Critical reviews in food science and nutrition最新文献

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that support host health. They are extensively used in food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Accurate viability assessment is imperative not only to ensure product quality and efficacy but also to meet consumer expectations. This review provides a systematic analysis of probiotic history, international regulatory standards and functional characteristics across strains. It provides a comprehensive overview of probiotic enumeration techniques, which range from traditional culture methods to modern emerging technologies that drive current research and applications. By critically evaluating the strengths and limitations of these methods, this review explores future directions for probiotic enumeration, offering valuable insights for quality control in probiotic products and supporting advancements in related scientific research.

Freekeh, a traditional Middle Eastern cereal derived from wheat, is gaining global recognition as a climate-resilient, nutrient-dense alternative to commonly consumed staples such as white rice and refined wheat. It offers a compelling solution to pressing challenges in nutrition, sustainability, and food security. Compared to conventional grains, Freekeh's cultivation requires less irrigation and fertilizer, supporting more sustainable agricultural practices without compromising nutritional value. This review explores Freekeh's history, eco-friendly production, and compositional profile-highlighting its high protein (11%-15%), dietary fiber (12%-19%), and starch (45%-68%) content. It is also a valuable source of micronutrients including potassium (369-451 mg/100 g), magnesium (160-202 mg/100 g), phosphorus (412 mg/100 g), and B vitamins, as well as antioxidant vitamins C and E. Bioactive compounds such as ferulic acid, lutein, and zeaxanthin further enhance its functional potential. Freekeh's low glycaemic index and cholesterol-lowering effects make it particularly relevant in the context of non-communicable disease prevention. While it contains gluten, further research is needed to assess its allergenic potential and phytate-related impacts on mineral bioavailability. This review highlights the timely need to explore Freekeh's consumer acceptance, processing properties, and industrial applications positioning it as a promising ingredient in the transition toward more sustainable and health-oriented food systems.

Zinc and copper are essential trace elements that regulate immunity and inflammation, with antiviral effects that may help combat respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. These effects include reducing cytokine storms and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, zinc and copper uptake is limited by homeostasis mechanisms, reducing their effectiveness. Sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) and sodium zinc chlorophyllin (SZC), nontoxic chlorophyll derivatives, may overcome these limitations by delivering higher intracellular levels of these metals. Evidence suggests SCC and SZC exhibit antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses by inhibiting viral entry, replication, and release from infected cells. Animal studies show that SCC can lower viral loads and reduce ARDS-like symptoms. Additionally, SCC and SZC may suppress proinflammatory cytokines, potentially preventing or reducing the severity of cytokine storms. This review highlights the antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of zinc and copper, explores the therapeutic potential of SCC and SZC in viral respiratory infections, and discusses future research directions to optimize these treatments.

Prebiotics, particularly non-digestible carbohydrates (NDCs), are increasingly recognized for their role in modulating immune responses in the gut, lungs, and urinary tract. This review systematically evaluates evidence from human studies on the effects of NDCs and prebiotics on immune markers, infection risk and severity, inflammation, and vaccine responses. Prebiotics such as inulin, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) positively influence gut microbiota by promoting beneficial species like Bifidobacteria. They also enhance the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which interact with immune cells via G-protein-coupled receptors, inducing anti-inflammatory effects. In addition to microbiota-mediated mechanisms, NDCs and prebiotics may directly affect immune and epithelial cells by interacting with pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), enhancing gut barrier function, and modulating immunity. A systematic review of human studies showed that prebiotics, including GOS, FOS, and 2'-fucosyllactose (2FL), reduced infections and increased IgA in healthy infants, while yeast β-glucan reduced respiratory infection symptoms in healthy adults. Yeast β-glucan and GOS supplementation resulted in improvements in NK cell activity. Some effects on vaccine efficacy were noted in young adults, but the overall impact of NDCs and prebiotics on vaccination and systemic inflammation was inconsistent. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved and to optimize health applications.

The utilization of sensors, biosensors, electronic tongues and noses, as well as those techniques gathered under the family of vibrational spectroscopy are contributing with the so-called digital revolution in food sciences, from farm to fork, through food safety applications. These applications require the incorporation of data analytics in the form of chemometrics, machine learning and AI tools. This paper rather to provide with information about the advantages and opportunities of AI applications in the field of food sciences, it focusses on discussing the different issues that can conspire with the implementation and utilization of AI methods and techniques, in combination with sensing technologies and instrumental methods. The scientific literature has provided with a vast number of examples on the growing trend on the utilization of AI and ML methods and techniques, in food science applications. The incorporation of both AI, and ML methods has aided to the development of mathematical models that are helping to better explain not only food composition, but also the food system. However, no matter the type of AI and ML method or technique utilized, there are issues of importance that are not well understood or considered during their application. They can include among other issues, the selection of samples and sampling protocols, the lack of understanding of the physical effects of sample presentation on the collected signal, the utilization of few samples during model development, the issues associated with model overfitting as well as the lack of validation of the models.

Gut health is intricately linked to energy homeostasis, stress resistance, inflammation, and longevity. Methionine (Met) intake significantly influences gut health, with both supplementation and restriction showing distinct effects. While appropriate Met supplementation offers benefits, excessive intake can be harmful, whereas Met restriction appears to improve overall health of the body, especially the gut. This review synthesizes research on Met's role in gut health, highlighting its metabolism, interactions with the intestinal microbiota, and effects on oxidative stress, inflammation, and permeability in the intestine. The possible reason for Met intake influences the risk of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairment, thus influencing lifespan was explored, which is potentially via gut health. In addition, strategies for achieving precision nutrition of Met, including dietary adjustments, production of Met-specific foods, bioengineering plant strains, and methioninase supplementation, were proposed. These insights aim to deepen the understanding of Met's effects on gut health and guide interventions for improving health outcomes.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important zoonotic pathogen associated with severe infections in both humans and animals. Food contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxins can lead to food poisoning, characterized by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This review examines a broad spectrum of S. aureus and its enterotoxins in food, with particular attention to the implications for public health. While the review includes a focus on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in foodborne illnesses, it also discusses other challenges posed by this pathogen, including antimicrobial resistance and its role in food contamination. The review highlights strategies for prevention and control, such as hygiene practices, temperature management, and advancements in detection technologies. Furthermore, innovations in natural antimicrobial agents and thermal/non-thermal technologies are improving food safety without compromising quality. Despite advancements, challenges remain in combating S. aureus contamination. Ongoing research focuses on developing new technologies to deactivate the pathogen and its toxins. In conclusion, addressing these challenges requires sustained efforts to enhance food safety protocols, alongside identifying future research needs in technology development.

Food choice decisions and dietary habits contribute significantly to the current global epidemic of obesity. Designing healthful shopping environments is key to supporting consumers in making informed food choices and addressing diet-related health issues such as obesity. This systematic review aimed to consolidate and synthesize extant literature on nudging and the role of technology on healthy food choice decisions and address the research question of how nudging techniques, particularly those enabled by technologies, are used to influence healthy decisions in food retail environments. The review included studies published between 2011 and 2024 across five databases. It followed the PRISMA structure to systematically identify, screen, and synthesize, the literature. Through the searches, 11,662 papers were identified. Overall, twenty-five papers met the inclusion criteria and are included within this review. Three contributions are made. First, a novel and rigorous systematic literature review process synthesizes studies of nudging techniques in shaping food choice with gaps in knowledge for further research highlighted. Second, the review identifies the importance of nudging interventions on consumers' health-related food choices in retail environments. Existing nudging taxonomies are introduced to provide new frameworks for future research. Third, the review provides new insights and future research opportunities pertaining to digital technology-enabled nudging for consumer food choice decisions. Examples of technology include virtual reality, mobile applications, and augmented reality.

With heightened awareness of cardiovascular health and obesity-particularly visceral adiposity-contemporary consumers prioritize dietary lipid quality and quantity. Substituting triacylglycerol (TAG)-based fat sources with diacylglycerol (DAG)-based sources in meat products without compromising the sensory and technological properties can fulfill consumers' demand for healthier meat products. This review delineates the metabolic pathway distinctions between DAGs and TAGs, summarizes the health benefits of DAGs, and documents their synthesis methodologies. Furthermore, it contrasts animal-derived and plant-derived DAGs while examining recent advances in plant-derived DAG emulsions. Building on this foundation, emerging research on the interaction between DAGs and myofibrillar proteins (MPs) positions them as promising fat replacers in meat products, warranting further exploration for effective quality preservation. Application prospects and implementation barriers for DAGs in emulsified meat systems are also examined. Ultimately, this comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights and guidance for developing healthier meat products and advancing the application of DAGs in the food industry.

Poultry eggs represent a globally prevalent and nutritious protein source and are regarded as excellent raw materials for food products. However, their persistent allergenicity and instability of functional properties during processing, severely limit their deep-processing applications. Non-enzymatic glycation emerges as an energy-efficient and food-safe chemical modification method that affects the proteins' structures and then regulates their functional properties, suggesting its potential to simultaneously mitigate allergenicity and enhance functionalities in egg-based products. The review systematically overviews the methods and the influencing factors of glycation. Subsequently, it carefully summarizes the change induced by glycation in structures and functional properties, involving processing performance and biological activities, of egg proteins, and demonstrates that glycation improves the functional properties. Particularly, the review highlights emerging applications of glycated egg proteins in precision nutrient delivery systems and intelligent antimicrobial packaging matrices. And current research limitations and the perspectives for the future development of glycated egg proteins are further proposed. The review deepens the understanding of glycated egg proteins and provides theoretical foundations for egg protein derivatives with tailored functionalities.