Ultrasonic processing: effects on the physicochemical and microbiological aspects of dairy products.

Dairy products that are contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms through unhygienic farm practices, improper transportation, and inadequate quality control can cause foodborne illness. Furthermore, inadequate storage conditions can increase the microflora of natural spoilage, leading to rapid deterioration. Ultrasound processing is a popular technology used to improve the quality of milk products using high-frequency sound waves. It can improve food safety and shelf life by modifying milk protein and fats without negatively affecting nutritional profile and sensory properties, such as taste, texture, and flavor. Ultrasound processing is effective in eliminating pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. However, the efficiency of processing is determined by the type of microorganism, pH, and temperature of the milk product, the frequency and intensity of the applied waves, as well as the sonication time. Ultrasound processing has been established to be a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional heat-based processing technologies that lead to the degradation of milk quality. There are some disadvantages to using ultrasound processing, such as the initial high cost of setting it up, the production of free radicals, the deterioration of sensory properties, and the development of off-flavors with lengthened processing times. The aim of this review is to summarize current research in the field of ultrasound processing and discuss future directions.

Enhancing the functionality of pea proteins by conjugation with propylene glycol alginate via transacylation reaction assisted with ultrasonication.

Pea proteins lack the desirable functional characteristics for food and beverage applications. In this study, transacylation reaction assisted with ultrasonication was used to glycate pea proteins with propylene glycol alginate to enhance their functional properties. The reaction was carried out at pH 11.0 for different pea protein isolate: propylene glycol alginate mass ratios and time durations in a sonic bath at 40 °C. Glycation was confirmed in gel electrophoresis, and ultrasonication enhanced the glycation, with optimal degrees of glycation observed at 45 min reaction time and mass ratios of 2:1 (37.73%) and 1:1 (35.96%). The transacylation reaction increased random coil content of pea proteins by 28% and enhanced their solubility by 2.02 times at pH 7.0, water holding capacity by >50% at pH 7.0, foaming properties, emulsifying properties, and heat stability. This study offers a novel approach that can enhance functionality and applicability of pea proteins.

Co-delivery of curcumin and quercetin in shellac nanocapsules for the synergistic antioxidant properties and cytotoxicity against colon cancer cells.

Synergistic bioactivity of dietary polyphenols can enhance functional food development to prevent chronic diseases like cancer. In this study, physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity of curcumin and quercetin co-encapsulated in shellac nanocapsules at different mass ratios were investigated and compared to nanocapsules with one polyphenol and their unencapsulated counterparts. At curcumin and quercetin mass ratio of 4:1, encapsulation efficiency was approximately 80% for both polyphenols, and the nanocapsules showed the highest synergistic antioxidant properties and cytotoxicity for HT-29 and HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells. The nanocapsules had discrete structures smaller than 50 nm and remained stable during 4-week refrigerated storage, and the encapsulated polyphenols were amorphous. After simulated digestions, 48% of the encapsulated curcumin and quercetin were bioaccessible, the digesta retained nanocapsule structures and cytotoxicity, and the cytotoxicity was higher than nanocapsules with only one polyphenol and free polyphenol controls. This study provides insights on utilizing multiple polyphenols as promising anti-cancer agents.

Astaxanthin-Loaded Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Nanofibrillated Cellulose: Impact on Emulsion Characteristics, Digestion Behavior, and Bioaccessibility.

Astaxanthin (AX) is one of the major bioactives that has been found to have strong antioxidant properties. However, AX tends to degrade due to its highly unsaturated structure. To overcome this problem, a Pickering O/W emulsion using nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) as an emulsifier was investigated. NFC was used because it is renewable, biodegradable, and nontoxic. The 10 wt% O/W emulsions with 0.05 wt% AX were prepared with different concentrations of NFC (0.3-0.7 wt%). After 30 days of storage, droplet size, ζ-potential values, viscosity, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and color were determined. The results show that more stable emulsions are formed with increasing NFC concentrations, which can be attributed to the formulation of the NFC network in the aqueous phase. Notably, the stability of the 0.7 wt% NFC-stabilized emulsion was high, indicating that NFC can improve the emulsion's stability. Moreover, it was found that fat digestibility and AX bioaccessibility decreased with increasing NFC concentrations, which was due to the limitation of lipase accessibility. In contrast, the stability of AX increased with increasing NFC concentrations, which was due to the formation of an NFC layer that acted as a barrier and prevented the degradation of AX during in vitro digestion. Therefore, high concentrations of NFC are useful for functional foods delivering satiety instead of oil-soluble bioactives.

Cold plasma: a promising technology for improving the rheological characteristics of food.

At the beginning of the 21st century, many consumers show interest in purchasing safe, healthy, and nutritious foods. The intent requirement of end-users and many food product manufacturers are trying to feature a new processing technique for the healthy food supply. The non-thermal nature of cold plasma treatment is one of the leading breakthrough technologies for several food processing applications. The beneficial response of cold plasma processing on food quality characteristics is widely accepted as a substitution technique for new food manufacturing practices. This review aims to elaborate and offer crispy innovative ideas on cold plasma application in various food processing channels. It highlights the scientific approaches on the principle of generation and mechanism of cold plasma treatment on rheological properties of foods. It provides an overview of the behavior of cold plasma in terms of viscosity, crystallization, gelatinization, shear stress, and shear rate. Research reports highlighted that the cold plasma treated samples demonstrated a pseudoplastic behavior. The published literatures indicated that the cold plasma is a potential technology for modification of native starch to obtain desirable rheological properties. The adaptability and environmentally friendly nature of non-thermal cold plasma processing provide exclusive advantages compared to the traditional processing technique.

Shellac Micelles Loaded with Curcumin Using a pH Cycle to Improve Dispersibility, Bioaccessibility, and Potential for Colon Delivery.

Delivery systems smaller than 50 nm are advantageous for cancer prevention. In this study, curcumin was dissolved in shellac micelles following co-dissolving at pH 13.0 and neutralization using glucono-delta-lactone. With 5% w/v shellac and 0.5-5 mg/mL curcumin, the loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency were up to 8.0 and 92.6%, respectively, and the nanocapsules had an average diameter of 20 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy results confirmed the encapsulation of curcumin in an amorphous state in shellac micelles. The neutral nanocapsule dispersions maintained the particle dimension and had less than 10% curcumin degradation during 4 week storage at 4 °C. Nanoencapsulating curcumin enhanced in vitro bioavailability and antiproliferation activity against colon cancer cells. After simulated digestions, ∼60% of the nanoencapsulated curcumin was not available for intestinal absorption, nanocapsules retained their structure, and nanoencapsulated curcumin remained active against colon cancer cells, indicating the potential delivery for colorectal cancer prevention.

Contemporary Developments and Emerging Trends in the Application of Spectroscopy Techniques: A Particular Reference to Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.).

The number of food frauds in coconut-based products is increasing due to higher consumer demands for these products. Rising health consciousness, public awareness and increased concerns about food safety and quality have made authorities and various other certifying agencies focus more on the authentication of coconut products. As the conventional techniques for determining the quality attributes of coconut are destructive and time-consuming, non-destructive testing methods which are accurate, rapid, and easy to perform with no detrimental sampling methods are currently gaining importance. Spectroscopic methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared (IR)spectroscopy, mid-infrared (MIR)spectroscopy, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are gaining in importance for determining the oxidative stability of coconut oil, the adulteration of oils, and the detection of harmful additives, pathogens, and toxins in coconut products and are also employed in deducing the interactions in food constituents, and microbial contaminations. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis on the various spectroscopic techniques along with different chemometric approaches for the successful authentication and quality determination of coconut products. The manuscript was prepared by analyzing and compiling the articles that were collected from various databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and ScienceDirect. The spectroscopic techniques in combination with chemometrics were shown to be successful in the authentication of coconut products. RS and NMR spectroscopy techniques proved their utility and accuracy in assessing the changes in coconut oil's chemical and viscosity profile. FTIR spectroscopy was successfully utilized to analyze the oxidation levels and determine the authenticity of coconut oils. An FT-NIR-based analysis of various coconut samples confirmed the acceptable levels of accuracy in prediction. These non-destructive methods of spectroscopy offer a broad spectrum of applications in food processing industries to detect adulterants. Moreover, the combined chemometrics and spectroscopy detection method is a versatile and accurate measurement for adulterant identification.

Encapsulation of ß-Carotene in Oil-in-Water Emulsions Containing Nanocellulose: Impact on Emulsion Properties, In Vitro Digestion, and Bioaccessibility.

The objective of this study was to explore the influence of nanocellulose type (nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC)) and concentrations (0.05-0.20%, w/w) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and in vitro digestion of ß-carotene loaded emulsions and ß-carotene bioaccessibility. The optimum conditions for the formation of stable ß-carotene loaded emulsions were found when NCC was used as a stabilizer at a concentration of 0.2% w/w. This was due to the rod-shaped structure of NCC, which led to more stable emulsions with smaller droplet size and reduced flocculation. During the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, NFC emulsions at increased concentrations were found to retard free fatty acid (FFA) release from the emulsions and reduce the bioaccessibility of ß-carotene. On the other hand, NCC emulsions at concentrations of 0.2% w/w promoted lipolysis and demonstrated highest ß-carotene bioavailability. Hence, these emulsions could be used for the delivery of ß-carotene with potential applications in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Digestion behavior and gastrointestinal fate of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by different modified rice starches.

Native rice starch was modified using different methods which included debranching (DB), octenyl succinylation (OSA), debranching followed by octenyl succinylation (DBOS) and octenyl succinylation followed by debranching (OSDB). The effect of different modifications and the impact of modified starch properties (resistant starch content (RS) and degree of substitution (DS)) on the gastrointestinal fate of emulsified lipids are elucidated using an in vitro digestion model that included the mouth, stomach, and small intestine phases in order to understand their functionality for further applications. The effect of the different modified rice starches on the particle size distribution of the lipid droplets, surface charge (ζ-potential), microstructure, lipid digestion (free fatty acid (FFA) release), and starch hydrolysis was also assessed. The OSA-modified starch and DBOS starch-based emulsions were found stable during the mouth phase and were also found to demonstrate lesser flocculation and coalescence in comparison with the other emulsions due to the presence of more OSA groups that provide greater steric hindrance and better protection from the gastrointestinal conditions. Furthermore, the DBOS starch was found to form emulsions that were more resistant to digestion with a degree of FFA release like dietary fibers and a lower extent of starch digestion that can be attributed to their higher resistant starch content (RS). Thus, the DBOS starch-based emulsions were found to be suitable for further applications such as developing functional foods to control satiety or for designing delivery systems for the sustained release of bioactive compounds.

Effects of sprouting and cooking processes on physicochemical and functional properties of moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia) seed and flour.

Selected moth beans (Vigna aconitifolia) were subjected to different processes such as sprouting and cooking. Their respective flours were prepared and evaluated for their physicochemical and functional characteristics. From our study, it was observed that the ash content of raw moth bean flour was considerably higher in comparison to the sprouted and cooked moth bean flour. On the other hand, the crude lipid and fiber content of sprouted moth bean flour were remarkably higher compared to raw and cooked moth bean flour, respectively. The raw moth bean flour exhibited considerably better emulsifying activity compared to the sprouted moth bean flour. Sprouted bean flour was showing higher emulsion stability than the raw bean flours and the cooked bean flour reported zero emulsion stability. The value of foaming stability was not significantly different among raw and sprouted moth bean, but it was significantly low in cooked moth bean flour. Raw moth bean flour was found to exhibit higher gelation concentration than the sprouted and cooked flours. This study highlights the variations observed in the physicochemical and pasting characteristics of moth bean seeds (raw, sprouted and cooked) and their respective flours.

Preparation of eggshell membrane protein hydrolysates and culled banana resistant starch-based emulsions and evaluation of their stability and behavior in simulated gastrointestinal fluids.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of resistant starch (RS) derived from culled banana on the stability and characteristics of emulsions stabilized by eggshell membrane (ESM) protein hydrolysates. It was observed that incorporation of resistant starch improved the properties of the emulsions. Furthermore, the most stable emulsions developed (using a combination of RS and pretreated alcalase hydrolysates) were assessed for their behavior in an in-vitro gastrointestinal model system and changes in their particle size, zeta potential and morphology were evaluated. It was seen that these emulsions underwent flocculation and coalescence in the presence of pepsin and at higher concentrations of mucin enzyme and further coalescence and fatty acid release were observed after their passage through the small intestine. These insightful results about emulsion behavior in the gastrointestinal tract can be useful for designing delivery systems for controlled release of bioactive compounds.

Production and characterization of functional properties of protein hydrolysates from egg shell membranes by lactic acid bacteria fermentation.

This study aimed to ferment the chicken eggshell membrane (ESM) using the lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum for preparation of functional and bioactive protein hydrolysates. Cultivation at an initial pH of 8.0 for 36 h resulted in maximum protein concentration (177.3 mg/g) and degree of hydrolysis (25.1%) of the hydrolysates. Fermentation resulted in the production of hydrolysates that demonstrated excellent solubility (90.7%), good foaming capacity (36.7%) and emulsification activity (94.6 m2/g). Additionally, these protein hydrolysates exhibited remarkable bioactive properties for instance reducing power (2.53), protection from DPPH radical (70.5%) and angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition (49.3%). The fermented protein hydrolysates were also found effective against various foodborne pathogens. The protein hydrolysates obtained by fermentation of ESM can be potentially incorporated in functional foods and nutraceuticals resulting in valorization of the ESM waste.

Deciphering the host-pathogen protein interface in chikungunya virus-mediated sickness.

Successful infection with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) depends largely on the ability of this virus to manipulate cellular processes in its favour through specific interactions with several host factors. The knowledge of virus-host interactions is of particular value for understanding the interface through which therapeutic strategies could be applied. In the current study, the authors have employed a computational method to study the protein interactions between CHIKV and both its human host and its mosquito vector. In this structure-based study, 2028 human and 86 mosquito proteins were predicted to interact with those of CHIKV through 3918 and 112 unique interactions, respectively. This approach could predict 40 % of the experimentally confirmed CHIKV-host interactions along with several novel interactions, suggesting the involvement of CHIKV in intracellular cell signaling, programmed cell death, and transcriptional and translational regulation. The data corresponded to those obtained in earlier studies for HIV and dengue viruses using the same methodology. This study provides a conservative set of potential interactions that can be employed for future experimental studies with a view to understanding CHIKV biology.

Nanotechnology: emerging tool for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology which is an amalgamation of different aspects of science and technology that includes disciplines such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, physics, chemistry, and material science. It has potential in the fields of information and communication technology, biotechnology, and medicinal technology. It involves manipulating the dimensions of nanoparticles at an atomic scale to make use of its physical and chemical properties. All these properties are responsible for the wide application of nanoparticles in the field of human health care. Promising new technologies based on nanotechnology are being utilized to improve diverse aspects of medical treatments like diagnostics, imaging, and gene and drug delivery. This review summarizes the most promising nanomaterials and their application in human health.