Influence of Extraction Solvents on Antioxidant Activity and the Content of Bioactive Compounds in Non-pungent Peppers

Bioactive compounds in foods have been shown to maintain human health. However, the relative amounts of bioactive compounds and the variation in the amounts are still poorly understood. In this study, the efficacy of different extraction solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and a methanol:water mixture), as well as the levels of certain bioactive compounds in non-pungent pepper cultivars (TMH, TMJ, PA137, and B58) were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activities were determined using 2,2,-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power, and deoxyribose degradation. Hexane extracts had the highest level of carotenoids (47.2-628.8 μg/g), and methanol extracts contained maximum flavonoids (24.9-152.2 μg/g) in four different cultivars. Higher DPPH scavenging activity was found in the hexane extracts from TMH, TMJ, PA137, and B58 (IC?? value: 0.67, 0.74, 0.55, and 0.48 μg/ml, respectively), whereas the reducing power was high in ethyl acetate and acetone extracts. Inhibition of deoxyribose degradation was highest in methanolic extracts from TMH, TMJ, PA137, and B58 (51.2, 49.5, 52.6, and 47.4 %, respectively). These data demonstrate that solvent chemical properties such as polarity can differentially impact the efficiency with which different bioactive compounds are recovered from foods, and this could lead to differences in estimated biological activity such as antioxidant capacity.     

Environmental Impact on Seaweed Phenolic Production and Activity: An Important Step for Compound Exploitation

Seaweeds are a potential source of bioactive compounds that are useful for biotechnological applications and can be employed in different industrial areas in order to replace synthetic compounds with components of natural origin. Diverse studies demonstrate that there is a solid ground for the exploitation of seaweed bioactive compounds in order to prevent illness and to ensure a better and healthier lifestyle. Among the bioactive algal molecules, phenolic compounds are produced as secondary metabolites with beneficial effects on plants, and also on human beings and animals, due to their inherent bioactive properties, which exert antioxidant, antiviral, and antimicrobial activities. The use of phenolic compounds in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics, and food industries may provide outcomes that could enhance human health. Through the production of healthy foods and natural drugs, bioactive compounds from seaweeds can help with the treatment of human diseases. This review aims to highlight the importance of phenolic compounds from seaweeds, the scope of their production in nature and the impact that these compounds can have on human and animal health through nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.     

Neuroprotective effects of marine algae

The marine environment is known as a rich source of chemical structures with numerous beneficial health effects. Among marine organisms, marine algae have been identified as an under-exploited plant resource, although they have long been recognized as valuable sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. Presently, several lines of studies have provided insight into biological activities and neuroprotective effects of marine algae including antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, cholinesterase inhibitory activity and the inhibition of neuronal death. Hence, marine algae have great potential to be used for neuroprotection as part of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and functional foods. This contribution presents an overview of marine algal neuroprotective effects and their potential application in neuroprotection.     

Insight into High-Hydrostatic Pressure Extraction of Polyphenols from Tomato Peel Waste

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - In this paper, high-hydrostatic pressure extraction (HHPE) as an emerging food processing and preservation technique constitutes an alternative to conventional...     

The Biological Activities and Chemical Composition of Pereskia Species (Cactaceae)—A Review

The exploration of nature as a source of sustainable, novel bioactive substances continues to grow as natural products play a significant role in the search for new therapeutic and agricultural agents. In this context, plants of the genus Pereskia (Cactaceae) have been studied for their biological activities, and are evolving as an interesting subject in the search for new, bioactive compounds. These species are commonly used as human foodstuffs and in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases. This review focuses on the bioactivity and chemical composition of the genus Pereskia, and aims to stimulate further studies on the chemistry and biological potential of the genus.     

Fishery Wastes as a Yet Undiscovered Treasure from the Sea: Biomolecules Sources,Extraction Methods and Valorization

The search for new biological sources of commercial value is a major goal for the sustainable management of natural resources. The huge amount of fishery by-catch or processing by-products continuously produced needs to be managed to avoid environmental problems and keep resource sustainability. Fishery by-products can represent an interesting source of high added value bioactive compounds, such as proteins, carbohydrates, collagen, polyunsaturated fatty acids, chitin, polyphenolic constituents, carotenoids, vitamins, alkaloids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, toxins; nevertheless, their biotechnological potential is still largely underutilized. Depending on their structural and functional characteristics, marine-derived biomolecules can find several applications in food industry, agriculture, biotechnological (chemical, industrial or environmental) fields. Fish internal organs are a rich and underexplored source of bioactive compounds; the fish gut microbiota biosynthesizes essential or short-chain fatty acids, vitamins, minerals or enzymes and is also a source of probiotic candidates, in turn producing bioactive compounds with antibiotic and biosurfactant/bioemulsifier activities. Chemical, enzymatic and/or microbial processing of fishery by-catch or processing by-products allows the production of different valuable bioactive compounds; to date, however, the lack of cost-effective extraction strategies so far has prevented their exploitation on a large scale. Standardization and optimization of extraction procedures are urgently required, as processing conditions can affect the qualitative and quantitative properties of these biomolecules. Valorization routes for such raw materials can provide a great additional value for companies involved in the field of bioprospecting. The present review aims at collecting current knowledge on fishery by-catch or by-products, exploring the valorization of their active biomolecules, in application of the circular economy paradigm applied to the fishery field. It will address specific issues from a biorefinery perspective: (i) fish tissues and organs as potential sources of metabolites, antibiotics and probiotics; (ii) screening for bioactive compounds; (iii) extraction processes and innovative technologies for purification and chemical characterization; (iv) energy production technologies for the exhausted biomass. We provide a general perspective on the techno-economic feasibility and the environmental footprint of the production process, as well as on the definition of legal constraints for the new products production and commercial use.     

Search for hydrophilic marine fungal metabolites: a rational approach for their production and extraction in a bioactivity screening context

In the search for bioactive natural products, our lab screens hydrophobic extracts from marine fungal strains. While hydrophilic active substances were recently identified from marine macro-organisms, there was a lack of reported metabolites in the marine fungi area. As such, we decided to develop a general procedure for screening of hydrophobic metabolites. The aim of this study was to compare different processes of fermentation and extraction, using six representative marine fungal strains, in order to define the optimized method for production. The parameters studied were (a) which polar solvent to select, (b) which fermentation method to choose between solid and liquid cultures, (c) which raw material, the mycelium or its medium, to extract and (d) which extraction process to apply. The biochemical analysis and biological evaluations of obtained extracts led to the conclusion that the culture of marine fungi by agar surface fermentation followed by the separate extraction of the mycelium and its medium by a cryo-crushing and an enzymatic digestion with agarase, respectively, was the best procedure when screening for hydrophilic bioactive metabolites. During this development, several bioactivities were detected, confirming the potential of hydrophilic crude extracts in the search for bioactive natural products.     

Anti-Photoaging and Potential Skin Health Benefits of Seaweeds

The skin health benefits of seaweeds have been known since time immemorial. They are known as potential renewable sources of bioactive metabolites that have unique structural and functional features compared to their terrestrial counterparts. In addition, to the consciousness of green, eco-friendly, and natural skincare and cosmetics products, their extracts and bioactive compounds such as fucoidan, laminarin, carrageenan, fucoxanthin, and mycosporine like amino acids (MAAs) have proven useful in the skincare and cosmetic industries. These bioactive compounds have shown potential anti-photoaging properties. Furthermore, some of these bioactive compounds have been clinically tested and currently available in the market. In this contribution, the recent studies on anti-photoaging properties of extracts and bioactive compounds derived from seaweeds were described and discussed.     

Biological Properties of Fucoxanthin in Oil Recovered from Two Brown Seaweeds Using Supercritical CO2 Extraction

The bioactive materials in brown seaweeds hold great interest for developing new drugs and healthy foods. The oil content in brown seaweeds (Saccharina japonica and Sargassum horneri) was extracted by using environmentally friendly supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) with ethanol as a co-solvent in a semi-batch flow extraction process and compared the results with a conventional extraction process using hexane, ethanol, and acetone mixed with methanol (1:1, v/v). The SC-CO₂ method was used at a temperature of 45 °C and pressure of 250 bar. The flow rate of CO₂ (27 g/min) was constant for the entire extraction period of 2 h. The obtained oil from the brown seaweeds was analyzed to determine their valuable compounds such as fatty acids, phenolic compounds, fucoxanthin and biological properties including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antihypertension effects. The amounts of fucoxanthin extracted from the SC-CO₂ oils of S. japonica and S. horneri were 0.41 ± 0.05 and 0.77 ± 0.07 mg/g, respectively. High antihypertensive activity was detected when using mixed acetone and methanol, whereas the phenolic content and antioxidant property were higher in the oil extracted by SC-CO₂. The acetone–methanol mix extracts exhibited better antimicrobial activities than those obtained by other means. Thus, the SC-CO₂ extraction process appears to be a good method for obtaining valuable compounds from both brown seaweeds, and showed stronger biological activity than that obtained by the conventional extraction process.     

Functional and Bioactive Properties of Peptides Derived from Marine Side Streams

In fish processing, a great amount of side streams, including skin, bones, heads and viscera, is wasted or downgraded as feed on a daily basis. These side streams are rich sources of bioactive nitrogenous compounds and protein, which can be converted into peptides through enzymatic hydrolysis as well as bacterial fermentation. Peptides are short or long chains of amino acids differing in structure and molecular weight. They can be considered as biologically active as they can contribute to physiological functions in organisms with applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the food industry, such bioactive peptides can be used as preservatives or antioxidants to prevent food spoilage. Furthermore, peptides contain several functional qualities that can be exploited as tools in modifying food ingredient solubility, water-holding and fat-binding capacity and gel formation. In the pharmaceutical industry, peptides can be used as antioxidants, but also as antihypertensive, anticoagulant and immunomodulatory compounds, amongst other functions. On the basis of their properties, peptides can thus be used in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This review focuses on the bioactive peptides derived from seafood side streams and discusses their technological properties, biological activities and applications.     

Statistical Research on the Bioactivity of New Marine Natural Products Discovered during the 28 Years from 1985 to 2012

Every year, hundreds of new compounds are discovered from the metabolites of marine organisms. Finding new and useful compounds is one of the crucial drivers for this field of research. Here we describe the statistics of bioactive compounds discovered from marine organisms from 1985 to 2012. This work is based on our database, which contains information on more than 15,000 chemical substances including 4196 bioactive marine natural products. We performed a comprehensive statistical analysis to understand the characteristics of the novel bioactive compounds and detail temporal trends, chemical structures, species distribution, and research progress. We hope this meta-analysis will provide useful information for research into the bioactivity of marine natural products and drug development.     

Bioactivity of Different Enriched Phenolic Extracts of Wild Fruits from Northeastern Portugal: A Comparative Study

Arbutus unedo, Prunus spinosa, Rosa micrantha and Rosa canina are good sources of phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins. These compounds have potent antioxidant properties, which have been related to anticancer activity. Herein, the in vitro antioxidant and antitumor properties of enriched phenolic extracts (non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds enriched extract- PE and anthocyanins enriched extract- AE) of the mentioned wild fruits were evaluated and compared. PE gave higher bioactive properties than the corresponding AE. It was observed a high capacity of A. unedo phenolic extract to inhibit lipid peroxidation in animal brain homogenates (EC₅₀?=?7.21 μg/mL), as also a high antitumor potential against NCI-H460 human cell line (non-small lung cancer; GI₅₀?=?37.68 μg/mL), which could be related to the presence of galloyl derivatives (exclusively found in this species). The bioactivity of the studied wild fruits proved to be more related to the phenolic compounds profile than to the amounts present in each extract, and could be considered in the design of new formulations of dietary supplements or functional foods.     

An Overview to the Health Benefits of Seaweeds Consumption

Currently, seaweeds are gaining major attention due to the benefits they give to our health. Recent studies demonstrate the high nutritional value of seaweeds and the powerful properties that seaweeds’ bioactive compounds provide. Species of class Phaeophyceae, phylum Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta possess unique compounds with several properties that are potential allies of our health, which make them valuable compounds to be involved in biotechnological applications. In this review, the health benefits given by consumption of seaweeds as whole food or by assumption of bioactive compounds trough natural drugs are highlighted. The use of seaweeds in agriculture is also highlighted, as they assure soils and crops free from chemicals; thus, it is advantageous for our health. The addition of seaweed extracts in food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and industrial companies will enhance the production and consumption/usage of seaweed-based products. Therefore, there is the need to implement the research on seaweeds, with the aim to identify more bioactive compounds, which may assure benefits to human and animal health.     

Bioactivity Improvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Olea europaea</Emphasis> Leaf Extract Biotransformed by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wickerhamomyces anomalus</Emphasis> Enzymes

Olive leaves represent a quantitatively significant by-product of agroindustry. They are rich in phenols, mainly oleuropein, which can be hydrolyzed into several bioactive compounds, including hydroxytyrosol. In this study, water extract from olive leaves ‘Biancolilla’ was analyzed for polyphenol profile, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and protective effect on differentiated Caco-2 cells. The efficacy of two enzymatic treatments in promoting the release of bioactive phenols was investigated: a) enzymatic extract from Wickerhamomyces anomalus, characterized by β-glucosidase and esterase activities; b) commercial β-glucosidase. Composition and bioactivity of the resulting extracts were compared. The results showed that the yeast-treated extract presented hydroxytyrosol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity comparable to those obtained using commercial β-glucosidase; however, it was showed the additional presence of hydroxycinnamic acids. In experiments on Caco-2 cells, the leaf extracts promoted the recovery of cell membrane barrier at different minimum effective concentrations. The high specificity of W. anomalus enzymatic extract may represent an effective tool for the release of bioactive phenols from olive by-products.     

Omega-3-Rich Oils from Marine Side Streams and Their Potential Application in Food

Rapid population growth and increasing food demand have impacts on the environment due to the generation of residues, which could be managed using sustainable solutions such as the circular economy strategy (waste generated during food processing must be kept within the food chain). Reusing discarded fish remains is part of this management strategy, since they contain high-value ingredients and bioactive compounds that can be used for the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods. Fish side streams such as the head, liver, or skin or the cephalothorax, carapace, and tail from shellfish are important sources of oils rich in omega-3. In order to resolve the disadvantages associated with conventional methods, novel extraction techniques are being optimized to improve the quality and the oxidative stability of these high-value oils. Positive effects on cardiovascular and vision health, diabetes, cancer, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, and immune system improvement are among their recognized properties. Their incorporation into different model systems could contribute to the development of functional foods, with market benefits for consumers. These products improve the nutritional needs of specific population groups in a scenario where noncommunicable diseases and pandemic crises are responsible for several deaths worldwide.     

An Overview of Potential Seaweed-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Pharmaceutical Applications

Nowadays, seaweeds are widely involved in biotechnological applications. Due to the variety of bioactive compounds in their composition, species of phylum Ochrophyta, class Phaeophyceae, phylum Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta are valuable for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Seaweeds have been consumed as whole food since ancient times and used to treat several diseases, even though the mechanisms of action were unknown. During the last decades, research has demonstrated that those unique compounds express beneficial properties for human health. Each compound has peculiar properties (e.g., antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral activities, etc.) that can be exploited to enhance human health. Seaweed’s extracted polysaccharides are already involved in the pharmaceutical industry, with the aim of replacing synthetic compounds with components of natural origin. This review aims at a better understanding of the recent uses of algae in drug development, with the scope of replacing synthetic compounds and the multiple biotechnological applications that make up seaweed’s potential in industrial companies. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of action of seaweed’s compounds and to embrace the use of seaweeds in pharmaceutical companies and other applications, with the final scope being to produce sustainable and healthier products.     

Salmon (Salmo salar) Side Streams as a Bioresource to Obtain Potential Antioxidant Peptides after Applying Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE)

The pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) technique was used to obtain protein extracts with antioxidant capacity from salmon muscle remains, heads, viscera, skin, and tailfins. A protein recovery percentage ≈28% was obtained for all samples except for viscera, which was ≈92%. These values represented an increase of 1.5–4.8-fold compared to stirring extraction (control). Different SDS-PAGE profiles in control and PLE extracts revealed that extraction conditions affected the protein molecular weight distribution of the obtained extracts. Both TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) and ORAC (oxygen radical antioxidant capacity) assays showed an outstanding antioxidant activity for viscera PLE extract. Through liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple time-of-flight (nanoESI qQTOF) mass spectrometry, 137 and 67 peptides were identified in control and PLE extracts from salmon viscera, respectively None of these peptides was found among the antioxidant peptides inputted in the BIOPEP-UMP database. However, bioinformatics analysis showed several antioxidant small peptides encrypted in amino acid sequences of viscera extracts, especially GPP (glycine-proline-proline) and GAA (glycine-alanine-alanine) for PLE extracts. Further research on the relationship between antioxidant activity and specific peptides from salmon viscera PLE extracts is required. In addition, the salmon side streams studied presented non-toxic levels of As, Hg, Cd, and Pb, as well as the absence of mycotoxins or related metabolites. Overall, these results confirm the feasible use of farmed salmon processing side streams as alternative sources of protein and bioactive compounds for human consumption.     

Structures and Biological Activities of Diketopiperazines from Marine Organisms: A Review

Diketopiperazines are potential structures with extensive biological functions, which have attracted much attention of natural product researchers for a long time. These compounds possess a stable six-membered ring, which is an important pharmacophore. The marine organisms have especially been proven to be a wide source for discovering diketopiperazine derivatives. In recent years, more and more interesting bioactive diketopiperazines had been found from various marine habitats. This review article is focused on the new 2,5-diketopiperazines derived from marine organisms (sponges and microorganisms) reported from the secondary half-year of 2014 to the first half of the year of 2021. We will comment their chemical structures, biological activities and sources. The objective is to assess the merit of these compounds for further study in the field of drug discovery.     

Cliona varians-Derived Actinomycetes as Bioresources of Photoprotection-Related Bioactive End-Products

Sunscreen and sunblock are crucial skincare products to prevent photoaging and photocarcinogenesis through the addition of chemical filters to absorb or block ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, several sunscreen and sunblock ingredients, mostly UV filters, have been associated with human and environmental safety concerns. Therefore, the exploration and discovery of promising novel sources of efficient and safer compounds with photoprotection-related activities are currently required. Marine invertebrates, particularly their associated microbiota, are promising providers of specialized metabolites with valuable biotechnological applications. Nevertheless, despite Actinobacteria members being a well-known source of bioactive metabolites, their photoprotective potential has been poorly explored so far. Hence, a set of methanolic extracts obtained from Cliona varians-derived actinomycetes was screened regarding their antioxidant and UV-absorbing capacities (i.e., photoprotection-related activities). The active extract-producing strains were identified and classified within genera Streptomyces, Micrococcus, Gordonia, and Promicromonospora. This is the first report of the isolation of these microorganisms from C. varians (an ecologically important Caribbean coral reef-boring sponge). The in vitro cytotoxicity on dermal fibroblasts of oxybenzone and the selected active extracts revealed that oxybenzone exerted a cytotoxic effect, whereas no cytotoxic effect of test extracts was observed. Accordingly, the most active (SPFi > 5, radical scavenging > 50%) and nontoxic (cell viability > 75%) extracts were obtained from Streptomyces strains. Finally, LC-MS-based characterization suggested a broad chemical space within the test strains and agreed with the reported streptomycetes’ chemodiversity. The respective metabolite profiling exposed a strain-specific metabolite occurrence, leading to the recognition of potential hits. These findings suggest that marine Streptomyces produce photoprotectants ought to be further explored in skincare applications.