Foods for Plant-Based Diets: Challenges and Innovations

Plant-based diets have become popular as a means of reducing the environmental footprint of the diet and promoting human health and animal welfare. Although the percentages of vegetarians and vegans are low compared to omnivores, their numbers have increased significantly in the last years. The use of non-animal food products other than meat alternatives is also increasing and this tendency constitutes an opportunity for the food industry. In this review, we present that plant-based meat and milk alternatives are consolidated but that there is a niche for egg, seafood alternatives, and new products which may not resemble any traditional animal food. However, not all animal food substitutes are sustainable and some of them are even ultra-processed. In addition, there are concerns on safety and labeling, and consumers demand clear information and regulation. The challenges in this field are connected with food design and technology, sensory science, nutrition, and dietetics. Moreover, adequate selection and combination of foods is important in order to achieve consumer acceptance while preventing nutritional deficiencies in those who choose this type of diet.

Antimicrobial resistance and serotypes of Salmonella isolated from food products of animal origin

Salmonella isolates (n=124) were taken from animal food products in different regions of the Russian Federation and investigated. Serogroup was determined, as well as sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. High levels of resistance to fluoroquinolones were revealed (70,97% of isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin). Multiple drug resistance was determined (16,1% of multiresistant isolates). Data analysis was performed using the AMRcloud online platform.

The faunal remains from Mamluk Khirbat al-Sar (Jordan)

Excavations at Khirbat al-Sar in 2019 yielded a small assemblage of animal remains dating mainly to the Mamluk period. An archaeozoological analysis provided insight into the food provisioning of the site’s inhabitants. Caprids (sheep and goat) and cattle made up the bulk of the animal food products. The other species present in small quantities are the dromedary, the horse, the dog, the chicken and the hare. The faunal remains offer an opportunity to collect data on animal management and consumption during this period, of which we know very little in terms of archaeozoology.

REVIEW: APPLICATION OF BROMELAIN ENZYMES IN ANIMAL FOOD PRODUCTS

This review focuses on the use of bromelain in various applications in animal products with the latest literature so that it can provide information on what parts of this enzyme can be applied. Bromelain is a protease enzyme found in stems (EC 3.4.22.32), leaves, crowns, fruit skins, fruit flesh (EC 3.4.22.33) and fruit tubers in pineapple. Bromelain has been exploited commercially in many applications in the food industry (baking industry), drinks industry (stabilizers in beer), tenders (meat), and pharmaceuticals (anti-tumorigenic agents). However, not all types of proteins can be hydrolyzed by bromelain, such as keratin which can only be hydrolyzed by keratinase, this is because the enzymes work specifically. In animal food products, bromelain is applied as a meat tenderizer, making of protein hydrolyzate products, cheese and also fish sauce product. The application of bromelain to animal food products has proven that hydrolyzed products using this enzyme can increase umami taste, which means that bromelain has great potential when applied to animal food products. Bromelain is useful in the processing of some animal food products because bromelain works specifically and is very active in animal protein such as milk, meat and collagen.

Acyl-lipid desaturases and Vipp1 cooperate in cyanobacteria to produce novel omega-3 PUFA-containing glycolipids

BackgroundDietary omega-3 (n-3), long chain (LC-, ≥ 20 carbons), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived largely from marine animal sources protect against inflammatory processes and enhance brain development and function. With the depletion of natural stocks of marine animal sources and an increasing demand for n-3 LC-PUFAs, alternative, sustainable supplies are urgently needed. As a result, n-3 18 carbon and LC-PUFAs are being generated from plant or algal sources, either by engineering new biosynthetic pathways or by augmenting existing systems.ResultsWe utilized an engineered plasmid encoding two cyanobacterial acyl-lipid desaturases (DesB and DesD, encoding Δ15 and Δ6 desaturases, respectively) and “vesicle-inducing protein in plastids” (Vipp1) to induce production of stearidonic acid (SDA,18:4 n-3) at high levels in three strains of cyanobacteria (10, 17 and 27% of total lipids in Anabaena sp. PCC7120, Synechococcus sp. PCC7002, and Leptolyngbya sp. strain BL0902, respectively). Lipidomic analysis revealed that in addition to SDA, the rare anti-inflammatory n-3 LC-PUFA eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA, 20:4 n-3) was synthesized in these engineered strains, and ∼99% of SDA and ETA was complexed to bioavailable monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) species. Importantly, novel molecular species containing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), SDA and/or ETA in both acyl positions of MGDG and DGDG were observed in the engineered Leptolyngbya and Synechococcus strains, suggesting that these could provide a rich source of anti-inflammatory molecules.ConclusionsOverall, this technology utilizes solar energy, consumes carbon dioxide, and produces large amounts of nutritionally-important n-3 PUFAs and LC-PUFAs. Importantly, it can generate previously-undescribed, highly bioavailable, anti-inflammatory galactosyl lipids. This technology could therefore be transformative in protecting ocean fisheries and augmenting the nutritional quality of human and animal food products.Broader ContextDietary omega-3 (n-3), long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) typically found in marine products such as fish and krill oil are beneficial to human health. In addition to human consumption, most of the global supply of n-3 LC-PUFAs is used as dietary components for aquaculture. Marked increases in usage have created an intense demand for more sustainable, stable and bioavailable forms of n-3 PUFAs and LC-PUFAs. We utilized an engineered plasmid to dramatically enhance the production of 18-carbon and n-3 LC-PUFAs in three strains of autotrophic cyanobacteria. While the sustainable generation of highly valued and bioavailable nutritional lipid products is the primary goal, additional benefits include the generation of oxygen as a co-product with the consumption of only carbon dioxide as the carbon source and solar radiation as the energy source. This technology could be transformative in protecting ocean fisheries and augmenting the nutritional quality of human and animal food products. Additionally, these engineered cyanobacteria can generate previously undescribed, highly bioavailable, anti-inflammatory galactosyl lipids.

Figuring the pecking order

PurposeUsing the family activity of hobby stock-keeping (“petstock”) as a context, this paper aims to extend singularization theory to model the negotiations, agencies and resistances of children, parents and petstock, as they work through how animals become food within the boundaries of the family home. In doing so, the authors present an articulation of this process, deciphering the cultural biographies of petstock and leading to an understanding of the emergent array of child animal food-product preferences.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from petstock-keeping parents through a mixture of ethnographic, in-depth interviewing and netnographic engagements in this qualitative, interpretive study; with parents offering experiential insights into animal meat and food-product socialization behaviours played out within the family environments.FindingsThe findings discuss the range of parental behaviours, motivations and activities vis-à-vis petstock, and their children’s responses, ranging from transgression to full compliance, in terms of eating home-raised animal food-products. The discussion illustrates that in the context of petstock, a precocious child food preference agency towards animal meat and food products is reported to emerge.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has empirical and theoretical implications for the understanding of the development of child food preference agency vis-à-vis animal food products in the context of family petstock keeping.Practical implicationsThe research has the potential to inform policy makers around child education and food in regard to how child food preferences emerge and can inform marketers developing food-based communications aimed at children and parents.Originality/valueTwo original contributions are presented: an analysis of the under-researched area of how children’s food preferences towards eating animal food products develop, taking a positive child food-choice agency perspective, and a novel extension of singularization theory, theorizing the radical transformation, from animal to food, encountered by children in the petstock context.