kianoush khosravi darani

The scientific community is currently facing a more than exponential increase of knowledge in all areas and disciplines. In the last 10years, the contribution of the journal Applied Food Biotechnologywas eminent in distributing that knowledge by providing a tribune for researchers from different countries all over the world to share their ideas, observations, and hypotheses. With a focus on different aspects of applied and fundamental biological sciences, the journal Applied Food Biotechnologywas established as a reference of the Iranian scientific community. In the last 10years, the journal has been covering several topics related to exploring the beneficial properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their role in modern food technologies. LAB are already proven as a realization of Hippocrates' vision for the potential role of food in human and other animals' health. However, what will be the next frontier? What are the challenges in understanding the interactions between microbiota and host microorganisms? What will be the novel analytical tools, facilitating a new era of probiotic research? These were only a few research topics presented and discussed in Applied Food Biotechnologyin the last decade. This editorial overview aims to celebrate the scientific contribution of Applied Food Biotechnologyin the area of research associated with the beneficial properties of LAB, summarizing some of the studies published in the journal.

The quantity of absorbed oil in fried foods is a concern issue due to the presence of unhealthy trans fatty acids and alteration of nutrients and consequently their effects on public health. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate fat contents of the guild and industrial fried foods in Iran and compare these content values with those of the national standards.

In this study, total fat, saturated and trans fatty acid contents of 142 industrial (potato chips, shoestring potatoes and onions) and guiled (potato chips, potatoes, onions and garlics) fried foods from various regions of Iran in two consecutive years were assessed. First, Soxhlet extraction was used to extract fats. Then, all free acids were methyl-esterified and detected using gas chromatography. Compliance of total fat, saturated fatty acid and trans fatty acid contents of each fried food with Iranian national standards (INS) was assessed. Significant differences between the means of fatty acid composition of the fried foods were reported using ANOVA and Duncan post hoc tests (p < 0.05).

The mean fat concentrations of industrial (41.30%) and guild potato chips (42.89%) in 2017 and industrial potato chips (38.83%) in 2019 were higher than the Iranian national standards (38% w/w). The mean of saturated and trans fatty acids in the oily phase of guild potato chips was statistically different in 2017 and 2019 (p < 0.05). Significant differences were seen between the quantities of saturated fatty acids in the oily phase of shoestring potatoes in 2017 and 2019, while no significant differences were seen between the total fat, saturated and trans fatty acids of guild-fried potatoes in 2017 and 2019 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, levels of trans fatty acids in the oily phase of industrial fried onions (2.23%) and guild-fried garlics (2.41%) in 2019 were above the Iranian national standards (2% w/w).

It seems that actions are needed to decrease the absorbed fats by fried products.

Essential oils include low solubility, poor bioavailability and rapid release, which may limit their use as bioactive compounds in foods and medicine. Nanoencapsulation can preserve inherent qualities of essential oils and improve their physicochemical characteristics and health benefits. Focus of the present study was on the loading of essential oils from Zataria multiflora in pickering nanoemulsions, nanoparticles and nanophytosome. In addition, the present study assessed how these systems affected their physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, compared to free-essential oils.

Encapsulation of Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oil in nanocarriers as a novel phytoconstituents delivery system was carried out using three various methods. Physicochemical characterization of nanocarriers was studied using dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope, confocal laser scanning microscopy, optical microscope and antioxidant activity. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration assessment effects against Listeria monocytogenes at 24 h and temperatures (10, 25 and 37 °C) were investigated. Encapsulated Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oil with subinhibitory concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75) in hamburger formulation was selected as a food model for chemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation.

In general, this study compared three types of biocarriers with free essential oils. Primarily, nanophytosome showed promising results in delaying oxidation and in antimicrobial and sensory assessments, compared to two other nanocarriers. In conclusion, essential oil nanophytosomes of Zataria multiflora Boiss include the potential as an efficient natural food preservative.

Increasing metal contamination in the environment, foods, and drinking water due to industrial activities is one of the most concerns all over the world. Among all chemical, physical, and biological techniques used for reducing these contamination, bio-removal approach has attracted interest as a green ecofriendly, inexpensive, and simple method for decontamination of metals from soil, foodstuffs, and water. As a matter of interest, biological decontamination of heavy metals in food is discussed in the current review paper.

After an introduction about importance and concerns about heavy metal pollutions, main reported microorganisms for bio-removal of Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic are addressed. Then, the main influencing variables on biosorption efficiency including pH, bacterial concentration, temperature, and contact time have been reviewed. Finally, maximum permitted levels of the pollutants in foods and feeds, and their effect on human health are reported. Choosing a suitable microorganism under appropriate condition is important in heavy metals bio-removal. In addition, matrix of the media (food, drinking or waste water, and soil) is another important issue. Other than providing optimum external variables for the microorganisms, having lipids, carbohydrate, and other necessary nutrients in the matrix would increase the biosorption effectiveness.

Single or multiple strains of mesophilic and thermophilic lactic acid bacteria are used as starter cultures in food industries to produce different types of fermented products. Preservation of these starter cultures is a crucial step in which the highest viability and genetic stability of the starter culture should be retained. Traditional methods for the preservation of starter cultures were mainly based on the freezing method. Nowadays, the usual method for the preservation of starter cultures is drying which mostly included spray drying and freeze-drying.

In this narrative review of studies, a comprehensive review is conducted on all methods for the preservation of lactic acid bacteria through searches in databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Pubmed, and other valid databases. After a glance at the types of preservation methods, advantages and disadvantages are compared and solutions to overcome the problem of survival have been introduced.

Comparisons of the preservation methods from different points of view in the present overview may help to design more effective research projects or production processes in this area.

Infant formula is a food that mimics human milk and is intended for use by infants under 1 year old. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a congenital defect in the synthesis of phenylalanine (Phe) and is caused by the failure of phenylalanine hydroxylase converting Phe to tyrosine. In this review the current treatments for PKU are discussed.

  Patients with PKU should still be treated with dietary therapy, but in the long term the introduction of a wide array of new treatment approaches such as more palatable foods. Treatment, which includes a low Phe diet supplemented with amino acid formulas, commences soon after diagnosis within the first weeks of life.  Other potential issues associated with dietary therapy by micronutrients. Advances in dietary therapy such as the use of neutral amino acids and glycomacropeptides (GMP) have yielded more promising data in the recent years. In conclusion, GMP medical foods and micro/macronutrient supplementation will be useful in providing the evidence allowing for standardization of management and will alternatively provide in a cost-effective way an individualized management plan for PKU patients.

Infant formula is a food that mimics human milk and is intended for use by infants under 1 year old. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a congenital defect in the synthesis of phenylalanine (Phe) and is caused by the failure of phenylalanine hydroxylase converting Phe to tyrosine. In this review the current treatments for PKU are discussed.

  Patients with PKU should still be treated with dietary therapy, but in the long term the introduction of a wide array of new treatment approaches such as more palatable foods. Treatment, which includes a low Phe diet supplemented with amino acid formulas, commences soon after diagnosis within the first weeks of life.  Other potential issues associated with dietary therapy by micronutrients. Advances in dietary therapy such as the use of neutral amino acids and glycomacropeptides (GMP) have yielded more promising data in the recent years. In conclusion, GMP medical foods and micro/macronutrient supplementation will be useful in providing the evidence allowing for standardization of management and will alternatively provide in a cost-effective way an individualized management plan for PKU patients.

Due to the growing importance of replacing meat proteins with a healthy food source, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the results of replacing meat with fungus myco-protein. Since the fungus myco-protein have high nutritional value and attributes similar to meat, they can be properly replaced in meat products. According to the results obtained from the present research, which was carried out aimed at improving the nutritional value, health and texture of protein products containing meat, the complete replacement of meat with myco-protein leads to a significant reduction in the texture characteristics of the product, such as firmness, elasticity, gumminess and on the other hand, there was no significant change in the moisture content of the samples. Also, the results indicated that the samples with fungus myco-protein contain higher level of unsaturated fat and protein and less carbohydrates and ash than the samples containing meat, and therefore, the sausages made from these products have higher nutritional and health value than the beef products.

Recently, Spirulina platensis has scientifically become popular because of its importance as food, feed, and a natural producer of pigments with specific nutritional and functional characteristics. In this study, the effect of various environmental factors affecting growth conditions of Spirulina platensis, including primary inoculation, light-dark cycle, cultivation time, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) composition, nitrogen source, carbon source, and NaCl concentration, on biomass, C-phycocyanin (C-PC), Allophycocyanin (APC) and chlorophyll-a contents were assessed using Placket-Burman Design (PBD). Results showed that out of the seven screened factors, four factors of carbon source, LED composition, light-dark cycle and NaCl concentration significantly affected biomass production (p<0.01). Among the investigated factors, nitrogen source, light-dark cycle, and NaCl concentration had significant effects on phycocyanin production (p<0.05). Results showed that cultivation time, light-dark cycle, and NaCl concentration significantly affected the production of allophycocyanin (p<0.05). Furthermore, NaCl concentration, carbon source, LED composition, cultivation time, and initial inoculation included significant effects on chlorophyll-a production (p<0.05). The present study screened variables affecting biomass, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and chlorophyll-a production as the first step in optimizing Spirulina platensis growth condition. Briefly, NaCl concentration was one of the factors which had a significant impact on all responses. The dark cycle also had an effect on three dependent variables except for chlorophyll-a production.

In recent years, there is a growing demand for healthy and safe food. In this regard, kombucha products have a promising future due to their contents of bioactive compounds that exhibit health-promoting properties. Kombucha yogurt is a novel product with unique quality characteristics. So, in this study, the kombucha extract (KE), 5, 10, and 15% (v/v), was applied as a non-conventional starter for yogurt production, and the effect of kombucha on pH and titratable acidity of yogurt during incubation was investigated. Also, some physicochemical properties and overall acceptability of yogurt samples were determined during 21 days of storage at 8°C. For producing yogurt samples, the amounts of 5, 10, and 15 % (V/V) of concentrate of kombucha layer grown up on black tea, without yogurt starter bacteria, were inoculated to the milk containing 2.2 % fat. Meanwhile, the yogurt starter was applied for producing the control sample. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of KE, a slight decrease in pH and an increase in acidity was observed compared to the control sample (p<0.05); syneresis increased and viscosity decreased (p<0.05); the vitamin C and ethanol levels increased (p<0.05) and the overall acceptability decreased (p<0.05) during 21 days of cold storage. The increase of the kombucha concentration in all samples elongated the fermentation period (p<0.05). The best physicochemical and sensory properties were observed in the sample containing 5% KE.

Propionic acid bacteria are useful microorganisms that can produce beneficial food compounds . These bacteria mainly produce propionic acid that decrease the microbial population and growth along with increasing the shelf life. Propionibacterium freudenreichii was applied to produce propionic acid in yogurt in this study.

First, the process variables like inoculum percentage, strain type, milk fat and inulin amount, fermentation temperature, sunflower oil qu antity, and refrigerated duration on propionic acid production by Propionibacterium freudenreichii was evaluated using Plackett - Burman design as a screening method. Next the acid production was optimized by a central composite design with 3 major factors o f seed size, concentration of inulin, and refrigerated storage.

Analysis of variance showed that the models have been significant (p≤0.05). They represented that propionic acid production was influenced by three main factors. Optimized propionic acid production in yogurts by Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii (10 8 CFU. ml - 1 ) was observed in 21 d ays after of refrigeration of skim - milk 2% (w v - 1 ), inulin (3% w v - 1 ) and incubation temperature of 43 °C. Reconfirmation test showed that the highest produced propionic acid was 12.53 ± 0.24 mg l - 1 in yogurt, which increased production up to 6.2 time. Results showed that Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii increases propionic acid contents in synbiotic yogurts containing inulin.

The paper presents the enzymatic degumming of soybean oil by immobilization of phospholipase A1 (PLA1) on atmospheric plasma surface modified chitosan nanofibrous membrane. As evidenced by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images, chitosan nanofibers exhibited a number of properties indicating this polymer as a good enzyme carrier. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed the reaction between the enzyme and functional groups of chitosan nanofibers. The properties of immobilized PLA1 were compared to free PLA1 in order to evaluate the possibility of using the immobilized enzyme for the degumming of soybean oil. The pH tolerance and thermal stability of the immobilized PLA1 were significantly improved. In addition, the immobilized PLA1 can be easily recovered and retained at 80% of its initial activity after 10 times of recycling. The enzymatic degumming process was carried out at 60°C and pH 6.0. The residual phosphorus content decreased to 8.6 mg/kg after 6 h, which is to meet oil safety standards and suitable for the physical refining of soybean oil.

Recently emerged coronavirus, known as SARS‑CoV‑2 or Covid‑19 is considered as a serious threat for human health. Due to unavailable specific drugs for this virus, there is an urgent need for supportive cares. Epigenetic immune boosting approaches and developing anti‑inflammatory agents by gut‑associated bioactive macronutrients can be plausible protective cares for COVID‑19. Suitable intake of bioactive macronutrients including prebiotics, fatty acids, proteins and branched‑chain amino acids may result in anti‑viral responses through modulating macrophages and dendritic cells via Toll‑like receptors, decreasing viral load, inactivating the enveloped viruses, increasing the anti‑inflammatory metabolites and inhibiting the proliferation of microbial organisms. Bioactive macronutrients may help in promotion of immunological responses and recovery acceleration against Covid‑19. This review focuses on the mechanisms of bioactive macronutrients and related clinical trials on enveloped viruses with emphasis on gut‑microbiome‑immune axis. Macronutrients and this axis may be conducive strategies to protect host against the viral infection.

Depression has been associated with cardiovascular disease in previous research. They also have stated that probiotics have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of probiotics in this association.

In this study, fifty patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who were candidates for fluoxetine were randomly selected and divided into two groups. One group received fluoxetine (20 mg) with a probiotic supplement which contained Lactobacillus holoticus and Bifidobacterium langum (2 × 109 CFU/g for each) and another group received fluoxetine with a placebo during 8-week period. 10 ml of fasting blood was taken from patients for biochemical measurements.

After 8 weeks of intervention, patients in the probiotic group had significant decrease in serum highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels compared with the placebo group (2.599± 0.990 vs. 2.704 ± 1.361 ng/ml, P = 0.017). At the end of the study, although, there was significant increase in catalase (30.06 ± 3.443 vs. 26.24 ± 6.908 U, P = 0.037) and decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) (15.13 ± 3.574vs. 17.40 ± 3.170 mg/dl, P = 0.029) levels in the probiotic group, but after 8 weeks, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Other variables did not change significantly.

Although probiotics can improve cardiovascular status by reducing general inflammation in the body, they are not specifically associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases

Although Green tea is a rich source of antioxidant, use of this herbal in food industries is limited due to its oxygen and light instabilities.

Green tea polyphenols were encapsulated into liposomes using Mozafari method (with no solvents and detergents) to improve bioavailability of tea polyphenols. Screening design was used to find the major variables within all possible process variables. Then, optimal conditions were studied using response surface.

The most appropriate condition was achieved using phosphatidylcholine of 4.5% (w/w), extract concentration of 0.7%, mixing time of 30 min and temperature of 50 °C. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) depended on concentrations of the green tea extract and phosphatidylcholine. The EE in optimal formulation was reached as 51.34%. The particle size and Z-potential of liposomal green tea extract were assessed at 419 nm and -59.7 mV, respectively. The total polyphenol content (TPC) of green tea included 164.2 mg gallic acid/g extract. Free radical scavenging activities of free and liposomal extracts were calculated as 90.6 and 93.37%, respectively, using 2-2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method.

Results revealed that liposomal green tea extract can be used extensively in food industries due to its high antioxidant activity. No size decreasing methods (e.g. sonication and homogenization) were needed to produce nanosize liposomal extracts to avoid structure instability.

Lactobacillus acidophilusATCC 4356 was used for oxalate degradation activity. In the present study, for the first time, the simultaneous influence of process variables on the analysis of high oxalate concentration and its optimization in the simulated intestinal environment was performed. In the end, the optimal results were performed in a tea environment as a common oxalate-containing beverage.

After screening the design of ten process variables including pH, glucose, sucrose, inulin, ammonium, sodium oxalate, yeast extract, sodium acetate, inoculum age, and size using Plackett-Burman design, a Box-Behnken method was used with four major variables of pH, glucose, sodium oxalate, and inulin.

Results showed that oxalate degradation in simulated rumen fluid was significantly affected by pH and sodium oxalate and glucose concentrations. At optimized conditions, oxalate degradation reached 48.94 ±0.98% of initial concentration. Furthermore, oxalate degradation was investigated in tea (as themost common hot drink in many countries such as Iran) at various times, temperature, and glucose concentration. At optimum condition, oxalate concentration reached 98.86% ±1.05 (from 264 to 24 mg per100 ml)

The application of biosorbents like bacteria, yeast, and algae is a biotechnological method for eliminating heavy metals from the environment. These microorganisms can also be used for the decontamination of heavy metal in food and water.

In this study, we investigated the Cadmium (Cd) biosorption in milk by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. For this purpose, Cd and S. cerevisiae were added to milk, and the bioremoval process was monitored for four days. We evaluated six variables, including exposure time, temperature, S. cerevisiae concentration, viability yeasts, shaking rate, and initial Cd concentration in the bioremoval process.

The analysis of ANOVA showed that among the above six variables, S. cerevisiae concentration, initial Cd concentration, and exposure time were statistically significantly associated with Cd removal (P values ≤0.05). The highest biosorption (70%) was observed after 4 days with 30×108 CFU S. cerevisiae in milk containing 80 μg/L of Cd.

Our findings provided further evidence for S. cerevisiae as a powerful biosorbent for Cd removal from milk and a potentially safe and green tool for providing safe and healthy food supply.

Fast proteolysis of cheese in ripening process may lead to the premature attack of casein, release of the majority of enzymes into the whey, and loss of cheese composition from curd to whey. In this study, the effect of liposomal Flavourzyme on proteolysis of Iranian white brined cheese, as well as on the yield and composition of whey and curd was investigated. Heating method (without using any toxic, volatile organic solvent or detergent) was used to nanoliposomal encapsulation of Flavourzyme. So, 0.15% and 0.3% (w/v) Flavourzyme-loaded liposome were incorporated to pasteurized cow milk. Iranian brined cheese was produced in triplicate using a complete randomized design. Then total solids were determined by drying them in an Infrared Oven. Water soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen and non-protein nitrogen/total nitrogen was determined by Kjeldahl method. Encapsulation efficiency of liposomal Flavourzyme was 25%. No significant differences between chemical components of cheese curd (total solid, protein, TCA-soluble nitrogen, water soluble nitrogen) and whey (total solid, protein) were observed between encapsulated cheese and the control. Cheese production yield in experimental cheese was not different from that in the control cheese (P>0.05). The results suggest that application of liposomal Flavourzyme for acceleration of Iranian white brined cheese inhibits premature attack of casein and the release of the majority of cheese compositions into the whey.

Arachidonic acid (ARA) is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) that plays important roles in human’s health. The species of Mortierella genus are able to produce a wide range of PUFAs and investigations have shown that production of PUFAs especially ARA is influenced by several factors. Recently, Microbial production of ARA by M. alpina, using solid state fermentation (SSF) has been of great attention. ARA production was performed on date waste by Mortierell alpina CBS 528.72 in solid state fermentation (SSF) by Plackett Burman Design (PBD). In order to provide an appropriate source of nitrogen, soybean meal was added. The effect of eleven variables including substrate particle size, initial moisture content and pH of substrate, carbon to nitrogen ratio of substrate, supplementation of soybean and linseed oil (LSO), inoculation age, incubation temperature and time, heating pre-treatment time and supplementation of the nitrogen on the fourth day, were investigated. In the range of studied variables in this research, substrate initial moisture content of 70-75%, addition of 10 % (w.w-1) LSO, substrate particle size of 1.2-1.7 mm and addition of 4 % (w.w-1) nitrogen supplementations and inoculum age of 96 h, had significant effect on the increasing production of ARA. Maximum amount of arachidonic acid produced in this study was 4.66 mg.g-1 dry fermented substrate. By modifing the substrate and considering the above mentioned factors, a single cell oil with maximum amount of ARA by M. alpina can be abtained.