Extracts deriving from olive mill waste water and their effects on the liver of the goldfish Carassius auratus fed with hypercholesterolemic diet

The present research aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of polyphenols derived from waste water from a olive mill, obtained by non-plastic molecular imprinting device, in a hypercholesterolemic diet on Carassius auratus, commonly known as goldfish that was selected as experimental model. The study was conducted with morphological and histochemical analyses and also the data were supported by immunohistochemical analysis. Results show the beneficial activity of polyphenols with a reduction of the damage in the steatotic group, confirming that they may be suggested in the treatment of diseases by lipid accumulation, and used as any addition in feed for farmed fish, in order to improve th…

Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian Rosmarinus officinalis L.

In this study the chemical characterisation of 10 Sicilian Rosmarinus officinalis L. biotypes essential oils is reported. The main goal of this work was to analyse the relationship between the essential oils yield and the geographical distribution of the species plants. The essential oils were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis statistical methods were used to cluster biotypes according to the essential oils chemical composition. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.8 to 2.3 (v/w). In total 82 compounds have been identified, these represent 96.7–99.9% of the essential oil. The most represented compounds in the essential oils were 1.…

L'INFLUENZA DELLE TECNOLOGIE IMPIANTISTICHE SULLA QUALITA' DEL VINO

Metabolite and mineral profiling of “Violetto di Niscemi” and “Spinoso di Menfi” globe artichokes by 1H-NMR and ICP-MS

Globe artichoke has been long considered a nutraceutical food for its valuable content of bioactive compounds. However, beside a well-known polyphenol profile, poor information is available about its metabolite and mineral composition. The aim of this study was to investigate edible parts of Sicilian artichokes, ‘Spinoso di Menfi’ and ‘Violetto di Niscemi’, by 1H NMR and ICP-MS for elucidating these compositional aspects. Although bracts and hearts of both artichokes shared a very similar metabolite pattern, ‘Spinoso di Menfi’ showed a higher number of metabolites, such as amino acids and polyphenols, than ‘Violetto di Niscemi’. ‘Spinoso di Menfi’ was also marked by higher levels of macro- …

Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian Rosmarinus officials L.

In this study the chemical characterizations of 10 sicilian biotypes of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oils are reported. The main goal was to analyze the relationship between the essential oils yield and the geographical distribution of the species plants. The essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The statistical methods Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were used to cluster biotypes according to the chemical composition of the essential oils. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.8 - 2.3 (v/w). 82 compounds have been identified, these represent 96.7-99.9% of the essential oil. The compounds mostly represented in the essential oils were: 1.8- C…

Interdonato lemon from Nizza di Sicilia (Italy): chemical composition of hexane extract of lemon peel and histochemical investigation

Considering that the determination of authenticity and of the geographical origin of food is a very challenging issue, in this study we studied by means of histological and histochemical analyses the famous Sicilian lemon known as ‘Interdonato Lemon of Messina PGI’. Since the protected geographical indication Interdonato lemon of Messina possesses high organoleptic properties, the composition of the hexane extract of lemon peel was determined by HRGC and HRGC–MS analyses and compared with that of lemon of different cultivars. The results obtained are informative of the oil’s quality and explain the variation of the lemon essential oil composition. Given the fundamental economic implications…

Natural co-occurrence of ochratoxin A, ochratoxin B and aflatoxins in Sicilian red wines

The natural occurrence of ochratoxin A, ochratoxin B, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin G2 (OTA, OTB, AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) in red wines was investigated by HPLC/FLD after immunoaffinity column clean-up in 57 market samples produced in Sicily (Italy). The results showed a very low incidence of these mycotoxins in analysed samples, confirming the high degree of quality and safety of Sicilian red wines. The results indicated 71.9% and 64.9% positive samples for OTA and OTB respectively, with an average level of 0.13 μg l(-1), well below the European maximum permitted levels (MLs). The aflatoxin most frequently detected in the samples was AFG1, present in 57.9% of sample…

Influence of roasting and different brewing processes on ochratoxin A content in coffee determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD)

A rapid and reliable procedure has been developed for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in green and roasted coffee. The method consists of extraction of the sample with methanol-5% aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate/1% PEG8000 (20:80), followed by immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up and, finally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination with fluorimetric detection. Mean recoveries for green and roasted coffee spiked at different levels ranging from 94 and 105% were obtained. The limit of determination (S/N = 3) was 0.032 ng g(-1) and the precision (within-laboratory relative standard deviation) was 6%. The method described has been used to assess the influence of r…

Statistical characterisation of heavy metal contents inParacentrotus lividusfrom Mediterranean Sea

This work focuses on the estimation of Hg, As, Cr, Ni, Cu, V, Cd and Pb by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in 135 adult specimens of Paracentrotus lividus collected in different coastal areas of Sicily (Gela, Punta Secca, Ragusa (RG), Siracusa, Priolo, Catania, Messina, Milazzo, Brolo and Filicudi), in order to monitor the Mediterranean marine ecosystem by use of sea urchin as bioindicator. Moreover, the paper deals with the statistical classification of the tested samples according to the sampling area based on metal concentrations. The descriptive statistics findings were obtained and, a starting multivariate matrix was built. Data-sets were subjected to Kruskal-Wallis test t…

Composition and variability of the essential oil of the flowers of Lavandula stoechas from various geographical sources

Samples of flowers of wild Lavandula stoechas L. spp. stoechas populations were collected in three areas of Sicily (Italy) and were characterized in agronomic and chemical terms. Essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. GC-FID and GC-MS analyses permitted identification of 89 compounds from the EO. The samples were separated into 3 groups using PCA (Principal Component Analysis) statistical method, with reference to the chemical composition of the EO. All three Sicilian populations of lavender were identified as the fenchone chemotype with percentage content ranged between 52.8–71.1%. The population of Partinico showed the highest dry weight o…

Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian oregano biotypes

Essential oil (EO) was extracted using hydrodistillation from samples of Origanum vulgare subspecies hirtum (Link) Ietswaart, gathered from the wild in various parts of Sicily, Italy; GC-FID and GC-MS analyses were subsequently performed. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between essential oil yields and the geographical distribution of oregano wild populations based on variations in environmental factors as collection sites. Moreover, the purpose was to group Origanum vulgare subspecies hirtum biotypes according to the chemical composition of the EO. The seven principal components in the EO was thymol (24.0–54.4%), γ-terpinene (9.8–30.5%), ρ-cymene (5.2–18.7%), α-terpine…

Influenza della tostatura e della preparazione del caffè sul contenuto di Ocratossina A determinata mediante HPLC-FD

Chemical characterization of a variety of cold-pressed gourmet oils available on the Brazilian market

Different specialty extra virgin oils, produced by cold-pressing fruits/nuts (olive, pequi, palm, avocado, coconut, macadamia and Brazil nut) and seeds (grapeseed and canola), and retailed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais, were chemically characterized. Specifically, for each type of oil, the fatty acid composition was elucidated by GC-FID, the contents of selected polyphenols and squalene were determined respectively by UHPLC-MS and UHPLC-PDA, whereas minerals were explored by means of ICP-MS. Olive oil was confirmed to have the highest MUFA content due to a valuable level of oleic acid, while oils from grapeseed, Brazil nut and canola were marked by nutritionally important PUFA lev…

Antioxidant activity and enzymes inhibitory properties of several extracts from two Moroccan Asteraceae species

Abstract The present work reports investigation on phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and enzyme inhibitory activities (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase) of different extracts from two Moroccan Asteraceae species; Bubonium imbricatum Cav. and Cladanthus arabicus (L.) Cass. B. imbricatum extracts contained the highest amounts of phenolics and flavonoids, and also exhibited higher antioxidant activity. In this species, the highest total phenolic (1611.13 ± 14.23 μmolGAE/gextract) and flavonoid (376.11 ± 8.22 μmolQE/gextract) contents were observed in aqueous-methanol extract obtained by maceration. Further, UHPLC–MS analysis of C. arab…

Fast UPLC/PDA determination of squalene in Sicilian P.D.O. pistachio from Bronte: Optimization of oil extraction method and analytical characterization

Abstract A fast reversed-phase UPLC method was developed for squalene determination in Sicilian pistachio samples that entry in the European register of the products with P.D.O. In the present study the SPE procedure was optimized for the squalene extraction prior to the UPLC/PDA analysis. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the mean recoveries were 92.8 ± 0.3% and 96.6 ± 0.1% for 25 and 50 mg L−1 level of addition, respectively. Selected chromatographic conditions allowed a very fast squalene determination; in fact it was well separated in ∼0.54 min with good resolution. Squalene was detected in all the pistachio samples analyzed and the levels ranged from 5…

Analysis of furan in coffee of different provenance by head-space solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: effect of brewing procedures.

A simple, sensitive and accurate method for the analysis of furan in roasted coffee has been used based on headspace-solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extraction was performed using 75-microm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber. Ionic strength, extraction time and temperature, and desorption time were assessed as the most important parameters affecting the HS-SPME procedure and d(4)-furan was used as the internal standard. The linearity range was in the range 0.0075-0.486 ng g(-1); the LOD and LOQ calculated using the signal-to-noise ratio approach were 0.002 and 0.006 ng g(-1), respectively. The inter- and intra-day precisio…

The metabolic profile of lemon juice by proton HR-MAS NMR: the case of the PGI Interdonato Lemon of Messina

We have studied by means of High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HR-MAS NMR) the metabolic profile of the famous Sicilian lemon known as 'Interdonato Lemon of Messina PGI'. The PGI Interdonato Lemon of Messina possesses high organoleptic and healthy properties and is recognised as one of the most nutrient fruits. In particular, some of its constituents are actively studied for their chemo-preventive and therapeutic properties. In this paper, we have determined by means of HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy the molar concentration of the main metabolites constituent the juice of PGI Interdonato Lemon of Messina in comparison with that of the not-PGI Interdonato Lemon of Turk…

Agronomical evaluation of Sicilian biotypes of Lavandula stoechas L. spp. stoechas and analysis of the essential oils

The aim of this study was to characterize wild lavender, which was collected in three different areas of Sicily (Italy),according to agronomic and chemical evaluation. The collection sites were located in Pantelleria island, Partinico (a warm sub-area of Lauretum) and Castelbuono (a middle sub-area of Lauretum). All the populations were identified as Lavandula stoechas L. ssp. stoechas. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography– flame ionization detector (GC–FID) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–FID and GC–MS analyses permitted the identification of 101 components from the essential oils. We analyzed only the flowers and leaves of L. stoechas …

Agronomical and chemical characterisation of Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. biotypes from Sicily, Italy

In this study the agromomical and chemical characterization of 13 sicilian biotypes of Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. (or Thymus capitatus Hoff. et Link.) collected from different areas of Sicily (Italy) and grown under the same agricultural and environmental condition are reported. The main morpho-productive parameters and quali-quantitative profile of essential oils were determined . Essential oils were extracts from the aerial parts of the plants by hydrodistillation. The essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis statistical methods were used to group biotypes according to the essential oils chemical composition. The esse…

Investigation on the influence of spray-drying technology on the quality of Sicilian Nero d’Avola wines

The purpose of the present work was to find a correlation between microencapsulation technology applied to wines and the resulting quality of the wine itself in terms of volatile composition and phenolic profile. To this aim, samples of Nero d'Avola wines produced in Sicily (Italy) were investigated in order to: i) elucidate the aromatic composition by means of HS–SPME coupled with GC–MS; ii) assess the polyphenolic content by UHPLC mass spectrometry; iii) compare the results obtained from both the screenings with those relative to the same wines that had previously been subjected to spray-drying. The results showed a marked reductionThe results here obtained evidenced a marked reductio…