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BACKGROUNDAgriculture represents a productive sector typically characterized by a high water demand, whereas freshwater (FW) availability is a problem of increasing concern in the world and FW resources are becoming insufficient for sustaining agricultural irrigation. The reuse of treated wastewaters (TWWs) for crop irrigation could be an efficient tool for reducing water shortage. Hence, the present study evaluated the food quality of Fragaria x ananassa (cultivar Camarosa) fruits irrigated with four types of treated wastewaters (TWWs). Strawberries were analysed for yield, sucrose, fructose, glucose, total soluble polyphenols (TSP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), and antiradical and antioxidant capacity. In addition, a targeted quantification of the most representative phenolic compounds of strawberry was performed.RESULTSTWWs complied the Italian ministerial decree 185/2003 for wastewater reuse, with very few exceptions, mainly represented by chloride concentrations (258–643 mg L–1 versus a legal threshold of 250 mg L–1). The reuse of TWWs reduced fruit yield (10–26%) compared to irrigation with tap water as a control. Irrigation with TWWs gave also rise to the decrease of total sugars (14–26%), TSP (2–10%) and TMA (29–49%). Individual phenolic acids, flavonols and flavanols were quite stable in response to the irrigation with TWWs, whereas anthocyanidins decreased significantly.CONCLUSIONAlthough TWWs negatively affected fruit quality, the nutritional and nutraceutical parameters determined in the present study were in line with data previously reported for strawberries purchased in the market or cultivated in research orchards, thus suggesting that the use of TWWs does not prevent the fruit marketability. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

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Vaccinium myrtillus berry extract (VME) and a recombined standard mixture (RSM) of its main native phenolic compounds were investigated for cell growth inhibition and pro‐apoptotic activity on hormone‐dependent (LNCaP) and hormone‐independent (PC3 and DU‐145) prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines. Normal prostate epithelial cells (PrEC) were also studied in comparison. VME hindered anchorage‐dependent PCa cell proliferation in a dose‐dependent manner, that is, at 1/800 (v/v) dilution for LNCaP and PC3, and 1/100 (v/v) dilution for DU‐145 (corresponding to 14.15 and 113.2 μg cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside equivalents per ml of culture medium), respectively. VME had a growth inhibitory effect towards PrEC at the same dilution of DU‐145 cells although the IC50 values indicated that PrEC are more resistant than PCa cell lines. VME also reduced the anchorage‐independent growth of PCa cells. The study of the apoptotic profile (i.e., non‐apoptotic, early apoptotic, late apoptotic and necrotic cells) evidenced that the apoptotic rate (early+late) was statistically higher in all three cell lines exposed to VME compared to control. Anchorage‐dependent and anchorage‐independent growth inhibition of RSM was very similar to that displayed by VME. Moreover, RSM exerted its growth inhibitory effect also under hypoxia, the latter representing a biological condition known to sustain PCa proliferation and aggressiveness.