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This study examines how leadership characteristics in new product development teams affect the learning, knowledge application, and subsequently the performance of these teams. Using data from a study of 229 members from 52 high‐tech new product projects, we empirically demonstrate that team learning has a strong positive effect on the innovativeness and speed to market of the new products. Moreover, a democratic leadership style, initiation of goal structure by the team leader, and his or her position within the organization were positively related to team learning. Managerial implications of these results are discussed.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the rising trend of virtual influencers – digitally created characters with human-like attributes. It aims to evaluate and compare their effectiveness with human influencers in terms of brand attitudes and purchase intentions. It uncovers the mechanisms underlying the differences in effectiveness observed between virtual influencers and their human counterparts. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a 2 (influencer type: human vs virtual) × 3 (product type: functional vs symbolic vs experiential) between-subjects design. Through a pilot study (n = 334) and a main study (n = 352), the research examines the interactive effects of influencer and product type on brand attitude and purchase intentions. Hypotheses were developed and tested using moderating mediation models centered on authenticity and product–endorser fit. Findings Virtual influencers are perceived as less authentic than human influencers across all product types, negatively influencing brand attitude and purchase intention. However, the extent to which influencer type affects brand attitudes and purchase intentions, mediated by product–endorser fit, varies based on the product type. Originality/value This research emphasizes two key mechanisms – authenticity and product–endorser fit – influencing the effectiveness of virtual influencers. It suggests that aligning virtual influencers with suitable product types can offset their perceived authenticity deficit, significantly affecting their endorsement effectiveness.

Milk serves as a crucial source of natural bioactive compounds essential for human nutrition and health. The increased production of high-protein dairy products is a source of whey—a valuable secondary product that, along with other biologically valuable substances, contains significant amounts of whey proteins and is often irrationally used or not utilized at all. Acid whey, containing almost all whey proteins and approximately one-quarter of casein, presents a valuable raw material for generating peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides exhibit properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, opioid, mineral-binding, and growth-stimulating activities, contributing to improved human immunity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Bioactive peptides can be produced by enzymatic hydrolysis using a variety of proteolytic enzymes, plant extracts, and microbial fermentation. With the participation of plant enzymes, peptides that inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme are most often obtained. The use of enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produces more diverse peptides from different whey proteins with α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin as the main targets. The resulting peptides of varying lengths often have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic characteristics. Peptides produced by LAB are promising for use in medicine and the food industry as antioxidants and biopreservatives. Other beneficial properties of LAB-produced, whey-derived peptides have not yet been fully explored and remain to be studied. The development of whey drinks rich in bioactive peptides and based on the LAB proteolytic activity is underway. The strain specificity of LAB proteases opens up broad prospects for combining microorganisms to obtain products with the widest range of beneficial properties.

Carrot is one of the important root vegetables rich in bioactive compounds like carotenoids and dietary fibers with appreciable levels of several other functional components having significant health-promoting properties. The consumption of carrot and its products is increasing steadily due to its recognition as an important source of natural antioxidants having anticancer activity. Apart from carrot roots being traditionally used in salad and preparation of curries in India, these could commercially be converted into nutritionally rich processed products like juice, concentrate, dried powder, canned, preserve, candy, pickle, and g azrailla . Carrot pomace containing about 50% of β-carotene could profitably be utilized for the supplementation of products like cake, bread, biscuits and preparation of several types of functional products. The present review highlights the nutritional composition, health promoting phytonutrients, functional properties, products development and by-products utilization of carrot and carrot pomace along with their potential application.

In this review, we discuss the advantages of vegetable sprouts in the development of food products as well as their beneficial effects on a variety of disorders. Sprouts are obtained from different types of plants and seeds and various types of leafy, root, and shoot vegetables. Vegetable sprouts are enriched in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, antioxidants, and vitamins. Currently, different conventional methods and advanced technologies are used to extract bioactive compounds from vegetable sprouts. Due to some issues in traditional methods, increasingly, the trend is to use recent technologies because the results are better. Applications of phytonutrients extracted from sprouts are finding increased utility for food processing and shelf-life enhancement. Vegetable sprouts are being used in the preparation of different functional food products such as juices, bread, and biscuits. Previous research has shown that vegetable sprouts can help to fight a variety of chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, in the future, more research is needed that explores the extraordinary ways in which vegetable sprouts can be incorporated into green-food processing and preservation for the purpose of enhancing shelf-life and the formation of functional meat products and substitutes.

The environmental changing and the innovative production methods have made advanced composite materials essential for the modern societies. Due to their unique properties, such multimaterial systems have found use in a variety of contemporary contexts. In this work, the implementations of composite materials in automotive, aerospace, marine, sport, defense, structural, and building applications have been debated and explored systematically. Composite materials have been shown to be superior to traditional materials in a number of ways, such as their ability to reduce system weight, which leads to significant energy savings and enhanced performance in a number of different contexts. Also taken into account was the feasibility of mass-producing composite material systems meeting the needs of a variety of designs with varying degrees of complexity in order to allow for extensive leeway in the creation of new shapes, while keeping the number of individual parts to a minimum. Moreover, there is the option to pick and choose the components in order to tweak them until they have the desired properties and functionality. Thus, this work demonstrates the advantages of adopting composite materials in a variety of industries to improve designers’ and decision makers’ comprehension of the characteristic-performance scheme in the field of composite systems.

Preserving the efficacy of probiotic bacteria exhibits paramount challenges that need to be addressed during the development of functional food products. Several factors have been claimed to be responsible for reducing the viability of probiotics including matrix acidity, level of oxygen in products, presence of other lactic acid bacteria, and sensitivity to metabolites produced by other competing bacteria. Several approaches are undertaken to improve and sustain microbial cell viability, like strain selection, immobilization technologies, synbiotics development etc. Among them, cell immobilization in various carriers, including composite carrier matrix systems has recently attracted interest targeting to protect probiotics from different types of environmental stress (e.g., pH and heat treatments). Likewise, to successfully deliver the probiotics in the large intestine, cells must survive food processing and storage, and withstand the stress conditions encountered in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Hence, the appropriate selection of probiotics and their effective delivery remains a technological challenge with special focus on sustaining the viability of the probiotic culture in the formulated product. Development of synbiotic combinations exhibits another approach of functional food to stimulate the growth of probiotics. The aim of the current review is to summarize the strategies and the novel techniques adopted to enhance the viability of probiotics.

A recent global study revealed that approximately 80–90% of the population are deficient in vitamin D, a crucial nutrient for maintaining normal physiological functions. This widespread deficiency is quite alarming, as it can lead to significant health risks and increase susceptibility to various diseases, thereby compromising overall well-being. Vitamin D in its native form has a limited shelf life (approximately a year at ambient temperature), low stability, and poor bioavailability; however, encapsulation can improve these characteristics without compromising its biological effectiveness and controlled release. The encapsulation technique and wall material type used have a significant role in the process. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of the prevailing advanced encapsulation techniques, such as emulsification, coacervation, nanoliposomes, solid lipid particles, solvent evaporation, electrospinning, spray drying and lyophilization, along with various wall materials used, to improve the shelf life, stability, and bioavailability of vitamin D. These techniques represent promising strategies for enhancing vitamin D delivery and efficacy in different applications.

Biologically active substances from microalgae can exhibit antioxidant, immunostimulating, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, antihypertensive, regenerative, and neuroprotective effects. Lipid complexes of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis exhibit antibacterial activity and inhibit the growth of the Gram-positive strain Bacillus subtilis; the maximum zone of inhibition is 0.7 ± 0.03 cm at all concentrations. The carbohydrate-containing complex of C. vulgaris exhibits antibacterial activity, inhibits the growth of the Gram-positive strain B. subtilis, Bacillus pumilus; the maximum zone of inhibition is 3.5 ± 0.17 cm at all concentrations considered. The carbohydrate complex of A. platensis has antimicrobial activity against the Gram-negative strain of Escherichia coli at all concentrations, and the zone of inhibition is 2.0–3.0 cm. The presence of mythelenic, carbonyl groups, ester bonds between fatty acids and glycerol in lipid molecules, the stretching vibration of the phosphate group PO2, neutral lipids, glyco- and phospholipids, and unsaturated fatty acids, such as γ-linolenic, was revealed using FTIR spectra. Spectral peaks characteristic of saccharides were found, and there were cellulose and starch absorption bands, pyranose rings, and phenolic compounds. Both algae in this study had phenolic and alcohol components, which had high antibacterial activity. Microalgae can be used as biologically active food additives and/or as an alternative to antibiotic feed in animal husbandry due to their antibacterial properties.

Present research focused on biotransformation of paneer whey into a functional fermented product using kefir culture. Out of 9 formulations (S-1 to S-9) tried; S-8, obtained by fermenting FOS (1%) supplemented paneer whey and adding 8% refined sugar, was identified as the most acceptable product. Nutritional analysis revealed the following as per 100 g of product: 44.24 kcal total energy, 8.29 g carbohydrates, 7.19 g sugar, 1.51 g protein, 0.52 g total fat, 0.13 g saturated fat, 0.30 g MUFA, 0.23 g ash, 49.7 mg sodium content, 0.51% (w/w) alcohol and 4.5% (v/v) CO 2 . Results revealed a notable decline in pH and a rise in acidity during the early stages of storage followed by stabilization thereafter. Additionally a progressive decrement in lactose content and increase in ethanol was reported owing to the fermentation activity of the diverse microflora in kefir culture. The product exhibited antimicrobial as well as antioxidant activity and also remained stable for 12 days under refrigeration. Microbial stability was further strengthened by the absence of E.coli and consistent viable count of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in confirmation with the microbiological standards of fermented milk products. Results indicated that both proteinaceous as well as non-proteinaceous components are responsible for antioxidant activity of the product. Hence, the development of paneer whey-based kefir could relieve hassle of waste management and also provide health benefits. Highlights Paneer whey is generally dumped as waste that increases environmental burden. An attempt has been made to bio-transform this waste into a functional product. Paneer whey-based kefir drink was standardized and characterized. Nutritional facts were validated as per requirements of the regulatory standards. Developed product was evaluated for functional properties under in vitro conditions.