Article

The Mediterranean lands are ideal sites for providing any kind of green food. In this scenery Sicily may really be considered a Treasure Island. The known benefits from Mediterranean diet, and the ever-increasing awareness of the benefits from consumption of fruits and vegetables, generated a great input in researching about typical Sicilian species and their impact on human health. We first investigated properties and bioactivity of cactus pear fruits [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.] and its characteristic phytochemicals, betanin and indicaxanthin. The latter, only occurring in the cactus pear among the edible fruits, has been the object of most of our research. Chemical, physico-chemical, antioxidant and reducing properties, as well as bioactivities, from anti-inflammatory to anti-proliferative, have been described in various systems, cell cultures and animal models. Moreover, we ascertained that indicaxanthin is highly bioavailable in man, making a real link between experimental set-ups and potential activity in the body. In other studies on bioactive polymeric proanthocyanidin components of Sicilian pistachio (Pistacia vera L.), we observed inhibition of the inflammatory response triggered by cytokine IL-1B in human intestinal epithelial cells, suggesting beneficial effects for the gastro-intestinal pathophysiology. Other investigations on extracts of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) showed antioxidative activity of caper, including the capacity of reducing the highly reactive hypervalent-iron heme, a radical formed in red meat during cooking. In addition, the extract components from a serving size (8.6 g capers), prevented the autoxidation of meat in a simulated gastric digestion. Finally we are studying composition, reducing power, antioxidant potential, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity of manna, the product of spontaneous solidification of the sap pouring from appropriate incisions on the bark of the trunk and main branches of two different native species of ash (Fraxinus ornus L. and F. angustifolia Vahl) cultivated in North Sicily (Madonie). In addition, we patented a method to purify, and then re-qualify the waste matter from manna remaining adherent to the bark of the tree