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The soft scale Toumeyella martinezae infests the arborescent cactus Myrtillocactus geometrizans. This scale is, in turn, parasitized by the wasp Mexidalgus toumeyellus and forms a mutualistic relationship with the ant Liometopum apiculatum. This study assessed how ant and/or parasitoid presence influenced parasitism rates and the population growth of the scale insect. Experimental treatments included scale populations with ant access (control) or ant exclusion, and parasitoid exclusion with ant access. Scale population growth rates were estimated using Lefkovitch projection matrices, built based on the individual monitoring of approximately 5400 scales. The average parasitism rate was higher in the “with ants” treatment (18.66%) than under ant exclusion (5.42%). In the absence of parasitoids, the scale population growth rate (λ = 1.532) was 8% higher than in the control treatment (λ = 1.423). Population growth was negative (λ = 0.636) when ants were excluded. These results indicate that interaction with the mutualistic ant is the primary factor sustaining a positive scale population growth. In contrast, the impact of the parasitoid alone is insufficient for effectively controlling the soft scale pest.

This study evaluated the potential of cactus berry (C) ( ) and red prickly pear (P) ( L. Mill.) powder mixtures as natural colourants and antioxidants in chicken batters and sausages made with White Striping (WS) breast meat. The colour and antioxidant activity (AA) of the individual powders and their mixtures-CP (75%C + 25%P), PC (75%P + 25%C), and MCP (50%C + 50%P) were characterised. The mixtures were then incorporated into batters and sausages and compared with controls with and without nitrites. Aqueous extracts of C and P showed the highest total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, showing 7- to 8.5-fold increases over ethanolic extracts. Among the mixtures, PC exhibited the greatest AA, approximately twice that of the others in DPPH , ABTS , and FRAP assays. In raw batters and cooked sausages, the mixtures enhanced AA and redness, with PC showing the strongest effects. Additionally, MCP maintained the most stable AA and colour for 28 days (1.5 °C). All mixtures also reduced lipid oxidation (TBARS < 1.75 mg MDA/kg) and prevented colour deterioration, achieving performance comparable to nitrites. Overall, C and P mixtures act as effective natural antioxidants and colour enhancers, offering an alternative to synthetic additives for improving the oxidative stability of WS-affected poultry sausages.

Mexico has a wide variety of edible plants, such as mallow and garambullo flowers. Their composition is based on nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals), as well as phytochemicals, organic or inorganic acids, etc. For the traditional consumption of these plants, they are boiled and then combined with other ingredients. However, after a thermal treatment, their nutritional and sensory qualities are affected. In this work, we study the effect of thermal treatment on the total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant capacity, and vitamin C of two edible plants from Mexico. Both plants had a high amount of TPC as ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, and apigenin. Both plants had a high amount of TPC as ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, and apigenin. After thermal treatment, the samples showed a high antioxidant capacity analyzed by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS●+), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), associated with a high retention (78 and 89%) of phenolic compounds in the food matrix. Coumarin and ferulic acid were identified in both samples, while apigenin was only found in the mallow leaves and quercetin in the garambullo flowers after thermal treatment. Vitamin C content was higher on mallow leaves compared to garambullo flowers after thermal treatment. Further research is needed to characterize and evaluate the effect in both plants.

The Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex. Pfeiff.) fruit, locally called garambullo, is an important source of bioactive compounds, mainly betalains, polyphenols, and ascorbic acid. However, information on the application of post-harvest technologies that prolong the shelf life of the fruits is still insufficient. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of a gelatin coating incorporating 0%, 1%, or 3% tomato oily extract (TOE), compared to a control (without coating), on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of garambullo fruits stored for 15 days at 5 °C. The gelatin coatings with TOE significantly (p ≤ 0.05) delayed changes in weight loss, brix degrees, titratable acidity and pH, compared to the control during storage. Fruits coated with TOE-gelatin had a higher content of betalains, ascorbic acid, total phenols, and flavonoids. The results showed that a higher concentration of phytochemicals increased antioxidant activity in vitro; the maximum values found for Trolox equivalents per kg of fresh weight were 10.46 and 17.65 mM for the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity Method (TEAC) tests, respectively. The gelatin coating with TOE-3% (COTE-3%) reduced water loss by 1.66 times, compared to the control. In addition, the fruits covered with COTE-3% showed the highest concentration of bioactive compounds during storage.

Garambullo fruit (Myrtillocactus geometrizans) is a rich source of phytochemical compounds that exhibit antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory activities, helping to prevent diseases associated with oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate phenolic compound (PC), betalain (BL), betaxanthin (BX), and betacyanin (BC) contents, and in vitro biological activities (antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory) in microencapsulated garambullo extract during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and storage. Microencapsulation was performed using spray drying. Arabic Gum (GA, 10% in feed solution) and soy protein isolate (SPI, 7% in feed solution) were used as wall materials. After in vitro digestion, the microcapsules (GA, SPI) exhibited higher bioaccessibility (p ≤ 0.05) of PC, BL, BX, and BC, and higher antioxidant activity (AA), compared to the non-encapsulated extract. Both microcapsules showed bioaccessibility in anti-hyperglycemic activity: α-amylase (GA: 90.58%, SPI: 84.73%), α-glucosidase (GA: 76.93%, SPI: 68.17%), and Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) (GA: 52.81%, SPI: 53.03%); and in anti-inflammatory activity: cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) (GA: 78.14%, SPI: 77.90%) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) (GA: 82.77%, SPI: 84.99%). During storage, both microcapsules showed a similar trend with a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in PC (GA: 39.29%, SPI: 39.34%), BL (GA: 21.17%, SPI: 21.62%), BX (GA: 23.89%, SPI: 23.45%), BC (GA: 19.55%, SPI: 19.84%), and AA (GA: 41.59%, SPI: 42.51%) after 60 days at 30 °C. Both microcapsules retained anti-hyperglycemic activity evaluated by the inhibitory activity of α-amylase (GA: 68.84%, SPI: 70.18%), α-glucosidase (GA: 59.93%, SPI: 58.69%), and DPP-4 (GA: 52.81%, SPI: 53.01%), and anti-inflammatory activity evaluated by the inhibitory activity of COX-1 (GA: 82.18%, SPI: 82.81%) and COX-2 (GA: 81.11%, SPI: 81.08%). Microencapsulation protected the phytochemical compounds and in vitro biological activities by allowing controlled release during in vitro digestion compared to the non-encapsulated extract. However, after 60 days storage at 30 °C, 60% of PC and AA, 80% of BL, BX, and BC, and 20–45% of the anti-hyperglycemic and anti-inflammatory activity were lost.

Garambullo is a plant with little industrial application. However, garambullo contains betalains, photosensitive phytochemical compounds, which through microencapsulation can be used in chitosan–polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) films for application in tomato coatings. These biopackages were characterized by physical tests, water vapor permeability, puncture tests, extension, color, differential scanning calorimetry (DCS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity analyses. The influence of the biopackages on the tomato coatings was measured using parameters such as minimum weight loss close to 2% at day 9, pH of 4.6, Brix of 5.5, titratable acidity of 1 g acid/100 mL sample, and shelf life of up to 18 days. The biopackages containing betalain microcapsules had a water vapor permeability of 2 × 10−14 g/h·m·Pa and an elongation of 5 ± 0.5%, indicating that the package did not stretch. The deformation at the breaking point for the package without and with microcapsules was 0.569 and 1.620, respectively. With respect to color, adding white microcapsules and betalains can cause the material to darken, resulting in a yellowish color. Furthermore, the phenolic content was greater for the biopackages with betalains, while there was no significant difference in the antioxidant activity since the active compounds were not released. According to the in vitro results, the inhibition of B. cinerea was achieved on the eighth day when the active compounds were released from the microcapsules. The tomato with betalains lost 2% of its weight, and B. cinerea was inhibited, extending its shelf life to 18 days. The proposed biopackages have good properties as biopolymers and inhibit the presence of B. cinerea.

This research identified the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of the extractable (EP) and non-extractable (NEP) polyphenol fractions of berrycactus (BC). Additionally, the effects of BC and its residue (BCR) on preventing AOM/DSS-induced early colon carcinogenesis were evaluated in vivo. Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 12/group): healthy control (C), AOM/DSS, BC, BCR, BC+AOM/DSS, and BCR+AOM/DSS. NEP was obtained through acid hydrolysis using H2SO4 and HCl (1 M or 4 M). The HCl-NEP fraction exhibited the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content, while condensed tannins were more abundant in the H2SO4-NEP fraction. A total of 33 polyphenols were identified by UPLC-QTOF-MSE in both EP and NEP, some of which were novel to BC. Both NEP hydrolysates demonstrated significant total antioxidant capacity (TEAC), with HCl-NEP exhibiting the highest ORAC values. The BC+AOM/DSS and BCR+AOM/DSS groups exhibited fewer aberrant crypt foci (p < 0.05), reduced colonic epithelial injury, and presented lower fecal β-glucuronidase activity, when compared to AOM/DSS group. No differences in butyric acid concentrations were observed between groups. This study presents novel bioactive compounds in EP and NEP from BC that contribute to chemopreventive effects in early colon carcinogenesis, while reducing fecal β-glucuronidase activity and preserving colonic mucosal integrity.

The aim of the present research was to determine the effect of boiling on nutritional composition, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, physicochemical and morphological characteristics of two edible plants Malva parviflora (mallow leaf) and Myrtillocactus geometrizans (garambullo flower). The plants had an important nutritional composition as carbohydrates (48-70 %), dietary fiber (36-42 %) and protein (13 %), as well as total phenolic compounds (468-750 mg GAE/100 g db) with a high antioxidant capacity. However, boiling originated the decrease of soluble compounds, carbohydrates, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and physicochemical properties. Plants changed to dark colors and physicochemical properties were affected, except to water retention capacity, oil retention capacity and viscosity, which had the same values in mallow leaves (raw and boiled), but increased water retention capacity in garambullo flowers, it may be by changes in the morphology observed. Therefore, is to suggest the raw consumption or with minimal cooking of these plants to avoid changes caused by thermal treatment.

Plants from arid zones of Mexico are an interesting source of phytochemicals that exhibit a large number of biological properties. In this context, Rhus microphylla (Rm) and Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mg) fruits have been used as folk remedies and to make traditional foods, respectively; however, studies on their composition and bioactivity are limited. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the yields, phenolic composition, and bioactive properties (scavenging and reducing capacities, antiproliferative, and antifungal) of aqueous and hydroalcohol extracts of Rm and Mg fruits obtained by conventional agitation and ohmic heating (OH). The results showed that the Rm fruit extracts had the highest total phenolic content (TPC) values and the strongest scavenging and reducing capacities compared to those of Mg fruits, being characterized by the presence of gallic acid, while the composition of the Mg extracts varied with respect to the extraction conditions used. Regarding antifungal activity in vitro against two phytopathogenic fungi, Rhizopus stolonifer and Fusarium oxysporum, the hydroalcohol extracts obtained by conventional agitation of both plants (RmH-C and MgH-C) showed the best inhibitory effect, respectively. Interestingly, none of the extracts under study presented cytotoxicity against the noncancerous ARPE-19 cell line, while three extracts of Rm fruit exhibited a moderate antiproliferative activity against HeLa (cancerous) cell line. These findings reveal for the first time the potential of Rm and Mg fruits as a new source of bioactive compounds for future industrial applications.

Plants respond to herbivory in diverse, complex ways, ranging from avoidance or tolerance to indirect defense mechanisms such as attracting natural enemies of herbivores, i.e., parasitoids or predators, to strengthen their defense. Defense provided by parasitoids to cultivated plants is well documented and is used in biological control programs. However, its effectiveness on wild plants under natural conditions has been little studied. Such is the case of the cactus Myrtilllocactus geometrizans (known in Mexico as garambullo), which is consumed by the soft-scale insect Toumeyella martinezae (herbivore) which, in turn, is host to the parasitoid wasp Mexidalgus toumeyellus, and mutualist with the ant Liometopum apiculatum, that tenders and protects it. This study explores the role of the parasitoid as an indirect defense, by examining its effect on both the herbivore and the plant, and how this interaction is affected by the presence of the mutualistic ant. We found that scales adversely affect the cactus’ growth, flower, and fruit production, as well as its progeny’s performance, as seedlings from scale-infested garambullo plants were shorter, and it also favors the presence of fungus (sooty mold). The parasitoid responded positively to herbivore abundance, but the presence of ants reduced the intensity of parasitism. Our results show that parasitoids can function as an indirect defense, but their effectiveness is reduced by the presence of the herbivore’s mutualistic ant.