Diets enriched in plant-based foods are associated with the maintenance of a good well-being and with the prevention of many non-communicable diseases. The health effects of fruits and vegetables consumption are mainly due to the presence of micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, and polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites. One of the most important classes of phenolic compounds are anthocyanins, that confer the typical purple-red color to many foods, such as berries, peaches, plums, red onions, purple corn, eggplants, as well as purple carrots, sweet potatoes and red cabbages, among others. This commentary aims to briefly highlight the progress made by science in the last years, focusing on some unexpected aspects related with anthocyanins, such as their bioavailability, their health effects and their relationship with gut microbiota.

In a world where 1 billion people suffer from hunger, lands and seas are overexploited and production systems are unsustainable, and there is an urgent need to find alternative foods. In this context, insects represent a good source of macro-and micronutrients and even bioactive compounds that could contribute to reducing nutritional deficiency and preventing some human diseases. However, some aspects related to their consumption, including health risks, need to be clarified. This communication aims to summarize the nutritional/phytochemical profile of common edible insects and the main safety concerns, highlighting the possible strategies to promote entomophagy in a more conscious way.

This study aims to evaluate the phenolic contents, chemical composition, mineral amount as well as antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from dried black cumin (Nigella sativa L; family: Ranunculaceae) seed powder. We also performed an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process to understand the effect on phenolic components and their antioxidant activity after gastrointestinal digestion. Black cumin showed high amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, such as dihydroxybenzoic acid and ferulic acid, through high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Six mineral elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Se, and Zn) were determined by using coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while 25 fatty acids (13 saturated, 7 unsaturated, and 5 unsaturated omega fatty acids) were also identified by gas chromatography, with linoleic acid the most present. In addition, black cumin extract presented high antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC. Additionally, dried black cumin powder was evaluated after gastrointestinal digestion: phenolic compounds (1.81-fold), flavonoids (1.03-fold), and antioxidant capacity (up to 2.1-fold) increased in gastric fraction compared to the undigested methanolic extract. Moreover, a higher amount (p < 0.05) of total phenolic content and flavonoids, as well as higher total antioxidant capacity, were found in the gastric and elimination fraction than in the bioaccessible fraction. Our results demonstrated that there were a significant decrease in the quantity of phenolic compounds (68%) and flavonoids (95.53%) after gastrointestinal digestion in the bioaccessible fraction as well as a reduced the antioxidant activity (10.79%-94.84%), suggesting that phenolic compounds are responsible for antioxidant activity.

Cactus has been used in traditional folk medicine because of its role in treating a number of diseases and conditions. Prickly pear fruit is an excellent source of secondary metabolites (i.e., betalains, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid) with health-promoting properties against many common human diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, rheumatic pain, gastric mucosa diseases and asthma. In addition, prickly pears are potential candidates for the development of low-cost functional foods because they grow with low water requirements in arid regions of the world. This review describes the main bioactive compounds found in this fruit and shows the in vitro and some clinical studies about the fruit of most important cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) and its relationship with some chronic diseases. Even though a lot of effort have been done to study the relationship between this fruit and the human health, more studies on Opuntia ficus-indica could help better understand its pharmacological mechanism of action to provide clear scientific evidence to explain its traditional uses, and to identify its therapeutic potential in other diseases.