polyester was produced by melt polycondensation using the microbial oil residue collected after the distillation of β-farnesene (FDR) produced industrially by genetically modified yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After characterization, the polyester exhibited elongation up to 150% and presented Tg of −51.2 °C and Tm of 169.8 °C. In vitro degradation revealed a mass loss of about 87% after storage in PBS solution for 11 weeks under accelerated conditions (40 °C, RH = 75%). The water contact angle revealed a hydrophilic character, and biocompatibility with skin cells was demonstrated. 3D and 2D scaffolds were produced by salt-leaching, and a controlled release study at 30 °C was performed with Rhodamine B base (RBB, 3D) and curcumin (CRC, 2D), showing a diffusion-controlled mechanism with about 29.3% of RBB released after 48 h and 50.4% of CRC after 7 h. This polymer offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative for the potential use of the controlled release of active principles for wound dressing applications.

Blueberry extracts have been widely recognized as possessing antimicrobial activity against several potential pathogens. However, the contextualization of the interaction of these extracts with beneficial bacteria (i.e., probiotics), particularly when considering the food applications of these products, may be of importance, not only because their presence is important in the regular gut microbiota, but also because they are important constituents of regular and functional foodstuffs. Therefore, the present work first sought to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of a blueberry extract upon four potential food pathogens and, after identifying the active concentrations, evaluated their impact upon the growth and metabolic activity (organic acid production and sugar consumption) of five potential probiotic microorganisms. Results showed that the extract, at a concentration that inhibited L. monocytogenes, B. cereus, E. coli and S. enteritidis (1000 μg mL−1), had no inhibitory effect on the growth of the potential probiotic stains used. However, the results demonstrated, for the first time, that the extract had a significant impact on the metabolic activity of all probiotic strains, resulting in higher amounts of organic acid production (acetic, citric and lactic acids) and an earlier production of propionic acid.

Tomato by-products from processing industries have a higher potential to be reused as a source of bioactive compounds. Reliable national data on tomato by-products and physicochemical characterisation that will inform and find effective planning on tomato waste management in Portugal is absent. To help obtain this knowledge, selected Portugal companies were recruited to obtain representative samples of by-products generation, and physicochemical composition was evaluated. Furthermore, an environmental-friendly method (the ohmic heating (OH) method, which allows the recovery of bioactive compounds in absence of hazardous reagents) was also used and compared with conventional methods to explore new safe value-added ingredients. Total antioxidant capacity and total and individual phenolic compounds were also evaluated by spectrophotometric and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. Tomato processing by-products have revealed a higher potential since both collected samples from companies were rich in protein (between 16.3 to 19.4 g/100 g DW, with fibre content ranging from 57.8 to 59.0 g/100 g DW). In addition, these samples contain 17.0 g/100 g of fatty acids (mainly polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated, such as linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acid, respectively). Also, they present mainly chlorogenic acid and rutin as phenolic compounds. After understanding its composition, the OH was applied to determine added-value solutions to tomato by-products. With extractions, two types of fractions were obtained, namely liquid fraction rich in phenols, free sugars, and carotenoids and a solid fraction rich in fibre bound to phenols and carotenoids. This treatment has been shown to have the ability to preserve carotenoids, such as lycopene relative to conventional methods. Nevertheless, new molecules were identified by LC-ESI-UHR-OqTOF-MS analysis, such as phene-di-hexane and N-acethyl-D-tryptophan. According to the results, the OH boosts the potential of tomato by-products and can be directly introduced into the process, contributing to the circular economy and zero by-products.

Ionic gelation is among the simplest processes for the development of chitosan nanoparticles reported so far in the literature. Its one-shot synthesis process in conjunction with the mild reaction conditions required are among the main causes for its success. In this work, we sought to optimize a set of physical parameters associated with the ionic gelation process at two different pH values. Following that, the NPs’ freeze-drying and long-term storage stability were assayed, and their biocompatibility with HaCat cells was evaluated. The results show that NPs were more homogenously produced at pH 5, and that at this pH value, it was possible to obtain a set of optimum production conditions. Furthermore, of the assayed parameters, TPP addition time and overall reaction time were the parameters which had a significant impact on the produced NPs. Nanoparticle freeze-drying led to particle aggregation, and, of the cryoprotectants, assayed mannitol at 10% (w/v) presented the best performance, as the NPs were stable to freeze-drying and maintained their size and charge in the long-term stability assay. Lastly, the chitosan NPs presented no toxicity towards the HaCat cell line.

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought upon the world an unprecedented challenge. During its acute dissemination, a rush for vaccines started, making the scientific community come together and contribute to the development of efficient therapeutic agents and vaccines. Natural products have been used as sources of individual molecules and extracts capable of inhibiting/neutralizing several microorganisms, including viruses. Natural extracts have shown effective results against the coronavirus family, when first tested in the outbreak of SARS-CoV-1, back in 2002. In this review, the relationship between natural extracts and SARS-CoV is discussed, while also providing insight into misinformation regarding the use of plants as possible therapeutic agents. Studies with plant extracts on coronaviruses are presented, as well as the main inhibition assays and trends for the future regarding the yet unknown long-lasting effects post-infection with SARS-CoV-2.