Castanea sativa shells as a new source of active ingredients for Functional Food and Cosmetic applications: a sustainable approach

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From soil to cosmetic industry: Validation of a new cosmetic ingredient extracted from chestnut shells

Publication . Pinto, Diana; de la Luz Cádiz-Gurrea, María; Garcia, Juliana; Saavedra, Maria José; Freitas, Vitor; Costa, Paulo; Sarmento, Bruno; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Rodrigues, Francisca

Sustainability arises as a challenge in the last decades and the cosmetic field is not an exception. The search for new cosmetic active principles extracted from food byproducts through eco-innovative technologies has emerged as a novel concept. However, the European Regulation is very restrictive and different assays should be performed to guarantee the products' efficacy and safety. Considering a multidisciplinary approach, this paper aims to compare chestnut shell extracts prepared by three different green techniques – Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE), Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Supercritical Fluids Extraction (SFE) – regarding antimicrobial activity, hyaluronidase and elastase inhibitory activities, in-vitro cytotoxicity on dermal cells (HaCaT and HFF-1) and skin permeation (using Franz cells coupled to human skin). The best extract was tested on skin and ocular 3D models and through an in-vivo patch test to evaluate its irritancy and safety. The results demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of the extracts (particularly against Staphylococcus aureus) as well as the capacity to inhibit the hyaluronidase (IC50 = 0.76–54.36 mg/mL) and elastase (33.56–82.70% at 0.4 mg/mL) activities. Regarding in-vitro cell assays, UAE and SWE extracts revealed the best outcomes. Between 0.1 and 100 μg/mL, none of the extracts conducted to a decrease of cell viability in both cell lines (HaCaT and HFF-1). The ex-vivo assay proved that SWE extract led to a higher polyphenol's permeation (1061.6 μg/g dw), being selected for further assays. Ellagic acid was the major polyphenol that permeated the human skin (732.1–847.0 μg/g dw). The 3D skin and ocular models evidenced absence of irritation by SWE extract, without decreasing cell viability and releasing IL-1α. Finally, an in-vivo patch test confirmed the absence of irritation in humans based on the acute irritation index of 0.50 achieved 24 h after the patch removal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that validated by in-vitro and in-vivo assays, and in accordance with the European Regulation 1223/2009, a new cosmetic ingredient extracted from chestnut shells.

2021Journal article

Restricted access

Development and Characterization of Functional Cookies Enriched with Chestnut Shells Extract as Source of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds

Publication . Pinto, Diana; Moreira, Manuela M.; Vieira, Elsa F.; Švarc-Gajić, Jaroslava; Vallverdú-Queralt, Anna; Brezo-Borjan, Tanja; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Rodrigues, Francisca

Chestnut (Castanea sativa) shells (CSs), an undervalued agro-industrial biowaste, have arisen as a source of bioactive compounds with promising health-promoting effects. This study attempted, for the first time, to develop a functional food, namely cookies, using a CS extract obtained by an eco-friendly technology (subcritical water extraction). The cookies were characterized regarding their nutritional composition, total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively), antioxidant/antiradical activities, phenolic profile, and sensory evaluation. The results demonstrated that the CS-extract-enriched cookies were mainly composed of carbohydrates (53.92% on dry weight (dw)), fat (32.62% dw), and fiber (5.15% dw). The phenolic profile outlined by HPLC-PDA revealed the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and hydrolysable tannins, attesting to the high TPC and TFC. The in vitro antioxidant/antiradical effects proved the bioactivity of the functional cookies, while the sensory evaluation unveiled excellent scores on all attributes (≥6.25). The heatmap diagram corroborated strong correlations between the TPC and antioxidant/antiradical properties, predicting that the appreciated sensory attributes were closely correlated with high carbohydrates and phenolic compounds. This study encourages the sustainable recovery of antioxidants from CSs and their further employment as an active nutraceutical ingredient in functional cookies.

2023Journal article

Open access

Appraisal of a new potential antioxidants-rich nutraceutical ingredient from chestnut shells through in-vivo assays – A targeted metabolomic approach in phenolic compounds

Publication . Pinto, Diana; Almeida, Andreia; López-Yerena, Anallely; Pinto, Soraia; Sarmento, Bruno; Lamuela-Raventós, Rosa; Vallverdú-Queralt, Anna; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Rodrigues, Francisca

Chestnut (Castanea sativa) shells (CSS) are a source of bioactive compounds with well demonstrated in-vitro antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, no in-vivo studies have already evaluated this effect. This study evaluated the effects of the oral daily administration of an eco-friendly CSS extract (50 and 100 mg/kg per body weight (b. w.)) to rats regarding in-vivo antioxidant activity, glucose and lipids levels, and metabolomic profiling of poly- phenols by LC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS. The results demonstrated the in-vivo antioxidant properties in the animals liver, kidney and blood serum, as well as protective effects against hemolysis and rising of blood glucose and lipids levels. New insights on metabolomic profiling of polyphenols proved their absorption and further biotransformation by phase I (hydrogenation and hydroxylation) and II reactions (glucuronidation, methylation and sulfation). This is the first study that attempted to validate a novel nutraceutical ingredient extracted from CSS by in-vivo assays, corroborating the outcomes screened by in-vitro assays

2023Journal article

Open access

Development and Optimization of a Topical Formulation with Castanea sativa Shells Extract Based on the Concept “Quality by Design”

Publication . Oliveira, Nágilla; Cádiz-Gurrea, María de La Luz; Silva, Ana Margarida; Macedo, Catarina; Rodrigues, Francisca; Costa, Paulo

The proposed study aims to develop and optimize a topical formulation with Castanea sativa shells extract considering the concept of Quality by Design, focusing on a planned development that consider the vulnerabilities of the entire process through risk analysis tools and design of experiments (DoE). A Box–Behnken design with three factors and three levels was used as a statistical tool for the execution of the DoE and the analysis of the response surface methodology responses. The independent variables studied were the quantity of sodium lauryl sulfate (%) (X1), beeswax (%) (X2) and macadamia oil (%) (X3); the dependent variables were pH (Y1), viscosity (Y2) and adhesiveness (Y3). According to the mathematical model, the optimal formulation contains 0.93% of sodium lauryl sulfate, 5.00% of beeswax and 10.00% of macadamia oil. The optimal formulation with the extract was prepared and characterized over the time, regarding organoleptic and technological characteristics, allowing conclusions to be reached regarding its stability. The formulation presented a pleasant odor and was light brown in color, it also demonstrated pseudoplastic-thixotropic behavior and a small reduction in the formulation consistency after 30 days of storage. This study demonstrated the efficiency of the Quality by Design methodology to understand the product variability, supporting that this approach favors a better understanding of the whole process and enables to design a robust development stage, reducing costs and generating high-quality products

2021-12-23Journal article

Open access

Assessment of a Formulation Containing a Castanea sativa Shells Extract on Skin Face Parameters: In Vivo Evaluation

Publication . Silva, Ana Margarida; Costa, Paulo C.; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Rodrigues, Francisca

In the last years, the demand for new eco-friendly ingredients has increased on the cosmetic market. Consumers are more aware of sustainable principles and, simultaneously, more conscious regarding the skin aging process. Chestnut (Castanea sativa) shells are a food by-product produced in high quantities in Europe. This waste has been described as a rich source of phenolic compounds with skin biological effects, such as antioxidant, antiradical, and anti-inflammatory activities. Despite the huge number of assays reporting the richness of chestnut shell extracts in bioactive compounds as well as the development of cosmetic formulations containing these extracts, no in vivo assays have assessed their clinical efficacy in human volunteers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on skin face parameters of a formulation containing a chestnut shell extract in human volunteers (n = 22) who applied the product twice per day, for 56 days. For that, biophysical techniques, including Corneometer®, Cutometer®, and PrimosPremium, were employed, allowing the quantification of skin hydration and firmness, as well as of wrinkles’ depth and volume and wrinkles’ skin roughness. The results demonstrated that the formulation led to a slight decrease in roughness and wrinkles’ depth, although no significant differences with respect to a placebo were observed. In addition, a clear improvement of skin hydration was achieved (t0 = 54.00 Arbitrary Units (A.U.) and t56 = 58.62 A.U.). In contrast to the placebo, the active formulation increased skin firmness up to 31.76% in 50.00% of the volunteers, but without significant differences with respect to the placebo, probably due to the short period of treatment. A long-term use of the product is recommended to possibly observe significant differences in all parameters.

2022-10-31Journal article

Open access