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Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2022) | Viewed by 18534

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Dr. Jakubczyk Karolina

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Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolomics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 24 Broniewskiego Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: antioxidant properties of plant and food products and their chemical composition (polyphenolic compounds or minerals), particularly edible flowers; matcha green tea; food contamination with mycotoxins or fluoride
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Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Janda

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Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolomics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 24 Broniewskiego Street, 71-460 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: medicinal plants; edible flowers; phytochemicals; natural product chemistry; antioxidant activity; bioactivity; phytochemical analysis; biological activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in natural antioxidants and substances with antioxidant properties, reducing or preventing the harmful effects of free radicals. The compounds involved in antioxidant defence include endogenous and exogenous antioxidants, which form a kind of a shield system for the body, protecting it against the negative effects of oxygen radicals. The most important small-molecule non-enzymatic compounds found in food include ascorbic acid, retinol, β-carotene, tocopherol and polyphenolic compounds. Products of plant origin, may provide a valuable source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. Plant extracts also lend themselves to applications in the agri-food industry, to inhibit the development of pathological microorganisms in food and to remove biofilms constituting a threat to public health in food, pharmaceuticals and beauty products. Additionally, it is believed that a diet rich in antioxidants may reduce the risk of developing several nutrition-related conditions as well as delay the ageing process.

Articles of interest for this Special Issue entitled “Antioxidants in Foods” concern the content of antioxidants, bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity of foods, including herbs, edible flowers and food products, their health-promoting properties, as well as their use in the food industry as natural antioxidants

Dr. Jakubczyk Karolina
Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Janda
Guest Editors

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Keywords

antioxidant
food
plant extract
mushrooms
polyphenol
antioxidant activity
bioactive compound

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tea Infusions as a Source of Phenolic Compounds in the Human Diet

by Joanna Klepacka

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4227; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094227 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2749

Abstract

Phenolic compounds are components with proven beneficial effects on the human body, primarily due to their antioxidant activity. In view of the high consumption of tea and the numerous factors that affect the nutritional value of its infusions, the aim of this study was to identify the effects of tea type and duration of leaf extraction with water on the levels of phenolic compounds and other components that determine biological activity (oxalates, Ca, Na, Cu, and Mn). Based on assays, infusions of red tea prepared for 20 min were found to be the best source of phenolics (202.9 mg/100 mL), whereas the lowest level of these compounds was determined in infusions of black tea extracted from leaves for 30 min (46.9 mg/100 mL). The highest degree of increase in polyphenol content (by approx. 50%) was noted in red and green tea infused for between 10 and 20 min, whereas for black tea, polyphenol levels decreased with time. The biological activity of tea infusions appears to be determined to the greatest extent by the interactions between phenolic compounds and oxalates (r = 0.6209), calcium (r = 0.8516), and sodium (0.8045). A daily intake of three to four mugs (1 L) of tea infusions provides the human body the entire amount of phenolics recommended for health reasons (as regards red tea, this is possible at 1/3 of the volume) and covers the daily requirement for manganese, as well as (partially) copper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications)

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14 pages, 12458 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Efficiency of Lutein and Astaxanthin in the Protection of Human Corneal Epithelial Cells In Vitro from Blue-Violet Light Photo-Oxidative Damage

by Martina Cristaldi, Carmelina Daniela Anfuso, Giorgia Spampinato, Dario Rusciano and Gabriella Lupo

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031268 - 25 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4497

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare in vitro the protective and antioxidant properties of lutein and astaxanthin on human primary corneal epithelial cells (HCE-F). To this purpose, HCE-F cells were irradiated with a blue-violet light lamp (415–420 nm) at different energies (20 to 80 J/cm²). Lutein and astaxanthin (50 to 250 μM) were added to HCE-F right before blue-violet light irradiation at 50 J/cm². Viability was evaluated by the CKK-8 assay while the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the H2DCF-DA assay. Results have shown that the viability of HCE-F cells decreased at light energies from 20 J/cm² to 80 J/cm², while ROS production increased at 50 and 80 J/cm². The presence of lutein or astaxanthin protected the cells from phototoxicity, with lutein slightly more efficient than astaxanthin also on the blunting of ROS, prevention of apoptotic cell death and modulation of the Nrf-2 pathway. The association of lutein and astaxanthin did not give a significant advantage over the use of lutein alone. Taken together, these results suggest that the association of lutein and astaxanthin might be useful to protect cells of the ocular surface from short (lutein) and longer (astaxanthin) wavelengths, as these are the most damaging radiations hitting the eye from many different LED screens and solar light. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications)

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16 pages, 1486 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profile of Carotenoids and Tocopherols for the Characterization of Lipophilic Antioxidants in “Ragusano” Cheese

by Archimede Rotondo, Giovanna Loredana La Torre, Giovanni Bartolomeo, Rossana Rando, Rossella Vadalà, Venusia Zimbaro and Andrea Salvo

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7711; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167711 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2114

Abstract

Lipophilic antioxidants such as carotenoids and tocopherols are appreciated components in food because of their potential health benefits. The aim of this study was to describe the composition of these microconstituents in “Ragusano”, a typical Sicilian historical pasta filata cheese, and to compare them during two different production seasons. Specifically, the tocopherols’ composition was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FD); whereas the contents of three main carotenoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS). The scope included studying the influence of dietary supplementation on the potential enrichment of “Ragusano” in antioxidants. The main results regarding the composition of lipophilic vitamins of 56 “Ragusano” cheeses, collected in winter and spring, revealed that α-tocopherol was the predominant component amongst tocopherols and carotenoids, while β-carotene prevailed among the carotenoids. The cheeses obtained in spring turned out to contain larger amounts of antioxidants, both tocopherols and carotenoids, while the dietary supplementation with minerals-vitamins led to a barely detectable increase of antioxidants compared to a measured control group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications)

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15 pages, 573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Roasting Degree on the Antioxidant Properties of Espresso and Drip Coffee Extracted from Coffea arabica cv. Java

by Sunyoon Jung, Sunyoung Gu, Seung-Hun Lee and Yoonhwa Jeong

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 7025; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11157025 - 29 Jul 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4093

Abstract

Coffee roasting is the process of applying heat to green coffee beans to bring out flavors through chemical changes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of roasting degree on the antioxidant capacities of espresso and drip coffee extracted from Coffea arabica cv. Java in Laos. Green coffee beans were roasted under four conditions (Light-medium, Medium, Moderately dark, and Very dark), and espresso and drip coffee were extracted. The contents of total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), and chlorogenic acids (CGA) decreased as the roasting degree increased, whereas the caffeine content increased. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was lower in the Medium, Moderately dark, and Very dark compared to the Light-medium. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was lower in the Very dark than the Light-medium, Medium, and Moderately dark. Principal component analysis showed that TP, TF, CGA, caffeine, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FRAP distinguish coffee extracts with various roasting degrees. Therefore, it is concluded that roasting degree is a modifiable factor for the use of coffee as an antioxidant material in the food industry, and TF, TP, CGA, and caffeine contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP are good indicators for determining the antioxidant capacity of coffee. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications)

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11 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Edible Flowers Extracts as a Source of Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Properties—In Vitro Studies

by Karolina Jakubczyk, Agnieszka Łukomska, Izabela Gutowska, Joanna Kochman, Joanna Janił and Katarzyna Janda

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2120; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052120 - 27 Feb 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3905

Abstract

Edible plants began to play an important role in past decade as a part of therapy, a recovery process or a healthy life style. The availability and relatively low price of the raw material, as well as proven bioactive health benefits, are key to consumers’ choice of nutrients. The red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a popular plant with healthy properties such as antiseptic and analgesic effects. The less known white clover (Trifolium repens), a fodder and honey plant, has anti-rheumatic and anti-diabetic properties. Both species may serve as a potential source of bioactive substances with antioxidant properties as a food additive or supplement. The study material consisted of flower extracts of Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense. The total content of polyphenols and DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured using spectrophotometry methods. Oxidative stress in THP1 cells was induced via sodium fluoride. Subsequently, flower extracts were added and their influences on proliferation, antioxidant potential and the activity of antioxidant enzymes were evaluated. The extracts have a high total content of polyphenols as well as high antioxidant potential. We also demonstrated positive extracts impact on cells proliferation, high antioxidant potential and increasing activity of antioxidant enzymes on cell cultures under high oxidative stress induced by fluoride. Both red clover and the less known white clover may serve as valuable sources of antioxidants in the everyday diet. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants in Foods: From Properties to Applications)

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