Recent Advances in Food Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 14, Issue 1, 2023

The paper discusses the causes and needs of controlling the level of microbiological contamination of juice in a vertical extractor and the methods to control the level of contamination. The requirements and possibilities for controlling the microbiological contamination level of juice extracted from the vertical extractor are described using redox potential value measurement. Aerating the extractor in a controlled manner, regulating the pH level of the juice, and implementing one of the presented proposals on how to record the measurement results will automatically regulate microbiological contamination levels of the juice in the tower extractor.

In recent times, bioplastics have become an integrated sustainable alternative to plastic management to lessen the dependency on fossil fuels as well as better plastic disposal methods. Through this study, the focus is laid upon the dire need for developing bio-plastics for transforming to a sustainable future as bio-plastics are renewable, more feasible, and a sustainable option when compared to the high-energy consuming conventional oil-based plastics. Bioplastics might not be a one-stop solution for all environmental issues caused by plastics, but it will be a beneficial step for expanding biodegradable polymer as society’s current concerns about the environment makes this an ideal time for further growth of biopolymers. Moreover, the potential market for agricultural materials in bioplastics is leading to an economic push toward the growth of the bioplastic industry, thus providing better alternatives for a future sustainable environment. The objective of the review is to provide detailed knowledge about plastics obtained from various renewable sources, their production, life cycle, market share, applications, and roles to act as a sustainable source of synthetic plastics, thereby featuring various possibilities and potentialities of bioplastics to perform as an alternative solution for waste reduction.

Rice bran and rice bran protein are important sources of minerals, energy, and vitamins. Other bioactive compounds are abundantly available to exert therapeutical activity. Healthpromoting activities of high-value compounds of rice bran were significant, as observed in recent studies. A variety of bioactive components present in rice bran and rice bran extract are responsible to exhibit therapeutical potential like chemopreventive, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and lipid-lowering activity. Several bioactivity representative compounds like γ-oryzanol, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, tricin, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, coumaric acid, phytic acid, isoferulic acid, gallic acid, γ-amino butyric acid, sinapic acid, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E complexes, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, cyanidin-3-glucoside, peonidin-3-glucoside, quercetin, rutin, kaemferol, β-carotene, lutein, vitamin B and lycopene are known to display significant health benefits. The bioactive components produced therapeutical effects by regulation of different mechanisms like increasing faecal excretion, reducing oxidative stress, reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), regulation of NF-kb activation, reduction of proinflammatory cytokines production, suppression of SREBP-1, reduction in the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, elevated the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax, up-regulating P53 expression and suppressing COX-2. Several research engines like PubMed, google scholar, science direct, etc. were used to collect the data on the mentioned keywords. Recent scientific works were included in this article. In this review paper, we profiled the high-value compounds and focused on their antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, and anticancer activity with their possible mechanism of action.

Background: According to the Persian Medicine (PM) point of view, the function of the cardiovascular system and the risk of cardiovascular events would be different between subjects having warm and cold temperaments. Moreover, different foods in terms of temperament may lead to different acute and chronic effects on the body. Objective: We investigated the postprandial effects of PM-based warm and cold test meals on arterial stiffness indices in healthy men with warm and cold temperaments. Methods: Twenty-one eligible warm or cold temperament subjects with a similar range of age, weight, and heights were enrolled in this pilot cross-over randomized controlled trial study during February- October 2020. Two test meals (cold and warm PM-based temperament foods) were designed as different interventions. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse wave analysis (PWA) was obtained at the baseline state (following 12 hours fasting), 0.5, 2, and 4 hours after the test meal consumption during each test day. Results: Warm temperament participants had higher values of lean body mass, total body water, and protein content (P = 0.03, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively). Cold temperament individuals had higher aortic heart rate (HR) following 12 hours of fasting (P <0.001). On the other hand, the augmentation pressure (AP) of warm temperament individuals was higher than the colds ( P = < 0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, although warm temperament individuals could have higher arterial stiffness at the fasting state, arterial stiffness indices had a greater reduction following warm-temperament meal intake compared to cold-temperament meal.

Background: One of the significant problems with peanut butter is oil separation when the product is opened after some time. The selection of vegetable oil, which acts as a stabiliser, plays a significant role in nut butter's textural and sensory quality. Objective: This study aimed to optimise the formulation of cashew nut butter using response surface methodology (RSM). Four different vegetable oils, namely olive oil, virgin coconut oil, soybean oil and palm oil, were used to select efficient vegetable oil based on its effect on the physicochemical characteristics and sensory evaluation of cashew nut butter. Methods: Thirteen formulations of cashew nut butter from RSM were produced to determine the optimum amount of selected oil (olive oil) and honey. Results: Cashew nut butter stabilised with olive oil showed the best and similar values to commercial peanut butter with the lowest oil separation 3.91% and lower values of texture data of firmness (85.8 g), shear work (87.8 g.sec), stickiness (-27.44 g) and work of adhesion (-36.07 g.sec). The recommended volumes of olive oil and honey for cashew nut butter production were 1.29% and 6.16%, respectively. Consumers favor cashew nut butter, according to sensory analysis' overall acceptance. In terms of nutritional quality, cashew nut butter contains a high amount of fat (47.25%), followed by carbohydrates (24.51%) and protein (16.4%). Conclusion: The type of oil showed significant effects on the stability and spreadability of the produced cashew nut butter.

Background: Today’s food industry is extensive and complicated, encompassing anything from subsistence agriculture to multinational food corporations. The mobility of food and food elements in food systems has a major impact on biodiversity preservation and the overall sustainability of our fragile global ecosystem. Identifying the human and livestock consumption patterns across regions and territories will optimize the dietary standards of the habitually undernourished and the expanding population without substantially increasing the amount of land under cultivation. Food preservation is the basis for economic advancement and social sustainability, so the food industry, both local and global, is fundamental to everyone. As a primary mechanism for ensuring global food preservation, there is currently a strong emphasis on accelerating food supply and decreasing waste. Thus, analyzing the production and distribution of food supply will boost economic sustainability. Methods: In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis of global and regional food supply to reveal the flow of food and feed products in various parts of the world. Using data mining and machine learning-based approaches, we seek to quantify the production and distribution of food elements. The study aims to employ artificial intelligence-based methods to comprehend the shift and change in supply and consumption patterns with timely distribution to meet the global food instability. The method involves using statistical-based approaches to identify the hidden factors and variables. Feature engineering is used to uncover the interesting features in the dataset, and various clustering-based algorithms, like K-Means, have been utilized to group and identify the similar and most notable features. Results: The concept of data mining and machine learning-based algorithms has helped us in identifying the global food production and distribution subsystem. The identified elements and their relationship can help stakeholders in regulating various external and internal factors, including urbanization, urban food needs, the economic, political and social framework, food demand, and supply flows. The exploratory analysis helps in establishing the efficiency and dynamism of food supply and distribution systems. Conclusion: The outcome demonstrates a pattern indicating the flow of currently grown crops into various endpoints. Few countries with massive populations have shown tremendous growth in their production capacity. Despite the fact that only a few countries produce a large portion of food and feed crops, still it is insufficient to feed the estimated global population. Significant changes in many people's socioeconomic conditions, as well as radical dietary changes, will also be required to boost agricultural credit and economic foundations.