Seaweeds have been used since ancient times as food, mainly by Asian countries, while in Western countries, their main application has been as gelling agents and colloids for the food, ...pharmaceuticals, and the cosmetic industry. Seaweeds are a good source of nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Polyphenols, polysaccharides, and sterols, as well as other bioactive molecules, are mainly responsible for the healthy properties associated with seaweed. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic properties are attributed to these compounds. If seaweeds are compared to terrestrial plants, they have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. In addition, there are several secondary metabolites that are synthesized by algae such as terpenoids, oxylipins, phlorotannins, volatile hydrocarbons, and products of mixed biogenetic origin. Therefore, algae can be considered as a natural source of great interest, since they contain compounds with numerous biological activities and can be used as a functional ingredient in many technological applications to obtain functional foods.
Meat and meat products are a fundamental part of the human diet. The protein and vitamin content, as well as essential fatty acids, gives them an appropriate composition to complete the nutritional ...requirements. However, meat constituents are susceptible to degradation processes. Among them, the most important, after microbial deterioration, are oxidative processes, which affect lipids, pigments, proteins and vitamins. During these reactions a sensory degradation of the product occurs, causing consumer rejection. In addition, there is a nutritional loss that leads to the formation of toxic substances, so the control of oxidative processes is of vital importance for the meat industry. Nonetheless, despite lipid oxidation being widely investigated for decades, the complex reactions involved in the process, as well as the different pathways and factors that influenced them, make that lipid oxidation mechanisms have not yet been completely understood. Thus, this article reviews the fundamental mechanisms of lipid oxidation, the most important oxidative reactions, the main factors that influence lipid oxidation, and the routine methods to measure compounds derived from lipid oxidation in meat.
Proximate composition (moisture, protein, lipid and ash content) and nutritional value (fatty acid, amino acid and mineral profile) of three macroalgae (
,
and
) were studied. Chemical composition ...was significantly (
< 0.001) different among the three seaweeds. In this regard, the
presented the highest fat content (6.54% of dry matter); whereas,
showed the highest protein level (12.99% dry matter). Regarding fatty acid content, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were the most abundant followed by saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). On the other hand, the three seaweeds are a rich source of K (from 3781.35 to 9316.28 mg/100 g), Mn (from 8.28 to 1.96 mg/100 g), Na (from 1836.82 to 4575.71 mg/100 g) and Ca (from 984.73 to 1160.27 mg/100 g). Finally, the most abundant amino acid was glutamic acid (1874.47-1504.53 mg/100 dry matter), followed by aspartic acid (1677.01-800.84 mg/100 g dry matter) and alanine (985.40-655.73 mg/100 g dry matter).
Cancer is regarded as one of the most deadly and mirthless diseases and it develops due to the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. To date, varieties of traditional medications and chemotherapies ...have been utilized to fight tumors. However, their immense drawbacks, such as reduced bioavailability, insufficient supply, and significant adverse effects, make their use limited. Nanotechnology has evolved rapidly in recent years and offers a wide spectrum of applications in the healthcare sectors. Nanoscale materials offer strong potential for curing cancer as they pose low risk and fewer complications. Several metal oxide NPs are being developed to diagnose or treat malignancies, but zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have remarkably demonstrated their potential in the diagnosis and treatment of various types of cancers due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and unique physico-chemical attributes. ZnO NPs showed cancer cell specific toxicity via generation of reactive oxygen species and destruction of mitochondrial membrane potential, which leads to the activation of caspase cascades followed by apoptosis of cancerous cells. ZnO NPs have also been used as an effective carrier for targeted and sustained delivery of various plant bioactive and chemotherapeutic anticancerous drugs into tumor cells. In this review, at first we have discussed the role of ZnO NPs in diagnosis and bio-imaging of cancer cells. Secondly, we have extensively reviewed the capability of ZnO NPs as carriers of anticancerous drugs for targeted drug delivery into tumor cells, with a special focus on surface functionalization, drug-loading mechanism, and stimuli-responsive controlled release of drugs. Finally, we have critically discussed the anticancerous activity of ZnO NPs on different types of cancers along with their mode of actions. Furthermore, this review also highlights the limitations and future prospects of ZnO NPs in cancer theranostic.
Gelatins are important natural amphiphilic macromolecules and can act as emulsifiers in oil-in-water emulsions due to their surface-active properties. However, they are generally weaker emulsifiers ...than other surface-active substances. In the past two decades, many studies have worked to understand the relationships of gelatins structures with their function properties and to explore the possible molecular modification methods to improve their emulsion stabilization abilities.
It is well known that protein structure determines function in natural sciences. Based on this axiom, this review summarizes and discusses the extraction, chemical composition, molecular structure, and molecular modification of gelatins for oil-in-water emulsion development. Finally, the review provides a brief summary and outlook of gelatins as emulsifiers.
Gelatin sources/organs and extraction methods/parameter have obvious effects on the chemical composition, molecular structure, and emulsifying properties of gelatin. Many molecular modification methods have shown efficient improvements in the interfacial layer molecular structures and emulsion stabilization abilities of gelatins such as physical, chemical, enzymatic, and complex modifications. However, further studies are still required to better understand the relationships of gelatin sources-extraction methods-chemical compositions-molecular structures-molecular modifications-interfacial layer structures-emulsion stabilization abilities. This work can provide basic information on the structure-function relationships of gelatins and can guide the research and development of gelatins as emulsifiers in the future.
●Relationship of gelatin structure with its function properties is explored●Extraction, chemical composition, molecular structure of gelatin are summarized●Molecular modification of gelatin for emulsion development is reviewed
The design of functional foods has grown recently as an answer to rising consumers' concerns and demands for natural, nutritional and healthy food products. Nanoencapsulation is a technique based on ...enclosing a bioactive compound (BAC) in liquid, solid or gaseous states within a matrix or inert material for preserving the coated substance (food or flavor molecules/ingredients). Nanoencapsulation can improve stability of BACs, improving the regulation of their release at physiologically active sites. Regarding materials for food and nutraceutical applications, the most used are carbohydrate-, protein- or lipid-based alternatives such as chitosan, peptide-chitosan and β-lactoglobulin nanoparticles (NPs) or emulsion biopolymer complexes. On the other hand, the main BACs used in foods for health promoting, including antioxidants, antimicrobials, vitamins, probiotics and prebiotics and others (minerals, enzymes and flavoring compounds). Nanotechnology can also play notable role in the development of programmable food, an original futuristic concept promising the consumers to obtain high quality food of desired nutritive and sensory characteristics.
The influence of four different cooking methods (roasting, grilling, microwaving and frying) on cooking loss, lipid oxidation and volatile profile of foal meat was studied. Cooking loss were ...significantly (P<0.001) affected by thermal treatment, being higher (32.5%) after microwaving and lower after grilling (22.5%) and frying (23.8%). As expected, all the cooking methods increased TBARs content, since high temperature during cooking causes increased oxidation in foal steaks, this increase was significantly (P<0.001) higher when foal steaks were microwaved or roasted.
The four different cooking methods led to increased total volatile compounds (between 366.7 and 633.1AU×106/g dry matter) compared to raw steaks (216.4AU×106/g dry matter). The roasted steaks showed the highest volatile content, indicating that increased cooking temperature increases the formation of volatile compounds. Aldehydes were the most abundant compounds in cooked samples, with amounts of 217.2, 364.5, 283.5 and 409.1AU×106/g dry matter in grilled, microwaved, fried and roasted samples, respectively, whereas esters were the most abundant compounds in raw samples, with mean amounts of 98.8AU×106/g dry matter.
•The grilled and fried methods were the least affected by lipid oxidation.•Cooked foal steaks contained high amount of aldehydes and lineal alkanes.•Thermal treatment let to a decrease of esters and ketones.
Research on the use of various parts of the Moringa oleifera Lam. plant (M. oleifera) as a nutritional and neutraceutical resource for human and animal diets has increased in recent years, emanating ...from the widespread use of the plant in traditional cuisines and medicinal remedies in several regions of the world. Analytical studies have identified M. oleifera as an important source of essential nutrients; rich in protein, essential amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, with a relatively low amount of antinutrients. It is also a rich source of other bio active compounds including flavonoids and phenolic compounds; with several studies detailing demonstrated in vitro and in vivo functional properties, most substantially, antioxidant activities. Moringa oleifera consumption has been reported to improve the health status, feed conversion efficiency, growth performance and product quality of several livestock species, at dietary inclusion rates generally not exceeding 5% of total dry matter intake. Fortification of processed foods with M. oleifera has been reported to increase nutritional value, some organoleptic properties, oxidative stability and product shelf life; with a notable need for further analytical and consumer studies in the development of these products. There is a paucity of literature detailing clinical studies, nutrient bioavailability, toxicity and the mode of action of the bioactive compounds to which the health claims associated with M. oleifera consumption are attributed. Many of these are not yet fully understood; therefore more research in these areas is required in order to fully utilize the potential benefits of this plant in human and livestock nutrition.
•Studies report rich nutritional and phytochemical content in the M. oleifera plant•Various plant parts in various forms are consumed by humans and livestock.•More research on toxicity, clinical studies and consumer studies are needed.•Dietary inclusion of ≤5% M. oleifera improves livestock performance and products.•More research on bioavailability and mode of action of bioactive compounds is needed.
This study was aimed to encapsulate lemongrass (Cymbopogon commutatus) essential oil (LGEO) into chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) and to investigate their physicochemical, morphological, structural, ...thermal, antimicrobial and in-vitro release properties. CSNPs exhibited spherical morphology with an average hydrodynamic size of 175–235 nm. Increasing EO loading increased the average size of CSNPs from 174 to 293 nm (at CS:EO ratio from 1:0 to 1:1.25). SEM and AFM confirmed the results obtained by hydrodynamic size indicating that EO loading led to formation of large aggregated NPs. The successful physical entrapment of EO within NPs was shown by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray diffractogram of loaded-CSNPs compared to non-loaded CSNPs exhibited a broad high intensity peak at 2θ = 19–25° implying the entrapment of LGEO within CSNPs. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that encapsulated EO was decomposed at a temperature of 252 °C compared to a degradation temperature of 126 °C for pure LGEO, indicating a two-fold enhancement in thermal stability of encapsulated CSNPs. Differential scanning calorimetry also proved the physical entrapment of EO into polymeric matrix of chitosan. In-vitro release study showed a time- and pH-dependent release of EO into release media demonstrating a three-stage release behavior with a rapid initial release of EO, followed by a steady state migration of EO from its surrounding envelope at the later stages. Antimicrobial assay showed strong antimicrobial properties of free form of LGEO against the bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative) and fungi species tested. Moreover, loaded-CSNPs exhibited stronger antibacterial and anti-fungal activities than non-loaded CSNPs.
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