Benefits of Phenolic Compounds Isolated from Olive Oil on Prevention of Cancer

Traditional Mediterranean Diet has been long known to have many health benefits. The diet is associated by the low percentage of certain types of cancers such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer and prostate cancer. The main source of fats in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil. In fact, the beneficial health effects of olive oil were attributed to its phenolic compounds like phenolic alcohols, hydroxytyrosol (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol) and their secoiridoid derivatives (oleocanthal). Several studies have demonstrated that hydroxytyrosol and oleocanthal are able to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in different tumor cell lines. The aim of this review was to give an overview of the effect of hydroxytyrosol and –oleocanthal on different types of cancer.

Beer Phenolic Composition of Simple Phenols, Prenylated Flavonoids and Alkylresorcinols

Beer is a fermented beverage with beneficial phenolic compounds and is widely consumed worldwide. The current study aimed to describe the content of three families of phenolic compounds with relevant biological activities: prenylated flavonoids (from hops), simple phenolic alcohols (from fermentation) and alkylresorcinols (from cereals) in a large sample of beers (n = 45). The prenylated flavonoids analyzed were xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, 6- and 8-prenylnaringenin. The total prenylated flavonoids present in beer ranged from 0.0 to 9.5 mg/L. The simple phenolic alcohols analyzed were tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, ranging from 0.2 to 44.4 and 0.0 to 0.1 mg/L, respectively. Our study describes, for the first time, the presence of low amounts of alkylresorcinols in beer, in concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 11.0 µg/L. The results in non-alcoholic beer and the differences observed in the phenolic composition among different beer types and styles highlight the importance of the starting materials and the brewing process (especially fermentation) on the final phenolic composition of beer. In conclusion, beer represents a source of phenolic compounds in the diet that could act synergistically, triggering beneficial health effects in the context of its moderate consumption.

Effect Carrageenan to Biodegradable Plastic From Tubers

Plastic waste can cause serious environmental problems. This can be overcome by various efforts; one of them is by replacing the use of conventional plastic with biodegradable plastic. Biodegradable plastic can be produced from tubers containing starch. The purpose of this study was to explain the suitability of two tuber species with typical protein quality and different starch structures. Starch was obtained from suweg tuber (Amorphophallus campanulatus) and ganyong (Canna edulis Ker). The material invested was obtained by dissolving 4 grams of each starch, each of which was dissolved with distilled water then added with various weight carrageenan. The tensile strength of biodegradable plastic was tested using tensile testing machines, biodegradation of soaked plastics using EM4 (Effective Microorganism) with reduced weight measurements, and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) was used to identify the structure of compounds contained in biodegradable plastics. The tensile strength test results of biodegradable plastic from ganyong/canna tubers were 3.35 MPa with elongation of 13.51%, while the plastic from suweg tubers of 2.45 MPa with elongation was 13.68% on the addition of 5% carrageenan, respectively. Plastic degradation testing obtained plastic decomposition up to 100% in 37 days for ganyong and 34 days for suweg, respectively. It showed that the plastics was easily degraded. Identified by FTIR showed chemical structures of OH phenolic alcohols, C = O carbonyls, CO esters, NH amides and amines, and C≡C alkyne.

A selective and mild glycosylation method of natural phenolic alcohols

Several bioactive natural p-hydroxyphenylalkyl β-D-glucopyranosides, such as vanillyl β-D-glucopyranoside, salidroside and isoconiferin, and their glycosyl analogues were prepared by a simple reaction sequence. The highly efficient synthetic approach was achieved by utilizing acetylated glycosyl bromides as well as aromatic moieties and mild glycosylation promoters. The aglycones, p-O-acetylated arylalkyl alcohols, were prepared by the reduction of the corresponding acetylated aldehydes or acids. Various stereoselective 1,2-trans-O-glycosylation methods were studied, including the DDQ–iodine or ZnO–ZnCl2 catalyst combination. Among them, ZnO–iodine has been identified as a new glycosylation promoter and successfully applied to the stereoselective glycoside synthesis. The final products were obtained by conventional Zemplén deacetylation.

Anti-cancer properties of olive oil secoiridoid phenols: a systematic review of in vivo studies

Olive oil phenolic alcohols and their secoiridoid derivatives may prevent cancer.