Gustavo Adolfo Castillo-Herrera’s research while affiliated with Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco and other places

Peptides in black bean protein hydrolysates (BPHs) exert antioxidant capacity. However, peptides are prone to degradation during processing and digestion. Chitosan (Ch) can protect them and provide a delayed release. This work develops and compares two drying methods producing porous structured Ch microparticles (MPs) as carriers for antioxidant BPH. Ch gels were obtained by ionic gelation and dried by supercritical CO2 solvent displacement or fast‐freeze‐drying methods. The resulting aerogels and fast‐freeze‐dried MPs were structurally characterized, and their swelling and release profiles were obtained at pH 1.2 and 7.4. The antioxidant capacity of systems was determined by 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethyl‐benzthiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and superoxide radical assays. The results showed BPH‐Ch best complexation conditions occurring at a pH of 4.5 and a 4:1 BPH/Ch ratio. The particle size of the complex was 1047.6 nm, and the entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were 28.2% and 54.3%, respectively. At pH 1.2 and 7.4, the release rate of BPH was lower in aerogel than in fast‐freeze‐dried MPs. Besides, entrapment BPH in Ch significantly reduced the ABTS antioxidant activity IC50 from 35.1 µM Trolox equivalents (TE)/mg to 250.7 and 406.2 µM TE/mg for Ch fast‐freeze‐dried and aerogels, respectively. Superoxide radical inhibition IC50 ranged from 74.6 to 92.9 mM ascorbic acid equivalents/mg in the different samples. BPH‐loaded aerogels presented lower specific surface area (94.7 vs. 138.6 m²/g, p < 0.05) and higher average pore size (26.4 vs. 19.8 nm) than Ch aerogels. Ch aerogel is a promising carrier for delaying the release of common bean antioxidant peptides useful for developing functional foods. Practical Application This novel system could act as an ingredient to incorporate antioxidant compounds in different formats to develop delayed‐release nutraceuticals and functional foods, such as bakery, dairy products, or beverages. Along, antioxidant peptide‐loaded aerogels could be used as a slow‐release system for compounds acting as natural preserving antioxidants for food applications such as raw meat products or high‐fat foods.

Syzygium aromaticum L. (clove) is a species native to subtropical countries. Its dried flower buds are rich in essential oils, which have shown insecticidal, anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic effects. This work was aimed to study the differences in antioxidant and anticancer activities between clove essential oil (CEO) and its major component, eugenol. The chemical composition of the CEO was determined by GC-MS. The physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity were determined in CEO and eugenol. Finally, anticancer activities were assayed against seven cell lines. Chemical analysis revealed that 80% of the CEO was eugenol. The density and IR were similar, and the colour was ΔE*>3. CEO had a lower phenolic content, but similar antioxidant activity to eugenol. The anticancer activity of the CEO was greater than that of eugenol in all the cell lines except for HeLa cells. These results suggest that secondary compounds in CEO enhance its antioxidant and -anticancer activities.

This study aimed to evaluate different pre-treatments on cricket flour (CF), solvent-defatting (CFH), and supercritical-defatting (CFS) to obtain cricket protein concentrate (CPC) by ultrafiltration (UF)-diafiltration (DF) and evaluate the UF-DF performance, techno-functional properties, and digestibility. Results showed that defatting efficiency was 63 % and 85 % for solvent-defatting and supercritical fluid defatting, respectively. The supercritical fluid extraction process decreased the protein solubility and affected the UF performance, decreasing protein retention by 33 %. However, the soluble protein of the generated concentrates was higher than 90 %. Protein concentrates showed a better foaming capacity at pH 5.0 and 7.0, while the oil-holding capacity (1.95–2.20 g/g) decreased in defatted concentrates but was higher than water-holding (0.30–0.60 g/g). Emulsion activity (45–50 %) was not affected by pre-treatments (p > 0.05). Protein digestibility ranged from 71 to 75 % (p < 0.05). Supercritical fluid defatting and ultrafiltration-diafiltration processes were suitable for obtaining cricket protein concentrates.

The leaves of Agave angustifolia Haw. are the main agro-waste generated by the mezcal industry and are becoming an important source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, that could be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, the extraction and identification of these phytochemicals would revalorize these leaf by-products. Herein, maceration and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extractions were optimized to maximize the phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant capacity of vegetal extracts of A. angustifolia Haw. In the maceration process, the optimal extraction condition was a water–ethanol mixture (63:37% v/v), which yielded a total phenolic and flavonoid content of 27.92 ± 0.90 mg EAG/g DL and 12.85 ± 0.53 µg QE/g DL, respectively, and an antioxidant capacity of 32.67 ± 0.91 (ABTS assay), 17.30 ± 0.36 (DPPH assay), and 13.92 ± 0.78 (FRAP assay) µM TE/g DL. Using supercritical extraction, the optimal conditions for polyphenol recovery were 60 °C, 320 bar, and 10% v/v. It was also observed that lower proportions of cosolvent decreased the polyphenol extraction more than pressure and temperature. In both optimized extracts, a total of 29 glycosylated flavonoid derivatives were identified using LC-ESI-QTof/MS. In addition, another eight novel compounds were identified in the supercritical extracts, showing the efficiency of the cosolvent for recovering new flavonoid derivatives.

Clove essential oil is traditionally used as an anesthetic, analgesic, or insecticide, and recently, its applications as an antimicrobial, antioxidant, or anticancer agent have been explored. Nanoemulsions are thermodynamically unstable dispersions (d < 100 nm) produced by mixing two immiscible phases, which, in many cases, improve the stability and biological activities of functional ingredients for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or food applications. This research optimized the formation of clove essential oil nanoemulsions by employing response surface methodology. The surfactant concentration was minimized by modifying the percentage of clove oil (0–100%), surfactant content (1–4%), and oil phase content (0–20%). In the optimum conditions, a nanoemulsion (93.19 ± 3.92 nm) was produced using 1.0% surfactant and 2.5% oil phase of which 50.7% was clove essential oil. The optimized nanoemulsion was stable in rapid stability tests (centrifugation, freezing–thawing, and heating–cooling), but its average droplet size increased during storage at different temperatures. The nanoemulsion contains a phenolic content equivalent to 736 mg gallic acid/mL. However, the antioxidant capacity of the essential oil (IC50 = 0.78 µg/mL) was dismissed in the nanoemulsion (IC50 = 2.43 µg/mL). The antimicrobial activity of the nanoemulsion showed strain–dependent behavior with MIC ranging from 0.0468 to 0.75 mg/mL, where E. coli and S. typhimurium were the most susceptible pathogenic bacteria. Finally, nanoencapsulation of clove oil showed higher in vitro cytotoxic activity against Caco–2 cancer cells (227 μg/mL) than free clove essential oil (283 μg/mL), but nanoemulsion (306 μg/mL) was less effective than oil (231 μg/mL) in the HT–29 line. This research shows the potential of clove essential oil nanoemulsions for developing biological therapies to treat diseases.

Common beans are an inexpensive source of high‐quality food ingredients. They are rich in proteins, slowly digestible starch, fiber, phenolic compounds, and other bioactive molecules that could be separated and processed to obtain value‐added ingredients with techno‐functional and biological potential. The use of common beans in the food industry is a promising alternative to add nutritional and functional ingredients with a low impact on overall consumer acceptance. Researchers are evaluating traditional and novel technologies to develop functionally enhanced common bean ingredients, such as flours, proteins, starch powders, and phenolic extracts that could be introduced as functional ingredient alternatives in the food industry. This review compiles recent information on processing, techno‐functional properties, food applications, and the biological potential of common bean ingredients. The evidence shows that incorporating an adequate proportion of common bean ingredients into regular foods such as pasta, bread, or nutritional bars improves their fiber, protein, phenolic compounds, and glycemic index profile without considerably affecting their organoleptic properties. Additionally, common bean consumption has shown health benefits in the gut microbiome, weight control, and the reduction of the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases. However, food matrix interaction studies and comprehensive clinical trials are needed to develop common bean ingredient applications and validate the health benefits over time.