Isoquercitrin (IQ), a major flavonol present in Prunus mume fruit, has gained much attention in recent studies because of its superior bioavailability and physiological effects. In this study, the anti-cancer mechanism of IQ against human melanoma, particularly its effect on the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, was investigated. Treatment with IQ at 25 μM concentration effectively inhibited the proliferation of SK-MEL-2 skin cancer cells while the same concentration did not exhibit cytotoxicity against human keratinocytes HaCaT. Morphological analysis and clonogenic assay also showed that IQ can alter the growth and long-term survival of SK-MEL-2 cells. IQ also induced apoptosis in the melanoma cells as manifested in the nuclear morphology changes, DNA fragmentation, increase in the apoptosis rate (17.69% at 25 μM) and accumulation of sub-G1 cell cycle phase population (19.55% at 25 μM). Western blot analysis revealed the involvement of the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway in the anti-cancer property of IQ. Treatment with IQ resulted in the decrease in the levels of procaspase-8 and -9, and Bcl-2 protein, and an increase in the expression of cleaved PARP and Bax. Moreover, AIF and Endo G protein expression increased, indicating a caspase-independent mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. The anti-proliferative activity of IQ against SK-MEL-2 can also be attributed to the downregulation of the PI3K/AktmTOR signaling pathway. These findings showed that IQ can be developed into a chemopreventive therapeutic agent against the melanoma cells.

The study evaluated the storage characteristics of batuan fruit powder by Accelerated Shelf-life Test (ASLT) where the product was stored at elevated temperatures of 37°C, 50°C, and 60°C. During the experiment, the physicochemical (whiteness index, pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity) and sensory (color, aroma, off-odor, general acceptability) characteristics of the product were monitored. The kinetics of nonenzymatic browning (NEB) was found to be a pseudo-first-order reaction in terms of whiteness index (WI). The effect of temperature on the rate constant for NEB was observed to follow Arrhenius Law such that the activation energy is 105.9 kJ mol-1 and Q10 is 3.90. The shelf-life of the product at room temperature was predicted to be 202 days (6.7 months).

Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng., Mao berry or locally known in the Philippines as ‘Bignay’, is an underutilized fruit rich in bioactive phytochemicals such as compounds with high antioxidant activity. This study investigated the enhancement of the biological and physicochemical properties of Bignay through a two-stage fermentation process for beverage development. The fermented bignay with the maximum amount of phenolic compounds after the optimized fermentation process was characterized. The physicochemical properties such as the pH, total soluble solids, color, % alcohol, and % acetic acid of the phenolic-rich beverage were measured during and after the fermentation process. The biological activities namely the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, and antioxidant properties were analyzed. Phenolic profiling was also done to confirm the quantity of specific phenolic compounds in the bignay beverage after fermentation. Results showed that after the two-stage fermentation process, the phenolic-rich fermented bignay has a pH of 3.8, TSS of 7OBrix, and 0.9% acetic acid. The fermented bignay beverage had higher antioxidant and enzymeinhibiting properties compared to the unfermented counterpart. Phenolic profiling revealed that after fermentation, there is an increase in several phenolic compounds, with gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, ellagic acid caffeic acid, and trans-ferulic acid having the most significant increase. The findings show that the two-stage fermentation process resulted in a phenolic-rich bignay fruit beverage with high biological activities and health-promoting properties.