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Flowers have played a significant role in society, focusing on their aesthetic value rather than their food potential. This study's goal was to look into flowering plants for everything from health benefits to other possible applications. This review presents detailed information on 119 species of flowers with agri-food and health relevance. Data were collected on their family, species, common name, commonly used plant part, bioremediation applications, main chemical compounds, medicinal and gastronomic uses, and concentration of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and phenolic compounds. In this respect, 87% of the floral species studied contain some toxic compounds, sometimes making them inedible, but specific molecules from these species have been used in medicine. Seventy-six percent can be consumed in low doses by infusion. In addition, 97% of the species studied are reported to have medicinal uses (32% immune system), and 63% could be used in the bioremediation of contaminated environments. Significantly, more than 50% of the species were only analysed for total concentrations of carotenoids and phenolic compounds, indicating a significant gap in identifying specific molecules of these bioactive compounds. These potential sources of bioactive compounds could transform the health and nutraceutical industries, offering innovative approaches to combat oxidative stress and promote optimal well-being.

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The substitution of synthetic food dyes with natural colorants continues to be assiduously pursued. The current list of natural carotenoid colorants consists of plant-derived annatto (bixin and norbixin), paprika (capsanthin and capsorubin), saffron (crocin), tomato and gac fruit lycopene, marigold lutein, and red palm oil (α- and ß-carotene), along with microalgal Dunaliella ß-carotene and Haematococcus astaxanthin and fungal Blakeslea trispora ß-carotene and lycopene. Potential microalgal sources are being sought, especially in relation to lutein, for which commercial plant sources are lacking. Research efforts, manifested in numerous reviews and research papers published in the last decade, have been directed to green extraction, microencapsulation/nanoencapsulation, and valorization of processing by-products. Extraction is shifting from conventional extraction with organic solvents to supercritical CO2 extraction and different types of assisted extraction. Initially intended for the stabilization of the highly degradable carotenoids, additional benefits of encapsulation have been demonstrated, especially the improvement of carotenoid solubility and bioavailability. Instead of searching for new higher plant sources, enormous effort has been directed to the utilization of by-products of the fruit and vegetable processing industry, with the application of biorefinery and circular economy concepts. Amidst enormous research activities, however, the gap between research and industrial implementation remains wide.

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The work describes the carotenoid synthesis process by Rhodotorula glutinis P4M422 using an agro-industrial waste as the substrate, seeking a biorefinery platform approach for waste utilization to produce high-value molecules. A culture medium based on goat milk whey (GMW) was optimized via the Taguchi method (L9 array). Four factors (ethanol, carbon and nitrogen source, and pH) were evaluated at three levels. The carbon and nitrogen composition were the factors dominating the process performance. Optimized conditions were validated (Urea, 0.3% w/v; pH, 4.5; ethanol, 10% v/v; glucose, 6.0%), and the carotenoid production (4075 µg/L) was almost 200% higher than when using the un-optimized process (2058 µg/L). Provitamin A carotenoids torulene, ß-carotene, and γ-carotene (different proportions) were produced under all conditions. The hydrolyzed goat milk whey showed promising expectations as a low-cost source for carotenoid production by Rhodotorula glutinis P4M422. The results are important for the innovative sustainable production of carotenoid-rich matrices for different purposes (nutrition, health promotion, color) and industries (foods, nutricosmetics, nutraceuticals, feeds), notably to help to combat vitamin A deficiency.

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Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments, and sources of vitamin A in humans. The first metabolic pathway for their synthesis is mediated by the enzymes ß,ß-carotene-15,15'-dioxygenase (BCO1) and ß,ß-carotene-9',10'-dioxygenase (BCO2), which cleave carotenoids into smaller compounds, called apocarotenoids. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the interaction of BCO1 and BCO2 with carotenoids, adding structural diversity and importance in the agro-food and/or health sectors. Homology modeling of BCO1 and BCO2, and the molecular dynamics of complexes with all carotenoids were performed. Interaction energy and structures were analyzed. For both enzymes, the general structure is conserved with a seven beta-sheet structure, and the ß-carotene is positioned at an optimal distance from the catalytic center. Fe2+ forms in an octahedral coordination sphere with four perfectly conserved histidine residues. BCO1 finds stability in a structure in which the ß-carotene is positioned ready for enzymatic catalysis at the 15-15' bond, and BCO2 in positioning the bond to be cleaved (C9-C10) close to the active site. In BCO1 the carotenoids interact with only seven residues with aromatic rings, while the interaction of BCO2 is much more varied in terms of the type of interaction, with more residues of different chemical natures.

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Mango is a commercially important tropical fruit. During its processing, peel and seed kernel are discarded as waste but they could be recovered as an excellent and cost-effective source of health-promoting ingredients. This study aimed to characterize some of them, including carotenoids like the provitamin A ß-carotene and lutein, with an interest beyond its role in eye health. Other health-promoting compounds like tocopherols and polyphenols were also evaluated, as well as the in vitro antioxidant capacity of mango by-products. Regarding isoprenoids, α-tocopherol was mainly found in the peels and carotenoids concentration was higher in the pulps. ß-carotene was the most abundant carotene in pulp and seed kernel, whereas peel was the only source of lutein, with violaxanthin the most abundant xanthophyll in the different mango organs tested. With regard to polyphenols, peels exhibited greater variability in its phenolic composition, being the total content up to 85 and 10 times higher than the pulp and seed kernels, respectively. On the other hand, peels also stood out for being a very rich source of mangiferin. Seed kernels and peels showed higher antioxidant capacity values than the pulps. These results contribute to the valorization of mango by-products as new natural ingredients for the pharma and food industries.

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BACKGROUND: Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes.) leaves, native of the Ecuadorian Amazon, are popularly used for preparing teas. This study aimed to assess the influence of leaf age on the phenolic compounds and carotenoids and the bioactivity and digestibility (in vitro) of aqueous and hydroalcoholic leaf extracts. RESULTS: In total, 14 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. Chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-O-hexose were the main representatives of the hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols respectively. Seven carotenoids were quantified, lutein being the main compound. Ripening affected phenolic content significantly, but there was no significant difference in carotenoid content. Antioxidant capacity, measured by the DPPH• method, was also significantly affected by leaf age. The measurement of in vitro digestibility showed a decrease in phenolic content (59%) as well as antioxidant capacity, measured by the ABTS•+ method, in comparison with initial conditions of the guayusa infusion. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities were assayed with young leaves owing to their higher phenolic contents. Guayusa did not show any antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 or Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Finally, the hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts exhibited high in vitro anti-inflammatory activity (>65%). CONCLUSION: Young guayusa leaves have potential applications as a functional ingredient in food and pharmaceutical industries. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

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BACKGROUND: Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes) is an evergreen tree native of South America that grows particularly in the upper Amazon region of Ecuador. For its health benefits, it has been cultivated and consumed since ancient times by Amazon indigenous tribes. RESULTS: A total of 14 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. Chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-O-hexose were the main representatives of the hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols, respectively. Five carotenoids were identified, showing lutein the highest concentration. Guayusa leaves revealed high antioxidant capacity determined by two analytical methods, DPPH and ORAC. The industrial processing applied to the leaves modified the composition of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of guayusa. In general, blanched guayusa retained the concentration of phenolic compounds and some carotenoids and similar antioxidant capacity as untreated green leaves. In contrast, fermentation reduced the content of bioactive compounds and showed the lowest antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSION: Therefore, blanched guayusa has potential for product development as a functional ingredient in the food industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Passiflora mollissima (Kunth) L.H. Bailey is an exotic fruit native to South America, known as taxo in Ecuador. This paper characterizes its flavonoid and carotenoid composition and antioxidant capacity and evaluates the effect of the spray-drying process on its phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity. A total of 18 flavonoid compounds, nine proanthocyanidins and nine flavan-3-ol monomers, were identified and quantified. Glycosides of (epi)-afzelechin stood out as the most abundant flavonoid. Three carotenoids were identified, with ß-carotene having the highest concentration. The DPPH· and ORAC assay methods indicated a high antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the bioactive content showed a positive and direct correlation with antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, the spray-drying process produced a stable phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of taxo. These results demonstrate the potential applicability of microencapsulated taxo as a functional ingredient in the food industry.

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Background The properties of natural pigments, such as antioxidants, functional, medical, and nutraceutical, have demonstrated the advantages of these natural compounds over synthetic ones. Some products are accepted only when they are pigmented with natural, food-quality colorants: for example poultry products (manly marigold flower extracts). Carotenoids such as β-carotene, β-criptoxanthin and lutein are very attractive as natural food colorants due to their antioxidant and pro-vitamin activities which provide additional value to the target products. Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is an Asteraceous ornamental plant native to Mexico, and it is also important as a carotenoid source for industrial and medicinal purposes but nowadays its production is destined mainly for ornamental purposes. Results Friable callus of T. erecta yellow flower (YF) and white flower (WF) varieties was induced from leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 9.0 µM 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 8.8 µM benzyladenine (BA). Calluses developed from both varieties were different in pigmentation. Extract characterization from callus cultures was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This analytical process detected several carotenoids; the main pigments in extracts from YF callus were lutein and zeaxanthin, whereas in the extracts of the WF callus the main pigments were lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene. Callus cultures of T. erecta accumulated pigments even after several rounds of subculture. Conclusions WF callus appeared to be a suitable candidate as a source of different carotenoids, and tested varieties could represent an alternative for further studies about in vitro pigment production.

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In this study HPLC-DAD-MS/MS was applied for the identification of compounds derived from (all-E)-ß-carotene following epoxidation and oxidative cleavage. The consequences on the CIELAB colour parameters and antioxidant capacity (AC) were also evaluated. Five apocarotenoids, three secocarotenoids, seven Z isomers and two epoxides were detected as a result of the oxidative cleavage. Four epoxides and three Z isomers were detected as a consequence of the epoxidation reaction. Some compounds were detected for the first time as a result of oxidation reactions. Both treatments led to a marked decrease in b(∗) and Cab(∗) values, indicating that these colour parameters can be used for the rapid assessment of ß-carotene oxidation. The oxidative cleavage of ß-carotene resulted in increased capacity to both scavenge ABTS(+) and quench singlet oxygen. These results suggest that the study of the AC of these oxidative derivatives and their possible usefulness as food ingredients deserves further attention.

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Many tropical fruits can be considered a reservoir of bioactive substances with a special interest due to their possible health-promoting properties. The interest in carotenoids from a nutritional standpoint has recently greatly increased, because of their important health benefits. Here we report the native carotenoids composition in six tropical fruits from Panama, which is considered a region of great biodiversity. The native carotenoid composition was directly investigated by an HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS methodology, for the first time. In Corozo 32 different carotenoids were detected, including a high content of ß-carotene and lycopene. Sastra showed the highest content of zeaxanthin among the fruit investigated. In Sapote 22 different carotenoids were detected, including ß-carotene and 10 different zeaxanthin-di-esters. Frutita showed a very high content of the apo-carotenoid ß-citraurin, and of a number of its esters. In Maracuyà chino 14 carotenoids were detected, including a high amounts of mono-esterified lauric acid with ß-cryptoxanthin and with cryptocapsin. Mamey rojo was characterised by ketocarotenoids with κ rings, both hydroxylated and not hydroxylated.

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Carotenoid are ubiquitous compounds serving a series of functions that make them special. Thus, they are regarded as essential compounds for life mainly due to the different roles they perform in photosynthesis as we currently know it. For many years, the nutritional relevance ot carotenoids was due to some of them exhibiting vitamin A activity, although the interest in these pigments has expanded dramatically in the last years owing to a large variety of surveys that seem to indicate that they are antioxidant and may be beneficial for the prevention of several chronic non-transmissible human diseases, albeit there is some controversy in this regard. In any case, it is clear that the different functions and effects attributed to these isoprenoids stem from their physical and chemical properties, the latter being due to their chemical structure. Due to the diverse benefitial actions carotenoids are responsible for and, above all, to their nutritional importance, the main objective of this review is to describe such features, whose knowledge is indispensable to have a holistic view of the different roles they play and for the design of new studies.

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Los pigmentos carotenoides constituyen un grupo de compuestos ubicuos en la naturaleza que realizan una serie de funciones que los hacen especiales. Así, son considerados compuestos indispensables para la vida, fundamentalmente debido a las diferentes funciones que llevan a cabo en relación con la fotosíntesis tal y como se conoce hoy en día. Durante muchos años, la importancia nutricional de los carotenoides se debió a que algunos de ellos poseen actividad provitamínica A, si bien el que el interés por estos isoprenoides se haya multiplicado en los últimos años se ha debido a una gran variedad de estudios que parecen indicar que actúan como antioxidantes y que podrían ser beneficiosos para la prevención de diversas enfermedades crónicas humanas no transmisibles, si bien existe todavía cierta controversia al respecto. En cualquier caso, las funciones y efectos debidos a estos pigmentos se deben a sus propiedades fisico-químicas y que éstas a su vez son consecuencia de su estructura química. Debido a las variadas acciones beneficiosas de las que son responsables, y sobre todo a su importancia nutricional, el objetivo fundamental de esta revisión es la descripción de dichas caracteríticas, cuyo conocimiento es indispensable para tener una visión global de los diferentes roles que desempeñan y para el diseño de nuevos estudios.

Carotenoid are ubiquitous compounds serving a series of functions that make them special. Thus, they are regarded as essential compounds for life mainly due to the different roles they perform in photosynthesis as we currently know it. For many years, the nutritional relevance ot carotenoids was due to some of them exhibiting vitamin A activity, although theinterest in these pigments has expanded dramatically in the last years owing to a large variety of surveys that seem to indicate that they are antioxidant and may be beneficial for the prevention of several chronic non-transmissible human diseases, albeit there is some controversy in this regard. In any case, it is clear that the different functions and effects attributed to these isoprenoids stem from their physical and chemical properties, the latter being due to their chemical structure. Due to the diverse benefitial actions carotenoids are responsible for and, above all, to their nutritional importance, the main objective of this review is to describe such features, whose knowledge is indispensable to have a holistic view of the different roles they play and for the design of new studies.

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Carotenoids are responsible for the colour of a great number of both vegetable and animal foods, such as carrots, orange juice, tomato, salmon and egg yolk. It has been known for many years that some of these compounds, such as alpha and beta-carotene, as well as beta-cryptoxanthin, are provitamins A. However, recent studies have shown the antioxidant properties of these compounds and their efficiency in the prevention of certain human diseases, such as atherosclerosis or cancer. Because of all this, the interest in these compounds has increased substantially from a nutritional point of view.

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Carotenoids are responsible for the colour of a wide variety of both vegetable and animal foods. Several studies published recently have shown that these compounds have a beneficial effect in human health, thus, from a nutritional point of view, it is important to know the factors related to their degradation, because carotenoid losses, not only produce changes in food colour, but also decrease their nutritional value. The instability of carotenoids is due to the fact that they are highly unsaturated compounds, thus degradation is due mainly to oxidation. Other factors, such as temperature, light or pH can produce important qualitative changes in these compounds by means of isomerization reactions.

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