Rubus ulmifolius Schott as a Novel Source of Food Colorant: Extraction Optimization of Coloring Pigments and Incorporation in a Bakery Product.

(1) Background: Color has been considered to be the flashiest attribute of foodstuffs and researchers have shown a great interest in the extraction of pigmented compounds from vegetal products, with the purpose to provide alternative counterparts to the food industry; (2) Methods: This study aimed to explore Rubus ulmifolius Schott fruits as a potential source of anthocyanins, optimizing the extraction method, evaluating the bioactivity and incorporating the rich extract into a bakery food product; (3) Results: After the extraction optimization, results showed R. ulmifolius fruits to be a great source of anthocyanins, obtaining an amount of 33.58 mg AT/g E, with an extraction yield of 62.08%. The rich anthocyanin extract showed antitumor and antimicrobial potential in some tumor cell lines and strains, respectively, as well as the absence of toxicity; (4) Conclusions: The extract when incorporated in a bakery product showed a good coloring capacity, maintaining the nutritional value, revealing its use to be a great approach for replacing artificial colorants.

Rubus ulmifolius Schott fruits: A detailed study of its nutritional, chemical and bioactive properties.

There is a growing interest in wild edible species that represent a source of several health-promoting compounds, providing a potential strategy to diversify and enrich the daily diet. The aim of the present work was to characterize the nutritional and chemical composition of Rubus ulmifolius Schott fruits. Furthermore, their antimicrobial activity, non-anthocyanin and anthocyanin phenolic profile were also determined. According to the obtained results, R. ulmifolius fruits exhibited a high concentration in carbohydrates and a low fat content, in comparison with the other nutrients and non-nutrients detected in this sample. The colour parameters demonstrated differences in a* and b* parameters after lyophilisation process. Glucose and fructose were the most abundant free sugars detected and quinic acid showed the highest content compared to the other five organic acids identified. The fatty acids profile revealed 25 compounds, being mostly represented by polyunsaturated fatty acids and evidencing linolenic and α-linolenic acid as the most abundant. All tocopherol isoforms were detected, revealing γ-tocopherol with highest amount. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, ellagic acid pentoside, ellagic acid glucuronide and sanguiin H-10 were the main phenolic compounds present, which could be related to the antimicrobial activity (MIC values ranging between 5 and 20 mg/mL) revealed by R. ulmifolius fruits. These results showed that this fruit is a good source of nutrients as also non-nutrient compounds, with human health benefits.