In Vitro Antibacterial and Antioxidative Activity and Polyphenolic Profile of the Extracts of Chokeberry, Blackcurrant, and Rowan Berries and Their Pomaces.

The chemical composition of berries and berry pomaces is diverse, containing polyphenolic components that may have both antibacterial and antioxidative properties. In the present study, in vitro antibacterial effect of the extracts of chokeberry, blackcurrant, and rowan berries and berry pomaces against L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, E. coli, and C. jejuni was studied. In addition, the polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity of these extracts were investigated. The polyphenolic profiles in the aqueous and 30% ethanolic extracts were determined chromatographically by HPLC-MS, and the total polyphenol content was estimated spectrophotometrically by HPLC-DAD-UV. The minimal inhibition concentrations (MICs) of the extracts against tested bacteria were determined by the broth microdilution method. The content of total polyphenols was highest and good antioxidative properties of the extracts were determined for chokeberry and blackcurrant berries and their pomaces. The highest proportions of total quercetin derivatives and anthocyanins were found in the extracts of chokeberry berry/pomace and blackcurrant berry/pomace, respectively. The sensitivity of tested microbes to the extracts of berries and berry pomaces was as follows: S. aureus > L. monocytogenes > E. coli and C. jejuni. In vitro antibacterial activity of tested extracts depended on the extraction solvent, mainly for the ethanolic extracts. Findings suggest that chokeberry and blackcurrant berries and their pomaces can be used as a good source of polyphenols with antioxidative properties, and they also have antibacterial activity against some foodborne pathogenic bacteria. It is important that the valuable compounds are extracted from juice press residues before their disposal.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Effects of Plant Powders in Raw and Cooked Minced Pork.

It is a challenge for scientists to find new plant-based food constituents simultaneously possessing antimicrobial and antioxidative properties to prolong the shelf life of meat products. In this study, various plant powders and their blends were added to minced pork to carry out a complex study of their effect on sensory characteristics, microbial growth, and lipid oxidation of the meat in raw and cooked forms during storage. Microbiological shelf life parameters were evaluated by determining the total counts of microorganisms, yeasts, and molds. The growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes was estimated by challenge testing. The impact on lipid oxidation processes was assessed using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. The results showed that the blend of rhubarb petioles and tomato powder added a pleasant color and a combined taste to the product, similar to the taste of salt. In raw samples, considerable microbial growth inhibition was achieved with rhubarb petioles, tomato, and their mixture. Nine treatments of cooked samples had a stronger inhibitory effect on microbial growth compared to control treatments. Among all plant powders, tomato was the most effective inhibitor of yeast and mold growth. However, the challenge test revealed that L. monocytogenes growth in cooked samples was not inhibited during shelf life. In raw samples, rhubarb roots combined with blackcurrant or chokeberry berries effectively inhibited lipid oxidation, and in cooked samples, rhubarb petioles showed a similar effect. In conclusion, it was found that powdered plant materials are well suited for use as antimicrobial and antioxidative agents in minced meat products.

Antibacterial and antioxidative properties of different parts of garden rhubarb, blackcurrant, chokeberry and blue honeysuckle.

BACKGROUND: It is important to find plant materials that can inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and other food-spoiling bacteria both in vitro and in situ. The aim of the study was to compare antibacterial and antioxidative activity of selected plant-ethanol infusions: leaves and berries of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.), berries of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) and blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L. var. edulis); petioles and dark and light roots of garden rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum L.) for potential use in food matrices as antibacterial and antioxidative additives. RESULTS: The strongest bacterial growth inhibition was observed in 96% ethanol infusions of the dark roots of rhubarbs. In 96% ethanol, nine out of ten studied plant infusions had antibacterial effect against L. monocytogenes, but in 20% ethanol only the infusions of dark rhubarb roots had a similar effect. Chokeberry and other berries had the highest antioxidative activity, both in 20% and 96% ethanol infusions. CONCLUSION: The combination of dark rhubarb roots or petioles and berries of black chokeberry, blackcurrant or some other anthocyanin-rich berries would have potential as both antibacterial and antioxidative additives in food. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative study of microbiological, chemical and sensory properties of kefirs produced in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In the current study the microbiological, sensory and chemical properties of 24 kefirs (12 producers) from Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian retail market were determined using gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-MS/MS-Q-TOF and LC-ion trap MS/MS), spectrophotometry and other methods. Antihypertensive, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibiting, antioxidant and antibacterial peptides were found in the kefir samples. According to the results of principal component analysis of 200 most abundant compounds obtained with HPLC-MS/MS-Q-TOF analysis, Estonian kefirs differed from the rest. Kefirs of Latvian and Lithuanian origin showed similarities in several characteristics, probably related to the starter cultures and technological processes. The fatty acids composition of all Baltic kefirs was uniform. The antioxidant capacity of the kefirs varied slightly, whereas intermediate positive correlation (r = 0.32, P < 0.05) was found between antioxidativity and total bacterial count. The lipid oxidation level, estimated as the content of linoleic and oleic acid primary oxidation products, oxylipins, was very low in all studied kefirs. Only one third of analysed kefirs met the requirements of the minimum sum of viable microorganisms, indicated in the Codex Standard for Fermented Milks.

Localized lipid autoxidation initiated by two-photon irradiation within single oil droplets in oil-in-water emulsions.

The initiation of lipid autoxidation within single oil droplets in Tween-20-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion was achieved by highly focused two-photon (2P) irradiation at excitation wavelength (λex) 700 nm. The radical formation was enhanced by inclusion of the photo-cleavable radical initiator di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) into the droplets, and demonstrated with confocal microscopy using radical-sensitive probe BODIPY(665/676). The radical chain reactions progressed up to 60 µm; however, there were no indications of oxidation in neighboring droplets demonstrating that radicals and oxidized probe molecules were not able to migrate between oil droplets. In addition, the spatial propagation of lipid autoxidation increased with the degree of oil unsaturation.

Evidence for transfer of radicals between oil-in-water emulsion droplets as detected by the probe (E,E)-3,5-bis(4-phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)-4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene, BODIPY(665/676.).

(E,E)-3,5-Bis(4-phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)-4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene, BODIPY(665/676), is a lipophilic radical-sensitive fluorescent probe that can be used to study radical-driven lipid autoxidation. The sensitivity of BODIPY(665/676) was studied in the presence of radical initiators di-tert-butyl peroxide and 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl)valeronitrile (AMVN). In both cases the fluorescence of BODIPY(665/676) changed more in saturated medium-chain triglyceride oil than in linseed or sunflower oils, where the high degree of unsaturation is expected to give more pronounced radical-derived lipid oxidation. It was suggested that BODIPY(665/676), as the only available oxidizable substance in the saturated oil, was directly attacked by radicals, resulting in high rates of probe oxidation, while in the unsaturated oils, radicals attacked either unsaturated fatty acids or BODIPY(665/676), resulting in lower rates of probe oxidation. Confocal microscopy studies with BODIPY(665/676) as a radical-sensitive probe combined with oxygen consumption measurements of mixtures of oil-in-water emulsions showed that radicals could be transferred between oil droplets and thereby spread radical-driven oxidation between neighboring droplets.

Detection of radicals in single droplets of oil-in-water emulsions with the lipophilic fluorescent probe BODIPY(665/676) and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Lipid oxidation is a widespread phenomenon in foods and other systems of biological origin. Detection methods for early stages of lipid oxidation are in demand to understand the progress of oxidation in space and time. The fluorescence spectrum of the nonpolar fluorescent probe BODIPY(665/676) changes upon reacting with peroxyl radicals originating from 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl)valeronitrile and tert-butoxyl radicals generated from di-tert-butylperoxide. The excitation wavelength of the main peak of BODIPY(665/676) was 675 nm in the fluorometer, and 670 nm under the microscope, and the optimum excitation wavelength for the secondary peak of BODIPY(665/676) was 580 nm. Advantages of using BODIPY(665/676) are fewer problems with autofluorescence and the possibility of combining several fluorescent probes that are excited and emitted at lower wavelengths. However, because of the spectrum of the probe, specific lasers and detectors are needed for optimal imaging under the microscope. Furthermore, BODIPY(665/676) is resistant to photobleaching at both excitation wavelengths, 670 and 580 nm. In diffusion studies, BODIPY(665/676) is highly lipophilic, remaining in the lipid phase and not diffusing into the aqueous phase or between lipid droplets.

Oxidative stabilization of mixed mayonnaises made with linseed oil and saturated medium-chain triglyceride oil.

Mayonnaises, made with either saturated medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil or unsaturated purified linseed oil (LSO), were mixed. Raman confocal microspectrometry demonstrated that lipid droplets in mixed mayonnaise remained intact containing either MCT oil or LSO. Peroxide formation during storage was lower in mixed mayonnaise compared to LSO mayonnaise, while in mixed oil mayonnaise the level of peroxides was constantly low. Mixed oil mayonnaise had a lower rate of oxygen consumption than mixed mayonnaise, LSO mayonnaise having the highest rate. The decay of water-soluble nitroxyl radicals showed radicals are formed in the aqueous phase with the same rate independent of the lipids. This was also reflected in decay of α-tocopherol during storage being similar in MCT and LSO mayonnaises, but being stable in mixed oil mayonnaise and mixed mayonnaise. Results suggest that other effects than simply diluting unsaturated triglycerides with saturated triglycerides is causing the oxidative stabilization observed for mixed mayonnaise and mixed oil mayonnaise.

Polyphenolic composition of roots and petioles of Rheum rhaponticum L.

INTRODUCTION: Various species of the genus Rheum (Polygonaceae) are known for their high content of medicinally important hydroxyanthraquinones. However, little information is available concerning the polyphenolic composition of garden or dietary rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum L. (R. rhaponticum). OBJECTIVE: Determination of further polyphenols in the roots and petioles of R. rhaponticum. METHODOLOGY: The dried plant material was extracted with 10-fold excess (v/w) of methanol and subsequently diluted five times with methanol-water (1:1) and analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using tandem UV-photodiode array and mass selective detection (RP-HPLC-UV-ESI/MS(2)). Polyphenols were identified using either HPLC-ESI/MS(2) data obtained for respective commercial standards or by comparison of a parent ion fragmentation picture with the respective MS(2 )spectrum from the literature. RESULTS: The roots of R. rhaponticum were very rich in various hydroxystilbenes and contained four main substance groups--derivatives of trans-piceatannol, trans-resveratrol, trans-rhapontigenin and trans-deoxyrhapontigenin. Additionally, pterostilbene acetylglucosides and a number of hydroxyanthraquinones and their glycosides were identified in the root samples. The profile of polyphenols in the petioles of R. rhaponticum was similar to that of the roots but the content of individual substances was remarkably lower. The petioles of the R. rhaponticum additionally contained significant amounts of derivatives of flavonol quercetin, which is a good antioxidant. CONCLUSION: The study has shown that roots of R. rhaponticum contain a wide variety of hydroxystilbenes and deserve further consideration as a source of medicinally interesting compounds.

Evaluation of antioxidative capability of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) skin constituents by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography.

In the current study, phenolic compounds of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) skin extract were separated and their composition was determined by capillary electrophoresis and tandem high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS). Both the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were determined. The antioxidative capability of the extract was measured using a stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The monitoring of the radical scavenging capability of specific phenolic compounds was carried out both by capillary electrophoresis and HPLC-MS/MS.