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Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Analytical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 13451

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Dr. Davide Bertelli

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Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: NMR; food chemistry; functional foods; food authentication; metabolomics; analytical chemistry; chromatography; chemometrics
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Dr. Eleonora Truzzi

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Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: NMR; food chemistry; functional foods; food authentication; metabolomics; analytical chemistry; chromatography; chemometrics; drug delivery systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, more and more consumers are aware of the benefits associated with a balanced and healthy diet. As a consequence, consumer interest in functional foods that are high in bioactive/nutraceutical compounds is growing. Functional foods are defined as foods or food ingredients that provide health benefits besides basic nutrition. The role of scientists is essential for discovering, designing, and characterizing new functional foods. Experts in the field of chemical analysis play a central role in this context as chemical analysis ensures the safety and quality of functional foods, protecting consumers from any risk. Moreover, chemical analysis allows the complete characterization of foods in terms of the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds.

This Special Issue, entitled “Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods”, will showcase high-quality contributions both in the form of original and innovative research and review articles. The main objective is to cover studies focused on the chemical characterization of functional foods and the development of analytical methods for the quality control of functional foods. The employment of multivariate statistical analyses for chemical data interpretation is encouraged, as are multidisciplinary approaches where food chemistry, biology, and nutrition are interconnected.

Dr. Davide Bertelli
Dr. Eleonora Truzzi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

functional foods
nutraceuticals
metabolomics
advanced analytical techniques
chemometrics

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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29 pages, 689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recovery of Bioactive Compounds from the Biomass of Aromatic Plants After Distillation Using NADES: A Sustainable Alternative Extraction Method

by Eleonora Truzzi, Davide Bertelli, Benedetta Catellani, Danial Darvishi Jazi and Stefania Benvenuti

Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051120 - 28 Feb 2025

Viewed by 848

Abstract

The extraction processes for medicinal plants, particularly the distillation of aromatic plants, generate significant quantities of by-products, consisting of fibrous biomass and hydrosols. These by-products pose challenges for disposal and recovery. Consequently, it is imperative to make the entire highly energy-intensive process more sustainable by valorizing all derivatives. This study aims to recover polyphenols from the exhausted biomasses of Artemisia dracunculus, Echinacea purpurea, Helichrysum italicum (from the Asteraceae family), and Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula × intermedia, Melissa officinalis, Salvia officinalis, Salvia sclarea, and Salvia rosmarinus (from the Lamiaceae family) after steam distillation. The residual biomasses were extracted using ethanol (conventional solvent) and different natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) composed of choline chloride in combination with citric and lactic acids at different molar ratios. The NADES containing choline chloride and lactic acid at the molar ratio 1:1 (CLA11) exhibited the highest recovery of representative phenols of the plants, namely chicoric and rosmarinic acids. The CLA11 solvent demonstrated a stronger extractive capacity compared to ethanol in all the biomasses belonging to the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families. Specifically, CLA11 extracts showed a higher number of compounds in UHPLC-HRMS and greater concentrations of chicoric and rosmarinic acids determined by HPLC-DAD than ethanol extracts. In conclusion, NADES were demonstrated to be a viable alternative system for the recovery of bioactive compounds that could be used to formulate new products for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Moreover, the use of NADES can enhance the sustainability of the whole production chain of essential oils being environmentally friendly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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22 pages, 5100 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Harnessing Grape Pomace, a Multifunctional By-Product from the Wine Industry for High-Value Salad Dressings

by Luciano Mangiapelo, Nicola Pinna, Francesca Blasi, Federica Ianni, Giuseppa Verducci and Lina Cossignani

Molecules 2025, 30(3), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030693 - 5 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 743

Abstract

Grape pomace (GP) has gained attention for its potential to be valorized into functional foods due to its rich composition of bioactive compounds. In this work, GP has been exploited to develop plant-based mayonnaise alternatives and salad dressings. The influence of the water-to-oil ratio, percentage content of GP, lecithin, and vinegar on the viscosity and physical stability of the obtained emulsions have been investigated by the Design of Experiments. Two formulations, one high-oil (70%) and the second high-water (60%), were further studied for their potential applications. The selected samples were subjected to an accelerated stability test (60 °C for 21 days) to verify the influence of GP on oxidation protection. The high-water sample, combined with 8% GP, showed lower primary (peroxide value < 20 mEq O₂/kg fat) and secondary oxidation (anisidine value < 55) parameters than the high-oil sample, highlighting the GP antioxidant activity. The phenolic profile of all samples by HPLC was also determined. Lastly, a sensory analysis was conducted, showing the highest overall acceptability for the oil-rich sample. The obtained results contribute to highlighting the potentiality of GP in the formulation of healthy foods, adopting the zero-waste approach for the full exploitation of this underutilized resource. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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30 pages, 6583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comprehensive Analysis of Non-Thermal Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Citrus Peel Waste Through a One-Factor-at-a-Time Approach

by Matthew A. Xuereb, Georgios Psakis, Karen Attard, Frederick Lia and Ruben Gatt

Molecules 2025, 30(3), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030648 - 1 Feb 2025

Viewed by 967

Abstract

Food waste presents a critical environmental and economic challenge across Europe. In the Mediterranean region, the agricultural industry generates considerable quantities of citrus fruits, leading to significant byproduct waste, which remains underutilized. To help address this, this study explored the valorization of orange peel waste using non-thermal ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and a one-factor-at-a-time experimental design to investigate the effects of nine chemical and physical UAE parameters. The goal was to identify ideal operational ranges for each parameter using several responses (bioactive compound recovery, antioxidant activity, and radical scavenging activity), thus elucidating the most influential UAE factors and their role in co-extracting various classes of natural compounds. The key findings revealed that the polarity and ionic potential of the extraction medium, tuned through ethanol:water or pH, significantly influenced both the chemical profile and bioactivity of the extracts. Notably, citric acid and citrates appeared to stabilize co-extracted compounds. Lower solid-to-liquid ratios increased yields, while particle sizes between 1400 and 710 µm enhanced phenolic recovery by approximately 150 mg/L GAE. In contrast, increases in pulse, probe diameter, immersion depth, and extraction time led to degradation of bioactive compounds, whereas the maximal amplitude improved phenolic acid recovery by up to 2-fold. Collectively, these insights provide a foundation for optimizing non-thermal UAE to valorize orange peel waste. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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21 pages, 2179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Profiling and Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) Leaf By-Products’ Extracts Obtained with Green Extraction Techniques

by Valentina Masala, Stela Jokić, Krunoslav Aladić, Maja Molnar, Mattia Casula and Carlo Ignazio Giovanni Tuberoso

Molecules 2024, 29(20), 4816; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29204816 - 11 Oct 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1800

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of different green extraction techniques (GETs) on targeted bioactive compounds from artichoke leaf by-products using deep eutectic solvent extraction (DESE), supercritical CO₂ extraction (SCO₂E), subcritical water extraction (SWE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Moreover, (HR) LC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS and HPLC-PDA analyses were used to perform qualitative–quantitative analysis on the extracts, enabling the detection of several bioactive compounds, including luteolin, luteolin 7-O-glucoside, luteolin 7-O-rutinoside, apigenin rutinoside, chlorogenic acid, and cynaropicrin as the most representative ones. SWE showed better results than the other GETs (TPC: 23.39 ± 1.87 mg/g of dry plant, dp) and appeared to be the best choice. Regarding UAE, the highest total phenols content (TPC) was obtained with 50:50% v/v ethanol: water (7.22 ± 0.58 mg/g dp). The DES obtained with choline chloride:levulinic acid showed the highest TPC (9.69 ± 0.87 mg/g dp). Meanwhile, SCO₂E was a selective technique for the recovery of cynaropicrin (48.33 ± 2.42 mg/g dp). Furthermore, the study examined the antioxidant activity (1.10–8.82 mmol Fe²⁺/g dp and 3.37–31.12 mmol TEAC/g dp for DPPH^• and FRAP, respectively) and total phenols content via Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay (198.32–1433.32 mg GAE/g dp), of which the highest values were detected in the SWE extracts. The relationship among the GETs, antioxidant assays, and compounds detected was evaluated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PCA confirmed the strong antioxidant activity of SWE and showed comparable extraction yields for the antioxidant compounds between UAE and DESE. Consequently, GETs selection and extraction parameters optimization can be employed to enrich artichoke leaf by-products’ extracts with targeted bioactive compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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14 pages, 1920 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valorization of Date Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as a Potential Functional Food and Ingredient: Characterization of Fiber, Oligosaccharides, and Antioxidant Polyphenols

by Yassine Jaouhari, Vincenzo Disca, Pedro Ferreira-Santos, Adela Alvaredo-López-Vizcaíno, Fabiano Travaglia, Matteo Bordiga and Monica Locatelli

Molecules 2024, 29(19), 4606; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194606 - 27 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1778

Abstract

The fruit of the date tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is increasingly recognized for its nutritional and functional value. This exotic fruit shows variable composition, influenced by factors such as variety, ripening stage, and climatic conditions. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the nutritional profile and the bioactive components, including phenolic compounds and oligosaccharides, in different varieties of dates from Saudi Arabia collected at the Tamr ripening stage. The HPLC-ESI-MS analysis identified a total of 15 phenolic compounds, principally phenolic acids and flavonoids. Among the varieties tested, Safawi exhibited the highest phenolic concentration (1132 µg/100 g dw). To the best of our knowledge, the oligosaccharide composition is described for the first time among different varieties, with Sukari showing the highest concentration (3.37 g/100 g dw). Moreover, the antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays) was assessed following a solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up to remove interferents, especially sugars. These results provide valuable insights into the health-promoting properties of date fruit as a functional food and provide a foundation for further research into their industrial applications as functional ingredients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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19 pages, 2713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Characterization and Beneficial Effects of Walnut Oil on a Drosophila melanogaster Model of Parkinson’s Disease

by Rossella Avallone, Cecilia Rustichelli, Monica Filaferro and Giovanni Vitale

Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4190; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174190 - 4 Sep 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1444

Abstract

A nutritional approach could be a promising strategy to prevent or decrease the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). The neuroprotective role of walnut oil (WO) was investigated in Drosophila melanogaster treated with rotenone (Rot), as a PD model, WO, or their combination, and compared to controls. WO reduced mortality and improved locomotor activity impairment after 3 and 7 days, induced by Rot. LC-MS analyses of fatty acid levels in Drosophila heads showed a significant increase in linolenic (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) both in flies fed with the WO-enriched diet and in those treated with the association of WO with Rot. Flies supplemented with the WO diet showed an increase in brain dopamine (DA) level, while Rot treatment significantly depleted dopamine content; conversely, the association of Rot with WO did not modify DA content compared to controls. The greater intake of ALA and LA in the enriched diet enhanced their levels in Drosophila brain, suggesting a neuroprotective role of polyunsaturated fatty acids against Rot-induced neurotoxicity. The involvement of the dopaminergic system in the improvement of behavioral and biochemical parameters in Drosophila fed with WO is also suggested. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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18 pages, 738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytochemical Characterization of Two New Olive Oil Genotypes Growing in Southern Tunisia

by Mbarka Ben Mohamed, Sihem Ben Ali, Gabriele Rocchetti, Samir Tlahig, Leila Bennani and Ferdaous Guasmi

Molecules 2024, 29(17), 3997; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29173997 - 23 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1325

Abstract

This research can be considered as the first complete survey for the valorization of new olive genotypes cultivated in the South-East of Tunisia as well as their oils. The study aimed to characterize the phytochemical composition of virgin olive oil produced from two olive cultivars, namely Nourgou and Gousalani. The pomological characterization of fruits, the quality criteria and the phytochemical profile were quantified. Additionally, antioxidant activity was evaluated using Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) tests to also obtain a bioactive characterization of these monovarietal olive oils. The obtained results revealed that the analyzed olive oils samples can be classified into Extra Virgin category (EVOO) according to the regulated physicochemical characteristics. Our findings showed a significant variability in the chemical parameters of the analyzed EVOO likely associated with the genetic potential, mainly for chlorophylls contents (1.37–1.64 mg/kg), in carotenoids pigments (3.97–10.86 mg/kg), in α-tocopherol (175.59–186.87 mg/kg), in sterols (1036.4–1931.4 mg/kg) in oleic acid (65.33–68.73%), in palmitic acid (C16:0) (13.32–17.48%), in linoleic acid (C18:2) (11.06–13.47%). Additionally, the HPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that the two EVOOs analyzed contained appreciable amounts of total polyphenols, ranging from 348.03 up to 516.16 mg/kg, in Nourgou and Gousalani oils, respectively. Regarding the individual phenolic compounds, the EVOO samples were mainly characterized by phenolic alcohols, phenolic acids, secoiridoids, verbascoside, flavonoids and phenolic aldehydes. The prevalent simple phenolics detected were secoiridoids with the dominance of the oleuropein aglycone in Gousalani oil. In addition, findings from in vitro antioxidant assays (FRAP and ORAC) revealed that the two studied oils possessed a powerful antiradical activity and a good reducing power capacity. In conclusion, these new EVOOs exhibited a superior quality compared to other Tunisian varieties, considering their antiradical activity and reducing power capacity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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14 pages, 5483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis Reveals Metabolites Important for Antioxidant Properties and Quality Traits in Different Fruit Parts of Aurantii Fructus Immatures

by Shuo Zhang, Ze Liu, Xinyu Xu, Ruihua Zhao, Shujiang Zhang and Rong Luo

Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1733; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081733 - 11 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1324

Abstract

In traditional Chinese medicine, Aurantii Fructus Immatures (AFIs) have been utilized for more than 2000 years. The proportions of different fruit parts are crucial for evaluating AFI quality in China. However, the basis for this statement’s substance is unclear. Differences in quality are intimately correlated with a plant’s metabolite composition. On the basis of a widely targeted metabolome, this study intended to investigate the metabolite composition and evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the peel and pulp of an AFI. Metabolites were identified and quantified by UHPLC-QqQ-MS. To assess their antioxidant ability, DPPH and ABTS assays were carried out. There were 1327 chemical compounds identified by UHPLC-QqQ-MS. After screening the differential metabolites using a multivariate statistical analysis, it was found that there were 695 significant differences in the metabolites between the peel and the pulp. Among them, it was discovered that the content of active ingredients in the peel group was higher than that in the pulp group. Furthermore, the aqueous extracts from the peel showed stronger antioxidant capacities than those from the pulp. The metabolites and antioxidant capacities were significantly different between the peel and the pulp. This study of different fruit parts might provide a guide for AFI quality assessments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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Review

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22 pages, 1360 KiB

Open AccessReview

Analytical Determination of Squalene in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Olive Processing By-Products, and Its Valorization as an Ingredient in Functional Food—A Critical Review

by Laura Barp, Ana Miklavčič Višnjevec and Sabrina Moret

Molecules 2024, 29(21), 5201; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29215201 - 3 Nov 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2213

Abstract

Squalene is a bioactive compound with significant health benefits, predominantly found in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and its processing by-products. This critical review explores the analytical determination of squalene in EVOO and various by-products from olive oil production, highlighting its potential as a valuable ingredient in functional foods. An overview of existing analytical methods is provided, focusing on different approaches to sample preparation before analytical determination, evaluating their effectiveness in quantifying squalene concentrations. Studies not primarily centered on analytical methodologies or squalene quantification were excluded. A critical gap identified is the absence of an official method for squalene determination, which hinders comparability and standardization across studies, underscoring the importance of developing a reliable, standardized method to ensure accurate quantification. The valorization of squalene involves advocating for its extraction from olive oil processing by-products to enhance sustainability in the olive oil industry. By recovering squalene, the industry can not only reduce waste but also enhance functional food products with this health-promoting compound. Additionally, there is a need for economically sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction techniques that can be scaled up for industrial application, thus contributing to a circular economy within the olive oil sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis of Functional Foods)

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