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Since annually a high amount of wastes is produced in vine pruning, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of vine shoots from two Portuguese grape varieties ( Touriga Nacional - TN and Tinta Roriz - TR) to be used as a natural source of phenolic compounds. To reach this goal, three techniques were explored, namely microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), subcritical water extraction (SWE) and conventional extraction (CE). The phenolic composition of the extracts, antioxidant and biological activities were evaluated by spectrophotometry and chromatography. MAE and SWE produced the highest concentrated extracts. TR vine shoot variety had the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic (32.1 ± 0.9 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry sample), as well as flavonoid content (18.7 ± 1.2 mg epicatechin equivalents/g dry sample). For the first time, the biological activity of the vine shoot extracts was tested. Results demonstrated that all of them had antimicrobial potential against different bacteria and yeasts, and the ability of inhibiting α-amylase and acetylcholinesterase enzymes, with MAE TR extracts being the most efficient. HPLC analysis enabled the identification of different phenolic compounds, with gallic acid, catechin, myricetin and kaempferol-3- O -rutinoside being the main contributors to the phenolic composition. Portuguese vine shoot wastes could serve as easily accessible source of natural antioxidants for the food or pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subcritical water extraction (SWE) has become a popular green extraction technique for the isolation of different classes of compounds from natural matrices. Low price, safety and green character of water, good yields of target compounds and reduced energy consumption, make this technique favorable for potential industrial applications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of four medicinal plants traditionally used in folk medicine of Serbia. Black mulberry ( Morus nigra L.), wall germander ( Teucrium chamaedrys L.), wild geranium ( Geranium macrorrhizum L.) and comfrey ( Symphytum officinale L.) were extracted by subcritical water at different temperatures. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was defined by conventional spectrophotometric methods, such as the total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH-radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assessed by a DNA-based sensor. Additionally, the main phenolic compounds contributing to the antioxidant activity of the produced extracts were also identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Antimicrobial properties of extracts were evaluated against eight microbial strains. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity was observed for two human cancer cell lines and a cell line derived from murine fibroblast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight tropical fruit pulps from Brazil were simultaneously characterised in terms of their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Antioxidant activity was screened by DPPH radical scavenging activity (126–3987 mg TE/100 g DW) and ferric reduction activity power (368–20819 mg AAE/100 g DW), and complemented with total phenolic content (329–12466 mg GAE/100 g DW) and total flavonoid content measurements (46–672 mg EE /100 g DW), whereas antimicrobial activity was tested against the most frequently found food pathogens. Acerola and açaí presented the highest values for the antioxidant-related measurements. Direct correlations between these measurements could be observed for some of the fruits. Tamarind exhibited the broadest antimicrobial potential, having revealed growth inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Escherichia coli , Listeria monocytogenes , Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus aureus . Açaí and tamarind extracts presented an inverse relationship between antibacterial and antioxidant activities, and therefore, the antibacterial activity cannot be attributed (only) to phenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]