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Eggplant is a vegetable grown worldwide, and due to quality standards, large amounts of biomass are generated after harvest. Biomass is considered a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the bioaccessibility (BA) and antioxidant capacity of microencapsulated alkaloids from eggplant fruit biomass. Eggplant biomass was collected, and the total alkaloid content, antioxidant capacity (TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC), and alkaloid profile (UPLC/MS) were determined before and after the in vitro digestion of encapsulated and non-encapsulated alkaloids. In vitro digestion significantly reduced the total alkaloid content and antioxidant capacity of alkaloid-rich extracts. Microencapsulation increased the bioaccessibility of alkaloid-rich extracts threefold, and the antioxidant capacity increased by up to 50%. The antioxidant capacity of digested microcapsules increased, and their bioaccessibility was higher than that of non-encapsulated alkaloids. Solamargine and solasonine decreased by 17 and 15% BA, respectively, during in vitro digestion; however, microencapsulation protected these alkaloids during in vitro digestion and enhanced their content. This study demonstrates that microencapsulation is a feasible option to protect alkaloids and preserve their antioxidant capacity during gastrointestinal digestion, as well as to give added value to eggplant plant biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the market has seen a growing demand for healthy and convenient food options, such as fruit and cereal bars, driven by shifts in eating habits. These changes are primarily attributed to time constraints in meal preparation and the need for ready-to-eat foods. Consequently, this has promoted interest in creating a nutritious, high-quality snack combining oats and mango. This study employed a response surface analysis of extreme vertex mixtures, incorporating constraints and three components: oats, mango peel, and dehydrated mango pulp. This resulted in ten different mixtures, each with unique combinations and proportions of the three components. It evaluated the microbiological quality, proximal composition, total phenolic content, tannins, Aw, color, texture, and chemical properties during storage at room temperature. The optimal blend, which demonstrated the best quality characteristics, consisted of 44.38% oats, 5.36% mango peel, and 29.24% mango pulp. This formulation yielded a protein content of 7.1 g, dietary fiber of 20.3 g per 100 g, total phenols of 3.4 mg gallic acid per g, and no pathogenic microorganisms. According to the obtained data, Aw > 0.3, the estimated shelf life could be 12 months at room temperature. Developing a stable oat-mango snack with excellent nutritional, nutraceutical, chemical quality, and microbiological properties is technologically feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pectin content decreases as mango (Mangifera indica L.) maturity progresses. When making jam, a hydrocolloid will be required, which can impact the physicochemical and sensory properties of the processed product. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of two mango maturity stages (60 and 100 %) and four different gelling agents (pectin, xanthan gum, guar gum, and corn starch) on the physicochemical and sensory properties of jams, using a commercial jam as a control. Eight treatments were obtained, and a completely randomized experimental design was applied. The experimental unit was a glass jar (250 g) of jam with three replicates for physicochemical and sensory analysis. Analysis of variance and comparisons of means with Tukey's test were carried out with SAS® software. The physicochemical properties of the jam were affected according to its formulation. Those with 100 % ripe mango plus pectin or corn starch showed maximum pH values of 3.7 and 3.8, respectively, but lower acidity (0.6 %). The jams with 60 % ripe mango and pectin or corn starch had higher levels of dietary fiber (1.42 and 1.47 %) and protein (0.97 and 0.79 %), with no differences from the control. In terms of texture, the formulation with 60 % ripe mango plus pectin was statistically superior to the other jams. The jam with 60 % ripe mango and corn starch had the highest sensory color and was comparable to the control, but in hue, it was instrumentally different from the other formulations. Changes in fruit maturity from 60 to 100 % and the type of gelling agent modified the physicochemical properties and sensory color of 'Kent' mango jam, confirming the effect of formulation on the attributes evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants of the Phoradendron genus have been traditionally used for their lipid- and glucose-lowering effects. However, the compounds responsible for these effects and the overall chemical profile of these plants have not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to characterize the metabolome of leaves, stems, and aerial parts of the Phoradendron brachystachyum plant. We used mass spectrometry and colorimetric screening techniques (with various solvents) to identify and characterize the metabolites present. We also evaluated the antioxidant (FRAP, ORAC, TEAC, and DPPH assays) and inhibitory effects on pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase enzymes of hydrophilic extracts. Furthermore, we compared the molecular fingerprints between the identified metabolites and FDA-approved drugs to gain insights into the metabolites that might be responsible for the observed effects on enzymes. Our findings revealed the presence of 59 putative metabolites, primarily flavonoids. However, we also hint at the presence of peptide and carbohydrate derivatives. The leaf extracts demonstrated the most promising metrics across all assays, exhibiting strong antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effects as well as high levels of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins. Fingerprint analysis suggested potential peptide and carbohydrate metabolites as pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase inhibitors. Overall, our study provides evidence on specific metabolites in Phoradendron brachystachyum that could be responsible for the therapeutic effects noted in obese and type 2 diabetes subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) and cold limit the growth and development of plants, which generates changes in gene expression. This allows plants to respond to stress through regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors, that activate or repress the expression of stress-response genes. RNA-Seq data and WGCNA analyses were utilized to identify the hub genes. Our study found a total of 25, 24, and 29 transcription factors at different time points T1, T2, and T3, respectively, under combined stress (ultraviolet-B radiation and cold). RVE1 (MYB-related), COL2 (CO-like), and DBB1b (DBB) were identified as candidate hub genes. Moreover, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment showed that RVE1, DBB1b, and COL2 were mostly involved in energy production, the antioxidant system (enzymatic and non-enzymatic), signaling through abscisic acid and CA2+, response to light stimulus, and cellular homeostasis. These findings provide the basis for further investigation related to UV-B radiation and cold stress response mechanisms in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fruit of 18 Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme accessions from Mexico were evaluated for total phenolics (TP) by the Folin-Ciocalteau assay, phenolic profiles by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), antioxidant activity (AoxA) by 2,2´-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazolin)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenil-1-pycrilhydrazyl (DPPH), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and antimutagenic activity (AmuA) by the Ames assay. TP was measured as Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE) and the AoxA as Trolox Equivalents (TE). TP varied from 37 to 86 mg GAE 100 g−1 fresh weight (fw). The AoxA by ABTS (568-1187 µmol TE 100 g−1 fw) and DPPH (157-350 µmol TE 100 g−1 fw) correlated with TP and the levels of caffeoylquinic acids and rutin. The AmuA did not correlate with the levels of phenolics. Some accessions had higher AoxA and AmuA than those reported for commercial cultivars and also showed high levels of caffeoylquinic acids and rutin; thus, their consumption could have good health promoting effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid fermentation increases the bioactive properties of shrimp waste. Astaxanthin is the principal carotenoid present in shrimp waste, which can be found esterified in the liquid fraction (liquor) after its lactic acid fermentation. Supercritical CO2 technology has been proposed as a green alternative to obtain astaxanthin from fermented shrimp waste. This study aimed to optimize astaxanthin extraction by supercritical CO2 technology from fermented liquor of shrimp waste and study bioaccessibility using simulated gastrointestinal digestion (GD) of the optimized extract. A Box–Behnken design with three variables (pressure, temperature, and flow rate) was used to optimize the supercritical CO2 extraction. The optimized CO2 extract was obtained at 300 bar, 60 °C, and 6 mL/min, and the estimated characteristics showed a predictive extraction yield of 11.17%, antioxidant capacity of 1.965 mmol of Trolox equivalent (TE)/g, and astaxanthin concentration of 0.6353 µg/g. The experiment with optimal conditions performed to validate the predicted values showed an extraction yield of 12.62%, an antioxidant capacity of 1.784 mmol TE/g, and an astaxanthin concentration of 0.52 µg/g. The astaxanthin concentration decreased, and the antioxidant capacity of the optimized extract increased during gastrointestinal digestion. In conclusion, our optimized supercritical CO2 process is suitable for obtaining astaxanthin from shrimp by-products after lactic acid fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that have an impact on gut microbiota composition and activity, which in turn results in the improvement of health conditions. Nowadays, the production of prebiotics from agro‐industrial by‐products is under investigation. In this regard, polysaccharides are usually found in these sources and their potential use as prebiotics has been studied recently since these compounds act as substrates for the human gut microbiota, and they have the potential to modulate its composition through many mechanisms. Additionally, the use of agricultural by‐products is advantageous because it is a cheap and abundantly available material. This review focuses on the recent scientific literature regarding the prebiotic properties of polysaccharides from agro‐industrial by‐products. Practical applications: Currently, the maintenance of gut homeostasis is a target for the improvement of human health. This review can broaden the perspective on the utilization of agro‐industrial by‐products that can compete in the market with the commercial ones or act as a source for new food ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]