This study aimed to determine the antioxidant capacity; the total phenolic, total carotenoid, sugar, and ascorbic acid contents; and some pomological characteristics of Citrus species (Citrus reticulata, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus paradisi) and mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and their new hybrids developed for yield at the Alata Horticultural Research Institute in Mersin, Turkey. With respect to antioxidant capacities, the highest value (45.28 µmol TE/100 g) was determined in Cocktail (Citrus paradisi) cultivar fruits among all examined cultivars and hybrids. We found that 7-19 (Clementine × Kara) mandarin hybrids had the highest total phenolic content (386.81 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and the highest total carotenoid content (39.03 mg/kg). Considering the sugar contents of mandarin fruits, sucrose was identified to be the predominant sugar and the highest value (8.80 g/100 g) was identified in the Clementine cultivar. It was determined that the Citrus species and mandarin hybrids had lycopene contents ranging from 6.52 to 1.68 mg/kg. Overall, this study provides supporting evidence for the superiority of Cocktail fruit as an excellent source of antioxidant capacities.

There is a large potential in Europe for valorization in the vegetable food supply chain. For example, there is occasionally overproduction of tomatoes for fresh consumption, and a fraction of the production is unsuited for fresh consumption sale (unacceptable color, shape, maturity, lesions, etc.). In countries where the facilities and infrastructure for tomato processing is lacking, these tomatoes are normally destroyed, used as landfilling or animal feed, and represent an economic loss for producers and negative environmental impact. Likewise, there is also a potential in the tomato processing industry to valorize side streams and reduce waste. The present paper provides an overview of tomato production in Europe and the strategies employed for processing and valorization of tomato side streams and waste fractions. Special emphasis is put on the four tomato-producing countries Norway, Belgium, Poland, and Turkey. These countries are very different regards for example their climatic preconditions for tomato production and volumes produced, and represent the extremes among European tomato producing countries. Postharvest treatments and applications for optimized harvest time and improved storage for premium raw material quality are discussed, as well as novel, sustainable processing technologies for minimum waste and side stream valorization. Preservation and enrichment of lycopene, the primary health promoting agent and sales argument, is reviewed in detail. The European volume of tomato postharvest wastage is estimated at >3 million metric tons per year. Together, the optimization of harvesting time and preprocessing storage conditions and sustainable food processing technologies, coupled with stabilization and valorization of processing by-products and side streams, can significantly contribute to the valorization of this underutilized biomass.

Antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, colour, sugar, volatiles, ascorbic acid and carotenoid (β-carotene and lycopene) contents of differently coloured and shaped tomato cultivars (cvs) grown in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Turkey were determined, along with a sensory evaluation. Tomato cultivars of two different types (cherry and beefsteak) and four different colours (red, yellow, orange and brown) were analysed. All plants were simultaneously grown in the same field and subjected to identical horticultural practices to minimise the effects of environmental conditions and to maximise those related to genotype. The red cherry cultivar had the highest lycopene content, while the orange beefsteak cultivar had the highest β-carotene content. The highest antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and hardness scores were found in cherry-type tomatoes, except the yellow one. The red cherry cultivar had the highest sugar content. Red and brown cherry cultivars were also significant in terms of their high carotenoid and sugar contents, along with a high antioxidant activity. The brown cherry cultivar had the highest total phenol content. The highest quantities of 2-hexenal, 3-hexen-1-ol, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were detected in red cultivars. The brown cherry cultivar had the highest sweetness, typical aroma and hardness scores, while the yellow beefsteak cultivars the lowest sweetness typical aroma scores. In terms of sensory parameters, red and brown cultivars scored higher than yellow and orange ones.   ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 3, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

Microalgae have a great potential for usage in functional foods or ingredients. The amount of the pigments obtained with different solvents from Spirulina platensis and their antioxidant activities, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibition of S. platensis and dried phycocyanin powder were investigated. The highest Chlorophyll‐a and phycocyanin pigment contents were 9.26 mg chlorophyll‐a/g dry spirulina and 78.57 mg phycocyanin/g dry spirulina using sequentially extraction, respectively. It was found that Chlorophyll extracts have higher antioxidant activity (14.62–16.19 mg FeSO4·7H2O/g dry spirulina) than phycocyanin extracts (10.87–12.34 mg FeSO4·7H2O/g dry spirulina). Single extraction was preferred due to increased pigment concentration and antioxidant activity. The percent ACE inhibition values of 10% S. platensis powder and phycocyanin powder suspensions were found as 92.40% and 89.50%, respectively. The necessary protein concentration of S. platensis and phycocyanin powder samples to inhibit 50% of the ACE activity (IC50 values) were 2.93 and 3.96 mg protein/ml, respectively. It was concluded that S. platensis suspension could be more effective than the pure phycocyanin on ACE inhibition. Practical applications Microalgae itself can be considered as functional food or food ingredient because of the bioactive contents such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, sterols, pigments, proteins and enzymes, vitamins, and other bioactive substances. In this study, the quantities and the antioxidant activities of phycocyanin and chlorophyll‐a pigments obtained from Spirulina platensis by sequential extraction of methanol and aqueous sodium nitrate solutions were determined. Also, protein contents and ACE inhibition of residual protein rich fraction were determined after the pigment extraction. The results showed that pigment fractions and residual protein content after pigment extraction have antioxidative and antihypertensive health promoting potential.

This study aims to determine ovarian cancer (OC) patients with platinum resistance for alternative treatment protocols by using metabolomic methodologies. Urine and serum samples of platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive OC were analyzed using GC-MS. After data processing of GC-MS raw data, multivariate analyses were performed to interpret complex data for biologically meaningful information and to identify the biomarkers that cause differences between two groups. The biomarkers were verified after univariate, multivariate, and ROC analysis. Finally, metabolomic pathways related to group separations were specified. The results of biomarker analysis showed that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxybutyric acid, L-threonine, D- mannose, and sorbitol metabolites were potential biomarkers in urine samples. In serum samples, L-arginine, linoleic acid, L-glutamine, and hypoxanthine were identified as important biomarkers. R2Y, Q2, AUC, sensitivity and specificity values of platinum-resistant and sensitive OC patients’ urine and serum samples were 0.85, 0.545, 0.844, 91.30%, 81.08 and 0.570, 0.206, 0.743, 77.78%, 74.28%, respectively. In metabolic pathway analysis of urine samples, tyrosine metabolism and fructose and mannose metabolism were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) for the discrimination of the two groups. While 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, L-tyrosine, and fumaric acid metabolites were effective in tyrosine metabolism. D-sorbitol and D-mannose metabolites were significantly important in fructose and mannose metabolism. However, seven metabolomic pathways were significant (p < 0.05) in serum samples. In terms of p-value, L-glutamine in the nitrogen metabolic pathway from the first three pathways; L-glutamine and pyroglutamic acid metabolites in D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism. In the arginine and proline metabolic pathway, L-arginine, L-proline, and L-ornithine metabolites differed significantly between the two groups.