Glycomacropeptide: A comprehensive understanding of its major biological characteristics and purification methodologies.

Glycomacropeptide (GMP) is a bioactive peptide derived from whey protein, consisting of 64 amino acids. It is a phenylalanine-free peptide, making it a beneficial dietary option for individuals dealing with phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is an inherited metabolic disorder characterized by high levels of phenylalanine in the bloodstream, resulting from a deficiency of phenylalanine dehydrogenase in affected individuals. Consequently, patients with PKU require lifelong adherence to a low-phenylalanine diet, wherein a significant portion of their protein intake is typically sourced from a phenylalanine-free amino acid formula. GMP has several nutritional values, numerous bioactivity properties, and therapeutic effects in various inflammatory disorders. Despite all these features, the purification of GMP is an imperative requirement; however, there are no unique methods for achieving this goal. Traditionally, several methods have been used for GMP purification, such as thermal or acid treatment, alcoholic precipitation, ultrafiltration (UF), gel filtration, and membrane separation techniques. However, these methods have poor specificity, and the presence of large amounts of impurities can interfere with the analysis of GMP. More efficient and highly specific GMP purification methods need to be developed. In this review, we have highlighted and summarized the current research progress on the major biological features and purification methodologies associated with GMP, as well as providing an extensive overview of the recent developments in using charged UF membranes for GMP purification and the influential factors.

The significance of essential oils and their antifungal properties in the food industry: A systematic review.

Essential oils (EOs) are natural products called volatile oils or aromatic and ethereal oils derived from various parts of plants. They possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which offer natural protection against a variety of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Studies conducted in the last decade have demonstrated the unique applications of these compounds in the fields of the food industry, agriculture, and skin health. This systematic article provides a summary of recent data pertaining to the effectiveness of EOs and their constituents in combating fungal pathogens through diverse mechanisms. Antifungal investigations involving EOs were conducted on multiple academic platforms, including Google Scholar, Science Direct, Elsevier, Springer, Scopus, and PubMed, spanning from April 2000 to October 2023. Various combinations of keywords, such as "essential oil," "volatile oils," "antifungal," and "Aspergillus species," were used in the search. Numerous essential oils have demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity against different species of Aspergillus, including A. niger, A. flavus, A. parasiticus, A. fumigatus, and A. ochraceus. They have also exhibited efficacy against other fungal species, such as Penicillium species, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. The findings of this study offer novel insights into inhibitory pathways and suggest the potential of essential oils as promising agents with antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic properties. These properties could make them viable alternatives to conventional preservatives, thereby enhancing the shelf life of various food products.

Detoxification activity of bioactive food compounds against ethanol-induced injuries and hangover symptoms: A review.

Alcohol drinking is a popular activity among adolescents in many countries, largely due to its pleasant, relaxing effects. As a major concern, ethanol consumption put the drinkers at risk of nutrients' deficiency due to the disordered eating, anorexia, and malabsorption of nutrients. Moreover, alcohol drinking may lead to the development of hangover symptoms including diarrhea, thirsty, fatigue, and oxidative stress. A broad range of functional food components with antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties including pectin, aloe vera polysaccharides, chito-oligosaccharides, and other herbal components have been explored due to their detoxification effects against ethanol. The underlying anti-hangover mechanisms include reducing the intestinal absorption of ethanol or its metabolites, increasing the activity of ethanol metabolizing enzymes, development of fatty acid ß-oxidation in mitochondria, inhibition of inflammatory response, blocking the target receptors of ethanol in the body, and possession of antioxidant activity under the oxidative stress developed by ethanol consumption. Therefore, the development of bioactive food-based therapeutic formula can assist clinicians and also drinkers in the alleviation of alcohol side effects.

Functional yogurt, enriched and probiotic: A focus on human health.

The food industry has always sought to produce products enriched with vitamins, probiotics, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds to improve physiological function, enhance nutritional value, and provide health. These compounds are essential for human health, and their deficiency can lead to adverse effects. Therefore, food enrichment is an important strategy to improve the nutritional value and, in some cases, improve the quality of food. Recently, functional foods have been very popular around the world. Among food products, dairy products constitute a major part of people's diet, and due to the high consumption of dairy products, including yogurt, the enrichment of this product effectively reduces or prevents diseases associated with nutritional deficiencies. Most consumers generally accept yogurt due to its high nutritional value and low price. So, it can be considered a good candidate for enrichment with micronutrients and probiotics. In recent years, using functional foods to prevent various diseases has become a popular topic for research. In this study, the effect of fortified yogurt in preventing diseases and improving deficiencies has been investigated, and it has been proven that super healthy yogurt has a positive effect on human health.

Fortification of chocolates with high-value-added plant-based substances: Recent trends, current challenges, and future prospects.

High consumption of delicious foods, such as chocolates, is considered excellent snacks, capable of converting from health-threatening to great functional foods. The fortification of chocolates with high-value-added plant-based substances might improve their healthful effects, nutritional properties, and shelf life. Chocolate could be an effective carrier for plant-based substances delivery, and it could be an effective vehicle to treat and reduce the indications of disease, such as obesity, overweight, hypertension, stress, cardiovascular failure, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. Referring to the recent studies in chocolate fortification with high-value-added plant-based substances, it seems that the recent trends are toward its therapeutic effects against noncommunicable diseases. Despite the undeniable functional effects of fortified chocolates, there are some challenges in the fortification way of chocolates. In other words, their functional characteristics, such as rheological and sensory attributes, may undesirably change. It seems that encapsulation techniques, such as spray drying, antisolvent precipitation, nanoemulsification, and liposomal encapsulation, could almost overcome these challenges. Thus, several studies focused on designing and fabricating nanoscale delivery systems with the aim of chocolate fortification, which is discussed.

Effect of Nicotine on Immune System Function.

As a parasympathetic alkaloid and the main substance in cigarette smoke, nicotine modulates the immune system, inhibits innate and acquired immunity and is used in treating many autoimmune diseases. It often stimulates the α7 receptor and causes an anti-inflammatory state in the body. This study is designed to evaluate the role of nicotine treatment on immune system. The results showed that nicotine affects many cells in immune system, alters the downstream intracellular mechanisms and changes lymphocytes polarization. This substance alters TLRs and STATs gene expression and thus changes in the innate immune system. All these events inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines which increase angiogenesis and metastasis and exacerbates tumors due to increasing survival and cell growth. Nicotine can aggravate tumors in cancer patients, with many positive effects observed in the treating autoimmune disease, Nicotine treatment function in different conditions depends on factors such as concentration, how it is employed, treatment duration and other conditions such as body conditions affecting the immune system, hence, further studies and review of all conditions are required.

Physico-chemical and antimicrobial characteristics of novel biodegradable films based on gellan and carboxymethyl cellulose containing rosemary essential oil.

The purpose of the current investigation was to produce a novel functional composite biodegradable film by Gellan (Gla) and Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) biopolymers containing rosemary essential oils (REO) and evaluate their physicochemical and antimicrobial features. The film containing 5 % REO, due to its better mechanical properties (UTS = 13.44 ± 0.30 Mpa and SB = 21.14 ± 1.15 %) compared to other emulsified samples containing REO, was selected as the optimal film. Furthermore, it had less water vapor permeability (WVP = 6.60 ± 0.31 (g/mhPa) × 10-8) in comparison to control sample (8.21 ± 0.10 (g/mhPa) × 10-8) and the best color properties among the samples. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images didn't show the phenomenon of agglomeration and point accumulation of REO. Also, 5 % of REO contributed to the increased compactness of the film in comparison to the film without the REO. Based on the results of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra, no new chemical bonds were created by adding REO to the biopolymer substrate, and the REO was well dispersed and distributed among the Gla-CMC chains throughout the film substrate. Adding 5 % REO showed antioxidant effects. Considering the antimicrobial tests, all films containing REO had antimicrobial effects against the Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas fluorescens bacterial strains.

Physicochemical characteristics of beverage emulsions containing crocetin as a functional ingredient of saffron.

This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical properties of beverage emulsions containing crocetin as a functional ingredient. The effect of different concentrations of gum Arabic (GA; 1-4%), various types of oils (10% sunflower or sesame oil containing 0.1% of crocetin) in the presence of xanthan gum (XG; 0.1%) were studied using a general full factorial design. The dependent variables were pH, opacity, size index, stability index (determined in accelerated and storage conditions), particle size, and steady shear rheological measurements. The main effects of GA concentration were significant (p < 0.001) on all of the physicochemical characteristics. However main effects of oil types were only significant (p < 0.001) on the mean diameter size, size index, and consistency coefficient (k) of prepared crocetin beverage emulsions. Results suggested sunflower oil may be more suitable for formulating a beverage emulsion containing crocetin because of the smaller mean particle size and lower size index.

Immobilization of α-amylase in ethylcellulose electrospun fibers using emulsion-electrospinning method.

α-Amylase encapsulated in water in oil (W/O) emulsion was prepared using poly ethylene glycol (PEG 10000) (2%w/v) as water phase and ethylcellulose (EC) in ethyl acetate as oil phase at the ratio of 10:90 v/v. Next, the electrospun fibers were prepared by mixing enzyme loaded emulsion with EC solution (20%w/v) in acetic acid/ethyl acetate (20:80 v/v) at the 2:1 ratio. The emulsion showed good physical stability. The immobilized enzyme showed high activity across a board range of pHs and temperatures. The storage stability of the immobilized enzyme was 2 fold of free enzyme activity after 45 days. The residual activity of immobilized α-amylase onto of fibers after 10 and 15 repeated cycles, was approximately 100% and 50%, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the α-amylase loaded EC fibers have acceptable activity against harsh conditions and excellent reusability.

Effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil, NaCl, acid, time, and temperature on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes strains in broth and minced rainbow trout.

The small outbreaks of listeriosis as one of the leading causes of food poisoning-associated deaths occur more than previously reported. In current study, the growth ability of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from different sources of food and human origin was measured under salt stress (0.5%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) and acid environments (pH = 6.64 and 5.77) for 96 hr by using a Bioscreen C microbiology reader at 37°C. In further steps of this study, after analysis of constituents of Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil (ZMEO), the sensory evaluation of the treated fish meat with ZMEO was performed. Then, the fish isolate of L. monocytogenes was exposed to sensory acceptable and subminimum inhibitory concentrations (subMICs) of ZMEO in fish broth and minced fish meat during incubation at abuse (12°C), room (22°C), and optimum (37°C) temperatures for 48 hr. The MIC of NaCl against four strains of L. monocytogenes was 10% at 37°C. The maximum optical densities (ODs) and under curve areas (AUC) of growth patterns in higher pH value and lower contents of NaCl followed the order of 21C > 6F > 66C > 22C of L. monocytogenes strains, while the lag time was prolonged in the reverse order. The maximum OD, growth, and lag times of samples treated with higher contents of NaCl and lower pH value were affected in a different order. The organoleptic evaluation showed that the fish meat treated with less than 0.5% of ZMEO was sensory acceptable. The population of L. monocytogenes remained relatively constant at the inoculation level of 107 cfu/ml (or g) at 12°C in broth and minced fish mediums. The inhibitory antilisterial activity of essential oil as an extensive-used plant for food and pharmacological applications is negligible due to possible adverse sensory and toxic effects at relevant high doses.

Comparative Effects of Carum copticum Essential Oil on Bacterial Growth and Shiga-Toxin Gene Expression of Escherichia coli O157:H7 at Abused Refrigerated Temperatures.

Abused refrigerated temperatures are described as unacceptable deviations from the optimal temperature, occurring frequently during transportation of food products. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a serious contaminant of meats and meat products due to its ability to grow at abused temperatures (> 10 °C). The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Carum copticum essential oil for the control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using laboratory media and minced beef at severe abused refrigerated temperature (15 °C). A comparative quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCR was used to assess effects of temperature and Carum copticum essential oil at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations on bacterial growth and Shiga-toxin gene (stx1A and stx2A) expression. Results indicated that Carum copticum essential oil inhibited growth of E. coli O157:H7 in tryptone soy broth (TSB) media at all sub-MIC values until Hour 48. However, bacterial population increased progressively until Hour 72 at essential oil concentration of 0.75% (ml g-1) and reached 8.6 log CFU g-1 in minced beef. The essential oil at concentration of 0.005% (ml g-1) increased stx gene expression at all times, but increased stx gene expression (0.015%) at Hour 24 in TSB media. The expression rate of stx1A in minced beef decreased progressively (10.39 and 7.67 folds for 0.5 and 0.75%, respectively) and expression of stx2A was variable in minced beef during storage. In conclusion, results from this study have shown that effects of Carum copticum essential oil on growth and virulence gene expression are not necessarily correlated and temperature, essential oil concentration, investigated gene type, and bacterial growth environment (in vivo or in vitro) are effective as well.

The Anti-Staphylococcus aureus Effect of Combined Echinophora platyloba Essential Oil and Liquid Smoke in Beef.

In the current study, the antibacterial effect of Echinophora platyloba essential oil and common liquid smoke (individually and in combination) against Staphylococcus aureus in beef meat samples is investigated. Using an automated microbiological growth analyser and the turbidimetric technique, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the essential oil and liquid smoke were determined. Anti-S. aureus activity of essential oil and liquid smoke (individually and in combination) was defined by disk diffusion assay, generation time and cell constituent release. Apart from that, the interactions between these two compounds were measured by the checkerboard assay and by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indices. Related MIC values of essential oil and smoke were found to be 7200 and 5500 mg/L, and MBC values were 8500 and 8000 mg/L, respectively. The conducted organoleptic assay showed that the addition of 0.05 g of essential oil and 0.6 g of liquid smoke to 100 g of meat samples did not have adverse effect on the overall acceptance. Weaker antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus was observed when only Echinophora platyloba essential oil was used than when it was used in combination with liquid smoke.

Antibacterial Activity of Carum copticum Essential Oil Against Escherichia Coli O157:H7 in Meat: Stx Genes Expression.

This work were aimed to (a) determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Carum copticum essential oil (EO) against Escherichia. coli O157:H7 in vitro Trypticase Soy Broth, (TSB) and in ground beef; (b) evaluation of the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of EO on the growth of bacterium in TSB over 72 h (at 35 °C) and ground beef over 9 days (at 4 °C); and (c) investigation of gene expression involved in Shiga toxins production using relative quantitative real-time PCR method. The MIC in broth and ground beef medium were determined as 0.05 (v/v) and 1.75 % (v/w), respectively. In comparison with control cultures, the EO concentration of 0.03 % in broth caused reduction of colony counting as 1.93, 1.79, and 2.62 log10 CFU ml(-1) after 24, 48, and 72 h at 35 °C, and similarly EO (0.75 %) in ground beef resulted to reduction of colony counting as 1.03, 0.92, 1.48, and 2.12 log10 CFU g (-1) after 2, 5, 7, and 9 days at 4 °C, respectively. An increase and decrease in gene expression were observed as result of EO addition (0.03 %) to broth and (0.5 %) to ground beef was noticed, respectively.

Effect of different cooking methods on minerals, vitamins and nutritional quality indices of kutum roach (Rutilus frisii kutum).

In this study, the influence of four cooking methods (baking, boiling, microwaving and frying) was evaluated on the nutritional value of kutum roach. Proximate, fatty acid composition, vitamin and mineral contents and also nutritional quality indices (NQI) of kutum roach were investigated before and after cooking treatment. All treated samples showed increase in protein, ash and lipid contents and decrease in the content of total omega-3 fatty acids (n-3) in comparison to raw fish fillets (control group). Cooking methods had no significant effect on omega-6 fatty acids (n-6) except for frying that increased it. Nonetheless, all of the cooking methods reduced vitamin B1, A and D contents. Boiling significantly decreased mineral contents including Na, K, P and Zn. Considering the overall nutritional quality indices, vitamin and mineral contents, baking is the best cooking method among other applied methods.

Analysis of antibiotic resistance patterns and detection of mecA gene in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from packaged hamburger.

Presence of Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic resistance pattern and PCR detection of mecA gene in isolated strains were investigated in total of 256 packaged hamburgers in Iran-Tehran. For this purpose we used standard disk-diffusion method and sensitive and specific PCR technique, respectively. Results showed that 25% of samples were positive for S. aureus. Resistance to meticillin, erythromycin, penicillin G, cefazolin, ciprofloxasin, vacomycin and amoxiclave was determined 89%, 20.3%, 18.7%, 15.6%, 14%, 26.6% and 12.5%, respectively. According to the obtained results from PCR analysis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), mecA gene was present in 100% of the resistant isolates, 0% of intermediate-resistance isolates and 25% of susceptible isolates. The results obtained from PCR detection of mecA gene showed high correlation with standard disk diffusion test.