The comparison of the antioxidant activity of the studied forest fruits emphasized a hierarchy of the antioxidant capacity in rosehip, blackthorn, lingonberry and cornelian cherry. The purpose of the study was to investigate the antioxidant capacity and nutritional value of rosehip, blackthorn, lingonberry and cornelian cherry. In the current study, the FT-IR spectroscopy technique was applied to detect molecular components in forest fruits samples. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated with photochemical assay as well as humidity, protein, fibre, lipid and carbohydrate content. The FT-IR results revealed the presence of different bio-active compounds in berries such as flavonoids, tannins, sugars, acids, proanthocyanidins, carotenoids, citric metabolites and others. The highest antioxidant capacity was observed in rosehip 105.67±1.38 and blackthorn 49.89±1.92 (μg/mg equivalent ascorbic acid). Regarding nutritional parameters, rosehip showed the most increased content of protein displaying average values of 1.60, carbohydrates 38.20 and fibre 24.10 (g/100 g/sample). These results can provide useful information providing a research interest for the identification of new molecular compounds from Romanian flora samples. ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

(1) Background: Well-known monosodium glutamate (E-621, MSG), originally used as a food flavor enhancer, was approved approximately in all countries, but the toxicity versus the safety of (MSG) are still unclear due to variable scientific toxicological reports. Moreover, it was reported to trigger elevated frequencies of nausea and headaches in humans and provide deleterious effects on laboratory animals. The objectives of the present study were to (i) estimate the possible toxic effects of the food additive MSG (ii) and the ameliorating protective effects of the dietary supplement spirulina (Spirulina platensis) on the biochemical parameters of blood and the damage produced in organs of Swiss mice after applying a supplementary daily dose of MSG for 4 weeks. (2) Methods: The present study was conducted on 20 mature Swiss mice, which were randomly organized into four groups of five Swiss mice. The treatments were (I) the control group, in which Swiss mice were fed only animal feed and drinking water; group II MSG1, which received 1 mL of MSG; group III MSG0.5, which was treated with 0.5 mL of MSG; and (IV) the group MSGS, which was treated with 1 mL of monosodium glutamate and 1 mL of spirulina (aiming to reduce the MSG toxicity). (3) Results: At the end of the experiment, Swiss mice treated with MSG demonstrated a passiveness regarding behavioral aspects. As we hypothesized, the parameters of the spirulina group reached similar values to the control group, and no histopathological observations have been found. Altogether, our findings evidenced that monosodium glutamate leads to histopathological changes in Swiss mice kidneys and caused important modifications for all biochemical parameters of the blood serum. Noticeably, the potential protective effect of Spirulina platensis was proved and was described by using the FTIR spectroscopy technique. (4) Conclusions: A diet rich in antioxidants and other plant-derived bioactive compounds may provide healthy nutrition, alleviating the potential side effects of some food additives.

The safety and toxicity of the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) remains unclear given conflicting scientific toxicological reports. MSG has been associated with causing nausea and headaches in humans and producing deleterious effects on laboratory animals. The aims of this study were to evaluate the negative effects of MSG and investigate the beneficial, protective effects of the dietary supplement spirulina (spirulina platensis) on biochemical parameters of blood. Specifically, this investigation considers the damage sustained by organs of Swiss mice after supplementation of MSG daily over the course of four weeks. During the experiment, the control group (I) received only animal feed and drinking water; group MSG-1 (II) received 1 ml of MSG; group MSG-0.5 (III) was treated with 0.5 ml of MSG; and group MSG-S (IV) was treated with 1 ml of MSG and 1 ml of spirulina (aiming to combat the MSG toxicity). The results of this study showed that MSG generated histopathological changes in the subjects’ kidneys and caused significant (negative) changes for all studied biochemical parameters of the blood serum (ALT, AST, GLU, CRE, COL, TG), observed in both the MSG-0.5 and MSG-1 groups. The MSG-S group, animals treated with MSG in combination with spirulina, demonstrated the beneficial effects of spirulina, mitigating the observed effects of MSG toxicity. In this group, mice did not show histopathological changes of the organs and the biochemical parameters presented average values similar to the control group. Seeking to explain how the spirulina protected against the MSG, IR spectroscopy was used to investigate the molecular interactions. It was observed that the introduction had a notable effect on IR spectrum, suggesting a possible mechanism for the observed beneficial effects of spirulina.