Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2016

Foods and beverages containing live microbes (probiotics) are increasingly promoted by health professionals nowadays. The probiotic products in the market are mostly milk-based products, for instance yoghurts. There has been a high demand for the non-dairy probiotic products from those having the lactose intolerance problem and/or worry about the high cholesterol content. Therefore, fruit is now becoming the preferable matrix for probiotic delivery in human body. Fruits could be another promising carrier for probiotic strains, particularly from the genera of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. Somehow, the cell viability and stability are highly fruit and strain dependent, in addition to the processing factors and storage temperature. In the present review, fruits, particularly pomegranate is critically highlighted as a potential fruity vehicle for probiotic microbiota. Pomegranate contains bioactive secondary metabolites (anthocyanins, ellagic acid derivatives and hydrolyzable tannins) and non-digestible carbohydrates (prebiotics). The low pH value of pomegranate juice could be compromised by mixing with other fruits or by protecting probiotics from acidic environment by microencapsulation. This review covers the previous works which were carried out on the fruit-based probiotic foods and beverages, supported by the mechanistic explanation on the action of probiotics in human body.

Background: Investigation on and the utilization of polyphenols, acquire presently attracted major fascination about the functional foods, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries, owing to their prospective health advantages to mankind. Limitation of Polyphenols: Nevertheless, the utilization of polyphenols appears to be limited because of their low aqueous solubility, minimal oral bioavailability and short biological half life. These issues limit the bioaccessibility and potential health benefits of this polyphenol in pharmaceutical products. Conclusion: Recently, various encapsulation technologies are designed for enhancing the solubility, bioavailability and controlled release of polyphenols. In this review, we have discussed various formulation strategies used for the polyphenols to overcome the drawbacks associated with poor stability and bioavailability.

Background and Objective: Diarrhea (as one of the main manifestations of parasitic or microbial infections in gastrointestinal tract) is still a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children younger than 5 years old in developing countries such as Iran. Objective: Identify and compare the relationship between serum levels of zinc, vitamin A and D in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and the control group to demonstrate that those who need hospitalization due to infection have lower levels of said elements. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study on 25 patients with AGE in pediatric ward of Rasul Akram hospital and Bahrami Hospital during a year (2011-2012), were compared to 40 other patients who were admitted to surgical wards for elective surgery. 72% of all the patients were male and 28% were female. All patients were older than 6 months years; mean age of cases was 2.17 years. Serum levels of vitamins A and D and zinc were measured using HPLC; Radioimmunoassay; atomic methods in 2 groups. Findings: Despite the lower levels of vitamins A in cases than controls, serum levels were not significantly different (p=0.5). Serum levels of zinc were considerably but not significantly lower in cases than the controls (p=0.06). However, serum levels of vitamin D were significantly lower in AGE cases (p=0.003). Conclusion: We found lower serum levels of vitamin D in AGE cases but no difference had found in serum levels of vitamin A and zinc between the two groups probably is the end result of various effects of vitamin A and zinc on diarrhea in different age groups and AGE. This trial emphasizes therapeutic effects of vitamin D supplementation on AGE in children especially in those with malnutrition and in developing countries. Therefore, other trials on a larger scale designed to investigate discriminating different etiologies for AGE and in different age groups is performed.

BACKGROUND: Application of certain probiotic bifidobacteria strains for fermentation of non-dairy substrates still is a great challenge for industry-targeted research. To our knowledge this is the first report on application of bifidobacteria for fermentation of fish, particularly salmon (Salmo salar). METHODS: Fermentation of salmon mince with a single-strain probiotic culture of Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 in presence of additional carbohydrates and salt has been performed. RESULTS: 2 % of glucose and 1 % of common salt ensured the growth of probiotic culture and acidification of salmon mince. It was shown that glucose and sucrose are crucial to ensure fast acidification and the reduction of pH during the growth of B. lactis Bb12 to the level of 107 cfu/g, thus meeting the requirements of the viable cell count for probiotics in functional food products. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analyses of salmon mince showed that fermentation by bifidobacteria and supplements changed fish proteins and the composition of initial carbohydrates. CONCLUSIONS: The fermented salmon paste with high content of viable probiotic cells (105 – 106 cfu/g) can be used as a dietary supplement for spreads or food seasoning. The freeze-dried fermented salmon concentrate with probiotic bacteria also was obtained and can be applied for dietary nutrition or as neutraceutic for food supplementation.

Background: Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetes complications. The present study investigated the effects of Nigella Sativa hydroalcholic extract on oxidative stress injuries of heart and aorta in streptozotocin- induced diabetic rats. Methods: The animals were divided into six experimental groups; control, streptozotocin-diabetic, and diabetic rats treated with different doses of Nigella Sativa, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg or metformin, 300 mg/kg, by daily gavage for 6 weeks. Malondialdehyde, total thiol levels and also the activities of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase and catalase in aortic and cardiac tissues were evaluated. Results: The malondialdehyde levels were decreased in all treated groups compared to diabetic group (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). Thiol levels were increased in cardiac tissues of metformin and 100 mg/kg Nigella sativa groups compared to diabetic group (p < 0.05, p < 0.001). The activity of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in aortic tissues of 100 and 200 mg/kg Nigella sativa groups was higher than control and diabetic groups (p < 0.001) and those of cardiac tissues in 200 and 400 mg/kg Nigella sativa groups were higher than diabetic and control group (p < 0.05). The activity of catalase in cardiac tissues of metformin, 100 and 400 mg/kg Nigella sativa groups was reduced compared to diabetic group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The results showed that chronic administration of Nigella Sativa in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats could decrease the oxidative stress in aortic and cardiac tissues.

Functional properties of food fibers are raising great interest within the scientific community, mainly due to its physiological and immunological stimuli at the intestinal lumen. The main purpose of our work was to verify the physical and chemical alterations in the pectin content from common food submitted to diverse techniques of hot preparations. Fresh beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) of three varieties (carioca, xamego e itabagi), eggplants (Solanum melongena, L.), carrots (Daucus carota, L.) and apples (Mallus sylvestris, Mill) were acquired from a local supermarket and then stored in a cool, dry and clean place before applying the cooking methods. Varieties of beans were submitted to two soaking methods: 1 hour soaking in heated water or 12 hours soaking in cold/fresh water, with or without use of the soaking water in the following cook procedure; the remaining selected food were prepared with or without cooking water. Samples were submitted to regular heating or microwave heating before analysis of pectin content in prepared food and cooking broth. Samples submitted to pre-preparation under heat processing, followed by the use of soaking water in the preparation step is an efficient method to increase the levels of soluble pectin in all fractions of the food. Our work demonstrated that the type of preparation, time and temperature, cooking method and type of heating can be used as parameters to indicate the best culinary preparation with minor loses in soluble pectin content.

Uncooked and cooked ripened and dry seeds of Sesbania bispinosa grown on the coastal sand dunes of South Western India were evaluated based on Soxhlet (hot) and chloroform-methanol (2:1 v/v; 60 + 30 ml)-water (10 ml) (cold) extractions to evaluate fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). The highest linoleic acid content was shown by both extraction methods in ripened and dry seeds. Cooking ripened seeds increased the linoleic acid in hot-extraction.The α-linolenic and eicosatrienoic acids were also increased in cooked ripened seeds based on hot-extraction. Docosahexaenoic acid was seen in ripened seeds, which was higher in uncooked than cooked seeds. On cooking ripened seeds, the ratios of TUFA / TSFA and TPUFA / TMUFA were increased, C18:1 / C18:2 decreased and ω-6 / ω-3 fell within the FAO/WHO recommended levels. In cooked dry seeds, hot-extraction resulted in two additional essential fatty acids (γ- linolenic and cis-13, 16-docosadienoic acids), while quantity of two essential fatty acids (

In this study, trans FA (TFA) contents and also intakes of TFAs of frequently consumed edible oils and fats marketed in Iran were estimated. 6 brands in 4 groups of edible oils and fats (partially vegetable hydrogenated oils, non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, frying oils and margarines) were considered. The highest amount of TFA was found in partially vegetable hydrogenated oils (7.38%) and margarines (11.63%). Moreover, Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran has drastically decreased the TFA intake from 12.3 g/day in 2007 to 1.42 g/day in 2013 by planning.

Background: The growing interest in new functional foods with special characteristics and health properties has led to the development of new beverages based on fruit juice mixtures. The proliferation of ready-to-drink beverages has driven the market to focus its interest on these products. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of mixtures formed by orange (Citrus sinensis L. var. Washington navel), grape (Vitis vinifera L. var. Lavallet Alfonso) and starfruit (Averrhoa carambola L. var. Golden Star) juices. Methods: Samples were prepared with different proportions of each juice according to simplex centroid mixture design (SCMD). The antioxidant capacity of each sample was determined by 2,2 - diphenyl -1 - picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability in vitro and expressed as the amount of sample needed to scavenge 50% of the DPPH (IC50). Results: The antioxidant capacity was higher in treatments of mixtures of these fruits than those who used pure juices, indicating binary mixtures of orange and starfruit juices and also ternary mixtures including grape juice in different proportion presents higher antioxidant capacity than pure juices. Conclusion: These results provide important information for the juice industry, an industry that could design mixtures of fruit juices instead of pure juice, with the intention to improve their functional properties.

A relationship between inflammation and depression has been suggested. Ocimum basilicum, has been reported to have preventive effects of inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hydro-ethanolic extract of Ocimum basilicum leaves on depressive behaviors in rats sensitized by ovalbumin. The animals were grouped into: (1) Control: saline was injected, (2) Sensitized: sensitization was carried out by ovalbumin, (3-5) three groups including Sent-Ocim 50, Sent- Ocim 100 and Sent- Ocim 200 : sensitization was carried and also 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg, of Ocimum basilicum leave extract was injected. In open- field (O-F) test, the number of crossing in the central zone of the sensitized group was lower while, the number of crossing in the peripheral zone was higher than control (P<0. 05- P< 0.01). Treatment by 200 mg / kg of the extract increased the number of crossing in the central zone (P< 0.05). Furthermore, in the Sent-Ocim 50, Sent- Ocim 100 and Sent- Ocim 200 groups, the number of crossing in the peripheral zone was lower than that of the sensitized group(P< 0. 01- P< 0.001). In forced swimming (F-S) test, the immobility time in sensitized rats was higher while, the swimming and climbing times were lower than in the control ones (P< 0.05- P< 0. 001). The animals in Sent- Ocim 200 group had lower immobility while, higher swimming and climbing times compared to sensitized animals (P<0.01-P<0.001). The current study revealed that hydro-ethanolic extract of Ocimum basilicum leaves attenuates depressive behaviors in rats sensitized by ovalbumin. These results confirmed the benefits of Ocimum basilicum in the central nervous system.