Bioactive compounds are responsible for biological activities in honey. The botanical and regional sources of honey contribute to the variable concentration of bioactive compounds. This paper reports the analysis of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, vitamin C, total phenolic contents (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), and sugars of five honey samples (Talh, Athel, Sidr, Spring flower, and Langnese) from the ingenious Hail region (Saudi Arabia) using HPLC-RID and DAD. Talh has the highest TPC level of 26.9 mg GAE/100 g, whereas Spring flower has the lowest level of 8.2 mg GAE/100 g. Quercetin levels in all samples ranged from 0.28 to 2.68 mg GAE/100 g. Gallic acid, a phenolic compound, was found in three samples of honey at concentrations ranging from 0.81–1.08 mg/100 g. DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA) of Talh and Sidr honey sample are found to be high as compared to other samples. The Sidr honey sample had the highest vitamin C content, 2.59 mg/100 g. Fructose and glucose sugar concentrations ranged from 28.35–37.81 g/100 g and 20.21–32.28 g/100 g, respectively, with a higher fructose ratio. Sucrose was not found in any of the five samples. These findings point to the high quality of honey produced in Saudi Arabia’s ingenious Hail province, and therefore may contribute in therapeutic use of these types of honey, such as in complementary and alternative medicine.

Milk proteins include many bioactive peptides (α-, β-, γ-, and κ-casein) with different therapeutic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different probiotic cultures on proximate composition, organic acids, quantitative analysis, proteolysis, bioactivities, and sensory attributes. Probiotic yogurt was prepared using a starter and probiotic bacteria (CHR-Hansen, Denmark) in combination with a standard protocol with slight modifications. It was stored at 6–8°C for 21 days. Results indicated that probiotic culture and storage significantly impacted the moisture, ash, protein, citric acid, and lactic acid composition of yogurt during storage. Regarding proximate parameters, maximum moisture, fat, protein, acetic acid, citric acid (treatments-wise), and sensory attributes were found in the following treatments (T): T5 (84.78±1.44%), T7 (4.69±0.05%), T7 (4.99±0.04%), T6 (109.26±0.73 ppm), T6 (377.81±6.57 ppm), and T6 (4.58±0.33%) by sequence during storage of 21 days. Probiotic cultures examined in this research possessed the capacity to enhance technological aspects and flavor profile of probiotic yogurt.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder without a cure. Hence, developing an effective treatment or protective agent is crucial for public health. The present study aims to characterize orange peel extract (OPE) through in vitro and in silico studies. Furthermore, it examines the protective effect of OPE against experimentally-induced Alzheimer’s disease in rats. The total phenolic and flavonoid content of OPE was 255.86 ± 1.77 and 52.06 ± 1.74 (mg/100 g), respectively. Gallic acid, the common polyphenol in OPE detected by HPLC was 3388.60 μg/100 g. OPE antioxidant IC₅₀ was 67.90 ± 1.05, 60.48 ± 0.91, and 63.70 ± 0.30 by DPPH, ABTS and Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity methods, respectively. In vitro anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) IC₅₀ was 0.87 ± 0.025 mg/mL for OPE and 2.45 ± 0.001 mg/mL for gallic acid. Molecular docking analysis for human AChE (4EY7) with donepezil, gallic acid, and acetylcholine showed binding energy ΔG values of −9.47, −3.72, and −5.69 Kcal/mol, respectively. Aluminum chloride injection (70 mg/Kg/day for 6 weeks) induced Alzheimer’s-like disease in male rats. OPE (100 and 200 mg/kg/d) and gallic acid (50 mg/kg/d) were administered orally to experimental animals for 6 weeks in addition to aluminum chloride injection (as protective). OPE was found to protect against aluminum chloride-induced neuronal damage by decreasing both gene expression and activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and a decrease in amyloid beta (Aβ42) protein level, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and nitric oxide (NO), and increased reduced glutathione (GSH) level and activity of the antioxidant enzymes in the brain tissues. Additionally, gene expressions for amyloid precursor protein (APP) and beta secretase enzyme (BACE1) were downregulated, whereas those for presinilin-2 (PSEN2) and beta cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) were upregulated. Furthermore, the reverse of mitochondrial alternation and restored brain ultrastructure might underlie neuronal dysfunction in AD. In conclusion, our exploration of the neuroprotective effect of OPE in vivo reveals that OPE may be helpful in ameliorating brain oxidative stress, hence protecting from Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Potato is a highly nutritious staple food however, it also contains some antinutrients like alkaloids, phytates, tannins, oxalates as well as pesticide residues. Therefore, this study was conducted to reduce the loads of antinutrients and pesticides in potato powder (PP) using thermal and non-thermal processing techniques. Nutritional analysis revealed that the raw PP contained significantly (p < 0.05) higher magnitudes of dietary proteins (10.2 %), fibers (6.3 %), Na (50 mg/100 g), Ca (62 mg/100 g) and K (988 mg/100 g) when compared with the processed PP. The results demonstrated that all thermal and non-thermal processing techniques significantly reduced the antinutrients and pesticide residues. However, microwave heat treatment anticipated the highest reduction in alkaloids, oxalates, tannins and phytates contents from 60 to 14 mg/100 g (76 % reduction), 31–6 mg/100 g (80 % reduction), 91–15 mg/100 g (84 % reduction) and 45–8 mg/100 g (82 % reduction), respectively. Additionally, microwave heat processing also exhibited the highest decline in imidacloprid, cypermethrin, bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin contents by 87 %, 76 %, 63 %, 79 % and 81 %, respectively. Later, microwave-treated PP (the most effective treatment) was used to develop unleavened flatbreads (i.e., chapatis) @ 2–10 %. Organoleptic evaluation of supplemented flatbreads suggested that 5 % supplementation with microwave treated PP has the highest overall acceptability. Therefore, it is concluded that thermal and non-thermal processing techniques are effective tools to reduce loads of antinutrients and pesticide burden in potatoes. Moreover, the study also suggests, PP can be efficiently used as natural food supplement for development of value-added foods.

Introduction: Dates (Phoenix dactylifera), often questioned for their high sugar content, may provide anti-diabetic benefits through their phytochemicals. Date vinegar offers a potentially effective alternative with reduced sugar content and enhanced bioactivity. This study evaluated the effects of date vinegar on glycemic control and lipid profiles in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and dyslipidemia while exploring the molecular mechanisms of its bioactive compounds in managing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and T2DM.Methods: A 10-week randomized controlled trial assessed the clinical effects of date vinegar. Complementary experiments explored therapeutic mechanisms through computational analysis and assessed sugar reduction and bioactive preservation under varying drying conditions. Fifty adults with T2DM and dyslipidemia were randomized into two groups: 25 participants received 20 mL of date vinegar daily, while 25 received a placebo. Clinical parameters were measured, including HbA1c, LDL cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. Computational docking and molecular dynamics simulations investigated interactions of bioactive compounds with key protein targets.Results: Significant improvements were observed: HbA1c reduced from 6.85 to 6.08%, LDL cholesterol from 121.05 to 111.09 mg/dL, and fasting blood sugar from 168.4 to 147.6 mg/dL (p < 0.05). Key compounds with stable protein-ligand complexes confirmed were bound to targets such as ACE, β1AR, hATRs, AR, DPP-IV, and SGLT1. Higher drying temperatures reduced sugar content to match fresh dates but compromised bioactive integrity.Conclusion: Date vinegar offers a dual target therapeutic strategy for managing T2DM and CVDs, supported by clinical and computational findings.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) are mostly used as herbal teas, made by steeping whole or ground herbs in boiling water. Hence, it is important to know the effect of boiling time on the bioactivity of these herbs. The effect of different boiling times (5, 10, and 15 min) on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and some selected phenolic compounds of these herbs was examined in this study. Experimental results revealed that basil displayed the highest total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity when it was boiled for 5 min, and the lowest TPC was obtained when it was boiled for 15 min. On the other hand, rosemary had the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant potential after being boiled for 15 min, while it had the lowest after being boiled for 5 min. There was no growth inhibition of rosemary extracts against gram-negative bacteria, whereas higher growth inhibition was observed against gram-positive bacteria. The MIC and MBC of rosemary ethanolic extract against Listeria monocytogenes were 5 and 5 mg/mL and against B. subtilis were 10 and 10 mg/mL, respectively. While MIC and MBC of methanolic extract against L. monocytogenes were 5 and 5 mg/mL and against Bacillus subtilis were and 5 and 5 mg/mL, respectively. Salicylic acid was the most abundant (324.7 mg/100 g dry weight (dw)) phenolic compound in the rosemary sample boiled for 5 min, and acetyl salicylic acid was the most abundant (122.61 mg/10 g dw) phenolic compound in the basil sample boiled for 15 min.