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• Actinidia arguta is a source of bioactive compounds for food industry. • Bioactive compounds from A. arguta are reviewed. • A. arguta has high nutritional, functional and economic value. • Health promoting effects of A. arguta have been confirmed in vitro and in vivo. • A. arguta can be used in the prevention/treatment of chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes). Hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta) is a climbing, perennial and dioecious vine from Actinidiaceae family, native from Asia and valued as ornamental and traditional medicine. In the last decade, the growing interest as fruit-bearing plant encourage the expanding cultivation of A. arguta mainly to fruits production, particularly in Europe and North America. A. arguta plants have an extensive range of bioactive compounds that can be obtained from different botanical structures, such as fruits, leaves, flowers and stems. These bioactive molecules, with well-recognized health-promoting properties, include phenolic compounds, minerals, carbohydrates or even volatile substances, with a great potential to be used in several formulations of food products. Phytochemical studies on this plant reported hypoglycemic effects as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, among others. The traditional uses of A. arguta have been experimentally proved by in vitro and in vivo studies, in which its bioactivities were associated to its phytochemical composition. This review aims to assess and summarize the phytochemical and healthy properties of the different botanical parts of A. arguta , describing their bioactive composition and exploring it potential functional properties on foodstuffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Chayote possess several bioactive compounds known for their health-benefits. • Chayote possess several polyphenols compounds, vitamins and carotenoids. • The extraction of bioactive compounds from chayote is an important challenge. • In vitro and in vivo studies are vital in addressing chayote bioactivities. • Potential uses of chayote in food and non-food product development are suggested. Abstract Chayote (Sechium edule) has gained widespread consuming acceptance and recognized by its nutritional and bio-functional properties. The present review surveys and describes the current findings about the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of chayote and identifies opportunities for further research. It also discusses chayote's versatile utility in nutrition, as a functional ingredient in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in nanotechnology and biotechnological processes. It was concluded that although the pharmacological properties of chayote are currently well-established, only a few reports have been conducted on the isolation and identification of individual chemical constituents, and similarly, only a few in vivo studies have been conducted to assess their biological efficacy. In addition, the valorisation of the underutilized chayote by-products can be an important aspect in waste management from both economic and environmental standpoints. Thus, the recovery and utilization of valuable compounds from chayote is an important challenge for scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) on the qualitative and quantitative composition of extracted bioactive phytochemicals are strongly dependent on specific operational conditions. The impact of temperature, extraction time, and solvent dielectric properties on the MAE of antioxidant compounds from goji berry is hereby reported and discussed. Results were evaluated in terms of antioxidant capacity (ascertained by ABTS and ORAC assays), complemented with quantification of total phenolics content (TPC), and characterization of extracts through HPLC. Furthermore, the effect of storage temperature was also studied. Results revealed that temperature and solvent properties exert a significant effect on TPC and ORAC assays, whereas irradiation time plays a key role in the preparation of extracts to be evaluated through ABTS. The effect of solvent properties is tentatively explained considering the dielectric properties of methanol and water, whereas the observed effect of temperature could be explained by its influence on the solubility of phenolic compounds. Industrial Relevance A careful selection of operational conditions during MAE, designed for a specific antioxidant assay, allows an increase in the bioactivity of the resultant extracts, which may become important in terms of industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]