Adverse Food Reactions: Physiological and Ecological Perspectives.

While food is essential for survival, it can also cause a variety of harmful effects, ranging from intolerance to specific nutrients to celiac disease and food allergies. In addition to nutrients, foods contain myriads of substances that can have either beneficial or detrimental effects on the animals consuming them. Consequently, all animals evolved defense mechanisms that protect them from harmful food components. These "antitoxin" defenses have some parallels with antimicrobial defenses and operate at a cost to the animal's fitness. These costs outweigh benefits when defense responses are exaggerated or mistargeted, resulting in adverse reactions to foods. Additionally, pathological effects of foods can stem from insufficient defenses, due to unabated toxicity of harmful food components. We discuss the structure of antitoxin defenses and how their failures can lead to a variety of adverse food reactions.

Revolutionizing food science with mass spectrometry imaging: A comprehensive review of applications and challenges.

Food science encounters increasing complexity and challenges, necessitating more efficient, accurate, and sensitive analytical techniques. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) emerges as a revolutionary tool, offering more molecular-level insights. This review delves into MSI's applications and challenges in food science. It introduces MSI principles and instruments such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, desorption electrospray ionization, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, highlighting their application in chemical composition analysis, variety identification, authenticity assessment, endogenous substance, exogenous contaminant and residue analysis, quality control, and process monitoring in food processing and food storage. Despite its potential, MSI faces hurdles such as the complexity and cost of instrumentation, complexity in sample preparation, limited analytical capabilities, and lack of standardization of MSI for food samples. While MSI has a wide range of applications in food analysis and can provide more comprehensive and accurate analytical results, challenges persist, demanding further research and solutions. The future development directions include miniaturization of imaging devices, high-resolution and high-speed MSI, multiomics and multimodal data fusion, as well as the application of data analysis and artificial intelligence. These findings and conclusions provide valuable references and insights for the field of food science and offer theoretical and methodological support for further research and practice in food science.

Deep eutectic solvents for the food industry: extraction, processing, analysis, and packaging applications - a review.

Food factories seek the application of natural products, green feedstock and eco-friendly processes, which minimally affect the properties of the food item and products. Today, water and conventional polar solvents are used in many areas of food science and technology. As modern chemistry evolves, new green items for building eco-friendly processes are being developed. This is the case of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), named the next generation of green solvents, which can be involved in many food industries. In this review, we timely analyzed the progress on applying DES toward the development of formulations, extraction of target biomolecules, food processing, extraction of undesired molecules, analysis and determination of specific analytes in food samples (heavy metals, pesticides), food microbiology, and synthesis of new packaging materials, among many other applications. For this, the latest developments (over the last 2-3 years) have been discussed emphasizing innovative ideas and outcomes. Relevantly, we discuss the hypothesis and the key features of using DES in the mentioned applications. To some extent, the advantages and limitations of implementing DES in the food industry are also elucidated. Finally, based on the findings of this review, the perspectives, research gaps and potentialities of DESs are stated.

Pharmaceutical Food Science: Search for Bio-Functional Molecules Obtained from Natural Resources to Prevent and Ameliorate Lifestyle Diseases.

In this review, our resent pharmaceutical food science research for bio-functional molecules obtained from natural resources that contribute to i) suppression of postprandial blood glucose elevation and/or improvement of glucose tolerance and ii) reduction of visceral fat accumulation and improvement of lipid metabolism were summarized. Based on studies using MONOTORI science, salacinol (1), neokotalanol (4), and trans-tiliroside (20) have been approved or notified by the Consumer Affairs Agency in Japan as functional substances in food with health claims, Food for Specified Health Use and Food with Functional Claims.

Peptide hydrogels: Synthesis, properties, and applications in food science.

Due to the unique and excellent biological, physical, and chemical properties of peptide hydrogels, their application in the biomedical field is extremely wide. The applications of peptide hydrogels are closely related to their unique responsiveness and excellent properties. However, its defects in mechanical properties, stability, and toxicity limit its application in the food field. In this review, we focus on the fabrication methods of peptide hydrogels through the physical, chemical, and biological stimulations. In addition, the functional design of peptide hydrogels by the incorporation with materials is discussed. Meanwhile, the excellent properties of peptide hydrogels such as the stimulus responsiveness, biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, rheology, and stability are reviewed. Finally, the application of peptide hydrogel in the food field is summarized and prospected.

Implementation of a food science and nutrition module in a dental undergraduate curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: To outline the development and implementation of a food science and nutrition module for dental undergraduate students that provides basic knowledge and clinical skills for improving oral health outcomes and understanding their importance for overall health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Interdisciplinary discussions with professionals with expertise in food science and nutrition, including dentists, dietitians and nutritionists, were held to agree on core subject areas in line with the evidence base. The module was delivered online to 2nd-year dental students due to COVID-19 restrictions. Students completed an online evaluation on completing the module. Final examination consisted of one essay question. RESULTS: Subject areas and learning outcomes were derived from current and previous approaches to curriculum development. A total of 14 prerecorded lectures, including healthy eating guidelines, dietary assessment, specific oral effects of diet and food constituents were delivered and tutorials provided. The evaluation survey had a 90% (n = 39/43) response rate. A majority indicated that the course was "interesting," "worth doing" (59%) and "provided a good evidence base to understand nutrition and oral health" (87%). Nearly all students (92%) agreed that the course was "sufficiently structured to allow understanding of the key topics" and that "a good understanding of nutrition is important for a dentist" (95%). CONCLUSION: A food science and nutrition module developed by a multidisciplinary team enabled dental students to gain an understanding of the role of diet in oral and overall health. The module facilitated the development of skills that enable students to utilise dietary assessment techniques and promote dietary interventions beneficial to oral health. The approach taken may act as a template for other institutions.

Superoxide dismutase: an updated review on its health benefits and industrial applications.

Many short-lived and highly reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide anion (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), are toxic or can create oxidative stress in cells, a response involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases depending on their concentration, location, and cellular conditions. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as an endogenous and exogenous cell defense mechanism include the potential use in treating various diseases, improving the potential use in treating various diseases, and improving food-stuffs preparation dietary supplements human nutrition. Published work indicates that SOD regulates oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidation in cells. It can prevent lipid peroxidation, the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein in macrophages, lipid droplets' formation, and the adhesion of inflammatory cells into endothelial monolayers. It also expresses antioxidant effects in numerous cancer-related processes. Additionally, different forms of SOD may also augment food processing and pharmaceutical applications, exhibit anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, and prevent arterial problems by protecting the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Many investigations in this review have reported the therapeutic ability and physiological importance of SOD. Because of their antioxidative effects, SODs are of great potential in the medicinal, cosmetic, food, farming and chemical industries. This review discusses the findings of human and animal studies that support the advantages of SOD enzyme regulations to reduce the formation of oxidative stress in various ways.

The impact of COVID-19 on student learning during the transition from remote to in-person learning: using mind mapping to identify and address faculty concerns.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of in-person learning at many higher education institutions (HEIs) in March 2020. In response, HEIs transitioned most courses to online formats immediately and continued this mode of instruction through the 2020-2021 academic year. In fall 2021, numerous HEIs resumed in-person courses and some hybrid courses, and faculty began noting academic-related behavior deficiencies not previously observed in students. Focus groups of teaching faculty (n = 8) from one university department were conducted to gather information on changes in student academic-related behaviors attributed to the disruption of teaching and learning due to COVID-19 and to compare observed deficiencies with the university's undergraduate learning goals. Mind mapping software was utilized to capture themes and subthemes. Identified themes were related to problem-solving skills, grades, time management, attendance, and interpersonal communication, both in terms of student-to-student and student-to-faculty communication. For these identified areas, outcomes during the return to in-person learning were mostly undesirable. Based on these identified issues, suggested modifications that HEIs could use to modify course content and delivery to offset skill gaps and improve interpersonal communication were identified. Furthermore, observations may indicate that fully remote learning inhibited student learning and skill development during the 2020-2021 academic year. Future work should examine the effectiveness of the proposed modifications on student success.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article contains information gathered from mind map-driven faculty focus group observations of student academic-related deficiencies resulting from transitioning from remote to in-person learning and how said deficiencies compare to university undergraduate learning goals.

Biomolecules under Pressure: Phase Diagrams, Volume Changes, and High Pressure Spectroscopic Techniques.

Pressure is an equally important thermodynamical parameter as temperature. However, its importance is often overlooked in the biophysical and biochemical investigations of biomolecules and biological systems. This review focuses on the application of high pressure (>100 MPa = 1 kbar) in biology. Studies of high pressure can give insight into the volumetric aspects of various biological systems; this information cannot be obtained otherwise. High-pressure treatment is a potentially useful alternative method to heat-treatment in food science. Elevated pressure (up to 120 MPa) is present in the deep sea, which is a considerable part of the biosphere. From a basic scientific point of view, the application of the gamut of modern spectroscopic techniques provides information about the conformational changes of biomolecules, fluctuations, and flexibility. This paper reviews first the thermodynamic aspects of pressure science, the important parameters affecting the volume of a molecule. The technical aspects of high pressure production are briefly mentioned, and the most common high-pressure-compatible spectroscopic techniques are also discussed. The last part of this paper deals with the main biomolecules, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids: how they are affected by pressure and what information can be gained about them using pressure. I I also briefly mention a few supramolecular structures such as viruses and bacteria. Finally, a subjective view of the most promising directions of high pressure bioscience is outlined.

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by molds that contaminate food commodities, are harmful to both humans and animals, as well as cause economic losses. Many countries have set regulatory limits and strict thresholds to control the level of mycotoxins in food and feedstuffs. New technologies and strategies have been developed to inhibit toxigenic fungal invasion and to decontaminate mycotoxins. However, many of these strategies do not sufficiently detoxify mycotoxins and leave residual toxic by-products. This review focuses on the use of phenolic compounds obtained from botanical extracts as promising bioagents to inhibit fungal growth and/or to limit mycotoxin yields. The mechanism of these botanicals, legislation concerning their use, and their safety are also discussed. In addition, recent strategies to overcome stability and solubility constraints of phenolic compounds to be used in food and feed stuffs are also mentioned.

Jabuticaba juice improves postprandial glucagon-like peptide-1 and antioxidant status in healthy adults: a randomized crossover trial.

Jabuticaba is a Brazilian berry rich in polyphenols, which may exert beneficial effects on metabolic diseases. This randomized crossover study aimed to determine the effects of jabuticaba juice (250 ml in a portion) on postprandial response. Sixteen healthy subjects (11 women; 5 men; 28.4 ± 3.8 years old; body mass index (BMI) 21.7 ± 2.3 kg m-2) consumed two test products after fasting overnight in a randomized controlled crossover design. Each test product portion had a similar composition of sugar components: 250 mL water with glucose, fructose, colored with artificial non-caloric food colorings (placebo); and 250 mL of jabuticaba juice. Beverages were administered immediately before a carbohydrate meal. Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after each test product to analyze the concentrations of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, antioxidant capacity, plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and appetite sensations. Compared to the placebo, the intake of jabuticaba juice resulted in a higher GLP-1 response as the area under the curve (AUC) and peaking at 60 min. Jabuticaba juice also resulted in higher antioxidant capacity. Postprandial glucose, insulin, C-peptide levels, and appetite sensations were not significantly different between tests. In conclusion, 250 mL of jabuticaba juice before a carbohydrate meal was able to improve the antioxidant status and GLP-1 concentrations in healthy subjects.

A critical review of the composition and history of safe use of guayusa: a stimulant and antioxidant novel food.

Due to rapid international market development, there is a strong and urgent need to assess the safety of the novel food, Ilex guayusa. Guayusa has been consumed for centuries in the western Amazon as an herbal tea, and novel food regulation provide a detailed framework for safety assessment of novel foods with such a history of use. This study reviews guayusa's taxonomy, chemical composition, toxicology, ethnobotany, and history of safe use as key elements of a robust novel food safety assessment. Guayusa is a product of traditional agricultural systems with a continuous history of consumption in Ecuador. Its known chemical composition appears to present no greater risk to human health than existing teas such as green tea or yerba mate, although our understanding of guayusa's chemical profile is still nascent, requiring further investigation. Broad consumption of guayusa is not associated with a history of adverse effects or product safety notifications. Biochemical and phytochemical studies have profiled its nutritional content, metabolite composition, and bioactivity, validating guayusa's antioxidant and stimulant properties. In conclusion, guayusa leaves have a well-documented chemical composition and history of safe use, which are key considerations for authorization as a novel food in the EU.

The role of food science and technology in humanitarian response.

BACKGROUND: In humanitarian contexts, ensuring access to safe, nutritious, good quality and culturally appropriate food in the right quantity at the right time and place during an emergency or a protracted crisis is an enormous challenge, which is likely to increase given uncertainties such as climate change, global political and economic instability and emerging pandemics like COVID-19. Several international organizations and non-government organizations have well established systems to respond to food security emergencies. However, the role of food science and technology in humanitarian response is not well understood and is seldom considered in humanitarian circles. SCOPE AND APPROACH: The role of food science and technology in humanitarian response and the importance of addressing the requirements of the local consumers within the local food systems are discussed. KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Humanitarian food aid policies focus on immediate and short-term assistance to save lives. The implementation of emergency programs and projects tends to induce dependency on aid, rather than strengthening local food systems and ensuring resilience. Transformative change must embrace innovation across the whole food system with an increased emphasis on food science and technology that addresses local food security, generates employment and contributes to the local economy. There needs to be a move beyond rehabilitating and increasing agricultural production to addressing the whole food system with a view to link humanitarian assistance and longer-term support to sustainable livelihoods and resilience.

Renewable Polysaccharides Micro/Nanostructures for Food and Cosmetic Applications.

The worldwide diffusion of nanotechnologies into products nowadays has completely revolutionized human life, providing novel comfort and benefits. Their inclusion in food and cosmetic has a heavy impact over the market, allowing the development of higher value products with enhanced properties. Natural origin polymers and in particular polysaccharides represent a versatile platform of materials for the development of micro/nanostructured additives for food and cosmetic products due to their chemical versatility, biocompatibility, and abundance. Here, we review the current applications of polysaccharides-based micro/nanostructures, taking into consideration the precursors' production, isolation, and extraction methods and highlighting the advantages, possible drawbacks, and market diffusion.

Mass spectrometry-based lipidomics in food science and nutritional health: A comprehensive review.

With the advance in science and technology as well as the improvement of living standards, the function of food is no longer just to meet the needs of survival. Food science and its associated nutritional health issues have been increasingly debated. Lipids, as complex metabolites, play a key role both in food and human health. Taking advantages of mass spectrometry (MS) by combining its high sensitivity and accuracy with extensive selective determination of all lipid classes, MS-based lipidomics has been employed to resolve the conundrum of addressing both qualitative and quantitative aspects of high-abundance and low-abundance lipids in complex food matrices. In this review, we systematically summarize current applications of MS-based lipidomics in food field. First, common MS-based lipidomics procedures are described. Second, the applications of MS-based lipidomics in food science, including lipid composition characterization, adulteration, traceability, and other issues, are discussed. Third, the application of MS-based lipidomics for nutritional health covering the influence of food on health and disease is introduced. Finally, future research trends and challenges are proposed. MS-based lipidomics plays an important role in the field of food science, promoting continuous development of food science and integration of food knowledge with other disciplines. New methods of MS-based lipidomics have been developed to improve accuracy and sensitivity of lipid analysis in food samples. These developments offer the possibility to fully characterize lipids in food samples, identify novel functional lipids, and better understand the role of food in promoting healt.

Special Issue: "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Polymerization provides an efficient strategy for synthesizing macromolecules with versatile functionality [...].

Variation of heavy metal contamination between mushroom species in the Copperbelt province, Zambia: are the people at risk?

BACKGROUND: Heavy metal contamination in mushrooms and the associated health risk are unknown in Zambia. We studied seven heavy metals and 23 mushroom species and interviewed 400 people. RESULTS: Mushrooms were found to contain substantial concentrations of Cu (894.4 ± 267.9 µg g-1 ) and Fe (998.4 ± 454.0 µg g-1 ). Significant differences in transfer factors of metals occurred between mushroom species (F11,66  = 5.36, P < 0.001). The most efficient were L. kabansus (for Zn and Ni), A. miomboensis (for Cu and Fe) and T. clypeatus (for Mn, Pb and Co). These species were also among the most preferred mushrooms for consumption based on the interviews conducted. Although 60% of the mushrooms observed were edible, only 20% were frequently consumed during the mushroom season. High positive correlations observed between soils and mushrooms suggest that contamination in mushrooms increases with soil pollution. The estimated daily intake of metals and the target hazard quotient through mushroom consumption were found to be significantly influenced by mushroom species (F11,66  = 38.8, P < 0.001) suggesting that the level of exposure to heavy metals depends on the species of mushroom consumed. CONCLUSIONS: The study has revealed that heavy metal concentrations in mushrooms exceed permissible limits and vary between species. Transfer efficiency also varies between mushroom species and contamination in mushrooms increases with soil pollution. The fact that concentrations of metals in soil were significantly high, the risk of exposure through mushroom consumption and possibly soil ingestion is even higher. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy in Food Science: A Comprehensive Review.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a robust method, which can rapidly analyze mixtures at the molecular level without requiring separation and/or purification steps, making it ideal for applications in food science. Despite its increasing popularity among food scientists, NMR is still an underutilized methodology in this area, mainly due to its high cost, relatively low sensitivity, and the lack of NMR expertise by many food scientists. The aim of this review is to help bridge the knowledge gap that may exist when attempting to apply NMR methodologies to the field of food science. We begin by covering the basic principles required to apply NMR to the study of foods and nutrients. A description of the discipline of chemometrics is provided, as the combination of NMR with multivariate statistical analysis is a powerful approach for addressing modern challenges in food science. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of recent and key applications in the areas of compositional analysis, food authentication, quality control, and human nutrition is provided. In addition to standard NMR techniques, more sophisticated NMR applications are also presented, although limitations, gaps, and potentials are discussed. We hope this review will help scientists gain some of the knowledge required to apply the powerful methodology of NMR to the rich and diverse field of food science.

The role of citizen science in addressing grand challenges in food and agriculture research.

The power of citizen science to contribute to both science and society is gaining increased recognition, particularly in physics and biology. Although there is a long history of public engagement in agriculture and food science, the term 'citizen science' has rarely been applied to these efforts. Similarly, in the emerging field of citizen science, most new citizen science projects do not focus on food or agriculture. Here, we convened thought leaders from a broad range of fields related to citizen science, agriculture, and food science to highlight key opportunities for bridging these overlapping yet disconnected communities/fields and identify ways to leverage their respective strengths. Specifically, we show that (i) citizen science projects are addressing many grand challenges facing our food systems, as outlined by the United States National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as broader Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations Development Programme, (ii) there exist emerging opportunities and unique challenges for citizen science in agriculture/food research, and (iii) the greatest opportunities for the development of citizen science projects in agriculture and food science will be gained by using the existing infrastructure and tools of Extension programmes and through the engagement of urban communities. Further, we argue there is no better time to foster greater collaboration between these fields given the trend of shrinking Extension programmes, the increasing need to apply innovative solutions to address rising demands on agricultural systems, and the exponential growth of the field of citizen science.

21st century toolkit for optimizing population health through precision nutrition.

Scientific, technological, and economic progress over the last 100 years all but eradicated problems of widespread food shortage and nutrient deficiency in developed nations. But now society is faced with a new set of nutrition problems related to energy imbalance and metabolic disease, which require new kinds of solutions. Recent developments in the area of new analytical tools enable us to systematically study large quantities of detailed and multidimensional metabolic and health data, providing the opportunity to address current nutrition problems through an approach called Precision Nutrition. This approach integrates different kinds of "big data" to expand our understanding of the complexity and diversity of human metabolism in response to diet. With these tools, we can more fully elucidate each individual's unique phenotype, or the current state of health, as determined by the interactions among biology, environment, and behavior. The tools of precision nutrition include genomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, phenotyping, high-throughput analytical chemistry techniques, longitudinal tracking with body sensors, informatics, data science, and sophisticated educational and behavioral interventions. These tools are enabling the development of more personalized and predictive dietary guidance and interventions that have the potential to transform how the public makes food choices and greatly improve population health.