Browsing by Author "Carrasco, Elena"
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- Bioactive potential of olive leaf by-product throughout in vitro gastrointestinal digestionPublication . Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Mónica; Gómez-García, Ricardo; Carrasco, Elena; Rodríguez, Alejandro; Pintado, ManuelaOlive leaf, an abundant and underutilized byproduct of the olive industry, has gained attention as a potential functional ingredient due to its high content of dietary fiber and phenolic compounds. However, little is known about its bioaccessibility and transformation throughout the digestive process, limiting its application in food formulations. This study provides a comprehensive and quantitative assessment of how ground olive leaf bioactive compounds behave during gastrointestinal digestion, offering new insights into their stability and potential health benefits. The total phenolics content and antioxidant activity of ground olive leaf increased in the oral and gastric phases, decreasing slightly in the intestinal phase, with a bioaccessibility of 46% and up to 70% for the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, respectively. The principal individual phenolic compounds identified in the intestinal phase were oleuropein, luteolin-7-glycoside, luteolin-6-glycoside and ferulic acid, with bioaccessibilities of up to 97%. The main soluble sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) and organic acids (succinic, citric, and acetic acids) detected in the olive leaf samples showed different behaviors during gastrointestinal digestion: sugars increased in the oral and gastric phases but decreased in the intestinal phase, with high bioaccessibility despite reduced recovery, while organic acids remained mostly stable, except for citric acid, which decreased significantly in the intestinal phase, all showing close to 100% bioaccessibility. These results provide the first detailed evidence of the digestive fate of ground olive leaf bioactive compounds, reinforcing its potential as a functional ingredient. Its natural availability, without requiring pre-treatment, combined with its high antioxidant potential and bioaccessibility, highlights its relevance for the development of innovative food ingredients, aligning with circular economy principles and sustainable food strategies.
- Prebiotic potential of olive leaf by-product throughout in vitro human colon fermentationPublication . Gutiérrez, Mónica Sánchez; Gómez-García, Ricardo; Pintado, Manuela; Rodríguez, Alejandro; Carrasco, ElenaOlive leaf represents a promising source of novel ingredients with potential health benefits, being rich in dietary fiber and phenolic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the prebiotic effects of olive leaf bioactive compounds through in vitro human colonic fermentation. The phenolic compounds identified prior to fermentation included hydroxytyrosol, vanillin, oleuropein, and tyrosol. Olive ground leaf significantly promoted the fermentation of colonic microbiota with respect to positive control (FOS) by enhancing the growth of probiotic strains, such as Bifidobacterium spp. or Clostridum leptum, and producing short-chain fatty acids, such as acetate, butyrate and propionate, related to health benefits. Furthermore, olive leaf showed a lower Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio compared to FOS, resulting in a beneficial effect on gut microbiota composition. These findings support the potential of olive leaf as a functional ingredient with prebiotic properties, offering promising applications in the development of novel foods or ingredients aimed at improving human health.
- A quantitative risk assessment model for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat smoked and gravad fishPublication . Gonzales-Barron, Ursula; Pouillot, Régis; Skjerdal, Taran; Carrasco, Elena; Teixeira, Paula; Stasiewicz, Matthew J.; Hasegawa, Akio; Mota, Juliana De Oliveira; Guillier, Laurent; Cadavez, Vasco; Sanaa, MoezThis study introduces a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) model aimed at evaluating the risk of invasive listeriosis linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat (RTE) smoked and gravad fish. The QRA model, based on published data, simulates the production process from fish harvest through to consumer intake, specifically focusing on smoked brine-injected, smoked dry-salted, and gravad fish. In a reference scenario, model predictions reveal substantial probabilities of lot and pack contamination at the end of processing (38.7% and 8.14% for smoked brined fish, 34.4% and 6.49% for smoked dry-salted fish, and 52.2% and 11.1% for gravad fish), although the concentrations of L. monocytogenes are very low, with virtually no packs exceeding 10 CFU/g at the point of sale. The risk of listeriosis for an elderly consumer per serving is also quantified. The lot-level mean risk of listeriosis per serving in the elderly population was 9.751 × 10−8 for smoked brined fish, 9.634 × 10−8 for smoked dry-salted fish, and 2.086 × 10−7 for gravad fish. Risk reduction strategies were then analyzed, indicating that the application of protective cultures and maintaining lower cold storage temperatures significantly mitigate listeriosis risk compared to reducing incoming fish lot contamination. The model also addresses the effectiveness of control measures during processing, such as minimizing cross-contamination. The comprehensive QRA model has been made available as a fully documented qraLm R package. This facilitates its adaptation for risk assessment of other RTE seafood, making it a valuable tool for public health officials to evaluate and manage food safety risks more effectively.
- Quercus ilex leaf as a functional ingredient: polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity throughout simulated gastrointestinal digestion and antimicrobial activityPublication . Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Mónica; Gómez-García, Ricardo; Carrasco, Elena; Bascón-Villegas, Isabel; Rodríguez, Alejandro; Pintado, ManuelaQuercus ilex leaf constitute a rich source of bioactive compounds, especially phenolic compounds, with health and technological properties. In this study, the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the bioaccessibility and bioactivity of phenolic compounds from ground leaf (GL) and leaf powder extract (PE) was evaluated for the first time. The GL showed an increase in antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and individual phenolic compounds identified in the oral and gastric phase, decreasing in the intestinal and absorption (dialysis) phases, while PE showed a slight decrease in the oral and gastric phase and a more pronounced reduction in the last phases. Although the content of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity were higher in the initial PE, the bioaccessibility (55.27% in GL vs. 34.23% in PE) and the recovery in the last step of the gastrointestinal tract in the colon-available fraction (29.24% in GL vs. 27.90% in PE) were higher in GL. The PE showed high antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica and Staphylococcus aureus, showing minimum inhibitory concentration values between 1 and 5 mg/mL. These results showed the complexity and richness of Q. ilex PE and GL in phenolics with high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, underlining their use as a source of biofunctional compounds for the development of novel food additives and nutraceuticals.