Editorial. The sustainability challenge. New perspectives on the use of microbial approaches and their impact on food and feed

Building a more resilient food chain, reducing food loss and waste, improving food production practices and increasing plant-based food consumption are some of the fundamental actions suggested in The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations Member States in 20151. The objective of this special issue was to explore how the use of microorganisms as direct or indirect sources of transformation could contribute to these sustainability practices. In this context, the following strategies have been presented: (i) valorization of side-streams and underutilized food resources via fermentation, (ii) improvement of the efficiency of bioprocesses for the food and feed industry, and (iii) understanding and applying the microbiome as a resource to improve the agro-food system

Plant-based alternatives to yogurt: State-of-the-art and perspectives of new biotechnological challenges

Due to the increasing demand for milk alternatives, related to both health and ethical needs, plant-based yogurt-like products have been widely explored in recent years. With the main goal to obtain snacks similar to the conventional yogurt in terms of textural and sensory properties and ability to host viable lactic acid bacteria for a long-time storage, several plant-derived ingredients (e.g., cereals, pseudocereals, legumes, and fruits) as well as technological solutions (e.g., enzymatic and thermal treatments) have been investigated. The central role of fermentation in yogurt-like production led to specific selections of lactic acid bacteria strains to be used as starters to guarantee optimal textural (e.g., through the synthesis of exo-polysaccharydes), nutritional (high protein digestibility and low content of anti-nutritional compounds), and functional (synthesis of bioactive compounds) features of the products. This review provides an overview of the novel insights on fermented yogurt-like products. The state-of-the-art on the use of unconventional ingredients, traditional and innovative biotechnological processes, and the effects of fermentation on the textural, nutritional, functional, and sensory features, and the shelf life are described. The supplementation of prebiotics and probiotics and the related health effects are also reviewed

Capsule endoscopy in Crohn’s disease surveillance: A monocentric, retrospective analysis in Italy

Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a potentially debilitating condition that burdens Italian healthcare substantially. The symptomatic management relies on prompt therapy adjustment to reduce flares and follow-up diagnostic inputs to maximise remission. Capsule endoscopy (CE) has introduced advantages in CD diagnostics, allowing the direct inspection of the entire gastrointestinal mucosa. The diagnostic procedure is comparable in effort to standard ileocolonoscopy (IC) but requires no anaesthesia. Whether CE follow-up improves clinical outcomes remains to be defined. Objectives: To provide a preliminary evaluation of CE in terms of clinical outcomes with respect to the standard of care ileocolonoscopy/MRE in Italy. Methods: This retrospective analysis utilises anonymised, monocentric data from the S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital IBD database in Bologna, Italy, collected between 1999 and 2019. Out of 421 adult patient records, 100 were included in the analysis (50 per arm, matched per demographic and clinical characteristics). The CE represented the intervention arm, whereas ileocolonoscopy/magnetic resonance enterography was the standard of care. The use of biologics, symptomatology course, and surgery were the outcomes. Results: The two techniques performed similarly overall. In general, no significant difference emerged in the use of biologics. The use of biologics appears reduced in the CE group, only in L4 patients after the first follow-up year. Similarly, surgery was seemingly less frequent among L4 patients in the CE group. No difference was found between groups in flare occurrence and duration. CE patients might have experienced longer and earlier first remissions, but no long-term difference persisted. Conclusions: The CE group showed an apparent reduction in biologics and surgery, limiting to L4 diagnoses. More extensive, prospective, multicentre, randomised studies must corroborate these preliminary findings

Biosynthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid by lactic acid bacteria in surplus bread and its use in bread making

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of bread as substrate for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) biosynthesis, establishing a valorization strategy for surplus bread, repurposing it within the food chain. Methods and results: Surplus bread was fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to produce GABA. Pediococcus pentosaceus F01, Levilactobacillus brevis MRS4, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum H64 and C48 were selected among 33 LAB strains for the ability to synthesize GABA. Four fermentation experiments were set up using surplus bread as such, added of amylolytic and proteolytic enzymes, modifying the pH or mixed with wheat bran. Enzyme-treated slurries led to the release of glucose (up to 20 mg g-1 ) and free amino acid, whereas the addition of wheat bran (30% of bread weight) yielded the highest GABA content (circa 800 mg kg-1 of dry weight) and was the most suitable substrate for LAB growth. The selected slurry was ultimately used as an ingredient in bread making causing an increase in free amino acids. Conclusions: Besides the high GABA concentration (148 mg kg-1 dough), the experimental bread developed in this study was characterized by good nutritional properties, highlighting the efficacy of tailored bioprocessing technologies as means to mitigate food wastage. Significance and impact of study: Our results represent a proof of concept of effective strategies to repurpose food industry side streams

Synergistic effect induced by gold nanoparticles with polyphenols shell during thermal therapy: Macrophage inflammatory response and cancer cell death assessment

Background: In recent decades, gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-based cancer therapy has been heavily debated. The physico-chemical properties of AuNPs can be exploited in photothermal therapy, making them a powerful tool for selectively killing cancer cells. However, the synthetic side products and capping agents often induce a strong activation of the inflammatory pathways of macrophages, thus limiting their further applications in vivo. Methods: Here, we described a green method to obtain stable polyphenol-capped AuNPs (Au NPs@polyphenols), as polyphenols are known for their anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. These NPs were used in human macrophages to test key inflammation-related markers, such as NF-κB, TNF-α, and interleukins-6 and 8. The results were compared with similar NPs obtained by a traditional chemical route (without the polyphenol coating), proving the potential of Au NPs@polyphenols to strongly promote the shutdown of inflammation. This was useful in developing them for use as heat-synergized tools in the thermal treatment of two types of cancer cells, namely, breast cancer (MCF-7) and neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. The cell viability, calcium release, oxidative stress, HSP-70 expression, mitochondrial, and DNA damage, as well as cytoskeleton alteration, were evaluated. Results: Our results clearly demonstrate that the combined strategy markedly exerts anticancer effects against the tested cancer cell, while neither of the single treatments (only heat or only NPs) induced significant changes. Conclusions: Au NP@polyphenols may be powerful agents in cancer treatment

Osservazioni sulla mortalita di ircinia spinosula (schmidt) ed ircinia sp. (porifera, demospongiae) nell’insenatura della strea di porto cesareo

EnA long-term investigation (1994-1996) was carried out on two species of Ircinia, I. spinosula and Ircinia sp., coexisting in a Mediterranean coastal basin (Porto Cesareo, South-Western Apulia). During 1994 both species were affected by a disease which caused a decrease of their density. In I. spinosula the maximum decrement was observed in January 1996 (about 27%), while, in the same period Ircinia sp. was almost completely disappeared from the investigated area. In July1996 a successive slow restarting of the two species was observed. SEM observations of the skeleton of damaged specimens showed a decay of spongine fibres. Even though these ones were frequently broken, they did not show grooves in their external surface, nor they seemed excavated inside. Tissue reparation processes were observed; they seemed to consist in the isolation of affected areas, permitting a recovery and regeneration of many specimens.ItE’ stato condotto un monitoraggio temporale (1994-1996) su due specie del genere Ircinia, I. spinosula e Ircinia sp,, coesistenti in un bacino costiero mediterraneo (Porto Cesareo, Puglia Sud-Occidentale). Ne1 1994 entrambe le specie sono state colpite da una malattia che ha provocato un decremento della loro densita. In I. spinosula il decremento massimo è stato osservato in gennaio 1996 (circa il27%), mentre nello stesso periodo Ircinia sp è quasi del tutto scomparsa dall’area d’indagine. Nel luglio 1996 è stata osservata una successiva e lenta ripresa delle due specie. Le indagini ultrastrutturali (SEM) hanno permesso di osservare che in entrambe le specie lo scheletro degli esemplari danneggiati presentava una trama discontinua con le fibre di spongina frequentemente spezzate. Sebbene tali fibre risultassero sfaldate non apparivano mai erose al loro interno. Sono stati osservati, inoltre, probabili meccanismi di riparo dei tessuti; tali meccanismi, consistenti nell'isolamento delle aree affette da malattia, sono probabilmente alla base dei processi di ripresa e di rigenerazione di molti esemplari