This study aimed to investigate the potential of four sea water microalgae, isolated and cultivated at M'diq Bay in Morocco, as a new source of natural antioxidants. These microalgae belong to ...different classes, including
(Bacillariophyceae),
(Eustigmatophyceae),
sp (Trebouxiophyceae), and
(Chlorodendrophycea). The antioxidant properties were screened by the use of in vitro assays, namely 2,2-difenil-1-picrylhydrazyl, Ferric reducing antioxidant power, and Ferrous ions chelating activity, and compoundidentification was carried out in methanol and acetone extracts of both dried and fresh microalgae biomass by HPLC-PDA-MS analysis. Among the investigated microalgae,
was the richest one regarding its carotenoid (especially all-E-fucoxanthin) and phenolic (especially protocatechuic acid) contents, as well as antioxidant activity (65.5%), followed by
sp,
, and
with antioxidant activity of 56.8%, 54.9%, and 51.1%, respectively.
The growing demand in natural matrices that represent a source of dietary and nutraceutical molecules has led to an increasing interest in
, considered to be a multipurpose, sustainable crop. ...Particularly, the considerable content in essential fatty acids (FAs) makes its derived-products useful food ingredients in the formulation of dietary supplements. In this research, the FA and triacylglycerol (TAG) composition of hempseed oils and flours were investigated using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and flame ionization detection as well as liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS), respectively. Furthermore, a recently introduced linear retention index (LRI) approach in LC was successfully employed as a useful tool for the reliable identification of TAG species. A total of 30 FAs and 62 glycerolipids were positively identified in the investigated samples. Relative quantitative analyses confirmed linoleic acid as the most abundant component (50-55%). A favorable omega6/omega3 ratio was also measured in hemp-derived products, with the α-linolenic acid around 12-14%. Whereas, γ-linolenic acid was found to be higher than 1.70%. These results confirm the great value of
as a source of valuable lipids, and the further improvement of the LRI system paves the way for the automatization of the identification process in LC.
The present work aims to elucidate the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis caged in an anthropogenically impacted area and in a reference site through an innovative ...and validated analytical approach for the assessment of biological alterations induced by marine pollution. The FFA pattern is involved in the regulation of different cellular pathways and differs with respect to metabolic stimuli. To this purpose, the lipid fraction of mussels coming from both sampling areas was extracted and the FFA fractions were isolated and purified by a solid phase extraction; then, nano-scale liquid chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (nanoLC-EI-MS) was employed for the characterization of the two samples. A total of 19 and 17 FFAs were reliably identified in the mussels coming from the reference and polluted site, respectively. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences found in saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated species may be exploited as typical pollution biomarkers (e.g. alteration of the fatty acid biosynthetic system and lipotoxicity) and explain adverse and compromising effects (e.g. oxidative stress and inflammatory processes) related to environmental pollution.
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•FFA profile of mussels was explored as a novel tool to be integrated in biomonitoring.•The polluted industrial area of Augusta (Sicily, Italy) was investigated.•A nanoLC-EI-MS analytical system was exploited for FFA characterization.•Metabolic pathway alterations due to environmental contaminants were discussed.•Alterations of the specific FFAs could be used as pollution biomarkers.
The qualitative and quantitative profiling of fatty acids in human blood is a useful tool in disease prevention and health care, two concepts that are intimately related. In fact, fatty acid (FA) ...analysis can provide in-depth information on a specific metabolic state of individuals. The goal of the present research consisted of the development of a rapid and miniaturized analytical strategy for the complete characterization of the fatty acid profile in human blood. Sample collection was carried out by using the dried blood spot approach, while fatty acid derivatization to methyl esters was performed directly by using sodium methoxide and boron trifluoride. The following figures of merit were defined: intra- and inter-day repeatability, linearity range, limits of detection, and quantification. Additionally, the accuracy of the developed method was evaluated in the analysis of a certified reference human plasma sample. Apart from blood, the analytical procedure was also applied to samples of human serum and plasma. During the final stage of the research, the developed analytical method was performed in a fully automated manner.
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The present work proposes the use of a fast analytical platform for the mass spectrometric (MS) profiling of canine mammary tissues in their native form for the building of a predictive statistical ...model. The latter could be used as a novel diagnostic tool for the real-time identification of different cellular alterations in order to improve tissue resection during veterinary surgery, as previously validated in human oncology. Specifically, Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) coupled with surgical electrocautery (intelligent knife—iKnife) was used to collect MS data from histologically processed mammary samples, classified into healthy, hyperplastic/dysplastic, mastitis and tumors. Differences in the lipid composition enabled tissue discrimination with an accuracy greater than 90%. The recognition capability of REIMS was tested on unknown mammary samples, and all of them were correctly identified with a correctness score of 98–100%. Triglyceride identification was increased in healthy mammary tissues, while the abundance of phospholipids was observed in altered tissues, reflecting morpho-functional changes in cell membranes, and oxidized species were also tentatively identified as discriminant features. The obtained lipidomic profiles represented unique fingerprints of the samples, suggesting that the iKnife technique is capable of differentiating mammary tissues following chemical changes in cellular metabolism.
Rapid evaporative-ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) coupled with an electroknife as a sampling device was recently employed in many application fields to obtain a rapid characterization of ...different samples without any need for extraction or cleanup procedures. In the present research, REIMS was used to obtain a metabolic profiling of the
fruit, thus extending the applicability of such a technique to the investigation of phytochemical constituents. In particular, the advantages of REIMS linked to a typical electrosurgical handpiece were applied for a comprehensive screening of this botanical species, by exploiting the mass accuracy and tandem MS capabilities of a quadrupole-time of flight analyzer. Then, 78 biomolecules were positively identified, including phenols, fatty acids and phospholipids. In the last decade,
(Lam.) Benth. fruit has attracted special interest for its drug-like properties, e.g., its use for infertility treatments and as anti-tumor agent, as well as against fungal and bacterial infections, diabetes, and inflammatory processes. Many of these properties are currently correlated to the presence of phenolic compounds, also detected in the present study, while the native lipid composition is here reported for the first time and could open new directions in the evaluation of therapeutic activity.
The last decade has witnessed a steady transition from the linear economic model to a restorative system that drives substantial and lasting improvements of the global resource productivity. In this ...scenario, the blue economy encompasses all industries and sectors related to oceans, seas and coasts. The blue economy model promotes a series of actions towards sustainability, which include minimization of food waste production through the re-utilization of the marine by-products. Within the food chain, the large amount of waste generated by the tuna fishery industry represents a rich pool of bioactive molecules, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, amino acids (AAs) and peptides. Specifically, small- and medium-size peptides are emerging as a more convenient alternative to conventional antibiotic agents, against a variety of bacteria, fungi and viruses. This study focused on the retrieval of the protein fractions contained in the discards from the yellowfin tuna (
Thunnus albacares
) cannery industry. Protein hydrolysates obtained by enzymatic digestion were characterized by a peptidomic strategy based on reversed-phase ultra-high–pressure liquid chromatography followed by quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry detection (data dependent analysis). A total of 196 AAs sequences were identified by matching MASCOT database, and their activity was predicted by support vector machine–based computational tools. As a result, significant antimicrobial scores were obtained for 22% of the identified peptides. Specifically, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties were predicted based on compositional features (pseudo AA compositions and normalized AA compositions) and physicochemical properties (isoelectric point, hydrophobicity and net-charge).
Official regulations concerning the maximum number of substances in food are introduced as a consequence of possible adverse effects, after oral administration. In this regard, analytical methods are ...necessary in order to determine specific targets. Among oxygen heterocyclic compounds (OHCs, that are furocoumarins, coumarins and polymethoxyflavones), only coumarin is subject to restriction by the
of the European Parliament. Furocoumarins are known for their phototoxicity and other side effects due to their dietary intake; however, an official limit about the maximum content of these compounds in food is still missing. The lack of information about the real amount of these compounds in food is responsible for the conflicting opinions about the introduction of an official limit. The HPLC-MS/MS method here proposed, in combination with the linear retention index system, represents an innovative analytical strategy for the characterization of OHCs in citrus beverages. Several types of drinks were analysed in order to quantify 35 OHCs in total. This method is suitable for the quality control of OHCs in food and the obtained results may be considered as informative data useful for the regulatory authorities in the emission of new opinions and for a potential new regulation in this field.
(1) Background: Pistacia vera is a dry fruit spread all over the world, commonly known as pistachio, and is very appreciated as a snack, as a precious ingredient for confectionery industries and also ...as a blessed touch for gourmet dishes; (2) Methods: The simultaneous NMR profiles concerning the hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases, enabled by a specific throughput over grinded pistachio seeds, led to the comprehensive chemical characterization of these nuts coming from different territories; (3) Results: The customized extraction method is described in detail as well as the employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The chemical quantification takes advantage from the innovative multi-assignment recovered analysis (MARA-NMR) technique able to provide experimentally robust panels for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic chemicals. Beyond the assessed repeatability and the interesting statistical discrimination, this paper adds information about the quantitative and qualitative composition of pistachio as inferred by NMR data. This updated background can pave the way toward the development of wider and wider chemical panels improving the knowledge about the pistachio’s composition. This approach can be easily extended to other matrices.
Italian extra-virgin olive oil market presents several kinds of products, some of which are of higher quality compared to others. Italian high-quality extra-virgin olive oils can have Protected ...Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Identification and organic farming denominations. Each high-quality olive oil produced shows peculiar chemical composition and organoleptic characteristics. The present work was aimed to endorse the use of Italian high-quality extra-virgin olive oils and to promote the “Italian quality olive oil culture” to the consumers. To obtain this, task two analytical methods were developed in order to investigate the phenol and tocopherol contents in one hundred eighty-six high-quality extra-virgin olive oils by using HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry and fluorimetric detection, respectively. Olives milled to obtain these samples belong to forty-seven different cultivars. Furthermore, four different assays were used in order to evaluate antioxidant activity of all samples: TEAC, ORAC, FRAP, and DPPH, while the total phenols content was assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Finally, all these information were used to make a principal component analysis (PCA) in order to verify a possible correlation between oils belonging to the same region, or to the same cultivar, or to denomination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research article that reports the bioactive molecule content and a PCA statistical correlation between total phenol content, antioxidant activity (TEAC, FRAP, DPPH and ORAC), tocopherols and phenols in a large array of Italian high-quality extra-virgin olive oils (174) produced in different regions; in addition a number of 12 samples came from foreign countries (Portugal, Spain and Croatia). The gathered information attained could be useful for the generation of a database of a qualitative and quantitative profile of antioxidant molecules in extra-virgin olive.
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