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New Applications of Natural Compounds as Functional Additives of Foods

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 4415

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Thessaly, Terma N. Temponera Str., 43100 Karditsa, Greece
Interests: food lipids; food analysis; pulsed electric field; cloud point extraction; deep eutectic solvents; humic and fulvic acids
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is unequivocally true that food consumption is not only vital for the maintenance of life, but also for well-being and the promotion of human health. However, for many centuries, food was produced with the sole purpose of satisfying hunger. In recent decades, due to extensive research carried out by various scientists, several compounds (mainly of plant origin) have been identified and further examined in terms of therapeutic applications. To this end, multiple ways to isolate compounds have been developed, resulting in multiple compounds with a wide variety of applications, either for prevention or for treatment. However, preparing and consuming natural extracts is a time-consuming and costly process for consumers, resulting in reduced interest. In this context, in order to overcome this issue, functional foods have been developed. Functional foods promote good health and assist in the prevention of diseases, making it a more appealing alternative option for consumers. Therefore, increasing effort is being dedicated to developing advanced functional foods. In addition to the production of functional foods, studies should focus on shedding light on the underlying mechanisms via which the desired therapeutic effect is achieved. In this context, nutraceuticals are often examined with advanced techniques to examine their effect on the microbiome and metabolome of the consumer and obtain a better insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms.

This Special Issue, titled “Natural Compounds as Functional Additives of Foods”, is dedicated to the advancements in this field, aiming (I) to further exploit the use of natural compounds that can serve as functions additives in foods and (II) to examine the mechanisms via which the desired effect is achieved. We invite authors to submit original research articles, communications, and reviews related to this topic.

Dr. Vassilis Athanasiadis
Dr. Theodoros G. Chatzimitakos
Prof. Dr. Stavros I. Lalas
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • antibacterial activity
  • anti-inflammatory activity
  • antioxidant activity
  • bioactive compounds
  • foodomics
  • functional food
  • green extraction techniques
  • health promotion
  • immunonutrition
  • metabolome alterations
  • microbiome
  • nutraceuticals
  • oxidative stress
  • polyphenols
  • vitamins

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1334 KiB  
Article
Molecular Structure and Properties of Resistant Dextrins from Potato Starch Prepared by Microwave Heating
by Kamila Kapusniak, Malwina Wojcik, Justyna Rosicka-Kaczmarek, Karolina Miśkiewicz, Barbara Pacholczyk-Sienicka and Leslaw Juszczak
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011202 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 417
Abstract
The dextrinization of potato starch was performed using a sophisticated single-mode microwave reactor with temperature and pressure control using 10 cycles of heating with stirring between cycles. Microwave power from 150 to 250 W, a cycle time from 15 to 25 s, and [...] Read more.
The dextrinization of potato starch was performed using a sophisticated single-mode microwave reactor with temperature and pressure control using 10 cycles of heating with stirring between cycles. Microwave power from 150 to 250 W, a cycle time from 15 to 25 s, and two types of vessels with different internal diameters (12 and 24 mm) and therefore different thicknesses of the heated starch layer were used in order to estimate the impact of vessel size used for microwave dextrinization. The characteristics of resistant dextrins (RD) including solubility in water, total dietary fiber (TDF) content, color parameters, the share of various glycosidic bonds, and pasting and rheological properties were carried out. The applied conditions allowed us to obtain RDs with water solubility up to 74% at 20 °C, as well as TDF content up to 47%, with a predominance of low-molecular-weight soluble fiber fraction, with increased content of non-starch glycosidic bonds, negligible viscosity, and a slightly beige color. The geometry of the reaction vessel influenced the properties of dextrins obtained under the same heating power, time, and repetition amounts. Among the conditions used, the most favorable conditions were heating 10 times for 20 s at 200 W in a 10 mL vessel and the least favorable were 15 s cycles. Full article
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13 pages, 2527 KiB  
Article
Contribution of Extracellular Particles Isolated from Morus sp. (Mulberry) Fruit to Their Reported Protective Health Benefits: An In Vitro Study
by Neve R. Garrett, Ryan C. Pink and Charlotte Lawson
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(11), 6177; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116177 - 4 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 945
Abstract
Morus sp. (mulberry) has a long tradition of use as a medicinal treatment, including for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, being shown to have antioxidant properties and to promote wound healing. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are sub-micron, membrane-enclosed particles that were first identified [...] Read more.
Morus sp. (mulberry) has a long tradition of use as a medicinal treatment, including for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, being shown to have antioxidant properties and to promote wound healing. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are sub-micron, membrane-enclosed particles that were first identified in mammalian bodily fluids. EV-like particles have been described in plants (PDVs) and shown to have similar characteristics to mammalian EVs. We hypothesised that some of the health benefits previously attributed to the fruit of Morus sp. could be due to the release of PDVs. We isolated PDVs from Morus nigra and Morus alba via ultracentrifugation and incubated THP-1 monocytes, differentiated THP-1 macrophages, or HMEC-1 endothelial cells with pro-oxidant compounds DMNQ (THP-1) and glucose oxidase (HMEC-1) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence of different fractions of mulberry EVs. Mulberry EVs augmented ROS production with DMNQ in THP-1 and caused the downregulation of ROS in HMEC-1. Mulberry EVs increased LPS-induced IL-1β secretion but reduced CCL2 and TGF-β secretion in THP-1 macrophages. In scratch wound assays, mulberry EVs inhibited HMEC-1 migration but increased proliferation in both low and high serum conditions, suggesting that they have opposing effects in these two important aspects of wound healing. One of the limitations of plant-derived therapeutics has been overcoming the low bioavailability of isolated compounds. We propose that PDVs could provide the link between physiological dose and therapeutic benefit by protecting plant active compounds in the GIT as well as potentially delivering genetic material or proteins that contribute to previously observed health benefits. Full article
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19 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) Parameters for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Moringa oleifera Leaves and Bioactivity Assessment
by Theodoros Chatzimitakos, Vassilis Athanasiadis, Konstantina Kotsou, Martha Mantiniotou, Dimitrios Kalompatsios, Ioannis Makrygiannis, Eleni Bozinou and Stavros I. Lalas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4628; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094628 - 24 Apr 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1412
Abstract
Moringa oleifera leaves are rich sources of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits, including antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) stands out as a promising technique for effectively extracting valuable compounds from natural sources. In this study, we aimed to optimize [...] Read more.
Moringa oleifera leaves are rich sources of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits, including antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) stands out as a promising technique for effectively extracting valuable compounds from natural sources. In this study, we aimed to optimize PLE parameters, such as temperature, extraction duration, and pressure, to maximize bioactive compound (polyphenols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid) yield from M. oleifera leaves and evaluate their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. According to the outcomes of this research, the maximum achieved total polyphenol content was 24.10 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dry weight (dw), and the total flavonoid content was increased up to 19.89 mg rutin equivalents (RtE)/g dw. Moreover, after HPLC-DAD analysis, neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, catechin and epicatechin, rutin, and narirutin were identified and quantified. As far as the optimum ascorbic acid content is concerned, it was found to be 4.77 mg/g dw. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by three different methods: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), the DPPH method, and the anti-hydrogen peroxide activity (AHPA) method, resulting in 124.29 μmol ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g dw, 131.28 μmol AAE/g dw, and 229.38 μmol AAE/g dw values, respectively. Lastly, the albumin denaturation inhibition was found to be 37.54%. These findings underscore the potential of PLE as an efficient extraction method for preparing extracts from M. oleifera leaves with the maximum content of bioactive compounds. Full article
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20 pages, 5017 KiB  
Article
Isolation, Characterization, Genome Annotation, and Evaluation of Hyaluronidase Inhibitory Activity in Secondary Metabolites of Brevibacillus sp. JNUCC 41: A Comprehensive Analysis through Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation
by Yang Xu, Xuhui Liang and Chang-Gu Hyun
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094611 - 23 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 955
Abstract
Brevibacillus sp. JNUCC 41, characterized as a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), actively participates in lipid metabolism and biocontrol based on gene analysis. This study aimed to investigate the crucial secondary metabolites in biological metabolism; fermentation, extraction, and isolation were performed, revealing that methyl indole-3-acetate [...] Read more.
Brevibacillus sp. JNUCC 41, characterized as a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), actively participates in lipid metabolism and biocontrol based on gene analysis. This study aimed to investigate the crucial secondary metabolites in biological metabolism; fermentation, extraction, and isolation were performed, revealing that methyl indole-3-acetate showed the best hyaluronidase (HAase) inhibitory activity (IC50: 343.9 μM). Molecular docking results further revealed that the compound forms hydrogen bonds with the residues Tyr-75 and Tyr-247 of HAase (binding energy: −6.4 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations demonstrated that the compound predominantly binds to HAase via hydrogen bonding (MM-PBSA binding energy: −24.9 kcal/mol) and exhibits good stability. The residues Tyr-247 and Tyr-202, pivotal for binding in docking, were also confirmed via MD simulations. This study suggests that methyl indole-3-acetate holds potential applications in anti-inflammatory and anti-aging treatments. Full article
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