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Edible native flora, or ' Bushfoods ' of Australia include a diverse range of novel species in terms of their flavours and natural colours. Bushfoods have been recognised for high bio-active phytonutrient content. Bushfoods are also Traditionally valuable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, where industry participation facilitates capital and social benefits to remote communities. Currently, the suitability of native Australian plants for use as natural food flavouring and colourings is unknown, particularly in 'fringe' species which have minimal market adoption. Therefore, an appraisal of bushfoods suitability for natural additives is needed to promote new sector growth. This review presents key fields relevant to appraising the suitability of bushfoods for development of natural additives. The relevant fields are market assessment of natural additives and consumer motivations, directions of natural compound extraction , assessment of valuable fringe bushfoods species, and ethical and technical challenges to industry participation. The growth of the bushfoods industry can be facilitated through natural additives development. Consumer trends are dictating industry adoption of natural food additives. Consumers are expected to be receptive of bushfoods derived additives, particularly in the Australian domestic market. Bushfoods are found to contain significant phytochemical content. Research focus on natural additive application of these compounds is presently minimal. An assessment of native Australian flora resulted in a high likelihood of identifying valuable species for natural additives investigation, with a collection of 17 fringe species being identified and summarised from literature. However, technical risks include a lack of food safety assessment of fringe species, as well as maintaining ethical development which observes Traditional Owner's rights and complies with the Nagoya Protocol. The review finds that natural additives development using bushfoods is practical, though further market surveying, food safety investigation, and ethical food industry participation are necessary to facilitate industry application. • Presents 19 new bushfoods suitable for natural additives. • Describes an ethical pathway for non-indigenous industry participants. • Discusses opportunities for the social and economic empowerment of indigenous people. • Explores unique sources of flavours and colours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oleoresins are concentrated extracts from plants, spices, and herbs which have been studied as additives in foods. Extracted from natural sources by different techniques, they are potential substitutes for synthetic additives. They can promote antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activity to products. The solvent extraction method is the most used, but new technologies considered green are being applied. Also, the microencapsulation of these extracts has been explored as a way to protect and facilitate the delivery of active compounds in food. This review summarizes the most used oleoresin extraction methods, the main extracts used in the food industry, and describes the characteristics of the main compounds. Volatile and non-volatile compounds can be present and different methodologies for identification and quantification are used. This work also presents a brief description of the most used oleoresin encapsulation methods and lists recent studies providing an overview on the application of this promising ingredient. The main oleoresins applied by the food industry are from black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, paprika and turmeric. In addition to color and flavor, different biological properties arouse the industry's interest in these extracts. The chemical diversity of the compounds present in oleoresins is what gives all these properties. Despite all this, oleoresins oxidize when exposed to factors such as oxygen, light, and temperature. Microencapsulation has been used to work around this problem and to facilitate the application of these viscous extracts in foods. • Oleoresins are natural extracts rich in active compounds that can be used in food. • Green extraction technologies can improve the quality of oleoresins. • Oleoresins can present antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. • Liquid and gas chromatography are the most used techniques to analyze oleoresins. • Oleoresins microencapsulation adds value to the extract and protects its compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for healthy eating habits and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a health crisis and global economic slowdown, has led to the consumption of functional and practical foods. Bioactive ingredients can be an alternative for healthy food choices; however, most functional compounds are sensitive to the adverse conditions of processing and digestive tract, impairing its use in food matrices, and industrial-scale applications. Microencapsulation by spray chilling can be a viable alternative to reduce these barriers in food processing. This review discusses the use of spray chilling technique for microencapsulation of bioactive food ingredients. Although this technology is known in the pharmaceutical industry, it has been little exploited in the food sector. General aspects of spray chilling, the process parameters, advantages, and disadvantages are addressed. The feasibility and stability of encapsulated bioactive ingredients in food matrices and the bioavailability in vitro of solid lipid microparticles produced by spray chilling are also discussed. Research on the microencapsulation of bioactive ingredients by spray chilling for use in foods has shown the effectiveness of this technique to encapsulate bioactive compounds for application in food matrices. Solid microparticles produced by spray chilling can improve the stability and bioavailability of bioactive ingredients. However, further studies are required, including the use of lipid-based encapsulating agents, process parameters, and novel formulations for application in food, beverages, and packaging, as well as in vivo studies to prove the effectiveness of the formulations. • Spray chilling technique may be a good option to solve the problems in food sector. • Bioactive compounds encapsulated by spray chilling can be bioactive food ingredients. • Solid lipid microparticles can increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. • New possibilities and applications can be generated using solid lipid microparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cheese is one of the most widely consumed dairy products worldwide with high commercial value. As cheese consumption and distribution have increased over the years, the cheese industry had to address the issues of safety and preservation of cheese products as well as cheese whey utilization-management. Although not frequently used, preservatives are added in some types of cheese that are naturally susceptible to spoilage (e.g. fresh cheeses), in order to extend their shelf-life. However, consumers' increasing awareness regarding health issues have turned their interest towards minimally processed food and products with 'clean labels'. In this respect, artificial additives tend to be replaced by natural ones, such as essential oils and extracts from different plants. These natural products exhibit a remarkable antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and, due to their properties, their use as alternative food additives have increased in recent years. Application of essential oils and extracts as preservatives and antioxidants in different types of cheese has been widely studied through the last years. However, despite the promising results for the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of these natural constituents, their use is still limited in the cheese industry, as they negatively affect the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of the end products. Αn alternative approach to addressing such quality defects, could be encapsulation of essential oils and extracts before their application in cheese products. As there is growing interest in this field, the aim of this paper was to review the latest findings on whether encapsulated essential oils and extracts can act as effective preservatives and/or antioxidants in cheese products. Overall, the performance of essential oils and extracts as preservatives and antioxidants in cheeses is enhanced through encapsulation. In this context, several delivery systems have been examined, e.g. edible films/coatings, being the most commonly used, followed by nanofibers or microcapsules. Both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities are prolonged, since the bioactive compounds in the encapsulant matrix are protected from oxidation, volatilization and degradation. Additionally, interactions between food matrix components and essential oils/extracts constituents are limited, whereas for the films/coatings incorporating essential oils/extracts there is better control of moisture and mass losses during storage, preventing hardness. Even more important is the maintenance of the desired organoleptic characteristics and other quality attributes of the cheese products, along with a concurrent extension of the shelf-life. [Display omitted] • Essential oils and extracts can be incorporated in cheese products as preservatives. • Delivery systems of essential oils and extracts boost their use in cheese. • The use of plant bioactives could lead to cheese with enhanced properties. • Commercialized clean label cheese products could be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit and vegetable by-products (FVBP) from the food industry and post-harvest represent one of the world's most common environmental pollution problems. However, these wastes are now being recognized for their functional value. Encapsulation is among the most popular food processing alternatives since it helps to improve the stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Encapsulated products provide excellent health benefits, and therefore can be used as functional ingredients in food. This review describes the creation of encapsulated bioactive compounds (EBC) using microencapsulation techniques and their application in food. The work aimed to identify the various previously studied bioactive compounds from FVBP related to their extraction, characterization, encapsulation, and application. Encapsulation protects bioactive compounds against the adverse conditions inherent in food processing, and its use allows for functional food to be obtained. Encapsulation technologies, such as spray-drying, freeze-drying, and coacervation, are those most used to produce EBC from FVBP. The effectiveness of these technologies in producing EBC with high encapsulation efficiency and excellent functional properties has been proven, and the stability and solubility of bioactive compounds were thereby improved. EBC from FVBP were added to food with various purposes, including enrichment, fortification, coloring, and stability improvement against oxidation and microbial proliferation. Several studies regarding the application of EBC from FVBP in food have been performed thus; EBC is a promising alternative in the treatment of agricultural and agro-industrial by-products and one that merits further investigation. • Fruit and vegetable by-products (FBVP) are a good source of bioactive compounds. • Many studies have been conducted to encapsulate bioactive compounds from FBVP. • Encapsulated bioactive compounds (EBC) can be used as functional food ingredients. • EBC offers the food industry a healthy and natural alternative to replace synthetic additives. • There are many published studies that assess the food application of EBC from FBVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last years, there has been a continuously growing demand from the food industry for additives from natural sources (e.g. plant materials) as an alternative to synthetic ones that have been associated with toxic effects. Moreover, the fact that the consumption of functional foods could boost the immune system and resistance of the human body against viruses, has been a priority for consumers through the last decades. This trend has been magnified during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and is expected to remain high also within the post-lockdown and post-pandemic era. Pomegranate is one of the healthiest fruits worldwide with a significant amount of various phenolic compounds. The processing of pomegranate into juice generates huge amounts of by-products, such as peels and seeds, leading to disposal issues and environmental pollution. Pomegranate peels contain higher amounts of bioactive compounds, mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins, than the edible fleshy parts. These compounds possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that inhibit the process of lipid peroxidation in fatty foods and scavenging free radicals and prevent the growth of microorganisms, respectively. In this perspective, the present review analyzes and critically discusses the state of the art about the current and potential uses of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as a natural food additive. The enriched food systems (e.g. meat, poultry and fish products, dairies, edible oils and fats), the form of added extract (crude or encapsulated), the method of extraction employed, the extract concentration and the main outcomes of each study are reviewed and discussed. Crude or encapsulated pomegranate peel extracts increase food stability upon processing, storage or gastrointestinal digestion conditions by inhibiting oxidation as well as the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. In most of the studies, the addition of PPE was not found to negatively affect the sensorial properties of the final products up to a specific addition level. • Pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as a potential natural food additive. • PPE contains phenolic compounds with various biological properties. • Limitations regarding the use of PPE as additive could be overcome via encapsulation. • Potential commercialization of innovative food products with a "clean label". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Fish and other seafoods are highly perishable food products due basically to microbiological growth and lipid oxidation, which are known to be the principal causes of quality deterioration of such products. Therefore, offering safe and high quality seafoods combined with consumers' desire for natural products free from chemical preservatives creates real challenging problems. In the recent past, there has been extensive focus on antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of natural preservatives such as essential oils (EOs), as effective alternative to synthetic additives, in order to enhance oxidative and microbial stability of foods and extend their shelf life. Scope and approach In this review, the main spoilage mechanisms of fish and seafood products and the most common techniques used to preserve quality and extend shelf life of such products are first discussed. The chemistry and modes of action of some selected EOs are then briefly presented. The antioxidative and antimicrobial activities of some common EOs, either alone or in combination with other preservative systems, in fish and other seafoods are reviewed. Finally the limitations and the future trends are shown. Key findings and conclusions Several EOs have shown i) great antimicrobial activities versus many spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, and ii) remarkable antioxidant powers against lipid oxidation in fish and other seafoods during processing or storage. However, much more works are still required in order to better understand the exact mechanism of action of EOs or their main components, the effective dose, and the best combination strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]