Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new University of Florida-led research shows.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Recent research has shown that some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.
With help from a $500,000 USDA grant, Yu Wang and her team investigated the potential of orange peel extracts – rich in beneficial phytochemicals – to reduce TMAO and trimethylamine (TMA) production. Scientists tested two types of extracts: a polar fraction and a non-polar fraction.
To get the polar fractions, scientists used polar and non-polar solvents to extract the orange peel, Wang said.
“If you imagine your salad dressing, anything in the water or vinegar part are the polar fraction; anything in the oil away from water is the non-polar fraction,” Wang said. “The solvents we used were not exactly like water and oil, but they possess similar polarity.”
Results from the study showed that the orange peel non-polar fraction extract effectively inhibited the production of harmful chemicals. Researchers also identified a compound called feruloylputrescine in the orange peel polar fraction extract that also significantly inhibits the enzyme responsible for TMA production.
“This is a novel finding that highlights the previously unrecognised health potential of feruloylputrescine in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Wang, a UF/IFAS associate professor of food science and human nutrition.
The orange peel finding is significant because 5 million tons of orange peels are produced each year in orange juice production nationwide. Nearly 95 % of Florida oranges are used for juice. About half of the peels go to feed cattle. The rest goes to waste.
But the Food and Drug Administration considers natural orange peel extracts safe for human consumption. So, Wang hope to put the peels to better use.
“These findings suggest that orange peels, often discarded as waste in the citrus industry, can be repurposed into valuable health-promoting ingredients, such as diet supplements or food ingredients,” said Wang, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center. “Our research paves the way for developing functional foods enriched with these bioactive compounds, providing new therapeutic strategies for heart health.”
About UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
Consumers today lead more demanding lifestyles that drain their energy levels, fueling the need to relax and rejuvenate. As a result, they are proactive in seeking products that can support mental wellbeing. Brands are, therefore, working to develop ingredients that can ease stress and improve mental health, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Meenakshi Haran, Lead Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The incidence of poor mental wellbeing is at its highest today with consumers generally feeling more stressed and anxious as they deal with challenging economic and social conditions. Indeed, mental wellbeing is a major concern (extremely/quite concerned) for American consumers as attested by 50 % of respondents in a recent GlobalData survey*”
Conscious of the negative health implications of an imbalanced lifestyle, many concerned consumers are paying greater attention to their emotional wellbeing and quality of life. Ingredient manufacturers have taken notice of this growing consumer pursuit of food and beverages that can help them relax and rejuvenate. In March 2024, Caldic North America announced its collaboration with Celesta Company to expand Caldic’s portfolio with Celesta’s proprietary ingredient blends and technologies, including SlumberMor and RnRMor, designed to improve sleep, mood, and relaxation. These innovative offerings are touted to help with functional innovations in the food and beverage industry.
Haran continues: “Millennials and Generation Y (58 % each) are the most concerned about their mental wellbeing, compared with other generations in the current situation*. This trend is driven by health-conscious consumers who are concerned about the impact of diet on mental health.”
Haran concludes: “This high concern motivates consumers to improve diets, carefully consider what ingredients are inside food & drinks, and seek lifestyle changes. Novonesis, a joint venture between Chr. Hansen and Novozymes unveiled a new ingredient, the MindAble 1714 probiotic designed to manage stress, targeted at the food industry. Food & beverage brands should consider launching products using innovative ingredients to align with consumers expectations.”
*GlobalData 2024 Q1 Consumer Hot Topics Survey – US, published in March 2024, 500 respondents
Leading soft drinks business, Britvic, is redoubling its efforts to cut carbon emissions and save energy – with £8 million of investment to improve efficiency at its London factory.
The project, which kicks off this year at its Beckton site, will see the installation of a new heat recovery system – cutting factory emissions by an estimated 1,200 tonnes annually – equivalent to the annual energy usage of around 500 UK homes.
Part funded by a £4.4 million government grant from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the new heat recovery system will see the soft drink manufacturer switching its heating from natural gas boilers to carbon free heat extractors.
Nigel Paine, Supply Chain Director, added: “At our Beckton site we produce 2,000 drinks every minute – including many of the nation’s favourites such as Robinsons, Tango and Pepsi MAX. We are constantly looking at ways to improve the way we create these products and I’m delighted that, as well as our own funds, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will be supporting us too. It means we can continue to supply the nation with great tasting drinks, while reducing our carbon footprint.”
With the help of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, this heat recovery system will take waste heat recovered from our existing systems, increase the temperature and redistribute it around the site using a new low temperature hot water network, replacing our carbon intensive steam system. This will decarbonise 50 % of the site’s heat demand by shifting its heat source away from fossil fuels.
Sarah Webster, Director of Sustainable Business, at Britvic, said: “This major investment represents a significant milestone in our journey to reduce our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions in service of our science-based targets, and our Healthier People Healthier Planet sustainability strategy. The support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been integral to making this happen and it re-enforces our view that collaboration and partnership is critical to developing long-lasting meaningful solutions to protect the planet.”
With the project set to commence at the end of 2023, the move is a huge step towards Britvic’s commitment to reduce its direct emissions by 50 % by 2025 and to be net zero target by 2050, verified by the Science Based Target initiative. Britvic is making good progress having reduced its direct carbon emissions by 34 % since 2017.
Adding cranberries to your diet could help improve memory and brain function, and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol – according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UK).
A new study published highlights the neuroprotective potential of cranberries. The research team studied the benefits of consuming the equivalent of a cup of cranberries a day among 50 to 80-year-olds. They hope that their findings could have implications for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
Lead researcher Dr David Vauzour, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Dementia is expected to affect around 152 million people by 2050. There is no known cure, so it is crucial that we seek modifiable lifestyle interventions, such as diet, that could help lessen disease risk and burden. “Past studies have shown that higher dietary flavonoid intake is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and dementia. And foods rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, which give berries their red, blue, or purple colour, have been found to improve cognition. “Cranberries are rich in these micronutrients and have been recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. “We wanted to find out more about how cranberries could help reduce age-related neurodegeneration.”
The research team investigated the impact of eating cranberries for 12 weeks on brain function and cholesterol among 60 cognitively healthy participants. Half of the participants consumed freeze-dried cranberry powder, equivalent to a cup or 100 g of fresh cranberries, daily. The other half consumed a placebo. The study is one of the first to examine cranberries and their long-term impact on cognition and brain health in humans. The results showed that consuming cranberries significantly improved the participants’ memory of everyday events (visual episodic memory), neural functioning and delivery of blood to the brain (brain perfusion).
Dr Vauzour said: “We found that the participants who consumed the cranberry powder showed significantly improved episodic memory performance in combination with improved circulation of essential nutrients such as oxygen and glucose to important parts of the brain that support cognition – specifically memory consolidation and retrieval. “The cranberry group also exhibited a significant decrease in LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, known to contribute to atherosclerosis – the thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a build-up of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. This supports the idea that cranberries can improve vascular health and may in part contribute to the improvement in brain perfusion and cognition. “Demonstrating in humans that cranberry supplementation can improve cognitive performance and identifying some of the mechanisms responsible is an important step for this research field. “The findings of this study are very encouraging, especially considering that a relatively short 12-week cranberry intervention was able to produce significant improvements in memory and neural function,” he added. “This establishes an important foundation for future research in the area of cranberries and neurological health.”
The study was supported by a grant from The Cranberry Institute. It was led by the University of East Anglia in collaboration with researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands), the University of Parma (Italy) and the Quadram Institute (UK).
‘Chronic consumption of Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) for 12 weeks improves episodic memory and regional brain perfusion in healthy older adults: A randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups study’ is published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition on May 19, 2022.
