Critical reviews in food science and nutrition最新文献

Momordica charantia L. is a well-known medicine and food homology plant with high pharmaceutical and nutritional values. Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers connected by glycosidic bonds, one of the key functional ingredients of M. charantia. Recently, M. charantia polysaccharides (MCPs) have attracted much attention from industries and researchers due to their anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes, anti-bacteria, immunomodulatory, neuroprotection, and organ protection activities. However, the development and utilization of MCPs-based functional foods and medicines were hindered by the lack of a deeper understanding of the structure-activity relationship (SAR), structural modification, applications, and safety of MCPs. Herein, we provide an overview of the extraction, purification, structural characterization, bioactivities, and mechanisms of MCPs. Besides, SAR, toxicities, application, and influences of the modification associated with bioactivities are spotlighted, and the potential development and future study direction are scrutinized. This review provides knowledge and research underpinnings for the further research and application of MCPs as therapeutic agents and functional food additives.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease caused by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors and is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. Long-term hyperglycemia can cause macrovascular and microvascular damage, and compromise the heart, brain, kidney, peripheral nerves, eyes and other organs, leading to serious complications. Genistein, a phytoestrogen derived from soybean, is known for its various biological activities and therapeutic properties. Recent studies found that genistein not only has hypoglycemic activity but can also decrease insulin resistance. In addition, genistein has particular activity in the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications, such as nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthrosis, encephalopathy and retinopathy. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize the latest medical research and progress of genistein in DM and related complications and highlights its potential molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Meanwhile, evidence is provided for the development and application of genistein as a potential drug or functional food in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its related complications.

As far as health benefit is concerned, dark tea is one of the best beverages in the world. Theabrownins are the major ingredient contributing to the health benefits of dark tea and known as "the soft gold in dark tea." A growing body of evidence indicated that theabrownins are macromolecular pigments with reddish-brown color and mellow taste, and mainly derived from the oxidative polymerization of tea polyphenols. Theabrownins are the main active ingredients in dark tea which brings multiple health-promoting effects in modulating lipid metabolism, reducing body weight gain, attenuating diabetes, mitigating NAFLD, scavenging ROS, and preventing tumors. More importantly, it's their substantial generation in microbial fermentation that endows dark tea with much stronger hypolipidemic effect compared with other types of tea. This review firstly summarizes the most recent findings on the preparation, structural characteristics, and health-promoting effects of theabrownins, emphasizing the underlying molecular mechanism, especially the different mechanisms behind the effect of theabrownins-mediated gut microbiota on the host's multiple health-promoting benefits. Furthermore, this review points out the main limitations of current research and potential future research directions, hoping to provide updated scientific evidence for their better theoretical research and industrial utilization.

Plant-derived polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds widely distributed in plants. They have received greater attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their potential health benefits, reducing the risk of some chronic diseases due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, and neuro-action properties. Polyphenolic compounds orally administered can be used as adjuvants in several treatments but with restricted uses due to chemical instability. The review discusses the different structural compositions of polyphenols and their influence on chemical stability. Despite the potential and wide applications, there is a need to improve the delivery of polyphenolics to target the human intestine without massive chemical modifications. Oral administration of polyphenols is unfeasible due to instability, low bioaccessibility, and limited bioavailability. Nano-delivery systems based on polysaccharides (starch, pectin, chitosan, and cellulose) have been identified as a viable option for oral ingestion, potentiate biological effects, and direct-controlled delivery in specific tissues. The time and dose can be individualized for specific diseases, such as intestinal cancer. This review will address the mechanisms by which polysaccharides-based nanostructured systems can protect against degradation and enhance intestinal permeation, oral bioavailability, and the potential application of polysaccharides as nanocarriers for the controlled and targeted delivery of polyphenolic compounds.

Fruits and vegetables are essential horticultural crops for humans. The quality of fruits and vegetables is critical in determining their nutritional value and edibility, which are decisive to their commercial value. Besides, it is also important to understand the changes in key substances involved in the preservation and processing of fruits and vegetables. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), a powerful technique for investigating biological surfaces, has been widely used to characterize the quality of fruits and vegetables and the substances involved in their preservation and processing from the perspective of nanoscale structure and mechanics. This review summarizes the applications of AFM to investigate the texture, appearance, and nutrients of fruits and vegetables based on structural imaging and force measurements. Additionally, the review highlights the application of AFM in characterizing the morphological and mechanical properties of nanomaterials involved in preserving and processing fruits and vegetables, including films and coatings for preservation, bioactive compounds for processing purposes, nanofiltration membrane for concentration, and nanoencapsulation for delivery of bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses of AFM for characterizing the quality of fruits and vegetables and the substances involved in their preservation and processing are examined, followed by a discussion on the prospects of AFM in this field.

Citrus polyphenols can modulate gut microbiota and such bi-directional interaction that can yield metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) to aid in gut homeostasis. Such interaction provides citrus polyphenols with powerful prebiotic potential, contributing to guts' health status and metabolic regulation. Citrus polyphenols encompass unique polymethoxy flavonoids imparting non-polar nature that improve their bioactivities and ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Green extraction technology targeting recovery of these polyphenols has received increasing attention due to its advantages of high extraction yield, short extraction time, low solvent consumption, and environmental friendliness. However, the low bioavailability of citrus polyphenols limits their applications in extraction from citrus by-products. Meanwhile, nano-encapsulation technology may serve as a promising approach to improve citrus polyphenols' bioavailability. As citrus polyphenols encompass multiple hydroxyl groups, they are potential to interact with bio-macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides in nano-encapsulated systems that can improve their bioavailability. This multifaceted review provides a research basis for the green and efficient extraction techniques of citrus polyphenols, as well as integrated mechanisms for its anti-inflammation, alleviating metabolic syndrome, and regulating gut homeostasis, which is more capitalized upon using nano-delivery systems as discussed in that review to maximize their health and food applications.

Sweet sorghum is a promising biomaterial, considering its nutritional and energy value, unpretentiousness in cultivation and its promising economic parameters of processing. The concentrate of sweet sorghum juice is an outstanding material for food purposes, meeting the emerging trends of the industry. This review presents data on the physicochemical properties of sweet sorghum juice and sirup, as well as technological details on the processes of its pretreatment, clarification, and concentration. Physicochemical properties of raw juice of sweet sorghum, as well as purified juice and sirup, are discussed in terms of material pretreatment, methods of clarification and concentration, and storage conditions. Comprehensive theoretical principles, methodological details and explanations of the consistency of sweet sorghum juice processing are given. This work focuses entirely on the relationship between sweet sorghum juice treatment methods and its composition and provides versatile source of information for food science community, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are a class of polymers composed of flavan-3-ol units that have a variety of bioactivities, and could be applied as natural biologics in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. PAs are widely found in fruit and vegetables (F&Vegs) and are generally extracted from their flesh and peel. To reduce the cost of extraction and increase the number of commercially viable sources of PAs, it is possible to exploit the by-products of plants. Leaves are major by-products of agricultural production of F&Vegs, and although their share has not been accurately quantified. They make up no less than 20% of the plant and leaves might be an interesting resource at different stages during production and processing. The specific structural PAs in the leaves of various plants are easily overlooked and are notably characterized by their stable content and degree of polymerization. This review examines the existing data on the effects of various factors (e.g. processing conditions, and environment, climate, species, and maturity) on the content and structure of leaf PAs, and highlights their bioactivity (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticancer, and anti-obesity activity), as well as their interactions with gut microbiota and other biomolecules (e.g. polysaccharides and proteins). Future research is also needed to focus on their precise extraction, bioactivity of high-polymer native or modified PAs and better application type.

Anthocyanins have attracted a lot of attention in the fields of natural pigments, food packaging, and functional foods due to their color, antioxidant, and nutraceutical properties. However, the poor chemical stability and low bioavailability of anthocyanins currently limit their application in the food industry. Various methods can be used to modify the structure of anthocyanins and thus improve their stability and bioavailability characteristics under food processing, storage, and gastrointestinal conditions. This paper aims to review in vitro modification methods for altering the molecular structure of anthocyanins, as well as their resulting improved properties such as color, stability, solubility, and antioxidant properties, and functional applications as pigments, sensors and functional foods. In industrial production, by mixing co-pigments with anthocyanins in food systems, the color and stability of anthocyanins can be improved by using non-covalent co-pigmentation. By acylation of fatty acids and aromatic acids with anthocyanins before incorporation into food systems, the surface activity of anthocyanins can be activated and their antioxidant and bioactivity can be improved. Various other chemical modification methods, such as methylation, glycosylation, and the formation of pyranoanthocyanins, can also be utilized to tailor the molecular properties of anthocyanins expanding their range of applications in the food industry.