Tracing the Volatilomic Fingerprint of the Most Popular Italian Fortified Wines.

The aim of the current study was to provide a useful platform to identify characteristic molecular markers related to the authenticity of Italian fortified wines. For this purpose, the volatilomic fingerprint of the most popular Italian fortified wines was established using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), belonging with distinct chemical groups, were identified, ten of which are common to all the analyzed fortified Italian wines. Terpenoids were the most abundant chemical group in Campari bitter wines due to limonene's high contribution to the total volatilomic fingerprint, whereas for Marsala wines, alcohols and esters were the most predominant chemical groups. The fortified Italian wines VOCs network demonstrated that the furanic compounds 2-furfural, ethyl furoate, and 5-methyl-2-furfural, constitute potential molecular markers of Marsala wines, while the terpenoids nerol, α-terpeniol, limonene, and menthone isomers, are characteristic of Vermouth wines. In addition, butanediol was detected only in Barolo wines, and ß-phellandrene and ß-myrcene only in Campari wines. The obtained data reveal an adequate tool to establish the authenticity and genuineness of Italian fortified wines, and at the same time constitute a valuable contribution to identify potential cases of fraud or adulteration to which they are subject, due to the high commercial value associated with these wines. In addition, they contribute to the deepening of scientific knowledge that supports its valorization and guarantee of quality and safety for consumers.

The Impact of Different Types of Rice and Cooking on Postprandial Glycemic Trends in Children with Type 1 Diabetes with or without Celiac Disease.

The aims of this study were to evaluate: (i) the chemical and nutritional composition of rice before and after cooking and (ii) postprandial glycemic impacts in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) after eating two different types of rice ("Gigante Vercelli" white rice and "Artemide" black rice) or white rice cooked "risotto" style or boiled using an advanced hybrid closed loop (AHCL) system (Tandem Control-IQTM). General composition and spectrophotometric analyses of raw and cooked rice were performed. Eight T1D subjects (four males and four females, aged 11 ± 1.4 years), two with celiac disease (CD), using an AHCL system were enrolled. "Gigante Vercelli" white rice cooked as risotto or boiled and boiled "Artemide" rice were prepared by the same cook on two evenings. Continuous glucose monitoring metrics were evaluated for 12 h after meal consumption. Total dietary fiber was higher for both rice types after cooking compared with raw rice. Cooking as risotto increased polyphenols and antioxidants (p < 0.05) in both rice varieties, and total starch decreased after boiling (p < 0.05) in white rice. There was a significant peak in glycemia after consuming risotto and boiled white rice (p < 0.05), while the mean glycemic peak remained <180 mg/dL in individuals eating boiled Artemide rice. There were no significant differences in automatic basal or auto-bolus insulin deliveries by the AHCL according to different types of rice or cooking method. Our findings suggest that glycemic trends are impacted by the different chemical and nutritional profiles of rice but are nevertheless well controlled by AHCL systems.

Impact of Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica Newman) on the chemical composition of two grape varieties (Nebbiolo and Erbaluce) grown in Italy.

The effect of Japanese beetles (P. japonica) on critical quality indicators of Nebbiolo and Erbaluce grapes, specifically on their phenolic and volatile composition, was assessed. Adult beetle symptoms include extended skeletonization of leaves. Leaves are frequently left with their mid-vein intact but, when severely damaged, quickly turn brown. However, the plant tends to recover by generating a new leaf apparatus and the grapes reach ripeness. It emerged that the phenolic content of grapes produced by plants attacked by P. japonica (396 and 550 mg/kg, Nebbiolo and Erbaluce respectively) was generally higher when compared to healthy plants (266 and 188 mg/kg, Nebbiolo and Erbaluce respectively). Similarly, in the (red) Nebbiolo cultivar, the anthocyanin content was significantly lower in grapes produced with healthy plants. The influence of P. japonica on the volatile composition of Nebbiolo and Erbaluce grapes showed a total volatile fraction of affected grapes (433 and 439 µg/kg, respectively) significantly higher than the one related to healthy grapes (391 and 386 µg/kg, respectively). In response to the attack by P. japonica the plant significantly increases the content of some volatile compounds such as hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, 1-hexanol, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol and phenyl ethyl alcohol.

Microencapsulation of a Pickering Oil/Water Emulsion Loaded with Vitamin D3.

The ionotropic gelation technique was chosen to produce vitamin D3-loaded microparticles starting from oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion stabilized by flaxseed flour: the hydrophobic phase was a solution of vitamin D3 in a blend of vegetable oils (ω6:ω3, 4:1) composed of extra virgin olive oil (90%) and hemp oil (10%); the hydrophilic phase was a sodium alginate aqueous solution. The most adequate emulsion was selected carrying out a preliminary study on five placebo formulations which differed in the qualitative and quantitative polymeric composition (concentration and type of alginate selected). Vitamin D3-loaded microparticles in the dried state had a particle size of about 1 mm, 6% of residual water content and excellent flowability thanks to their rounded shape and smooth surface. The polymeric structure of microparticles demonstrated to preserve the vegetable oil blend from oxidation and the integrity of vitamin D3, confirming this product as an innovative ingredient for pharmaceutical and food/nutraceutical purposes.

Screening of Different Essential Oils Based on Their Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties to Preserve Red Fruits and Improve Their Shelf Life.

Strawberries and raspberries are susceptible to physiological and biological damage. Due to the consumer concern about using pesticides to control fruit rot, recent attention has been drawn to essential oils. Microbiological activity evaluations of different concentrations of tested EOs (cinnamon, clove, bergamot, rosemary and lemon; 10% DMSO-PBS solution was used as a diluent) against fruit rot fungal strains and a fruit-born human pathogen (Escherichia coli) indicated that the highest inhibition halos was found for pure cinnamon and clove oils; according to GC-MS analysis, these activities were due to the high level of the bioactive compounds cinnamaldehyde (54.5%) in cinnamon oil and eugenol (83%) in clove oil. Moreover, thermogravimetric evaluation showed they were thermally stable, with temperature peak of 232.0 °C for cinnamon and 200.6/234.9 °C for clove oils. Antibacterial activity evaluations of all tested EOs at concentrations from 5-50% (v/v) revealed a concentration of 10% (v/v) to be the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. The physicochemical analysis of fruits in an in vivo assay indicated that used filter papers doped with 10% (v/v) of cinnamon oil (stuck into the lids of plastic containers) were able to increase the total polyphenols and antioxidant activity in strawberries after four days, with it being easier to preserve strawberries than raspberries.

A Rapid and Efficient Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay for the Authentication of Food Supplements Based on Maitake (Grifola Frondosa).

Grifola frondosa ("Maitake") is an edible fungus with several nutraceutical properties, largely used in traditional medicine. The increased use of Maitake as a food supplements ingredient raised the need of accurate authentication methods since the morphological identification of G. frondosa is not feasible in formulated food supplements. We developed a diagnostic tool based on loop-mediated isothermal AMPlification (LAMP) for the detection of G. frondosa in food supplements. First, a modified CTAB protocol for DNA extraction from food supplements has been set up and it has been shown to be able to isolate amplifiable total genomic material from different types of commercial products. Subsequently, the LAMP assay confirmed high specificity and good analytical sensitivity, allowing to detect up to 0.62 pg of genomic DNA in less than 20 min. Ten related fungal species resulted negative, confirming the specificity of the assay. The presence of Maitake in commercial food supplements was confirmed, except for one, revealing a mislabeling (or a food fraud). This assay proved to be a rapid powerful tool for food authentication purposes and routine inspections at any level of the supply chain of Maitake-based products and it can be used as a model for other quality control assays of fungal food products. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12161-022-02235-0.

Cooking of Artemide Black Rice: Impact on Proximate Composition and Phenolic Compounds.

The consumption of black rice has grown in recent years due to its particular organoleptic properties and high content of antioxidant polyphenols, which make it a sort of natural functional food. However, heat treatment applied during cooking can influence the content and the composition of antioxidant components, particularly anthocyanins, the main compounds of black rice, responsible for its color. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of different cooking techniques (boiling, microwaves oven, under pressure pot and risotto preparation) on the chemical and nutritional composition of the Italian Artemide black rice. Different cooking methods had significant and different impact on rice composition. Proximate composition was not affected by cooking, except for moisture, which increased, and fiber content, which decreased. Total polyphenols, total anthocyanin content, and antioxidant capacity were reduced; moreover, anthocyanins and phenolic acids determined by HPLC-DAD generally decreased, with the only exception of protocatechuic acid. The risotto preparation was the most useful cooking technique to preserve anthocyanins and antioxidant activity. Our results demonstrated the importance to study cooking methods and to evaluate their impact on rice characteristics, in order to preserve its nutritional and beneficial properties.

Gentianose: Purification and structural determination of an unknown oligosaccharide in grape seeds.

Grape seeds are among the main constituents of grape pomace, ranging between 20% and 30% of the wet matrix; however, their oligosaccharide composition has not been studied. This paper describes the purification and the identification of low molecular weight oligosaccharides contained in an EtOH/water extract of grape seeds. A sequential two-step purification by size exclusion chromatography was carried out to fractionate compounds according to molecular weights. Chemical characterization of the combined fractions was performed by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analyses. The separation process gave two fractions abundant in sucrose and glucose. A third fraction containing trisaccharides was acetylated allowing the purification of the main trisaccharide. The structure elucidation of the acetylated product made it possible to identify gentianose, a predominant carbohydrate reserve found in the storage roots of perennial Gentiana lutea. Grape seeds are wine industry by-products and the obtained results suggest the importance of their recovery.

Distribution of bioactive compounds in pearled fractions of tritordeum.

Hexaploid tritordeum is the amphidiploid cereal derived from the cross between wild barley and durum wheat. The present study compares two cultivars of tritordeum with other cereals grown in the same experimental area to weigh up its potential use as ingredient for health-valued foods. Tritordeum shows 2.5-fold higher concentration of lutein than common wheat and barley, and 1.2-fold higher than durum wheat, while the concentration of ß-glucans is 5 folds lower than the one observed for barley. Based on the distribution of bioactive compounds in pearled fractions, the use of whole-grain flours seems the best way to exploit the antioxidant potential of tritordeum. Nevertheless, the internal layers of the kernel of this cereal are characterized on average by high concentrations of antioxidants (32.0 mg/kg and 518 mg/kg soluble and cell wall-bound phenolic acids, respectively), making tritordeum interesting also for the production of refined flours rich in bioactive compounds.

Characterization of peel and pulp proanthocyanidins and carotenoids during ripening in persimmon "Kaki Tipo" cv, cultivated in Italy.

The proanthocyanidins and carotenoids composition of peel and pulp from persimmon "Seedless Pollination Variant Non-Astringent" cultivar during ripening was evaluated. Phloroglucinolysis method, combined with HPLC separation, confirmed three terminal units, the flavonol myricetin, in addition to the typical flavan-3-ols catechin and epicatechin. The extender units were epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, epicatechin-3-O-gallate, and catechin. Proanthocyanidins were characterized by a considerable level of 3-O-galloylation (34-60%), showing a high prodelphinidin content (29-46%) and a mean degree of polymerization between 55 and 10. A carotenoid increase was observed during fruit ripening both in the peel and the pulp, with the highest contents respectively, for the peel and the pulp of 42.11 mg/Kg and 13.32 mg/Kg, determined at the almost fully mature stage.

The impact of distillation process on the chemical composition and potential prebiotic activity of different oligosaccharidic fractions extracted from grape seeds.

The study was designed to evaluate how the distillation process is able to affect the composition and bioactivity of oligosaccharides contained in the grape seeds. Different oligosaccharidic fractions have been extracted both before and after grape pomace distillation in order to valorize this by-product. A multistep solid-phase extraction approach (C-18 and carbograph cartridges) has been applied to purify and fractionate the oligosaccharidic compounds. Chemical characterization of the fractions was performed using a UPLC-ESI-MSn method. Complex oligosaccharides consist principally of neutral oligosaccharides rich in arabinose and glucose. Then, the oligosaccharides contained in the different fractions as potential functional ingredients with prebiotic activity toward well-known probiotic bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum, were evaluated. Data showed how, in some combination, oligosaccharidic fractions obtained may be considered a novel "functional ingredient" with potential prebiotic activity mainly towards L. acidophilus.

Cocoa hulls polyphenols stabilized by microencapsulation as functional ingredient for bakery applications.

Cocoa hulls are a potential source of polyphenols to be used as "functional ingredients" in foods, but their low stability to oxidation and thermal degradation limits their practical application. The aim of this study was to microencapsulate cocoa hulls phenolic extracts through spray-drying, in order to produce new heat stable ingredients for bakery products. Polyphenols were extracted using water and ethanol under different conditions. The best performing extract (water/ethanol 50:50), containing 93.3 mg of total polyphenols per gram of dry extract, was spray-dried with and without stabilizing agents (maltodextrins and/or gum Arabic), obtaining seven different powders. These were first tested for their stability, showing a total phenolic content and an antioxidant activity stable up to 90 days. The powders were then used to evaluate their baking stability in a model biscuit; the microencapsulation using an 80:20 ratio of maltodextrins to the dry extract allowed obtaining the most stable powder, with a total polyphenol content unaffected by the baking process.

Spray-dried polyphenolic extract from Italian black rice (Oryza sativa L., var. Artemide) as new ingredient for bakery products.

Artemide is one of the Italian pigmented rice varieties richest in polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. The aim of this work was to obtain anthocyanin-rich powders from Artemide cv, useful as functional ingredients for bakery foods. The hydroalcoholic extract prepared from Artemide black rice was processed by both spray-drying (with and without coating agents: maltodextrins: MD; arabic gum: GA) and freeze drying, in order to obtain ingredients more stable during storage and baking. The polyphenols spray-dried with MD and GA (50:50, w/w) resulted the ingredient most stable to the storage and partially protected from thermal damage during the baking in a model biscuit. The enriched biscuits showed a significantly higher content of polyphenols, antioxidant capacity and anthocyanins respect to a control biscuit. The polyphenolic extract obtained from Artemide black rice can be considered a valuable source of polyphenols to produce functional foods or microencapsulated ingredients for nutraceutical applications.

Bioactive compound and antioxidant activity distribution in roller-milled and pearled fractions of conventional and pigmented wheat varieties.

In this study, the chemical composition of pigmented wheats (yellow, purple and blue types), and the distribution of the bioactive compounds in their roller-milled and pearled fractions, were compared with conventional wheats (red and white types). Roller-milling promoted the recovery of total dietary fiber, ß-glucans, phenolic acids and anthocyanins in the bran fraction, which resulted also in a higher total antioxidant activity than the refined flour. Conversely, lutein resulted mainly concentrated in the refined flour. In the same way, the distribution pattern in the pearled fractions differ depending on the bioactive considered. The study highlights that a careful selection of the most appropriate fractionation process should be performed to produce flours rich in bioactive compounds. Roller-milling resulted useful for the production of refined flours rich in xanthophylls, with particular emphasis to the yellow-grained wheats. Contrarily, pearling could be more useful in the valorization of the health potential of anthocyanin-pigmented varieties.

Sensitive and specific detection of pine nut (Pinus spp.) by real-time PCR in complex food products.

Pine nuts are a known source of food allergens and several cases of adverse immunological reaction after ingestion have been reported. To protect allergic consumers, methods to unequivocally detect the presence of pine nuts in complex matrices must be developed. A Taqman-based real time PCR method for the detection of Pinus spp. was set up. A homemade pesto spiked at known concentration of pine nut powder was used as model food. Moreover, DNA was purified from commercial foods declaring or not the presence of pine nuts. The method displayed a very high efficiency and specificity for the genus Pinus. The intrinsic LOD was 1pg of DNA, while the practical LOD evaluated on model foods was 0.1ppm of pine nuts powder, the lowest ever registered for the detection of food allergens via real-time PCR. Finally, the declared presence/absence of pine nut in commercial foods was confirmed.

In silico allergenicity prediction of several lipid transfer proteins.

Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are common allergens and they are particularly widespread within the plant kingdom. They have a highly conserved three-dimensional structure that generate a strong cross-reactivity among the members of this family. In the last years several web tools for the prediction of allergenicity of new molecules based on their homology with known allergens have been released, and guidelines to assess potential allergenicity of proteins through bioinformatics have been established. Even if such tools are only partially reliable yet, they can provide important indications when other kinds of molecular characterization are lacking. The potential allergenicity of 28 amino acid sequences of LTPs homologs, either retrieved from the UniProt database or in silico deduced from the corresponding EST coding sequence, was predicted using 7 publicly available web tools. Moreover, their similarity degree to their closest known LTP allergens was calculated, in order to evaluate their potential cross-reactivity. Finally, all sequences were studied for their identity degree with the peach allergen Pru p 3, considering the regions involved in the formation of its known conformational IgE-binding epitope. Most of the analyzed sequences displayed a high probability to be allergenic according to all the software employed. The analyzed LTPs from bell pepper, cassava, mango, mungbean and soybean showed high homology (>70%) with some known allergenic LTPs, suggesting a potential risk of cross-reactivity for sensitized individuals. Other LTPs, like for example those from canola, cassava, mango, mungbean, papaya or persimmon, displayed a high degree of identity with Pru p 3 within the consensus sequence responsible for the formation, at three-dimensional level, of its major conformational epitope. Since recent studies highlighted how in patients mono-sensitized to peach LTP the levels of IgE seem directly proportional to the chance of developing cross-reactivity to LTPs from non-Rosaceae foods, and these chances increase the more similar the protein is to Pru p 3, these proteins should be taken into special account for future studies aimed at evaluating the risk of cross-allergenicity in highly sensitized individuals.

Impact of Roasting on Identification of Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) Origin: A Chemometric Approach.

Hazelnuts belonging to different cultivars or cultivated in different geographic areas can be differentiated by their chemical profile; however, the roasting process may affect the composition of raw hazelnuts, thus compromising the possibility to identify their origin in processed foods. In this work, we characterized raw and roasted hazelnuts (Tonda Gentile Trilobata, TGT, from Italy and from Chile, Tonda di Giffoni from Italy, and Tombul from Turkey), as well as hazelnuts isolated from commercial products, with the aim to discriminate their cultivar and origin. The chemometric evaluation of selected chemical parameters (proximate composition, fatty acids, total polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and protein fingerprint by SDS-PAGE) permitted us to identify hazelnuts belonging to different cultivars and, concerning TGT samples, their different geographic origin. Also commercial samples containing Piedmontese TGT hazelnuts were correctly assigned to TGT cluster. In conclusion, even if the roasting process modifies the composition of roasted hazelnuts, this preliminary model study suggests that the identification of their origin is still possible.

Pru du 2S albumin or Pru du vicilin?

A short partial sequence of 28 amino acids is all the information we have so far about the putative allergen 2S albumin from almond. The aim of this work was to analyze this information using mainly bioinformatics tools, in order to verify its rightness. Based on the results reported in the paper describing this allergen from almond, we analyzed the original data of amino acids sequencing through available software. The degree of homology of the almond 12kDa protein with any other known 2S albumin appears to be much lower than the one reported in the paper that firstly described it. In a publicly available cDNA library we discovered an expressed sequence tag which translation generates a protein that perfectly matches both of the sequencing outputs described in the same paper. A further analysis indicated that the latter protein seems to belong to the vicilin superfamily rather than to the prolamin one. The fact that also vicilins are seed storage proteins known to be highly allergenic would explain the IgE reactivity originally observed. Based on our observations we suggest that the IgE reactive 12kDa protein from almond currently known as Pru du 2S albumin is in reality the cleaved N-terminal region of a 7S vicilin like protein.

Progressive Pearling of Barley Kernel: Chemical Characterization of Pearling Fractions and Effect of Their Inclusion on the Nutritional and Technological Properties of Wheat Bread.

Two hulled barley varieties have been sequentially pearled for one to eight cycles, each with 5% removal. The derived fractions were analyzed for their bioactive compound content. The dietary fiber (DF) decreased from the external to the internal layers, whereas ß-glucans showed an inverse trend. Deoxynivalenol contamination was concentrated in the outer layers. The total antioxidant activity (TAA) was higher in the 15-25% fractions, which were used to prepare bread. Five mixtures of refined wheat flour, with an increasing replacement of this pearled barley fraction, were compared with a control for the bioactive compound content, as well as for the rheological and physical bread properties. The inclusion of pearled fractions with up to a 10% substitution leads to a clear enhancement of the DF and TAA, with only minor detrimental effects on the physical parameters. Selected byproducts of barley pearling could be proposed as functional ingredients for bakery products rich in DF and TAA.