Aromatic halophytes represent an exceptional source of natural bioactive compounds for the food industry. Crithmum maritimum L., also known as sea fennel, is a halophyte plant colonizing cliffs and coastal dunes along Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. It is well known to produce essential oils and polyphenols endowed with antioxidant and biological effects. The present work reports the phytochemical profile, as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial and antimutagenic properties of C. maritimum leaf hydro-alcoholic extract. From LC-ESI-MS analysis, eighteen phenolic compounds were depicted in sea fennel extract and the amount of total phenolic content exceeds 3% DW. Accordingly, C. maritimum extract showed strong antioxidant activities, as evidenced by in vitro (DPPH, ORAC, FRAP) and ex vivo (CAA-RBC and hemolysis) assays. An important antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains was found as well as a strong capacity to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 35556) biofilm formation. Sea fennel extracts showed a significant decrease of mutagenesis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and menadione (ME) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae D7 strain. In conclusion, our results show that C. maritimum is an exceptional source of bioactive components and exert beneficial effects against oxidative or mutagenic mechanisms, and pathogenic bacteria, making it a potential functional food.

Polyphenol-rich foods could have a pivotal function in the prevention of oxidative stress-based pathologies and antibacterial action. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity, as well as the in vitro and In Vivo antioxidant capacities of wild Prunus spinosa L. fruit (PSF) from the southeast regions of Italy. The total phenolic content (TPC) was quantified, and the single polyphenols were analyzed by HPLC-DAD, showing high rutin and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid levels, followed by gallic and trans-sinapic acids. PSF extract demonstrated antimicrobial activity against some potentially pathogenic Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Besides, we investigated the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) and the hemolysis inhibition of PSF extract on human erythrocytes, evidencing both a good antioxidant power and a marked hemolysis inhibition. Furthermore, an In Vivo experiment with oxidative stress-induced rats treated with a high-fat diet (HFD) and a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) demonstrated that PSF has a dose-dependent antioxidant capacity both in liver and in brain. In conclusion, the wild Italian Prunus spinosa L. fruit could be considered a potentially useful material for both nutraceutical and food industries because of its antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.

Seeds of Vitis vinifera L. with a high content of bioactive compounds are valuable by-products from grape processing. However, little is known about the bioactivity of seeds from other Vitis species. The aim of this study has been to compare the phenolic composition, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant activity of extracts from seeds of four Vitis species (V. riparia Michx., V. californica Benth., V. amurensis Rupr., and V. vinifera L.). Antioxidant activities were assessed as ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH^•) scavenging activity, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The antimicrobial activity was determined using the microdilution method against some Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium, and Enterobacter aerogenes) and Gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to evaluate the phenolic profile of extracts. Flavan-3-ols, procyanidins, phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, and stilbenoids were detected. (+)-Catechin and (−)-epicatechin turned out to be the most abundant in the phenolic profile of V. amurensis seed extract. Phenolic acids prevailed in the extract from V. vinifera seeds. The V. riparia and V. californica seed extracts had higher contents of most individual phenolics compared to the other Vitis species. They also showed a higher total phenolic content, DPPH^• scavenging activity, ORAC, and overall antibacterial activity. Total phenolic content significantly correlated with antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity against E. coli. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed discrimination between V. vinifera, V. amurensis, and clustered V. riparia and V. californica with respect to variables. To recapitulate, this research demonstrates that seeds of different Vitis species, especially V. riparia and V. californica, are sources of molecules with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities that can be used in different sectors, such as in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.

A survey on the occurrence of ochratoxin A in feeds and sera collected in conventional and organic poultry farms in Northern Italy