Green tea has been an important beverage for humans since ancient times, widely consumed and considered to have health benefits by traditional medicine in Asian countries. Green tea phenolic compounds are predominately composed of catechin derivatives, although other compounds such as flavonols and phenolic acids are also present in lower proportion. The bioactivity exerted by these compounds has been associated with reduced risk of severe illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, epigallocatechin gallate has been implicated in alteration mechanisms with protective effect in these diseases as indicated by several studies about the effect of green tea consumption and mechanistic explanation through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The biological activity of green tea phenolic compounds also promotes a protective effect by antioxidant mechanisms in biological and food systems, preventing the oxidative damage by acting over either precursors or reactive species. Extraction of phenolic compounds influences the antioxidant activity and promotes adequate separation from green tea leaves to enhance the yield and/or antioxidant activity. Application of green tea phenolic compounds is of great interest because the antioxidant status of the products is enhanced and provides the product with additional antioxidant activity or reduces the undesirable changes of oxidative reactions while processing or storing food. In this scenario, meat and meat products are greatly influenced by oxidative deterioration and microbial spoilage, leading to reduced shelf life. Green tea extracts rich in phenolic compounds have been applied to increase shelf life with comparable effect to synthetic compounds, commonly used by food industry. Green tea has great importance in general health in technological application, however more studies are necessary to elucidate the impact in pathways related to other diseases and food applications.

Background: Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) causes major economic losses in fur-bearing animal production. The control of most AMDV outbreaks is complex due to the difficulties of establishing the source of infection based only on the available on-farm epidemiological data. In this sense, phylogenetic analysis of the strains present in a farm may help elucidate the origin of the infection and improve the control and biosecurity measures. Objectives: This study had the following aims: characterize the AMDV strains from most outbreaks produced at Spanish farms between 2012–2019 at the molecular level, and assess the utility of the combined use of molecular and epidemiological data to track the possible routes of infection. Methods: Thirty-seven strains from 17 farms were partially sequenced for the NS1 and VP2 genes and analyzed phylogenetically with other strains described worldwide. Results: Spanish AMDV strains are clustered in four major clades that generally show a good geographical correlation, confirming that most had been established in Spain a long time ago. The combined study of phylogenetic results and epidemiological information of each farm suggests that most of the AMDV outbreaks since 2012 had been produced by within-farm reservoirs, while a few of them may have been due to the introduction of the virus through international trade. Conclusions The combination of phylogenetic inference, together with epidemiological data, helps assess the possible origin of AMDV infections in mink farms and improving the control and prevention of this disease.

Objective To evaluate the phenolic profile and antioxidant activity in vitro of peanut skin extract (PSE) and effect of PSE on characteristics of sheep patties during storage. Methods PSE phenolic profile was evaluated in LC–MS analysis and by total phenolic content, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity and ferric reducing/antioxidant power. Patties elaborated with sheep meat were packaged in modified atmosphere and storage at (2 ± 1) °C. The analyses were performed every 5 days for 20 days on microbial counts, physico-chemical properties, lipid oxidation, protein stability and sensory characteristics. Results The major group of phenolic compounds in PSE was the proanthocyanidins followed by other flavonoids, which are related to potential phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The addition of PSE and butyl hydroxytoluene (BHT) reduced the microbial counts during the storage time, caused reduction on the loss of redness and sensory properties over time. The lipid and protein oxidation in sheep patties was effectively inhibited by PSE and BHT. Conclusions The present results showed the potential application of PSE as a natural alternative to replace synthetic antioxidants (BHT) for increasing the quality and extending the shelf-life of sheep patties.