Search Results (2,349)

Background and Objectives: Red yeast rice (RYR)-containing food supplements are widely used for mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia, but their post-marketing safety remains relevant. This study characterized their safety profile within a structured multicompany nutrivigilance framework. Methods: Spontaneous reports of suspected adverse events (AEs) associated with RYR-containing food supplements were collected between 12 December 2022 and 31 May 2024. Cases were documented using a structured case report form, medically reviewed, and classified for causality according to the World Health Organization–Uppsala Monitoring Centre framework. Exposure was estimated from cumulative manufacturing and sales data. Results: A total of 148 AE reports were collected from 12 European countries. Estimated exposure corresponded to 608,815 exposed subject-periods over 18 months, based on cumulative manufacturing and sales data and recommended daily dosage. Mean age was 65.3 ± 13.3 years; among reports with available age, 58.1% occurred in individuals aged ≥70 years. Gastrointestinal events were most frequent (45.9%), followed by arthromyalgia (16.9%) and hypersensitivity reactions (10.8%). Most events were mild or moderate (97.9%); severe and serious events accounted for 0.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Both serious AEs occurred in individuals aged ≥70 years. The estimated exposure-based reporting rate was 0.02% for all AEs and 0.0003% for serious AEs. Conclusions: Within a structured post-marketing nutrivigilance framework, RYR-containing food supplements showed a low reporting frequency of AEs relative to estimated exposure, with most events being mild or moderate. Future research should strengthen harmonized nutrivigilance systems and integrate product-specific exposure data, formulation characteristics, and post-marketing safety monitoring to support more precise risk assessment. Full article

The accelerating urgency of global public health challenges, biodiversity loss, and climate change has driven rapid innovation in novel foods and alternative proteins, including cultured cells, fermentation-derived components, plant-based meats, insects, and algae, which promise nutritious, sustainable, and ethical dietary choices with lower environmental footprints. Although technologies have advanced, consumer perception and preferences remain key hindrances due to perceptual, cultural, and sensory challenges. This semi-systematic narrative literature review aims to incorporate interdisciplinary studies (2020–2025) that span sensory science, AI-driven marketing, behavioral economics, and policy analysis to explore consumer incentives, barriers, and intervention approaches associated with novel food categories. Of 1260 initial records, 310 duplicates were removed, 530 were excluded at title/abstract screening, 233 were excluded at full-text review, leaving 197 studies for the final synthesis. The focus is on understanding cultural contexts, cognitive biases, digital and social influences, and the global framing impacts that shape consumer adoption. Consumer perceptions and preferences are primarily influenced by health benefits, ethical concerns, and environmental sustainability; however, neophobia, sensory unfamiliarity, trust deficits, and price temper these factors. Preliminary evidence suggests that AI-generated personalization, transparent labeling, behavioral nudges, and social norms may be useful tools for overcoming resistance to change, though the effectiveness of AI-driven personalization in actual purchasing behavior is not yet firmly established. Cultural diversity affects acceptance routes, with culturally established insect consumption differing from Western neophobia. Future studies should integrate interdisciplinary methodologies, longitudinal cross-cultural analyses, and innovative technologies to enhance communication and product design. Full article

Microplastics (MP) are emerging pollutants found in the Veracruz Reef System National Park (PNSAV). They are widely distributed in the aquatic environment and are ingested by organisms either accidentally or because they are mistaken for food. In this article, the author analyses the physicochemical characteristics of reef sediments using visual identification, Nile Red (NR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) of microplastics found in sediments adjacent to reefs; this allowed us to determine their distribution within the PNSAV. A total of 687 microplastics per kilogram of dry sediment were quantified, including fibres (98.5%), films (1.4%), and fragments (0.01%). The predominant colour was transparent (60.2%), followed by blue (16%) and red (12%). Based on their MP distribution, the sites were classified into two groups: north and south. The sampling stations with the highest concentrations of MP are located in the group of reefs south of the PNSAV, with the Anegadilla Reef being the most affected station. SEM/EDS analyses revealed elemental spectra dominated by carbon and oxygen, which is consistent with the expected elemental composition of polymeric materials. Peaks of chlorine were detected in some MP particles, suggesting the possible presence of chlorinated polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In addition, elements such as titanium, silicon, and nickel were identified, which could be associated with inorganic particles adhering to the surface or with additives commonly incorporated during the manufacture of plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The presence of elements such as titanium and nickel were detected; these are found in additives used in the manufacturing of polymers. Full article

Foodborne pathogens rely on colonization, biofilm formation, virulence expression, and environmental adaptation as fundamental biological drivers of food safety risk. Quorum sensing (QS), a cell-density-dependent microbial communication mechanism, coordinates the expression of these key phenotypes by integrating intraspecies, interspecies, and host-derived signals, making QS an attractive intervention target in food microbial control. Although QS research has advanced considerably in recent years, existing reviews have largely focused on individual bacterial species or specific classes of signal molecules. A systematic integration of how QS coordinately drives both food spoilage and pathogen virulence remains lacking. In this review, we conceptualize the QS network as a central regulatory hub connecting microbial signal perception to hazardous phenotype expression. We systematically examine the mechanistic roles of QS in food spoilage, biofilm formation, host colonization and invasion, and toxin production. We also summarize current QS-targeted intervention strategies, including inhibition of signal synthesis, enzymatic signal degradation, receptor antagonism, and indirect regulation via beneficial microorganisms. Building on the available evidence, we further analyze the key challenges limiting practical application: signal system specificity, ecological safety, industrial-scale feasibility, and microbial adaptability. Overall, QS-based strategies offer a non-bactericidal route for food microbial control, although substantial barriers remain for translation into complex food matrices. Reframing QS function and intervention from the perspective of food safety risk formation provides an analytical framework that bridges mechanistic understanding with practical application. This framework also establishes a theoretical foundation for developing next-generation food preservation and foodborne disease control strategies. Full article

Background: Digital Supply Chain Adoption (DSCA) has emerged as a critical strategic imperative associated with Operational Performance (OP); however, empirical evidence within Thailand’s food and beverage manufacturing industry remains limited. Methods: A structured survey of 200 supply chain professionals was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4. To ensure analytical rigor and mitigate potential method bias, a retrospective comparison design was employed. Furthermore, DSCA was operationalized as a Type II reflective-formative higher-order construct, and Digital Dynamic Capabilities (DDC) as a Type I higher-order construct. Results: DSCA was positively associated with all perceived performance dimensions, with cost reduction exhibiting the strongest direct association (β = 0.510, p < 0.001). DDC significantly moderated the statistical relationships for quality and productivity performance. However, the moderating role of DDC on cost reduction was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Within the investigated sample, DSCA was more closely associated with perceived cost efficiencies, whereas DDC showed a supplementary moderating role specific to quality and productivity outcomes. The findings are also consistent with the integrated Dynamic Capabilities View and Technology, Organization, and Environment (DCV-TOE) perspective, suggesting that statistical associations between digital transformation and operational outcomes may vary across performance dimensions rather than follow a uniform pattern. Full article

Foodborne pathogens remain a major public health challenge, particularly in the context of antimicrobial resistance and persistent contamination across animal, food-processing, and retail environments. This review examines bacteriophages as precision antimicrobials for controlling major foodborne bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, and Vibrio spp., and summarizes the biological basis of phage-mediated control: strictly lytic life cycles, receptor-specific adsorption, direct bacterial killing, biofilm disruption, and resistance-associated fitness trade-offs. It further discusses pre-harvest, post-harvest, and processing-environment applications, with emphasis on matrix-dependent efficacy, delivery strategies, commercial products, and regulatory status. While bacteriophages offer high specificity and may help preserve the native microbiome, their integration into multi-hurdle food-safety systems require careful validation because their performance is influenced by narrow host ranges, bacterial resistance, food-matrix effects, formulation constraints, and regulatory complexity and scale-up challenges. Broader implementation will require rationally designed phage-cocktails, thorough genomic safety screening, matrix-specific validation studies, scalable manufacturing processes, and continuous monitoring for post-application resistance. Overall, bacteriophages should be viewed as promising but context-dependent adjuncts to validated food-safety and One Health frameworks, rather than stand-alone solution for reducing foodborne pathogen burdens. Full article

Although chitosan (CS)- and essential oil (EO)-based packaging systems have been widely reviewed, a focused synthesis connecting nano-delivery design with interfacial regulation, film-network evolution, release behavior, and preservation performance in real food systems remains lacking. This review addresses that gap by examining CS-based nano-delivery systems for EOs in active food packaging, with an emphasis on how carrier design and multiscale organization govern functional performance. Major delivery strategies, including nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, nanogels, Pickering emulsions, nanofibrous systems, and nanocomposites, are discussed in relation to EO stabilization, dispersion uniformity, and controlled release. Their effects on film microstructure, mechanical and barrier properties, thermal stability, optical behavior, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities are further evaluated alongside preservation outcomes in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and aquatic products. Particular attention is given to structure-function relationships across the carrier, interface, and film-network levels, and to the distinction between established active-packaging functions and emerging smart-packaging applications. Current challenges include EO compositional variability, limited cross-study comparability, sensory constraints, migration and regulatory concerns, and insufficiently scalable fabrication routes. Future work should prioritize mechanism-informed interfacial design, standardized evaluation frameworks, food-specific release-preservation correlations, and scalable green manufacturing. Full article

Background: Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) continues to rise alongside a growing body of epidemiological evidence linking high UPF intake to adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, in the general population. However, the factors underlying these associations remain incompletely understood, underscoring the need to examine components beyond traditional nutrient composition. In particular, food-processing additives are increasingly recognized as defining features of industrially formulated UPFs. Objective/Methods: In this study, we used a large food label database to cross-sectionally examine the presence and co-occurrence of selected additives (sorbates, benzoates, phosphate additives, and non-nutritive sweeteners [NNSs]) in sweetened beverages sold by the 25 top-selling U.S. food and beverage manufacturers in 2020. Results: We found that sweetened beverages marketed in the U.S. frequently contain multiple additive classes concurrently, supporting the concept that these products represent complex chemical exposure mixtures rather than simple combinations of water and sweeteners. Formulations containing multiple additives were substantially more common than simpler formulations, with many beverages simultaneously containing combinations of sweeteners, preservatives, and phosphate additives. Products containing NNS exhibited higher additive clustering compared to products containing added sugar. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings support the need for broader consideration of beverage formulation complexity in nutrition research, dietary guidance, and policy regulation. Full article

This study examines the influence of green market orientation (GMO) and green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) on business competitiveness in increasingly demanding environmental contexts. Drawing on the literature on strategic management and sustainability, this research analyzes how environmentally oriented market and entrepreneurial capabilities contribute to strengthening firms’ competitive positioning. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 200 companies in the agri-food and manufacturing sectors, and the data were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirm that both GMO (β = 0.534; p < 0.001) and GEO (β = 0.395; p < 0.001) have a significant influence on competitiveness, with GMO showing a stronger impact. These findings suggest that firms integrating environmental market demands and fostering innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking with an ecological focus achieve enhanced competitive performance. This study concludes that green-oriented strategic capabilities constitute key drivers of sustainable competitive advantages and represent a relevant pathway for organizational strengthening in dynamic and environmentally regulated markets. Full article

Drug recall is a critical regulatory mechanism implemented to protect public health by removing defective, unsafe, or non-compliant pharmaceutical products from the market. Despite stringent regulatory approval processes, issues related to manufacturing defects, contamination, labeling errors, stability failures, and post-marketing safety concerns may lead to drug recalls. Regulatory authorities across the world, including the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and other national agencies, have developed structured recall guidelines and rapid alert systems to ensure timely withdrawal of defective products. Drug recalls are typically classified based on the level of health risk and may be executed at different levels of the distribution chain, including wholesale, retail, and consumer levels. Effective recall management involves risk assessment, recall communication, product traceability, documentation, and recall effectiveness checks. Pharmacovigilance systems also play an important role in identifying adverse drug reactions and quality defects that may lead to product recalls. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of drug recall systems, including causes of recalls, regulatory frameworks in India and other countries, recall classification, recall procedures, rapid alert systems, and global recall trends. The article also discusses challenges in recall implementation and provides recommendations to strengthen drug recall systems and regulatory coordination worldwide. The review additionally summarizes major official sources of recall information, including recall alerts, safety communications, and regulatory databases maintained by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), EMA, CDSCO, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and World Health Organization (WHO), and provides a comparative global perspective on contemporary pharmaceutical recall practices. Full article

Moringa oleifera is rich in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a functional non-protein amino acid with significant antihypertensive and neuroprotective activities. However, the key enzymes responsible for catalyzing the conversion of L-glutamate (L-Glu) to GABA—glutamate decarboxylases (GADs)—have not been functionally characterized in M. oleifera, which limits its metabolic engineering applications. In this study, the previously obtained MoGAD1 (PZ458702) and MoGAD2 (PZ458703) genes were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) to produce recombinant proteins. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analyses showed that both MoGAD1 and MoGAD2 were solubly expressed at 20 °C and 37 °C. Their catalytic functions were verified via whole-cell biocatalysis, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis confirmed that both MoGAD1 and MoGAD2 could convert L-Glu to GABA. The GABA yields of the engineered strains harboring MoGAD1 and MoGAD2 reached 3.67 ± 0.1833 g/L and 0.648 ± 0.002 g/L, with conversion rates of 61.2% and 10.8%, respectively. Both MoGAD1 and MoGAD2 exhibited favorable docking with PLP, with binding energies of −5.489 kcal/mol and −5.297 kcal/mol, respectively; they also showed good docking with L-Glu, with binding energies of −4.207 kcal/mol and −4.49 kcal/mol, respectively. This study provides the first experimental evidence for the activity of the MoGAD protein encoded by the GAD gene from M. oleifera, elucidates the molecular mechanism underlying GABA accumulation, and offers candidate genes for biotechnological production of GABA. Full article

Saccharomyces cerevisiae FOSU-QQT (SC.QQT), isolated from pineapple pomace wine, exhibits favorable aroma-producing capabilities. In this study, we performed integrated genomic and phenotypic analyses to comprehensively evaluate its safety profile, probiotic potential, and aroma-producing characteristics. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) assembly predicted a genome size of 30,256,254 bp, encompassing 12,899 genes with a total coding length of 22,062,659 bp and an average GC content of 37.30%. Preliminary safety assessments, including hemolysis tests, antibiotic susceptibility profiling, and antibacterial activity assays, were complemented by in silico screening for antibiotic resistance-associated genes. Functional tolerance assays, specifically resistance to simulated gastrointestinal fluid, acid stress, and bile salts, demonstrated that SC.QQT exhibited robust survival under physiologically relevant gastrointestinal conditions. Collectively, these findings support its potential as a promising probiotic candidate with notable resilience, although further in vivo validation is required to confirm its application value. Additionally, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of volatile compounds in pineapple pomace wine indicated that the presence of aroma-related genes in SC.QQT may enhance overall flavor complexity and intensify fruity aromatic notes during fermentation, underscoring its distinctive utility in fruit wine bioprocessing. Full article

Sustainable binders are becoming decisive enabling materials for fiber-based packaging and cellulosic nonwovens because they govern strength, coating integrity, barrier performance, printability, wet durability, and end-of-life behavior. However, replacing fossil-derived latexes, fluorinated finishes, or persistent wet-strength systems with renewable alternatives is not a simple material substitution problem. This perspective argues that sustainable binders must be evaluated through an industrial lens that integrates performance, scalability, cost, process compatibility, food-contact safety, and recyclability. The discussion examines current binder limitations, emerging bio-based alternatives including starch, cellulose derivatives, nanocellulose, proteins, lignin, tannins, chitosan, hemicelluloses, and reactive green crosslinking systems, and the specific opportunity to move from bulk binder replacement toward engineered cellulose–cellulose junctions. Enzyme-assisted activation of cellulose surfaces, especially routes that generate controlled carboxyl and aldehyde functionality, is highlighted as a promising platform for low-energy bonding of recyclable all-cellulose webs when paired with rigorous spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and multiscale modeling. The central conclusion is that the next generation of sustainable binders will be selected not by renewable content alone, but by their ability to deliver reliable performance within high-throughput manufacturing and credible recovery pathways. Full article

Adequate monitoring of flour storage bins in the food manufacturing industry can prevent profit loss from underproduction and overstocking. Manual volume measurement is labor-intensive and error-prone. With the need for efficient monitoring in mind, this study presents the design and development of volumetric measurement of the flour inside a storage bin using 2D-based rotating LiDAR to capture 3D point cloud data. The proposed system eliminates manual probing by fully automating the scanning and volumetric computation workflow. Instead of relying on discrete physical measurements inside the bin, the 2D rotating LiDAR continuously captures the interior walls and flour surface to generate a dense 3D point cloud. This removes the need for operators to insert rods or probes and thereby avoids human-induced measurement variability. Furthermore, because the system computes flour volume directly from geometric reconstruction rather than converting probe depths using a uniform surface assumption, it does not rely on a constant material density and is therefore more robust to compaction differences within the bin. The high-resolution point cloud also generates accurate mapping of non-uniform and irregular surface geometries, which captures true depressions, peaks, and sloped regions that manual methods typically miss. A dedicated web application was developed to send commands to the system for automated scanning and real-time volume computation. Successful real-world testing showed the system’s reliability, with an accuracy level of 1.013 ± 0.70% MAPE across varied flour quantities and surface contours. Full article

With the development of the pet industry, public attention to pet food safety and nutritional health has been continuously increasing. Postbiotics were initially defined as inactivated microorganisms or microbial cellular components that confer health benefits to the host. Compared with probiotics, postbiotics possess superior safety and stability. They can effectively eliminate the potential risk of horizontal transfer of drug-resistant genes carried by live bacteria, and also feature better manufacturability and storage performance. At present, most research on postbiotics has focused on humans and large domestic animals, with relatively few applications in dogs and cats. This indicates that further research on postbiotics in canines and felines is still needed to better promote their practical application in promoting pet food health. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current research status of postbiotics, focusing on their potential benefits and mechanisms for pet health. It proposes that future studies should concentrate on in vivo experimental validation to clarify the safety, optimal dosage, and specific functions of postbiotics in companion animals. Such research will offer a scientific basis for the application of postbiotics in pet food formulations, ultimately promoting the health and welfare of pets. Full article