Valorisation of olive processing waste for the development of value-added products

In our study, olive leaves derived from oil mills waste, were used as a source of valuable bioactive compounds with great anti-aging and antioxidant activities. More specifically, spray drying under optimized conditions was used for the encapsulation of an enzymatically modified olive leaf extract in order to preserve its quality for further valorisation. Morphology, particle size distribution, identification of the type of interaction between core and wall materials, thermal stability and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were studied for the produced encapsulation system. Subsequently, the microparticles were incorporated in a cosmetic formulation which was subjected to oscillatory, heat stability and microbiological tests and to a food supplement that was subjected to an in-vitro dissolution test. The physicochemical characterization of the encapsulation product showed generally spherical particles, physically entrapped in the polymeric matrix with satisfactory thermal properties, sensitivity to high humidity conditions and an EE of 81.34%. Regarding the cream formulation, it passed successfully the 6-months microbiological test and showed great heat stability after placed for 1, 2, 3 and 6 months in four temperatures (from 5 to 45 °C) with little or no differences in pH, appearance and microscopic structure. Finally, concerning the supplement, the dissolution test showed that the main release of the extract occurred in the small intestine, indicating that this, for the most part, oil mills waste, can be transformed into a great source for the development of value-added products with nutritional, health and antioxidant benefits.     

Cardioprotective and neuroprotective roles of oleuropein in olive

Traditional diets of people living in the Mediterranean basin are, among other components, very rich in extra-virgin olive oil, the most typical source of visible fat. Olive is a priceless source of monounsaturated and di-unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenolic antioxidants and vitamins. Oleuropein is the main glycoside in olives and is responsible for the bitter taste of immature and unprocessed olives. Chemically, oleuropein is the ester of elenolic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol, which possesses beneficial effects on human health, such as antioxidant, antiatherogenic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The phenolic fraction extracted from the leaves of the olive tree, which contains significant amounts of oleuropein, prevents lipoprotein oxidation. In addition, oleuropein has shown cardioprotective effect against acute adriamycin cardiotoxicity and an anti-ischemic and hypolipidemic activities. Recently, oleuropein has shown neuroprotection by forming a non-covalent complex with the Aβ peptide, which is a key hallmark of several degenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson. Thus, a large mass of research has been accumulating in the area of olive oil, in the attempt to provide evidence for the health benefits of olive oil consumption and to scientifically support the widespread adoption of traditional Mediterranean diet as a model of healthy eating. These results provide a molecular basis for some of the benefits potentially coming from oleuropein consumption and pave the way to further studies on the possible pharmacological use of oleuropein to prevent or to slow down the cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.     

Olive oil is more potent than fish oil to reduce septic pulmonary dysfunctions in rats

Background Abdominal sepsis is frequently the cause of severe pulmonary dysfunction. Via the thoracic duct, the lung is the first organ exposed to gut-derived mediators released into the mesenteric lymph. Aim The aim of this study is to investigate whether an enteral immunonutrition with long chain triglycerides prevents septic pulmonary dysfunctions. Materials and methods Mesenteric lymph was obtained from lymph fistula donor rats during sepsis (lipopolysaccharides [LPS], 5 mg/kg i.p.) with or without enteral immunonutrition (1% of olive oil or 1% of fish oil). Sepsis lymph was then reinfused into the jugular vein of separate recipient rats. Thereafter, the lung tissue was analyzed for the distance of oxygen diffusion, inflammatory response, and cell apoptosis. Results Sepsis significantly increased TNFα release into the mesenteric lymph, whereas an enteral immunonutrition with olive oil significantly reduced the TNFα release into the mesenteric lymph by more than five-fold. Sepsis lymph induced a significant increase in alveolar wall thickness, inflammatory reaction, and apoptosis; whereas sepsis lymph collected during olive oil resorption prevented the thickening of the alveolar walls and induced only a mild inflammation, being more potent than fish oil to reduce septic pulmonary dysfunction. Conclusions Mediators in the sepsis lymph induce pulmonary dysfunction. The lung may be protected by an enteral immunonutrition containing long chain triglycerides such as olive oil. Best abstracts - Surgical Forum 2007.     

Multiple Biological Effects of Olive Oil By‐products such as Leaves,Stems, Flowers,Olive Milled Waste,Fruit Pulp,and Seeds of the Olive Plant on Skin

As olive oil production increases, so does the amount of olive oil by‐products, which can cause environmental problems. Thus, new ways to utilize the by‐products are needed. In the present study, five bioactive characteristics of olive oil by‐products were assessed, namely their antioxidant, anti‐bacterial, anti‐melanogenesis, anti‐allergic, and collagen‐production‐promoting activities. First, the extracts of leaves (May and October), stems (May and October), flowers, olive milled waste, fruit pulp and seeds were prepared using two safe solvents, ethanol and water. According to HPLC and LC/MS analysis and Folin–Ciocalteu assay, the ethanol extracts of the leaves (May and October), stems (May and October) and flowers contained oleuropein, and the ethanol extract of the stems showed the highest total phenol content. Oleuropein may contribute to the antioxidant and anti‐melanogenesis activities of the leaves, stems, and flowers. However, other active compounds or synergistic effects present in the ethanol extracts are also likely to contribute to the anti‐bacterial activity of the leaves and flowers, the anti‐melanogenesis activity of some parts, the anti‐allergic activity of olive milled waste, and the collagen‐production‐promoting activity of the leaves, stems, olive milled waste and fruit pulp. This study provides evidence that the by‐products of olive oil have the potential to be further developed and used in the skin care industry. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effect of a Combination Saliva Substitute for the Management of Xerostomia and Hyposalivation

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the difference between the combination agent of xylitol, beatine and olive oil in a chewable capsule versus the control agent of a sorbitol tablet in subjects with hyposalivation and xerostomia.

Materials and Methods

The subjects had xerostomia over 3 months and a measured hyposalivation. The study was 3 weeks in duration, with 2 treatment phases of 1 week and a 7 day wash out period in between. At the end of each treatment phase, subjects returned for a follow up evaluation. At this visit they were given the subjective sensation questionnaire, as well as their unstimulated whole salivary flow and stimulated whole salivary flow were measured.

Results

There was a greater increase in the unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary flow rate, although the results were not statistically significant. The subjective evaluation as measured by the questionnaire showed that both agents reduced the mean score as compared to the baseline, although only the findings in the active agent was statistically significant (p = 0.0015).

Conclusion

The significant conclusions found in this study were that the active agent provided a significant subjective improvement in speech, swallowing, and decreased subjective xerostomia as compared to the control tablet.

Clinical Relevance

This combination agent has a significant effect on patients with subjective xerostomia but does not have a significant effect on objective hyposalivation.     

Antimicrobial properties of olive oil phenolic compounds and their regenerative capacity towards fibroblast cells

Some micronutrients of vegetable origin are considered potentially useful as wound-healing agents because they can increase fibroblast proliferation and differentiation.The aim of this studywas to evaluate the regenerative effects of selected olive oil phenolic compounds on cultured human fibroblasts and explore their antimicrobial properties.Material and methodsThe CCD-1064Sk fibroblast line was treated for 24 h with 10^?6M luteolin, apigenin, ferulic, coumaric acid or caffeic acid, evaluating the effects on cell proliferation by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) spectrophotometric assay; the migratory capacity by the scratch assay and determining the expression of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Transforming Growth Factor- β1 (TGFβ1), Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), and Collagen Type I (COL-I) genes by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The antimicrobial capacity of the polyphenols was evaluated by the disc diffusion method.ResultsAll compounds except for ferulic acid significantly stimulated the proliferative capacity of fibroblasts, increasing their migration and their expression of the aforementioned genes. With respect to their antimicrobial properties, treatment with the studied compounds inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., and Candida Albicans.ConclusionsThe phenolic compounds in olive oil have a biostimulatory effect on the regeneration capacity, differentiation, and migration of fibroblasts and exert major antibacterial activity. According to the present findings, these compounds may have a strong therapeutic effect on wound recovery.     

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Improves Depression Symptoms Without Affecting Salivary Cortisol and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Patients With Major Depression: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundMany patients with depression are reluctant to take psychiatric medications. Hence, complementary therapies such as nutritional considerations could be advantageous. The antidepressant potential of olive oil has been proved in observational studies.ObjectiveThe effect of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) on depression symptoms and cortisol and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in patients with depression was examined.Design and participantsThis was a double-blind randomized controlled trial conducted on 73 patients suffering from major depressive disorder in Shiraz, Iran, in 2016.InterventionThe patients were randomly assigned to intervention (EVOO) and control (sunflower oil) groups and consumed 25 mL/d of the corresponding oil for 52 days.Main outcome measuresDepression symptoms were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and 7-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-7). Salivary cortisol levels were determined immediately after awakening and 30 minutes later. Cortisol awakening response and the area under the curve with respect to ground and increase were computed. Serum BDNF concentrations were also measured.Statistical analyses performedStatistical analysis was conducted based on intention-to-treat and per-protocol approaches. Within-group changes were examined with repeated measures (for BDI-II and HAMD-7) and with paired t test (for other variables). Between-group comparisons were performed with analysis of covariance after adjustment for confounding factors.ResultsIn intention-to-treat analysis, HAMD-7 score was the only variable with significant changes within and between groups, the latter as a greater decline in EVOO group (P = .001). BDI-II score did not show significant change in either group but the between-group comparison revealed a significant difference (P = .021). EVOO showed antidepressant effect in severely depressed patients (P = .017 for BDI-II and 0.008 for HAMD-7) but not in mild/moderate depression category. Serum BDNF concentrations, salivary cortisol levels at immediately after awakening (T₀) and 30 minutes later, cortisol awakening response, the area under the curve with respect to ground and increase did not change within or between groups. Results of per-protocol analysis were not different.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggested beneficial effects of EVOO on depression symptoms in patients with severe depression but not in those with mild to moderate depression. The effects were significant from both statistical and clinical points of view.     

Hydroxytyrosyl alkyl ether derivatives inhibit platelet activation after oral administration to rats

The low lipophilicity of hydroxytyrosol (HT) has motivated efforts to synthesize homologous series with better lipid solubility, such as the ethers, which are more lipophilic than HT. Because HT inhibits platelet aggregation, the aim of the study was to assess the possible anti-platelet effect of five HT ether derivatives (ethyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl and dodecyl) after oral administration to rats. Whole blood collagen-induced platelet aggregation and calcium-induced thromboxane B₂ (TxB₂), aortic 6-keto-prostaglandin F_1α (6-keto-PGF_1α) and nitrites + nitrates, plasma concentration of lipid peroxides (TBARS) and red blood cell content of reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured. The administration of 20 mg/kg/day inhibited platelet aggregation, TxB₂ and TBARS in a non-linear manner related to the length of the carbon chain, with a cut-off effect in the hexyl derivative. Aortic nitrite and red blood cell GSH production were also increased. The aortic production of 6-keto-PGF_1α was unaltered except in the group treated with the dodecyl derivative. The administration of 50 mg/kg/day showed a similar pharmacodynamic profile but without the non-linear effect. In conclusion, HT ethers, especially the hexyl derivative, are a potential alternative to hydroxytyrosol, and their effect merits additional research to determine their role in the prophylaxis of vascular disease.