Metabolite profiling of four different-sized Aloe vera plants was performed using gas chromatography-ion trap-mass spectrometry (GC-IT-MS) and ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) with multivariate analysis. Amino acids, sugars, and organic acids related to growth and development were identified by sizes. In particular, the relative contents of glucose, fructose, alanine, valine, and aspartic acid increased gradually as the size of the aloe increased. Anthraquinone derivatives such as 7-hydroxy-8-O-methylaloin, 7-hydroxyaloin A, and 6'-malonylnataloins A and B increased gradually, whereas chromone derivatives decreased continuously as the size of the aloe increased. The A30 aloe (size = 20-30 cm) with relatively high contents of aloins A and B, was suggested to have antioxidant components showing the highest antioxidant activity among the four different sizes of aloe. These data suggested that MS-based metabolomic approaches can illuminate metabolite changes associated with growth and development and can explain their change of antioxidant activity.

Four Korean kernel fruit (apple, pear, persimmon, and mandarin orange) juices were obtained by household processing techniques (i.e., blending, juicing). Whole and flesh fractions of each fruit were extracted by a blender or a juicer and then examined for phytochemical content (i.e., organic acids, polyphenol compounds). The antioxidant capacity of each juice was determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Results revealed that juices that had been prepared by blending whole fruits had stronger antioxidant activities and contained larger amounts of phenolic compounds than juices that had been prepared by juicing the flesh fraction of the fruit. However, the concentration of ascorbic acid in apple, pear, and mandarin orange juices was significantly (P<0.05) higher in juice that had been processed by juicing, rather than blending. The juices with the highest ascorbic acid (233.9 mg/serving), total polyphenols (862.3 mg gallic acid equivalents/serving), and flavonoids (295.1 mg quercetin equivalents/serving) concentrations were blended persimmon juice, blended mandarin orange juice, and juiced apple juice, respectively. These results indicate that juice extraction techniques significantly (P<0.05) influences the phytochemical levels and antioxidant capacity of fruit juices.

The potential nutricosmetic activities and compositional changes of 80% ethanol extracts of white soybean (MFWS) and black soybean (MFBS) fermented with KCCM 60084 at 30°C for 30 days were investigated.-fermented soybean extracts (MFSEs) showed stronger nutricosmetic potentials in terms of antioxidant as well as tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activities compared to those of unfermented soybean extracts (<0.05). Extracts (50mg/mL) from MFBS inhibited the α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells more potently than arbutin. HPLC/MS analysis demonstrated that aglycone isoflavones and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels increased about 33.4- and 3.0-fold in the MFSEs after 20 days of fermentation, respectively. A linear correlation ( =0.67 to 0.99) between nutricosmetic activity and concentrations of CoQ10, genistein, and daidzein, which are commonly associated with nutraceutical effects, was observed. Results indicate that-mediated fermentation can be an efficient strategy to improve nutricosmetic functionality of soybeans.

We investigated the in vitro inhibitory activity against skin aging-related enzymes and antioxidant activity of Monascus-fermented soybean extracts (MFSEs) obtained by using different solvents. The highest Trolox equivalent (TE) antioxidant capacity (3.13±0.06 mM TE/g) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (2.79±0.09 mM TE/g) of MFSEs were evaluated for the methanol and 80% ethanol extracts, respectively. The antioxidant capacities increased with increasing concentration (0.5~50 mg/mL). In addition, the methanol and 80% ethanol extracts showed an effective inhibition against tyrosinase, hyaluronidase, and elastase compared with those of acetone and hot water extracts (P<0.05). Results indicate that the inhibitory activities against skin aging-related enzymes and antioxidant properties provide evidence for the nutricosmetic potentials of Monascus-fermented soybeans.