scholarly journals Carob Pulp: A Nutritional and Functional By-Product Worldwide Spread in the Formulation of Different Food Products and Beverages. A Review

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1146
Author(s):  
Raquel Rodríguez-Solana ◽  
Anabela Romano ◽  
José Manuel Moreno-Rojas

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pod is a characteristic fruit from the Mediterranean regions. It is composed by seeds, the valuable part due to the extraction of locust bean gum, and the pulp, considered a by-product of the fruit processing industry. Carob pulp is a mixture of macro- and micronutrients, such as carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and secondary metabolites with functional properties. In the last few years, numerous studies on the chemical and biological characteristics of the pulp have been performed to encourage its commercial use. Its potential applications as a nutraceutical ingredient in many recipes for food and beverage elaborations have been extensively evaluated. Another aspect highlighted in this work is the use of alternative processes or conditions to mitigate furanic production, recognized for its toxicity. Furthermore, carob pulp’s similar sensorial, chemical and biological properties to cocoa, the absence of the stimulating alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, as well as its low-fat content, make it a healthier potential substitute for cocoa. This paper reviews the nutritional and functional values of carob pulp-based products in order to provide information on the proclaimed health-promoting properties of this interesting by-product.

Author(s):  
Mahima Singh ◽  
Sriramakamal Jonnalagadda

AbstractThis study evaluates the suitability of 3D printed biodegradable mats to load and deliver the topical antibiotic, neomycin, for up to 3 weeks in vitro. A 3D printer equipped with a hot melt extruder was used to print bandage-like wound coverings with porous sizes appropriate for cellular attachment and viability. The semicrystalline polyester, poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) was used as the base polymer, coated (post-printing) with polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of MWs 400 Da, 6 kDa, or 20 kDa to enable manipulation of physicochemical and biological properties to suit intended applications. The mats were further loaded with a topical antibiotic (neomycin sulfate), and cumulative drug-release monitored for 3 weeks in vitro. Microscopic imaging as well as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies showed pore dimensions of 100 × 400 µm. These pore dimensions were achieved without compromising mechanical strength; because of the “tough” individual fibers constituting the mat (Young’s Moduli of 50 ± 20 MPa and Elastic Elongation of 10 ± 5%). The in vitro dissolution study showed first-order release kinetics for neomycin during the first 20 h, followed by diffusion-controlled (Fickian) release for the remaining duration of the study. The release of neomycin suggested that the ability to load neomycin on to PLLA mats increases threefold, as the MW of the applied PEG coating is lowered from 20 kDa to 400 Da. Overall, this study demonstrates a successful approach to using a 3D printer to prepare porous degradable mats for antibiotic delivery with potential applications to dermal regeneration and tissue engineering.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Maria Antoniadou ◽  
Theodoros Varzakas

Olive fruit exerts great socioeconomic impact. Many studies have shown the multiple benefits of healthy olive oil for the human body. The increase in consumption of extra virgin olive oil is mainly due to its unique sensory, nutritive qualities, biological properties, and health-promoting effects. In this review paper recent advances in quality, safety, authenticity, processing, nutrition, health, and oral health of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have been discussed and outlined. Regarding safety, the effect of food safety management systems in EVOO has been reported along with the use of different tools such as FMEA and Ishikawa.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1458-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassiba Chahdoura ◽  
João C. M. Barreira ◽  
Virginia Fernández-Ruiz ◽  
Patricia Morales ◽  
Ricardo C. Calhelha ◽  
...  

Opuntia spp. flowers have been traditionally used for medical purposes, mostly because of their diversity in bioactive molecules with health promoting properties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simran Kaur ◽  
Soumava Santra

: Guar gum (GG) is a natural heteropolysaccharide. Due to its non-toxic, eco-friendly, and biodegradable nature, GG has found wide applications in many areas, in particular food, paper, textile, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, GG is often called “Black Gold” as well. Due to the presence of hydroxyl groups, GG can be modified by various methods. The physical and biological properties of GG can be modulated by chemical modifications. In this manuscript, various methods for the chemical modifications of GG have been discussed according to the type of modifications. Mechanistic insights have also been provided whenever possible. In addition, potential applications of new GG derivatives have also been briefly mentioned.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyu Ge ◽  
Luming Yang ◽  
Fang Xiao ◽  
Yani Wu ◽  
Tingting Yu ◽  
...  

Graphene family nanomaterials, with superior mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, have grabbed appreciable attention on the path of researches seeking new materials for future biomedical applications. Although potential applications of graphene had been highly reviewed in other fields of medicine, especially for their antibacterial properties and tissue regenerative capacities, in vivo and in vitro studies related to dentistry are very limited. Therefore, based on current knowledge and latest progress, this article aimed to present the recent achievements and provide a comprehensive literature review on potential applications of graphene that could be translated into clinical reality in dentistry.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Donno ◽  
Federica Turrini

Changes in lifestyle and demographics, rising consumer incomes, and shifting preferences due to advanced knowledge about the relationships between food and health contribute to generate new needs in the food supply. Today, the role of food is not only intended as hunger satisfaction and nutrient supply but also as an opportunity to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental well-being. For this reason, there is a growing interest in the novel or less well-known plant foods that offer an opportunity for health maintenance. Recently, interest in plant foods and underutilized fruits is continuously growing, and agrobiodiversity exploitation offers effective and extraordinary potentialities. Plant foods could be an important source of health-promoting compounds and functional food ingredients with beneficial properties: the description of the quality and physicochemical traits, the identification and quantification of bioactive compounds, and the evaluation of their biological activities are important to assess plant food efficacy as functional foods or source of food supplement ingredients.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Genç ◽  
Hilal Bardakci ◽  
Çiğdem Yücel ◽  
Gökçe Şeker Karatoprak ◽  
Esra Küpeli Akkol ◽  
...  

Carotenoids are natural fat-soluble pigments synthesized by plants, algae, fungi and microorganisms. They are responsible for the coloration of different photosynthetic organisms. Although they play a role in photosynthesis, they are also present in non-photosynthetic plant tissues, fungi, and bacteria. These metabolites have mainly been used in food, cosmetics, and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to their utilization as pigmentation, they have significant therapeutically applications, such as improving immune system and preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Primarily, they have attracted attention due to their antioxidant activity. Several statistical investigations indicated an association between the use of carotenoids in diets and a decreased incidence of cancer types, suggesting the antioxidant properties of these compounds as an important factor in the scope of the studies against oxidative stress. Unusual marine environments are associated with a great chemical diversity, resulting in novel bioactive molecules. Thus, marine organisms may represent an important source of novel biologically active substances for the development of therapeutics. Marine carotenoids (astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, β-carotene, lutein but also the rare siphonaxanthin, sioxanthin, and myxol) have recently shown antioxidant properties in reducing oxidative stress markers. Numerous of bioactive compounds such as marine carotenoids have low stability, are poorly absorbed, and own very limited bioavailability. The new technique is nanoencapsulation, which can be used to preserve marine carotenoids and their original properties during processing, storage, improve their physiochemical properties and increase their health-promoting effects. This review aims to describe the role of marine carotenoids, their potential applications and different types of advanced nanoformulations preventing and treating oxidative stress related disorders.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 5651
Author(s):  
Rachele Sergi ◽  
Valeria Cannillo ◽  
Aldo R. Boccaccini ◽  
Liliana Liverani

Chitosan fibers blended with polyethylene oxide (CHIT_PEO) and crosslinked with genipin were fabricated by electrospinning technique. Subsequently, CHIT_PEO bioactive glass composite electrospun mats were fabricated with the aim to achieve flexible structures with adequate mechanical properties and improved biological performance respect to CHIT_PEO fibers, for potential applications in wound healing. Three different compositions of bioactive glasses (BG) were selected and investigated: 45S5 BG, a Sr and Mg containing bioactive glass (BGMS10) and a Zn-containing bioactive glass (BGMS_2Zn). Particulate BGs (particles size < 20 μm) were separately added to the starting CHIT_PEO solution before electrospinning. The two recently developed bioactive glasses (BGMS10 and BGMS_2Zn) showed very promising biological properties in terms of bioactivity and cellular viability; thus, such compositions were added for the first time to CHIT_PEO solution to fabricate composite electrospun mats. The incorporation of bioactive glass particles and their distribution into CHIT_PEO fibers were assessed by SEM and FTIR analyses. Furthermore, CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed improved mechanical properties in terms of Young’s Modulus compared to neat CHIT_PEO fibers; on the contrary, the values of tensile strain at break (%) were comparable. Biological performance in terms of cellular viability was investigated by means of WST-8 assay and CHIT_PEO composite electrospun mats showed cytocompatibility and the desired cellular viability.


2022 ◽  
pp. 44-58
Author(s):  
Viktoria Milkova

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide and emulsifier that can ensure a significant emulsion stability at suitable pH, ionic strength, composition, concentration, or thermal processing. The evaluation of the electrokinetic properties is a key factor in investigation of the stability of the nanoemulsions with a view to their potential applications in bionanotechnology. Consequently, the precise control over the physicochemical characteristics of chitosan (degree of acetylation, DA and molecular weight, Mw) can provide a high stability and specific biological properties of the developed functional structures. The chapter is focused on the interpretation of the electrokinetic response from nanoemulsion stabilized by adsorption of chitosan (as a polyelectrolyte or uncharged polymer) by using appropriate theoretical approaches.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney J. Stohs ◽  
Oliver Chen ◽  
Sidhartha D. Ray ◽  
Jin Ji ◽  
Luke R. Bucci ◽  
...  

Curcumin exerts a wide range of beneficial physiological and pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-amyloid, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-neoplastic, immune-modulating, metabolism regulating, anti-depressant, neuroprotective and tissue protective effects. However, its poor solubility and poor absorption in the free form in the gastrointestinal tract and its rapid biotransformation to inactive metabolites greatly limit its utility as a health-promoting agent and dietary supplement. Recent advances in micro- and nano-formulations of curcumin with greatly enhanced absorption resulting in desirable blood levels of the active forms of curcumin now make it possible to address a wide range of potential applications, including pain management, and as tissue protective. Using these forms of highly bioavailable curcumin now enable a broad spectrum of appropriate studies to be conducted. This review discusses the formulations designed to enhance bioavailability, metabolism of curcumin, relationships between solubility and particle size relative to bioavailability, human pharmacokinetic studies involving formulated curcumin products, the widely used but inappropriate practice of hydrolyzing plasma samples for quantification of blood curcumin, current applications of curcumin and its metabolites and promising directions for health maintenance and applications.


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