Effect of enzymatic treatment of citrus by-products on bacterial growth, adhesion and cytokine production by Caco-2 cells

A critical evaluation on the valorization strategies to reduce and reuse orange waste in bakery industry

Tons of orange by-products (OBPs) are generated during industrial orange processing. Currently, OBPs management is challenging due to their high amounts, physico-chemical characteristics (high water content, low pH, presence of essential oils) and seasonal nature of the production. Whereas agro-industrial OBPs can be highly valuable due to their abundant sources of bioactive compounds, which can add value to novel bakery products (e.g. bread, biscuits, cakes). This review covers the most recent research issues linked to the use of OBPs in bakery products, with a focus on available stabilization methods and on the main challenges to designing improved products. The application of OBPs improved the nutritional quality of bakery products, offering interesting sustainability benefits but also critical challenges. The valorization of OBPs may open new routes for the development of new natural ingredients for the food industry and lower food processing waste.

Citrus By-Products: Valuable Source of Bioactive Compounds for Food Applications

Citrus production produces about 15 million tons of by-products/waste worldwide every year. Due to their high content of bioactive compounds, several extraction techniques can be applied to obtain extracts rich in valuable compounds and further application into food applications. Distillation and solvent extraction continues to be the most used and applied extraction techniques, followed by newer techniques such as microwave-assisted extraction and pulsed electric field extraction. Although the composition of these extracts and essential oils directly depends on the edaphoclimatic conditions to which the fruit/plant was exposed, the main active compounds are D-limonene, carotenoids, and carbohydrates. Pectin, one of the most abundant carbohydrates present in Citrus peels, can be used as a biodegradable polymer to develop new food packaging, and the extracted bioactive compounds can be easily added directly or indirectly to foods to increase their shelf-life. One of the applications is their incorporation in active food packaging for microbiological and/or oxidation inhibition, prolonging foods' shelf-life and, consequently, contributing to reducing food spoilage. This review highlights some of the most used and effective extraction techniques and the application of the obtained essential oils and extracts directly or indirectly (through active packaging) to foods.

Role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, citrus pectin, and milk-derived exosomes on intestinal barrier integrity and immunity in animals

The gastrointestinal tract of livestock and poultry is prone to challenge by feedborne antigens, pathogens, and other stress factors in the farm environment. Excessive physiological inflammation and oxidative stress that arises firstly disrupts the intestinal epithelial barrier followed by other components of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present review, the interrelationship between intestinal barrier inflammation and oxidative stress that contributes to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease was described. Further, the role of naturally existing immunomodulatory nutrients such as the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, citrus pectin, and milk-derived exosomes in preventing intestinal barrier inflammation was discussed. Based on the existing evidence, the possible molecular mechanism of these bioactive nutrients in the intestinal barrier was outlined for application in animal diets.

Citral mitigates inflammation of Caco-2 cells induced by Cronobacter sakazakii

The aim of this study was to explore the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of citral in Cronobacter sakazakii-stimulated Caco-2 cells. Safe doses of citral were first determined in Caco-2 cells....