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Consumers are increasingly interested in nutritious, safe and healthy muscle food products with reduced salt and fat that benefit their well-being. Hence, food processors are constantly in search of natural bioactive ingredients that offer health benefits beyond their nutritive values without affecting the quality of the products. Mushrooms are considered as next-generation healthy food components. Owing to their low content of fat, high-quality proteins, dietary fibre and the presence of nutraceuticals, they are ideally preferred in formulation of low-caloric functional foods. There is a growing trend to fortify muscle food with edible mushrooms to harness their goodness in terms of nutritive, bioactive and therapeutic values. The incorporation of mushrooms in muscle foods assumes significance, as it is favourably accepted by consumers because of its fibrous structure that mimics the texture with meat analogues offering unique taste and umami flavour. This review outlines the current knowledge in the literature about the nutritional richness, functional bioactive compounds and medicinal values of mushrooms offering various health benefits. Furthermore, the effects of functional ingredients of mushrooms in improving the quality and sensory attributes of nutritionally superior and next-generation healthier muscle food products are also highlighted in this paper.

The spineless cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) mucilage is a physically slimy, green extract that is sourced from the cladodes (modified stems) of the crop. The mucilage can be freeze-dried into a powder, and this powder has shown potential to be considered as a novel functional food biopolymer because it exhibits good functional proper ties, especially with regard to emulsification. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether nitrogen fer tilisation had an effect on the functionality of O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill 'Morado' mucilage. The functionality of the mucilage was attributed to its protein content. Nitrogen is one of the main elements in soil that makes up proteins. Nitrogen fer tilisers from three nitrogen sources (urea, limestone ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate) were applied at four application levels (0 kg/ha, 60 kg/ha, 120 kg/ha and 240 kg/ha). The functionality of mucilage was also compared to high-protein content commercial food biopolymers known to have good functional proper ties. Of the parameters tested, the oil-holding and oil-absorption capacities of the mucilage were significantly affected by nitrogen fer tilisation. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that all freeze-dried mucilage samples resembled broken glass or showed a flake-like structure. Different nitrogen fer tilisation sources and levels appeared to have no visible morphological implications on the different freeze-dried mucilage samples evaluated.

Peanut is an important crop grown worldwide. Commercially it is used mainly for oil production but apart from oil, the by-products of peanut contains many other functional compounds like proteins, fibers, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which can be added as a functional ingredient into many processed foods. Recently it has also revealed that peanuts are excellent source of compounds like resveratrol, phenolic acids, flavonoids and phytosterols that block the absorption of cholesterol from diet. It is also a good source of Co-enzyme Q10 and contains all the 20 amino acids with highest amount of arginine. These bioactive compounds have been recognized for having disease preventive properties and are thought to promote longevity. The processing methods like roasting and boiling have shown increase in the concentration of these bioactive compounds. In the present paper an overview on peanut bioactive constituents and their health benefits are presented.

With population and economic development increasing worldwide, the public is increasingly concerned with the health benefits and nutritional properties of vegetable oils (VOs). In this review, the chemical composition and health-promoting benefits of 39 kinds of VOs were selected and summarized using Web of Science TM as the main bibliographic databases. The characteristic chemical compositions were analyzed from fatty acid composition, tocols, phytosterols, squalene, carotenoids, phenolics, and phospholipids. Health benefits including antioxidant activity, prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, diabetes treatment, and kidney and liver protection were examined according to the key components in representative VOs. Every type of vegetable oil has shown its own unique chemical composition with significant variation in each key component and thereby illustrated their own specific advantages and health effects. Therefore, different types of VOs can be selected to meet individual needs accordingly. For example, to prevent CVD, more unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols should be supplied by consuming pomegranate seed oil, flaxseed oil, or rice bran oil, while coconut oil or perilla seed oil have higher contents of total phenolics and might be better choices for diabetics. Several oils such as olive oil, corn oil, cress oil, and rice bran oil were recommended for their abundant nutritional ingredients, but the intake of only one type of vegetable oil might have drawbacks. This review increases the comprehensive understanding of the correlation between health effects and the characteristic composition of VOs, and provides future trends towards their utilization for the general public’s nutrition, balanced diet, and as a reference for disease prevention. Nevertheless, some VOs are in the early stages of research and lack enough reliable data and long-term or large consumption information of the effect on the human body, therefore further investigations will be needed for their health benefits.

Emulsion gels are widely used in food products, and they have the characteristics of both emulsions and biopolymer gels. When distributed in gels, functional ingredients are protected by the gels and immobilized by the gel network, and thus, they usually have improved physicochemical stability. Emulsion gels are generally prepared based on proteins, polysaccharides, or their mixtures, and characteristics of the oil droplets played essential roles in the properties and functions of the systems. Emulsion gels can be fabricated to behave differently when encountered with different environment by controlling the physical structures of the gels, including their digestion behaviors in the digestive tract, which allowed adjustment of the stability and releasing behaviors of the incorporated functional ingredients, contributing to their enhanced bioavailability. A lot of studies in the last 10 years have proved that emulsion gels can effectively deliver vitamins, carotenoids, minerals, phenolic bioactives, flavors, unsaturated fatty acids, and other functional ingredients, and they are also suitable for the development of fat-reduced food. This article systematically reviewed recent studies regarding the use of emulsion gels as delivery systems for various functional ingredients, trying to get an improved understanding of the structures and functionalities of emulsion gels, for the better design of functional foods.

Yogurt is a major fermented milk product providing probiotics, lactic acid bacteria, vitamins, calcium, and proteins, yet health-beneficial phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and iron are absent in plain yogurt. These compounds could provide antidiabetic, antiobesity, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. Here, we review the effect of adding natural functional ingredients in dairy and non-dairy yogurts, with focus on the properties and biological activity of functional yogurts. Properties include color, pH, acidity, water-holding capacity, syneresis, viscosity, structure, fats, microbiology, and flavor. Biological activities comprise antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antibacterial, and anticancer. We found that yogurt from plant-based milk, such as common bean and soy milk, and the addition of functional ingredients, enhanced biological activities of yogurts and improved properties. Functional ingredients provide polysaccharides, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and amino acids. Functional ingredients are both natural stabilizers and texturizing materials. The incorporation of functional ingredients improved the contents of phenolics and flavonoids by 96.52 and 97.72%, respectively, increased water-holding capacity by 20–25%, and improved the number of viable cells of lactic acid bacteria. Incorporation reduced syneresis by 15–32% and decreased the loss of fat globules. Moreover, apparent viscosity, texture, microstructure, and sensory properties were enhanced. Biological activities strongly increased, especially antioxidants, which increased from 4.88 to 15.03 mg trolox equivalent per 100 g of yogurt.

The concept of functional foods is gaining more importance due to its role in maintaining a healthy status and preventing some metabolic diseases. The control of diabetes, in particular type-2 (T2DM), could be considered a big challenge since it involves other factors such as eating habits. From the pharmacological point of view, inhibiting digestive enzymes, such as α-amylase and α-glucosidase, is one of the mechanisms mainly used by synthetic drugs to control this disease; however, several side effects are described. For that reason, using bioactive compounds may appear as an alternative without presenting the complications synthetic drugs available on the market have. The winemaking industry generates tons of waste annually, and grape pomace (GP) is the most important. GP is recognized for its nutritional value and as a source of bioactive compounds that are helpful for human health. This review highlights the importance of GP as a possible source of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors. Also, it is emphasized the components involved in this bioactivity and the possible interactions among them. Especially, some phenolic compounds and fiber of GP are the main ones responsible for interfering with the human digestive enzymes. Preliminary studies in vitro confirmed this bioactivity; however, further information is required to allow the specific use of GP as a functional ingredient inside the market of products recommended for people with diabetes.

Nutritional therapy, for example through beer, is the best solution to human chronic diseases. In this article, we demonstrate the physiological mechanisms of the functional ingredients in beer with health-promoting effects, based on the PubMed, Google, CNKI, and ISI Web of Science databases, published from 1997 to 2024. Beer, a complex of barley malt and hops, is rich in functional ingredients. The health effects of beer against 26 chronic diseases are highly similar to those of barley due to the physiological mechanisms of polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids), melatonin, minerals, bitter acids, vitamins, and peptides. Functional beer with low purine and high active ingredients made from pure barley malt, as well as an additional functional food, represents an important development direction, specifically, ginger beer, ginseng beer, and coix-lily beer, as consumed by our ancestors ca. 9000 years ago. Low-purine beer can be produced via enzymatic and biological degradation and adsorption of purines, as well as dandelion addition. Therefore, this review paper not only reveals the physiological mechanisms of beer in overcoming chronic human diseases, but also provides a scientific basis for the development of functional beer with health-promoting effects.

Functional ingredients in blueberry have the best health benefits. To obtain a better understanding of the health role of blueberry in chronic disease, we conducted systematic preventive strategies for functional ingredients in blueberry, based on comprehensive databases, especially PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI for the period 2008–2018. Blueberry is rich in flavonoids (mainly anthocyanidins), polyphenols (procyanidin), phenolic acids, pyruvic acid, chlorogenic acid, and others, which have anticancer, anti-obesity, prevent degenerative diseases, anti-inflammation, protective properties for vision and liver, prevent heart diseases, antidiabetes, improve brain function, protective lung properties, strong bones, enhance immunity, prevent cardiovascular diseases, and improve cognitive decline. The anthocyanins and polyphenols in blueberry are major functional ingredients for preventive chronic disease. These results support findings that blueberry may be one of the best functional fruits, and further reveals the mechanisms of anthocyanins and polyphenols in the health role of blueberry for chronic disease. This paper may be used as scientific evidence for developing functional foods, nutraceuticals, and novel drugs of blueberry for preventive chronic diseases.

Lycium barbarum L. is a species widely used in dietary supplements and natural healthcare products. The berries, also known as goji or wolfberries, mostly grow in China, but recent reports on their outstanding bioactive properties have increased their popularity and cultivation around the world. Goji berries are a remarkable source of phenolic compounds (such as phenolic acids and flavonoids), carotenoids, organic acids, carbohydrates (fructose and glucose), and vitamins (ascorbic acid). Several biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, and anticancer activities, have been associated with its consumption. Hence, goji berries were highlighted as an excellent source of functional ingredients with promising applications in food and nutraceutical fields. This review aims to summarize the phytochemical composition and biological activities, along with various industrial applications, of L. barbarum berries. Simultaneously, the valorization of goji berries by-products, with its associated economic advantages, will be emphasized and explored.