Utilisation of Bioactive Compounds Derived from Waste in the Food Industry
Published in Quan V. Vuong, Utilisation of Bioactive Compounds from Agricultural and Food Waste, 2017
Quan V. Vuong, Mirel la A. Atherton
Carotenoids have a deep red, yellow or orange color and are lipid soluble (Mortensen 2006). Carotenoids include carotenes, lycopenes and xanthophylls. Carotenes show the reddish-orange color of carrots and winter squashes. Carotenes comprise of alpha-, beta- and gamma-carotenes (Brown 2008), of which, beta-carotene is popular and has been applied for coloring dairy products, which typically contain a high fat content. Thus, beta-carotene is often added to margarine and cheese. Lycopene is orange in color. However, it is hardly used as a colorant because it is an expensive pigment and is very prone to oxidative degradation (Mortensen 2006). Xanthophylls are responsible for the light yellow pigment. Carotenoids are sensitive to heat and light; thus the content of carotenoids can be affected when applied to food (Brown 2008, Mortensen 2006).
Algae as Food and Nutraceuticals
Published in Sanjeet Mehariya, Shashi Kant Bhatia, Obulisamy Parthiba Karthikeyan, Algal Biorefineries and the Circular Bioeconomy, 2022
Chetan Aware, Virdhaval Nalavade, Rahul Jadhav, Shashi Kant Bhatia, Yung-Hun Yang, Jyoti Jadhav, Ranjit Gurav
Beta-carotene is a common food ingredient that both acts as colorant and has medical benefits. E160a is the European Union's authorized additive (García Sartal et al., 2012). Special carotenoids often serve as precursor intermediates for vitamins, which are identified based on their biological function rather than their structure integrity, (Mayne, 1996). Vitamins have a wide range of biochemical roles, including functioning as hormones, antioxidants, cell signaling mediators, and growth and differentiation moderators. The gastrointestinal enzyme β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase catalyzes the conversion of provitamin A carotenoids to retinal (Lindqvist and Andersson, 2002). On a dry matter basis, the β-carotene concentration varied from 40 to 4500mg/kg (or ppm), with Porphyra agardh holds the greatest level at 456 ppm, and Palmaria gets the subsequent highest at 455 ppm. Palmaria has seasonal fluctuations in carotenes, with the maximum level in the mid-summer (450 ppm) and the smallest in the winter (40 ppm), respectively (Yuan, Roubos et al., 2008). Algal carotenoids' antioxidant potential has been shown to support the prevention of oxidative load (Yuan, Roubos et al., 2008). In addition, research suggests that carotene, which has provitamin A involvement, can help to prevent cancer, particularly respiratory cancer (Hosokawa et al., 1999). Recent research has found a connection between eating a carotenoids-rich diet and a lower threat of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and ophthalmological disorders (Hosokawa et al., 1999). Several pieces of evidence have linked daily consumption of carotenoids to a reduced risk of certain diseases (Aust et al., 2005). Carotenoids effectively protect the body from photooxidation caused by UV radiation (Aust et al., 2005). Astaxanthin has shown positive evidence in the avoidance of several human clinical manifestations, including photo-oxidation of the skin due to UV, inflammation, mammary and prostate carcinogenesis, Helicobacter pylori infection lead ulcers, and several age-related disorders (Guerrin et al., 2003). Several of the optimistic medical and nutritional studies have suggested potential antioxidant capacity of carotenoids may be a critical aspect in lowering the prevalence of many diseases, particularly those that are thought to be induced by light (Astley et al., 2004). Although there are substantial epidemiological data that connect a higher intake of carotenoids from foods to lower chances of certain cancers, consumption timelines with artificial carotenoids do not appear to be beneficial for the health of people (Astley et al., 2004).
Approaches to Enhance Antioxidant Defense in Plants
Published in Hasanuzzaman Mirza, Nahar Kamrun, Fujita Masayuki, Oku Hirosuke, Tofazzal M. Islam, Approaches for Enhancing Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants, 2019
Hamid Mohammadi, Saeid Hazrati, Mohsen Janmohammadi
Vitamin E is one of the most important fat-soluble vitamins; it was discovered in 1992 at the University of California, Berkeley. This vitamin is synthesized by all plants, some algae, and cyanobacteria and is abundantly found in the seeds. This vitamin, like vitamin C, has antioxidant properties. Alpha-tocopherol is the main form of vitamin E. This vitamin is placed in the fat layer of the cell walls andalso into the cells and prevents cell wall destruction. Vitamin E is a name for a group of molecules that has similar effects to alpha-tocopherol. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant attached to the membrane. Vitamin E works in trapping free radicals generated from unsaturated fatty acids under oxidative stress conditions. Vitamin E plays a role in breaking fatty acid peroxidation chains. Vitamin E acts as the first protective phosphoric acid under oxidative stress conditions (McDowell, 2000). Vitamin E as an antioxidant is essential for seeding and to prevent lipid peroxidation during germination (Sattler et al., 2004). This vitamin is abundantly found in palm oil, rice bran, soybean, wheat germ, and many oilseeds (Heinonen and Piironen, 1991; Packer et al., 2001), but its amount depends on growth stage, plant species, and growth conditions. Typically, vitamin E content increases under stressful conditions such as high light intensity, drought stress, and cold stress. It has also been observed that vitamin E foliar application could increase resistance to environmental stresses, increase plant growth and antioxidant activity (El Bassiouny et al., 2005; Marzauk et al., 2014). In a study, vitamin E foliar application could increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, SOD, and POD in Vignaradiata (Sadiq et al., 2017). For example, wheat seed treatment with vitamin E resulted in increased stress resistance and decreased oxidative stress damage (Kumar et al., 2012). The application of vitamin E on faba bean grown under salt stress conditions increased antioxidant enzyme activity (Orabi and Abdelhamid, 2016). In another study on faba bean, vitamin E reduced adverse effects of salinity stress (Semida et al., 2014). Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A that converts to vitamin A in the human body. Investigations on more than 600 different carotenoids have shown that beta-carotene (one of the most important carotenoids) protects the green, yellow, and orange fruits from sun damage. So it is thought to have such an effect on the body as well. There is no limitation for beta-carotene uptake. Carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, sweet potato, spinach, tomatoes, cantaloupe, peach, and apricot are rich sources of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an active antioxidant compound that protects plants against cell damage caused by free radicals (Stahl and Sies, 2003). Due to its unique structure, beta-carotene has specific roles in antioxidant defense mechanisms such as protecting lipophilic compounds or eliminating reactive oxygen species during photooxidation. It is used as a light filter (Stahl and Sies, 2003). Studies have revealed that there is a significant interaction between vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene in eliminating reactive oxygen species (Bestwick and Milne, 1999; Stahl and Sies, 2003).
