Burdock (Arctium lappa L.) is one of the nutritional foods widely planted in many countries. Dried burdock root (BR) is available as a herbal tincture and tea in many Asian countries with good flavor and taste. In this study, the volatile components in dried BR were identified and the effects of different drying methods on the volatile components were investigated by HS-GC-MS method. A total of 49 compounds were identified. Different drying methods including hot-air drying (HD, at 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C), vacuum drying (VD, at 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C), sunlight drying (SD), natural drying (ND), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD) were evaluated by HS-GC-MS-based metabolomics method. Results showed that different drying methods produced different effects on the volatile compounds. It was observed that 2,3-pentanedione, 1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-ethanone, furfural, and heptanal were detected at higher concentrations in HD 80 and VD 70. The traditional HD and SD methods produced more flavor substances than VFD. The BR treated by the VFD method could maintain the shape of the fresh BR pieces while HD50 and VD80 methods could maintain the color of fresh BR pieces. These findings could help better understand the flavor of the corresponding processed BR and provide a guide for the drying and processing of BR tea.

Pomaces of sea buckthorn berry were usually side-products during the processing of juice. Due to a lack of an economical and effective extraction method, it was typically recognized as waste. For the purpose of resource utilization, the mechanochemical-assisted extraction (MCAE) method was applied to develop an ecofriendly extraction method and product with better pharmacology activity. The parameters were investigated through response surface methodology (RSM) design experiments. The processing conditions were optimized as follows: amount of Na₂CO₃ 40%, ball-to-material rate 29:1 g/g, milling speed 410 rpm, milling time 24 min, extraction temperature 25 °C, extraction time 20 min and the solid-to-solution ratio 1:10 g/mL. Under these conditions, the yields of flavonoids from sea buckthorn pomaces were 26.82 ± 0.53 mg/g, which corresponds to an increase of 2 times in comparison with that extracted by the heat reflux extraction method. Meanwhile, the hepatoprotective activity of sea buckthorn pomaces extracts was studied by the liver injury induced by ip injection of tetracycline. Biochemical and histopathological studies showed that biomarkers in serum and liver of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice were significantly ameliorated when sea buckthorn flavonoids extracted by MCAE were used. Altogether, these results demonstrate that, as a green and efficient extraction, MCAE treatment could increase the extraction yield of sea buckthorn flavonoids, meanwhile it could exhibit significant activity of improving liver function. This research provided a new way to use pomaces of sea buckthorn as a functional food. It also has great value on the comprehensive utilization of nature’s resources.

The changes in active components in mulberry leaves harvested in different months and their antioxidant activities were investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–Q-TOF-MS) with multivariate statistical tools was used to investigate the chemical constituents in the extracts of mulberry leaves. The results indicated that mulberry leaves were rich in phenolic acids, flavonoids, organic acids, and fatty acid derivatives. In addition, 25 different compounds were identified in the different batches of mulberry leaves. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was measured to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activities of mulberry leaves. Among the four batches, batch A, harvested in December, exhibited the strongest DPPH radical-scavenging activity, while batch B, harvested in March, showed the weakest activity. This was related to the total phenolic content in the mulberry leaves of each batch. The optimal harvest time of mulberry leaves greatly influences the bioactivity and bioavailability of the plant.

Chickpea isoflavones have diverse pharmacological activities but with low water solubility and bioavailability. In this work, the isoflavone content in chickpeas was first increased by germination, and then the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of isoflavones in chickpea sprout extracts (CSE) were enhanced using β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion techniques. Firstly, the total content of isoflavones was increased by 182 times through sprouting, and isoflavones were presented mostly in the germ and radicle. Then, the chickpea sprout extract/β-cyclodextrin (CSE/β-CD) inclusion complex was prepared and characterized. The in vitro test showed that the cumulative release of two isoflavones, formononetin (FMN) and biochanin A (BCA), in the CSE/β-CD was significantly increased in a simulated digestive fluid. The in vivo rat pharmacokinetics demonstrated that the inclusion of FMN and BCA by β-CD effectively increased their bioavailability in rat plasma and tissues, especially in the liver. The study provides a feasible strategy for improving the bioavailability of isoflavones from chickpeas and is also beneficial to the utilization of other legume resources.

Ellagic acid is a phenolic compound that exhibits both antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activity in a wide range of assays in vitro and in vivo. It occurs naturally in some foods such as raspberries, strawberries, grapes, and black currants. In this study, a valid and reliable method based on mechanochemical-assisted extraction (MCAE) and macroporous adsorption resin was developed to extract and prepare ellagic acid from Phyllanthus urinaria L. (PUL). The MCAE parameters, acidolysis, and macroporous adsorption resin conditions were investigated. The key MCAE parameters were optimized as follows: the milling time was 5 min, the ball mill speed was 100 rpm, and the ball mill filling rate was 20.9%. Sulfuric acid with a concentration of 0.552 mol/L was applied for the acidolysis with the optimized acidolysis time of 30 min and acidolysis temperature of 40 °C. Additionally, the XDA-8D macroporous resin was chosen for the purification work. Both the static and dynamic adsorption tests were carried out. Under the optimized conditions, the yield of ellagic acid was 10.2 mg/g, and the content was over 97%. This research provided a rapid and efficient method for the preparation of ellagic acid from the cheaply and easily obtained PUL. Meanwhile, it is relatively low-cost work that can provide a technical basis for the comprehensive utilization of PUL.