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New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 19122

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Morena Gabriele

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Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology (IBBA), Italian National Research, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: nutraceuticals; functional foods; fermented foods; biotechnologies; antioxidants; bioactive peptides; food components; food analysis; foods biological and functional activities; inflammation; ER stress; oxidative stress; cell cultures; gene and protein expression; enzyme activities; human pathologies; human chronic diseases; fermentation and health
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Dr. Carolina Chiellini

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Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology (IBBA), National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: environmental microbiology; plants-microbes interactions; microbes-microbes interactions; microalgae; bacteria-microalgae interactions; microalgae as new source of nutraceutical molecules

Prof. Dr. Duccio Cavalieri

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Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna Del Piano 6 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
Interests: Microbiology; Microbial Genomics; Metagenomics; nutrigenomics; ontologies; bioinformatics; computational metagenomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the light of the increasing need in improving the nutritional and functional characteristics of foods, microorganisms represent an innovative biotechnological option and a source of bioactive and functional molecules for making new ingredients, novel foods, and functional formulations. Microorganism-derived products or their components, with potential beneficial effects on human and animal health, can be successfully used in the food and feed industry, as well as in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields.

This special issue will focus on the new frontiers in nutraceuticals and functional food products, with particular attention to the microorganisms and microbial processes and their role in producing bioactives and immunomodulators.

In this context, microbes and microbial processes represent alternative sources of nutritive and beneficial/functional components, as well as an alternative strategy to obtain products with implemented nutritional and health features. This might help the enhancement of life quality, as well as managing/preventing several chronic and degenerative diseases, promoting self-sustainability of health.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and short communications on microbial new functional food products from microorganisms and microbial processes.

Dr. Morena Gabriele
Dr. Carolina Chiellini
Prof. Dr. Duccio Cavalieri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nutraceuticals
novel foods
fermentation
microorganisms
microalgae
yeast
health
bioactive compounds
food biotechnology
microbiome

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

4 pages, 194 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

New Developments in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components

by Carolina Chiellini, Duccio Cavalieri and Morena Gabriele

Foods 2023, 12(12), 2321; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122321 - 09 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1860

Abstract

Microorganisms have long been essential to human life, playing significant roles in food and beverage production, health and disease, and the environment [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

22 pages, 2863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Growth and Organic Acid Kinetics and Evolution of the Protein Profile and Amino Acid Content during Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ITM21B Fermentation in Liquid Sourdough

by Mariaelena Di Biase, Yvan Le Marc, Anna Rita Bavaro, Stella Lisa Lonigro, Michela Verni, Florence Postollec and Francesca Valerio

Foods 2022, 11(23), 3942; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233942 - 06 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1401

Abstract

The application of mathematical modeling to study and characterize lactic acid bacterial strains with pro-technological and functional features has gained attention in recent years to solve the problems relevant to the variabilities of the fermentation processes of sourdough. Since the key factors contributing to the sourdough quality are relevant to the starter strain growth and its metabolic activity, in this study, the cardinal growth parameters for pH, temperature (T), water activity (a_w), and undissociated lactic acid of the sourdough strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ITM21B, were determined. The strain growth, pH, organic acids (lactic, acetic, phenyllactic, and hydroxy-phenyllactic), total free amino acids, and proteins were monitored during fermentation of a liquid sourdough based on wheat flour and gluten (Bio21B) after changing the starting T, pH, and inoculum load. Results demonstrated that the different fermentation conditions affected the strain growth and metabolite pattern. The organic acid production and growth performance were modeled in Bio21B, and the resulting predictive model allowed us to simulate in silico the strain performances in liquid sourdough under different scenarios. This mathematical predictive approach can be useful to optimize the fermentation conditions needed to obtain the suitable nutritional and technological characteristics of the L. plantarum ITM21B liquid sourdough. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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15 pages, 2420 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Promoting Effect and Potential Mechanism of Lactobacillus pentosus LPQ1-Produced Active Compounds on the Secretion of 5-Hydroxytryptophan

by Yixiu Zeng, Jiajia Song, Yuhong Zhang, Yechuan Huang, Feng Zhang and Huayi Suo

Foods 2022, 11(23), 3895; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233895 - 02 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1477

Abstract

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an important substance thought to improve depression. It has been shown that Lactobacillus can promote the secretion of 5-HTP in the body and thus ameliorate depression-like behavior in mice. However, the mechanism by which Lactobacillus promotes the secretion of 5-HTP is unclear. In this study, we investigated the promoting effect and mechanism of Lactobacillus, isolated from Chinese fermented foods, on the secretion of 5-HTP. The results showed that Lactobacillus (L.) pentosus LPQ1 exhibited the strongest 5-HTP secretion-promoting effect ((9.44 ± 0.69)-fold), which was dependent on the mixture of compounds secreted by L. pentosus LPQ1 (termed SLPQ1). In addition, the results of the RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses indicated that SLPQ1 alters the TNF and oxidative phosphorylation signaling pathways. Moreover, the SLPQ1 ultrafiltration fraction (>10 kDa) showed a similar 5-HTP promoting effect as SLPQ1. Furthermore, reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS/MS) identified 29 compounds of >10 kDa in SLPQ1, including DUF488 domain-containing protein, BspA family leucine-rich repeat surface protein, and 30S ribosomal protein S5, which together accounted for up to 62.51%. This study reports new findings on the mechanism by which L. pentosus LPQ1 promotes 5-HTP production in some cell lines in vitro. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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12 pages, 891 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Increase Nutritional Quality of Soilless Grown Lettuce while Overcoming Low Phosphorus Supply

by Fatjon Cela, Luciano Avio, Tommaso Giordani, Alberto Vangelisti, Andrea Cavallini, Alessandra Turrini, Cristiana Sbrana, Alberto Pardossi and Luca Incrocci

Foods 2022, 11(22), 3612; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11223612 - 12 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2812

Abstract

Lettuce is widely used for its healthy properties, and it is of interest to increase them with minimal environmental impact. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Funneliformis mosseae in lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Salinas) cultivated in a soilless system with sub-optimal phosphorus (P) compared with non-inoculated controls at two different P concentrations. Results show that lettuce inoculation with the selected AMF can improve the growth and the nutritional quality of lettuce even at sub-optimal P. Leaf content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phenols, known as important bioactive compounds for human health, was higher in mycorrhizal lettuce plants compared with non-mycorrhizal plants. The antioxidant capacity in AMF plants showed higher values compared with control plants grown at optimal P nutrition level. Moreover, leaf gas exchanges were higher in inoculated plants than in non-inoculated ones. Nitrogen, P, and magnesium leaf content was significantly higher in mycorrhizal plants compared with non-mycorrhizal plants grown with the same P level. These findings suggest that F. mosseae can stimulate plants growth, improving the nutritional quality of lettuce leaves even when grown with sub-optimal P concentration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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14 pages, 963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tailoring the Optimized Fermentation Conditions of SCOBY-Based Membranes and Milk Kefir Grains to Promote Various Functional Properties

by Marina Pihurov, Bogdan Păcularu-Burada, Mihaela Cotârleț and Gabriela Elena Bahrim

Foods 2022, 11(19), 3107; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11193107 - 06 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2131

Abstract

Kombucha culture (named SCOBY-Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts) and milk kefir grains represent multiple consortia of wild microorganisms that include lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeasts with valuable functional properties. Their fermentative potential provides a wide range of derivate metabiotics (prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and paraprobiotics) with valuable in vitro and in vivo benefits. This study targeted the evaluation of the functionality of a co-culture of SCOBY-based membranes and milk kefir grains, used as freeze-dried starter cultures, for the fermentation of a newly formulated medium based on black tea infusion, supplemented with bovine colostrum and sugar, in order to produce bioactive compounds with functional properties. The design and optimization of the biotechnological process were achieved by using the Plackett–Burman experimental design (six factorial points, three center points) and the response surface methodology and central composite design (three factorial points, six axial points and two center points in axial) tools. The statistical analysis and the mathematical modelling of the responses such as the pH, titratable acidity, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity (against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger) were investigated. Further, the composition of organic acids, polyphenols and flavonoids of the fermented product obtained under the optimized fermentation conditions was also analyzed. The fermentation of the medium containing 6.27% (w/v) bovine colostrum powder, 1.64% (w/v) black tea, 7.5% (w/w) sugar, pH 6.7, with an inoculum based of 0.36% (w/v) milk kefir grains powder and 0.5% (w/v) SCOBY-based membrane (both as freeze-dried culture), at 30 °C, for 5 days, in an aerobic stationary system, revealed an antifungal activity between 80 and 100% against Aspergillus niger, an antibacterial activity of 8–22 mm against Escherichia coli and Bacillus spp. And a titratable acidity of 445 °Th. The chemical composition of the obtained product had a positive impact on the functional properties of the fermented products in terms of the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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18 pages, 3195 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Semantics of Dairy Fermented Foods: A Microbiologist’s Perspective

by Francesco Vitali, Paola Zinno, Emily Schifano, Agnese Gori, Ana Costa, Carlotta De Filippo, Barbara Koroušić Seljak, Panče Panov, Chiara Devirgiliis and Duccio Cavalieri

Foods 2022, 11(13), 1939; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11131939 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2225

Abstract

Food ontologies are acquiring a central role in human nutrition, providing a standardized terminology for a proper description of intervention and observational trials. In addition to bioactive molecules, several fermented foods, particularly dairy products, provide the host with live microorganisms, thus carrying potential “genetic/functional” nutrients. To date, a proper ontology to structure and formalize the concepts used to describe fermented foods is lacking. Here we describe a semantic representation of concepts revolving around what consuming fermented foods entails, both from a technological and health point of view, focusing actions on kefir and Parmigiano Reggiano, as representatives of fresh and ripened dairy products. We included concepts related to the connection of specific microbial taxa to the dairy fermentation process, demonstrating the potential of ontologies to formalize the various gene pathways involved in raw ingredient transformation, connect them to resulting metabolites, and finally to their consequences on the fermented product, including technological, health and sensory aspects. Our work marks an improvement in the ambition of creating a harmonized semantic model for integrating different aspects of modern nutritional science. Such a model, besides formalizing a multifaceted knowledge, will be pivotal for a rich annotation of data in public repositories, as a prerequisite to generalized meta-analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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11 pages, 1177 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Five Different Chlorella sp. Microalgal Strains for the Treatment of Vegetation Waters Derived from Unconventional Oil Extractions Enriched with Citrus Byproducts

by Monica Macaluso, Carolina Chiellini, Adriana Ciurli, Lorenzo Guglielminetti, Basma Najar, Isabella Taglieri, Chiara Sanmartin, Alessandro Bianchi, Francesca Venturi and Angela Zinnai

Foods 2022, 11(10), 1398; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11101398 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1377

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet has, among its cornerstones, the use of olive oil for its nutraceutical and organoleptic properties. Despite the numerous merits, olive-oil mill wastewater (OMWW), which is generated by the olive-oil extraction process, is one of the most serious environmental pollutants in the Mediterranean countries. The polluting potential of OMWW is due to its high content of tannins, polyphenols, polyalcohols, pectins and lipids. In order to close the recovery cycle of a fortified citrus olive oils previously developed, we tested the ability of five microalgae of the Chlorella group (SEC_LI_ChL_1, CL_Sc, CL_Ch, FB and Idr) in lowering the percentage of total phenolic compounds in vegetation water. This was obtained with three different extraction processes (conventional, and lemon and orange peels) at three concentrations each (10%, 25% and 50%). The results showed that strains Idr, FB and CL_Sc from the Lake Massaciuccoli can tolerate vegetation water from conventional and lemon peel extractions up to 25%; these strains can also reduce the phenolic compounds within the tests. The application of microalgae for OMWW treatment represents an interesting opportunity as well as an eco-friendly low-cost solution to be developed within companies as a full-scale approach, which could be applied to obtain a fortified microalgal biomass to be employed in nutraceutical fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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20 pages, 11862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technological Improvements on FML in the Chianti Classico Wine Production: Co-Inoculation or Sequential Inoculation?

by Alessandro Bianchi, Isabella Taglieri, Francesca Venturi, Chiara Sanmartin, Giuseppe Ferroni, Monica Macaluso, Fabrizio Palla, Guido Flamini and Angela Zinnai

Foods 2022, 11(7), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11071011 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1894

Abstract

Winemaking variables and techniques are known to affect the composition of wines. To obtain a rapid and safe fermentation course, with a reduced risk of proliferation of unwanted microbial species, frequent recourse is made to the use of selected microorganisms, which can greatly simplify the complex management of the fermentation process. In particular, selected strains of lactic acid bacteria are used, which are much more sensitive than yeasts to the operating conditions of the medium. In this regard, the overall aim of this research was to verify whether the early inoculation of homolactic acid bacteria for hexoses (Lactobacillus plantarum) carried out after 24 h, compared with that of saccharomycetes operating alcoholic fermentation, could be advantageous compared with a traditional innoculation with a different heterolactic bacterial strain for hexoses (Oenococcus oeni) operated at the end of alcoholic fermentation. The grape variety chosen was Sangiovese, the protagonist of Tuscan oenology. The evaluation focused on different aspects such as the management of winery operations, and the quality and longevity of the product; was carried out in all phases of winemaking; and analysed both from a chemical and sensory point of view. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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18 pages, 1044 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Evaluation of Nutraceutical Properties of Eleven Microalgal Strains Isolated from Different Freshwater Aquatic Environments: Perspectives for Their Application as Nutraceuticals

by Carolina Chiellini, Valentina Serra, Leandro Gammuto, Adriana Ciurli, Vincenzo Longo and Morena Gabriele

Foods 2022, 11(5), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050654 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2366

Abstract

The increasing global population and the simultaneous growing attention to natural, sustainable, and healthier products are driving the food industry towards research on alternative food sources. In this scenario, microalgae are gaining worldwide attention as “functional feedstocks” for foods, feeds, supplements, and nutraceutical formulations, being a source of high-value metabolites including polyphenols and other antioxidant compounds. In this work, eleven microalgal strains from freshwater environments were evaluated for their nutraceutical properties, focusing on photosynthetic pigments, total polyphenols, and flavonoid content, as well as in vitro antioxidant activities. Data helped to select those strains showing the most promising features for simultaneous massive growth and bioactive compound production. Results highlighted that the microalgae have variable values for both biochemical parameters and antioxidant activities, mainly depending on the solvents and applied treatment rather than on the isolation sources or the phylogenetic attribution. According to our results, the putative best candidates for massive cultivation under laboratory conditions for the simultaneous extraction of different molecules with nutraceutical potential are strains F1 (Scenedesmaceae), F3 (Chlamydomonas debariana), R1 (Chlorella sorokiniana), and C2 (Chlorella-like). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in Nutraceuticals and Functional Food Products: Microorganisms as Alternative Sources of Nutritive and Beneficial Components)

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