The Fingerprint of Fortified Wines-From the Sui Generis Production Processes to the Distinctive Aroma.

The fortified wines that originated in Mediterranean countries have, in common, a high alcohol content to increase their shelf-life during long journeys to northern Europe and the American continent. Nowadays, the world's better-known wines, including Marsala, Madeira, Port, and Sherry, due to their high alcoholic content, sweet taste, and intense aromatic profile, are designated as dessert wines and sometimes served as aperitifs. This review gives an overview of the traditional vinification process, including the microbiota and autochthonous yeast, as well as the regulatory aspects of the main Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish fortified wines. The winemaking process is essential to defining the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that characterize the aroma of each fortified wine, giving them an organoleptic fingerprint and "terroir" characteristics. The various volatile and odorous compounds found in fortified wines during the oxidative aging are discussed in the last part of this review.

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.

Effect of enrichment of rice snacks with pulse seed coats on phenolic compound content, product features and consumer hedonic response.

This study investigated the impact of seed coats from peas (PC) and chickpeas (CC) (at 15 % and 30 % levels) on rice-based co-extruded snacks. Using PC and CC reduced the content of soluble (29 %) and cell-wall bound phenolic acids (21 %), but it enhanced the amount and the profile of flavonoids of rice-based snacks (up to 16 times with PC), resulting in significantly higher antioxidant activity (134 %). Snacks with 15 % CC showed a higher section area (about 335 versus 191 mm2) and a lower average pore radius (20.1 versus 23.9 mm) than PC-snacks; however, such features did not affect either texture or porosity. At 30 % level, PC resulted in a more porous structure (porosity: 73.1 versus 66.7 %) with smaller pores (17.2 versus 27.3 mm) and high firmness (55.9 versus 40.1 N). Consumers' acceptability evaluation revealed that samples containing pulse seed coat were comparable and preferred to the control (i.e., 100 % polished rice).

Co-milling of sound olives with fresh chili peppers improves the volatile compound, capsaicinoid and sensory profiles of flavoured olive oil with respect to the typical infusion.

In the context of the olive oil flavoured with chili peppers, the aim of this study was to compare co-milling of sound olives and fresh chili peppers at mill scale to infusion of dried chili peppers in oil, using the same batch of olives for all oils. Capsaicinoids by HPLC-DAD, volatile profile by HS-SPME-GC-MS and HS-GC-IMS and sensory profile were characterized. Capsaicinoids were statistically higher in oils prepared with green (52.0-68.0 mg/kg) than red (48.0-60.2 mg/kg) chili peppers. Oils flavoured by infusion showed higher contents of volatile compounds linked to defects such as acetic acid, with winey/vinegary sensory defect (median, 1.72-2.02) and no fresh pepper flavour. Oils prepared by co-milling resulted rich in the typical esters of chili pepper (6.175 and 4.156 mg/kg with green and red chili peppers, respectively), with pleasant hotness sensation and fresh pepper flavour. Overall, the co-milling approach allowed obtaining flavoured samples with improved sensory quality.

Pulse type and extrusion conditions affect phenolic profile and physical properties of extruded products.

The suitability of chickpea, red lentil and green pea for the production of extruded products (i.e., snacks and pasta) was studied. Besides starch and technological properties, the impact of processing on some bioactive compounds was evaluated. The best results were obtained for lentil: the snacks showed the lowest porosity (21 %), the highest average pore radius (18.8 µm), and high expansion (section area: 310 mm2; inner area: 114 mm2), while pasta exhibited low cooking loss (5.7 g 100 g-1) and high firmness (924 N). Extrusion-cooking reduced the soluble phenolic acid content (-45 %) and flavonoids (-41 %), but increased the cell-wall bound phenolic acids and antioxidant activity. The different pulses did not lead to a marked difference in the antioxidant activity of the extruded products, although the lentil maintained the highest flavonoid content after both processes.

Cyanidin-3-O-Glucoside Supplement Improves Sperm Quality and Spermatogenesis in a Mice Model of Ulcerative Colitis.

Impaired fertility and low sperm quality are the global health problem with high attention. It has been noted that inflammation may impact fertility by affecting testicular spermatogenesis. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside is a natural functional pigment with various health benefits. Nevertheless, studies on the mechanism by which C3G protects male reproduction in mice with ulcerative colitis remain scarce. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the potential mechanism of C3G for improving impaired fertility caused by colitis. A DSS-induced colitis model was applied to assess the effects of sperm quality with colitis and the health benefit role of C3G. Results indicated that C3G-treated mice exhibited higher body weight, longer colon length, less crypt damage and focal inflammation infiltration. Being consistent with that, low sperm count, low testis weight, high inflammation levels and abnormal thickness of seminiferous epithelium also observed in the DSS group were significantly recovered upon C3G treatment. These findings suggested that colitis has a close link to impaired fertility. Further analysis found that C3G could significantly suppress the inflammatory mediators in serum. Results conjointly indicated that C3G might improve the impaired fertility of mice with colitis by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines through the blood-testis barrier. C3G could be a promising daily supplement for ameliorating impaired fertility caused by colitis.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Protective effects of clovamide against H2O2-induced stress in rat cardiomyoblasts H9c2 cell line.

Cocoa contains phenolic compounds with known antioxidant and antiradical properties beneficial in different pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. Herein, we have evaluated the protective effects of clovamide, a minor cocoa component, against oxidative stress induced in the rat cardiomyoblast cell line, also comparing it to its bio-isosteric form, rosmarinic acid, and to the main monomeric flavan-3-ol from low-molecular-weight polyphenol in cocoa, i.e. epicatechin. At nano-micro-molar concentrations, the three compounds inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis, evaluated under different aspects, namely, annexin V positivity, DNA fragmentation, caspase release and activation. These molecules can, thus, be considered for their bioactive beneficial activity in the context of cardiovascular pathologies and, particularly, in the protection towards oxidative stress that follows ischemic injury. Clovamide may, thus, be the primary compound for the development of innovative nutraceutical strategies towards cardiovascular diseases.

Application of ¹H NMR for the characterisation and authentication of ''Tonda Gentile Trilobata" hazelnuts from Piedmont (Italy).

The Italian hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivar "Tonda Gentile Trilobata" (TGT) is covered by protected geographical indication "Nocciola Piemonte" and is well-known as the best-suited hazelnut for the industrial transformation into roasted kernel. The hazelnut cultivar identification is primarily based on morphological characteristics, so there is the need for more objective analytical methods for high quality hazelnut authentication. This study reports the (1)H NMR fingerprinting of raw and roasted hazelnut, with the aim of obtaining hazelnut classification based on their spectroscopic pattern. (1)H NMR analyses were carried out on polar extracts of TGT and other cultivars: the data were analysed with multivariate statistical methods. Results showed that (1)H NMR combined with chemometrics is useful to characterise the hazelnuts as a function of the cultivars, both on raw and roasted form. The classification models allowed identifying molecular markers useful to distinguish TGT from other types, among these trigonelline, amino acids and an unidentified orto-disubstituted aromatic compound.

Improving the application of SSR polymorphism analysis coupled with Lab-on-a-chip® capillary electrophoresis to assess food authenticity: Italian pigmented rice as case study.

Genetic distances evaluated via SSR-based profiling can be usefully assessed by using capillary electrophoresis. In order to set up a method to distinguish pure Italian rice varieties from imported Asian blends, seven Italian rice genotypes and seven uncharacterized rice samples coming from outside Italy were studied using a classical SSR polymorphism analysis coupled with Lab-on-a-chip® microcapillary electrophoresis. A special algorithm for the elaboration of the raw outputs provided by the software was generated, thus overcoming the problems connected to the instrument intrinsic limits of resolution. The results showed that even considering just the smallest verifiable genetic distance between the employed samples, locally cultivated Italian rice varieties clustered separately from other foreign cultivars. Moreover, it was possible to clearly identify an artificial blend formed by Venere rice mixed with a black variety from Thailand, thus confirming the usefulness of this new post-analysis approach.