Grape Canes from Typical Cultivars of Campania (Southern Italy) as a Source of High-Value Bioactive Compounds: Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities
Giuseppe Squillaci,
Carla Zannella,
Virginia Carbone,
Paola Minasi,
Veronica Folliero,
Debora Stelitano,
Francesco La Cara,
Massimiliano Galdiero,
Gianluigi Franci,
Alessandra Morana
Affiliations
Giuseppe Squillaci
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
Carla Zannella
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy
Virginia Carbone
Proteomic and Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Center, Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Paola Minasi
Proteomic and Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Center, Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Veronica Folliero
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy
Debora Stelitano
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy
Francesco La Cara
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
Massimiliano Galdiero
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy
Gianluigi Franci
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry Scuola Medica Salernitana, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Alessandra Morana
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
The purpose of the current study was to determine the phenolic composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities in grape cane extracts from typical cultivars of Southern Italy. Aqueous extracts at different pHs (1–13) were prepared from “Aglianico”, “Fiano”, and “Greco” grape canes. The results demonstrated that an alkaline pH (13.00) produced the best polyphenol-rich extracts, as the total phenolic content was more than double when compared to the respective extracts prepared at pH 1.00. “Greco” grape canes gave the highest quantity of phenolic compounds at each pH, ranging from 42.7 ± 0.4 to 104.3 ± 3.0 mg Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE)/g Dry Extract (DE) from pH 1.00 to 13.00. The Radical Scavenging Activity (RSA) and the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) were measured. The highest antioxidant activity was showed by “Greco” extract at pH 7.00. Seventy-five compounds were identified in the extracts by HPLC-MS with six of them described for the first time in grape canes. Procyanidins were highly abundant in extracts at pH 7.00, whereas stilbenoids were the most represented compounds at pH 13.00. Very strong antiviral activity against herpes simplex viruses was recorded for the extracts at pH 7.00 and 13.00 that were active in the early stages of infection by acting directly against the viral particles. The overall results suggest that grape canes, currently underutilized, can be usefully valorised by providing active extracts to use as antioxidant and antiviral agents.
