A combined methodology to detect γ-irradiated white sesame seeds and evaluate the effects on fat content, physicochemical properties and protein allergenicity

Recent advance in sesame allergens: Influence of food processing and their detection methods

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a valuable oilseed crop with numerous nutritional benefits containing a diverse range of bioactive compounds. However, sesame is also considered an allergenic food that triggers various mild to severe adverse reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis). Strict dietary avoidance of sesame components is the best option to protect the sensitized consumers. Sesame or sesame-derived foods are always consumed after certain food processing operations, which would cause a considerable impact on the structure of sesame proteins, changing their sensitization capacity and detectability. In the review, the molecular structure properties, and immunological characteristics of the sesame allergens were described. Meanwhile, the influence of food processing techniques on sesame proteins and the relevant detection techniques used for the sesame allergens quantification are also emphasized critically. Hopefully, this review could provide valuable insight into the development and management for the new "Big Eight" sesame allergen in food industry.

Sesame Seeds: A Nutrient-Rich Superfood

Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) have been cultivated for thousands of years and have long been celebrated for their culinary versatility. Beyond their delightful nutty flavor and crunchy texture, sesame seeds have also gained recognition for their remarkable health benefits. This article provides an in-depth exploration of the numerous ways in which sesame seeds contribute to overall well-being. Sesame seeds are a powerhouse of phytochemicals, including lignans derivatives, tocopherol isomers, phytosterols, and phytates, which have been associated with various health benefits, including the preservation of cardiovascular health and the prevention of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and brain dysfunction. These compounds have also been substantiated for their efficacy in cholesterol management. Their potential as a natural source of beneficial plant compounds is presented in detail. The article further explores the positive impact of sesame seeds on reducing the risk of chronic diseases thanks to their rich polyunsaturated fatty acids content. Nevertheless, it is crucial to remember the significance of maintaining a well-rounded diet to achieve the proper balance of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a balance lacking in sesame seed oil. The significance of bioactive polypeptides derived from sesame seeds is also discussed, shedding light on their applications as nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional ingredients. Recognizing the pivotal role of processing methods on sesame seeds, this review discusses how these methods can influence bioactive compounds. While roasting the seeds enhances the antioxidant properties of the oil extract, certain processing techniques may reduce phenolic compounds.

Non-thermal processing of cashews: irradiation reduces allergenicity by altering the structure of Ana o 3

Traditional thermal processing of cashews not only results in nutrient loss and harmful by-products, but also does not significantly reduce allergenicity. Irradiation could be an important non-thermal processing method to reduce cashew allergens' allergenicity and retain their nutritional properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation processing on the structure and potential allergenicity of Ana o 3. The Ana o 3 solutions were gamma-irradiated at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 kGy. The structure change was monitored by Tricine-SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The potential allergenicity was tested by immunoblotting, indirect competitive ELISA, and the human basophil KU812 degranulation assay using serum from cashew allergy patients. The results of CD spectroscopy showed that the content of α-helices decreased from 46.8% to 30.9% after 3 to 10 kGy, while the content of random coils increased from 23.7% to 33.3%. Meanwhile, a large number of hydrophobic regions were exposed, resulting in an increase in the hydrophobic surface of the protein. In terms of allergenicity, the IC₅₀ values obtained by the competitive inhibition ELISA after irradiation increased from 0.628 to 4.054 μg mL^-1, indicating that irradiation reduced the IgE binding capacity of Ana o 3, which was consistent with the results of western blotting. In addition, the basophil degranulation analysis showed that the release of IL-6, TNF-α, and histamine was decreased. It was shown that the potential allergenicity of the irradiated Ana o 3 was remarkably decreased since irradiation could mask or destroy the allergen epitopes, providing a new approach to reduce the allergenicity of cashew products.

Sesame as a source of food allergens: clinical relevance, molecular characterization, cross-reactivity, stability toward processing and detection strategies

Sesame is an allergenic food with an increasing allergy prevalence among the European/USA population. Sesame allergy is generally life-persisting, being the cause of severe/systemic adverse immune responses in sesame-allergic individuals. Herein, clinical data about sesame allergy, including prevalence, diagnosis, relevance, and treatments are described, with focus on the molecular characterization of sesame allergens, their cross-reactivity and co-sensitization phenomena. The influence of food processing and digestibility on the stability/immunoreactivity of sesame allergens is critically discussed and the analytical approaches available for their detection in foodstuffs. Cross-reactivity between sesame and tree nuts or peanuts is frequent because of the high similarities among proteins of the same family. However, cross-reactivity phenomena are not always correlated with true clinical allergy in sensitized patients. Data suggest that sesame allergens are resistant to heat treatments and digestibility, with little effect on their immunoreactivity. Nevertheless, data are scarce, evidencing the need for more research to understand the effect of food processing on sesame allergenicity modulation. The demands for identifying trace amounts of sesame in foods have prompted the development of analytical methods, which have targeted both protein and DNA markers, providing reliable, specific, and sensitive tools, crucial for the effective management of sesame as an allergenic food.

Sesame allergy: mechanisms, prevalence, allergens, residue detection, effects of processing and cross-reactivity

Sesame allergy is a serious public health problem and is mainly induced by IgE-mediated reactions, whose prevalence is distributed all over the world. Sesame has been included on the priority allergic food list in many countries. This review summarizes the mechanism and prevalence of sesame allergy. The characteristics, structures and epitopes of sesame allergens (Ses i 1 to Ses i 7) are included. Moreover, the detection methods for sesame allergens are evaluated, including nucleic-acid, immunoassays, mass spectrometry, and biosensors. Various processing techniques for reducing sesame allergenicity are discussed. Additionally, the potential cross-reactivity of sesame with other plant foods is assessed. It is found that the allergenicity of sesame is related to the structures and epitopes of sesame allergens. Immunoassays and mass spectrometry are the major analytical tools for detecting and quantifying sesame allergens in food. Limited technologies have been successfully used to reduce the antigenicity of sesame, involving microwave heating, high hydrostatic pressure, salt and pH treatment. More technologies for reducing the allergenicity of sesame should be widely investigated in future studies. The reduction of allergenicity in processed sesames should be ultimately confirmed by clinical studies. What's more, sesame may exhibit cross-reactivity with peanut and tree nuts.

Irradiation technology: An effective and promising strategy for eliminating food allergens

Food allergies are one of the major health concerns worldwide and have been increasing at an alarming rate in recent times. The elimination of food allergenicity has been an important issue in current research on food. Irradiation is a typical nonthermal treatment technology that can effectively reduce the allergenicity of food, showing great application prospects in improving the quality and safety of foods. In this review, the mechanism and remarkable features of irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are mainly introduced, and the research progress on reducing the allergenicity of animal foods (milk, egg, fish and shrimp) and plant foods (soybean, peanut, wheat and nuts) using irradiation is summarized. Furthermore, the influencing factors for irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are analyzed and further research directions of irradiation desensitization technology are also discussed. This article aims to provide a reference for promoting the application of irradiation technology in improving the safety of foods.

Food irradiation: a promising technology to produce hypoallergenic food with high quality

The increasing incidence of food allergy cases is a public health problem of global concern. Producing hypoallergenic foods with high quality, low cost, and eco-friendly is a new trend for the food industry in the coming decades. Food irradiation, a non-thermal food processing technology, is a powerful tool to reduce the allergenicity with the above advantages. This review presents a summary of recent studies about food irradiation to reduce the allergenicity of food, including shellfish, soy, peanut, milk, tree nut, egg, wheat and fish. Principles of food irradiation, including mechanisms of allergenicity-reduction, irradiation types and characteristics, are discussed. Specific effects of food irradiation are also evaluated, involving microbial decontamination, improvement or preservation of nutritional value, harmful substances reduction of food products. Furthermore, the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of food irradiation are analyzed. It is concluded that food irradiation is a safety tool to reduce the allergenicity of food effectively, with high nutritional value and long shelf-life, making it a competitive alternative technology to traditional techniques such as heating treatments. Of note, a combination of irradiation with additional processing may be a trend for food irradiation.

Changes in the physiological and biochemical state of peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea L.) induced by exposure to green metallic nanoparticles

Different types of nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used in multiple sectors such as industry, medicine and agriculture. This application has increased the possibility of NPs accumulating and contaminating the environment. Plants are one of the essential building blocks of all ecosystems and the interaction between NPs and plants is an indispensable aspect of risk assessment. To understand the effects of NPs in agricultural systems, in the present study we investigated the effects of exposure of Ag, Cu and Cu/Ag phytonanoparticles in Arachis hypogaea L. plants at a physiological and biochemical level, for which NPs solutions were applied foliarly at concentrations of 250, 500, 750 and 1000 ppm for 48 days. Parameters such as leaf length, chlorophyll and concentration of phytohormones showed that phytonanoparticles could cause serious damage to plant growth and development. Plants exposed to phytonanoparticles showed an increase in total phenols, proline, PAL activity and antioxidant enzymes, this to mitigate the stress caused. The alteration in the composition and content of fatty acids in the peanut kernels after exposure to different NPs indicated that they could affect the yield and quality of crop. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate its potential impact on food quality. Statement of noveltyIn this manuscript, we report for the first time that green nanoparticles induced a lower degree of toxicity in plants compared to commercial nanoparticles.Our results indicate that the mechanisms by which peanut plants respond to the application of nanoparticles were an increase in the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and antioxidant enzymes. So far there are few studies on the effect of nanoparticles on plant hormones, our results revealed a significant decrease in indole-3 acetic acid and induced the synthesis of gibberellins. The modification in the composition and content of fatty acids in the peanut kernels indicated that the nanoparticles could affect the quality of the crop.

Are Physicochemical Properties Shaping the Allergenic Potency of Plant Allergens?

This review searched for published evidence that could explain how different physicochemical properties impact on the allergenicity of food proteins and if their effects would follow specific patterns among distinct protein families. Owing to the amount and complexity of the collected information, this literature overview was divided in two articles, the current one dedicated to protein families of plant allergens and a second one focused on animal allergens. Our extensive analysis of the available literature revealed that physicochemical characteristics had consistent effects on protein allergenicity for allergens belonging to the same protein family. For example, protein aggregation contributes to increased allergenicity of 2S albumins, while for legumins and cereal prolamins, the same phenomenon leads to a reduction. Molecular stability, related to structural resistance to heat and proteolysis, was identified as the most common feature promoting plant protein allergenicity, although it fails to explain the potency of some unstable allergens (e.g. pollen-related food allergens). Furthermore, data on physicochemical characteristics translating into clinical effects are limited, mainly because most studies are focused on in vitro IgE binding. Clinical data assessing how these parameters affect the development and clinical manifestation of allergies is minimal, with only few reports evaluating the sensitising capacity of modified proteins (addressing different physicochemical properties) in murine allergy models. In vivo testing of modified pure proteins by SPT or DBPCFC is scarce. At this stage, a systematic approach to link the physicochemical properties with clinical plant allergenicity in real-life scenarios is still missing.

Controlling fungal growth in sesame (

This study investigated the free fatty acids, fatty acid profile, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity of sesame seed oil extracted from γ-irradiated seeds and the decontamination effects of the treatment on fungal incidence in the seeds. Gamma irradiation reduced (P ≤ 0.05) fungal growth and colony forming units of sesame seeds in a dose-dependent manner. The free fatty acid content of sesame oil decreased (P ≤ 0.05) in irradiated samples compared to non-radiated controls, but there was no difference (P ≥ 0.05) between samples treated at doses ≥ 1.0 kGy. A concomitant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in total phenolic and scavenging activity was observed in the oil extracted from γ-irradiated sesame seeds in comparison with non-radiated samples, while free fatty acid (FFA) content decreased. The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that γ-irradiation at low doses can be used as an effective post-harvest preservation method for sesame seeds without a major effect on the quality of sesame oil.

Effects of Multihollow Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma on Chemical and Antioxidant Properties of Peanut

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of atmospheric pressure plasma generated by multihollow surface dielectric barrier discharge on chemical and antioxidant properties of peanut. Multihollow surface dielectric barrier discharge is a novel plasma device applicable in food industry applications due to the capacity of the generated plasma to treat the surface of food without changing the quality. Peanut seeds were exposed to the multihollow plasma for different plasma power (10–40 W), air flow rate (0.5–20 l/min), and time (1–15 min). The fatty acid profile, peroxide value, acid value, moisture content, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity were evaluated during cold plasma treatment. The result revealed that, due to the variation plasma power, treatment time and air flow rate caused a decrease in unsaturated fatty acid and moisture content and increased saturated fatty acids, peroxide value, acid value, and total polyphenols of the peanut.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy in Food Science: A Comprehensive Review

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a robust method, which can rapidly analyze mixtures at the molecular level without requiring separation and/or purification steps, making it ideal for applications in food science. Despite its increasing popularity among food scientists, NMR is still an underutilized methodology in this area, mainly due to its high cost, relatively low sensitivity, and the lack of NMR expertise by many food scientists. The aim of this review is to help bridge the knowledge gap that may exist when attempting to apply NMR methodologies to the field of food science. We begin by covering the basic principles required to apply NMR to the study of foods and nutrients. A description of the discipline of chemometrics is provided, as the combination of NMR with multivariate statistical analysis is a powerful approach for addressing modern challenges in food science. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of recent and key applications in the areas of compositional analysis, food authentication, quality control, and human nutrition is provided. In addition to standard NMR techniques, more sophisticated NMR applications are also presented, although limitations, gaps, and potentials are discussed. We hope this review will help scientists gain some of the knowledge required to apply the powerful methodology of NMR to the rich and diverse field of food science.

Aflatoxin B1 in sesame seeds and sesame products from the Greek market

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered as the most potent liver carcinogen for humans. A method for determination in sesame seeds was developed. AFB1 was extracted by methanol-water, cleaned by immunoaffinity columns and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The recovery factor and the limit of detection (LOD) of AFB1 in sesame seeds were 111.5% and 0.02 ng g(-1), respectively. Thirty samples of sesame products were examined for the presence of AFB1. After analysis, 77.6% of samples were found to be contaminated. Eight samples exceeded the European Union (EU) limit (2 µg AFB1 kg(-1)). In 15 samples, AFB1 was below the EU limit. Seven samples remained below the LOD. The most contaminated (14.49 ng AFB1 g(-1)) sample was unpeeled packaged sesame seeds. In all samples, aflatoxigenic Aspergilli fungi as well as the risk for AFB1 presence in sesame seed was investigated.

Effect of gamma irradiation on soybean allergen levels

The levels of food allergens in gamma-irradiated soybean (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 20, and 30 kGy) were investigated by immunoblotting and ELISA, using allergen-specific antibodies and patient serum. After 3 months of storage, Coomassie brilliant blue (CBB) staining indicated similar total protein profiles among the treatments, but that some proteins were degraded by irradiation at high doses. Immunoblotting with specific antibodies for major soybean allergens (β-conglycinin, Gly m Bd 30 K, soybean trypsin inhibitor, and Gly m 4) resulted in apparent band profiles and intensities that were not significantly changed by irradiation. Competitive inhibition ELISA analyses suggested that there were no significant changes in the allergen contents, except for a decrease in the soybean trypsin inhibitor. The patient IgE binding allergenic protein patterns were not changed by irradiation up to 30 kGy. ELISA using patient serum also revealed that the IgE reactivity to the irradiated soybean extract did not increase from the level of the control, but that the reactivity to some patient serum IgE was significantly decreased by irradiation.

1H-HRMAS NMR study of cold smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) treated with E-beam

(1)H High resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopic data in combination with principal components analysis and analysis of variance were used to differentiate between irradiated and non-irradiated cold-smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). NMR profiling was obtained, with a spectral acquisition time of less than 8 min, from a small sample size of intact white salmon muscle, by non-destructive analysis that includes a very simple and rapid sample preparation step. Results obtained enable the use of creatine, trimethylamine oxide and the sum of phosphorylcholine and glycerophosphorylcholine as diagnostic compounds to detect irradiation treatment. This study shows the potential of (1)H-HRMAS to be a rapid method for investigating compositional changes due to food processing as well as to confirm the presence or absence of some bioactive compounds in irradiated samples.

On the Combined Application of Iatroscan TLC-FID and GC-FID to Identify Total, Neutral, and Polar Lipids and Their Fatty Acids Extracted from Foods

An efficient separation and quantification of the individual neutral and polar lipid classes and their constituent fatty acids was achieved by the combination of two different detection techniques: Iatroscan TLC-FID and GC-FID. The solvent composition and ratio of development system, the sample size, the fidelity, and precision were tested in order to estimate the effectiveness of separation of individual neutral and polar lipid classes and the quantitative reproducibility of the Iatroscan TLC-FID technique. GC-FID method, with a high-quality capillary column, allowed sensitive and reproducible fatty acid qualitative and quantitative analyses, separation of fatty acid structural isomers (e.g., n-C16:0, iso-C16:0 and anteiso-C16:0), positional isomers (e.g., C18:1ω-9 and C18:1ω-7), geometrical isomers (cis-trans), and homologues (e.g., C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, etc.) in standards and complex lipid samples. Seventeen (17) lipid classes and fifty-two (52) saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids were identified and quantified, respectively, in samples of standard lipid and fatty acid mixtures, simulating the composition of natural lipids and their fatty acid methyl esters in common foods. The wide number of applications establishes this combination of Iatroscan TLC-FID and GC-FID methods as a powerful tool for lipid class and fatty acid analysis of any fat origin.