Abstract
Sea cucumber processing discards, which include mainly internal organs, represent up to 50% of the sea cucumber biomass, and are a rich source of bioactive compounds, including phenolics. This work aimed to extract free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolics from the internal organs of the Atlantic sea cucumber (C. frondosa) using high-pressure processing (HPP) pre-treatment. The sea cucumber internal organs were subjected to HPP (6000 bar for 10 min), followed by the extraction and characterization of phenolics. Samples were evaluated for their total contents of phenolics and flavonoids, as well as several in vitro methods of antioxidant activities, namely, free radical scavenging and metal chelation activities. Moreover, anti-tyrosinase and antiglycation properties, as well as inhibitory activities against LDL cholesterol oxidation and DNA damage, were examined. The results demonstrated that HPP pre-treatment had a significant effect on the extraction of phenolics, antioxidant properties, and other bioactivities. The phenolics in sea cucumber internal organs existed mainly in the free form, followed by the insoluble-bound and esterified fractions. Additionally, UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis identified and quantified 23 phenolic compounds from HPP-treated samples, mostly phenolic acids and flavonoids. Hence, this investigation provides fundamental information that helps to design the full utilization of the Atlantic sea cucumber species and the production of a multitude of value-added products.
Highlights
IntroductionThe sea cucumber is harvested mainly for food, and it is used in traditional medicine, especially in the Asian culture
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralThe sea cucumber is harvested mainly for food, and it is used in traditional medicine, especially in the Asian culture
The Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) of the free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolic fractions from the high-pressure processing (HPP)-treated samples were around 1.23, 1.5, and 1.18 times higher than those of their untreated counterparts, respectively. These results were in agreement with the findings of many previous studies, such as that of Andrés, Villanueva, and Tenorio [24], who stated that HPP significantly enhanced the extractability of phenolics from smoothies compared to untreated counterparts
Summary
The sea cucumber is harvested mainly for food, and it is used in traditional medicine, especially in the Asian culture. There has been a growing interest in identifying biologically active compounds in sea cucumbers and their potential health benefits. The sea cucumber is well known for demonstrating various biological and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anticancer, anticoagulant, antithrombotic, and antimicrobial effects [1]. The components responsible for biological activities are glycosaminoglycans, triterpene glycosides (saponins), chondroitin sulfate, fucoidans, proteins (peptides), and other secondary metabolites, including phenolics [2,3]. Pranweerapaiboon et al [4] reported that the phenolic-rich ethyl acetate fraction of sea cucumber (H. scabra) extracts inhibited the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, mainly inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
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