Neo-formed contaminants (NFCs) are compounds forming during heating or preservation processes and exhibiting possible harmful effects to humans. Among the several NFCs described in literature, ...Acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) have attracted the attention of the scientific community in recent years. Both acrylamide and HMF are considered as probably or potentially carcinogenic to humans or might be metabolized by humans to potentially carcinogenic compounds. Acrylamide and HMF are mainly formed through Maillard Reaction and can be regarded as the most important heat-induced contaminants occurring in bread and bakery products. Acrylamide is carcinogen in rodent and some recent epidemiological studies have highlighted the association between dietary acrylamide and an increased risk of some types of cancer. HMF has been recently shown to be converted
in vivo to 5-sulfoxymethylfurfural (SMF) which is a genotoxic compound. Dietary intake of HMF is in the order of mg/kg far above that of other food toxicants. In this paper, the latest available data on acrylamide and HMF have been reviewed focusing on available mitigation strategies, metabolism, dietary exposure, and toxicity. The results from the epidemiological studies about acrylamide and cancer risk and their relevance have been discussed, the major gaps of knowledge have been identified and the perspective of ongoing and future research was established.
Bound phenolics in foods, a review Acosta-Estrada, Beatriz A.; Gutiérrez-Uribe, Janet A.; Serna-Saldívar, Sergio O.
Food chemistry,
06/2014, Volume:
152
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
•Phenolic in food matrices are in bound as soluble conjugates or insoluble forms.•Processing foods release insoluble bound phenolics into more bioactive moieties.•Quantitative methods must be ...developed that reduce the variation in extractability.
Among phytochemicals, phenolic compounds have been extensively researched due to their diverse health benefits. Phenolic compounds occur mostly as soluble conjugates and insoluble forms, covalently bound to sugar moieties or cell wall structural components. Absorption mechanisms for bound phenolic compounds in the gastrointestinal tract greatly depend on the liberation of sugar moieties. Food processes such as fermentation, malting, thermoplastic extrusion or enzymatic, alkaline and acid hydrolyses occasionally assisted with microwave or ultrasound have potential to release phenolics associated to cell walls. Different kinds of wet chemistry methodologies to release and detect bound phenolic have been developed. These include harsh heat treatments, chemical modifications or biocatalysis. New protocols for processing and determining phenolics in food matrices must be devised in order to release bound phenolics and for quality control in the growing functional food industry.
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•The current practice is to use 100% skin absorption default value when experimental data is lacking.•An in silico skin absorption model tailored for fragrances, assigns absorption ...values of 10%, 40%, or 80% based on Jmax.•The model may be used confidently for non-fragrance material provided they meet certain specified criteria.•A hypothetical example on the application of this skin absorption model in the safety assessment is presented.
Fragrance materials are widely used in cosmetics and other consumer products. The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) evaluates the safety of these ingredients and skin absorption is an important parameter in refining systemic exposure. Currently, RIFM's safety assessment process assumes 100% skin absorption when experimental data are lacking. This 100% absorption default is not supportable and alternate default values were proposed. This study aims to develop and validate a practical skin absorption model (SAM) specific for fragrance material. It estimates skin absorption based on the methodology proposed by Kroes et al. SAM uses three default absorption values based on the maximum flux (Jmax) – namely, 10%, 40%, and 80%. Jmax may be calculated by using QSAR models that determine octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow), water solubility (S) and permeability coefficient (Kp). Each of these QSAR models was refined and a semi-quantitative mechanistic model workflow is presented. SAM was validated with a large fragrance-focused data set containing 131 materials. All resulted in predicted values fitting the three-tiered absorption scenario based on Jmax ranges. This conservative SAM may be applied when fragrance material lack skin absorption data.
Microplastics are present throughout the marine environment and ingestion of these plastic particles (<1 mm) has been demonstrated in a laboratory setting for a wide array of marine organisms. Here, ...we investigate the presence of microplastics in two species of commercially grown bivalves: Mytilus edulis and Crassostrea gigas. Microplastics were recovered from the soft tissues of both species. At time of human consumption, M. edulis contains on average 0.36 ± 0.07 particles g−1 (wet weight), while a plastic load of 0.47 ± 0.16 particles g−1 ww was detected in C. gigas. As a result, the annual dietary exposure for European shellfish consumers can amount to 11,000 microplastics per year. The presence of marine microplastics in seafood could pose a threat to food safety, however, due to the complexity of estimating microplastic toxicity, estimations of the potential risks for human health posed by microplastics in food stuffs is not (yet) possible.
•Microplastics are present in two bivalve species cultured for human consumption.•Mussels had an average plastic load of 0.36 ± 0.07 particles per gram tissue (ww).•Oyster had on average 0.47 ± 0.16 particles per gram tissue (ww).•The annual dietary exposure of European consumers can be up to 11,000 microplastics.•Estimating the potential risks for human health is not yet possible.
Microplastics were detected in two commercially grown bivalve species (Mytilus edulis and Crassostrea gigas), enabling us to estimate a preliminary human dietary exposure.
•Antioxidative activity of plant based food improved by fermentation.•Release of antioxidant compounds increased by fermentation.•Liberation or synthesis of antioxidant compounds increased by ...fermentation.
This study provides an overview of the factors that influence the effect of fermentation on the antioxidant activity and the mechanisms that augment antioxidative activities in fermented plant-based foods. The ability of fermentation to improve antioxidant activity is primarily due to an increase in the amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids during fermentation, which is the result of a microbial hydrolysis reaction. Moreover, fermentation induces the structural breakdown of plant cell walls, leading to the liberation or synthesis of various antioxidant compounds. These antioxidant compounds can act as free radical terminators, metal chelators, singlet oxygen quenchers, or hydrogen donors to radicals. The production of protease, α-amylase and some other enzymes can be influenced by fermentation that may have metal ion chelation activity. Because the mechanisms that affect antioxidant activity during fermentation are extremely varied, further investigation is needed to establish the precise mechanisms for these processes.
•The review covers plant and animal protein stabilised emulsions.•The review covers protein dynamics and affinity to the oil–water interface.•The review discusses mechanisms of emulsion ...instability.•The review discusses the effect of polysaccharides on protein-stabilised emulsions.
Proteins are of great interest due to their amphiphilic nature, which allows them to reduce the interfacial tension at the oil–water interface. The incorporation of proteins at the oil–water interface has allowed scientists to utilise them to form emulsions (O/W or W/O), which may be used in food formulations, drug and nutrient delivery. The systematic study of the proteins at the interface and the factors that affect their stability (i.e., conformation, pH, solvent conditions, and thermal treatment) has allowed for a broader use of these emulsions tailored for various applications. In this review, the factors affecting the stability of emulsions using food proteins will be discussed. The use of polysaccharides to complex with proteins will also be explored in relation to enhancing emulsion stability.
•Curcumin–β-CD complex using co-precipitation enhanced its solubility 31-fold.•Curcumin–β-CD complex exhibited higher sunlight, pH, storage and heating stability.•XRD and the spectroscopic techniques ...produced important evidences of complexation.•The use of the complex in vanilla ice creams resulted in potential savings.
Curcumin was complexed with β-CD using co-precipitation, freeze-drying and solvent evaporation methods. Co-precipitation enabled complex formation, as indicated by the FT-IR and FT-Raman techniques via the shifts in the peaks that were assigned to the aromatic rings of curcumin. In addition, photoacoustic spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, with the disappearance of the band related to aromatic rings, by Gaussian fitting, and modifications in the spectral lines, respectively, also suggested complex formation. The possible complexation had an efficiency of 74% and increased the solubility of the pure colourant 31-fold. Curcumin–β-CD complex exhibited a sunlight stability 18% higher than the pure colourant. This material was stable to pH variations and storage at −15 and 4°C. With an isothermal heating at 100 and 150°C for 2h, the material exhibited a colour retention of approximately 99%. The application of curcumin–β-CD complex in vanilla ice creams intensified the colour of the products and produced a great sensorial acceptance.
•β-Carotene was encapsulated in nanoemulsions and emulsions.•Initial droplet size influenced potential biological fate of delivery systems.•Lipid digestion rate and extent increased with decreasing ...droplet size.•β-Carotene bioaccessibility increased with decreasing droplet size.
The interest in incorporating carotenoids, such as β-carotene, into foods and beverages is growing due to their potential health benefits. However, the poor water-solubility and low bioavailability of carotenoids is currently a challenge to their incorporation into many foods. The aim of this work was to study the influence of particle size on lipid digestion and β-carotene bioaccessibility using corn oil-in-water emulsions with different initial droplet diameters: large (d43≈23μm); medium (d43≈0.4μm); and small (d43≈0.2μm). There was a progressive increase in the mean particle size of all the emulsions as they passed through a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) consisting of mouth, stomach, and small intestine phases, which was attributed to droplet coalescence, flocculation, and digestion. The electrical charge on all the lipid particles became highly negative after passage through the GIT due to accumulation of anionic bile salts, phospholipids, and free fatty acids at their surfaces. The rate and extent of lipid digestion increased with decreasing mean droplet diameter (small≈medium≫large), which was attributed to the increase in lipid surface area exposed to pancreatic lipase with decreasing droplet size. There was also an appreciable increase in β-carotene bioaccessibility with decreasing droplet diameter (small>medium>large). These results provide useful information for designing emulsion-based delivery systems for carotenoids for food and pharmaceutical uses.
•Brazilian berries and cherries characteristics are in agreement with literature.•All fruits analyzed showed levels of ascorbic acid well above those found in the literature.•Blackberry – highest ...antioxidant activity and richest source of bioactive compounds.•Antioxidant activity was correlated with the phenolics, ascorbic acid, flavonoid and anthocyanin.
This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, identify the bioactive compounds and measure the antioxidant activity present in blackberry, red raspberry, strawberry, sweet cherry and blueberry fruits produced in the subtropical areas of Brazil and to verify that the chemical properties of these fruit are similar when compared to the temperate production zones. Compared with berries and cherries grown in temperate climates, the centesimal composition and physical chemical characteristics found in the Brazilian berries and cherries are in agreement with data from the literature. For the mineral composition, the analyzed fruits presented lower concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg and Zn and higher levels of Fe. The values found for the bioactive compounds generally fit the ranges reported in the literature with minor differences. The greatest difference was found in relation to ascorbic acid, as all fruits analyzed showed levels well above those found in the literature.
Using validated methodology, this study explores the bioconcentration potential and status of rare earth elements (REE) and yttrium (Y) in wild mushrooms collected from Belarus, China and Poland and ...in the associated forest topsoil. Baseline data for REE and Y distributions in the morphological parts of the fruiting bodies of Caloboletus calopus, Cantharellus cibarius, Craterellus cornucopioides, Imleria badia, Laccaria amethystina, Lactifluus piperatus, Leccinum scabrum and Suillus grevillei are presented. REE were in the range of 14 to 42 mg kg−1 dw in forest topsoil and from 35 to 48 mg kg−1 dw in profiled soil layers from the Sobowidz site in Poland. Forest topsoil sampled in Belarus contained 67 mg kg−1 dw. Yttrium concentrations in soil ranged from 2.9 to 10 mg kg−1 dw. The median REE concentration in wild mushrooms was around 200 μg kg−1 dw (20 μg kg−1 fresh weight). This implies negligible dietary intake even for high level consumers. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) of individual REE and Y ranged from 0.0002 to 0.0229, showing bio-exclusion. The BCF tended to be similar for groups of REE (La to Tb and Dy to Lu) depending on the mushroom species and site. REE from Dy to Lu were better bioconcentrated than those from La to Tb. The similarity of the BCFs of individual REE by species at a given site implies the same absorption pathway, although a lower concentration in the topsoil favoured bioconcentration. REE and Y concentrations varied between species as well as within the same species between sites. Their accumulation in mushrooms appears to reflect condition at the site of collection, and may also be species-specific but confirming this would require further investigation of different species, topsoils and sites.
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•Bio-concentration factor shows a common up-take potential of rare earth elements (REE).•LREE (La to Sm) are better bio-concentrated (~ two fold) than HREE (Gd to Lu).•Mushrooms show relatively low enrichment in LREE.•Forest topsoil show relatively low enrichment in MREE.•Assessed risk from dietary intake of REEs in mushrooms is negligible.
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