Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 3, Issue 2, 2011

Numerous data are now available on the beneficial properties of the polyphenolic compound resveratrol (3,5,4'- trihydroxy-stilbene) including its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor effects, its role in the aging process and in the prevention of heart and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, derivatives of resveratrol, including glucosylated molecules, have been linked to similar beneficial effects. The immune response is regulated by networks of complex molecular and cellular interactions: the effects of resveratrol and derivatives, as resveratrol glucosides, in this multifaceted immune system are partially unknown. In this paper, we review patents in which resveratrol glucosides are specifically involved in immunological activity in humans. This article highlights recent patents in which a future usage of resveratrol glucosides is envisaged, as therapeutic agents providing a promising immuno-modulatory approach in regulating immunological and inflammatory responses

Attempts over the years to speed up the slaughter and processing of meat have been limited by the impact on important meat quality traits, such as tenderness. A number of methods and equipment have been developed for stretching and/or shaping to enhance the tenderness of meat, reducing the need for long term storage and ageing of meat. The more successful methods and equipment to improve the tenderness of meat - Tenderstretch (pelvic suspension), Tendercut (skeletal separation), SmartStretch™/Smartshape™ and Tenderbound (Pi-Vac Elasto-Pack system) are the subject of this review. Minimal research has been performed to compare these methods of tenderising meat. Tenderstretch and Tendercut are relatively easy to implement and require no specialised equipment, but they are relatively inflexible and only impact on a small number of muscles. The adoption of Tenderstretch has also been limited by increased resource requirements (chiller space and labour). SmartStretch™/Smartshape™ and Tenderbound, which wrap hot-boned pre-rigor muscles to prevent muscle contraction and shortening during rigor, are systems that do require specialised equipment. The major advantage of these systems is that they are very flexible and can be applied to any target muscle. Further research needs to be undertaken to compare these methods to better facilitate their commercial adoption. The article presents some promising patents on stretching and shaping meats.

Exogenous enzymes are now well accepted as a class of feed additives in diet formulations for poultry and pigs to overcome the negative effects of anti-nutritional factors, and to improve digestion of dietary components and animal performance. An overview of the current status of feed enzyme technology, including the different type of enzymes and modes of action, is provided. Variable response to enzyme supplementation is an important reason limiting the widespread acceptance of feed enzymes. The major reasons contributing to these variable responses are discussed. Main features of the next generation of feed enzymes and the various trends that will drive the future use of enzymes are highlighted. The use of feed enzymes in poultry and pig feed formulations is expected to increase in the future and this will be driven by on-going changes in the world animal production. Aquaculture and ruminant industries are emerging markets for exogenous feed enzymes. The article presents some promising patents on feed enzyme technology.

The use of antibiotics in the European Union was banned since the 1st of January 2006. At present, and even though such ban, residues of drugs used in animal therapy or, illegally, as growth promoters might be found in food. Such residues may cause adverse health effects on consumers like allergic reactions in sensitive individuals develop transmissible antimicrobial resistance in food microflora, and have technological implications in the manufacture of fermented products. This is the reason why to check food for the presence of antibiotics residues is still necessary. ELISA test constitutes an attractive screening technique due to its simplicity, large number of samples per kit and possibility of automation. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a review of the numerous patents and applications for the analysis of antibiotic residues in foods.

The technological opportunities opened up by biotechnology in agriculture are diverse, including plant breeding, the partial or total relief of pesticides chemicals usage, the improvement of soil fertility, the improvement of the quality attributes of various foods. Specifically, various tricks of biotechnology can be used for higher seed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance to drought and heat, and better agronomic quality. A number of recent works considerably widen the potential of plant biotechnology where transformation methods and studies of molecular genomics have been described. For example, transformation techniques and search for new selectable markers involving biolistic technique, gene transfer technique using the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, selection technique based on the use of mannose, utilization of genes promoting endogenous hormone production under the control of chemical stimulants, further more, engineering the nuclear genome without antibiotic resistance genes and engineering the plastid genome. We are presenting in this paper some of the recent patents on methods and techniques involving genes coding proteins and breeding techniques with possible agronomic applicability on crops economically important, such as soybean, corn and sugarcane.

The application of antioxidant ingredients is one of the most common ways to delay and prevent the detrimental effect of oxygen in foods. Some of the most widely used and studied antioxidants are carboxylic acids, tocopherols and thiol-containing compounds. However, consumer trends towards healthier and safer foods, together with the increasing concern for the potential toxicity of some antioxidants are leading research efforts towards the use of antioxidants obtained from natural sources, such as plant phenols, essential oils and chitosan. This paper reviews the latest published studies and issued patents on the use of antioxidants agents in foodstuffs. The properties of the most commonly used antioxidants as well as natural antioxidants are revised. Moreover, examples of recent patents on the application of antioxidants to different foodstuffs (meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and beverages) are given.

The paper discusses the patents that have been filed in the areas of sustainable development in agriculture, food and nutrition and use of natural resources in achieving this goal. A large number of patents deal with the production of fertilizers from animal manure, plant sources and other organic wastes, which are more sustainable that the chemical fertilizers that are being currently used. Sustainability in agriculture is achieved in developing processes for the manufacture of biopesticides/insecticides and bioactive agricultural products. Development of novel sustainable agricultural processes has also been the focus of researchers and technologists. Plant derived nutritious food products are sustainable and can cater for the growing population burden. This has been the focus of several patents. Processes for enhancing the nutrition in food also serve the purpose of catering for the under nourished population.

There is a need to implement a new approach to pest control in which agroecological strategies are developed and adapted in a site-specific way to highly variable and diverse farm conditions typical of farms in tropical regions such as Brazil. It has become evident that the conventional agriculture based on high use of external inputs and oriented to maximize profits, has often been detrimental and unviable when considered from social and ecological perspectives. Pest problems, for example, are generally related to high input, single-crop agroecosystems. We discuss here agroecological strategies such as conservation biological control, use of natural pesticides and selectivity of synthetic and natural pesticides as a way to conserve and increase natural enemies' efficiency in Brazilian agroecosystems. In addition, we discuss some patents related to agroecological pest management.

The patents annotated in this section have been selected from various patent databases. These recent patents are relevant to the articles published in this journal issue, categorized by food additives, micro & macro-molecular food supplements, edible alternatives, food technology, nutraceuticals, healthy diet, nutritional value, calorie intake, malnutrition & related diseases, plant derivatives, agricultural technology and products, crop improvement and safety issues related to food, nutrition & agriculture.