Dominic N Farsi, Harsh Mathur, Tom Beresford, Paul D Cotter
{"title":"Cottage cheese, a relatively underexplored cultured dairy product with potential health benefits?","authors":"Dominic N Farsi, Harsh Mathur, Tom Beresford, Paul D Cotter","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2487682","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2487682","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cottage cheese (CC) is a member of the \"fresh cheese\" family of cheeses and is widely consumed due to its culinary versatility and some perceived health benefits. However, the evidence of direct health effects of CC is not well established. This review describes the production and nutritional characteristics of CC, before exploring the evidence of health effects from human intervention, <i>in vitro</i>, and <i>in vivo</i> models. Despite widespread consumption and advocated health benefits, there is a dearth of evidence pertaining to the health effects of CC from high-quality human randomized controlled trials. To date, a limited number of human intervention models with CC have explored nutrient bioavailability, metabolic health, and appetite regulation, in small, niche study populations. Findings with <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> models suggest that CC may be an efficacious vehicle for bioactive compounds. In conclusion, CC is a cultured dairy product that could impose a myriad of benefits across health outcomes including cardiometabolic, gastrointestinal, body composition, appetite regulation, and nutrient status. However, there is a need for high-quality human randomized controlled trials to develop a substantiated evidence base relating to the full potential of CC in human health.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143794545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microalgae as an emerging alternative raw material of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid - a review.","authors":"Tanishka Sharma, Nisha Das, Preeti Mehta Kakkar, Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Sudheer Pamidimarri, Ravi Kant Singh, Manish Kumar, Abhishek Guldhe, Manoranjan Nayak","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2486267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2486267","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been widely applied due to their nutraceutical and healthcare benefits. With the rising rates of chronic diseases, there is a growing consumer interest and demand for sustainable dietary sources of n-3 PUFAs. Currently, microalgae have emerged as a sustainable source of n-3 PUFAs which are rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), regarded as promising alternatives to conventional sources (seafood) that cannot meet the growing demands of natural food supplements. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in strategies such as genetic engineering, mutagenesis, improving photosynthetic efficiency, nutritional or environmental factors, and cultivation approaches to improve DHA and EPA production efficiency in microalgae cells. Additionally, it explains the application of DHA and EPA-rich microalgae in animal feed, human nutrition- snacks, and supplements to avoid malnutrition and non-communicable diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143794569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taolin Li, Yijia Zhang, Weiwei Cheng, Tiantian Wang, Shuai Hou, Siqi Zhao, Leiqing Pan, Min Chen, Chao Ding, Qiang Liu
{"title":"Advancements in DNAzyme-based biosensors for the detection of hazardous substances in foodstuff: current applications and future perspectives.","authors":"Taolin Li, Yijia Zhang, Weiwei Cheng, Tiantian Wang, Shuai Hou, Siqi Zhao, Leiqing Pan, Min Chen, Chao Ding, Qiang Liu","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2486268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2486268","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>DNAzyme-based biosensors have emerged as a promising tool for ensuring food safety due to their high sensitivity, specificity, and potential for rapid, cost-effective detection of hazardous substances. These biosensors leverage DNAzymes-catalytically active DNA molecules-to detect a range of contaminants, including metal ions, fungal toxins, pesticides, and pathogens. While DNAzyme-based biosensors show significant advantages over conventional techniques, challenges such as nuclease degradation, interference from complex sample matrices, and the high costs associated with DNAzyme synthesis still hinder their widespread application. Recent advancements in the stability of DNAzymes, their immobilization strategies, and integration with nanomaterials are progressively addressing these limitations, enhancing the performance and reliability of DNAzyme-based sensors. This review highlights the structural and catalytic characteristics of DNAzymes, assesses their current applications in food safety, and discusses innovative strategies to overcome existing challenges. The continuous evolution of DNAzyme-based biosensors, particularly in design and device integration, holds great promise for their future role in routine, reliable food analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143794371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Liposome-mediated encapsulation of probiotics: current status, challenges and future directions.","authors":"Jing Liu, Zhenchun Sun, Shaoquan Liu, Yuyun Lu, Chaofan Guo, Jianxin Cao, Xuejiao Wang, Xingwei Wang","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2480169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2480169","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Probiotics play a crucial role in maintaining human health, particularly in intestinal health. However, their application has been hindered by issues related to their stability, survival through the gastrointestinal tract, and effective delivery to target sites. Encapsulating probiotics within liposomes not only protects them from environmental factors such as light, oxygen, and temperature but also shields them from harmful influences like gastric acid and bile. In addition, encapsulation promotes growth, release, and absorption of probiotics in the intestines. This study reviews the characteristics of probiotics and liposomes and their application advantages, and discusses the current state of knowledge of the delivery of probiotics through liposomes. Additionally, the study investigates how the digestive process affects the performance of liposomes and probiotics, focusing on the structural changes that occur in both probiotics and probiotic-loaded liposomes. Finally, the study discusses the challenges and future directions in the field of liposome-delivered probiotics. Liposome delivery of probiotics represents an innovative technology that significantly enhances the stability and bioavailability of probiotics, thereby offering improved protection for individuals' intestinal health. This novel approach creates new possibilities and advantages for probiotics in the realm of intestinal health and is anticipated to receive broader applications in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ejovi Akpojevwe Abafe, Nick W Smith, Thomas M R Maxwell, Warren C McNabb
{"title":"Trends in micronutrient research since the SDGs: a global perspective.","authors":"Ejovi Akpojevwe Abafe, Nick W Smith, Thomas M R Maxwell, Warren C McNabb","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2483801","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2483801","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sustainable food systems have become a central focus in efforts to combat micronutrient malnutrition, with increasing recognition of their role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article presents a bibliometric analysis of micronutrient research from 2015 to 2023, examining trends and thematic clusters within the SDGs framework. Using data from the Web of Science and science mapping techniques, the study identifies key trends and thematic clusters that highlight evolving research priorities. Four major trends emerge: the application of machine learning, the exploration of macroalgae for their micronutrient potential, the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in biofortification, and concerns about heavy metal contamination in food. Research clusters show a strong focus on bone health, particularly osteoporosis and vitamin D, which align with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Yet research on micronutrient deficiencies, such as those in iron, zinc, and vitamin A, remains underrepresented despite their high global impact on malnutrition, especially in low- and middle-income countries, raising concerns about whether research priorities sufficiently address the SDGs. This study highlights the need for more targeted research to align with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The article concludes by stressing the importance to balance cutting-edge technological advances with a renewed emphasis to address critical micronutrient gaps to improve global nutrition and align with sustainable food system goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143763262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessio Sergiacomo, Andrea Bresciani, Alessandra Marti
{"title":"Sprouting of oats: a review on the relationship between processing conditions and chemico-physical properties of flour.","authors":"Alessio Sergiacomo, Andrea Bresciani, Alessandra Marti","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2479651","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2479651","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite its nutritional value, oat is underutilized for human consumption due to sensory and technological issues. To increase oat use in food products, sprouting has been proposed to enhance its compositional, sensory and functional properties. This review examined 31 papers from the last two decades on the impact of sprouting and processing conditions on oat chemical, physical, and technological attributes. The review outlines the biochemical changes during sprouting and the mechanisms behind them, critically evaluating the impact of sprouting duration and temperature. Results showed high variability in processing conditions, often lacking details about raw material origin and conditions like relative humidity. Most studies focused on small-scale production, with no evidence that changes are maintained at a large scale. Common sprouting conditions identified were soaking for 12 h at 20 °C, sprouting for 48 h at 25 °C, and freeze-drying or drying for 24 h at 50 °C. This review provides valuable insights into the interplay between processing conditions and chemico-physical properties of sprouted oat, noting that few studies investigated the functional properties of flour and related products. Understanding these relationships is crucial for harnessing sprouting's potential as a sustainable approach to oat flour production, enhancing the quality and functionality of various food products.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143763260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peichun Xie, Zeyuan Ma, Xiaoshuang Yang, Huixin Pan, Peiyi Shen, Hengjun Du, Yong Cao, Jie Xiao, Hang Xiao, Mingyue Song
{"title":"The regulatory effects and mechanisms of plant food-derived bioactive components on gut barrier function and intestinal homeostasis: a comprehensive review.","authors":"Peichun Xie, Zeyuan Ma, Xiaoshuang Yang, Huixin Pan, Peiyi Shen, Hengjun Du, Yong Cao, Jie Xiao, Hang Xiao, Mingyue Song","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2481983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2481983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The gut barrier, composed of physical, secretory, immunological, and biological components, serves as the first line of defense against external threats. The commensal microbiota not only functions as a biological barrier to maintain intestinal homeostasis but also produces metabolites that regulate gut barrier integrity. Increasing evidence suggests that gut barrier dysfunction is linked to gastrointestinal diseases, autoimmune disorders, and neurological conditions. Plant food-derived bioactive components exhibit diverse bioactivities, including the ability to modulate gut microbiota and improve gut barrier function, potentially preventing chronic diseases. This review explores the mechanisms underlying gut barrier disruption caused by drugs, diet, pathogenic infections, diseases, and alcohol. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive summary of the beneficial effects of specific plant food-derived bioactive components on gut barrier function and intestinal homeostasis, along with their underlying mechanisms. By elucidating these interactions, this review offers valuable insights for developing safer, more effective, and affordable plant-based strategies to prevent or mitigate gut barrier dysfunction. Understanding the role of plant food-derived bioactive compounds in gut health may contribute to novel dietary interventions aimed at strengthening intestinal defenses and reducing the risk of chronic diseases associated with gut barrier impairment.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-24"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143718207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lichun Liu, Ziye Zhang, Hang Xiao, Zhenxing Li, Hong Lin
{"title":"Dietary AGEs and food allergy: insights into the mechanisms of AGEs-induced food allergy and mitigation strategies.","authors":"Lichun Liu, Ziye Zhang, Hang Xiao, Zhenxing Li, Hong Lin","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2481990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2481990","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food allergy (FA) is a significant public health concern, with over one billion individuals globally affected, and its prevalence continues to rise. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are common hazards in various diet. Recent investigations have shown that AGEs could influence the pathogenesis of FA by interacting with AGEs receptors. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advances on diet AGEs, summarized the mechanisms of AGEs in regulating food allergy and mitigation strategies, analyzed the limitations of current research on AGEs and prospected the future research. AGEs could combine with the receptors for AGEs (RAGE) to induce oxidative stress, inflammation and allergic signaling pathways. AGEs can affect allergen epitopes and conformation and regulate intestinal flora in a non-receptor-dependent manner, as well as affect the intestinal barrier and Th1/Th2 immune balance through receptor-dependent pathways to regulate food allergy. Currently, the approaches to reduce the AGEs-induced food allergy mainly depended on improving food processing methods (e.g., low temperature, short time, low pH and non-thermal processing methods), natural AGEs inhibitors and RAGE inhibitors. This review elucidates the influences of AGEs on food allergy and mitigation strategies, which could provide novel insights into reducing food allergy induced by diet AGEs.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143699887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sisi Chen, Keke Suo, Qiaozhen Kang, Jiaqing Zhu, Yanling Shi, Juanjuan Yi, Jike Lu
{"title":"Active induction: a promising strategy for enhancing the bioactivity of lactic acid bacteria.","authors":"Sisi Chen, Keke Suo, Qiaozhen Kang, Jiaqing Zhu, Yanling Shi, Juanjuan Yi, Jike Lu","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2479069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2479069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as key probiotic, play crucial roles in maintaining human health. However, their survival and functionality in diverse habitats depend on their ability to sense and respond to environmental stresses. Notably, active induction has emerged as a promising strategy for regulating the biological activity of LAB, potentially enhancing their health benefits. Therefore, this review summarizes the beneficial effects of active induction, including acid, bile, oxidation, ethanol, heat, cold, and radiation induction on the functional activities of LAB. In addition, omics methods, <i>in silico</i> analysis, and gene editing technologies have greatly facilitated the profound exploration of the stress regulatory network in LAB, thereby aiding the identification of active components and stress adaptors. Through these advancements, LAB provide health benefits by regulating stress-related genes and proteins, as well as inducing bioactive metabolite production. As a result, they could enhance stress tolerance, cross-protection, intestinal colonization, adhesion properties, and provide antialcohol and liver protection <i>in vitro</i> or <i>in vivo</i>. This study highlights the potential of active induction strategies in enhancing the functional role of LAB in food applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Positional distribution of DHA in triacylglycerols: natural sources, synthetic routes, and nutritional properties.","authors":"Feng Li, Yibing Ning, Yiren Zhang, Huidong Huang, Qingbin Yuan, Xingguo Wang, Wei Wei","doi":"10.1080/10408398.2025.2479071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2025.2479071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) present in high quantities in the mammalian brain and is a precursor of several metabolites. Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of dietary DHA in infants and adults. Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the most abundant components of many natural oils, and in specific oils (e.g., fish, algal oils, etc.), they represent the main molecular form of dietary DHA. The positional distribution of DHA in the TAG glycerol backbone (<i>sn</i>-2 vs. <i>sn</i>-1/3) varied among different sources. Recent studies have shown that in human breast milk, DHA is mainly esterified at the <i>sn</i>-2 position (∼50% DHA of the total DHA), thus attracting research interest regarding the nutritional properties of <i>sn</i>-2 DHA. In this review, we summarize the different sources of TAG in natural oils with high amounts of DHA, including fish, algae, and marine mammal oils, with a focus on their positional distribution. Methods for analyzing the distribution of fatty acids in TAG of high-PUFA oils are discussed, and the lipase-catalyzed synthetic routes of specific triacylglycerols with <i>sn</i>-2 DHA are summarized. Furthermore, we discuss the recent research progress on the nutritional properties of DHA associated with its positional distribution on TAGs.</p>","PeriodicalId":10767,"journal":{"name":"Critical reviews in food science and nutrition","volume":" ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}