Comparative Assessment of the Nutritional Profile of Meat Products and Their Plant-Based Analogues.

Vegetarian and vegan diets are increasingly being adopted in Spain, a trend mainly driven by ethical concerns for animal welfare and the environment. This has resulted in a growing market for plant-based substitutes of meat products. However, available data on the nutritional value of such meat analogues in Mediterranean countries are still limited.

Occurrence of Polyamines in Foods and the Influence of Cooking Processes.

Dietary polyamines are involved in different aspects of human health and play an important role in the prevention of certain chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Different polyamines can be found in all foods in variable amounts. Moreover, several culinary practices have been reported to modify the content and profile of these bioactive compounds in food although experimental data are still scarce and even contradictory.

Polyamines in Food.

The polyamines spermine, spermidine, and putrescine are involved in various biological processes, notably in cell proliferation and differentiation, and also have antioxidant properties. Dietary polyamines have important implications in human health, mainly in the intestinal maturation and in the differentiation and development of immune system. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of polyamine can also play an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.

The intracellular metabolism of isoflavones in endothelial cells.

Data from epidemiological and human intervention studies have highlighted potential cardiovascular benefits of soy isoflavone-containing foods. In humans, genistein and daidzein are extensively metabolized after absorption into glucuronides and sulfate metabolites. However, limited data exist on isoflavone cellular metabolism, in particular in endothelial cells.

Influence of ultra-high-pressure homogenization treatment on the phytosterols, tocopherols, and polyamines of almond beverage.

Ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) is an emerging technology based on the dynamic application of high pressure to obtain safe and high-quality liquid foods. The effect of six UHPH treatments at 200 and 300 MPa with different inlet temperatures (T(in)) (55, 65, and 75 °C) on the content of tocopherols, polyamines, and phytosterols of almond beverage was studied in comparison with the base product. Total tocopherol contents decreased about 80-90% as temperature and pressure increased, and whereas both parameters affected the tocopherol content, especially the effect of temperature was noticeable.

Uptake and metabolism of (-)-epicatechin in endothelial cells.

Accumulating evidence suggest that diets rich in cocoa flavanols may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. The major cocoa flavanol monomer, (-)-epicatechin (EC), is readily absorbed and circulates primarily as glucuronidated, sulfated, and O-methylated metabolites in human plasma. However, cellular metabolism, for example in endothelial cells, is less well defined.