Bioactive Compounds and Therapeutics from Fish: Revisiting Their Suitability in Functional Foods to Enhance Human Wellbeing.

Global public awareness about fish-based diet and its health/nutritional benefits is on the rise. Fish nutritional profile projects promising bioactive and other compounds with innumerable health benefits for human wellbeing. As various reported researches involving fish/marine-derived molecules reveal promising attributes, and as the position of fish-based nutrients as nutraceuticals continue to strengthen, health challenges still confront communities worldwide, from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity to hypertension. Thus, further understanding of fish-based nutrient impact as functional foods remains crucial given the diverse prevailing compositional/nutraceutical merits. In this review, therefore, we provide important information regarding bioactive compounds and therapeutics obtained from fish, specific to the context of their suitability in functional foods to enhance human health. This contribution is hereby constructed as follows: (a) fish nutraceutical/therapeutic components, (b) constituents of fish-based nutrients and their suitability in functional foods, (c) fish antioxidant/bioactive compounds to help alleviate health conditions, (d) common human ailments alleviated by fish-based nutrients, and (e) role of fish in mental health and immune system. As increased fish consumption should be encouraged, the potential of the quality proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and other compounds inherent in fish should steadily be harnessed.

Changes in Physicochemical, Free Radical Activity, Total Phenolic and Sensory Properties of Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) Juice Fortified with Different Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) Extracts.

In Iran and other parts of Western Asia, the oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) fruit is processed in the dried powdery form, and in recent times, increasingly applied/sprinkled in fruit juices such as those made from oranges (Citrus sinensis L.). To our best knowledge, the effectiveness of oleaster fruit extract in fortifying the orange juice has not yet been reported and the knowledge of this will greatly benefit the consumers, particularly those around the Western Asia region. This current work, therefore, investigated the changes in physicochemical, free radical activity, total phenolic compounds, and sensory properties of orange juice fortified with different oleaster fruit extracts. The orange juice mix formulation comprised different concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%) of oleaster (alcoholic, aqueous, and hydro-alcoholic) extracts. The control comprised orange concentrate (4% w/v), sugar (8.5% w/v), and citric acid (0.1% w/v) brought to the desirable volume with water. As the free radical activity depicted the antioxidant properties, the physicochemical aspects of this work involved the determinations of Brix, density, ash, pH, total acidity, sucrose, and total sugar, whereas the sensory aspects involved the determinations of color and taste. Whilst the aqueous oleaster 20 and 25% extracts produced notable physicochemical differences in the orange juice mix, both free radical activity, and phenolic compounds significantly increased (p < 0.05) after 30 days despite resembling (p > 0.05) those of control at day 1. More so, the increases in aqueous, alcoholic, and hydro-alcoholic oleaster extracts would decrease (p < 0.05) the sensory color and taste of the orange juice mix in this study.

Mycotoxins' Toxicological Mechanisms Involving Humans, Livestock and Their Associated Health Concerns: A Review.

Mycotoxins are well established toxic metabolic entities produced when fungi invade agricultural/farm produce, and this happens especially when the conditions are favourable. Exposure to mycotoxins can directly take place via the consumption of infected foods and feeds; humans can also be indirectly exposed from consuming animals fed with infected feeds. Among the hundreds of mycotoxins known to humans, around a handful have drawn the most concern because of their occurrence in food and severe effects on human health. The increasing public health importance of mycotoxins across human and livestock environments mandates the continued review of the relevant literature, especially with regard to understanding their toxicological mechanisms. In particular, our analysis of recently conducted reviews showed that the toxicological mechanisms of mycotoxins deserve additional attention to help provide enhanced understanding regarding this subject matter. For this reason, this current work reviewed the mycotoxins' toxicological mechanisms involving humans, livestock, and their associated health concerns. In particular, we have deepened our understanding about how the mycotoxins' toxicological mechanisms impact on the human cellular genome. Along with the significance of mycotoxin toxicities and their toxicological mechanisms, there are associated health concerns arising from exposures to these toxins, including DNA damage, kidney damage, DNA/RNA mutations, growth impairment in children, gene modifications, and immune impairment. More needs to be done to enhance the understanding regards the mechanisms underscoring the environmental implications of mycotoxins, which can be actualized via risk assessment studies into the conditions/factors facilitating mycotoxins' toxicities.