No abstract

Our results support the use of goji fruits as rich sources of phytochemicals for further utilization in the food industry as supplements and functional food ingredients.

Samples of three types of honey: polyfloral (PH), linden (LH) and acacia (AH,) without and with addition of dried cherries (40%) were analyzed before and after three months of storage. The total phenol (TPh), flavonoid (TFd) and anthocyanin (TAn) contents, antioxidant activities and sensory properties of honeys with and without the addition of dry cherries were evaluated. TPh and TFd increased with addition of dried cherries to the honey, while enriched honeys showed high TAn. The LH sample with dried cherries showed the highest anthocyanins content (41.41mgCGE/100g). The antioxidant activity increased with addition of dried cherries in honey in the DPPH • test and reducing power. The PH and enriched PH exibited the best antiradical activity compared to LH and AH. The EC 50 DPPH values were: 23.81 for PH and 24.19 mg/mL for PH, while the EC 50 DPPH were: 1.16 mg/mL for PH40 and 1.18 mg/mL for PH40s. RP 0.5 values were: 57.00 mg/mL for PH40 and 56.00 mg/ml for PH40s, while RP 0.5 were: 15.05 mg/mL for PH40 and 15.18 mg/mL for PH40s. The statistical analysis showed that TPh, TFd and TAn, and antioxidant activity of honeys and enriched honeys showed significant correlation. Sensory analysis of honey with dried cherries, before and after storage, indicated very good sensory characteristics.

Sprouting is a process that can improve nutritional and beneficial properties of seeds. This work studies the design of the new healthier product salt seasoned with freeze-dried powdered cereal sprouts. The cereal sprouts mixture (SM), including barley sprouts (BS), oat sprouts (OS), and wheat sprouts (WS), was optimized in terms of total phenolic content (TPh) and antioxidant capacity (AC). The sprouts mixture with optimal features (OSM), composed of 92.9% BS, 0% OS, and 7.1% WS, had 482.82 mg GAE/100 g of polyphenols and 797.97 µmol TE/100 g antioxidant capacity. HPLC analysis showed that the most abundant phenolic compound in OMS was gallic acid (94.27 mg/100 g). OSM was mixed with salt in different ratios (1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 1 : 3) and stored in transparent and amber bottles for six months. Colour, TPh, and AC retention of seasoned salts and OSM was significantly better (p<0.05) preserved in amber bottles during storage, protected from light. The sprout content was in correlation with TPh and AC retention and colour change. These results suggest that cereal sprouts can be used as a safe ingredient for food products such as seasoned salt, adding value to the basic daily diet with no changes in dietary habits.

The processing of fruits results in high amounts of waste materials without having any significant commercial values. Fruit wastes represent an important source of phytochemicals with human health benefits, so isolation and further utilization of these compounds is an important issue in agro-industrial waste management. New aspects concerning the use of these wastes for the production of food additives or supplements with high nutritional value have gained increasing interest because these are economically attractive and high-value products. This study discusses the potential of the quince waste, which remains after alcoholic distillation, as a source of bioactive phytochemicals (phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids). Antioxidant activities were measured by scavenging effect on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,20-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, β-carotene bleaching assay and reducing power. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by protein denaturation assay. Quince waste extract expressed good concentration-dependent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.