Search Results (8)

Background/Objectives: Growing interest in natural, health-promoting ingredients for functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics has increased the demand for bioactive compounds from kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa). This study aimed to assess the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties of amphiphilic bioactives extracted from kiwi fruit and its by-products, including peel, seeds, and pulp. Methods: Bioactive compounds were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. Anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic effects were assessed through inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in human platelets. Results: All extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. FTIR and LC–MS analyses confirmed the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, and polar lipids. Kiwi peel extract exhibited the strongest inhibition of PAF- and ADP-induced platelet aggregation, attributed to its higher content of phenolics and unsaturated polar lipids. LC–MS data indicated a favorable fatty acid profile with high omega-9 levels and a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio. Polar lipid structural analysis revealed a predominance of phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids at the sn-2 position. Conclusions: Kiwi by-products are valuable sources of health-promoting bioactives with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. These findings support their incorporation into nutraceutical, nutricosmetic, and cosmeceutical products and lay the groundwork for further studies on safety, efficacy, and practical application. Full article

Kiwi’s increased popularity as a healthy fruit with several agro-food applications has increased the amount of bio-waste produced like leaf, peel, and seed by-products, usually combined to form a kiwi pomace, which increases the environmental footprint of kiwi fruit and waste management costs. The aim of the present study is to thoroughly review and outline the nutritional content and bioactive components of both kiwi fruit and its by-products, as well as the innovative approaches to obtain and valorize kiwi’s bioactives, phytochemicals, vitamins, and nutrients in several functional food products, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics applications with health-promoting properties. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and mechanisms of action of the extracted polyphenols, flavonoids, flavones, organic acids, and other bioactive components in both the fruit and in its functional products are also elucidated. Emphasis is given to those bioactive ingredients and extracts from kiwi by-products that can be valorized in various functional foods, supplements, nutraceuticals, nutricosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and cosmetics-related applications, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health-promoting properties. Characteristic examples with reported health benefits are the functional kiwi fruit jelly (FKJ),fermented kiwi fruit products like wine, starchy kiwi fruit flour (SKF), and kiwi-derived functional protein bars, cheese and flour, as well as several nutraceuticals and functional cosmetics with kiwi bioactives improving their antioxidant, antiaging, and photoprotective properties, collagen synthesis, skin density, hydration, elasticity, and the wound healing process, while beneficially reducing skin roughness, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, keratinocyte death, and DNA and cell damage. The limitations and future perspectives for these kiwi bioactive-based applications are also discussed. Full article

Pollination is a crucial reproductive process that underpins crop yield and quality as well as sustains other ecosystem services essential for our planet’s life. Insects are the largest group of pollinators, particularly bees, handling the pollination of 71 of the 100 crops that contribute to 90% of the world’s food supply. Nevertheless, both biotic and abiotic factors exert considerable influence on bee behaviour, which in turn affects the pollination process. Moreover, the alarming decline in bee populations and other essential insect pollinators presents a major challenge to natural pollination. This work focuses on Actinidia, a dioecious plant, i.e., with female and male flowers on separate plants, which introduces entropy into the pollination phase. In this plant, the number of pollinated seeds directly influences the size of Actinidia fruits (kiwi), so the success of the pollination phase is fundamental. However, natural pollination in Actinidia is mainly entomophilic, i.e., by insects. Hence, the exploration of alternative approaches becomes essential. To address this need, there has been a growing interest in robotic solutions for pollination, which include several tools to perform pollination. This research investigates the existing technologies for conducting artificial pollination procedures. It involves a comprehensive examination of various methods outlined in the literature, thoroughly analysing their strengths and weaknesses. The ultimate objective is to provide valuable insights and guidance to enhance the efficacy of artificial pollination processes Full article

The Actinidia genus comprises 54 species and 21 varieties of which A. chinensis var. chinensis and A. chinensis var. deliciosa are the most commercialized ones. The nutritional properties of kiwifruit have prompted their global production to nearly reach the value of 4.5 million tons per year, with Asia being one of the top producers. This increment in their production has raised a parallel augment of associated organic wastes, especially when kiwifruits are used for processed products. The most abundant by-products obtained include skins, seeds and discarded fruits. This biomass has a huge potential for its high content of bioactive compounds, such as dietary fiber or polyphenols. Therefore, it has been targeted by the food industry as a sustainable and cost-effective source of natural ingredients, highly demanded by consumers. Indeed, kiwi skins and seeds have been pointed out as a relevant source of pectin followed by the kiwi pulp. Pectin is a recognized ingredient due to the organoleptic properties it may confer but also for its prebiotic capacities. The recovery of pectin has been mainly performed via the application of extraction techniques that implied the use of chemical reagents such as acids. Nowadays, the use of chemicals is negatively regarded for their associated side effects. Indeed, customers’ claims for chemical-free food ingredients have triggered the development and application of green extraction techniques: ultrasonic, microwave, enzyme, supercritical fluid or electrical pulse. Pectin has been successfully extracted with these green techniques both in terms of yield and quality, improving results obtained with traditional extraction techniques. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to review the wide variability of green techniques applied to extract pectin along with the comparison of the optimal parameters as a basis for the future development of an optimized extraction method. In addition, this work also aims to disclose the potential of kiwifruit by-products as a source of pectin and their industrial applications for the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, food additives or cosmetics. Full article

Fruit seed oils are of new interest due to their significant properties and can be a good opportunity to recover fruit waste. Actinidia arguta (baby kiwi) fruits are a novelty in the market and berries can be consumed with the peels. Due to their limited shelf life, fruits are very perishable and the waste management techniques used post-harvest are an important issue. Berry waste can be reused, for biological flows focused on food losses and waste reduction. Therefore, baby kiwi fruit samples were collected from the Ortofruititalia company orchards in Cuneo, Italy, and then processed and analysed for seed oil constituents using standard analytical methods. The results of this study indicate that unsaturated fatty acids were the most dominant fatty acids (92.6 g/100 g) in comparison with saturated (7.4 g/100 g). In addition, α-linoleic acid (82.7 g/100 g) was the most dominant unsaturated fatty acid. Additionally, γ-Tocopherol (0.023 g/100 g) was the most dominant tocopherol in this study. Extraction of seed oil from these berries could be proposed as an option for obtaining high-added-value oils for pharmaceutical cosmetics, among other uses. Full article

Hyperkalemia is a major concern in chronic kidney disease and in end-stage renal disease, representing a predictor of hospitalization and mortality. To prevent and treat hyperkalemia, dietary management is of great clinical interest. Currently, the growing use of plant-based diets causes an increasing concern about potassium load in renal patients. The aim of this study was to assess the bioaccessibility of potassium in vegetables, concerning all aspects of the plants (fruit, flower, root, tuber, leaf and seed) and to what extent different boiling techniques affect potassium content and bioaccessibility of plant-based foods. Bioaccessibility was evaluated by an in vitro digestion methodology, resembling human gastro-intestinal tract. Potassium content was higher in seeds and leaves, despite it not being possible to define a common “rule” according to the type of organ, namely seed, leaf or fruit. Boiling reduced potassium content in all vegetables excluding carrot, zucchini, and cauliflower; boiling starting from cold water contributed to a greater reduction of the potassium content in potato, peas, and beans. Bioaccessibility after in vitro digestion ranged from 12 (peas) to 93% (tomato) regardless of species and organs. Higher bioaccessibility was found in spinach, chicory, zucchini, tomato, kiwi, and cauliflower, and lower bioaccessibility in peas. Potassium from leaf resulted in the highest bioaccessibility after digestion; as a whole potassium bioaccessibility in the fruits and vegetables studied was 67% on average, with differences in relation to the different organs and species. Further, considering the method of boiling to reduce potassium content, these data indicate that the effective potassium load from plant-based foods may be lower than originally expected. This supports the clinical advices to maintain a wide use of plant-based food in the management of renal patients. Full article

Catechin is a flavonoid naturally present in numerous dietary products and fruits (e.g., apples, berries, grape seeds, kiwis, green tea, red wine, etc.) and has previously been shown to be an antioxidant and beneficial for the gut microbiome. To further enhance the health benefits, bioavailability, and stability of catechin, we synthesized and characterized catechin pentaacetate and catechin pentabutanoate as two new ester derivatives of catechin. Catechin and its derivatives were assessed in vivo via intra-amniotic administration (Gallus gallus), with the following treatment groups: (1) non-injected (control); (2) deionized H₂O (control); (3) Tween (0.004 mg/mL dose); (4) inulin (50 mg/mL dose); (5) Catechin (6.2 mg/mL dose); (6) Catechin pentaacetate (10 mg/mL dose); and (7) Catechin pentabutanoate (12.8 mg/mL dose). The effects on physiological markers associated with brush border membrane morphology, intestinal bacterial populations, and duodenal gene expression of key proteins were investigated. Compared to the controls, our results demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in Clostridium genera and E. coli species density with catechin and its synthetic derivative exposure. Furthermore, catechin and its derivatives decreased iron and zinc transporter (Ferroportin and ZnT1, respectively) gene expression in the duodenum compared to the controls. In conclusion, catechin and its synthetic derivatives have the potential to improve intestinal morphology and functionality and positively modulate the microbiome. Full article

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch.) seeds, present as a by-product in the food and pharmaceutical industries, remain underutilized. In this study the extraction conditions for the maximum recovery of total phenolic content (TPC) with high DPPH scavenging capacities (DPPHsc) were analyzed for kiwi fruit seed polyphenols (KSP) by response surface methodology. The optimal conditions for the highest yield of TPC (53.73 mg GAE/g DW) with 63.25% DPPHsc was found by using an extraction time of 79.65 min with an eluent containing 59.45% acetone at 38.35 °C and a 1:11.52 (w/v) solid/liquid ratio. Compared with butyl hydroxy toluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant, the extracted KSP showed higher DPPHsc and ferric reducing antioxidant power, but was less efficient than grape seed polyphenols extracted under the same optimum conditions. We also showed that the extracted KSP exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activities by suppressing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. High performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector (HPLC-ECD) analysis of the extracted KSP under optimized conditions revealed that the extract was mainly composed of five polyphenolic compounds. Our work showed the development of an optimal extraction process of the KSP, which presented excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, indicating that kiwi fruit seeds may further be utilized as a potential source of natural biological active compounds. Full article