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Mars exploration will foresee the design of bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs), in which the use/recycle of in situ resources might allow the production of food crops. However, cultivation on the poorly-fertile Mars regolith will be very challenging. To pursue this goal, we grew potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants on the MMS-1 Mojave Mars regolith simulant, pure (R100) and mixed with green compost at 30% (R70C30), in a pot in a cold glasshouse with fertigation. For comparison purposes, we also grew plants on a fluvial sand, pure (S100) and amended with 30% of compost (S70C30), a volcanic soil (VS) and a red soil (RS). We studied the fertility dynamics in the substrates over time and the tuber nutritional quality. We investigated nutrient bioavailability and fertility indicators in the substrates and the quality of potato tubers. Plants completed the life cycle on R100 and produced scarce but nutritious tubers, despite many critical simulant properties. The compost supply enhanced the MMS-1 chemical/physical fertility and determined a higher tuber yield of better nutritional quality. This study demonstrated that a compost-amended Mars simulant could be a proper substrate to produce food crops in BLSSs, enabling it to provide similar ecosystem services of the studied terrestrial soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around two million tons of olive oil are produced in Europe annually, with Portugal being among the top five European olive oil-producing countries. Olive oil production results in a substantial amount of waste in the form of olive leaves. These discarded olive leaves contain valuable phenolic compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, neuroprotective, and antiproliferative properties. Due to their richness in polyphenols with health-promoting properties, olive leaves can be considered a potential functional food ingredient. Thus, sustainable practices for reusing olive leaf waste are in demand. In this study, the polyphenolic content in olive leaves from different Portuguese locations was determined using HPLC-UV-Vis after defining the best fit-for-purpose liquid extraction strategy. The differences in the in vitro antioxidant activity in these samples were determined by several methodologies based on radical scavenging (against 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and peroxyl radical (ORAC)) and on reducing properties (cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and Folin–Ciocalteu assay (FC)), to unveil the relationship between the profile and quantity of polyphenols with antioxidant mechanisms and their capacity. At last, the stability of extracted compounds upon lyophilization and exposition to surrogate biological fluids was assessed, envisioning the future incorporation of olive leaves extracted compounds in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) plant is well known for its fruits; however, its edible flowers appear to contain several active molecules, including polyphenols, which display poor bioaccessibility after gastrointestinal digestion (GiD). This study explores the bioaccessibility of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity within zucchini flower extracts during simulated GiD. Two nutraceutical formulations, non-acid-resistant (NAcR) and acid-resistant (AcR) capsules containing an aqueous extract of zucchini flowers, were employed in this investigation. Additionally, high-resolution mass spectrometry (Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was utilized for a comprehensive analysis of their polyphenolic constituents. Predominantly, rutin and isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside were the most prevalent compounds detected in the samples (514.62 and 318.59 mg/kg, respectively). Following in vitro GiD, the extract encapsulated in AcR capsules exhibited enhanced bioaccessibility during both the duodenal (189.2 and 162.5 mg GAE/100 g, respectively) and colonic stages (477.4 and 344.7 mg GAE/100 g, respectively) when compared with the extract encapsulated in NAcR capsules. This suggests that gastric acidity adversely impacted the release of polyphenols from NAcR capsules. In conclusion, the aqueous zucchini flower extract emerges as a promising and readily accessible source of dietary polyphenols. Moreover, the utilization of AcR capsules presents a potential nutraceutical formulation strategy to improve polyphenol bioaccessibility, enhancing its applicability in promoting health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxins are a major source of contamination in cereals, posing risks to human health and causing significant economic losses to the industry. A comprehensive strategy for the analysis of 21 mycotoxins in Italian cereal grain samples (n = 200) was developed using a simple and quick sample preparation method combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC Q-Orbitrap HRMS). The proposed method showed some advantages, such as multi-mycotoxin analyses with simple sample preparation, fast determination, and high sensitivity. The analysis of the sample revealed the presence of 11 mycotoxins, with α-zearalenol being the most frequently detected, while deoxynivalenol exhibited the highest contamination level. Furthermore, co-occurrence was identified in 15.5% of the samples under analysis. Among these, 13% of the samples reported the simultaneous presence of two mycotoxins, while 2.5% showed the co-occurrence of three mycotoxins. Currently, there has been a renewed interest in guaranteeing the quality and safety of products intended for human consumption. This study holds significant value due to its ability to simultaneously detect multiple mycotoxins within a complex matrix. Furthermore, it provides findings regarding the occurrence and co-occurrence of emerging mycotoxins that currently lack regulation under the existing European Commission Regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioconversion is a biological process by which organic materials are converted into products with higher biological and commercial value. During its larval stage the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens is extremely voracious and can feed on a wide variety of organic materials. To study the impact of different fruit byproducts on the insect's growth, final larval biomass, substrate reduction, bioconversion parameters, and larval nutritional composition, 10 000 black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) were reared on 7.0 kg of one of three substrates (strawberry, tangerine, or orange) or on a standard diet as a control. The results highlight that BSFL can successfully feed and grow on each of these diets, though their development time, growth rate, and final biomass were differently impacted by the substrates, with strawberry being the most suitable. The lipid and protein contents of BSFL were similar among larvae fed on different substrates; however, major differences were detected in ash, micronutrient, fiber, fatty acid, and amino acid contents. Overall, the results indicate that fruit waste management through the BSFL bioconversion process represents a commercially promising resource for regional and national agrifood companies. Our study offers new perspectives for sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial development by which fruit byproducts or waste might be disposed of or unconventionally enhanced to create secondary products of high biological and economic value, including BSFL biomass as animal feed or, in perspective, as alternative protein source for human nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of Space missions and the efficacy of colonizing extraterrestrial environments depends on ensuring adequate nutrition for astronauts and autonomy from terrestrial resources. A balanced diet incorporating premium quality fresh foods, such as microgreens, is essential to the mental and physical well-being of mission crews. To improve the nutritional intake of astronaut meals, two levels of potassium iodide (KI; 4 µM and 8 µM) and an untreated control were assessed for iodine (I) biofortification, and overall nutraceutical profile of four microgreens: tatsoi (Brassica rapa L. subsp. narinosa), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), green basil, and purple basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). A dose-dependent increase in I was observed at 8 µM for all species, reaching concentrations of 200.73, 118.17, 93.97, and 82.70 mg kg−1 of dry weight, in tatsoi, coriander, purple basil, and green basil, respectively. Across species, I biofortification slightly reduced fresh yield (–7.98%) while increasing the antioxidant activity (ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH). LC–MS/MS Q extractive orbitrap analysis detected 10 phenolic acids and 23 flavonoids among microgreen species. The total concentration of phenolic acids increased (+28.5%) in purple basil at 8 µM KI, while total flavonoids in coriander increased by 23.22% and 34.46% in response to 4 and 8 µM KI, respectively. Both doses of KI increased the concentration of total polyphenols in all species by an average of 17.45%, compared to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food supplements (FS) containing red yeast rice (RYR) are largely employed to reduce lipid levels in the blood. The main ingredient responsible for biological activity is monacolin K (MoK), a natural compound with the same chemical structure as lovastatin. Concentrated sources of substances with a nutritional or physiological effect are marketed in "dose" form as food supplements (FS). The quality profile of the "dosage form" of FS is not defined in Europe, whereas some quality criteria are provided in the United States. Here, we evaluate the quality profile of FS containing RYR marketed in Italy as tablets or capsules running two tests reported in The European Pharmacopoeia 11 Ed. and very close to those reported in the USP. The results highlighted variations in dosage form uniformity (mass and MoK content) compliant with The European Pharmacopoeia 11 Ed. specifications, whereas the time needed for disintegrating tablets was longer for 44% of the tested samples. The bioaccessibility of MoK was also investigated to obtain valuable data on the biological behaviour of the tested FS. In addition, a method for citrinin (CIT) determination was optimized and applied to real samples. None of the analyzed samples demonstrated CIT contamination (LOQ set at 6.25 ng/mL). Considering the widespread use of FS, our data suggest that greater attention should be paid by fabricants and regulatory authorities to ensure the quality profile and the safe consumption of marketed products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name "Vesuvian apricot" refers to numerous varieties originating from the same production area at the foot of Vesuvius and with a long tradition of cultivation. The importance of the apricot fruit and its derivatives on human health is known thanks to the presence of several secondary metabolites, many of them being active as antioxidants. This study aims to analyze 12 vesuvian apricot accessions by means of chemical-physical (fruits weights, firmness, TSS, TA, pH, and color fruits) and nutraceutical analyses (acid organic and sugar content, antioxidant activities, and polyphenol content). All the accessions analyzed can be defined as superior-quality apricots because they had TSS values ≥ 13 and a pulp strength ≤ 1 kg/0.5 cm2. Another parameter used to express the quality of apricot fruits was TSS-F (soluble solids content-pulp hardness) which showed a value ≥ 12. The total sugar content ranged from 260.40 mg/g d.w in 'VM' to 744.59 mg/g d.w in 'SC'. In all accessions analyzed the sugar content was in the following order: sucrose > glucose > fructose. The antioxidant activity showed a high variability between the different accessions. Our results show that the Vesuvian apricot accessions present a large range with different organoleptic characteristics and offer the possibility to choose according to consumer and processing preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change have a great impact on the Mediterranean regions which are experiencing an increase in drought periods with extreme temperatures. Among the various solutions reported to reduce the damage caused by extreme environmental conditions on olive plants, the application of anti-transpirant products is widespread. In an increasingly current scenario of climate change, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of kaolin on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of drupes and oil in a little-known olive cultivar known as "Racioppella", belonging to the autochthonous germplasm of Campania (Southern Italy). To this purpose, the determination of maturation index, olive yield/plant, and bioactive components analysis (anthocyanins, carotenoids, total polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and fatty acids) were carried out. Kaolin applications showed no statistically significant differences in terms of production/plant while a significant increase in the drupe oil content was observed. Kaolin treatments resulted in increased anthocyanins (+24%) and total polyphenols (+60%) content and at the same time a significant increase in the antioxidant activity (+41%) of drupes was recorded. As far as oil is concerned, the results showed an increase in monounsaturated fatty acids, oleic and linoleic acids, and total polyphenols (+11%). On the basis of the results obtained, we can conclude that kaolin treatment can be considered as a sustainable solution to improve qualitative parameters in olive drupes and oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The definition of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has undergone several changes over the years due to the difficulty in establishing universal criteria for it. Underlying the disorders related to MetS is almost invariably a pro-inflammatory state related to altered glucose metabolism, which could lead to elevated cardiovascular risk. Indeed, the complications closely related to MetS are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). It has been observed that the predisposition to metabolic syndrome is modulated by complex interactions between human microbiota, genetic factors, and diet. This review provides a summary of the last decade of literature related to three principal aspects of MetS: (i) the syndrome's definition and classification, pathophysiology, and treatment approaches; (ii) prediction and diagnosis underlying the biomarkers identified by means of advanced methodologies (NMR, LC/GC-MS, and LC, LC-MS); and (iii) the role of foods and food components in prevention and/or treatment of MetS, demonstrating a possible role of specific foods intake in the development of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakfast cereals have been reported as one of the most susceptible cereal-based products to mycotoxin contamination. These products pose an even more concerning risk to human health since they are marketed as a ready-to-eat product and one of its main population targets is children. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to conduct a monitoring study of multiple mycotoxins contained in breakfast cereals samples marketed in Italy through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution Q-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry. An acetonitrile-based methodology was validated for quantifying 24 mycotoxins in breakfast cereals. The results showed that 93% of the samples contained at least one mycotoxin. Beauvericin was the most prevalent toxin (86% of samples; mean concentration: 30.66 µg/kg), although the main enniatins, zearalenone-derived forms and fumonisins B1 and B2 were also detected. Co-occurrence was observed in 73% of the positive samples with up to five mycotoxins simultaneously occurring, mainly due to the combination of beauvericin and enniatins. These results provided more evidence about the high impact of non-regulated mycotoxins, such as the emerging Fusarium toxins, in breakfast cereals, and encourages the development of analytical methodologies including these and zearalenone-derived forms that could be going unnoticed with current methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee consumption positively influences colon health. Conversely, high levels of tryptophan metabolites such as skatole released from intestinal putrefactive fermentation in the presence of excessive dietary animal protein intake, and gut microbiota alterations, may have several adverse effects, including the development of colorectal cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the potential protective effects of coffee in the presence of different skatole levels. The results showed that skatole exposure induced reduced cell viability and oxidative stress in the HT-29 human colon cancer cell line. However, co-treatment of cells with skatole and coffee samples was able to reduce ROS production (up to 45% for espresso) compared to cells not treated with coffee. Real-time PCR analysis highlighted that treating HT-29 cells with skatole increased the levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, and IL12, whereas exposure to coffee extracts in cells that were pretreated with skatole showed anti-inflammatory effects with decreased levels of these cytokines. These findings demonstrate that coffee may counteract the adverse effects of putrefactive compounds by modulating oxidative stress and exerting anti-inflammatory activity in colonocytes, thus suggesting that coffee intake could improve health conditions in the presence of altered intestinal microbiota metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-based extract of broad bean hulls contains several bioactive molecules, including polyphenols well-known to exert antioxidant activity, which could justify its use in nutraceutical formulations. Hence, the current investigation aimed to establish the polyphenolic profile of water-based extracts from broad bean hulls through UHPLC–Q-Orbitrap HRMS analysis. The findings highlighted that p-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin were the most common compounds found in the tested extracts, being quantified at a mean concentration of 42.1, 32.6, and 31.2 mg/100 g, respectively. Moreover, broad bean hull extracts were encapsulated into a nutraceutical formulation, after which the antioxidant properties and the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds during the simulated gastrointestinal (GI) process were investigated and compared with the digested non-encapsulated extract. The data highlighted that following the GI process, the capsules were able to preserve active compounds from the adverse effects of digestion, resulting in a greater antioxidant capacity and polyphenol bioaccessibility in the duodenal and colonic phases, compared with the non-encapsulated extract. Our results showed that the water extract from broad bean hulls may be considered a valuable source of natural polyphenolic compounds; in addition, the use of a gastric-resistant capsule could be a suitable alternative to transport these bioactive compounds to the target tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, the use of biostimulants has become increasingly widespread due to their proven efficiency in improving plant productivity and quality of fruits and mitigating the effects related to environmental stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of three biostimulants on oil yield, production of drupes per plant, and nutraceutical components of olive drupes and oil (total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and fatty acids %) for "Racioppella" cultivar trees growing in South Italy (May–October 2021). The biostimulants used were: a tropical plants extract (A) containing amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, phytochelatins, macro- and microelements, a glycine betaine-based product (B), and a Trichoderma spp.-based biostimulant (T). The three biostimulants were compared with a control thesis (C) treated only with water. T treatment increased the polyphenols content of olive drupes by 41.04% compared to C. A and B treatments increased polyphenols content by 21.87% on average compared to C. All three biostimulants showed positive effect by increasing the amount of polyphenols in olive oil compared to C:T showed an increase of 32.19%, B 7.76%, and A 19.78%. Biostimulant application proved useful in boosting fundamental parameters that determine better drupe and oil in terms of antioxidant capacity and nutraceutical potential, other than an increased production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of effective tools for the sustainable supply of phyto-ingredients and natural substances with reduced environmental footprints can help mitigate the dramatic scenario of climate change. Plant cell cultures-based biorefineries can be a technological advancement to face this challenge and offer a potentially unlimited availability of natural substances, in a standardized composition and devoid of the seasonal variability of cultivated plants. Monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids are attracting considerable attention as supplements for biodegradable plastics, bio-additives for the cosmetic industry, and bio-lubricants. Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis) callus cultures accumulate fatty acids and polyphenols and are therefore suitable for large-scale production of biochemicals and valuable compounds, as well as biofuel precursors. With the aim of boosting their potential uses, we designed a biotechnological approach to increase oleic acid content through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated metabolic engineering. Bioinformatic data mining in the C. cardunculus transcriptome allowed the selection and molecular characterization of SAD (stearic acid desaturase) and FAD2.2 (fatty acid desaturase) genes, coding for key enzymes in oleic and linoleic acid formation, as targets for metabolic engineering. A total of 22 and 27 fast-growing independent CcSAD overexpressing (OE) and CcFAD2.2 RNAi knocked out (KO) transgenic lines were obtained. Further characterization of five independent transgenic lines for each construct demonstrated that, successfully, SAD overexpression increased linoleic acid content, e.g., to 42.5%, of the relative fatty acid content, in the CcSADOE6 line compared with 30.4% in the wild type (WT), whereas FAD2.2 silencing reduced linoleic acid in favor of the accumulation of its precursor, oleic acid, e.g., to almost 57% of the relative fatty acid content in the CcFAD2.2KO2 line with respect to 17.7% in the WT. Moreover, CcSADOE6 and CcFAD2.2KO2 were also characterized by a significant increase in total polyphenolic content up to about 4.7 and 4.1 mg/g DW as compared with 2.7 mg/g DW in the WT, mainly due to the accumulation of dicaffeoyl quinic and feruloyl quinic acids. These results pose the basis for the effective creation of an engineered cardoon cells-based biorefinery accumulating high levels of valuable compounds from primary and specialized metabolism to meet the industrial demand for renewable and sustainable sources of innovative bioproducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant factories and high-tech greenhouses offer the opportunity to modulate plant growth, morphology and qualitative content through the management of artificial light (intensity, photoperiod and spectrum). In this study, three Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting systems, with blue (B, 460 nm), red (R, 650 nm) and mixed red + green-yellow + blue (RGB) light were used to grow parsley microgreens to understand how light quality could change the phenotype and the profile of secondary metabolites. Plants showed altered morphological characteristics and higher amounts of secondary metabolites under RGB LEDs treatment. The results demonstrated that microgreens under red light showed the highest fresh yield, petiole length, coumaric acid content but also the highest nitrate content. Plants under RGB light showed the highest dry matter percentage and highest content of total and single polyphenols content, while blue light showed the highest ascorbic acid and ABTS antioxidant activity. Moreover, microgreens under red light showed more compact leaves with less intercellular spaces, while under blue and RGB light, the leaves displayed ticker spongy mesophyll with higher percentage of intercellular spaces. Therefore, the specific spectral band was able to modify not only the metabolic profile, but also it could modulate the differentiation of mesophyll cells. Light quality as a preharvest factor helps to shape the final parsley microgreens product as a whole, not only in terms of yield and quality, but also from a morpho-anatomical point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]