Critical reviews in food science and nutrition最新文献

Food safety has emerged as a major global concern due to the growing number of food contamination incidences. As a result, foodborne disease burdens continue to rise, adversely affecting the growing number of vulnerable populations. A major pathogen of concern worldwide is Campylobacter, primarily associated with raw foods of animal origin. The pathogen is responsible for causing human campylobacteriosis and other serious health symptoms that result in high case-fatality rates and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis compiled results of cross-sectional primary studies reporting the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in foods. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis protocol, a total of 131 articles were included in the meta-analysis after screening and assessment. From the meta-analysis conducted at a 95% confidence interval, Campylobacter was highly prevalent in poultry products (51.9% [47.0-56.7]) and vegetable products (43.3% [17.9-68.7]), but least prevalent in ready-to-eat foods (5.50% [-0.31-11.3]). This systematic literature review and meta-analysis identified poultry product consumption as a primary risk factor for campylobacteriosis transmission. These findings underscore the need for effective risk management strategies across the poultry production value chain to mitigate this public health threat.

Dietary protein requirement is defined as the daily intake at which whole-body protein net balance remains in equilibrium and body protein is maintained. Protein intakes to meet the dietary requirement (the Recommended Daily Allowance, RDA; 0.83 g protein·kg BM^-1·d^-1) were determined using nitrogen balance methodology. More recently, studies using indirect Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) breakpoint analysis suggest a RDA value of 1.20 g protein·kg BM^-1·d^-1. However, since breakpoint analysis determines the protein intake at which whole-body protein net balance is maximized, we suggest the value determined by IAAO analysis represents the maximal anabolic protein intake, not a protein requirement. Several aspects of the IAAO method should be considered prior to its application and/or interpretation, such as: (1) extrapolation of hourly to daily values; (2) extrapolation of free amino acid sip-feeding to whole-foods, and; (3) misidentification of the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval as the intake level that covers 98% of the population. We conclude that the current IAAO method represents a minimally invasive technique allowing elegant within-subject designs to assess the maximal anabolic protein intake. Therefore, data derived from such studies should not be misinterpreted as an estimate of protein requirements.

Dairy products, rich in nutrients, are crucial for human health and disease prevention. Recent trends focus on enhancing their nutritional value by fortifying them with bioactive compounds from plant and animal sources. Scientific evidence suggests these compounds can improve public health by potentially treating and preventing diseases, including cancer. This systematic review discusses advances in dairy product fortification with health-promoting compounds, highlighting their role in correcting nutritional deficiencies and reducing chronic disease risk. Innovative delivery systems are being developed to improve the stability and functionality of these compounds in fortified dairy products. Despite challenges in maintaining the physical, textural, and sensory qualities of dairy products, fortification is a promising public health strategy. The review calls for interdisciplinary research to better understand the bioavailability, effectiveness, and long-term health impacts of bioactive compounds in dairy foods. Such research could inform best practices and policy recommendations. Using dairy products as carriers for bioactive compounds can significantly improve nutritional status and reduce the global burden of chronic diseases, making it a strategic approach to public health nutrition. This review cautiously evaluates current evidence, particularly regarding chronic disease prevention, and emphasizes the need for further research on specific populations, such as children and the elderly.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a fingerprint-type, and nondestructive testing technique that has advantages for testing of hazardous substances in food. However, conventional substrates limit their practical applications due to their high cost, complex preparation, and poor selectivity. Quantum dots (QDs) are emerging as ideal SERS substances, gradually attracting the attention of researchers in the field of sensing. They address the challenges of poor stability and selectivity in SERS technology. The rational design and construction of QDs-SERS substrates are particularly well-suited for detecting hazardous substances in complex food matrices. Despite these advancements, a comprehensive review on the integration of QDs in SERS for food safety applications is still lacking. This review summarizes the recent progress in SERS for detecting food safety hazards, focusing on four key areas: pesticide residues, illegal additives, foodborne pathogens and heavy metal ions. SERS enhancement mechanism and the unique properties of QDs are introduced. The design strategies and application potential of QDs-based SERS substrates in food safety detection are highlighted. Finally, the limitations and future directions of QDs-based SERS substrates in food safety detection are critically discussed.

In enology, the term "wine lees" refers to the sediment that settles at the bottom of wine containers (e.g., tanks, barrels, or bottles) after fermentation and during the aging of wine. They consist mainly of biomass from yeast cells -also lactic acid bacteria-, grape solids, and particles of various compositions that precipitate out of wine over time. Wine lees are often used in the aging process because of their antioxidant properties and the enhancement of the sensory properties of wine. In terms of quantity, wine lees are the second most abundant by-product of winemaking, after grape pomace. Recently, wine lees are increasingly being recognized as a valuable resource within the circular economy, being used for the production of bioactive compounds, biofuels, cosmetics, and organic fertilizers, among others. This approach not only contributes to the sustainability of the wine industry but also reduces the environmental impact of the waste generated during winemaking. This review provides an overview of the properties and potential uses of the wine lees reported to date.

Sparassis spp., commonly known as the cauliflower mushroom, is widely appreciated and consumed across numerous countries. It has gained significant attention in recent years due to its unique morphological characteristics, rich nutritional value, and pharmacological effects. In spite of the high demand for cauliflower mushrooms and their increasing economic importance, their cultivation is limited. Sparassis mushrooms are rich in macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and unsaturated fatty acids) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Notably, Sparassis spp. exhibits exceptionally high β-glucan content (up to 43.6% dry weight), contributing to its potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-tumor activities. Polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and lectins derived from these mushrooms demonstrate therapeutic potential against chronic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cancer through mechanisms involving immune activation, oxidative stress reduction, and gut microbiota modulation. This comprehensive review explores the taxonomy, artificial cultivation, nutritional value, medicinal properties, and nutraceutical applications of Sparassis spp., focusing on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. We also discuss the challenges and future directions in the research and utilization of this remarkable fungal genus. The findings highlight the potential of Sparassis as a promising source of bioactive compounds with significant implications for food science and nutraceutical applications.

This review provides an in-depth exploration of Janus materials based on natural biomacromolecules (polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids). The unique asymmetric structure and multifunctionality of Janus materials endow them with broad application potential in food science and beyond. In terms of preparation, the review details several cutting-edge methods, including Pickering emulsions, asymmetric acylation, one-pot in situ methods, microfluidics, electrospinning, and electrospraying, which collectively support the efficient synthesis and functionalization of Janus materials. Regarding applications, these materials can serve as antimicrobial agents to extend food shelf-life, as thickeners and emulsifiers to enhance food stability and texture, and in the precise delivery of bioactive substances. Although previous studies have touched on the applications of Janus materials in food science, a comprehensive and systematic review focusing on those derived from natural biomacromolecules has been lacking. This review fills that gap, providing a crucial theoretical foundation. However, several challenges remain for the widespread application of Janus materials, including difficulties in scaling up production processes, issues with the repeatability and long-term stability of products, and complex regulatory requirements. Future research directions should focus on developing eco-friendly preparation strategies and addressing safety and regulatory concerns through interdisciplinary collaboration. Additionally, AI-driven material design holds promise for accelerating the optimization and innovation of Janus materials, thereby promoting their extensive application in food science and related fields to enhance food safety and quality.

As global food consumption rises, microbial inactivation technologies face dual challenges: ensuring safety while preserving quality. Although transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have advanced mechanistic studies of novel technologies (NTs), existing reviews often lack a systematic integration of these Omics approaches to address microbial adaptive responses. Additionally, when exposed to NTs, pathogens deploy sophisticated countermeasures that may compromise both food quality and consumer health. Therefore, understanding how different NTs affect specific bacteria is crucial in mitigating these risks. This review also discusses the challenges and future trends for NTs and Omics in food safety. Many NTs fail to balance antimicrobial efficacy with food integrity, indicating that future approaches may involve combining different NTs together or with chemical agents (e.g. disinfectants and antimicrobials) to achieve synergistic antimicrobial effects. Compared to single-Omics analyses, multi-Omics approaches provide deeper insights into microbial response mechanisms and enable more precise identification of NTs' key targets. We also critically evaluate why current analytical bottlenecks, such as instrument sensitivity limitations and data interoperability barriers- constrain the applications of Omics in industrial settings. Ultimately, the analysis highlights that the integrated Omics frameworks, rather than incremental improvements to NTs alone, will drive next-generation solutions for food safety.

Consumer interest in plant-based cheese is rising due to environmental, animal welfare, and health concerns, but texture remains a major challenge in replicating the creaminess, smoothness, and meltability of dairy cheese. The absence of casein in plant-based cheese often results in brittle or gummy textures, whereas plant-based fats and proteins often lead to phase separation and weak cohesion, thereby affecting sensory quality. While instrumental texture analysis is common in the lietarature, many studies lack a correlation between instrumental measures, sensory perception and consumer acceptance, limiting practical relevance. Against this background, this review systematically examined 85 sensory studies on plant-based cheese focusing on texture modification, sensory evaluation, and consumer response. Second, the review assessed the standardization of texture and mouthfeel terminology. Only four studies provided clear definitions of texture attributes, underscoring the need for greater standardization across studies. Third, it evaluated the quality of sensory and consumer analyses within these studies. A total of 60% of the studies (51 out of 85) had methodological issues, including small sample sizes and poorly reported sensory evaluation methods, highlighting key gaps in sensory studies on plant-based cheese. Future studies must refine sensory and consumer evaluation techniques to better replicate the dairy-like texture and mouthfeel in order and meet consumer expectations.

Decontamination of beef carcasses and cuts is gaining increased attention in the slaughtering industry because microbes are a risk factor for beef spoilage. Organic acids (OAs) have been used as antibacterial agents to decontaminate beef carcasses and cuts from a variety of bacteria. Nevertheless, the antibacterial efficacy of OAs is concentration-dependent. High concentrations have residual risk and a negative impact on sensory attributes, whereas low concentrations result in poor effectiveness. To address these challenges, the antimicrobial effect of OA-coupled cold sterilization methods (electrostatic spray, electrolytic water, and plasma-activated water) utilized to reduce the growth of foodborne pathogens is critically discussed. This review presents the latest progress on molecular-level antibacterial mechanisms of OAs, including permeation of bacterial membranes, energy competition, inhibition of macromolecule synthesis, increased intracellular osmotic pressure, and induced acid-resistant responses. The potential antibacterial mechanisms of electrostatic spray, electrolytic water, and plasma-activated water-coupled OAs were further explored. These techniques could effectively reduce foodborne pathogens in beef carcasses and cuts, while maintaining sensory quality. This information provides a necessary theoretical basis for extending the application of OA-coupled cold sterilization methods in the beef slaughtering industry. The antibacterial mechanisms of organic acids and challenges were reviewed.Cold sterilization methods stimulate the antibacterial potential of organic acids.Organic acids coupled these methods have good consumer acceptance and compliance.They also have low-cost advantage and good application prospects.Coupling technologies can effectively make up for shortcomings of organic acids.