oa Editorial

With this issue, Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture enters its fourth year. We anticipate that the journal will become a primary resort for researchers and innovators in this area. The journal is increasingly receiving interesting articles and proposals for special issues, the call for which is always open. We are certain that as the journal progresses, its impact on innovations in this area will be great. This issue comprises 8 articles. In the first article, by Abu Shelaibi and others, the use of antimicrobial agents in processing plants to eliminate the growth of the hazardous microorganism is reviewed. The second article, by Sonkaria et al., is dedicated to the expanding field of nanotechnology and its impact on food and nutrition. The number of applications and patents on nanotechnology-based food materials, food and nutritional formulations, and food preservation and packaging are increasing tremendously and will continue doing so for some decades. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture will pay special attention to the applications of nanotechnology in its future issues. The remaining articles of this issue focus on processing to increase functionality and improve the nutritional value of foods. Reduction of salt, i.e. sodium chloride, in food products is a necessary action to improve health with reference to high blood pressure, an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. Patents pertinent to salt replacement strategies are reviewed by Toldra and Barat. The fourth article in this issue, by Gollucke and Ribeiro, reviews patents on the use of grape polyphenols for the promotion of human health. The article highlights the diversity of acclaimed applications and points out the tendency to return to the food raw materials, the grapes and their juices, with minimum use of extractions and other modifications. In the next article, Kubra and Jaganmohanrao provide an overview of patents and innovations in the use of ginger and its extracts in food and pharmaceutical applications. The 6th article, by Ruitang Deng, reviews the hypoglycemic activity of food supplements popular in traditional practices, namely gooseberry (Emblica officinalis), fenugreek, green tea, bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and cinnamon. Of the 5 herbs, only fenugreek and gooseberry were consistent in lowering fasting blood sugar or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in diabetic patients. In all cases, the number of clinical studies was limited. In the 7th article, Soukoulis and Aprea review cereal bran fractionation and the processing techniques used for the recovery of its “functional components”. Several intervention and epidemiological studies are currently focusing on the health effects of cereal bran components including minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive components. The paper discusses the peculiar technological and physiological functional properties of brans and their incorporation as functional ingredients in food products such as breakfast cereals and extruded foods, bakery and confectionery products, pasta products, emulsions, and functional dairy products. The last article of the issue, by Kamal-Eldin et al., reviews the processing of date palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifra) and their utilization in food products. Although the production of this fruit is large and is continuously increasing, the processing and applications of the date fruits are limited and need to be further exploited.