Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 20, Issue 6, 2024

Herbal components have been explored as a potential alternative treatment for neurological disorders due to the limitations and potential adverse effects of conventional treatments. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent progressive human neurodegenerative condition marked by senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as well as gradual cognitive impairments; the most prominent of which is memory loss. Different therapy techniques incorporating synthetic and herbal approaches are being employed against AD based on the knowledge of the disease process. Commonly used herbal components, such as Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monnieri, Withania somnifera, Passiflora incarnata, Rhodiola rosea, and Curcuma longa, have been shown to improve symptoms and cognitive function in individuals with neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. However, more research is needed to fully understand the efficacy, safety, and potential interactions with other medications. By continuously exploring and researching the use of herbal components for neurological disorders, we can develop a better understanding of their potential to offer safe and effective alternative treatments.

Background: Eugenia pyriformis produces a round fruit with a sweet and aromatic flavor known as uvaia and contains a range of nutrients and bioactive compounds with potential for industrialization. Objective: This literature review addresses the nutritional composition, chemical and biological activities of uvaia (seeds and leaves), in addition to listing important factors for the post-harvest and industrialization of uvaia. Results: A wide range of studies describe the chemical and nutritional composition of fruits and seeds. Among these studies, one considers the residue after processing the fruit and two evaluate leaves. The pulp and peel have a high content of carbohydrates, fibers and sugars with low caloric value and high content of vitamin C. Fruits contain phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids and the leaves have flavonoids, volatile compounds and tannins. Fruit can be eaten fresh; however, because it is highly perishable and difficult to handle postharvest, industrialization seems to be an interesting alternative to prolong shelf life. Conclusion: E. pyriformis fruits have excellent attributes for consumer health, but industrialization may be necessary to extend their shelf life. Fruits and leaves have a high antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial potential against bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Essential oils from leaves and trunks have antiproliferative, antileishmanial and anti-inflammatory potential. Mainly fruits and leaves have the potential for use in the pharmaceutical and food industry.

Cancer has become a significant public health concern in the past few decades, and it is now the world's second cause of death. Although there are various types of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, immune therapy, radiation, hormone therapy, gene editing, etc., they all have adverse reactions and significant failings. Plant and dietary mixtures have been utilized to treat malignant growth over the entire course of time. These mixtures likewise might be helpful in anticipation of malignant growth. Chemoprevention is cancer prevention that makes use of plant phytochemicals and synthetic substances. Because of their reduced toxicity and inexpensive cost, phytoconstituents are gaining much interest in chemoprevention effectiveness. As a result, the chemopreventive power of naturally occurring phytochemicals is of great interest. Populace studies propose that a decreased gamble of malignant growth is related to the maximum usage of vegetables and natural products. This review summarised the latest research on plants and their chemicals targeting various malignancies and their mechanisms of cancer suppression by modulating multiple signaling pathways. It provides a small outline of green synthesized nanoparticles, an emerging area to combat cancer.

Background: The loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy is known as spontaneous abortion (SA). Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the results of previous studies about the dietary intake of mothers who suffered from SA. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search in the Web of Science, Cochrane, PubMed, ProQuest, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Scopus databases to collect relevant published studies between 1990 and November 2022. The data from case-control and cohort studies that had assessed dietary intakes before and during pregnancy of women with SA were included. Results: High consumption of butter increases the risk of SA, but a very low intake of olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of SA. In addition, an adequate intake of high-quality proteins and calcium from dairy products and enough intake of fiber and phytochemicals from chocolate, fresh fruits, and vegetables can reduce the risk of SA. A number of mechanisms, such as providing essential nutrients for fertilization and implantation, promoting fetal growth, reduction of inflammatory conditions, and insulin resistance, have been proposed to explain the protective effects of these food groups against SA. Conclusion: An unhealthy diet and eating sufficient amounts of these food groups will be helpful and recommended.

Background: There is extensive evidence of tartrazine dye being used in foodstuff of Qom markets in Iran. Objective: This study evaluates the synthetic tartrazine dye in some food products and the health risks caused by tartrazine consumption in Qom province. Methods: The study has two stages: First, 125 food product samples, including confectionary products (e.g., candy (Nabat), Poolaky, Charkhandi, cream, and non-cream sweets) and restaurant products (barbecued chicken), were tested. In the second stage, the risk of exposure to tartrazine was evaluated. Results: The results showed that 36.8% of samples in confectionery products (15.8 ± 5.1 mg/kg) and 41.3% of samples in restaurant food (41.5±7.9) were colored with tartrazine dye. Based on the obtained results, all values of tartrazine levels in the food samples had not exceeded the maximum tartrazine limit (mg/kg) in food products. Also, the results of exposure estimation and hazard quotient of tartrazine in age groups revealed that the HQ for age groups was smaller than 1. Therefore, they show no considerable risk for tartrazine dye intake according to the food samples in Iran's market. The probability of total risk (95%) was calculated using Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, the mean risk calculated for childhood (5 -12) and adult years (36-55) were determined as 9.35 E-5 and 9.24 E-5, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed the nonsignificant health risk of exposure to tartrazine in all study groups according to the amount and frequency of exposure. However, it is recommended to raise awareness among people concerning the health risks of artificial dye (especially tartrazine in food), conduct more research for risk assessment of tartrazine, and monitor related data.

Background: The global market for gluten-free food products is constantly growing. Consumers are increasingly choosing a gluten-free diet voluntarily or due to gluten intolerance (celiac disease). Objectives: The purpose of the research is scientific substantiation of the technology and recipe of gluten-free bakery products and determination of the optimal ratio of corn and rice flour in the production technology. Methods: The work used general scientific research methods, analysis of literary sources, analysis of patent and technical literature, and comparative analytical and laboratory analyses. Results: Research results have shown that replacing wheat flour with a high gluten content in the recipe for gluten-free, namely corn and rice flour, allows obtaining high quality indicators. On the basis of the conducted organoleptic tests, it was established that according to the results of the total indicators of the organoleptic evaluation, experimental sample 3, with a ratio of corn and rice flour of 80:20, has the same average score as the control sample. The analysis of physico-chemical quality indicators confirmed the organoleptic results of the research. It was established that the ratio of corn and rice flour is the most rational (experiment 3). An increase in the amount of rice flour leads to an increase in the porosity of gluten-free bakery products. Thus, in test sample 3 compared to test sample 1, the value of this indicator increased by 7%, which can be explained by a favorable nutrient environment for yeast cells due to additional water-soluble proteins and sugars present in rice flour, which is confirmed by previous studies. The acidity of gluten-free bakery products of experiment 3 also increased compared to the control sample by 0.5 degrees, which is explained by the positive effect of increasing the dosage of rice flour on the development of yeast cells in the dough. After characterizing the moisture content of the pulp after 48 hours of storage, it should be noted that increasing the amount of rice flour allows you to preserve more moisture in the finished product by an average of 1-2%. In our opinion, this is due to the fact that when rice flour is added, an additional amount of insoluble fibers is added, which by their structure have the ability to bind free moisture, which is retained by them more firmly, and when baking, a larger amount of moisture remains in the product of moisture, which is confirmed by previous studies of gluten-free raw materials. Therefore, test sample 3 with a ratio of corn and rice flour of 80:20 is recommended for the production of new-generation food products for certain groups of the population who choose a gluten-free diet by their own choice or due to gluten intolerance, namely celiac disease. Conclusion: The rational ratio of corn and rice flour was determined, taking into account the physicochemical properties and organoleptic indicators of the quality of finished gluten-free bakery products. It was established that the rational ratio of corn and rice is 80:20 - experiment 3. This proportion ensures proper physico-chemical indicators and high organoleptic indicators of finished gluten-free bakery products. It was established that the manufactured gluten-free bakery products exceed the control sample in terms of physico-chemical parameters, namely, porosity, acidity, dimensional stability, and moisture content of the crumb.

Background: Pectin production has recently attracted considerable research interest due to its various applications arising from its unique characteristics. Lime peel, as a by-product of juice factories, has a promising potential for pectin extraction. Methods: Lime peel pectin samples were extracted by three extraction processes: a) 90°C of heating for 120 min, b) 90°C of heating for 90 min and then 32 min of sonication, and c) 80°C of heating for 60 min and then 22 min of sonication. Then, they were purified either by ethanol or sodium caseinate (SC) and characterized. Results: SC purification did not enhance the pectin yield; rather, it diminished the level of nonpectin components and resulted in purer pectin (i.e., lower sugar content). The samples purified with SC showed much lower viscosity in solution and storage modulus than the samples purified with ethanol, which could be attributed to their lower sugar content and higher pH (~ 4.6 vs. 2). However, pectin samples purified with SC had a relatively high sugar gel consistency, maybe due to protein retention in their structure as well as the preferential hydration effect of added sucrose. Conclusion: The compact and extended conformations of the pectin sample, which was extracted by “(c) extraction method” and purified with ethanol, resulted in its high viscosity and storage modulus in solution and the highest gel consistency (16.91 Kg.s) compared to the other samples. Regardless of the conditions of extraction procedures, the purification method had a considerable impact on the pectin samples’ characteristics and potential applications.

Introduction: This study focused on the formulation processing and antimicrobial activities of Origanum and Thyme essential oils (OEO) (TEO) and their nanoemulsions (OEON) (TEON) on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeast. Optimal nanoemulsion formulation and stability were achieved through balancing between requisite hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (rHLB) and surfactant concentration (Smix) of nanoemulsions. Methods: The smallest droplet sizes of OEON: (z -185.1 nm ± 0.85) and TEON (z -130.1 nm ± 0.60), were achieved by using 10 g/100 mL of OEO and TEO with 15 g/100 mL Smix at ultrasonication for 2 min with no phase separation. The size of nanoemulsion droplet and PDI was found to be influenced by HLB value, treatment time, and Smix concentration. Antimicrobial analyses, including a zone of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and time-kill kinetics assay, were performed against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Results: The antimicrobial findings demonstrated that OEO exhibited higher antimicrobial activity compared to TEO (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the OEON and TEON substantially reduced the MIC and MBC values, compared to OEO and TEO against all tested microorganisms (P<0.05). Throughout the time-kill assay, E. coli was reduced by 5 log CFU/ml within 120 minutes, while S. cerevisiae and S. aureus were eradicated after 60 and 120 minutes of incubation with OEON, respectively. Conclusion: In turn, TEON reduced E. coli by 5 log CFU/ml and S. cerevisiae by 4 log CFU/ml within 120 minutes, while S. aureus was inhibited within the same time of incubation with TEON. The nanoemulsion formulations of OEO and TEO considerably enhanced the antimicrobial properties, which provides a promising alternative plant-derived antimicrobial for pharmaceuticals and food applications.

Objectives: This investigation aims to isolate the Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) from yogurt samples from the Tangail district of Bangladesh and evaluate their probiotic properties. Methods: A rigorous study was carried out from April to August, 2019. A total of 10 samples were examined by following the standard bacteriological methods. Besides the biochemical and antibiogram tests, molecular characterization of the isolated bacteria was carried out. Results: Ten isolates were confirmed as LAB, and they exhibited excellent probiotic properties. They were able to survive in both acidic (pH 2) and alkaline (pH 8) conditions. They also survived against phenol (0.1-0.4%) and NaCl (1-10%) after 24 h incubation. Most of the isolates harboured plasmid DNA and showed good resistance patterns against the antibiotics used. During the mating experiment, no X-conjugants were found. Conclusion: In conclusion, the mating experiment suggested that the acquired resistant genes might be chromosome mediated, and isolates showed good probiotic properties that confer health benefits.

Background: Body image (BI) is a set of characteristics inclusive of a person's behaviours, perceptions, feelings and ideas about the shape and size of their body, which has a significant effect on mental, emotional, and physical health and the quality of life. This study sought to ascertain the relationship between health students' body image dissatisfaction (BID) and nutrition course enrollment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on health major students at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. An interview of the body shape questionnaire-14 version in Arabic was used, and data were analysed using SPSS statistical software. This study included 257 participants. Results: Males (50.9%, only 8.2%) had body image dissatisfaction, 55.6% had normal body mass index (BMI), and around 45.9% spent more than 4 hours on social media, with WhatsApp being used the most (83%). We found one factor significantly affecting our results: BMI, with a P= <.001. We found low levels of body dissatisfaction among participants, no effect by social media use duration, and found that BMI had a significant effect on BID. Conclusion: The findings of this study added to our understanding of the relationship between taking nutrition courses daily (BID) and increasing public awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy weight in order to achieve body shape satisfaction, as doing so helps to prevent future health issues brought on by incorrect beliefs about body shape.