Food synthetic biology-driven protein supply transition: From animal-derived production to microbial fermentation

Animal-derived protein production is one of the major traditional protein supply methods,which continues to face increasing challenges to satisfy global needs due to population growth,augmented individual protein consumption,and aggravated environmental pollution.Thus,ensuring a sustainable protein source is a considerable challenge.The emergence and development of food synthetic biology has enabled the establishment of cell factories that effectively synthesize proteins,which is an important way to solve the protein supply problem.This review aims to discuss the existing problems of traditional protein supply and to elucidate the feasibility of synthetic biology in the process of protein synthesis.Moreover,using artificial bioengineered milk and artificial bioengineered eggs as examples,the progress of food protein supply transition based on synthetic biology has been systematically summarized.Additionally,the future of food synthetic biology as a potential source of protein has been also discussed.By strengthening and innovating the application of food synthetic biology technologies,including genetic engineering and high-throughput screening methods,the current limitations of artificial foods for protein synthesis and production should be addressed.Therefore,the development and industrial production of new food resources should be explored to ensure safe,high-quality,and sustainable global protein supply.

Nutritional therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19:A narrative and integrative review

Hospitalized patients affected by coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19)have a sustained pro-inflammatory state and recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms that correlate with a decline in the nutritional status,which is directly related to poor immune response and clinical evolution.Nutritional therapy has proven crucial in COVID-19 treatment through the provision of adequate amounts of nutrients.Since the beginning of the pandemic,medical societies have mobilized to provide practical nutritional guidelines to support decision-making;despite this,there are only a few studies dedicated to compiling the most relevant recommendations.In this narrative review,we aimed to summarize and stratify the current scientific literature on nutritional support for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.We carried out a literature review from three databases between January 2020 and July 2021,using nutrition therapy(or medical nutrition or enteral nutrition or parental nutrition or nutritional support)and COVID-19(SARS-CoV-2 infection)as the search terms.Only those studies that evaluated adult hospitalized patients with admissions to wards,specific clinics,or intensive care units were included.The nutritional intervention considered was that of specific nutritional support via oral,enteral,or parenteral modes.A total of 37 articles were included.In general,the nutritional care provided to COVID-19 patients follows the same premises as for other patients,i.e.,it opts for the most physiological route and meets nutritional demands based on the clinical condition.However,some protocols that minimize the risk of contamination exposure for the health team have to be considered.Energy requirements varied from 15 kcal/kg/day to 30 kcal/kg/day and protein goals from 1.2 g/kg/day to 2 g/kg/day.In both cases,the ramp protocol for increased supply should be considered.In cases of enteral therapy,ready-to-use diet and continuous mode are recommended.Attention to refeeding syndrome is essential when parenteral nutrition is used.