Search Results (5,345)

Agricultural and agro-industrial byproducts from tropical crops represent abundant sources of structurally bound and freely extractable bioactive compounds. However, variability in feedstock composition, the incomplete characterization of microbial transformations, and limited translation beyond chemical antioxidant assays constrain their development as standardized ingredients. This review critically evaluates metabolomics-guided fermentation as a strategy for converting tropical agricultural byproducts into functional and circular products. It covers fruit-processing residues, coffee and cocoa byproducts, cereal bran, cassava-processing residues, coconut and oilseed materials, and selected medicinal-crop tissues. Solid-state, submerged, lactic-acid-bacterial, yeast, filamentous fungal, Bacillus-based, and mixed-culture fermentations are compared. Particular attention is given to cell-wall deconstruction, phenolic release, flavonoid deglycosylation, phenolic-acid conversion, carotenoid stability, peptide generation, fiber modification, organic-acid production, antinutrient reduction, and undesirable metabolite formation. Analytical strategies based on untargeted and targeted LC-MS, GC-MS, NMR, volatilomics, peptidomics, and multiomics integration are assessed, together with experimental design, quality control, annotation confidence, and statistical validation. A substrate–microorganism–process–metabolite–function framework and a six-level evidence-grading system are proposed to distinguish exploratory chemical findings from mechanistically validated and industrially translatable outcomes. Applications in functional foods, nutraceutical ingredients, natural preservatives, animal feed, active packaging, agricultural inputs, and cascade biorefineries are evaluated alongside microbial safety, mycotoxins, biogenic amines, contaminants, regulatory classification, life-cycle assessment, and techno-economic feasibility. The central conclusion is that fermentation can become a programmable platform for tropical byproduct valorization only when metabolite-resolved characterization, causal validation, process standardization, safety, and sustainability are developed as an integrated pipeline. Full article

Public school canteens are increasingly recognized as welfare institutions democratizing food access and promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns, as well as arenas where children’s tastes are shaped through family socialization and collective dining. Drawing on cultural sociology and practice theory, this study conceptualizes children’s acceptance of new sustainable dishes as negotiation between competing normative contexts, where early forms of singularization emerge. The analysis draws on a large-scale dataset involving 2481 children aged 9–15 across 16 schools in 12 European countries. Acceptance of plant-based meals was assessed by combining self-reported food-related values and participant observation of plate waste. The findings indicate that 75.6% showed at least partial acceptance, with 46.9% leaving nothing on the plate. Among twelve socio-cultural constructs, six showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) associations with plate waste, among which food neophilia was the strongest predictor, followed by peer-oriented canteen sociability and ethical-environmental values, while hedonic orientation predicted higher waste. The results suggest that acceptance is co-produced through home kitchen cultures and institutional settings. Strengthening school–family alignment, embedding menus in local gastronomic contexts, and enhancing conviviality can improve acceptance and reduce waste, positioning canteens as sites for sustainable food systems and democratic gastro-citizenship. Full article

In Bangladesh, adolescent girls face multiple challenges that negatively influence diet quality. Understanding the determinants of their diet quality is essential for informing effective nutrition interventions. This rapid review synthesised evidence on determinants of diet quality among Bangladeshi adolescent girls using the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM). We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL Complete and Web of Science. Eligible studies examined determinants of diet quality-related indicators, such as dietary diversity, nutrient intake, or food choices among adolescent girls in Bangladesh. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. We conducted a narrative synthesis. The studies reported the determinants across five SEM levels. At the individual level, adolescent girls’ diet quality was associated with their taste preferences, perceived body image, knowledge of nutrition and health, self-efficacy, food choice motives, dieting concerns, and misconceptions during menstruation. At the interpersonal level, family decision-making dynamics, gender-biased food allocation, household wealth and food security status, expenditure on food, low parental education, family and peer influence, and women’s empowerment were associated with diet quality. At the organisational level, lack of dedicated lunchrooms, availability of unhealthy food near schools, nutrition education by community organisations, and advice from healthcare providers were associated with diet quality. Community-level determinants included cultural norms, rural-urban disparities, and geographic variations. At the policy/macro level, food prices and seasonal food availability emerged as critical determinants. Diet quality among adolescent girls in Bangladesh is shaped by complex multi-level factors spanning individual to policy-level factors. These insights can guide context-appropriate interventions to improve diet quality in this population. Full article

This article examines oil-spill-related environmental damage in the Russian North as an eco-social risk that affects ecosystems, Indigenous communities, traditional nature management, and territorial welfare. This paper develops a qualitative conceptual analysis based on interdisciplinary document analysis, literature-based synthesis, and illustrative case contextualization. It contributes to debates on eco-social policy and sustainable welfare by arguing that environmental remediation and monetary compensation often remain insufficient when ecological harm disrupts land-based livelihoods, food autonomy, cultural ecosystem services, and Indigenous participation. This article proposes the concept of traditional nature management as a form of territorial welfare: a place-based welfare arrangement that supports food security, mobility, intergenerational knowledge transfer, cultural continuity, and community autonomy. The analysis identifies several interconnected transformation channels through which oil spills affect Indigenous communities: resource degradation, disruption of mobility routes, weakening of traditional food systems, erosion of cultural ecosystem services, compensation conflicts, and marginalization of Indigenous and local knowledge. The synthesis further shows that the most important assessment gaps arise where legally recognized ecological damage is disconnected from fishery and food-system losses, seasonal mobility, cultural ecosystem services, and Indigenous participation. In the context of Russian legal policy, existing mechanisms recognize traditional nature use and compensation for damage to Indigenous habitat and livelihoods, but non-market territorial-welfare losses remain only partially operationalized in environmental damage assessment. The paper argues that these consequences reveal an institutional missing link between environmental liability, social protection, Indigenous rights, and corporate responsibility. To address this gap, this article proposes an eco-social assessment framework that combines economic valuation with participatory mapping, cultural ecosystem service assessment, Indigenous and local knowledge, long-term welfare-oriented compensation, and community-based monitoring. The framework is intended as a conceptual and policy-oriented instrument rather than an empirical valuation model; the 2020 Norilsk diesel spill is used solely as an illustrative vignette to demonstrate the institutional disconnect between legally recognized environmental damage and broader welfare-related losses. The findings are relevant for eco-social policy debates because they show how extractive-sector risks reshape welfare arrangements in peripheral regions and create new entanglements between state responsibility, corporate welfare, and community resilience in the context of conflicting ecological transitions. More broadly, this study demonstrates that sustainable recovery in northern resource-dependent territories requires the integration of ecological restoration, legally grounded compensation, long-term welfare monitoring, and meaningful Indigenous participation. Comparative Russian evidence from the Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs, Sakhalin, and Yakutia further indicates that compensation and benefit-sharing arrangements vary substantially with regard to procedural inclusion and transparency. The framework does not replace existing Russian statutory loss-calculation procedures; its added value is to connect them with community-defined territorial relationships, participatory mapping, co-validation of locally relevant indicators and repeated assessment of welfare recovery. Full article

The farming and rearing of freshwater fishes is increasing in scale in response to growing global food demands, but notably also through the increasing popularity of sport angling and expansion of ornamental hobbyist practices globally. Alongside rises in numbers of fish and the intensity of their rearing, increases in aquatic and ecosystem stressors have expedited the emergence and motility of many pathogenic diseases. Cyprinids are the most popular species for culturing, and although largely considered hardy, are susceptible to a diverse array of pathogens. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and ornamental koi carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) are valued for their ease of cultivation, fast growth rates, and variety of genetic appearances. Vaccination programmes have become a mainstay of industrial aquaculture where financially viable, but their use in fish reared as companion animals or for sport angling is not cost-effective and despite the magnitude and growth of these markets, much less is known about current threats and trends in this area of aquaculture. Here, we review the bacterial, viral, and fungal infections commonly found within carp bred for angling and ornamental aquaculture in the United Kingdom and Europe, alongside current threats such as antimicrobial resistance and the potential impact of climate change on temperature-dependent infections. We highlight the evolution of diagnostic techniques, alternative therapies to reduce antibiotic dependence, and the environmental impact of available treatments as priority areas for cyprinid research. Additionally, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutics in this area, as innovation is currently lacking. Full article

Camelus dromedarius (the dromedary camel) plays a vital role in the lives, food security, and culture of pastoral people in many arid and semi-arid areas of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Despite their economic and nutritional value, camels are poorly represented in veterinary pharmacology, with limited numbers of antimicrobial agents formally licensed for use in this species. These practitioners and owners therefore depend heavily on off-label and extra-label administration of drugs developed and dosed for cattle, small ruminants or humans. This narrative review synthesizes published work related to antimicrobial use in dromedary camels, highlighting the pharmacokinetic uncertainties of extrapolating doses from other species. This review distinguishes between direct dromedary data and indirect evidence from other camelids, as well contextual practices within mixed livestock systems to fill evidence gaps. It addresses the non-clinical aspect of suboptimal antimicrobial use, such as under-analgesia, irrational dosing and untimely or off-formal treatment. It also discusses the ever-expanding literature on antimicrobial-resistant bacteria found in camel-derived products, camel ticks and camel feces, such as the presence of ESBL and MDR E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus spp. The findings are discussed in the context of the One Health paradigm, and possible routes of camel-to-human exposure through raw milk and meat, as well as environmental dissemination of resistance genes, are recommended for surveillance and stewardship. Full article

Urban heritage documentation has traditionally privileged visual and material attributes, while transient and sensory dimensions of everyday urban experience remain more difficult to record through conventional architectural methods. This study examines sensory cartography as an exploratory method for identifying and graphically representing perceptual dimensions of the urban cultural landscape. A six-week pedagogical experiment was conducted with thirty first-year architecture students in central Madrid. Organised into five groups, the students successively explored six perceptual registers—sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and balance/orientation—across different urban areas. The variables represented in each exercise were generated by the students through field observation and subsequently translated into drawings and cartographic representations. The article analyses the complete six-week graphic corpus produced by one student group. The results show how sensory cartography can direct attention towards acoustic conditions, olfactory phenomena, haptic qualities, food-related activities, and spatial conditions associated with movement and orientation that conventional visual surveys may overlook. They also reveal methodological limitations: perceptual registers cannot be fully isolated from multisensory experience, non-visual phenomena are inevitably transformed when translated into graphic form, and the present design does not permit controlled cross-register comparison because perceptual register and study area varied simultaneously. The study therefore proposes sensory cartography not as a means of establishing intangible heritage values in itself, but as an exploratory form of architectural enquiry capable of identifying perceptual phenomena and everyday practices that may warrant further heritage investigation. Its pedagogical implications are considered exploratory, since learning outcomes were not formally assessed. Full article

Background/Objectives: Parental perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge may influence children’s sugar exposure, but these cognitive constructs are distinct from children’s actual intake. This review synthesised parental cognition regarding children’s sugar consumption and secondarily examined its relationship with reported or measured intake and implications for caries prevention. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched for primary studies published from January 2016 to April 2026. Study selection and narrative synthesis followed PRISMA 2020. Results: We included 35 studies from ten countries: 19 cross-sectional, 6 qualitative, 4 experimental/randomised, 2 pre-post, 1 longitudinal, and 3 other survey-based or mixed-design studies. Misperceptions of product healthfulness and limited knowledge of sugar content were common. Associations between cognition and children’s intake were inconsistent; parental modelling, household availability, cultural norms, and commercial influences were also associated with sugar exposure. Most evidence was observational, measures were heterogeneous, and no study measured dental caries directly. Conclusions: Parental cognition is relevant but insufficient on its own to explain children’s sugar exposure. Caries-preventive counselling should combine factual education with attention to caregiver behaviour and the home food environment. Full article

Digital technologies are increasingly used to understand and influence consumer food waste behavior, yet evidence on their applications and effectiveness remains fragmented. This systematic literature review synthesizes research at the intersection of consumer behavior, technological innovation, and food waste. Peer-reviewed articles published in English were identified through searches of Scopus and Web of Science, resulting in a final sample of 22 studies. Thematic analyses were conducted to examine publication patterns, research contexts, methodological approaches, and emerging research gaps. The literature shows a shift from predominantly theoretical and exploratory work towards more applied, technology-centered research. Scientific production is concentrated in Australia, China, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, while the selected studies are mainly published in journals focused on environmental sustainability, food-chain management, and consumer psychology. Two broad research approaches were identified: quantitative studies using cross-sectional surveys and statistical modeling, in which technology is treated as an explanatory factor, and experimental or design-oriented studies that employ technology as a direct intervention. However, the evidence base is constrained by extensive reliance on self-reported data, recall and social-desirability bias, and cross-sectional designs that limit causal and long-term conclusions. Future research should therefore prioritize longitudinal, mixed-methods, and objective measurement approaches, while examining emotional and psychological responses to food-waste-prevention technologies. The implementation of such technologies also requires attention to usability, user fatigue, privacy and ethical concerns, and psychological and cultural barriers to adoption. Overall, the findings indicate that digital technologies offer promising but insufficiently validated opportunities to support food waste reduction and that stronger empirical evidence is needed to guide their effective and responsible development. Full article

As traditional Korean rice cake products are being developed to reflect changing consumer preferences and market needs, Heugimja Tteok remains a culturally rooted product with functional characteristics. This study empirically examined the relationships among consumers’ choice attributes, purchase behavior, and marketing strategy for Heugimja Tteok, aiming to suggest directions for expanding the traditional rice cake market. Online survey data from 342 adults in the Republic of Korea were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. Significant positive correlations were identified between choice attributes and both purchase behavior and marketing strategy. Diversity, Quality, and Image were significant positive predictors of marketing strategy, and the regression model explained 59.6% of its variance. These findings indicate that product diversification, quality improvement, functional promotion, distribution channel expansion, standardized production management, and brand image enhancement should be integrated to strengthen the market competitiveness of Heugimja Tteok. By providing empirical evidence on consumer responses to a traditional and functional rice cake product, this study contributes to discussions on the contemporary expansion of the Tteok industry within changing consumer preferences and food market conditions in Korea. Full article

Understanding how vegetable-oil composition evolves during food preparation is essential for evaluating food quality and nutritional value. Palov is Uzbekistan’s most widely consumed and culturally significant dish, serving as an everyday meal and a central element of hospitality and communal traditions. We hypothesised that food–oil interactions during Palov preparation direct molecular changes that cannot be reproduced by controlled heating alone. Two independent batches of Palov were prepared with sunflower or cottonseed oil under household cooking conditions. Oils were sampled at six stages and compared with heating controls conducted under closely matched temperature–time profiles without food ingredients. Samples were analysed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, benchtop and high-field ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Cooking caused substantially greater fatty-acid changes than heating alone. In cottonseed oil, polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased from approximately 44 to 32 mol%, monounsaturated fatty acids increased from approximately 19 to 26 mol%, saturated fatty acids increased from approximately 36.5 to 41.5 mol%, and trans-fatty acids increased from approximately 0 to 2%. Heating alone produced greater accumulation of conjugated dienes and hydroperoxides, whereas cooking produced more dynamic changes in sterol-, aldehyde- and glyceride-related signals. These findings demonstrate that food–oil interactions redirect fatty-acid composition, hydrolysis and oxidation-product evolution rather than merely altering the extent of thermal damage. Realistic culinary models therefore provide a more representative description of edible-oil transformation than heating-only experiments. Full article

The development of sustainable active food packaging materials with multifunctional protective capabilities is highly desirable for improving food safety and extending shelf life. In this study, sulfur- and nitrogen-rich carbon dots (GLCDs) were synthesized from glycine and lipoic acid through a facile hydrothermal approach and subsequently incorporated into chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrices to fabricate multifunctional nanocomposite films. Structural and physicochemical characterization suggested the successful incorporation of GLCDs within the polymer network and suggested favorable interactions between the nanofillers and the chitosan/PVA matrix. The GLCD-incorporated films exhibited enhanced mechanical strength, improved thermal stability, reduced water vapor permeability, and superior UV-shielding performance compared with pristine chitosan/PVA films. Furthermore, the nanocomposite films demonstrated significantly enhanced antioxidant activity, achieving approximately 60% DPPH and 90% ABTS radical scavenging efficiency at higher GLCD loading. The films also exhibited strong antibacterial activity and demonstrated preservation potential based on qualitative observations during storage by reducing visible spoilage and maintaining structural integrity. In addition, the developed films showed excellent cytocompatibility toward NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells with high cell viability after 5 days of culture. The synergistic combination of GLCDs and chitosan/PVA matrices provides an effective strategy for developing biodegradable, multifunctional, and cytocompatible active packaging materials with potential food-packaging applications. Full article

Raffinose-family oligosaccharides (RFOs) such as raffinose, stachyose and verbascose are abundant in legumes and are associated with gastrointestinal discomfort, particularly in individuals sensitive to FODMAPs. This study aimed to identify and characterize lactic acid bacteria capable of degrading RFOs in order to improve the tolerability of legume-based food products. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from chicken feces and screened for α-galactosidase activity and raffinose utilization. Selected strains were further evaluated in a liquid medium containing raffinose as the single carbon source and in yellow pea flour fermentations to assess their RFO-degrading capacity. A total of 23 of 138 strains, including Limosilactobacillus reuteri (13), Ligilactobacillus salivarius (4), Leuconostoc mesenteroides (4), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (1) and Weissella paramesenteroides (1), were identified as α-galactosidase-positive and capable of raffinose metabolism. In liquid culture, six L. reuteri showed particularly high efficiency, with complete raffinose depletion within 8 h. In pea flour fermentations, RFO reductions of up to 100% were achieved. However, RFO metabolism by L. reuteri was associated with mannitol formation, a sugar alcohol classified as a FODMAP. Overall, the results demonstrate that targeted fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria enables effective RFO reduction in pea flour, highlighting their potential for the development of legume-based meat alternatives. Full article

The increasing demand for sustainable food systems, high-value resource utilization, and dietary diversification has promoted the development of plant-based beverages. This study aimed to develop a white kidney bean-based beverage (WKBB) through lactic acid bacteria fermentation and investigate the effects of different fermentation strategies on its physicochemical properties, nutritional characteristics, volatile compounds, and sensory quality. WKBB was fermented using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and a mixed culture of both strains. The results showed that fermentation significantly modified the quality characteristics of WKBB, including changes in its physicochemical properties and free amino acid composition. Furthermore, fermentation promoted the release of phenolic and flavonoid compounds during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. GC–MS analysis revealed that fermentation altered the volatile composition of WKBB and increased the diversity of volatile compounds, thereby contributing to a more complex flavor profile. Sensory evaluation indicated that fermented samples exhibited improved overall sensory characteristics, with mixed-strain fermentation resulting in a more balanced quality profile. These findings demonstrate that lactic acid bacteria fermentation, particularly mixed-strain fermentation, is a promising and sustainable strategy for the development of a white kidney bean-based beverage and for enhancing the utilization of plant-based resources. Full article

Eating disorders are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality yet remain underidentified in general mental health practice, delaying intervention and worsening outcomes. Counselor preparation often provides limited eating disorder content within broader psychopathology coursework, leaving trainees underprepared to recognize subtle, culturally diverse, and nonstereotypical presentations. This conceptual paper draws on scholarship in counselor education, body image, embodied self-awareness, and eating disorder training to propose a four-domain framework intended to strengthen counselor preparation for eating disorder recognition and clinical response. The framework includes foundational knowledge of eating disorder diagnosis, medical and nutritional risk, levels of care, and multidisciplinary treatment; reflective body-related self-awareness concerning clinicians’ beliefs about food, weight, health, exercise, appearance, and culture; embodied and creative practices that strengthen awareness of bodily and relational responses; and clinical translation through direct assessment, supervision, consultation, and referral. A seven-session graduate course illustrates how the framework can be implemented while protecting students from coerced personal disclosure. Within the U.S. counselor education and mental health training context, policy recommendations address curriculum infusion, weight stigma, countertransference, competency assessment, and basic detection and referral preparations. Integrating body-related reflection with diagnostic knowledge may offer a promising approach for helping clinicians recognize when eating disorder and body image concerns warrant further inquiry, reduce stereotype-based omissions, and respond more deliberately across diverse clinical settings; however, whether embodied training improves detection outcomes remains an empirical question. Full article