The aim of this study was to compare the relative nutritional benefit of edible Malaysian fishes from the coast of Terengganu in Malaysia, as well as to perform a taxonomical characterization and metal assessment. Discrimination between species was carried out by a morphological and molecular approach by evaluating the total concentrations of metals by ICP-MS analyses and the fatty acids (FA) composition using the GC-MS approach on the fish fillet tissues. The taxonomical studies detected fishes of 11 families and 13 species. The heavy metal assessment showed that all detected elements did not exceed the regulatory limit stated by Malaysian Food Regulations. The proportion of saturated fatty acids (SFA) ranged from 33 to 58.34%, followed by the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) values from 24 to 51.8%, and the lowest proportion was of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), ranging from 12.7 to 35.9%. The ω-3/ω-6 PUFA and PUFA/SFA ratios were determined in the range 1.1 to 7.4 and 0.35 to 1.6, respectively. The C20:5 ω-3 and C22:6 ω-3 acids were detected at levels comparable to those found in the corresponding species from similar tropical marine ecosystems. The high FA values can be useful biochemical tools for comparing the relative nutritional benefits of these biodiverse and non-toxic edible Malaysian fishes.
Food contamination leading to the spoilage and growth of undesirable bacteria, which can occur at any stage along the food chain, is a significant problem in the food industry. In the present work, biopolymer polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene succinate/tapioca starch (PBS/TPS) films incorporating Biomaster-silver (BM) and SANAFOR® (SAN) were prepared and tested as food packaging to improve the lifespan of fresh chicken breast fillets when kept in a chiller for seven days. The incorporation of BM and SAN into both films demonstrated antimicrobial activity and could prolong the storability of chicken breast fillets until day 7. However, PBS + SAN 2%, PBS/TPS + SAN 1%, and PBS/TPS + SAN 2% films showed the lowest microbial log growth. In quality assessment, incorporation of BM and SAN into both film types enhanced the quality of the chicken breast fillets. However, PBS + SAN 1% film showed the most notable enhancement of chicken breast fillet quality, as it minimized color variation, slowed pH increment, decreased weight loss, and decelerated the hardening process of the chicken breast fillets. Therefore, we suggest that the PBS + SAN and PBS/TPS + SAN films produced in this work have potential use as antimicrobial packaging in the future.
Adulteration of meat products is a delicate issue for people around the globe. The mixing of lard in meat causes a significant problem for end users who are sensitive to halal meat consumption. Due to the highly similar lipid profiles of meat species, the identification of adulteration becomes more difficult. Therefore, a comprehensive spectral detailing of meat species is required, which can boost the adulteration detection process. The experiment was conducted by distributing samples labeled as "Pure (80 samples)" and "Adulterated (90 samples)". Lard was mixed with the ratio of 10-50% v/v with beef, lamb, and chicken samples to obtain adulterated samples. Functional groups were discovered for pure pork, and two regions of difference (RoD) at wavenumbers 1700-1800 cm-1 and 2800-3000 cm-1 were identified using absorbance values from the FTIR spectrum for all samples. The principal component analysis (PCA) described the studied adulteration using three principal components with an explained variance of 97.31%. The multiclass support vector machine (M-SVM) was trained to identify the sample class values as pure and adulterated clusters. The acquired overall classification accuracy for a cluster of pure samples was 81.25%, whereas when the adulteration ratio was above 10%, 71.21% overall accuracy was achieved for a group of adulterated samples. Beef and lamb samples for both adulterated and pure classes had the highest classification accuracy value of 85%, whereas chicken had the lowest value of 78% for each category. This paper introduces a comprehensive spectrum analysis for pure and adulterated samples of beef, chicken, lamb, and lard. Moreover, we present a rapid M-SVM model for an accurate classification of lard adulteration in different samples despite its low-level presence.
Rapeseed protein is not currently utilized for food applications, although it has excellent physicochemical, functional, and nutritional properties similar to soy protein. Thus, the goal of this study was to create new plant-based extrudates for application as high-moisture meat analogs from a 50:50 blend of rapeseed protein concentrate (RPC) and yellow pea isolate (YPI) using high-moisture-extrusion (HME) cooking with a twin-screw extruder to gain a better understanding of the properties of the protein powders and resulting extrudates. The effects of extrusion processing parameters such as moisture content (60%, 63%, 65%, 70%), screw speed (500, 700, and 900 rpm), and a barrel temperature profile of 40-80-130-150 °C on the extrudates' characteristics were studied. When compared to the effect of varying screw speeds, targeted moisture content had a larger impact on textural characteristics. The extrudates had a greater hardness at the same moisture content when the screw speed was reduced. The specific mechanical energy (SME) increased as the screw speed increased, while increased moisture content resulted in a small reduction in SME. The lightness (L*) of most samples was found to increase as the target moisture content increased from 60% to 70%. The RPC:YPI blend was equivalent to proteins produced from other sources and comparable to the FAO/WHO standard requirements.
Silkworm pupae, a waste product from the silk production industry, can be an alternative source of edible oil, thus reducing the industry's waste. In the present work, frozen silkworm pupae were used as raw material to extract oil via an aqueous saline process. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to optimize the extraction process. The extraction conditions with the highest oil yield and a low peroxide value were obtained when using a saline solution concentration of 1.7% w/v, a ratio of aqueous liquid to silkworm pupae of 3.3 mL/g, and a 119 min stirring time at the stirring speed of 100 rpm. Under these conditions, silkworm oil with a yield of 3.32%, peroxide values of approximately 1.55 mM, and an acid value of 0.67 mg KOH/g oil was obtained. The extracted oil contained omega-3 acids (α-linolenic acid), which constituted around 25% of the total fatty acids, with approximate cholesterol levels of 109 mg/100 g oil. The amounts of β-carotene and α-tocopherol were approximately 785 and 9434 μg/100 g oil, respectively. Overall, the results demonstrated that oil extracted from silkworm pupae has good quality parameters and thus can be used as a new valuable source of edible lipids.
Primary and secondary food processing had been identified as areas vulnerable to fraud. Besides the food processing area, other stages within the food supply chain are also vulnerable to fraud. This study aims to develop a Bayesian network (BN) model to predict food fraud type and point of adulteration i.e., the occurrence of fraudulent activity. The BN model was developed using GeNie Modeler (BayesFusion, LLC) based on 715 notifications (1979-2018) from Food Adulteration Incidents Registry (FAIR) database. Types of food fraud were linked to six explanatory variables such as food categories, year, adulterants (chemicals, ingredients, non-food, microbiological, physical, and others), reporting country, point of adulteration, and point of detection. The BN model was validated using 80 notifications from 2019 to determine the predictive accuracy of food fraud type and point of adulteration. Mislabelling (20.7%), artificial enhancement (17.2%), and substitution (16.4%) were the most commonly reported types of fraud. Beverages (21.4%), dairy (14.3%), and meat (14.0%) received the highest fraud notifications. Adulterants such as chemicals (21.7%) (e.g., formaldehyde, methanol, bleaching agent) and cheaper, expired or rotten ingredients (13.7%) were often used to adulterate food. Manufacturing (63.9%) was identified as the main point of adulteration followed by the retailer (13.4%) and distribution (9.9%).
Given the stochastic complexity of cancer diseases, the development of chemotherapeutic drugs is almost limited by problems of selectivity and side effects. Furthermore, an increasing number of protective approaches have been recently considered as the main way to limit these pathologies. Natural bioactive compounds, and particularly dietary phenolic compounds, showed major protective and therapeutic effects against different types of human cancers. Indeed, phenolic substances have functional groups that allow them to exert several anti-cancer mechanisms, such as the induction of apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest at different stages, and the inhibition of telomerase. In addition, in vivo studies show that these phenolic compounds also have anti-angiogenic effects via the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis. Moreover, clinical studies have already highlighted certain phenolic compounds producing clinical effects alone, or in combination with drugs used in chemotherapy. In the present work, we present a major advance in research concerning the mechanisms of action of the different phenolic compounds that are contained in food medicinal plants, as well as evidence from the clinical trials that focus on them.
Cancer is exerting an immense strain on the population and health systems all over the world. Green tea because of its higher simple catechin content (up to 30% on dry weight basis) is greatly popular as an anti-cancer agent which is found to reduce the risks of cancer as well as a range of other diseases. In addition, several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that green tea possesses copious health benefits like anti-diabetic, anti-obese, anti-inflammatory, neuro-protective, cardio-protective, etc. This review highlights the anti-carcinogenic effects of green tea catechins integrating the recent information to gain a clear concept. Special emphasis was given to the effectiveness of green tea polyphenols (GTP) in the prevention of cancer. Overall, green tea has been found to be effective to reduce the risks of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer, oral cancer, etc. However, sufficient information was not found to support that green tea consumption reduces the risk of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, or stomach cancer. The exciting data integrated into this article will increase interest in future researchers to garner more fruitful information on the relevant topics.
This work comparatively investigated the effects of different levels (0, 1, 3, and 5%, w/w) of cricket protein powder (CP) and soy protein isolate (SPI) on the gel properties of mackerel surimi. Both SPI and CP enhanced the rheological properties of surimi pastes during heating, as indicated by the increase in G' and G″ and the decrease in tan δ. With increasing SPI content, the proteolytic inhibition, gel properties, water-holding capacity, and textural profiles of surimi gel were markedly enhanced. Molecular driving-force results showed that SPI markedly promoted the hydrophobic interaction, while disulfide bonds were dominant in CP-added gel. However, the whiteness of surimi gels tended to decrease with the increased levels of both additives, in particular CP. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) demonstrated that SPI hindered the polymerization of myosin heavy chain while CP participated in the formation of non-disulfide covalent bonds with actin. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that CP and SPI did not influence the secondary structure of proteins in surimi. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that CP or SPI induced the myofibrillar protein to form smoother and compact gel network structures. Overall acceptability of the mackerel surimi gel can be improved by the incorporation of 5% SPI while CP had a negative impact on several parameters. However, CP showed the remarkable ability to prevent the lipid oxidation of the gel after storage at 4 °C for 7 days. Overall, both SPI and CP demonstrated positive impacts on the gelling characteristics of mackerel surimi; however, SPI was more advantageous than CP in terms of the gel-strengthening effect and sensory qualities. This study offered a potential use for plant and insect proteins as functional and nutritional ingredients for the production of dark-fleshed fish surimi.
Nitrite is one of the most widely used curing ingredients in meat industries. Nitrites have numerous useful applications in cured meats and a vital component in giving cured meats their unique characteristics, such as their pink color and savory flavor. Nitrites are used to suppress the oxidation of lipid and protein in meat products and to limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as Clostridium botulinum. Synthetic nitrite is frequently utilized for curing due to its low expenses and easier applications to meat. However, it is linked to the production of nitrosamines, which has raised several health concerns among consumers regarding its usage in meat products. Consumer desire for healthier meat products prepared with natural nitrite sources has increased due to a rising awareness regarding the application of synthetic nitrites. However, it is important to understand the various activities of nitrite in meat curing for developing novel substitutes of nitrites. This review emphasizes on the effects of nitrite usage in meat and highlights the role of nitrite in the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines as well as possible nitrite substitutes from natural resources explored also.
Palm oil is known to be rich in carotenoids and other phytonutrients. However, the carotenoids and phytonutrients degrade due to high heat sterilization of oil palm fruits. The present study was conducted to produce carotenoid-rich virgin palm oil (VPO) using cold-press extraction. Herein, the influence of sterilization of oil palm fresh fruits in the production of cold-pressed VPO was determined with varying sterilization temperatures, times, and amounts of palm fruits in sterilization. The experimental sterilization conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on the maximum VPO yield and minimum FFAs in cold-pressed VPO. The optimal sterilization experimental conditions of oil palm fruits were determined to be a sterilization temperature of 62 °C, a time of 90 min, and an amount of oil palm fruits of 8 kg. Under these experimental conditions, the maximum cold-pressed VPO yield and the minimal content of free fatty acids (FFAs) obtained were 27.94 wt.% and 1.32 wt.%, respectively. Several analytic methods were employed to determine cold-pressed VPO quality and fatty acids compositions and compared with the crude palm oil. It was found that cold-pressed VPO contains higher carotenoids (708 mg/g) and unsaturated fatty acids compared with the carotenoid (343 mg/g) and fatty acid compositions in CPO. The findings of the present study reveal that the sterilization temperature potentially influences the carotenoid and nutrient contents in VPO; therefore, the optimization of the sterilization conditions is crucial to producing carotenoid- and phytonutrient-rich VPO.
The function of packaging is crucial in the maintenance of fresh meat product quality. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of six films added with coatings 2379L/220 and 2379L/221 (containing sage extracts) to inhibit Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, which showed that two of the six films had a significant effect. Additionally, the effects of the films on refrigerated skinless chicken breast meat were evaluated based on microbiological content, colour, weight loss, texture and pH. Four of the six films were examined could extend the storability of refrigerated chicken breast fillets for up to seven days. All six treated films improved the pH, colour stability, weight loss, and texture of the chicken fillets. Therefore, these findings suggested that the coatings containing sage extracts having different viscosities (2379L/220 and 2379L/221) were effective as antimicrobial adhesives in food packaging films and can be commercially applied in prolonging the storage of chicken breast meat without affecting their quality.
In the past decades, food products and beverages made from gluten-free cereals were initially created for certain groups of people who experience gluten-related disorders such as wheat allergies, gluten ataxia, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and the most well-known, celiac disease. Nowadays, the consumption of gluten-free products is not only restricted to targeted groups, but it has become a food trend for normal consumers, especially in countries such as the UK, the US, and some European countries, who believe that consuming a gluten-free product is a healthier choice compared to normal gluten-containing products. However, some research studies have disapproved of this claim because the currently available gluten-free products in the market are generally known to be lower in proteins, vitamins, and minerals and to contain higher lipids, sugar, and salt compared to their gluten-containing counterparts. The use of other gluten-free cereals such as sorghum, millet, and teff as well as pseudo cereals such as buckwheat and quinoa has gained significant interest in research in terms of their various potential health benefits. Hence, this review highlights the potential health benefits of some gluten-free cereals and pseudo cereals apart from corn and rice in the last decade. The potential health benefits of gluten-free products such as bread, pasta, crackers, and cookies and the health benefits of some other non-alcoholic beverages made from gluten-free cereals and pseudo cereals are reported.
Food safety is an important indicator of public health, as foodborne illnesses continue to cause productivity and economic loss. In recent years, web-based applications have been extensively used by the online users' population. Almost one third (28.3%) of online users found web-based application to be a notable source of food safety information. The objective of the current review is to determine the effectiveness of a web-based application systems as a health promotion tool for consumers to increase their knowledge and awareness of food safety. A systematic literature review was conducted by analyzing 11 selected web-based food safety education-related articles. The studies were categorized into several themes: (1) web-based applications used in accessing food safety information; (2) food safety evaluation and perception among consumers; (3) beliefs and level of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of consumers; and (4) impact and contribution of social media use. A diverse number of online applications have been utilized to promote food safety education among consumers, yet these web-based applications need to be improved with regards to social connection and integration among consumers. KAP surveys were conducted on the majority of the respondents with a particular focus on their knowledge level. Findings show that web-based applications may act as an alternative to the traditional media in enhancing food safety education among consumers, especially youths who are tech-savvy.
Thinned peach polyphenols (TPPs) were extracted by ultrasonic disruption and purified using macroporous resin. Optimized extraction conditions resulted in a TPPs yield of 1.59 ± 0.02 mg GAE/g FW, and optimized purification conditions resulted in a purity of 43.86% with NKA-9 resin. TPPs composition was analyzed by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS; chlorogenic acid, catechin, and neochlorogenic acid were the most abundant compounds in thinned peaches. Purified TPPs exhibited scavenging activity on DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl radical, and FRAP. TPPs inhibited α-amylase and α-glucosidase by competitive and noncompetitive reversible inhibition, respectively. TPPs also exhibited a higher binding capacity for bile acids than cholestyramine. In summary, TPPs from thinned peaches are potentially valuable because of their high antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic capacities, and present a new incentive for the comprehensive utilization of thinned peach fruit.
The presence of glyceryl esters (GE) and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil is severely concerning to the palm oil consumer. In the present study, the influence of the phosphoric acid degumming process on the formation of GE and 3-MCDE and in the RBD palm oil was determined with varying the acid dose (0.03-0.06 wt%), temperature (70-100 °C), and reaction time (15-45 min). The experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were designed following the central composite design of experiments, and they were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the minimal formation of GE and 3-MCDE in the RBD palm oil. The optimal experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were a reaction time of 30 min, phosphoric acid concentration of 0.06 wt%, and temperature of 90 °C. Under these experimental conditions, the minimal GE and 3-MCDE formation in RBD palm oil were determined to be 0.61 mg/kg and 0.59 mg/kg; respectively. Several analytical methods were employed to determine RBD palm oil quality, including color, phosphorus, free fatty acids (FFAs), peroxide values, and fatty acid properties. It was found that the phosphoric acid degumming of CPO effectively removed the phosphorus and hydroperoxide content without conceding the quality of palm oil.
The present study investigates the detection of lard in cocoa butter through changes in fatty acids composition, triacylglycerols profile, and thermal characteristics. Cocoa butter was mixed with 1% to 30% (v/v) of lard and analyzed using a gas chromatography flame ionization detector, high performance liquid chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results revealed that the mixing of lard in cocoa butter showed an increased amount of oleic acid in the cocoa butter while there was a decrease in the amount of palmitic acid and stearic acids. The amount of POS, SOS, and POP also decreased with the addition of lard. A heating thermogram from the DSC analysis showed that as the concentration of lard increased from 3% to 30%, two minor peaks at -26 °C and 34.5 °C started to appear and a minor peak at 34.5 °C gradually overlapped with the neighbouring major peak. A cooling thermogram of the above adulterated cocoa butter showed a minor peak shift to a lower temperature of -36 °C to -41.5 °C. Values from this study could be used as a basis for the identification of lard from other fats in the food authentication process.
Single-use synthetic plastics that are used as food packaging is one of the major contributors to environmental pollution. Hence, this study aimed to develop a biodegradable edible film incorporated with Limosilactobacillus fermentum. Investigation of the physical and mechanical properties of chitosan (CS), sodium caseinate (NaCas), and chitosan/sodium caseinate (CS/NaCas) composite films allowed us to determine that CS/NaCas composite films displayed higher opacity (7.40 A/mm), lower water solubility (27.6%), and higher Young's modulus (0.27 MPa) compared with pure CS and NaCas films. Therefore, Lb. fermentum bacteria were only incorporated in CS/NaCas composite films. Comparison of the physical and mechanical properties of CS/NaCas composite films incorporated with bacteria with those of control CS/NaCas composite films allowed us to observe that they were not affected by the addition of probiotics, except for the flexibility of films, which was improved. The Lb. fermentum incorporated composite films had a 0.11 mm thickness, 17.9% moisture content, 30.8% water solubility, 8.69 A/mm opacity, 25 MPa tensile strength, and 88.80% elongation at break. The viability of Lb. fermentum after drying the films and the antibacterial properties of films against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 were also evaluated after the addition of Lb. fermentum in the composite films. Dried Lb. fermentum composite films with 6.65 log10 CFU/g showed an inhibitory effect against E. coli and S. aureus (0.67 mm and 0.80 mm inhibition zone diameters, respectively). This shows that the Lb.-fermentum-incorporated CS/NaCas composite film is a potential bioactive packaging material for perishable food product preservation.
A thorough investigation of the viability of rice starch conjugation with three different phenolic compounds-gallic acid, sinapic acid, and crude Mon-pu (Glochidion wallichianum Muell Arg) (MP) extract-was conducted using a variety of developed methods which modified the techno-functionality and digestibility of the end product. With and without the aid of ultrasonication (US), phenolic compounds were complexed with hydrothermally pre-gelatinized rice starch prepared using distilled water or plasma-activated water (PAW). The in vitro digestibility, structural features, rheological and thermal properties, and in vitro antioxidant activity of starch-phenolic complexes were evaluated. The US-assisted starch-MP complex in water had the highest complexing index (CI) value (77.11%) and resistant starch (RS) content (88.35%), resulting in a more compact and stable ordered structure. In all complexes, XRD revealed a new minor crystalline region of V-type, which was stabilized by hydrogen bonding as defined by FTIR and H1-NMR. Polyphenols caused a looser gel structure of starch, as imaged by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Starch-phenolic complexes outperformed other complexes in terms of in vitro antioxidant activity. Gallic acid addition to starch molecules boosted DPPH scavenging activity, notably when synthesized in PAW regardless of US assistance, although having lower CI and RS values than the MP complex. Therefore, this research lays the groundwork for the efficient production of functional food ingredients based on rice starch and polyphenols.
The color indicator can monitor the quality and safety of food products due to its sensitive nature toward various pH levels. A color indicator helps consumers monitor the freshness of food products since it is difficult for them to depend solely on their appearance. Thus, this review could provide alternative suggestions to solve the food-spoilage determination, especially for perishable food. Usually, food spoilage happens due to protein and lipid oxidation, enzymatic reaction, and microbial activity that will cause an alteration of the pH level. Due to their broad-spectrum properties, natural sources such as anthocyanin, curcumin, and betacyanin are commonly used in developing color indicators. They can also improve the gelatin-based film's morphology and significant drawbacks. Incorporating natural colorants into the gelatin-based film can improve the film's strength, gas-barrier properties, and water-vapor permeability and provide antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Hence, the color indicator can be utilized as an effective tool to monitor and control the shelf life of packaged foods. Nevertheless, future studies should consider the determination of food-spoilage observation using natural colorants from betacyanin, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, as well as the determination of gas levels in food spoilage, especially carbon dioxide gas.