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Foods
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Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities
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Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 11427

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Depeint Flore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UniLaSalle, ULR7519 Transformation & Agroressource, Beauvais, France
Interests: health claims; functional foods; phytochemicals (polyphenols, cruciferous, carotenoids); micronutrients; dietary fibers; gut health; bioavailability; biotransformation and bioactivity; nutrigenomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our society is evolving. Climatic changes and the growth of populations require that we move further toward plant-based diets. Epidemiological data suggest numerous benefits for plant foods in preventing chronic disorders, and traditional medicine is on the rise, including the use of plant-based food supplements. While numerous plant metabolites are beneficial, other metabolites or co-products may be toxic. In addition, plants’ bioactives may differ in nature and content depending on variety, climate, or processing. It is therefore essential to ensure the safety of consumers. This can be achieved through better characterization of plant extracts and their safety, but also through clear clinical evidence of the benefits and better understanding of the mechanisms of action. This is particularly true when considering the impact on bioavailability and functional benefits of bioactives present in whole food or food supplements. Finally, the position of phytotherapy at the border between food and medicine can be addressed on a regulatory, scientific, or philosophical point of view. Altogether, plant foods are one of the food segments with the largest economic growth potential, but this needs to be addressed with care and research needs to go beyond traditional use to prove efficacy and safety.

Dr. Depeint Flore
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 diets 
  • plant-based food supplements 
  • phytotherapy 
  • chemical characterization 
  • safety 
  • clinical evidence 
  • mechanisms of action 
  • botanical health claims

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1573 KiB  
Article
Organic Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Consumption Profile of a Portuguese Consumer Sample
by Ana Mendes, André Oliveira, Jorge Lameiras, Pedro Mendes-Moreira and Goreti Botelho
Foods 2023, 12(22), 4145; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224145 - 16 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1239
Abstract
The production and consumption of organic products have been increasing in Portugal, as well as in the European Union as a whole. The main objective of this work is to understand the consumption habits of organic medicinal and aromatic plants (OMAPs) among Portuguese [...] Read more.
The production and consumption of organic products have been increasing in Portugal, as well as in the European Union as a whole. The main objective of this work is to understand the consumption habits of organic medicinal and aromatic plants (OMAPs) among Portuguese adults. An online questionnaire was distributed using social networks, resulting in the collection and statistical analysis of 300 responses. Of the participants who reported consuming OMAPs, 44.3% showed a daily consumption pattern. The most frequently mentioned OMAPs for fresh consumption were parsley (Petrosselinum crispum L., 92%), garlic (Allium sativum L., 84.1%), and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L., 78.1%). The most commonly mentioned OMAP for consumption as dried plants were oregano (Origanum vulgare L., 74.6%), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L., 49.2%), and lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora L., 46.8%). The main reasons cited for using OMAPs were their benefits to health (58.7% of participants), benefits to the environment (33.2%), and reduced salt consumption (29.5%). Among these, the main health benefits mentioned included anti-inflammatory properties (45.0%), prevention of cardiovascular diseases (41.6%), and prevention of high cholesterol (39.9%). Furthermore, 82.5% of respondents considered themselves sufficiently, well, or excellently informed about the nutritional properties of OMAPs. This research initiates a discussion about whether profiling OMAP consumption habits can serve as a valuable tool for promoting organic farming in Portugal, increasing OMAP production and consumption, and strengthening the connection between these products and potential positive human health effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities)
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20 pages, 1808 KiB  
Article
A Causal and Inverse Relationship between Plant-Based Diet Intake and in a Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
by Sunmin Park
Foods 2023, 12(3), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030545 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3015
Abstract
A plant-based diet (PBD) has been reported to be linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in observational studies, but not in causal association studies. We aimed to examine the hypothesis that high PBD exhibited a causal and inverse association with MetS and its [...] Read more.
A plant-based diet (PBD) has been reported to be linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in observational studies, but not in causal association studies. We aimed to examine the hypothesis that high PBD exhibited a causal and inverse association with MetS and its components using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). PBD was clustered according to food intake, which was assessed by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires using a principal component analysis. The instrumental variables were generated using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a High-PBD group (≥67th percentiles) after adjusting for the covariates related to MetS, with a significance level of p < 5 × 10−5 and linkage disequilibrium (r2 < 0.001), in a city hospital-based cohort (n = 58,701). The causal association of the PBD intake with MetS risk was examined with a two-sample MR approach in the rural plus Ansan/Ansung cohorts (n = 13,598). The High-PBD group showed higher energy, fat, protein, cholesterol, fiber, sodium, calcium, vitamin C and D, and flavonoid intake than the Low-PBD group. The High-PBD group showed a lower risk of MetS, waist circumference, hyperglycemia, hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia using an inverse-variance weighted method (p < 0.05). Low-PBD intake significantly elevated only waist circumference in weighted-median analysis (p < 0.05). No heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, or single genetic variant influenced the causal relationship. In conclusion, low PBD appeared to be causally positively related to MetS risk and its components, but not hypertension. Therefore, Korean-style PBD may be beneficial for decreasing MetS risk in Asian adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities)
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20 pages, 3049 KiB  
Article
Mechanistic Insights of Polyphenolic Compounds from Rosemary Bound to Their Protein Targets Obtained by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Free-Energy Calculations
by Samo Lešnik, Marko Jukič and Urban Bren
Foods 2023, 12(2), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12020408 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2697
Abstract
Rosemary represents an important medicinal plant that has been attributed with various health-promoting properties, especially antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities. Carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmanol, as well as the phenolic acid ester rosmarinic acid, are the main compounds responsible for these actions. In [...] Read more.
Rosemary represents an important medicinal plant that has been attributed with various health-promoting properties, especially antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities. Carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmanol, as well as the phenolic acid ester rosmarinic acid, are the main compounds responsible for these actions. In our earlier research, we carried out an inverse molecular docking at the proteome scale to determine possible protein targets of the mentioned compounds. Here, we subjected the previously identified ligand–protein complexes with HIV-1 protease, K-RAS, and factor X to molecular dynamics simulations coupled with free-energy calculations. We observed that carnosic acid and rosmanol act as viable binders of the HIV-1 protease. In addition, carnosol represents a potential binder of the oncogene protein K-RAS. On the other hand, rosmarinic acid was characterized as a weak binder of factor X. We also emphasized the importance of water-mediated hydrogen-bond networks in stabilizing the binding conformation of the studied polyphenols, as well as in mechanistically explaining their promiscuous nature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities)
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Review

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52 pages, 1274 KiB  
Review
In Vitro Assessment Methods for Antidiabetic Peptides from Legumes: A Review
by Alia Rahmi and Jayashree Arcot
Foods 2023, 12(3), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030631 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3738
Abstract
Almost 65% of the human protein supply in the world originates from plants, with legumes being one of the highest contributors, comprising between 20 and 40% of the protein supply. Bioactive peptides from various food sources including legumes have been reported to show [...] Read more.
Almost 65% of the human protein supply in the world originates from plants, with legumes being one of the highest contributors, comprising between 20 and 40% of the protein supply. Bioactive peptides from various food sources including legumes have been reported to show efficacy in modulating starch digestion and glucose absorption. This paper will provide a comprehensive review on recent in vitro studies that have been performed on leguminous antidiabetic peptides, focusing on the α-amylase inhibitor, α-glucosidase inhibitor, and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor. Variations in legume cultivars and methods affect the release of peptides. Different methods have been used, such as in sample preparation, including fermentation (t, T), germination (t), and pre-cooking; in protein extraction, alkaline extraction, isoelectric precipitation, phosphate buffer extraction, and water extraction; in protein hydrolysis enzyme types and combination, enzyme substrate ratio, pH, and time; and in enzyme inhibitory assays, positive control type and concentration, inhibitor or peptide concentration, and the unit of inhibitory activity. The categorization of the relative scale of inhibitory activities among legume samples becomes difficult because of these method differences. Peptide sequences in samples were identified by means of HPLC/MS. Software and online tools were used in bioactivity prediction and computational modelling. The identification of the types and locations of chemical interactions between the inhibitor peptides and enzymes and the type of enzyme inhibition were achieved through computational modelling and enzyme kinetic studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Foods for Human Health: Research Challenges and Opportunities)
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