Approximately 19.3 million people were diagnosed with cancer and about 10 million people died of cancer in 2020. The evaluations of the International Agency for Research on Cancer on carcinogenic risks have identified several carcinogens so far, but the etiology of cancer is still not sufficiently elucidated. The nutritional composition of ultra-processed food and worldwide increase in its consumption have prompted research into its impact on health. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer associated with high consumption of ultra-processed food. A comprehensive literature search of PubMed database was performed, using the keywords “ultra-processed food” and “cancer”. Abstracts and full-texts were screened for inclusion and there were no language restrictions. Studies conducted in humans and designed as case-control or cohort studies were included. Exclusion criteria were studies not done in humans, reviews, case-reports. Exposure of interest was high level of consumption of ultra-processed food. Outcome of interest was occurrence of cancer (colorectal, breast, prostate). We extracted estimates from models which were adjusted for most variables. Meta-analyses were performed using the generic inverse variance method, producing a pooled Hazard Ratio (HR) with 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI). All analyses were done in Review Manager, version 5.4.1. High consumption of ultra-processed food was significantly associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (HR=1.26, 95%CI 1.14-1.39, p < 0.00001). The risk for breast cancer was increased but not significantly (HR=1.14, 95%CI 0.99-1.32, p=0.08) in persons consuming ultra-processed food, while the risk was not increased for prostate cancer (HR=0.98, 95%CI 0.84-1.15, p=0.82). The results of this meta-analysis show that the risk of colorectal cancer is significantly increased in persons with high consumption of ultra-processed food. To the best of our knowledge this is the first meta-analysis which investigated the risk for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer and high level of consumption of ultra-processed food. However, the limitation of the present analysis is the small number of included studies identified using only one database, mainly due to the novelty of the research question, still no heterogeneity was detected. Further research is necessary in order to evaluate the role of ultra-processed food in the occurrence of cancer.

Ensuring food safety is a very important element of food production. In order to maintain the microbiological purity of food products, mainly food additives are used. Unfortunately, some of these substances arouse controversy among consumers. A natural alternative to chemically obtained food additives is the use of essential oils (volatile oils) whose biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant properties have been confirmed for many of them and make them suitable for food preservation and other applications.

The study aimed to use a statistical method of mixture design to optimize the antimicrobial activity of Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora), and Lavender (Lavandula hybrida) essential oils against Escherichia coli PCM 2057, Listeria monocytogenes PCM 2191, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa EPSC001. The antimicrobial activity of used essential oils and their mixtures were evaluated by the disc diffusion method. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of tested essential oils was determined by the DPPH• and CUPRAC methods, and total phenolic content was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method.

Tea tree essential oil was characterized by the highest total phenolic content (0.59 ± 0.05 mg GAE/g) followed by lavender oil (0.27 ± 0.05 mg GAE/g), and rosewood oil (0.11 ± 0.02 mg GAE/g). The first two oils also had similar antioxidant activity. Furthermore essential oil from the tea tree exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against tested microorganisms and based on the mixture design approach, the aforementioned volatile oil participated in optimized mixtures in the greatest amount.

Lemon Basil Straw (Ocimum citriodorum Vis., LBS) is an alternative substrate for mycelia production of gray oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Sing.). The LBS extracts were obtained by submerging the LBS in DI water at room temperature, 121°C, and 4°C. Mycelial growth was conducted in solid media, sorghum grains, and liquid media. The experiments were designed within completely randomized design with triplications. The results showed that the LBS extracted at the room temperature displays a high significant growth rate in solid media (12.92 mm²/day) and sorghum grain (less than 15 days of fully covered on the grains). The LBS extracted in 4°C was suitable for submerged condition for mycelial cultivation because the extract increased the mycelial growth and revealed highest amount of exopolysaccharides. A scale-up for 1-L mycelial production comparing between LBS 4°C extract and potato dextrose revealed significant differences (p<.05) in terms of biomass and exopolysaccharides contents. The study suggested that a guideline for improvement cultivation of the mycelial mushroom in the future.

Many herbs have been studied for their pharmaceutical properties and therapeutic potential during recent years. In this context, oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) aromatic and medicinal plants have been assessed for antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Although the essential oils of oregano and rosemary have a significant commercial value and their therapeutical properties have been well documented, the solid residues of the essential oil hydrodistillation process however have not been studied for their antibacterial properties, to our knowledge. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oregano and rosemary waste solid residues of hydrodistillation process on pathogenic bacteria. More specifically, the antibacterial effect of both aromatic plants herbage before distillation (raw) and the sun-dried essential oil residue were investigated on the following bacteria: Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, and B. cereus. The raw and the solid residues were grounded and incorporated in Mueller-Hinton agar before sterilization in various concentrations (5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml). The medium was distributed in plates and bacteria were inoculated on the plates (3 plates per bacterium). After incubation, plates were assessed for bacteria growth. Results showed that rosemary solid residue was able to inhibit the growth of all Bacilli (B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. cereus) strains, while oregano solid residue was able to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, even in the minimum concentration incorporated, whereas B. cereus, in the maximum concentration. These results suggest a potential use of the solid residue from the hydrodistillation of oregano and rosemary as antimicrobial substrate.

In recent years, food loss and waste (FLW) has become an issue of widespread interest and concern. About 20% of food is lost or wasted throughout the whole food supply chain (FSC), impacting all variables affecting sustainability: environmental, social and economic. In addition, the health crisis caused by COVID-19 produced both changes in FSC due to the lockdown, and alterations in people’s eating habits, creating huge shifts in terms of food security, food access, and FLW. In this framework, the present paper aims to review and analyse the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on FLW, as well as the main consequences and adaptation measures. The outcomes of the revision evidence that no significant changes were produced in the amount of FLW produced during the outbreak, just a partial reallocation to household. The nutritional content of FLW decreased as consequence of the higher consumption of less nutritional foods and beverages, whereas, on the counterpart, the FLW cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions grew during this period, being this enlargement caused by the household consumption. All the changes and adaptations from food producers and consumers have transformed the primary sector into a more resilient one. Citizens have indirectly accelerated the learning process of food purchase management and responsible consumption, whereas, at the same time, supply chain stakeholders have had adapted their work to online demand. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for a decentralized FSC, a flexible and forthcoming distribution system, as well as the inclusion of small producers, and the favoring of secondary feeding strategies, such as donations. In short, this pandemic has provided an opportunity to demonstrate that the food system can adapt to changes and only by maintaining them the sector will become more resilient and sustainable.

The so-called ‘superfoods’ have become a trend in recent years due to their high nutritional content and health benefits, presenting unique solutions to food insecurity. However, other target problems, such as environmental issues, should not be underestimated, as the food sector accounts for about 26% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For this reason, the present study focuses on this variable of sustainability, and attemps to make a review of the environmental impacts of the production and consumption of superfoods. For this purpose, a revision of studies addresing the life cycle assessment (LCA) of these type of products was carried out, with the ultimate goal of identifying their environmental benefits compared to the most common and consumible foods, and the major challenges addresing their study. The bibliographic search showed that virtually no articles globally evaluate their performance, but there is a slightly growing trend in the number of LCA studies of specific superfoods that are becoming fashionable, e.g., spirulina or quinoa. Nevertheless, this lack of information leads to a failure to draw certain conclusions. Althouth it is already believed that, generally, the environmental impact should be low because they are produced in a ‘natural’ way, with little or no technological intervention, if they follow the same path as other commodities, they will probably generate significant burdens in terms of carbon emissions, land or agrochemicals use. Transforming conventional production systems to commercially oriented intensive agricultural systems, along with the exportations, could present a major problematic situation. Therefore, it is essential to conduct individual assessments from a life cycle approach to identify hotspots and propose adaptative measures, despite the difficulty of tracing supply chains and compilating the data required.

Ready-to-eat vegetables have been rising in popularity due to new trends in diet and lifestyle, thus impacting commercial and domestic environments. Production systems sometimes need the aid of pesticides to achieve their goals and protect their crops, while also maintaining food safety. Different cleaning strategies are used for this reason; therefore, there is a need to analyze their effects regarding the amount of pesticide residues. Wanting to test the differences between several cleaning procedures used for ready-to-eat vegetables, ultrasound baths and cleaning solutions were studied. To achieve this goal, lettuce plants were grown in controlled conditions to obtain a homogenous batch, these plants were fumigated with chlorpyrifos methyl, pirimicarb, imidacloprid, boscalid and pyraclostrobin. After harvest, four plants were treated with four solutions, running water, sodium hypochlorite (100 ppm), peracetic acid (80 ppm) and acetic acid (4%). The other 60 plants were placed in ultrasound baths at 25, 37, 45 or 80 kHz for 10 or 15 minutes. An acetate QuEChERS method was validated to analyze pesticide residues through a HPLC-MS/MS system. The results showed that all decontamination procedures managed to reduce the amount of the applied pesticides, but there were no significant differences among each other. The validated method was also applied to 22 commercial samples, where seven showed pesticide residues beneath the maximum residue levels from Codex Alimentarius while two, out of those seven, exceeded the limit for iprodione according to the European Union.

The interesting nutritional value and abundance of brewer´s spent grain (BSG) may be adequate for its use as a sustainable functional ingredient. The aim of the present work was to enhance BSG bioactive properties, along with studying the BSG bread technological feasibility by rheological properties evaluation. To optimize the release of BSG bioactive compounds, an enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out using a composite central design, varying alcalase and cellulase percentage. Multiple regression (MR) and response surface methodology (MSR) were performed evaluating total polyphenol content (TPC), ABTS and ORAC as response variables, showing a positive effect for alcalase % and non-significant for cellulase %. The optimal conditions (0.1% alcalase) was used as BSG flour (FBSG) for the development of the functional bread (BBSG), substituting 20% w/w of wheat flour. The nutritional and bioactive characterization of the breads showed BBSG presented higher fiber content (>6%), TPC and antioxidant activity than control bread (CB). Breads’ physicochemical characteristics were analyzed by measuring the parameters of volume, color and texture. Regarding volume, BBSG presented a significant decrease (p<0.05) (1890.4±6.9 cm³) with respect to CB (2359.5±106.5 cm³), and also presented a significant increase (p <0.05) in the development of brown/reddish tones in the crumb, which reflected in L and a parameters (53.62 and 6.10 respectively) compared to CB (75.70 and -0.16 respectively). Texture analysis showed BBSG chewiness (6.85±0.13 Kg) and cohesiveness (0.608±0.027) did not present significant differences (p>0.05) with CB. On the other hand, the BBSG parameters of resilience (27.5±2.3), and rubberiness (7.63±0.16 Kg.m.s^-2) were increased while elasticity (89.81±0.067) decreased. In conclusion, a sustainable "high fiber content" and antioxidant bread was obtained presenting suitable rheological properties as wheat flour bread. Further studies on sensory profile and acceptability of the novel food should be addressed in order to evaluate the consumers' perception on rheological parameters.

The aim of this study was to obtain an extract from boldo leaves (Peumus boldus) with antioxidant properties, studying its bioaccessibility and potential application in the development of orange biscuits. The extraction conditions were defined by performing a factorial design, working with two variable factors: extraction time and solvent concentration (96° ethanol and water). The total phenolic compounds (TPC) content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteau method, and the antioxidant capacity (AC) against ABTS•+ radicals. On the selected extract, phenolic compounds were identified by UHPLC. To evaluate its application as a functional ingredient, TPC and AC were determined to orange biscuits with different extract content. Furthermore, bioaccessibility was determined by applying the standardized static in vitro digestion method Infogest. Results showed that 1 hour extraction time, using water as solvent at 70 º C had the highest content of total phenolic compounds (218.83 ± 25.91 mg eq GAE / g of extract) and the best antioxidant potential being the AC of 720.56 ± 15.00 μMol eq TE / g of extract. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin and catechin were identified as the main phenolic compounds on this sample. Regarding the use of boldo extract in the development of a functional orange biscuits, a significant increase in the content of TPC and AC was observed compared to a control biscuit (without extract addition). The study of bioaccessibility evidenced a reduction of 87% in the content of phenolic compounds. Thereby, further studies in strategies of encapsulation of the extract are needed. In conclusion, boldo extract was found to be an ingredient with potential functionality for its use in food processing.

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seed oil consists of many volatile components dissolved in the fixed-oil, mainly triglyceride. It is used as food flavoring and natural preservative. The total oil content was reported in range of 39.5-41.8 %wt., while the essential content was found in range of 0.4-2.5%wt. In this work, the seed oil samples were obtained from supercritical CO₂ (SCCO₂) extraction under various pressures (20.0-30.0 MPa) and temperatures (40-60 °C). The volatile compounds fingerprints of SCCO₂ extracted oils were analyzed by the headspace-gas chromatography (SH-GC) without using any organic solvent. The comparison of volatile compounds fingerprints obtained from SCCO₂ and n-hexane extracts and direct analysis of milled seed by SH-GC was also investigated. It was found that the extraction temperature influenced the volatile compound fingerprints, especially at the extraction pressure of 30.0 MPa. The increasing temperature reduced the amount of the mid-boiling point compounds. The SCCO₂ extracts had nearly similar volatile compounds fingerprints of milled black cumin seed without detected residue solvent.