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The Food Science and Technology Bulletin is a peer reviewed series of minireviews on different topics of interest to the food industry. The current theme is Functional Foods.
Contents
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Development and functional properties of Bimuno®: a second-generation prebiotic mixture |
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George Tzortzis, Clasado Ltd, Milton Keynes, UK
Prebiotic carbohydrates are recognised for their ability to selectively increase the levels of health-promoting bacteria, mainly bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, in the intestine of humans and animals. Second generation prebiotics refer to prebiotic compounds that have multiple biological health activities within the colonic environment, beyond the stimulation of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli at genus level.
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Flax lignans: new opportunities for functional foods |
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Alister D. Muir, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Canada
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is the richest dietary source of the lignan secoisolariciresinol (SECO), a diphenolic compound that when ingested by humans influences a wide range of biological systems that help keep humans healthy.
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The nutritional and health benefits of almonds: a healthy food choice |
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David P. Richardson et al., DPR Nutrition Ltd, Croydon, UK
Over the last decade, the research on the effects of almonds on reducing blood cholesterol levels and reduction of risk of heart disease has grown significantly. Emerging research on almonds also shows promising health benefits linked to body weight control and diabetes. The available evidence also indicates that weight gain may not be a concern when nuts are consumed in moderation, and that regular consumption of nuts can be recommended in the context of a healthy balanced diet.
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Probiotics for the elderly |
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Sofia Forssten et al., Danisco Finland, Finland
The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in health and wellbeing, particularly in old age, whereupon the composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota appears to change. Specific probiotic strains have been shown to exert beneficial effects on certain health parameters in seniors, both directly and through a concomitant change in microbiota.
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An introduction to probiotics for dental health |
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Andrew McBain et al., The University of Manchester, UK
The maintenance of dental health relies on the physical removal of dental plaque in conjunction with dentifrices and mouthwashes which may be augmented with antibacterial compounds. A nuanced approach to the selection of suitable probiotic strains is therefore required. This article aims to introduce the concept of dental probiosis and considers current evidence and future potential in the context of the composition, activities and health implications of the oral microbiota.
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Health claims on foods: strength of the evidence and problems of proof |
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OPINION
David Richardson, DPR Nutrition, Croydon, UK
Health claims on foods, applied correctly, have the potential to enhance consumers’ nutritional knowledge and healthy eating patterns, as well as complement national agendas in public nutrition, health protection and improvement.
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Control strategies for Salmonella colonisation of poultry: the probiotic perspective |
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Alun Carter et al., Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Addlestone, UK
The use of probiotics in poultry to modulate the host immune system has been shown to aid the clearance of Salmonella. This article will review current understanding of probiotic inhibitory mechanisms, the interactions between the host and Salmonella and the practical use of probiotics in vivo to reduce/inhibit Salmonella in poultry.
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Probiotics and prebiotics in the management of ulcerative colitis |
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San Choon Kong, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK
Early studies in the use of synbiotics in the management of ulcerative colitis and pouchitis have been promising. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics have relatively fewer side-effects than conventional pharmaceutical medications and are attractive alternatives for the long term treatment of ulcerative colitis and pouchitis.
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Dietary-based gut flora modulation against Clostridium difficile onset |
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Christos Gougoulias et al., University of Reading, UK
Clostridium difficile infection is a frequent complication of antibiotic therapy in hospitalised patients, which today is attracting more attention than ever and has led to its classification as a 'superbug'. Disruption of the composition of the intestinal microflora following antibiotic treatment is an important prerequisite for overgrowth of C. difficile and the subsequent development of an infection.
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Antioxidants in grains, vegetables and fruits |
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Zhimin Xu, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, USA
Antioxidants naturally contained in grains, vegetables and fruits are mostly phenolic derivatives and have monohydric or polyhydric phenols in their structures. As more and more consumers are concerned about food safety and health, the information outlined in this article will be useful for the food industry in order to improve food quality with natural antioxidants and develop food products with health promoting functions.
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Feeding strategies for the control of Salmonella in pigs |
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Sandra Martín-Peláez and Susana Martín Orúe, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
The most usual chain of events leading to pork-borne salmonellosis involves pigs as healthy carriers of Salmonella, which is transferred to humans through production, handling and consumption of pork. In the search for alternatives other than the use of antibiotics for the control of Salmonella, feed management is turning into a promising tool, reinforcing natural defences of the animal against intestinal colonisation and invasion.
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Developing smart foods using models of intestinal health |
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Rachel C. Anderson et al., AgResearch Grasslands, New Zealand
Since intestinal health problems are common, any smart foods that enhance intestinal wellness or reduce/prevent these problems are in demand. In order to develop new smart foods for intestinal health that take advantage of the developing knowledge regarding the interactions between foods and humans beyond simply nutrition, in vitro and in vivo models of intestinal wellness and disease are required.
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Bioactive peptides from food proteins: new opportunities and challenges |
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Paula Jauregi, University of Reading, UK
Food proteins such as milk and soy are a rich source of bioactive peptides. In the last decade, research into this area has intensified and new bioactive peptide sequences have been discovered with a range of apparent biological functions; for example, antihypertensive, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects and opiate-like qualities have been reported.
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Use of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in enteral nutrition |
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Aileen R. Smith, University of Dundee, UK
Enteral tube feeding bypasses the innate defence mechanisms in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, predisposing the individual to microbial overgrowth. Probiotics have been shown to suppress the overgrowth of pathogens in the proximal GI tract, while prebiotics alter the colonic microflora, stimulating the growth of probiotic bacteria. Such beneficial effects would be combined through the use of synbiotics, thus reducing the incidence of septic complications and diarrhoea in patients receiving enteral nutrition.
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Microbial conjugated linoleic acid production - a novel probiotic trait? |
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Rebecca Wall et al., Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Co Cork, Ireland
Conjugated linoleic acid, which occurs in milk and meat as a result of microbial biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, has attracted much attention as a novel type of biologically beneficial functional lipid because of its numerous health benefits, which include anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and anticarcinogenic effects.
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Mining whole grains for functional components |
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Julie M. Jones, College of St Catherine, St Paul, USA
Whole grains contain a myriad of functional components that work both alone and in combination to benefit overall health and reduce the risk of disease.
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Bacterial spore formers as probiotics for poultry |
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Stephen T. Cartman et al., University of Nottingham, UK
Functional foods and feed supplements, including prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics, have formed the focus of many research efforts to find and develop alternative growth-promoting and prophylactic agents for poultry as they may be mass-administered to poultry cost-effectively.
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Prebiotics in ancient diets |
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Jeff D. Leach, Paleobiotics Laboratory, New Orleans, USA
While modern studies continue to expand our knowledge of the health benefits of prebiotics, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. Drawing on select ethnographical and archaeological data, examples of prebiotic use in ancient diet is presented.
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Lactitol, an emerging prebiotic: functional properties with a focus on digestive health |
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Alexandra Drakoularakou et al., University of Reading, UK, and Danisco, UK/Finland
Lactitol is a sweet-tasting sugar alcohol and may be used as a functional ingredient in a variety of food products to replace sucrose. Having similar technical and physico-chemical properties as sucrose, lactitol is included in foods for the reduction of caloric value and glycaemic response.
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Probiotics - the consumer perspective |
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SPECIAL PAPER
Liisa Lähteenmäki and Aat M. Ledeboer, VTT, Finland and Unilever R&D, the Netherlands
A recent panel discussion at a consumer/industry platform meeting on probiotics concluded that consumers still have many questions regarding the validity of probiotic claims, the comprehensibility of the messages, the safety and efficacy of probiotic strains, and what to expect from such food products.
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Inulin: a prebiotic functional food ingredient |
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Duncan T. Brown and Kieran M. Tuohy, University of Reading, UK
This review addresses how we may divert the gut microbiota away from some of its more harmful activities towards beneficial interactions with the human host by means of prebiotics, which use specific dietary carbohydrates to selectively increase the numbers of what are seen as beneficial bacteria within the colon.
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Phytochemicals -- a future in functional foods? |
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Toni Steer, UK
Phytochemicals are varieties of biologically active secondary metabolites that provide colour and flavour, as well as offering natural toxicity to pests, and are sometimes known as phytoprotectants, nutraceuticals or nutricines.
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Dietary fat composition and cardiovascular disease |
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Anne M. Minihane, University of Reading, UK
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease and stroke, remains the major killer in the EU, being responsible for 42% of total mortality. The amount and composition of dietary fat is arguably the most important dietary factor contributing to disease risk.
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Nutrigenomics -- new frontiers in antioxidant research |
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Jan Frank et al., Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
Nutrigenomics is a rapidly growing field making use of molecular biology methodologies, such as microarray technology, to study how specific nutrients or diets affect gene expression.
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Cholesterol-lowering action of plant sterol-enriched products |
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Suhad S. AbuMweis et al., McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
The objective of this review is to present recent advances in knowledge of the cholesterol-lowering action of plant sterols, focusing on the efficacy of plant sterol-enriched products, including full-fat, low-fat and non-fat food products.
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Antimicrobial properties of green tea catechins |
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Peter W. Taylor et al., School of Pharmacy, London, UK
Studies conducted over the last 20 years have shown that the green tea polyphenolic catechins, in particular (–)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) and (–)-epicatechin gallate (ECg), can inhibit the growth of a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species with moderate potency.
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Functional foods and bone health |
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Kevin Cashman, University College, Cork, Ireland
This minireview examines a select number of potential functional food ingredients that may have a beneficial role in calcium absorption and/or bone health.
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Can functional foods modify mood? |
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David Benton, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, UK
The ways that aspects of nutrition might be manipulated to develop a functional food that improves mood are considered. Initially, possible roles for particular micro-nutrients are outlined, followed by the influence of macro-nutrients.
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Carbohydrates and fibre: a review of functionality in health and wellbeing |
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Angie Jefferson and Kathy Cowbrough, Bracknell, UK
This review outlines the role of carbohydrates in health and looks at the different types of carbohydrates, current dietary intakes, and the impact of fibre on prevention of cancer, heart disease and weight gain. In addition, the review explores the prebiotic functionality of resistant starches.
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Antioxidants and 21st century nutrition |
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Siân Astley, Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK
This review briefly examines the relevant literature relating to antioxidants, and suggests new routes for provision of specific nutritional advice to consumers, namely nutrigenomics.
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Kefir -- a complex probiotic |
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Edward R. Farnworth, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec, Canada
Kefir is a fermented milk drink produced by the actions of bacteria and yeasts contained in kefir grains, and is reported to have a unique taste and unique properties.
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Functional foods in infant formulae |
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Wolfram M. Brück, bdw Consulting, Cologne, Germany
The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge of functional food research and discuss their impact on the composition of the infant gastrointestinal microflora.
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Functional foods in the USA -- emphasis on probiotic foods |
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Mary Ellen Sanders and James T. Heimbach, Dairy and Food Culture Technologies and JHeimbach LLC, USA
This article seeks to examine probiotics as functional food ingredients and the regulatory framework for labelling and describing the benefits of functional foods, as well as dietary supplements.
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Canine functional foods |
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George Tzortzis, Glenn R. Gibson and Robert A. Rastall, School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, UK
This review provides an overview of how dietary supplementation of dietary fibre, probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics may contribute toward nutritional modulation of canine gut microbiology.
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From hypoallergenic foods to anti-allergenic foods |
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Arthur Ouwehand et al. University of Turku, Finland
The relationship between allergy and the intestinal microflora is discussed, together with the potential of probiotics, prebiotics and other functional ingredients to treat or prevent allergies.
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Functional foods and bowel cancer |
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Ian T Johnson, Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK
Designing functional foods to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer is difficult, but the protective effects of diets rich in plant foods, and the likely importance of the colonic microflora in pathogenesis of the disease, suggest fruitful strategies.
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Functional foods, blood lipids and coronary heart disease |
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Kim Jackson and Julie Lovegrove, School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, UK
For the past 20 years, the principal focus of public health strategies for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been aimed at lowering serum cholesterol levels.
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