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Due to the increasing interest in the supply with antioxidants and especially carotenoids in foods, pumpkins were analysed for their content of α -carotene, β -carotene, and lutein. A wide range of varieties of pumpkins that are commercially available in Austria was analysed. For this study the pumpkins were grown in Austria to obtain data that are relevant for local nutrition. The varieties analysed derived from three species i.e. Cucurbita pepo,C. maxima and C. moschata. Additionally, a cross breed of C. maxima and C. moschata was tested. The content of the carotenoids ranged from 0.06 to 7.4 mg/100 g for β -carotene, from 0 to 7.5 mg/100 g forα -carotene and from 0 to 17mg/100g for lutein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, zein/pectin/pumpkin seed oil (PSO) Pickering emulsions (ZPPEs) were fabricated loading with myricetin (MYT), and the quality control methods of oxidation stability were innovatively investigated. The microstructure and particle properties of zein-pectin particles were determined. The zein to pectin ratio of 5:3 and oil phase fraction (φ = 50 %) turned out as the most optimal conditions for the stabilization of myricetin-loaded ZPPEs. The expected oil-in-water emulsion-type structure was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The internal 3D structure of Pickering emulsions (Lugol's solution improved the water-phase contrast) was imaged by micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) for the first time. Results showed a sponge like structure of water phase in emulsion with 42 μm as mean droplet size. Light-induced oxidation was evaluated with the PetroOxy method and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays. Encapsuling ZPPEs with MYT could prevent the light induced oxidation, especially, loading of MYT at the core of the emulsion. The analysis of Electronic nose (E-nose) was used to analyze the odor before and after UV-induced oxidation, and showed a good discrimination. This study provided a new approach to prepare ZPPEs with high oxidation stability. Micro-CT, PetroOxy and E-nose could be new methods for characterization and quality assessment of Pickering emulsions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are detrimental substances can develop during the high-temperature cooking of protein-rich foods, such as meat. They are potent mutagens and carcinogens linked to an increased risk of various cancers. HAAs have complex structures with nitrogen-containing aromatic rings and are formed through chemical reactions between amino acids, creatin(in)e, and sugars during cooking. The formation of HAAs is influenced by various factors, such as food type, cooking temperature, time, cooking method, and technique. HAAs exert their toxicity through mechanisms like DNA adduct formation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The research on HAAs is important for public health and food safety, leading to risk assessment and management strategies. It has also led to innovative approaches for reducing HAAs formation during cooking and minimizing related health risks. Understanding HAAs' chemistry and formation is crucial for developing effective ways to prevent their occurrence and protect human health. The current review presents an overview about HAAs, their formation pathways, and the factors influencing their formation. Additionally, it reviews their adverse health effects, occurrence, and the analytical methods used for measuring them., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Novel therapeutic agents to combat cancer is an active area of research, as current treatment options have limitations in efficacy and tolerability. One of these therapeutic agents in our immediate environment is cyclolinopeptides (CLPs). CLPs have several advantages that make them suitable for daily consumption and potential therapeutics in cancer research. They are natural compounds, having high specificity, low toxicity, low cost, and an overall simple extraction process. Over the years, numerous in vitro studies in cancer cells demonstrated CLPs to possess anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and anti-angiogenic effects, as well as the ability to induce cell cycle arrest and inhibit cancer cell growth in various cancer types, including breast cancer, gastric cancer, and melanoma. This paper provides an overview of the significance and potential of CLPs as therapeutic agents, emphasizing their promising role in cancer treatment based on different cancer cell lines. The mechanism of action of CLPs in cancer cells is multifaceted. It involves the modulation of multiple signaling pathways, including inhibition of protein kinases, modulation of apoptosis-related proteins, and regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Flaxseed (linseed) is a cultivar of the spring flowering annual plant flax ( Linum usitatissimum ) from the Linaceae family. Derivatives of this plant are widely used as food and as health products. In recent years, cyclic peptides isolated from flaxseed and flaxseed oil, better known as cyclolinopeptides (CLPs), have attracted the attention of the scientific community due to their roles in the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation or their antimalarial, immunosuppressive, and antitumor activities, as well as their prospects in nanotechnology and in the biomedical sector. This study describes the detection, identification, and measurement of CLPs in samples obtained from nine different flaxseed oil manufacturers. For the first time, Q Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer was used for CLP identification together with RP-HPLC. The routine analyses were performed using RP chromatography, measuring the absorption spectra and fluorescence detection for identifying tryptophan-containing peptides using the native fluorescence of tryptophan. In addition, existing protocols used for CLP extraction were optimized and improved in a fast and cost-efficient way. For the first time, 12 CLPs were separated using methanol/water as the eluent with RP-HPLC. Finally, the stability and degradation of individual CLPs in the respective flaxseed oil were examined over a period of 60 days at different temperatures. The higher temperature was chosen since this might reflect the cooking practices, as flaxseed oil is not used for high-temperature cooking. Using HPLC-MS, 15 CLPs were identified in total in the different flaxseed oils. The characterization of the peptides via HPLC-MS highlighted two types of CLP profiles with a substantial variation in the concentration and composition of CLPs per manufacturer, probably related to the plant cultivar. Among the observed CLPs, CLP-O, CLP-N, and CLP-B were the least stable, while CLP-C and CLP-A were the most stable peptides. However, it is important to highlight the gradual degradation of most of the examined CLPs over time, even at room temperature., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Fojnica, Leis and Murkovic.)