Development of novel functional foods using Himalayan honey having enhanced nutraceutical and nutritional potential

This study was carried out to conduct the geographical discrimination of various types of honey, and their utilization in development of novel functional foods where in honey could be substituted in place of white sugar. Honey based apple spread and marmalade products were developed and evaluated for quality analysis. The results showed higher water activity (aw) and moisture content in Plectranthus rugosus (PR) honey based apple spread and marmalade while, TSS was highest (p < 0.05) in Multifloral (MF) honey based apple spread and marmalade. Hydroxymethylfurfural was found to be in the ranged of 6.77–7.05 (mg/kg) for honey based apple spread products and 3.09–3.46 (mg/kg) for honey based apple marmalade products. The lightness (L*) value was significantly highest in MF honey based apple spread and marmalades (p < 0.05). Redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values were significantly highest in PR honey based apple spreads and marmalades and lowest in Robinia pseudo acacia (RSA) honey based apple spread and marmalades. In general, all MF honey based apple spreads and marmalades has the highest score for overall acceptability in comparison to RSA and PR honey based apple spreads. The values of gel strength (Fe), rupture force (FR), energy of penetration (E) and adhesiveness (A) in the given spread products were in the range of 1.50–1.54 N, 1.70–1.73 N, 17.00–17.05 Ns and −1.11–−1.08 Ns, respectively. The values of gel strength (Fe), rupture force (FR), energy of penetration (E) and adhesiveness (A) in the investigated marmalade products were in the range of 1.65–1.69 N, 2.08–2.13 N, 16.05–16.10 Ns and −1.14–−1.10 Ns, respectively

Rabbit Meat—Production, Consumption and Consumers’ Attitudes and Behavior

Rabbit meat could play an important role in health, the rural economy, and sustainable development. Rabbit meat has excellent nutritional features, such as high protein content, low-fat content, and a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, low cholesterol and sodium levels. In addition, rabbit meat production contributes to maintaining economic activities in rural marginal areas. However, the consumption of rabbit meat is still limited due to several factors such as the higher cost of commercial food that is slowing down rabbits’ breeding. Socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes, and nationality of consumers influence the demand and consumption of rabbit meat. The social and economic changes of the past years are leading to an increased interest in rabbit meat products with convenience characteristics. Consumers are also increasingly paying attention to animal husbandry methods for health concerns and ethical reasons. This paper presents an overview of rabbit meat focusing on production, nutritional composition, consumers’ preferences, and marketing. The review proposes strategies that, coupled with information campaigns could improve consumers’ knowledge of the positive characteristics of rabbit meat, which would contribute to the market development

Cultured meat: processing, packaging, shelf life, and consumer acceptance

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGIncreasing concern of consumers on sustainability issues leads to high demand for new alternative protein-based products to alter animal origin meat in the market. Meat alternatives, like cultured meat, are new in the market and consumers are skeptical to consume cultured meat, so an improvement in functionality and sensory quality pose to be important information to increase their acceptability by the consumer. Unnaturalness, healthiness, texture, price, and safety are the main considered attributes for consumers and need to be well-promoted to improve the purchasing power of cultured meat. With production in a controlled environment with tissue-engineered technology, cultured meat can be produced to fulfill the demanded and acceptable quality by consumers. Packaging potential for cultural meat to maintain its food quality and improve its shelf life highlights consumer acceptance of cultured meat in different countries and its approach to represent meat in the market. This review shows the current scenario on processing technology, packaging, and shelf life of cultured meat. Consumer acceptance and the future roadmap of cultured meat development have also been discussed in detail

Blackcurrants: A Nutrient-Rich Source for the Development of Functional Foods for Improved Athletic Performance

Blackcurrants are nutrient-rich fruits with a significant amount of bioactive compounds including vitamin C and polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. The high phytochemical content of blackcurrants promotes this fruit to become a valuable functional food ingredient with varying health-promoting activities targeting different consumers including athletes. Athletes experience oxidative stress during intense exercise, which can result in inflammation and reduced exercise performance. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols can restore the regular oxidative status of the body. Blackcurrant supplementation has shown potential ergogenic activity to improve athlete performance during high-intensity training. Clinical trials have evaluated the effectiveness of blackcurrant supplementation on exercise performance, fat oxidation, blood lactate levels, muscle fatigue, and cardiac output. Due to the rich nutritional value of blackcurrants, they can be a potential candidate for the development of functional foods targeted at the improved performance of athletes. Blackcurrants can be used as ingredients to develop functional beverages and snacks for athletes as well as gluten-free products for celiac athletes.Blackcurrant is rich in bioactive compounds that can help improve athletic performance. It can be considered a potential bioactive ingredient to develop functional foods for athletes

Kappa-carrageenan as an effective cryoprotectant on water mobility and functional properties of grass carp myofibrillar protein gel during frozen storage

The effect of kappa-carrageenan oligosaccharides was analyzed on the gelling abilities of grass carp myofibrillar proteins (MP) during 60 days frozen storage. Four gel treatments were prepared: control without additives (C), a positive control with sucrose: sorbitol (PC), and two batches with 1 and 2% of kappa-carrageenan (KC). All MP gels showed a significant decline in the functional and structural properties. Water holding capacity (WHC) and textural properties of control MP gel was significantly reduced due to oxidative changes, whereas weak cross-linking between amino acid molecules and denaturation of myosin observed. In contrast, PC and KC showed a significant control on the reduction of functional properties due to the enhanced inter/intra-molecular interactions and less formation of ice crystals. Addition of KC (2%) significantly restricted the decline in WHC from 95.45 to 75.47%, which is well associated with high hydrogen proton density. Besides that, low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) analysis exhibited a restricted increase in T22 relaxation time in samples added with KC (2%). Overall, MP gel with KC (2%) proved to be an effective alternative in comparison with PC and could be efficient in the production and commercialization of fish and other seafood products.National Natural Science Foundation of China | Ref. 31972104National Natural Science Foundation of China | Ref. 51809224National Natural Science Foundation of China | Ref. 3147169

Biological nitrogen recirculation to food protein – A review

Nitrogen is a part of a complex cycle with transformative reactions being not only an essential element for living organisms, but also facilitating negative environmental impacts as eutrophication and climate change. To reduce the negative environmental impacts, closing the nitrogen loop, reducing inputs of fossil-based synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, and returning nitrogen-rich material and waste streams back into the food system are essential. This review investigates the potential of nitrogen transformation technologies to return nitrogen to food systems from existing material streams, levelling the imbalances of the nitrogen cycle. Review of both conventional and biotechnological pathways for nitrogen recovery, as well as of legal aspects and safety issues uncovers the knowledge gaps, potentials, and barriers for making nitrogen circular in a food system context. Further a few technologies aiming the recirculation of the nitrogen disclosed as a basis for potential industrial scale up and implementation.Peer reviewe

Seafood processing, preservation, and analytical techniques in the age of industry 4.0

Fish and other seafood products are essential dietary components that are highly appreciated and consumed worldwide. However, the high perishability of these products has driven the development of a wide range of processing, preservation, and analytical techniques. This development has been accelerated in recent years with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies, digitally transforming almost every industry, including the food and seafood industry. The purpose of this review paper is to provide an updated overview of recent thermal and nonthermal processing and preservation technologies, as well as advanced analytical techniques used in the seafood industry. A special focus will be given to the role of different Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve smart seafood manufacturing, with high automation and digitalization. The literature discussed in this work showed that emerging technologies (e.g., ohmic heating, pulsed electric field, high pressure processing, nanotechnology, advanced mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques, and hyperspectral imaging sensors) are key elements in industrial revolutions not only in the seafood industry but also in all food industry sectors. More research is still needed to explore how to harness the Industry 4.0 innovations in order to achieve a green transition toward more profitable and sustainable food production systems.José S. Câmara and Rosa Perestrelo acknowledge FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the CQM Base Fund—UIDB/00674/2020, and Programmatic Fund—UIDP/00674/2020, Madeira 14–20 Program, project PROEQUIPRAM—Reforço do Investimento em Equipamentos e Infraestruturas Científicas na RAM (M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000008), and ARDITI—Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação, through M1420-01-0145- FEDER-000005—Centro de Química da Madeira—CQM+ (Madeira 14–20 Program) for their support. The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the program EXCELENCIAED431F 2020/12; and the pre-doctoral grant of P. Garcia-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295); and by the program BENEFICIOS DO CONSUMO DAS ESPECIES TINTORERA-(CO-0019-2021).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Blackcurrants: A Nutrient-Rich Source for the Development of Functional Foods for Improved Athletic Performance

Blackcurrants are nutrient-rich fruits with a significant amount of bioactive compounds including vitamin C and polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. The high phytochemical content of blackcurrants promotes this fruit to become a valuable functional food ingredient with varying health-promoting activities targeting different consumers including athletes. Athletes experience oxidative stress during intense exercise, which can result in inflammation and reduced exercise performance. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols can restore the regular oxidative status of the body. Blackcurrant supplementation has shown potential ergogenic activity to improve athlete performance during high-intensity training. Clinical trials have evaluated the effectiveness of blackcurrant supplementation on exercise performance, fat oxidation, blood lactate levels, muscle fatigue, and cardiac output. Due to the rich nutritional value of blackcurrants, they can be a potential candidate for the development of functional foods targeted at the improved performance of athletes. Blackcurrants can be used as ingredients to develop functional beverages and snacks for athletes as well as gluten-free products for celiac athletes.Blackcurrant is rich in bioactive compounds that can help improve athletic performance. It can be considered a potential bioactive ingredient to develop functional foods for athletes

Impact of Phytoconstituents on Oral Health Practices: A Post COVID-19 Observation

Appropriate oral hygiene significantly reduces the possibility of oral infections. However, dental caries and periodontal diseases are major oral health issues causing chronic diseases due to poor oral health. Recently, herbal compounds have gained interest in maintaining oral health. Extracts of burdock root (Arctium), noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia), and neem leaf (Azadirachta indica) are now used as intracanal medicaments in endodontics and periodontics. Plectranthus amboinicus species and other plants produces essential oil like β-caryophyllene, p-cymene, and γ-terpinenecan exhibiting antibacterial activity, highlighting phytoconstituents plays a vital role in oral health. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene and sanitization, to curb SARS-CoV-2. Oral cavity is among the gateways for virus entry into saliva. Saliva is a potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, and there is an increased risk of infection if there is any fissure in the mouth. This enables entry of virus into the vascular system through gingival or periodontal pocket, possibly reaching lung periphery then to lung vessels by interacting with endothelial surface receptors triggering pulmonary vasoconstriction and lung damage due to endothelial dysfunction. This review aims to draw attention to the possible route of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the oral cavity and the importance of oral hygiene against COVID-19

Release of Encapsulated Bioactive Compounds from Active Packaging/Coating Materials and Its Modeling: A Systematic Review

The issue of achieving controlled or targeted release of bioactive compounds with specific functional properties is a complex task that requires addressing several factors, including the type of bioactive, the nature of the delivery system, and the environmental conditions during transportation and storage. This paper deals with extensive reporting for the identification of original articles using Scopus and Google Scholar based on active packaging as a novel packaging technology that controls the release of antimicrobial agents encapsulated into carriers in the food packaging systems. For evidence-based search, the studies were extracted from 2015 to 2020 and screened using the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Following the review and screening of publications, 32 peer-reviewed articles were subjected to systematic analysis. The preliminary search indicated that the encapsulation of bioactives enhances their bioavailability and stability. From a theoretical viewpoint, mathematical models play an important role in understanding and predicting the release behavior of bioactives during transportation and storage, thus facilitating the development of new packaging material by a systematic approach. However, only a few studies could formulate parameters for mathematical models in order to achieve the specific release mechanism regulated for the quality and safety of foods. Therefore, this paper will cover all encapsulation approaches, active packaging, and mathematical modeling in the food industry into structural form and analyze the challenges faced by the complex nature of active packaging in real food systems