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Topic Review
Medicinal Value of Black Mulberry
Roughly 100 species of Morus have been described, such as Morus alba (white mulberry), Morus rubra (red mulberry), and Morus nigra (black mulberry). The mulberry plant is monoecious or dioecious, reaching up to 10–12 m in height. Morus nigra (Moraceae family) is commonly distributed in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. Given its therapeutic properties, the leaves, root barks, branches, and fruits are traditionally used in medicinal preparations to manage diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Various extracts of mulberry leaves were studied over the years, investigating their bioactive compounds’ pharmaceutical in public health concerns, such as diabetes, hepatic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. This entry is based on a literature review and highlights the beneficial and therapeutic action of black mulberry extracts and their confirmed or hypothesized mechanism of action in diabetes, hepatic disorders, and cardiovascular disease, as indicated by the results of in vivo and in vitro studies, on cell lines, human and animal models.
  • 1.8K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Food Applications of Berberis Plants
The genus Berberis includes about 500 different species and commonly grown in Europe, the United States, South Asia, and some northern areas of Iran and Pakistan. Leaves and fruits can be prepared as food flavorings, juices, and teas. Phytochemical analysis of these species has reported alkaloids, tannins, phenolic compounds and oleanolic acid, among others. Moreover, p-cymene, limonene and ocimene as major compounds in essential oils were found by gas chromatography. Berberis is an important group of the plants having enormous potential in the food and pharmaceutical industry, since they possess several properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer activities.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Jul 2021
Topic Review
β-Galactosidase Immobilization for Galacto-Oligosaccharide Production
Much attention has recently been paid to β-Galactosidases (β-D-galactoside galactohidrolase; EC 3.2.1.23), commonly known as lactases, due to the lactose intolerance of the human population and the importance of dairy products in the human diet. This enzyme, produced by microorganisms, is being used in the dairy industry for hydrolyzing the lactose found in milk to produce lactose-free milk (LFM). Conventionally, β-galactosidases catalyze the hydrolysis of lactose to produce glucose and galactose in LFM; however, they can also catalyze transgalactosylation reactions that produce a wide range of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which are functional prebiotic molecules that confer health benefits to human health. In this field, different works aims to identify novel microbial sources of β-galactosidase for removing lactose from milk with the relative GOS production. Lactase extracted from thermophilic microorganisms seems to be more suitable for the transgalactosylation process at relatively high temperatures, as it inhibits microbial contamination. Different immobilization methods, such as adsorption, covalent attachment, chemical aggregation, entrapment and micro-encapsulation, have been used to synthesize lactose-derived oligosaccharides with immobilized β-galactosidases. 
  • 1.8K
  • 29 Apr 2022
Biography
Dirk W Lachenmeier
Dr. Lachenmeier (ORCID 0000-0002-3115-864X) studied food chemistry (first state examination) at the University of Bonn (1994-1998), followed by position as first-year resident at various food control institutions in the State of North Rhine-Westfalia, concluding the studies with the second state examination and title of state-certified food chemist (Münster, 2000). He carried out his PhD in For
  • 1.8K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Quality of Beef
Quality refers to the characteristics of products that meet the demands and expectations of the end users. Beef quality is a convergence between product characteristics on one hand and consumers’ experiences and demands on the other.
  • 1.8K
  • 29 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Essential Oils for Food Packaging
Essential oils (EOs) are concentrated liquid mixtures of volatile compounds with antioxidant and antibacterial properties that can be used as natural, eco-friendly, renewable, and cost-effective additives. The use of combinations of different EOs and their components is a promising strategy to increase the synergistic and additive effects of EOs in foods.
  • 1.8K
  • 27 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Application of Iron Nanoparticle-Based Materials in Food Production
Due to their different properties compared to other materials, nanoparticles of iron and iron oxides are increasingly used in the food industry. Food technologists have especially paid attention to their ease of separation by magnetic fields and biocompatibility. Compared to other metallic NPs, iron nanoparticles are widely used. This is determined by such properties as their small size, superparamagnetism and biocompatibility. Iron nanoparticles are used in bioprocessing, tissue engineering and other aspects of modern medicine. There are different oxide forms of iron, such as hematite (α-Fe2O3), maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), FeOH (OH) goethite and magnetite (Fe3O4). The most commonly used crystalline iron oxide structures are maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). They are used in many fields, including magnetic data storage, pigment production for electrochemistry, contrast production and many others. 
  • 1.8K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
The Genus Capsicum
Chili is one of the world’s most widely used horticultural products. Many dishes around the world are prepared using this fruit. The chili belongs to the genus Capsicum and is part of the Solanaceae family. This fruit has essential biomolecules such as carbohydrates, dietary fiber, proteins, and lipids. In addition, chili has other compounds that may exert some biological activity (bioactivities).
  • 1.8K
  • 09 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Date Palm Fruit against Diabetes
 Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder triggered by disturbances in carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolisms, where either reduced secretion or sensitivity of insulin is observed coupled with poor glucose control. Date palm fruits are one of the fruits reported to have good potential in diabetes treatment due to its presence of polyphenols exerting strong antioxidant activities. Other possible mechanisms of action include the polyphenolic compounds, which can inhibit enzymes like α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Flavonoids in dates can stimulate β-cells by increasing the number of islets and β-cells, recovering endocrine pancreatic tissues, reducing β-cell apoptosis, activating insulin receptors following the increase in insulin secretion, in addition to improving diabetes-induced complications.
  • 1.8K
  • 31 May 2021
Topic Review
Lactose Intolerance and Personalized Nutrition
Recent discoveries in the “omics” field and the growing focus on preventive health have opened new avenues for personalized nutrition (PN), which is becoming an important theme in the strategic plans of organizations that are active in healthcare, food, and nutrition research. PN holds great potential for individual health optimization, disease management, public health interventions, and product innovation. However, there are still multiple challenges to overcome before PN can be truly embraced by the public and healthcare stakeholders. The diagnosis and management of lactose intolerance (LI), a common condition with a strong inter-individual component, is explored as an interesting example for the potential role of these technologies and the challenges of PN. From the development of genetic and metabolomic LI diagnostic tests that can be carried out in the home, to advances in the understanding of LI pathology and individualized treatment optimization, PN in LI care has shown substantial progress. However, there are still many research gaps to address, including the understanding of epigenetic regulation of lactase expression and how lactose is metabolized by the gut microbiota, in order to achieve better LI detection and effective therapeutic interventions to reverse the potential health consequences of LI.
  • 1.8K
  • 20 May 2021
Topic Review
Cold Plasma Technology in Food Packaging
Cold plasma (CP) is an effective strategy to alter the limitations of biopolymer materials for food packaging applications. Biopolymers such as polysaccharides and proteins are known to be sustainable materials with excellent film-forming properties.
  • 1.8K
  • 22 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Natural Product-Derived Extracts for Longitudinal Bone Growth
Several herbal formulations based on traditional medicine have the potential to improve bone growth, although their effectiveness is controversial. It was confirmed that the majority of extracts containing herbal formulations were orally administered over a short period, ranging from 4 to 10 days during the experimental phase. 
  • 1.8K
  • 22 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Application of High-Intensity Ultrasound to Food Processing
Ultrasound is known as a green novel technology due to its role in environmental sustainability. Ultrasound waves are classified into four different categories based on the mode of vibration of the particles in the medium, with respect to the direction of propagation of the wave, viz., longitudinal waves, transverse waves, surface waves, and plate waves.
  • 1.8K
  • 12 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Camel Milk Fat
There are two species of camels: one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) and two-humped camels (Camelus bactrianus). Camel milk (CM) is an essential food source in arid and semi-arid areas, as cow milk is not always available in these areas due to a lack of adaptation mechanisms. Despite these conditions, CM has been considered as one of the best alternatives to feed adults and infants, as well as for the production of many dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, cream, and butter.
  • 1.8K
  • 24 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Tuber Sprout Suppressants
To avoid tuber sprouting, increased storage and transportation of potatoes demands either the retention of their dormant state or the application of sprout growth suppressants.
  • 1.8K
  • 08 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Soluble Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is a widely recognized nutrient for human health. Previous studies proved that dietary fiber has significant implications for gastrointestinal health by regulating the gut microbiota. Moreover, mechanistic research showed that the physiological functions of different dietary fibers depend to a great extent on their physicochemical characteristics, one of which is solubility.
  • 1.8K
  • 15 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Purple Wheat Products
Colored wheats such as black, blue, or purple wheat are receiving a great interest as healthy food ingredients due to their potential health-enhancing attributes. Purple wheat is an anthocyanin-pigmented grain that holds huge potential in food applications since wheat is the preferred source of energy and protein in human diet. Purple wheat is currently processed into a variety of foods with potent antioxidant properties, which have been demonstrated by in vitro studies and few human studies. Since anthocyanins are vulnerable molecules, special stabilization treatments are required during processing to diminish the loss of anthocyanins.
  • 1.8K
  • 04 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Collagen Hydrolysates for Skin Protection
Antioxidants are molecules that delay or inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. Its use significantly increased in recent years in the diet of people. Natural antioxidants are replacing the use of synthetic antioxidant ingredients due to their safety, nutritional, and therapeutic values. Hydrolyzed collagen (HC) is a popular ingredient considered to be an antioxidant. This low molecular weight protein has been widely utilized due to its excellent biocompatibility, easy biodegradability, and weak antigenicity. It is a safe cosmetic biomaterial with good moisturizing properties on the skin. The antioxidant properties of HC are conditioned to the size of the molecule: the lower the molecular weight of peptides, the greater the ability to donate an electron or hydrogen to stabilize radicals. The antioxidant capacity of HC is mostly due to the presence of hydrophobic amino acids in the peptide. The exact mechanism of peptides acting as antioxidants is not clearly known but some aromatic amino acids and histidine are reported to play an important role in the antioxidant activity. Oral ingestion of HC increases the levels of collagen-derived peptides in the blood torrent and improves the skin properties such as elasticity, skin moisture, and transepidermal water loss. 
  • 1.8K
  • 10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability of Carotenoids
The bioaccessibility of a carotenoid is defined as the maximum quantity of a carotenoid released from the food matrix that is available to be absorbed in the epithelial cells of the intestine. The fraction of an ingested compound that enters the bloodstream and performs its physiological functions is the definition of the bioavailability of a carotenoid.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Finger Millet Seed Coat
Finger millet (FM) is one of the little millets grown in Asia and Africa. Although still classified as an “orphan crop”, there is an increasing interest in the research of FM seed coat (FMSC), also known as bran. It houses 90% of the seed’s polyphenols and dietary fibre. 
  • 1.8K
  • 01 Dec 2022
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