Strategies for the Valorization of Date Fruit and Its Co-Products: A New Ingredient in the Development of Value-Added Foods
Date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are traditionally cultivated in South-West Asia and North Africa for date fruit consumption, although in recent years, its consumption has increased worldwide, and its cultivation has spread to other areas of America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and Southern Europe. During date fruit processing, several types of by-products are generated, such as low-quality dates or seeds, which along with date fruit, represent an excellent source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. Therefore, this review provides information on the processing of dates fruit and the value-added by-products generated from them as well as their applications in different types of foods for the development of foods with an enhanced nutritional and functional profile. The incorporation of date fruit and their co-products in food formulations will help to cover the current consumer demands for foods made with ingredients of natural origin and with health properties beyond the merely nutritional. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071456
Composition of Nuts and Their Potential Health Benefits—An Overview.
The possibility that nuts intake may defend human health is an interesting point of view and has been investigated worldwide. Consequently, nuts are commonly promoted as healthy. In recent decades, the number of investigations proposing a correlation between nut consumption and a decrease in the risk of key chronic diseases has continued to increase. Nuts are a source of intake of fiber, and dietary fiber is associated with a reduced occurrence of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Nuts likewise provide minerals and vitamins to the diet and supply phytochemicals that function as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and phytoestrogens agents and other protective mechanisms. Therefore, the main goal of this overview is to summarize current information and to describe the utmost new investigation concerning the health benefits of certain nuts. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12050942
Peanut Allergenicity: An Insight into Its Mitigation Using Thermomechanical Processing.
Peanuts are the seeds of a legume crop grown for nuts and oil production. Peanut allergy has gained significant attention as a public health issue due to its increasing prevalence, high rate of sensitization, severity of the corresponding allergic symptoms, cross-reactivity with other food allergens, and lifelong persistence. Given the importance of peanuts in several sectors, and taking into consideration the criticality of their high allergic potential, strategies aiming at mitigating their allergenicity are urgently needed. In this regard, most of the processing methods used to treat peanuts are categorized as either thermal or thermomechanical techniques. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with an updated outlook of the peanut’s allergens, their mechanisms of action, the processing methods as applied to whole peanuts, as well as a critical insight on their impact on the allergenicity. The methods discussed include boiling, roasting/baking, microwaving, ultrasonication, frying, and high-pressure steaming/autoclaving. Their effectiveness in alleviating the allergenicity, and their capacity in preserving the structural integrity of the treated peanuts, were thoroughly explored. Research data on this matter may open further perspectives for future relevant investigation ultimately aiming at producing hypoallergenic peanuts. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061253
Impact of Non-Thermal Technologies on the Quality of Nuts: A Review.
Nuts are widely consumed worldwide, mainly due to their characteristic flavor and texture, ease of consumption, and their functional properties. In addition, consumers increasingly demand natural or slightly processed foods with high quality. Consequently, non-thermal treatments are a viable alternative to thermal treatments used to guarantee safety and long shelf life, which produce undesirable changes that affect the sensory quality of nuts. Non-thermal treatments can achieve results similar to those of the traditional (thermal) ones in terms of food safety, while ensuring minimal loss of bioactive compounds and sensory properties, thus obtaining a product as similar as possible to the fresh one. This article focuses on a review of the main non-thermal treatments currently available for nuts (cold plasma, high pressure, irradiation, pulsed electric field, pulsed light, ultrasound and ultraviolet light) in relation to their effects on the quality and safety of nuts. All the treatments studied have shown promise with regard to the inhibition of the main microorganisms affecting nuts (e.g., Aspergillus, Salmonella, and E. coli). Furthermore, by optimizing the treatment, it is possible to maintain the organoleptic and functional properties of these products. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233891
Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia).
Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) in the cashew agroforestry systems of East Timor (Southeast Asia). Fourteen cashew orchards were sampled across the country, and information about leguminous species uses was collected from local populations. About 50 species are commonly part of the country's cashew agroforestry system, many of them simultaneously used as food, fodder, and in traditional medicine. Six bean species-Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth, Phaseolus lunatus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and H.Ohashi, Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek and Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.-are largely used as food. The mineral contents of these beans revealed relevant differences between species and, in some cases, between types (seed colour) within species. Periods of hunger and low food variety are frequent in East Timor, reflecting a very poor nutritional state of the population. Knowing and using legumes for local nutrition, as well as for healthcare and well-being, adds great value to these species as components of East Timor cashew agroforestry systems. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213503
Effects of Regular Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) Consumption on Health: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.
The Brazil nut (BN) is a promising food due to its numerous health benefits, but it is still necessary to systematically review the scientific evidence on these benefits. Thus, we examined the effects of regular BN consumption on health markers in humans according to the health state (with specific diseases or not) of the subjects. PubMed, Embase®, and Scielo databases were used to search for clinical trials. The PRISMA guideline was used to report the review, and the risk of bias for all studies was assessed. Twenty-four studies were included in the present review, of which fifteen were non-randomized. BNs were consumed in the context of a habitual free-living diet in all studies. Improvement in antioxidant status through increased levels of selenium and/or glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma, serum, whole blood, and/or erythrocytes was observed in all studies that evaluated antioxidant status, regardless of the health state of the sample. In addition, healthy subjects improved lipid markers and fasting glucose. Subjects with obesity had improvement in markers of lipid metabolism. Subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus or dyslipidemia improved oxidative stress or DNA damage. Subjects undergoing hemodialysis benefited greatly from BN consumption, as they improved lipid profile markers, oxidative stress, inflammation, and thyroid function. Older adults with mild cognitive impairment improved verbal fluency and constructional praxis, and controversial results regarding the change in a marker of lipid peroxidation were observed in subjects with coronary artery disease. In conclusion, the benefits of BN consumption were found in different pathways of action and study populations. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182925
INFOGEST Digestion Assay of Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and Its Impact on Allergens and Their IgE Binding Activity.
Most of the food allergens sensitized via the gastrointestinal tract resist thermal treatments and digestion, particularly digestion by pepsin. Roasted hazelnuts are more commonly consumed than raw ones. Since no studies have characterized gastric digestion protein fragments of raw and roasted hazelnuts nor their IgE binding properties, we compared these aspects of raw and roasted hazelnuts' gastric digesta obtained by INFOGEST protocol. Their electrophoretically resolved profiles were probed with hazelnut allergic patients' sera in 1D and 2D immunoblots. Electrophoretic profiles demonstrated pepsin digestion of all hazelnut allergens to varying extents. While 2D immunoblots indicated that roasting slightly reduced allergenicity, IgE ELISA with the pool of sera showed a slight significant (10%) increase in IgE binding in both gastric digesta. Cor a 9 isolated from the raw and roasted hazelnuts, characterized by far and near CD, remained stable after roasting, with preserved IgE reactivity. Its immunoreactivity contribution by inhibitory ELISA was noticeable in raw and roasted hazelnut digesta; its activity was slightly stronger in the roasted preparations. Roasting has a visible impact on proteins; however, it did not affect overall IgE reactivity. Gastric digestion slightly increases the overall IgE reactivity in raw and roasted hazelnuts, and may therefore impact the profiles of allergens and their fragments available to interact with the immune system in the small intestine. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182914
The Effect of Microwave Irradiation on the Representation and Growth of Moulds in Nuts and Almonds
Microwave (MW) irradiation is a non-destructive method that can be applied as an alternative method to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. The present study evaluated the effect of MW irradiation on the occurrence of moulds in nuts and almonds. Samples of unshelled natural almonds, pistachios, and in-shell peanuts were treated with different doses of MW irradiation (2400-4000 W). The effect of MW irradiation on mould counts was evaluated by cultivating immediately after irradiation and after 3 and 6 months of storage. The most represented genera in all analysed samples were Aspergillus (68%), Penicillium (21%), and a small amount of Cladosporium (3%). Mould numbers significantly decreased after MW treatment. The treatments with MW irradiations at 3000 and 4000 W significantly reduced the mould colony counts, and their effect persisted during storage; irradiation at 2400 W was partially effective. The strongest effect of MW irradiation was observed in in-shell peanuts. MW irradiation seems to be a promising method for maintaining the microbiological quality of nuts. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11020221
Emulsion and Microemulsion Systems to Improve Functional Edible Oils Enriched with Walnut and Pistachio Phenolic Extracts
The purpose of this research was to improve the properties of functional edible oils with potential health promoting effects, enriched with phenolic-rich extracts obtained from pistachio and walnut (5.1 and 27.4% phenolic contents respectively), by means of emulsion and micro emulsion systems. Stable water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions were obtained employing polyglycerol polyrhizinoleate (PGPR) as emulsifier (0.5, 2% H2O in oil), despite having a whitish and opaque appearance; transparent and stable microemulsions were prepared using proper proportion (e.g., 97:3) between the oily phase and the mixture of aqueous phase and emulsifiers (3:2 lecithin-distilled monoglycerides (DMG). Total polar phenolics contents ranging between 257 and 835 mg/kg were obtained in the novel functional edible oils' formulations, reaching higher content using walnut as compared to pistachio extracts. Antioxidant capacity determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl (DPPH) method increased approx. 7.5 and 1.5 times using walnut and pistachio extracts respectively. An emulsion using gallic acid and a microemulsion employing hydroxytyrosol, two well-known antioxidants, were also studied to compare antioxidant capacity of the proposed enriched oils. Furthermore, the oxidative stability of these products-very relevant to establish their commercial value-was measured under accelerated testing conditions employing the Rancimat equipment (100 °C) and performing an oven test (at 40 °C for walnut oils and 60 °C for pistachio and refined olive oils). Rancimat oxidative stability greatly increased and better results were obtained with walnut (2-3 times higher) as compared to pistachio extract enriched oils (1.5-2 times higher). On the contrary, under the oven test conditions, both the initial oxidation rate constant and the time required to reach a value of peroxide value equal to 15 (upper commercial category limit), indicated that under these assay conditions the protection against oxidation is higher using pistachio extract (2-4 times higher) than walnut's (1.5-2 times higher). Stable emulsions and transparent microemulsions phenolic-rich nut oils (250-800 mg/kg) were therefore developed, possessing a higher oxidative stability (1.5-4 times) and DPPH antioxidant capacity (1.5-7.5 times). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11091210
Determination of Mycotoxins in Dried Fruits Using LC-MS/MS-A Sample Homogeneity, Troubleshooting and Confirmation of Identity Study.
To monitor co-exposure to toxic mycotoxins in dried fruits, it is advantageous to simultaneously determine multiple mycotoxins using a single extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. In this study, we applied a stable isotope dilution and LC-MS/MS method to multi-mycotoxin analysis in dried fruits, selecting raisins, plums, figs, and cranberries for matrix extension. Samples were prepared using cryogenic grinding, followed by the fortification of carbon-13 (13C) uniformly labeled internal standards for twelve mycotoxins, and extraction using 50% acetonitrile. Homogeneity of prepared samples, defined as particle size Dv90 < 850 µm for the tested matrices, was characterized using a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, and reached using cryogenic grinding procedures. The majority of recoveries in the four matrices for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A spiked at 1-100 ng/g; fumonisins, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, and zearalenone spiked at 10-1000 ng/g, ranged from 80 to 120% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of <20%. Deoxynivalenol was not detected at 10 and 100 ng/g in plums, and additional troubleshooting procedures using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid phase extraction (SPE), and elution gradient were evaluated to improve the detectability of the mycotoxin. Furthermore, we confirmed the identity of detected mycotoxins, ochratoxin A and deoxynivalenol, in incurred samples using enhanced product ion scans and spectral library matching. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11060894