Fereidoon Shahidi’s research while affiliated with Memorial University of Newfoundland and other places

With the rapid advances in ready-to-eat food products and the progress of food processing industries, concerns about food security and investigating food safety as well as sensory quality have intensified. Many food safety concerns are attributed to the toxic components, which can be produced during food processing as process-induced toxicants (PITs). The thermal processing of food (e.g., baking, cooking, grilling, roasting, and toasting) may lead to the formation of some highly hazardous PITs for humans and animals. These include acrolein, acrylamide, benzene, ethyl carbamate, chlorinated compounds, heterocyclic organic compounds (HOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), biogenic amines (BAs), N -nitrosamines, Maillard reaction products (MRPs), and several newly identified toxicants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol. The occurrence of these contaminants is often accompanied by distinguishing odor, taste, and color. The severity of the sensory attributes can vary depending on the compound concentration. Knowledge about the biochemical and chemical mechanisms of PITs generation is necessary for expanding feasible approaches to limit and control their amounts in food products. This contribution introduces the most significant PITs, highlighting their formation mechanisms, impact on sensory characteristics of foods, analytical methods to detection, risk assessments, and food safety/adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods. Graphical Abstract

Interspecific hybrid crude palm oil (HCPO) HIE OxG derived from crossbred African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and American Caiaué (Elaeis oleifera) is prominent for its fatty acid and antioxidant compositions (carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols), lower production cost, and high pest resistance properties compared to crude palm oil. Biodegradable and sustainable encapsulants derived from vegetable byproducts were used to formulate HCPO nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with hybrid crude palm oil and jackfruit seed flour as a wall material (N-JSF) and with hybrid crude palm oil and jackfruit axis flour as a wall material (N-JAF) were optimized using a 22 experimental design. They exhibited nanoscale diameters (<250 nm) and were characterized based on their zeta potential, apparent viscosity, pH, color, and total carotenoid content. The nanoparticles demonstrated a monodisperse distribution, good uniformity, and stability (polydispersity index < 0.25; zeta potentials: N-JSF −19.50 ± 1.47 mV and N-JAF −12.50 ± 0.17 mV), as well as high encapsulation efficiency (%) (N-JSF 86.44 ± 0.01 and N-JAF 90.43 ± 1.34) and an optimal carotenoid retention (>85%). These nanoparticles show potential for use as sustainable and clean-label HCPO alternatives in the food industry.

Carotenoids are lipophilic natural pigments distributed in plants, certain types of algae, fungi and animals. The extensive conjugated double bond system in carotenoids is responsible for their unique color, antioxidant capacity and provide health benefits. However, the hydrophobic nature of carotenoids impacts their color and bioactivity during the development of food products due to their low solubility in aqueous media. The complexation of these molecules with proteins has proven to be an efficient approach for enhancing carotenoid’s solubility and protection against oxidative degradation and hence improving their functional properties and biological activities. This review compiles the molecular interactions between carotenoids and proteins, their physiological relevance, potential applications and characterization of their binding affinities, stabilities, and activities in terms of in-silico analysis and beyond. Overall, the deep understanding and interpretation of binding at the molecular level provide fundamental aspects for the inclusion of carotenoid bioactive compounds in fortified foods and pharmaceuticals.

Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, represent the cause of 60% of all deaths around the globe. With proper diet and natural dietary antioxidant supplements, these diseases can be prevented by up to 40% according to the British Nutrition Foundation. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on the health benefits of natural dietary antioxidant supplements. It presents state-of-the-art research and information as well as the global regulations, labelling, and health claims of natural dietary antioxidant supplements. Written by expert authors, the wealth of research is arranged by disease type rather than by supplement type making it much more useful to the reader. Filling a gap in the literature, the book is aimed at researchers and professionals working in food chemistry, nutrition, and health benefits.

Persimmon is a delicious fruit, and its leaves are considered a valuable ingredient in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors. Traditionally, persimmon leaves (PL) are used as a functional tea in Asian culture to cure different ailments, and are also incorporated into various food and cosmeceutical products as a functional ingredient. PL mainly contain flavonoids, terpenoids, and polysaccharides, along with other constituents such as carotenoids, organic acids, chlorophylls, vitamin C, and minerals. The major phenolic compounds in PL are proanthocyanidins, quercetin, isoquercetin, catechin, flavonol glucosides, and kaempferol. Meanwhile, ursolic acid, rotungenic acid, barbinervic acid, and uvaol are the principal terpenoids. These compounds demonstrate a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anticancer, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-tyrosinase, antiallergic, and antiglaucoma properties. This review summarizes the latest information on PL, mainly distribution, traditional uses, industrial potential, and bioactive compounds, as well as their potential action mechanisms in exhibiting biological activities. In addition, the effect of seasonality and geographical locations on the content and function of these biomolecules are discussed.

Phenolic compounds are ubiquitous plant secondary metabolites that possess various biological activities and are known to interact with proteins, altering their structure and properties. Therefore, interactions between these compounds and proteins has gained increasing attention due to their potential benefits to human health and for exploitation by the food industry. Phenolic compounds and proteins can form complexes via covalent linkages and/or non-covalent interactions through hydrophobic, electrostatic, van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. This review describes possible mechanisms of phenol-protein complex formation, their physiological action and activities that are important in the food industry, and possible outcomes in the terms of molecular docking and simulation analysis. The conformational changes of the protein upon binding with polyphenols can lead to the folding or unfolding of the protein molecules, forming insoluble or soluble complexes. The concentration of polyphenols, their molecular weight and structure, ions/cofactors and conditions of the system determine the precipitation or solubilization of the complex, affecting their nutritional and functional properties as well as their bioactivities. In this regard, molecular docking and simulation studies of phenolic-protein interactions allows comprehensive virtual screening of competitive/non-competitive and site-specific/non-specific conjugation of phenolics with different protein targets and facilitates understanding the observed effects. The docking analysis of flavonoids with enzymes and milk proteins has indicated their potential application in producing nutraceuticals and functional foods. Thus, combining molecular docking and simulation studies with experimental techniques is vital for better understanding the reactions that take place during digestion to engineer and manufacture novel food ingredients with desirable pharmacological properties and as potential food additives.