What's new in chicken egg research and technology for human health promotion? - A review

BackgroundChicken eggs are considered to be nature's perfect food. The egg white is an excellent natural source of high quality protein, which is rich in essential amino acids. The yolk is a source of antioxidants, aromatic amino acids, carotenoids, vitamins, phospholipids and proteins, which not only provide nutritional value but also act pro-health and might prevent eg. from heart diseases. In turn eggshell supplies well absorbed by the human body minerals, of which the most important is calcium.Scope and approachIn this review the new trends in chicken egg research are showed. The egg components which are the most important for human health are described. This study shows also the methods of isolating the most important health-promoting ingredients from chicken eggs.Key Findings and Conclusion: Eggs are not only a highly nutritious food, but also a rich source of diverse bioactive components also including nutraceuticals. Therefore, the current research trends focus on the new look at the egg as a material acting as health-promoting functions. Currently carried out research also concern the development of new technologies for the production of bioactive ingredients of chicken eggs.These new trends introduce a new era in egg science and technology and the future of eggs and egg ingredients remains bright.     

Improving the bioavailability of phenolic compounds by loading them within lipid-based nanocarriers

BackgroundPhenolic compounds¹ are one of the main interested nutraceuticals in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The application of phenolics is limited due to their low bioavailability, low solubility, low stability, and un-targeted release. These limitations could be overcome by novel ‘‘lipid-based nano-encapsulation technologies’’ capable of appropriated and targeted delivery functions into foods.Scope and approachIn this review, preparation, application, and characterization of lipid-based nanocarriers for phenolics have been considered and discussed including nano-emulsions, nano-scale phospholipids, and nanostructured lipid carriers. The bioavailability of nano-encapsulated phenolic products and capability of them to produce functional foods have been considered as well.Key findings and conclusionsIn the food and nutraceutical industries, the main aims of loading phenolics into nanocarriers are masking their undesirable flavor for oral administration, providing high stability and high absorption, and better release in gastrointestinal (GIT) conditions. Compared with micro-sized carriers, nanocapsules based on lipid formulations provide more surface area and have the potential to enhance solubility, improve bioavailability, and ameliorate controlled release of the nano-encapsulated phenolic compounds.     

Recent development of lactoferrin-based vehicles for the delivery of bioactive compounds: Complexes,emulsions, and nanoparticles

BackgroundLactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein that exhibits a variety of potentially beneficial biological activities and has favorable safety and biocompatibility characteristics. For these reasons, LF has been widely used as a functional component in the medical, food, and cosmetic industries. Applications of LF-based materials, such as complexes, nanoparticles, hydrogels and emulsions, to encapsulate, protect and deliver bioactive compounds is gaining increasing attention.Scope and approachThis review highlights the considerable potential of LF-based encapsulation and delivery systems by summarizing research progress on the structure, physicochemical properties, and biological activities of LF. In particular, it highlights advances in utilizing LF-based nanocarriers as natural vehicles for nutraceutical delivery and release, as well as strategies for encapsulating LF as a functional ingredient.Key findings and conclusionsFunctional LF-biopolymer complexes can be formed by heat treatment, covalent conjugation or electrostatic assembly under appropriate fabrication conditions. These complexes have been shown to be highly effective for the oral delivery of nutraceuticals and drugs. LF can also be utilized to fabricate emulsions, nanoparticles, or microgels to improve the stability and bioaccessibility of bioactive components. However, there are still a number of challenges associated with optimizing the performance of LF-based delivery systems so that they can be used in commercial applications.     

Legume proteins are smart carriers to encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria: A review

Encapsulation is a promising technological process enabling the protection of bioactive compounds against harsh storage, processing, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions. Legume proteins (LPs) are unique carriers that can efficiently encapsulate these unstable and highly reactive ingredients. Stable LPs-based microcapsules loaded with active ingredients can thus develop to be embedded into processed functional foods. The recent advances in micro- and nanoencapsulation process of an extensive span of bioactive health-promoting probiotics and chemical compounds such as marine and plant fatty acid-rich oils, carotenoid pigments, vitamins, flavors, essential oils, phenolic and anthocyanin-rich extracts, iron, and phytase by LPs as single wall materials were highlighted. A technical summary of the use of single LP-based carriers in designing innovative delivery systems for natural bioactive molecules and probiotics was made. The encapsulation mechanisms, encapsulation efficiency, physicochemical and thermal stability, as well as the release and absorption behavior of bioactives were comprehensively discussed. Protein isolates and concentrates of soy and pea were the most common LPs to encapsulate nutraceuticals and probiotics. The microencapsulation of probiotics using LPs improved bacteria survivability, storage stability, and tolerance in the in vitro GIT conditions. Moreover, homogenization and high-pressure pretreatments as well as enzymatic cross-linking of LPs significantly modify their structure and functionality to better encapsulate the bioactive core materials. LPs can be attractive delivery devices for the controlled release and increased bioaccessibility of the main food-grade bioactives.     

Chitosan coatings enriched with essential oils: Effects on fungi involved in fruit decay and mechanisms of action

BackgroundPesticides have a negative impact on the health of consumers and on the environment, and as a consequence, the use of naturally occurring antimicrobial agents have become more popular to prevent food spoilage. An alternative is the use of chitosan, because of its antimicrobial, antioxidant activities and its capacity to form films having good mechanical properties. Chitosan has been used in the preparation of films and coatings for the preservation of different food products, and the addition of essential oils have been shown to be a good strategy to improve its antimicrobial activity in situ.Scope and approachThis review compiles information related to studies and research that employ chitosan as matrix for films, coatings and nanogels with essential oils extracted from plants, as antifungal agent. A special emphasis has been addressed to the effect exerted on the most pathogenic fungi for crops, also highlighting the mechanisms of action that researchers attribute to the composite, together with inhibition data.Key Findings and ConclusionEffective natural treatments, using chitosan-essential oils films or nano-emulsions, improve the preservation of fruit in terms of fungal decay. The effect is particularly dependent on the ability to release the antimicrobial compounds from the polymer matrix, the type of essential oils, the fungal species, and the incubation temperature. Several efforts are still required to understand in detail the mechanism of degradation of perishable food, how the chitosan-essential oils composites control or inhibit food decay, the effects on other pathogenic and non-pathogenic moulds as well as on the production of mycotoxins.     

Application of artificial neural networks to the prediction of the antioxidant activity of essential oils in two experimental in vitro models

Introduction

The antioxidant properties of essential oils (EOs) have been on the centre of intensive research for their potential use as preservatives or nutraceuticals by the food industry. The enormous amount of information already generated on this subject provides a rich field for data-miners as it is conceivable, with suitable computational techniques, to predict the antioxidant capacity of any essential oil just by knowing its particular chemical composition. To accomplish this task we here report on the design, training and validation of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) able to predict the antioxidant activity of EOs of known chemical composition.

Methods

A multilayer ANN with 30 input neurons, 42 in hidden layers (20 → 15 → 7) and one neuron in the output layer was developed and run using Fast Artificial Neural Network software. The chemical composition of 32 EOs and their antioxidant activity in the DPPH and linoleic acid models were extracted from the scientific literature and used as input values. From the initial set of around 80 compounds present in these EOs, only 30 compounds with relevant antioxidant capacity were selected to avoid excessive complexity of the neural network and minimise the associated structural problems.

Results and discussion

The ANN could predict the antioxidant capacities of essential oils of known chemical composition in both the DPPH and linoleic acid assays with an average error of only 3.16% and 1.46%, respectively. We also discuss on the contribution of different compounds to these chemical activities.

Conclusions

These results confirm that artificial neural networks are reliable, fast and cheap tools for predicting antioxidant activity of essential oils from some of its components and can be used to model biochemical properties of complex natural products including the prediction of parameters associated with nutraceutical properties of food ingredients.     

Use of encapsulated natural compounds as antimicrobial additives in food packaging: A brief review

BackgroundSynthetic chemical preservatives in food can be harmful to human health. These problems have increasingly attracted concern and interest from researchers, which has led to the study and application of non-toxic essential oils with preservative ability in food products and food packaging. A great challenge in this sense is their facile degradation during processing of the food and manufacturing processes during food packing.Scope and approachEncapsulation is an interesting technique to improve the physical-chemical and microbiological stability of these essential oils, as well as to achieve controlled release. This review provides a detailed overview of encapsulation in the food industry, focusing on the application of procedures to encapsulate antimicrobial essential oils.Key findings and conclusionsThis review focuses on recent studies related to nanotechnology and the nano and microencapsulation of essential oils. This study provides valuable insight that may be useful for identifying trends in the commercialization of nanotechnological products or for identifying new research areas. The results published to date confirm that the encapsulation promotes the protection of active compounds, enabling industrial applications of active packaging.     

Bioavailability of nutraceuticals: Role of the food matrix,processing conditions,the gastrointestinal tract,and nanodelivery systems

Nowadays, many consumers prefer foods with a high content of nutraceuticals that contribute to the prevention or healing of chronic diseases. Therefore, in recent years, more and more researchers have studied the bioefficiency, safety, and toxicity of nutraceutical‐enriched foods. The key stage of nutraceutical bioefficiency is oral bioavailability, which involves the following processes: the release of nutraceuticals from food matrices or nanocarriers in gastrointestinal fluids, the solubilization of nutraceuticals and their interaction with other components of gastrointestinal fluids, the absorption of nutraceuticals by the epithelial layer, and the chemical and biochemical transformations into epithelial cells. These processes are endogenous factors that greatly influence the bioavailability of nutraceuticals. In addition to endogenous factors, the bioavailability of nutraceuticals is also affected by exogenous factors, such as: physicochemical properties of nutraceuticals, food matrix, food processing and storage, and so forth. Both the endogenous and exogenous factors are comprehensively analyzed in this review. Thus, the physicochemical and enzymatic processes involved in food digestion are described, highlighting the role of each stage of gastrointestinal tract (mouth, stomach, and intestine) in nutraceuticals bioaccessibility. The structure and functions of the mucus and epithelial layers, the mechanisms involved in the active and passive transport of nutraceuticals through the cell membrane, and phase I and phase II metabolism reactions are also discussed. Finally, this review focuses on several types of bioactive‐loaded nanocarriers such as lipid‐based, surfactant‐based, and biopolymeric nanocarriers that improve the bioavailability of nutraceuticals.     

Microencapsulation of active ingredients in functional foods: From research stage to commercial food products

BackgroundTwelves categories of active ingredients have been recognised to enhance human health. They are to some extent susceptible to certain conditions such as heat, light and low pH. To reduce their susceptibility and achieve controlled release at the target site, various microencapsulation strategies have been introduced.Scope and approachIn this review, the chemical structures, physicochemical properties and beneficial effects of the active components are summarised. Different encapsulation techniques and tailored shell materials have been investigated to optimise the functional properties of microcapsules. Several encapsulated constituents (e.g., amino acids) have been successfully incorporated into food products while others such as lactic acid bacteria are mostly used in the free format. Encapsulating some of these active ingredients will extend their ability to withstand process conditions such as heat and shear, and prolong their shelf stability.Key findings and conclusionsThe functional properties of a microcapsule are encapsulation efficiency, size, morphology, stability, and release characteristics. Several microencapsulation strategies include the use of double emulsions, hybrid wall materials and crosslinkers, increasing intermolecular attraction between shell and core, physical shielding of shell materials, and the addition of certain ions. Other approaches such as the use of hardening agents, nanoencapsulation, or secondary core materials, and the choice of shell materials possessing specific interactions with the core may be used to achieve targeted release of active ingredients. The physicochemical properties of shell materials influence where the active ingredients will be released in vivo. A suitable microencapsulation strategy of active ingredients will therefore expand their applications in the functional foods industry.     

Microencapsulation of antioxidant compounds through innovative technologies and its specific application in meat processing

BackgroundMeat has a complex physical structure and chemical composition that is very prone to oxidation. Plants are sources of biologically active compounds (antioxidants) of interest as potential raw materials for meat processing, primary as replacements for synthetic additives. Some examples are essential oils from aromatic plants that are usually unstable under common processing and storage conditions and exhibit strong smell and off flavour. Hence, stable delivery systems like encapsulation are required.Scope and approachEncapsulation, and particularly spray-drying, offers protection of active compounds, their controlled and targeted release in food products and ability to mask unacceptable odours in products.Key findings and conclusionsAlbeit current results are promising for microparticles and nanomaterials, more research is needed to evaluate the application of various natural ingredients in meat processing. Direction of future research should address functionality of systems, consumers’ health concerns and benefits, better sensory acceptance, reduced operating costs, scalability for industrial needs, and size of environmental footprints.     

Lupin seed γ-conglutin: Extraction and purification methods - A review

BackgroundLupin, the largest legume crop in Australia, is gaining global attention because of its unique protein γ-conglutin, which has shown promise as a nutraceutical for controlling blood glucose level and thus reducing the risk of type II diabetes development. Type II diabetes is a chronic condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide, which urgently requires natural side effect free therapies as alternatives to currently used drugs. Purification of γ-conglutin opens up a new avenue for high-value products from lupin seeds as nutraceuticals, the market for which is predicted to reach US$ 250 billion by 2018 (Dutta, Mahabir, & Pathak, 2013).Scope and approachPreviously, several research groups have reported trials on extracting and purifying proteins from lupin seed. However, most of these methods have focussed on protein isolates as food ingredients. Very few reports have aimed to purify γ-conglutin from the total proteins, but the methods reported are time-consuming and unsuitable for commercial scale production of high purity γ-conglutin due to the involvement of many processing steps for nutraceutical application. Hence there is a need to fully understand all reported γ-conglutin extraction and purification processes in terms of their advantages and limitations, so that an effective scalable purification process for nutraceutical grade γ-conglutin may be designed in the future.Key findings and conclusionsThis article reviews reported extraction and purification methods for γ-conglutin, to provide a basis for the development of novel purification technique/process for this potentially highly valuable protein.     

Application of starch microcapsules containing essential oil in food preservation

Abstract

Consumers' pursuit to a healthy lifestyle has promoted people to develop new technologies that can prolong the shelf life of food without the use of preservatives. Compared with other types of preservation, edible microcapsules containing essential oils (EOs) are becoming more and more popular especially the starch microcapsules containing essential oil (EOs-starch microcapsules) because of their environmentally friendly, healthier characteristics and the ability to carry active ingredients. In addition, the EOs-starch microcapsules can also reduce the flavor influence and prolong the action time of essential oil on food through its slow release effect, which can promote the use of EOs in food. Understanding the different collocation of edible starch microcapsules and EOs and the related antibacterial mechanism will be more effective and targeted to promote the application of EOs in the real food system. The review focus on the contribution of EOs-starch microcapsules to prolong the shelf life of food products, (1) binding characteristics of EOs-starch microcapsules were analyzed, (2) systematically summarizing the main materials and methods for preparing the EOs-microcapsules, (3) specifically addressing the action mechanisms of EOs-starch microcapsules on microorganism, (4) discussing the applications of EOs-starch microcapsules in specific food.     

Marine microorganisms: An emerging avenue in modern nutraceuticals and functional foods

Marine microorganisms have received mounting attention in biodiscoveries due to their exclusive physicochemical characteristics which have been acquired as an adaptation to prevailing extreme conditions in the marine environment. It has been noticed that those unique marine microbes and their biologically active metabolites are potential sources to be used as sustainable food and pharmaceutical ingredients. Even though dozens of research articles demonstrate the immense potentials of marine microbial metabolites as lead compounds in drugs and pharmaceutical developments, their role as food ingredients is poorly addressed. However, recent advances in food technology have opened up a number of novel avenues to develop natural substances as food or food ingredients. In this context, this review aims at revealing and discussing prospective applications of marine microorganisms and their metabolites in modern nutraceuticals and functional foods.     

Genetic bases of the nutritional approach to migraine

ABSTRACT

Migraine is a common multifactorial and polygenic neurological disabling disorder characterized by a genetic background and associated to environmental, hormonal and food stimulations. A large series of evidence suggest a strong correlation between nutrition and migraine and indicates several commonly foods, food additives and beverages that may be involved in the mechanisms triggering the headache attack in migraine-susceptible persons. There are foods and drinks, or ingredients of the same, that can trigger the migraine crisis as well as some foods play a protective function depending on the specific genetic sensitivity of the subject. The recent biotechnological advances have enhanced the identification of some genetic factors involved in onset diseases and the identification of sequence variants of genes responsible for the individual sensitivity to migraine trigger-foods. Therefore many studies are aimed at the analysis of polymorphisms of genes coding for the enzymes involved in the metabolism of food factors in order to clarify the different ways in which people respond to foods based on their genetic constitution.

This review discusses the latest knowledge and scientific evidence of the role of gene variants and nutrients, food additives and nutraceuticals interactions in migraine.     

κ-Casein Macropeptides from Cheese Whey: Physicochemical,Biological, Nutritional,and Technological Features for Possible Uses

Abstract

κ-Casein macropeptide (CMP), one of the components of whey, is produced during cheese making. Whey production has grown enormously in the last three decades and will continue to grow, along with cheese production. There is an increased interest in research for new applications of food industry by-products in order to avoid their extensive elimination and negative environmental implications. In this respect, CMP has been the focus of extensive scientific research that has proven its value as a functional and bioactive peptide, as well as a source of biologically active peptides. This article evaluates the possibilities and future perspectives of the use of CMP and related peptides obtained from cheese whey from different ruminant species. Physicochemical, technological, biological, and nutritional aspects are considered, and processes for analysis, fractionation, and separation are reviewed. The objective is to help to promote further exploitation of cheese industry coproducts for the preparation of high added-value ingredients to be included in the composition of nutraceuticals or functional food products.     

Bioactive edible films for food applications: mechanisms of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

Abstract

In order to improve the quality of food and to extend their shelf life, a new generation of active edible films is being especially intended after the incorporation of organic acids, enzymes, antimicrobial proteins, phenolic compounds, or other functional ingredients such as probiotics, flavors, vitamins and nutraceuticals. These active compounds have different mechanisms of action related to their structure, their concentration, the nature of micro-organism targeted, the process of encapsulation or incorporation in the biopolymer film-networks. The application of the active films by direct contact or indirect contact via the head space also affects the bioactivity of these compounds. This article critically reviews the published work on active edible-films and their applications for food preservation. The classes of active compounds and their action mechanisms are firstly discussed. Then, an extended overview on their effect on model food (simulants) or on real food during storage was also addressed. Edible films offer two main advantages over the direct incorporation of the antimicrobial or antioxidant agents into the bulk food: 1) to control the diffusion of active compounds at the surface of the food and 2) to reduce the amount of preservatives added in the food.     

New Trends in the Microencapsulation of Functional Fatty Acid‐Rich Oils Using Transglutaminase Catalyzed Crosslinking

Preparing stable protein‐based microcapsules containing functional fatty acids and oils for food applications has been a big challenge. However, recent advances with transglutaminase (TGase) enzyme as an effective protein cross‐linker could provide workable solutions for the encapsulation of omega‐3 and omega‐6 fatty acids without compromising their targeted release and their biological and physicochemical characteristics. The recent and available literature related to the microencapsulation techniques, physical and oxidative properties, and core retention and release mechanisms of TGase‐crosslinked microcapsules entrapping edible oils were reviewed. The effects of factors involved in microencapsulation processes, on the efficiency and quality of the produced innovative microcapsules were also discussed and highlighted. A brief focus has been finally addressed to new insights and additional knowledge on micro‐ and nanoencapsulation of lipophilic food‐grade ingredients by TGase‐induced gelation. Two dominant microencapsulation methods for fish, vegetable, and essential oils by TGase‐crosslinking are complex coacervation and emulsion‐based spray drying. The developed spherical particles (<100 μm) with some wrinkles and smooth surfaces showed an excellent encapsulation efficiency and yield. A negligible release rate and a substantial retention level can result for different lipid‐based cores covered by TGase‐crosslinked proteins during the oral digestion and storage. A significant structural, thermal and oxidative stability for edible oils‐loaded microcapsules in the presence of TGase can be also obtained.     

Application of edible coating with essential oil in food preservation

Abstract

Compared with other types of packaging, edible coatings are becoming more and more popular because of their more environmentally friendly properties and active ingredients carrying ability.

The edible coating can reduce the influence of essential oils (EOs) on the flavor of the product and also can prolong the action time of EOs through the slow-release effect, which effectively promote the application of EOs in food. Understanding the different combinations of edible coatings and EOs as well as their antimicrobial effects on different microorganisms will be more powerful and targeted to promote the application of EOs in real food systems.

The review focus on the contribution of the combination of EOs and edible coatings (EO-edible coatings) to prolong the shelf life of food products, (1) specifically addressing the main materials used in the preparation of EO-edible coatings and the application of EO-edible coatings in the product, (2) systematically summarizing the main production method of EO-edible coatings, (3) discussing the antiseptic activity of EO-edible coatings on different microorganisms in food.     

Protein‐Based Delivery Systems for the Nanoencapsulation of Food Ingredients

Many proteins possess functional attributes that make them suitable for the encapsulation of bioactive agents, such as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. This article reviews the state of the art of protein‐based nanoencapsulation approaches. The physicochemical principles underlying the major techniques for the fabrication of nanoparticles, nanogels, and nanofibers from animal, botanical, and recombinant proteins are described. Protein modification approaches that can be used to extend their functionality in these nanocarrier systems are also described, including chemical, physical, and enzymatic treatments. The encapsulation, retention, protection, and release of bioactive agents in different protein‐based nanocarriers are discussed. Finally, some of the major challenges in the design and fabrication of protein‐based delivery systems are highlighted.     

Natural antimicrobial/antioxidant agents in meat and poultry products as well as fruits and vegetables: A review

Synthetic preservatives are widely used by the food industry to control the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms and to inhibit the process of lipid oxidation extending the shelf-life, quality and safety of food products. However, consumer's preference for natural food additives and concern regarding the safety of synthetic preservatives prompted the food industry to look for natural alternatives. Natural antimicrobials, including plant extracts and their essential oils, enzymes, peptides, bacteriocins, bacteriophages, and fermented ingredients have all been shown to have the potential for use as alternatives to chemical antimicrobials. Some spices, herbs and other plant extracts were also reported to be strong antioxidants. The antimicrobial/antioxidant activities of some plant extracts and/or their essential oils are mainly due to the presence of some major bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, terpenes, aldehydes, and flavonoids. The proposed mechanisms of action of these natural preservatives are reported. An overview of the research done on the direct incorporation of natural preservatives agents into meat and poultry products as well as fruit and vegetables to extend their shelf-life is presented. The development of edible packaging materials containing natural preservatives is growing and their applications in selected food products are also presented in this review.