Ultrasound as a Promising Tool for the Green Extraction of Specialized Metabolites from Some Culinary Spices

Spices are a popular food of plant origin, rich in various phytochemicals and recognized for their numerous properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, as well as the content of specialized metabolites, of aqueous extracts of three spice species––garlic (Allium sativum L.), ginger (Zingiber officinalle L.) and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)––prepared by green extraction methods. Ultrasound treatment increased the chromaticity parameter b value of turmeric and ginger extracts, thus indicating a higher yellow color predominantly due to curcuminoids characteristic of these species. Ultrasound-assisted extraction significantly increased the content of total soluble solids, phenolic compounds, total carotenoids and vitamin C. The temperature of the system was also an important factor, with the highest (70 °C) conditions in ultrasound-assisted extraction having a positive effect on thermolabile compounds (vitamin C, phenolics, total carotenoids). For example, turmeric extract treated with ultrasound at 70 °C had up to a 67% higher vitamin C content and a 69.4% higher total carotenoid content compared to samples treated conventionally at the same temperature, while ginger extracts had up to 40% higher total phenols. All different concentrations of spice extracts were not sufficient for complete inhibition of pathogenic bacterial strains of Salmonella, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus; however, only garlic extracts had an effect on slowing down the growth and number of L. monocytogenes colonies. Spice extracts obtained by ultrasonic treatment contained a significantly higher level of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity, suggesting that the extracts obtained have significant nutritional potential and thus a significant possibility for phytotherapeutic uses.     

Hydrostatic high pressure applied to food sterilization III: Application to spices and spice mixtures

Abstract

The response of suspensions of spices and spice mixtures in water to high pressure treatment was investigated. Inactivation of the microbial load–mainly aerobic and unaerobic spore formers–was strongly dependent on water activity and temperature. Samples were completely decontaminated after three pressure cycles (30 min at 80 MPa followed by 30 min at 350 MPa) at 70 °C at a minimum water activity of 0.91. Pressure treated samples were examined for sensory and chemical changes. No significant changes in odour and appearance were recognized by a trained sensory panel, nor were changes in the volatile compounds of the samples detected by static headspace gaschromatography.     

ICP-MS Assessment of Essential and Toxic Trace Elements in Foodstuffs with Different Geographic Origins Available in Romanian Supermarkets

The present study was conducted to quantify the daily intake and target hazard quotient of four essential elements, namely, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and copper, and four toxic trace elements, mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Thirty food items were assigned to five food categories (seeds, leaves, powders, beans, and fruits) and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Factor analysis after principal component extraction revealed common metal patterns in all foodstuffs, and using hierarchical cluster analysis, an association map was created to illustrate their similarity. The results indicate that the internationally recommended dietary allowance was exceeded for Cu and Cr in 27 and 29 foodstuffs, respectively. According to the tolerable upper level for Ni and Cu, everyday consumption of these elements through repeated consumption of seeds (fennel, opium poppy, and cannabis) and fruits (almond) can have adverse health effects. Moreover, a robust correlation between Cu and As (p < 0.001) was established when all samples were analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated an association between Pb, As, Co, and Ni in one group and Cr, Cu, Hg, and Cd in a second group, comprising 56.85% of the total variance. For all elements investigated, the cancer risk index was within safe limits, highlighting that lifetime consumption does not increase the risk of carcinogens.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测香辛料中罗丹明B

建立了香辛料中罗丹明B的固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析方法。样品经乙腈提取后离心,在提取液中加入10 mL 1%三氯乙酸溶液后,用Bond Elut Plexa PCX强阳离子固相萃取柱净化、富集,Pursuit C18色谱柱(100 mm×2.0 mm, 3 μm)分离,以0.1%甲酸水和甲醇为流动相梯度洗脱,电喷雾电离正离子模式下多反应监测(MRM)模式进行定性、定量检测。结果表明,在0.6～6 μg/L范围内的线性相关系数R2＞0.99;方法的定量限为1.2 μg/kg;添加量分别为1.197、2.992及5.985 μg/L时的加标回收率为80%～121%,相对标准偏差＜15%。同时对流动相的洗脱梯度、提取溶剂、固相萃取柱等条件进行了优化。该方法的专属性较强,基质效应较小,可用于固体香辛料产品中罗丹明B的定性、定量分析。     

Optimization of Antioxidant Synergy in a Polyherbal Combination by Experimental Design

Culinary herbs and spices are known to be good sources of natural antioxidants. Although the antioxidant effects of individual culinary herbs and spices are widely reported, little is known about their effects when used in combination. The current study was therefore undertaken to compare the antioxidant effects of crude extracts and essential oils of some common culinary herbs and spices in various combinations. The antioxidant interactions of 1:1 combinations of the most active individual extracts and essential oils were investigated as well as the optimization of various ratios using the design of experiments (DoE) approach. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to determine the antioxidant activity, and MODDE 9.1^® software (Umetrics AB, Umea, Sweden) was used to determine the DoE. The results revealed synergism for the following combinations: Mentha piperita with Thymus vulgaris methanol extract (ΣFIC = 0.32 and ΣFIC = 0.15 using the DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively); Rosmarinus officinalis with Syzygium aromaticum methanol extract (ΣFIC = 0.47 using the FRAP assay); T. vulgaris with Zingiber officinalis methanol extracts (ΣFIC = 0.19 using the ABTS assay); and R. officinalis with Z. officinalis dichloromethane extract (ΣFIC = 0.22 using the ABTS assay). The DoE produced a statistically significant (R2 = 0.905 and Q2 = 0.710) model that was able to predict extract combinations with high antioxidant activities, as validated experimentally. The antioxidant activities of the crude extracts from a selection of culinary herbs and spices were improved when in combination, hence creating an innovative opportunity for the future development of supplements for optimum health.     

Natural Phytocompounds from Common Indian Spices for Identification of Three Potential Inhibitors of Breast Cancer: A Molecular Modelling Approach

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer-related cause of death for women throughout the globe. In spite of some effective measures, the main concerns with traditional anti-cancer chemotherapy are its low bioavailability, physical side effects, acquired resistance of cancer cells and non-specific targeting. Now researchers have taken the initiative to establish natural product-based therapy methods and to identify viable hits for future lead optimization in the development of breast cancer medication. Our study aims to identify the potent phytocompounds from five very popular Indian spices (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Cuminum cyminum L., Piper nigrum L., Curcuma longa L., and Allium sativum L.). From these spices, a total of 200 phytocompounds were identified and screened against three target genes, namely, cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK 8), progesterone receptor (PR) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), through structure-based virtual screening using iGEMDOCK 2.1 software. Based on the binding affinity score, the top three phytocompounds against each target protein (cynaroside (−149.66 Kcal/mol), apigetrin (−139.527 Kcal/mol) and curcumin (−138.149 Kcal/mol) against CDK8; apigetrin (−123.298 Kcal/mol), cynaroside (−118.635 Kcal/mol) and xyloglucan (−113.788 Kcal/mol) against PR; cynaroside (−119.18 Kcal/mol), apigetrin (−105.185 Kcal/mol) and xyloglucan (−105.106 Kcal/mol) against EGFR) were selected. Apigetrin, cynaroside, curcumin, and xyloglucan were finally identified for further docking analysis with the respective three target proteins. Autodock 4.2 was applied to screen the optimal binding position and to assess the relative intensity of binding interactions. In addition, the ADME/T property checks and bioactivity scores analysis of were performed to understand the suitability of these four phytocompounds to be potential candidates for developing effective and non-toxic anticancer agents. Based on this in silico analysis, we believe this study could contribute to current efforts to develop new drugs for treating breast cancer.     

CH_4、CO_2与O_2制合成气催化剂研究 VI.催化剂表面积炭种类和积炭动力学研究

利用XPS考察了甲烷、二氧化碳和氧气制合成气反应前后Ni/γ-Al2O3和Ni-Ce-Mn-Li/γ-Al2O3催化剂表面炭物种.发现反应后Ni/γ-Al2O3催化剂表面积炭有四种类型-表面碳酸盐、污染炭、金属炭化物和非活性炭,而高活性和稳定性Ni-Ce-Mn-Li/γ-Al2O3催化剂表面积炭仅有两种类型——污染炭和金属炭化物.非活性炭是导致催化剂失活的主要原因之一.积炭动力学研究表明:Ni-Ce-Mn-Li/γ-Al2O3催化剂上积炭反应的动力学方程为:-0.45·PO2-1.80,该催化剂积炭反应的表观活化能较高,从而抑制积炭反应的进行.1.1·PO2r0=A·e-ERT·PCH4     

Steam distillation and supercritical fluid extraction of some Mexican spices

Summary By means of steam distillation and supercritical fluid extractions, we are in a process of evaluating the essential oil and the oleoresin quality and yield obtain respectively by the above methods outlined.Our area of interest is the isolation, separation and purification of compounds whose applications are well supported by the food technology demands.We pretend to characterize the aromatic components of edible or other commercial oils from the widespread spices and plant natural collections, throughout the country of Mexico.The facilities for the obtention of reference standards characteristic of our flora specimens, is under research.Poster presented at the First Symposium of Supercritical Fluids, Nice, France, 14–17 October, 1988     

液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定婴幼儿配方奶粉中4种香料

采用液相色谱-串联质谱建立了同时测定婴幼儿配方奶粉中香兰素、甲基香兰素、乙基香兰素和香豆素4种香料的分析方法。样品用甲醇-水(1∶1)超声提取,提取液经离心过滤、HLB固相萃取柱净化后,采用Waters Xselect HSS T3色谱柱(2.1 mm×150 mm,3.5μm)分离,以0.1%甲酸溶液-乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,目标分析物在多反应监测(MRM)模式下以保留时间和离子对(母离子和两个碎片离子)进行定性分析,内标法定量。7 min内即可完成4种化合物的分离分析。在优化实验条件下,香兰素在1.0~50 ng·mL-1范围内呈良好的线性关系,另外3种化合物的线性范围为0.5~50 ng·mL-1,相关系数均不低于0.9993,方法定量下限为10.0μg·kg-1(香兰素)和5.0μg·kg-1(甲基香兰素、乙基香兰素和香豆素),在低、中、高3个加标水平下,4种化合物的平均回收率为85.2%~107.4%,相对标准偏差(RSD)不大于5.7%。方法简便、有效、灵敏,为评价奶粉样品质量提供了新的检测方法。     

Effect of Grinding Process Parameters and Storage Time on Extraction of Antioxidants from Ginger and Nutmeg

The aim of this study was to optimize the grinding process parameters (mesh size of grinder sieve (X₁), the peripheral velocity of the grinding wheels (X₂)), and the storage time (X₃) of ground ginger rhizome and nutmeg to obtain ethanol and ethanol-water extracts with improved antioxidant properties. The optimal conditions were estimated using response surface methodology (RSM) based on a three-variable Box–Behnken design (BBD) in order to maximize the antioxidant capacity (AC) determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) methods, and the total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu (F–C) method in spice extracts. Additionally, the phenolic acid profiles in extracts from optimized conditions were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). It was found that the optimal preparation conditions for antioxidant extraction were dependent on the spice source and solvent type. The best antioxidant properties in nutmeg extracts were achieved for X₁ = 1.0 mm, X₂ = 40–41 Hz and X₃ = 7 days, whereas the optimized parameters for ginger extracts were more varied (1.0–2.0 mm, 43–50 Hz and 1–9 days, respectively). The ginger extracts contained 1.5–1.8 times more phenolic acids, and vanillic, ferulic, gallic, and p-OH-benzoic acids were dominant. In contrast, the nutmeg extracts were rich in protocatechuic, vanillic, and ferulic acids.