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Natural Biomolecules: Emerging Technologies Towards Novel Food Formulation Development
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Natural Biomolecules: Emerging Technologies Towards Novel Food Formulation Development

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 12576

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lillian Barros

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Guest Editor
Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: natural bioactive compounds; medicinal chemistry; bioactivity and toxicology; functional applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Gomes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associate Professor, CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina—Laboratório Associado, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: live biotherapeutics; beneficial microorganims; probiotics; microencapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Taofiq Oludemi

E-Mail Website1 Website2 Website3
Assistant Guest Editor
Polytechnic Institute of Bragança / Mountain Research Center (IPB/CIMO), Campus de Santa Apolonia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: natural products; bioactive molecules; bioassays; cosmeceuticals; nutricosmetics; functional foods; microencapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Novel foods are newly developed food formulations, derived from new sources and produced using innovative technologies and production processes. With innovation and globalization, a large number of food-derived bioactive phytochemicals are now being incorporated and consumed as novel foods because they play vital roles in diverse preventive and therapeutic effects in chronic diseases. This has resulted in the rising demand by consumers for natural-based food formulations with enhanced nutritional values, enriched with health-promoting biomolecules and improved functional, physical, and sensorial food properties. Additionally, there is also an increased awareness among consumers about environmental and sustainability concerns regarding the origin, safety, and environmental implications of some of the ingredients used in food and nutraceutical formulations. Nevertheless, these bioactive derived ingredients are faced with a plethora of challenges such as sensitivity to process and environmental conditions, poor stability during food preparation and storage, and low bioavailability.

This Special Issue is focused within the framework of the Knowledge Hub on Food and Nutrition Security initiative, designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and networking towards sustainable food and agriculture. The aims are to collect and publish recent reviews and research articles in the recovery of natural bioactive molecules through extraction optimization methodologies and isolation and refinement techniques; chemical characterization using advanced analytical techniques; bioassay evaluation focused on, but not limited to, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties; elucidation of their mechanisms of action; improved methods for assessing bioactive components and their bioaccessibility/bioavailability according to food matrix; and functional food formulation, characterization, and stabilization techniques using emerging encapsulation, stabilization, and controlled release techniques.

Prof. Dr. Lillian Barros
Prof. Dr. Ana Maria Pereira Gomes
Dr. Taofiq Oludemi
Guest Editors

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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • Novel foods
  • Natural biomolecules
  • Extraction and refinement techniques
  • Biological activity
  • Chemical characterization
  • Emerging processing technologies
  • Stabilization techniques
  • Functional foods
  • Food safety and risk assessment
  • Food by-products

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2782 KiB  
Article
Optimization of the Physical, Optical and Mechanical Properties of Composite Edible Films of Gelatin, Whey Protein and Chitosan
by Selene Elizabeth Herrera-Vázquez, Octavio Dublán-García, Daniel Arizmendi-Cotero, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Hariz Islas-Flores, María Dolores Hernández-Navarro and Ninfa Ramírez-Durán
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030869 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4018
Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the concentration of gelatin (G) (3–6 g), whey protein (W) (2.5–7.5 g) and chitosan (C) (0.5–2.5 g) on the physical, optical and mechanical properties of composite edible films (CEFs) using the response [...] Read more.
The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the concentration of gelatin (G) (3–6 g), whey protein (W) (2.5–7.5 g) and chitosan (C) (0.5–2.5 g) on the physical, optical and mechanical properties of composite edible films (CEFs) using the response surface methodology (RSM), as well as optimizing the formulation for the packaging of foods. The results of the study were evaluated via first- and second-order multiple regression analysis to obtain the determination coefficient values with a good fit (R ˃ 0.90) for each of the response variables, except for the values of solubility and b*. The individual linear effect of the independent variables (the concentrations of gelatin, whey protein and chitosan) significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) the water vapor permeability (WVP), strength and solubility of the edible films. The WVP of the edible films varied from 0.90 to 1.62 × 10−11 g.m/Pa.s.m2, the resistance to traction varied from 0.47 MPa to 3.03 MPa and the solubility varied from 51.06% to 87%. The optimized values indicated that the CEF prepared with a quantity of 4 g, 5 g and 3 g of gelatin, whey protein and chitosan, respectively, provided the CEF with a smooth, continuous and transparent surface, with L values that resulted in a light-yellow hue, a lower WVP, a maximum strength (resistance to traction) and a lower solubility. The results revealed that the optimized formulation of the CEF of G–W–C allowed a good validation of the prediction model and could be applied, in an effective manner, to the food packaging industry, which could help in mitigating the environmental issues associated with synthetic packaging materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Biomolecules: Emerging Technologies Towards Novel Food Formulation Development)
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19 pages, 13828 KiB  
Article
Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot, Chaenomeles superba Lindl. and Cornus mas L. Leaf Extracts as Natural Preservatives for Pork Meat Products
by Magdalena Efenberger-Szmechtyk, Ilona Gałązka-Czarnecka, Anna Otlewska, Agata Czyżowska and Agnieszka Nowak
Molecules 2021, 26(10), 3009; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26103009 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3091
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using Aronia melanocarpa, Chaenomeles superba, and Cornus mas leaf extracts as natural preservatives for pork meat products. Pork sausages were stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (80% N2 [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using Aronia melanocarpa, Chaenomeles superba, and Cornus mas leaf extracts as natural preservatives for pork meat products. Pork sausages were stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (80% N2 and 20% CO2) at 4 °C for 29 days. The total psychrotrophic counts (TPC) were determined during the storage period, along with the numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The extracts improved the microbial quality of the meat products but to a lesser extent than sodium nitrate (III). They reduced the amounts of Enterobacteriaceae and LAB. The A.melanocarpa leaf extract showed the strongest preservative effect. The bacterial biodiversity of the meat products was investigated based on high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Two predominant bacteria phyla were identified, Proteobacteria and Firmucutes, mostly consisting of genera Photobacterium, Brochothrix, and Carnobacterium. The extracts also influenced microbial community in sausages decreasing or increasing bacterial relative abundance. The extracts significantly inhibited lipid oxidation and improved the water-holding capacity of the meat, with C. superba extract showing the strongest influence. In addition, A. melanocarpa and C. superba improved the redness (a*) of the sausages. The results of this study show that A. melanocarpa, C. superba, and C. mas leaf extracts can extend the shelf life of meat products stored in MAP at 4 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Biomolecules: Emerging Technologies Towards Novel Food Formulation Development)
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11 pages, 2981 KiB  
Article
Potential Risks of Plant Constituents in Dietary Supplements: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Peganum harmala Seeds
by Matilde Calderoni, Maddalena Altare, Luca Mastracci, Federica Grillo, Laura Cornara and Aldo Pagano
Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1368; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051368 - 4 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
The free online trading of herbal mixtures useful for various purposes facilitates the circulation of dangerous herbs or plant parts. This is the case, for example, of the illegal trade in seeds of Peganum harmala (Pgh), which contain alkaloids capable of [...] Read more.
The free online trading of herbal mixtures useful for various purposes facilitates the circulation of dangerous herbs or plant parts. This is the case, for example, of the illegal trade in seeds of Peganum harmala (Pgh), which contain alkaloids capable of inhibiting monoamine oxidase (MAO) and are therefore used in hallucinogenic preparations, such as the psychedelic drink ayahuasca. The precise identification of these seeds and their distinction from other very similar but not dangerous seeds are necessary for forensic purposes and represents an advance in avoiding the adulteration of mixtures. In this work, we show the qualitative identification of Pgh seeds by optical and electron microscopy and the parallel development of a real-time qPCR test, which reveals, in a species-specific manner, the presence of Pgh DNA up to quantities lower than 1 pg. In addition to the species specificity and high sensitivity, the reaction accurately quantifies the presence of seeds or parts of seeds of Pgh in complex herbal mixtures, thus giving an indication of the danger or otherwise of the product. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Biomolecules: Emerging Technologies Towards Novel Food Formulation Development)
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