Current Opinion in Food Science最新文献

Food authentication and food allergy profiling are relevant topics that must be carefully considered by authorities, food production and manufacturing industries, and customers. Precise, sensitive, and efficient detection procedures are crucial for authenticating food and identifying allergens. In this paper, we present a current review of advanced proteomic approaches for food authentication and allergen profiling. We discuss three proteomics strategies, namely, discovery proteomics, targeted proteomics, and proteomics-based systems biology, used to authenticate food and profile allergens. This review includes a selection of the most representative papers published in this field in the last few years. Furthermore, we discuss future directions and potential opportunities in this field.

Truffles are one of the most valuable foods in the world, as they are very rare as well as difficult to cultivate and harvest. At the same time, truffles are highly popular as a delicacy, meaning that high demand meets limited availability, which is reflected in very high prices. The adulteration of truffles is therefore financially very rewarding. For this reason, efficient and reliable strategies are needed to ensure the authenticity of truffles and truffle products. Numerous analytical approaches have been developed to detect truffle adulteration, with high-resolution omics technologies but also comparatively simple methods from the field of vibrational spectroscopy being of particular importance. This article provides an overview of the latest developments in food authentication using truffles as an example.

The increasing desire for vegan products has prompted the exploration of plant proteins such as those derived from peas, soy, and sunflowers. Despite offering sustainable alternatives, plant proteins pose certain challenges, particularly in achieving high encapsulation efficiencies for hydrophobic actives. Modulating the technofunctional characteristics of plant proteins through changes in their physicochemical environment, such as pH and temperature, is crucial. Despite being limited in interfacial properties compared with animal proteins, plant proteins can be optimized for successful encapsulation systems, especially with small alterations or pretreatments like heating or enzymatic hydrolysis. The potential of auxiliary technologies, including ultrasound and high pressure, in enhancing plant protein–based encapsulation systems remains an underexplored area, necessitating further research for industrial applications.

Aspergilli are highly relevant for the food industry. They are pathogens of crops and spoil food at different postharvest stages. On the other hand, aspergilli and their products are used to produce food. Crops and food are contaminated with stress-resistant conidia, while these same spores are used to start food fermentation and the production of food ingredients. This review discusses recent insights into the stress resistance and germination of Aspergillus conidia and how this knowledge can be used in agriculture and the food industry.

Flavors and colors play a vital role in the food industry. Consumers now lean toward natural flavors and colors due to their nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, conventional extraction methods from natural sources struggle to meet growing demands. Synthetic biology is a promising emerging technology with the potential to revolutionize the status quo. While challenges such as low titers hinder large-scale production for most products, certain natural flavors and colors are already achievable in significant quantities. This review encapsulates the past 5 years of research progress in utilizing synthetic biology for some food flavor and color generation. It provides a valuable reference for researchers to produce food flavor and color by synthetic biology.

There has been a growing demand for affordable and environmentally sustainable, alternative sources of proteins to feed the growing human population, promoting planetary health. Among various single-cell proteins (SCPs), yeast biomass shows an untapped potential for food use. This review discusses our current understanding of technofunctional performance of yeast proteins either extracted from the cells or SCPs via exploiting whole cells, mainly focusing on their surface properties. We cover how yeast biomass, extracted yeast proteins, or cell wall–bound mannoproteins have been used to design molecularly adsorbed conventional emulsions or Pickering emulsions. In-depth characterisation of interfacial, rheological and tribological properties of yeast proteins is a necessary undertaking to allow rational design of yeast protein–derived colloidal food formulations for a sustainable future.

The hygiene process is a fundamental prerequisite program in the food industry. Highly diffused, wet sanitization becomes an issue for low-moisture food (LMF) processing companies since the presence of water allows for microbial growth. Thus, the interest in dry sanitation methods has been increasing in the last few decades. However, few studies in the literature have evaluated the efficiency of these methods to eliminate or reduce the microbial load from food contact surfaces. In this review, we summarize the recent research in dry sanitation and show critical factors of physical and chemical methods, such as their efficiencies, challenges, advantages, and implementation difficulties. In conclusion, dry sanitization is a reasonable option for LMF industry. Nevertheless, additional research on the impact of cleaning processes and of the combination of dry methods is necessary.

Bacterial hazards in pet food, especially in raw diets, are a current public health issue to both pets and humans. The most substantial body of evidence and consequent risk stems from food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella and bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics (e.g. colistin, third generation of cephalosporins, linezolid). State-of-the-art methods, particularly whole-genome sequencing, have been fundamental to link bacterial pathogens from pet food to human cases across different countries. While there are limited data on antimicrobial resistance, it is becoming increasingly evident that pet food can harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria, calling for increased vigilance within a One Health perspective, namely, by identifying transmission routes of pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to pet food. A concerted action involving veterinarians, regulatory agencies, pet food industry, and other stakeholders is required to promote the awareness of pet food potential hazards to mitigate public health risks.

Paralytic (PSP), diarrheic (DSP), and amnesic shellfish poisonings are among the most prominent foodborne diseases threatening the food security. Because of the absence of legal methods capable of eliminating these biotoxins, the option is to rely on natural detoxification, compromising the availability of protein-based food and imposing severe socioeconomic impacts. In vivo detoxification methodologies have focused on the use of adsorbents (mainly applied to PSP), some of which are combined with nontoxic algae. Alternative methodologies for DSP have emerged, but they are based on absorption inhibition, which may be unfeasible in real situations. It is thus imperative to optimize existing proposals or develop novel, safe, and cost-effective methods so that the solution is seen as an attractive financial investment.

Cultivated meat (CM) stands as an alternative to conventional meat, offering a sustainable substitute and contributing to food security. Despite its potential, CM faces numerous challenges. Biofabrication emerges as a solution to address these issues across all the CM research pillars, especially with respect to the scaffolds. This review delves into the current state-of-the-art biofabrication technologies, explaining their role in supporting CM production across various scopes, including sustainability, cost efficiency, nutritional enrichment, and the enhancement of the overall mouthfeel. Challenges have also been analysed and articulated to understand the opportunities arising from advancements in biofabrication technology to further improve the future of CM manufacturing.