41 refs.]. -(SEPULVEDA, L.; ASCACIO, A.; RODRIGUEZ-HERRERA, R.; AGUILERA-CARBO, A.; AGUILAR, C. N.; Afr. J. Biotechnol. 10 (2011) 22, 4518-4523 ; Dep. Food Sci. Technol., Univ. Auton., Saltillo, Mex.; Eng.) -Lindner 50-260

Two Aspergillus niger strains (GH1 and PSH) previously isolated from a semiarid region of Mexico were characterized for their effectiveness in converting pomegranate ellagitannins (ET) into ellagic acid (EA) in a solid state fermentation (SSF). Pomegranate seeds and husk were used as support for the SSF. Released EA was evaluated by liquid chromatography. Yields of 6.3 and 4.6 mg of EA per gram of dried pomegranate husk were obtained with A. niger GH1 and PSH, respectively. Total hydrolyzable polyphenols of pomegranate husk were degraded during the first 72 h of culture (71 and 61%, by GH1 and PSH strains, respectively). Tannin acyl hydrolase activity was not clearly associated with EA production. EA that accumulated in cultures of A. niger GH1 was remarkably pure after a simple extraction process. Pomegranate husk is a good support, and at the same time an excellent substrate in the production of high commercial interest metabolites like EA due the degradation of its ET content.

a b s t r a c tIn this study the effect of addition of ellagic acid (at three different concentrations) into candelilla wax matrix on shelf life and quality of whole avocados was studied. Control treatments were avocados coated with candelilla wax without ellagic acid and avocados without coating. The fruits were chosen for their maturity, size, free from infection and physical defects. All those samples were inoculated with a concentrated suspension of spores of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, the main phytopathogenic fungus for avocados. Experiments were carried out completely divided into randomized groups. Changes in appearance, solids content, pH, a w , lightness (L * value) and weight loss were monitored during 6 weeks every 8 days. A sensory evaluation of avocados coated with the best edible film was also performed. Edibel films were able to reduce significantly the damage caused by C. gloeosporioides, reducing also significantly the change in appearance and weight loss in the fruits. Use of ellagic acid as part of the edible film has an important effect to improve the quality and shelf life of avocado. With this work we found that using this new protection system the negative effects of C. gloeosporioides can be successfully reduced.

In the last years, tannin biodegradation has been the subject of a lot of studies due to its commercial importance and scientific relevance. Tannins are molecules of low biodegradation and represent the main chemical group of natural anti-microbials occurring in the plants. Among the different kinds of tannins, ellagitannins represent the group less studied manly due to their diversity and chemical complexity. The general outline of this work includes information on tannins, their classification and properties, biodegradation, ellagic acid production, and potential applications. In addition, it describes molecular, catalytic, and functional information. Special attention has been focused on the biodegradation of ellagitannins describing the possible role of microbial enzymes in the production of ellagic acid.

There exists an increasing interest from consumers and scientific community in developing edible-natural-biodegradable coatings to replace commercial wax-based coatings for maintaining postharvest quality of vegetables. In this work, the effectiveness of guar gum coating on various quality characteristics of Roma tomato at 22 ± 2 ∘ C over a 20 d storage period was investigated. Tomatoes were covered with a 1.5% guar gum coating plasticized with glycerol at 30% and stored at 22 ± 2 ∘ C and 40% RH for 20-d. Tomatoes covered with edible coating significantly enhanced firmness and reduced weight loss, delayed changes on soluble-solids-content, retarded loss of total acidity, and decreased respiration rate compared with uncoated-control fruit. Sensory analysis by trained panelists revealed that the use of the edible coating influenced the acceptability of tomatoes. There were significant differences on the scores given by panelists when comparing the coated and uncoated tomatoes. It was concluded that guar gum affected favorably the physicochemical, microbial, and sensorial quality properties of Roma tomato and therefore could be beneficial in delaying the ripening process at 22 ± 2 ∘ C.

Our research group has found preliminary evidences of the fungal biodegradation pathway of ellagitannins, revealing first the existence of an enzyme responsible for ellagitannins degradation, which hydrolyzes pomegranate ellagitannins and it was called ellagitannase or elagitannin acyl hydrolase. However, it is necessary to generate new and clear information in order to understand the ellagitannin degradation mechanisms. This work describes the distinctive and unique features of ellagitannin metabolism in fungi. In this study, hydrolysis of pomegranate ellagitannins by Aspergillus niger GH1 was studied by solid-state culture using polyurethane foam as support and pomegranate ellagitannins as substrate. The experiment was performed during 36 h. Results showed that ellagitannin biodegradation started after 6 h of fermentation, reaching the maximal biodegradation value at 18 h. It was observed that ellagitannase activity appeared after 6 h of culture, then, the enzymatic activity was maintained up to 24 h of culture reaching 390.15 U/L, after this period the enzymatic activity decreased. Electrophoretic band for ellagitannase was observed at 18 h. A band obtained using non-denaturing electrophoresis was identified as ellagitannase, then, a tandem analysis to reveal the ellagitannase activity was performed using Petri plate with pomegranate ellagitannins. The extracts were analyzed by HPLC/MS to evaluate ellagitannins degradation. Punicalin, gallagic acid, and ellagic acid were obtained from punicalagin. HPLC/MS analysis identified the gallagic acid as an intermediate molecule and immediate precursor of ellagic acid. The potential application of catabolic metabolism of ellagitannin hydrolysis for ellagic acid production is outlined.

Ellagic acid (EA) was quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) coupled with photodiode array detection (DAD) in five fine-powdered plants collected from the semiarid region of Mexico. Samples analysed included Jatropha dioica branches (Dragon’s blood), Euphorbia antisyphyllitica branches (Candelilla), Turnera diffusa Willd leaves (Damiana), Flourensia cernua leaves (hojasén) and Punica granatum husk (pomegranate) at two maturity stages (“turning” or intermediate and maturated fruit, considered as positive controls). The results demonstrated high EA concentrations in all tested samples which are novel sources of this natural antioxidant. The method developed for the EA analysis is fast and it showed an excellent linearity range, repeatability, intra-and inter-day precision and accuracy with respect to the methods reported for the EA analysis.

Rambutan husk cultivated in Mexico is a promising source for the recovery of added value bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, which have potential applications as bioactive antioxidant agents for the treatment of diseases.