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Topic Review
Antimicrobials and Food-Related Stresses
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation uses physical energy, and it is a non-thermal and non-chemical technology used by the food industry for liquid and solid surface decontamination, to control foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, as well as viruses and protozoa. UV radiations at short wavelengths, in the range of from 220 to 280 nm, result in physical damage to the nucleic acids and inhibit bacterial replication by induction of the formation of cyclobutene pyrimidine dimers, which blocks DNA replication and transcription, leading to cell death . However, the repair mechanism of UV damage, especially by photoreactivation, is a major disadvantage of UV disinfection .
  • 942
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Relevant Fusarium Mycotoxins in Malt and Beer
Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites of high concern in the food and feed industry. Their presence in many cereal-based products has been numerously reported. Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage worldwide, and Fusarium mycotoxins originating from the malted and unmalted cereals might reach the final product. This entry aims to describe the possible Fusarium fungi that could infect the cereals used in beer production, the transfer of mycotoxins throughout malting and brewing as well as an insight into the incidence of mycotoxins in the craft beer segment of the industry. Studies show that germination is the malting step that can lead to a significant increase in the level of all Fusarium mycotoxins. 
  • 942
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Sirtuins Health Functions
Sirtfood is a new concept food that compounds diets that can target sirtuins (SIRTs). SIRTs are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases (enzymes). SIRTs are mediators of calorie restriction (CR) and their activation can achieve some effects similar to CR. SIRTs play essential roles in ameliorating obesity and age-related metabolic diseases. Food ingredients such as resveratrol, piceatannol, anthocyanidin, and quinine are potential modulators of SIRTs. SIRT modulators are involved in autophagy, apoptosis, aging, inflammation, and energy homeostasis. Sirtfood proponents believe that natural Sirtfood recipes exert significant health effects. 
  • 942
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Nutrition by Design and Functional Foods
Nutrition by design and functional foods are two interrelated concepts that share a common goal of optimizing human health through targeted nutrition. Nutrition by design emphasizes the customization of dietary patterns and nutrient intake to meet specific individual needs, while functional foods are defined as products that extend beyond their basic nutritional value, offering potential benefits in disease prevention and management. Various methods and processes are used, to obtain and design functional foods, for optimal human health.  
  • 942
  • 10 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Syrah Grape Skin Residues as Antioxidant Source
In recent years, the valorization of agro-industrial by-products has become evident, due to the extensive information available on their valuable contents of bioactive compounds that promote many beneficial effects on human health, such as reducing the risk of developing chronic disease, e.g., cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
  • 941
  • 08 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Breaking Down the Between Alcohol Addiction Mental Clarity
Did you know that about 20% of American adults have an alcohol use disorder? Alcohol use disorder is a strong and uncontrollable urge to drink. It can lead to severe physical, emotional, and social consequences. It also has a significant impact on mental clarity and well-being.
  • 939
  • 31 Oct 2024
Topic Review
Maillard Conjugation using Alternative Processing Technologies
Conjugation of the proteins with carbohydrates, occurring in the early stages of the Maillard reactions, received increased attention because of the high potential to ensure the improvement of the biological activity and functional properties of the proteins of different origins.
  • 938
  • 07 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Application of Edible Coatings on Fruits and Vegetables
Consumers have increased their interest in buying healthier food products, rejecting those products with more additives and giving preference to the fresh ones. Moreover, the current environmental situation has made society more aware of the importance of reducing the production of plastic and food waste. In this way and considering the food industry’s need to reduce food spoilage along the food chain, edible coatings have been considered eco-friendly food packaging that can replace traditional plastic packaging, providing an improvement in the product’s shelf life. Edible coatings are thin layers applied straight onto the food material’s surface that are made of biopolymers that usually incorporate other elements, such as nanoparticles or essential oils, to improve their physicochemical properties.
  • 936
  • 17 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Lactobacillaceae-Originated Probiotics in Preventive Measures of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an ascending, neurodegenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, i.e., neurons, resulting in loss of memory, language skills, and thinking and behavioural changes. It is one of the most common causes of dementia, a group of disorders that is marked by the decline of cognitive functioning. Probiotics are living microorganisms that are beneficial for human well-being.
  • 934
  • 24 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Fluorescent Probes in Heavy Metal Determinations for Food
Among the current detection methods, technology based on fluorescent probes, with the advantages of sensitivity, convenience, accuracy, cost, and reliability, has recently shown pluralistic applications in the food industry, which is significant to ensure food safety.
  • 932
  • 06 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Microbiological Risk Assessment in Foods
Food safety is one the major goals to achieve worldwide; in fact, one of the most underestimated problems is the high incidence of foodborne diseases. The MRA (Microbiological Risk Assessment) is a specific set of guidelines to manage microbiological risk in the food industry. Two different approaches are possible: bottom-up or top-down.
  • 931
  • 18 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Analysis of Phenolic Compounds by Coulometric Array Detector
Phenolic compounds are an important group of organic molecules with high radical scavenging, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The emerging interest in phenolic compounds in food products has led to the development of various analytical techniques for their detection and characterization. Among them, the coulometric array detector is a sensitive, selective, and precise method for the analysis of polyphenols. 
  • 930
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme
The Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a peptidase with a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure. 
  • 929
  • 01 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Lifestyle and Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Liver cancer remains a global health challenge, and while infection by hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the main risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with metabolic syndrome or diabetes mellitus is becoming a more frequent risk factor.
  • 925
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Biocontrol of Pathogenic Bacteria and Yeasts in Foods
Ripened foods of animal origin can be divided into two main groups: meat products (dry-cured pieces and dry-cured fermented products, the latter commonly made via mincing and stuffing) and dairy products (mainly, ripened cheeses). The environmental conditions throughout the ripening process of which these animal-derived products undergo favor the growth of diverse microbial populations that deeply contribute to their transformation. The presence of this beneficial microbiota is not unique in these products since they are generally exposed to the wild microbiota of the processing environment. Additionally, this processing rarely entails any sanitizing step; pasteurization in artisanal dairy products could be performed, although it is not common; for meat products, however, it is negligible. Thus, the contamination of these products with pathogenic  microorganisms usually leads to their development during the industrial ripening of these meat products. In this respect, bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli are of most concern for ripened foods. In addition, fungal growth on their surface is also common, harboring some pathogenic yeasts such as Candida spp. Biocontrol strategies are required for controlling these hazards.
  • 921
  • 25 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Chitin and Chitosan in Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverage
The natural biopolymer chitin and its deacetylated derivative chitosan are abundant in nature. They are obtained from different sources, including the crustacean shells and the cell walls of fungi. Chitin and chitosan have various applications in the beverage industry, such as a flocculent to improve the clarification process, reduce metals and contaminates, and extend shelf-life. They are also used as material for immobilizing microorganisms and enzymes, allowing bioprocesses to develop that preserve the quality of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 
  • 921
  • 25 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Bioactivities of Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura
Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura (ES) is mainly distributed in the coastal areas of the middle Pacific, around Korea and Japan, and has a long-standing edible value. It is rich in various compounds, such as polysaccharides, fatty acids, alginic acid, fucoxanthin, and phlorotannins, among which the polyphenol compound phlorotannins are the main active ingredients. Studies have shown that the extracts and active components of ES exhibit anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, cardioprotective, immunomodulatory, and other pharmacological properties in vivo and in vitro. Although ES contains a variety of bioactive compounds, it is not widely known and has not been extensively studied. Based on its potential health benefits, it is expected to play an important role in improving the nutritional value of food both economically and medically. Therefore, ES needs to be better understood and developed so that it can be utilized in the development and application of marine medicines, functional foods, bioactive substances, and in many other fields.
  • 915
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Aromatic Polyphenols Mimic Superoxide Dismutase Activity
Polyphenols are valuable natural antioxidants present in diet that likely mitigate aging effects, neurodegenerative conditions, and other diseases. However, because of their poor absorption in the gut and consequent low concentration in biological fluids (µM range), reservations about polyphenol antioxidant efficiency have been raised. The π-π interaction between one polyphenol ring and superoxide is associated with oxidation of the latter due to transfer of its unpaired electron to a polyphenolic aromatic ring, and consequent formation of a molecule of O2 (one product of SOD action). Mechanistically, it is very difficult to establish if this π-π interaction proceeds before or after the most common mode of scavenging superoxide, e.g., abstraction of an aromatic polyphenol H(hydroxyl), which then is used to form H2O2 (the other molecule produced by SOD action). At the end of this cycle of superoxide scavenging, 4-methyl-7,8-di-hydroxy-coumarin and the flavonoid galangin reform themselves. An alternative mechanistic pathway by galangin forms the η-(H2O2)-galangin-η-O2 complex that includes additional H2O2 and O2 molecules. Another mode of action is seen with the chalcone butein, in which the polyphenol system incorporates a molecule of O2, e.g., a η-O2-butein complex is formed, ready for additional scavenging.
  • 915
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Applying Pickering Emulsions to Food
The proper mix of nanocellulose to a dispersion of polar and nonpolar liquids creates emulsions stabilized by finely divided solids (instead of tensoactive chemicals) named Pickering emulsions. These mixtures can be engineered to develop new food products with innovative functions, potentially more eco-friendly characteristics, and reduced risks to consumers. Although cellulose-based Pickering emulsion preparation is an exciting approach to creating new food products, there are many legal, technical, environmental, and economic gaps to be filled through research.
  • 915
  • 12 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Aflatoxin B1
Aflatoxins are mycotoxins produced as secondary fungal metabolites. Among them, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) stands out due to its genotoxic and mutagenic potential, being a potent initiator of carcinogenesis. In several animal species, including humans, AFB1 has a teratogenic effect, resulting in bone malformations, visceral anomalies, lesions in several organs, and behavioral and reproductive changes, in addition to low birth weight. The mutagenic capacity of AFB1 in prenatal life is greater than in adults, indicating that when exposure occurs in the womb, the risk of the development of neoplasms is higher. 
  • 913
  • 23 Dec 2021
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