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The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods
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The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 10112

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Narendra Narain

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Food Technology Department, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sao Cristovao, Brazil
Interests: bioactive compounds; aroma; fruits
Prof. Dr. Maria Terezinha Santos Leite Neta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Food Technology Department, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sao Cristovao, Brazil
Interests: aroma; bioactive compounds; fruits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutraceuticals and functional foods are becoming increasingly popular in recent years. These foods possess bioactive compounds such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fibers that when ingested, promote in the human body health benefits like reduction in the chances of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc. Of late, several studies have been performed with the objective of deepening the knowledge on use of functional foods through research on obtaining new products, processes, and distribution conditions.

This special issue of Foods will focus on recent and latest researches in the area of nutraceutical and functional foods that present new developments, perspectives and innovative ideas on this topic in the coming years.

Prof. Dr. Narendra Narain
Prof. Dr. Maria Terezinha Santos Leite Neta
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.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2249 KiB  
Article
Glucosinolate Diversity Analysis in Choy Sum (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis var. parachinensis) Germplasms for Functional Food Breeding
by Seong-Hoon Kim, Parthiban Subramanian and Bum-Soo Hahn
Foods 2023, 12(12), 2400; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122400 - 16 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1367
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze glucosinolates (GSLs) in germplasm that are currently conserved at the RDA-Genebank. The analysis focused on the glucosinolate diversity among the analyzed germplasms, with the goal of identifying those that would be most useful for future [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to analyze glucosinolates (GSLs) in germplasm that are currently conserved at the RDA-Genebank. The analysis focused on the glucosinolate diversity among the analyzed germplasms, with the goal of identifying those that would be most useful for future breeding efforts to produce nutritionally rich Choy sum plants. In total, 23 accessions of Choy sums that possessed ample background passport information were selected. On analyzing the glucosinolate content for 17 different glucosinolates, we observed aliphatic GSLs to be the most common (89.45%) and aromatic GSLs to be the least common (6.94%) of the total glucosinolates detected. Among the highly represented aliphatic GSLs, gluconapin and glucobrassicanapin were found to contribute the most (>20%), and sinalbin, glucoraphanin, glucoraphasatin, and glucoiberin were detected the least (less than 0.05%). We identified one of the accessions, IT228140, to synthesize high quantities of glucobrassicanapin and progoitrin, which have been reported to contain several therapeutic applications. These conserved germplasms are potential bioresources for breeders, and the availability of information, including therapeutically important glucosinolate content, can help produce plant varieties that can naturally impact public health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods)
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20 pages, 3582 KiB  
Article
Sodium Selenate, Potassium Hydroxy-Selenide, Acetylselenide and Their Effect on Antioxidant Metabolism and Plant Nutrition and Yield in Sorghum Genotypes
by Patriciani Estela Cipriano, Rodrigo Fonseca da Silva, Cynthia de Oliveira, Alexandre Boari de Lima, Fabio Aurélio Dias Martins, Gizele Celante, Alcindo Aparecido dos Santos, Marcos Vinicio Lopes Rodrigues Archilha, Marcos Felipe Pinatto Botelho, Valdemar Faquin and Luiz Roberto Guimarães Guilherme
Foods 2023, 12(10), 2034; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12102034 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1618
Abstract
Agronomic biofortification with selenium (Se) effectively reduces hidden hunger and increases the nutritional intake of Se in people and animals. Because sorghum is a staple diet for millions of people and is used in animal feed, it becomes a crop with biofortification potential. [...] Read more.
Agronomic biofortification with selenium (Se) effectively reduces hidden hunger and increases the nutritional intake of Se in people and animals. Because sorghum is a staple diet for millions of people and is used in animal feed, it becomes a crop with biofortification potential. Consequently, this study aimed to compare organoselenium compounds with selenate, which is effective in numerous crops, and to assess grain yield, the effect in the antioxidant system, and macronutrient/micronutrient contents of different sorghum genotypes treated with Se, via foliar spray. The trials used a 4 × 8 factorial design, with four Se sources (control—without Se supply, sodium selenate, potassium hydroxy-selenide, acetylselenide) and eight genotypes (BM737, BRS310, Enforcer, K200, Nugrain320, Nugrain420, Nugrain430, and SHS410). The Se rate used was 0.125 mg plant−1. All genotypes reacted effectively to foliar fertilization with Se through sodium selenate. In this experiment, potassium hydroxy-selenide and acetylselenide showed low Se levels and lower Se uptake and absorption efficiency than selenate. Selenium fertilization increased grain yield and altered lipid peroxidation by malondialdehyde content, hydrogen peroxide content, catalase activity, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and macronutrients and micronutrients content of the studied genotypes. In sum, biofortification with selenium led to an overall yield increase of sorghum plants and supplementation with selenium through sodium selenate was more efficient than organoselenium compounds, yet acetylselenide had a positive effect on the antioxidant system. Sorghum can be effectively biofortified through the foliar application of sodium selenate; however, studying the interaction between organic and inorganic Se compounds in plants is necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods)
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17 pages, 2204 KiB  
Article
Valorisation of Wasted Immature Tomato to Innovative Fermented Functional Foods
by Nelson Pereira, Mahsa Farrokhi, Manuela Vida, Manuela Lageiro, Ana Cristina Ramos, Margarida C. Vieira, Carla Alegria, Elsa M. Gonçalves and Marta Abreu
Foods 2023, 12(7), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071532 - 04 Apr 2023
Viewed by 3248
Abstract
In this study, the lactic fermentation of immature tomatoes as a tool for food ingredient production was evaluated as a circular economy-oriented alternative for valorising industrial tomatoes that are unsuitable for processing and which have wasted away in large quantities in the field. [...] Read more.
In this study, the lactic fermentation of immature tomatoes as a tool for food ingredient production was evaluated as a circular economy-oriented alternative for valorising industrial tomatoes that are unsuitable for processing and which have wasted away in large quantities in the field. Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were assessed as starter cultures in an immature tomato pulp fermentation to produce functional food ingredients with probiotic potential. The first trial evaluated the probiotic character of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LAB97, isolated from immature tomato microbiota) and Weissella paramesenteroides (C1090, from the INIAV collection) through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion simulation. The results showed that LAB97 and C1090 met the probiotic potential viability criterion by maintaining 6 log10 CFU/mL counts after in vitro simulation. The second trial assessed the LAB starters’ fermentative ability. Partially decontaminated (110 °C/2 min) immature tomato pulp was used to prepare the individually inoculated samples (Id: LAB97 and C1090). Non-inoculated samples, both with and without thermal treatment (Id: CTR-TT and CTR-NTT, respectively), were prepared as the controls. Fermentation was undertaken (25 °C, 100 rpm) for 14 days. Throughout storage (0, 24, 48, 72 h, 7, and 14 days), all the samples were tested for LAB and Y&M counts, titratable acidity (TA), solid soluble content (SSC), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AOx), as well as for organic acids and phenolic profiles, and CIELab colour and sensory evaluation (14th day). The LAB growth reached ca. 9 log10 CFU/mL for all samples after 72 h. The LAB97 samples had an earlier and higher acidification rate than the remaining ones, and they were highly correlated to lactic acid increments. The inoculated samples showed a faster and higher decrease rate in their SSC levels when compared to the controls. A nearly two-fold increase (p < 0.05) during the fermentation, over time, was observed in all samples’ AOx and TPC (p < 0.05, r = 0.93; similar pattern). The LAB97 samples obtained the best sensory acceptance for flavour and overall appreciation scores when compared to the others. In conclusion, the L. plantarum LAB97 starter culture was selected as a novel probiotic candidate to obtain a potential probiotic ingredient from immature tomato fruits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods)
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11 pages, 4116 KiB  
Communication
Quantification and Diversity Analyses of Major Glucosinolates in Conserved Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) Germplasms
by Seong-Hoon Kim, Gi-An Lee, Parthiban Subramanian and Bum-Soo Hahn
Foods 2023, 12(6), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061243 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
The genebank at the National Agrobiodiversity Center (RDA-Genebank, Jeonju, Republic of Korea), conserves approximately 8000 germplasms of Brassica spp., of which Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is one of the major crops actively used as food in Northeast Asia, [...] Read more.
The genebank at the National Agrobiodiversity Center (RDA-Genebank, Jeonju, Republic of Korea), conserves approximately 8000 germplasms of Brassica spp., of which Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is one of the major crops actively used as food in Northeast Asia, including Korea, as the main ingredient for kimchi. Glucosinolates are a major class of compounds in Chinese cabbage that are responsible for their distinctive flavor, and RDA-Genebank is constantly building a related database (DB) to select suitable germplasms required by consumers and provide resources for breeding programs. In this study, ten glucosinolates were analyzed in sixty Chinese cabbage germplasms. Six aliphatic glucosinolates were the major components, accounting for 85.00% to 91.98% of total glucosinolates in each germplasm. Among them, gluconapin (333.26 to 23,501.58 μmol∙kg−1 DW) was highly represented, followed by glucobrassicanapin (545.60 to 10,344.70 μmol∙kg−1 DW) and progoitrin (155.28 to 8536.51 μmol∙kg−1 DW). In addition, we selected germplasms with a high content of each studied glucosinolate. To analyze the diversity and distribution of glucosinolates among the studied germplasms, Pearson’s correlation was performed, and the related results were interpreted through their biosynthetic pathways. The k-means clustering indicated four optimal clusters, which were confirmed through principal component analysis. Orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was also performed on the status (landrace and cultivar) and origin (Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan) passport data of the germplasms, followed by the calculation of variable importance in the projection (VIP) values. These results are part of a continuous series of studies to analyze the glucosinolates of Brassica germplasms that are being conserved at RDA-Genebank. We aim to provide related results through a public platform accessible to everyone and thereby improve the distribution of Brassica germplasms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods)
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20 pages, 3707 KiB  
Article
Changes of Bioactive Components and Antioxidant Capacity of Pear Ferment in Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion In Vitro
by Xiaoying Zhang, Yiming Li, Yue Li, Jiangli Zhao, Yudou Cheng, Yongxia Wang and Junfeng Guan
Foods 2023, 12(6), 1211; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061211 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1721
Abstract
Fruit ferment is rich in polyphenols, organic acids, enzymes, and other bioactive components, which contribute to their antioxidant ability. In this study, we investigated the effect of the simulated gastric and intestinal digestion in vitro on the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid [...] Read more.
Fruit ferment is rich in polyphenols, organic acids, enzymes, and other bioactive components, which contribute to their antioxidant ability. In this study, we investigated the effect of the simulated gastric and intestinal digestion in vitro on the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), phenolic components content, organic acid content, protease activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA), hydroxyl (·OH) radical scavenging activity (·OH-RSA), and total reducing capacity in ‘Xuehua’ pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd) ferment. The result showed that the TPC, TFC, protease activity, and phenolic components such as arbutin, protocatechuic acid, malic acid, and acetic acid showed a rising trend during the simulated gastric digestion in ‘Xuehua’ pear ferment, and these components might contribute to the increasing of ·OH-RSA and total reducing capacity. The SOD activity and epicatechin content showed an increasing trend at first and then a decreasing trend, which was likely associated with DPPH-RSA. During in vitro-simulated intestinal digestion, the majority of evaluated items reduced, except for protease activity, quercetin, and tartaric acid. The reason for the decreasing of bio-accessibility resulted from the inhibition of the digestive environment, and the transformation between substances, such as the conversion of hyperoside to quercetin. The correlation analysis indicated that the antioxidant capacity of ‘Xuehua’ pear ferment was mainly affected by its bioactive compounds and enzymes activity as well as the food matrices and digestive environment. The comparison between the digestive group with and without enzymes suggested that the simulated gastrointestinal digestion could boost the release and delay the degradation of phenolic components, flavonoids, and organic acid, protect protease and SOD activity, and stabilize DPPH-RSA, ·OH-RSA, and total reducing capacity in ‘Xuehua’ pear ferment; thus, the ‘Xuehua’ pear ferment could be considered as an easily digestible food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Recent Developments in Plant-Based Nutraceutical and Functional Foods)
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