Multivariate analysis for the evaluation of fiber, sugars, and organic acids in commercial presentations of table olives

Table olives constitute an important part of the Mediterranean diet and the diet of many non-olive-producing countries. The aim of this work was to determine the fiber, sugar, and organic acid contents in Spanish commercial presentations of table olives and characterize them by means of a multivariate analysis. The selection of variables was carried out on the basis of a canonical analysis and their classification, according to processing styles and cultivars, through a linear discriminant analysis. Values of dietary fiber in table olives ranged from 2 to 5 g/100 g edible portion (e.p.). Some stuffing materials (almond, hot red pepper, and hazelnut) or the addition of capers produced a significant increase in the total dietary fiber in green olives. Glucose, fructose, and mannitol were usually found in the ranges of 0-55, 0-70, and 0-107 mg/100 g e.p., respectively. Succinic acid was detected only in green and directly brined olives (0-40 mg/100 g e.p.), while lactic and acetic acids were used within the ranges of 0-681 and 5-492.8 mg/100 g e.p., respectively. A multivariate analysis showed that fiber, mannitol, and succinic, lactic, and acetic acids can be used to discriminate between processing styles (95.5% correct assignations) and cultivars (61.20%). Current data can also be used in the evaluation of the dietary value of table olives.     

Beta-carotene isomer composition of sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide extracts. Antioxidant activity measurement

In the present work sub- and supercritical extraction conditions using carbon dioxide were studied in order to obtain extracts with different compositions from the green microalgae Dunaliella salina. Different compositions of beta-carotene isomers were identified in the extracts by using HPLC-DAD. Also, antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured using a TEAC assay. An experimental design was applied considering two factors, extraction pressure and temperature, in a wide range of values, trying to maximize the extraction yield. Higher yields were obtained at high pressures and low temperatures, that is, at higher CO2 densities. Attempts were made to correlate the antioxidant activity of the extracts with their chemical composition by means of principal component analysis. A certain relationship was found between their antioxidant activity and the isomeric composition of beta-carotenes. As a result, an original equation is proposed to predict the antioxidant activity of extracts from D. salina in terms of the ratio 9-cis-beta-carotene/all-trans-beta-carotene, the concentration of alpha-carotene, and, especially, the concentration of 9-cis-beta-carotene.     

Total chemically available (free and intrachain) lysine and furosine in pea, bean, and lentil sprouts

The effect of the germination of peas, beans, and lentils under differing conditions of illumination for different times on parameters linked to the Maillard reaction (chemically available free and intrachain lysine, lysine availability, and furosine) was evaluated. The chemically available free lysine content in the raw seeds of the three legumes was quite small compared to the chemically available intrachain lysine content, and furosine was detectable only in the beans and the lentils. The effect of germination was to increase lysine availability compared with levels in the raw seeds in all of the germinated samples, the smallest increase taking place in the lentils. In addition, furosine became detectable in all of the germinated samples. Quantities varied depending on the germination conditions but in all cases were higher than the quantities observed in the raw seeds. Linear correlations were observed to exist between some of the parameters considered in the three legumes tested.     

Effect of in vitro enzymatic digestion on antioxidant activity of coffee melanoidins and fractions

Traditionally antioxidant activity of melanoidins has only been evaluated in food for implication in shelf life but gastrointestinal digestion is necessary to study their potential bioactivity. In addition, the biological fate of melanoidins has been stressed during the past decade since they did not behave as inert substances. In the present paper a soluble coffee melanoidin isolated from brewed coffee after ultrafiltration with a 10 kDa cutoff membrane was treated ionically and enzymatically collecting the respective high and low molecular weight fractions. Antioxidant activity of these fractions was evaluated with five well-described assays (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC, HOSC, and FRAP) that were previously setup in a plate reader based automatized analysis. Low molecular weight compounds released from melanoidin after gastrointestinal digestion exerted the highest antioxidant activity, even higher than compounds bound ionically to melanoidins. Gastrointestinal digestion is able to modify coffee melanoidins to some extent, as hypothesized from their absolute antioxidant activities. Two options are plausible: by modifying/releasing the ionically bound compounds and/or by genesis of new more active structures from the melanoidin skeleton after enzymatic treatment.     

Classification of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) from 1H NMR lipid profiling combined with principal component and linear discriminant analysis

The combination of (1)H NMR fingerprinting of lipids from gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) with nonsupervised and supervised multivariate analysis was applied to differentiate wild and farmed fish and to classify farmed specimen according to their areas of production belonging to the Mediterranean basin. Principal component analysis (PCA) applied on processed (1)H NMR profiles made a clear distinction between wild and farmed samples. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) allowed classification of samples according to the geographic origin, as well as for the wild and farmed status using both PCA scores and NMR data as variables. Variable selection for LDA was achieved with forward selection (stepwise) with a predefined 5% error level. The methods allowed the classification of 100% of the samples according to their wild and farmed status and 85-97% to geographic origin. Probabilistic neural network (PNN) analyses provided complementary means for the successful discrimination among classes investigated.     

Effect of a Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor from Phaseolus coccineus on Hypothenemus hampei gut proteinases in vitro

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is an important devastating coffee pest worldwide. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin enzyme activities from H. hampei larval midgut can be inactivated by proteinaceous enzyme-inhibitors. A serine proteinase inhibitor belonging to the Bowman-Birk class was purified from a wild accession of Phaseolus coccineus L. seeds. The inhibitor (PcBBI1) is a cysteine-rich protein that is heat-stable at alkaline pH. MALDI-TOF/MS analysis showed that PcBBI1 occurs in seeds as a monomer (8689 Da) or dimer (17,378 Da). Using in vitro inhibition assays, it was found that PcBBI1 has a high inhibitory activity against H. hampei trypsin-like enzymes, bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin, and trypsin. According to this, PcBBI1 could be a promising tool to make genetically modified coffee with resistance to coffee berry borer.     

Chemical Composition of Green Tea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camellia sinensis</Emphasis>) Infusions Commercialized in Portugal

To evaluate the potential benefits and risks associated with tea consumption it is important to identify the constituents of this beverage. Levels of some minerals, caffeine and catechins in green tea samples commercialized in Portugal were evaluated. Potassium is the metal present in larger amount (92–151 mg/l). The content of sodium, calcium, fluoride, aluminium, manganese and iron were 35–69, 1.9–3.5, 0.80–2.0, 1.0–2.2, 0.52–1.9, 0.020–0.128 mg/l, respectively. Chromium and selenium were not detected. The resulting data showed considerable variability in catechins content. The levels of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) ranged from 117 to 442 mg/l, epicatechin 3-gallate (EGC) from 203 to 471 mg/l, epigallocatechin (ECG) from 16.9 to 150 mg/l, epicatechin (EC) from 25 to 81 mg/l and catechin (C) from 9.03 to 115 mg/l. Caffeine contents in the green tea infusions studied were between 141–338 mg/l. Green tea infusions provide significant amounts of catechins and could be an important source of some minerals.     

Antihyperglycemic Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Platycodon grandiflorum</Emphasis> (Jacq.) A. DC. Extract on Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Mice

The root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC has been reported to have a wide range of health benefits in oriental food. This study examined the hypoglycemic effects of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC aqueous-ethanol extract (PGE) in streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic ICR mice (STZ diabetic mice) for the first time. The effects of PGE on blood glucose, plasma insulin levels and body weight were investigated. A significant decrease in blood glucose levels was observed after single administration of PGE. Furthermore, Glibenclamide and PGE significantly suppressed the rise in blood glucose after 30 min in the acute glucose tolerance test. Treatment with glibenclamide and PGE resulted in a reduction in blood glucose levels from the 2nd week, and this reduction was maintained until the 4th week of treatment. The body weight changed slightly in glibenclamide and PGE treated mice in comparison with the STZ control group. Plasma insulin levels were increased with glibenclamide treatment in STZ diabetic mice, whereas such effect was not observed with PGE. These results indicated that PGE could induce hypoglycemic effects without stimulating insulin secretion.     

The Effect of Consumption of Selenium Enriched Rye/Wheat Sourdough Bread on the Body’s Selenium Status

The potential of selenium-enriched rye/wheat sourdough bread as a route for supplementing dietary selenium intakes is reported. In addition to their normal diets, 24 female volunteers (24 to 25 years old) were fed either selenium-enriched bread or non-enriched bread each day (68.02 and 0.84 μg selenium day⁻¹ respectively) for 4 weeks. The chemical form of the selenium in the bread had been characterised using HPLC-ICP-MS, which showed that 42% of the extractable selenium was present as selenomethionine. Plasma selenium levels and plasma platelet glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) activity were measured in the volunteers’ blood over a 6-week period. A statistically significant difference (p = 0.001) was observed in the mean percentage change data, calculated from the plasma selenium level measurements for the enriched and control group, over the duration of the study. A comparable difference was not observed for the platelet GPx1 activity (p = 0.756), over the same period. Two weeks after cessation of the feeding stage, i.e., at t = 6 weeks, the mean percentage change value for the selenium plasma levels in the enriched group was still significantly elevated, suggesting that the absorbed selenium had been incorporated into the body’s selenium reserves, and was then being slowly released back into the volunteers’ blood.     

Content of Nutrient and Antinutrient in Edible Flowers of Wild Plants in Mexico

Nutrient and antinutritional/toxic factors present in some edible flowers consumed in Mexico were determined. The edible flowers were: Agave salmiana, Aloe vera, Arbutus xalapensis, Cucurbita pepo (cultivated), Erythrina americana, Erythrina caribaea, Euphorbia radians benth and Yucca filifera. The nutrient content in the flowers studied is similar to that of the edible leaves and flowers studied mainly in Africa. The moisture content of the flowers varied from 860 to 932 g kg⁻¹. Crude protein (CP) was between 113 to 275 g kg⁻¹ DM, crude fiber, 104 to 177 g kg⁻¹ DM and the nitrogen free extract, between 425 to 667 g kg⁻¹ DM. The highest chemical score (CS) was found in E. americana and A. salmiana; in five samples the limiting amino acid was lysine, and in three of them it was tryptophan. Trypsin inhibitors and hemaglutinnins had a very low concentration. Alkaloids were present in both the Erythrina species and the saponins in A. salmiana and Y. filifera. Cyanogenic glucosides were not found in the studied flowers. The traditional process of preparing these specific flowers before consumption is by cooking them and discarding the broth; in this way the toxic substances are diminished or eliminated. These edible flowers from wild plants consumed in local areas of the country play an important role in the diet of the people at least during the short time of the season where they are blooming.