The kernel oils of five different palm species native to the Amazon basin and French Guyana were studied. Those studied were Acrocomia lasiospatha Wall., Astrocaryum vulgare C. Mart., Bactris gasipaes H.B.K., Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés, and Maximiliana maripa Drude. Lauric and myristic acids were found in all of the oils. Analysis of the unsaponifiable contents, especially the sterol and triterpene alcohol determinations, revealed the preponderance of sitosterol and the presence of two triterpene alcohols (cycloartenol and 24-methylenecycloartanol). Antioxidant (vitamin E) levels were present in small amounts, with the levels being more similar to olive than to palm oil.More than 40% of oils consumed worldwide today are palm (lauric) oils. The two primary palm species exploited are the Cocos nucifera L. and the Elaeis guineensis N.J. Jacq. Both the mesocarp and kernels provide edible oils as well as oils that have industrial applications (e.g., soapmaking, lubricants, cosmetic creams, and surfactants, among others) (1). In this study, we have paid particular attention to five palm species occurring in French Guyana and the Amazonian basin: Acrocomia lasiospatha Wall, Astrocaryum vulgare C. Mart., Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés, and Maximiliana maripa Drude (2,3).Acrocomia lasiospatha is a 10-15 m high, 30-35 cm diameter, spiny-stemmed palm occurring in the savannah. The fruits are brownish-yellow and the mesocarp is very mucilaginous. The palm develops fruit between July and December. Astrocaryum vulgare is a 10-15 m high palm with hard spines that is very common in open areas, such as fields and pastures and as secondary vegetation. The fruits are yellow-orange and drupaceous, and occur between January and August. Bactris gasipaes is a 10-20 m high, spiny-stemmed palm with greenyellow or yellow-orange fruits that occur between November and July. Elaeis oleifera palm is a (prostrate) trunk palm occurring not far from flooded areas. The red-orange drupaceous fruits occur between July and December. The M. maripa palm, also called inaja in Brazil, grows on dry, sandy sites and is generally found in open areas and secondary forest. It is a large-stemmed palm about 18 m high and 20 cm in diameter with long leaves and ovoid drupaceous fruits that are composed of a fibrous outer shell and a viscous mesocarp pulp. The fruits usually appear between January and June and may occasionally appear from October to December also. The FA composition and the unsaponifiable content of these kernel oils have been reported in several works (4-7). In the present study, these earlier results were confirmed and completed with determinations of the sterol, triterpene alcohol (TA), and total tocopherol values. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMaterials. Fruits were harvested during the ripening season in French Guyana. They were stored at low temperature (−18°C) to avoid the enzymatic degradation of TG.Kernel oil extraction. After shelling the pulp, the seed was ground in a mixer. A 40-g quantity of each sample was place...
This study was aimed at assessing the DNA damage protective activity of different types of extracts (aqueous, methanolic and acetonic) using an in vitro DNA nicking assay. Several parameters were optimized using the pUC18 plasmid, especially FeSO4, EDTA, solvent concentrations and incubation time. Special attention has been paid to removing the protective and damaging effect of the solvent and FeSO4 respectively, as well as to identifying the relevant positive and negative controls. For each solvent, the optimal conditions were determined: (i) for aqueous extracts, 0.33 mM of FeSO4 and 0.62 mM of EDTA were incubated for 20 min at 37 °C; (ii) for acetone extracts, 1.16% solvent were incubated for 15 min at 37 °C with 1.3 mM of FeSO4 and 2.5 mM of EDTA and (iii) for methanol extracts, 0.16% solvent, were incubated for 1.5 h at 37 °C with 0.33 mM of FeSO4 and 0.62 mM of EDTA. Using the optimized conditions, the DNA damage protective activity of aqueous, methanolic and acetonic extracts of an Amazonian palm berry (Oenocarpus bataua) and green tea (Camellia sinensis) was assessed. Aqueous and acetonic Oenocarpus bataua extracts were protective against DNA damage, whereas aqueous, methanolic and acetonic extracts of Camellia sinensis extracts induced DNA damage.
Native palm trees fruit from the Amazonian rainforest, Oenocarpus bacaba and Oenocarpus bataua, are very often used in the diet of local communities, but the biological activities of their roots and leaflets remain poorly known. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of root and leaflet extracts from Oenocarpus bacaba and Oenocarpus bataua were assessed by using different chemical assays, the oxygèn radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), the 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging capacity and the ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). Cellular antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity were also measured in Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts. The polyphenolic composition of Oenocarpus extracts was investigated by LC-MSn. Oenocarpus leaflet extracts were more antioxidant than root extracts, being at least as potent as Euterpe oleracea berries known as superfruit. Oenocarpus root extracts were characterized by hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeoylquinic and caffeoylshikimic acids), while leaflet extracts contained mainly caffeoylquinic acids and C-glycosyl flavones. These results suggest that leaflets of both Oenocarpus species could be valorized as a new non-cytotoxic source of antioxidants from Amazonia, containing hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids, in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic or agri-food industry.
Theobroma cacao L. is an ancestral cultivated plant which has been consumed by various populations throughout history. Cocoa beans are the basic material occurring in the most consumed product in the world, namely chocolate. Their composition includes polyphenols, methylxanthines, lipids and other compounds that may vary qualitatively and quantitatively according to criteria such as variety or culture area. Polyphenols and methylxanthines are known as being responsible for many health benefits, particularly by preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies emphasized their positive role in dietary metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and weight gain. After a brief presentation of cocoa bean, this review provides an overview of recent research activities highlighting promising strategies which modulated and prevented gastro-intestinal metabolism dysfunctions.
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