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Girdling is an ancient agronomic technique that causes a change in the distribution of photosynthates, mineral nutrients and plant hormones. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of girdli...

The morphological characteristics and health-promoting components (anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid) together with the in-vitro antioxidant capacity of hips collected from four rose species (Rosa canina, R. corymbifera, R. micrantha, and R. sempervirens) growing in Sicily (South Italy) were evaluated. The results revealed significant variability among the rose species as the hips collected from R. canina and R. sempervirens exhibited the highest total polyphenol contents (6784.5 and 6241.2 mg GAE/100 g DW, respectively) and highest antioxidant activities, whereas R. canina and R. micrantha hips had the highest total anthocyanin contents (2.94 and 3.86 mg CGE/100 g DW, respectively). The data showed that the analysed Sicilian rose hips have good nutritional quality, making them suitable as functional foods according to their biochemical composition and as promising sources of natural antioxidants. Also, these findings confirm that rose pseudo-fruits contain significant amounts of secondary metabolites that may positively affect human health.

Several natural products have been reported to be involved in the suppression of adipogenesis. In this study, we reveal that a bergamot extract (BE) decreased the accumulation of intracellular lipids in murine pre-adipocytes 3T3-L1 cells during adipogenic differentiation. Both the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity and the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes could be used as a strategy for the treatment and prevention of obesity. The results of this study show a reduction of HMG-CoA activity and of lipid droplet accumulation in the presence of the BE, suggesting the potential of BE as an anti-adipogenic agent to lower the content of cholesterol and body fat and prevent a gain in body weight. Moreover, BE as the result of high percentages of flavonoid compounds such as neoriocitrin, naringin and neohesperidin, the main flavonoids contained in BE, led to significant inhibition of DPPH free radical, demonstrating a strong radical scavenging activity.

In this work, we investigated the effects of red orange and lemon extract (RLE) on ochratoxin A (OTA)-induced nephrotoxicity. In particular, we analyzed the change in renal function and oxidative stress in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with OTA (0.5 mg/kg body weight, b.w.) and with RLE (90 mg/kg b.w.) by oral administration. After OTA treatment, we found alterations of biochemical and oxidative stress parameters in the kidney, related to a severe decrease of glomerular filtration rate. The RLE treatment normalized the activity of antioxidant enzymes and prevented the glomerular hyperfiltration. Histopathological examinations revealed glomerular damages and kidney cortex fibrosis in OTA-rats, while we observed less severe fibrosis in OTA plus RLE group. Then, we demonstrated that oxidative stress could be the cause of OTA renal injury and that RLE reduces this effect.

Citrus fruits are rich sources of bioactive compounds and their consumption is associated to health-promoting effects. Citrus processing wastes contain bioflavonoids and other high added value compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiallergic properties of a new phytoextract obtained by citrus wastes and peels. Blood orange and lemon processing wastes were used to produce a Red orange and Lemon Extract (RLE). Blood samples from 30 allergic donors were collected and used to evaluate the basophil activation (CD203c) and degranulation (CD63) by stimulation trough allergen with and without the RLE. Reduced basophil expression of CD203c and CD63 were observed in RLE + Allergen treated samples, with -20.21% of CD203c expression (p < 0.0001) and -54.11% of CD63 expression (p < 0.0001), compared to Allergen treated samples. The RLE evidenced a good antiallergic activity, mainly acting on basophils degranulation, and therefore reducing the key event of pro-inflammatory mediators release after allergic stimuli.

Lemon fruit is a source of bioactive compounds, which has many beneficial effects on health. Obesity is characterized by over-accumulation of adipose tissue as a result of increased adipocyte size and number. Adipogenesis is mediated and assisted by various transcription factors that induce lipid-metabolizing enzymes followed by an increase of perilipin expression and lipid droplets generation. Here, we evaluate the effect of lemon extract (LE) as radical scavenger and the consequent regulation of adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation. 3T3-L1 murine pre-adipocytes were differentiated and treated with different LE concentrations. The high percentages of flavonoid contained in LE led to a significant inhibition of DPPH radical and reactive oxygen species, demonstrating a strong radical scavenger activity. Treatment of 3T3-cells with LE showed a significant decrease of perilipin expression, subsequently confirmed by the reduction of lipid droplet accumulation, resulting from Oil Red O Staining and by the downregulation of PPARγ and DGAT-1mRNA.

The consumption of plant-based food is important for health promotion, especially regarding the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. We investigated the effects of a lemon extract (LE), containing ≥20.0% total flavanones and ≥1.0% total hydroxycinnamic acids, on insulin signaling in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with TNF-α, which was used to mimic in vitro the insulin resistance condition that characterizes diabetes mellitus. Our results showed LE increased PPARγ, GLUT4 and DGAT-1 levels, demonstrating the potential of this lemon extract in the management of insulin resistance conditions associated with TNF-α pathway activation. LE treatment further decreased the release of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and restored triglyceride synthesis, which is the main feature of a healthy adipocyte.

Citrus fruits are well-accepted by consumers all over the world because of their attractive colors, pleasant flavors and aroma, as well as for their well-known nutrition and health-promoting values. Citrus fruits are a good source of dietary antioxidants, which are vital in both health promotion and in the prevention and treatment of various human chronic and degenerative diseases. Flavonoids are the most abundant phenolic compounds found in Citrus fruits. Four types of flavonoids occur in Citrus species: flavanones, flavones, flavonols, and anthocyanins, with the latter group occurring only in blood oranges and in some of their hybrids. Moreover, these pigments are expressed in the young shoots and some floral tissues (new growth) of lemon, lime, and citron as well as in the peel (flavedo) of ‘ISA Red lemon’. Other phenolic compounds often found in Citrus are hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids. These compounds, and mostly anthocyanins, contribute to protect against certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases, reduce oxidative stress in diabetic patients, and protect DNA against oxidative damage.

Cold storage may cause changes in the volatile and non-volatile components of orange fruit, in association with the decrement of the characteristic fruit flavour and sensory acceptability. The aim of this work was to evaluate the changes of some non-volatile taste-altering components (total and individual sugars, acids, anthocyanins, putrescine and limonin) that may affect the organoleptic perception of cold-stored orange fruit. Three blood orange varieties ('Tarocco TDV', 'Tarocco Gallo', and 'Moro') and a common variety ('Washington navel') were stored at 6 ± 1 °C and 90–95% Relative Humidity (RH) for 60 d. Chemical and sensory assessments were performed during fruit storage at 15 d intervals. During storage, no dramatic change of the physicochemical parameters was recorded and the ascorbic acid content remained almost unchanged in all varieties. As expected, total anthocyanins significantly increased during storage. Limonin significantly decreased in all varieties. A consistent and significant increase in putrescine occurred during storage in the fruit of the pigmented varieties, not recorded in the common orange variety. Putrescine behaviour showed direct correlation with the accumulation of off-flavour in cold-stored 'Moro' and 'T. TDV' fruit, showing a clear influence of its relative concentration on the sensory perception of fruit. Finally, principal component analysis showed that the complete quality profile of the four investigated varieties represented clear differentiation without overlapping clusters. Our results suggest that the arise of a negative sensory perception in cold stored blood orange fruit might be linked to their accumulation of putrescine.

The major cause of end-stage renal disease is the diabetic nephropathy. Oxidative stress contributes to the development of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study we have evaluated the effect of a diet with a new standardized of red orange and lemon extract (RLE) rich in anthocyanins (ANT) in the progression of the kidney disease on Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Oxidative stress and renal function were analyzed. In diabetic rats, the RLE restored the blood glucose levels, body weight, and normalized the reactive oxygen species (ROS) total pathways. The kidney inflammation, in diabetic rats, has not shown significant change, showing that the oxidative stress rather than to inflammatory processes is a triggering factor in the renal complication associated with T2DM. Therefore, the administration of the RLE prevents this complication and this effect could be related to the inhibition of ROS production.

BACKGROUND Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments belonging to the flavonoid family. They are typically present in the flesh and peel in the blood orange cultivars. Although blood orange young shoots and flowers are not anthocyanin-colored, lemon, citron, rangpur lime, and Meyer lemon young shoots and flowers exhibit marked pigmentation as a result of anthocyanins, demonstrating that anthocyanin biosynthesis in the Citrus genus is both tissue- and genotype-dependent. The present study aimed to examine the qualitative and quantitative anthocyanin profile of fruit and other tissues from different Citrus species. RESULTS The presence of anthocyanin-pigmented stigmas in the young flowers of a blood orange tree (cv. ‘Moro’) was characterized and reported for the first time. The dominant pigments in blood orange fruits were cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-(6′′-malonyl-glucoside), whereas different patterns were observed in the young shoots, flowers and peel tissues of different Citrus species. CONCLUSION The present study is the first to report differentially expressed anthocyanin pigmentation patterns in different organs from several species of the genus Citrus. The results obtained could also represent a starting point for further investigations that aim to better understand which regulatory genes are involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in the fruits, shoots and floral tissues of different Citrus species. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

BACKGROUND The phytotherapic treatment of overweight and/or moderate obesity is growing widely, thus there is a great interest towards the phenolic compounds of fruits and vegetables which may inhibit pancreatic lipase enzyme. In this study, we report the chemical composition and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of 13 freeze-dried anthocyanin-containing extracts of different Mediterranean plants: fruits (blood orange, pomegranate, blackberry, mulberry and sumac), citrus by-products (blood orange peel), citrus vegetative tissues (young lemon shoots); vegetables (red cabbage and violet cauliflower), legume seeds (black bean), cereals (black rice), and cereal processing by-products (black rice hull). Total phenols and anthocyanins were determined. Individual anthocyanins were identified by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/MSn. RESULTS Results revealed a wide variation in the distribution of anthocyanin compounds. Blood orange and pomegranate juice extracts had the highest total anthocyanin content and exhibited the strongest inhibition of pancreatic lipase in vitro. CONCLUSION Inhibitory activity was positively correlated with anthocyanin content. In appropriate formulations, anthocyanin-containing extracts could find a use as anti-obesity agents. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Minimally processed table grapes have traditionally been used as a component of fruit salads; only recently has been taken into account the possibility of producing single-portion packages in small containers. The aim of this research was to assess the shelf-life of small table grape clusters, including some of the most utilized varieties in Italy, such as ‘Vittoria’, ‘Superior seedless®’, ‘Italia’, ‘Crimson seedless’, ‘Red Globe’ and ‘Black Pearl’, packed in polyethylene containers. Chemometric techniques including principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were carried out on six parameters to develop discriminant models. The berry firmness remained satisfactory until the 15th day of storage, especially in seedless cultivars such as ‘Superior seedless®’ and ‘Crimson seedless’. Variations of weight loss and colour were almost absent in all cultivars. A significant increase in CO2 and a decrease in O2 inside the packages were observed during the second week of storage. During the cold storage period, most of the quality parameters remained stable in all cultivars. LDA achieved satisfactory discrimination of grape fruits according to the variety and the storage time. The results indicated the possibility of packaging small clusters of table grapes that could maintain good quality parameters for a rather long storage period without excessive reduction of the antioxidant activity of the product.

The cultivation of lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm f.) has occurred for centuries at the mountainsides of the Mount Etna the largest active volcano in Europe (Sicily, Italy). The peculiar geographical, soil and climatic conditions that characterize this area have recently prompted citrus growers to launch the brand name 'Limone dell'Etna' for the lemon fruits produced in that area. The present research focused on evaluating the quality and nutraceutical properties of the 'Limone dell'Etna' fruit juice ('Primofiore', 'Bianchetto', and 'Verdello' blooming) to enhance the value of a product that, due to its peculiar qualities, could be awarded with one of the European certified labels protecting the lemon geographical origin. Qualitative parameters, health-promoting components (such as ascorbic acid, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids) and the in-vitro total antioxidant capacity (ORAC, FCR) of fruit juice of two different varieties ('Femminello zagara bianca' and 'Monachello') were determined at fruit maturity. The results showed that the Bianchetto and Verdello lemon fruit exhibited higher levels of ascorbic acid than those recorded for the Primofiore production. The amount of flavonoids in Verdello fruits of both cultivars was the highest, as was reflected in the highest antioxidant activity. Thus, the 'Limone dell'Etna' production, with particular reference to the Verdello fruit, must be considered as a new, valuable and original source of natural antioxidants to be valorized and even exploited in the processing industry.

The fruit quality characteristics, phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities of 24 sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars grown on the mountainsides of the Etna volcano (Sicily, Italy) were evaluated. High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were used to identify and quantify sugars, organic acids and phenolics. A total of seven phenolic compounds were characterised as hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (neochlorogenic acid, p-coumaroylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid) and anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, pelargonidin 3-rutinoside and peonidin 3-rutinoside). The total anthocyanin content ranged from 6.21 to 94.20mg cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalents/100g fresh weight (FW), while the total phenol content ranged from 84.96 to 162.21mg gallic acid equivalents/100g FW. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay indicated that fruit of all genotypes possessed considerable antioxidant activity. The high level of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of some sweet cherry fruits implied that they might be sources of bioactive compounds that are relevant to human health.

Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments belonging to the flavonoid family. They are typically present in the flesh and peel in the blood orange cultivars. Although blood orange young shoots and flowers are not anthocyanin-colored, lemon, citron, rangpur lime, and Meyer lemon young shoots and flowers exhibit marked pigmentation as a result of anthocyanins, demonstrating that anthocyanin biosynthesis in the Citrus genus is both tissue- and genotype-dependent. The present study aimed to examine the qualitative and quantitative anthocyanin profile of fruit and other tissues from different Citrus species.The presence of anthocyanin-pigmented stigmas in the young flowers of a blood orange tree (cv. 'Moro') was characterized and reported for the first time. The dominant pigments in blood orange fruits were cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-(6''-malonyl-glucoside), whereas different patterns were observed in the young shoots, flowers and peel tissues of different Citrus species.The present study is the first to report differentially expressed anthocyanin pigmentation patterns in different organs from several species of the genus Citrus. The results obtained could also represent a starting point for further investigations that aim to better understand which regulatory genes are involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in the fruits, shoots and floral tissues of different Citrus species. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

In this work we describe the chemical and physical changes of Sicilian extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) heated at 90° in a conventional oven for one month. The effects of the thermal treatment along days on volatile compounds and vis- cosity were monitored using electronic nose, gas chromatography and rheology. Data obtained by these techniques were combined in order to create a data matrix for the analysis, and the unsupervised method Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. A synergistic effect was obtained by combining all data, thus allowing discriminating oil samples ac- cording to their oxidative status.

Food traceability is increasingly relevant with respect to safety, quality and typicality issues. Lemon fruits grown in a typical lemon-growing area of southern Italy (Siracusa), have been awarded the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) recognition as 'Limone di Siracusa'. Due to its peculiarity, consumers have an increasing interest about this product. The detection of potential fraud could be improved by using the tools linking the composition of this production to its typical features. This study used a wide range of analytical techniques, including conventional techniques and analytical approaches, such as spectral (NIR spectra), multi-elemental (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Li, Sr) and isotopic ((13)C/(12)C, (18)O/(16)O) marker investigations, joined with multivariate statistical analysis, such as PLS-DA (Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis) and LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis), to implement a traceability system to verify the authenticity of 'Limone di Siracusa' production. The results demonstrated a very good geographical discrimination rate.

article i nfo The work described here deals with the effectiveness of using high-pressure carbon dioxide treatment (HPCD) to stabilise freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Technical planning of a continuous high-pressure supercritical carbon dioxide pilot system, suitable for development on an industrial scale, was carried out in our lab. To determine the optimal operating conditions (temperature, pressure, and CO2/juice ratio), three different experimental trials were carried out. The first trial was conducted at 230 bar, 36± 1 °C, 5.08 L/h juice flow rate, and 3.91 L/h CO2 flow rate, corresponding to a gCO2/gjuice ratio of 0.770. The second trial utilised the same conditions except that the operative pressure was reduced (130 bar). The third trial was carried out at 130 bar, 36 ± 1 °C, 5.08 L/h juice flow rate, 1.96 L/h CO2 flow rate, corresponding to a 0.385 gCO2/gjuice ratio. The effects of processing were evaluated by determining physicochemical, antioxidant, and microbiological parameters of the treated juices. In addition, once the best operative parameters had been determined, physicochemical, antioxidant, microbiological and sensory evaluation of fresh blood orange juice stabilised by HPCD treatment was carried out during refrigerated storage of juices at 4± 1 °C for thirty days. The results showed that HPCD treatment cannot be considered as an alternative to traditional thermal methods but as a new mild technology for producing a stabilised blood orange juice with a shelf-life of 20 days. Industrial relevance: Blood oranges are the main cultivated varieties of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck in Italy. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice exert a high antiradical and antioxidant activity, due to its rich phenolic profile, but its preservation is usually assured by thermal treatment which affects its nutritional and sensory value. In this study we proposed a "milder" continuous HPCD process suitable for implementation on an industrial scale. The HPCD stabilised juice retains its physicochemical, antioxidant, and sensory properties and could be placed within a new retail framework, namely, that of fresh juices with a shelf-life of 20 days.

The phytotherapic treatment of overweight and/or moderate obesity is growing widely, thus there is a great interest towards the phenolic compounds of fruits and vegetables which may inhibit pancreatic lipase enzyme. In this study, we report the chemical composition and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of 13 freeze-dried anthocyanin-containing extracts of different Mediterranean plants: fruits (blood orange, pomegranate, blackberry, mulberry and sumac), citrus by-products (blood orange peel), citrus vegetative tissues (young lemon shoots); vegetables (red cabbage and violet cauliflower), legume seeds (black bean), cereals (black rice), and cereal processing by-products (black rice hull). Total phenols and anthocyanins were determined. Individual anthocyanins were identified by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/MSResults revealed a wide variation in the distribution of anthocyanin compounds. Blood orange and pomegranate juice extracts had the highest total anthocyanin content and exhibited the strongest inhibition of pancreatic lipase in vitro.Inhibitory activity was positively correlated with anthocyanin content. In appropriate formulations, anthocyanin-containing extracts could find a use as anti-obesity agents. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

In this paper, four different olive cultivars from Southern Italy, Carolea, Cassanese, Nocellara del Belice, Nocellara Messinese table olives, produced according to traditional fermentation processes, were evaluated with the aim of assessing the effect of selected starter cultures on growth of bacterial population and on olive phenols during fermentation. Only Cassanese and Nocellara del Belice inoculated samples reached a safe pH value under 4.6 after 90 days while maintaining it until the end of storage. The most representative phenols in brine samples analysed by HPLC-MS/MS were hydroxytyrosol and verbascoside. Among the analysed phenols, only hydroxytyrosol, caffeic acid and ferulic acid always increased during fermentation, while the others increased up to 90-120 days and then decreased. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed on pH and phenol values highlighted three clusters of olive cultivars. Throughout the brining period, lactic acid bacteria were always present while staphylococci and coliform bacteria disappeared after 30 and 90 days, respectively.

Fresh-cut apples, in slices or in cubes, are minimally processed products, which are currently collecting a great interest by fruit marketers for their promising diffusion. Their shelf life, from a microbiological point of view, has been fixed about 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. However in a few days they undergo biochemical degradations with production of off-flavors and texture breakdown. In this work, the change of aromatic fingerprint of apple slices packaged in air and in a modified atmosphere (with 100% N2) and stored at 4°C was measured, by using a commercial electronic nose. The obtained data were also compared with sensory evaluation of judge’s panel. Moreover, quality parameters such as total acidity, total soluble solids and firmness were determined at different storage times (0, 4, 8 and 12 days). The data show that the electronic nose is able to discriminate between the two different storage conditions applied: the multivariate analysis, Principal Component Analysis, presents clearly differences among the four sampling times when the apple slices are stored in air and in N2. Our results indicate that the electronic nose can be considered a valid supplementary tool to human sensory panel assessment especially in food quality safety and control and it can be a simple, objective and rapid method to control the food quality during the storage.