Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 18, Issue 9, 2022

Background: Microalgae have been a hot research topic due to their various biorefinery applications, particularly microalgae as potential alternative nutraceuticals and supplements have a large and rapidly growing market. However, commercial production is limited due to high processing cost, low efficiency, and scale up of biomass production. Objective: It is important to control the microalgae cultivation system with optimal parameters to maximize biomass productivity. The growth factors, including pH, temperature, light intensity, salinity, and nutrients, are discussed as these can significantly affect the cultivation. To monitor and control these in real-time, an automated system incorporating advanced digital technologies like sensors, controllers, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) could be applied. Conclusion: This perspective provides insights into the implementation of an automated microalgae cultivation system that improves productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Background: Four leading commercial Indian honey brands were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy and principal component analysis for rapid and accurate differentiation of pure, mildly adulterated, and highly adulterated honey brand samples. We examined the ability of PCA on second derivative of FTIR data to descriminate between the pure and adulterated commercial honey brands. Methods: This study is the first to investigate commercial Indian honey brands using FTIR and PCA. We show that the top two principal components could easily descriminate between the pure and adulteraated honey brands. Results: Hence such methods can investigate adulterations in bulk commercial honey brand samples where sophisticated instrumentations and facilities are not available. Conclusion: Thus, the potential of FTIR and PCA can be further explored for detecting the presence of adulterations in bulk honey samples without much cost and effort.

Background: Diabetes is one of the most serious global public health concerns, imposing a significant burden on public health and socio-economic development, with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90 percent of individuals with the disease (T2D). Introduction: Beyond the hereditary factor, there are several risk factors associated with the development of this syndrome; the lifestyle plays an increasingly predominant role in the development of the metabolic complications related to T2D and a significant role in the onset of this syndrome is played by an unbalanced diet. Polyphenolic food is a plant-based food, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, tea, coffee, and nuts. In recent years, there has been growing evidence that polyphenols, due to their biological properties, may be used as nutraceuticals and supplementary treatments for various aspects of T2D. Polyphenols may influence glycemia and T2D through hypoglycemic properties, such as reduced insulin resistance, reduced fasting blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin value. Based on several in vitro, animal models, and some human studies, it has been detected that polyphenol-rich products modulate carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, attenuate hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, improve adipose tissue metabolism, and alleviate oxidative stress and stress-sensitive signaling pathways and inflammatory processes. Methods: This manuscript summarizes human clinical trials conducted within the last 5 years linking dietary polyphenols to T2D, with a focus on polyphenolic foods found in the Mediterranean diet. Results: Intaking polyphenols and their food sources have demonstrated beneficial effects on insulin resistance and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Prospective studies have shown inverse associations between polyphenol intake and T2D. The Mediterranean diet and its key components, olive oil, nuts, and red wine, have been inversely associated with insulin resistance and T2D. Conclusion: In conclusion, the intake of polyphenols may be beneficial for both insulin resistance and T2D risk. However, other human clinical studies are needed to evaluate the suitable dose and duration of supplementation with polyphenolic food in T2D patients.

The role of essential fatty acids is vital in the life of a human being. The lack of essential fatty acids causes various diseases, such as cardiovascular, inflammatory bowel, and obesity. Although synthetic antioxidants have already been used, nowadays, the demand for natural antioxidants has increased mainly because of the adverse effects of synthetic antioxidants. Spices are widely used in this context as a source of natural antioxidants. It has been observed that they also act as pro-oxidants. This review aims to evaluate the fundamental reason for the different activities of the spices by studying the example of eugenol, a principal phenolic constituent of clove oil. The chemistry concerning the mechanism to display antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity is currently being reviewed. The isomerization of eugenol to isoeugenol plays a key role in exhibiting dissimilar behaviour of the eugenol. Under the polar medium, isomerization of eugenol does not take place, and it acts as an antioxidant. However, in the non-polar medium, eugenol isomerizes to isoeugenol and displays a pro-oxidant effect. In the basic medium, eugenol isomerizing to isoeugenol undergoes degradation. Hence, to utilize the beneficial activity of eugenol, it should be present in a polar or acidic medium. It can be concluded from this review article that the structural form of any molecule plays a major role in utilizing its activity and is also dependent on the medium. Hence, the medium also performs a vital role in influencing the activity of any molecule.

Background: Polyphenols are a group of secondary plant metabolites produced in plants as a protective system against oxidative stress, UV radiation, pathogens, and predatorial attacks. Flavonoids are a major class of plant phenolics present in fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine. Tectoridin, also called 40,5,7-thrihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone-7-Ob-D-glucopyranoside is an isoflavone glycoside present in the flower of Porites lobata. Methods: Present work focused on the biological importance, therapeutic potential, and pharmacological activities of tectoridin in medicine. Numerous scientific data have been collected from different literature databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus to know the health beneficial potential of tectoridin. Pharmacological data have been analyzed in the present work to know the biological effectiveness of tectoridin against human disorders. Analytical data of tectoridin have been collected and analyzed in the present work to know the importance of modern analytical methods in the isolation, separation, and identification of tectoridin. Results: Scientific data analysis revealed the biological importance and therapeutic benefit of tectoridin in medicine, signifying the therapeutic potential in healthcare systems. The biological activities of tectoridin are mainly due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet, anti-angiogenic, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, estrogenic, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic activity. However, this work has also presented the effectiveness of tectoridin against rat lens aldose reductase, nitric oxide, skeletal and cardiac muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, and enzymes. Analytical data signified the importance of modern analytical techniques for separation, identification, and isolation of tectoridin. Conclusion: The present work signified the biological importance and therapeutic benefit of tectoridin in medicine and other allied health sectors.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive monogenic disease marked by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene mutations affect respiratory, digestive and reproductive functions and impede bicarbonate, bile acid, and sweat secretion. Moreover, the current trend indicates that CF is no longer only a paediatric disease, but has progressively become a disease that also affects adults. This calls for addressing the condition with an appropriate nutraceutical approach. Objective: The study aims to find and collate nutritional targets in the management of cystic fibrosis. Methods: Studies highlighting the benefits of nutrients or nutraceuticals in the management of cystic fibrosis were included from previously published research articles (1971 to 2020). Data including nutrients, nutraceuticals, study design, study model, sample size, age, dose and duration of the dose of the supplement were extracted from the studies included and explored to understand their role. Results: About 26 studies were included in the present review. It was found that nutrient interventions comprising nutraceuticals, including dietary fibre, proteins and amino acids (taurine, arginine, glutathione), fats (medium-chain triglycerides, polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids), phytochemicals (apigenin, genistein, quercetin, curcumin, allicin, beta-carotene, Pulmonaria officinalis L, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate), micronutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium and zinc in addition to antioxidants exhibit improvement in the symptomatic condition of cystic fibrosis patients. Conclusion: The advent of nutraceuticals in the food industry and studies indicating their promising benefits have paved a path for targeted therapies in cystic fibrosis.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most important bacteria in food technology, causing listeriosis, a disease with high mortality rates, especially in developing countries. Objective: Thus, the objective of this review was to gather recent work on the presence of L. monocytogenes in meat and meat products in Latin America, in addition to pointing out control methods and resistance genes that can be disseminated. Methods: Original research articles in Portuguese, Spanish and English published since 2017 were selected, reporting the presence of L. monocytogenes in meat and meat products in Latin American countries. Articles were also reviewed on innovative methods for controlling the bacteria in food, such as intelligent packaging and the use of essential oils, and on resistance genes found in L. monocytogenes, pointing out the possible implications of this occurrence. Results: Some negligence was observed in determining the prevalence of this bacterium in several countries in Latin America. Although studies on L. monocytogenes have been found in milk and dairy products, demonstrating the existence of the necessary structure and knowledge for research development, studies on meat and meat products have not been found in most countries. In control methods developed against L. monocytogenes, the versatility of the approaches used stands out, enabling their use in different types of meat products, according to their technological characteristics. Conclusion: Several resistance genes have been determined to be possibly disseminated by L. monocytogenes, which adds more importance to the establishment of methods for its control.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic and chronic disorder which causes high blood glucose concentrations and dysfunctional pancreatic beta-cells characterized by decreased insulin secretion and signalling. Scientific evidence suggests that vitamin D supplementation may help patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) improve glycaemic control, increase insulin secretion and decrease HbA1c concentrations. Additionally, this supplementation improves antioxidant enzyme concentrations, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Finally, some studies have reported that supplementation decreases oxidative markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA). Objective: The objective of this study is to review the effect of vitamin D supplementation on glycaemic control and oxidative stress markers in patients with T2DM. Inclusion criteria involved adult patients with T2DM, oral vitamin D supplementation with different dosages and undefined time. Studies including children or animals and with other pathologies were excluded. Methods: This systematic review was conducted following Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework (PRISMA) in terms of study selection, data collection, data analysis, and result reporting. Several databases were reviewed from 2013 to 2020: Google Scholar, REDALYC, Scielo, Scopus and PubMed, among others; word combinations and MeSH keywords were used to find scientific evidence on vitamin D supplementation in patients with T2DM and their relationship with oxidative stress. Results: After making a careful selection of the studies according to its title and abstract, 120 articles were selected for reading the full text. Consequently, 21 studies and 1 report were included in this review, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Conclusion: Supplementation with vitamin D may help decrease glucose, and glycosylated haemoglobin and improve insulin secretion. Subjects with T2DM have higher oxidative stress concentrations and lower antioxidants than healthy subjects; vitamin D supplementation may help improve oxidative and antioxidant markers.

Background: There is an assumption that clinical nutrition (CLN) students should have better nutrition and health statuses and practice healthier lifestyles than other students. However, the effect of pursuing nutritional studies on student dietary lifestyle is not well known. Objective: To investigate differences in nutritional status between CLN-major and Administration/ Humanities-major (AHM) students as well as determine their sources of health and nutrition- related information. Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study in which CLN and AHM (mainly English and Arabic majors) students were recruited. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and a questionnaire was administered to assess their dietary lifestyle. Results: In total, 160 female students (CLN, 86; AHM, 74) participated in the study. Most students from both groups (>44%) were within the normal body mass index (BMI) range (18.5-24.9 kg/m2); no CLN students had class II or III obesity. No significant difference in BMI between the two groups was observed. CLN students tended to consume breakfast and snacks more than AHM students. Daily fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly higher among CLN than AHM students. No significant difference was found in fried food or water intake between the two groups. Additionally, CLN students were more involved in high-intensity exercise than their counterparts. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that health status and dietary lifestyle among CLN students are influenced by their study major. Obesity is less prevalent, and consumption of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, is higher among CLN students. Future studies investigating the long-term effect of studying CLN on lifestyle and social relations with family and friends are warranted.