Re‐evaluation of agar (E 406) as a food additive

Potential Contribution to Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) of Agar Extracted from Gelidium latifolium (Gelidiaceae, Rhodophyta) as a Mineral Source

Ca, Na, Mg, K, P, Fe, Zn, Mn, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Mo, and Se were determined in agar obtained seasonally from Gelidium latifolium in coast of Black Sea, using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Also, the potential contribution of the agar to the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) was evaluated according to the Basic Nutritional Requirements Guideline released by the Institute of Medicine and the Official Journal of the European Union. The results show that agar extracted from G. latifolium could be used as a food supplement to help meet the DRIs of certain essential minerals and trace elements. In the study, the most dominant macro and micro elements were found to be potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn), respectively. The Na/K ratio of the agar obtained seasonally was found to be below the maximum limits recommended by international organizations (Na/K ≤ 0.6). The Ca/Mg ratio was calculated between 1.44 and 1.55 throughout the year. The Ca/Mg and K/Na ratios were not reflected highly significant difference between seasons. Ion quotient values for extracted agar were between 0.36 and 40.54, so they can reduce hypertension, preeclampsia, and heart disease in human beings. Accordingly, extracted agar from G. latifolium red seaweed were of high quality and safety and might be used in the field of nutrition.

Biocolorants in food: Sources, extraction, applications and future prospects

Color of a food is one of the major factors influencing its acceptance by consumers. At presently synthetic dyes are the most commonly used food colorant in food industry by providing more esthetically appearance and as a means to quality control. However, the growing concern about health and environmental due to associated toxicity with synthetic food colorants has accelerated the global efforts to replace them with safer and healthy food colorants obtained from natural resources (plants, microorganisms, and animals). Further, many of these biocolorants not only provide myriad of colors to the food but also exert biological properties, thus they can be used as nutraceuticals in foods and beverages. In order to understand the importance of nature-derived pigments as food colorants, this review provides a thorough discussion on the natural origin of food colorants. Following this, different extraction methods for isolating biocolorants from plants and microbes were also discussed. Many of these biocolorants not only provide color, but also have many health promoting properties, for this reason their physicochemical and biological properties were also reviewed. Finally, current trends on the use of biocolorants in foods, and the challenges faced by the biocolorants in their effective utilization by food industry and possible solutions to these challenges were discussed.

Identifying non-hazardous substances in pharmaceutical manufacturing and setting default Health-Based Exposure Limits (HBELs)

Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) that manufacture large, diverse portfolio of chemical and pharmaceutical substances require pragmatic risk-based decisions with respect to the safe carry-over between different chemical entities, as well as for worker protection. Additionally, CDMOs may not have access to primary study data or data is generally lacking for a specific substance. While pharmaceuticals require the establishment of health-based exposure limits (HBELs) (e.g., occupational exposure limits, permitted daily exposure limits), the limits for non-hazardous substances could be set in a protective and pragmatic way by using default values, when internally required. Since there is no aligned definition provided by authorities, nor agreed default values for non-hazardous substances, we provide a decision tree in order to help qualified experts (such as qualified toxicologists) to identify the group of non-hazardous substances and to assign default HBEL values for specific routes of exposure. The non-hazardous substances discussed within this publication are part of the following subgroups: (I) inactive pharmaceutical ingredients, (II) pharmaceutical excipients or cosmetic ingredients, (III) substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and (IV) food ingredients, additives and contact materials. The proposed default limit values are 1 mg/m³ for the OEL, and 50 mg/day for the PDE oral and IV (intravenous) route.

An Overview of Potential Seaweed-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Pharmaceutical Applications

Nowadays, seaweeds are widely involved in biotechnological applications. Due to the variety of bioactive compounds in their composition, species of phylum Ochrophyta, class Phaeophyceae, phylum Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta are valuable for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Seaweeds have been consumed as whole food since ancient times and used to treat several diseases, even though the mechanisms of action were unknown. During the last decades, research has demonstrated that those unique compounds express beneficial properties for human health. Each compound has peculiar properties (e.g., antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral activities, etc.) that can be exploited to enhance human health. Seaweed's extracted polysaccharides are already involved in the pharmaceutical industry, with the aim of replacing synthetic compounds with components of natural origin. This review aims at a better understanding of the recent uses of algae in drug development, with the scope of replacing synthetic compounds and the multiple biotechnological applications that make up seaweed's potential in industrial companies. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of action of seaweed's compounds and to embrace the use of seaweeds in pharmaceutical companies and other applications, with the final scope being to produce sustainable and healthier products.

Scaffolds for Cultured Meat on the Basis of Polysaccharide Hydrogels Enriched with Plant-Based Proteins

The world population is growing and alternative ways of satisfying the increasing demand for meat are being explored, such as using animal cells for the fabrication of cultured meat. Edible biomaterials are required as supporting structures. Hence, we chose agarose, gellan and a xanthan-locust bean gum blend (XLB) as support materials with pea and soy protein additives and analyzed them regarding material properties and biocompatibility. We successfully built stable hydrogels containing up to 1% pea or soy protein. Higher amounts of protein resulted in poor handling properties and unstable gels. The gelation temperature range for agarose and gellan blends is between 23-30 °C, but for XLB blends it is above 55 °C. A change in viscosity and a decrease in the swelling behavior was observed in the polysaccharide-protein gels compared to the pure polysaccharide gels. None of the leachates of the investigated materials had cytotoxic effects on the myoblast cell line C2C12. All polysaccharide-protein blends evaluated turned out as potential candidates for cultured meat. For cell-laden gels, the gellan blends were the most suitable in terms of processing and uniform distribution of cells, followed by agarose blends, whereas no stable cell-laden gels could be formed with XLB blends.

Nanoparticle Food Applications and Their Toxicity: Current Trends and Needs in Risk Assessment Strategies

ABSTRACT

Nanotechnology has developed into one of the most groundbreaking scientific fields in the last few decades because it exploits the enhanced reactivity of materials at the atomic scale. The current classification of nanoparticles (NPs) used in foods is outlined in relation to the production and physicochemical characteristics. This review aims to concisely present the most popular and widely used inorganic and organic NPs in food industries. Considering that the toxicity of NPs is often associated with chemical reactivity, a series of in vitro toxicity studies are also summarized, integrating information on the type of NP studies and reported specifications, type of cells used, exposure conditions, and assessed end points. The important role of the digestive system in the absorption and distribution of nanoformulated foods within the body and how this affects the resultant cytotoxicity. Examples of how NPs and their accumulation within different organs are presented in relation to the consumption of specific foods. Finally, the role of developing human health risk assessments to characterize both the potential impact of the hazard and the likelihood or level of human exposure is outlined. Uncertainties exist around risk and exposure assessments of NPs due to limited information on several aspects, including toxicity, behavior, and bioaccumulation. Overall, this review presents current trends and needs for future assessments in toxicity evaluation to ensure the safe application of NPs in the food industry.

HIGHLIGHTS

An Overview to the Health Benefits of Seaweeds Consumption

Currently, seaweeds are gaining major attention due to the benefits they give to our health. Recent studies demonstrate the high nutritional value of seaweeds and the powerful properties that seaweeds' bioactive compounds provide. Species of class Phaeophyceae, phylum Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta possess unique compounds with several properties that are potential allies of our health, which make them valuable compounds to be involved in biotechnological applications. In this review, the health benefits given by consumption of seaweeds as whole food or by assumption of bioactive compounds trough natural drugs are highlighted. The use of seaweeds in agriculture is also highlighted, as they assure soils and crops free from chemicals; thus, it is advantageous for our health. The addition of seaweed extracts in food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and industrial companies will enhance the production and consumption/usage of seaweed-based products. Therefore, there is the need to implement the research on seaweeds, with the aim to identify more bioactive compounds, which may assure benefits to human and animal health.

On the Health Benefits vs. Risks of Seaweeds and Their Constituents: The Curious Case of the Polymer Paradigm

To exploit the nutraceutical and biomedical potential of selected seaweed-derived polymers in an economically viable way, it is necessary to analyze and understand their quality and yield fluctuations throughout the seasons. In this study, the seasonal polysaccharide yield and respective quality were evaluated in three selected seaweeds, namely the agarophyte Gracilaria gracilis, the carrageenophyte Calliblepharis jubata (both red seaweeds) and the alginophyte Sargassum muticum (brown seaweed). It was found that the agar synthesis of G. gracilis did not significantly differ with the seasons (27.04% seaweed dry weight (DW)). In contrast, the carrageenan content in C. jubata varied seasonally, being synthesized in higher concentrations during the summer (18.73% DW). Meanwhile, the alginate synthesis of S. muticum exhibited a higher concentration (36.88% DW) during the winter. Therefore, there is a need to assess the threshold at which seaweed-derived polymers may have positive effects or negative impacts on human nutrition. Furthermore, this study highlights the three polymers, along with their known thresholds, at which they can have positive and/or negative health impacts. Such knowledge is key to recognizing the paradigm governing their successful deployment and related beneficial applications in humans.

Aquaculture Production of the Brown Seaweeds Laminaria digitata and Macrocystis pyrifera: Applications in Food and Pharmaceuticals

Seaweeds have a long history of use as food, as flavouring agents, and find use in traditional folk medicine. Seaweed products range from food, feed, and dietary supplements to pharmaceuticals, and from bioenergy intermediates to materials. At present, 98% of the seaweed required by the seaweed industry is provided by five genera and only ten species. The two brown kelp seaweeds Laminaria digitata, a native Irish species, and Macrocystis pyrifera, a native New Zealand species, are not included in these eleven species, although they have been used as dietary supplements and as animal and fish feed. The properties associated with the polysaccharides and proteins from these two species have resulted in increased interest in them, enabling their use as functional foods. Improvements and optimisations in aquaculture methods and bioproduct extractions are essential to realise the commercial potential of these seaweeds. Recent advances in optimising these processes are outlined in this review, as well as potential future applications of L. digitata and, to a greater extent, M. pyrifera which, to date, has been predominately only wild-harvested. These include bio-refinery processing to produce ingredients for nutricosmetics, functional foods, cosmeceuticals, and bioplastics. Areas that currently limit the commercial potential of these two species are highlighted.

A Comprehensive Review of the Nutraceutical and Therapeutic Applications of Red Seaweeds (Rhodophyta)

The red seaweed group (Rhodophyta) is one of the phyla of macroalgae, among the groups Phaeophyceae and Chlorophyta, brown and green seaweeds, respectively. Nowadays, all groups of macroalgae are getting the attention of the scientific community due to the bioactive substances they produce. Several macroalgae products have exceptional properties with nutraceutical, pharmacological, and biomedical interest. The main compounds studied are the fatty acids, pigments, phenols, and polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are the most exploited molecules, which are already widely used in various industries and are, presently, entering into more advanced applications from the therapeutic point of view. The focuses of this review are the red seaweeds' compounds, its proprieties, and its uses. Moreover, this work discusses new possible applications of the compounds of the red seaweeds.