The use of alternative food sources to improve health and guarantee access and food intake.

To feed and provide Food Security to all people in the world is a big challenge to be achieved with the 2030 Agenda. Undernutrition and obesity are to the opposite of a healthy nutritional status. Both conditions are associated with unbalanced nutrition, absence of food or excess of non-nutritive foods intake. These two nutritional conditions associated with food production are closely related to some goals highlighted by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda to achieve sustainable world development. In this context, the search for alternative foods whose sustainable production and high nutritional quality guarantee regular access to food for the population must be encouraged. Alternative foods can contribute to Food Security in many ways as they contribute to the local economy and income generation. Popularizing and demystifying the uses of unconventional food plants, ancestral grains, flowers, meliponiculture products, and edible insects as sources of nutrients and non-nutrients is another challenge. Herein, we present an overview of alternative foods - some of them cultivated mostly in Brazil - that can be explored as sources of nutrients to fight hunger and malnutrition, improve food production and the economic growth of nations.

Advanced characterization of polyphenols from Myrciaria jaboticaba peel and lipid protection in in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Ultrasound-assisted and solvent extractions resulted in similar levels of hydrolyzable tannins (10.3-6.0 mg/g), anthocyanins (7.8-10.2 mg/g) and flavonols (0.24-0.32 mg/g) for dried Myrciaria jaboticaba peel (DJP). Ultrasound was efficient for the extraction of poorly soluble hydrolyzable tannins but affected the stability of anthocyanins and flavonols. UPLC-DAD-MSn allowed the identification of 44 hydrolyzable tannins as single and mixed hexosides bearing galloyl, HHDP and tergalloyl units. Twelve mixed HHDP-galloylgluconic acids and tergalloylated hexosides were newly discovered in this work. Acid hydrolysis of both ultrasonic extract and DJP yielded five major compounds, i.e. gallic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid-C-hexoside, valoneic acid dilactone and sanguisorbic acid dilactone and pointed to higher contents in hydrolyzable tannins than by summing individual polyphenols after UPLC. Last, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and hydrolyzable tannins from the ultrasonic extract inhibited lipid peroxidation of a Western type meal in in vitro digestion, suggesting a health benefit for these jabuticaba polyphenols.

Microalgae carotenoids intake: Influence on cholesterol levels, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of carotenoids intake of Scenedesmus obliquus, on lipid peroxidation, the endogenous antioxidant defense system as well as the serum lipid profile in vivo. Male mice were divided into control groups and supplemented with different doses of microalgae carotenoids: 0.25 (MC1) and 2.5 (MC2) mg·kg-1 bodyweight. The lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, low and high-density lipoprotein) and markers of hepatic toxicity were determined in serum samples. Antioxidant enzymes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were determined in the heart, liver, kidneys, and spleen. Both doses used to treat the animals did not show adverse effects by markers of hepatic toxicity. MC1 did not cause significant changes in the serum lipid profile. In contrast, it created a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation of the spleen (46%) as well as an increase in the GR in the heart (40%) and GPx in the kidneys (79%) activity. The MC2 treatment also increased GR (49%) in the heart and GPx (243%) in the heart and kidneys (58%) activity, however, significantly increased levels of lipid peroxidation in the liver (160%) as well as serum triglycerides (60%). According to results, it is suggested that the consumption of S. obliquus carotenoids at the MC1 dose was safe to the animals and could be explored as an alternative to improve the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduce lipid peroxidation.

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) enhances HSP, PGC-1α expressions and improves glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chia seed and chia oil on heat shock protein (HSP) and related parameters in diet-induced obese rats. METHODS: Animals were divided in six groups: control, high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFF), and HFF with chia seed or chia oil in short (6-wk) and long (12-wk) treatments. Plasma indicators of glucose tolerance and liver damage, skeletal muscle expression of antioxidant enzymes, and proteins controlling oxidative energy metabolism were determined. The limit of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The HFF diet induced glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and altered parameters related to obesity complications. The consumption of chia seed or chia oil did not reduce body weight gain or abdominal fat accumulation. However, chia seed and chia oil in both treatments improved glucose and insulin tolerance. Chia oil in both treatments induced expression of HSP70 and HSP25 in skeletal muscle. Short treatment with chia seed increased expression of HSP70, but not HSP25. Chia oil in both treatments restored superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase expression. Extended treatment with chia seed and short treatment with chia oil restored peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) expression. CONCLUSION: Chia oil restored the antioxidant system and induced the expression of a higher number of proteins than chia seed. The present study demonstrated new properties and molecular mechanisms associated with the beneficial effects of chia seed and chia oil consumption in diet-induced obese rats.

Freeze-dried jaboticaba peel powder rich in anthocyanins did not reduce weight gain and lipid content in mice and rats.

Jaboticaba, a native fruit from Brazilian Atlantic Forest, is an important source of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins have been recently identified as modulators of lipid metabolism and energy expenditure 'in vivo'. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the freeze-dried jaboticaba peel powder on obesity treatment in different experimental models. Obese Swiss mice and obese Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 1, 2 and 4% freeze-dried jaboticaba peel powder for 6 weeks. Energy intake, weight gain and body composition were determined, and the results were analyzed using variance and Tukey's tests (p < 0.05). The energy intake was higher in mice groups supplemented with 2% and 4% of jaboticaba peel. In relation to weight gain, the mice supplemented with 2% of jaboticaba peel had higher total weight gain than the other experimental groups, while no significant difference in the fat mass accumulation was observed among the groups. The rats did not show significant differences in the evaluated parameters. These results suggest that the supplementation with freeze-dried jaboticaba peel powder, at concentrations of 1, 2 and 4%, was not effective in the reduction of energy intake, weight gain and body fat both in mice and in rats.