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Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food
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Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food

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 (25 November 2023) | Viewed by 7168

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Roberta Cruz Silveira Thys

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (ICTA-UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil
Interests: edible insects; sourdough bread; gluten-free bread; pasta; cookies; gluten-free pasta; gluten-free cookies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite cultural and regulatory barriers, the demand for nutrients from alternative food sources is growing, mainly due to the current concerns about food security, climate change, and the sustainability of the global food system. The diversity of nutrients present in conventional and unconventional raw materials, or even residues from the food industry, combined with recent forms of extraction and application of these compounds in human food, make the subject an interesting and important research object. Some examples are the exploitation of insects, algae, fungi, and non-conventional plants, in addition to by-products of the conventional food industry and fermented foods. These resources are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds and have a lower environmental impact compared to meat and dairy production. For this reason, a Special Issue entitled the Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food is being released, focused on exploring new nutrient sources with potential for application in food products.

Dr. Roberta Cruz Silveira Thys
Guest Editor

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

  • plant-based protein
  • edible fungi
  • edible insects
  • fermented foods
  • algae-based products
  • meat substitutes
  • meat analogs
  • unconventional vegetables
  • by-products

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3439 KiB  
Article
Perception of Food Safety Associated with Entomophagy among Higher-Education Students: Exploring Insects as a Novel Food Source
by Fernando Cantalapiedra, Ana Juan-García and Cristina Juan
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4427; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244427 - 10 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1207
Abstract
Edible insects can diversify diets, improve livelihoods, contribute to food and nutrition security, and have a smaller ecological impact. The European Union has categorized insects as novel food, and recently, in 2021 and 2022, two species, Tenebrio molitor and Acheta domesticus, were [...] Read more.
Edible insects can diversify diets, improve livelihoods, contribute to food and nutrition security, and have a smaller ecological impact. The European Union has categorized insects as novel food, and recently, in 2021 and 2022, two species, Tenebrio molitor and Acheta domesticus, were authorized for commercialization. The acceptance and perception of food risk derived from insect consumption vary depending on factors impacting insect consumption acceptability, including neophobic tendencies, gender differences, familiarity, and gastronomic perceptions. The aim of this work was to evaluate the perception and acceptance of edible insects by exploring these factors. This study was carried out on higher-education students from universities in Valencia (Spain). The students recognized insects’ high nutritional value, particularly protein content, and had varying levels of knowledge about specific nutritional components. In terms of labeling and marketing, removing health and sustainability benefits from packaging can improve consumer responses. Most respondents prefer clear labeling of insect derivatives, quality certification seals, and complete information about insect content. Students consider marketing and knowledge to be significant influencers of insect consumption. In summary, this text highlights the multifaceted nature of insect consumption acceptability. These insights offer valuable perspectives on insect consumption dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food)
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16 pages, 344 KiB  
Article
Nutritional Value of Banded Cricket and Mealworm Larvae
by Jagoda Kępińska-Pacelik, Wioletta Biel, Cezary Podsiadło, Grzegorz Tokarczyk, Patrycja Biernacka and Grzegorz Bienkiewicz
Foods 2023, 12(22), 4174; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224174 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
Insect farming is more ecological than traditional animal farming, as it requires less water and contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions. In our study, banded cricket (BC) and mealworm larvae (ML) were analyzed. The proximate composition was determined according to Association of Official [...] Read more.
Insect farming is more ecological than traditional animal farming, as it requires less water and contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions. In our study, banded cricket (BC) and mealworm larvae (ML) were analyzed. The proximate composition was determined according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The mineral content was determined by colorimetry and mass spectrometry. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were obtained from the samples and separated using a gas chromatography apparatus, coupled with a mass spectrometer. Our research confirmed that insects are a rich source of protein, with ML containing significantly more protein than BC (74.41 and 65.66 g/100 g dry matter (DM), respectively). In terms of the content of macrominerals, ML was significantly richer than BC, especially in terms of magnesium content (8.75 g/100 g DM). In terms of the content of saturated fatty acids, BC contained almost twice as much as ML (40.05 and 24.74% of the sum of fatty acids, respectively). EPA and DHA were only detected in the fat of BC. The presented results prove that both ML and BC can be good sources of protein both in human and companion animal diets. The component that is predominantly high in insects is fat, with a favorable fatty acid profile, especially in terms of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study contributes new knowledge on the nutritional value of edible insects. In this research, we included three different nitrogen conversion factors for crude protein content. Our results partially confirm previous studies by other authors, although they provide new information on the content of fatty acids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food)
20 pages, 7237 KiB  
Article
Nutritional, Physico-Chemical, Phytochemical, and Rheological Characteristics of Composite Flour Substituted by Baobab Pulp Flour (Adansonia digitata L.) for Bread Making
by Sylvestre Dossa, Monica Negrea, Ileana Cocan, Adina Berbecea, Diana Obistioiu, Christine Dragomir, Ersilia Alexa and Adrian Rivis
Foods 2023, 12(14), 2697; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142697 - 13 Jul 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2090
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to improve the nutritional quality of bakery products by replacing wheat flour (WF) with different proportions (10%, 20%, and 30%) of baobab flour (BF). The composite flours and bread obtained were evaluated from nutritional, physical-chemical, phytochemical, organoleptic, [...] Read more.
The aim of this paper is to improve the nutritional quality of bakery products by replacing wheat flour (WF) with different proportions (10%, 20%, and 30%) of baobab flour (BF). The composite flours and bread obtained were evaluated from nutritional, physical-chemical, phytochemical, organoleptic, and rheological points of view. The results obtained show that BF is a rich source of minerals (K: 13,276.47 ± 174 mg/kg; Ca: 1570.67 ± 29.67 mg/kg; Mg: 1066.73 ± 9.97 mg/kg; Fe: 155.14 ± 2.95 mg/kg; Na: 143.19 ± 5.22 mg/kg; and Zn: 14.90 ± 0.01 mg/kg), lipids (1.56 ± 0.02 mg/100 g), and carbohydrates (76.34 ± 0. 06 mg/100 g) as well as for the phytochemical profile. In this regard, the maximum contents for the total polyphenols content (TPC) were recorded in the case of bread with 30% BF (297.63 ± 1.75 mg GAE/100 g), a total flavonoids content (TFC) of 208.06 ± 0.002 mg QE/100 g, and 66.72 ± 0.07% for antioxidant activity (AA). Regarding the physical-chemical, rheological, and organoleptic analysis, the bread sample with 10% BF (BWB1) was the best among the samples with different proportions of BF. It presented a smooth, porous appearance (73.50 ± 0.67% porosity) and an elastic core (85 ± 0.27% elasticity) with a volume of 155.04 ± 0.95 cm3/100 g. It had better water absorption (76.7%) than WF (55.8%), a stability of 5.82 min, and a zero-gluten index. The scores obtained by BWB1 for the organoleptic test were as follows: Appearance: 4.81; color: 4.85; texture: 4.78; taste: 4.56; flavor: 4.37; and overall acceptability: 4.7. This study shows that BF improved the nutritional quality of the product, organoleptic properties, α-amylase activity, viscosity, and phytochemical profile, resulting in composite flour suitable for the production of functional bread. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food)
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Review

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20 pages, 321 KiB  
Review
Potential Effects of the Different Matrices to Enhance the Polyphenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Gluten-Free Bread
by Carolina Bueno, Roberta Thys and Bruna Tischer
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4415; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244415 - 8 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1505
Abstract
Gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, have emerged as a significant phenomenon affecting people worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of nearly 5% globally. The only currently available treatment for this disease involves the exclusion of gluten from the [...] Read more.
Gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, have emerged as a significant phenomenon affecting people worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of nearly 5% globally. The only currently available treatment for this disease involves the exclusion of gluten from the diet, which is particularly challenging in the case of bakery products. Gluten-free bread (GFB) presents certain disadvantages when compared to traditional wheat bread, including inferior sensory attributes, technological characteristics, and lower protein and fiber content. Numerous studies have focused on strategies to improve these aspects of GFB. However, there are limited reviews regarding the content of the bioactive compounds of GFB, such as polyphenols. Polyphenols are molecules found in various foods that play a vital role in protecting the body against oxidative stress. This is particularly relevant for individuals with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, as they often experience increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, the objective of this review is to explore the use of different strategies for increasing the polyphenolic content and the antioxidant properties of GFB. Gluten-free cereals and pseudocereals are the most used matrices in GFB. Buckwheat can be a valuable matrix to enhance the nutritional profile and antioxidant properties of GFB, even more so when the whole grain is used. In the same way, the addition of various by-products can effectively increase the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of GFB. Furthermore, regarding the contribution of the phenolics to the bitterness, astringency, color, flavor, and odor of food, it is essential to analyze the sensory properties of these breads to ensure not only enriched in bioactive compounds, but also good consumer acceptance. In vitro studies are still in few number and are very important to execute to provide a better understanding of the bioactive compounds after their consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Trends of Alternative Nutrients in Food)
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