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Topic Review
Enterococci in Dairy Products
Enterococci are part of the subdominant microbiota of many artisanal cheeses. As a genus that has evolved for resistance against adverse environmental factors and that readily exchanges genetic elements, enterococci are well adapted to the cheese environment and may reach high numbers in artisanal cheeses. Their metabolites impact cheese flavor, texture, and rheological properties, thus contributing to the development of its typical sensorial properties. Due to their antimicrobial activity, enterococci modulate the cheese microbiota, stimulate autolysis of other lactic acid bacteria (LAB), control pathogens and deterioration microorganisms, and may offer beneficial effects to the health of their hosts. They could in principle be employed as adjunct/protective/probiotic cultures; however, due to their propensity to acquire genetic determinants of virulence and antibiotic resistance, together with the opportunistic character of some of its members, this genus does not possess Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) status. It is, however, noteworthy that some putative virulence factors described in foodborne enterococci may simply reflect adaptation to the food environment and to the human host as commensal. Further research is needed to help distinguish friend from foe among enterococci, eventually enabling exploitation of the beneficial aspects of specific cheese-associated strains. 
  • 1.6K
  • 15 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Non-Thermal Technologies in Food Processing
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of bioactive compounds and micronutrients. Some of the most abundant are phenols and carotenoids, whose consumption contributes to preventing the occurrence of degenerative diseases. Recent research has shown the potential of non-thermal processing technologies, especially pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultrasounds (US), and high pressure processing (HPP), to trigger the accumulation of bioactive compounds through the induction of a plant stress response. Furthermore, these technologies together with high pressure homogenization (HPH) also cause microstructural changes in both vegetable tissues and plant-based beverages. These modifications could enhance carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals extractability, and/or bioaccessibility, which is essential to exert their positive effects on health. Nevertheless, information explaining bioaccessibility changes after non-thermal technologies is limited. Therefore, further research on food processing strategies using non-thermal technologies offers prospects to develop plant-based products with enhanced bioaccessibility of their bioactive compounds and micronutrients. In this entry, we attempt to provide updated information regarding the main effects of PEF, HPP, HPH, and US on health-related compounds bioaccessibility from different vegetable matrices and the causes underlying these changes. Additionally, we propose future research on the relationship between the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and micronutrients, matrix structure, and non-thermal processing. 
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
The Soft Spreadable Cheese Xygalo Siteias
The aim of cheese manufacturers is to produce high quality and safe products. Along the food chain of “milk to cheese and food products”, milk is collected, transferred, and managed in a standardized manner; processing results in safe, ready-to-eat products, of high nutritional quality. Soft, acid cheeses are prepared in various regions of Greece, mainly from ewe milk, goat milk, or their mixtures. They are produced from the rennet and/or acid coagulation of thermally-treated, full-fat milk undergoing acidification/curdling and ripening. Xygalo Siteias is a Greek soft cheese, produced in the area of Siteia, Crete, where it was recognized as PDO in 2011. It is close—more in texture and less in taste—with other cream cheeses PDO of Greece, such as Pichtogalo of Chania, and Katiki Domokou, still it differs in the preparation technique as well as in its physicochemical, biochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic characteristics.
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Plant Infusions
Plant infusions, commonly called teas or tisanes, are the most popular form of herbal medicine worldwide, used for thousands of years. Consuming teas and herbal infusions is increasingly embedded in the routine of Americans and Europeans due to their potential health benefits, attractive flavor and taste, and relatively low retail prices.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Encapsulation Systems for Antimicrobial Food Packaging Components
Encapsulation is defined as the process to entrap one substance (active agent) within another substance, yielding small particles that release their contents at controlled rates over prolonged periods of time and under specific conditions. Antimicrobial active packaging has emerged as an effective technology to reduce microbial growth in food products increasing both their shelf-life and microbial safety for the consumer while maintaining their quality and sensorial properties. 
  • 1.6K
  • 12 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Icariin and Its Derivates
There has been considerable interest in icariin (ICA) and its derivates, icariside II (ICS) and icaritin (ICT), due to their wide range of potential applications in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, delaying the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, treating erectile dysfunction, etc.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Seaweed Products
Seaweed, or, macroalgae, are a plant group of multicellular algae that have been exploited on a large-scale for the extraction of valuable functional food ingredients (primarily alginates, agar, and carrageenan). Seaweed is in the spotlight as a promising source of nutrition for humans as the search for sustainable food production systems continues. Seaweed has a well-documented rich nutritional profile containing compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids and polysaccharides as well as proteins, fatty acids and minerals. Seaweed processing for the extraction of functional ingredients such as alginate, agar, and carrageenan is well-established. Novel pretreatments such as ultrasound assisted extraction or high-pressure processing can be incorporated to more efficiently extract these targeted ingredients. The scope of products that can be created using seaweed are wide ranging: from bread and noodles to yoghurt and milk and even as an ingredient to enhance the nutritional profile and stability of meat products. There are opportunities for food producers in this area to develop novel food products using seaweed.  
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Salmonella Biofilm Formation Process
Salmonella can form biofilms that contribute to its resistance in food processing environments. Biofilms are a dense population of cells that adhere to the surface, creating a matrix composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) consisting mainly of polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA (eDNA). 
  • 1.6K
  • 13 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Bud derivatives for human health
The use of herbal food supplements, as a concentrate form of vegetable extracts, increased so much over the past years to count them among the relevant sources of dietetic polyphenols. Bud-derivatives are a category of botanicals perceived as a “new entry” in this sector since they are still poorly studied. Due to the lack of a manufacturing process specification, very different products can be found on the market in terms of their polyphenolic profile depending on the experimental conditions of manufacturing. In this research two different manufacturing processes, using two different protocols, and eight species (Carpinus betulus L., Cornus mas L., Ficus carica L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Larix decidua Mill., Pinus montana Mill., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Tilia tomentosa Moench), commonly used to produce bud-derivatives, have been considered as a case study. An untargeted spectroscopic fingerprint of the extracts, coupled to chemometrics, provide to be a useful tool to identify these botanicals. The targeted phytochemical fingerprint by HPLC provided a screening of the main bud-derivatives polyphenolic classes highlighting a high variability depending on both method and protocol used. Nevertheless, ultrasonic extraction proved to be less sensitive to the different extraction protocols than conventional maceration regarding the extract polyphenolic profile.
  • 1.6K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Food Waste Biorefinery
Food waste biorefineries for the production of biofuels, platform chemicals, and other bio-based materials can significantly reduce a huge environmental burden and provides opportunities for a sustainable way of chemical and material production.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Drug Delivery Systems for Natural Bioactive Molecules
Drug delivery systems are believed to increase pharmaceutical efficacy and the therapeutic index by protecting and stabilizing bioactive molecules, such as protein and peptides, against body fluids’ enzymes and/or unsuitable physicochemical conditions while preserving the surrounding healthy tissues from toxicity. Liposomes are biocompatible and biodegradable and do not cause immunogenicity following intravenous or topical administration. Still, their most important characteristic is the ability to load any drug or complex molecule uncommitted to its hydrophobic or hydrophilic character. Selecting lipid components, ratios and thermo-sensitivity is critical to achieve a suitable nano-liposomal formulation. Nano-liposomal surfaces can be tailored to interact successfully with target cells, avoiding undesirable associations with plasma proteins and enhancing their half-life in the bloodstream. Macropinocytosis-dynamin-independent, cell-membrane-cholesterol-dependent processes, clathrin, and caveolae-independent mechanisms are involved in liposome internalization and trafficking within target cells to deliver the loaded drugs to modulate cell function. 
  • 1.6K
  • 23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Lactic Acid Bacteria for Meat Preservation and Fortification
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are considered the safest organism and have a profound role in food and food-processing industries. The biofilm developed by the bacteria prevents the growth of various undesirable microorganisms on meat and meat products. Various studies depicted that LAB produces various antimicrobial metabolites that can act effectively on the food-degrading pathogens, rendering it safe and enhancing shelf-life.
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Flaxseed Gum
FG, also known as flaxseed mucilage, is present in the outer layer of the seed coat, and its content in the whole seed ranges between 3.5–15.0%, depending on the flax variety and the planting area. The extraction method and its parameters determine the yield, purity, and properties of FG. For instance, the temperature of extraction is an essential factor affecting the chemical composition, functional properties and biological activities. Functional properties of FG can also be determined by the processing after extraction, for instance, by drying. Thus, the applied extraction method and further processing are the key factors for obtaining FG with the optimal properties according to subsequent use.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Microencapsulation of Fish Oil and Natural Extracts
Microencapsulation technology arose in the 1950s from the development of dye capsules to be incorporated into paper. Microencapsulation can be defined as a set of technologies aiming to protect sensitive compounds from the external environment and further control their release. For that, the labile compounds, constituting what is known as the core, are entrapped by being surrounded by a shell material (the wall). Microencapsulation has been mainly applied in the pharmaceutical industry, followed in decreasing order by food, cosmetic, textile, biomedical, agricultural and electronic sectors. The recent developments in the microencapsulation of fish oil and natural antioxidant compounds are described. 
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Blending Pulse and Wheat Flours on Baked Goods
Bread is one of the most widely consumed foods in all regions of the world. Wheat flour being its principal ingredient is a cereal crop low in protein. The protein content of a whole grain of wheat is about 12–15% and is deficit in some essential amino acids, for example, lysine. Conversely, the protein and fibre contents of legume crops are between 20 and 35% and 15 and 35%, respectively, depending on the type and cultivar of the legume. The importance of protein-rich diets for the growth and development of body organs and tissues as well as the overall functionality of the body is significant. The addition of plant-based protein flours has been shown to produce an improved quality characteristic, especially the nutritional quality aspect of bread.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Encapsulation of Lipid-Soluble Bioactives
Lipid-soluble bioactives, such as vitamins A, E, D and K, carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential oils, are important nutrients in foods. However, their addition in food formulations, is often limited by limited solubility and high tendency for oxidation. Among the different encapsulation technologies, nanoemulsions are one of the most promising for protecting lipid-soluble bioactives.
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Polyphenols in Diet and Their Biological Significance
Polyphenols are vital phytonutrients of plant origin that can be incorporated as functional ingredients in foods to offer an effective natural therapy against obesity. There have been efforts to discover alternative obesity treatments from dietary polyphenols.
  • 1.6K
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Food Loss and Waste Prevention
Preventing food losses and waste is a potential strategy for better balance food supply and demand and is essential to improve food security while reducing environmental impact and providing economic benefits to the different actors in the food supply chain.
  • 1.6K
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Saffron as an Aromatic Spice
Plant extracts can be sources of valuable chemical compounds, with particular biological properties, such as color or aroma. Tinctures or essential oils derived from plants are usually a complex mixture of bioactive components, where their combination usually present synergistic effects. Due to their aromatic nature and the biological activity of their components, spices have been valued for centuries, and among them, saffron is one of the most precious.Saffron spice is made up of the dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus L. flower. Its primary use is in food, where it is valued for its coloring, flavoring, and aromatizing of some traditional dishes.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Alternative Protein Sources
To minimize environmental impact and to counteract growing protein requirements, food industries and the scientific community are exploring novel and alternative resources for protein. These alternative proteins can be obtained from plants, insects, or microorganism-based sources, such as single-cell proteins, making it possible to develop novel food products high in protein content.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Nov 2022
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