Exploring the Potential of Bee-Derived Antioxidants for Maintaining Oral Hygiene and Dental Health: A Comprehensive Review.

Honey bee products comprise various compounds, including honey, propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax and bee venom, which have long been recognized for their pharmacological and health-promoting benefits. Scientists have discovered that periodontal disorders stem from dental biofilm, an inflammatory response to bacterial overgrowth produced by dysbiosis in the oral microbiome. The bee products have been investigated for their role in prevention of oral diseases, which are attributed to a myriad of biologically active compounds including flavonoids (pinocembrin, catechin, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and galangin), phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, p-coumaric, ellagic, caffeic and ferulic acids) and terpenoids. This review aims to update the current understanding of role of selected bee products, namely, honey, propolis and royal jelly, in preventing oral diseases as well as their potential biological activities and mechanism of action in relation to oral health have been discussed. Furthermore, the safety of incorporation of bee products is also critically discussed. To summarize, bee products could potentially serve as a therapy option for people suffering from a variety of oral disorders.

Understanding the influence of genotype and temperature on proteolytic activity in distinct barley genotypes.

This study aimed at investigating the effects of genotype and temperatures on the proteolytic activity in green malt of 48 barley genotypes, including 19 mutants, 15 hulled, 4 hulless, and 10 wild using enzyme assays based on casein, as substrate. During malting, insoluble barley protein must be hydrolyzed into soluble peptides and free amino acids to supply the brewing yeast with sufficient nutrients to grow rapidly and metabolize glucose and other sugars into alcohol through fermentation. However, the relatively hot temperatures employed during kilning usually denature the proteolytic enzymes due to their thermolabile nature. Even though the hydrolytic activity of most of the proteases is destroyed during the kilning process, the malt includes a small fraction of thermostable proteases that can further degrade protein in the subsequent mashing process. Considering the higher temperature range employed in industrial kilning and mashing, three temperatures (37, 50, and 70°C) were selected to identify the genotypes possessing high activity at the higher range of temperatures as well as thermostable variant of the enzyme. The proteolytic activity in all the genotypes declined after 50°C depicting its optimum temperature. Overall proteolytic activity was observed to be positively correlated with the amino acids and negatively correlated with protein content. Three mutant (BL2086, BL2091, and BL2079) and one wild (WS 237) genotypes possessing proteolytic activity in a higher range at all the studied temperatures have the potential to be exploited in the breeding programs for incorporating trait of thermostable proteolytic activity into low malting efficiency cultivars. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The optimal hydrolytic activities of carbohydrases and proteases during mashing are essential for producing high-quality wort from malted barley to ensure that hydrolyzed molecules are available to brewers' yeast to support fermentative metabolism. In this study, several barley cultivars were grown under identical environmental conditions but assayed at different temperatures. As result, four genotypes had been obtained that possessed optimal proteolytic activities at a higher temperature range and can be of great interest to breeders and maltsters for altering wort amino acid profiles and better exposure of starch to mashing enzymes, thereby increasing the fermentable sugar yield from the malt.

Onion anthocyanins: Extraction, stability, bioavailability, dietary effect, and health implications.

Anthocyanins are high-value compounds, and their use as functional foods and their natural colorant have potential health benefits. Anthocyanins seem to possess antioxidant properties, which help prevent neuronal diseases and thereby exhibit anti-inflammatory, chemotherapeutic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities. They also show different therapeutic effects against various chronic diseases. Anthocyanins are present in high concentrations in onion. In recent years, although both conventional and improved methods have been used for extraction of anthocyanins, nowadays, improved methods are of great importance because of their higher yield and stability of anthocyanins. In this review, we compile anthocyanins and their derivatives found in onion and the factors affecting their stability. We also analyze different extraction techniques of anthocyanins. From this point of view, it is very important to be precisely aware of the impact that each parameter has on the stability and subsequently potentiate its bioavailability or beneficial health effects. We present up-to-date information on bioavailability, dietary effects, and health implications of anthocyanins such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancerous, antiobesity, cardioprotective, and hepatoprotective activities.

Quality attributes for barley malt: "The backbone of beer".

Malting is the process of preparing barley for brewing through partial germination followed by drying. This process softens the grain cell wall and stimulates the production of diastatic enzymes, which convert starch into malt extract. The suitability of a barley grain for malt production depends upon a large number of quality parameters that are crucial for the identification and release of high-quality malt varieties. Maintaining tight control of these quality attributes is essential to ensure high processing efficiency and final product quality in brewery and malt house. Therefore, we have summarized the basic malting process and various physiological and biochemical quality parameters that are desirable for better malt quality. This study may provide an understanding of the process, problems faced, and opportunities to maltsters and researchers to improve the malt efficiency by altering the malting process or malt varieties.