Food frontiers最新文献

Obesity, caused $�\dot{V}$ by a long-term high-fat diet, is a risk factor for insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The gut microbiota plays an important role in NAFLD development by producing lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Isoleucine (ILE), as one of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), has a negative effect on glucose and lipid metabolism in obese mice. Therefore, we speculated that isoleucine-restricted diets could prevent high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance and NAFLD. For this purpose, 30 C57BL/6J mice received a control check diet (CK), a high-fat diet (HFD), and a isoleucine-restricted diet (IR) for 12 weeks, respectively. The current study revealed that IR diets reversed HFD-induced weight gain, increased fasting glucose levels, and lipid metabolism disorder. Furthermore, IR diets attenuated HFD-induced hepatic inflammation by regulating the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, hepatic insulin resistance and gluconeogenesis disorder were significantly improved by IR diets. In addition, IR diets reshaped HFD-induced gut microbiota imbalance, reflected in decreasing the proportion of Proteobacteria phylum and LPS contents. Taken together, our studies support that restricting isoleucine in high-fat diets was a novel means of preventing obesity-induced NAFLD and insulin resistance.

Much of nutrition research has been conventionally based on the use of simplistic in vitro systems or animal models, which have been extensively employed in an effort to better understand the relationships between diet and complex diseases as well as to evaluate food safety. Although these models have undeniably contributed to increase our mechanistic understanding of basic biological processes, they do not adequately model complex human physiopathological phenomena, creating concerns about the translatability to humans. During the last decade, extraordinary advancement in stem cell culturing, three-dimensional cell cultures, sequencing technologies, and computer science has occurred, which has originated a wealth of novel human-based and more physiologically relevant tools. These tools, also known as “new approach methodologies,” which comprise patient-derived organoids, organs-on-chip, multi-omics approach, along with computational models and analysis, represent innovative and exciting tools to forward nutrition research from a human-biology-oriented perspective. After considering some shortcomings of conventional in vitro and vivo approaches, here we describe the main novel available and emerging tools that are appropriate for designing a more human-relevant nutrition research. Our aim is to encourage discussion on the opportunity to explore innovative paths in nutrition research and to promote a paradigm-change toward a more human biology-focused approach to better understand human nutritional pathophysiology, to evaluate novel food products, and to develop more effective targeted preventive or therapeutic strategies while helping in reducing the number and replacing animals employed in nutrition research.

The related studies of probiotics-based functional foods have recently attracted increasing interests in developing new types of oral administration systems. Probiotics has various biological functions, including increasing adsorption ability of nutrients, competitively rejecting pathogenic organisms, and regulating the immune system. It is well known that probiotics cannot be worked until their colonies reach the intestine alive, as well as the amount reaches 10⁶–10⁷ colony-forming units/g at the end of product's shelf life. However, the delivery of probiotics to the colon through oral administration is always challenging due to weak viability under exposure to harsh conditions in the presence of ions and small molecules from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the low viability of the probiotics due to the lack of resistance to the acidity of food matrices, high temperature during food processing, and oxygen changes during storage also limit the applications of probiotics in food products. Therefore, encapsulation of probiotics could particularly protect the probiotics from degradation and inactivation, resulting in enhanced viability during the transition from consumption to digestion in the gut. Emulsion cross-linking, complex coacervation, microcapsules, spray drying, layer-by-layer self-assembly, electrospinning, hydrogel, and other methods are used to encapsulate probiotics. Herein, this review mainly highlights the gut health functions and encapsulation techniques of probiotics, followed by the current challenges and future development prospects.

Food-derived peptides have garnered significant attention in research due to their multifaceted functionalities, abundant availability, efficient utilization of agricultural by-products, and environmentally sustainable preparation methods. These peptides play a crucial role in human health, yet their precise mechanisms of action remain largely unexplored, posing challenges in their screening, preparation, and effective application utilizing protein-based raw materials. This review offers an extensive examination of 19 types of bioactive peptides derived from food. The sources of food-derived bioactive peptides are well concluded and the classifications are made according to their potential health benefit based on five primary systems: general bodily functions, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the metabolic system, and the immune system. This review specifically highlights the multifaceted impacts of tasty peptides on human health, extending beyond their gustatory effects. Furthermore, it explores the interplay between various functions of bioactive peptides, noting a progression from basic to advanced functionalities. Antioxidant activity and the modulation of key enzymes are identified as fundamental actions that are interconnected with other functional properties. This implies that a single bioactive peptide could exhibit multiple beneficial effects. The key role of antioxidant capabilities is underscored based on their broad influence and straightforward assessment. This comprehensive analysis aims to deepen the systematic understanding of the diverse benefits offered by various food-derived peptides.

In recent years, cold plasma (CP) has emerged as a promising preservation technology for fruit products. Several CP sources include dielectric barrier discharge, plasma jets, corona discharges, micro-discharges, glow discharges, and gliding arc discharges. However, the effects of these different types of CP on the chemical compounds of fruits and juices are not fully understood. In this review, we summarize (I) the current knowledge on the use of CP for the preservation and processing of fruits and juices; (II) the diverse types of CP sources and explore their applications within a scientific context; (III) the physicochemical transformations that take place in fruits and juices following CP treatment; and (IV) the changes observed in antioxidant activity, vitamin C content, phenolic compounds, and their bioaccessibility. Numerous studies have explored CP's influence on microbial contamination, shelf life, enzymes, and various physicochemical changes. This review uniquely centers its attention on the impact of CP on bioactive phenolic compounds, their bioaccessibility, vitamin C content, and antioxidant activity in different types of fruits and fruit juices. Additionally, this review delves into the assessment of selected sensory properties, notably color, which is an important parameter for consumer acceptance. By focusing on these particular aspects, we aim to provide a targeted and comprehensive analysis of CP's effects on essential nutritional and quality attributes of fruits and fruit juices, distinct from the broader spectrum covered in the existing literature.

Owing to concerns about animal proteins, resource limitations, and population growth, there is growing interest in exploring soybeans as animal protein alternatives to fulfill consumption requirements. Black soybean (BS) has superior nutritional and health benefits, compared to yellow soybean (YS). However, BS has been explored less often than YS. While previous reviews have individually focused on the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, or health benefits of BS, they have not delved into the intricate mechanisms underlying these interactions, especially the distinct roles of the individual components. This comprehensive review aims to bridge this gap by providing an overview of the key nutritional composition and bioactive compounds in BS associated with health benefits, as well as the possible mechanisms underlying these changes. Various processing technologies (physical, biological, and thermal) have been applied to BS. Additionally, the bioavailability, biotransformation, and safety concerns of BS were studied, as these factors are crucial for its potential application, such as natto, films, and microcapsules. However, there are some gaps in the application of BS and YS. In the future, it will be worth exploring the effects of BS protein as meat analogs, 3D printing constituents, and amyloid fibrils, as well as BS lipids as oleogels and BS seed coats as bioactive ingredients in pharmaceutical products.

In this paper, we explored the influence of lipase on cuticle wax and anthocyanin metabolism in blueberries. The results demonstrated a progressive alteration in wax crystal structure, transitions from rod-like to short rod-like and flaky, and even disappearance of the cuticle wax. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis revealed a reduction in esters, aldehydes, long-chain alkanes, and total wax content following lipase treatment of blueberry fruits. Additionally, ultra high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed significant decreases in peonidin, petunidin, cyanidin, and delphinidin, accompanied by an increase in malvidin content due to lipase treatment. Subsequent investigations uncovered that lipase treatment inhibited the activities of key anthocyanin synthetic enzymes, namely phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR). Moreover, lipase treatment downregulated the expression of synthesis-related genes, including PAL, 4-coumarate: CoA ligase, chalcone synthase (CHS), CHI, and DFR. In summary, our findings indicate that lipase disrupts the integrity of cuticle wax structure, inhibits anthocyanin synthesis, and reduces anthocyanin content. Accordingly, our studies suggest that inhibiting lipase could offer a novel approach to preserving the freshness and anthocyanin concentration of blueberries.

The food sector is a major user of land and freshwater and a source of considerable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This puts pressure on Earth systems and jeopardizes the future of food production. The environmental impact of foods is well understood, but our interpretation lacks the context to judge whether those impacts are sufficiently small to describe a food as environmentally sustainable or not. In this work, we describe a metric that converts the environmental impact of foods into a quantitative environmental sustainability scale (performance-weighted environmental sustainability, PwES). Land use, freshwater use, and GHG emission impacts of common foods have been weighted by their nutritional content and normalized so that values greater than 100% are considered unsustainable. Our findings concur with the conventional wisdom that the high impact of meat is unsustainable, whereas vegetables are typically produced sustainably. Further to this, the PwES metric was used to establish rational targets for sustainable food supply and design nutritious and environmentally sustainable meal plans. It was found that without reductions to the environmental impact of food, it is very difficult to eat sustainably. A high-bread vegan diet could be found that provided minimum nutritional requirements and was environmentally sustainable.

Sophora japonica L. is an edible and medicinal woody plant of the legume family. Aside from the well-known flower and fruit parts, the branches, leaves, roots, and its parasitic fungi contain various bioactive compounds. Besides being consumed as a ready-to-eat food, S. japonica is generally processed into extracts and bioactive compounds for use as food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetic products. Various extraction and separation techniques have been applied to obtain bioactive compounds from S. japonica. However, details of the extraction and separation techniques for these compounds, such as the methods, parameters, and corresponding yields, are rarely presented. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the different bioactive compounds of S. japonica, their chemistry, sources, and processing techniques to promote green advanced processing technologies for obtaining them and promote the development of S. japonica bioactive compounds as commercial products for the food and healthcare sector.