Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.4
4.7
Journals
Foods
Special Issues
Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components
share announcement

Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2022) | Viewed by 19713

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sang-Hoon Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Research Division for Food Industry Platform Technology, Korea Food Research, Jeollabuk-do, Korea
2. Department of Food Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea
Interests: functional food; food bioactives; probiotics; bioactivity mechnism; purification of bioactive compounds; food biotechnology; enzyme technology
Prof. Dr. Ginnae Ahn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marine Bio Food Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea
Interests: functional food; food bioactives; bioactive compounds; marine nutraceuticals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As consumer demand for preventing metabolic diseases increases, functional foods have entered the global markets with exponential growth in the past decade. Looking at the recent functional food research trend, it becomes essential to provide information on the major functional components of food and study their mechanisms at a level close to drug development. However, functional food is a complex mixture that is not based on a single component. In addition, various biotechnologies are applied to enhance the bioavailability of functional food constituents, such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

From this point of view, we kindly invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled “Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components”, which aims to provide comprehensive information on bioactive food components and their biological mechanisms from recent research on developing functional foods. We encourage the submission of original research articles and review articles related to the purification, characterization, and identification of bioactive food components with in vitro and in vivo experiments as well as clinical studies describing their biological mechanisms. Moreover, efficacy studies on functional food extracts with identified major bioactive compounds and studies on the enhancing bioactivities of food components can be submitted to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Sang-Hoon Lee
Prof. Dr. Ginnae Ahn
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.

Keywords

  • Functional foods
  • Nutraceuticals
  • Bioactive compounds
  • Bioactivity enhancement
  • Extraction
  • Purification
  • Chemical characterization

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 2203 KiB  
Article
Ginsenoside Rf Enhances Exercise Endurance by Stimulating Myoblast Differentiation and Mitochondrial Biogenesis in C2C12 Myotubes and ICR Mice
by Won-Chul Lim, Eun Ju Shin, Tae-Gyu Lim, Jae Woong Choi, Nho-Eul Song, Hee-Do Hong, Chang-Won Cho and Young Kyoung Rhee
Foods 2022, 11(12), 1709; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11121709 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2441
Abstract
Ginsenoside Rf (G-Rf) is a saponin of the protopanaxatriol family and a bioactive component of Korean ginseng. Several ginsenosides are known to have a positive effect on exercise endurance, but there is not yet a report on that of G-Rf. Forced swimming tests [...] Read more.
Ginsenoside Rf (G-Rf) is a saponin of the protopanaxatriol family and a bioactive component of Korean ginseng. Several ginsenosides are known to have a positive effect on exercise endurance, but there is not yet a report on that of G-Rf. Forced swimming tests were performed on G-Rf-treated mice to evaluate the effect of G-Rf on exercise endurance. Subsequently, the expression of markers related to myoblast differentiation and mitochondrial biogenesis in murine skeletal C2C12 myotubes and tibialis anterior muscle tissue was determined using Western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence staining to elucidate the mechanism of action of G-Rf. The swimming duration of the experimental animal was increased by oral gavage administration of G-Rf. Moreover, G-Rf significantly upregulated the myoblast differentiation markers, mitochondrial biogenesis markers, and its upstream regulators. In particular, the mitochondrial biogenesis marker increased by G-Rf was decreased by each inhibitor of the upstream regulators. G-Rf enhances exercise endurance in mice, which may be mediated by myoblast differentiation and enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis through AMPK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways, suggesting that it increases energy production to satisfy additional needs of exercising muscle cells. Therefore, G-Rf is an active ingredient in Korean ginseng responsible for improving exercise performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4207 KiB  
Article
Astragalin and Isoquercitrin Isolated from Aster scaber Suppress LPS-Induced Neuroinflammatory Responses in Microglia and Mice
by Eun Hae Kim, Youn Young Shim, Hye In Lee, Sanghyun Lee, Martin J. T. Reaney and Mi Ja Chung
Foods 2022, 11(10), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11101505 - 22 May 2022
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 2793
Abstract
The current study investigated the anti-neuroinflammatory effects and mechanisms of astragalin (Ast) and isoquercitrin (Que) isolated from chamchwi (Aster scaber Thunb.) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglia and hippocampus of LPS induced mice. LPS induced increased cytotoxicity, nitric oxide (NO) production, antioxidant activity, [...] Read more.
The current study investigated the anti-neuroinflammatory effects and mechanisms of astragalin (Ast) and isoquercitrin (Que) isolated from chamchwi (Aster scaber Thunb.) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglia and hippocampus of LPS induced mice. LPS induced increased cytotoxicity, nitric oxide (NO) production, antioxidant activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, protein kinase B phosphorylation, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) phosphorylation in LPS-treated microglial cells. Intraperitoneal injection of LPS also induced neuroinflammatory effects in the murine hippocampus. Ast and Que significantly reduced LPS-induced production of NO, iNOS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the microglia and hippocampus of mice. Therefore, anti-inflammatory effects on MAPK signaling pathways mediate microglial cell and hippocampus inflammation. In LPS-activated microglia and hippocampus of LPS-induced mice, Ast or Que inhibited MAPK kinase phosphorylation by extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 signaling proteins. Ast and Que inhibited LPS-induced ROS generation in microglia and increased 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging. In addition, LPS treatment increased the heme oxygenase-1 level, which was further elevated after Ast or Que treatments. Ast and Que exert anti-neuroinflammatory activity by down-regulation of MAPKs signaling pathways in LPS-activated microglia and hippocampus of mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2254 KiB  
Article
Epilobiumpyrricholophum Extract Suppresses Porcine Pancreatic Elastase and Cigarette Smoke Extract-Induced Inflammatory response in a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Model
by Sun Young Jung, Gun-Dong Kim, Dae Woon Choi, Dong-Uk Shin, Ji-Eun Eom, Seung Yong Kim, Ok Hee Chai, Hyun-Jin Kim, So-Young Lee and Hee Soon Shin
Foods 2021, 10(12), 2929; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10122929 - 26 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2825
Abstract
Chronic airway exposure to harmful substances, such as deleterious gases, cigarette smoke (CS), and particulate matter, triggers chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterized by impaired lung function and unbridled immune responses. Emerging epigenomic and genomic evidence suggests that excessive recruitment of alveolar macrophages [...] Read more.
Chronic airway exposure to harmful substances, such as deleterious gases, cigarette smoke (CS), and particulate matter, triggers chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterized by impaired lung function and unbridled immune responses. Emerging epigenomic and genomic evidence suggests that excessive recruitment of alveolar macrophages and neutrophils contributes to COPD pathogenesis by producing various inflammatory mediators, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), neutrophil elastase, interleukin (IL) 6, and IL8. Recent studies showed that Epilobium species attenuated ROS, myeloperoxidase, and inflammatory cytokine production in murine and human innate immune cells. Although the Epilobium genus exerts anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, the question of whether the Epilobium species regulate lung inflammation and innate immune response in COPD has not been investigated. In this study, Epilobium pyrricholophum extract (EPE) suppressed inflammatory cell recruitment and clinical symptoms in porcine pancreatic elastase and CS extract-induced COPD mice. In addition, EPE attenuated inflammatory gene expression by suppressing MAPKs and NFκB activity. Furthermore, UPLC-Q-TOF MS analyses revealed the anti-inflammatory effects of the identified phytochemical constituents of EPE. Collectively, our studies revealed that EPE represses the innate immune response and inflammatory gene expression in COPD pathogenesis in mice. These findings provide insights into new therapeutic approaches for treating COPD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 33801 KiB  
Article
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Accumulation of Anthocyanins Revealed the Underlying Metabolic and Molecular Mechanisms of Purple Pod Coloration in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)
by Yanjie Zhang, Tianjiao Zhang, Qing Zhao, Xiaodong Xie, Yan Li, Qiyan Chen, Fang Cheng, Jianwei Tian, Huihui Gu and Jinyong Huang
Foods 2021, 10(9), 2180; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092180 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2709
Abstract
Color is an essential agronomic trait and the consumption of high anthocyanin containing vegetables in daily diet does provide benefits to human health, but the mechanisms on anthocyanin accumulation in tender pods of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) were totally unknown. In this [...] Read more.
Color is an essential agronomic trait and the consumption of high anthocyanin containing vegetables in daily diet does provide benefits to human health, but the mechanisms on anthocyanin accumulation in tender pods of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) were totally unknown. In this study, a wide characterization and quantitation of anthocyanins and flavonols in tender pods of 15 okra varieties were performed by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS for the first time. Two major anthocyanins (delphinidin 3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin 3-O-sambubioside) and six kinds of flavonol glycosides (most are quercetin-based) were identified and quantified. The coloration of the purple okra pod mainly arises from the accumulation of both delphinidin 3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin 3-O-sambubioside in most of purple varieties (Hong Yu, Bowling Red and Burgundy), except Jing Orange. The significant differences in the compositions and contents of anthocyanins are responsible for the pod color ranging from brick-red to purplish-red among the various okra cultivars. Furthermore, four representative okra cultivars exhibiting obvious differences in anthocyanin accumulation were further analyzed with transcriptome and more than 4000 conserved differentially expressed genes were identified across the three compared groups (B vs. BR, B vs. HY and B vs. JO). Based on the comprehensive analysis of transcriptomic data, it was indicated that MBW complex consisting of AeMYB114, AeTT8, and AeTTG1 and other transcriptional factors coordinately regulate the accumulation of anthocyanins via the transcriptional regulation of structural genes. Moreover, four independent working models explaining the diversities of anthocyanin pigmentation in okra pods were also proposed. Altogether, these results improved our understanding on anthocyanin accumulation in okra pods, and provided strong supports for the development of okra pod as a functional food in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2211 KiB  
Article
Ishige okamurae Ameliorates Methylglyoxal-Induced Nephrotoxicity via Reducing Oxidative Stress, RAGE Protein Expression, and Modulating MAPK, Nrf2/ARE Signaling Pathway in Mouse Glomerular Mesangial Cells
by Mingyeong Kim, Chiheung Cho, Changjun Lee, Bomi Ryu, Sera Kim, Jinyoung Hur and Sang-Hoon Lee
Foods 2021, 10(9), 2000; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092000 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2826
Abstract
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) such as methylglyoxal (MGO) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of nephropathy, a diabetic complication. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-glycation and renal protective properties of Ishige okamurae extract (IOE) against AGE-induced oxidative stress. HPLC analysis [...] Read more.
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) such as methylglyoxal (MGO) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of nephropathy, a diabetic complication. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-glycation and renal protective properties of Ishige okamurae extract (IOE) against AGE-induced oxidative stress. HPLC analysis confirmed that bioactive phlorotannins such as diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and ishophloroglucin A are predominantly present in IOE. IOE showed strong anti-glycation activities via inhibition of AGE formation, inhibition of AGE–protein cross-linking, and breaking of AGE–protein cross-links. In addition, in vitro studies using mesangial cells demonstrated that IOE effectively suppressed intracellular reactive oxygen species production, intracellular MGO accumulation, and apoptotic cell death by MGO-induced oxidative stress, in addition to regulating the expression of proteins involved in the receptor for AGEs and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response elements (ARE) signaling pathways. Therefore, IOE can serve as a natural therapeutic agent for the management of AGE-related nephropathy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 23226 KiB  
Article
Nutritional Profile, Antioxidative and Antihyperglycemic Properties of Padina tetrastromatica from Tioman Island, Malaysia
by Kishneth Palaniveloo, Liaw Yee-Yinn, Leong Jia-Qi, Alvin Chelliah, Song Sze-Looi, Thilahgavani Nagappan, Shariza Abdul Razak, Kamal Dua, Jestin Chellian, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan and Anil Philip Kunnath
Foods 2021, 10(8), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081932 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4666
Abstract
Seaweeds are an important ingredient of functional foods recommended for daily food, due to their unique compositions and nutritional value. Padina tetrastromatica is a brown edible seaweed that is commonly found along the coastal regions of Peninsular Malaysia and consumed as food by [...] Read more.
Seaweeds are an important ingredient of functional foods recommended for daily food, due to their unique compositions and nutritional value. Padina tetrastromatica is a brown edible seaweed that is commonly found along the coastal regions of Peninsular Malaysia and consumed as food by some coastal communities. This study investigates the nutritional and antihyperglycaemic potential of P. tetrastromatica extracts, which is generally accepted as an important functional food. In our methodology, we induced diabetes intraperitoneally in experimental animals with a dose of 65 mg kg−1 body weight of streptozotocin. Oral treatment with 200 and 400 mg kg−1 of P. tetrastromatica ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts were initiated, respectively, to experimental rats once daily for 18 days. Metformin was used as the positive control. Biochemical estimations and histopathological analysis were included in this study. Treatment with P. tetrastromatica extracts significantly lowered the plasma glucose levels in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In addition, P. tetrastromatica extract treatment also showed a significant reduction in serum alanine transaminase levels. However, no significant changes were observed in serum aspartate transaminase levels. The ethyl acetate extract of P. tetrastromatica at 400 mg kg−1 dose shows some nephroprotective effect, which is observed from the significant increase in the plasma albumin levels. Histopathological evaluation revealed no marked morphological changes in tissues of the isolated organs of the ethyl acetate extract-treated group, revealing the safe nature of P. tetrastromatica. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Bioactive Food Components)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop