Current Opinion in Food Science最新文献

Several approaches are taken in type 2 diabetes (T2D) management to increase insulin effectiveness through the reduction of hepatic glucose production, release and reabsorption, and enzyme inhibition. These approaches are geared toward treating the downstream effects of β-cell malfunction rather than minimizing the initial source of stress contributing to the loss of β-cell mass. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), or amylin, causes a loss of β-cell mass upon fibrillation, a common feature in T2D development. Thus, IAPP fibrillation is emerging as a physiological target in mitigating β-cell cytotoxicity. This paper discusses recent advances in the inhibition of IAPP fibrillation by food-derived polyphenols, peptides, and polysaccharides. Structure-activity relationships suggest the importance of motifs such as catechol-containing groups of polyphenols in increasing anti-fibrillation activity.

More efficient production of food crops is required. Without difficulty in feeding the world, improving health and protecting the environment will accelerate. Vertical farming (VF) using a plant factory system with artificial lighting (PFAL) may be part of the solution and the focus of this article that begins by introducing the technology. To contribute to Sustainable Development Goals progress, VF faces many and major challenges. In addition, it must gain consumer acceptance. While the literature points to a greater likelihood of overall acceptance than rejection by consumers, a perception also exists that VF is unnatural/artificial. The latter manifests in negative expectations for VF-grown foods, but consumption experience disconfirms these. Product quality can be high, and widespread consumer rejection may, therefore, not be the biggest challenge for VF.

The demand for alternative sweeteners remains high in an increasingly health-conscious society. Of the various sugar substitutes that have emerged, rare sugars may represent a promising ‘next generation’ option. Here, we discuss the advantages of rare sugars over other alternative sweeteners as well as current advancements in their production. Unique enzymatic pathways and wide substrate ranges make D-allulose and D-tagatose the most intensely researched rare sugars. For D-allulose, production via a novel phosphorylation–dephosphorylation pathway is particularly promising, while we currently favor the oxidoreductive pathway for D-tagatose production. In addition, microbial fermentation-based rare sugar production has great potential in unlocking cost-effective and scalable utilization of industrially relevant feedstocks.

Emerging sensory methodologies (ESM) have been used as alternatives to conventional descriptive analysis. This review aims to overview the main ESM used to investigate dairy products, presenting their advantages, limitations, challenges, and perspectives. Check all that apply (CATA), rate all that apply, just about right, flash profiling, preferred attribute elicitation, sorting, and projective mapping/napping are the most applied methodologies. Yogurt, cheese, flavored milk, and dulce de leche are the main sensory studied dairy products. ESM provide suitable results for describing the sensory profile of dairy products. Their application concomitantly to acceptance tests has allowed identifying the drivers of liking and disliking. As opportunities for studies, we highlight free listing, free comment, polarized sensory positioning, diary, and pivot profile.

Nanotechnology has transformed the conventional agriculture and food sector into an area of emerging interest in the past decade. The innovation of food protein based nanomaterials is one of the major recent advancements of nanotechnology which opens up a whole universe of new possibilities for the future food industry. Food proteins, as building blocks, can be designed to a plethora of sophisticated nanomaterials under the assistance of supramolecular architectures and material engineering. Herein, we present the most recent developments on the fabrication of food protein based nanomaterials (i.e., nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, nanofibrils, nanogels, nanosensors), including the type of proteins, the formation basis, and the emerging approaches. The potential applications of these protein nanomaterials particularly for bioactive compounds delivery and biosensing are highlighted. The potential opportunities and challenges for food protein based nanomaterials are also outlined.

Cereal grains can be considered as a package containing different nutritional and nutraceutical components. Their polyphenolic compounds are associated with health-promoting bioactivities. Recent investigations are directed toward achieving a greener extraction of polyphenols, discovery of new bioactive polyphenols, coupled with rapid determination of phenolics and their antioxidant capacity in cereal grains. Phenolamides, conjugates between phenolic acids and biogenic amines, have recently been reported in minor cereal crops. Mechanisms underlying the systemic health-promoting properties of polyphenolic substances from cereals include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antiobesity properties. Both cellular and in vivo approaches are being employed to better reflect the biological relevance. However, the therapeutic agents examined to date have been limited to pure compounds and extractable polyphenols. The systemic health-promoting properties of cereal-derived polyphenols play a pivotal role in the delivery of their localized protective impacts on various tissues in different parts of the human body. The application of network pharmacology has enabled the exploration of new bioactivities of cereal-derived polyphenols. Metabolomic approaches have been employed to gain understanding of the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of diverse phenolic compounds from different cereal-based matrices. The polyphenols that are covalently linked to cell wall components of cereal grains are likely to escape the digestion but still contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of human health status.

Proanthocyanidins (PACs) are bioactive polyphenols with varying distribution in plants. Most dietary PACs are highly polymerized with limited absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. However, emerging evidence highlights that incorporating PACs into the diet enhances immune function through gut-mediated mechanisms. These include modulating gut microbiota, inhibiting microbes, dampening immunocytes and inflammatory pathways, improving gut barrier function, and enhancing antioxidant activity. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine the structure–function relationships of PACs with these potential immune benefits. Additional human intervention studies are needed to clarify the dose–response and mechanisms responsible for improving health. Addressing these gaps will aid in developing specific dietary recommendations for PACs to enhance gut immune health and reduce chronic disease risk.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a health problem worldwide. The use of peptides and protein hydrolysates derived from legumes to prevent and treat them has increased in recent years. In vitro and in vivo data support the efficacy of peptide interaction with markers associated with hypertension, endothelium dysfunction, and atherosclerosis. However, challenges such as misunderstanding their mechanism of action, safety, bioavailability, bitter taste, and cost-effective production limit their clinical and commercial translation. We analyzed and summarized recent findings related to legume-derived peptides and their mechanism of action associated with CVDs, including novel target markers associated with lipid metabolism, such as the inflammasome, angiopoietin-like protein 3, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9.

The last decades have witnessed amazing advances in engineering individual microbes for practical applications. However, engineering microbial consortia is a recent development, opening a new path for diverse applications, including curing gut diseases, solving food shortages, enabling sustainable bioproduction, mitigating pollution, and potentially addressing the climate crisis. In this perspective article, I will summarize recent technological innovations in synthetic biology that enable probiotic and microbiome engineering. Additionally, I will cover associated issues such as biosafety and biocontainment when the probiotics and microbiota are engineered. Given the complexity of global problems that are difficult to solve using a single microbe, this perspective will guide the research community to a better future with exciting potential applications.

Reusable packaging is considered among the measures for achieving plastic waste reduction goals, however, some unexpected issues may arise with a shift from single-use to a reuse model for plastic packaging for industrial food applications, involving the hygienic and sensory spheres. Considerations are based on the diffusional properties of polymers leading to contamination with chemicals and to aroma scalping; the degradative effects of aging, of mechanical stress due to multiple use, and of the repeated sanitization with aggressive chemicals; the proneness of plastic surfaces to microbial film colonization. The reuse of plastic packages has the potential to increase the level of chemical contamination and of microplastic particles in foods, and could reduce product hygienic and sensory quality and standardization.