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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2023) | Viewed by 17005

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Filipa S. Reis

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CIMO—Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 5300-252 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: chemical characterization and evaluation of the bioactive properties of wild mushrooms
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Dr. Tânia C.S.P. Pires

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CIMO- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 5300-252 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: nutritional and chemical characterization of natural matrices and their mixtures, namely, fruits and edible petals; analysis of the phenolic composition and evaluation of the bioactivity of plant matrices; nutritional value, chemical characterization, phenolic composition, and bioactivity of infusions of edible petals; techniques for the characterization of natural products (chromatography and mass spectrometry) and evaluation of differentiated bioactivities (i.e., cytotoxicity in different human tumor cell lines and antimicrobial potential against several microbial strains); valorization of natural products; development of functional foods by direct use or incorporation of extracts/fractions/compounds of vegetal origin; optimization of extraction procedures; chemical characterization and structural elucidation of natural extracts/fractions; stability and bioactivity studies
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Dr. Taofiq Oludemi

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Guest Editor

Polytechnic Institute of Bragança / Mountain Research Center (IPB/CIMO), Campus de Santa Apolonia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: natural products; bioactive molecules; bioassays; cosmeceuticals; nutricosmetics; functional foods; microencapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Due to an aging population and diseases related to current lifestyles, health-related concerns are becoming increasingly important. Today's society is more aware of the potential side effects of medicine and is looking for innovative therapeutic alternatives, having the notion that diet is a great ally to maintain health. Therefore, the use of natural compounds, due to their nutritional and bioactive properties, to prevent several diseases and health maintenance has been studied in recent years. In fact, their consumption or extraction of their biological active molecules to obtain new functional foods and/or nutraceuticals has been one of the focuses of research in the area of food science and technology. New advances have been made in food engineering to introduce bioactive compounds in foodstuff, keeping its beneficial properties during the shelf-life, and therefore maintaining the biological effects when consumed.

This Special Issue on "Functional Food and Nutrition" will present the latest advances in obtaining new functional foods and/or nutraceuticals, and their impact on consumers’ health. Therefore, we invite authors to submit unpublished, original, and high-quality work on this topic, as well as related issues and challenges.

Dr. Filipa S. Reis
Dr. Tânia C.S.P. Pires
Dr. Taofiq Oludemi
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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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

Functional foods
Nutraceuticals
Well-being and health
Natural products
Bioactive potential
New foods and formulations

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1541 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fermented Antler Recovers Stamina, Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass in Middle-Aged Mice

by Yong-Tae Kim, Hyejin Jeon, Sung-Hwan Kim, Keon Heo, Jae-Jung Shim, Jung-Lyoul Lee, Deok-Chun Yang and Se Chan Kang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010106 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2192

Abstract

In a previous study, we found that Lactobacillus curvatus HY7602-fermented antler (FA) improved exercise endurance by increasement of muscle mass and strength in a young mouse model. In this study, we investigated the effect of FA on recovery of muscle mass and strength in aging-induced muscle loss. We have used a middle-aged model in which muscle decline begins in many mammalian species. All mice performed treadmill exercise and forced swimming, and measured muscle grip strength. Then, calf muscle weight and histological analysis, blood biomarker and gene expression in soleus muscle tissue were measured. Muscle strength and forced swimming time were significantly increased in the FA-intake groups compared to controls. The levels of muscle and liver damage-related indicators (ATL, ALP, LDH and CK) and muscle endurance, fatigue and exercise performance-related indicators (lactate and creatinine) were significantly improved by FA supplementation. In addition, FA regulates genes related to muscle protein degradation (Atrogin-1 and MuRF1) and muscle fiber synthesis (MyoD and Myf5), resulting in increased muscle mass, and fiber diameter and area values. The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, related to apoptosis in skeletal muscle was significantly decreased. These results demonstrate that FA improves exercise performance with ameliorating blood biomarkers and also increases muscle mass and muscle strength by inhibiting muscle proteolysis and promoting muscle synthesis in a middle-aged mouse. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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11 pages, 1011 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Plant Biostimulants on Nutritional and Chemical Profiles of Almond and Hazelnut

by Liege A. Pascoalino, Filipa S. Reis, Lillian Barros, Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues, Carlos M. Correia, Admilson L. Vieira, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira and João C. M. Barreira

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7778; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177778 - 24 Aug 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2231

Abstract

The increasing interest in natural foods with functional effects demands progressively higher production levels. Nonetheless, there is an orientation towards practicing more sustainable agriculture, free from environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Plant biostimulants, a class of bio-based agriculture products designed to improve crop development, represent a feasible alternative to chemical fertilizers, or, at least, an effective way of reducing the employed quantities. Herein, different types of plant biostimulants compatible with organic farming (Phytoalgae, Foliar B, Amino Acids, Soil B, Fitoalgas Green^® and Sprint Plus^®) were tested in two of the most important nut products worldwide: almonds and hazelnuts, which were tested for nutritional parameters, fatty acids profiles and tocopherols contents. Overall, the most notorious effects in almond samples were obtained with phytoalgae (seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum extracts), particularly reflected in the upraising around 10% of γ-tocopherol and β-tocopherol contents. Likewise, hazelnuts treated with NPK + phytoalgae were also characterized by an increase of almost 18% in tocopherols levels, while treatment with NPK alone induced 15.1% higher percentage of linoleic acid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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13 pages, 6663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Cordyceps militaris Extracts on Macrophage as Immune Conductors

by Yoonjin Park, Seoyoon Choi, Boyong Kim and Seung Gwan Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2206; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052206 - 3 Mar 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2925

Abstract

Although Cordyceps militaris is documented several medicinal functions, there is not enough for demonstration of leukocytic differentiation. Cordycepin and adenosine were 11.75 µg and 1.25 µg in the extract, respectively. Unlike the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in macrophages that were approximately 4 time and 48 times higher than the control under lipopolysaccharides (LPS), macrophages under the extract (1 μg/mL) showed 13- and 10-fold lower TNF-α and IL-1β levels than the LPS-treated cells. This was corroborated by flow cytometry, where their levels were 20 times and 14 times lower, respectively. Under the extract, the LPS-treated macrophages enhanced M2 polarization and attenuated M1 polarization. In addition, the extract also dose-dependently activated macrophage phagocytosis. Under the extract conditioned medium, dendritic cells (DCs) were strongly differentiated toward CD11b⁺ and Xcr1⁺ cells because their densities were 13.6 times and 6.26 times higher than those in the LPS conditioned medium, respectively. Differentiation of T_reg and natural killer T-like (NKTL) cells also were increased about 1.67 times and 6.73 times than those in the LPS conditioned medium, respectively. These results suggest that the C. militaris extract has strong effects on the modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells and T cells under inflammatory stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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14 pages, 1840 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zingiber mioga Extract Improves Moisturization and Depigmentation of Skin and Reduces Wrinkle Formation in UVB-Irradiated HRM-2 Hairless Mice

by Soo-Jeung Park, Minhee Lee, Jeong-Moon Yun, Dakyung Kim, Jeonmin Lee and Yoo-Hyun Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030976 - 21 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2511

Abstract

Here, we investigated the effects of Zingiber mioga extracts (FSH-ZM) on the moisturization and depigmentation of skin as well as wrinkle formation in UVB-irradiated HRM-2 hairless mice. The mice were divided into six groups as follows: normal control (NC), UVB-irradiated control (C), positive control 1 (PC1, L-ascorbic acid 200 mg/kg b.w.), positive control 2 (PC2, Arbutin 200 mg/kg b.w.), Z100 (FSH-ZM 100 mg/kg b.w.), and Z200 (FSH-ZM 200 mg/kg b.w.). The experiment spanned a period of 6 weeks. We found that FSH-ZM led to an increase in the expression of hyaluronan synthase 2, fibrillin-1, and elastin mRNAs, and showed improved skin hydration in HRM-2 hairless mice compared to that in the UVB-irradiated control group. Furthermore, FSH-ZM also inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines and wrinkle forming factors generated by UVB and reduced the formation of wrinkles in the test group relative to that in the control group by increasing collagen synthesis. Moreover, we found that FSH-ZM decreased the expression of melanogenesis factors, which improved depigmentation in UVB-irradiated hairless mice. These results suggest that Zingiber mioga can potentially be utilized to develop products aimed at improving skin moisturization and depigmentation and reducing wrinkle formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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19 pages, 1761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fructans with Varying Degree of Polymerization Enhance the Selective Growth of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 in the Human Gut Microbiome In Vitro

by Pieter Van den Abbeele, Cindy Duysburgh, Jonas Ghyselinck, Shellen Goltz, Yulia Berezhnaya, Thomas Boileau, Anke De Blaiser and Massimo Marzorati

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 598; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020598 - 9 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

Synbiotics aim to improve gastrointestinal health by combining pre- and probiotics. This study evaluated combinations of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 with seven fructans: oligofructoses (OF1-OF2; low degree of polymerization (DP)), inulins (IN1-IN2-IN3; high DP) and OF/IN mixtures (OF/IN1-OF/IN2). During monoculture incubations, all fructans were fermented by BB-12 as followed from increased BB-12 numbers and increased acetate and lactate concentrations, with most pronounced fermentation for low DP fructans (OF1-OF2). Further, short-term colonic incubations for three human donors revealed that also in presence of a complex microbiota, all fructans (particularly OF1) consistently selectively enhanced the growth of BB-12. While each fructan as such already increased Bifidobacteriaceae numbers with 0.94–1.26 log(cells/mL), BB-12 co-supplementation additionally increased Bifidobacteriaceae with 0.17–0.46 log(cells/mL). Further, when co-supplemented with fructans, BB-12 decreased Enterobacteriaceae numbers (significant except for IN1-IN3). At metabolic level, all fructans decreased pH due to increased acetate and lactate production, while OF/IN2-IN1-IN2-IN3 also stimulated propionate and butyrate production. BB-12 co-supplementation further increased propionate and butyrate for OF/IN2-IN3 and IN1-IN2, respectively. Overall, combinations of BB-12 with fructans are promising synbiotic concepts, likely due to intracellular consumption of low DP-fructans by BB-12 (either present in starting product or released upon fermentation by indigenous microbes), thereby enhancing effects of the co-administered fructan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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8 pages, 380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Properties of Banana Inflorescence in a Beverage for Maternal Breastfeeding

by Doungporn Amornlerdpison, Vachira Choommongkol, Kanjana Narkprasom and Susanha Yimyam

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010343 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3104

Abstract

Banana inflorescence is consumed as a traditional Thai cuisine for milk lactation in maternal breastfeeding. In this study, the inflorescence of banana (Musa x paradisiaca) was extracted in various solvents to determine the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging. A suitable extract was developed into a beverage. We compared the results for the amount of total phenolic compounds and the capability of antioxidants obtained in polar and non-polar solvents. The extract in a high-polarity solvent demonstrated high total phenolic compounds and flavonoids. The bioactive compounds of banana inflorescence contained β- sitosterol, flavonoids, saponin, and other phenolic compounds such as catechin and isoquercetin. The aqueous extract of banana inflorescence was developed to act as a primary beverage ingredient. The beverage containing the aqueous extract of banana inflorescence (BAB) exhibited a brownish-yellow color and displayed high acidity and high total phenolic compounds, which are responsible for the antioxidant activity. The food processing of BAB showed no contamination of microbial pathogens. From our results, we concluded that banana inflorescence is a beneficial health food supplement for general consumers. Additionally, the beverage provides convenience and an alternative drink for postpartum mothers who breastfeed for their infants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Nutrition)

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