Process and economic feasibility for the production of functional food from the brown alga Ecklonia radiata

Association of adherence to the Chinese version of the MIND diet with reduced cognitive decline in older Chinese individuals: Analysis of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

BACKGROUND

Current evidence suggests that the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment among North American and Oceanian populations. However, there has been limited exploration of whether this association extends to the Asian population. This study aimed to assess the correlation between the Chinese version of the MIND (cMIND) diet and cognitive impairment in older Chinese individuals.

METHODS

We utilized data from the 2008 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Participants aged ≥65 years with normal cognitive function at baseline were enrolled. The cMIND diet score (cMINDDS) was calculated by assessing dietary patterns based on survey responses. The Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was employed to diagnose cognitive impairment in participants. We stratified the analysis by cMINDDS and conducted additional sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 6411 participants. Over a 3-year follow-up, 1165 (18.6%) individuals who initially had normal cognitive function developed cognitive impairment. A linear association was observed between cMINDDS and cognitive impairment. The increased cMINDDS was associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment (quartile 1 vs. quartile 4: the adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.60, 0.97], p trend = 0.023). Regarding food composition, higher consumption of fresh fruits and nuts was associated with a decreased risk of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: [0.66, 0.89] and OR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.58, 0.86], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to the cMIND diet was associated with lower risks of cognitive impairment in older Chinese individuals. The cMIND diet, based on the MIND dietary pattern, could serve as a preventive measure against cognitive impairment.

A macroporous resin purification process to obtain food-grade phlorotannin-rich extracts with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity from Chilean brown seaweeds: An UHPLC-MSn profiling

An efficient macroporous resin purification process was designed to obtain food-grade phlorotannin-rich extracts from the seaweeds Durvillaea incurvata and Lessonia spicata. Phlorotannins were profiled to relate structures with the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the extracts. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied for tentative identification. The best phlorotannin purification performance was achieved with HP-20 resin and elution with 80% v/v ethanol. This is the first study that demonstrates the effectivity of HP-20 resin for removing potentially toxic elements (As, Cd) from seaweed extracts. Fucols/phlorethols/fucophlorethols isomers up to 4 phloroglucinol units (PGU) were the most representative phlorotannins. High molecular weight species (11-21 PGU), although in low abundances, were detected in D. incurvata for the first time. Eckols, carmalols, fuhalols, phenolic acids, and flavonoids were also detected. Some extracts' potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were related to their high phlorotannin abundances, the presence of phlorotannins of a high degree of polymerization, and the phlorotannins class.

Fourth generation biofuel from genetically modified algal biomass for bioeconomic development

Biofuels from microalgae have promising potential for a sustainable bioeconomy. Algal strains' oil content and biomass yield are the most influential cost drivers in the fourth generation biofuel (FGB) production. Genetic modification is the key to improving oil accumulation and biomass yield, consequently developing the bioeconomy. This paper discusses current practices, new insights, and emerging trends in genetic modification and their bioeconomic impact on FGB production. It was demonstrated that enhancing the oil and biomass yield could significantly improve the probability of economic success and the net present value of the FGB production process. The techno-economic and socioeconomic burden of using genetically modified (GM) strains and the preventive control strategies on the bioeconomy of FGB production is reviewed. It is shown that the fully lined open raceway pond could cost up to 25% more than unlined ponds. The cost of a plastic hoop air-supported greenhouse covering cultivation ponds is estimated to be US 60,000$ /ha. The competitiveness and profitability of large-scale cultivation of GM biomass are significantly locked to techno-economic and socioeconomic drivers. Nonetheless, it necessitates further research and careful long-term follow-up studies to understand the mechanism that affects these parameters the most.

Current Status and Future Trends in Removal, Control, and Mitigation of Algae Food Safety Risks for Human Consumption

With the rapid development of the economy and productivity, an increasing number of citizens are not only concerned about the nutritional value of algae as a potential new food resource but are also, in particular, paying more attention to the safety of its consumption. Many studies and reports pointed out that analyzing and solving seaweed food safety issues requires holistic and systematic consideration. The three main factors that have been found to affect the food safety of algal are physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards. At the same time, although food safety awareness among food producers and consumers has increased, foodborne diseases caused by algal food safety incidents occur frequently. It threatens the health and lives of consumers and may cause irreversible harm if treatment is not done promptly. A series of studies have also proved the idea that microbial contamination of algae is the main cause of this problem. Therefore, the rapid and efficient detection of toxic and pathogenic microbial contamination in algal products is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. At the same time, two other factors, such as physical and chemical hazards, cannot be ignored. Nowadays, the detection techniques are mainly focused on three major hazards in traditional methods. However, especially for food microorganisms, the use of traditional microbiological control techniques is time-consuming and has limitations in terms of accuracy. In recent years, these two evaluations of microbial foodborne pathogens monitoring in the farm-to-table chain have shown more importance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, there are also many new developments in the monitoring of heavy metals, algal toxins, and other pollutants. In the future, algal food safety risk assessment will not only focus on convenient, rapid, low-cost and high-accuracy detection but also be connected with some novel technologies, such as the Internet of Things (artificial intelligence, machine learning), biosensor, and molecular biology, to reach the purpose of simultaneous detection.

Evaluation of Chemical, Functional, Spectral, and Thermal Characteristics of Sargassum wightii and Ulva rigida from Indian Coast

Usage of seaweeds as a functional food/food ingredient is very limited due to paucity of scientific information about variations in the nutritional composition of seaweeds under diverse climatic conditions. Sargassum wightii and Ulva rigida seaweeds are found abundantly on the Southern Indian coastline and were thoroughly evaluated in this work. Crude fiber and lipid of S. wightii were higher (24.93 ± 0.23% and 3.09 ± 0.41%, respectively) as compared to U. rigida; however, U. rigida had higher crude protein content (27.11 ± 0.62%). Evaluation of mineral and CHNS content indicated that the concentration of potassium, magnesium, and calcium was 1.36 ± 0.08 mg/g, 8.39 ± 0.80 mg/g, and 14.03 ± 3.46 mg/g, respectively, that was higher in the S. wightii, whereas U. rigida contained higher value of iron, carbon, and sulphur (0.70 ± 0.13 mg/g, 37.72 ± 4.63%, and 2.61 ± 0.16%, respectively). Swelling capacity (19.42 ± 0.00 mL/g DW to 22.66 ± 00 mL/g DW), water-holding capacity (6.15 ± 0.08 g/g DW to 6.38 ± 0.14 g/g DW), and oil-holding capacity (2.96 ± 0.13 g/g DW) of U. rigida were significantly ( $p<0.05$ ) higher as compared to S. wightii. It was observed from DSC thermograms that S. wightii can be safely processed for food formulations even at a temperature of 134°C. The thermograms also revealed changes in the sulphated polysaccharide (fucoidan) profile due to the presence of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups with denaturation of proteins. TGA of S. wightii and U. rigida showed degradation temperature within the range of 200–300°C due to divergent polysaccharide compositions. FTIR spectroscopy suggested the presence of phenolic groups in both seaweeds (at 1219 cm−1). Results of the study suggested that the manufacturing of functional food products from seaweeds could be beneficial and may aid in social upliftment of cultivators/fishermen.

Seaweed-based natural ingredients: Stability of phlorotannins during extraction, storage, passage through the gastrointestinal tract and potential incorporation into functional foods

Adding value to seaweed by extracting their different bioactive compounds and incorporating them into foods represent an interesting and strategic approach to diversify the functional foods offer. However, once harvested, fresh seaweed must overcome a sequence of crucial steps to confer their biological activity. Pre-processing operations and extraction processes, as well as long-term storage, play important roles in improving or decreasing the phlorotannins content. In their way to the gut (biological target), phlorotannins are exposed to the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT), where the physiological pH and digestive enzymes can significantly affect the phlorotannins' stability and thus, alter their biological activity. Besides, the subsequent incorporation into foodstuffs could be limited due to sensory issues, as tannins have been associated with astringency and bitter taste, and thus effective phlorotannins doses may negatively affect the sensory attributes of foods. These drawbacks expose the need of applying smart strategies to develop a final product providing the necessary protective mechanisms to maintain the active molecular form of phlorotannins up to the consumption time, also controlling their release upon arrival to the gut. In this context, the impact of these technological processes (from pre-processing to the passage through the GIT) on phlorotannins stability, as well as the innovative developed approaches to overcome these issues will be deeply discussed in this review. Besides, recent findings related to the phlorotannins' health benefits will be pointed out. Special attention on the potential incorporation of phlorotannins into functional foods will be also put it on.

Assessment of trace elements pollution in sea ports of New South Wales (NSW), Australia using macrophytobenthic plant Ecklonia radiata as a bio-indicator

In this study seaweeds (Ecklonia radiata) from six major sea ports of NSW, Australia were used as a bioindicator to assess the distribution and levels of trace elements accumulation in the ports compared to the background ecosystem. Bioconcentration ratio (BCR), biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF), enrichment factor, multivariate statistical analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to identify trace elements contamination. The results illustrate BCRs of Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, As and Ba in E. radiata whereas the BASFs portray boron enrichment in all sea ports along with bioaccumulation of As in Port Jackson and Pb in Port Botany. However, trace elements variations between studied and background locations was found to be significant for Port Kembla and Newcastle. The principal component analysis result explained four principal groups with 76.25% cumulative variance. Cluster analysis was further performed to detect major groups of elements and sites to portray interconnection between the contaminants and the locations.

Spent FCC E-Cat: Towards a Circular Approach in the Oil Refining Industry

Every year the oil refining industry consumes thousand tons of fluid catalytic cracking zeolite from the E-cat generated in the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit. In the present paper, a new process for recycling of fluid catalytic cracking catalysts (FCCCs) is presented. The process, previously tested at laboratory scale, was simulated by SuperPro Designer catalysts (FCCCs, also known as equilibrium catalysts, E-cat), which are mainly landfilled. Their intrinsic value is quite low and the content of rare earth elements (REEs), as lanthanum and cerium oxides, is around 3%wt. Moreover, their reuse in other industrial processes as raw material is very scarce. For each metric ton of spent FCCC treated for recovery of REEs, nearly the same amount of waste is generated from the process, the majority of which is represented by the solid residue resulting from the leaching stage. The manuscript presents a technological study and an economic analysis for the recovery of REEs, as well as the production of synthetic © software package. The plant was designed for a capacity of 4000 metric tons per year. The discounted cash flow (DCF) method was applied and Net Present Value (NPV) equal to about two-million € and Discounted Payback Time (DPBT) equal to two years defined the profitability of the process for recycling of FCCCs. This result depends on the selling price of zeolite. Consequently, a break-even point (BEP) analysis was conducted on this critical variable and the condition of economic feasibility was verified with a price of 1070 €/ton. This study tried to implement recycling strategies towards circular economy models.

Algae in food: a general review

Algae are common all over the Earth. Due to their rich chemical composition and content of bioactive substances they have been used in many fields of industry. Their gelling, thickening and stabilizing properties have led to the development of such products as agar, alginate and carrageenan. Moreover, algae are used in the food industry as food supplements and an addition to functional food. Algae are also added to meat products, such as pasty, steaks, frankfurters and sausages, as well as to fish, fish products, and oils, to improve their quality. Cereal-based products, such as pasta, flour and bread, are another group of products enriched with algae. Due to their properties algae may also be used for construction of fermented functional food. Fermented products containing algae are, most of all, dairy products, such as cheese, cream, milk deserts, yoghurt, cottage cheese, and processed cheese. Combination of fermented products offering a high content of lactic acid bacteria with algae possessing biologically active metabolites of natural origin allows not only to compose products with a high content of nutrients, but also to create a brand new segment of fermented food.