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To improve the nutritional value of bread, as well as to satisfy consumers whose awareness of the importance of nutrition to preserve health is growing significantly, it is desirable to enrich bread and bakery products with functional components. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an evergreen tree that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean region and belongs to the legumes group. As carob pulp contains a unique combination of polyphenolic compounds and dietary fibre, it can be a useful raw material for the production of enriched bakery products. In this work, the possibility of applying carob extract as a potential natural preservative and functional additive in the production of bread was investigated. With this aim, 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5% of powdered carob extract (CP) were added to bread dough and the quality characteristics of the bread were examined. The microbiological quality of bread was significantly better in samples with the addition of CP, which was confirmed by the lower values of the total number of bacteria and the absence of the Bacillus cereus. The addition of up to 3.5% carob extract had no negative effect on the sensory quality of the bread. The brightness of the bread samples decreased (L*), while the proportion of the red tone (a*) increased, and the intensity of the yellow tone (b*) decreased with an increase in the proportion of CP. The amount of total phenols (0.27 mg GAE/g) for the sample with 3.5% CP in bread was significantly higher compared to the control sample (0.12 mg GAE/g). The total antioxidant activity also increased significantly with the increase in the proportion of CP. Therefore, the present study proves that powdered carob extract can be successfully included in the production of a healthy functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild mushrooms are mainly collected during the rainy season and valued as a nutritious food and sources of natural medicines and nutraceuticals. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition and bioactive properties (antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity) of Polyporus squamosus from two different origins, Portugal and Serbia. The sample from Portugal showed higher contents of as protein (17.14 g/100 g), fat (2.69 g/100 g), ash (3.15 g/100 g) and carbohydrates (77.02 g/100 g); the same sample gave the highest antioxidant activity: highest reducing power, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and lipid peroxidation inhibition in both β-carotene/linoleate and TBARS assay. These results could be related to its higher content in total tocopherols (1968.65 μg/100 g) and phenolic compounds (1.29 mg/100 g). Both extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against all the tested organisms. The samples from Serbia gave higher overall antibacterial activity and showed excellent antibiofilm activity (88.30%). Overall, P. squamosus methanolic extracts possessed antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm and anti-quorum sensing activity, and without toxicity for liver cells. This investigation highlights alternatives to be explored for the treatment of bacterial infections, in particular against Pseudomonas aeruginosa . This study provides important results for the chemical and bioactive properties, especially antimicrobial activity of the mushroom P. squamosus . Moreover, to the authors’ knowledge this is the first report on sugars, organic acids, and individual phenolic compounds in P. squamosus . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synthesis of verbenol stereoisomers and verbenone enantiomers is presented. • Broad spectrum bioactive features were evaluated. • Compounds exert antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential. • Increased optical purity may be enhancer tool for improved biological activity. Naturally occurring terpene core compounds have been used extensively in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. However, since chirality of these compounds has profound influence on the level of their bioactivity, the aim of the present study was to assess broad spectrum activities of four possible stereoisomers of monoterpene alcohol verbenol and both enantiomers of monoterpene ketone verbenone. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against different bacterial and fungal strains of clinical relevance. Tested compounds exhibited antibacterial activity within MICs range of 0.6–2.5 mg mL−1, antifungal activity within MICs range of 0.08–0.6 mg mL−1, and anticandidal activity with MICs 0.3–1.2 mg mL−1. While there was no difference in antibacterial activity between the enantiomers of verbenone, this was not the case with tested verbenol enantiomers. Furthermore, the compounds expressed no cytotoxicity to human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT at the tested concentrations. Interestingly, compounds contributed to the downregulation of interleukin IL-6 levels in HaCaT cells exposed to bacterial agent Staphylococcus lugdunensis. According to our knowledge, this study is the first that comparatively describes biological activities of stereoisomers of verbenol and enantiomers of verbenone. Current findings highlighted the importance of stereochemical purity of monoterpenoids in relation to their unique biological features. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroselinum crispum Mill., Fuss., is a culinary vegetable used as an aromatic herb that garnishes and flavours a great variety of dishes. In the present study, the chemical profiles and bioactivities of leaf samples from 25 cultivars (three types: plain- and curly-leafed and turnip-rooted) from this species were assessed. Seven phenolic compounds were identified in all the varieties, including apigenin and kaempherol derivates. Apigenin-O-pentoside-O-hexoside was the major compound in all the tested parsley types (20, 22 and 13 mg/g of extract, respectively) and responsible for its excellent antioxidant activity, also investigated in this study. Antimicrobial activities were also explored, and the results revealed a good bioactivity against specific tested pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi. In conclusion, the leaves of all the types of P. crispum are a good source of natural bioactive compounds that confer health benefits, and thus, they should be part of a balanced and diversified diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) are increasingly popular foods in contemporary diets due to their freshness, nutritional value and health claims. Among the existing cultivars, "Kweli" is one of the most productive and widely cultivated. In this study, the nutritional value and chemical composition of "Kweli" red raspberry were characterized by the official method of food analysis and chromatographic techniques, and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were tested against biological/biochemical oxidizable substrates and foodborne bacteria and fungi strains, respectively. Carbohydrates (including fructose and glucose, 14.3 and 12.6 g/100 g dw, respectively), proteins (6.8 g/100 g dw), and ashes (3.90 g/100 g dw) were major constituents. The fat content was quite low and constituted mainly by unsaturated fatty acids (58.3%), with a predominance of oleic acid. Fresh red raspberry also contained high levels of citric (2.7 g/100 g) and ascorbic (17 mg/100 g) acids. The anthocyanins (4.51 mg/g extract) cyanidin-O-hexoside and mostly cyanidin-O-sophoroside were identified in the red raspberry hydroethanolic extract, which was able to inhibit thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation (EC50 of 122 µg/mL), oxidative hemolysis (IC50 of 298 µg/mL), and β-carotene bleaching (EC50 of 18.7 µg/mL). In turn, the extract was more effective than the food additive E224 against Bacillus cereus. All these results highlighted the nutritional quality of "Kweli" red raspberry and showed some compositional differences in relation to other cultivars. Therefore, its inclusion in a daily diet can be helpful to obtain nutrients and antioxidants and bring health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Sempervivum tectorum L. (Crassulaceae), known as houseleek, is used in traditional medicine in the treatment of ear inflammation. It can be spread as a pack on wounds, sores, burns, and abscesses and also on painful areas attacked by gout as a refrigerant and astringent. Drinking tea prepared from leaves of S. tectorum is recommended for ulcer treatment. The present study was designed to investigate ethopharmacological use of S. tectorum in the southern Serbia and to further scientifically justify and confirm effectiveness of the leaf juice used in ethnomedicine for ear inflammation, against otitis linked bacteria. Material and methods Ethnopharmacological survey on the use of S. tectorum in southern Serbia was performed using semi structured questionnaires via a face-to-face interview. Chemical composition of the leaf juice regarding phenolic compounds and organic acids was analyzed. Antimicrobial activity was tested on bacteria isolated from ear swabs of the patients suffering from the ear pain ( otitis ). Anti-quorum-sensing activities of the juice were further investigated on Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Results Ethnopharmacological survey revealed the use of S. tectorum in southern Serbia for the treatment of ear pain, warts, cancer, stomachache, ulcer and high blood sugar level with the highest fidelity level (FL) for the ear pain. The phenolic composition of the S. tectorum leaf juice consisted of flavonol glycosides, with kaempferol-3- O -rhamnosyl-glucoside-7- O -rhamnoside as the majority compound. Organic acids composition revealed malic acid as the most dominant one. Antimicrobial and anti-quorum-sensing activities of the juice showed to be promising. Conclusion Ethnopharmacological use of S. tectorum juice for treating ear pain is justified, since the juice possessed antimicrobial activity towards clinical isolates of bacteria linked to otitis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the present study, twelve new 1-aryl-3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-diones were synthesized and their structures were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. In the final step of synthetic rout, condensation between corresponding succinic acid and substituted anilines has been improved using the microwave irradiation. Significantly higher yields compared to conventional condensation have been observed. The preliminary biological results indicated that some of the synthesized compounds showed promising in vitro antifungal activities towards several test fungi. 1-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione (8) exhibited significant in vitro inhibitory activities against broad spectra of fungus, and on the basis of obtained data, the investigated bromo derivative has to be observed as novel potential fungicide. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed in order to study the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the investigated molecules. In order to prediction of the chemical activity of the molecule, the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) map was analyzed for the optimized geometry of 1-phenyl-3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione (4) and 1-(4-bromophenyl)-3-ethyl-3-methylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione (8). Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The twelve newly synthesized succinimides were evaluated for antimicrobal activity. • Tested compounds showed higher antifungal potential than antibacterial effect. • The investigated bromo derivative was recognized as novel potential fungicide. • DFT calculations were performed in order to study SAR and to predict chemical activity of molecules. • Ten investigated compounds are candidates for pharmacodynamic phase investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]