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Some of the key components that contribute to the acceptance of high-quality fresh mangoes by consumers are its flavour, odour, texture and chemical constituents that depend mainly on level of maturity. In the European market, the demand for tree-ripened fruit has increased in recent decades. Nevertheless, the qualitative response and the marketable characteristics of tree-ripened mango fruit grown in the Mediterranean area are not yet studied. Tree-ripened fruits of cv Keitt, Glenn, Osteen, Maya, Kensington Pride and Tommy Atkins were submitted to analytical (fruit weight, transversal diameter, longitudinal diameter, flesh firmness, total soluble solid content, titratable acidity, seed weight, peel weight, percentage of flesh and fibre, ash content, fat content, carbohydrate content, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn contents, ascorbic acid and vitamin A) and sensory evaluations. Significant differences were observed for sensory and physicochemical characteristics in a cultivar-dependent manner. The mango Keitt, in addition to its interesting physicochemical traits, content of protein and vitamin, has a higher sensory appeal. Glenn fruit showed more suitable weight, flesh firmness, soluble solids, vitamin content, total antioxidant activity and total polyphenolics content, Maya had the lowest titratable acidity and the highest soluble solid content, whereas Tommy Atkins revealed preferable ground colour, total antioxidant activity, and vitamin B2 and vitamin C contents. Tree-ripened fruits grown in the Mediterranean climate show interesting peculiarities in regard to fresh market requirements. The analytical-sensory approach established a qualitative characterization of the six observed cultivars.

Imbalance of bone homeostasis, with excessive bone resorption compared with bone formation, leads to the development of progressive osteopenia leading to lower bone resistance to load, with consequent pain and functional limitations. Phytochemicals with therapeutic and preventive effects against bone resorption have recently received increasing attention since they are potentially more suitable for long-term use than traditional therapeutic chemical compounds. In this systematic review of the literature of the past 5 years, comprehensive information is provided on flavonoids with potential antiresorption and pro-osteogenic effects. It aims to highlight the molecular mechanisms of these molecules, often epigenetic, and their possible pharmacological use, which is of great importance for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis (OP).

COVID-19 is a pandemic health emergency faced by the entire world. The clinical treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) CoV-2 is currently based on the experimental administration of HIV antiviral drugs, such as lopinavir, ritonavir, and remdesivir (a nucleotide analogue used for Ebola infection). This work proposes a repurposing process using a database containing approximately 8000 known drugs in synergy structure- and ligand-based studies by means of the molecular docking and descriptor-based protocol. The proposed in silico findings identified new potential SARS CoV-2 main protease (MPRO) inhibitors that fit in the catalytic binding site of SARS CoV-2 MPRO. Several selected structures are NAD-like derivatives, suggesting a relevant role of these molecules in the modulation of SARS CoV-2 infection in conditions of cell chronic oxidative stress. Increased catabolism of NAD(H) during protein ribosylation in the DNA damage repair process may explain the greater susceptibility of the elderly population to the acute respiratory symptoms of COVID-19. The molecular modelling studies proposed herein agree with this hypothesis.

Plant biostimulants are under investigation as innovative products to improve plant production and fruit quality, without resulting in environmental and food contaminations. Here, the effects of the application of Expando, a biostimulant based on seaweed and yeast extracts, on plant productivity, fruit ripening times, and fruit quality of Solanum lycopersicum var. Micro-Tom were evaluated. After biostimulant treatment, a two-week reduction of ripening times and a concomitant enhancement of the production percentage during the earliest ripening times, in terms of both fruit yield (+110%) and size (+85%), were observed. Concerning fruit quality, proximate analysis showed that tomatoes treated with the biostimulant had better nutritional composition compared to untreated samples, since both the quality of unsatured fatty acids (C16:3&omega, 3: +328%, C18:2&omega, 6: &minus, 23%) and micronutrients essential for human health (Fe: +14%, Cu: +21%, Zn: +24%) were increased. From a nutraceutical point of view, despite strong changes in bioactive compound profile not being observed, an increase of the antioxidant properties was recorded in fruits harvested by plants treated with the biostimulant (2,2&rsquo, azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS): +38%, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH): +11%). In conclusion, the biostimulant application was able to reduce the ripening times and fruit size, while slightly increasing nutritional and nutraceutical values, leading to more marketable tomato fruits.

This study evaluated the polyphenol profile and the antioxidative properties of Plinia trunciflora (O. Berg) Kausel fruits. Folin-Ciocalteau and pH-jumping methods indicated that these berries are a major source of antioxidant polyphenols (1201.05 mg GAE/100 g FW), particularly anthocyanins. HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis identified cyanidine glycosides as the main components. Flavon-3-ols and hydrolysable-tannins were also found. CAA assay showed that extracts of P. trunciflora fruits prevent lipid peroxidation in HepG2 cells with higher efficacy than other colourful fruits (CAA50 935.25 mg FW/mL cell medium). Moreover, our results suggested that the observed antioxidant protection involve both redox active properties of P. trunciflora components, as measured by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays, and upregulation of the genes coding for the antioxidant enzymes MnSOD and GPx, as evaluated by qRT-PCR. Collectively, our data provided evidence on the potential of P. trunciflora fruit as a very rich source of natural antioxidant molecules.

The Mediterranean Diet (MD), UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, has become a scientific topic of high interest due to its health benefits. The aim of this review is to pick up selected studies that report nutrigenomic or nutrigenetic data and recapitulate some of the biochemical/genomic/genetic aspects involved in the positive health effects of the MD. These include (i) the antioxidative potential of its constituents with protective effects against several diseases; (ii) the epigenetic and epigenomic effects exerted by food components, such as Indacaxanthin, Sulforaphane, and 3-Hydroxytyrosol among others, and their involvement in the modulation of miRNA expression; (iii) the existence of predisposing or protective human genotypes due to allelic diversities and the impact of the MD on disease risk. A part of the review is dedicated to the nutrigenomic effects of the main cooking methods used in the MD and also to a comparative analysis of the nutrigenomic properties of the MD and other diet regimens and non-MD-related aliments. Taking all the data into account, the traditional MD emerges as a diet with a high antioxidant and nutrigenomic modulation power, which is an example of the “Environment-Livings-Environment” relationship and an excellent patchwork of interconnected biological actions working toward human health.

The impact of added saffron on the characteristics of yoghurt was evaluated during storage. The fat content was lower in the saffron yoghurt. All colour variables were significantly affected by saffron and storage. From the 15th day of storage, bacterial numbers in the saffron yoghurt were higher than those of the control yoghurt. Sensory analysis data suggested that colour, odour and texture impacted consistently on the overall acceptability of the saffron yoghurt. Saffron addition significantly increased polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, providing evidence that the enrichment of natural yoghurt with saffron yields an innovative fermented product useful for supplementing antioxidant dietary intake.

Background: In Mediterranean countries, there is an increasing demand for pomegranate fruits due to their antioxidant properties and nutritional values. The large diffusion of new genotypes and cultivars requires the knowledge of all fruit characteristics in connection with the cultivation area, to satisfy the market demand. This study seeks to determine the fruit quality attributes and nutraceutical values of three pomegranate cultivars (Wonderful, Acco and Kamel) grown in the Mediterranean climate. Methods: The fruits were evaluated for their main physico-chemical traits (weight, volume, height, width, thickness, total arils number, total arils weight, juiciness, fruit index, peel index and total soluble solids content/titratable acidity ratio), bioactive compounds (total phenolic content and total anthocyanin content) and antioxidant activities (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power).Results: The data showed that Acco fruit is bigger, juicier and sweeter when compared with the cultivars Wonderful and Kamel. Wonderful is the smallest, least juicy and least sweet but the reddest among all the studied cultivars. Regarding the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power), cultivar Wonderful has the highest values and cultivar Acco contains the most anthocyanin content. Conclusions: This study showed that pomegranate cultivars grown in the Mediterranean area exhibit an appreciable quality, but there are significant differences in quality properties of the arils and juice. Keywords: Punica granatum, Fruit quality, Antioxidant activity, Phytochemical, Physico-chemical characteristic, Bioactive compound content

Background: Pomegranate fruits are a rich source of polyphenols with numerous health-promoting effects. Pomegranate juices of five genotypes (‘Mollar’, ‘Kingdom’, ‘Dente di Cavallo’, and two old populations ‘Francofonte’ and ‘Santa Tecla’) were evaluated regarding anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic contents using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)–Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, total antioxidant activity (TAA) was evaluated using a 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assay. Results: Twenty-three phenolic compounds were identified. Cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and pelargonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside were the most representative anthocyanins in all genotypes; the Santa Tecla population had the highest content of these anthocyanins, 97.64 mg L−1 and 40.29 mg L−1 respectively. In the Francofonte population, ferulic acid hexoside was the most abundant compound (391.18 mg L−1). TAA values ranged between 221.5 and 36.73 µmol Trolox equivalents/100 mL of juice. A high TAA value was recorded for the Santa Tecla pomegranate population. Conclusion: The UHPLC–Orbitrap-MS approach was employed for the first time to identify the phenolic compound profiling in five pomegranate genotypes. TAA was analysed using an ABTS assay, and the results showed a significant variability in nutraceutical potential of the pomegranate genotypes studied. The inclusion of phenolic information in the linear discriminant analysis allowed very good discriminations among genotypes to be obtained. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background/Aims: Oxysterol activity on the erythrocyte (RBC) programmed cell death (eryptosis) had not been studied yet. Effects of an oxysterol mixture in hyper-cholesterolemic-relevant proportion, and of individual compounds, were investigated on RBCs from healthy humans. Methods: Membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, calcium entry, ROS production, amino-phospholipid translocase (APLT) activity were evaluated by cytofluorimetric assays, cell volume from forward scatter. Prostaglandin PGE2 was measured by ELISA; GSH-adducts and lipoperoxides by spectrophotometry. Involvement of protein kinase C and caspase was investigated by inhibitors staurosporin, calphostin C, and Z-DEVD-FMK, respectively. Results: Oxysterols caused PS externalization and cell shrinkage, associated with PGE2 release, opening of PGE2-dependent calcium channels, ROS production, GSH depletion, membrane lipid oxidation. Addition of antioxidants prevented Ca2+ influx and eryptosis. Calcium removal prevented cell shrinkage, with small effect (-20%) on the PS exposure, whereas ROS generation was unaltered. Either in the presence or absence of calcium i) oxysterols inhibited APLT, ii) staurosporin, calphostin C, Z-DEVD-FMK blunted and iii) antioxidants fully prevented the oxysterol-induced PS externalization. Only 7-ketocholesterol and cholestan-3β,5α,6β-triol were individually active. Eryptosis was observed in RBCs isolated after ex vivo spiking of human whole blood with the oxysterol mixture. Conclusions: Oxysterols induce an oxidative stress-dependent eryptosis, involving calcium-independent mechanisms. Eryptotic activity of oxysterols may be relevant in vivo.

Phytochemicals may exert chemo-preventive effects on cells of the gastro-intestinal tract by modulating epigenome-regulated gene expression. The effect of the aqueous extract from the edible fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI extract), and of its betalain pigment indicaxanthin (Ind), on proliferation of human colon cancer Caco-2 cells has been investigated. Whole extract and Ind caused a dose-dependent apoptosis of proliferating cells at nutritionally relevant amounts, with IC50 400 ± 25 mg fresh pulp equivalents/mL, and 115 ± 15 μM (n = 9), respectively, without toxicity for post-confluent differentiated cells. Ind accounted for ∼80% of the effect of the whole extract. Ind did not cause oxidative stress in proliferating Caco-2 cells. Epigenomic activity of Ind was evident as de-methylation of the tumor suppressor p16INK4a gene promoter, reactivation of the silenced mRNA expression and accumulation of p16 INK4a, a major controller of cell cycle. As a consequence, decrease of hyper-phosphorylated, in favor of the hypo-phosphorylated retinoblastoma was observed, with unaltered level of the cycline-dependent kinase CDK4. Cell cycle showed arrest in the G2/M-phase. Dietary cactus pear fruit and Ind may have chemo-preventive potential in intestinal cells. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PHYTOCHEMICAL INDICAXANTHIN PREVENTS 7-ketoCHOLESTEROL-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS, CELL CYCLE ARREST AND APOPTOSIS IN HUMAN MONOCYTES- MACROPHAGES.