Antioxidant activities of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) are related to the amount of phenolic compounds, mainly carnosol (C), carnosic acid (CA) and rosmarinic acid (RA). In this study, it was aimed to optimize the process conditions of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE), supercritical CO2 extraction (SFE) of rosemary to obtain the high amount of total C and CA in extract. A Box-Behnken design was applied to investigate and optimize the process variables. De-oiled rosemary by hydrodistillation, was used in the extractions. The amounts of C+CA were 18.92 mg/100 mg for ASE, 17.63 mg/100 mg for UAE, and 26.96 mg/100 mg for SFE at optimum conditions, respectively. The extract yields were 13.98% for ASE, 13.73% for UAE and %19.40 for SFE at optimum conditions. The results of antioxidant activity tests were almost the same for ASE and UAE, these were almost 2 fold higher for SFE than that of ASE and UAE. ASE, UAE and SFE were clean and environmentally friendly, green extraction techniques for extraction of C+CA in rosemary.

This article presents a comprehensive overview of upcycling commercial nut byproducts (such as Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut (also known as a legume), pecan, pine nut, pistachio, and walnut) for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. Upcycling nut byproducts, namely husk/hull, hard shell, brown skin, defatted flour/meal/cake, pine cone, cashew nut shell liquid, cashew apple, walnut septum, and dreg/okara, has great potential, not only to reduce/minimise waste, but also to fit within the circular economy concept. Each byproduct has its own unique functional properties, which can bring significant value. These byproducts can be used as value-added ingredients to promote better health and well-being, due to their rich sources of diverse bioactive components/phytochemicals, polysaccharides, fibres, lignin, prebiotics, oils, proteins, bioactive peptides, minerals, and vitamins, among other components. This comprehensive review provides a basis for future research and development of product applications for nut byproducts. More studies are needed on novel product development to valorise nut byproducts.

Echinacea purpurea L. (EP) preparations are globally popular herbal supplements known for their medicinal benefits, including anti-inflammatory activities, partly related to their phenolic composition. However, regarding their use for the management of inflammation-related intestinal diseases, the knowledge about the fate of orally ingested constituents throughout the human gastrointestinal tract and the exposition of in vitro digested extracts in relevant inflammatory models are unknown. This study investigated for the first time the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (INFOGEST) on the phenolic composition and anti-inflammatory properties of EP extracts from flowers (EF), leaves (EL), and roots (ER) on IL-1β-treated human colon-derived CCD-18Co cells. Among the seven hydroxycinnamic acids identified using HPLC-UV-MS/MS, chicoric and caftaric acids showed the highest concentrations in EL, followed by EF and ER, and all extracts exerted significant reductions in IL-6, IL-8, and PGE2 levels. After digestion, despite reducing the bioaccessibility of their phenolics, the anti-inflammatory effects were preserved for digested EL and, to a lesser extent, for EF, but not for digested ER. The lower phenolic content in digested EF and ER could explain these findings. Overall, this study emphasizes the potential of EP in alleviating intestinal inflammatory conditions and related disorders.

Recently, the development of functional beverages has been enhanced to promote health and nutritional well-being. Thus, the fermentation of plant foods with lactic acid bacteria can enhance their antioxidant capacity and others like anti-inflammatory activity, which may depend on the variations in the total content and profile of (poly)phenols. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of fermentation with two strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum of several herbal infusions from thyme, rosemary, echinacea, and pomegranate peel on the (poly)phenolic composition and whether lacto-fermentation can contribute to enhance their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on human colon myofibroblast CCD18-Co cells. HPLC-MS/MS analyses revealed that fermentation increased the content of the phenolics present in all herbal infusions. In vitro analyses indicated that pomegranate infusion showed higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, followed by thyme, echinacea, and rosemary, based on the total phenolic content. After fermentation, despite increasing the content of phenolics, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects via reduction pro-inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-8 and PGE2) were similar to those of their corresponding non-fermented infusions, with the exception of a greater reduction in lacto-fermented thyme. Overall, the findings suggest that the consumption of lacto-fermented herbal infusions could be beneficial in alleviating intestinal inflammatory disorders.

Prevention of COVID-19 is of paramount importance for public health. Some natural extracts might have the potential to suppress COVID-19 infection. Therefore, this study aimed to design a standardised, efficient, and safe chewable tablet formulation (with propolis and three herbal extracts) for possible prevention against two variants (Wuhan B.1.36 and Omicron BA.1.1) of SARS-CoV-2 virus and other viral infections. Green tea, bilberry, dried pomegranate peel, and propolis extracts were selected for this purpose. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of each component, as well as the developed chewable tablet, were examined against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus using Vero E6 cells with the xCELLigence real-time cell analysermultiple plates system. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, as well as mutagenicity and antimutagenicity of the chewable tablet were also analysed. Compared to the control, it was observed that the chewable tablet at concentrations of 110 and 55 mu g/mL had antiviral activity rates of 101% and 81%, respectively, for the Wuhan variant and 112% and 35%, respectively, for the Omicron variant. The combination of herbal extracts with propolis extract were synergically more effective (similar to 7-fold higher) than that of individual extract. The present work suggests that a combination of herbal extracts with propolis at suitable concentrations can effectively be used as a food supplement for the prevention of both variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the oral cavity (the first entry point of the SARS-CoV-2 virus).

A broad range of evidence has confirmed that natural products and essential oils might have the potential to suppress COVID-19 infection. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an oral/throat spray formulation for pro-phylactic use in the oral cavity or help treatment modalities. Based on a reference survey, several essential oils, a cold-pressed oil, and propolis were selected, and cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of each component and the developed spray formulation were examined against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using Vero E6 cells. Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and analgesic activities as well as mutagenicity and anti-mutagenicity of the formulation were analysed. Forty-three phenolics were identified in both propolis extract and oral/throat spray. The spray with 1:640-fold dilution provided the highest efficacy and the cytopathic effect was delayed for 54 h at this dilution, and the antiviral activity rate was 85.3%. A combi-nation of natural products with essential oils at the right concentrations can be used as a supplement for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Medicinal herbs and their essential oils are used in human health promotion and disease prevention since ancient times. In the last two decades, many studies have been carried out to both identify bioactive compounds in medicinal herbs and derived essential oils and to examine their biological effects in experimental models; clinical trials, however, have been scant. This review discusses in vitro, in vivo, and clinical evidence supporting the immunomodulatory role of eleven medicinal herbs (bay laurel, black cumin, clove, fennel, lemon balm, lemongrass, marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, sage, and thyme) and their essential oils and bioactive components. Safety and toxicity aspects for consumption as well as future perspectives are also covered. Relevant data from the existing literature have been compiled and summarized. These herbs and oils, which are increasingly consumed, can be considered as valuable dietary supplements due to their health-promoting bioactive constituents. Well-design clinical trials are warranted to better ascertain the immunomodulatory effects of these herbal products.

There is an error in Table 2 in the published article, Journal of Food Bioactives, 2021;13:93–101, doi: 10.31665/JFB.2021.13263. The correct value in column “mg/100 g” under “D-glucose” is “59.50 ± 7.80”, not “9.50 ± 7.80”. The authors have included a corrected version of the table below.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, fındığın içerdiği polifenolik maddelerin fraksiyonlarKına ayrılması ve elde edilen fraksiyonların karakterizasyonlarının gerçekleştirilmesidir. Bu amaçla, fındığın fenolik maddeleri %80 (v/v) asetonla ekstrakte edilerek kolona verilmiştir. Düşük molekül ağırlıklı (LMW) polifenolik maddeler etanol, yüksek molekül ağırlıklı (HMW) polifenolik maddeler ise aseton kullanılarak fraksiyonlanmıştır. Ayrıca LMW fraksiyonu, UV’de (280 nm’de) verdiği pik noktalarına göre dört ayrı fraksiyona ayrılmıştır. Sonuçlar değerlendirildiğinde, tüm analizlerde en yüksek değerlere sahip olan Fraksiyon V’in toplam fenolik madde ve kondense tanen miktarları sırasıyla, 77.9 mg gallik asit eşdeğer (GAE)/g ekstre ve 227 mg kateşin eşdeğer (KE)/ g ekstre; antioksidan kapasite değerleri DPPH, ABTS ve FRAP yöntemleri için sırasıyla 0.047 mg/mL IC50 değeri, 1.442 mmol Troloks Eşdeğer (TE)/ g ekstre, 307 mg FeSO4.7H2O/g ekstre olarak tespit edilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, LMW fraksiyonlarının ayrı fraksiyonlar olarak toplanmasına gerek olmadığı, HMW fraksiyonundan ayrılmasının yeterli olduğu tespit edilmiştir. HMW fraksiyonu, yüksek tanen içeriğiyle polifenolik maddeler açısından önemli bir kaynak olarak değerlendirilebilir.

Tea polysaccharides have attracted scientific interest due to their antidiabetic effects, and lower quality tea leaves have more polysaccharide in their content compared to higher grade tea leaves. The aim of this study was to optimise the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UE) conditions of polysaccharides from low-grade green tea (GTPS) by Box-Behnken response surface design on the desired response (yield). The optimal extraction parameters were determined as follows: extraction temperature (80 degrees C), extraction time (60 min), ultrasound power (400 W), and liquid to solid ratio (22 ml:g). The experimental yield of GTPS (4.65 +/- 0.29%) obtained under these conditions were well agreed with the value predicted by the model. Without applying ultrasound, while the other extraction conditions were the same (CE), the extraction yield was lower (1.83 +/- 0.04%). Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used for the identification of functional groups present in GTPS and gel permeation chromatography was used to determine the molecular weight distribution of samples. The molecular weight of GTPS obtained by UE was lower, probably some polysaccharide degradations occurred due to ultrasound application. The IR spectrum of GTPS obtained by UE and CE had very similar absorption bands typical for the polysaccharides. Although ultrasound application significantly increased the yield compared to classical hot water extraction, it reduced antioxidant and a-glucosidase inhibitory activity of GTPS.

Type-2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common type of chronic disease in adults and accounts for around 90% of all cases of diabetes. Therefore, developing dietary supplements from natural sources, such as teas, is of great interest. Seven diet groups together with a parallel control group were used for three periods of 16 weeks in total [stabilization period (W-2-W0), model period (W0-W8), and treatment period (W8-W14)]. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo antidiabetic activities of green and black tea polysaccharides (GTPS and BTPS, respectively) using streptozotocin induced diabetic mice fed with either a high-fat diet (HFD) or normal diet (ND). Streptozotocin and HFD induced T2D in vivo model was developed during the model period (W0-W8) in C57BL/6J male mice. Both GTPS and BTPS groups were administrated for 6 weeks (daily 400 mg/kg body weight) by oral gavage throughout the treatment period (W8-W14). The results showed that BTPS group significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the fasting blood glucose level in diabetic mice even fed with a HFD and improved the insulin resistance. Similar effect was not obtained when GTPS group fed with a HFD. In addition, BTPS group fed with a HFD effectively suppressed the body weight gain despite high energy intake and was more successful than its GTPS counterpart group in healing pathologies of liver and affected plasma blood lipid levels due to streptozotocin and HFD-induced diabetes. The present work suggests that BTPS can be used as an antidiabetic dietary supplement without posing any potential health risk.

Antep, Siirt ve Mardin yörelerinde yetişen bıttım ve fıstık örnekleri toplam yağ içeriği, yağ asidi, sterol, tokol kompozisyonları, toplam fenolik madde miktarları ve antioksidan aktiviteleri (oksijen radikali absorbans kapasitesi-ORAC) yönünden incelenmiştir. Örneklerin yağ miktarlarının 50.33 ile 54.00 g/100 g arasında değiştiği tespit edilmiştir. Tanımlanan sekiz yağ asidi arasında sırasıyla, en fazla 18:1ω9 (%55.78-75.10), 18:2ω6c, 16:0 ve 18:0 bulunmuştur. Dokuz sterol ve yedi tokol izoformu (4 tokoferol ve 3 tokotrienol) arasında ise β-sitosterol (148.40-205.90 mg/100 g) ve γ-tokoferolün (33.57-43.94 mg/100 g) ilk sırada yer aldığı saptanmıştır. Örneklerin, toplam fenolik madde içeriğinin ise 3.03 - 4.52 mg gallik asit eşdeğer (GAE)/100 g yağ aralığında değiştiği tespit edilmiştir. Örnekler antioksidan aktivite açısından değerlendirildiğinde, ORAC değerlerinin 371.23-736.48 µmol Trolox eşdeğer (TE)/100 g yağ aralığında değiştiği gözlenmiştir. Çalışma sonuçlarına göre; farklı fıstık türlerinden elde edilen yağların, yağda çözünür biyoaktif bileşikler açısından zengin birer kaynak olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Procuring valuable bioactive compounds from low quality green tea is of great interest. Green tea polysaccharides (GTPS), obtained from low quality tea leaves, were examined for their yield, monosaccharide composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant potential, and structures as well as molecular weight distribution and in vitro anti-diabetic activities. GTPS were also evaluated for their toxicity by performing cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Additionally, 50% lethal dose (LD50) for GTPS was determined using an acute toxicity test to assess the safe use of it as a dietary supplement. Monosaccharides of GTPS were mainly composed of xylose, glucose, ribose, galactose, arabinose, and glucuronic acid. GTPS exhibited 91.86% α-glucosidase inhibition at 0.5 mg/mL concentration. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of GTPS was higher than that of pharmacological glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, which exhibited only 47.86% inhibition at 2.5 mg/mL concentration. Neither cytotoxic nor no mutagenic effects were found for GTPS. The acute toxicity also showed that LD50 of GTPS was greater than 5,000 mg/kg. The present work suggests that GTPS can be considered as an anti-diabetic dietary supplement without posing any potential health risk.

The phenolic profiles and antioxidant status of hazelnut samples [natural (raw) hazelnut, roasted hazelnut, and roasted hazelnut skin] were compared. Free and bound (ester-linked and glycoside-linked) phenolic acids were examined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Comprehensive identification of phenolics was carried out using Q-exactive hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer (Q-OT-MS). Samples were also assessed for their total phenolics and antioxidant activities using three different assays. Ten free and bound phenolic acids were quantified in hazelnut samples. Roasted hazelnut skin contained the highest content of total phenolic acids, followed by natural and roasted hazelnuts. The majority of phenolic acids were present in the bound form. Using a Q-OT-MS, 22 compounds were tentatively identified, 16 of which were identified for the first time in hazelnut samples. The newly identified compounds consisted of flavonoids, phenolic acids and related compounds, hydrolysable tannins and related compounds, and other phenolics. Three antioxidant assays demonstrated similar trends that roasted hazelnut skin rendered the highest activity. The present work suggests that roasted hazelnut skin is a rich source of phenolics and can be considered as a value-added co-product for use as functional food ingredient and antioxidant.

Cumulative degree of perfection (CDP), cumulative carbon dioxide emission (CCO2E) and renewability indicator (RI) are employed as tools to assess sustainability of packaged black tea, instant tea and ice tea production processes and valorization of their waste. The black tea production process, when there is no waste, had the highest CDP and the renewability indicator RI, with CDP =0.425 and RI = −1.35. The CDP was 0.013 and RI was −31.30 with the instant, and CDP =0, RI = −610,668 with the ice tea production processes. When activated carbon, hydrogen and adsorbent material were produced from the waste of the instant tea, the CDP increased to 0.087, 0.035 and 0.172, respectively; in these cases, the RI increased to −10.53, −27.90 and −4.83, respectively. The negative RI values indicate non-renewability of the processes. Increase in the positive CDP and the decrease in the negative RI values show that when adsorbent material production from waste was done together with instant tea production, substantial improvement may be achieved. Similar improvements may also be achieved in the case of ice tea production when the waste is subject to valorization.

Hypercholesterolemia is a common condition in which the risk for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased. Due to their hypocholesterolemic effects, phytosterols are considered to be effective in the prevention of CVD, particularly coronary heart disease. The aim of study was to investigate the cardio-protective effects of phytosterol-enriched instant black tea (functional black tea) in subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia. A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study was conducted on volunteer subjects aged 25–60 y with mild hypercholesterolemia [plasma total cholesterol concentrations 200–239 mg/dL (5.2–6.2 mmol/L)]. Subjects were randomly divided into placebo (PBO) (n = 33; M/F, 23/10), instant black tea (IBT) (n = 34; M/F, 25/9), and functional black tea (FBT) (2 g phytosterols/d) (n = 32; M/F, 24/8) groups and intervention period was conducted for 4 wk. Compared with baseline, consumption of FBT significantly decreased the concentrations of total cholesterol by 5.6% (P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 8.7% (P < 0.001), apolipoprotein B (P < 0.05), and oxidative stress index (P < 0.05), while increasing the concentrations of adiponectin, total antioxidant status, and tissue-plasminogen activator (P < 0.05). FBT was superior to IBT in terms of cardiovascular risk biomarkers. The data indicate that consumption of newly developed FBT is an excellent beverage for delivering phytosterols and has several beneficial cardio-protective effects in subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia.

Natural (raw) hazelnut was extracted with 80% (v/v) acetone to obtain crude phenolic extract that was then fractionated for elution of low-molecular weight (LMW) and high-molecular weight (HMW) fractions. LMW fraction was further purified (LWM-FP) to remove sugars and organic acids. The crude extract and its fractions were determined by measuring their protein precipitating capacity (PPC) using two different proteins [bovine serum albumin (BSA) and gelatin], molecular weights, total phenolics, condensed tannins, and various antioxidant activities. Significant differences (p<0.05) existed in the contents of total phenolics, condensed tannins, antioxidant activities, and PPC among the crude extract and fractions, albeit to different extends. BSA and gelatin was effectively precipitated by HMW fraction. HMW fraction had the highest total phenolics, condensed tannins, and antioxidant activities, followed by crude extract, LWM-FP, and LMW, respectively. The present study suggests that HMW fraction could be utilised as a source of polyphenols for the food industry.

Various instant teas produced differently from black tea [freeze-dried instant tea (FDIT), spray-dried instant tea (SDIT), and decaffeinated instant tea (DCIT)], were compared for their differences in volatile compounds as well as descriptive sensory analysis (DSA). A total of 63 volatile compounds in all tea samples (eight aldehydes, ten alcohols, nine ketones, five esters, eight acids, ten terpenes/terpenoids, ten furans/furanones, two pyrroles, and one miscellaneous compound) were tentatively identified. Black tea, FDIT, SDIT, and DCIT contained 60, 55, 47, and 40 volatile compounds, respectively. Ten flavour attributes such as after taste, astringency, bitter, caramel-like, floral/sweet, green/grassy, hay-like, malty, roasty, and seaweed were identified. Intensities for a number of flavour attributes (except for caramel-like in SDIT and bitter and after taste in DCIT) were not significantly different (p>0.05) among tea samples. The present study suggests that instant teas can also be used as good alternative to black tea.

Pomegranates are one of the main highly valuable sources of ellagitannins. Despite the potential health benefits of these compounds, reliable data on their content in pomegranates and derived extracts and food products is lacking, as it is usually underestimated due to their complexity, diversity, and lack of commercially available standards. This study describes a new method for the analysis of the extractable and nonextractable ellagitannins based on the quantification of the acid hydrolysis products that include ellagic acid, gallic acid, sanguisorbic acid dilactone, valoneic acid dilactone, and gallagic acid dilactone in pomegranate samples. The study also shows the occurrence of ellagitannin C-glycosides in pomegranates. The method was optimized using a pomegranate peel extract. To quantify nonextractable ellagitannins, freeze-dried pomegranate fruit samples were directly hydrolyzed with 4 M HCl in water at 90 °C for 24 h followed by extraction of the pellet with dimethyl sulfoxide/methanol (50:50, v/v). The method was validated and reproducibility was assessed by means of an interlaboratory trial, showing high reproducibility across six laboratories with relative standard deviations below 15%. Their applicability was demonstrated in several pomegranate extracts, different parts of pomegranate fruit (husk, peels, and mesocarp), and commercial juices. A large variability has been found in the ellagitannin content (150-750 mg of hydrolysis products/g) and type (gallagic acid/ellagic acid ratios between 4 and 0.15) of the 11 pomegranate extracts studied.