Advances in Food and Nutrition Research最新文献

Current analytical methods utilized for food safety inspection requires improvement in terms of their cost-efficiency, speed of detection, and ease of use. Sensor array technology has emerged as a food safety assessment method that applies multiple cross-reactive sensors to identify specific targets via pattern recognition. When the sensor arrays are fabricated with nanomaterials, the binding affinity of analytes to the sensors and the response of sensor arrays can be remarkably enhanced, thereby making the detection process more rapid, sensitive, and accurate. Data analysis is vital in converting the signals from sensor arrays into meaningful information regarding the analytes. As the sensor arrays can generate complex, high-dimensional data in response to analytes, they require the use of machine learning algorithms to reduce the dimensionality of the data to gain more reliable outcomes. Moreover, the advances in handheld smart devices have made it easier to read and analyze the sensor array signals, with the advantages of convenience, portability, and efficiency. While facing some challenges, the integration of artificial intelligence with nanosensor arrays holds promise for enhancing food safety monitoring.

Vitamin D has an established role in calcium homeostasis but its deficiency is emerging also as a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, several epidemiological and clinical studies have reported a close association between low vitamin D levels and several cardiovascular risk factors and major CVDs, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. In all these clinical settings, vitamin D deficiency seems to predispose to increased morbidity, mortality, and recurrent cardiovascular events. Despite this growing evidence, interventional trials with supplementation of vitamin D in patients at risk of or with established CVD are still controversial. In this chapter, we summarize the currently available evidence on the links between vitamin D deficiency and major cardiovascular risk factors and CVD, in terms of both clinical relevance and potential therapeutic implications.

Hydrogel delivery systems based on polysaccharides and proteins have the ability to protect functional substances from chemical degradation, control/target release, and increase bioavailability. This chapter summarizes the recent progress in the utilization of hydrogel delivery systems for nutritional interventions. Various hydrogel delivery systems as well as their preparation, structure, and properties are given. The applications for the encapsulation, protection, and controlled delivery of functional substances are described. We also discuss their potential and challenges in managing chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, liver disease, and cancer, aiming at providing theoretical references for exploring novel hydrogel delivery systems and their practical prospects in precise nutritional interventions.

The pronounced perception of off-odors poses a prevalent issue across various categories of food ingredients and processed products, significantly exerting negative effects on the overall quality, processability, and consumer acceptability of both food items and raw materials. Conventional methods such as brining, marinating, and baking, are the main approaches to remove the fishy odor. Although these methods have shown notable efficacy, there are simultaneously inherent drawbacks that ultimately diminish the processability of raw materials, encompassing alterations in the original flavor profiles, the potential generation of harmful substances, restricted application scopes, and the promotion of excessive protein/lipid oxidation. In response to these challenges, recent endeavors have sought to explore innovative deodorization techniques, including emerging physical processing approaches, the development of high-efficiency adsorbent material, biological fermentation methods, and ozone water rinsing. However, the specific mechanisms underpinning the efficacy of these deodorization techniques remain not fully elucidated. This chapter covers the composition of major odor-causing substances in food, the methodologies for their detection, the mechanisms governing their formation, and the ongoing development of deodorization techniques associated with the comparison of their advantages, disadvantages, and application mechanisms. The objective of this chapter is to furnish a theoretical framework for enhancing deodorization efficiency through fostering the development of suitable deodorization technologies in the future.

Flavonoids are a class of polyphenols which are widely distributed in natural products and foods. They have diverse bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and antioxidant activities. Generally, the foods rich in flavonoids are usually consumed after thermal processing. However, thermal stability of flavonoids is usually low, and thermal processing could cause either positive or negative influences on their stability and bioactivities. In this review, the effects of thermal processing on thermal stability and bioactivity of dietary flavonoids from different food sources are summarized. Then, strategies to improve thermal stability of dietary flavonoids are discussed and the effect of some promising thermal technologies are also preliminary clarified. The promising thermal technologies may be alternative to conventional thermal processing technologies.

Packaging is fundamental to maintaining the quality of food, but its contribution with a negative footprint to the environment must be completely changed worldwide to reduce pollution and climate change. Innovative and sustainable packaging and new strategies of reutilization are necessary to reduce plastic waste accumulation, maintain food quality and safety, and reduce food losses and waste. The purpose of this chapter is to present innovations in food packaging for a sustainable and circular economy. First, to present the eco-design packaging approach as well as new strategies for recycled or recyclable materials in food packaging. Second, to show current trends in new packaging materials developed from the use of agro-industrial wastes as well as new methods of production, including 3D/4D printing, electrostatic spinning, and the use of nanomaterials.

The role of vitamin D in the prevention of chronic diseases including cancer, has received a great deal of attention during the past few decades. The term "Cancer" represents multiple disease states with varying biological complexities. The strongest link between vitamin D and cancer is provided by ecological and studies like observational, in preclinical models. It is apparent that vitamin D exerts diverse biological responses in a tissue specific manner. Moreover, several human factors could affect bioactivity of vitamin D. The mechanism(s) underlying vitamin D initiated anti-carcinogenic effects are diverse and includes changes at the muti-system levels. The oncogenic environment could easily corrupt the traditional role of vitamin D or could ensure resistance to vitamin D mediated responses. Several researchers have identified gaps in our knowledge pertaining to the role of vitamin D in cancer. Further areas are identified to solidify the role of vitamin D in cancer control strategies.

Meeting food safety requirements without jeopardizing quality attributes or sustainability involves adopting a holistic perspective of food products, their manufacturing processes and their storage and distribution practices. The virtualization of the food supply chain offers opportunities to evaluate, simulate, and predict challenges and mishaps potentially contributing to present and future food safety risks. Food systems virtualization poses several requirements: (1) a comprehensive framework composed of instrumental, digital, and computational methods to evaluate internal and external factors that impact food safety; (2) nondestructive and real-time sensing methods, such as spectroscopic-based techniques, to facilitate mapping and tracking food safety and quality indicators; (3) a dynamic platform supported by the Internet of Things (IoT) interconnectivity to integrate information, perform online data analysis and exchange information on product history, outbreaks, exposure to risky situations, etc.; and (4) comprehensive and complementary mathematical modeling techniques (including but not limited to chemical reactions and microbial inactivation and growth kinetics) based on extensive data sets to make realistic simulations and predictions possible. Despite current limitations in data integration and technical skills for virtualization to reach its full potential, its increasing adoption as an interactive and dynamic tool for food systems evaluation can improve resource utilization and rational design of products, processes and logistics for enhanced food safety. Virtualization offers affordable and reliable options to assist stakeholders in decision-making and personnel training. This chapter focuses on definitions and requirements for developing and applying virtual food systems, including digital twins, and their role and future trends in enhancing food safety.

Numerous nanomaterials endowed with outstanding light harvesting and photothermal conversion abilities have been extensively applied in various fields, such as photothermal diagnosis and therapy, trace substance detection, and optical imaging. Although photothermal detection methods have been established utilizing the photothermal effect of nanomaterials in recent years, there is a scarcity of reviews regarding their application in food safety detection. Herein, the recent advancements in the photothermal conversion mechanism, photothermal conversion efficiency calculation, and preparation method of photothermal nanomaterials were reviewed. In particular, the application of photothermal nanomaterials in various food hazard analyses and the newly established photothermal detection methods were comprehensively discussed. Moreover, the development and promising future trends of photothermal nanomaterial-based detection methods were discussed, which provide a reference for researchers to propose more effective, sensitive, and accurate detection methods.

Current global estimation suggests that about 10% of adults worldwide have diabetes, thus, various strategies are needed to address the issue, including dietary factors such as vitamin D. Various studies have suggested an inverse associations between vitamin D and the risks and pathogenesis of all forms of diabetes (type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes). The underlying mechanism is not fully understood; however, the expression of vitamin D receptors in pancreatic beta cells suggests an important physiological role for vitamin D in beta cell function. Vitamin D deficiency may impair blood glucose control and decrease insulin sensitivity by reducing insulin secretion from beta cells. Many studies suggest that vitamin D intervention may be beneficial; however, there is inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation on reducing the risks or managing the pathogenesis of all forms of diabetes. Part of the pathogenesis of vitamin D for reducing diabetes is thought to be related to its impact on gut microbiota profile, via the suggested prebiotic properties of vitamin D.