Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012

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.

This article reviews the patents showing the use of antimicrobial agents in processing plants to eliminate the growth of the microorganism that affects on the quality and safety of the end products. Several materials have unique antimicrobial effects, especially towards biofilms in the processing equipments. The selection of a proper antimicrobial agent is essential to obtain the best results in preserving foods. The antimicrobial agent must not be toxic, and many factors need to be considered in choosing the right antimicrobial agent.

The last decade has witnessed the development and arrival of novel nano-based food materials, innovative food packaging, intelligent delivery mechanisms of nutrients and bioactive materials, implementation of green nanotechnologies for crop production and nano-biosensors to provide safer foods and waste reduction. Opportunities to exploit and develop nanotechnologies in the food sector have resulted in a large number of patents as food technologists and engineers continue to identify novel ways to re-invent food products that would appeal to consumers on a global scale. However, in the pursuit of delivering patentable technologies, concerns over consumer health and safety in the use of nanoparticles in foods is an ongoing challenge. This review aims to present a discussion of the recent innovations of nano-based food technologies in terms of patented knowledge across a number of applications, future trends and impact on the food industry. As food regulators respond to the potential threat of nanomaterials guided by toxicity studies, we also discuss recent developments and initiatives being adopted to ensure the safe use of nanomaterials based on current predictions.

The amounts of sodium chloride in the formulation of a variety of foods like bakery, meats and dairy foods, ready meals, sauces and snacks, are relatively large and thus, have a strong contribution on the salt dietary intake. There is a clear demand by the consumers and medical associations to reduce the salt content in foods. Different strategies have been proposed and most of them consist of the replacement of sodium chloride by other salts and the addition of other substances for an acceptable sensory quality. The recent patents for salt reduction and their applications in foods are reviewed in this manuscript.

We presently discuss the use of grape polyphenols for promoting human health and disclose recent patents on the subject. The biological effects of grape polyphenols in human and experimental models demonstrate antioxidant properties closely associated with the maintenance of endothelial function, increase in antioxidant capacity, protection against LDL oxidation and neuroprotective effects. Recent patents regarding grape polyphenols show a tendency to return to natural products with a minimum use of severe extraction processes and organic solvents. Moreover, the recent patents regarding human health show more pharmaceutical use of grape juice and other polyphenol-rich products. The application of such products in clinical trials as a substitute or co-adjuvant with drugs may be useful in future research.

The rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger, is one of the most widely used spice and condiment. The nonvolatile pungent compounds (namely gingerols, shogaols, paradols, and zingerone) are some of the extensively studied phytochemicals and account for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, and gastro protective activities. This review a persuasive presentation of the current information regarding the patents that have been granted during the last decade related to the processing of ginger with an emphasis on the methods of extraction and mechanisms exploited for health claims for ginger-containing foods and pharmaceutical compositions. Further studies are required for the validation of the beneficial uses of ginger. Formulation for novel products and new usages may emerge in the years to come, basing on the revealed results of various studies.

Hyperglycemia is a pathological condition associated with prediabetes and diabetes. The incidence of prediabetes and diabetes is increasing and imposes great burden on healthcare worldwide. Patients with prediabetes and diabetes have significantly increased risk for cardiovascular diseases and other complications. Currently, management of hyperglycemia includes pharmacological interventions, physical exercise, and change of life style and diet. Food supplements have increasingly become attractive alternatives to prevent or treat hyperglycemia, especially for subjects with mild hyperglycemia. This review summarized current patents and patent applications with relevant literature on five commonly used food supplements with claims of hypoglycemic effects, including emblica officinalis (gooseberry), fenugreek, green tea, momordica charantia (bitter melon) and cinnamon. The data from human clinical studies did not support a recommendation for all five supplements to manage hyperglycemia. Fenugreek and composite supplements containing emblica officinalis showed the most consistency in lowering fasting blood sugar (FBS) or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in diabetic patients. The hypoglycemic effects of cinnamon and momordica charantia were demonstrated in most of the trials with some exceptions. However, green tea exhibited limited benefits in reducing FBS or HbA1c levels and should not be recommended for managing hyperglycemia. Certain limitations are noticed in a considerable number of clinical studies including small sample size, poor experimental design and considerable variations in participant population, preparation format, daily dose, and treatment duration. Future studies with more defined participants, standardized preparation and dose, and improved trial design and size are warranted.

Bran is the outer part of cereal grains that is separated during the cereals de-hulling and milling processes. It was considered in the past a by-product of cereal industry employed mainly as animal feed. Cereal bran, being particularly rich in different functional biopolymers, bio-active compounds and essential fatty acids, attracted the interest of pharmaceutical and food industry. Furthermore, the peculiar techno-functional properties of brans together with their particular physiological and nutritional aspects have led to a great interest in their incorporation as main or secondary components in different groups of food products including bakery and confectionery products, breakfast cereals and extruded foodstuffs, emulsions and functional dairy products and pasta products. In the first part of the present work the main fractionation processes, bran fractions properties and their physicochemical and technological properties are briefly reviewed. In the second part, relevant applications, with emphasis on patents, in food industry are reviewed as well.

The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifra L., family: Palmaceae) is perhaps the oldest and most important fruit crop in the Middle East and North Africa. From this region, the tree spread to other parts of the world and is cultivated in some parts of USA. About 6-7 Million tons of date fruits, belonging to a large variety of cultivars with different characteristics, are produced annually. The date fruit is mainly composed of sugars (invert sugars and/or sucrose) and fiber and, as such, can find a wide range of applications. However, processing applications of the date fruits are limited and new possibilities need to be exploited. This paper reviews the state-of-art knowledge on the compositional and technological aspects and patents pertinent to the processing and utilization of date fruits.

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.