Food Production, Processing and Nutrition最新文献

Polyphenols, a major class of plant secondary metabolites, are well known for their diverse bioactive properties. It has also been established that polyphenols interact with other macromolecules, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids in the food matrix. Among the primary metabolites of the plant, carbohydrates play a significant role. Polyphenols and polysaccharides form complexes upon interaction; this interaction could be through covalent or non-covalent bonds, such as electrostatic, hydrophobic, van der Waals forces, and hydrogen bonding. These polysaccharide-polyphenol complexes exhibit enhanced bioactivity and influence the digestibility of complex macronutrients (such as proteins and polysaccharides), as well as their biological efficacy, bioavailability, and stability. Despite their numerous benefits and potential applications, the underlying mechanisms of interaction and complex formation between polysaccharides and polyphenols, as well as the influence of their structural parameters, remain underexplored. This comprehensive review summarizes the basic molecular-level implications of polysaccharides and polyphenols, exploring their potential applications in the food industry, and provides a basic understanding of their occurrence in various food matrices, characteristics of both polyphenols and polysaccharides that influence their interaction mechanisms, and detection under laboratory conditions. The review aims to bridge the gap between the molecular-level understanding of the complex and the development of potential nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients based on polysaccharide-polyphenol complexation.

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Antioxidants are crucial in combating oxidative stress-a key factor in chronic diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration-while also playing vital roles in food preservation, functional food, and nutraceutical development. Their efficacy is assessed through in vitro (e.g., DPPH, FRAP), in situ, ex vivo, and in vivo models, as well as animal and human clinical trials, each offering unique advantages but facing challenges in standardization and physiological relevance. Advances in microfluidics, AI, and nanotechnology are enabling high-throughput screening, while omics integration provides deeper mechanistic insights. This review explores current methodologies, applications in food and pharmaceuticals, and emerging trends, emphasizing the need for rigorous clinical validation and personalized approaches to bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world antioxidant therapies.

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The global demand for Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) is rising due to increasing vegetarianism, health and environmental concerns, and animal-welfare issues. However, PBMAs encounter several challenges that limit widespread acceptance, including inadequate physico-chemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes, and concerns about over-processing and potential food-safety risks. To address these challenges, initiatives such as using high-quality raw materials, blending various plant protein sources, and employing innovative processing techniques are underway. Consumer acceptance of PBMAs also depends on the type of in-home cooking method used to prepare these foods, and the goal in many cases is for the quality attributes after cooking to resemble that of meat. The objective of this review is to compare the effects of in-home cooking methods on the quality of meat products to better understand how PBMAs will perform relative to their animal-based counterparts. Here, research articles that evaluate the impact of different cooking methods (e.g., baking and pan-frying) on the quality of meat and PBMAs were systematically summarized and compared to demonstrate trends in changes related to the physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes of these products. The results revealed that the type of cooking method significantly influenced consumers' acceptance of meat and PBMAs. Changes in physical properties such as cooking loss and water holding capacity (WHC) can affect texture and were dependent on cooking temperatures. However, these changes were not independent of the protein source (PBMAs) or muscle type (meat). For example, cooking at 70 °C decreased the amount of sulfhydryl content in PBMAs compared to pork and beef burgers (20 µmol/g vs. 65 µmol/g protein, respectively). Conversely, when cooking temperatures (> 120 °C) were used, maillard reaction resulted in favourable sensory (appearance and flavour) attributes in both types of products, however, in the presence of sugars and the amino acid asparagine, concerns about the presence of chemical hazards such as acrylamide increased. Microwave cooking also increased WHC and oil absorption properties of plant proteins which improved the mouthfeel of PMBAs. In conclusion, there is a need to optimize in-home cooking techniques to enhance desirable textures and flavours in PBMAs which will improve consumer acceptability of these products.

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Recent epidemiological studies have suggested a positive association between ultra-processed food consumption and breast cancer risk, although some studies also reported no association. Furthermore, the evidence regarding the associations between intake of food with lower degrees of processing and breast cancer risk is limited. Thus, we investigated the associations between dietary intake by degree of food processing and breast cancer risk, overall and by breast cancer subtypes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Dietary intake of EPIC participants was assessed via questionnaires at baseline. More than 11,000 food ingredients were classified into four groups of food processing levels using the NOVA classification system: unprocessed/minimally processed (NOVA 1), culinary ingredients (NOVA 2), processed (NOVA 3) and ultra-processed (NOVA 4). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer per standard deviation increase in daily consumption (grams) of foods from each NOVA group. The current analysis included 14,933 breast cancer cases, diagnosed among the 318,686 EPIC female participants, (median follow-up of 14.9 years). No associations were found between breast cancer risk and the level of dietary intake from NOVA 1 [HR _{per 1 SD}=0.99 (95% CI 0.97 - 1.01)], NOVA 2 [HR _{per 1 SD} =1.01 (95% CI 0.98 - 1.03)] and NOVA 4 [HR _{per 1 SD} =1.01 (95% CI 0.99 - 1.03)] foods. However, a positive association was found between NOVA 3 and breast cancer risk [HR _{per 1 SD} =1.05 (95% CI 1.03 - 1.07)] which became non-significant after adjustment for alcohol intake [HR _{per 1 SD} =1.01 (95% CI 0.98 - 1.05)] or when beer and wine were excluded from this group [HR _{per 1 SD} =0.99 (95% CI 0.97 - 1.01)]. The associations did not differ by breast cancer subtype, menopausal status or body mass index. Findings from this large-scale prospective study suggest that the positive association between processed food intake and breast cancer risk was likely driven by alcoholic beverage consumption.

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Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43014-024-00264-2.