Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 21, Issue 7, 2025

Olea europaea L, known as olive, is an ancient tree that has been part of traditional and modern therapies. Table olives are produced by curing and then fermenting the olive drupe, a process that involves debittering the olive fruit by eliminating oleuropein, a bitter phenolic compound characteristic of the Oleaceae family. The curing of bitterness is an important method used with food products to increase the quality and health benefits of several edibles. The process of curing differs between the Spanish, Californian, and Greek styles, resulting in different levels of maturation and ripening. Other curing methods include using water alone, a combination of salt and oil, dry salt, and freezing. The presence of high salt concentration in table olives presents a barrier for some people with health conditions, such as hypertension, from consuming it.

The aim of this study is to search for alternative curing techniques, making table olives more universal and suitable for those with health conditions.

Herein, we review and discuss Sumac, Rhus coriaria L., a dark red condiment and flavoring agent commonly used in the Mediterranean region, as a potential curing agent for olives.

The literature reports Sumac as a strong antimicrobial and antioxidant agent due to its high phenolic content. These properties make it an effective natural preservative and a healthier alternative to salt in olive curing. Furthermore, its use in curing olives can help maintain the firm texture of the fruit while reducing dietary sodium intake, addressing health concerns such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Replacing salt with Sumac in table olive curing offers a novel approach to food production that addresses the global health challenge of excessive sodium consumption. Sumac’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties improve the nutritional profile of olives while supporting the health of individuals with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This innovative method has the potential to revolutionize table olive production and contribute to broader public health goals.

Food waste has become a global concern due to its negative impacts on the environment, economy and society.

To address this issue, the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda aims to reduce food waste by 50% by the year 2030. However, monitoring progress towards this goal in GCC countries has been challenging due to the lack of accurate data on food waste.

The research used a comparative study methodology that focuses on a regional level analysis utilizing a data set of Food Waste Index (FWI).

By using cross-country comparative analysis as a methodology, this research article offers a solution to this problem by presenting a model for comparative statistical analysis that can reduce uncertainty in food waste data.

The article highlights the importance of integrating the Food Waste Index databases with the Global Food Security Index databases to bridge the data gap and effectively monitor efforts to reduce food waste.

In the fast-paced world of today, “time” is a valuable and limited resource that can make a difference in our lives. Furthermore, since more people are employed, there is a greater need for ready-to-eat foods. Salad is an essential component of the daily diet.

The main objective of this study was to develop a nutrient-dense, dehydrated ready-to-eat salad with dehydrated fruits (pineapple), vegetables (beetroot, carrot, and pumpkin seed), and salad dressings.

In this work, development of four salad dressings with different flavours and aromas has been carried out, namely honey mustard dressing (A), tahini dressing (B), Caesar dressing (C), and balsamic vinaigrette dressing (D) to improve the palatability of salad. All 16 variations were subjected to a sensory examination utilizing a nine-point hedonic scale. A physicochemical investigation was additionally carried out on the variants that received good acceptance ratings. Total Plate Count Test was used to determine the product's shelf life.

The study's findings indicate that the Variation 4C variant's sensory qualities were well-received, receiving an overall consumer acceptability rating of 8.83. The ratios of carrot, beetroot, pumpkin seed, pineapple, and Caesar dressing were 25%:15%:15%:15%:30%, respectively. The dehydrated RTE salad (Variation 4C) variation has 20.98% moisture, 15.27 g protein, 10.10 g fat, 4.84 g crude fiber, 6.20mg of minerals, and 3.3mg of vitamin A/100g. Microbiologically, V4C variation was acceptable for up to 60 days when refrigerated at 8°C.

Overall research findings indicate that consumers accept salad in dehydrated ready-to-eat salad form, offered in different combinations, while retaining its nutritional value.

Obesity and high blood pressure are complex and multifactorial health problems that represent serious public health issues. Physical activity is a powerful protective factor in the treatment of these comorbidities. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction has been shown to be strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors and several other comorbidities.

To associate the level of adiposity, blood pressure, physical activity, and cardiac autonomic dysfunction.

This cross-sectional, population-based study included 285 individuals (average age: 45.1 ± 16.3 years) of both sexes. Body composition, blood pressure, and heart rate variability were assessed, along with physical activity levels. Spearman and Chi-square correlation tests were performed. For association analysis, binary logistic regression (Odds Ratio) was used.

There was a significant association between body adiposity and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for both sexes (p=0.000). Additionally, a significant association was found between waist circumference and sympathetic nervous activity in the overall sample (p=0.003). Men individuals with high waist circumference were more likely to have low levels of parasympathetic activity, as indicated by the SDNN (Standard deviation of all NN intervals) variable (p=0.002). Regarding physical activity, there was a significant association with blood pressure. After adjusting for age, insufficiently active individuals were more likely to develop arterial hypertension (p=0.08).

There is an association between high body adiposity and low levels of physical activity with increased blood pressure, and increased waist circumference is linked to a higher risk of autonomic dysfunction, thus raising the risk of diseases.

Legumes are a significant part of the diets of numerous regions worldwide. However, only a limited number of species are cultivated, traded, and consumed. Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) remains underutilized and insufficiently studied.

This research aims to assess the nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of this undervalued legume.

Physical characterization, proximate analysis, and quantification of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were performed on both the pods and seeds to explore their potential for human consumption.

The pod pulp had 59% soluble solids, a pH of 5.6, a notable content of total phenolics (1826.62 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoids (165.75 mg QE/100 g), and high antioxidant activity (129, 113 and 156 μmol TE/g, by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP, respectively). The seed showed high protein content (34.5%), and a good level of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity (427.97 mg GAE/100 g, 160.69 mg QE/100 g, and 28.20 μmol TE/g, respectively). Both the pod and seed extracts exhibited more than 89% chelating activity (IC50 of 0.017 and 0.037 mg/mL, respectively). HPLC analysis identified catechin, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, rutin, and quercetin in the pod; while gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, rutin, and quercetin were found in the seed. Pods and seeds presented significant amounts of dietary fiber (28.9% and 17.5%, respectively), and, regarding sugar content, sucrose predominated, followed by fructose and glucose.

These findings suggest that this legume has potential for commercial exploitation as a functional food, which would result in economic benefits for the communities that produce it.

Gummies are a popular confectionary product, especially among children, and keeping in view, improvisation in its nutritional and sensorial characteristics is the need of the hour.

For this purpose, juices of pomegranate and beetroot were incorporated using different proportions. Six formulations were studied in which the ratio of pomegranate to beetroot juices was 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 40:60, 30:70, and 20:80. Physicochemical characteristics such as moisture, ash, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (DPPH) and, overall acceptability, color (L, a and b values), textural and microbiological characteristics of gummies were studied to select appropriate formulation.

Highest TPC (0.19 mgGAE/g), antioxidant activities (84.1 mg/100g), sensory acceptability (8) and resilience (92.7) were observed in sample having highest proportion of pomegranate juice (80:20) and moisture (18%), ash (0.08%), pH (3.915), and TSS (73.2 °Brix) of this formulation were within the specified range as stated for gummies.

Thus, gummies prepared with 80% pomegranate juice and 20% beetroot juice may serve as delicious healthy confectionary without addition of synthetic color and flavor.