Search Results (227)

Termitomyces albuminosus is a wild edible mushroom with potential as a functional ingredient, yet its effect on tofu quality remains unclear. This study evaluated soy tofu fortified with Termitomyces albuminosus freeze-dried mushroom powder (TMP) at 1.5, 3, and 5% (w/w) using two strategies: direct addition and soybean replacement. The tofu treatments were assessed for yield, colour, texture, microstructure, molecular interactions, rheological behaviour, proximate composition, mineral profile, and antioxidant activity in fresh, cooked, and in vitro digested states. Increasing TMP progressively reduced yield, lightness, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness, with greater deterioration under high percentage replacement, associated with dose-dependent protein network coarsening and protein–polysaccharide phase separation; nevertheless, all samples retained viscoelastic gel behaviour (G′ > G″). The 1.5% replacement treatment largely preserved gel structure and texture, suggesting a favourable balance between enrichment and structural quality. The 5% replacement (R5) provided the greatest nutritional gain, significantly increasing calcium (2177.80 vs. 1812.43 mg/kg) and iron (27.07 vs. 20.61 mg/kg) compared to control while maintaining crude protein above 47% (dry basis). Antioxidant activity increased with TMP level and was highest in R5, with bioaccessibility peaking in the intestinal phase. TMP fortification represents a promising strategy for developing nutritionally enhanced tofu with improved mineral composition and antioxidant bioaccessibility. Full article

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using rapeseed protein–fiber concentrate (RPFC) as a functional ingredient for wheat pasta fortification, with emphasis on dough rheology, gel-like network formation, microstructure, and cooking quality. For this purpose, five formulations of rigatoni pasta were produced by partially substituting wheat flour with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% RPFC. Dough rheological behavior was assessed by frequency sweep and creep–recovery tests, while mixing and pasting behavior was evaluated using the Mixolab device. Microstructure was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and pasta technological and chemical parameters were determined using standard methods. All dough systems exhibited viscoelastic, gel-like behavior characterized by the dominance of the storage modulus (G’) over the loss modulus (G”), confirming the formation of a structured gluten-based network. Moderate RPFC incorporation (5–15%) enhanced G′, indicating reinforcement of the continuous protein–starch gel matrix and improved structural integrity and deformation resistance. Mixolab results showed a significant increase in water absorption and dough stability with RPFC addition, reflecting improved hydration and strengthening of the gel-forming protein network. SEM observations confirmed the development of a more compact and continuous starch–protein gel system, associated with reduced stickiness and improved structural cohesion. However, higher RPFC levels (15–20%) disrupted the continuity of the gel network, leading to increased cooking losses (8.8–10.4%), higher fracturability, and reduced firmness of cooked pasta. According to the data obtained, RPFC represents a promising functional protein ingredient for gel-like food systems such as cereal-based products, particularly pasta. These findings offer feasible formulation strategies and support its use as a sustainable, high-quality plant protein ingredient in pasta production. Full article

Even though the functional food market has rapidly increased in recent years, the links between bioactive-rich formulations and consumers’ health benefit are not fully established, mainly because of insufficient consideration of food matrix effects. This review provides a comprehensive and integrated evaluation of how food matrix properties (structural and physicochemical) affect the bioaccessibility of plant bioactive compounds. Unlike many reviews that focus on a single nutrient approach, we highlight quantitative evidence of how bioaccessibility can be affected by matrix properties, illustrating the interactions between main food components (lipids, proteins, dietary fiber and minerals). This review integrates fragmented information among different areas of food and nutrition sciences, i.e., food structure, gastrointestinal science, mineral chemistry, protein chemistry, providing a holistic framework for Quality by Design (QbD) functional food development. Synergisms and antagonistic behaviors, threshold effects, and concentration-dependent behaviors are analyzed comparatively for the most common plant-derived bioactives, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, curcuminoids and minerals (iron, zinc and calcium). We propose a matrix-informed optimization as a prerequisite for credible health claims and sustainable plant-based nutrition strategies. This can ultimately serve as a foundation for next-generation functional food development based on bioaccessibility, supporting the central argument that functional food development should move from composition-based fortification to bioaccessibility-based matrix engineering. Full article

Changes in consumer behavior have intensified the demand for alternative protein sources, driving changes in food consumption patterns. At the same time, the increasing consumer awareness considering the health and environmental impacts in food systems, has stimulated interest in more functional and sustainable products. In this context, plant-based beverages (PBBs) have gained attention as potential alternatives to milk. This study was aimed at evaluating plant-based beverages as alternatives to cow’s milk, focusing on their nutritional composition, environmental impact, and technological challenges. Although cow’s milk has a high biological value and nutritional density, plant-based beverages present variable compositions, generally with lower levels of protein and minerals. However, they stand out for the presence of bioactive compounds and have a nutritional quality which can be improved through fortification strategies. From an environmental perspective, their production is associated with a substantially lower carbon footprint compared to dairy farming. Despite these advantages, the sector still faces technological challenges related to physicochemical stability and sensory acceptance due to complex residual flavors. This review highlights the need for improvements in terms of manufacturing processes and regulatory frameworks to establish these beverages as safe, nutritious, and sustainable options in the global market. Full article

Iodine deficiency remains a major nutritional concern worldwide, and fermented dairy products are considered promising vehicles for iodine fortification. However, the chemical form of iodine may influence the physicochemical and microbiological stability of fermented dairy systems. This study aimed to compare potassium iodide and iodocasein as iodine sources for the fortification of a fermented dairy product and to evaluate their effects on product quality and iodine retention during refrigerated storage. Three formulations were produced: a control sample without iodine fortification and samples fortified with potassium iodide or iodocasein at a level of 25 µg iodine per 100 g of product. Samples were stored at 4 ± 1 °C for 7 days. Changes in pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, viscosity, viable counts of starter lactic acid bacteria, iodine retention, and sensory properties were evaluated during storage. The results showed that the iodine source significantly affected product stability. The potassium iodide-fortified sample exhibited greater post-acidification, increased syneresis, lower viscosity, and a more pronounced reduction in viable lactic acid bacteria during storage. In contrast, the iodocasein-fortified sample maintained physicochemical and microbiological characteristics closer to the control and demonstrated higher iodine retention. Fortification at the studied level did not significantly affect the basic composition or amino acid profile of the product. The findings indicate that iodocasein can improve iodine stability while preserving the quality characteristics of fermented dairy products, supporting its potential application in the development of iodine-enriched functional dairy foods. Full article

Recent trends in cereal chemistry emphasize sustainable food systems and functional fortification through upcycling and gluten reduction. This study addresses the challenges of reformulating wheat bakery products with four technologically distinct oat forms at three levels (5, 10, 15% substitution of wheat flour) by focusing on dough’s structural integrity. While conventional farinographic metrics such as Stability (STA) or Degree of Dough Softening (DSD) usually are not able to capture the dynamic fatigue of the gluten–starch matrix of wheat dough, several innovative kinetic descriptors are introduced, e.g., dough development slope angle (DDSA), and the time-resolved of both the dough curve width (DW) and farinograph elasticity loss (FEL) foursomes. Analytical results revealed that fiber-rich oat bran induced a mechanical ‘pseudostabilization’, whereas germinated diastatic malt caused a severe enzymatically driven structural collapse of wheat dough cohesiveness. This degradation was corroborated by a sharp non-linear decline in Falling Number (from 482 s to 196 s) and by a dramatic rise in the DSD/STA ratio (from 6.4 to 149.2). Statistical analysis indicated the proposed descriptors, particularly late-stage DW₁₅–DW₂₀ and FEL₁₅–FEL₂₀, provided more sensitive associations with quality parameters of small round breads baked at a laboratory scale—height, bread slice area, and specific volume—than traditional static indicators of the farinogram. As usual in such cases, a critical threshold of wheat flour substitution was identified at 10–15%. These results demonstrate that time–resolved kinetic modeling of dough elasticity serves as a robust complementary tool for predicting baking performance, enabling the rational optimization of formulations and the prevention of structural defects in industrial production. Full article

Chilacayote (Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché) is recognized as a rich source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, making it a promising ingredient for fortifying staple foods such as corn tortillas. While fortification can improve nutritional properties, it may also alter sensory characteristics that determine consumer acceptance. Therefore, a rigorous and structurally grounded assessment of these sensory modifications is required. In this study, sensory evaluations were conducted with regular tortilla consumers using Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questionnaires to examine six attributes (color, smell, texture, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste) in tortillas made with nixtamalized dough and commercial flour, both with and without chilacayote powder. Then, a structured framework for dimensionality reduction and sensory profile identification of tortillas is proposed. In this framework, three classical feature extraction methods (Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and a combination of both (PCA+LDA)) were compared with an evolutionary discriminant approach (Differential Evolutionary Linear Discriminant Analysis for Feature Extraction and Visualization (DE-${\mathrm{LDA}}_{FE}$)). The projection quality of these methods was evaluated using a multi-scale separability index that integrates global, semi-global, and local metrics, and the experiments were conducted considering global and attribute-based analyses. Beyond quantitative discrimination, the optimized projections enabled a geometric interpretation that allows the identification of sensory profiles for the tortilla variants. The proposed methodology bridges evolutionary optimization, structural separability assessment, and interpretable sensory characterization, offering a robust and adaptable strategy for multivariate food analysis and other complex discrimination problems and insights into the sensory impact of chilacayote fortification for the development of nutritionally enhanced tortillas that preserve consumer appeal. Full article

Lyophilized black goji berry powder (LBGBP) cultivated in Serbia was evaluated and optimized as a fortification agent in cookie formulation. Nutritional, chemical, technical and biological characteristics, in vitro release and storage stability were analyzed. LBGBP is characterized by a phenolic-rich profile dominated by acylated anthocyanins, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-O-CA), and spermidine-based phenylamides (S1, S2), which are partially retained in LBGBP-enriched cookies and enhance their functional properties. The substitution of different white flour shares with LBGBP in cookies statistically significantly improved their overall nutritional profile by increasing protein, dietary fiber, minerals and bioactive compounds, concurrently reducing fat, sugar and sodium levels. With the increase in the LBGBP in cookies, total phenolics and total anthocyanin content increased to the levels of 58.09 mg GAE/100 g and 10.12 mg CGE/100 g of cookies, respectively. The overall effect of LBGBP cookie fortification led to softer, more crumbly cookies with significant improvement in antioxidant and antidiabetic activity. The Z-score analysis was chosen to perform multi-criteria cookie formulation optimization with the goal of maximal functional enrichment, with minimal decrease in technological quality. The 10% LBGBP substitution was calculated to produce optimal overall quality, obtaining 65.96% of maximal score in comparison to the control sample of only 32.91%. Full article

Refined wheat staple foods are widely criticized for low dietary fiber and high postprandial glycemic response, making soluble dietary fiber fortification a promising strategy for cereal improvement. This study investigated how resistant dextrin (RD) modulates wheat starch, gluten, dough, and bread quality through multiscale interactions. In wheat starch, 6% RD gave the best overall balance, reducing 14-day retrogradation from 57.2% to 48.6%, delaying gelatinization, and restricting amylose diffusion, with hydrogen bonding identified as a major contributing interaction. In gluten, RD increased water-holding capacity but weakened network integrity, as evidenced by reduced moduli, a shift in thiol–disulfide balance, secondary-structure redistribution (increased β-sheet, decreased α-helix/β-turn), and suppressed glutenin polymerization, yielding a looser microstructure. In dough, SEM and rheological results suggested that moderate RD (4–6%) may form a hydrated, polysaccharide-rich phase that fills structural voids and improves matrix continuity, partially offsetting gluten weakening and enhancing viscoelasticity. Overall, this study establishes a quantitative relationship between RD addition level, multiscale macromolecular interactions in wheat matrices, and the processing performance and quality of bakery products. Full article

Background/Objectives: Protein intake is a key determinant of skeletal muscle health across the lifespan, yet optimal strategies must also account for cardiometabolic health and environmental sustainability. Differences in digestibility and amino acid composition between plant and animal-based proteins may influence their capacity to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), particularly in aging. Methods: This narrative review integrates evidence from acute tracer studies, randomized controlled trials, and long-term observational research comparing plant versus animal-based proteins for preserving muscle while supporting environmental goals and cardiometabolic health across populations. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 11 December 2025 (plant-based protein OR animal-based protein AND sarcopenia OR muscle protein synthesis), with citation tracking. In total, 80 relevant findings were identified. Results: Acute tracer studies show that, gram-for-gram, animal-based proteins (particularly whey/dairy) stimulate greater myofibrillar protein synthesis due to higher leucine density, digestibility, and more rapid aminoacidemia—an effect that is more pronounced in older adults with anabolic resistance. In younger individuals, these differences are largely attenuated when total protein intake is sufficient. Importantly, the anabolic potential of plant-based proteins can be enhanced through higher dosing, amino acid or leucine fortification, and complementary protein blending (e.g., cereals with legumes or use of high-DIAAS isolates). Consistent with this, longer-term resistance training studies demonstrate comparable gains in muscle mass and strength between plant- and animal-based diets when protein intake (≥1.0–1.2 g/kg/day; ≥1.2–1.5 g/kg/day in illness), per-meal distribution (~0.4 g/kg with ~3–4 g leucine in older adults), and energy intake are optimized. Beyond muscle outcomes, higher plant-based protein intake is associated with favorable cardiometabolic profiles and lower environmental impact. Conclusions: An age-specific, mixed protein approach is recommended, emphasizing plant-based proteins in younger adults and higher-quality, leucine-rich proteins in older individuals. Defining optimal plant-to-animal-based protein ratios remains a key research priority. Full article

The increasing awareness of health among consumers has made the development of functional cereal products a major trend in the food industry. This study investigated the effects of grape seed extract (GSE) on the quality parameters of medium-gluten wheat flour and fresh wet noodles, with the aim of developing functional noodle products. GSE was incorporated at concentrations of 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 1% (w/w). Its influence on dough properties—including farinographic characteristics, extensibility, and pasting behavior—as well as on noodle quality attributes (antioxidant activity, tensile strength, color, microstructure, total phenolic content, and sensory profile) was evaluated. The results indicated that at 1% GSE addition, the farinographic properties, extensibility, and pasting characteristics of the dough were consistently enhanced. Correspondingly, the noodle microstructure exhibited a more compact and ordered arrangement. Furthermore, increasing the level of GSE fortification led to a significant rise in the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the noodles (p < 0.05). This study can provide key technical support for developing novel fresh wet noodle products that possess both excellent quality and antioxidant functionality, thereby contributing to the functional enhancement of staple food products and meeting consumer demand for healthier dietary options. Full article

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) face a high risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia, often exacerbated by the toxicities of chemoradiotherapy, such as dysphagia, xerostomia, and mucositis. These Nutritional Impact Symptoms significantly compromise oral intake and negatively affect quality of life. This paper presents a conceptual framework designed to support clinicians in optimizing oral intake through personalized nutritional management. Central to this approach is the integration of systematic screening using MUST, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), and the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002). Furthermore, functional assessment of swallowing via instrumental studies (VFSS/FEES) is essential for tailoring dietary textures according to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative framework. Key nutritional strategies include high-energy and high-protein oral fortification, the use of oral nutritional supplements, and specific dietary adjustments addressing pain management and sensory alterations. A multidisciplinary approach involving nutritionists, speech-language pathologists, and oncologists is paramount to transition from reactive symptom management to proactive “adaptive nutrition,” ultimately improving clinical outcomes and patient survival. Full article

Kombucha is a beverage obtained through the fermentation of tea leaves by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast called SCOBY. This beverage is popularly known for the potential health benefits associated with its consumption, which is the main reason for its commercial expansion over the last century. These potential benefits are linked to the presence of a wide variety of bioactive compounds, notably phenolic compounds and organic acids. This composition varies significantly depending on the fermentation conditions, which in turn modifies the beverage’s bioactive properties (i.e., antioxidant capacity or antimicrobial properties, among others). For this reason, the most recent advances in kombucha production are geared towards achieving standardized production, including strategies for enhancing bioactive content and fortification with functional ingredients. All these advances should satisfy quality control and regulatory compliance. However, despite the growing scientific and commercial interest in kombucha, current knowledge remains fragmented across different disciplines, highlighting the need for an updated and integrative overview of its composition, bioactivity, production variables, and safety aspects. In this review, nutritional, microbiological, and technological perspectives are integrated to provide an updated framework for understanding kombucha as a functional beverage, while also outlining key directions for future research and industrial application. Full article

Founded in 1703, St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire. Its historic center and associated monuments are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its components are classified as cultural rather than natural or mixed. We hypothesized that a part of them has an additional ecotourism value. We carried out field observations along with a review of the literature. Our results confirmed the hypothesis: many of these sites retain important elements of biodiversity that can be used for environmental education. Large congregations of birds can be observed in close proximity to Heritage monuments. Wintering bats occupy the interiors of historic fortifications, and in summer, concentrations of feeding bats can be found nearby. Seal haul-out sites have been documented on small islands near the city. The ecotourism and nature-conservation value of these Heritage landscapes is usually linked to the original logic of their selection. The best locations were chosen for palace construction—dry, scenic areas with fertile soils suitable for park creation. Proximity to bodies of water was equally important, both for aesthetic reasons and for sanitation. These same qualities also make such areas highly favorable for biodiversity. Even after centuries of development, many natural features have persisted. Full article

Instant noodle fortification with fish-derived proteins enhances nutritional value; however, the effects of catfish powder (CFP) combined with different drying methods and barrier packaging on prolonged storage stability remain unknown. This study incorporated 10% (w/w) CFP into wheat flour-based instant noodles processed by tray drying or deep-fat frying, yielding four treatments: control tray-dried (CD), control fried (CF), CFP tray-dried (TD), and CFP fried (TF). Samples were packed in metallized low-density polyethylene (M-LDPE) and evaluated every 15 days over 180 days. CFP fortification increased protein and mineral content, which remained stable throughout storage. CFP incorporation and frying elevated lipid oxidation, whereas tray drying improved oxidative stability. Drying methods influenced moisture attributes, product structure, rehydration behavior, and color; tray-dried noodles retained higher lightness and hardness, whereas fried noodles showed faster water uptake. Cooking performance remained largely stable, with gradual shifts noticed in CF and TF samples over time. Microbiological quality remained acceptable, with no pathogens detected. Multivariate analysis identified the drying method as the primary driver of quality differentiation, with storage time intensifying oxidation and color divergence. Overall, tray drying with M-LDPE packaging is recommended to optimize the nutritional and storage stability of CFP-fortified instant noodles. Full article