First- and second-generation valorisation of wastes and residues occurring in the food supply chain

Despite the high potential to increase sustainability of food systems, wastes and by-products occurring in the food supply chain are currently only partially valorised at different value-added levels. First-generation valorisation strategies that aim at utilisation of complete material streams for production of animal feed, energy, compost and/or specific consumer applications are already widely implemented and experience further dissemination and/or development (e.g. biohydrogen/biohythane production) – either in the form of single processes or as part of cascade utilisations. Second-generation valorisation strategies comprise various forms of fractionised utilisation of material streams. They rely on integration of adapted recovery and conversion procedures for specific components in order to obtain sequentially different classes of products, e.g. fine chemicals, commodity products and biofuels. Such advanced strategies are particularly suitable for wastes and by-products occurring during industrial food processing. Valorisation of food by-products for functional food is an emerging trend

Naturally Occurring Exosome Vesicles as Potential Delivery Vehicle for Bioactive Compounds

Various kinds of vesicles have been produced from plant, animal and inorganic materials for use as delivery vehicles especially in functional food formulation. However, major drawbacks associated with most of them include issues with sustainability, safety, biocompatibility, biorecognition, stability, bioavailability, bioadhesion, generation of reactive species, inefficient encapsulation and protection, and inability to release the bioactive compounds at target regions of the gastrointestinal tract. The use of vesicles innately formed in plant and animal cells as delivery agents would potentially solve most problems associated with the existing nanodelivery systems. Underutilized vesicles, known as exosomes, exist in plant and animal cells, where they play roles in cell communication and nutrient delivery. To date, exosomes have proven to be stable, biocompatible and able to withstand the activity of digestive enzymes until they reach their target locations. However, there is a need to explore better ways of inducing exosome production, to elucidate their physiological roles, and understand their biogenesis in plants, to discover sustainable methods of isolation of high yields of the vesicles. There is also a need to clarify the digestibility and interaction of the exosomes with blood and gastrointestinal fluids. This review highlights the isolation techniques and delivery potential of exosomes, and equally presents research gaps for enhancing the use of the natural vesicles for delivery purposes

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase as a sustainable and promising plant source of bioactive peptides for food applications

Background Plant proteins are well-known precursors of bioactive peptides. In translating the peptides into functional foods, the protein sources need to be sustainable and readily available. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is the major enzyme in photosynthesis and photorespiration in plants and some other organisms, and is known to be the most abundant protein on earth. Therefore, RuBisCO is an attractive and sustainable source of bioactive peptides. Scope and approach This review discusses the structure, function, composition and technology for plant RuBisCO extraction, as well as the fractionation and known bioactivities of its enzymatic hydrolysate and peptides. Feasibility of industrial scale up and practical application of the RuBisCO peptides in food were also considered. Key findings and conclusions Several processes are available for extraction of the RuBisCO subunits and some are simple, fast and adaptable for industrial scale production. Work is however needed on recovery of high protein yields with high purity. Most studies reported that peptides, mostly from the large subunit, from enzymatic hydrolysis of spinach or alfalfa RuBisCO possess antihypertensive, opioid-like, secretagogue and food intake stimulating, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These properties demonstrate that RuBisCO can be utilized as a sustainable source of peptides with multiple bioactivities for formulation of functional foods

Chemometric Analysis of the Amino Acid Requirements of Antioxidant Food Protein Hydrolysates

The contributions of individual amino acid residues or groups of amino acids to antioxidant activities of some food protein hydrolysates were investigated using partial least squares (PLS) regression method. PLS models were computed with amino acid composition and 3-z scale descriptors in the X-matrix and antioxidant activities of the samples in the Y-matrix; models were validated by cross-validation and permutation tests. Based on coefficients of the resulting models, it was observed that sulfur-containing (SCAA), acidic and hydrophobic amino acids had strong positive effects on scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H2O2 radicals in addition to ferric reducing antioxidant power. For superoxide radicals, only lysine and leucine showed strong positive contributions while SCAA had strong negative contributions to scavenging by the protein hydrolysates. In contrast, positively-charged amino acids strongly contributed negatively to ferric reducing antioxidant power and scavenging of DPPH and H2O2 radicals. Therefore, food protein hydrolysates containing appropriate amounts of amino acids with strong contribution properties could be potential candidates for use as potent antioxidant agents. We conclude that information presented in this work could support the development of low cost methods that will efficiently generate potent antioxidant peptide mixtures from food proteins without the need for costly peptide purification

Men’s perception of barriers to women’s use and access of skilled pregnancy care in rural Nigeria: a qualitative study

Despite evidence that male involvement increases uptake of maternal and child services, studies show that few men are participating in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) programs in Nigeria. Men tend to have exclusive control of their household’s economic resources and are decision makers in all aspects of women’s reproductive health. The study indicates that male involvement is rooted in gender roles where men continue to be viewed as financial providers and decision makers. Nigeria is the second largest contributor to maternal mortality worldwide and has a birth rate of five children per woman

Effect of Peptide Size on Antioxidant Properties of African Yam Bean Seed (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) Protein Hydrolysate Fractions

Enzymatic hydrolysate of African yam bean seed protein isolate was prepared by treatment with alcalase. The hydrolysate was further fractionated into peptide sizes of <1, 1–3, 3–5 and 5–10 kDa using membrane ultrafiltration. The protein hydrolysate (APH) and its membrane ultrafiltration fractions were assayed for in vitro antioxidant activities. The <1 kDa peptides exhibited significantly better (p < 0.05) ferric reducing power, diphenyl-1-picryhydradzyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities when compared to peptide fractions of higher molecular weights. The high activity of <1 kDa peptides in these antioxidant assay systems may be related to the high levels of total hydrophobic and aromatic amino acids. In comparison to glutathione (GSH), the APH and its membrane fractions had significantly higher (p < 0.05) ability to chelate metal ions. In contrast, GSH had significantly greater (p < 0.05) ferric reducing power and free radical scavenging activities than APH and its membrane fractions. The APH and its membrane fractions effectively inhibited lipid peroxidation, results that were concentration dependent. The activity of APH and its membrane fractions against linoleic acid oxidation was higher when compared to that of GSH but lower than that of butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT). The results show potential use of APH and its membrane fractions as antioxidants in the management of oxidative stress-related metabolic disorders and in the prevention of lipid oxidation in food products

Towards the management of hypertension: Modulation of the renin-angiotensin system by food protein hydrolysates and peptides

In response to the side effects of antihypertensive drugs, dietary and lifestyle modification approaches have become alternative strategies for prevention and modulation of mild hypertension. Moreover, the use of low molecular size bioactive peptides (BAPs) as antihypertensive agents has gained particular attention as a result of the safety, low cost, and consumer preference for natural health products compared to drugs. BAPs are produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins followed by post-hydrolysis processing to fractionate the active peptides. Antihypertensive BAPs exert their effect mostly by modulating the renin-angiotensin system pathway leading to decrease in vasoactive peptides with concomitant reduction of elevated blood pressure associated with hypertension in animal models and humans. This review revisits the prevalence of hypertension and the molecular basis of activity, bioavailability and safety of BAPS as well as contradictions and controversies on the use of peptides as antihypertensive agents

Large-scale mapping of bioactive peptides in structural and sequence space

Health-enhancing potential bioactive peptide (BP) has driven an interest in food proteins as well as in the development of predictive methods. Research in this area has been especially active to use them as components in functional foods. Apparently, BPs do not have a given biological function in the containing proteins and they do not evolve under independent evolutionary constraints. In this work we performed a large-scale mapping of BPs in sequence and structural space. Using well curated BP deposited in BIOPEP database, we searched for exact matches in non-redundant sequences databases. Proteins containing BPs, were used in fold-recognition methods to predict the corresponding folds and BPs occurrences were mapped. We found that fold distribution of BP occurrences possibly reflects sequence relative abundance in databases. However, we also found that proteins with 5 or more than 5 BP in their sequences correspond to well populated protein folds, called superfolds. Also, we found that in well populated superfamilies, BPs tend to adopt similar locations in the protein fold, suggesting the existence of hotspots. We think that our results could contribute to the development of new bioinformatics pipeline to improve BP detection.Fil: Nardo, Agustina Estefania. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Añon, Maria Cristina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Parisi, Gustavo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Generation of Bioactive Hydrolysates and Peptides from Bovine Hemoglobin with In Vitro Renin, Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV Inhibitory Activities

peer-reviewedBovine hemoglobin was selected for use in the generation of bioactive hydrolysates with potential for use as functional food ingredients for prevention of disorders such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Bovine hemoglobin was isolated and hydrolyzed with papain, which was selected using in silico analysis. The generated hydrolysate was enriched by ultrafiltration and further purified by high performance liquid chromatography. A number of peptides were identified using de novo peptide sequencing and these peptides were chemically synthesized to confirm their bioactivity in vitro. Three multifunctional peptides with both, ACE-I and renin-inhibitory properties and one peptide with ACE-I-inhibiting properties were identified. These included the di-peptide HR with ACE-I and renin IC50 values of 0.19 and 7.09 mM, respectively. The generated papain hydrolysate of bovine hemoglobin not only inhibited the enzymes ACE-I and renin but also the enzyme DPP-IV, which has been linked to type-2 diabetes.Tomas Lafarga is in receipt of a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship. This work forms part of the ReValueProtein Research Project (Grant Award No. 11/F/043) which is supported by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) both funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007–2013