Effect of storage on quality parameters and phenolic content of Italian extra-virgin olive oils

Abstract

The quality of extra virgin olive oils is affected mainly by hydrolytic and oxidative reactions. The present paper investigated the changes of major and minor components and oxidation indices of three monovarietal extra virgin olive oils after 18?months of storage at room temperature and in dark glass bottles conditions. After storage, the basic quality parameters such as free acidity, peroxide values, extinction coefficients, fatty acids composition, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, did not exceed the upper limits set by European Community Regulations for extra-virgin olive oils. Given the importance of the phenolic fraction, UHPLC-HESI-MS metodology was used. A decrease in 3,4-DHPEA-EDA (oleacin) and p-HPEA-EDA (oleochantal) was detected whereas, an increase of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol was measured as a consequence of degradation of ligstroside and oleuropein derivatives. Based on the results it is possible to observe the high nutritional value of the studied oils even after 18?months of conservation.     

Through versus cross electron delocalization in polytriacetylene oligomers: a computational analysis.

Herein, we report a systematic theoretical investigation of the molecular and electronic properties of unsubstituted polytriacetylene (PTA) and iso-polytriacetylene (iso-PTA) oligomers, which are characterized by through and cross pi-conjugation pathways, respectively. The goal of the study is to compare through versus cross conjugation on the basis of the computed molecular geometries of the neutral, anionic, and cationic species, the electron affinities, ionization potentials, excitation energies, and nonlinear optical properties for oligomers up to the nonamer. Differences in the effective conjugation length are directly related to electron delocalization in cross- and through-conjugated pathways. As in the through-conjugated oligomers, that is, the PTAs, the frontier orbitals of the iso-PTA oligomers are delocalized along the entire carbon backbone, suggesting that pi-delocalization can extend through cross-linked carbon atoms. However, in contrast to the PTA oligomers, the bond lengths remain strictly constant and the reduction of the energy gap beyond the trimer is completely due to the correlation contribution. On the other hand, in the anions and cations, the bond lengths do change significantly with increasing chain length. Therefore, oxidation or reduction of the iso-PTA oligomer appears to switch on delocalization through cross-linked carbon atoms. Obviously, the effective conjugation length is specific and depends on the observable considered.     

Antioxidant and Antiradical Activity of Hydroxy‐Substituted 4‐Thiaflavanes

The antioxidant activities of several hydroxy‐substituted 4‐thiaflavanes, compounds 1 – 3 , were determined by measuring their ability of inhibiting the autoxidation of styrene or cumene. On this basis, the role played by the number and position of OH groups and by the oxidation state of the S‐atom was quantified and rationalized. With these data, it should be possible to optimize the structural features of these ‘double‐faced’ antioxidants for structure? activity‐relationship studies. A comparison between the kinetic data (k_inh) reported in this paper and the previously reported values of the antiradical activities (SC₅₀), measured by the DPPH^. bleaching method, for 1 – 3 is made (Table).     

An unusual behaviour of N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)- and N-pivaloyl-(methylthio)anilines in metallation reactions

The metallation reaction of N-Boc-and N-Piv-(methylthio)anilines are here described. The results show that N-Boc derivatives are metallated only by superbases to give products substituted at the thiomethylic group. N-Piv derivatives show a different behaviour: ortho-derivative is metallated by both butyllithium and superbase at the thiomethylic carbon atom, while para-derivative is metallated in ortho to the N-Piv group by butyllithium and at the thiomethylic carbon atom by superbase. The meta-derivative is metallated only by superbase at the thiomethylic carbon atom.     

Synthesis of novel methoxy and hydroxy derivatives of 2-phenyl-1H-benz[g]indoles

The synthesis of novel methoxy-derivatives of 2-phenyl-1H-benz[g]indole 3 by condensation of α-naphthyl-amines 1 with N-phenacyl-pyridinium salts 2 is described, as well as their conversion into the corresponding hydroxy-derivatives 5 . Unexpected quinoxaline derivatives 4 were obtained when in the condensation reaction the N-nitrophenacylpyridinium salts 2d,e have been used.     

From calixfurans to heterocyclophanes containing isopyrazole units

Cyclic poly-1,4-diketones 2, obtained by the oxidation of the furan units present in calix[4]furan 1a and calix[6]furan 1c have been converted into the novel heterocyclophanes 4a and 4c containing four and six isopyrazole units, respectively. Solution studies have demonstrated the ability of 4a and 4c to act as ligands for transition metals. The crystal structures of 4a and the coordination compound formed by 4c with 2 equiv. of cis-PtCl₂(DMSO)₂ have been determined. In the solid state 4c is shown to bind aromatic substrates within its cavity.     

DSC studies on the interaction of lipophilic cytarabine prodrugs with DMPC multilamellar vesicles

Cytarabine (1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine, Ara-C), a pyrimidine nucleoside analogue, is used for the treatment of both acute and chronic myeloblastic leukemias and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It has a very short plasma half-life and a very low oral bioavailability. To overcome these disadvantages, much effort has been focused on the design of cytarabine prodrugs. In this study, we have synthesized four different cytarabine prodrugs in order to increase the drug lipophilicity and the affinity of the prodrugs toward the biological membranes, as well as the lipophilic carriers. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the interaction of cytarabine and its prodrugs with multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) made of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and used as a model of biomembranes as well as a lipophilic carrier. The results showed that the 4-N-acetyl-2′,3′-5′-acetyl derivative and the prodrug with short chain fatty acids do not have a significant affinity with MLVs, whereas the prodrugs with long chain fatty acids have a stronger affinity with the MLVs with respect to cytarabine. The entity of the affinity depends on the fatty acids length. The increased affinity could be due to the fatty acid moieties which allow the molecule to insert among the phospholipid molecules. These results provide information on the interaction of these prodrugs with biomembranes and could be useful to design liposomes as carriers for the prodrugs.

     

Synthesis and Host Properties of (1,3)- p-tert-Butylcalix[5]crown-6 Derivatives Incorporating the 1,1'-Binaphthalene-2,2'-dioxy Subunit

Alkylation of p-tert-butylcalix[5]arene (1) with 2,2'-bis(5-tosyloxy-3-oxa-1-pentyloxy)-1,1'-binaphthalene ((±)-2) in the presence of CsF affords selectively racemic 1,3-bridged calix[5] [5]crown-6-triol 3, along with very small amounts of the (1,2)-bridged regioisomer 4. Compound 3 has been converted into tri-methoxy and tri--picolyloxy derivatives 5 and 6, respectively, by exhaustive alkylation with the appropriate electrophile and base. The direct separation of the enantiomers of racemates 3 and 6 was achieved by HPLC, using a chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak AD). Hosts 5 and 6 are able to selectively form 1 : 1 endo-cavity complexes with the linear RNH₃ ⁺ ions.     

Role of the flavonoid-rich fraction in the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Bauhinia forficata Link. (Fabaceae) leaves extract

Bauhinia forficata Link. is utilised as an antidiabetic in Brazilian folk-medicine; furthermore, its antioxidant properties suggest a potential usefulness in the prevention of diabetes complications associated with oxidative stress. The contribution of a flavonoid-rich fraction (FRF), HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS characterised, to the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of B. forficata hydro-alcoholic leaves extract was evaluated for the first time. Both extract and FRF showed radical-scavenging activity and reducing power with a strong relationship with the flavonoid content found; hence, flavonoids are mainly responsible for the primary antioxidant activity of B. forficata extract. The extract significantly decreased FO-1 cell viability at the higher concentrations. FRF did not exert any effect; thus, flavonoids do not appear to be responsible for the cytotoxicity of the extract. The extract resulted virtually non-toxic against both Artemia salina and normal human lymphocytes, demonstrating potential selectivity in inhibiting cancer cell growth. Finally, no antimicrobial activity was observed against the bacteria and yeasts tested.     

Density functional theory study of the trans-trans-cis (TTC)-->trans-trans-trans (TTT) isomerization of a photochromic spiropyran merocyanine

Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on the TTC-->TTT isomerization reaction of the open forms of the 1',3'-dihydro-8-bromo-6-nitro-1',3',3'-trimethylspiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2'-(2H)indole (8-Br-6-nitro-BIPS) system. The calculations were carried out in vacuo and in methylene chloride solution at different temperatures. Results are compared with the available experimental values of free energy difference and activation energy in solution.