Regenerative Food Innovation: The Role of Agro-Food Chain By-Products and Plant Origin Food to Obtain High-Value-Added Foods.

Food losses in the agri-food sector have been estimated as representing between 30 and 80% of overall yield. The agro-food sector has a responsibility to work towards achieving FAO sustainable goals and global initiatives on responding to many issues, including climate pressures from changes we are experiencing globally. Regenerative agriculture has been discussed for many years in terms of improving our land and water. What we now need is a focus on the ability to transform innovation within the food production and process systems to address the needs of society in the fundamental arenas of food, health and wellbeing in a sustainable world. Thus, regenerative food innovation presents an opportunity to evaluate by-products from the agriculture and food industries to utilise these waste streams to minimise the global effects of food waste. The mini-review article aims to illustrate advancements in the valorisation of foods from some of the most recent publications published by peer-reviewed journals during the last 4-5 years. The focus will be applied to plant-based valorised food products and how these can be utilised to improve food nutritional components, texture, sensory and consumer perception to develop the foods for the future.

Development, characterization, and consumer acceptance evaluation of thermally stable capsule beads containing mixed extracts of green tea and turmeric.

The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of shell (coating) formulations comprised of alginate and glucono delta lactone (GDL) to encapsulate a mixture of green tea and turmeric extracts. Three concentrations of alginate and GDL were used at 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1%, w/v and their solid ratio was varied using a factorial design. A response surface model was applied to optimize the retention of catechin and curcuminoid contents, to determine encapsulation efficiency, and to minimize undesirable flavor and taste. Increasing the concentration of alginate and GDL significantly increased the retention of catechin and curcuminoid contents, encapsulation efficiency, and consumer acceptance (p < 0.05). The encapsulating solution containing 1% of each alginate and GDL performed the best against each criterion. The thermal treatment carried out at the boiling point of water for 15 min had a significant impact on the retention of catechin and curcuminoid content which, in the thermally-treated beads, was 5.15 and 3.85 times higher than unencapsulated, respectively. The consumer acceptance of the encapsulated beads after thermal treatment was higher than that of the unencapsulated formulations as they exhibited lesser pungent flavor and bitterness. The innovative process of thermally stable microencapsulation can produce anti-cancer activity compounds involved in functional food industrial sectors.

Unlocking the Potential of Sprouted Cereals, Pseudocereals, and Pulses in Combating Malnutrition.

Due to the global rise in food insecurity, micronutrient deficiency, and diet-related health issues, the United Nations (UN) has called for action to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. Grains are the staple food worldwide; hence, improving their nutritional quality can certainly be an appropriate approach to mitigate malnutrition. This review article aims to collect recent information on developing nutrient-dense grains using a sustainable and natural process known as "sprouting or germination" and to discuss novel applications of sprouted grains to tackle malnutrition (specifically undernutrition). This article discusses applicable interventions and strategies to encourage biochemical changes in sprouting grains further to boost their nutritional value and health benefits. It also explains opportunities to use spouted grains at home and in industrial food applications, especially focusing on domestic grains in regions with prevalent malnutrition. The common challenges for producing sprouted grains, their future trends, and research opportunities have been covered. This review article will benefit scientists and researchers in food, nutrition, and agriculture, as well as agrifood businesses and policymakers who aim to develop nutrient-enriched foods to enhance public health.

Shiitake polysaccharides acted as a non-competitive inhibitor to α-glucosidase and inhibited glucose transport of digested starch from Caco-2 cells monolayer.

The inhibition mechanism of shitake mushroom polysaccharides (Lentinula edodes polysaccharides, LEP) against α-glucosidase was studied by enzyme kinetic assay, fluorescence quenching and molecular docking. The effect of LEP on glucose transport of digested starch was investigated via an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 transwell model. LEP exhibited a stronger inhibiting effect (IC50 = 0.66 mg/mL) than acarbose and presented a non-competitive inhibition mechanism. The interaction between LEP and α-glucosidase primarily involved electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. Molecular docking modelling showed that the four structures of LEP were bound to the allosteric tunnel or adjacent pocket of α-glucosidase via electrostatic force and hydrogen bonds. The (1 â†’ 6)-linkages in LEP structures favoured its binding affinity to the α-glucosidase. The α-glucosidase inhibiting activity of LEP was also found to emanate from the reduction in glucose transport of digested starch as deducted from the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 transwell data. The release of glucose from digested starch cooked with LEP was significantly reduced (33.7%) compared to the digested starch without LEP. The findings from the current study suggest that LEP could be a promising ingredient to inhibit α-glucosidase activity as well as control the level of postprandial blood glucose when incorporated into starchy foods.

EEG-based BCI Dataset of Semantic Concepts for Imagination and Perception Tasks.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a widely-used neuroimaging technique in Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) due to its non-invasive nature, accessibility and high temporal resolution. A range of input representations has been explored for BCIs. The same semantic meaning can be conveyed in different representations, such as visual (orthographic and pictorial) and auditory (spoken words). These stimuli representations can be either imagined or perceived by the BCI user. In particular, there is a scarcity of existing open source EEG datasets for imagined visual content, and to our knowledge there are no open source EEG datasets for semantics captured through multiple sensory modalities for both perceived and imagined content. Here we present an open source multisensory imagination and perception dataset, with twelve participants, acquired with a 124 EEG channel system. The aim is for the dataset to be open for purposes such as BCI related decoding and for better understanding the neural mechanisms behind perception, imagination and across the sensory modalities when the semantic category is held constant.

Complexation of starch and phenolic compounds during food processing and impacts on the release of phenolic compounds.

Phenolic compounds can form complexes with starch during food processing, which can modulate the release of phenolic compounds in the gastrointestinal tract and regulate the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds. The starch-phenolic complexation is determined by the structure of starch, phenolic compounds, and the food processing conditions. In this review, the complexation between starch and phenolic compounds during (hydro)thermal and nonthermal processing is reviewed. A hypothesis on the complexation kinetics is developed to elucidate the mechanism of complexation between starch and phenolic compounds considering the reaction time and the processing conditions. The subsequent effects of complexation on the physicochemical properties of starch, including gelatinization, retrogradation, and digestion, are critically articulated. Further, the release of phenolic substances and the bioaccessibility of different types of starch-phenolics complexes are discussed. The review emphasizes that the processing-induced structural changes of starch are the major determinant modulating the extent and manner of complexation with phenolic compounds. The controlled release of complexes formed between phenolic compounds and starch in the digestive tracts can modify the functionality of starch-based foods and, thus, can be used for both the modulation of glycemic response and the targeted delivery of phenolic compounds.

Acidic polysaccharides from black ear and silver ear mushrooms modulated the release and transport of glucose from gelatinised sorghum starch during digestion.

This study investigated the ability of acidic polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula-judae (AAP) and Tremella fuciformis (TFP) mushrooms to modulate starch digestion and absorption. Gelatinised sorghum starch was used as starch-rich material, and its digestion and glucose transport were determined through in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cells model. Results showed that fortification with 0.6% AAP/TFP increased the proportion of high molecular weight α-dextrin and delayed glucose diffusion from digested starch gels. Gelatinisation of sorghum starch with AAP and TFP reduced the amount of transported glucose by 34.2% and 38.7%, respectively. This reduction was related to the inhibition of AAP/TFP on α-glucosidase and the difficulty in the hydrolysis of high molecular weight maltooligosaccharides. The potential bonding of AAP/TFP to glucose transporter (SGLT1) also impeded glucose transport. The findings suggest that AAP/TFP could act as natural hypoglycaemic agents used in starch-based foods and provide a better understanding of the hypoglycaemic mechanism of mushroom polysaccharides.

Valorizing protein-polysaccharide conjugates from sugar beet pulp as an emulsifier.

Inspired by the emulsion stability of sugar beet pulp pectin, the hydrophobic protein fraction in sugar beet pulp (SBP) is expected to feature high interfacial activity. This work retrieved alkaline extracted protein-polysaccharide conjugates (AEC) from partially depectinized SBP by hot alkaline extraction. AEC was protein-rich (57.20 %), and the polysaccharide mainly comprised neutral sugar, which adopted a rhamnogalacturonan-I pectin-like structure. The hydrophobic polypeptide chains tangled as a dense 'core' with polysaccharide chains attached as a hydrated 'shell' (hydrodynamic radius of ~110 nm). AEC could significantly decrease the oil-water interfacial tension (11.58 mN/m), featuring superior emulsification performance than three control emulsifiers, especially the excellent emulsifying stability (10 % oil) as the emulsion droplet size of 0.438 and 0.479 µm for fresh and stored (60 °C, 5 d) emulsions, respectively. The relationship of molecular structure to emulsification was investigated by specific enzymic modification, suggesting the intact macromolecular structure was closely related to emulsifying activity and that the NS fraction contributed greatly to emulsifying stability. Moreover, AEC was highly efficient to stabilize gel-like high internal phase emulsions (oil fraction 0.80) with low concentration (0.2 %) and even high ionic strength (0-1000 mM). Altogether, valorizing AEC as an emulsifier is feasible for high-value utilization of SBP.

Appraisal of vitreous syphilis antibody as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of syphilitic uveitis: a prospective case-control study.

PURPOSE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of syphilis antibody tests in vitreous samples and to propose an algorithm using vitreous syphilis antibody as a supplementary test to confirm syphilitic uveitis (SU). METHODS: A prospective case-control study was conducted at the Retina and Uveitis Clinic from May 2017 to January 2020. Initially, patients were classified based on syphilis serology into group 1 (positive testing) and group 2 (negative testing). Group 1 was further divided into 2 subgroups (group 1A and 1B) depending on their relevant clinical manifestations and clinical improvement. Group 2 served as a control group. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were enrolled in the study: 14 in group 1A, 5 in group 1B, and 19 in group 2B. No patient was assigned to group 2A. All patients in group 1A, representing definite SU, completed syphilis test (rapid plasma reagin [RPR], enzyme immunoassay [EIA], and fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption [FTA-ABS]) for vitreous, and all vitreous samples yielded positive results. Of the 5 subjects in group 1B, 3 cases were considered to be not SU with different conditions, and 2 were indeterminate for SU. They presented with different features not typical of SU, and they had variable and fewer positive syphilis antibody responses. The most sensitive test for detecting syphilis antibodies in vitreous was EIA (90.9%), followed by RPR (80.0%) and FTA-ABS IgG (78.9%). EIA and FTA-ABS had the highest specificity, detecting 100% of the syphilis antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Vitreous analysis of syphilis antibody can serve as a supplementary test to confirm SU in selected cases as the proposed algorithm.

LASER PROPHYLAXIS IN STICKLER SYNDROME: The Manchester Protocol.

PURPOSE: Patients with Stickler syndrome are at high risk of giant retinal tears (GRTs) and detachments. Vitreoretinal interventions can reduce this risk, but there is presently no consensus about the optimal prophylactic approach. The aim of our study was to determine whether 360° laser prophylaxis is a safe and effective procedure to prevent GRT detachments in patients with Stickler syndrome. METHODS: Study subjects were recruited retrospectively through the databases of the vitreoretinal and ophthalmic genetic tertiary services in Manchester, United Kingdom. Clinical data were collected including on prophylactic intervention, the occurrence of retinal detachment, and the presence/type of retinal breaks. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen eyes from 63 patients with Stickler syndrome were studied; 72.6% (82/113) of these eyes received 360° laser prophylaxis. Of these, 9% had a retinal detachment, but no GRTs occurred. Among the 27.4% (31/113) of eyes that had no prophylactic treatment, 23% suffered a retinal detachment and 42.9% of these were associated with a GRT. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent laser prophylaxis had fewer retinal detachments and no GRTs during an average of 6.1 years of follow-up (median 5 years), suggesting that this is a safe and effective approach for individuals with Stickler syndrome.

Factors influencing consistent use of bed nets for the control of malaria among children under 5 years in Soroti District, North Eastern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: The use of insecticide-treated bed nets has been proven to be effective in reducing malaria transmission in highly endemic areas. Use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) has been embraced by many malaria endemic countries. LLINs are up to 95% effective in inhibiting blood feeding, when used consistently even after 7 years. The challenge, however, is enhancing their consistent use, especially by the most vulnerable groups (children under 5 years and pregnant women). The study established factors associated with consistent use of bed nets for malaria control among children under 5 years in Soroti district. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional design, with multi-stage sampling of households. A total of 400 households (HH) were sampled and the HH head in each household interviewed. Key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 7 key informants who were knowledgeable on the subject matter. Data analysis was done using SPSS 17.0 at Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariable levels; after entry and cleaning. Key informants' data were summarized manually; verbatim quotes and text used to reinforce quantitative data in line with objectives. RESULTS: Only 56.8% of the 690 children under 5 years used bed nets consistently. The factors affecting consistent bed net use were age of the child, their use of bed nets the previous night, occupation of caretaker, respondents' perceived susceptibility, perceived risk of getting malaria, size and shape of the bed nets. Rectangular nets were difficult to hang daily in huts according to most key informants. CONCLUSION: Consistent bed net use among under fives is still below the RBM target of 85% by 2015 and can be enhanced by providing conical bed nets and setting aside a health education programme to emphasize the effectiveness of even one mosquito in spreading malaria at night to the entire household and ability of bed nets to stop transmission better than other methods.

Predictive Glycaemic Response of Pasta Enriched with Juice, Puree, and Pomace from Red Cabbage and Spinach.

This study reports the digestibility and nutritional quality of pasta made from durum wheat semolina which was partially substituted by puree, juice or pomace from spinach and red cabbage. The results show that 10% substitution of semolina with red cabbage pomace and spinach pomace, 1% substitution of spinach juice, and 2% substitution of spinach puree significantly reduced the area under the curve of the in vitro starch digestion. This reduction was due to a combined effect of decreased starch content, increased dietary fibre content and inhibition of α-amylase caused by vegetable material addition. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity increased significantly on raw, cooked and digested samples of vegetable fortified pasta compared to control. The ß-carotene content of spinach pasta (raw, cooked, and digested) was also higher than that of control. At the 1% substitution level, the juice was more efficient in improving the antioxidant capacity of resultant pasta compared to puree or pomace.

PhysioCamp: Cultivating Leaders Throughout Medical School.

To prepare medical students for leadership roles, medical student organizations should provide longitudinal leadership opportunities spanning the entire duration of the medical school curriculum. These long-term roles need to be adaptable to medical students' changing and busy schedules, provide a robust structure for communication, improve access to resources and mentors, and allow autonomy for individual decisions to facilitate effective engagement as a leader. We describe the design of a student-led organization, PhysioCamp, which facilitates opportunities for longitudinal medical student leadership through an internship program for high school graduates.

Impact of Green Extraction on Curcuminoid Content, Antioxidant Activities and Anti-Cancer Efficiency (In Vitro) from Turmeric Rhizomes (Curcuma longa L.).

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) powder is widely used as a spice and seasoning in Asian countries. This study investigated the effect of turmeric extracts on the anticancer activity of Huh7 and HCT 116 cells. The curcumin bioactive compounds were extracted using various methods such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and traditional extraction (TDE). The yield of dried extracts from MAE was found to be the highest at 17.89%, followed by UAE and TDE, with 11.34% and 5.54%, respectively. Antioxidant activities such as TPC, DPPH and FRAP from MAE were higher than those of UAE and TDE. The total curcuminoid contents from the novel extractions were higher than those from traditional extraction methods. For instance, curcuminoid contents from MAE, UAE and TDE were 326.79, 241.17 and 215.83 mg/g, respectively. Due to having the highest bioactive compounds and extraction yield, turmeric extract from MAE was used to investigate the potential anticancer properties. The extract showed significant cytotoxic potential against the human liver (Huh7) and human colon (HCT116) cell lines, in concentrations ranging from 31.25 to 1000.00 µg/mL. Turmeric extracts using MAE have potential anticancer effects on Huh7 and HCT116 cells. This study serves as scientific data for the chemotherapeutic properties of turmeric extracts and their use as functional ingredients.

Phenolic Release during In Vitro Digestion of Cold and Hot Extruded Noodles Supplemented with Starch and Phenolic Extracts.

Dietary phenolic compounds must be released from the food matrix in the gastrointestinal tract to play a bioactive role, the release of which is interfered with by food structure. The release of phenolics (unbound and bound) of cold and hot extruded noodles enriched with phenolics (2.0%) during simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion was investigated. Bound phenolic content and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were utilized to characterize the intensity and manner of starch-phenolic complexation during the preparation of extruded noodles. Hot extrusion induced the formation of more complexes, especially the V-type inclusion complexes, with a higher proportion of bound phenolics than cold extrusion, contributing to a more controlled release of phenolics along with slower starch digestion. For instance, during simulated small intestinal digestion, less unbound phenolics (59.4%) were released from hot extruded phenolic-enhanced noodles than from the corresponding cold extruded noodles (68.2%). This is similar to the release behavior of bound phenolics, that cold extruded noodles released more bound phenolics (56.5%) than hot extruded noodles (41.9%). For noodles extruded with rutin, the release of unbound rutin from hot extruded noodles and cold extruded noodles was 63.6% and 79.0%, respectively, in the small intestine phase, and bound rutin was released at a much lower amount from the hot extruded noodles (55.8%) than from the cold extruded noodles (89.7%). Hot extrusion may allow more potential bioaccessible phenolics (such as rutin), further improving the development of starchy foods enriched with controlled phenolics.

Effects of a polysaccharide extract from Amomum villosum Lour. on gastric mucosal injury and its potential underlying mechanism.

AVLP-2, a novel acidic polysaccharide, was isolated and purified from Amomum villosum Lour. The structural characteristics of the polysaccharides were characterized using monosaccharide composition, methylation, FT-IR, and NMR techniques. Results showed that AVLP-2 comprises galactose and glucose monomers, has a molecular weight of 10.488 kDa, and has backbone structures →4)-α-d-GalAp-(1→3,4)-α-d-GalAp-(1→, →4)-α-d-GalAp-(1→6)-α-d-Galp-(1→, and n→6)-α-d-Galp-(1→4)-ß-d-Glcp-(1→, with α-d-Galp-(1→ branches. Furthermore, AVLP-2 had a significant protective effect against oxidative stress in alcohol-induced injury and LPS inflammation models GES-1 cells by regulating the levels of ROS and inflammatory factors. In the animal experiments, AVLP-2 improved the oxidative stress status of the gastric mucosa by increasing SOD activity and GSH levels and inhibiting the excessive generation of malondialdehyde in tissues. The levels of MPO, IL-1ß, IL-10, and NF-κB p65 were downregulated, while that of TNF-α was upregulated by AVLP-2 treatment, thereby reducing the alcohol-induced inflammation.

Impact of a Hybrid-Virtual Teaching Model on the Physical Examination Skills of Fourth-Year Medical Students.

ABSTRACT: A required fourth-year advanced core neurology-physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkship was adapted to hybrid format (2-wk remote; 2-wk in-person) during the COVID-19 pandemic. With teaching of the neurological physical examination being shifted to the remote component, we sought to determine whether this negatively affected student performance on an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, particularly the physical examination component. Mean pandemic-era total Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores ( n = 79, 85.1 ± 7.3) were similar to prepandemic era ( n = 137, 83.5 ± 6.0, P = 0.082). Pandemic-era physical examination scores were slightly higher than prepandemic (86.9 ± 6.5 vs. 84.9 ± 6.6). Despite conversion of the clerkship to a hybrid curriculum, the performance of the students on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination and the physical examination were unchanged. Reasons for this lack of change may include the constructiveness and integration of the case-based virtual demonstrations combined with in-person learning or the flexibility of the virtual course to allow students more time to prepare for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination and the physical examination. Our findings demonstrate that a hybrid-virtual model can be used to teach foundational skills such as the basics of the physical examination, while allowing faculty to address higher-order skills such as integration of clinical data with medical knowledge.

Early Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Acute Endophthalmitis: The Manchester Series.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Current literature lacks good-quality evidence regarding the outcomes of early pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for acute exogenous endophthalmitis. The aim for this study was to analyze and discuss the outcomes of PPV for endophthalmitis in a UK tertiary hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective case series. The clinical records of consecutive patients who had PPV for acute exogenous endophthalmitis were reviewed. Demographic data, etiology, timing of onset, timing of PPV, intraand postoperative complications, baseline and final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), therapeutic regimens, and microbiology details were collected. Primary efficacy and safety outcome measures were BCVA improvement of two or more logMAR lines and intra- or postoperative complications, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-one patients with a median age of 76 (interquartile range, 64 to 82) years were studied. The most common etiology was intravitreal injection (41%), followed by phacoemulsification (34%). Median interval to PPV was 1.0 (interquartile range, 1.0 to 3.0) days. In a multivariate model controlling for age, baseline BCVA, microbiology positivity, and etiology (post-intravitreal injection), PPV after 24 hours was seven times more likely to achieve significant BCVA improvement (odds ratio, 7.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 49.66; P = .038). PPV within 24 hours of presentation was associated with more intraoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Favorable outcomes may be achieved with current antibiotic regimens and PPV for endophthalmitis. The series suggests that an early surgical intervention may be associated with poorer functional outcomes. Tap and inject at presentation, followed by a semi-urgent PPV as required, seems to be a sensible approach. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2022;53:96-102.].