Plant Foods for Human Nutrition最新文献

Tofu from six different landraces of chilean common beans (Araucano, Cimarrón, Magnum, Peumo, Sapito, and Tortola) was prepared and analyzed for proximate and lipid composition, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic content. Tofu has higher protein and lipid content, lower carbohydrate and phenolic content, and shows antioxidant capacity. The highest total protein was found for tofu prepared from Cimarrón and Sapito beans. The main phenolics in the secondary metabolite-enriched extract of the tofu were kaempferol 3-O-glucoside and kaempferol. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses showed that most lipids from the beans and tofu were unsaturated fatty acids triglycerides.

The growing interest in prebiotic ingredients has led to the valorization of agri-food by-products, such as coffee silverskin, known for its richness in dietary fiber and health-promoting compounds. This study evaluated the impact of in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal digestion on the chemical composition (carbohydrates, caffeine, and chlorogenic acids) and prebiotic potential (probiotic growth, organic acid production, pH, and antioxidant activity) of milled coffee silverskin. The results show stability of polysaccharides during digestion, while caffeine and 5-caffeoylquinic acid were partially released into the bioaccessible fraction. The incubation of digested sample (DS) and the control (CS) with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum resulted in probiotic growth, an increase in acetic acid production, and pH decrease. Following incubation, the cell-free supernatants of the DS and CS exhibited greater antioxidant activity compared to the negative control, glucose, and fructooligosaccharides. This study shows the functional potential of the whole silverskin due to its prebiotic and antioxidant properties.

The pods of Neltuma species have been traditionally used as nutrient-rich sources of food ingredients. However, Neltuma affinis, a native species of South America, remains understudied. This work aimed to produce and characterize powders from different pod fractions (specifically, the endocarp-seeds (ESF) and epicarp-mesocarp (EMF) fractions) by dry grinding, evaluating their physicochemical, nutritional, functional, and cytotoxic properties. The powders showed distinct physical characteristics, including reddish-yellow colorations, average particle size of 564 ± 8 μm in ESF and 394 ± 12 μm in EMF, good flowability, and high particle dispersion. Both fractions were high in total dietary fibre (> 53 ± 6%) and proteins (> 9 ± 2%), with all essential amino acids, being tryptophan the limiting amino acid in both fractions (3.7 ± 0.5 and 4.4 ± 0.6 mg.g^-1 protein in ESF and EMF, respectively). Although the high insoluble fibre reduced solubility and density, it improved oil retention and swelling capacity. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed a diverse polyphenol profile, particularly in the epicarp-mesocarp fraction, with compounds of known antioxidant potential such as isochercitrin (61.1%) and narirutin (20.2%). Furthermore, cell viability > 70% in cytotoxicity assays confirmed the safety of these powders for food use. Overall, N. affinis pod powders offer a promising alternative to enrich the nutritional and functional quality of food products such as baked goods and pasta; contributing as well to the valorisation of underutilized native species of Latina America.

This study evaluates the antioxidant and gastroprotective properties of hazelnut extracts in a rat model of indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers. The investigation focused on the potential therapeutic effects of different hazelnut extracts, specifically the methanol extract of Trabzon hazelnut, which exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (86.0% inhibition of lipid peroxidation) and phenolic content (significantly higher gallic acid equivalents). The extracts demonstrated significant gastroprotective effects by reducing ulcerated areas in rat gastric tissues induced by indomethacin, with the methanol extract of Trabzon hazelnut showing a 90.6% reduction in ulcer index at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Additionally, the extracts enhanced the antioxidant defence system by increasing catalase activity to 19.02 mmol/min/mg tissue, reducing lipid peroxidation levels to 52.67 nmol/g tissue, and restoring glutathione levels to 2.10 nmol/g tissue. These findings underscore the potential of hazelnut extracts as natural antioxidants and gastroprotective agents, highlighting their promise in mitigating oxidative stress and preventing chronic diseases. This analysis of multiple biochemical parameters, with a focus on both antioxidant and gastroprotective effects, provides a foundation for future research. Further research is recommended to explore the mechanisms underlying these effects, conduct clinical trials, and investigate potential food applications to expand the understanding of the antioxidant and gastroprotective properties of hazelnuts.

Anacardium humile, popularly known as cajuzinho-do-cerrado or cajuí, is a native fruit from the Brazilian Cerrado biome that shares similarities with Anacardium occidentale. This study aimed to characterize the nutritional elements, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of yellow- and red-peeled A. humile pseudofruits grown in Bonito de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The fruits were analyzed for centesimal composition, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, color parameters, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, carotenoids, vitamin C, phenolic acids, and antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and phosphomolybdenum complex methods. The pseudofruits did not differ in moisture, ashes, carbohydrates, soluble solids, titratable acidity, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, carotenoids, and vitamin C (p > 0.05). The fruits with red-peeled color exhibited higher protein content (3.40% ± 0.33) and lower pH (3.44 ± 0.02) (p < 0.05) than yellow-peeled fruits (2.16% ± 0.34 and 3.61 ± 0.06, respectively). Gallic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid, especially in the red-peeled fruits (111.0 ± 33.00 µg/g). Furthermore, the red-peeled pseudofruits showed higher antioxidant activity by DPPH and FRAP assays (41.97 ± 4.51 and 25.20 ± 1.70 mg TE/g, respectively), while the yellow-peeled pseudofruits had slightly higher total antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdenum assay (57.47 ± 1.61 mg AAE/g) (p < 0.05). The results suggest that A. humile pseudofruits are rich in functional compounds, particularly phenolic compounds and vitamin C. These findings can enhance the understanding of this nutrient-rich species and encourage its potential applications in the development of agro-industrial products.

Tortilla chips is an attractive and grasping trend among the young consumers seeking healthier, gluten-free snacks. Rice bran serves as a potent source for the preparation of the chips due to abundant availability of dietary fiber, protein, fat and carbohydrate. This study explored the development of non-nixtamalized, gluten-free baked tortilla chips fortified with stabilized rice bran. Microwave treatment was applied to rice bran to enhance stability and preserve nutrients before incorporation. Corn flour and whole wheat flour were substituted with different level of stabilized rice bran (50, 40, 30, 20, and 10%) and the physiochemical, nutritional and sensory properties of fortified tortilla chips were evaluated. Increasing rice bran per centage significantly (p < 0.05) increased ash and fat content, chip thickness, sphericity, surface area, and chewiness, while reduced its hardness and browning intensity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed storage attribute correlations, such as positive association between sphericity and surface area (r > 0.87) and negative correlation between shape index and dimensionless traits (r < 0.90). Puffiness showed positive links with chip thickness and sphericity. Sensory analysis identified the 30% rice bran formulation (corn: wheat: rice bran, 35:35:30) as most acceptable, with a high protein content (5.04%) and FFA (0.32 ± 0.07%) with improved micronutrient retention and texture. These findings highlighted that the tortilla chips with low maize content and fortified with stabilized rice bran could be more healthier and desired snack products by consumers.

Mexico harvests 30% of the world's avocados and its by-products, particularly the peel, is a major source of bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber (DF). The objective was to characterize the DF of 'Hass' avocado peel and associated bioactive compounds for application in gluten-free hot cakes flours. DF was extracted using two methods (alkaline (AM) and ultrasound-assisted (UM) with yields ranging from 72 to 83%. Significant differences were found in the concentration of TFC (47.21-58.68 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant capacity by FRAP method (399.86-548.24 µmol TE/ g), being UM significantly better. The DFs obtained by UM showed up to 20.2 and 44.2% higher water (5.00 g H₂O/g) and oil holding capacities (3.53 g oil/g), respectively. Gluten-free hot cake flours added with DF up to 4% were formulated, with no significant differences in the physical, chemical and techno-functional properties. The results suggest that DF extracted can be used as a functional ingredient.

The accurate prediction of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in food matrices is critical for optimizing nutritional quality and industrial applications. This study compares the performance of multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) in predicting antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS), total carotenoids, and anthocyanins in mamey pulp, using color variables (CIELab) as predictors. Our results demonstrate that ANN models consistently outperform MLR, achieving lower mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE), alongside higher coefficients of determination (R²). For instance, ANN improved R² values from 0.54 to 0.78 for DPPH, from 0.70 to 0.92 for ABTS, and from 0.45 to 0.87 for total carotenoids. These results highlight the superior ability of ANN to capture nonlinear relationships in complex food systems. Furthermore, the integration of ANN with image analysis techniques offers a promising approach for nondestructive quality control during storage and processing. This research underscores the potential of ANN as a powerful tool for screening bioactive compounds and optimizing functional food development, contributing to advancements in food science and technology.