Bioactives

CONCEPT
CBQF’s Bioactives platform functions as pool of resources aimed at establishing both compositional and biological profiles of bioactive matrices and bioproducts. Bioactive compounds (e.g. phenolics, carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, Poly/oligosaccharides, dietary fibers, proteins and biopeptides) can be characterized using HPLC-DAD, LC-MS, SDS-PAGE, FPLC, GC-MS among other techniques. From a biological standpoint, the platform is equipped with microplate readers (with fluorescence and absorbance detectors), spectrophotometers, electrophoretic systems, PCR systems and flow cytometry among others. These equipments and competences allow for the effective characterization of different bioactive properties including: antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulation, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antibiofilm and prebiotic (in vitro and using human based models) activity, genotoxicity and inhibition of relevant enzymes (e.g. collagenase, tyrosinase and elastase). Moreover, the platform possesses several cell based protocols for the characterization of cytotoxicity, compound bioavailability, antiproliferative and bacterial adhesion (pathogens and probiotic microorganisms).

OBJECTIVES
The CBQF Bioactives platform focus on:
• Characterization of the composition of bioproducts and bioactive constituents
• Use in vitro methods for the characterization of the biological and functional potential of bioproducts and bioactives
• Provide an integrated set of equipment and know-how for the better exploitation of bioactive constituents

CAPACITIES
CBQF’s Bioactives platform is operated by researchers in the biotechnology field and offers the capacity to perform complete biochemical, biological and functional profiles of bioactive compounds and matrices and bioproducts, considering several different types of applications from cosmetic to food ingredients aimed for human or animal consumption