Carcinogenic nitrosamine content of food products of the Moldavian SSR

The authors provide data concerning the content of carcinogenous N-nitrosocompounds in foods manufactured in the Moldavian SSR. Over 100 samples of foods of both vegetable and animal origin have been analyzed. It has been found that foods manufactured in the Moldavian SSR are contaminated with carcinogenous N-nitrosamines but to an insignificant degree. It is concluded that the degree of a relative risk may be regarded as negligible.     

Determination of N-nitrosamines in food products intended for long term storage

The content of carcinogenous N-nitrosoamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine) was determined fluorimetrically (as NBD-amines) in preserved products, food concentrates, dried fruit and mushrooms. No N-nitrosoamines were found in the concentrates and dried products. The content of N-nitrosamines did not exceed 3 g/kg. In some samples its content reached 19 microgram/kg.     

Nucleic acid components in carbohydrate-rich food]

The content of nucleic acid components in numerous foods, especially carbohydrate-rich ones, has been investigated. The data obtained for bases (purines and pyrimidines) were calculated as nucleic-acid equivalents (RNA or DNA); the IMP content was calculated from the measured content of hypoxanthine. Not only did cultivated plants such as cereals and pulses show a high RNA-equivalent content but also vegetables such as spinach, leek, broccoli, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower. We found the same results in mushrooms including oyster, flat, button (whitecaps) and cep mushrooms. In many vegetarian instant meals, the addition of autolysed or hydrolysed yeast caused a large increase in the purine content. Most natural foods which contain resting cell tissue, such as grains of seed, have only high-molecular-mass nucleic acid components with different concentrations; however, growing cell tissue (e.g. soya-bean sprouts) show, as well as the nucleic acids, some lower-molecular-mass compounds.     

Functional compounds from olive pomace to obtain high‐added value foods – a review

Olive pomace, the solid by‐product from virgin olive oil extraction, constitutes a remarkable source of functional compounds and has been exploited by several authors to formulate high value‐added foods and, consequently, to foster the sustainability of the olive‐oil chain. In this framework, the aim of the present review was to summarize the results on the application of functional compounds from olive pomace in food products. Phenolic‐rich extracts from olive pomace were added to vegetable oils, fish burgers, fermented milk, and in the edible coating of fruit, to take advantage of their antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. Olive pomace was also used directly in the formulation of pasta and baked goods, by exploiting polyunsaturated fatty acids, phenolic compounds, and dietary fiber to obtain high value‐added healthy foods and / or to extend their shelf‐life. With the same scope, olive pomace was also added to animal feeds, providing healthy, improved animal products. Different authors used olive pomace to produce biodegradable materials and / or active packaging able to increase the content of bioactive compounds and the oxidative stability of foods. Overall, the results highlighted, in most cases, the effectiveness of the addition of olive pomace‐derived functional compounds in improving nutritional value, quality, and / or the shelf‐life of foods. However, the direct addition of olive pomace was found to be more challenging, especially due to alterations in the sensory and textural features of food. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Organic and conventional fertilisation procedures on the nitrate,antioxidants and pesticide content in parts of vegetables

Different parts of plant foods are generally discarded by consumers such as peel, stalk and leaves, which could however possess a nutritional value. However, few studies have analysed the composition of these marginal foods. The phenolic compound, flavonoid, polyamine, nitrate and pesticide contents of parts of vegetables that are usually discarded – but which were cultivated according to conventional and non-conventional procedures – were analysed to provide suggestions on how to improve the consumption of these parts and to reduce the production of urban solid waste. Few, but significant, differences between the two manuring procedures were observed. Higher nitrate content and the presence of organochlorine pesticides were found in conventional cultivated papaya peel, lemon balm leaves, jack fruit pulp, and beet stalk and peel. Discarded parts of plant foods such as stalk, leaves and peels can be used as a source of antioxidant compounds, such as phenolic compounds.     

Review on the main differences between organic and conventional plant‐based foods

The present review reports on the main characteristics and properties of plants cultivated following organic and conventional procedures, in the attempt to clarify give a deeper insight into some possible differences and to compare the two cultivation procedures. Here, we summarise research results regarding nutritional and safety properties of vegetable foods, evidencing qualitative differences observed between the two cultivation methods. It appears that the intake of organic foods leads to some advantages, such as the ingestion of a higher content of phenolic compounds and some vitamins, such as vitamin C, and a lower content of nitrates and pesticides. From literature, it appears that a special care should be taken about the ingestion of foods in relation to the content of some substances, e.g. polyamines, substances stimulating cellular division, because some foods coming from organic origin present a higher content of these compounds, which could explain some of the effect of the diet on patients affected by certain syndromes.     

Food inhibitors of the formation of carcinogenic nitroso compounds

A study was made of the effect of plant preparations, pectin, plantastin, tiliaflan, cholosas and carbonic acid phytoextract from the fruit of the Umbelliferae family (CO2-EP) on the synthesis of carcinogenous nitrosodimethylamine from amidopyrine and sodium nitrite. Gas chromatography made in vitro and in short-term experiments on animals demonstrated plantastin to display an inhibitory action, which was less marked for tiliaflan, CO2-EP and cholosas. The system of experiments in question may be recommended for preliminary screening of the inhibitors of nitrosation with a purpose of using them for the prophylaxis of carcinogenesis induced by nitroso compounds.     

Biologically Active Components and Nutraceuticals in Peanuts and Related Products: Review

Peanuts are among the world's major oilseed crops. They are very nutritious with relatively high protein content and can be utilized in diverse ways. Their oil is very easily digested, and for this reason they are useful consumptives. Peanuts not only contain the so-called “good” fat (monounsaturated fat), but they are also high in a variety of helpful antioxidants, or chemicals that shield the damaging effects of free radicals. Peanuts are also a source of helpful biologically active components found in plant foods, such as phytochemicals. Some of the phytochemicals in peanuts include flavonoids and phenolic compounds. This article discusses bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals in peanuts that could be used in prevention and management of illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases. The biological activity of anti-nutritional factors in peanuts is also briefly discussed.     

Biologically Active Components and Nutraceuticals in Peanuts and Related Products: Review

Peanuts are among the world's major oilseed crops. They are very nutritious with relatively high protein content and can be utilized in diverse ways. Their oil is very easily digested, and for this reason they are useful consumptives. Peanuts not only contain the so-called “good” fat (monounsaturated fat), but they are also high in a variety of helpful antioxidants, or chemicals that shield the damaging effects of free radicals. Peanuts are also a source of helpful biologically active components found in plant foods, such as phytochemicals. Some of the phytochemicals in peanuts include flavonoids and phenolic compounds. This article discusses bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals in peanuts that could be used in prevention and management of illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases. The biological activity of anti-nutritional factors in peanuts is also briefly discussed.     

Improving public health?: The role of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetable beverages

Recent evaluations of diet quality in the UK reveal that two thirds of people still do not consume the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Fruit and vegetables contain high concentrations of bioactive compounds including antioxidants which may be beneficial to health. The precise nature of the health benefits which are to be gained from the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods is yet to be fully elucidated. There has been a visually evident increase in the number of beverages which use their antioxidant capacity as a marketing tool in recent years. This poses the question as to whether or not this is an entirely positive change. The aims of this review are to 1) summarise the current evidence supporting the health benefits of antioxidant-rich foods in CVD, cancer, neurological decline and diabetes, 2) summarise the antioxidant components of commonly consumed beverages, 3) investigate the emergence of new and novel beverage ingredients within the context of functional foods and 4) establish the potential role of antioxidant-rich beverages in human health. In conclusion, the evidence for specific health benefits which can be attributed to the antioxidant content of foods is still limited. However, antioxidant rich foods are most commonly from plant sources which contain a number of healthy components which make them a positive addition to the diet. Many compounds which display antioxidant activity (such as polyphenolic compounds) also have many other positive effects in the human system and therefore if consuming them on the basis of their antioxidant content increases consumption, then this can be viewed as a positive change in diet. Furthermore, the synergistic and interactive effects of antioxidant combinations from a mixed diet has not been adequately simulated in a research setting and the true nature of these interactions remains largely unknown.     

A Simple and Fast HPLC Method to Determine Lycopene in Foods

Carotenoids, among which lycopene—the principal pigment found in tomatoes—are lipophilic compounds which play a very important role in human health and nutrition. They are also recognised as strong antioxidants due to their ability to trap singlet oxygen and eliminate the peroxyl radical. The availability of reliable information on lycopene content of foods is essential both for the evaluation of diet and for epidemiological research relating the intake of lycopene. This paper describes a simple and fast HPLC/UV method for lycopene determination in a wide range of food products. All-E-lycopene together with its Z isomers were eluted isocratically using a carotenoid C30 reversed-phase column. The in-house validated HPLC method had a limit of quantification of 60 ng lycopene/g product and high precision and accuracy. The analytical method was successfully applied to several food products such as raw vegetables and fruits and also processed foods. Tomato and tomato-containing products contained the highest amounts of lycopene. While raw foods and minimally processed foods contained above 94% of all-E-lycopene, processed foods (such as soups, pasta sauces, pizza and cheese) contained from 76% to 87% of all-E-lycopene.     

发酵食品中生物胺检测技术研究进展

生物胺作为一类具有生物活性的小分子含氮化合物,是发酵食品中常见的代谢物之一,过量摄入会引起呼吸困难、心悸等不良反应,而在食品发酵过程中,由于原料中蛋白质含量高,且发酵微生物能够产生蛋白酶和氨基酸脱羧酶等因素,导致生物胺的产生和积累。同时生物胺与食品腐败密切相关,其含量可作为衡量食品质量和新鲜度的指标,因此,发酵食品中生物胺的定性和定量检测技术非常重要。本文综述了国内外目前针对发酵食品中生物胺的检测技术,分析其优缺点,并探讨了生物胺检测技术的发展趋势,为发酵食品中生物胺的检测提供技术基础和方法依据。     

Antioxidant capacity and major phenolic compounds of spices commonly consumed in China

The antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, and major phenolic compounds of a total of 19 commonly consumed spices in China were systematically investigated. Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with photodiode array detector (PDA) was used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds in the spice extracts. Galangal exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity, associated with the highest total phenolic content. Furthermore, galangin was identified as the principal phenolic component and the main contributor to the highest antioxidant capacity of galangal. Spices in the family Rutaceae and Lauraceae possessed very high antioxidant capacity and high levels of phenolics. Generally, chlorogenic acid and rutin were identified as the dominant phenolic compounds in the spice extracts. This study might provide useful information not only for human health, but also for screening new economic natural antioxidants that could be used in foods.     

Dietary proanthocyanidins: occurrence, dietary intake, bioavailability, and protection against cardiovascular disease

The French have one of the lowest incidences of coronary heart disease in the Western world despite a diet with a relatively high fat content. This phenomenon that has puzzled researchers worldwide for more than a decade is known as the 'French paradox' and has been linked to the high consumption of red wine in France. Red wine is rich in the complex polyphenols, the proanthocyanidins, and these compounds have recently attracted attention as potential cardiac-protective compounds. The present review summarizes the literature on proanthocyanidins with focus on their chemical structure, the occurrence, the daily intake from foods, the bioavailability and metabolism, and the evidence for a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases.     

Technologies for enhancement of bioactive components and potential health benefits of cereal and cereal-based foods: Research advances and application challenges

Cereal grains are a major source of human food and their production has steadily been increased during the last several decades to meet the demand of our increasing world population. The modernized society and the expansion of the cereal food industry created a need for highly efficient processing technologies, especially flour production. Earlier scientific research efforts have led to the invention of the modern steel roller mill, and the refined flour of wheat has become a basic component in most of cereal-based foods such as breads and pastries because of the unique functionality of wheat protein. On the other hand, epidemiological studies have found that consumption of whole cereal grains was health beneficial. The health benefit of whole cereal grain is attributed to the combined effects of micronutrients, phytochemicals, and dietary fibre, which are mainly located in the outer bran layer and the germ. However, the removal of bran and germ from cereal grains during polishing and milling results in refined flour and food products with lower bioactive compounds and dietary fibre contents than those from whole grain. Also, the level of bioactive compounds in cereal food is influenced by other food preparation procedures such as baking, cooking, extrusion, and puffing. Therefore, food scientists and nutritionists are searching for strategies and processing technologies to enhance the content and bioavailability of nutrients, bioactive compounds, and dietary fibre of cereal foods. The objective of this article was to review the research advances on technologies for the enhancement of bioactive compounds and dietary fibre contents of cereal and cereal-based foods. Bioactivities or biological effects of enhanced cereal and cereal-based foods are presented. Challenges facing the application of the proposed technologies in the food industry are also discussed.     

Interactions between proteins and phenolics: effects of food processing on the content and digestibility of phenolic compounds

Phenolic compounds have recently become one of the most interesting topics in different research areas, especially in food science and nutrition due to their health-promoting effects. Phenolic compounds are found together with macronutrients and micronutrients in foods and within several food systems. The coexistence of phenolics and other food components can lead to their interaction resulting in complex formation. This review article aims to cover the effects of thermal and non-thermal processing techniques on the protein–phenolic interaction especially focusing on the content and digestibility of phenolics by discussing recently published research articles. It is clear that the processing conditions and individual properties of phenolics and proteins are the most effective factors in the final content and intestinal fates of phenolic compounds. Besides, thermal and non-thermal treatments, such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, cold plasma, ultrasonication, and fermentation may induce alterations  in those interactions. Still, new investigations are required for different food processing treatments by using a wide range of food products to enlighten new functional and healthier food product design, to provide the optimized processing conditions of foods for obtaining better quality, higher nutritional properties, and health benefits. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.     

Biogenic Amines in Wines

Biogenic amines are low molecular weight organic compounds that occur in fermented foods and are produced mainly through the microbial decarboxylation of amino acids. Decarboxylation of several amino acids can form some biogenic amines in wines such as histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and phenylethylamine. Biogenic amines can cause direct or indirect toxicity when their concentrations are high in food. The enological importance of the biogenic amines in wines is due to their possible toxicological risks and the possibility of the relationship between high amine content and unsanitary conditions during wine production. Various analytical techniques have been developed for the determination of biogenic amines in wines. In this article, the presence, the formation, the microorganisms and the methods of determination of biogenic amines in wine and other fermented foods are reviewed.     

Impact of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Pasteurization on the Structure and the Extractability of Bioactive Compounds of Persimmon “Rojo Brillante”

Rojo Brillante is an astringent oriental persimmon variety with high levels of bioactive compounds such as soluble tannins, carotenoids, phenolic acids, and dietary fiber. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and pasteurization on the structure of the fruit and on the extractability of certain bioactive compounds. The microstructure was studied using light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and low temperature scanning electron microscopy, and certain physicochemical properties (carotenoid and total soluble tannin content, antioxidant activity, fiber content, color, and texture properties) were measured. The structural changes induced by HHP caused a rise in solute circulation in the tissues that could be responsible for the increased carotenoid level and the unchanged antioxidant activity in comparison with the untreated persimmon. In contrast, the changes that took place during pasteurization lowered the tannin content and antioxidant activity. Consequently, HHP treatment could improve the extraction of potentially bioactive compoundsxsts from persimmons. A high nutritional value ingredient to be used when formulating new functional foods could be obtained using HHP.     

Carotenoid content and composition in rose hips (Rosa spp.) during ripening,determination of suitable maturity marker and implications for health promoting food products

Carotenoids are important antioxidants and valuable bioactive compounds contributing to the health benefits of different foods, and rose hips are known for high bioactive content. This study investigated the content of carotenoids and chlorophylls in hips from four rose species during the ripening period. Carotenoid content varied greatly between harvesting times, although species and year, and interactions between factors, also played an important role. Some carotenoids were identified only in hips of specific rose species. Some of the investigated compounds decreased (chlorophyll a) or increased (lycopene) consistently over the ripening period and could therefore be useful as maturity markers. An optimal content of total or specific carotenoids, e.g. for food products containing rose hips, might be obtained by proper choice of harvesting time and rose species.     

ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF SPICES1

There is a renewed interest in the antimicrobial properties of spices. In vitro activities of several ground spices, their water and alcohol extracts, and their essential oils have been demonstrated in culture media. Studies in the last decade confirm growth inhibition of gram positive and gram negative food borne bacteria, yeast and mold by garlic, onion, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, sage and other spices. Effects in foods are limited to observations in pickles, bread, rice, and meat products. In general, higher spice levels are required to effect inhibition in foods than in culture media. Fat, protein, and water contents in foods affect microbial resistance as does salt content. Very few studies report on the effect of spices on spores, and on microbial inhibition in conjunction with preservatives and food processes. Of the recognized antimicrobial components in spices, the majority are phenol compounds with a molecular weight of 150 to 160 containing a hydroxyl group. Eugenol, carvacrol and thymol have been identified as the major antimicrobial compounds in cloves, cinnamon, sage and oregano.