Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 21, Issue 6, 2025

The main objective of this perspective article is to briefly discuss the eight inexpensive, protein-rich, highly nutritious plant sources as an alternative to animal proteins.

The study is based on a literature search via Google Scholar, Research Gate, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Pub-Med, etc.

Eight protein-rich plant sources like flaxseeds, chickpeas, soybeans, green peas, kidney beans, peanuts, mung beans, and cowpeas have been presented briefly. In addition to protein, they are also full of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and several bioactive molecules, indicating many biological applications in the solution of multiple health issues and strongly promoting the health. Thus, the addition of these nutritious plant sources in our daily diet in mixed form fulfills the daily nutrient requirement and is very helpful in health promotion and the fight against malnutrition.

Compared to many other foods, cocoa and chocolate stand out for their high concentrations of polyphenols, particularly catechins, anthocyanidins, and procyanidins. These compounds possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory properties that can confer multiple health benefits. This present study has been undertaken to assess the effects of polyphenol-rich chocolate consumption on various aspects of human health, including mood, cognition, cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, immune function, gut microbiota, and cancer risk. The high polyphenolic content in dark chocolates improves endothelial function, inhibits platelet aggregation, lowers blood pressure, enhances insulin sensitivity, etc. Cocoa polyphenols have been found to augment cognitive performance due to their ability to modulate gut microbiota. Potential antidepressant and anticarcinogenic activities were also reported.

The present study aimed to identify the impact of polyphenol-rich chocolate on human health.

Electronic searches were carried out using the databases viz. Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed for the study. The search was restricted for a period of 48 years, ranging from 1980 - 2022, to make it more systematic and concise. The obtained research and review articles were thoroughly studied and analyzed to present a comprehensive review.

The results of the present study mainly focus on the impact of polyphenols on human health, especially cognitive status. Evidence indicates that polyphenol-rich dark chocolate might offer numerous advantages for cardiovascular and metabolic health, but its effects on cognition, mental health, gut microbiota, and cancer risk need to be studied further. More research, including animal experiments and human trials, is needed to understand the health impact and optimal dosages of dark chocolate. Understanding chocolate’s therapeutic benefits can open new avenues for human well-being.

The complex relationship between chocolate and emotion via the gut-brain axis has been discussed. From the momentary sensory pleasures to the intriguing interplay between cravings and comfort-seeking behaviors, chocolate has a unique place in the realm of emotional indulgence.

The search for effective antiviral therapies against the Coronaviridae family, particularly SARS-CoV-2, remains a critical priority. Baicalin and baicalein, natural flavonoid compounds, have shown promising antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in various experimental studies.

This systematic review, encompassing 25 total articles, analyzed the direct antiviral effects of these compounds against SARS-CoV-2, focusing on their inhibitory activity against key viral proteins.

Baicalin and baicalein exhibit antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, primarily by targeting the main protease (3CLpro) and, to a lesser extent, other viral proteins like RdRp, PLpro, and the spike protein. Baicalein consistently demonstrates superior inhibitory activity with lower IC50 values and higher selectivity indices compared to baicalin. While the article highlights promising antiviral activity, it also notes that baicalein might be a promiscuous Mpro inhibitor and its efficacy may be influenced by the presence of reducing agents like DDT. While baicalein shows potential as a promising antiviral agent, further research is necessary to confirm its in-vivo efficacy, optimize its pharmacokinetic properties, and fully understand its mechanisms of action.

Further investigation into the potential for off-target effects, particularly the observed renal toxicity, is also warranted.

Fish is considered one of the most important foods around world due to its high nutritional value and good sensory quality, and there are a variety of ways to prepare it.

The purpose of the study was to research the effects of additives and different cooking methods on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of fish burgers. This research aimed to prepare fish burgers from sea bass fish fillets treated with a mixture of additives and to evaluate the quality of the produced product and stored at -4°C condition.

Results were measured using AOAC standard methods: which showed a significant difference between chemical compositions in treated burgers, so that moisture, and protein contents decreased, and fat and ash contents increased. A noticeable increase in energy value, yield, and expressible moisture was recorded for treated fish burgers, but these increases were found within permissible limits. Although there were no significant differences between values of water holding capacity, but a noticeable increase was recorded for weight loss, and this increase was at a lower rate in treated burgers.

The different frying methods and additives were being processed. Physical properties were significantly affected by frying, while all products were acceptable until the end of experiment. It is clear that high quality products can be prepared from sea bass fish fillets and can be frozen without affecting their quality standards. This is considered a good start for using sea bass fish in markets of Iran.

Rendang is one of the traditional foods of West Sumatra made from processed beef, which is vulnerable to adulteration with non-halal meats such as pork.

This research aimed to develop the method for discriminating beef fat and lard (pig and wild boar) of rendang using a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) combined with chemometric analysis.

The training data set was rendang made of the binary mixture of beef and pork (pig and wild boar) with 11 concentrations. The testing data set was rendang obtained from several food stalls in Padang, West Sumatra Indonesia. Fat was extracted using the soxhlet method and then analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy at 4000-400 cm^-1 wave numbers. The discriminant analysis (DA) was used to discriminate fat, while the Principle Component Regression (PCR) and Partial Least Square (PLS) models were used for quantification analysis.

The result showed DA could classify rendang without misclassification at wave numbers of 1400-1000 cm^-1 (pig) and 2800-1000 cm^-1 (wild boar). About seven of ten commercial rendang were identified as beef, but three of them failed using the Beef-Pork-DA model. Meanwhile, five commercial rendang were classified as mixture and wild boar using the Beef-Wild boar DA model. In quantitative analysis, the best PCR model for pig was at a wave number of 1500-1000 cm^-1 with a calibration R² value of 0.9946, predicted R² 0.9926, RMSEC 0.0327, and RMSEP 0.0464. The best PLS model for wild boars was at wave numbers 1400-1000 cm^-1 with the R² calibration value of 0.9974, R² prediction 0.9875, RMSEC 0.0229, RMSEP 0.0572.

FTIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics successfully classified and quantified beef fat, pork, and wild boar fat in rendang. However, further validation of the eight rendang testing datasets using the DNA-based method that failed to identify as beef using the FT-IR method is necessary.

Nitrate and acrylamide as carcinogenic substances are increased during the baking process of foods, such as cereals.

This study aimed to reduce the amount of acrylamide and nitrate in three types of cereals, wheat, barley, and maize, by treatment with probiotic bacteria and several plant extracts.

Three types of plant extracts were prepared from Coriandrum sativum, Nigella sativa, and Thymus sp. leaves and stem. Also, Lactobacillus casei subspecies rhamnosus LCR6013 was used as probiotic bacteria for bacterial treatment. Acrylamide and nitrate were measured by HPLC and UV-vis spectrophotometry.

Adding plant extracts and LCR 6013 bacteria could reduce the level of nitrate and acrylamide in the cereal samples. Among plant extracts, nigella could reduce nitrate in all samples below detectable levels. Also, it was effective in reducing acrylamide content from samples to the extent of 87% in barley, 60% in wheat, and 100% in corn. Bacterial treatment could also reduce nitrate levels between 70 and 100% while having a variable impact on decreasing acrylamide. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistically significant results.

It was concluded that pre-baking exposure to plant extract and bacteria is effective in the reduction of nitrate and acrylamide quantity in the heat processing of cereals.