Traditional fermented foods and beverages of Darjeeling and Sikkim–a review

The various ethnic groups of the Darjeeling district of West Bengal and Sikkim consume a variety of fermented foods including kinema (based on soya beans),gundruk (Brassica campestris leaves),sinki (radish, Raphanus sativus), mesu (bamboo shoots),churpi (milk),shel rod (rice preparation) and jnards (beers). These have not previously been investigated, and their method of preparation and consumption are reported here. The flora of murcha, the starter culture of jnards, contains mainly Pediococcus, yeasts belonging to the genera Saccharomycopsis, Pichia and Saccharomyces and the moulds Rhizopus and Mucor.     

Metaproteomics insights into traditional fermented foods and beverages

Traditional fermented foods and beverages (TFFB) are important dietary components. Multi‐omics techniques have been applied to all aspects of TFFB research to clarify the composition and nutritional value of TFFB, and to reveal the microbial community, microbial interactions, fermentative kinetics, and metabolic profiles during the fermentation process of TFFB. Because of the advantages of metaproteomics in providing functional information, this technology has increasingly been used in research to assess the functional diversity of microbial communities. Metaproteomics is gradually gaining attention in the field of TFFB research because it can reveal the nature of microorganism function at the protein level. This paper reviews the common methods of metaproteomics applied in TFFB research; systematically summarizes the results of metaproteomics research on TFFB, such as sauces, wines, fermented tea, cheese, and fermented fish; and compares the differences in conclusions reached through metaproteomics versus other omics methods. Metaproteomics has great advantages in revealing the microbial functions in TFFB and the interaction between the materials and microbial community. In the future, metaproteomics should be further applied to the study of functional protein markers and protein interaction in TFFB; multi‐omics technology requires further integration to reveal the molecular nature of TFFB fermentation.     

Review on tropical root and tuber crops I. Storage methods and quality changes

The root and tuber crops, including cassava, sweet potato, yams, and aroids, enjoy considerable importance as a vegetable, staple food, or raw material for small‐scale industries at a global level, particularly in the less developed tropical countries. The perishability and postharvest losses of root and tuber crops are the major constraints in the utilization of these crops. Several simple, low‐cost traditional methods are being followed by fanners in different parts of the world to store different root and tuber crops in the fresh state. An account of different storage practices and constraints is reviewed in this article. Some of these methods have been studied and evaluated by different research workers. Several modern techniques, including refrigerated cold storage, freezing, chemical treatments, wax coating, and irradiation, for storing fresh tropical tubers are also reviewed. The pre‐ and postharvest factors to be considered for postharvest storage of different root and tuber crops are incorporated into the review.     

A review of root,tuber and banana crops in developing countries: past,present and future

For many of the developing world's poorest farmers and food-insecure people, roots, tubers, bananas and plantain crops (RTBs) serve as a critical source of food, nutrition and cash income. RTBs have been particularly important in areas where local agri-food systems are under stress. Under such circumstances, growers, processors and traders often see opportunities to improve food security or increase their incomes with those crops due to shifting tastes and preferences for food and non-food products. Since the early 1990s, cassava output surged in sub-Saharan Africa, while potato production expanded rapidly in Asia. RTBs are consumed by over three billion people in developing countries with a market value of US$ 339 billion. This paper analyses the major changes in production, utilisation and trade of RTBs over the last six decades, assesses estimates of their future trajectory and offers recommendations so that they might achieve their full potential.     

Multi-element determination in some foods and beverages using silica gel modified with 1-phenylthiosemicarbazide

ABSTRACT

1-Phenylthiosemicarbazide bonded modified silica gel (PTC-SG) was synthesised and characterised by FTIR, SEM and elemental analysis for a novel separation/preconcentration of multiple elements based on solid phase extraction. The analytical parameters including pH of solutions, amounts of PTC-SG, flow rates of sample, eluent type and sample volume were optimised. The adsorption capacities of PTC-SG were found to be 7.9, 6.4, 6.3, 8.3, 7.2, 8.9 and 6.6 mg/g for Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Ni(II) and Mn(II), respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as 3x the standard deviation(s) of the reagent blank (k = 3, N = 21) and the LOD values were obtained to be 0.98 µg L^?1 (Cu), 0.65 µg L^?1 (Cd), 0.57 µg L^?1 (Pb), 1.12 µg L^?1 (Co), 1.82 µL^?1 (Cr), 1.67 µg L^?1 (Ni) and 0.55 µg L^?1 (Mn). Certified reference materials were used to test the validation of the present method. The new solid phase extraction method was successfully applied to determination of the amount of multiple elements in food and beverage samples.     

Copper in foods,beverages and waters from South East Spain: influencing factors and daily dietary intake by the Andalusian population

The copper content of 225 food, 49 beverage and twelve potable water samples were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Analyses of NIST and BCR reference materials demonstrated the accuracy of this technique. The highest copper levels were found in dried fruit and legumes, followed by organ meats, molluscs and crustaceans, cephalopods, cereals and sausages, respectively. In cereals, legumes and fruit, copper levels increased significantly with increasing levels of protein and decreasing carbohydrate content (p?<?0.001). In meat and meat by-products, copper concentrations found in organ meats were significantly higher (p?<?0.01). In fresh fish products, copper levels in shellfish were significantly higher than those measured in fish (p?<?0.001). In vegetables, the copper concentrations found in mushrooms were significantly higher (p?<?0.005). Mean copper concentrations analysed in cheese were statistically higher than those determined in other dairy products (p?<?0.01). In beverages, copper levels determined in rum and juices were significantly higher (p?<?0.001). Beverages for which a vegetable component was directly used in their manufacturing process (juices, wines and beers) had statistically higher copper levels when compared with fresh drinks. The daily dietary intake (DDI) of copper in the Andalusian diet was 1979 μg day^?1 per person. Cereals, meat, meat by-products and vegetables are the food categories that are the main source of copper in the daily diet. Taking into account the dietary reference intakes and upper levels (900 and 10, 000 μg Cu day^?1 for healthy adults, respectively), the mean copper DDI found indicate that for most of healthy adult individuals from the area, no adverse effects occur in relation to copper nutrition (deficiency or toxicity). Potable waters supplied 53 μg day^?1, which constitutes on average 0.025% of the maximum tolerable daily intake of this element set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee.     

海参加工产品开发现状及研究进展

海参具有抗肿瘤、抗凝血、抗氧化和调节免疫力等多种生理功能,有很高的食用和药用价值,在营养保健方面备受重视。国内外对海参内脏的开发利用研究较少,对海参内脏的活性成分缺乏认识,并且海参内脏往往作为加工副产物而被随意丢弃,得不到充分利用。目前,海参内脏的利用主要集中于活性成分的鉴定和产品的脱腥,对产品的开发研究较少。本文以海参内脏的营养物质及活性成分为导向,从论文、授权专利和保健食品三个方面,阐述了海参肠、卵、精、生殖腺和海参内脏的加工利用、脱腥方法的建立以及潜在的产品开发方向。总体而言,目前普遍存在海参内脏活性成分加工方式不统一,保健食品效用成分不明确等缺点。随着加工技术的发展,运用酶解、提取等手段对海参内脏进行综合利用将成为重要方向。     

Anti-inflammatory effects of phytochemicals from fruits,vegetables, and food legumes: A review

Inflammation is the first biological response of the immune system to infection, injury or irritation. Evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory effect is mediated through the regulation of various inflammatory cytokines, such as nitric oxide, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor alpha-α, interferon gamma-γ as well as noncytokine mediator, prostaglandin E₂. Fruits, vegetables, and food legumes contain high levels of phytochemicals that show anti-inflammatory effect, but their mechanisms of actions have not been completely identified. The aim of this paper was to summarize the recent investigations and findings regarding in vitro and animal model studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of fruits, vegetables, and food legumes. Specific cytokines released for specific type of physiological event might shed some light on the specific use of each source of phytochemicals that can benefit to counter the inflammatory response. As natural modulators of proinflammatory gene expressions, phytochemical from fruits, vegetables, and food legumes could be incorporated into novel bioactive anti-inflammatory formulations of various nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Finally, these phytochemicals are discussed as the natural promotion strategy for the improvement of human health status. The phenolics and triterpenoids in fruits and vegetables showed higher anti-inflammatory activity than other compounds. In food legumes, lectins and peptides had anti-inflammatory activity in most cases. However, there are lack of human study data on the anti-inflammatory activity of phytochemicals from fruits, vegetables, and food legumes.     

Natural phytochemicals and probiotics as bioactive ingredients for functional foods: Extraction,biochemistry and protected-delivery technologies

BackgroundThe well-known correlation between diet and physiology demonstrates the great possibilities of food to maintain or improve our health, increasing the interest in finding new products with positive physiological effects. Nowadays, one of the top research areas in Food Science and Technology is the extraction and characterization of new natural ingredients with biological activity that can be further incorporated into a functional food, contributing to consumer's well-being. Furthermore, there is a high demand for effective encapsulation methodologies to preserve all the characteristics of bioactive compounds until the physiological action site is reached.Scope and approachIn this review, the relevance of developing standard approaches for the extraction of the highly diverse bioactive compounds was described, as it defines the suitability of the following steps of separation, identification and characterization. Special attention was also dedicated to the encapsulation techniques used on hydrophilic and/or lipophilic compounds (e.g., emulsification, coacervation, supercritical fluid, inclusion complexation, emulsification-solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation).Key findings and conclusionsSome useful conclusions regarding the selection of the best extraction methodology (Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, or shake extraction) were achieved, considering important aspects such as cost, required technical skills, extract integrity, green chemistry principles, solvent type, sample size, pH, temperature and pressure. In addition, this comprehensive review allowed defining the best protective approach to solve the limitations related to the extremely low absorption and bioavailability of bioactive phytochemicals, overcoming problems related to their low solubility, poor stability, low permeability and metabolic processes in the GI tract.