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"Flawless skin is the most universally desired human feature" is an iconic statement by Desmond Morris. Skin indicates one´s health and is so important that it affects a person's emotional and psychological behavior, these facts having propelled the development of the cosmetics industry. It is estimated that in 2023, this industry will achieve more than 800 billion dollars. This boost is due to the development of new cosmetic formulations based on nanotechnology. Nanocarriers have been able to solve problems related to active ingredients regarding their solubility, poor stability, and release. Even though nanocarriers have evident benefits, they also present some problems related to the high cost, low shelf life, and toxicity. Regulation and legislation are two controversial topics regarding the use of nanotechnology in the field of cosmetics. In this area, the U.S. FDA has taken the lead and recommended several biosafety studies and post-market safety evaluations. The lack of a global definition that identifies nanomaterials as a cosmetic ingredient is a hindrance to the development of global legislation. In the EU, the legislation regarding the biosafety of nanomaterials in cosmetics is stricter. "The cost is not the only important issue, safety and the application of alternative testing methods for toxicity are of crucial importance as ...

Natural compounds from agro-food by-products have fostered interest in food industries. The aim of this study was to unravel potential uses for Pinus pinaster bark extracts (PBE). As functional features of this type of extracts are usually attributed to phenolic compounds, the extraction process was studied. Different PBEs were achieved, with high content in phenolic compounds, using different water/ethanol combinations as a solvent. These PBEs were chemically characterized, and their bioactivity and in vitro cell viability were evaluated. Extracts obtained with hydroethanolic solvents had higher content in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. All the PBEs presented high antioxidant, antibacterial and antihyperglycemic activities. Moreover, PBEs have low cytotoxicity and a selective activity against cancer cells as these were negatively affected. These features may allow the extracts to be used in food formulation and processing (as preservatives, antioxidants or bioactive ingredients), but they showed also potential for the pharmaceutical or nutraceutical sectors. ; This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under the scope of Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, by program INTERREG V-B Sudoe (REDVALUE, SOE1/P1/E0123) and by project MOBFOOD (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024524), cofounded by PORTUGAL2020, Lisb@a2020, COMPETE 2020 and the European Union. Zlatina Genisheva is supported by the project OH2O (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029145) funded by FCT and FEDER under the scope of Programa Operacional de Competividade e Internacionalizaçao (POCI)-COMPETE 2020 and PORTUGAL2020. Pedro Santos is recipient of a fellowship supported by a doctoral advanced training (call NORTE-69-2015-15), funded by the European Social Fund under the scope of Norte2020 (NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000036). ...

Spirulina platensis is interesting for the food industry due to its overall composition and high content in C-phycocyanin. However, the sensitivity of C-phycocyanin makes its extraction a delicate process. The present study focuses on assessing the use of ohmic heating (OH) in the recovery of C-phycocyanin and other relevant compounds as an alternative method to freeze-thawing or conventional heating. Different ohmic and conventional heating treatments were applied both to purified C-phycocyanin and Spirulina powder. Evaluation of fluorescence and circular dichroism showed that moderated electric fields increased C-phycocyanin stability. This was confirmed in the extraction trials which revealed that OH assisted extraction at higher temperatures (44°C), and shorter times (30min) allowed significant higher extraction yield of C-phycocyanin (45 mg/gdw Spirulina), in comparison with conventional heating and freeze-thawing. OH allowed also up to 80% higher yields in phenolic compounds and carbohydrates. ; This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The study was also supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant (MSCA-RISE; FODIAC; 778388) and project OH2O – POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029145 (FCT and COMPETE2020). Pedro Santos is recipient of a fellowship supported by a doctoral advanced training (call NORTE-69-2015-15), funded by the European Social Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000036). ...

Olive pomace (OP) is the main residue that results from olive oil production. OP is rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, so its use in the treatments of diseases related to oxidative stress, such as cancer, could be considered. The present work aimed to study the biological properties of different OP extracts, obtained by ohmic heating-assisted extraction and conventional heating, using water and 50% ethanol, in the treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer through Caco-2 cell models. Additionally, an in-silico analysis was performed to identify the phenolic intestinal absorption and Caco-2 permeability. The extracts were chemically characterized, and it was found that the Ohmic-hydroethanolic (OH-EtOH) extract had the highest antiproliferative effect, probably due to its higher content of phenolic compounds. The OH-EtOH induced potential modifications in the mitochondrial membrane and led to apoptosis by cell cycle arrest in the G1/S phases with activation of p53 and caspase 3 proteins. In addition, this extract protected the intestine against oxidative stress (ROS) caused by H2O2. Therefore, the bioactive compounds present in OP and recovered by applying a green technology such as ohmic-heating, show promising potential to be used in food, nutraceutical, and biomedical applications, reducing this waste and facilitating the circular economy. ; This work was supported by the Grants from MCIN, CIBEROBN (CB06/03/1012), Red Multimetdrugs (RED2018-102471-T), and the Government of Aragón (B16-20R), the Interreg Sudoe Program (REDVALUE, SOE1/P1/E0123) through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion