Spectroscopic techniques for authentication of animal origin foods.

Milk and milk products, meat, fish and poultry as well as other animal derived foods occupy a pronounced position in human nutrition. Unfortunately, fraud in the food industry is common, resulting in negative economic consequences for customers as well as significant threats to human health and the external environment. As a result, it is critical to develop analytical tools that can quickly detect fraud and validate the authenticity of such products. Authentication of a food product is the process of ensuring that the product matches the assertions on the label and complies with rules. Conventionally, various comprehensive and targeted approaches like molecular, chemical, protein based, and chromatographic techniques are being utilized for identifying the species, origin, peculiar ingredients and the kind of processing method used to produce the particular product. Despite being very accurate and unimpeachable, these techniques ruin the structure of food, are labor intensive, complicated, and can be employed on laboratory scale. Hence the need of hour is to identify alternative, modern instrumentation techniques which can help in overcoming the majority of the limitations offered by traditional methods. Spectroscopy is a quick, low cost, rapid, non-destructive, and emerging approach for verifying authenticity of animal origin foods. In this review authors will envisage the latest spectroscopic techniques being used for detection of fraud or adulteration in meat, fish, poultry, egg, and dairy products. Latest literature pertaining to emerging techniques including their advantages and limitations in comparison to different other commonly used analytical tools will be comprehensively reviewed. Challenges and future prospects of evolving advanced spectroscopic techniques will also be descanted.

Dynamics of biochemical attributes and enzymatic activities of pasteurized and bio-preserved tender coconut water during storage.

The potential of bio-preservatives, namely, nisin, natamycin, and polylysine, as viable alternatives to chemical preservatives for storage of tender coconut water (TCW) during refrigerated storage (5 ± 2°C) was explored. Bio-preservative treatments were carried out after optimized heat treatment (85°C for 5 min) of TCW to establish its storage characteristics. Various concentrations (up to 125 ppm) of bio-preservatives were used for the preservation, and quality parameters of resultant TCW were assessed based on physicochemical characteristics and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines and statistical analysis applied. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc test revealed that pH and overall acceptability (OA) are the major governing factors that determine spoilage of TCW (p < 0.05). Overall, the polylysine combination was found to be most effective in ensuring quality retention of TCW. It was concluded that pasteurized TCW shelf life could be extended up to 20 days using bio-preservatives.

Camel milk protectiveness toward multiple liver disorders: A review.

Camel milk is known as the white gold of the desert because it contains within it a variety of nutrients which play a key role in the human diet. The health benefits of camel milk have been described for a variety of diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, hepatitis, etc. including improved overall survival. A major health burden worldwide is liver diseases, and the ninth leading cause of death in Western countries is due to liver cirrhosis. Treatment is mostly ineffective for cirrhosis, fatty liver, and chronic hepatitis which are the most common diseases of the liver; furthermore current treatments carry the risk of side effects, and are often extremely expensive, particularly in the developing world. A systematic review of studies was performed to determine the association of consumption of camel milk on multiple diseases of the liver. The impact of camel milk on the laboratory tests related to the liver disorders, viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were evaluated. The consumption of camel milk was accompanied by modulation of the values of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in persons who are at risk of liver disease. In the patients with chronic liver disease, it was observed that they have low rates of mortality and low chances of progression to cirrhosis when they consume camel milk. Therefore, in patients with liver diseases, the addition of camel milk to their normal daily diet plan should be encouraged. In this review, camel milk's impact on the different kinds of liver diseases or any disorder associated with liver functioning was evaluated. Camel milk has a therapeutic as well as a preventive role in the maintenance and improving the metabolic regulations of the body.

Impact of ultrasonication applications on color profile of foods.

Food color is a feature that provides preliminary information about their preference or consumption. There are dominant pigments that determine the color of each food; the most important pigments are anthocyanins (red-purple color), chlorophylls (green color), carotenoids (yellow-orange color), and betalains (red color). These pigments can be easily affected by temperature, light, oxygen, or pH, thereby altering their properties. Therefore, while processing, it is necessary to prevent the deterioration of these pigments to the maximum possible extent. Ultrasonication, which is one of the emerging non-thermal methods, has multidimensional applications in the food industry. The present review collates information on various aspects of ultrasonication technology, its mechanism of action, influencing factors, and the competence of different ultrasonication applications (drying, irradiation, extraction, pasteurization, cooking, tempering, etc.) in preserving the color of food. It was concluded that ultrasonication treatments provide low-temperature processing at a short time, which positively influences the color properties. However, selecting optimum ultrasonic processing conditions (frequency, power, time, etc.) is crucial for each food to obtain the best color. The key challenges and limitations of the technique and possible future applications are also covered in the paper, serving as a touchstone for further research in this area.

Fad Diets: Facts and Fiction.

The global prevalence of obesity is alarmingly high and is impacting both developed and underdeveloped countries, beyond the borders of ethnicity, sex, and age. On the other hand, the global interest in dieting has increased, and people are obsessed with certain fad diets, assuming them as a magic bullet for their long-term problems. A fad diet is a popular dietary pattern known to be a quick fix for obesity. These diets are quite appealing due to the proposed claims, but the lack of scientific evidence is a big question mark. Such diets are often marketed with specific claims that defy the basic principles of biochemistry and nutritional adequacy. These diets may have protective effects against obesity and certain chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and certain cancers. Limited evidence exists to support the proposed claims; rather certain studies suggest the negative health consequences of long-term adherence to such dietary patterns. Many fad diets have emerged in the previous few decades. This review article will explore the current evidence related to the health impacts of some most popular diets: Atkins diet, ketogenic diet, Paleolithic diet, Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diet, intermittent fasting and detox diet.

Leptin Signaling in Obesity and Colorectal Cancer.

Obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC) are among the leading diseases causing deaths in the world, showing a complex multifactorial pathology. Obesity is considered a risk factor in CRC development through inflammation, metabolic, and signaling processes. Leptin is one of the most important adipokines related to obesity and an important proinflammatory marker, mainly expressed in adipose tissue, with many genetic variation profiles, many related influencing factors, and various functions that have been ascribed but not yet fully understood and elucidated, the most important ones being related to energy metabolism, as well as endocrine and immune systems. Aberrant signaling and genetic variations of leptin are correlated with obesity and CRC, with the genetic causality showing both inherited and acquired events, in addition to lifestyle and environmental risk factors; these might also be related to specific pathogenic pathways at different time points. Moreover, mutation gain is a crucial factor enabling the genetic process of CRC. Currently, the inconsistent and insufficient data related to leptin's relationship with obesity and CRC indicate the necessity of further related studies. This review summarizes the current knowledge on leptin genetics and its potential relationship with the main pathogenic pathways of obesity and CRC, in an attempt to understand the molecular mechanisms of these associations, in the context of inconsistent and contradictory data. The understanding of these mechanisms linking obesity and CRC could help to develop novel therapeutic targets and prevention strategies, resulting in a better prognosis and management of these diseases.

The Effect of Sustainable Feeding Systems, Combining Total Mixed Rations and Pasture, on Milk Fatty Acid Composition and Antioxidant Capacity in Jersey Dairy Cows.

This study was carried out to assess the effect of using pasture combined with total mixed ration (TMR) on milk production and composition, fatty acid (FA) profiles, fat-soluble antioxidant content, and total milk antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, the effect of milk pasteurization and storage at 2 °C for 4 days, lipophilic antioxidants and TAC were assessed. Two homogeneous groups of Jersey cows (n = 8) were constituted, which were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: TMR (without access to pasture), or partial mixed diet (pTMR: grazing 8 h/day + TMR indoors). To establish FA profiles and lipophilic antioxidants' changes in milk during the grazing period, in case of the pTMR group the experimental period was spilt in three grazing periods: P1 (May), P2 (June), and P3 (June/July). Milk yielded from cows having limited access on pasture (pTMR diet) showed an improved FA profile, with higher concentrations of FAs considered benefic for human health (vaccenic acid (VA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 FA (n-3 FA)) (p < 0.01) and a lower concentration of FAs with hypercholesterolemiant potential (C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0) (p < 0.05), compared to that of the TMR diet. This change in FA profile was correlated with improved sanogenous lipid indices of milk fat (n-6/n-3 FA atherogenic index and thrombogenic index). Milk yielded during the P1 grazing period had higher concentrations of VA, CLA, and n-3 FA (p < 0.05) and lower concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 (p < 0.01); it exhibited the best values for the main sanogenous fat lipid indices of fat. Moreover, pTMR milk showed a higher α-tocopherol, retinol, and ß-carotene content (p < 0.05), positively correlated with TAC values in milk (P1 ˃ P2 ˃ P3). By comparison, cows fed using the TMR diet yielded a higher quantity of milk (p < 0.05), but a lower fat and protein content (p < 0.01), and also a higher saturated FAs and n-6 FA content (p < 0.05) together with a lower concentration of lipophilic antioxidants in milk. Thermal treatment showed no effect on α-tocopherol and retinol content in milk, but their concentrations decreased during the storage, at the same time a TAC decrease. The results of this study prove the positive effect of using pasture combined with TMR on FA profiles, milk antioxidant content, and antioxidant capacity, with beneficial effects on nutrition and health in humans.