Mango (Mangifera indica L.), also called “the king of fruits”, is one of the most popular fruits in tropical regions. Pulp and peel samples of mango cultivars were analyzed to estimate total phenolic, total flavonoid and total anthocyanin contents. Phenolic acids, hydrophilic peroxyl radical scavenging capacity (hydro-PSC) and oxygen radical scavenging capacity (ORAC) in vitro were also determined. Total phenolics and flavonoid contents were found maximum in the peel of Xiao Tainang and Da Tainang cultivars, respectively, whereas Xiao Tainang also exhibited significant antioxidant capacity. Noteworthy, concentrations of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acids at 79.15, 64.33, 33.75, 27.19 and 13.62 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) were quantified for Da Tainang, Xiao Tainang and of Jidan cultivars, respectively. Comparatively, a higher level of phenolics and significant antioxidant capacity in mango peel indicated that it might be useful as a functional food and value-added ingredient to promote human health.

The present study aimed to assemble protein fibril–polysaccharide hydrogels as nutraceutical delivery vehicles. Turbidity titrations confirmed that complexations between ovotransferrin (OVT) fibrils and xanthan gum (XG) indeed occurred, and electrostatic interaction was the major driving force of OVT fibril–XG complexation. After optimization of the pH and acidifier, stable OVT fibril–XG hydrogels could be fabricated by adjusting the pH to 4.0 with glucono delta-lactone. To better understand the physicochemical properties of OVT fibril–XG gel, characterization of XG gel was also conducted. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that OVT fibril–XG gel had a denser network than XG gel. Rheological measurements revealed that OVT fibril–XG gel had higher gel strength and viscosity than XG gel. OVT fibril–XG gel and XG gel could be used as dihydromyricetin (DMY) delivery vehicles with a higher DMY loading (2 mg mL⁻¹). DMY release was investigated using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. All DMY was released from OVT fibril–XG gel after gastrointestinal digestion, and only 41.7% of DMY was released from XG gel after gastrointestinal digestion, indicating that OVT fibril–XG gel was more efficient in DMY delivery. DMY was released via a non-Fickian transport mechanism in both OVT fibril–XG gel and XG gel. The results of this study could provide new insight into the assembly of protein fibril–polysaccharide hydrogels and rational design of hydrogels as nutraceutical delivery vehicles.

Consumption of cereal foods has been related to health improvement, which is partly because of their phytochemicals.

Hydrogel-based material have been demonstrated promising potential for hemostasis. Herein, we prepared a composite hydrogel (CH-P 40%) by combining pectin and cellulose in ionic liquid. The superficial morphology of the CH-P 40% was explored by SEM; the internal chemical bonds, crystal form and thermal stability were determined via FTIR, XRD and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The biocompatibilities of the CH-P 40% hydrogel was evaluated by MTT, flow cytometry, and histological observation with H&E staining. Furthermore, the hemostatic effect was evaluated via the blood clotting index and mouse liver hemostatic model. The results showed that the CH-P 40% hydrogel exhibited a dense network structure and retained its chemical bonds, including the OH, CH, C=O, -CH2, CO, C1-H, and β-glycosidic bonds. Simultaneously, the hydrogel retained the Cellulose I and II crystal structure and favorable thermal stability. Moreover, the proliferation rates of CH-P 40%-treated cells increased (P > 0.05), and there were no pathological lesions in the mouse organs, which suggests favorable biocompatibility. The results showed less bleeding in the hydrogel-treated liver wound within 3 min. Overall, the pectin-cellulose hydrogel is stable and possesses favorable biocompatibility and hemostatic ability, further highlighting that the composite hydrogel has the potential to be rapid hemostatic biomedical material.

We performed ultrasound-assisted extraction coupled with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) to achieve the green and efficient preparation of flavonoid extract from Ampelopsis grossedentata leaves. We then evaluated its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. A NADES consisting of choline chloride and glucose at a molar ratio of 4:1 with 20% water was determined to be the most suitable solvent. The optimal extraction conditions were: a liquid-to-solid ratio of 30 mL/g, an ultrasonication power of 490 W, and an ultrasonication time of 6.5 min. The actual flavonoid yield was 83.93%, which was close to the predicted yield. Further, 86.75% of the flavonoids were recovered by adding the same volume of phosphate buffer saline (100 mM, pH of 7.0) to the extract solution. Although the chemical antioxidant activities of the flavonoid extract were slightly inferior to those of dihydromyricetin, the flavonoid extract could still effectively inhibit the proliferation of human breast MDA-MB-231 cells by inducing cell apoptosis, retarding the cell cycle, changing the mitochondrial membrane potential and scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The obtained results can provide a reference in the development of plant-derived functional foods.