The results confirm that DNA metabarcoding can be used to test for the presence of Echinacea species and simultaneously to detect other species present in even highly processed and multi-ingredient herbal products.

An effective and well-balanced immune system is pivotal for maintaining health. Diet and nutrition can affect the functioning of numerous immune parameters, with direct repercussions on homeostasis. Since our immune functions are indispensable in defending the body against pathogens and thus play a vital role in maintaining health, modulating immune response may well serve as the basis for the development of plant-based functional foods and novel nutraceuticals. This concept is currently utilized in attempts to prevent or mitigate inflammatory reactions via the development of targeted food products or active ingredients since an extended number of phytoconstituents (such as curcuminoids) are associated with beneficial effects on immunity. Immunomodulatory plant-based dietary supplements are considered effective in improving immune functions and reducing the incidence of immunological disorders or imbalances. Therefore, the main focus of this study was to evidence the beneficial biological effects such as antioxidant and antimicrobial, as well as nutritional status, biocompatibility and cell proliferation capacity and immunomodulation of two novel nutraceuticals. The first nutraceutic was based on curcuminoids and other actives from Trigonella foenum- graecum (seeds), Chelidonium majus L. (aerial parts), Taraxacum officinale L. (roots), vitamins (C, D3, A, E) and minerals (zinc) whereas the second one was made of probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis combined with actives from Helianthus tuberosus (tubers) and Psyllium/Plantago ovata (husk) as herbal prebiotics.

The aim of this study was to investigate the crude extracts isolated from branches of Prunus spinosa L. (Rosaceae), in order to quantify polyphenols and tannins using instrumental methods (UV-Vis spectrometry and HPTLC densitometry). The qualitative analysis on biomass revealed the presence of valuable compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins. HPTLC fingerprinting of crude methanol extract showed several peaks, with different Rf values, corresponding to phytocompounds such as chlorogenic acid (Rf 0.52), neochlorogenic acid (Rf 0.58), caffeic acid (Rf 0.95) and protocatechuic acid (Rf 0.96). The quantitative analysis revealed that the branches of P. spinosa contain polyphenols (2.97�0.059%g gallic acid equivalent/g dried vegetal material) and tannins (0.90�0.033%g tannic acid equivalent/g dried vegetal material). The HPTLC densitometry analysis offers information about the amount of neochlorogenic acid in the vegetal material 0.12% g/g. The content in polyphenols and tannins suggests the possibilities to use this species to separate compounds with antioxidant potential. These results open perspectives for complex valorization of Prunus spinosa species, a bioresource known only for phytotherapeutical and nutritional potential of their fruits.

Alternatively, we showed that the limitation of HPTLC to detect non-targeted species 47 can be overcome through the complementary use of DNA metabarcoding. Using 48 DNA metabarcoding, Echinacea species were detected in 34 out of the 38 retained 49 products (89 %), but with a lack of discriminatory resolution at the species level due 50 to the low level of molecular divergence within the Echinacea genus. All herbal 51 products showed considerable discrepancies between ingredients listed on the label 52 and the ones detected using DNA metabarcoding registering an overall ingredient 53 fidelity of 43 %. 54 55 Conclusion 56The results confirm that DNA metabarcoding can be used to test for the presence of 57Echinacea and simultaneously to detect other species present in even highly 58 processed and multi-ingredient herbal products. 59 60 61

The goal of this study was to point out the effect of parameters (solvent, solid to solvent ratio and extraction time) on the extraction of condensed tannins from Rosa canina feedstock, using conventional methods such as room temperature extraction (RTE) and heat reflux extraction (HRE). Moreover, the extraction kinetics behaviour for HRE has been extensively studied in order to foreshadow a scale up process. The second order rate model was applied to estimate the extraction kinetics of a conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE) at different solid to liquid ratios, concentrations of solvent extraction times. Results showed that the second order rate model was the rate-governing step of the extraction process, and the predicted and experimental data fits very well.