Safety of Novel Protein Sources (Insects,Microalgae, Seaweed,Duckweed, and Rapeseed) and Legislative Aspects for Their Application in Food and Feed Production

Novel protein sources (like insects, algae, duckweed, and rapeseed) are expected to enter the European feed and food market as replacers for animal‐derived proteins. However, food safety aspects of these novel protein sources are not well‐known. The aim of this article is to review the state of the art on the safety of major novel protein sources for feed and food production, in particular insects, algae (microalgae and seaweed), duckweed, and rapeseed. Potential hazards for these protein sources are described and EU legislative requirements as regard to food and feed safety are explained. Potential hazards may include a range of contaminants, like heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, as well as pathogens. Some safety aspects of novel protein sources are intrinsic to the product, but many potential hazards can also be due to production methods and processing conditions. These aspects should be considered in advance during product development. European law is unclear on several issues regarding the use of novel protein sources in food and feed products. For food product applications, the most important question for food producers is whether or not the product is considered a novel food. One of the major unclarities for feed applications is whether or not products with insects are considered animal‐derived products or not. Due to the unclarities in European law, it is not always clear which Regulation and maximum levels for contaminants apply. For market introduction, European legislation should be adjusted and clarified.     

A Comprehensive Overview on Microalgal-Fortified/Based Food and Beverages

ABSTRACT

Microalgae produce a variety of compounds that can be used for aquaculture, nutraceutical purposes, and third-generation biofuel sectors. Moreover, they have been considered for the production of fortified food and beverages claiming to be healthier than other foods. Using microalgal oil or incorporating microalgae biomass or their metabolites in food and beverages provides health benefits due to properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune-enhancing, and to their role against various diseases such as cardiovascular metabolic, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. This review focuses on the worldwide research carried out about the incorporation of microalgae – either biomass or their high-value compounds – in food and beverages, and on the microalgal fortified/based food and beverages currently present worldwide on the market. The metabolites bioavailability aspect and the current legislation are considered. There is an ever-growing interest in this field but the volume of production is still limited. Various challenges, one of which is the cost of producing biomass, need to be overcome for a profitable market. More effort, involving different expertise, is needed to improve the microalgal production system, from cultivation to harvesting and biorefinery, to produce improved novel products.     

Commercial applications of microalgae

The first use of microalgae by humans dates back 2000 years to the Chinese, who used Nostoc to survive during famine. However, microalgal biotechnology only really began to develop in the middle of the last century. Nowadays, there are numerous commercial applications of microalgae. For example, (i) microalgae can be used to enhance the nutritional value of food and animal feed owing to their chemical composition, (ii) they play a crucial role in aquaculture and (iii) they can be incorporated into cosmetics. Moreover, they are cultivated as a source of highly valuable molecules. For example, polyunsaturated fatty acid oils are added to infant formulas and nutritional supplements and pigments are important as natural dyes. Stable isotope biochemicals help in structural determination and metabolic studies. Future research should focus on the improvement of production systems and the genetic modification of strains. Microalgal products would in that way become even more diversified and economically competitive.     

虾青素的应用及其商业化生产

虾青素是一种氧化胡萝卜素,作为着色剂在水产养殖和家禽养殖行业已经得到广泛的应用。同时由于虾青素超强的抗氧化作用,作为医药保健品也具有巨大的市场潜力。目前市场上的虾青素主要是人工合成的产品,利用微藻生产虾青素还存在一些技术上的问题。但是随着人们对天然产品的逐步认可和微藻生物技术的不断进步,大规模培养红球藻商业化生产天然虾青素是一种很有开发前景的产业。     

The Evolution and Versatility of Microalgal Biotechnology: A Review

Microalgal biotechnology has emerged due to the health‐promoting properties of microalgae related to their bioactive compounds and the great diversity of products that can be developed from algal biomass. Microalgal biomasses have been produced industrially for applications in different fields such as food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and animal feed industries. They can be cultivated either in open systems or in closed systems (photobioreactors). Another important area is the use of microalgal biomass for energy production. It has become obvious that petroleum‐derived fuels are unsustainable, due to depleting world reserves and greenhouse gas emissions. Microalgae can provide several different types of renewable biofuels. These include methane produced by anaerobic digestion of the algal biomass, biodiesel derived from trans‐esterification of microalgal lipids, bioethanol produced from carbohydrate fermentations, and photobiologically produced biohydrogen. The idea of using microalgae as a source of fuel is not new. However, it is now being taken seriously because of increases in petroleum prices and, more significantly, the increasing concern about global warming as associated with burning fossil fuels. This review offers an update on information about microalgae, specifically emphasizing their biotechnological importance.     

微藻规模化培养研究进展

随着全球人口的增长,粮食生产逐渐呈现供不应求的局面,与此同时,日趋下降的环境质量也在迫使传统的食品供应体系发生改变。微藻中含有丰富的宏量营养素和生物活性物质,不仅可以为人体提供营养,而且具有抗氧化、抗菌、免疫调节等功能,作为潜在的食品原料新来源,受到越来越多的关注。本文综述了微藻的特征及可食用种类,详细介绍了微藻蛋白、多不饱和脂肪酸、多糖和其它生物活性物质的生理活性功能,深入讨论了其在替代肉类蛋白、补偿减盐食品风味、抑菌防腐和功能性食品开发方面的应用潜力及前景,总结了其在食品应用中现存的问题与挑战,展望未来的发展方向,旨在为微藻类食品的开发和食品新资源的探索提供理论参考。

     

Consumers' beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified foods, based on the 'perceived safety vs. benefits' perspective

It has been repeatedly claimed that the application of genetic engineering in the field of agricultural and food production is both beneficial and advantageous. However, biotechnology is developing in an environment where public concerns about food safety and environmental protection are steadily increasing. The present study aims at gaining an insight into Greek consumers’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified (GM) food products. The objectives of this study are summarized as follows (i) to provide evidence that consumer beliefs are built around the ‘safety‐benefits’ axis, and (ii) to segment the Greek market in terms of consumer beliefs about GM food products and identify a number of clusters with clear‐cut behavioural profiles. Although the overall attitude of Greek consumers towards GM food is negative, the research very interestingly concludes that there exists a market segment of substantial size, whose beliefs about GM food appears to be positive. This finding suggests that there is not a ‘consensus’ regarding the rejection of GM foods in the Greek market as one might have expected thus ‘encouraging’ the implementation of adequate marketing strategies to target this segment of ‘early adopters’ in the first place.     

Enhancing production of microalgal biopigments through metabolic and genetic engineering

Abstract

The versatile use of biopigments in food, feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and analytical industries emphasized to find different and renewable sources of biopigments. Microalgae, including cyanobacteria, are becoming a potential candidate for pigment production as these have fast-growing ability, high pigment content, highly variable and also have “Generally recognized as safe” status. These algal groups are known to produce different metabolites that include hormones, vitamins, biopolythene and biochemicals. We discuss here the potential use of microalgal biopigments in our daily life as well as in food and cosmetic industries. Pigment like carotenoids has many health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties and also provide photo-protection against UV radiation. This review details the effect of various abiotic and biotic factors such as temperature, light, nutrition on maximizing the pigment content in the microalgal cell. This review also highlights the potential of microalgae, whether in present native or engineered strain including the many metabolic strategies which are used or can be used to produce a higher amount of these valuable biopigments. Additionally, future challenges in the context of pigment production have also been discussed.     

宠物罐头食品的营养调控及工艺优化研究进展

宠物罐头作为满足宠物犬猫营养和能量需要的重要主食饲料来源之一,近几年其规模逐渐增大,产品日益受到养宠主人的青睐.相比传统的膨化干粮,宠物罐头具有更好的适口性,更高的能量密度.本研究从宠物罐头的适口性、营养学特点、凝胶剂的选择及微生物控制等方面系统阐述宠物罐头的生产工艺要点和国内外研究进展,以期能够规范宠物罐头市场,促进...     

Availability and Utilization of Pigments from Microalgae

Microalgae are the major photosynthesizers on earth and produce important pigments that include chlorophyll a, b and c, β-carotene, astaxanthin, xanthophylls, and phycobiliproteins. Presently, synthetic colorants are used in food, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. However, due to problems associated with the harmful effects of synthetic colorants, exploitation of microalgal pigments as a source of natural colors becomes an attractive option. There are various factors such as nutrient availability, salinity, pH, temperature, light wavelength, and light intensity that affect pigment production in microalgae. This paper reviews the availability and characteristics of microalgal pigments, factors affecting pigment production, and the application of pigments produced from microalgae. The potential of microalgal pigments as a source of natural colors is enormous as an alternative to synthetic coloring agents, which has limited applications due to regulatory practice for health reasons.     

Hempseed as a nutritious and healthy human food or animal feed source: a review

Hempseed products are projected to receive great potentials due to the rapid growth in the US market. Industrial hemp has been an important crop for food, fibre and medicine applications. Hempseed products can be used as nutraceutical supplements and functional foods for human and can be applied for animal feed. This review provides a comprehensive summary of nutritional quality and health benefits of hempseed which is attributed to high levels of essential fatty acids and other PUFAs in the oil, with a rich source of essential amino acids in highly digestible protein. This review examines the impact of extraction methods on oil yield and bioactive compounds, nutrition value, and food application of hemp protein-extracted products, including meal, protein isolate and protein concentrate. Recent research related to the understanding chemical composition, nutritional value, health benefits, processing impact, functional properties of hempseed products, and their application for food and feed is presented.     

An overview of genetically modified crop governance,issues and challenges in Malaysia

The application of agricultural biotechnology attracts the interest of many stakeholders. Genetically modified (GM) crops, for example, have been rapidly increasing in production for the last 20 years. Despite their known benefits, GM crops also pose many concerns not only to human and animal health but also to the environment. Malaysia, in general, allows the use of GM technology applications but it has to come with precautionary and safety measures consistent with the international obligations and domestic legal frameworks. This paper provides an overview of GM crop technology from international and national context and explores the governance and issues surrounding this technology application in Malaysia. Basically, GM research activities in Malaysia are still at an early stage of research and development and most of the GM crops approved for release are limited for food, feed and processing purposes. Even though Malaysia has not planted any GM crops commercially, actions toward such a direction seem promising. Several issues concerning GM crops as discussed in this paper will become more complex as the number of GM crops and varieties commercialised globally increase and Malaysia starts to plant GM crops. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Taiwan's GM foods labelling legislation — a review

Genetically engineered food products have several advantages over their conventional counterparts; i.e. improvement of production traits is rapid, and genetic information can be transferred across species. However, introduction of a new gene into food crops may lead to emergence of altered composition and nutritional value, allergenicity and toxicity. To meet the requirements to environmental and food safety, sale of GM foods in Taiwan must comply with regulations, guidelines and labelling of various governmental agencies. Among these agencies, the Department of Health is responsible for the safety and labelling of GM foods, and has promulgated regulations stipulating the labelling of food products containing GM ingredients. Our initial step on the mandatory labelling of GM foods would let consumers to decide to purchase GM products.     

Review of the applications of metabolomics approaches in dairy science: From factory to human

Dairy products are nutritious and are increasingly consumed as an important dietary component in China. Exploring the factors that affect the nutritional quality of dairy products and ensuring their safety have become the main focus of dairy research. The composition of metabolites in dairy products is large and complex. The levels and types of metabolites vary according to various factors in the process from factory to human dining table. Therefore, metabolites might be used to assess the nutritional value, traceability and authenticity, and physiological function of dairy products. This review's main goal is to introduce the most recent developments and applications of metabolomics as an efficient tool for comprehensively characterising the composition and dynamic changes of metabolites in the area of food science and nutrition research in the process of getting dairy products from factory to human. The examples are taken from the most relevant metabolomics work published from 2018 to 2022, focusing on potential marker metabolites and metabolic mechanisms related to dairy product quality, authenticity/traceability and dairy intake monitoring. The future direction of metabolomics in the field of dairy science was also discussed. This information will provide a reference for the further application of metabolomics technology to Chinese dairy products to develop their quality, safety and nutritional value.     

酵母菌的益生功能及在食品中的应用

酵母菌与我们生活密不可分,已在食品、饮料、饲料、工业乙醇等领域得到广泛应用。酵母菌除了发酵功能外,在益生方面也显示出了重要作用。与传统益生菌相比,酵母菌在治疗腹泻疾病、提高免疫力、增强营养等方面都有显著效果,且酵母菌的代谢产物（二氧化碳和乙醇）对食品种类和风味都有积极贡献。酵母菌在食品中应用的文献数不胜数,但描述其益生功能的文献却不多。本文综述了近几年有关酵母菌在抑菌、降胆固醇、治疗腹泻方面的研究进展以及在酒、乳品、酵素生产中的应用,同时对酵母菌的安全性、应用局限及未来发展做了展望。     

+UVA treatment increases the degree of unsaturation in microalgal fatty acids and total carotenoid content in Nitzschia closterium (Bacillariophyceae) and Isochrysis zhangjiangensis (Chrysophyceae)

The production of metabolites by microalgae is affected by environmental conditions in which they are living. The metabolic responses of two marine microalgae, Nitzschia closterium and Isochrysis zhangjiangensis, to a 3-day UVA-stress and 3-day UVA-recovery treatment were compared, based on their growth, fatty acid profiles and content of total carotenoids. When cultured under photosynthetically active radiation, coupled with UVA treatment, both microalgae underwent a significant increase in their growth during the UVA-recovery period compared to the control. The proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, as well as total carotenoids, were significantly increased in both microalgae, mainly in the UVA-stress period, but not the UVA-recovery period. The metabolic responses of the two microalgae to UVA treatment were species-dependent and could be utilised to produce microalgal biomass rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids for use as functional food ingredients.     

Impact of microalgal feed supplementation on omega-3 fatty acid enrichment of hen eggs

In many Western countries, the average intake of the health beneficial omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is below the recommended level, raising interest in food enrichment with n-3 LC-PUFA. To that end, the impact of feed supplementation with EPA rich autotrophic microalgal biomass on n-3 L-PUFA enrichment of eggs was studied. Hens were divided in three groups receiving different diets for 28 days: a standard diet (C) for laying hens, (C) supplemented with 5.0% spray dried Nannochloropsis gaditana, and (C) to which 10.0% of these microalgae were added. Microalgal EPA was hardly accumulated in yolk lipids, but preferentially converted to DHA and deposited in yolk phospholipids. The efficiency of deposition of microalgal n-3 LC-PUFA to eggs was rather low. Switching back to standard feed ensured that the n-3 LC-PUFA level obtained in enriched eggs decreased back to that of the control eggs. Moreover, the colour of egg yolk shifted from yellow to more orange-red, which is presumably due to transfer of microalgal carotenoids to egg yolk. Thus, the use of autotrophic microalgae as supplement for standard feed offers an alternative to current sources for the production of DHA enriched eggs.     

Postharvest processes of edible insects in Africa: A review of processing methods,and the implications for nutrition,safety and new products development

In many African cultures, insects are part of the diet of humans and domesticated animals. Compared to conventional food and feed sources, insects have been associated with a low ecological foot print because fewer natural resources are required for their production. To this end, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized the role that edible insects can play in improving global food and nutrition security; processing technologies, as well as packaging and storage techniques that improve shelf-life were identified as being crucial. However, knowledge of these aspects in light of nutritional value, safety, and functionality is fragmentary and needs to be consolidated. This review attempts to contribute to this effort by evaluating the available evidence on postharvest processes for edible insects in Africa, with the aim of identifying areas that need research impetus. It further draws attention to potential postharvest technology options for overcoming hurdles associated with utilization of insects for food and feed. A greater research thrust is needed in processing and this can build on traditional knowledge. The focus should be to establish optimal techniques that improve presentation, quality and safety of products, and open possibilities to diversify use of edible insects for other benefits.     

转基因水稻食用安全性评价国内外概况

转基因水稻的研制与开发已经达到了可商业化阶段,但是出于对其食用与环境安全性的忧虑,目前还没有国家批准转基因水稻商品化。我国已经发现有疑似转基因稻种出现在市场上,这就迫切要求我们加快对转基因水稻的安全性评价尤其是食用安全性评价的研究,建立相应的评价标准,以规范转基因水稻的商业化及生产。本文主要从转基因水稻的营养成分实质等同性分析,动物营养学评价,体内及体外毒理学评价,致敏性评价及外源基因的水平转移五个角度对转基因水稻的国内外食用安全性评价工作进行了综述,以期为以后的食用安全性评价及标准体系的建立提供参考。     

Environmental impact of phycocyanin recovery from Spirulina platensis cyanobacterium

Multifunctional extracts from Spirulina platensis are suggested as food additives, due to their high content in functional ingredients and specifically phycocyanin. The recovery of phycocyanin from the microalgal biomass is performed by using ultrasounds and polar solvents such water, ethanol or buffer. The application of drying pretreatment in combination with the use of different solvents presents variation in the yields, affecting the actual recovery of the protein and hence the environmental impact of the production of 1 kg phycocyanin. Life cycle analysis on the recovery techniques for the isolation of the desired phycocyanin was performed in order to evaluate the selected extraction processes' sustainability. Drying exhibited increased environmental footprint due to the energy demand, while at the same time affecting not only the yielding but also the quality of the extracts. The use of aqueous solvents can lead to an environmental and efficient extraction, replacing organic solvent systems sufficiently.Industrial relevancePhycocyanin is a pigment-protein complex which is used into various food products to enhance their nutritional qualities acting as food colorant, antioxidant and emulsifier, which can sufficiently replace or reduce the use of synthetic additives. For the effective recovery of phycocyanin, the nutrient should be extracted from the microalgae biomass of Spirulina platensis. The steps to achieve that include the cultivation and harvesting of the microalgae, the drying of the biomass if necessary and the extraction process. However, these steps are resource and energy demanding processes which can affect the environmental footprint and the cost of the final product. Looking for more efficient practices combinations of materials (wet or dried biomass) and solvents (water, buffer and ethanol), which are currently used industrially, were examined in order to evaluate and suggest the most sustainable production line for phycocyanin.