Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 12, Issue 3, 2016

Background: Health benefits of probiotics have gained massive research attention recently. However, immense variations among probiotics for specific health benefits motivated the quest for efficacious probiotics, and study of discreet criteria for their selection. Comprehensive exploration of unexplored ecological niches especially indigenously fermented foods and others, may lay hands on proficient probiotics. Conventionally dairy products have been used as probiotic vehicles but lactose intolerance, high cholesterol content, allergenic milk proteins, and trend of vegetarianism motivated the search for non-dairy products such as cereals, fruits/vegetables, or others as probiotic carriers. Cereals are consumed all over the world, and fulfill the requirement of dietary fibre, proteins, energy, minerals, and vitamins, thus, may serve as excellent probiotic vehicles. Current article presents recent developments on selection criteria of probiotics isolated from diverse sources, and assessment of potential of cereal based products as prospective carriers for probiotics. Methods: Comprehensive literature survey was done (books, journal articles, websites: http:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed; www.sciencedirect.com) for the published articles on isolation of new/efficacious probiotics from indigenously fermented foods and other sources, and their selection criteria, and on the usage of cereals as potential vehicles for probiotic delivery. The research/review articles were studied, analyzed and interpreted. Results: The published data shows that novel and relatively less explored habitats especially the indigenously fermented foods, and others are being intensively investigated, and may come up as new reservoirs for effective probiotics. Results from numerous studies indicated that cereal products have immense potential to be employed as probiotic vehicles, and may gain as much acceptance and popularity as is being enjoyed by dairy products. Conclusion: Indigenous fermented foods/and unexplored sources may help getting new effectual probiotics with prospective commercial applications. Cereal based products may offer healthier option for probiotic delivery contrary to conventional dairy products.

Background: Today, new lifestyles, higher incomes and consumer awareness are creating consumer demand for a year-round supply of high-quality, diverse and innovative food products. However, when it comes to innovation, the food sector is less changeable when compared to other sectors, such as high technology. Still, in the past decades much and important developments have been achieved in several areas related to foods and the food industry. Methods: A systematic review of scientific literature was conducted on Science Direct. The topics investigated were: aspects related to innovation in food development (such as the transfer of innovation, open innovation, collaborative innovation and consumer perception and its role in the developing process); the innovation in the food industry (particularly regarding the processing technologies and packaging, which are two prominent areas of innovation in this sector nowadays); the innovation in the cooking sector (particularly in regards to the molecular gastronomy and science based cooking). Results: A total of 146 articles were included in the review and the aspects focused allowed confirming that innovation has been recognized as a key driver of economic growth. Within the framework of ‘open innovation’, a number of key issues related to the acquisition of external knowledge in food technology must be taken into consideration. Food product development is highly dependent on the consumer perception and acceptance, and hence it is of utmost importance to include the consumer in the development process to minimize failure probabilities. The sectors of the food industry where important developments and innovation are registered include the processing technologies and the packaging systems, where the latest progresses have produced very significant outcomes. Conclusion: The present work allowed verifying the latest improvements and trend towards food product development from two perspectives, the product itself and the industrial processing. This sector is undoubtedly a major key for the success and competitiveness nowadays in the food industry.

Genus Allium belongs to the family Liliaceae, which contains more than 600 species. Garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa) are two the most popular food ingredients widely used all over the world. During the last few decades, garlic and onion have received tremendous attention for their wide range of therapeutic properties and great health benefits. The variety of garlic and onion species’ considerable differences in manufacturing process cause discrepancies in a spectrum of the ingredients derived. Current garlic preparations available on the market, including garlic powder, garlic oil, raw or cooked garlic and aged garlic extract. Garlic and onion extracts posses many therapeutic properties including antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-protozoal, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-amnesic, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antiasthmatic, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic and antioxidant. These therapeutic properties are caused by the combination and biological activity of organo-sulphur compounds such as S-allyl-l-cysteine, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, ajoene, and allicin. Allicin, which is one of the most researched therapeutic compounds of garlic and onion, is extremely unstable and rapidly degrades with time, even at low temperatures, which causes its prompt degradation during contact with stomach acid during oral consumption. Present review discusses biochemical, pharmacological, therapeutic properties and nutritional value of garlic and onion, their use for prevention disease and maintenance of good health, as well as novel potential nanoparticles drug delivery systems for more effective oral and topical administration of natural organo-sulphur compounds.

Background: During early phases of life, epigenetic factors interfere with normal growth of the individual and induce morphological and functional alterations. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of pre and postnatal food restriction in rats, on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the rat femur bone. Methods: Food restricted male rats were from pregnant mothers maintained under daily-restricted diet pre and postnatal periods. After waning, the rats were maintained with access to milk only for 12 h until weaning. The control rats were from normal pregnant mothers feeding with free access to food and water during experimental period. Animals were sacrificed at 6 and 9 weeks of age; with femur bone submitted to 3 point bending mechanical test like indicators of biomechanical properties. After that the samples were morphometrically evaluated at electronic microscope. Results: The restricted diet group showed reductions in the body weight, width and thickness of femur bone. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant (P<0.05) changes in the evaluated parameters, showing different values for the Young modulus, ultimate load at fracture, failure (maximum breaking load), percentage of maximum deformation displacement showed decrement compared with the control rats. The data of structural measure showed that microstructure arrangement was damaged by food scarcity. Findings showed that food restriction contributed to detrimental bone structure, particularly modifying the collagen bundle and consequently inducing bone fragility in adulthood, demonstrated by the flexural diminished values. Conclusion: Nutritional conditions are determinants for the bone structure establishment, with effects persisting for a long-term period, remaining until adult life.

Background: The role of zinc and lysosomal enzymes in periodontal diseases has gained attention. The incidence of periodontal disease as well as its progression can be increased in the presence of poor glycaemic control. Diabetes and periodontitis have been suggested with a vicious cycle that aggravates both conditions when present in the same patient. Even though periodontal therapy is potentially an important component of the overall management strategy for patients with diabetes, the precise mechanisms that lead to reductions in zinc and increased release of lysosomal enzymes following periodontal treatment remain, as yet, unclear. Methods: This study focuses on how serum zinc and the lysosomal enzymes, acid phosphatase, β D glucuronidase and cathepsin D are related to the subjects in control group, Type 2 diabetes mellitus with periodontitis, Type 2 diabetes mellitus without periodontitis and non-diabetes mellitus with periodontitis. Results: The expression of acid phosphatase was found to be ten times increased in T2DM with periodontitis, the levels of β D glucuronidase are nine times elevated in T2DM with periodontitis, and the highest cathepsin D enzyme activity was observed in subjects with non-diabetes with periodontitis. Conclusion: The study supports the overall hypothesis that zinc deficiency is one of the major risk factor for T2DM with periodontitis. Due to the deficiency of zinc, the lysosomal enzymes levels are elevated and the stability of lysosomal membrane gets disturbed.

Background: The chemical composition of olive oil will change regarding to cultivar, ripening stage and edaphoclimatic regions. The effect of two edaphoclimatic regions (Fasa and Tarom), two fruit ripening stages (purple and black) and three olive cultivars (Arbequina, Koroneiki, and Roghani) were studied. Methods: Some functional physicochemical properties (fruit weight, ratio of flesh/stone weight, fruit size, oil content, fatty acid composition, and nutritional indexes) for three olive cultivars were tested. Results: The statistical results indicated that the average weight of fruit in Tarom is higher than that in Fasa. Oil content reduced during maturity period in both regions in Koroneiki (43.20 to 33.75% in Fasa and 36.91 to 34.16% in Tarom) and in Roghani of Tarom (48.97 to 42.97%), while the value increased in Roghani of Fasa (22.19 to 30.57%) and remained unchanged in other samples. The oleic acid is higher than other fatty acids in all cultivars and regions, while increased in Koroneiki of Fasa and decreased in Arbequina and Roghani of Fasa and Tarom and Koroneiki of Tarom during maturity period. The ratio of ω3/ω6 during maturity period decreased in all samples except in the oil from Koroneiki of Fasa and Roghani of Tarom. The PUFA/SFA increased in the oil from Arbequina of Fasa (0.80 to 0.86) and Koroneiki (0.53 to 0.63 and 0.42 to 0.49) and Roghani (0.66 to 0.94 and 0.78 to 0.90) of Fasa and Tarom, respectively, while decreased in Arbequina of Tarom (0.71 to 0.69). Conclusion: In most samples, fruits in last ripening stage have lower content of oil, moisture, F/S ratio and oxidative stability. So, in order to produce high yield and quality olive oil, recommended that, olive fruit harvesting was done before the end of complete maturity progress, in purple stage.

Background: Haskap berries (Lonicera caerulea L.) are known for their health benefits and high levels of bioactive compounds. They are processed into different products such as juice, syrup and pressed berries. There is an opportunity to enhance the quality of these products by improving the juice extraction process. Objective: To investigate the effect of conventional and modified juice extraction processes on the physicochemical characteristics of haskap berry products. Methods: Haskap berries were conventionally extracted (thawing–pressing– osmotic treatment–pressing) (process A), until 60, 70, 80 and 82 % juice yield. A modified method (process B) was also explored, where thawing and osmotic treatment were merged into one step followed by a one-time press. The physicochemical characteristics of the end products were compared. Results: The syrup showed significantly higher total soluble solids (TSS) (30.25–38.55 Brix) than the juice (10.05–14.35 Brix). There was a negative correlation between the TSS and the titratable acidity (TA) which increased with the extraction yield. The TA was 1.89–2.18, 1.50–1.82 and 1.31- 1.50 g citric acid/ 100 g in the juice (process A), syrup (process A) and sugar solution (process B), respectively. The pressed berries from process B showed higher total anthocyanin content than those of process A. The extracted liquids and pressed berries from the 60 and 70 % yields had similar qualities. Vitamin C content of the whole frozen fruit (89.11 mg/100 g fresh weight) decreased by 60.21, 79.36 and 82.18 % in the juice, syrup and pressed berries, respectively in process A. Process B, however, could retain significantly more vitamin C in the obtained products. Conclusion: Pressing the haskap berries to 70 % juice yield with process B is recommended for saving time and energy and for more nutritious products.

Background: Milk of camel is well-known for there health effects on human. The aim of this study was to determine the composition of fatty acids in the raw milk of one-humped camel in Iran. Methods: For this purpose, 25 samples of one-humped camel milk from 7 different places in Iran (Tehran, Qazvin, Golestan, Bushehr, Sistan-Baluchistan, Khuzestan and Semnan) were collected. Fatty acid composition of samples were determined by gas chromatography method. Results: The results of analyses of the samples showed that 26 fatty acids were identified and determined. Among the regions, Tehran had the lowest amount of butyric acids and linoleic acid (P 0.05). Bushehr had the lowest percent of myristic acid and high levels of oleic, inoleic and capric acids. Golestan had the highest amount of palmitic acid in comparison to other provinces. Also, Golestan, Khuzestan and Qazvin had the highest level of butyric acid. Milk samples obtained from Sistan-Baluchistan were rich in lauric and butyric acids, while palmitic acid was low. Conclusion: In general, one-humped camel milk had 46.74% saturated fatty acids, 44.33% mono unsaturated fatty acids, and 8.91% polyunsaturated fatty acid. The variations in the composition of fatty acids can be attributed to a grazing area.