The occurrence of mycotoxins causes substantial reductions in maize (Zea mays L.) grain quality worldwide. The predominant mycotoxins found in maize grains are aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), fumonisins (FB1 and FB2), deoxynivalenol (DON), toxin T2 (T2), ocratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA). In Europe, the predominant mycotoxins originated by field contaminations are produced by mycotoxigenic fungi mainly belonging to the Fusarium genus. Accurate fungal identifications, mycotoxin detection and occurrence estimations are important, however, in Portugal, the knowledge about the incidence of mycotoxin types in pre-harvested maize grains and during its storage is still limited. The incidence of mycotoxins in maize grains is substantially influenced by the agricultural practices where the harvesting time is of upmost importance to minimise the risk of accumulation. The main objective of this work is to evaluate, for the first time, the incidence of different types of mycotoxins on maize grains harvested on three farmers located at the center of Portugal. For this purpose, grains from three harvesting dates and three maturation stages were analyzed by LC/MS/MS. It has been shown that fumonisins (FB1 and FB2) were the main mycotoxins contaminant in the samples analysed. No other mycotoxins were detected. Among fumonisins, FB1 was the most predominant. Additionally, our data also indicates that the risk of contamination by FB1 and FB2 increases with late harvestings. Therefore, a good knowledge of climatic conditions may lead to the establishment of adequate field practices, in particular, the forecast of an early harvesting time.

Olive is one of the most ancient fruit tree species that is cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin, with great socioeconomic impact for the countries present in the area. Olive production throughout the world uses more than 1275 cultivars and 4200 genotypes. Most cultivars have been identified in southern European countries, including 538 in Italy, 183 in Spain, 88 in France and 52 in Greece. However, Greece has more cultivars than those described in the National Catalogue of Agricultural Plant Varieties, the majority of which remain unexploited.

Many studies have acknowledged olive oil as a healthy food with multiple utilities in, and benefits for, the human body. The consumption of extra virgin olive oil is steadily increasing due to its unique sensory, nutritive qualities, biological properties and health promoting effects.

In this review paper recent advances in quality, safety, authenticity, processing, nutrition and health of extra virgin olive oil have been discussed and outlined. Regarding safety HACCP and ISO22000:2018 is compared and different tools have been used along with food safety management systems such as FMEA, Ishikawa and Pareto.

Finally various health and oral health benefits were mentioned.

A disequilibrium between energy intake and expenditure is the principal cause of obesity. This metabolic disorder is defined as an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue and is closely associated with the increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Modifying the diet to prevent obesity and its comorbidities is the primary treatment for NAFLD. In this context, finding novel ingredients that may help us to reduce the incidence of these disorders is necessary. Cocoa shell is a cocoa by-product verified as a safe ingredient and a potential source of nutrients and health-promoting compounds. Hence, the main objective of this study was to evaluate, after an in vitro simulated digestion, the hypolipidemic properties of the residual fraction of cocoa shell flour and biological activity of the digested fractions of cocoa shell flour and extract in HepG2 cells. An in vitro static digestion (INFOGEST) of cocoa shell flour was used to establish the capacity of the residual fraction to bind cholesterol and bile salts and to inhibit lipase. The results showed that the residual fraction of cocoa shell had up to 65.2% more capacity to bind cholesterol, 90.5% more capacity to bind bile salts. Moreover, digestion improved (1.6-fold, p < 0.05) the ability to reduce the lipase activity of the residual fraction of cocoa shell. NAFLD was induced in HepG2 cells by the treatment with palmitic acid (PA, 500 µM). The digested fractions of the flour and extract from cocoa shell (50-250 µg/mL) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the accumulation of fat (17-42%), triglycerides (9-38%), and cholesterol (11-54%) in PA-treated HepG2 cells. In conclusion, digestion positively impacted the hypolipidemic properties of cocoa shell leading to enhanced biological activity in vitro and in cell culture models. Since cocoa shell might be used as a safe novel ingredient to prevent hyperlipidemia and regulate lipid metabolism, future animal and clinical investigations will be necessary to confirm the effects observed in vitro.

Folate (Vitamin B9) is critical for a range of biological functions in adults and children, including DNA, protein and neurotransmitter synthesis. It is also essential for the healthy development of the foetus in early pregnancy and for the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Strawberries are considered a tasty and healthy fruit consumed all over the world and may potentially be an important dietary source of natural folates. However, the relative importance of strawberry as a dietary source will depend on the total folate concentration, vitamer profile, storage stability and bioavailability to humans. Red Rhapsody, an important commercial strawberry cultivar in Australia, was screened for its folate content and storage stability by stable isotope dilution assay (SIDA). Total folate content ranged from 90-118 μg/100 g fresh weight (fw), which was well above the value in the Australian Food Composition Database (39 μg/100 g fw). 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, the biologically active form in humans, was the principal vitamer present. Furthermore, folate remained relatively stable during refrigerated (4°C) storage (loss of only 28% after 14 days of storage). This information is relevant for consumers since the inherent perishability of strawberry fruit makes refrigerated storage common practice in Australian households.

Postprandial lipemia, glycemia and oxidative stress may affect the outcome of cardiovascular disease. It has been investigated that the enhancement of spread cheese with mountain tea (Sideritis sp.) and orange peel extract, may reduce postprandial metabolic biomarkers in healthy volunteers. The purpose of the pilot study was the investigation of possible postprandial bioactivity of such a spread cheese. In the framework of a cross-over design, 9 healthy volunteers 20-30 years old, ate a meal, rich in fat and carbohydrates (2 slices of bread-80g, spread with 40g butter and 30g spread cheese). After a week washout period the same volunteers ate the same meal with the spread cheese, enhanced with 6% mountain tea and dried orange peel extract (3g tea + 3g peel, 100ml boiling water for 5min, Antioxidant capacity of extract: FRAP Method , 67μmol Fe2SO4 / ml, Total Phenolic Extract-Follin Method: 49.9μg gallic acid / ml). Blood sampling took place before, 1.5, 3 and 5 h after meal. Total plasma antioxidant capacity (FRAP), serum lipid levels (Total, HDL-, LDL- cholesterol and triglycerides), glucose, uric acid (biochemical analyzer Roche Cobas c111), and anticoagulant activity were measured for each instant. There was a statistically significant increase in the antioxidant capacity of plasma, 3h after the meal in the presence of cheese, enhanced with extracts, compared to the consumption of conventional cheese (p <0.05). There was a tendency to decrease the rise rate of glucose and triglycerides, 1.5h after eating the meal with extracts. The remaining biomarkers did not show statistically significant differences (p> 0.05). More studies in a larger sample are needed to draw safer conclusions about the effect of extracts on metabolic biomarkers, such as oxidative stress, lipemia and glycemia.

References

1. Koutelidakis, Α.Ε., Rallidis, L, Koniari, K., Panagiotakos, D., Komaitis, M., Zampelas, A., Anastasiou-Nana, M., Kapsokefalou, M. (2013) Effect of green tea on postprandial antioxidant capacity, serum lipids, C Reactive Protein and glucose levels in patients with coronary artery disease. European Journal of Nutrition, 53(2):479-486.
2. Georgakopoulou V., Dimou C., Karantonis C. In Vitro Antioxidant, Antithrombotic, Antiatherogenic and Antidiabetic Activities of Urtica dioica, Sideritis euboea and Cistus creticus Water Extracts and Investigation of Pasta Fortification with the Most Bioactive One. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 2019, 20(10): 874-880
3. Dimou, C., Karantonis, C., Skalkos, D., Koutelidakis* A.E. (2019) Valorization of fruits by-products to unconventional sources of additives, oil, biomolecules and innovative functional foods. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 20(10):776-786.

The present study aims to contribute to the sustainable development goals by increasing knowledge of food safety and food waste of meals produced by cook-chill system in hospital units. The food waste (FW) of meals served at lunch was evaluated to all new hospitalized patients with light diet (n=17) and soft texture diet (n=10), during their hospital stay, using the physical method by weighing for dish and the visual estimation method for the soup. Samples of each diet (light, n=3; soft texture, n=3) were also collected in four different moments (after cooked, after cold transportation, after refrigerated storage and after hot regeneration) to detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus, and enumeration of Escherichia coli, Clostridium spp., Bacillus cereus, Enterobacteriaceae, total viable counts (TVC) at 30 ºC, as well as pH, water activity, moisture, ashes and protein. The FW (%) of the light diet (n=64) was 39.8±6.3 in dish and 14.9±5.4 in soup and of the soft texture diet (n=51) was 65.1±9.0 in dish and 39.0±5.8 in soup. Regarding the percentage of protein per meal, both light (8.73%) and soft (3.33%) diets presented in average values lower than those recommended by the WHO (10-15% protein). The value of different microorganisms varied along the production moments, however the final products in light diet (after hot regeneration) presented 1.34-1.73 log ufc/g of TVC. Counts of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were also obtained at low levels (less than 1 log ufc/g). Besides these results, the risk of foodborne diseases should be considered. The implementation of effective measures to increase food safety and reduce FW in hospital is crucial.

Natural products have undeniably contributed to the development of the reform of the pharma industry for human health. Natural products themselves are known for their wide diversity, of both chemical structure and biological functionality. This makes them attractive for new drug development. Antioxidant-rich natural products that can be included in the daily diet represent a growing range of nutraceuticals. Thus, in search of effective nutraceutical agents, for the first time, we studied the antioxidant potential of an herb E. californicum, also known as yerba santa or “holy herb,”. This plant originates in the California and Oregon regions of North America and was previously consumed in tea or eaten by Native Americans and Spanish settlers to treat headaches, coughs, colds, and asthma. Various studies have shown that the leaves of this plant are rich in flavonoids. Flavonoid sterubin, and eriodyctiol are considered as the main bioactive component and have been used to mask bitter taste in many food and pharmaceutical applications. In the present investigation, the ethanol extract of E. californicum leaves was screened for other important classes of bioactive molecules. A qualitative study determined the presence of saponins, phlobatannins, phenols, tannins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and steroids in addition to flavonoids. Efforts were made to quantify total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. To explore the mechanism of action for antioxidant activity, the effect of extract was studied on superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The leaves were found to be rich in phenol content (78.58 ± 0.016 μg GAE/mg) and flavonoid content (6.76 ± 0.003 μg QE/mg. At a concentration of 1.0 mg/ml, the extract showed 93.39 % inhibition of DPPH radicals, 57.36% inhibition of superoxide radicals, and 80.89% inhibition of hydroxyl radicals. The extract exhibited significant reducing property in a dose-dependent fashion. This study reveals that E. californicum leaves are a rich source of antioxidants and can be used as a nutraceutical to help fight against oxidative stress borne diseases.

The pepper “Sol del Pilar” from organic agriculture is a famous pepper certified with a quality brand in Spain (CV quality product). The peppers that not reach the high standard quality for their fresh commercialization are considered as coproducts and can be good raw material for the elaboration of vegan foods. The aim of this work was to develop a spreadable vegan blood sausage-type with these coproducts and to analyze their physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological properties. The final product showed a pH of 4.15±0.1 and Aw 0.948± 0.006. The resulted product showed the following CIELAB color coordinates: Lightness, 32.25±1.62; Redness, 11.86±0.97; and Yellowness, 13.90±1.22. A consumer panel was used to evaluate its acceptability (hedonic scale). General aspect, spreadability, smell and texture were the attributes with higher scores (>6 in a scale 0-9). The use of coproducts from the pepper “Sol del Pilar” as ingredients for the development of vegan spreadable food products is a feasible alternative that could contribute to their valorization and to increase the sustainability of this sector.

SOL NEW FOOD. AGCOOP_D/2018/014. Ayudas para la cooperación en el marco del programa de Desarrollo Rural, Comunidad Valenciana 2014-2020 CAMACCyDR (53 % EU-(FEADER, 8,86 % MAPA-Spain, and 38,14 % CAMACCyDR.

Synthetic fungicides for crops protection raise environmental and human concerns due to accumulation in edible vegetables, showing significant toxicity to humans, and in soil, groundwater and rivers, affecting ecological balance. In addition, they are prone to the development of resistant strains because of the single target-based mechanism of action. Plant extracts provide attractive alternatives, as they constitute a rich source of biodegradable secondary metabolites, such as phenols, flavonoids and saponins, which have multiple modes of antifungal action and lower probability of development of resistant fungi. This work has the objective of identifying plant extracts with antifungal activity aiming to contribute to food safety and sustainable agricultural practices. We selected a saponin-containing plant, Plantago major and extracted secondary metabolites with 50% (v/v) ethanol, dried by evaporation, and dissolved in water. For antifungal activity, the phytopathogenic fungi Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum godetiae, Colletotrichum nymphaeae, Diplodia corticola and Phytophthora cinnamomi were selected because they affect fruits and vegetables, such as strawberry, almond, apple, avocado, blueberry and chestnut trees. The aqueous extract was incorporated into PDA medium at different concentrations and mycelial discs were placed in the center of each Petri dish. Growth was measured as radial mycelial growth at 3, 6, and 9 days incubation at 25 ºC in the dark. Maximum growth inhibition (32.2%) was obtained against P. cinnamomi with 2000 µg/mL extract followed by C. gloeosporioides (25.7%) on the sixth day and by C. godetiae and C. nymphaeae (21.1%) on the ninth day. Results show that P. major presents antifungal activity in all phytopathogenic fungi tested and the extract can be used to protect important crops, by inhibiting the development of fungal infections and promoting food security and a sustainable agriculture.

There is limited information about how the co-digestion of different food matrices can affect the digestibility, bioaccessibility, and hence, the effectiveness of their health beneficial compounds, such as polyphenols. This work aimed to study the effect of the co-digestion of a whole-wheat pasta dish with a glass of red wine on their antioxidant properties. Changes in the total polyphenol content (TPC) by Folin Ciocalteu, phenolic profile by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, and in vitro antioxidant capacity (AC) by FRAP and ABTS methods were studied before and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion (GID). A final stage of dialysis was also included to study the fraction of compounds potentially bioaccessible. The digestions of pasta and red wine separately were also investigated. The results obtained showed that the phenolic profile and AC changed throughout GID. Additionally, the co-digestion increased the AC by ABTS of the bioavailable fraction with respect to the sum of the food digested separately. Differences in the bioavailability of phenolics were also found, with an increase of 4 compounds characteristic of pasta and 4 of wine. This study shows that the co-ingestion of pasta with wine improves the antioxidant properties of these foods and points out the importance of co-digestion studies to don’t underestimate these properties.