Production and Characterization of Sumac PlantCrystals: Influence of High-Pressure Homogenization on Antioxidant Activity of Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.)

Abstract

Oxidative stress diseases are usually treated or prevented by using antioxidants from natural or artificial sources. However, as a sustainable source of phytochemicals, plants got a renewed interest in obtaining their active agents using green extraction technologies, i.e., sustainable extraction techniques that reduce energy consumption, use renewable sources and result in less post-extraction wastes. The high-pressure homogenization (HPH) technique was introduced into the food industry since it was invented in 1900 to homogenize milk and later to produce fruit juices with a longer shelf-life without preservatives. Recently, HPH was introduced as an eco-friendly method to nanomill plants for improved extraction efficacy without using organic solvents. In this study, sumac was used as an antioxidants-rich spice model to investigate the effects of HPH on its antioxidant capacity (AOC). Sumac was rendered into PlantCrystals by using HPH. Particle size characterization proved the presence of submicron-sized particles (about 750 nm). Thus, HPH was able to produce sumac PlantCrystals and increased the AOC of bulk sumac by more than 650% according to the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) assay. The polyphenol and flavonoid contents showed higher values after HPH. Interestingly, the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay also showed a well improved AOC (similar to ascorbic acid) after HPH. In fact, in this study, the PlantCrystal-technology was demonstrated to cause an efficient cell rupture of the sumac plant cells. This caused an efficient release of antioxidants and resulted in sumac PlantCrystals with a 6.5-fold higher antioxidant capacity when compared to non-processed sumac bulk material.

Chemical Characterization, Antibacterial Activity, and Embryo Acute Toxicity of Rhus coriaria L. Genotype from Sicily (Italy)

“…The results of our study, highlighting the higher activity of the methanol extract, are therefore in line with previous comparative studies that showed that methanolic extracts of sumac contain a higher content of flavonoids and phenolics when compared with other extracts [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…Recently, sumac has gained more attention due to its high amount of polyphenols. Numerous studies have been conducted to study the in vitro antimicrobial effectiveness of Rhus coriaria extracts against several bacterial species [ 14 , 35 , 36 ], while limited data are available on their effect against MDR bacteria. In this study, the antibacterial activity of Rhus coriaria extracts was tested against five MDR Enterobacteriaceae isolates, S. aureus ATCC 6538, and E. coli ATCC 25922.…”

“…A similar study assessed sumac’s methanolic extract antibacterial power as having the highest inhibitory activity. In all sumac extracts, increasing the concentration of sumac causes an increase in antibacterial power [ 14 ]. In addition, the methanolic extract of sumac leaves revealed antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus.…”

“…In addition, its coloring properties and tannins are used in dying and tanning fine leather. The bioactive compounds, which are responsible for antioxidant, antilipidemic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], also make this plant an interesting tool for the pharmaceutical sector.…”

Physiological Response of Maize Plants (Zea mays L.) to the Use of the Potassium Quercetin Derivative

“…Stimulating plants allows one to prevent the occurrence of harmful cellular mechanisms, hence the great interest in obtaining plant extracts with high biological activity. An important aspect is also the use of efficient and environmentally friendly extraction technologies [ 97 , 98 ]. However, it is also important to establish a critical value at which the effect of an action will negatively affect a given plant.…”