•The mechanisms of action of the common antimicrobial agents for AAP were discussed.•The impact of incorporation antimicrobial agents on AAP were demonstrated.•The available techniques for ...preparation of AAP were summarized.
Most of the scientific studies and innovations in food packaging have focused on the inhibition or prevention of microbial growth as well as avoiding further microbial deterioration of food products. Among current food packaging techniques, active packaging, particularity antimicrobial active packaging, has attracted much attention due to the diversity in the materials used, the methods of application, and the variety of food products that can be protected. Direct and indirect techniques can be utilized to introduce antimicrobial compounds into food packaging materials. The increasing importance of the application of antimicrobial packaging has inspired a better understanding of these materials and the factors influencing the effectiveness of antimicrobial systems. This article is a review on the materials used for delivering antimicrobial substances with a focus on their main mechanisms of action and release when used for food contact applications. In this regard, the effects of antimicrobial agents on packaging properties will be discussed. Many challenges, including the controlled release of antimicrobial agents and the development of active packaging materials (mainly bio-based materials) with adequate barrier properties, transparency, tensile strength and other characteristics to meet the requirements of food protection and food safety, still remain to be solved in these new approaches to antimicrobial active packaging.
Electrochemical processes are a promising alternative to traditional water treatment systems because they have advantages than conventional techniques such as chemical storage, small treatment ...systems, no alkalinity depletion, remote adjustment, and cost-effectiveness. The most crucial electrochemical method is Electrocoagulation (EC). Through creating cationic species, the EC causes the neutralization of pollutant surface charges and destabilizes suspended, emulsified or dissolved contaminants led to attracting particles of opposite charge and form flocculants. The main drawback of the EC process is a passive film forming on the electrode surface over time. Ultrasonic (US) waves breaking down sediments formed at the electrode surface and generate high amounts of radical species to remove pollutants by creating high-pressure points inside the solution during the cavitation phenomenon. Although EC systems are considered as an exemplary renaissance in water and wastewater treatment, various parameters related to these types of systems in pollutant degradation have not been fully addressed. To present a comprehensive vision of the current state of the art, and progress the treatment efficiency and agitate new studies in these fields, this review aimed to provide an overview of electrocoagulation’s application in pollutant degradation, besides the advantages, associated disadvantages and further strategies for improving the performance of this technique. Moreover, this review discussed various parameters affecting the EC/US process, including nanoparticles addition, electrolyte concentration, current intensity, electrode distance, temperature, oxidant addition, pH, pollutant concentration, reaction time, and electrode combination, chloride addition, and ultrasonic frequency. Also, the efficiency of the EC/US process for disinfection, as well as treatment of car-washing, textile, pulp, and paper industry, oily, brewery wastewater, surfactant, humic acid, and heavy metals, are addressed.
Schematic flow diagram of the sono-electrocoagulation process and corresponding mechanism of pollutants removal (degradation via reactive radicals and precipitation) in the sono-EC processes. Display omitted
•This review provides comprehensive information on Sono-EC processes.•Sono-EC processes can effective treatment of various industrial wastewaters.•Combination of the US with EC significantly increases the pollutant removal.•This review compares electrocoagulation and Sono-electrocoagulation processes.
•28 articles (totally 543 data) were reviewed to collect data on the fate of TAF, DON, OTA, and ZEN.•Milling causes the increase in DON and TAF; decrease in OTA and without change in ...ZEN.•Fermentation increases DON but decrease ZEN, OTA and TAF.•Baking (Bread) decreases the DON, OTA and TAF but increases ZEN.•Conducted meta-analytic offers information regarding fate of mycotoxin during food processing.
The study aimed to perform a meta-analysis on the fate of ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON) and total aflatoxin (TAF) during steps of bread and pasta-based products processing. A total of twenty and eight articles (549 data) collected from 1983 through June 2017 were included. Some of the investigated processing such as milling and fermentation caused an increase in the concentration of DON and TAF; although they reduce the concentration of ZEN and OTA. Also, heat processing (cooking) decrease the DON, OTA, and TAF and increase the concentration of ZEN in bread. Cooking reduces the concentration of DON and ZEN in the biscuit. Cooking of pasta reduces the content of DON; however, it increases the concentration of TFA. The findings showed that the mycotoxins and their fate were influenced differently by the unit operations steps involved in the preparation of the different cereal-based products.
Concerns about environment pollution by antibiotics raised notable attention. In this context, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can produce an excellent platform for toxicant removal from water ...environments. In the current investigation, eight MOFs (ZIF-67-NO3, ZIF-67-Cl, ZIF-67-SO4, ZIF-67-OAC, ZIF-8-Octahedron, ZIF-8-Leaf, ZIF-8-Cuboid, and ZIF-8-Cube) with different chemical and textural compositions were synthesized, and furthermore, the adsorption of Tetracycline (TC) by them was evaluated. Also, the key experimental conditions were modeled using response surface methodology (RSM). Among the prepared MOFs, the highest tendency for TC removal was nominated to ZIF-67- Acetate (ZIF-67-OAC). By model optimization approach, the optimum system conditions as contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH and adsorbed antibiotic concentration were reported as 26.8 min, 0.63 g/L, 5.9, and 74.6 mg/L, respectively. The proposed equilibrium model showed that the TC accumulated on ZIF-67-OAC surface is reversible in multilayer with the highest monolayer capacity of 446.9 mg/g. Furthermore, based on separation factor (KL), TC adsorption is more favorable at a higher amount of MOFs added. Moreover, according to the fitted kinetic model, the process was controlled by chemisorption. ZIF-67-OAC shows excellent structural stability during mechanical agitation in an aqueous environment, and the TC removal capacities of regenerated adsorbent did not change considerably at the end of cycle 4 compared to the first cycle. Considering the findings among the examined MOFs, the ZIF-67-OAC can be approached as a promising adsorbent for the removal of antibiotics from aqueous environments.
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•ZIF-67- Acetate (ZIF-67-AOC) showed the highest adsorption tendency for TC.•The rate of sorption process was controlled by chemisorption.•The structure of ZIF-67-AOC crystals was stable during mechanical agitation.•TC adsorption capacity of ZIF-67-AOC was not change much by repeated reuse.
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•The consumption of resistant starch has positive effects on human health.•Resistant starch may improve carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and body weight.•Resistant starch as a ...prebiotic improves intestinal function.
Starch is an essential source of energy for the human diet. Resistant starch is the portion of starch that is not digested in the small intestine and is fermented in the colon by microorganisms, resulting in the formation of short-chain fatty acids, which may be associated with some metabolic effects. In this regard, this review aims to present relevant research on the health benefits of consuming resistant starch and its effects on physiological properties such as intestinal health, glycemic balance, lipid metabolism, and body weight to be evaluated. However, the effect of resistant starch in reducing the risk of diet-dependent disorders such as diabetes, obesity, lipid disorders, and intestinal health is promising but still inconclusive.
The contamination of aflatoxins (AFs) in 120 samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva collected from Iran’s market were evaluated. The exposed risk due to ingestion of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) ...via their consumption was estimated with the aid of the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The highest prevalence of AF (55%) was associated with sesame seed samples, followed by tahini (45%) and tahini halva (32.5%). The AFB1 concentration in sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva was in the ranges of 0.21–12.35, 0.23–5.81, and 0.27–3.56 ?g/kg, respectively. The concentration of the total aflatoxin (TAF) in 7 (17.5%), 8 (20%), and 2 (5%) samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva, respectively, was below the limit of European regulations (4 µg/kg), while the levels of AFB1 in 10 (25%), 7 (17.5%), and 6 (15%) samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva, respectively, were higher than the European regulations (2 µg/kg). As the percentile 50 and 95 of margin of exposure (MOE) with AFB1 for sesame seed, tahini, and tahini halva was more than 10,000, it could conclude the intake of aflatoxin through the consumption of mentioned products did pose a not remarkable cancer risk for adults.
Conventionally used petrochemical-based plastics are poorly degradable and cause severe environmental pollution. Alternatively, biopolymers (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and their blends) ...are biodegradable and environment-friendly, and thus their use in packaging technologies has been on the rise. Spoilage of food by mycotoxigenic fungi poses a severe threat to human and animal health. Hence, because of the adverse effects of synthetic preservatives, active packaging as an effective technique for controlling and decontaminating fungi and related mycotoxins has attracted considerable interest. The current review aims to provide an overview of the prevention of fungi and mycotoxins through active packaging. The impact of different additives on the antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic functionality of packaging incorporating active films/coatings is also investigated. In addition, active packaging applications to control and decontaminate common fungi and mycotoxins in bakery products, cereal grains, fruits, nuts, and dairy products are also introduced. The results of recent studies have confirmed that biopolymer films and coatings incorporating antimicrobial agents provide great potential for controlling common fungi and mycotoxins and enhancing food quality and safety.
Food contaminants are challenging the food industry due to the inefficiency of conventional decontamination techniques. Cold plasma as an emerging technique for the degradation of food contaminants ...attracted notable attention. The current study overviews the plasma-induced degradation of food contaminants, discusses the mechanisms involved, points its benefits and drawbacks out, highlights the research needed in this area, and explores future trends. According to the literature, cold plasma efficiently degraded many common pesticides (e.g. parathion, paraoxon, omethoate, dichlorvos, malathion, azoxystrobin, cyprodinil, fludioxonil, cypermethrin, and chlorpyrifos) and food allergens (e.g. tropomyosin, b-conglycinin, glycinin, trypsin inhibitor, and Kunitztype trypsin inhibitor). These degradations occurred primarily due to the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in the plasma that attack the chemical bonds of food contaminants. The type of pesticide degrades are highly dependent on the concentrations of plasma-generated ROS and RNS. Research showed that several parameters, such as plasma generation device, plasma exposure time, plasma power, and the carrier gas composition, influence the type and concentration of reactive species (e.g. ROS and RNS) and the overall efficiency of cold plasma degradation for a specific pesticide or allergen.
Highlights
Cold plasma can be used for degradation of many types of pesticides and allergens.
Plasma-generated reactive species and UV can interact with pesticides and allergens.
The scaled up removal of pesticides and allergens by plasma can be challenging.
•Insight on the mechanism of cold plasma interaction with food components was provided.•The reaction involved in enhancement/degradation of each property were discussed.•Major modifications occur due ...to oxidative breakdown and new compounds synthesis.•Concise elucidation provided on food enzymes, proteins, allergens, and anti-nutrients.•Changes in color, flavor, aroma, and texture of plasma treated foods were highlighted.
Cold plasma processing is a technique that uses electricity and reactive carrier gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, or helium, to inactivate enzymes, destroy microorganisms, preserve food, and maintain quality without employing chemical antimicrobial agents.The review collates the latest information on the interaction mechanism and impact of non-thermal plasma, as an emerging processing technology, on selected physical properties, low-molecular-weight functional components, and bioactive properties of food. Significant changes observed in the physicochemical and functional properties. For example, changes in pH, total soluble solids, water and oil absorption capacities, sensory properties such as color, aroma, and texture, bioactive components (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants), and food enzymes, antinutrients, and allergens were elaborated in the present manuscript. It was highlighted that the plasma reactive species result in both constructive and antagonistic outcomes on specific food components, and the associated mechanism was different in each case. However, the design's versatility, characteristic non-thermal nature, better economic standards, and safer environmental factors offer matchless benefits for cold plasma over conventional processing methods. Even so, a thorough insight on the impact of cold plasma on functional and bioactive food constituents is still a subject of imminent research and is imperative for its broad recognition as a modern non-conventional processing technique.
Oxidation reactions during manufacturing, distribution, and storage of meat and meat products result in undesirable physicochemical changes and aromas, which leads to detrimental effects on the ...product quality. This could be translated into the consumer dissatisfaction and economic loss. One of the most common practices to overcome this issue is the incorporation of synthetic antioxidants. However, the increasing health-consciousness of consumers and their preference for natural additives leads to the search of natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants. A number of essential oils have strong antioxidant properties and are explored as potential alternatives to chemical antioxidants in the meat industry. These compounds are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and their application single or combined with other essential oils, ingredients or preservation technologies have beneficial effects on meat products. Their activity depends on several parameters including their concentrations, their possible synergistic effects, and the extraction method used to obtain them. Although steam distillation is the most common industrial technique for essential oils extraction, novel technologies have been emerged to address the drawbacks of the traditional extraction method and to obtain high-quality essential oils. This paper provides an overview of the application of essential oils as potential substitutes for synthetic antioxidants in the meat industry, exploring their mechanism of action against oxidation reactions, and the effect of extraction methods on their effectiveness.
•Essential oils protect meat and meat products from several deteriorative reactions.•Phenolic compounds are responsible for strong antioxidant activity of essential oils.•Synergistic effect with other essential oils, ingredients, and conservation methods improves their activity.•Future trends include their use as alternative to synthetic antioxidants.•Regulations and their possible negative effect on sensory attributes should be considered.