scholarly journals Health Promoting Properties of Bee Royal Jelly: Food of the Queens

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 543
Author(s):  
Nicolas Collazo ◽  
Maria Carpena ◽  
Bernabe Nuñez-Estevez ◽  
Paz Otero ◽  
Jesus Simal-Gandara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Foods ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Decenoic Acid ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Applications ◽  
Key Substances

Royal jelly (RJ) demand is growing every year and so is the market for functional foods in general. RJ is formed by different substances, mainly carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, but also vitamins, minerals, and phenolic or volatile compounds in lower proportion. Major royal jelly proteins (MRJP) are, together with 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), key substances of RJ due to their different biological properties. In particular, 10-HDA is a unique substance in this product. RJ has been historically employed as health enhancer and is still very relevant in China due to the traditional medicine and the apitherapy. Nowadays, it is mainly consumed as a functional food or is found in supplements and other formulations for its health-beneficial properties. Within these properites, anti-lipidemic, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiaging, and estrogenic activities have been reported for RJ or its specific components. This manuscript is aimed at reviewing the current knowledge on RJ components, their assessment in terms of authenticity, their biological activities, and related health applications.

scholarly journals Underutilised fruits: a review of phytochemistry and biological properties

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Hasan Salahuddin Mirfat ◽  
Ismail Amin ◽  
Kassim Nur Kartinee ◽  
Hamid Muhajir ◽  
Mat Ali Mohd Shukri
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Significance ◽  
Canarium Odontophyllum

Underutilised fruits are not only important sources of food and nutrition, but also secure household income especially for rural and farm communities. However, some of the underutilised fruits have not received much attention as compared to commercial fruits. This could be due to their lack of knowledge of their potential values. Hence, information about their health promoting properties is critical to increase the value of underutilised fruit species to enhance their preservation and sustainable use in strengthening food, nutrition, health and livelihood security. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on the phytochemical properties and biological activities of underutilised fruit species grown in Malaysia focussing on health promoting aspects. With regard to phytochemistry, only 21 species of underutilised fruits have been identified and quantified. Phytochemical investigations of various parts of the fruits have revealed the presence of over 100 phytochemicals which are phenolics, terpenoids, carotenoids and other miscellaneous compounds. About 51 underutilised fruit species have been explored for interesting biological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, cytotoxicity, antiatherosclerotic, antihyperlipidemia, antidiabetic, cytoprotective, cardioprotective and antiplatelet activities) supporting their diverse traditional uses. Different parts of the fruits have been analysed mainly in vitro and barely in vivo, with pulp being the most dominant. Of all the underutilised fruits studied, Mangifera species and Canarium odontophyllum have been the major focus for researchers. The gaps obtained from this review create further research opportunities to add to the current knowledge of health promoting properties of underutilised fruits in Malaysia. More studies are needed to confirm the health significance and explain their mechanisms of action in order to fully understand the real potential of this underutilised fruit species.

scholarly journals Bee Products in Dermatology and Skin Care

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kurek-Górecka ◽  
Michał Górecki ◽  
Anna Rzepecka-Stojko ◽  
Radosław Balwierz ◽  
Jerzy Stojko
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Functional Properties ◽  
Phenolic Acids ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Decenoic Acid ◽  
Pharmacological Activities ◽  
Bee Bread ◽  
Ancient Times

Honey, propolis, bee pollen, bee bread, royal jelly, beeswax and bee venom are natural products which have been used in medicine since ancient times. Nowadays, studies indicate that natural bee products can be used for skin treatment and care. Biological properties of these products are related to flavonoids they contain like: chrysin, apigenin, kaempferol, quercetin, galangin, pinocembrin or naringenin. Several pharmacological activities of phenolic acids and flavonoids, and also 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, which is present in royal jelly, have been reported. Royal jelly has multitude of pharmacological activities: antibiotic, antiinflammatory, antiallergenic, tonic and antiaging. Honey, propolis and pollen are used to heal burn wounds, and they possess numerous functional properties such as: antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, disinfectant, antifungal and antiviral. Beeswax is used for production of cosmetics and ointments in pharmacy. Due to a large number of biological activities, bee products could be considered as important ingredients in medicines and cosmetics applied to skin.

scholarly journals Variations in Essential Oil Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Cryptomeria japonica (Thunb. ex L.f.) D. Don from Different Geographical Origins—A Critical Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11097
Author(s):  
Ana Lima ◽  
Filipe Arruda ◽  
Jorge Medeiros ◽  
José Baptista ◽  
João Madruga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Cryptomeria Japonica ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Endogenous Factors ◽  
Wood Processing ◽  
Social Environmental

The scientific community is paying increasing attention to plant waste valorization, and also to “greener” practices in the agriculture, food and cosmetic sectors. In this context, unused forest biomass (e.g., leaves, seed cones, branches/twigs, bark and sapwood) of Cryptomeria japonica, a commercially important tree throughout Asia and the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), is currently waste/by-products of wood processing that can be converted into eco-friendly and high added-value products, such as essential oils (EOs), with social, environmental and economic impacts. Plant-derived EOs are complex mixtures of metabolites, mostly terpenes and terpenoids, with valuable bioactivities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antimicrobial, antiviral and pesticide), which can find applications in several industries, such as pharmaceutical, medical, aromatherapy, food, cosmetic, perfumery, household and agrochemical (e.g., biopesticides), with manifold approaches. The EOs components are also of value for taxonomic investigations. It is known that the variation in EOs chemical composition and, consequently, in their biological activities and commercial use, is due to different exogenous and endogenous factors that can lead to ecotypes or chemotypes in the same plant species. The present paper aims to provide an overview of the chemical composition, biological properties and proposals of valorization of C. japonica EO from several countries, and also to indicate gaps in the current knowledge.

scholarly journals Plant Foods and Underutilized Fruits as Source of Functional Food Ingredients: Chemical Composition, Quality Traits, and Biological Properties

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Donno ◽  
Federica Turrini
Keyword(s):  
Functional Food ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Health Promoting

Changes in lifestyle and demographics, rising consumer incomes, and shifting preferences due to advanced knowledge about the relationships between food and health contribute to generate new needs in the food supply. Today, the role of food is not only intended as hunger satisfaction and nutrient supply but also as an opportunity to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental well-being. For this reason, there is a growing interest in the novel or less well-known plant foods that offer an opportunity for health maintenance. Recently, interest in plant foods and underutilized fruits is continuously growing, and agrobiodiversity exploitation offers effective and extraordinary potentialities. Plant foods could be an important source of health-promoting compounds and functional food ingredients with beneficial properties: the description of the quality and physicochemical traits, the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds, and the evaluation of their biological activities are important to assess plant food efficacy as functional foods or source of food supplement ingredients.

scholarly journals Effect of the Modifications on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of β-Glucan—A Critical Review

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongjie Yuan ◽  
Ping Lan ◽  
Yan He ◽  
Chengliang Li ◽  
Xia Ma
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Triple Helix ◽  
Functional Foods ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Enzymatic Modification ◽  
Anti Oxidant

β-Glucan exhibits many biological activities and functions such as stimulation of the immune system and anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-infective, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-coagulant, cholesterol-lowering, radio protective, and wound healing effects. It has a wide variety of uses in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries as well as in food processing units. However, due to its dense triple helix structure, formed by the interaction of polyhydroxy groups in the β-d-glucan molecule, it features poor solubility, which not only constrains its applications, but also inhibits its physiological function in vivo. One aim is to expand the applications for modified β-glucan with potential to prevent disease, various therapeutic purposes and as health-improving ingredients in functional foods and cosmetics. This review introduces the major modification methods required to understand the bioactivity of β-glucan and critically provides a literature survey on the structural features of this molecule and reported biological activity. We also discuss a new method to create novel opportunities to exploit maximally various properties of β-glucan, namely ultrasound-assisted enzymatic modification.

scholarly journals Sapogenol is a Major Microbial Metabolite in Human Plasma Associated with High Protein Soy-Based Diets: The Relevance for Functional Food Formulations

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Madalina Neacsu ◽  
Vassilios Raikos ◽  
Yara Benavides-Paz ◽  
Sylvia H. Duncan ◽  
Gary J. Duncan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Foods ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
High Protein ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Soya Meal ◽  
Human Volunteers ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Health Promoting

Legumes are a source of health-promoting macro- and micronutrients, but also contain numerous phytochemicals with useful biological activities, an example of which are saponins. Epidemiological studies suggest that saponins may play a role in protection from cancer and benefit human health by lowering cholesterol. Therefore, they could represent good candidates for specialised functional foods. Following the consumption of a soya-rich high-protein weight-loss diet (SOYA HP WL), the concentrations of Soyasaponin I (SSI) and soyasapogenol B (SSB) were determined in faecal samples from human volunteers (n = 10) and found to be between 1.4 and 17.5 mg per 100 g fresh faecal sample. SSB was the major metabolite identified in volunteers’ plasma (n = 10) after consumption of the soya test meal (SOYA MEAL); the postprandial (3 h after meal) plasma concentration for SSB varied between 48.5 ng/mL to 103.2 ng/mL. The metabolism of SSI by the gut microbiota (in vitro) was also confirmed. This study shows that the main systemic metabolites of soyasaponin are absorbed from the gut and that they are bioavailable in plasma predominantly as conjugates of sapogenol. The metabolism and bioavailability of biologically active molecules represent key information necessary for the efficient development of functional foods.

scholarly journals Phenolic Content of Brown Algae (Pheophyceae) Species: Extraction, Identification, and Quantification

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Generalić Mekinić ◽  
Danijela Skroza ◽  
Vida Šimat ◽  
Imen Hamed ◽  
Martina Čagalj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brown Algae ◽  
Marine Algae ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Phenolic Content ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Insight Into

Over the last few decades, isolations and chemical characterizations of secondary metabolites with proved biological activities have been of interest for numerous research groups across the world. Phenolics, as one of the largest and most widely distributed group of phytochemicals, have gained special attention due to their pharmacological activity and array of health-promoting benefits. Reports on phenolic potentials of marine algae, especially brown algae (Pheophyceae) that are characterized by the presence of phlorotannins, are still scarce. The aim of this review paper is to provide an overview of current knowledge about phenolic potential of different brown algae species (74 species from 7 different orders). Studies on brown algae phenolics usually involve few species, thus the focus of this review is to provide information about the phenolic potential of reported algae species and to get an insight into some issues related to the applied extraction procedures and determination/quantification methods to facilitate the comparison of results from different studies. The information provided through this review should be useful for the design and interpretation of studies investigating the brown algae as a source of valuable phytochemicals.

scholarly journals Chemical Characterization and Biological Properties of Royal Jelly Samples From the Mediterranean Area

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 1934578X2090808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soukaïna El-Guendouz ◽  
Alexandra M. Machado ◽  
Smail Aazza ◽  
Badiaâ Lyoussi ◽  
Maria G. Miguel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Total Protein ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Total Phenolic ◽  
Decenoic Acid ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis

Royal jelly (RJ) is a bee product that has high nutritional value and is beneficial for the human health, earning importance as a functional food. Thus, the characterization of its main biological properties is with high importance. In this work, 6 RJ samples obtained in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain were evaluated in terms of total phenol and flavone/flavonol contents; total protein; 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA); volatiles composition; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; and inhibition of tyrosinase, xanthine oxidase (XO), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities. Total phenolic content ranged from 3 to 9 mg gallic acid equivalent/g RJ, and flavone/flavonol content from 0.1 to 0.5 mg quercetin equivalent/g RJ. 10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content varied from 0.9% to 1.2% and total protein from 5.5% to 29.7%. Gas chromatography-flame ionization detector and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed RJ volatiles dominated by linolenic acid, 2-decenoic acid, and octanoic acid in variable amounts. The antioxidant activity was monitored through nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging capacity, where the IC50 ranged from 2.3 to 3.4 and 0.2 to 1.5 mg/mL, respectively. Anti-AChE activity IC50 ranged from 0.7 to 4.6 mg/mL, while XO inhibition IC50 ranged from 3.3 to 11.9 mg/mL. The results showed that phenols and flavonoids highly contributed to the RJ biological properties in contrast to 10-HDA and proteins.

Lactoferrin, a bird’s eye view

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans J. Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Bone Growth ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Bovine Milk ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Iron Binding ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Bodily Fluids ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Iron Binding Protein ◽  
Orally Active

Lactoferrin is an abundant iron-binding protein in milk. This 80 kDa bilobal glycoprotein is also present in several other secreted bodily fluids, as well as in the secondary granules of neutrophils. The potent iron-binding properties of lactoferrin can locally create iron deficiency, and this is an important factor in host defense as it prevents bacteria from growing and forming biofilms. In addition to having antibacterial activity, lactoferrin is now known to have a long list of other beneficial biological properties. It has direct antiviral, antifungal, and even some anticancer activities. It can also promote wound healing and bone growth, or it can act as an iron carrier. Moreover, lactoferrin displays a cytokine-like “alarmin” activity, and it activates the immune system. Simultaneously, it can bind endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), and in doing so, it modulates the activity of the host immune response. The majority of these intriguing biological activities reside in the unique positively charged N-terminal region of the protein. Interestingly, several peptides, which retain many of the beneficial activities, can be released from this region of lactoferrin. An isoform of the human protein, known as delta-lactoferrin, is expressed inside many cells, where it acts as a transcription factor. Lactoferrin purified from human and bovine milk have very similar but not completely identical properties. Lactoferrin receptors have been identified on the surface of various cells, and some of these can bind both the human and the bovine protein. Because of the extensive health-promoting effects of lactoferrin, there has been considerable interest in the use of bovine or human lactoferrin as a “protein nutraceutical” or as a therapeutic protein. When lactoferrin is used as a “biologic drug”, it seems to be orally active in contrast to most other therapeutic proteins.

scholarly journals Preparation of Ophthalmic Microemulsions Containing Lithuanian Royal Jelly and Their Biopharmaceutical Evaluation

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Kristina Perminaite Perminaite ◽  
Mindaugas Marksa ◽  
Liudas Ivanauskas ◽  
Kristina Ramanauskiene
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Royal Jelly ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
In Vitro Release ◽  
Physicochemical Characteristics ◽  
In Vitro Tests ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Decenoic Acid ◽  
Ophthalmic Delivery

Royal jelly is a natural substance secreted by worker honeybees that possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other biological activities. The purpose of this study was to formulate microemulsions with incorporated Lithuanian royal jelly for possible ophthalmic delivery and to evaluate the quality of the microemulsions in vitro. The oil in water type microemulsions were prepared by the oil titration method, incorporating royal jelly, surfactant, co-surfactant, oil, and water. Physicochemical characteristics of the microemulsions and the quantity of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid released in vitro were assessed. The in vitro assessment of prepared microemulsions formulations was performed with the Statens Seruminstitut rabbit cornea (SIRC) cell culture model. The results revealed that the droplet size of all microemulsion formulations was 67.88–124.2 nm and the polydispersity index was lower than 0.180. In the in vitro release study, the release of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid depended on the amount of royal jelly incorporated and on the ratio of surfactant and co-surfactant in formulations. The in vitro tests with the SIRC cell culture line have shown that all formulations were found non-irritating.

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