Protein-based Emulsion Hydrogels and Their Application in the Development of Sustainable Food Products.

Consumers have become more conscious of their diet, resulting in an increased demand for low-calorie and nutrient-rich food. Therefore, finding alternative ways to develop food products with improved nutritional values has become necessary without compromising the textural and sensorial properties. In the last few years, emulsion gels have gained much popularity for oil structuring, delivery of bioactive compounds, and development of nutritious food products. Protein-stabilized emulsion hydrogels have the most significant potential to be utilized in the food industry as they contain natural ingredients that help with clean label tags. Different gelation methods can be used to fabricate emulsion gels depending on the requirements of end products. Emulsion hydrogels' rheological, textural, mechanical, and structural properties can be modified by altering their composition, oil concentration, gelation method, and gelling environment, such as pH, temperature, etc. This review addresses using protein-based emulsion gels to develop novel food products with reduced-calorie and nutrition-rich content.

Investigating potent cardioprotective compounds as ACE inhibitors in Saraca asoca.

Saraca asoca is a traditional medicinal plant whose all plant parts are exceptionally effective in terms of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, free radical scavenging,anti-arthritic, and hypolipidemic properties. As cardio-vascular problems occur for many reasons, antioxidants with free radical scavenging properties of plants and herbs are highly effective in treating cardio-related disorders. Though Saraca asoca has been preferred as a tonic and medicinal supplement for women's health, because of the huge variety of bioactive compounds, Saraca asoca needs to be explored for its cardio-protective properties. This review aims to summarize the in vivo and in vitro studies done on Saraca asoca along with the exploration of bioactive compounds in various parts of the plant which will display its cardio-protective potential with its rich bioactive compounds as ACE inhibitors. All relevant information on Saraca asoca in treating and preventing cardio-related disorders has been collected from electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Various parts of Saraca asoca were studied to assess its pharmacological and cardioprotective properties. The bioactive compounds of Saraca asoca have been assessed to explore its role as anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, ACE inhibitors, and cardio-protective with the help of in-vivo, in-vitro studies and other research studies. This thorough review focuses on the potent natural bioactive compounds in various parts of Saraca asoca exhibiting its potential as a cardioprotective agent while incorporating historical, chemical, and therapeutic views.

Sustainable Nonfarm Approaches to Achieve Zero Hunger and Its Unveiled Reality.

Millions of people worldwide are deprived of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food required for an everyday and healthy life. The hunger crisis is worsening over time, even though many attempts have been made to minimize it. Increasing world population and competition for natural resources, climate change, natural disasters, urbanization, poverty, and illiteracy are the main causes that need to be addressed to reduce the hunger crisis. Various nonfarm technologies are being used to eradicate hunger but their long-term impact on the environment should also be considered. The real sustainability of several novel technologies being implemented to deal with hunger is an issue to tackle. This paper discusses the potential applications of storage facilities, underutilized crops, waste valorization, food preservation, nutritionally enriched novel food products, and technological advancement in food processing to achieve zero hunger. An attempt has also been made to address the sustainability of various nonfarm technology utilized to minimize the global hunger crisis.

A critical review focusing the effect of ingredients on the textural properties of plant-based meat products.

Plant-based meat alternatives have been studied for decades, but have recently gained more attraction in the food industries and research communities. Concern about animal welfare, health, environment and moral beliefs acts as a driving force for the growth of plant-based meat products. The most challenging task in the development of meat analog is to imitate the texture of conventional meat products. The fabrication of plant-based meat product requires a wise selection and formulation of ingredients to perfectly mimic the fibrous structure of meat. Top-down and bottom-up approaches are the two most commonly used structuring techniques for the preparation of plant-based meat products. Development of comminuted meat product is easy as compared with the whole-muscle type plant-based meat products. Several plant-based ingredients such as texturized and non-texturized proteins, fats, binding agents, flavoring and coloring agents accompanied with different processing techniques (extrusion, shear cell, wet spinning, electrospinning, and freeze structuring) are used in the preparation of meat analogs. This article aims to discuss the impact of ingredients on the textural properties of plant-based meat products.

Ozonation: an Evolving Disinfectant Technology for the Food Industry.

The food processing industry is currently facing challenges in delivering safe, healthy, and high-quality food. Constant monitoring at each step of the supply chain of food is vital to resolve the issue of food contamination. To achieve this aim and to meet consumer prospects, the technologies promoting the concept of clean label food have been widely cherished. Ozonation is one such advanced technology that assists in maintaining food product quality and safety. Its manifold approach and zero-by-product production make it a promising food disinfectant technique. Ozone due to its oxidative property has been widely used in sanitizing, washing, odor removal, water treatment, and in equipment, fruits, vegetable, and meat processing disinfection. Ozonation in foods is done in such a way that no nutritional, sensory, and physicochemical characteristics are altered. In this review, an attempt is made to give an overview of the impact and contribution of ozone as a disinfectant in food processing while comparing it with conventional disinfectants and its overall application in the food industry.