New development of whey protein products as nutritional food ingredients

Whey protein products provided ideal ingredients for nutritional food applications.Whey proteins are known to have high nutritional quality due to their high content of essential amino acids,high digestibility and biological value.Research in the past decades has shown that many of the whey protein fractions and peptides derived from them possess various biological activities.The technology developments in the last decade,such as those in the areas of protein fractionation technologies have made industrial scale production of fractionated whey protein products commercially feasible.The development in hydrolysis technology and the peptide analytical capability allowed production of whey protein hydrolysates with designed bioactivity and functionalities.People are continuously finding new biological activities of the various whey protein fractions or their hydrolysis products.Significant amount of research has also been carried out to study the clinical benefits of some of the whey protein fractions and whey protein derived peptides.Examples of these studies will be reviewed and discussed.

Synthetic biology for sustainable food ingredients production:recent trends

Problems with food security result from increased population,global warming,and decrease in cultivable land.With the advancements in synthetic biology,microbial synthesis of food is considered to be an efficient alternate approach that could permit quick food biosynthesis in an eco-friendly method.Furthermore,synthetic biology can be assumed to the synthesis of healthy or specially designed food components like proteins,lipids,amino acids and vitamins and widen the consumption of feedstocks,thus offering possible resolutions to high-quality food synthesis.This review describes the impact of synthetic biology for the microbial synthesis of various food ingredients production.

Engineering yeast for bio-production of food ingredients

The provision of an adequate and high-quality food supply is a challenging issue due to the continued growth of the population and the reduction of arable land resources.To solve these problems,new and efficient food manufacturing processes need to be developed to meet the needs for healthy and nutritious food.Metabolic engineering of microorganisms is a feasible approach to alleviate this problem due to its efficient biosynthesis.For thousands of years,yeast has been used as a cell factory for manufacturing bread,beer and wine.And the development of synthetic biology expands its ability for synthesis of food ingredients,fuels,pharmaceuticals and chemical products.This mini review focuses on metabolic engineering of yeast cell factories to synthesize compounds that have been used as food ingredients with highlighting four food flavors.

Nattokinase as a functional food ingredient:therapeutic applications and mechanisms in age-related diseases

Consumption of natto,a traditional eastern Asian food made of fermented soybeans by Bacillus subtilis,has long been linked to healthy aging and longer human lifespan.As the key thrombolytic ingredient of natto,the serine protease nattokinase(NK)has been developed into a widely-used dietary supplement.NK has shown excellent anti-thrombus,thrombolytic,and anti-inflammation activities that potentially delay aging and provide therapeutic effects on aging-related diseases.In this review,we critically overview the experimental and clinical evidence in the past 20 years that support the beneficial function of NK in the prevention and treatment of aging-related diseases,including cardiovascular diseases,Alzheimer’s disease,other abnormalities and cancer.We focus on the underlying molecular mechanisms and recent advances in application methods that are aimed at further development of NK for healthier aging of modern society.The challenges and unsolved issues in this area are also discussed.

Anti-Oxidative Effects of Bioactive Compounds in Spirulina Microalgae and Bilberry

Spirulina and Bilberry are underexplored and underutilized in the food industry. Therefore, this research focuses on determining the antioxidative properties of Spirulina and Bilberry for future use in functional food product development. The objective was to determine the Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) in Spirulina and Bilberry extracts (Aqueous and Ethanol extracts) and their antioxidative potential (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP), Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC), and Nitric Oxide Radical Scavenging Ability (NORS)). Spirulina and Bilberry pure and combination samples [100% Spirulina (100S), 100% Bilberry (100B), 50% Spirulina + 50% Bilberry (50S + 50B), 75% Spirulina + 25% Bilberry (75S + 25B), & 25% Spirulina + 75% Bilberry (25S + 75B)], were extracted with aqueous (deionized water) and 80% ethanol solutions. Colorimetric antioxidant assays were used to determine total phenolics, total flavonoids, and their antioxidant potential. 80% ethanol Spirulina and Bilberry (pure and combination) extracts resulted in higher TFC, FRAP, and DPPH, whereas aqueous extracts had higher TPC, NORS, and TEAC, suggesting both hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactive compounds in Spirulina and Bilberry. Spirulina and Bilberry are two potential functional food ingredients for the food industry due to their antioxidative properties.

Valorization of malaysian tropical fruit seeds: A review of their nutrition, bioactivity, processing and food application

Malaysia produces varieties of tropical fruits such as durian, rambutan, jackfruit, mango, papaya, and mangosteen but the seeds are considered waste. The seeds contain beneficial nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, and minerals, and have high bioactive properties. Various processing methods have been applied to extract the seeds and apply them to the food system. The information is scattered and incomprehensive, therefore, this paper aims to review the chemical properties and biological activities of the selected tropical fruit seeds, and their processing and functional properties to the food. Most seeds are rich in carbohydrates but also contain various minerals and fatty acids. The antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-bacterial/anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyper cholesterol and anti-proliferative properties were also reported with rambutan and papaya seeds having the most bioactive properties. Novel and conventional extraction methods of the seeds, the functionality of the seeds to improve the food such as pasting and emulsifying properties, and their effect on the colour, texture, sensory and storage stability were also highlighted. In summary, all the selected seeds have the potential to be upcycled as food ingredients as they contain various nutrients while providing therapeutic and functional properties, however, further research can be considered to optimize the seeds' usability.

Microbial dynamics and key sensory traits of laboratory-scale co-fermented green olives (Olea europaea L. cv. Ascolana tenera) and sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.)

Table olives (Olea europaea L.) are one of the most important fermented vegetables worldwide, whereas sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) represents an emerging food crop, characterized by interesting nutritional and sensory qualities. Both are characterized by a high concentration of bioactive compounds with health beneficial effects. Thanks to these features, table olives and sea fennel undoubtedly represent two valuable ingredients for the manufacture of innovative vegetable preserves. Given these premises, the present study was aimed at exploring the co-fermentation of green olives and sea fennel to produce laboratory-scale prototypes of innovative high value preserves. To this end, the effects of two recipes, two standard methods for production of table olives, and two fermentation microbiota (resident or inoculated) were assessed. The prototypes were evaluated for their microbial dynamics as well as for key sensory traits by a panel of trained assessors. During the fermentation, all the prototypes showed a progressive pH reduction. Mesophilic lactobacilli, mesophilic lactococci, and yeasts were the main microbial groups at the end of the fermentation, while Enterobacteriaceae decreased during fermentation. Metataxonomic analysis revealed an evolution of the microbiota, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dominating in all the prototypes in the late stage of fermentation, irrespective of the recipe, processing method, and starter inoculation. A greater crunchiness and lower fibrousness were perceived in the Greek style prototypes, which were preferred than Spanish style prototypes by trained panelists.