Multiresponse kinetic modelling of the formation, release, and degradation of allyl isothiocyanate from ground mustard seeds to improve active packaging

Health Benefits, Applications, and Analytical Methods of Freshly Produced Allyl Isothiocyanate

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a low-molecular-weight natural chemical predominantly obtained from the autolysis of sinigrin, a glucosinolate found in cruciferous vegetables like mustard, horseradish, and wasabi. AITC has sparked widespread interest due to its various biological actions, which include strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer capabilities. This compound offers promising potential in several fields, particularly in food preservation, medicine, and enhancing food quality through natural means. AITC's effectiveness against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, including foodborne pathogens and spoilage agents, makes it an attractive natural alternative to synthetic preservatives. The potential to extend the shelf life of perishable foods makes AITC an important tool for food production, meeting rising customer demand for natural additives. In addition to its antimicrobial effects, AITC demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity, reducing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and modulating key signaling pathways, which could make it valuable in managing chronic inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, emerging research highlights its potential in cancer prevention and treatment, as AITC has been demonstrated to induce apoptosis and inhibit cell increase in several cancer cell lines, offering a natural approach to chemoprevention. This review delves into the chemical structure, metabolism, and bioavailability of freshly produced AITC, providing a comprehensive overview of its beneficial properties. Challenges related to AITC's volatility, dosage optimization, and regulatory considerations are also discussed, alongside future research directions to enhance the stability and efficacy of AITC-based formulations. The findings underscore AITC's role as a versatile bioactive compound with known potential to support human health and the sustainable food industry.

Micro-grinding-based production for sulforaphene-enriched radish seeds extract via facilitating glucosinolates-myrosinase reaction, and evaluation of its anti-adipogenic effects

Sulforaphene (SFEN), an isothiocyanate (ITC) abundant in radish (Raphanus sativus) seeds (RS), has many health benefits, including anti-obesity effects. SFEN content is affected by multiple factors during processing, such as glucoraphenin (GLE) (the precursor of SFEN) availability, myrosinase (essential for conversion from GLE to SFEN) activity, and SFEN stability. We examined the physiochemical-properties and anti-adipogenic effects of SFEN-enriched RSE produced by two processes, roasting and micro-grinding. The roasting process lowered SFEN content and myrosinase activity over 50 °C. However, among micro-grinding conditions, smaller particle size (#2 grind, ≈11.31 μm) more effectively increased SFEN content in RS compared to larger particles (#1 grind, ≈ 179.50 μm) by accelerating available GLE and myrosinase release from RS. Grind #2 also effectively inhibited the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes compared to #1. Thus, micro-grinding can be suggested for producing SFEN-enriched RSE with anti-adipogenic activity as a functional material for obesity prevention or treatment.

Phytochemicals and bioactive constituents in food packaging - A systematic review

Designing and manufacturing functional bioactive ingredients and pharmaceuticals have grown worldwide. Consumers demand for safe ingredients and concerns over harmful synthetic additives have prompted food manufacturers to seek safer and sustainable alternative solutions. In recent years the preference by consumers to natural bioactive agents over synthetic compounds increased exponentially, and consequently, naturally derived phytochemicals and bioactive compounds, with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, becoming essential in food packaging field. In response to societal needs, packaging needs to be developed based on sustainable manufacturing practices, marketing strategies, consumer behaviour, environmental concerns, and the emergence of new technologies, particularly bio- and nanotechnology. This critical systematic review assessed the role of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds from natural resources in food packaging and consumer behaviour patterns in relation to phytochemical and biologically active substances used in the development of food packaging. The use of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds inside packaging materials used in food industry could generate unpleasant odours derived from the diffusion of the most volatile compounds from the packaging material to the food and food environment. These consumer concerns must be addressed to understand minimum concentrations that will not affect consumer sensory and aroma negative perceptions. The research articles were carefully chosen and selected by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines.

Comparative Analysis of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Seven Mustard Pastes via HS-SPME-GC-MS

To identify the volatile flavor components in mustard paste (MP), the volatile compounds in seven MPs available on the market were isolated and analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 27 volatile constituents were found by mass spectra and retention index compared to the data obtained from reference compounds or the related literature and databases; these compounds included nine esters, three sulfur-containing compounds, two nitriles, three ketones, three alkenes, and seven other compounds. Of the 27 compounds, 6 compounds came from the turmeric added to MPs. Among the components detected, some compounds derived from AITC were allyl thiocyanate, carbon disulfide, allyl mercaptan, diallyl sulfide, and diallyl disulfide. The results obtained provide a better and comprehensive recognition of the volatile flavor compounds in MPs, and have some reference values for developing and applying isothiocyanate compounds.

Recent Advances in PLA-Based Antibacterial Food Packaging and Its Applications

In order to reduce environmental pollution and resource waste, food packaging materials should not only have good biodegradable ability but also effective antibacterial properties. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is the most commonly used biopolymer for food packaging applications. PLA has good physical properties, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and cell compatibility but does not have inherent antibacterial properties. Therefore, antibacterial packaging materials based on PLA need to add antibacterial agents to the polymer matrix. Natural antibacterial agents are widely used in food packaging materials due to their low toxicity. The high volatility of natural antibacterial agents restricts their application in food packaging materials. Therefore, appropriate processing methods are particularly important. This review introduces PLA-based natural antibacterial food packaging, and the composition and application of natural antibacterial agents are discussed. The properties of natural antibacterial agents, the technology of binding with the matrix, and the effect of inhibiting various bacteria are summarized.

Recent advances in food applications of phenolic-loaded micro/nanodelivery systems

The current relevance of a healthy diet in well-being has led to a surging interest in designing novel functional food products enriched by biologically active molecules. As nature-inspired bioactive components, several lines of research have revealed the capability of polyphenolic compounds (phenolics) in the medical intervention of different ailments, i.e., tumors, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Phenolics typically possess antioxidant and antibacterial properties and, due to their unique molecular structure, can offer superior platforms for designing functional products. They can protect food ingredients from oxidation and promote the physicochemical attributes of proteins and carbohydrate-based materials. Even though these properties contribute to the inherent benefits of bioactive phenolics as important functional ingredients in the food industry, the in vitro/in vivo instability, poor solubility, and low bioavailability are the main factors restricting their food/pharma applicability. Recent advances in the encapsulation realm are now offering efficient platforms to overcome these limitations. The application of encapsulation field may offer protection and controlled delivery of phenolics in food formulations. Here, we review recent advances in micro/nanoencapsulation of phenolics and highlight efficient carriers from this decade, which have been utilized successfully in food applications. Although further development of phenolic-containing formulations promises to design novel functional food formulations, and revolutionize the food industry, most of the strategies found in the scientific literature are not commercially applicable. Moreover, in vivo experiments are extremely crucial to corroborate the efficiency of such products.

Release of Cinnamaldehyde and Thymol from PLA/Tilapia Fish Gelatin-Sodium Alginate Bilayer Films to Liquid and Solid Food Simulants, and Japanese Sea Bass: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to develop an active biodegradable bilayer film and to investigate the release behaviors of active compounds into different food matrices. Cinnamaldehyde (CI) or thymol (Ty) was encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to prepare the active β-CD inclusion complex (β-CD-CI/β-CD-Ty). The tilapia fish gelatin-sodium alginate composite (FGSA) containing β-CD-CI or β-CD-Ty was coated on the surface of PLA film to obtain the active bilayer film. Different food simulants including liquid food simulants (water, 3% acetic acid, 10% ethanol, and 95% ethanol), solid dry food simulant (modified polyphenylene oxide (Tenax TA)), and the real food (Japanese sea bass) were selected to investigate the release behaviors of bilayer films into different food matrixes. The results showed that the prepared β-CD inclusion complexes distributed evenly in the cross-linking structure of FGSA and improved the thickness and water contact angle of the bilayer films. Active compounds possessed the lowest release rates in Tenax TA, compared to the release to liquid simulants and sea bass. CI and Ty sustained the release to the sea bass matrix with a similar behavior to the release to 95% ethanol. The bilayer film containing β-CD-Ty exhibited stronger active antibacterial and antioxidant activities, probably due to the higher release efficiency of Ty in test mediums.