Application of fermentation for the valorization of residues from Cactaceae family.

Cactaceae family is well-known for their adaptations to drought and arid environments. This family, formed by four subfamilies (Cactoideae, Opuntioideae, Pereskioideae, and Maihuenioideae) are known for being leafless stem succulent plants with numerous spines, and their commercial fruits, distinguished by their bright colors and their skin covered with bracts. Some of these species have been traditionally used in the food industry (e.g., pitaya, cactus, or prickly pear) or as pharmaceuticals to treat specific diseases due to their active properties. The processing of these fruits leads to different residues, namely pomace, skin, spines, and residues from cladodes; besides from others such as fruits, roots, flowers, mucilage, and seeds. In general, Cactaceae species produce large amounts of mucilage and fiber, although they can be also considered as a source of phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonols and their glycosides), alkaloids (phenethylamines derived betalains), and triterpenoids. Therefore, considering their high content in fiber and fermentable carbohydrates, together with other target bioactive compounds, fermentation is a potential valorization strategy for certain applications such as enzymes and bioactive compounds production or aroma enhancement. This review will comprise the latest information about Cactaceae family, its potential residues, and its potential as a substrate for fermentation to obtain active molecules with application in the food industry.

Macroalgae as biofactories of metal nanoparticles; biosynthesis and food applications.

Nanotechnology has opened a new frontier in recent years, capable of providing new ways of controlling and structuring products with greater market value and offering significant opportunities for the development of innovative applications in food processing, preservation, and packaging. Macroalgae (MAG) are the major photoautotrophic group of living beings known as a potential source of secondary metabolites, namely phenolic compounds, pigments, and polysaccharides. Biosynthesis based on the abilities of MAG as "nanobiofactories" targets the use of algal secondary metabolites as reducing agents to stabilize nanoparticles (NPs). Nowadays, most of the studies are focused on the use of metal (Ag, Au) and metal-oxide (CuO, ZnO) NPs derived from algae. The eco-friendly biosynthesis of metal NPs reduces the cost and production time and increases their biocompatibility, due to the presence of bioactive compounds in MAG, making them suitable for a wide variety of applications. These compounds have been attributed to the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties responsible for their application through innovative technologies such as nanoencapsulation, nanocomposites, or biosensors in the food industry. Nevertheless, toxicity is a key factor that should be considered, so the applicable regulation needs to guarantee the safe use of metal NPs. Consequently, the aim of this review will be to compile the available information on MAG-mediated metal NPs, their biosynthesis, and potential food applications.

Seaweed polysaccharides: Emerging extraction technologies, chemical modifications and bioactive properties.

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly aware of the relationship between diet and health, showing a greater preference of products from natural origin. In the last decade, seaweeds have outlined as one of the natural sources with more potential to obtain bioactive carbohydrates. Numerous seaweed polysaccharides have aroused the interest of the scientific community, due to their biological activities and their high potential on biomedical, functional food and technological applications. To obtain polysaccharides from seaweeds, it is necessary to find methodologies that improve both yield and quality and that they are profitable. Nowadays, environmentally friendly extraction technologies are a viable alternative to conventional methods for obtaining these products, providing several advantages like reduced number of solvents, energy and time. On the other hand, chemical modification of their structure is a useful approach to improve their solubility and biological properties, and thus enhance the extent of their potential applications since some uses of polysaccharides are still limited. The present review aimed to compile current information about the most relevant seaweed polysaccharides, available extraction and modification methods, as well as a summary of their biological activities, to evaluate knowledge gaps and future trends for the industrial applications of these compounds.Key teaching pointsStructure and biological functions of main seaweed polysaccharides.Emerging extraction methods for sulfate polysaccharides.Chemical modification of seaweeds polysaccharides.Potential industrial applications of seaweed polysaccharides.Biological activities, knowledge gaps and future trends of seaweed polysaccharides.

Biological properties and potential of compounds extracted from red seaweeds.

Macroalgae have been recently used for different applications in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry since they do not compete for land and freshwater against other resources. Moreover, they have been highlighted as a potential source of bioactive compounds. Red algae (Rhodophyta) are the largest group of seaweeds, including around 6000 different species, thus it can be hypothesized that they are a potential source of bioactive compounds. Sulfated polysaccharides, mainly agar and carrageenans, are the most relevant and exploited compounds of red algae. Other potential molecules are essential fatty acids, phycobiliproteins, vitamins, minerals, and other secondary metabolites. All these compounds have been demonstrated to exert several biological activities, among which antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial properties can be highlighted. Nevertheless, these properties need to be further tested on in vivo experiments and go in-depth in the study of the mechanism of action of the specific molecules and the understanding of the structure-activity relation. At last, the extraction technologies are essential for the correct isolation of the molecules, in a cost-effective way, to facilitate the scale-up of the processes and their further application by the industry. This manuscript is aimed at describing the fundamental composition of red algae and their most studied biological properties to pave the way to the utilization of this underused resource.

Stability profiling and degradation products of dihydromyricetin in Dulbecco's modified eagle's medium.

Dihydromyricetin has shown many bioactivities in cell level. However, dihydromyricetin was found to be highly instable in cell culture medium DMEM. Here, the underlying degradation mechanism was investigated via UPLC-MS/MS analysis. Dihydromyricetin was mainly converted into its dimers and oxidized products. At lower temperature, dihydromyricetin in DMEM showed higher stability. Vitamin C increased the stability of dihydromyricetin in DMEM probably due to its high antioxidant potential.

Analytical Metabolomics and Applications in Health, Environmental and Food Science.

Metabolomics is a young field of knowledge that arises linked to other omics such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. This discipline seeks to understand the performance of metabolites, identifying, quantifying them, and thus understanding its mechanism of action. This new branch of omics science shows high potential, due to its noninvasive character and its close relation with phenotype. Several techniques have been developed to study the metabolome of biological samples, fundamentally nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS) and vibrational spectrometry (VS) or a combination of several techniques. These techniques are focused to separate, detect, characterize, and quantify metabolites, as well as elucidate their structures and their function on the metabolic pathways they are involved. However, due to the complexity of the metabolome, in most cases it is necessary to apply several of these techniques to understand completely the whole scenery. This review is aimed to offer a summary of the current knowledge of these analytical techniques for metabolomics and their application to different fields as environmental, food or health sciences. Each technique shows different advantages and drawbacks depending on their technical characteristics and limitations, some factors, such as the aim of the study or the nature of the biological sample will condition the choice. Regarding their applications, NMR has been employed specially to identify new compounds and elucidate structures. The use of MS has gained popularity because of its versatility, easiness to be coupled to separation techniques and its high sensitivity. Whereas VS is widely employed for in situ studies, due to its nondestructive character. Metabolomics applications in different science fields are growing each year, due to advances in analytical techniques and combination with other omics that allow to increase the comprehension of metabolic processes. Further development of analytical tools is necessary to continue exploiting all the possibilities of metabolomics. HighlightsMetabolomics seeks to understand the performance of metabolites and its mechanism of actionDifferent metabolomics techniques have been developed and improved in the last yearsMetabolomics applications cover clinical, pharmaceuticals and food and environmental sciencesThis review is aimed to offer a summary of the current knowledge of these analytical techniques.

Solutions for the sustainability of the food production and consumption system.

Due to the increasing population, there is high concern about whether the current food system will be able to provide enough healthy food for 10 billion people by 2050. The general opinion is that it is possible to feed this population, but the food system requires major transformations on behalf of promoting sustainability, reducing food waste and stimulating a change toward diets healthy for humans and also sustainable for the planet. This article will review some detected problems in food production and consumption. In food production, current problems like destruction of land ecosystems, overfishing or generation of high amounts of residues stand out. Some solutions have been described, such as implement the agroecology, improve productivity of aquaculture or re-valorization of by-products. In food consumption, the main problems are the food fraud and the unhealthy dietary patters, whose main solutions are the standardization along food chain and education on healthy lifestyles. Concluding, food system should change toward more sustainable practices and behaviors in other to ensure the subsistence of the present and the future generations.

Valorization of kiwi agricultural waste and industry by-products by recovering bioactive compounds and applications as food additives: A circular economy model.

Currently, agricultural production generates large amounts of organic waste, both from the maintenance of farms and crops (agricultural wastes) and from the industrialization of the product (food industry waste). In the case of Actinidia cultivation, agricultural waste groups together leaves, flowers, stems and roots while food industry by-products are represented by discarded fruits, skin and seeds. All these matrices are now underexploited and so, they can be revalued as a natural source of ingredients to be applied in food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries. Kiwifruit composition (phenolic compounds, volatile compounds, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.) is an outstanding basis, especially for its high content in vitamin C and phenolic compounds. These compounds possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial activities, among other beneficial properties for health, but stand out for their digestive enhancement and prebiotic role. Although the biological properties of kiwi fruit have been analyzed, few studies show the high content of compounds with biological functions present in these by-products. Therefore, agricultural and food industry wastes derived from processing kiwi are regarded as useful matrices for the development of innovative applications in the food (pectins, softeners, milk coagulants, and colorants), cosmetic (ecological pigments) and pharmaceutical industry (fortified, functional, nutraceutical, or prebiotic foods). This strategy will provide economic and environmental benefits, turning this industry into a sustainable and environmentally friendly production system, promoting a circular and sustainable economy.

State-of-the-Art of Analytical Techniques to Determine Food Fraud in Olive Oils.

The benefits of the food industry compared to other sectors are much lower, which is why producers are tempted to commit fraud. Although it is a bad practice committed with a wide variety of foods, it is worth noting the case of olive oil because it is a product of great value and with a high percentage of fraud. It is for all these reasons that the authenticity of olive oil has become a major problem for producers, consumers, and legislators. To avoid such fraud, it is necessary to develop analytical techniques to detect them. In this review, we performed a complete analysis about the available instrumentation used in olive fraud which comprised spectroscopic and spectrometric methodology and analyte separation techniques such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Additionally, other methodology including protein-based biomolecular techniques and analytical approaches like metabolomic, hhyperspectral imaging and chemometrics are discussed.

Toward a sustainable metric and indicators for the goal of sustainability in agricultural and food production.

This paper reviews the state of the art in agricultural and food sustainability with special emphasis on metrics for monitoring progress toward their accomplishment, and with a view to assisting stakeholders in facing the challenges involved. Priorities, bottlenecks, alternatives, conclusions and recommendations are considered. Finding long-lasting solutions in this scenario will inevitably require revising rural development and smallholder agriculture, and bringing about structural changes for the benefit of the poorer stakeholders. Better farming systems, new technologies, quality education and effective business models can be useful toward creating decent jobs, solving resource constraints, expanding market participation, and alleviating physical hardship in the agricultural sector -particularly among women and young people. Agriculture in industrialized countries will additionally require restructuring with new policies aimed at favoring low- and medium-income countries. On the other hand, high-income countries will have to face pressing challenges including unhealthy diets, food waste generation, balancing food and biofuel production, and developing fair agricultural policies. In addition, the richer should lead the way to higher levels of productivity, resource efficiency, food safety and traceability, and environmental friendliness in order to provide useful lessons for technological development and policing in developing countries. This is why, after presenting the actual world status of food sustainability and how its global governance is linked to environmental, economic and social dimensions, some measures and indicators for monitoring progress are reviewed with the final aim of providing solutions and recommendations for the sustainability of the food production and consumption system.

Main bioactive phenolic compounds in marine algae and their mechanisms of action supporting potential health benefits.

Given the growing tendency of consumers to choose products with natural ingredients, food industries have directed scientific research in this direction. In this regard, algae are an attractive option for the research, since they can synthesize a group of secondary metabolites, called phenolic compounds, associated with really promising properties and bioactivities. The objective of this work was to classify the major phenolic compounds, compare the effectiveness of the different extractive techniques used for their extraction, from traditional systems (like heat assisted extraction) to the most advance ones (such as ultrasound, microwave or supercritical fluid extraction); the available methods for identification and quantification; the stability of the enriched extract in phenolic compounds and the main bioactivities described for these secondary metabolites, to offer an overview of the situation to consider if it is possible and/or convenient an orientation of phenolic compounds from algae towards an industrial application.

Antibacterial Use of Macroalgae Compounds against Foodborne Pathogens.

The search for food resources is a constant in human history. Nowadays, the search for natural and safe food supplies is of foremost importance. Accordingly, there is a renewed interest in eco-friendly and natural products for substitution of synthetic additives. In addition, microbial contamination of food products during their obtaining and distribution processes is still a sanitary issue, and an important target for the food industry is to avoid food contamination and its related foodborne illnesses. These diseases are fundamentally caused by certain microorganisms listed in this review and classified according to their Gram negative or positive character. Algae have proven to possess high nutritional value and a wide variety of biological properties due to their content in active compounds. Among these capabilities, macroalgae are recognized for having antimicrobial properties. Thus, the present paper revises the actual knowledge of microbial contaminants in the food industry and proposes antimicrobial algal compounds against those pathogenic bacteria responsible for food contamination as valuable molecules for its growth inhibition. The capacity of algae extracts to inhibit some major food pathogen growth was assessed. Moreover, the main applications of these compounds in the food industry were discussed while considering their favorable effects in terms of food safety and quality control.

Culinary and nutritional value of edible wild plants from northern Spain rich in phenolic compounds with potential health benefits.

Wild edible plants (WEPs) have been consumed since ancient times. They are considered as non-domesticated plants that grow spontaneously in nature, particularly in forests and bushlands, where they can be found and collected to be incorporated into human nutrition. Increasingly, WEPs are gaining importance as they are potential sources of food due to their nutritional value, besides showing positive health effects and offer innovative applications in haute cuisine. As these autochthonous plants grow naturally in the environment, they are more suitable to adapt to different climatic conditions as well as biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, a door has been opened for their possible cultivation as they seem to require fewer expenses than other commercially cultivated plants. Moreover, the consumers demand for new products of natural origin that are sustainable and ecologically labeled have also boosted WEPs' recovery and incorporation into the market. In addition, they are considered as promising sources of essential compounds needed not only in human diet including carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids but also of other minor compounds as phenols, vitamins, or carotenoids that have shown numerous beneficial bioactivities such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, or anti-tumor activity. The use of these plants rich in bioactive molecules could be beneficial from the health point of view as the human body is not always capable of producing enough defenses, for instance, preventing oxidative damage. In particular, the presence of phenolic compounds in these vegetal matrices is supposed to provide a prophylactic effect against further pathogenesis and disorders related to aging or oxidative stresses. Regarding all this information based on traditional knowledge and ethnobotanical data, different WEPs found in the Northwestern region of Spain were selected, namely, Mentha suaveolens, Glechoma hederacea, Prunus spinosa, Apium nodiflorum, Artemisia absinthium, Silybum marianum, Picris hieracioides, Portulaca oleracea, Crithmum maritimum, and the genus Amaranthus. However, even though tradition and popular knowledge are excellent tools for the exploitation of these plants, it is necessary to develop regulations in this aspect to assure safety and veracity of food products. This article aims to review the main aspects of their bioactive properties, their traditional use, and the possibility of their incorporation into the market as new functional foods, looking at innovative and healthy gastronomic applications.

Macroalgae as a Source of Valuable Antimicrobial Compounds: Extraction and Applications.

In the last few decades, attention on new natural antimicrobial compounds has arisen due to a change in consumer preferences and the increase in the number of resistant microorganisms. Macroalgae play a special role in the pursuit of new active molecules as they have been traditionally consumed and are known for their chemical and nutritional composition and their biological properties, including antimicrobial activity. Among the bioactive molecules of algae, proteins and peptides, polysaccharides, polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments can be highlighted. However, for the complete obtaining and incorporation of these molecules, it is essential to achieve easy, profitable and sustainable recovery of these compounds. For this purpose, novel liquid-liquid and solid-liquid extraction techniques have been studied, such as supercritical, ultrasound, microwave, enzymatic, high pressure, accelerated solvent and intensity pulsed electric fields extraction techniques. Moreover, different applications have been proposed for these compounds, such as preservatives in the food or cosmetic industries, as antibiotics in the pharmaceutical industry, as antibiofilm, antifouling, coating in active packaging, prebiotics or in nanoparticles. This review presents the main antimicrobial potential of macroalgae, their specific bioactive compounds and novel green extraction technologies to efficiently extract them, with emphasis on the antibacterial and antifungal data and their applications.

Stability assessment of extracts obtained from Arbutus unedo L. fruits in powder and solution systems using machine-learning methodologies.

Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry tree) has showed considerable content in phenolic compounds, especially flavan-3-ols (catechin, gallocatechin, among others). The interest of flavan-3-ols has increased due their bioactive actions, namely antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and by association of their consumption to diverse health benefits including the prevention of obesity, cardiovascular diseases or cancer. These compounds, mainly catechin, have been showed potential for use as natural preservative in foodstuffs; however, their degradation is increased by pH and temperature of processing and storage, which can limit their use by food industry. To model the degradation kinetics of these compounds under different conditions of storage, three kinds of machine learning models were developed: i) random forest, ii) support vector machine and iii) artificial neural network. The selected models can be used to track the kinetics of the different compounds and properties under study without the prior knowledge requirement of the reaction system.

Mitigation of emerging implications of climate change on food production systems.

Crops, livestock and seafood are major contributors to global economy. Agriculture and fisheries are especially dependent on climate. Thus, elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide levels can have large impacts on appropriate nutrient levels, soil moisture, water availability and various other critical performance conditions. Changes in drought and flood frequency and severity can pose severe challenges to farmers and threaten food safety. In addition, increasingly warmer water temperatures are likely to shift the habitat ranges of many fish and shellfish species, ultimately disrupting ecosystems. In general, climate change will probably have negative implications for farming, animal husbandry and fishing. The effects of climate change must be taken into account as a key aspect along with other evolving factors with a potential impact on agricultural production, such as changes in agricultural practices and technology; all of them with a serious impact on food availability and price. This review is intended to provide critical and timely information on climate change and its implications in the food production/consumption system, paying special attention to the available mitigation strategies.

Scientific basis for the industrialization of traditionally used plants of the Rosaceae family.

Plants have been traditionally used for the treatment of different types of illness, due to biomolecules with recognised benefits. Rosaceae family is used in traditional Galician medicine. The following plants Agrimonia eupatoria, Crataegus monogyna, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Potentilla erecta and Rosa canina are usually found in treatments. The aim of this study is to perform an ethnobotanical review about the bioactive compounds of these plants and their different bioactivities, both studied in vitro and in vivo. The nature of the bioactive compounds is varied, highlighting the presence of different phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids or tannins. Understanding the beneficial effects of the administration of the whole plant or target tissues from A. eupatoria, C. monogyna, F. ulmaria, G. urbanum, P. erecta and R. canina as well as those from their individual compounds could lead to the development of new drugs based on the use of natural ingredients.

Agriculture waste valorisation as a source of antioxidant phenolic compounds within a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

Planet globalization, population growth and its consequent need to produce large amounts of food, or individual economic benefits and the prioritization of this over environment health, are factors that that have contributed to the development, in some cases, of a linear-producing modern agricultural system. In contrast to traditional and local agriculture, which was based on circular sustainability models, modern agriculture currently produces tons of waste that is accumulated in landfill, creating controversial consequences, instead of being reintroduced into the production chain with a novel purpose. However, these residues from agriculture are rich in bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds, secondary metabolites that are found naturally in plants, which show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and anticancer capacities, among others. Although there are several suitable extractive techniques for isolating these beneficial compounds from agricultural by-products, their industrial application remains without real application value at the industrial scale. The recovery of functional phenolic compounds can be achieved, obtaining products that can be reinserted into the economy as a new raw material. The re-utilization of these compounds not only represents numerous potential applications, such as food and feed additives, functional foods, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and so forth, but also represents a favourable measure for the environment, and results in the formation of value-added products. This review summarizes all of the aspects that lead to phenolic compound recovery from agricultural wastes generated in the agro-food industries, and their potential applications within a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

Tetraconazole alters the methionine and ergosterol biosynthesis pathways in Saccharomyces yeasts promoting changes on volatile derived compounds.

The influence of antifungal tetraconazole residues (either as an active substance or as a commercial formulation product) on the fermentative activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast was evaluated in pasteurized Garnacha red must by using laboratory-scale fermentation assays. The presence of this fungicide promoted a slight decrease in glucose consumption. Volatile fermentative-derived compounds were evaluated in deep. Statistically significant changes were found in methionol (with a mean decrease of around 24%), fatty acids (with increments ranged from 23% to 66%), and ethyl esters (with increases ranged from 23% to 145%) contents when grape musts were enriched with the commercial formulation at both contamination levels assayed. Based on protein mass fingerprinting analysis, it was possible to relate these variations on volatiles content with changes in the activity of several enzymes (Met3p, Met14p, Adh2p, Hmg1p, Erg5p, Erg6p, Erg11p, and Erg20p) involved in the secondary metabolism of yeasts.