Advances in Food and Nutrition Research最新文献

Several risks to food safety are associated with seafood. The marine environment is heavily affected by various materials, both of physical and chemical nature, which have significant impact on the safety of seafood. Recently, there has been a concerning discovery regarding seafood contamination. As it appears, there are physical hazards present, specifically in the form of nano- and micro-plastic materials. Additionally, chemicals from various sources have been detected. These chemicals are commonly used in the production of convenience goods, antimicrobials, antibiotics, heavy metals and industrial effluents. This chapter has focused on the various hazards that can influence the safety of seafood in the marine environment. It covers both physical and chemical sources of these hazards, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks involved. There are indications that the consumption of polluted seafood in the Mediterranean region can have negative impact on human health.

This chapter reviews the applications and future directions of portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in food analytics, with a focus on quality control, safety monitoring, and fraud detection. Portable NIR spectrometers are essential for real-time, non-destructive analysis of food composition, and their use is rapidly expanding across various stages of the food production chain-from agriculture and processing to retail and consumer applications. The functional design of miniaturized NIR spectrometers is examined, linking the technological diversity of these sensors to their application potential in specific roles within the food sector, while discussing challenges related to thermal stability, energy efficiency, and spectral accuracy. Current trends in data analysis, including chemometrics and artificial intelligence, are also highlighted, as the successful application of portable spectroscopy heavily depends on this key aspect of the analytical process. This discussion is based on recent literature, with a focus on the last five years, and addresses the application of portable NIR spectroscopy in food quality assessment and composition analysis, food safety and contaminant detection, and food authentication and fraud prevention. The chapter concludes that portable NIR spectroscopy has significantly enhanced food analytics over the past decade, with ongoing trends likely to lead to even wider adoption in the near future. Future challenges related to ultra-miniaturization and emerging consumer-oriented spectrometers emphasize the need for robust pre-calibrated models and the development of global models for key applications. The integration of NIR spectrometers with cloud computing, IoT, and machine learning is expected to drive advancements in real-time monitoring, predictive modeling, and data processing, fitting the growing demand for improved safety, quality, and fraud detection from the farm to the fork.

With the global population of individuals aged 65 and older projected to exceed 1.5 billion by 2050, understanding the impact of aging on digestion and nutrient absorption is essential for addressing the nutritional needs of the elderly. This review explores the limitations of traditional in vivo studies and underscores the growing importance of in vitro gastrointestinal models as an ethical and cost-effective alternative for investigating digestion in the elderly. The review provides a comprehensive analysis of age-related physiological changes in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and critically evaluates how static and dynamic in vitro models have been adapted to simulate these changes. We also discuss the significant challenges these models face in accurately replicating the complexities of elderly digestion, particularly in mimicking the interactions between digestive processes and the gut microbiome. By addressing these challenges, particularly through the development of more physiologically relevant and personalized in vitro models, this review highlights the potential to enhance our understanding of elderly digestion and improve nutritional strategies, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes for the aging population.

An accurate assessment of wheat quality is crucial for minimizing economic losses and providing high-quality products to consumers. The quality determinants conventionally assessed in wheat include sprout damage, insect damage, vitreousness/hardness, and nutritional composition. Recent advancements in microstructural analysis techniques offer efficient, accurate, and non-destructive alternatives to traditional wheat kernel assessment methods that are often time-consuming, labour-intensive, and subjective. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of optical techniques for assessing wheat quality, detailing their principles, advantages and limitations, and potential applications in wheat quality determination. Most of these methods rely on objective morphometric parameters ranging from surface examination to in-depth internal structure analysis. Among these techniques, X-ray micro-computed tomography (X-ray micro-CT) and hyperspectral imaging have demonstrated significant promise for wheat quality assessment. Additionally, advancements from other grains present opportunities to enhance existing evaluation methodologies. Adoption of these optical techniques can lead to more precise and non-destructive wheat quality control, ultimately improving product quality and reducing economic losses.

Enteric pathogens, particularly bacterial pathogens, are associated with millions of cases of foodborne illness in the U.S. and worldwide, necessitating the identification and development of methods to control and minimize their impact on public health. Predictive modeling and quantitative microbial risk assessment are two such methods that analyze data on microbial behavior, particularly as a response to changes in the food matrix, to predict and control the presence and prevalence of these pathogens in food. However, a number of these bacterial enteric pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica, have inherent genetic and phenotypic differences among their subtypes and variants. This has led to an increasing reliance on "omics" technologies, including genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, to identify and characterize pathogenic microorganisms and their behavior in food systems. With this exponential increase in available data on these enteric pathogens, comes a need for the development of novel strategies to analyze this data. Advanced data analysis/analytics is a means to extract value from these large data sources, and is considered the core of data processing. In the past few years, advanced data analytics methods such as machine learning and artificial intelligence have been increasingly used to extract meaningful, actionable knowledge from these data sources to help mitigate food safety issues caused by enteric pathogens. This chapter reviews the latest in research into the use of advanced data analytics, particularly machine learning, to analyze "omics" data of enteric bacterial pathogens, and identifies potential future uses of these techniques in mitigating the risk of these pathogens on public health.

Foodborne spore-forming bacteria represent a significant challenge within the food production chain due to their widespread occurrence and resistance to various processing methods. In addition to their role in food spoilage, these bacteria exhibit pathogenic properties, posing risks to public health. A comprehensive understanding of the impact of unit operations along the food production continuum, from farm or field to fork, is essential for ensuring both the safety and quality of food products. This chapter explores the factors influencing the growth, inactivation, and persistence of these bacteria, as well as the challenges and opportunities for their control. The discussion encompasses preventive measures, control strategies at the farm and field levels, and processing operations, including both thermal and non-thermal methods. Post-processing controls, such as storage and distribution practices, are also addressed. Furthermore, consumer behavior, education, and lessons learned from past outbreaks and product recalls contribute to a broader understanding of how to manage spore-forming bacteria within the food production chain. By assessing and quantifying the effects of each processing step, it becomes possible to implement effective control measures, thereby ensuring microbiological safety and enhancing the quality of food products.

The bacterial pathogens are rather dangerous for the humans and animals. Therefore, food safety requires careful control of possible bacterial contamination at the farms of primary producents and industrial food plants. Conventional methods based on cultivation of bacteria are sensitive but are time consuming due to the necessity of bacteria cultivation and can be applied only in specialized laboratories. The powerful analytical methods such as high precision liquid chromatography (HPLC) gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are sufficiently sensitive but require qualified staff and expensive instruments. As an alternative, biosensor technology is extensively developed for detection the bacterial pathogens on producer site without requirements of specialized laboratories. The current trends are in application of the nucleic acid aptamers a as receptors that can replace more expensive and less stable antibodies. This Chapter includes a brief overview of existing conventional methods of detection of bacteria, the mani focus is on the recent achievements in the development of aptamer-based biosensors. The aptamers, often referred to as chemical antibodies, are of increased interests due to their high specificity and stability, which is important for biosensor performance. Among nucleic acid aptamers the DNA aptamers are more often used in comparison with RNA aptamers because of their superior stability and lower cost. Considering the significant importance of aptamers, this Chapter also discusses their properties and the methods of immobilization at device surfaces. The principles of electrochemical, optical and mass sensitive biosensor technology will be explained together with examples of application of these techniques for detection bacterial pathogens by aptamer-based biosensors.

Sorghum is a globally cultivated cereal known for its ability to grow in drought and saline conditions, meanwhile it is a low-cost, non-GMO, gluten-free crop. The grain's composition, rich in essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, is analyzed, highlighting its potential health benefits. Likewise, sorghum flour production, detailing the conditioning and characterization processes that ensure quality and suitability for various applications is presented. Different milling technologies and their outcomes are reviewed, providing insights into how these methods affect the flour's properties emphasizing technological advancements and challenges. Storage effects are also considered, addressing factors that influence the shelf life and quality of sorghum flour. Furthermore, the chapter explores flour modification techniques to improve flour functionality, where chemical and physical treatments are discussed. The isolation of starch from sorghum flour is another critical topic, given its implications for both food and potential industrial applications. Finally, sorghum-based products, showcasing the versatility of sorghum flour in creating a variety of food items, are presented. Formulations and production methods for sponge cakes, cookies, pasta, noodles, extruded products and other innovative foods are provided, illustrating the practical applications of sorghum in the food industry world and demonstrating the potential of sorghum to meet diverse consumer needs. Overall, this chapter offers a thorough understanding of sorghum from grain to final product, highlighting its nutritional benefits, processing techniques, and wide-ranging applications. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, food scientists, and industry professionals interested in harnessing the potential of this remarkable grain.

Cereal-based foods play an important role in the human diet and represent a source of biological and cultural diversity worldwide, especially when they are fermented. Increasing consumer demand for a nutritional, sustainable and healthy diet has motivated the leavened bakery industries to also direct their attention to new alternative cereal flours to produce products with a better nutritional value, while also ensuring good flavor. In this chapter, we explore the potential of Tritordeum, a novel cereal developed from the hybridization of wheat and barley, along with pseudocereals (quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth), which warrant inclusion in diet as main or fortified ingredients. These wheat alternative cereals are not only valuable for their distinct nutritional profiles, including higher protein, dietary fiber, and micronutrient content, but also have potential for the development of new flavor rich, healthy leavened baked goods. Consequently, this chapter delves into the nutritional, functional and technological features of Tritordeum and selected pseudocereals considering their strengths and limitations as ingredients to produce leavened baked goods. Furthermore, we review the effect of sourdough fermentation as an emerging, versatile and sustainable process to exploit the nutritional, functional and technological features of alternative cereal flours, and how it improves the sensory and bioavailability of nutrients while mitigating the common challenges, such as antinutritional factors and poor rheological properties.