More than Just Wine: The Nutritional Benefits of Grapevine Leaves

Abstract

The domesticated species Vitis vinifera L. harbours many cultivars throughout the world that present distinctive phenology and grape quality. Not only have the grapes been used for human consumption, but the leaves are also used as a source of bioactive compounds and are present in the diets of several Mediterranean countries. We have selected seven different cultivars and performed elemental, fatty acid (FA) and pigment profiling. Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) enabled the identification of 21 elements. Among them, Na, Ca and K were highly represented in all the cultivars and Zn was prevalent in V. vinifera cv. ‘Pinot noir’ and ‘Cabernet sauvignon’. Through gas chromatography, six FAs were identified, including omega-3 and omega-6 FA, the most abundant mainly in V. vinifera cv. ‘Tinta barroca’, ‘Pinot noir’ and ‘Cabernet sauvignon’. FA composition was used to determine nutritional quality parameters, namely atherogenic, thrombogenic, hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic and peroxidisability indexes as well as oxidability and oxidative susceptibility. Grapevine leaves were highlighted as a suitable source of health-promoting lipids. Given the popularity of “green” diets, we have also performed a leaf pigment analysis. Seventeen pigments including chlorophylls, trans-lutein, b-carotene and zeaxanthins were detected. ‘C19′ presented the highest content of most of the detected pigments.

Interactive Temperature and CO2 Rise, Salinity, Drought, and Bacterial Inoculation Alter the Content of Fatty Acids, Total Phenols, and Oxalates in the Edible Halophyte Salicornia ramosissima

“…FA profile, besides its nutritional relevance, has been suggested as a useful biomarker for abiotic stress in halophytes species, such as Spartina maritima , Spartina patens , Halimione portulacoides, and Sarcocornia fruticosa , and their levels are highly related to the photosynthetic functioning of these species [ 39 , 40 ]. We found that S. ramosissima leaves were dominated by PUFAs (especially by linolenic and linoleic acid), followed by SFAs (mostly palmitic acid), in agreement with the results obtained for other Salicornia species such as S. europaea [ 41 ] and S. bigelovii [ 42 ].…”

“…FA quality indexes showed that the increase in temperature and CO 2 predicted for the future atmosphere decreased the quality of FA, in terms of oxidative stability. That is, they are more prone to oxidation, and in terms of human health, they have a lower protective potential for the cardiovascular system [ 39 ].…”

“…Furthermore, to assess the nutritional quality of the lipids present in the leaves of S. ramosissima and considering their protective role in cardiac diseases, the atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) indexes, oxidizability (Cox), oxidative susceptibility (OS), hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic index (h/H), and peroxidizability index (PI) were calculated according to the following equations [ 39 ]: …”

“…The peroxidizability index (PI) is used to assess the stability of PUFAs and their capacity to be protected from possible oxidation processes. High h/H and PI index values are considered more beneficial for human health [ 39 ].…”

Vermicomposting as a Valorization Solution to the Winery Sector By-Products

“…Moreover, leaf components have been shown to exhibit antioxidant potential [70,73]. Grapevine leaves have been used in folk medicine due to various biological activities, and they are also used as food, considered a delicacy in some Mediterranean countries, and employed in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries as sources of bioactive compounds [74][75][76][77][78].…”