Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) consumption improves cognitive performance and mood in overweight young adults: A pilot study.

This pilot study evaluated the impact of pistachio consumption on cognitive performance and mood in overweight young adults. Pistachios were characterized (chemical and nutraceutical), and a baseline-final, uncontrolled nutritional intervention was performed (28 g of pistachio/28 days). Psychometric tests were applied to estimate cognitive performance and mood; anthropometric evaluation, biochemical analysis, and plasma antioxidant activity were included. The main component of nuts was lipids (48.1%). Pistachios consumption significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced waist circumference (-1.47 cm), total cholesterol (-10.21 mg/dL), LDL (-6.57 mg/dL), and triglycerides (-21.07 mg/dL), and increased plasma antioxidant activity. Pistachio supplementation improved risk tolerance (p ≤ 0.006) and decision-making strategy (p ≤ 0.002; BART-task), executive functions (BCST-task; p ≤ 0.006), and selective and sustained attention (Go/No-Go-test; p ≤ 0.016). The mood state was positively modulated (p ≤ 0.05) for anxiety, anger-hostility, and sadness-depression. These results show for the first time the benefits of pistachio consumption on cognitive performance and mood in overweight young adults.

Comparative Study between Two Simple Synthesis Methods for Obtaining Green Gold Nanoparticles Decorating Silica Particles with Antibacterial Activity.

The SiO2 particles system is one of the most common ways to protect colloidal metal systems, such as gold nanoparticles, from aggregation and activity loss due to their high chemical stability and low reactivity. In this study, silica green gold nanoparticles (AuNPs synthesized with mullein extract) were fabricated using two different sol-gel methods. The nanoparticles were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR), and the antibacterial activity against pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica). Synthesis-1 nanoparticles had a kidney-shaped form and uniform distribution, while synthesis-2 nanoparticles had a spherical and non-uniform form. Characterization showed that temperature is an important factor in the distribution of AuNPs in silica; a decrease allowed the formation of Janus-type, and an increase showed a higher concentration of gold in energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Overall, similar bands of the two synthesis silica nanoparticles were observed in FTIR, while XRD spectra showed differences in the preferential growth in AuNPs depending on the synthesis. Higher antibacterial activity was observed against S. aureus, which was followed by L. monocytogenes. No differences were observed in the antibacterial activity between the two different sol-gel methods.

Solid lipid nanoparticles by Venturi tube: preparation, characterization and optimization by Box-Behnken design.

In this study, a Venturi tube is proposed as an efficient static mixer incorporated into a continuous recirculation system for obtaining solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) of monoolein. The device's operating principle consists of producing a turbulent flux in the throat of a Venturi tube. Taking advantage of this effect SLN of monoolein were obtained by rapid diffusion of the organic phase into the aqueous phase (stabilizer), causing lipid aggregation on the nanometric particles. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the critical factors for obtaining the SLN of monoolein in order to control the independent variables of this methodology. A Box-Behnken design was used to study such independent variables (factors) as injection rate (X1), recirculation rate (X2), and stabilizer (X3) on the dependent variables; namely, process yield (Y1), particle size (Y2), polydispersity index (Y3) and zeta potential (Y4). The optimum operating conditions for preparing SLN were: injection rate, 1.6 mL/min; recirculation rate, 4.2 L/min; and stabilizer concentration, 1.0 w/v, with a value of D = 0.84. The predicted responses of the particle size were 212.0 nm, with a polydispersity index of 0.21, a zeta potential of -19.9 mV, and a process yield of 96.0%. Under the same operating condition, SLN formed with different lipids and stabilizers were obtained with nanometric size and zeta potential of ∼ -30.0 mV. Results show that the Venturi tube method is an innovative and versatile technique for preparing SLN of nanometric size with high process yields through a turbulent flow.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside: Physical-Chemistry, Foodomics and Health Effects.

Anthocyanins (ACNs) are plant secondary metabolites from the flavonoid family. Red to blue fruits are major dietary sources of ACNs (up to 1 g/100 g FW), being cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) one of the most widely distributed. Cy3G confers a red hue to fruits, but its content in raspberries and strawberries is low. It has a good radical scavenging capacity (RSC) against superoxide but not hydroxyl radicals, and its oxidative potential is pH-dependent (58 mV/pH unit). After intake, Cy3G can be metabolized (phases I, II) by oral epithelial cells, absorbed by the gastric epithelium (1%-10%) and it is gut-transformed (phase II & microbial metabolism), reaching the bloodstream (<1%) and urine (about 0.02%) in low amounts. In humans and Caco-2 cells, Cy3G's major metabolites are protocatechuic acid and phloroglucinaldehyde which are also subjected to entero-hepatic recycling, although caffeic acid and peonidin-3-glucoside seem to be strictly produced in the large bowel and renal tissues. Solid evidence supports Cy3G's bioactivity as DNA-RSC, gastro protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic chemo-preventive and as an epigenetic factor, exerting protection against Helicobacter pylori infection, age-related diseases, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and oral cancer. Most relevant mechanisms include RSC, epigenetic action, competitive protein-binding and enzyme inhibition. These and other novel aspects on Cy3G's physical-chemistry, foodomics, and health effects are discussed.

Antioxidant capacity and antimutagenic activity of anthocyanin and carotenoid extracts from nixtamalized pigmented Creole maize races (Zea mays L.).

Nixtamalization process is the first step to obtain maize based products, like tortillas; however, in both the traditional and commercial processes, white grain is generally preferred. Creole maize races, mainly pigmented varieties, have increasingly attention since these are rich in anthocyanins and carotenoids. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimutagenic activity of rich anthocyanins and carotenoids extracts from creole maize races before (grain) and after (masa and tortilla) the nixtamalization process. Most anthocyanins and carotenoids were lost during nixtamalization. Before nixtamalization, blue and red genotypes contained either higher antioxidant capacity and anthocyanin contents (963 ± 10.0 and 212.36 ± 0.36 mg of cyanidin-3-glucoside eq/100 g, respectively) than the white and yellow genotypes. However, the highest carotenoid levels were displayed by red grains (1.01 ± 0.07 to 1.14 ± 0.08 µg of ß-carotene eq/g extract). Anthocyanins losses were observed when the blue grains were processed into masa (83 %) and tortillas (64 %). Anthocyanins content correlated with antiradical activity (r = 0.57) and with 2-aminoanthracene -induced mutagenicity inhibition on TA98 and TA100 (r = -0.62 and r = -0.44, respectively). For white grains, nixtamalization also reduced carotenoids (53 to 56 %), but not antioxidant activity and 2-Aa-induced mutagenicity. Throughout the nixtamalization process steps, all the extracts showed antimutagenic activity against 2-aminoanthracene-induced mutagenicity (23 to 90 %), displaying higher potential to inhibit base changes mutations than frameshift mutations in the genome of the tasted microorganism (TA100 and TA98, respectively). The results suggest that even though there were pigment losses, creole maize pigments show antioxidant and antimutagenic activities after nixtamalization process.