a b s t r a c tThe influence of ohmic heating (OH) through the application of moderate electric fields on phytochemical compounds recovery from colored potato (Solanum tuberosum L. var. Vitelotte) was studied. A BoxeBehnken design was used to simultaneously assess the effects of operational parameters such as electric field strength, temperature and process time on the yields of anthocyanins and total phenolic recovery on pretreatment of potato samples. From the analysis of the model, electric field, temperature and time were shown to have independent and interactive effects on the values of extraction yields. Aqueous extraction of phytochemical compounds after pretreatments can be described by using a twostep model involving simultaneous washing and diffusion of the solutes from the samples. Results shows that electrical fields of low energy levels and thermal effects can be combined and optimized into a single step treatment on extraction of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds from vegetable tissues providing high recovery yields with a reduced treatment time, less energy consumption and with no utilization of organic solvents (green extraction).

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Many efforts have been made in the past two decades into the search for novel natural and less-toxic anti-diabetic agents. Some clinical trials have assigned this ability to anthocyanins, although different factors like the food source, the amount ingested, the matrix effect and the time of consumption (before or after a meal) seem to result in contradictory conclusions. The possible mechanisms involved in these preventive or therapeutic effects will be discussed—giving emphasis to the latest in vitro and in silico approaches. Therapeutic strategies to counteract metabolic alterations related to hyperglycemia and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) may include: (a) Inhibition of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes; (b) reduction of glucose transporters expression or activity; (c) inhibition of glycogenolysis and (d) modulation of gut microbiota by anthocyanin breakdown products. These strategies may be achieved through administration of individual anthocyanins or by functional foods containing complexes of anthocyanin:carbohydrate:protein.