Search Results (7)

Background: Bottarga is a nutrient-dense, marine (“blue”) food produced through sustainable practices. Despite its rich nutritional profile, no clinical studies have investigated its potential health benefits in humans. This study presents a comprehensive nutritional analysis of a commercially available Greek bottarga and outlines the protocol for a pilot clinical investigation to assess its metabolic effects. Methods: The lipid composition of bottarga was analyzed using proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The clinical protocol consists of two phases: aim 1 is a single-arm, open-label, dose-confirmation study in five overweight and prediabetic adults evaluating the effects of daily bottarga supplementation (20 g/day) over six weeks on metabolic markers; aim 2 is a randomized, open-label, controlled, cross-over pilot study involving 20 overweight and prediabetic participants. Each participant will receive either bottarga or an isocaloric dairy comparator for eight weeks, separated by a two-week washout period. The primary outcome will be selected based on the most clinically relevant findings from Aim 1. Results: According to our nutritional analysis, wax esters are the predominant lipid class in the product, followed by triacylglycerols and free fatty acids. We expect bottarga supplementation to be associated with more beneficial metabolic changes compared to baseline measures and to the calorically equivalent comparator food. Conclusions: This study will provide the first clinical data on the metabolic effects of bottarga in humans, potentially supporting it as a functional food for cardiometabolic health. Full article

Bottarga is a traditional Sardinian (Italy) food derived from several treatments of female mullet gonads (Mugil cephalus) that occur in specific humidity (53%) and temperature (25 °C) conditions. In this work, samples from the east (BEC) and west coasts (BWC) of Sardinia were evaluated for microbiological quality, physico-chemical composition, and sensorial features. Chemical analyses show a protein and fat content of about 39% and 18.6%, respectively, without any difference between the two areas. The bottarga also had a concentration of calcium equal to 455 and 413 mg/kg for BWC and BEC, respectively, as well as a sodium concentration of about 0.70% in both samples. The cholesterol found in the samples was 417 and 389 mg/100 g of the edible part of the bottarga from the west and east coasts, respectively. Overall, microbiological evaluation indicates appropriate hygiene and safety conditions. No significant differences were observed between BEC and BWC samples regarding color uniformity and texture attributes (greasiness, adhesiveness, and friability), while the global odor and sea odor were higher for BWC than BEC. Full article

Background: The valorization of byproducts to obtain high nutritional value foods is of utmost importance for our planet where the population is booming. Among these products are oils rich in ω-3 fatty acids produced from fishery byproducts. Recently, mullet roe oil from roe byproducts was produced that was rich in the ω-3 fatty acids eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Oils are customarily characterized for their composition and degree of oxidation but little is known of their biological effects, especially the effect of the extraction method. Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of freshly extracted mullet roe oil from mullet roe byproducts and the effect of the extraction method on human red blood cells (hRBCs) and platelets. To this end, the hemocompatibility (cytotoxicity), oxidative effects, and erythrocyte membrane changes were examined after 1 and 24 h of incubation. Antiplatelet effects were also assessed in vitro. Results: The expeller press oil extraction method and alcalase-assisted extraction produced the most biocompatible oils, as shown by hemocompatibility measurements and the absence of erythrocyte membrane alterations. Solvent extracts and protease-assisted extraction oils resulted in the rupture of red blood cells at different examined dilutions, creating hemolysis. Conclusions: It seems that the proper functioning of oil–erythrocyte interactions cannot be explained solely by ROS. Further investigations combining chemical analysis with oil–cell interactions could be used as an input to design high nutritional value oils using green extraction technologies. All samples exhibited promising antiplatelet and antiblood clotting effects in vitro. Full article

Consumers are increasingly interested in the geographical origin of the foodstuff they consume as an important characteristic of food authenticity and quality. To assure the authenticity of the geographical origin, various methods have been proposed. Stable isotope analysis is a method that has been extensively used for products such as wine, oil, meat, while only a few studies have been conducted for the discrimination of seafood origin and especially for mullet roes or bottarga products. Analysis of the stable isotopes of C, N and S of Bottarga samples from four different origins were carried out. The values of δ¹⁵N (5.45‰) and δ³⁴S (4.66‰) for the Greek Bottarga Product named ‘Avgotaracho Messolongiou’, from Messolongi lagoon were lower than other areas while δ¹³C values were higher (−14.84‰). The first results show that the stable isotopes ratios of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur could be used to discriminate the Greek Protected Designations of Origin Bottarga product ‘Avgotaracho Messolongiou’ from other similar products. Full article

Consumers are increasingly interested in the geographical origin of foodstuff, as an important characteristic of food authenticity and quality. To assure the authenticity of the geographical origin, various methods have been proposed. Stable isotope analysis is a method that has been extensively used for products like wine, oil, and meat by using large datasets and analysis. On the other hand, only few studies have been conducted for the discrimination of seafood origin and especially for mullet roes or bottarga products, and even fewer investigate a small number of samples and datasets. Stable isotopes of Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N), and Sulfur (S) analysis of bottarga samples from four different origins were carried out. The first results show that the stable isotopes ratios of C, N, and S could be used to discriminate the Greek PDO Bottarga (Messolongi) from other similar products by using a probabilistic machine learning methodology. That could use limited sample data to fit/estimate their parameters, while, at the same time, being capable of describing accurately the population and discriminate individual samples regarding their origin. Full article

A taste component is implicated in the oro-sensory detection of dietary lipids and free fatty acids seem to be involved in fatty food recognition. Bottarga, the salted and semi-dried ovary product of mullet (Mugil spp.), is a rich-fat food. A comparative sensory assessment of different commercial bottarga samples was performed in insect and human models in relation to their lipid composition. The bottarga attractant effect to Ceratitis capitata was assessed by behavioral tests. The subjective odor and taste perception of bottarga samples was investigated in human determining the rate of pleasantness, familiarity, and intensity dimensions using the 7-points Likert-type scale. Bottarga samples showed similar lipid profiles, but differences emerged in total and free fatty acid levels. Significant differences were observed in the attractant effect/acceptability of samples to medflies, negatively correlated to their total and free fatty acids. Insect female exhibited the ability to select among bottarga samples based on their visual and olfactory properties. In the human model, a potential contribution of free fatty acid amount in the pleasantness and familiarity dimensions of taste of bottarga samples was evidenced. Women exhibited a greater ability than men to select bottarga samples based on their better olfactory perception. Our results increase the knowledge about this outstanding product with nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Full article

Bottarga is a high-priced delicacy with high nutritional value, and, in Italy, bottarga from mullets has been recognized to be a traditional food product. The flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus and the thinlip grey mullet Liza ramada are the main cultured grey mullets in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, fresh roe and bottarga from these two species were investigated to evaluate the influence of the technological process and the species on their biochemical composition and health advantages. The 1 h/200 g salting-out step did not increase the levels of NaCl in the bottarga, although it highly decreased the levels of some heavy metals like Cu and Al. Processing of fresh roe in bottarga led to an essential modification of the lipid fraction, following a general series of monousatturated fatty acid (MUFA)> poliunsutturated fatti acid (PUFA) > saturated fatty acid (SAFA) and an increase in both ω3 and ω6 in Liza ramada. Moreover, bottarga showed higher levels of squalene and cholesterol and an increased Essential Amino Acid/Total Amino Acid ratio (EAA/TAA) in both species. In addition to the nutritional benefits for the consumer, the process proposed in this study may represent a reliable tool for local producers to obtain a final bottarga with both a reproducible biochemical composition and organoleptic characteristics. Full article