Non-Dairy Probiotic Products

The term probiotic was technically defined as “live microorganisms which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond inherent nutrition” (FAO/ WHO 2001). This definition requires that the microorganisms must be alive and present in high numbers, generally more than 109 cells per daily ingested dose. Probiotic food products are considered as functional foods which are defined to contain health-promoting components beyond traditional nutrients and the addition of probiotic cultures is one approach in which foods could be modified to become functional

Study of the Microbial Diversity and Antimicrobial Properties of Irish Edible Brown Seaweeds

Brown Irish edible seaweeds, Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria sachharina and Laminaria digitata, were evaluated for the microbiota in raw and heat processed form. Raw seaweeds showed complete absence of aerobic mesophiles, halophiles, yeasts and molds. However, heating at 85 C for 15 min resulted in spore germination. Bacterial counts as high as 107 were observed for aerobic mesophiles and halophiles. Heating above 95 C for 15 min resulted in complete inactivation of surface microflora. Bacteria belonging to Bacillaceae, Paenibacillaceae, Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae family were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extracts of the seaweed on food pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria were also evaluated. The seaweeds in their raw state had almost 100% inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes; 98% and 93% inhibition was achieved against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by H. elongata and L. saccharina extracts, respectively. Heating the seaweeds resulted in the reduction of antimicrobial activity as compared to raw. The effect was more pronounced against Gram negative bacteri

Assessing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Functional Food Ingredient Production Process

Development and application of novel technologies in food processing is vital for ensuring the availability of adequate, safe, and convenient food with the desired quality and functional properties. Environmental and economic sustainability of technologies is essential prior to their application in the food processing sector. The objective of this research is to determine the environmental and economic feasibility of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for recovering functional food ingredients from seaweed. Experimental data is used to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate the environmental performance with a functional unit (FU) of obtaining 1 g of extracted polyphenols, measured as gallic acid equivalents (mg GAE)/g seaweed. A life cycle impact assessment is performed with ReCiPe 2016 at midpoint. The cost of manufacturing (COM) of phenolic-rich extracts (as functional ingredient, bioactive, or nutraceutical) is estimated using time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC). The environmental profile findings show that across all categories, the UAE has considerably lower impacts than the conventional method, with electricity as the most important impact contributor, followed by solvent production. An economic assessment estimates the COM over a one-year period at a large scale using the UAE to be EUR 1,200,304, EUR 2,368,440, and EUR 4,623,290 for extraction vessel capacities of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 m3, respectively. Raw materials (including the type of raw material) and operational labour costs are the primary contributors to the COM. The findings thus present evidence to support the adoption of an environmentally and economically viable technology for functional ingredient production

Novel Fermented Marine-Based Products

Consumption of fermented food contributed to several ethnic and geographical identity since prehistoric period. Though the fermentation process was initially used as a tool for food preservation but nowadays it is commonly applied to improve the sensory properties, shelf life and nutritional quality of food products. Either in traditional foods or as new opportunities, the global scenario indicates that the consumers are more inclined towards such savoury products. The current trend in context has also generated a new spurt in the application of probiotic bacteria for the production of healthy fermented food products. Most fermented products these days are either dairy based or of terrestrial origin whereas skills to ferment marine based products are quite limited. This chapter, therefore focuses on various marine based fermented products currently consumed by various cultural groups worldwide. It also explores their usage through history along with current research trends and future challenges associated with their production

Bio-Waste to Bio-Based

Research projects are currently underway in Teagasc and UCD todevelop cleaner and greener pre-treatment technologies forconversion of ‘bio-waste’ into ‘bio-based’ products withpotential applications in food, feed and biofuel. These projectshave the potential to significantly reduce the burden on land usefor protein and biofuels, not only in Ireland/Europe butworldwide, along with dramatically improving the conversionefficiencies of current bio-based production technologies.Moreover, these can significantly reduce the ever-increasingenvironmental problem of waste management and landfill usefor waste deposition

Bioactive Potential of Marine and Terrestrial Vegetables: A Comparative Study

Polyphenols are extensively used in food, beverage, pharmaceuticals and nutraceutical industry for their positive effects on human health. Present study was designed to estimate the differences in polyphenols level and antioxidant capacity between marine and terrestrial vegetables. Considerable variations in the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were observed, which ranges from 20.4 to 140.2 mg GAE/g of extracts (dw) for TPC and 15.4 to 50.4 mg QE/g of extracts (dw) for TFC. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity was confirmed by all the extracts. Results showed that marine vegetables had significantly higher polyphenols content and antioxidant property compared to terrestrial counterparts

Effect of Solvents on the Extractability of Phenolic Constituents and their Antioxidant Capacity from Irish Seaweed

Seaweeds are being used for human consumption in the Orient and help them live longer with low levels of hypertension, cancer and other ailments. The study aimed at extraction of principle constituents using a wide range of solvents and their mixtures on the basis of polarity, from Irish brown seaweeds namely Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata. All the extracts were screened for total phenolic content (TPC) and their potential antioxidant capacity, using 2, 2´-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Among all the solvents tested, 60% methanolic extract and equi-volume mixture of chloroform, diethyl ether and n-hexane (Mix 4) extract exhibited the highest TPC which were in the range of 46.6 ± 2.8 to 156.0 ± 2.4 and 52.7 ± 1.9 to 128.2 ± 1.6 mg gallic acid equivalent/g respectively, among all the seaweed. Interestingly, the same extracts showed the highest antioxidant capacity wherein the value of FRAP ranged from 4.9 ± 0.13 to 11.7 ± 0.23 and 8.3 ± 0.23 to 26.3 ± 0.30 mg trolox equivalent/g, respectively, in all the seaweed studied. Results concluded that different solvents extract different amount of phenolic antioxidant compounds from seaweed. Thus, seaweed can be considered as potential source of natural antioxidants for food and pharmaceuticals purposes

A Review of Alternative Proteins For Vegan Diets: Sources, Physico-Chemical Properties, Nutritional Equivalency, and Consumer Acceptance

Alternate proteins are gaining popularity as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to animal-based proteins. These proteins are often considered healthier and are suitable for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Alternative proteins can be recovered from natural sources like legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, while single cell proteins (mycoproteins), and algal proteins are being developed using cutting-edge technology to grow fungus, yeast and algal cells in a controlled environment, creating a more sustainable source of protein. Although, the demand for alternative protein products is increasing, there still happens to be a large gap in use among the general consumers mainly stemming from its lower bioavailability, lack of nutritional equivalency and reduced digestibility compared to animal proteins. The focus of the review is to emphasize on various sources and technologies for recovering alternative proteins for vegan diets. The review discusses physicochemical properties of alternative proteins and emphasise on the role of various processing technologies that can change the digestibility and bioavailability of these proteins. It further accentuates the nutritional equivalency and environmental sustainability of alternative protein against the conventional proteins from animals. The food laws surrounding alternative proteins as well as the commercial potential and consumer acceptance of alternative protein products are also highlighted. Finally, key challenges to improve the consumer acceptability and market value of plant-based proteins would be in achieving nutrient equivalency and enhance bioavailability and digestibility while maintaining the same physicochemical properties, taste, texture, as animal proteins, has also been highlighted

Enhancing the Extraction of Polysaccharides and Antioxidants from Macroalgae Using Sequential Hydrothermal-Assisted Extraction Followed by Ultrasound and Thermal Technologies

peer-reviewedFucose sulphated polysaccharides (FSPs) and glucans have recently attracted the attention of the scientific community due to their wide range of biological activities. Both polysaccharides should ideally be selectively extracted using innovative technologies with high extraction efficiency. This study aims to: (1) Optimise the extraction variables used in hydrothermal-assisted extraction (HAE) to obtain high yields of FSPs, total glucans, and antioxidants from Laminaria hyperborea; (2) to apply these optimised protocols to other brown macroalgae; and (3) to explore the application of ultrasound and thermal technologies to increase the recovery of polysaccharides from the residual biomass. Box-Behnken design (three-factor, four-levels) was employed to optimise the HAE variables, and principal component analysis was used to evaluate the recovery of polysaccharides from the residual biomass. The optimal HAE conditions were 120 °C, 80.9 min, and 12.02 mL/g macroalgae from L. hyperborea. The best sequential application of ultrasound and thermal treatment achieved an additional 2971.7 ± 61.9 mg fucose/100 g dried macroalgal residue (dmr) from Ascophyllum nodosum and 908.0 ± 51.4 mg total glucans/100 g dmr from L. hyperborea macroalgal residues