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Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent form of dementia, is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (A ) plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau tangles. Currently, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) impacts 50 million individuals, with projections anticipating an increase to 152 million by the year 2050. Despite the increasing global prevalence of AD, its underlying pathology remains poorly understood, posing challenges for early diagnosis and treatment. Recent research suggests a link between gut dysbiosis and the aggregation of A , the development of tau proteins, and the occurrence of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are associated with AD. However, investigations into the gut–brain axis (GBA) in the context of AD progression and pathology have yielded inconsistent findings. This review aims to enhance our understanding of microbial diversity at the species level and the role of these species in AD pathology. Additionally, this review addresses the influence of confounding elements, including diet, probiotics, and prebiotics, on AD throughout different stages (preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD) of its progression.

Phytonutrients such as phenolics play important roles in health and well-being. The main phenolic compounds include phenolic acid, tannins, stilbenes, lignans and flavonoids. Phenolic compounds in plants distributed in the tissues, cell walls and subcellular compartments have biological activities, including antioxidant, chemopreventive, neuroprotective, cardioprotective and immunomodulatory properties. Citrus fruits, herbs and cereals are a few examples of flavonoid sources with biological functions. This article reviews recent findings in some common groups of phenolics and their role beneficial to human effects. Regular consumption of various plant sources which possess phenolic acids, tannins, stilbenes, lignans and flavonoids can reduce oxidative stress, cancer, cardiovascular disease and slow the progression of memory loss.

© 2020 Institute of Food Science and Technology Deep-frying contributes to the unique taste and texture of fried products. However, they are low in nutritional value. Food industries actively trying to find ways to reduce the fat content while maintaining organoleptic properties of fried foods. In this work, effects of pre-drying and adding food gums on the moisture and fat contents of chips were evaluated. The chips were pre-dried for 60 and 90 min, and gellan gum, guar gum, methylcellulose and xanthan gum were added at the concentration of 0.25, 0.75, 1 and 2 % w/w. The xanthan gum was the most effective gum for fat reduction. The addition of 0.25 % w/w xanthan gum and at 90 min pre-drying reduced the fat content from 20 % (control) to 15 % w/w. The results also indicated that the reduction of moisture content after frying was not affected by the type of gums but the method of pre-drying.

© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The nutritional profile of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) seeds has recently increased the scientific importance to develop variety of lupin-enriched food products. In this study, a fermented food product from lupin was developed as another product to Tempe (a fermented food product made from cereals) family for its improved nutrient profile. For this purpose, whole lupin seeds were subjected to germination at 25°C for 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 hr. After dehulling and cooking, lupin seeds from each germination period were fermented using Rhizopus oligosporus. Fermentation significantly increased the phenolic contents and antioxidant potential by 300%–450% and 100%–300%, respectively. Decrease in phytate content from 14.2 to 4.7 mg/g DM and tannins from 0.88 to 0.07 mg CE/g DM were also noted. In conclusion, germination of seeds can be used as a pretreatment to obtain higher quantities of bioavailable phytochemical components in fermented lupin. Practical applications: The presence of different innovative food products in the market shows the commitment of food scientists to fulfill the consumer demand for food with high nutritive value. The process of fermentation is known to improve the nutrients’ profile, thus helps to meet the consumer demands. The nutritive importance of Australian sweet lupin is known well-demonstrated for its application in various food products. The outcome of this study could be of great importance to food industry for production of a novel-fermented food product with improved nutritional value from germinated lupin. The proposed product is relatively cheap compared with traditional Tempe made from soybean due to its lower agronomical production cost. The study could be extended to analyze protein digestibility and to improve the sensory acteristics of product for higher consumer acceptability.

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was investigated to recover phenolic compounds from carob kibbles and validated using response surface methodology. The study parameters were microwave power (170–900 W), ethanol concentration (30–90%), and solvent-to-sample ratio (10–30 mL/g) in terms of total phenolic content (TPC) and condensed tannins. Among optimized parameters (340 W, 45%, 30 mL/g), microwave power and ethanol concentration were found more influential parameters to get higher yields of TPC and condensed tannins. Moreover, the results of TPC (70.11 mg GAE g-1 DM), condensed tannins (4.11 mg CE g-1 DM), free radical scavenging activity (94.42%), ferric ion reducing potential (22.67 mg Fe+3 100 g-1 DM), and gallic acid (1.576 mg/g DM) obtained from optimal MAE conditions were found comparable to ultrasound-assisted extraction method. The newly developed MAE method illustrates its potential to recover phenolic compounds from plant sources in a short duration. Practical applications: Based on the results presented in this work, it is proposed that carob kibble could be considered as interesting raw material to get extracts rich in antioxidant properties. This extract could be used as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants in bio-food products as natural preservative. Therefore, carob kibbles could be recommended for production of extracts rich in antioxidants, instead of being discarded from gum factory as by-product. In addition, microwave-assisted extraction method could be employed to increase time efficiency of the process.

© 2017 American Chemical Society. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of the cultivar and dehulling on calcium, iron, and zinc bioaccessibilities of Australian sweet lupin (ASL). Ten ASL cultivars grown in 2011, 2012, and 2013 in Western Australia were used for the study. The bioaccessibilities of calcium, iron, and zinc in whole seed and dehulled lupin samples were determined using a dialysability method. The cultivar had significant effects on calcium, iron, and zinc contents and their bioaccessibilities. Average bioaccessibilities of 6% for calcium, 17% for iron, and 9% for zinc were found for whole seeds. Dehulled ASL had average calcium, iron, and zinc bioaccessibilities of 11%, 21%, and 12%, respectively. Compared to some other pulses, ASL had better iron bioaccessibility and poorer calcium and zinc bioaccessibilities. Dehulling increased calcium bioaccessibilities of almost all lupin cultivars. The effect of dehulling on iron and zinc bioaccessibilities depends on the ASL cultivar.

The physical and chemical compositional changes of Cavendish bananas were investigated according to the ripening stages determined by peel colour as classified in the Banana Ripening Guide. There is a need for the utilization of second grade bananas that are deemed unsuitable for retail sale, but are still appropriate for human consumption, for the long term sustainability of the banana industry. The optimum stage of ripeness of banana for puree making for food product development was determined through comparisons of the physical, chemical and sensory qualities. Banana pulp samples were analysed for texture, total soluble solids, starch, sugar, total ash, and potassium and magnesium contents at different ripening stages. At stage 5 ripeness, banana pulp had potassium (584 mg/100 g), magnesium (58 mg/100 g), total sugar (5.2 g/100 g) and starch (1.8 g/100 g) contents. Stage 5 ripened bananas were found to be the most suitable for puree production. Sensory acceptability results showed that the puree produced with second grade test bananas was rated significantly better compared to a commercial puree.