Functional implications of bound phenolic compounds and phenolics–food interaction: A review

Sizeable scientific evidence indicates the health benefits related to phenolic compounds and dietary fiber. Various phenolic compounds-rich foods or ingredients are also rich in dietary fiber, and these two health components may interrelate via noncovalent (reversible) and covalent (mostly irreversible) interactions. Notwithstanding, these interactions are responsible for the carrier effect ascribed to fiber toward the digestive system and can modulate the bioaccessibility of phenolics, thus shaping health-promoting effects in vivo. On this basis, the present review focuses on the nature, occurrence, and implications of the interactions between phenolics and food components. Covalent and noncovalent interactions are presented, their occurrence discussed, and the effect of food processing introduced. Once reaching the large intestine, fiber-bound phenolics undergo an intense transformation by the microbial community therein, encompassing reactions such as deglycosylation, dehydroxylation, α- and β-oxidation, dehydrogenation, demethylation, decarboxylation, C-ring fission, and cleavage to lower molecular weight phenolics. Comparatively less information is still available on the consequences on gut microbiota. So far, the very most of the information on the ability of bound phenolics to modulate gut microbiota relates to in vitro models and single strains in culture medium. Despite offering promising information, such models provide limited information about the effect on gut microbes, and future research is deemed in this field.     

Recycled paper–paperboard for food contact materials: Contaminants suspected and migration into foods and food simulant

Contaminant residues in food packaging is a new challenge of our time, as it may pose a threat for consumers. Higher levels of contaminants were observed in food packaging made by recycled materials, even if little information is available for some groups of contaminants. The present study proposes a procedure for analyzing three different groups of organic contaminants in recycled paper and paperboard. Seventeen commercial samples were analyzed for the presence of bisphenol A (BPA), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NMP) and nonylphenol di-ethoxilate (NDP). Not all the samples contained all the contaminants; BPA was the only substance present in all the samples. The concentrations detected were quite high and, in most of the cases, in agreement with results reported in previous studies. Substance migration tests from spiked/non-spiked samples for two dry foods and Tenax® food simulant were undertaken. BPA migration quotients were always lower than 1%, whereas the migration quotients of DEHP were higher than 2.0%. The highest nonylphenols migration quotients were 6.5% for NMP and 8.2% for NDP. Tenax® simulates well the contaminants migration from paperboard to dry food, in some cases being even more severe than the food.     

Probiotics in the modulation of maternal–infant immunity: Implications for allergic diseases

Atopic diseases like asthma and allergies to various foodborne proteins are among the widespread chronic diseases in newborns because of their allergy-prone Th2-skewed immune response. Increasing scientific reports indicate that the mother’s immune system plays a crucial role in mediating the development of fetal-infant immune responses. Lactating mammary glands are part of an integrated mucosal immune system with confined production of antibodies particularly targeted against pathogenic agents in the mother’s environment and later encountered by newborns. Passive immunity through mother’s milk is critical for a newborn’s immune maturation. Thus, understanding the maternal influence of childhood atopic risk on newborn immune maturation could suggest novel treatment and prevention strategies. Probiotics have been proposed to harmonize Th1/Th2 imbalance in allergic diseases; however, the mechanism remains largely unknown. Feeding probiotics to mothers and offspring during the prenatal and postnatal periods to inhibit allergies in newborns may be a possible preventive approach in atopic diseases. Hence, the present review focuses on the role of feeding probiotics to mothers during pregnancy and lactation as well to newborns during suckling and post weaning periods as possible modulators for the activation of maternal infant immune response to downregulate the allergy-prone Th2-biased newborn system.     

Relevance of the air–water interfacial and foaming properties of (modified) wheat proteins for food systems

A shift from animal protein- to plant protein-based foods is crucial in transitioning toward a more sustainable global food system. Among food products typically stabilized by animal proteins, food foams represent a major category. Wheat proteins are ubiquitous and structurally diverse, which offers opportunities for exploiting them for food foam and air–water interface stabilization. Notably, they are often classified into those that are soluble in aqueous systems (albumins and globulins) and those that are not (gliadins and glutenins). However, gliadins are at least to an extent water extractable and thus surface active. We here provide a comprehensive overview of studies investigating the air–water interfacial and foaming properties of the different wheat protein fractions. Characteristics in model systems are related to the functional role that wheat proteins play in gas cell stabilization in existing wheat-based foods (bread dough, cake batter, and beer foam). Still, to further extend the applicability of wheat proteins, and particularly the poorly soluble glutenins, to other food foams, their modification is required. Different physical, (bio)chemical, and other modification strategies that have been utilized to alter the solubility and therefore the air–water interfacial and foaming properties of the gluten protein fraction are critically reviewed. Such approaches may open up new opportunities for the application of (modified) gluten proteins in other food products, such as plant-based meringues, whippable drinks, or ice cream. In each section, important knowledge gaps are highlighted and perspectives for research efforts that could lead to the rational design of wheat protein systems with enhanced functionality and overall an increased applicability in food industry are proposed.     

Korean mothers’ food choice behavioral intent for children: An examination of the interaction effects of food type,household income,and healthism

This study identifies how economic factors, like household income, and psychological factors, like healthism, affect the food choice behavioral intent of mothers in Korea. We designed a 2 (type of food: sweet snack as hedonic food vs. milk as utilitarian food) × 2 (household income: low vs. high) × 2 (healthism: low vs. high) stimulus. The participants were Korean mothers raising children in Seoul, Korea. Participants were exposed to an advertisement for milk as the utilitarian food and a sweet snack as the hedonic food and then asked for favorability and purchase intention toward each type of food and about participants’ household income and concerns regarding health. Our study found high-income mothers were not influenced by food type, but low-income mothers were. Lower-income mothers were more willing to purchase utilitarian foods than hedonic foods. High-healthism mothers did not favor hedonic foods, regardless of household income, while low-healthism, high-income mothers favored hedonic foods more than low-healthism, low-income mothers. In contrast, low-healthism mothers did not favor utilitarian foods, regardless of their household income, while high-healthism, low-income mothers favored utilitarian foods more than high-healthism, high-income mothers. The results of our study may assist the government and marketers to understand how healthism and household income affect food choice behavioral intent.     

A comparative study of physicochemical and conformational properties in three vicilins from Phaseolus legumes: Implications for the structure–function relationship

The polypeptide constituents, physicochemical and conformational properties of three vicilins from kidney, red and mung beans, fractionated using combined acid extraction and ion-exchange chromatographic techniques, were characterized and compared. The tested physicochemical and conformational properties included amino acid composition, surface charge and hydrophobicity, protein solubility (PS; as a function of pH), emulsifying activity index (EAI) and emulsion stability index (ESI), as well as secondary, tertiary and/or quaternary conformations. The amino acid composition (especially relative acidic/basic charged amino acid ratio, and the percentage of polar uncharged amino acids) was an intrinsic physicochemical parameter that largely determined other physicochemical and conformational properties. The PS and EAI (and ESI) of these vicilins at various pH values were associated with each other, and both were closely related to their surface charge and/or hydrophobicity. Far-UV CD spectral analyses indicated that these vicilins exhibited similar secondary structure compositions at pH deviating from the isoelectric point (about pH 4.5). However, their tertiary and/or quaternary conformations, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry, intrinsic fluorescence and near-UV CD spectroscopy, remarkably varied. At pH 7.0 or 9.0, there were close relationships between the EAI and the flexibility in quaternary conformation, and between the ESI and the flexibility in tertiary conformation. This is the first observation to elucidate the importance of tertiary and/or quaternary conformations for the emulsifying properties of legume vicilins. Additionally, an underlying mechanism of the emulsification process for the vicilins (trimeric form) with excellent emulsifying properties was proposed.     

Exudate gums: chemistry,properties and food applications – a review

Gums are complex carbohydrate molecules which have the ability to bind water and form gels at low concentration. These carbohydrates are often associated with proteins and minerals in their structure. Gums are of various types such as seed gums, exudate gums, microbial gums, mucilage gums, seaweeds gums, etc. Exudate gums are plant gums which ooze out from bark as a result of a protection mechanism upon injury. Exudate gums have been used by humans since ancient times for various applications due to their easy availability. The main characteristics which make them fit for use in various applications are viscosity, adhesive property, stabilization effect, emulsification action and surface-active property. Major applications of these gums are in food products, the paper, textile, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, oil-well drilling, etc. In the present paper, the chemistry, properties, processing and applications of commercially available exudate gums such as acacia gum or gum arabic, karaya gum, ghatti gum and tragacanth gum are discussed. Recent literature reveals that apart from the above mentioned applications, these gums also have nutritional properties which are being explored. Other gums cannot replace them because of their certain unique characteristics. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

TG–DTA approach for designing reference methods for moisture content determination in food powders

There is no systematic procedure described in the literature to establish a robust and accurate reference method for determining the moisture content in any solid food product. In this paper, we are proposing a new approach based on simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), with data for several amorphous food powders that result from spray-drying, freeze-drying or extrusion. In the first step, by heating a representative sample of about 20 mg at 2 °C/min we would detect the temperature and the mass loss at the inflection point that characterises, if there is an inflection, the end of the drying and the onset of chemical reactions. In cases of not too much sensitive products, the mass loss at the inflection may be considered as a good estimation of the moisture content. At 2 °C/min heating rate, the inflection temperature T_i is an indicator that allows estimating the optimal isothermal drying temperature T_d about 15–30 °C below T_i, depending on the product sensitivity to heat treatments and the kinetics of water molecule diffusion through the amorphous matrix. Then, a series of three isothermal drying are performed at about T_d−12 °C, T_d and T_d+8 °C, and a simple multilinear model allows calculating the best oven temperature to achieve the optimal moisture content determination in 2 h. This procedure is described and results are shown for several dehydrated food products: milk, coffee, cereal and pet food. This fast procedure may be applied either for establishing optimal oven conditions for most amorphous new products or for revising conditions that have been established in the past but are not robust enough for several ones.     

Physiochemical properties and prolonged release behaviours of chitosan-denatured β-lactoglobulin microcapsules for potential food applications

Chitosan (CS) and β-lactoglobulin (βlg) double-wall coating was designed as a shell structure to achieve prolonged release of core material in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) for potential food applications. A model core material, brilliant blue (BB) dye, was incorporated into CS as the primary wall material, and subsequently, denatured βlg, a secondary wall material, was used to coat the outer layer. The strongest interaction occurred between 0.5% (w/v) βlg and 0.5% (w/v) CS at pH 5.5 ± 0.1, where the opposite charges of CS and βlg formed a complex, which is especially favourable in acidic beverage systems. Under simulated stomach conditions, a denatured-βlg coat resisted acid conditions and pepsin hydrolysis for 2 h. While mimicking small intestine conditions, βlg was degraded by pancreatin, causing the release of BB-loaded CS to the intestinal fluid at a constant rate. The sustained release of core material later in the GI tract provided an optimal absorption rate in the small intestine.     

Survey of sulfites in wine and various Turkish food and food products intended for export, 2007–2010

Surveys were carried out between 2007 and 2010 to determine the total levels of sulfites in 1245 samples of wines, dried apricots, dried vegetables, nuts, juices and purees, frozen foods and cereals containing dried fruit supplied by food inspectors and by food producers for testing or for export certification. Sulfite analysis of wine was carried out using the Ripper method with an LOQ of 5?mg?l^?1 and for dried and other foods the Monier-Williams distillation procedure was employed with an LOQ of 10?mg?kg^?1. In the survey all wines contained measurable sulfites, but with the exception of one sample of white wine they were otherwise below Turkish Food Codex limits of 160?mg?kg^?1 for red wine, 210?mg?kg^?1 to white wine and 235?mg?kg^?1 for sparkling wine. None of the cereal products, frozen foods, juices or purees contained sulfites above 10?mg?kg^?1. However, all dried apricot samples contained significant levels of sulfite with around 40% having levels exceeding the Turkish limit of 2000?mg?kg^?1. Significant levels of sulfite were found in other samples of dried fruit with even a fruit and nut bar containing 1395?mg?kg^?1 of sulfite, suggesting the dried fruit ingredients contained levels above regulatory limits.     

Green tea extract: Chemistry,antioxidant properties and food applications – A review

Green tea is one of the most popular and extensively used dietary supplement in the United States. Diverse health claims have made for green tea as a trendy ingredient in the growing market for nutraceuticals and functional foods. Green tea extract contains several polyphenolic components with antioxidant properties, but the predominant active components are the flavanol monomers known as catechins, where epigallocatechin-3-gallate and epicatechin-3-gallate are the most effective antioxidant compounds. Additional active components of green tea extract include the other catechins such as epicatechin and epigallocatechin. Among these, epigallocatechin-3-gallate is the most bioactive and the most scrutinized one. Green tea polyphenols are also responsible for distinctive aroma, color and taste. Green tea extract can also be used in lipid-bearing foods to delay lipid oxidation and to enhance the shelf-life of various food products. This review outlines the chemistry, flavour components, antioxidant mechanism, regulatory status, food applications, and stability of green tea extract in food.     

Natamycin: a natural preservative for food applications—a review

Food Science and Biotechnology - Natamycin is a natural antimicrobial peptide produced by the strains of Streptomyces natalensis. It effectively acts as an antifungal preservative on various food...     

Metal–organic framework for the extraction and detection of pesticides from food commodities

Pesticide residues in food matrices, threatening the survival and development of humanity, is one of the critical challenges worldwide. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) possess excellent properties, which include excellent adsorption capacity, tailorable shape and size, hierarchical structure, numerous surface-active sites, high specific surface areas, high chemical stabilities, and ease of modification and functionalization. These promising properties render MOFs as advantageous porous materials for the extraction and detection of pesticides in food samples. This review is based on a brief introduction of MOFs and highlights recent advances in pesticide extraction and detection through MOFs. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects in this field are also described.     

Pectin–sucrose–Ca2+ interactions: effects on rheological properties

The effects of varying concentrations of pectin (4.5–6.5%, w/w), sucrose (40–60%, w/w) and calcium (20–60 mg/g pectin) on the viscoelastic properties of pectin dispersions at pH 3.0 were investigated. Pectin samples used were extracted from pomelo fruit peels (Citrus grandis) grown in Malaysia. The dynamic rheological parameters (G′, G″, δ and η*) of pectin–sucrose–calcium dispersion were determined at 1.5% strain from 90–20°C at a cooling rate of 3°C min⁻¹. Plots of G′ and G″ against frequency (rad s⁻¹) showed G″>G′ throughout the frequency range with no occurrence of crossover for most of the pectin dispersions. In addition both storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli of the dispersions increase on cooling. Increasing pectin, sucrose and calcium concentrations increased G′ and G″ with pectin having the greatest effect. Interactions amongst the three factors were also studied. At lower pectin concentrations, addition of Ca²⁺ increased G′ at all temperatures. This effect was also observed at higher pectin concentrations at 20°C but not at 90°C. The opposite effect was observed with the addition of sucrose, i.e. addition of sucrose at a higher pectin concentration increased G′ whereas at a lower pectin concentration no effect was observed. Interaction between calcium and sucrose gave rise to an increase in G′ when Ca²⁺ was added at high sucrose concentrations, but a decrease in G′ was evident at low sucrose concentrations. Dispersions of pectin alone or in combination with sucrose exhibited a more liquid-like behaviour with G″>G′. However, in the presence of Ca²⁺, mechanical spectra of G′>G″ were obtained.     

Food irradiation: The “reluctant” food additive for all agendas

Abstract

From its early discovery period around the turn of the century to the mid‐1950s, food irradiation research and development and patenting proceeded quietly in the centers and laboratories of Europe, North America, the USSR and elsewhere, essentially unbeknownst to the general public. The development caught the attention of the news media, food faddists, and others concerned about chemicals added to foods and, ultimately, a sufficient number of Congressmen in the United States during the 1957–58 period to cause the process to be included as a food additive in the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This action contributed to the cancellation of a planned joint U.S. government‐industry food irradiator, which was to be the first such semi‐industrial scale facility. The action also contributed to what has become a pattern of disruptions and setbacks instead of what might have been the orderly progression of the new food process from laboratory research, development, and wholesomeness testing to pre industrial pilot scale evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of promising applications, to dispassionate and objective regulatory evaluation of safety and efficacy through to regulatory clearance and prudent industrialization according to sound business practices. Instead, at critical times in its protracted and tortuous passage from being a novel curiosity to becoming merely another bona fide, legitimate food processing/preservation/treatment method, it has had the burden of being a “reluctant food additive for all agendas” thrust upon it by types ranging from overzealous promoters to the most strident and persistent hard‐core opponents, the latter largely drawn together from the “health/natural” food, “organic” farming/gardening, environmentalist, and antinuclear everything persuasions. Meanwhile, also essentially unbeknownst to the general public, a nonfood radiation processing industry has been steadily growing and flourishing over the last quarter century, ironically safely and effectively employing essentially the same technology/process (e.g., to sterilize health care and related products to prevent infections) that becomes so exploited and misrepresented, and therefore emotion‐arousing and controversial, when associated with food. It cannot be overemphasized that those who choose to ignore the overwhelming weight of an unprecedented body of scientific data, information, and knowledgeable, competent, objective professional judgment to the contrary so as to continue to loosely speculate about the safety/whole‐someness of irradiated foods in an uncompromisingly extreme, negatively biased manner are obliged to produce plausible mechanism(s) whereby stable compounds capable of exerting toxicological manifestations in consumers, or other public health‐threatening effects, might be brought about by the radiation processing/preservation/treatment of foods according to well‐established conditions and procedures. That even the most severe, persistent antagonists are unable to do so, because such mechanisms are for all practical purposes nonexistent (i.e., scientific evidence bears out what theory would predict), is evidenced by their having to resort to intellectually bankrupt, transparently fabricated smear campaigns to serve their true agendas at the expense of the process and the public that they purport to defend and protect.