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Nutritional Properties, Sensory Profile and Bioactive Components of Food, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2342

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Bellumori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
Interests: natural antioxidants; nutraceutical sciences; food chemistry; nutrition and human health; phenolic compounds; extraction and characterization of bioactive molecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lorenzo Cecchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of NEUROFARBA, University degli Studi di Firenze, Via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
Interests: phenolic compounds; volatile compounds; fortification of food with nutraceutical compounds; food technology; food quality authentication; food byproduct re-use
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over recent decades, there has been an increased focus on describing the composition and nutritional value of foods, also supported by the study of their sensory profiles. There is indeed an increasing demand by consumers for foods that go beyond nutritional needs to promote well-being, reduce disease and increase lifespan.

Epidemiological studies have shown a correlation between the increased consumption of some specific foods and the reduced risks of chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and age-related functional decline. These health-beneficial effects are thought to be related to macronutrients, micronutrients and bioactive compounds. The potential health benefits linked to the numerous phytochemicals present in different food sources, which appear to be responsible for preventing many diseases and infections, are well known.

Furthermore, the sensory properties of food such as color, appearance and flavor (the last being given by smell, taste and texture) are extremely important not only to consumers, but also to producers, because they directly relate to product quality and end-user acceptance. The increasing demand for more attractive, tasty and healthy food can lead to the development of value-added products in the food sector. Nowadays, it is important to widen the knowledge about food quality, phytochemical composition and marketability to meet the demand of consumers, producers and retailers.

This Special Issue aims to further underline current developments in all fields that are connected to the bioactive constituents of food, as well as their nutritional and sensory characteristics.

Dr. Maria Bellumori
Dr. Lorenzo Cecchi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net 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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • food analysis
  • bioactive compounds
  • sensory characteristics
  • food composition
  • functional food ingredients
  • all connected topics

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5058 KiB  
Article
Anti-Inflammatory, Wound Healing, and Anti-Diabetic Effects of Pure Active Compounds Present in the Ryudai Gold Variety of Curcuma longa
by Md Zahorul Islam, Jesmin Akter, Md Amzad Hossain, Md Shafiqul Islam, Purba Islam, Chayon Goswami, Ha Thi Thanh Nguyen and Atsushi Miyamoto
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2795; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122795 - 12 Jun 2024
Viewed by 454
Abstract
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) contains curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC). Nevertheless, curcumin is the most researched active ingredient for its numerous pharmacological effects. We investigated the impact of these curcuminoids found in Ryudai gold, an approved cultivar of Curcuma longa, [...] Read more.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) contains curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC). Nevertheless, curcumin is the most researched active ingredient for its numerous pharmacological effects. We investigated the impact of these curcuminoids found in Ryudai gold, an approved cultivar of Curcuma longa, on wound healing, inflammation, and diabetes. Sub-planter injections of carrageenan induced acute paw inflammation in rats. The wound-healing ability of 1% curcuminoids was examined by making a 6 mm round wound on the shaved dorsum of the mice with a biopsy punch. A single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) was used to induce diabetes in mice. Curcuminoids at a dose rate of 100 mg/kg body weight were used with feed and as a gastric gavage to treat diabetes and inflammation in experimental animals. Paw thickness was measured at 1, 3, and 6 h following carrageenan injection. After three hours, mean paw volume was 58% in carrageenan-injected mice, which was 35%, 37%, and 31% in the curcumin, DMC, and BDMC groups, respectively. Histopathology of the paw tissue demonstrated severe infiltration of inflammatory cells and thickening of the dermis, which were remarkably improved by the curcuminoids. The wound-healing abilities were significantly higher in the curcumin- (95.0%), DMC- (93.17%), and BDMC-treated (89.0%) groups, in comparison to that of the control (65.09%) group at day nine. There were no significant differences in wound-healing activity among the groups treated with 1% curcuminoids throughout the study. Streptozotocin-induced diabetes was characterized by an increased blood glucose (552.2 mg/dL) and decreased body weight (31.2 g), compared to that of the control rats (145.6 mg/dL and 46.8 g blood glucose and body weight, respectively). It also caused an increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 44.2 U/L) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; 55.8 U/L) compared to that of the control group (18.6 U/L and 20.1 U/L, respectively). Histopathological examination of the liver showed that diabetes caused hepatic cellular necrosis, congestion of the central vein, and parenchymatous degeneration. However, all three curcuminoids significantly decreased blood glucose levels, ALT, and AST and improved the histopathological score of the liver. These results evidenced that not only curcumin but also DMC and BDMC have potent anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and anti-diabetic efficacy, and the Ryudai gold variety of turmeric could be used as a functional food supplement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Properties, Sensory Profile and Bioactive Components of Food, 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 3871 KiB  
Communication
Comparison of Flavonoid Content, Antioxidant Potential, Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition Activity and Volatile Components Based on HS-SPME-GC-MS of Different Parts from Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro
by **n Wang, Jiatao Guo, Siqi Zang, Baodong Liu and Yuhuan Wu
Molecules 2024, 29(5), 1142; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29051142 - 4 Mar 2024
Viewed by 813
Abstract
Matteuccia struthiopteris is one of the most globally consumed edible ferns and widely used in folk medicine. Reports mainly focus on young fronds and the rhizome which are common edible medicinal parts. However, there are few detailed reports on other parts. Therefore, the [...] Read more.
Matteuccia struthiopteris is one of the most globally consumed edible ferns and widely used in folk medicine. Reports mainly focus on young fronds and the rhizome which are common edible medicinal parts. However, there are few detailed reports on other parts. Therefore, the volatile components of different parts based on HS-SPME-GC-MS were identified, and total flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities were compared in order to reveal the difference of volatile components and potential medicinal value of different parts. The results showed that total flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities and volatile components of different parts were obviously different. The crozier exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities, but only underground parts exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition potential against AChE. Common volatile compounds were furfural and 2-furancarboxaldehyde, 5-methyl-. In addition, it was found that some volatile components from adventitious root, trophophyll, sporophyll and petiole were important ingredients in food, cosmetics, industrial manufacturing and pharmaceutical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Properties, Sensory Profile and Bioactive Components of Food, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 1049 KiB  
Article
Can a Fraction of Flour and Sugar Be Replaced with Fruit By-Product Extracts in a Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookie Recipe?
by Carlotta Breschi, Silvia D’Agostino, Francesco Meneguzzo, Federica Zabini, Jasmine Chini, Luca Lovatti, Luca Tagliavento, Lorenzo Guerrini, Maria Bellumori, Lorenzo Cecchi and Bruno Zanoni
Molecules 2024, 29(5), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29051102 - 29 Feb 2024
Viewed by 812
Abstract
Certain food by-products, including not-good-for-sale apples and pomegranate peels, are rich in bioactive molecules that can be collected and reused in food formulations. Their extracts, rich in pectin and antioxidant compounds, were obtained using hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), a green, efficient, and scalable extraction [...] Read more.
Certain food by-products, including not-good-for-sale apples and pomegranate peels, are rich in bioactive molecules that can be collected and reused in food formulations. Their extracts, rich in pectin and antioxidant compounds, were obtained using hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), a green, efficient, and scalable extraction technique. The extracts were chemically and physically characterized and used in gluten-free and vegan cookie formulations to replace part of the flour and sugar to study whether they can mimic the role of these ingredients. The amount of flour + sugar removed and replaced with extracts was 5% and 10% of the total. Physical (dimensions, color, hardness, moisture content, water activity), chemical (total phenolic content, DPPH radical-scavenging activity), and sensory characteristics of cookie samples were studied. Cookies supplemented with the apple extract were endowed with similar or better characteristics compared to control cookies: high spread ratio, similar color, and similar sensory characteristics. In contrast, the pomegranate peel extract enriched the cookies in antioxidant molecules but significantly changed their physical and sensory characteristics: high hardness value, different color, and a bitter and astringent taste. HC emerged as a feasible technique to enable the biofortification of consumer products at a real scale with extracts from agri-food by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Properties, Sensory Profile and Bioactive Components of Food, 2nd Edition)
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