Antioxidant Capacity of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Essential Oil and Its Effect on In Vivo Fertility of Rams Subjected to Testicle Heat Stress.

The detrimental effects of hyperthermia on the testes and the protective effect of thyme essential oil against testicular damage induced by this stress in rams were studied. Twenty-four rams of the Barbarine breed with an average weight of 62.5 ± 0.

Biochemical characterization of a recombinant laccase from Halalkalibacterium halodurans C-125 and its application in the biotransformation of organic compounds.

Objectives: This study aimed to produce an engineered recombinant laccase from extremophilic Halalkalibacterium halodurans C-125 (Lac-HhC-125) with higher protein yield, into a more active conformation and with properties that meet the fundamental needs of biotechnological application.

Results: The rLac-HhC125 was partially purified by size exclusion chromatography and concentrated by ultrafiltration (10 kDa) with a yield of 57.6%.

Insights on the Tunisian Prickly Pear Molasses as a Potential Antifibrotic and Antioxidant Candidate against Lung Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive interstitial disease leading to pulmonary damage and respiratory failure. We aimed to investigate the effect of prickly pear molasses (PPM) on an experimental model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin (BLM) in Wistar rat. Animals were divided into 5 groups: the control group (G1), the BLM group (G2) and three groups (G3, G4, G5) receiving a single intra-tracheal injection of BLM (4 mg/kg) and PPM (at 2, 4.

Harnessing the Health and Techno-Functional Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria: A Comprehensive Review.

This review examines the techno-functional properties of lactic acid bacteria (LABs) in the food industry, focusing on their potential health benefits. We discuss current findings related to the techno-functionality of LAB, which includes acidification, proteolytic and lipolytic features, and a variety of other biochemical activities. These activities include the production of antimicrobial compounds and the synthesis of exopolysaccharides that improve food safety and consumer sensory experience.

Comparison of Milk Kefirs Obtained from Cow's, Ewe's and Goat's Milk: Antioxidant Role of Microbial-Derived Exopolysaccharides.

Different types of milk are used in the production of milk kefir, but little information is available on the release of potentially antioxidant exopolysaccharides (EPS). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the microbial dynamics and EPS release are dependent on the milk substrate. In our study, the inoculated microbial consortium was driven differently by each type of milk (cow, ewe, and goat).

Phytoprostanes and phytofurans: Bioactive compounds in aerial parts of Acacia cyanophylla Lindl.

The relevance of oxylipins as biomarkers of oxidative stress has been established in recent years. Phytoprostanes and phytofurans are plant metabolites derived from peroxidation of α-linolenic acid (ALA) induced by ROS. Previous findings have suggested new valuable biological properties for these new active compounds in the frame of diverse pathophysiological situations and health constraints.

Human Umbilical Cord Blood Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Control Important Endothelial Cell Functions.

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a pivotal role in the repair of diseases in which angiogenesis is required. Although they are a potentially valuable cell therapy tool, their clinical use remains limited due to suboptimal storage conditions and, especially, long-term immune rejection. EPC-derived extracellular vesicles (EPC-EVs) may be an alternative to EPCs given their key role in cell-cell communication and expression of the same parental markers.

Recent Developments in Polyphenol Applications on Human Health: A Review with Current Knowledge.

Polyphenol has been used in treatment for some health disorders due to their diverse health promoting properties. These compounds can reduce the impacts of oxidation on the human body, prevent the organs and cell structure against deterioration and protect their functional integrity. The health promoting abilities are attributed to their high bioactivity imparting them high antioxidative, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activity, as well as anticancer properties.

The risks of marine micro/nano-plastics on seafood safety and human health.

A considerable mass of plastics has been released into the marine environment annually through different human activities, including industrial, agriculture, medical, pharmaceutical and daily care products. These materials are decomposed into smaller particles such as microplastic (MP) and nanoplastic (NP). Hence, these particles can be transported and distributed in coastal and aquatic areas and are ingested by the majority of marine biotas, including seafood products, thus causing the contamination of the different parts of aquatic ecosystems.

Optimization of Extraction Parameters and Characterization of Tunisian Date Extract: A Scientific Approach Toward Their Utilization.

Unlabelled: The response surface methodology (RSM) was used in order to select the extraction conditions of extract from Kentichi date powder; a by-product of the date-processing process. Powder/solvent ratio, extraction temperature, and extraction time all had an impact on sugar yield, and these model factors have quadratic effects influencing sugar yield. Optimal extraction was obtained with 300 g/L powder/solvent ratio, 32.

Bread Surplus: A Cumulative Waste or a Staple Material for High-Value Products?

Food waste has been widely valorized in the past years in order to develop eco-friendly materials. Among others, bread waste is currently of increasing interest, as it is considered a huge global issue with serious environmental impacts and significant economic losses that have become even greater in the post-pandemic years due to an increase in cereal prices, which has led to higher production costs and bread prices. Owing to its richness in polysaccharides, bread waste has been previously studied for its physico-chemical characteristics and its numerous biotechnological applications.

Contribution of polysaccharides from crustacean in fermented food products.

Fermented foods are of great importance for their role in preserving nutrients and enriching the human diet. Fermentation ensures longer shelf life and microbiological safety of food. Natural bioactive compounds have been paid attention as nutraceuticals or functional ingredients, which have health-promoting components since polysaccharides, especially chitosan, chitin and their derivatives, are biocompatible and biodegradable, biorenewable, without toxic properties and environmentally friendly.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Seafood Safety and Human Health.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused several negative impacts on global human health and the world's economy. Food and seafood safety and security were among the principal challenges and causes of concern for the food industry and consumers during the spread of this global pandemic. This article focused on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on potential safety issues with seafood products and their processing methods.

The Tower of Babel of Pharma-Food Study on Extra Virgin Olive Oil Polyphenols.

Much research has been conducted to reveal the functional properties of extra virgin olive oil polyphenols on human health once EVOO is consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet, as in the Mediterranean lifestyle. Despite the huge variety of research conducted, only one effect of EVOO polyphenols has been formally approved by EFSA as a health claim. This is probably because EFSA's scientific opinion is entrusted to scientific expertise about food and medical sciences, which adopt very different investigative methods and experimental languages, generating a gap in the scientific communication that is essential for the enhancement of the potentially useful effects of EVOO polyphenols on health.

Bioactive antioxidant coatings for poly(lactic acid) packaging films: polyphenols affect coating structure and their release in a food simulant.

Background: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) has limited uses for moist and acidic foods due to its barrier properties, which are fairly poor, and its sensitivity to moisture.

Results: Deposition of thin coatings based on natural biopolymers (gelatin) incorporating bioactive agents has allowed the development of active packaging materials while maintaining their biodegradability and their food contact material ability. Gelatin coatings containing two phenolic acids (tannic and gallic) have been tested.

Effects of Growth Medium Variation on the Nutri-Functional Properties of Microalgae Used for the Enrichment of Ricotta.

Research Background: Microalgae represent an emergent sustainable source of bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids that can ameliorate the nutritional characteristics of foods. The biochemical composition of microalgae could be modulated by varying the culture conditions to enhance the accumulation of biomolecules of interest. The aim of this work is to optimise the nutri-functional properties of two microalgae that can be used in food production.

Optimization of Enzymatic Degreasing of Sheep Leather for an Efficient Approach and Leather Quality Improvement Using Fractional Experimental Design.

Leather industry is making significant contributions to economic development. However, it is notably leading to a serious environmental pollution. Recently, the enzyme technology developments offer new opportunities for enzymatic application in leather making.

Improved Arabic Alphabet Characters Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN).

Handwritten characters recognition is a challenging research topic. A lot of works have been present to recognize letters of different languages. The availability of Arabic handwritten characters databases is limited.

Chemical Characterization of Different Products from the Tunisian (L.) Mill.

Various dried (by-)products from the Tunisian were elucidated for their proximate composition, fatty acid (FA) composition, inorganic elements, sugars, and polyphenols. Nopal and prickly pear peel and seeds were abundant in fiber (respectively, 28.39, 12.

Evidence for enhanced dissipation of chlorpyrifos in an agricultural soil inoculated with Serratia rubidaea strain ABS 10.

The insecticide C-chlorpyrifos was found mineralized in a Tunisian soil with repeated exposure to it. From this soil, a bacterial strain was isolated that was able to grow in a minimal salt medium (MSM) supplemented with 25 mg L of chlorpyrifos. It was characterized as Serratia rubidaea strain ABS 10 using morphological and biochemical analyses, as well as 16S rRNA sequencing.

Antimicrobial effect of laurel essential oil nanoemulsion on food-borne pathogens and fish spoilage bacteria.

This research aimed to apply nanotechnology for nanoformulation of Laurus nobilis essential oil (EO) by ultrasonic emulsification method and characterization of nano-form: particle size, viscosity, polydispersity index, thermodynamic stability, and surface tension. The antimicrobial activity of laurel EO nanoemulsion (LEON) and laurel EO was also investigated against a panel of ten food-borne pathogens and fish spoilage bacteria. The GC-MS analysis of EO revealed that 1,8-Cineole was the main volatile compound.

Nano-technological approaches for plant and marine-based polysaccharides for nano-encapsulations and their applications in food industry.

Novel food preservation methods, along with preservatives have been employed to prevent food products from spoilage. There is an increasing demand to substitute synthetic preservatives with natural bioactive compounds since they are safe and environmentally friendly. Bioactive compounds with functional and therapeutic properties are found in foods and have also beneficial physiological and immunological health effects.

Functional Exploitation of Carob, Oat Flour, and Whey Permeate as Substrates for a Novel Kefir-Like Fermented Beverage: An Optimized Formulation.

This study investigated the fortification of a carob-based kefir-like beverage (KLB) with whey permeate (WP) and oat flour (OF). The response surface method was used to show the effect of WP and OF concentrations on lactic acid bacteria and yeast cell densities, pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), total phenolics content (TCP), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and overall acceptability (OA) in KLB. The statistical design provided thirteen formulations where OF concentration varied from 3% to 5% and WP from 10% to 15%.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial preservatives: Properties, mechanism of action and applications in food - a review.

In the food industry, there is a need to use the properties of antioxidants and antimicrobials effectively to prevent microbial growth in foods, as well as to retard the oxidation of fats to delay rancidity. Nevertheless, the emerging concern about the negative effects of synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials on consumers' health along with the advantages of natural substances have led to more fundamental research to investigate the mechanism of action and toxicity of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials. There is also a need to establish in each country an appropriate regulatory scheme to assure consumers of the safety and efficacy of these materials.