Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2013

Squalene (SQ), the sterol precursor in all cell types, is a functional lipid of high importance, as currently an array of benefits to human health are recognized. It has chemopreventive and photooxidative properties, it protects human from coronary heart diseases and is also used to maintain skin health. Technological properties of SQ have been widely appreciated in fields beyond human consumption. Moreover, SQ forms stable nanoemulsions and, as found in several conformations, it forms SQ-drug conjugates with improved properties and potentially can be used as an important bioactive ingredient carrier. As far as food applications are concerned, its thermal stability and contribution in the stability of frying oils are well established. All of the above properties increased both food and non-food SQ applications so that its current demand in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals is getting higher. Sharks, the richest SQ source, are endangered species. Consequently, the need for search of new SQ sources, mainly of plant origin, is increased. Biotechnology gives also some interesting alternatives. In this review article, the most recent patents regarding SQ extraction, production as well as its food-related applications are presented. Squalane, the hydrogenated counterpart of squalene, is also discussed.

This article reviews recent literature on the usage and relevance of garlic and its bioactive components in controlling diabetes and diabetes-associated pathologies; and also updates recent patents on the subject. Antidiabetic effect of garlic is well documented even in ancient medical literature. Garlic and its active ingredients have been extensively studied for their antidiabetic efficacies in either experimentally induced or genetic animal models of diabetes. Human studies are also available where hypoglycemic effect of garlic was reported. The beneficial effects of garlic are mainly attributed to the presence of volatile sulfur compounds like alliin, allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, diallyl sulfide, S-allyl cysteine, ajoene and allyl mercaptan. Garlic and garlic extracts have been shown to be effective in reducing insulin resistance. Therefore, considering the importance of garlic in controlling diabetic complications, several preparations and food processes containing garlic have been patented. This review discusses some of the recent progresses made in this field and consolidates the results.

Cerebral ischemia is caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain which generally leads to irreversible brain damage. Ischemic injury is associated with vascular leakage, inflammation, tissue injury, and cell death. Cellular changes associated with ischemia include impairment of metabolism, energy failure, free radical production, excitotoxicity, altered calcium homeostasis, and activation of proteases all of which affect brain functioning and also contribute to longterm disabilities including cognitive decline. Inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative/nitrosative stress, and intracellular calcium overload contribute to brain injury including cell death and brain edema. However, there is a paucity of agents that can effectively reduce cerebral damage and hence considerable attention has focused on developing newer agents with more efficacy and fewer side-effects. Polyphenols are natural compounds with variable phenolic structures and are rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, bark, roots, tea, and wine. Most polyphenols have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties and their protective effects on mitochondrial functioning, glutamate uptake, and regulating intracellular calcium levels in ischemic injury in vitro have been demonstrated. This review will assess the current status of the potential effects of polyphenols in reducing cerebral injury and improving cognitive function in ischemia in animal and human studies. In addition, the review will also examine available patents in nutrition and agriculture that relates to cerebral ischemic injury with an emphasis on plant polyphenols.

Resveratrol has been extensively researched for its powerful antioxidant capacity and other biological effects. The number of patents involving this compound has been growing in recent years. However, the biggest problem associated with this molecule, a limited bioavailability due to its fast metabolism in the liver, has led to obtaining its analogues or derivatives. In this work, we selected patents which describe the application of the antioxidant activity of resveratrol and its analogues as food for the human segment.

Weight, oil, fatty acids, tocopherol, polyphenol, and sterol properties of 5 olive cultivars (Zard, Fishomi, Ascolana, Amigdalolia, and Conservalia) during crude, lye treatment, washing, fermentation, and pasteurization steps were studied. Results showed: oil percent was higher and lower in Ascolana (crude step) and in Fishomi (pasteurization step), respectively; during processing steps, in all cultivars, oleic, palmitic, linoleic, and stearic acids were higher; the highest changes in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were in fermentation step; the highest and the lowest ratios of ω3 / ω6 were in Ascolana (washing step) and in Zard (pasteurization step), respectively; the highest and the lowest tocopherol were in Amigdalolia and Fishomi, respectively, and major damage occurred in lye step; the highest and the lowest polyphenols were in Ascolana (crude step) and in Zard and Ascolana (pasteurization step), respectively; the major damage among cultivars occurred during lye step, in which the polyphenol reduced to 1/10 of first content; sterol did not undergo changes during steps. Reviewing of olive patents shows that many compositions of fruits such as oil quality, fatty acids, quantity and its fraction can be changed by alteration in cultivar and process.