Next generation probiotics for human health: An emerging perspective.

Over recent years, the scientific community has acknowledged the crucial role of certain microbial strains inhabiting the intestinal ecosystem in promoting human health, and participating in various beneficial functions for the host. These microorganisms are now referred to as next-generation probiotics and are currently considered as biotherapeutic products and food or nutraceutical supplements. However, the majority of next-generation probiotic candidates pose nutritional demands and exhibit high sensitivity towards aerobic conditions, leading to numerous technological hurdles in large-scale production. This underscores the need for the development of suitable delivery systems capable of enhancing the viability and functionality of these probiotic strains. Currently, potential candidates for next generation probiotics (NGP) are being sought among gut bacteria linked to health, which include strains from the genera Bacteroids, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia and Clostridium. In contrast to Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., NGP, particularly Bacteroids spp. and Clostridium spp., appear to exhibit greater ambiguity regarding their potential to induce infectious diseases. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of NGPs in terms of their health beneficial effects, regulation framework and risk assessment targeting relevant criteria for commercialization in food and pharmaceutical markets.

Effects of Soaking and Germination Treatments on the Nutritional, Anti-Nutritional, and Bioactive Characteristics of Adzuki Beans (Vigna angularis L.) and Lima Beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.).

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) and adzuki beans (Vigna angularis) are some of the most nutritious underutilized pulses that are significant in being used as basic ingredients for the preparation of various food products. The present study aimed to determine the impact of soaking and germination on nutritional and bioactive components, in vitro protein digestibility, reducing power, metal chelating capacity, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional components of lima and adzuki beans. The findings showed that during the germination treatment, the in vitro protein digestibility of lima and adzuki beans increased by 14.75 and 10.98%, respectively. There was an increase in the antioxidant activity of lima beans by 33.48% and adzuki beans by 71.14% after 72 h of germination, respectively. The reducing power assay of lima and adzuki beans indicated an increase of 49.52 and 36.42%, respectively, during germination. Similarly, the flavonoid and metal chelating activity increased in lima and adzuki beans after 72 h of germination. In contrast, the anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid, tannin content, and trypsin inhibitor activity, decreased significantly p < 0.05 after 72 h of germination. These results are encouraging and allow for utilizing the flour obtained from the germinated beans in functional bakery products, which can contribute to eradicating protein deficiency among some population groups. At the same time, promoting soaking and germination of the beans as a way to enhance the nutritional quality and reduce anti-nutrients can contribute to the interest in these underutilized pulses. They could be seen as an additional tool to improve food security.

Investigating the Effect of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Treatment on the Rheological, Thermal, and Functional Properties of Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Kernel Protein Isolates.

Plum kernels are a promising source of dietary proteins that are irretrievably lost during processing. The recovery of these underexploited proteins could be eminently vital for human nutrition. Plum kernel protein isolate (PKPI) was prepared and exposed to a targeted supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) treatment to diversify its effectiveness in industrial applications. The impacts of SC-CO2 treatment at different processing temperatures (30-70 °C) on dynamic rheology, microstructure, thermal, and techno-functional characteristics of PKPI were investigated. The results revealed that the dynamic viscoelastic characteristics of SC-CO2-treated PKPIs showed higher storage modulus, loss modulus, and lower tan δ value than native PKPI, indicating greater strength and elasticity of the gels. Microstructural analysis showed that the proteins experienced denaturation at elevated temperatures and resulted in the formation of soluble aggregates, which increased the heat requirement for thermal denaturation of SC-CO2-treated samples. SC-CO2-treated PKPIs demonstrated a decline of 20.74% and 30.5% in crystallite size and crystallinity. PKPIs treated at 60 °C showed the highest dispersibility, which was 1.15-fold higher than the native PKPI sample. SC-CO2 treatment offers a novel path to improve the techno-functional properties of PKPIs and extend its use in food and non-food applications.

Structural modification of plum (Prunus domestica L) kernel protein isolate by supercritical carbon-dioxide treatment: Functional properties and in-vitro protein digestibility.

The effect of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) treatment at different processing temperatures (30-70 °C) on the physico-functional properties, structural features, and in-vitro digestibility (IVPD) of plum kernel protein isolates (PKPI) was examined. The results revealed remarkable changes in the secondary structures of SC-CO2-treated PKPIs, including a decrease in α-helix proportion, a concomitant increase in ß-sheet content, and a considerable variation in random coils and ß-turn structures. The temperature rise increased the negative zeta potential to a maximum of 31.35 mV at 60 °C, exhibiting the colloidal stability of PKPI dispersions. SDS-PAGE analysis showed variations in the intensities of protein bands, indicating denaturation and aggregation at higher temperatures. These structural and molecular changes improved water-binding capacity (1.22-fold) and oil binding capacity (1.11-fold), wettability (1.12-fold), and the highest value in all the properties was recorded at 60 °C. Moreover, the highest IVPD value (21.58 %) and a distinguishable colour difference (∆E) of 8.11 was also obtained at 60 °C of the processing temperature. Therefore, SC-CO2 treatment-induced modification of PKPI contributed to the enhanced digestibility and techno-functional properties, which offered new prospects to extend its use in food applications.

Synergistic effect of microwave heating and hydrothermal treatment on cyanogenic glycosides and bioactive compounds of plum (Prunus domestica L.) kernels: An analytical approach.

The effects of microwave heating (450 W for 6 min), hydrothermal treatment (6, 9, and 12 h at 45 °C) and their combination on compositional characteristics, cyanogenic glycosides, color, and bioactive compounds of plum kernels have been studied. The conditions examined caused a significant reduction of 37.81, 72.17, 84.41, 91.24 and 98.02% in cyanogenic glycosides of differently treated plum kernels. Total phenolic and total flavonoid compounds of plum kernels showed hydrothermal time-dependent duration decline. The larger shifts in FT-IR spectra near 1157 cm-1 provided valuable insights on the reduction of cyanogenic glycosides during combined treatments. The variation of color attributes (L*, a*, b*), during combined treatments indicates a more reddish tonality of plum kernel samples. The combined effect of hydrothermal (12 h at 45 °C) and microwave heating (450 W for 6 min) proved to be an effective tool for neutralizing the toxic effect of cyanogenic glycosides, opening up possibilities for its use in food industries.