Advances in Food and Nutrition Research最新文献

This chapter provides a summary of the effect of thermal and non-thermal processing technologies on Bacillus cereus spores, a well-known pathogenic bacterium associated with foodborne illnesses. B. cereus has been frequently detected in rice, milk products, infant food, liquid eggs products and meat products all over the world. This Gram positive, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobe can produce endospores that can withstand pasteurization, UV radiation, and chemical reagents commonly used for sanitization. B. cereus spores can germinate into vegetative cells that can produce toxins. The conventional regime for eliminating spores from food is retorting which uses the application of high temperature (121 °C). However, at this temperature, there could be a significant amount of loss in the organoleptic and functional qualities of the food components, especially proteins. This leads to the research on the preventive measures against germination and if possible, to reduce the resistance before using a non-thermal technology (temperatures less than retorting-121 °C) for inactivation. This chapter reviews the development and success of several food processing technologies in their ability to inactivate B. cereus spores in food.

Vitamin D has been proposed as a potential strategy to mitigate age-related cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer's dementia, the predominant type of dementia. Rodent studies have provided insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the role of vitamin D in Alzheimer's disease and dementia. However, inconsistencies with respect to age, sex, and genetic background of the rodent models used poses some limitations regarding scientific rigor and translation. Several human observational studies have evaluated the association of vitamin D status with cognitive decline and dementia, and the results are conflicting. Randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation have included cognitive outcomes. However, most of the available trials have not been designed specifically to test the effect of vitamin D on age-related cognitive decline and dementia, so it remains questionable how much additional vitamin D will improve cognitive performance. Here we evaluate the strengths and limitations of the available evidence regarding the role of vitamin D in AD, cognitive decline, dementia.

Microencapsulation, a typical core-shell structure technology, encapsulates functional active ingredients for protection, controlled release, and targeted delivery. In precise nutrition, the focus is on utilizing microcapsule delivery systems for personalized dietary supplements and disease intervention. This chapter outlines the morphological structure of microcapsules, common wall materials, and preparation techniques. It discusses the characteristics of different hydrophilic and lipophilic functional factors and their function as dietary supplements. The role of microencapsulation on the controlled release, odor masking, and enhanced bioavailability of functional factors is explored. Additionally, the application of microcapsule delivery systems in nutritional interventions for diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, alcoholic/fatty liver disease, diabetes, and cancer is introduced in detail. Lastly, the chapter proposes the future developments of anticipation in responsive wall materials for precise nutrition interventions, including both challenges and opportunities.

Foodborne functional substances have received much attention for their functional benefits in health and disease. However, these substances are easily affected by the adverse environment during production, transportation, or storage. They will also be damaged by the gastric environment and limited by the mucosal barrier after entering the human body, thus affecting the bioavailability of functional substances in the body. The construction of nanoparticle delivery systems is helpful to protect the biological activity of functional substances and improve their solubility, stability, and absorption of substances. Responsive delivery systems help control the release of functional substances in specific environments and targeted sites to achieve nutritional intervention, disease prevention, and treatment. In this chapter, the main types of foodborne functional substances and their commonly used delivery systems were reviewed, and the application of delivery systems in precision nutrition was described from the aspects of environmental stimuli-responsive delivery systems, site-specific delivery systems, and disease-targeted delivery systems.

Viruses can cause many human diseases. Three types of human diseases caused by viruses are discussed in this chapter: infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The infectious diseases included in this chapter include three respiratory tract diseases: influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus. In addition, the mosquito-borne dengue virus diseases are discussed. Vitamin D can reduce risk, severity, and mortality of the respiratory tract diseases and possibly for dengue virus. Many autoimmune diseases are initiated by the body's reaction to a viral infection. The protective role of vitamin D in Epstein-Barr virus-related diseases such as multiple sclerosis is discussed. There are a few cancers linked to viral infections. Such cancers include cervical cancer, head and neck cancers, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and liver cancer. Vitamin D plays an important role in reducing risk of cancer incidence and mortality, although not as strongly for viral-linked cancers as for other types of cancer.

Food packaging must guarantee the products' quality during the different operations including packing and maintenance throughout transportation and storage until to consumption. Thus, it should satisfy, both, food freshness and quality preservation and consumers health safety. Natural bio-sourced polymers have been explored as safe edible materials for several packaging applications, being interestingly carrier of bioactive substances, once added to improve films' properties. Gelatin and chitosan are among the most studied biomaterials for the preparation of edible packaging films due to their excellent characteristics including biodegradability, compatibility and film-forming property. These polymers could be used alone or in combination with other polymers to produce composite films with the desired physicochemical and mechanical properties. When incorporated with bioactive substances (natural extracts, polyphenolic compounds, essential oils), chitosan/gelatin-based films acquired various biological properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The emerging bioactive composite films with excellent physical attributes represent excellent packaging alternative to preserve different types of foodstuffs (fruits, meat, fish, dairy products, …) and have shown great achievements. This chapter provides the main techniques used to prepare gelatin- and chitosan- based films, showing some examples of bioactive compounds incorporated into the films' matrix. Also, it illustrates the outstanding advantages given by these biomaterials for food preservation, when used as coating and wrapping agents.

Natural toxins (NTs) are poisonous secondary metabolites produced by living organisms developed to ward off predators. Especially low molecular weight NTs (MW<∼1 kDa), such as mycotoxins, phycotoxins, and plant toxins, are considered an important and growing food safety concern. Therefore, accurate risk assessment of food and feed for the presence of NTs is crucial. Currently, the analysis of NTs is predominantly performed with targeted high pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) methods. Although these methods are highly sensitive and accurate, they are relatively expensive and time-consuming, while unknown or unexpected NTs will be missed. To overcome this, novel on-site screening methods and non-targeted HPLC high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) methods have been developed. On-site screening methods can give non-specialists the possibility for broad "scanning" of potential geographical regions of interest, while also providing sensitive and specific analysis at the point-of-need. Non-targeted chromatography-HRMS methods can detect unexpected as well as unknown NTs and their metabolites in a lab-based approach. The aim of this chapter is to provide an insight in the recent advances, challenges, and perspectives in the field of NTs analysis both from the on-site and the laboratory perspective.

Historically vitamin D deficiency had devastating consequences for children causing rickets resulting in severe bone deformities often leading to death. The mystery of the cause of rickets finally came to light when it was observed that cod liver oil and sunlight could prevent and cure rickets. The first vitamin D to be discovered was vitamin D₂ from ergosterol in ultraviolet irradiated yeast. Vitamin D₃ was discovered from UV exposure to the skin. Investigations revealed the two major functions of vitamin D were to increase intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption and mobilize calcium from the skeleton to maintain calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. Later studies demonstrated that vitamin D does not have an active role in bone mineralization. Vitamin D deficiency results in secondary hyperparathyroidism increasing bone resorption. As a result, this decreases bone mineral content and compromises the architectural integrity increasing risk for fracture. Vitamin D deficiency has also been shown to enhance aging of the bone causing cracks and enhancing bone fractures. Vitamin D deficiency also causes osteomalacia. Therefore, vitamin D sufficiency is extremely important to maximize bone health throughout life. It helps to prevent bone loss, but it cannot restore bone loss due to increased bone resorption that can occur under a variety of circumstances including menopause. The Endocrine Society Guidelines recommends for all ages that adequate vitamin D obtained from the sun, foods and supplements is necessary in order to maintain a circulating concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of at least 30 ng/mL for maximum bone health.

Foodborne illness remains a pressing global issue due to the complexities of modern food supply chains and the vast array of potential contaminants that can arise at every stage of food processing from farm to fork. Traditional food safety control systems are increasingly challenged to identify these intricate hazards. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) New Era of Smarter Food Safety represents a revolutionary shift in food safety methodology by leveraging cutting-edge digital technologies. Digital food safety control systems employ modern solutions to monitor food quality by efficiently detecting in real time a wide range of contaminants across diverse food matrices within a short timeframe. These systems also utilize digital tools for data analysis, providing highly predictive assessments of food safety risks. In addition, digital food safety systems can deliver a secure and reliable food supply chain with comprehensive traceability, safeguarding public health through innovative technological approaches. By utilizing new digital food safety methods, food safety authorities and businesses can establish an efficient regulatory framework that genuinely ensures food safety. These cutting-edge approaches, when applied throughout the food chain, enable the delivery of safe, contaminant-free food products to consumers.

In this contemporary era, with over 8 billion people worldwide, ensuring food safety has become more critical than ever. To address this concern, the introduction of intelligent packaging marks a significant breakthrough. Essentially, this innovation tackles the challenge of rapid deterioration in perishable foods, which is vital to the well-being of communities and food safety. Unlike traditional methods that primarily emphasize shelf-life extension, intelligent packaging goes further by incorporating advanced sensing technologies to detect signs of spoilage and contamination in real-time, such as changes in temperature, oxygen levels, carbon dioxide levels, humidity, and the presence of harmful microorganisms. The innovation can rely on various packaging materials like plastics, metals, papers, or biodegradable polymers, combined with sophisticated sensing techniques such as colorimetric sensors, time-temperature indicators, radio-frequency identification tags, electronic noses, or biosensors. Together, these elements form a dynamic and tailored packaging system. This system not only protects food from spoilage but also offers stakeholders immediate and adequate information about food quality. Moreover, the real-world application on seafood, meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables demonstrates the feasibility of using intelligent packaging to significantly enhance the safety and shelf life of a wide variety of perishable goods. By adopting intelligent packaging for smart sensing solutions, both the food industry and consumers can significantly reduce health risks linked with contamination and reduce unnecessary food waste. This underscores the crucial role of intelligent packaging in modern food safety and distribution systems, showcasing an effective fusion of technology, safety, and sustainability efforts aimed at nourishing a rapidly growing global population.