Evolution of trans- and cis-resveratrol content in red grapes (Vitis vinifera L. cv Mencía, Albarello and Merenzao) during ripening

Concentrations of cis- and trans-resveratrol were analyzed in grapes from three red Galician varieties (Mencía, Albarello and Merenzao). Free resveratrol was quantified using a HPLC method (binary gradient) with fluorescence detection. The grapes were sampled weekly during the last 3 weeks before the optimal stage of maturation and the three parts were separated (skin, pulp and seed). These compounds are absent in pulp in all the grapes and the varieties, and the content in skin and seed varied according to the variety (Mencía > Albarello > Merenzao) and the vintage (1999 > 2001 > 2000). The results obtained from the grapes (7–24 mg/L) indicated that the wines elaborated from Mencía variety could be present with important amounts of trans-resveratrol.     

Changes in the color components and phenolic content of red wines from Vitis vinifera L. Cv. “Tempranillo” during vinification and aging

Changes in phenolics and color components during vinification and aging of Tempranillo wines were studied. Different phenolics display different diffusion into the must, and with the exception of proanthocyanidins and acetyl-glucoside anthocyanins, with maximum concentration at the end of postmaceration, the rest of the unacylated and coumarated anthocyanins, monomeric flavanols, and hydroxycinnamic acids reached their maximum at the end of alcoholic fermentation. This resulted in a significant increase in both wine color and stable color, mainly due to the formation of copigmentation complexes, although polymeric pigment formation was also important. Malolactic fermentation produced a significant decrease in flavonoid content while nonflavonoid concentrations were maintained, prompting a considerable loss in wine color, despite the dramatic increase in bisulfite-stable color. Wine oak aging did not produce any significant change in the studied parameters, while bottle aging reduced the level of monomeric anthocyanins and flavanols, and hydroxycinnamic acids. However, wine color remained stable due to a significant increase in stable color. Polymerization reactions of anthocyanins prevailed over pigment degradation reactions, and copigmentation was still relevant after 2 years of bottle aging.     

Phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of Rocha pear and other pear cultivars – A comparative study

The phenolic profile and the antioxidant activity of Rocha pear, a Portuguese pear cultivar, were determined and compared with the commercially available pear varieties Comice, Abate, General Leclerc and Passe Crassane. Phenolic composition of the methanolic extracts of these pears was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), while antioxidant activities were evaluated using three complementary test systems: DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing power capacity and β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. When compared to the studied varieties, Rocha pear (peel and flesh) presented the highest content of total phenolics. Among them, chlorogenic, syringic, ferulic and coumaric acids, arbutin and (?)-epicatechin were detected as major components. In addition, among the tested varieties, Rocha pear presented the best antioxidant activities in the DPPH and ferric reducing power assays.     

Impacts of crop level,soil and irrigation management in grape berries of cv ‘Trincadeira’ (Vitis vinifera L.)

Berry size and crop yield are widely recognized as important factors that contribute to wine quality. The final berry size indirectly affects the phenolic concentration of the wine due to skin surface-to-berry volume ratio. The effects of different irrigation levels, soil management and plant crop level on growth of ‘Trincadeira’ berries were studied. In order to test the influence of different irrigation levels (rainfed, pre-veraison and post-veraison), different soil management (tillage and natural cover crops) and different plant crop levels (8 and 16 clusters per vine), leaf water potential, skin anthocyanin, polyphenols, berry skin and seed fresh weight were measured in fruits. The segregation of berries into three different berry classes: small, medium and large, allowed to identify different levels of contribution of soil management and irrigation level into berry, skin and seeds ratios. As expected, higher water availability due to irrigation and soil tillage management during berry development induced an increase in berry flesh weight and this was more evident in larger berries; however, berry skin and seed fresh weight remained unchanged. Also, anthocyanins did not show significant differences.     

Anthocyanins, flavonols and hydroxycinnamates: an attempt to use them to discriminate Vitis vinifera L. cv ‘Barbera’ clones

Anthocyanin and flavonol profiles of Vitis vinifera berry skin have been diffusely studied in past years to identify the effects exerted by climate, environment and cultural practices on their biosynthesis. They have also been used for chemotaxonomic purposes with the aim of classifying grape varieties. Hydroxycinnamates and phenolic acids are the most important group of non-flavonoid phenols in grapes and wines. In the present work six ‘Barbera’ clones were grown in the same site to evaluate the influence of two seasons on the accumulation of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamates at maturity. Berry skins were extracted in an ethanolic buffer and flavonoids and hydroxycinnamates were separated by HPLC. Two principal component analysis (PCA) models were built to identify phenolic parameters exploitable to classify clones. The PCA scores were taken further to perform discriminant analysis to evaluate the degree of classification possible. A significant seasonal variability was observed for most phenolic features, whereas some parameters such as total anthocyanin expressed on a per berry basis, the sum of tri-hydroxylated anthocyanin percentages, the percentages of kaempferol glucuronide and the total hydroxycinnamate content were stable over the seasons. The percentage of individual anthocyanin alone, not associated with maturity data, was not effective in classifying clones; in association with maturity data it allowed to discriminate clones, similarly to what it was previously assessed for classifying varieties. The results indicated that LDA models developed on the PCA scores including maturity data correctly classified 75% of clones.     

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of musts and skin extracts from off-vine dried Vitis vinifera cv. “Tempranillo” grapes

The phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of musts and skin extracts from Tempranillo grapes dried for variable lengths of times were examined here. Both were found to increase in the grape must with increasing drying time, but the opposite trend was observed in the skin extracts. The antioxidant activity of the must and skin was largely due to anthocyanins. Also, the anthocyanins fraction exhibited the highest antioxidant activity per gram of phenolic compound in the musts and skin extracts at the end of the drying process, polymeric pigments and high-molecular-weight procyanidins were also prominent in this respect. In vivo antioxidant activity in terms of protein oxidation and survival of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells previously incubated with 10 μg/mL of polyphenols from the musts and skins and exposed to hydrogen peroxide was also measured. Both extracts exerted a protective effect against oxidative stress, the effect increasing with increasing dehydration time and being somewhat higher for skin than for must. Thus, must and skin from dehydrated grapes possess antioxidant properties, which allow the latter, a by-product of sweet wine, to be used as a natural source of antioxidants.     

Characterization of Ficus carica L. cultivars by DNA and secondary metabolite analysis: Is genetic diversity reflected in the chemical composition?

Ficus carica L. is one of the first plants cultivated by humans, having a great economic impact in many countries, the fruit being an important constituent of the Mediterranean diet. Plants' metabolome may be influenced by their genetic diversity, environmental factors and their interaction. Thus, in this study we explored the chemical and morphological profiles and the DNA of five Portuguese F. carica cultivars, to try to establish a correlation between genetics and metabolome. Morphological and molecular markers of these cultivars were assessed for the first time. Besides the observed morphological differences, the rbcL chloroplastic DNA region allowed a better clustering of the cultivars and was more successful in the identification of the species; as so, it could be helpful for authenticity purposes. Phenolic compounds, sterols and triterpenes profiles were determined by HPLC/DAD, the last revealing to be less variable among cultivars, once only a significant difference in the betulol content of “Pingo de Mel” samples was observed. For almost all the accessions studied, no correlation between genetic diversity and composition was observed.     

Antiviral effects of cranberry juice and cranberry proanthocyanidins on foodborne viral surrogates – A time dependence study in vitro

Cranberry juice (CJ) and cranberry proanthocyanidins (PAC) are widely known for their antibacterial, antiviral, and pharmacological activities. The effect of CJ and cranberry PAC on the infectivity of foodborne viral surrogates, murine norovirus (MNV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV-F9), MS2 (ssRNA) bacteriophage, and ?X-174 (ssDNA) bacteriophage after 0 min to 1 h at room temperature was evaluated. Viruses at titers of ∼5 log₁₀PFU/ml were mixed with equal volumes of CJ at pH 2.6, CJ at pH 7.0, 0.30 mg/ml CJ PAC, 0.60 mg/ml PAC, or water and incubated for 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 min, and 1 h at room temperature. Infectivity was determined using standard plaque assays. The viral reduction rates of the four tested viruses were found to vary considerably. Among the tested viruses, FCV-F9 titers were decreased the most by ∼5 log₁₀PFU/ml within 30 min. MS2 titers were decreased the least by only ∼1 log₁₀PFU/ml after 1 h with CJ at pH 2.6 and 0.30 mg/ml PAC, and ∼0.5 log₁₀PFU/ml with CJ at pH 7.0 and 0.15 mg/ml PAC. MNV-1 and ?-X174 showed comparable titer reductions which was between that of FCV-F9 and MS2. In most cases, viral reduction within the first 10 min of treatment accounted for ≥50% of the total reduction. Transmission electron microscopy on FCV-F9 treated with CJ and PAC revealed structural changes. This study shows potential of using natural bioactive compounds for controlling foodborne viral diseases. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of action of CJ components and to understand the differences in viral titer reduction profiles.     

Analysis of patulin in apple products by liquid–liquid extraction,solid phase extraction and matrix solid-phase dispersion methods: a comparative study

Patulin is a marker of quality in the apple and apple juice industry and due to the potential risk for human health, reliable and potential methods for extracting patulin from a sample are therefore needed. In this study, the three methods with liquid–liquid extraction, matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and with solid-phase extraction (SPE) were studied for extracting patulin from different apple products. Result showed that for AJC and apple sample, MSPD method is most suitable for extracting patulin among the three methods. The recovery rates of AJC and apple sample were 80.35–114.46 and 79.68–94.32%, respectively, the coefficient variations were 3.18–4.90%; For dilute juice, SPE procedure is suitable for analysis of patulin and the recovery rates were and 85.35–90.14%.     

Characterisation of a traditional Finnish liver sausage and different types of Spanish liver pâtés: A comparative study

The physico-chemical characteristics of a traditional Finnish liver sausage (FLS) and different types of Spanish porcine liver pâtés (commercial, home-made and experimental) were studied. The characteristic recipes and different protocols of manufacture influenced the chemical composition and oxidative stability of the liver products. FLS showed, amongst the liver products, the smallest percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and the highest of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) acids, including long-chain PUFAs. From a nutritional point of view, the FLS showed the smallest n − 6/n − 3 value whereas the experimental liver pâté (ELP) presented the smallest ratio between hyper- (lauric, myristic and palmitic acids) and hypocholesterolemic fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acids). A large variety of volatile compounds were isolated from the liver products including lipid-derived volatiles, Strecker aldehydes and alcohols, sulphur and nitrogen containing compounds and volatile terpenes, providing information on their oxidative stability and aroma characteristics. The FLS presented a balanced profile between lipid-derived volatiles and volatile terpenes from spices. The presence of potent odorants from added flavourings in the commercial liver pâté (CLP) could mask undesirable aroma odours from a large variety of lipid-derived volatiles. The home-made liver pâté (HMLP) also presented large amounts of lipid-derived volatiles as a likely consequence of strong thermal treatment during cooking, the presence of high amounts of iron and the absence of sodium nitrites and ascorbate in its composition. The ELP showed the simplest profile due to its high oxidative stability and the absence of added spices.     

Thermal inactivation of lactoperoxidase in goat,sheep and bovine milk – A comparative kinetic and thermodynamic study

Using isothermal heating, inactivation of lactoperoxidase (LPO) in goat, sheep and cow milk was studied in the temperature range of 70–77 °C. Kinetic and thermodynamics studies were carried out at different time–temperature combination in order to evaluate the suitability of LPO as marker for the heat-treatment of milk and dairy products from different species. The thermal inactivation of LPO followed the first-order kinetics. D- and k-values decreased and increased, respectively with increasing temperature, indicating a more rapid LPO inactivation at higher temperatures. The influence of temperature on the inactivation rate constant was quantified using the Arrhenius and thermal death time models. The corresponding z-values were 3.38 ± 0.013, 4.11 ± 0.24 and 3.58 ± 0.004 °C in goat, sheep and cow milk, respectively. Activation energy values varied between milk species with 678.96 ± 21.43 kJ mol⁻¹ in goat milk, 560.87 ± 28.18 kJ mol⁻¹ in sheep milk and 641.56 ± 13.12 kJ mol⁻¹ in cow milk, respectively.     

Development of pectin–eugenol emulsion coatings for inhibition of Listeria on webbed-rind melons: a comparative study with fig and citrus pectins

The objective of this study was to employ pectin-based antimicrobial coatings for inhibition of Listeria on surfaces of whole webbed-rind melons that cause frequent outbreaks of listeriosis. For this purpose, emulsion-based coatings were developed using citrus pectin (CPEC) or pectin extracted from processing wastes of sun-dried figs (FPEC) and eugenol (EUG). The emulsions of FPEC and CPEC with EUG (droplet size range: 1.99–11.22 µm) were highly stable for minimum 10 days at 10 °C. The FPEC-EUG films showed higher flexibility and degree of wettability than CPEC-EUG films. In contrast, CPEC-EUG films had a higher gas barrier performance against oxygen at 50% relative humidity than FPEC-EUG films. The zone inhibition tests showed that FPEC-EUG films are more effective against Listeria innocua than CPEC-EUG films. However, FPEC and CPEC coatings with 2% EUG caused 2.2 and 2.7 decimal inactivation of Listeria on Galia melons within 1 week, respectively. The pectin coatings with EUG could reduce the risk of listeriosis from webbed-rind melons.