Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 19, Issue 7, 2023

In recent years, the field of probiotics and postbiotics has attracted great attention. On the one hand, probiotics, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a range of health benefits on the host, but concerns have been reported about the administration of live microorganisms and their associated risks. On the other hand, postbiotics with desirable traits as inactivated microbial cells or cell fractions could non-cytotoxically benefit the consumer when ingested in sufficient amounts. In this study, the authors have discussed the protentional of postbiotics as safe alternatives to live probiotic microbes in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical products.

Nutraceuticals in the food sector open doors to the future of “nanoscience” technology that has gained much importance. Nanotechnology has established a new perspective by providing nanomaterials with changed features using nano-formulations and nutritional supplements in the food sector. Nanomaterials show distinctive features owing to their tiny size and high surface/ volume ratio; thus, they are fully utilized as nutraceuticals in the food sector. The present review article provides an exhaustive overview of the application of nanomaterials for developing advanced nanoparticles with increased bioavailability, solubility, improved encapsulation effectiveness, increased stability, sustained and targeted drug supply, degradation prevention, antimicrobials, and improved pharmacological activity. It also underlines the relevance of peptides and enzymes for food packaging and the future use of nanosensors/nano-bio sensors.

Major burn injuries provoke a profound stress response marked by extreme hypermetabolism and impaired immune function. The physiological alterations to glucose, protein and lipid metabolism can be detected even years after the inciting burns injury and when untreated can lead to profound wasting, fatty liver, and even death. Therapeutic strategies which target these physiological disturbances are of paramount importance. Treating burn injuries begins with active cooling, to minimize loss of heat and water, and nutrition, to counteract the extensive catabolism. Providers should follow the strict guidelines published to ensure caloric requirements are met in adult and pediatric patients, with supplementation as indicated. Several pharmacotherapies have proven beneficial in helping to counteract and reverse these physiological changes by lowering insulin resistance, slowing catabolism, and minimizing loss of lean body mass. The most promising drugs include anabolic agents such as insulin, recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), metformin, beta-blockers, oxandrolone, and fenofibrate. Surgery is a necessary adjunct, either in the acute phase to debride compromised soft tissue and prevent compartment syndromes, but also in the chronic setting to release contractures and fibrotic strictures which may impair function. This narrative literature review provides a synopsis of our understanding of the hypermetabolic response to burn injury and discusses the different treatment options aiming to control postburn hypermetabolism and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Background: High mortality and shortened lifespan are two of the major concerns associated with diabetes mellitus. Sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets play a significant role in the alarming rise in diabetes prevalence. Bringing this under control can be significantly helped by nutritional intervention and increased physical activity. Mainly, nutraceuticals are gaining the interest of people of all age groups as they benefit the population with various health benefits and are a suitable fit in today’s changing lifestyle. Objective: In this study, nutraceuticals will be evaluated in the context of diabetes. Methods: The literature survey was executed using PubMed, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. The keywords used for searching the literature are diabetes, herbal, nutraceuticals, protein, vitamin and food. Results: The review addresses the role of the nutraceuticals in treatment of diabetes. Conclusion: In this review, we summarize nutraceuticals with anti-diabetic properties and investigate the possibility of a different approach of polypathy in managing diabetes.

Background: Dairy consumption and especially cheese consumption has been increasing in most countries of the world due to its favorable taste. European countries and the United States are the major producers and consumers of cheese. Due to the nutritional and economic importance of cheese, various schemes have been considered to increase its consumption and the most important of which is to improve its sensory properties. Several factors affect the development of cheese properties including chemical composition, residual coagulation factors, enzymes in milk, microbial flora of cheese and the storage conditions during the ripening stage, microorganisms in cheese especially lactic acid bacteria. Objective: Various methods have been studied to improve the sensory properties of cheese in the world and the most successful of which is the addition of adjunct culture. Adjunct cultures are a variety of selected microorganisms that are added to milk to improve the sensory quality or to accelerate the ripening of the product. The major adjunct cultures are lactobacilli. Many studies show that Lactobacillus helveticusLH212 and Lactobacillus helveticus CNRZ32 are among the most desirable bacteria. Adjunct cultures are used in two ways: attenuated and live cultures. There are several methods for preparing attenuated cultures, but most researchers focus on physical methods such as heat shock, freezing shock and spray drying. Conclusion: The purpose of this article is to express the role of adjunct cultures (types of Lactobacilli) in the sensory properties of cheddar cheese, selection criteria, and the amount, and time of adding adjunct cultures in the cheese-making process.

Background: Among the leading causes of death, cancer is second to heart disease as a group of diseases. It has been found that several natural substances, including flavonoids, can treat cancer in addition to several types of chemotherapy. Objective: Flavonoids are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds with no or minimal toxicity, and have been utilized by people since ancient times. They produce several special therapeutic effects, such as anti-inflammatory, immune response modulating, and antioxidant effects, thereby supporting normal cellular functions. Flavonoids can be classified into six major subtypes or groups based on the degree of oxidation, chemical structure, and unsaturation in the linking chain. Aside from flavonoids and flavanones, flavonols, flavonols, flavones, and anthocyanids also fall into these categories. Methods: In order to find studies on flavonoids as anticancer agents, we searched Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Springer, and Medline databases. Results: The enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the electron transport chain due to oxidative stress leads to inflammation, the development of many degenerative diseases, cancer, etc. Oxidative stress can be relieved by flavonoids because they regulate ROS homeostasis (scavenging ROS), trigger apoptosis, and suppress prooxidant enzymes during oxidative stress. Conclusion: Here we review the structure and classification of flavonoids and their mechanisms of action as anticancer agents as well as the challenges involved in developing flavonoids to fight cancer.

Background: Current literature highlights that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem and that metabolic syndrome (MS) is a potential risk factor, especially among the elderly population, since aging seems to create metabolic disorders such as hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and glycemic decompensation. Despite this, some mechanisms/events of the relationship between kidney damage and MS remain controversial. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the association of compromised glomerular filtration rate with metabolic syndrome and its components in a population of Brazilian elderly. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in Northeast Brazil with 273 elderly men and women aged between 60 and 93 years. Clinical, sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle data, as well as biochemical, blood pressure, and glomerular filtration rate variables, were evaluated. Data were analyzed using Stata^® (Statacorp, College Station, Texas, USA), version 14, adopting a significance level of p0.05. The research has ethical approval (no. 2,216,538). Results: There was a significant difference between impaired renal function and adequate values of WC (p = 0.044), triglycerides (p = 0.018), LDL-c (p = 0.015), and the presence of more than three components of MS (p = 0.036). High values of triglycerides (PR 1.48; p = 0.025) and LDLc (PR 1.44; p = 0.017) and presence of more than three components of MS (PR 1.45; p = 0.023) increase the chance of kidney damage. Conclusion: The presence of individual and combined components of MS (high triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL-c, and low HDL-c) promotes the impairment of renal function among the elderly studied. It is noteworthy that MS does not represent a significant independent factor to generate losses to GFR.

Background: Intelligent food packaging that can monitor food quality and safety is essential in modern commercial trade. Research on the fabrication of environmentally friendly colorimetric labels that can indicate the freshness of food through color changes are needed. Methods: In this study, paper-based colorimetric labels were prepared using filter paper dipped into a solution of Roselle flower extract, and their performance in monitoring shrimp spoilage was investigated. Results: The labels’ response to ammonia vapor shows a distinct color variation from red to greenish-grey, corresponding to a sharp increase in the total color difference (ΔE = 32). The labels are relatively stable during storage at 4°C for up to 20 days. In shrimp freshness monitoring, the color changes from red to purple, which corresponds to increasing levels of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and can be observed easily with the naked eye. Conclusion: This suggests that our paper-based colorimetric labels impregnated with Roselle extract show superior performance in detecting shrimp spoilage.

Background: Consumers’ lack of nutritional awareness causes them to have little interest in reading and analysing nutritional information on food labels. Rigorous and scientific comparisons of the nutrient contents of commercial buns are rarely conducted in Malaysia. Objective: The first objective of this study is to classify nutrient contents in commercial buns into beneficial and non-beneficial nutrients. The second objective is to develop a nutrient analyser model framework to compare the nutrient contents for different types of commercial buns. Methods: The nutrient analyser model was developed based on the mathematical theory Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Shannon’s Entropy Model. The framework of the nutrient analyser model using the two theories was developed. Nutritional data taken from several commercial buns in Malaysia was applied to the model. Results: The results show that the model was able to identify the type of bun having the most beneficial nutrient contents and the least non-beneficial nutrient contents. Conclusion: The framework of the nutrient analyser model could serve as a reference for other researchers. The findings benefit the community and researchers as the results indirectly improve consumer awareness of food nutrients prioritizing good health.