Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2005
Bioactive compounds (carotenoids and vitamin C) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•)... more Bioactive compounds (carotenoids and vitamin C) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging activity [50% depletion of initial DPPH• radical (EC50) and antiradical efficiency (AE)], in aqueous (AQ) and organic (OR) fractions, were measured in tomato purée subjected to high‐pressure (HP) (400 MPa/25 °C/15 min), low pasteurisation (LPT) (70 °C/30 s), high pasteurisation (HPT) (90 °C/1 min), freezing (F) (−38 °C/15 min), and HPT plus F (HPT + F). In addition, physical and physicochemical parameters were evaluated. CIELab uniform colour space parameters (lightness, L*; green‐red tonality, a*; and blue‐yellow tonality, b*) were significantly higher both in the untreated and in the HP tomato purée than in the rest of the samples. Individual and total carotenoids, and provitamin A carotenoids, were significantly higher in HP tomato purée than in the untreated and other treated tomato purées. Ascorbic acid and total vitamin C were significantly lower in HP, LPT, HPT, and HP...
Orange juice, a rich source of vitamin C, accounts for 60% of all fruit juices and juice-based dr... more Orange juice, a rich source of vitamin C, accounts for 60% of all fruit juices and juice-based drinks consumed in western Europe. Orange juice preservation is currently accomplished by traditional pasteurization. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) have been studied as a nonthermal food preservation method. Food technology needs in the area of processing are driven by nutrition. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess the bioavailability of vitamin C from pulsed electric fields-treated orange juice in comparison with freshly squeezed orange juice and its impact on 8-epiPGF(2alpha) concentrations (biomarker of lipid peroxidation) in a healthy human population. Six subjects consumed 500 mL/day of pulsed electric fields-treated orange juice and six subjects consumed 500 mL/day of freshly squeezed orange juice for 14 days, corresponding to an intake of about 185 mg/day of ascorbic acid. On the first day of the study, subjects drank the juice in one dose, and on days 2-14 they consumed 250 mL in the morning and 250 mL in the afternoon. Blood was collected every hour for 6 hours on the first day and again on days 7 and 14. In the dose-response study, the maximum increase in plasma vitamin C occurred 4 hours postdose. Vitamin C remained significantly higher on days 7 and 14 in both orange juice groups. Plasma 8-epiPGF(2alpha) concentrations was lower at the end of the study (P < 0.001) in both groups. Plasma levels of vitamin C and 8-epiPGF(2alpha) were inversely correlated. Pulsed electric fields-preservation of orange juice retains the vitamin C bioavailability and antioxidant properties of fresh juice with a longer shelf-life.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes i... more Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease and stroke. In this work, the bioavailability of vitamin C from a Mediterranean vegetable soup (gazpacho) constituted mainly of tomato, pepper and cucumber, and its influence on plasma vitamin C, 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-epi-PGF2alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and the cytokines/tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and IL-6 concentrations in a healthy human population were assessed. Six men and six women consumed 500 ml of commercial gazpacho per day for 14 days, corresponding to an intake of 78 mg of ascorbic acid per day. There were no differences (P = .22) in baseline plasma vitamin C concentrations between the men and women. The maximum increase (P < .05) in plasma vitamin C occurred 4 h postdose in both men and women. Vitamin C concentrations were significantly higher (P < .03) on Days 7 and 14 of the intervention. Baseline concentrations of uric acid and 8-epi-PGF2alpha were significantly higher (P < or = .032) in men than in women. Baseline concentrations of 8-epi-PGF2alpha decreased significantly (P < or = .05) by Day 14 of the intervention. A significant inverse correlation was observed between vitamin C and 8-epi-PGF2alpha (r = -.415, P = .049). Baseline concentrations of PGF2 and MCP-1 were significantly higher (P< or = .025) in men than in women but decreased significantly (P< or = .05) by Day 14 of the intervention. No effect on TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 was observed at Day 14 of the intervention. Drinking gazpacho (500 ml/day) significantly increases plasma concentrations of vitamin C and significantly decreases 8-epi-PGF2alpha, PGE2 and MCP-1 concentrations in healthy humans.
Commercial conventional thermal pasteurised tomato juices were nutritionally evaluated, at the sa... more Commercial conventional thermal pasteurised tomato juices were nutritionally evaluated, at the same point in their commercial shelf lives, for their carotenoid contents, vitamin C, and antioxidant activities and physical and physicochemical characterisation. Higher lycopene epoxide, lycopene, γ-carotene, β-carotene contents, and vitamin A values were found in those juices obtained from a concentrated tomato source, suggesting structural changes in the tomato
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2009
Consumers are more and more concerned about the nutritional and health-related characteristics of... more Consumers are more and more concerned about the nutritional and health-related characteristics of fruits and vegetables, as well as the safety of the food they eat. The processing of foods is becoming more sophisticated and diverse in response to the growing demand for quality foods. Consumers today expect food products to provide fresh-like appearance, convenience, variety, appropriate shelf-life and caloric content, reasonable cost, environmental soundness, high nutritional and functional quality. Nonthermal processing of fruit and vegetable has been revealed as a useful tool to extend their shelf-life and quality as well as to preserve their nutritional and functional characteristics. In the last ten years, there has been an increasing interest in nonthermal technologies as high pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) to preserve fruit and vegetable products without the quality and nutritional damage caused by heat treatments. This review will contribute to inform many of the studies conducted to obtain a better understanding on the effects of some of these nonthermal processing technologies (high hydrostatic pressure and pulsed electric fields) applied to vegetable foods on their nutritional value and bioactive compounds related to health, including the results on micronutrient bioavailability studies and oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers. These studies could contribute to select the most appropriate processing parameters to obtain safe, high-quality, nutritional, and functional vegetable food.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2005
Bioactive compounds (carotenoids and vitamin C) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•)... more Bioactive compounds (carotenoids and vitamin C) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging activity [50% depletion of initial DPPH• radical (EC50) and antiradical efficiency (AE)], in aqueous (AQ) and organic (OR) fractions, were measured in tomato purée subjected to high‐pressure (HP) (400 MPa/25 °C/15 min), low pasteurisation (LPT) (70 °C/30 s), high pasteurisation (HPT) (90 °C/1 min), freezing (F) (−38 °C/15 min), and HPT plus F (HPT + F). In addition, physical and physicochemical parameters were evaluated. CIELab uniform colour space parameters (lightness, L*; green‐red tonality, a*; and blue‐yellow tonality, b*) were significantly higher both in the untreated and in the HP tomato purée than in the rest of the samples. Individual and total carotenoids, and provitamin A carotenoids, were significantly higher in HP tomato purée than in the untreated and other treated tomato purées. Ascorbic acid and total vitamin C were significantly lower in HP, LPT, HPT, and HP...
Orange juice, a rich source of vitamin C, accounts for 60% of all fruit juices and juice-based dr... more Orange juice, a rich source of vitamin C, accounts for 60% of all fruit juices and juice-based drinks consumed in western Europe. Orange juice preservation is currently accomplished by traditional pasteurization. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) have been studied as a nonthermal food preservation method. Food technology needs in the area of processing are driven by nutrition. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess the bioavailability of vitamin C from pulsed electric fields-treated orange juice in comparison with freshly squeezed orange juice and its impact on 8-epiPGF(2alpha) concentrations (biomarker of lipid peroxidation) in a healthy human population. Six subjects consumed 500 mL/day of pulsed electric fields-treated orange juice and six subjects consumed 500 mL/day of freshly squeezed orange juice for 14 days, corresponding to an intake of about 185 mg/day of ascorbic acid. On the first day of the study, subjects drank the juice in one dose, and on days 2-14 they consumed 250 mL in the morning and 250 mL in the afternoon. Blood was collected every hour for 6 hours on the first day and again on days 7 and 14. In the dose-response study, the maximum increase in plasma vitamin C occurred 4 hours postdose. Vitamin C remained significantly higher on days 7 and 14 in both orange juice groups. Plasma 8-epiPGF(2alpha) concentrations was lower at the end of the study (P < 0.001) in both groups. Plasma levels of vitamin C and 8-epiPGF(2alpha) were inversely correlated. Pulsed electric fields-preservation of orange juice retains the vitamin C bioavailability and antioxidant properties of fresh juice with a longer shelf-life.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes i... more Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease and stroke. In this work, the bioavailability of vitamin C from a Mediterranean vegetable soup (gazpacho) constituted mainly of tomato, pepper and cucumber, and its influence on plasma vitamin C, 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-epi-PGF2alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and the cytokines/tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and IL-6 concentrations in a healthy human population were assessed. Six men and six women consumed 500 ml of commercial gazpacho per day for 14 days, corresponding to an intake of 78 mg of ascorbic acid per day. There were no differences (P = .22) in baseline plasma vitamin C concentrations between the men and women. The maximum increase (P < .05) in plasma vitamin C occurred 4 h postdose in both men and women. Vitamin C concentrations were significantly higher (P < .03) on Days 7 and 14 of the intervention. Baseline concentrations of uric acid and 8-epi-PGF2alpha were significantly higher (P < or = .032) in men than in women. Baseline concentrations of 8-epi-PGF2alpha decreased significantly (P < or = .05) by Day 14 of the intervention. A significant inverse correlation was observed between vitamin C and 8-epi-PGF2alpha (r = -.415, P = .049). Baseline concentrations of PGF2 and MCP-1 were significantly higher (P< or = .025) in men than in women but decreased significantly (P< or = .05) by Day 14 of the intervention. No effect on TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 was observed at Day 14 of the intervention. Drinking gazpacho (500 ml/day) significantly increases plasma concentrations of vitamin C and significantly decreases 8-epi-PGF2alpha, PGE2 and MCP-1 concentrations in healthy humans.
Commercial conventional thermal pasteurised tomato juices were nutritionally evaluated, at the sa... more Commercial conventional thermal pasteurised tomato juices were nutritionally evaluated, at the same point in their commercial shelf lives, for their carotenoid contents, vitamin C, and antioxidant activities and physical and physicochemical characterisation. Higher lycopene epoxide, lycopene, γ-carotene, β-carotene contents, and vitamin A values were found in those juices obtained from a concentrated tomato source, suggesting structural changes in the tomato
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2009
Consumers are more and more concerned about the nutritional and health-related characteristics of... more Consumers are more and more concerned about the nutritional and health-related characteristics of fruits and vegetables, as well as the safety of the food they eat. The processing of foods is becoming more sophisticated and diverse in response to the growing demand for quality foods. Consumers today expect food products to provide fresh-like appearance, convenience, variety, appropriate shelf-life and caloric content, reasonable cost, environmental soundness, high nutritional and functional quality. Nonthermal processing of fruit and vegetable has been revealed as a useful tool to extend their shelf-life and quality as well as to preserve their nutritional and functional characteristics. In the last ten years, there has been an increasing interest in nonthermal technologies as high pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) to preserve fruit and vegetable products without the quality and nutritional damage caused by heat treatments. This review will contribute to inform many of the studies conducted to obtain a better understanding on the effects of some of these nonthermal processing technologies (high hydrostatic pressure and pulsed electric fields) applied to vegetable foods on their nutritional value and bioactive compounds related to health, including the results on micronutrient bioavailability studies and oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers. These studies could contribute to select the most appropriate processing parameters to obtain safe, high-quality, nutritional, and functional vegetable food.
Uploads
Papers by Lucia Plaza