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Cereals have been a foundational component of human diets across different continents, with rice dominating in Asia, sorghum in Africa, wheat in Europe, and maize in America. Mexico, more accurately Mesoamerica, is recognized as the origin of maize (including pigmented maize), with its first ancestor traced back to Tehuacán, Puebla, Mexico. Pigmented maize owes its vibrant colors due to its anthocyanin (i.e., cyanidin-3-glucoside) contents, which contribute to the red, purple, or blue coloration and offer notable health benefits. The antioxidant properties of maize are crucial, given the role of oxidative stress in various diseases, and present a valuable resource for functional foods and nutraceuticals. Emerging studies underscore the prebiotic potential of anthocyanins, showing their ability to modulate gut microbiota positively. This review aims to explore the potential of pigmented maize in traditional Mexican beverage (such as pozol and tejuino) production, emphasizing the bioactive compounds (mainly anthocyanins) present and their health benefits while also considering new opportunities in the functional food industry.

En México, el desperdicio de tomates puede relacionarse con la deficiencia en la cadena de transporte y almacenaje, bajos estándares de calidad del producto, deficiencias en la exhibición del producto y fallas en la coordinación con proveedores. Estos factores contribuyen al desperdicio de tomate para su consumo por no cumplir con los estándares impuestos por los mercados de alimentos y el consumidor final. No obstante, los desperdicios de tomate pueden ser revalorizados y ser una fuente de fitoquímicos con relevancia nutrimental. El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar el efecto de la temperatura de secado de frutos de tomate considerados de desperdicio evaluando su capacidad antioxidante, compuestos fenólicos, carotenoides, azúcares reductores, proteínas, humedad y cenizas. Se realizaron tres tratamientos para medir el efecto del secado a 24, 48 y 72 horas a tres temperaturas diferentes 50, 60 y 70 °C en las muestras de frutos de tomate colectadas. Los resultados mostraron que el tratamiento de secado a 50 °C por 72 horas arrojo los mayores valores de proteínas (45,3 g/kg) y azúcares reductores (196 mg/g). Por su parte el tratamiento de 70 °C mostró incrementos en compuestos fenólicos (48,12 mg/g), licopeno (2503 µg/g) y β-caroteno (31,84 µg/g) a las 24 horas de secado. Estos resultados indicaron que al exponer la biomasa de tomate a una temperatura de 70 °C por 24 horas correspondiente al Tratamiento (T4 - 1), se produjo una mayor biosíntesis de compuestos bioactivos que podrían ser empleados en la formulación de nuevos productos alimenticios, por ejemplo, en la elaboración de tortillas.

Obesity is an issue that impacts vulnerable populations worldwide, resulting in significant monetary costs related to health problems. Nutrient intake and preferences for specific foods are major factors that can lead to the development of healthy or poor nutritional habits, which will ultimately define if an individual becomes overweight. Various circumstances influence these preferences, such as physiological needs, emotional, social and hedonic factors, and the expression and signaling of different molecules. It is essential to clarify the diverse mechanisms by which the body “chooses” certain types of food since these choices will recur throughout the lifespan of an individual, potentially causing poor eating habits. Multiple components contribute to nutrient preference. Some of these are aging, variability in taste receptors, flavor perception, hormones, nutrient deficiencies, and gene expression. The purpose of this review is to identify and emphasize the physiological elements that may regulate and affect food preference.

The nutritional status is a determinant of the immune response that promotes a cellular homeostasis. In particular, adequate selenium levels lead to a better antioxidant and immune response. The aim of this work is to assess whether blood selenium levels, at time of SARS-CoV-2 infection, have an impact on the development and severity of COVID-19. A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative and descriptive studies using MeSH terms, selenium and COVID-19 was performed. We searched bibliographic databases up to 17 July 2022 in PubMed and ScienceDirect. Studies that reported data on blood selenium levels were considered. A total of 629 articles were examined by abstract and title, of which 595 abstracts were read, of which 38 were included in the systematic review and 11 in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was conducted to mean difference (MD) with a 95 % confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity was tested by I2 with random factors with a MD between selenium levels, mortality, morbidity and healthy subjects with a P-value of 0⋅05. Selenium levels were higher in healthy people compared to those in patients with COVID-19 disease (six studies, random effects MD: test for overall effect Z = 3⋅28 (P = 0⋅001), 97 % CI 28⋅36 (11⋅41–45⋅31), P < 0⋅00001), but without difference when compared with the degree of severity in mild, moderate or severe cases. In conclusion, the patients with active SARS-CoV-2 infection had lower selenium levels than the healthy population. More studies are needed to evaluate its impact on clinical severity through randomised clinical trials.

COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, poses significant threats to the respiratory system and other vital organs. Long non-coding RNAs have emerged as influential epigenetic regulators and promising biomarkers in respiratory ailments. The objective of this study was to identify candidate lncRNAs in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals compared to SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals and investigate their potential association with ARDS-CoV-2 (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Employing qRT-PCR, we meticulously examined the expression profiles of a panel comprising 84 inflammation-related lncRNAs in individuals presenting upper respiratory infection symptoms, categorizing them into those testing negative or positive for SARS-CoV-2. Notably, first-phase PSD individuals exhibited significantly elevated levels of AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1. In addition, we measured the expression of two lncRNAs, AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1, in patients with ARDS unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 (n = 5) and patients with ARDS induced by SARS-CoV-2 (ARDS-CoV-2, n = 10), and interestingly, expression was also higher among patients with ARDS. Intriguingly, our interaction pathway analysis unveiled potential interactions between lncRNA AC000120.7, various microRNAs, and genes associated with inflammation. This study found higher expression levels of lncRNAs AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1 in the context of infection-positive COVID-19, particularly within the complex landscape of ARDS.

Pomegranate is a polyphenol-rich fruit. Studies have shown that extracts prepared from its juice or from different parts of the pomegranate plant have various biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective, and antidiabetic. The therapeutic potential has been attributed to various phytochemicals, including ellagic acid, punicic acid, flavonoids, anthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonols, and flavones. This review focuses on the scientific evidence of pomegranate juice as hypoglycemic, emphasizing the chemical composition and the possible mechanisms of action associated with this effect. Studies were identified using the PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science databases to identify relevant articles focused on the hypoglycemic effect of pomegranate juice. The physiological responses to pomegranate juice are reported here, including a decrease of oxidative stress damage, an increase of insulin-dependent glucose uptake, maintenance of β-cell integrity, inhibition of nonenzymatic protein glycation, an increase of insulin sensitivity, modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, inhibition of α-amylase, inhibition of α-glucosidase and dipeptidyl peptidase-4, and decreases in inflammation. Overall, we found a significant hypoglycemic effect of pomegranate in in vitro and in vivo studies and we summarize the potential mechanisms of action.