La filiale italienne de l’Incanto, l’Incanto Italia, participe à un projet de recherche financé par la Communauté Européenne pour l’identification des principes actifs extraits des plantes  qui se développent dans le sud de l’Italie. La recherche  a débuté ses travaux sur de nombreux extraits végétaux présents en Calabre, composants bio-actifs très intéressants du point de vue cosmétique, nutritionnel mais aussi environnemental.

Notre chercheuse ainsi que les chercheurs des Universités de Salerno et de Reggio Calabria ont mis en évidence l’activité antioxydante élevée de la peau de l’oignon rouge de Tropea,  habituellement considérée comme un déchet,  en déterminant précisément sa composition chimique  constituée principalement de flavonoïdes : fondamental prérequis pour une utilisation plus durable et productive dans les formulations cosmétiques, pharmaceutiques et nutraceutiques.

De même, si  la qualité, l’arôme et le goût des  racines de réglisse Calabraise sont  mondialement connus,  les parties  aériennes de la réglisse habituellement considérées comme des déchets ont été analysées et se révèlent être avec surprise une source d’ingrédients bioactifs pour la plante elle-même et pour nous en raison de la présence de nombreux composants appartenant  à 2 classes  majeures de polyphénols. Sur le plan écologique, les flavonoïdes de la partie externe des feuilles représentent une protection  efficace de la plante  contre les insectes.

Etant donné les propriétés antimicrobiennes et antiinflammatoires des principaux composants des parties aériennes de la réglisse,  il est évident que ces « déchets » représentent une source de matière première potentielle à exploiter dans  les secteurs de la cosmétique, de la nutrition et de l’alimentation.  D’autres études sont en cours pour évaluer leurs applications.

Les résultats  de ces premières  recherches ont été présentés aux Congrès suivants :

Congrès  Mondial annuel de la  Société Italo-Latino-Américaine de Ethnomédecine, Alimentation et Santé (SILAE)  à Milazzo (Sicile) : World Ethnomedicine Summit  du 9 au 13 Septembre 2018

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Chimali –  XII ° Italian Food Chemistry Congress

Camerino (ITALY) 24-27 SEPTEMBRE 2018

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CHIMALI – XII Italian Food Chemistry Congress
Camerino, September 24-27 2018

N’oublions pas le principe de l’Ïncantore :

  Rechercher  les ingrédients  dans la Nature pour préserver naturellement l’enchantement de la beauté.

RESUME DES ARTICLES

Tropea Onion skin: from a waste product to new valuable matrix for bioactivity

Rita Celano1, Teresa Docimo2, Anna Lisa Piccinelli1, Luca Campone1,4, Claudio Cannistrà3, Rosa Di Sanzo4, Sonia Carabetta4 Luca Rastrelli1, Mariateresa Russo5

1Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno; 2L’incanto Sarl, Catanzaro; 3 Hôpital Bichat – Claude-Bernard, Paris, Francia; 4 Food Chemistry, Authentication, Safety and Sensoromic Laboratory – Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria

Introduction

The red onion from Tropea is known for its sweetly taste, which is mainly due to the flavonoids and the alk(en)yl cysteine sulphoxides (ACSOs) compounds. The unique red onion envelope usually considered a waste product, represent a valuable source of biomolecules therefore accurate chemical characterization of this matrix is a fundamental prerequisite for a more sustainable and productive use in pharmaceutical, cosmetical and nutraceutical formulations.

Methods

The outer layers of red skin onion bulbs were collected, dried and finely powdered. Exhaustive extraction of dried materials was performed by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) with aqueous ethanol (70% v/v). A UHPLC-HRMS/MS method was developed and then applied to analyze the onion-skin extract.

Results

The chemical composition of onion-skin extract was determined by UHPLC-DAD-HRMS analysis. Metabolite assignments were made comparing UV/Vis, HRMS and MS/MS spectra with reference standards when available, or with chemo-taxonomic data reported in the literature and databases. The main compounds detected in the extract belonging to two major classes of secondary metabolites: anthocyanins and flavonols. The main flavonols found in this onion type were quercetin and quercetin glucosides, isorhamnetin glucosides, kaempferol glucoside, and, among anthocyanins, cyaniding glucosides. This extract has shown a high antioxidant activity. The activity antioxidant was measured by DPPH, ABTS and ORAC assays.

Conclusions

The obtained results have shown that the onion-skins are a promising and cheap source of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant activity. Furthermore, their use as a substitute for synthetic antioxidants, in addition to increasing food security, would contribute greatly to increase their added value.


Unravelling metabolic plasticity of Glycyrrhiza glabra leaves DOP calabrese by chemical profiling

Rita Celano1, Teresa Docimo2, Anna Lisa Piccinelli1, Claudio Cannistrà3, Antonio Massarotto4, Salvatore Fuda5, Luca Rastrelli1, Mariateresa Russo5

1Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno;

2 L’incanto Sarl, Catanzaro; 3 Hôpital Bichat – Claude-Bernard, Paris, Francia; 4 Naturemed srl, Cosenza; 5 Food Chemistry, Authentication, Safety and Sensoromic Laboratory – Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria

Introduction

Quality, aroma and flavor of Calabrian licorice roots are worldwide recognized, although it’s worth noting that aerial part of this plant , usually treated as waste product, represent a surprisingly source of bioactive metabolites. Indeed distribution of metabolites depicts a peculiar biosynthetic and developmental plasticity. In this work we report the chemical profiling of surface and inner leaf content.

Methods

Licorice aerial parts were harvested in pre flowering and flowering time. Leaves, panicles and flowers in flowering periods were collected dried and were ultrasound extracted with EtOH /H2O 70% three times. Vacuum dried samples were reconstituted in MeOH/H20 1:1 for further qualitative analysis by UHPLC system. Exudates from outer licorice leaves was performed by ETOH brief immersion for 10 sec and vacuum dried , samples were analized as above.

Results / Discussion / Conclusion

UHPLC-ESI-HRMS analyses were performed in negative and positive ionization mode to obtain complementary information useful for characterizing the extracts of leaves, exudates, panicles and flowers in flowering periods. Metabolite assignments were made comparing UV/Vis, HRMS and MS/MS spectra with reference standards when available, or with chemo-taxonomic data reported in the literature and databases. The UHPLC-DAD-HRMSn analysis has allowed to identify 46 compounds belonging to two major classes of secondary metabolites: dihydrostilbenes and flavonoids. The dihydrostilbenes have the same central scaffold with different functional groups on the two aromatic rings: hydroxyl, methoxy and prenyl units. The flavonoids are glycosilated derivatives of quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin and naringenin. All extracts showed UHPLC-UV profiles qualitatively comparable except for exudate, which showed dihydrostilbenes exclusively.

Licorice aerial parts are a very promising reservoir of bioactive molecules for plant itself and humans. From an ecological perspective prenilated flavonoids in the outer leaves part represent a more efficient plant protection against insects. These molecules along with inner leaf content of glycosilated flavonoids augment flavonoid bioactivity by increasing membrane affinity and improving the interaction with target proteins.


Chemical profiling of Glycyrrhiza glabra aerial parts, a waste product of PDO

‘‘Licorice of Calabria’’

Rita Celano1, Teresa Docimo2, Anna Lisa Piccinelli1, Claudio Cannistrà3, Antonio Massarotto4, Salvatore Fuda5, Luca Rastrelli1, Mariateresa Russo5

1Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno; 2 L’incanto Sarl, Catanzaro; 3 Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, Paris, Francia; 4 Naturemed srl, Cosenza; 5 Food Chemistry, Authentication, Safety andSensoromic Laboratory – Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria

Introduction

Glycyrrhiza glabra aerial parts are a huge amount of discarded material produced during the cultivation and harvest of PDO ‘‘Licorice of Calabria’’ roots. This waste product represents a potential source of functional and health-promoting ingredients. The chemical profiles of exudates, leaves, panicles and flowers were determined by UHPLC-HRMS to estimate their nutraceutical potential.

Methods

G. glabra aerial parts were harvested in pre-flowering and flowering time from three PDO cultivations in Calabria. Exhaustive extraction of dried materials was performed by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) with aqueous ethanol (70% v/v). Exudates were recovered by immersion of leaves in ethanol (10 sec). A UHPLC-HRMS/MS method was developed and then applied to analyze the aerial part extracts.

Results

Negative and positive UHPLC-HRMS analyses, combined with HRMS/MS spectra, chemo-taxonomic data and databases, allowed the full characterization of the metabolites of Calabrian G. glabra leaf exudate, leaf, panicle and flowers. 46 phenolic compounds were identified in aerial parts belonging to two major secondary metabolite classes: dihydrostilbenes and flavonoids. Dihydrostilbenes have the same central scaffold with different functional groups on the aromatic rings (methoxy and prenyl units). Identified flavonoids are flavanones (naringenin an pinocembrin) and their prenylated derivatives, C- and O-glycosilated flavones and flavonols. Dihydrostilbenes, pinocembrin and prenylated flavanones are the most abundant bioactive compounds of aerial parts and they represent the distinctive metabolites of leaf exudates. Instead, glycosylated flavonoids are present in inner leaves and flowers.

Conclusions

UHPLC-HRMS profiling prove that G. glabra aerial parts are a suitable and rich source of bioactive compounds. Their main compounds have well known antimicrobic and antinflammatory properties and it is evident that these wastes represent a potential raw material to recover health-promoting ingredients for food, cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors. Further studies are in progress to evaluate their potential applications.