Low consumption of iron-rich foods combined with poor bio-availability of non-heme iron, has been considered as the foremost cause of iron deficiency in developing countries. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16, the prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15-49 years is 53.1 percent in India, which demands due emphasis on approaches that can bring down the total prevalence among rural adolescent girls. Evidence has proven that foods and food patterns act synergistically and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The exclusive initiative of food synergy is the interaction between nutrients among many foods rather than a single food component. When synergistic foods are consumed together, the support for potential health benefits becomes stronger. The present study was conducted to investigate the cross-sectional synergistic relationship between different nutrient combinations to increase the absorption and bio-availability of non-heme iron required to combat iron deficiency anemia among rural adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years. They were considered for the intervention of developed iron and vitamin C rich food with the mixture of rice flakes, jaggery, amla powder, and cauliflower leaves. The finding indicated that the combination of poorly absorbed lant source non-heme iron and vitamin C rich food improves the bio-availability of the non-heme. Ascorbic acid has been considered as the most potent enhancer of non-heme iron absorption in our body even in the presence of inhibitors like phytates, oxalates, etc. It converts food ferric iron to ferrous, which increases the absorption by 75-98 percent. Adding 50mg of Vitamin C to the same meal doubles iron absorption. This synergistic effect of food helps in combating iron deficiency anemia among adolescent girls and improves their nutritional status. Thus, this synergistic relationship between minerals and vitamins helps in the development of sustainable food for iron deficient adolescent girls.

Ayurveda, a traditional Indian system of medicine, makes use of milk and milk products for preventive and curative purposes. However, the exact reasoning behind such specific preparation and their concerned action is yet to be explored. A close look at various analytical and experimental studies can help provide scientific reasoning behind the procedures involved in incorporating dairy products in Ayurvedic medicines and as to why certain preparations are used in specific conditions.

Here main Ayurvedic classical references of various methods of medicinal and diet preparations containing dairy products are selected and scientific studies that help explain their action and efficacy are reviewed. The data from Ayurvedic classical books and articles from databases like PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched with bullion operators like AND, OR and filters like relevant, FULL TEXT and selected for this review.

In Ayurveda, Milk and milk products like buttermilk, curd, butter, ghee etc are often incorporated in medicinal formulations or prescribed to be taken along with medicine.

Milk from various animals is used according to Ayurveda. Mainly eight types of milk from animal origin are mentioned as that from cow, buffalo, goat, camel, human, sheep, elephant and single hoofed animals (horse etc.). Among all, that from cow is considered best. Among all lipid preparations, Ghrita is considered best.

Dairy products are made to undergo many processes for using as part of diet as well as medicine. The process of preparation varies according to the therapeutic use intended.

For example, in Anutaila, the ingredients are boiled in goat’s milk repeatedly for 10 times. Studies proved this medicine as very effective when applied via the nasal route -Nasya. This is found to be over 96% effective in chronic sinusitis in a clinical trial. The active ingredients of 27 herbs processed in goat’s milk and sesame oil are applied via nasal cavity and they help reduce inflammation as well as protect mucosal layers giving desired therapeutic action.

In case of ksheerapaka, the drug is boiled with milk and water and reduced to the quantity of milk. In vivo experiments showed ksheerapaka from Terminalia arjuna was more efficacious and equipotent to its hydroalcoholic extract in the late phase of inflammation. This research points to the fact that extraction of active phytochemicals and their delivery to desired target is better achieved by using milk instead of water.

In preparations like Takrarishta, fermentation process is done. Here a prebiotic is fermented using probiotic microbes to get efficient postbiotics. In vitro studies revealed potent probiotic cultures in this medicine thus making it helpful in conditions like IBD. 8 probiotics were isolated from this among which Lactobacillus plantarum TP5 and Kluyveromyces marxianus TP6 and TM1 were the most potent probiotics. Such studies point out to the importance of the particular procedure of preparation for thrapeutic efficacy.

Ayurveda suggest consumption of milk alone for specific disease conditions, mainly those affecting gastro-intestinal system where the patient becomes extremely ill to consume solid food normally. Scientifically, milk is considered a complete diet since milk contains an array of essential nutrients that contribute toward a healthy, balanced diet. They are important sources of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, riboflavin, and vitamins A and B₁₂.

Milk and Ghee are considered as inevitable part of diet daily to promote health of individuals as per Ayurveda. Now, studies have also revealed that high consumption of milk and dairy products may have protective effects against coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers and dementia.

Diary products are also used as adjuvant for some specific ayurvedic medications. The drug delivery may be facilitated and bioavailability enhanced via this. For example, ability of buttermilk to carry and stabilise curcuminoids has been proven. And the docohexanoic acid content is found more in ghee prepared by traditional ayurvedic methods giving a solid evidence to use of medicated ghee as memory enhancer.

A comparative study of Indukantham ghrita and Indukantham kashaya revealed that even though ghritha had more phytochemicals in total, kashaya showed higher phenolic content and higher antioxidant activity, which may be due to the water-soluble nature of phenols. The study concluded that extraction of fat-soluble components along with water soluble components may be a reason for the higher number of phytoconstituents in ghritha.

Ayurveda also emphasises the importance of consumption of milk and milk products during pregnancy. Clinical studies have proved the efficacy of ayurvedic antenatal care. A clinical study concluded that maternal first-trimester milk intake (cow’s milk) is positively associated with childhood general and abdominal visceral fat mass and lean mass, but not with other cardiometabolic risk factors like pericardial fat mass index, liver fat fraction, blood pressure, or lipid, insulin, or glucose concentrations.

In total, one can safely support the ayurvedic view that milk and ghee are to be used daily for healthy living. Specific preparatory procedures like heating, fermentation etc makes the drug delivery effective and increases bioavailability thereby giving desired therapeutic action.

The interest for edible algae has been growing over the years due to their richness in molecules with nutritional and bioactive potential, such as proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, due to their interesting protein content, they have been described as a source of bioactive peptides, with scientifically documented antioxidant, anti-hypertensive and antimicrobial properties. In this work, water-soluble extracts were produced from the macroalgae Gracilaria gracilis and Ulva rigida, with focus on their antioxidant potential. Furthermore, the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion on the antioxidant activity of both extracts was studied, with the goal of evaluating their potential as functional food ingredients.

Extracts were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis, with a cellulase and a subtilisin protease, using a previously optimized method. Then, both were submitted to simulated GI conditions, similar to those found in human digestive system. The antioxidant activity was determined by ORAC and ABTS assays in four stages of GI simulation (before digestion, and after mouth, stomach and intestine digestion).

The antioxidant activity did not decrease throughout the different stages of digestion. Interestingly, the antioxidant capacity increased after some phases. For instance, both extracts presented ORAC values higher after all digestion’s phases, when compared to the non-digested extract, being statistically significant after stomach digestion, for G.gracilis extract (p<0.05). On this study, both extracts maintained their antioxidant activity during in vitro GI digestion, with an increase after almost all digestion phases, when compared to the non-digested extract. The observed increase may be explained by the production of smaller and more bioactive peptides, by the action of the gastrointestinal enzymes, such as pepsin and pancreatin.

In conclusion, since antioxidant activity is maintained throughout the GI tract, these results showed that G.gracilis and U.rigida extracts may be considered potential ingredients for the development of functional foods with antioxidant properties.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is an andean grain with more than 3,000 ecotypes recognized for its exceptional nutritional properties. In western countries, where it is sold as a gluten-free protein-rich super food with a broad amino acid spectrum, quinoa trade and consumption is rapidly expanding. Quinoa is consumed as whole grain or after different processing methods (e.g. extrusion), but it is also milled to produce high-value flour, which is susceptible to adulteration. In consequence, there is a growing interest in developing novel analytical methods to expand the knowledge regarding quinoa composition. In this study, we developed a rapid and simple capillary electrophoresis-ultraviolet adsorption diode array detection (CE-UV-DAD) method to obtain characteristic multiwavelength electrophoretic profiles of protein extracts from different quinoa grain varieties (black, red, white from Peru and royal white from Bolivia). Then, advanced chemometric methods (i.e. multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares, MCR-ALS, followed by principal component analysis, PCA, and partial least squares discriminant analysis, PLS-DA) were applied to deconvolute the components present in the CE-UV-DAD electropherograms and classify the different quinoa varieties according to their differential protein composition.

Consumption of omega-3 long chain polyunsatured fatty acids (PUFAs) abundant in oily fish, krill, shrimp, and algae is critical for the physical and mental health of adults and children [1]. Called by Winkler the most hidden of all the hidden hungers [2], the populations of most world’s countries share an insufficient daily intake of both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexenoic acid (DHA). This diet deficiency led national health authorities to recommend daily intakes of both PUFAs either by increasing consumption of fish and crustaceans or by intake of omega-3 dietary supplements. Besides a minor share of the industry using omega-3 lipids extracted from algae, the large and growing omega-3 food supplement industry uses refined fish or krill oil as raw material. Increasing demand of fish oil adds to the overfishing pressure threatening many species, including anchovies, menhaden and krill [3]. The conventional fish oil extraction involves a multi-step, energy-intensive process starting on board of the shipping vessel where once caught anchovies are cooked and pressed giving an oil in water suspension. After reaching the industrial site, the oily mixture undergoes centrifugation and subsequent chemical refinement eventually affording EPA and DHA in ethyl ester form [4]. Besides contributing to overfishing, the process removes from the refined oil important antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids and biophenols that protect chemically labile PUFAs from oxidation and autooxidation [5]. We recently introduced a circular and green method for the production of fish oil rich in omega-3 from the leftovers of anchovy fillets based on solid-liquid extraction using d-limonene as biosolvent [6]. The resulting fish oil contains both EPA and DHA in their natural (triglyceride) form, along with significant levels of vitamin D₃ [7]. The use of fishery byproducts, as raw materials for the production of fish oil omega-3 extracts is highly desirable. Renewably obtained from waste orange peel, the biosolvent limonene is nearly entirely recovered after the extraction whereas its antimicrobial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties protect the PUFAs during the extraction ensuring high recovery rate also of the natural antioxidant zeaxanthin abundant in anchovies [8]. The method closes the materials cycle and establishes a circular economy process to obtain high quality fish oil from bio-based waste available worldwide in several million t/year amount. The extraction of omega-3 lipids from anchovy discards using d-limonene as only solvent, indeed, is economically and technically feasible on large scale [8].

References

[1] F. Shahidi, P. Ambigaipalan, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their health benefits, Annu. Rev. Food Sci. Technol. 2018, 9, 345−381.

[2] J.T. Winkler, The most hidden of all the hidden hungers: the global deficiency in DHA and EPA and what to do about it, World Rev. Nutr. Diet. 2018, 118, 123−130.

[3] P. Greenberg, The Omega Principle, Penguin Press, New York: 2018.

[4] R. Ciriminna, F. Meneguzzo, R. Delisi, M. Pagliaro, Enhancing and improving the extraction of omega-3 from fish oil, Sustainable Chem. Pharm. 2017, 5, 54−59.

[5] M. Pagliaro, D.M. Pizzone, A. Scurria, C. Lino, E. Paone, F. Mauriello, R. Ciriminna, Sustainably sourced olive polyphenols and omega-3 marine lipids: a synergy fostering public health, ACS Food Sci. Technol. 2021, 1, 139-145.

[6] R. Ciriminna, A. Scurria, G. Avellone, M. Pagliaro, A circular economy approach to fish oil extraction, ChemistrySelect 2019, 4, 5106-5109.

[7] A. Scurria, C. Lino, R. Pitonzo, M. Pagliaro, G. Avellone, R. Ciriminna, Vitamin D₃ in fish oil extracted with limonene from anchovy leftovers, Chem. Data Collect. 2020, 25, 100311.

[8] R. Ciriminna, A. Scurria, A. S. Fabiano-Tixier, C. Lino, G. Avellone, F. Chemat, M. Pagliaro, Omega-3 extraction from anchovy fillet leftovers with limonene: chemical, economic and technical Aspects, ACS Omega 2019, 4, 15359-15363.

Haematococcus pluvialis Flotow is a microalga used as a nutraceutical, due to its high content in bioactive compounds, mainly carotenoids, in which astaxanthin stands out [1]. Furthermore, H. pluvialis has shown a high antioxidant potential and combined to its intense red colour, this microalga could have a dual functionality, as a colourant, and a bioactive ingredient [2]. The process to obtain this ingredient involves several transformation steps, such as lyophilization and saponification, that raise the development costs, to obtain free astaxanthin, that paradoxically presents greater instability and solubility than its esterified counterpart [3]. Thus, this work provides an alternative approach for the application of red, astaxanthin-rich, H. pluvialis wet paste as a partial substitute for wheat flour (7% and 13% w/w) in the preparation of filloas (Galician pancakes), a typical dessert from the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula. To evaluate its power as a natural pigment, the stability of colour over time (3, 6 and 9 days) was measured in contrast to a commercial colourant. At the same time, its physicochemical properties were measured, such as the microbiological profile to determine its functionality as a food preservative. As a result, a redness stability (a*), 8% higher than the commercial colourant, was obtained for the maximum concentration of H. pluvialis analysed. The texture showed a significant response (p<0.02), improving its properties as the concentration of the microalga increased, showing during the first 6 days a tenacity of 3.23 N and an extensibility of 15.10 mm, which represents a 52 and 19% improvement respectively, in relation to the control group. In turn, an enrichment of carotenoids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds in combination with a potential moderator of microbiological degradation by this unicellular organism gives added value to this food matrix.

References

1. Castillo, A.; Pereira, S.; Otero, A.; Fiol, S.; Garcia-Jares, C.; Lores, M. Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion as a Greener Alternative to Obtain Bioactive Extracts from: Haematococcus pluvialis. Characterization by UHPLC-QToF. RSC Advances 2020, 10, 27995–28006, doi:10.1039/d0ra04378h.

2. Udayan, A.; Arumugam, M.; Pandey, A. Nutraceuticals from Algae and Cyanobacteria. Algal Green Chemistry: Recent Progress in Biotechnology 2017, 65–89, doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-63784-0.00004-7.

3. Rodríguez-Sifuentes, L.; Marszalek, J.E.; Hernández-Carbajal, G.; Chuck-Hernández, C. Importance of Downstream Processing of Natural Astaxanthin for Pharmaceutical Application. Frontiers in Chemical Engineering 2021, 0, 29, doi:10.3389/FCENG.2020.601483.

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by project ED431 2020/06 (Galician Competitive Research Groups Xunta de Galicia). This work was supported by project EQC2018-005011-P (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain). All these programmes are co-funded by FEDER (EU). The authors are also grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); to FCT for S. Heleno (CEECIND/03040/2017) and L. Barros contracts through the individual and institutional scientific employment program-contract, respectively.

In recent years, the issue of sustainability has been widely discussed, being the future challenge for the food sector. Among the various strategies proposed to promote the development of a sustainable food system, the recovery, recycling and valorization of food by-products is one of them. Fruits and vegetables have the greatest amounts of by-products, which are source of bioactive compounds and therefore can be re-utilized as functional ingredients for development of novel foods. In this scenario, the possibility of using by-products of olive oil industry, tomatoes industry and the wine making process, was evaluated. In particular, after an adequate drying and grinding process, the olive paste flour (10% w/w) was used to enrich bread, while tomato peel flour (10 and 15% w/w) and red grape marc flour (15 % w/w) were used to enrich pasta. The sensory quality and the nutritional characteristics (total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and antioxidant activity) of the enriched were evaluated and compared to control samples. In addition, the bio-accessibility of bioactive components and their effects on the glycemic response were also assessed. In general, results suggest that the proper fortification with these by-products improved the nutritional quality and also the glycemic response (active samples vs control) without compromising products acceptability. It can be conclude that these examples represent a starting point for exploiting these industrial by-products and creating valid food with beneficial properties.

The Champenoise method for the production of sparkling wines consists of an “in bottle” re-fermentation induced by a low number of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. However, the limited use of these strains can induce a flattening of the sensorial properties of the produced wine. Indeed, the volatile compounds produced by the yeasts during the fermentative process, play an essential role in the constitution of the Bouchet of sparkling wines prepared using indigenous grape varieties and, in particular, deriving from Apulia (Southern Italy), whose economic significance is constantly increasing [1]. To the best of our knowledge, only two investigations [2, 3] assessed the influence of the autochthonous starter strains on the volatiles profile of sparkling wine. Moreover, no information exists on the oenological potential, for the production of typical sparkling wine, of the indigenous grape cv Maresco.

This investigation evaluated the impact of the selected autochthonous yeast strains on the chemical properties of Maresco sparkling wines applying a non-targeted metabolomics approach by the application of HPLC-HRMS and GC-MS techniques. Saccharomyces cerevisiae DV10 (Lallemand, USA) was used as control. The obtained findings indicated that native yeast strains, previously selected, influenced the amount of several fermentative compounds, i.e. polysaccharides, organic acids, phenolic acids, and lipids [4,5].

In order to reveal any grouping of the wines based on the composition of volatile compounds and chemical data, as well as to identify the main components contained within each group, the data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA).

Also, the correlation matrix on HPLC-HRMS/GC-MS data was performed and permitted to obtain a map, which is a useful tool to monitor the different patterns of aroma release. This contribution supplies information that will support the modulation of the sensorial properties of regional sparkling wines obtained from typical autochthonous grape varieties by using selected autochthonous microbial resources.

Acknowledgments: This work was partially supported by the Apulia Region projects: “Innovazione nella tradizione: tecnologie innovative per esaltare le qualità dei vini autoctoni spumante della murgia barese-INVISPUBA” (P.S.R. Puglia 2014/2020 -Misura 16.2).

References

[1] V. Caliari, C. P. Panceri, J.P. Rosier, M.T. Bourdignon-Luiz, LWT Food Science and Technology 2015, 61 (2), 393.

[2] C. Garofalo, C. Berbegal, F. Grieco, M. Tufariello, G. Spano, V. Capozzi, International Journal of Food Microbiology 2018, 285, 7.

[3] P. Di Gianvito, G. Perpetuini, F. Tittarelli, M. Schirone, G. Arfelli, A. Piva, F. Patrignani, R. Lanciotti, L. Olivastri, G. Suzzi, R. Tofalo, Food Research International 2018, 109, 552.

[4] F.Grieco, M. Tristezza, C.Vetrano, G.Bleve, E.Panico, G.Mita, A. Logrieco. Exploitation of autochthonous microorganism potential to enhance the quality of Apulian wines. Annals of Microbiology, 2011, 61, 67–73.

[5] M. Tufariello, M.A. Chiriatti, F. Grieco, C. Perrotta, S. Capone, P.Rampino, M.Tristezza, G.Mita, F. Grieco. Influence of autochthonous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains on volatile profile of Negroamaro wines. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 2014, 58, 35–48.

Since the problem of the Food Waste has become a global concern, this study has the goal to make full use of the Zero-Waste concept, which is the ideal approach to find a way to recycle all the parts of any kind of food product, without producing waste. To the aim, prickly pears (Opuntia ficus indica) were completely used as pulp and as by-products to produce an active powder to be added as ingredient in fish burgers. As a fact, prickly pears are tropical plants, rich in polyphenolic compounds, able to control microbial proliferation and general detrimental phenomena occurring in food. For the current study, the pulp and the peel were separately dehydrated and reduced to a fine powder in order to be used as food ingredients in cod fish burgers to prevent microbial growth and improve sensory quality during storage at 4 °C. An in vitro test of the sole powders was also carried out against target microorganisms. After that, three different concentrations (i.e., 2.5 g, 7.5 g and 12.5 g) of peel and pulp in proper combination (for 1 g of prickly pear powder, 0.57 g of pulp and 0.43 g of peel) were added to fish burger formulation. Results demonstrated that prickly pear powder has an important antimicrobial activity. Its addition to fish formulation improved microbial quality of burgers, reducing the growth of main fish spoilage microorganisms (i.e., Pseudomonas spp.,psychrotolerant and heat-labile aerobic bacteria and psychrotropic bacteria) and that 12.5 g was the best amount to be used. The prickly pear powder added to fish also contributed to control the sensory quality decay during storage.

The curd-stretching phase is one of the pivotal steps of mozzarella cheesemaking that contributes to the formation of the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of the product. In this processing phase, high temperature levels must be reached. In order to contribute to reduce the energy consumption, a study was undertaken to assess the effect of stretching at lower temperature on the VOC profile of high moisture mozzarella made using two different stretching temperatures (application of water at 70 and 90°C). The experimental design also involved the preparation of aseptic samples by the addition of sodium azide, in order to distinguish the changes caused by microbial activity from those directly connected to heating. The results highlighted that the VOC profile was mostly connected to microbial activities, as evidenced by the high presence of microbial-derived metabolites such as 2-nonanone, 2 and 3-methylbutanal, ethanol, 3-methylbutanol and 3-methylbutanoic acid. In contrast, the effect of heating was less important, and had a different weight in the presence or absence of microbial activity. From the sensory point of view, the sample stretched at a lower temperature presented the highest (and more pleasant) odor intensity in the samples without sodium azide, whereas the opposite was found for the aseptic samples. It was concluded that when microbial activity is present, a lower stretching temperature better preserves the aroma of mozzarella, whereas a higher stretching temperature improves the overall flavor of mozzarella made without starters, probably through heat-induced reactions, such as Strecker and Maillard.