A Critical Review of Bioactive Food Components, and of their Functional Mechanisms, Biological Effects and Health Outcomes.

Background: Eating behaviours are closely related to some medical conditions potentially leading to death such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Healthy eating practices, maintaining a normal weight, and regular physical activity could prevent up to 80% of coronary heart disease, 90% of type-2 diabetes and onethird of all cancers [1].

Method: Over the last two decades, the food industry has invested much effort in research and development of healthier, more nutritious foods.

A Critical Review of the Characterization of Polyphenol-Protein Interactions and of Their Potential Use for Improving Food Quality.

Background: Interest in protein-phenol interactions in biological systems has grown substantially in recent decades.

Methods: The interest has focused largely on food systems in response to reports on the prominent roles of phenolic compounds in nutrition and health.

Results: Phenolic compounds can have both favourable and adverse nutritional effects.

Perspective on pre- and post-natal agro-food exposure to persistent organic pollutants and their effects on quality of life.

Background: Adipose tissue constitutes a continual source of internal exposure to organic pollutants (OPs). When fats mobilize during pregnancy and breastfeeding, OPs could affect foetal and neonatal development, respectively.

Scope And Approach: The main aim of this review is to deal with pre- and post-natal external exposure to organic pollutants and their effects on health, proposing prevention measures to reduce their risk.

Optimisation of cheese whey enzymatic hydrolysis and further continuous production of antimicrobial extracts by Lactobacillus plantarum CECT-221.

The enzymatic hydrolysis of cheese whey was optimised using the enzymes iZyme, Alcalase or Flavourzyme under different conditions. Hydrolysates supplemented with commercial nutrients were evaluated as fermentation broths to produce DL-3-Phenyllactic acid (PLA) from phenylalanine (Phe) by Lactobacillus plantarum CECT-221. Optimised hydrolysates were obtained using Flavourzyme at 50 °C and 100 rpm during 12 h, and assayed in 250 ml Erlenemyer flasks using different proportions of vinasses as economic nutrient.

Identification and molecular characterization of oat peptides implicated on coeliac immune response.

Background: Oats provide important nutritional and pharmacological properties, although their safety in coeliac patients remains controversial. Previous studies have confirmed that the reactivity of the anti-33-mer monoclonal antibody with different oat varieties is proportional to the immune responses in terms of T-cell proliferation. Although the impact of these varieties on the adaptive response has been studied, the role of the dendritic cells (DC) is still poorly understood.

Organic pollutants profiling of wood ashes from biomass power plants linked to the ash characteristics.

Purpose: Wood ash, characterized by high content of certain nutrients and charcoal, can be applied to soils as a means of managing this waste product improving the soil quality. The associated environmental risk must be assessed. The objective of this study was to characterize the bottom and fly ash collected from 15 biomass power plants in Spain by determining the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and styrene (BTEX+S), PAHs and aliphatic hydrocarbon contents of both types of ash.

A critical review on the applications of artificial neural networks in winemaking technology.

Since their development in 1943, artificial neural networks were extended into applications in many fields. Last twenty years have brought their introduction into winery, where they were applied following four basic purposes: authenticity assurance systems, electronic sensory devices, production optimization methods, and artificial vision in image treatment tools, with successful and promising results. This work reviews the most significant approaches for neural networks in winemaking technologies with the aim of producing a clear and useful review document.

Production, Purification, and in Vitro Evaluation of the Prebiotic Potential of Arabinoxylooligosaccharides from Brewer's Spent Grain.

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) samples were subjected to a two-step aqueous processing (starch extraction and autohydrolysis) in order to assess their potential as a raw material for obtaining a mixture of arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) suitable to be use as prebiotics for elderly. After hydrothermal treatment, the liquors were refined by a sequence of purification and conditioning steps including membrane filtration, enzymatic hydrolysis, and ion exchange. The presence of both substituted (degree of polimerization (DP) = 2-10) and unsubstituted (DP = 2-16) oligosaccharides made up of xylose and arabinose (AXOS) were confirmed in purified mixtures (in which total OS content = 84% w/w) by using chromatographic techniques and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Challenges in relating concentrations of aromas and tastes with flavor features of foods.

Flavor sensations in food are highly influenced by the aroma and taste compounds. Reviewing the extensive literature of recent years in this field has shown that the reconstitution of flavor based on aroma and taste compounds poses numerous problems. These are of different nature and include among others (a) chemical transformations among these compounds, (b) changes in the concentrations of the compounds responsible for the perceived flavor, (c) interactions among the chemical compounds that enhance or reduce a specific flavor sensation, and finally, (d) the complexity of the different food matrices and its influence in the flavor perception.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method development for monitoring stress-related corticosteroids levels in pig saliva.

Biochemical response stressors results in an increase of adrenocortical activity. Before knowing the corticosteroid levels in saliva in a stressful situation, baselines salivary levels should be established. A method for simultaneous determination of five corticosteroids was developed, validated and applied to pig saliva at farms.

Wine aroma compounds in grapes: a critical review.

Volatile organic compounds are vital to wine quality, determining their aroma and varietal characteristics. Which are present, and in what quantity, depends on the cultivar, the situation and soil of the vineyard, weather, cultivation methods, and wine-making practices. Here, we review the literature on the development of wine aroma compounds in grapes, and how it is affected by the above-named factors.

A review on the fermentation of foods and the residues of pesticides-biotransformation of pesticides and effects on fermentation and food quality.

Residues of pesticides in food are influenced by processing such as fermentation. Reviewing the extensive literature showed that in most cases, this step leads to large reductions in original residue levels in the fermented food, with the formation of new pesticide by-products. The behavior of residues in fermentation can be rationalized in terms of the physical-chemical properties of the pesticide and the nature of the process.

Effects of sugar concentration processes in grapes and wine aging on aroma compounds of sweet wines—a review.

Dessert sweet wines from Europe and North America are described in this review from two points of view: both their aroma profile and also their sensorial description. There are growing literature data about the chemical composition and sensory properties of these wines. Wines were grouped according to the production method (concentration of sugars in grapes) and to the aging process of wine (oxidative, biological, or a combination of both and aging in the bottle).

A Critical Review about Human Exposure to Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins (PCDDs), Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) through Foods.

Dioxins include polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and part of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Only the compounds that are chlorinated at the 2,3,7, and 8 positions have characteristic dioxin toxicity. PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs accumulate in the food chain due to their high lipophilicity, high stability, and low vapor pressure.

Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in both products and by-products of a mussel shell incinerator facility.

Purpose: Solid waste incineration has recently attracted much attention because the combustion process involved produces highly toxic organohalogen contaminants such as dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) present in fly ash. This has raised the need for simple, rapid, accurate methods for monitoring PCBs in ash samples.

Methods: A method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of indicator, non-ortho and mono-ortho PCBs based on ultrasound-assisted extraction with 50:50 (v/v) n-hexane/acetone was developed, validated, and subsequently applied to real samples from a mussel shell incinerator facility in Galicia.

A review on the fate of pesticides during the processes within the food-production Chain.

Only the intake of toxicologically-significant amounts can lead to adverse health effects even for a relatively toxic substance. In the case of residues in foods this is based on two major aspects--first, how to determine quantitatively the presence of a pollutant in individual foods and diets, including its fate during the processes within the food production chain; and second, how to determine the consumption patterns of the individual foods containing the relevant pollutants. The techniques used for the evaluation of the fate of pesticides during food processing have been critically reviewed in this paper to determine those areas where improvements are needed or desirable.