Gastrointestinal digestion (GID) is a physiological process that transforms the stability, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity (AOX) of polyphenols from blackberries (Rubusspp.).

Edible insects and their ingredients are considered as a novel, sustainable and high-quality nutritional source for their potential use as food and feed. However, they are highly oxidizable and potentially unsafe. Dehydration of insects removes moisture and extends their shelf life. Moreover, it is considered as a prerequisite and/or pretreatment for some extraction technologies for ingredient production. Drying technologies (sun drying, smoke drying, roasting, freeze drying and oven drying) have been used to dry insects, both at a laboratory and industrial level. Different drying pretreatments (thermal blanching, microwave-assisted drying and pulsed electric field) have been explored to improve the final quality of the insect products, extending their shelf life and reducing total energy consumption. Therefore, this article aimed to review the current research available in edible insect drying processing technologies, addressing their effectiveness and their influence over different quality parameters such as protein/lipid extraction efficiency, sensory characteristics of the final products, microbiological safety, shelf life and their impact on bioactive compounds.

Oat (Avena sativa) is one of the most cultivated and consumed cereals worldwide. Recognized among cereals for its high protein content (12%–24%), it makes it an excellent source of bioactive peptides, which could be modified during processes such as heating and gastrointestinal digestion (GID). This work aims to evaluate the impact of heat treatment on the proteolysis of oat proteins and on the evolution of antioxidant peptide released during in vitro static GID, in terms of comparative analysis between cooked oat protein concentrate (COPC) and non-heated oat protein concentrate (OPC) samples. The protein extraction method and cooking procedure used showed no detrimental effects on protein quality. After GID, the proportion of free amino acids/dipeptides (40% for both samples (OPC and COPC), thus producing peptides with low molecular weight and enhanced bioactivity. Furthermore, during GID, the amino acid profile showed an increase in essential, positively-charged, hydrophobic and aromatic amino acids. At the end of GID, the reducing power of OPC and COPC increased >0.3 and 8-fold, respectively, in comparison to the non-digested samples; while ABTS•+ and DPPH• showed a >20-fold increase. Fe2+ chelating capacity of OPC and COPC was enhanced >4 times; similarly, Cu2+ chelation showed a >19-fold enhancement for OPC and >10 for COPC. β-carotene bleaching activity was improved 0.8 times in OPC and >9 times in COPC; the oxygen radical antioxidant capacity assay increased 2 times in OPC and >4.7 times in COPC, respectively. This study suggests that OPC after cooking and GID positively influenced the nutritional and bioactive properties of oat peptides. Thus, COPC could be used as a functional food ingredient with health-promoting effects, as hydrothermal treatment is frequently used for this type of cereals.

Pulses are consumed worldwide with different processing methods, which may impact their digestibility, protein quality, and composition. This study aims to analyze the effect of extrusion, baking, and cooking on protein nutritional parameters; bioactive compounds; and the impact on antioxidant capacity (AOX) of 10 selected pulses. Sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) revealed that thermal processing causes modifications to the main storage proteins in pulses. Heating decreased saponin content from 12% to 44% in most heat‐processed samples; phytates were reduced 30%–84%, and polyphenol content decreased 28%–66%. In addition, the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) was enhanced 2.5%–9.5%, 3.5%–10.7%, and 2.2%–8.4% by extrusion, cooking, and baking, respectively. AOX showed an improvement in all processed samples (compared to raw flour) evaluated by the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Fe²⁺ chelation showed that extruded and baked chickpea exhibited a decrease in IC₅₀ by 40% and 70%, respectively. Extruded green and yellow split pea presented the highest Fe²⁺ chelation, improving by 11%–17% and 13–80%, respectively, when compared to the raw samples. Reducing power was enhanced by 26% in extruded chickpea, 18% and 29% in extruded and baked faba bean, respectively, and 50% in baked navy bean, when compared to the raw samples. Extrusion showed the highest β‐carotene AOX improvements (IC₅₀ 90%–96%). In this study, it was demonstrated that pulses AOX attributes can be enhanced by thermal processing; however, this will depend on the legume species and heating process applied. Furthermore, cooking seems to be the most effective thermal method to decrease saponins and phenolics, while extrusion reduced effectively phytic acid on bean samples, and cooking for the rest of pulses. All heating treatments affected positively IVPD, while the highest in vitro protein‐digestibility corrected amino acid score (IVPDCAAS) values were observed for baked pulses. Employing adequate processing methods represents an effective strategy to improve the digestibility of their proteins, as well as increasing the antioxidant potential of the resulting ingredients.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly cancer type in the central nervous system. Following the conventional treatments in these patients, the prognosis remains poor due to high tumor recurrence. Anthocyanins from natural sources, such as blackberries (Rubus spp.), have demonstrated anti-proliferative effects on glioma cell lines. However, anthocyanins present in wild blackberries have been poorly studied on these cancer cells. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the anthocyanins profile of two species of wild Mexican blackberries (R. liebmannii and R. palmeri), and their anti-oxidant and anti-proliferative capacities on two glioma (C6 and RG2) cell lines. RESULTS: We concentrated the anthocyanin content at least 26 times, revealing different proportions of these compounds in the wild blackberries. In vitro, these fractions showed anti-oxidant capacity (>10 times), while diminishing cell viability (>50%) by both Rubus fractions assayed on C6 and RG2 cells (compared to control). Also, we observed increased levels of lipid peroxidation (∼59%) by malondialdehyde formation. Results from the cell cycle and flow cytometry assays show that anthocyanins enriched fractions elicit apoptotic responses in these glioma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Anthocyanins present in Mexican wild blackberries constitute potential tools to develop alternative therapies to improve the survival rate in glioma patients.