Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 19, Issue 2, 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is known as the leading cause of chronic liver disease in both children and adults. Increasing evidence suggests that dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota plays a key role in the regulation of various metabolic and inflammatory pathways, which may result in the development of NAFLD. When normal liver physiology is impaired, gut-derived factors may lead to increased tissue damage and inflammation. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is defined as a condition in which a large amount of intestinal bacteria are present in the small intestine. The permeability of the intestinal barrier increases with SIBO, resulting in an increase in bacterial translocation and endotoxemia. SIBO is assumed to play a critical role in the development and progression of NAFLD. Therefore, this review focuses on the mechanisms in which SIBO may play a role in NAFLD and possible nutritional management strategies such as a low FODMAP diet, probiotics and prebiotics targeting SIBO and NAFLD.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of Gram-positive bacteria found in various ecological niches: fermented and non-fermented foods, the intestinal tract and vagina of humans and animals, and the environment. They are microorganisms used as probiotics, food supplements, and fermentates due to their characteristics of fermentation and safety status. LAB are responsible for the sensory and shelf life of fermented foods, gut microbiota equilibrium, and health modulation through different metabolic activities by the action of various enzymes. These enzymes degrade the major compounds: carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, leading to the production of new metabolites that are important to study with the aim of understanding all metabolic pathways and diverse possible applications. The present work summarizes the metabolism of LAB, including different pathways, key enzymes, and specific aspects of certain species.

Background: Obesity is a prominent disorder that has a drastic effect on lots of individuals. It is a consequence of non-equilibrium in the energy expenditure and intake of energy, while other etiological factors can be genetic, epigenetic, and physiological. Objective: The aim is to explore the multiple aspects reported for its management based on controlled metabolic approaches as well as surgical approaches. Results: It has been reviewed that medical interventions for obesity are lifestyle-altering interventions that include appropriate diet and exercise. Furthermore, pharmacotherapy is also proving to be efficient for the management of obesity. Drugs allowed by the competent authority of the US are for long-term such as orlistat and phentermine for the short-term obesity treatment. Surgical approaches involve restrictive, malabsorptive as well as mixed bariatric procedures and these procedures show evidence to alleviate obesity and its comorbidities. Conclusion: This review explored various treatment options for obesity.

Background: Despite, being known as the sunshine vitamin, there is a widespread deficiency of vitamin D. Mushrooms upon exposure to sunlight or UV radiations can synthesize vitamin D2 due to the presence of its precursor, ergosterol. The most common mushroom to be consumed worldwide is the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). These mushrooms possess a high nutritional value and have many therapeutic benefits. Objectives: This review aims to comprehend the potential of button mushrooms as a source of vitamin D2 and the possibilities of making value added products by incorporating button mushrooms. Conclusion: As button mushrooms are grown in dark chambers, they have negligible amounts of vitamin D2, however, on exposure to sunlight or UV B radiation, nutritionally significant vitamin D2 can be generated in fresh, whole, sliced or dried powder. The synthesis of vitamin D2 is largely dependent on the type of UV radiation, its intensity, temperature and exposed surface area. As fresh button mushrooms are highly perishable, they are often preserved in the form of jams, sauce, pickles and candy. Dried button mushroom powder finds utility in formulating nutrient enriched cakes, breads, biscuits, cookies, soup powders and composite flours. With the ever- increasing demand for novel health foods, vitamin D enhanced button mushroom and its powder can be used in various forms in the diet as a sustainable non-animal substitute to supplements and pills to tackle vitamin D deficiency.

Holy Qur’an and Al-Hadith said that halal food was an important part of Muslims. Regulation of halal foods intended for the safeguard of Muslims lives. Some prohibited things can present various problems. So, halal products can be good choice for the long-term future. This review explains the basis of halal products analysis and the use of FTIR as one of the methods for halal products analysis. The basis of the halal analysis involves the specified non-halal contents, which will encourage the development of analytical methods for halal product authentications. Many analytical methods developed in the halal food analysis include gas chromatography (GC)/gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), electronic nose (e-nose), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), etc. Based on this review, FTIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics is a good method for halal food analysis because it provides an appropriate result, and it is a simple method and a nondestructive preparation.

Background: In several studies, Vitamin D supplementation was found useful against the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 to reduce the mortality rate and severity of its infection. Viral replication was also found to be affected negatively by vitamin D administration. Objective: The literature was reviewed with an aim to evaluate the efficacy of the therapeutic approach of nutrition involving intervention of Vitamin D towards decreasing the severity of prevailing pandemic of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: A background research of literature was performed using the keywords “SARS-CoV- 2”, “COVID-19”, “nutritional therapy”, “Vitamin D”, “immunity”, “AEC2 receptors” and “RAS” in the Pubmed and Google Scholar. Results: This literature was review suggested that if combined with medical sciences, this nutritional therapy approach can end up as an influential solution to reduce the severity of SARSCoV- 2 infection, which is a prevailing pandemic. A combination of assessment, supplementation of this required micro-nutrient (Vitamin D), and monitoring can be used to aid the immune system of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Nutritional therapy with Vitamin D as a major factor can be used to increase the immunity of an individual to fight against the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2. However, the actual mechanism of how Vitamin D supplementation functions to improve the health of an individual is yet unclear.

Background: Maternal nutritional factors play a significant role in maternal glucose and fatty acid transfer across the placenta and contribute to further enhancing fetal growth and also increasing the risk of fetal macrosomia. Objective: This review aims to provide the effects of placental transfer of maternal fatty acids and glucose on fetal macrosomia, and also highlights the maternal nutritional interventions to prevent fetal adiposity. Methods: All abstracts and full-text articles have been examined and the most relevant articles have been included in this review. Results: Maternal obesity, maternal over-nutrition, and gestational diabetes can permanently influence the risk of macrosomia via the effects of the placental transfer of maternal fatty acids and glucose on the fetus. These conditions are associated with unfavorable maternal environments that lead to fetal growth acceleration by adverse fetal programming outcomes and increased risk of childhood obesity. As a result, pregnancy should be viewed as a window of opportunity for the development of maternal nutritional therapies that improve maternal glucose and lipid metabolism, potentially reducing macrosomia and juvenile obesity. Conclusion: Evidence-based techniques for managing maternal glucose and fatty acid transfer to the fetus include maintaining maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), acceptable weight gain throughout pregnancy, and maternal nutritional interventions during pregnancy. Healthy dietary patterns (such as the Mediterranean diet) and/or dietary consumption of certain nutrients (such as omega-3 fatty acids) are among the suggestions for fetal macrosomia prevention.

Different formulations of ashwagandha have been utilized for the treatment of neurological disorders. The present manuscript aimed to discuss various roles of Withania somnifera, (ashwagandha) in the treatment of neurological disorders. In the literature, several neuroprotective phytoconstituents of ashwagandha have been reported, with important pharmacological effects on neurological and brain disorders such as anxiety, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Schizophrenia. Preclinical studies, clinical trials, and patents indicate that Withania somnifera has a wide range of potential as a neuroprotective in several neurological disorders. After a complete literature survey, it can be concluded that Withania somnifera has significant potential to treat neurological disorders.

The plant Glycyrrhiza glabra species (liquorice or licorice), a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, is of utmost importance as it contains glycyrrhizin, an important antiviral compound along with other significant phytoconstituents like glycyrrhetinic acid, glabrin A&B, triterpene sterols, isoflavones, and many more. Glycyrrhiza glabra has been recognized for its ethnopharmacological values since time immemorial, as it exhibits various pharmacological activities. The crux of this review focuses on the antiviral activity of liquorice against several viruses that pose a severe threat to humankind like herpes simplex virus (HSV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), H5N1 virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), H3N2 virus, influenza, and influenza A virus, pseudorabies virus (PrV), etc. Overall, This review article explains the compilation of data obtained from Scopus indexed journal articles over 5 years ranging from 2015 to 2020, which not only aims to shed light on the application of Glycyrrhiza glabra against human viruses but also on how to develop these responses further to improve the efficacy. Further, the review also focuses on Glycyrrhiza glabra for its potential commercial uses, such as treating the porcine virus in pigs and piglets, which is verified.

Background and Objectives: Being highly consumed by the population for nutritional purposes, the monitoring of radionuclides in milk represents a very important task for the protection of human health. The present paper reports the results of an investigation aimed at determining the natural and anthropogenic radioactivity content in milk and assessing the radiological health risks due to its ingestion. Methods: Liquid for infants, Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) sheep, UHT cow, and UHT goat milk samples, coming from Italian large retailers, were investigated. In particular, a total of twenty samples, five for each type, were analyzed by using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometry, with the ultimate goal of quantifying the specific activity of natural and anthropic radionuclides (⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs, respectively). The evaluation of dose levels due to the milk ingestion was also performed for six age categories, namely infants, 1-5, 5-10, 10-15, 15-17 years old, and adults (> 17 years old), taking into account the average yearly direct consumption in Italy and under the a priori hypothesis that this need can be satisfied by a single variety of milk. Results: The mean specific activity of ⁴⁰K varies from (30 ± 4) Bq L^-1 to (48 ± 6) Bq L^-1; the lowest value was obtained for the UHT sheep milk, while the highest one for the UHT cow milk, with investigated Italian large retailers milk samples presenting an activity concentration of (38 ± 5) Bq L^-1 on average. The ¹³⁷Cs specific activity is lower than the minimum detectable activity (MDA) value for all investigated samples. Regarding the dose levels due to the milk ingestion, the obtained values remain below the threshold value of 1 mSv y^-1 set by the Italian legislation. Conclusion: Reported results then show that the radiation dose incurred from the ingestion of the investigated milk samples poses no significant health effect on the population from a radiological point of view.

Background: The Ketogenic diet has gained popularity, especially among college students in the past few years, mainly as a strategy for fast weight losse, but due to lack of appropriate knowledge of ketogenic diets plans might affect their overall health. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate knowledge and perception about ketogenic diet among students of three different faculties of Northern Border University, Arar, KSA. Methods: The present study had a cross sectional study design and a total of 303 (214 female and 89 males) students were contacted between 15 February and 20 March, 2021. A selfadministered online (Google form) questionnaire was used to investigate socio-demographic data as well as student’s knowledge and perception about the ketogenic diet. Results: The majority of the participants, 197 (65%) know that ketogenic diet comprises of high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate. The main therapeutic aim for adopting a ketogenic diet was weight loss for 153 participants (50.3%), whereas 115 (38%) of them adopted it for treating poly cystic ovary (PCOD) and only 84 (27. 7%) for controlling diabetes. The source of knowledge about the ketogenic diet was primarily social media 199 (65.9%), and only 82 (27.2%) adopted it after consultation from a dietitian. However, 72 participants (23.8%) believed that the ketogenic diet did not have any adverse effects on the human body. Conclusion: The result of the present study indicates that students had convincing knowledge and perception about the ketogenic diet as well as its therapeutic uses. However, pre-diet counseling is imperative for everyone to know every aspect and correct technique for carrying out this diet.

Aims: This work aimed to develop a functional powder from kinnow peel extract, which could be proposed as a novel ingredient in the formulation of functional foods. Methods: The extract was spray-dried using different proportions (0, 15, 30 and 45 %) of encapsulating agents (maltodextrin and whey protein concentrate (WPC) at two different inlet air temperatures of 145 and 155 °C). The developed powder was examined for process yield, microencapsulation efficiency, colour, moisture content, water activity, hygroscopicity, solubility and antioxidant properties. Results: The study showed the excellent potential of WPC as a drying aid in the production of quality powderin terms of better yield (77.76-82.87%), higher microencapsulation efficiency (69.07-80.36 %), better phenolic content (18.04-13.37 mg/g GAE) and higher antioxidant activity (63.80-74.20 %), as compared to maltodextein. Polyphenol retention was also investigated under controlled conditions, and results demonstrated an excellent stability of polyphenols at higher concentrations of encapsulating agent. Microencapsulated powder in breadsticks significantly affected the proximate composition and viscoelastic properties. Conclusion: This study can be recommended for the conversion of plant extracts into encapsulated powders with reduced volume and better physical and rehydration properties to fortify different cereal products, thus producing new and functional foods.