In recent decades, there has been growing interest in the fortification of dairy products with antioxidants and phenolics derived from plant byproducts and herbs. The present study focused on the analysis of dairy products, including kefir, cream cheese, yogurt, and vegan yogurt, enhanced with aqueous extracts of plant byproducts (Citrus aurantium peel, Citrus limon peel and Rosa canina seed) and herbs (Sideritis spp., Hypericum perforatum, Origanum dictamnus, Mentha pulegium L., Melissa oficinallis, Mentha spicata L. and Lavandula angustifolia) to characterize their antioxidant content, phenolic profile, and organoleptic characteristics. Antioxidant and phenolic content were determined by Folin–Ciocalteu and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays and presented values up to 46.61 ± 7.22 mmol Fe²⁺/L and 82.97 ± 4.29 mg gallic acid (GAE)/g, respectively for the aqueous extracts, as well as up to 0.68 ± 0.06 mmol Fe²⁺/L and 2.82 ± 0.36 mg GAE/g for the fortified dairy products. The bioavailability of antioxidants and phenolics in fortified foods was determined after in vitro digestion and ranged between 4 and 68%. The phytochemical profile of the aqueous extracts was determined by mass spectrometry, and 162 phytochemicals were determined, from which 128 belong to the polyphenol family including flavonoids and phenolic acids. Furthermore, most of the identified compounds have been recorded to possess enhanced antioxidant capacity in correlation to the in vitro findings. Finally, organoleptic evaluation showed an overall acceptability around 3.0 ± 1.0 on a 5-point scale. In conclusion, the studied plants and herbal extracts can be used for the fortification of a variety of dairy products with potential positive effects on human health.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), such as irritable bowel syndrome, functional constipation, and functional dyspepsia, have had a high prevalence over the past few years. Recent evidence suggests that functional foods and bioactive compounds, such as probiotics and phytochemicals, may have a positive effect in treating the symptoms of the above diseases. In this systematic review study, 32 published studies were selected with the use of comprehensive scientific databases, according to PRISMA guidelines, with emphasis on recent interventional studies that reflect the effect of probiotics and selected phytochemicals on the improvement of FGID symptoms. The bioactive compounds in the selected studies were administered to patients either in capsule form or in enriched food products (yogurt, juice, etc.). According to the results, there is a correlation between the consumption of probiotics and phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, and the relief of symptoms in selected gastrointestinal disorders. Enriching foods that are regularly consumed by the population, such as fruit juices, yogurt, and cheese, with ingredients that may have a positive effect on gastrointestinal disorders, could be a possible novel goal for the management of these diseases. However, further evidence is required for the role of probiotics and phytochemicals in FGIDs to be fully understood.

Background and Objectives: The development of non-dairy probiotic products is a challenge for the food industry, while cereals, as probiotic carriers, provide the means to incorporate probiotics, prebiotics, and fiber into the human diet. The present study investigated the effects of Lactococcus cremoris spp. immobilized on oat flakes on blood and urine biomarkers in a randomized placebo-controlled single-blind clinical trial. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four eligible participants were randomized into a placebo or probiotic group that consumed 5 g of oat flakes daily for 12 weeks. Blood and urine samples were collected at the baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks to assess the glycemic, lipemic, inflammatory, immunological, and antioxidant biomarkers, as well as the vitamin levels. Results: The intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in their hs-CRP levels (p = 0.002) and a trend toward decreased IL-6 levels (p = 0.035) at week 12 compared to the control group, suggesting a potential anti-inflammatory effect. Additionally, a significant reduction in insulin levels was observed in the probiotic group at week 6, with a clinical trend toward differentiation despite the absence of statistically significant differences between the groups. Furthermore, there were promising results regarding certain biomarkers, such as vitamin B12 and cortisol levels, in the probiotic group. Conclusions: The twelve-week consumption of Lactococcus cremoris spp. immobilized on oat flakes resulted in improvements in inflammatory, metabolic, and stress-related biomarkers. These results support the examined concept of non-dairy probiotic products, though further research is needed to confirm their efficacy and clarify their underlying mechanisms.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbial metabolite of dietary precursors, including choline and carnitine. Elevated levels of TMAO in human plasma have been associated with several diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, neurological disorders, and cancer. This has led to an increased interest in the accurate determination of TMAO in human blood, for which a reliable, cost-effective and sensitive analytical method should be established. LC-MS/MS has emerged as a powerful tool for the determination of TMAO due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and ability to handle complex matrices. Herein, we describe the development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of TMAO in human blood plasma. Our method involves a simple sample preparation protocol, involving a protein precipitation step along with a non-deuterated IS, followed by a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Additionally, the method was adapted and implemented on an UPLC-QTOF/MS. The method was validated using the guidelines set by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for assay performance and robustness in human plasma and successfully applied to plasma derived from healthy and hyperlipidemic volunteers. The developed method was found to be specific, sensitive, and accurate for the determination of TMAO in human plasma, with a lower limit of quantification of 0.25 µM. The intra- and inter-assay precision and trueness were within acceptable limits.

Functional foods are considered beneficial to human health due to their high nutritional values. Currently, there is development in research to identify natural functional food sources high in bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants and polyphenols, as they are shown to contribute towards decreasing oxidative stress and maintaining well-being in human health. The objective of the present study was to determine the total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of Mediterranean medicinal natural herbs and wild greens, aiming to create a database of medicinal plants for future potential use as functional food ingredients. A total of seventeen selected herbs and wild greens from Lemnos Island (Greece) were purchased between June and July of 2021. Extracts were prepared with an ultrasound water bath at 70 °C for 60 min. The antioxidant capacity was measured with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and the total polyphenolic content was determined with the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method. The mean phenolic values ranged from 0.18 to 2282.80 mg of gallic acid/g of sample, whereas Hypericum perfoliatum L. and Hypericum perforatum L., Salvia spp., and Sideritis sp. displayed the highest contents (p < 0.05). Melissa officinalis L., Mentha Spicata, and Thymbra capitata L. obtained the highest total antioxidant capacity values greater than 12.20 mmol/L, with an average range of 0.06 to 30.58 mmol of Fe²⁺/L of extract (p < 0.05). Pistacia lentiscus var. chia, Crataegus azarolus L., and Pancratium Maritimum obtained the lowest contents from both methods. Studies have shown that medicinal plants with total antioxidant values higher than 0.87 mmol/L could be applicable in the fortification of food products (i.e., yogurt). Therefore, this study suggests that most of the above medicinal plants could be a potential source of antioxidants for functional food applications while their use can enhance Mediterranean diet principles.

Nowadays, there is a high demand in many industrial countries for healthy foods and sustainable products and so to explore innovative food technologies, such as fortification with bioactive compounds such as antioxidants and polyphenols, that may be sourced from herbs or by-products. This study’s objective was to explore the fortification of refined olive oils with natural bioactive compounds such as the herbs rosemary (Rosmarinus officinallis, L.), basil (Ocimum basillicum, L.), sage (Salvia officinalis, L.), lemon balm (Melissa oficinallis, L.), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum, L.), pink savory (Satureja thymbra, L.), dittany (Origanum dictamnus, L.), and by-products such as pomace from olives, olive leaves (Olea europaea, L.), orange peel (Citrus aurantium, L.), lemon peel (Citrus limon, L.), pomegranate peel (Punica granatum, L.), and mandarin peel (Citrus reticulata). The fortification of the refined olive oils was performed with the use of different methodologies such as conventional maceration (CM), incubation shaking maceration (ISM), and ultrasound-assisted maceration (UAM). Folin–Ciocalteau (FOLIN) and Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays were used to measure their total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. All methods demonstrated that the temperature, sample concentration, and time of maceration are considered of high importance in the fortification of refined olive oil. In vitro digestion process showed the bioavailability of the antioxidant and phenolic compounds in the fortified olive oil that ranged from 4.84% to 53.11%. Furthermore, the refined olive oils fortified with pomace, basil, St. John’s wort, and pomegranate peel presented the highest antioxidant and phenolic predicted bioavailability indices during the in vitro process compared to the control refined olive oil. Finally, fortification with natural herbs or by-products can be considered an innovative method for the enhancement of the nutritional value of refined olive oils.