Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Butt, Masood Sadiq; Pasha, Imran; Sultan, Muhammad Tauseef; Randhawa, Muhammad Atif; Saeed, Farhan; Ahmed, Waqas

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.571799pmid: 23768180

For millennia, spices have been an integral part of human diets and commerce. Recently, the widespread recognition of diet-health linkages bolsters their dietary importance. The bioactive components present in them are of considerable significance owing to their therapeutic potential against various ailments. They provide physiological benefits or prevent chronic ailment in addition to the fundamental nutrition and often included in the category of functional foods. Black pepper (Piper Nigrum L.) is an important healthy food owing to its antioxidant, antimicrobial potential and gastro-protective modules. Black pepper, with piperine as an active ingredient, holds rich phytochemistry that also includes volatile oil, oleoresins, and alkaloids. More recently, cell-culture studies and animal modeling predicted the role of black pepper against number of maladies. The free-radical scavenging activity of black pepper and its active ingredients might be helpful in chemoprevention and controlling progression of tumor growth. Additionally, the key alkaloid components of Piper Nigrum, that is, piperine assist in cognitive brain functioning, boost nutrient's absorption and improve gastrointestinal functionality. In this comprehensive treatise, efforts are made to elucidate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastro-protective, and antidepressant activities of black pepper. Moreover, the synergistic interaction of black pepper with different drugs and nutrients is the limelight of the manuscript. However, the aforementioned health-promoting benefits associated with black pepper are proven in animal modeling. Thus, there is a need to conduct controlled randomized trials in human subjects, cohort studies, and meta-analyses. Such future studies would be helpful in recommending its application in diet-based regimens to prevent various ailments.

Stoev, Stoycho D.

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.571800pmid: 23768181

The possible hazard of mycotoxin occurrence in foods and feeds and some food-borne mycotoxicoses is reviewed. Management of the risk of mycotoxin contamination using some useful preventive measures against mycotoxin contamination of foods/feeds during pre- and post-harvesting periods is considered. The physical and chemical methods of mycotoxin decontamination of foods/feeds are briefly described. The use of various feed additives as a method for prevention of the adverse effects of mycotoxins is reviewed. The processing of various foods and feeds is considered in a view to possible mycotoxin decontamination. The necessary hygiene control and risk assessment in regard to mycotoxin contamination of foods and feeds in addition to some useful prophylactic measures are briefly described. A short reference is made concerning the most successful methods of veterinary hygiene control in order to prevent a possible entering of some mycotoxins in commercial channels with a view to human health.

Yerlikaya, O.; Acu, M.; Kinik, O.

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.572200pmid: 23768182

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting almost 6% of the world's population. Management of diabetes and its complications, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), amputation, blindness, and renal failure, imposes enormous medical and economic burdens, primary prevention has become a public health imperative. Studies have shown that diet and lifestyle are important means of preventing CVD risk and type 2 diabetes. In addition, a few studies have suggested that dairy consumption was associated with lower risks for hypertension, coagulopathy, coronary artery disease, and stroke. By this time, published studies about relation between dairy consumption and type 2 diabetes are limited. In this review, the effects of dairy products on CVD and type 2 diabetes risk were summarized. Also, recent findings about these subjects were mentioned.

Huq, Tanzina; Khan, Avik; Khan, Ruhul A.; Riedl, Bernard; Lacroix, Monique

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.573152pmid: 23768183

Encapsulation of probiotic bacteria is generally used to enhance the viability during processing, and also for the target delivery in gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics are used with the fermented dairy products, pharmaceutical products, and health supplements. They play a great role in maintaining human health. The survival of these bacteria in the human gastrointestinal system is questionable. In order to protect the viability of the probiotic bacteria, several types of biopolymers such as alginate, chitosan, gelatin, whey protein isolate, cellulose derivatives are used for encapsulation and several methods of encapsulation such as spray drying, extrusion, emulsion have been reported. This review focuses on the method of encapsulation and the use of different biopolymeric system for encapsulation of probiotics.

Schoonbeek, Sanne; Azadi, Hossein; Mahmoudi, Hossein; Derudder, Ben; De Maeyer, Philippe; Witlox, Frank

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.573886pmid: 23768184

While much has been published on the advantages of organic agriculture, less has addressed its potentials and challenges to fight undernourishment in developing countries. This article aims at reviewing the main potentials and challenges of this approach when dealing with “undernourishment” as a multifaceted concept in developing countries. Accordingly, 2 main issues of the concept which are “food security” and “food safety” are discussed in the context of both developed and developing countries to understand their different food policies’ priorities. Next, the main potentials, challenges and tradeoffs of the organic approach are analyzed to understand whether the approach is capable to provide a secure or a safe food-production system which can meet the food policy priorities in developing countries. With respect to food security, the article concludes that conventional and biotechnological approaches still produce higher yields than organic agriculture. However, considering the many advantages of organic agriculture, it can in a long run, be more conducive than now to meet food security. Thus, conventional approaches to feed the hungers in developing countries. Accordingly, the article emphasizes on the importance of providing farmers in developing countries with the possibility of implementing different approaches. Therefore, policy makers should be aware of a realistic and gradual transition from the other approaches to the organic that should be projected only in “long run,” and after conducting a series of risk assessment studies on the bases of both “crop-case” and “region-case.”

Trigueros, L.; Peña, S.; Ugidos, A. V.; Sayas-Barberá, E.; Pérez-Álvarez, J. A.; Sendra, E.

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.574215pmid: 23768185

Overweight and obesity have a major impact on global health; their prevalence has rapidly increased in all industrialized countries in the past few decades and diabetes and hypertension are their direct consequences. Pharmacotherapy provides reinforcement for obesity treatment, but should be an adjunctive support to diet, exercise, and lifestyle modification. At present, only orlistat and sibutramine have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for long-term use, but sibutramine was withdrawn for sale by the European Medicines Agency. The development of functional foods for the prevention and/or treatment of obesity suppose an opportunity for the food market and involve the knowledge of the mechanisms of appetite and energy expenditure as well as the metabolic sensation of satiety. Strategies for weight control management affect gut hormones as potential targets for the appetite metabolic regulation, stimulation of energy expenditure (thermogenesis), and modifications in the metabolic activity of the gut microbiota. Functional foods for obesity may also include bioactive fatty acids, phenolic compounds, soybean, plant sterols, dietary calcium, and dietary fiber. This review intends to offer an overview of the present situation of the anti-obesity agents currently used in dietary therapy as well as some functional food ingredients with potentially anti-obesity effects.

Rubió, Laura; Motilva, Maria-José; Romero, Maria-Paz

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.574802pmid: 23768186

Spices, like vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs, are known to possess a variety of antioxidant effects and other biological activities. Phenolic compounds in these plant materials are closely associated with their antioxidant activity, which is mainly due to their redox properties and their capacity to block the production of reactive oxygen species. More recently, their ability to interfere with signal transduction pathways involving various transcription factors, protein kinases, phosphatases, and other metabolic enzymes has also been demonstrated. Many of the spice-derived compounds which are potent antioxidants are of great interest to biologists and clinicians because they may help protect the human body against oxidative stress and inflammatory processes. It is important to study the bioactive compounds that can modulate target functions related to defence against oxidative stress, and that might be used to achieve health benefits individually. In the present review, an attempt has been made to summarize the most current scientific evidence about the in vitro and in vivo effects of the bioactive compounds derived from herbs and spices, focused on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, in order to provide science-based evidence for the traditional uses and develop either functional foods or nutraceuticals.

Murevanhema, Yvonne Y.; Jideani, Victoria A.

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.574803pmid: 23768187

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterraenea (L.) verdc) (BGN) is a legume; its origin have been traced back to Africa, and it is the third important legume; however, it is one of the neglected crops. It is highly nutritious, and has been termed a complete food. Its seed consist of 49%–63.5% carbohydrate, 15%–25% protein, 4.5%–7.4% fat, 5.2%–6.4% fiber, 3.2%–4.4% ash and 2% mineral compared to whole fresh cow milk 88% moisture, 4.8% carbohydrate, 3.2% proteins, 3.4% fat, 0.7% ash, and 0.01% cholesterol. Its chemical composition is comparable to that of soy bean. Furthermore, BGN has been reported to be a potential crop, owing to its nutritional composition, functional properties, antioxidant potential, and a drought resistant crop. Bambara groundnut milk (BGNM) had been rated higher in acceptability than milk from other legumes like soybean and cowpea. Probiotics have been defined as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amount confer a health benefit on the host. These benefits have been reported to be therapeutic, suppressing the growth and activity in conditions like infectious diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. The nutritional profile of BGNM is high enough to sustain the growth of probiotics. BGNs are normally boiled and salted, eaten as a relish or roasted, and eaten as a snack. Hence, BGNM can also be fermented with lactic acid bacteria to make a probiotic beverage that not only increase the economic value of the nutritious legume but also help in addressing malnutrition.

Upadhyay, Rohit; Mohan Rao, L. Jagan

doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.576319pmid: 23768188

Phenolics are widespread dietary antioxidants. Among these, chlorogenic acids (CGAs) received considerable attention for their wide distribution and part of human diet with potential biological effects. CGAs (71 compounds), being esters of derivatives of cinnamic acids with quinic acid are widely distributed in plant materials. Coffee is among the highest found in plants, ranging from 4 to 14%. Besides, these are reported in plant foods such as apples, pears, carrot, tomato, sweet potato, Phyllostachys edulis, oilseeds, Prunus domestica L, cherries, and eggplant. The traditional Chinese medicinal plants such as flowers and buds of Lonicera japonica Thunb and the leaves of Eucommia ulmodies contained CGAs as bioactive compound. These play an important role in the formation of roasted coffee flavor and have a marked influence on coffee cup quality. CGAs are considered as main precursors of coffee flavor and pigments. Recent technological advancements in the separation and purification of CGAs such as molecular-imprinted polymer technique; microwave-assisted extraction; pH gradient counter current chromatography has also been described. The consumption of coffee correlated to several health benefits such as reducing the risk of human chronic diseases such as inflammation, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease owing to its antioxidant potential.