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Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) have been cultivated for thousands of years and have long been celebrated for their culinary versatility. Beyond their delightful nutty flavor and crunchy texture, sesame seeds have also gained recognition for their remarkable health benefits. This article provides an in-depth exploration of the numerous ways in which sesame seeds contribute to overall well-being. Sesame seeds are a powerhouse of phytochemicals, including lignans derivatives, tocopherol isomers, phytosterols, and phytates, which have been associated with various health benefits, including the preservation of cardiovascular health and the prevention of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and brain dysfunction. These compounds have also been substantiated for their efficacy in cholesterol management. Their potential as a natural source of beneficial plant compounds is presented in detail. The article further explores the positive impact of sesame seeds on reducing the risk of chronic diseases thanks to their rich polyunsaturated fatty acids content. Nevertheless, it is crucial to remember the significance of maintaining a well-rounded diet to achieve the proper balance of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a balance lacking in sesame seed oil. The significance of bioactive polypeptides derived from sesame seeds is also discussed, shedding light on their applications as nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional ingredients. Recognizing the pivotal role of processing methods on sesame seeds, this review discusses how these methods can influence bioactive compounds. While roasting the seeds enhances the antioxidant properties of the oil extract, certain processing techniques may reduce phenolic compounds.

This study aimed to investigate the concentration of 33 pesticide residues in 60 black tea samples collected from Iran, determine their transfer rate, and assess their health risk during brewing. Pesticide extraction and analysis were performed by using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method and gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantification (LOQ) of pesticides were ranged 0.1–7.26 and 0.8–24 μg/kg for dried tea leaves and 0.03–3.1 and 0.09–10 μg/L for the tea infusion, respectively. The levels of pesticide residue in 52 (86.67%) out of 60 tea samples were above the LOD (0.1–7.26 μg/kg). Twenty four (40%) of the samples contained pesticides in a concentration higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL) set by the European Commission (EC). Seven out of 33 validated pesticides were detected in dried tea leaf samples that only four of seven, including buprofezin, chlorpyrifos, hexaconazole, and triflumizole, were transferred into tea infusion, demonstrating that the concentrations of pesticides in infusion were raised during brewing. The risk assessment study for detected pesticides in the tea infusion samples indicated that this beverage consumption was safe for consumers, while the mean residue of some pesticides in positive samples was higher than the MRL; therefore, periodic control of these pesticides should be regularly implemented.

Today, the usage of natural additives in the food matrix has increased. Natural antimicrobial compounds include peptides, enzymes, bacteriocins, bacteriophages, plant extracts, essential oils, and fermented compounds that can be used as alternatives to chemical antimicrobials. Plant extracts and essential oils contain terpenes, flavonoids, aldehydes, and phenolic compounds that cause antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The synergistic activity of compounds synthesized from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi. In addition to removing mycotoxins, LAB compounds have antioxidant and anticancer potentials and increase food safety and nutritional value. One of these antimicrobial molecules is bacteriocin, which is made by various microorganisms. Nisin is one of these bioactive peptides that are used widely in food bio-preservation. Antimicrobial peptides can be used alone or along with other compounds to enhance food security. This article reviews natural preservatives and their applications in food products.

The contamination of aflatoxins (AFs) in 120 samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva collected from Iran’s market were evaluated. The exposed risk due to ingestion of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) via their consumption was estimated with the aid of the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The highest prevalence of AF (55%) was associated with sesame seed samples, followed by tahini (45%) and tahini halva (32.5%). The AFB1 concentration in sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva was in the ranges of 0.21–12.35, 0.23–5.81, and 0.27–3.56 ?g/kg, respectively. The concentration of the total aflatoxin (TAF) in 7 (17.5%), 8 (20%), and 2 (5%) samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva, respectively, was below the limit of European regulations (4 µg/kg), while the levels of AFB1 in 10 (25%), 7 (17.5%), and 6 (15%) samples of sesame seeds, tahini, and tahini halva, respectively, were higher than the European regulations (2 µg/kg). As the percentile 50 and 95 of margin of exposure (MOE) with AFB1 for sesame seed, tahini, and tahini halva was more than 10,000, it could conclude the intake of aflatoxin through the consumption of mentioned products did pose a not remarkable cancer risk for adults.

During the past years, there has been a growing interest in the bioproduction of propionic acid by Propionibacterium . One of the major limitations of the existing models lies in their low productivity yield. Hence, many strategies have been proposed in order to circumvent this obstacle. This article provides a comprehensive synthesis and review of important biotechnological aspects of propionic acid production as a common ingredient in food and biotechnology industries. We first discuss some of the most important production processes, mainly focusing on biological production. Then, we provide a summary of important propionic acid producers, including Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Propionibacterium acidipropionici , as well as a wide range of reported growth/production media. Furthermore, we describe bioprocess variables that can have impact on the production yield. Finally, we propose methods for the extraction and analysis of propionic acid and put forward strategies for overcoming the limitations of competitive microbial production from the economical point of view. Several factors influence the propionic acid concentration and productivity such as culture conditions, type and bioreactor scale; however, the pH value and temperature are the most important ones. Given that there are many reports about propionic acid production from glucose, whey permeate, glycerol, lactic acid, hemicelluloses, hydrolyzed corn meal, lactose, sugarcane molasses and enzymatically hydrolyzed whole wheat flour, only few review articles evaluate biotechnological aspects, i.e . bioprocess variables.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a toxic secreted into the milk of animals fed with diets contaminated by aflatoxin B1, which can cause some adverse health effects in humans. The occurrence of AFM1 in dairy products varies based on several factors, including the fermentation process. In this article, the published citations from January 2000 to October 2020 regarding the AFM1 occurrence in industrial and traditional fermented milk were systemically reviewed. According to the findings, a reducing trend in the AFM1 contamination of fermented milk was observed over the years, mainly in traditional products. Despite this trend, further control measures besides the preventative approaches are needed to deal with the high levels of AFM1 in fermented milk.

This review article discusses advanced extraction methods to enhance the functionality of egg-derived peptides while reducing their allergenicity. While eggs are considered a nutrient-dense food, some proteins can cause allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. Therefore, various methods have been developed to reduce the allergenicity of egg-derived proteins, such as enzymatic hydrolysis, heat treatment, and glycosylation. In addition to reducing allergenicity, advanced extraction methods can enhance the functionality of egg-derived peptides. Techniques such as membrane separation, chromatography, and electrodialysis can isolate and purify specific egg-derived peptides with desired functional properties, improving their bioactivity. Further, enzymatic hydrolysis can also break down polypeptide sequences and produce bioactive peptides with various health benefits. While liquid chromatography is the most commonly used method to obtain individual proteins for developing novel food products, several challenges are associated with optimizing extraction conditions to maximize functionality and allergenicity reduction. The article also highlights the challenges and future perspectives, including optimizing extraction conditions to maximize functionality and allergenicity reduction. The review concludes by highlighting the potential for future research in this area to improve the safety and efficacy of egg-derived peptides more broadly.

The prevalence of aflatoxins (AFs) B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , and G 2 in Iranian edible oils were assessed by immunoaffinity column cleanup and HPLC equipped with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). Ninety-seven samples including sunflower, canola, refined olive, unrefined olive, frying, and blend oils were collected from eight provinces ( n  = 15 samples of refined olive oil, n  = 15 samples of unrefined olive oil, n  = 15 samples of sunflower oil, n  = 15 samples of canola oil, n  = 17 samples of frying oil, and n  = 20 samples of blend oil). Also, cancer risk of aflatoxins in the adults and children due to ingestion of edible oils was estimated via margin of exposure (MOE) estimation in the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model. Considering the limit of detection (LOD) of the current study, two unrefined olive oil samples from Zanjan Province were contaminated with AFB 2 in the concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4 ng/g while other samples were free from AFB 1 , AFB 2 , AFG 1 , and AFG 2 . This study revealed that about 98% of the collected samples were free from AFs and the concentrations of AFs in the polluted samples were within the standard range suggested by European Commission regulation (20 μg/kg). However, health risk assessment indicated that both adult and children in the Zanjan Province are at considerable liver cancer risk (percentile 95% of MOE < 10,000 value). Therefore, national plan to address this issue and strict inspection of edible oil products by the regulatory bodies are suggested.

The present study was devoted to investigate the PTE concentrations including cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper(Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), arsenic(As), and zinc (Zn) among six types of edible wild, 23 cultivated mushroom samples collected from Iran’s market by the aid of an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Also, the related health risk assessment was established by the aid of the Monte Carlo simulation method (MSC). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were ranged 0.001–0.048 and 0.003–0.160 ppm, respectively. The concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in the ranges of 0.003–11. 5, 0.0008–5.89, 0.32–26.32, 9.15–110.08, 15.25–751.17, 0.16–2.24, 2.1–60.47, 1.21–24.22, 0.16–8.92, and 37.13–268.11 mg kg−1, respectively. According to findings, highest mean concentration of Cr in both types of mushrooms (cultivated and wild) was lower than recommended level by Codex Alimentarius/Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (CODEX/FAO/WHO) while the corresponding values for Hg (0.87 mg kg−1), As (1.39 mg kg−1), Ni (10.08 mg kg−1), Cu (36.65 mg kg−1), Cr (10.44 mg kg−1), Cd (0.589 mg kg−1), Fe (201.04 mg kg−1), Mn (10.30 mg kg−1), Zn (2266.43 mg kg−1), and Pb (3.81 mg kg−1) were higher than related standard levels. According to the health risk assessment, no concern regarding the non-carcinogenic risk due to the ingestion of PTEs via the consumption of the edible mushrooms, except Hg in wild mushrooms for children, was noted.

In this study, the aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) concentration in traditional and industrial milk and risk assessment due to AFM1 exposure using the Monte Carlo simulations technique was investigated. The mean concentration of AFM1 in traditional and industrial milk samples was 53.00 ± 11.49 and 54.33 ± 12.22 ng/L, respectively, which was higher than European Union and Codex standards. Percentile 95% of hazard quotient (HQ) adults and children due to industrial ingestion milk was 1.056 and 4.956, and traditional milk was 1.031 and 5.116, respectively. Hazard quotient in all age consumers was higher than 1. Therefore, consumers are at a considerable health risk.