The utilization of pea proteins (PPs) is limited due to their relatively low protein digestibility (∼81%) compared to animal-based proteins, such as whey. The present investigation involved the fermentation of PPs at a concentration of 1% (w/v) using 5% (w/v) water kefir for 60 h at 25°C to improve the functional properties of PPs. The results showed a significant (p
Despite long-standing uses in several food and medicine traditions, the full potential of the leguminous crop fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) remains to be realized in the modern diet. Not only its seeds, which are highly prized for their culinary and medicinal properties, but also its leaves and stems abound in phytochemicals with high nutritional and health promoting attributes. Fenugreek dual food-medicine applications and reported metabolic activities include hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, anticarcinogenic, immunomodulatory, and antinociceptive effects, with potential organ-protective effects at the cardiovascular, digestive, hepatic, endocrine, and central nervous system levels. Effectiveness in alleviating certain inflammatory skin conditions and dysfunctions of the reproductive system was also suggested. As a food ingredient, fenugreek can enhance the sensory, nutritional, and nutraceutical qualities of a wide variety of foods. Its high nutritive density can assist with the design of dietary items that meet the demand for novelty, variety, and healthier foods. Its seeds provide essential protective nutrients and other bioactive compounds, notably galactomannans, flavonoids, coumarins, saponins, alkaloids, and essential oils, whose health benefits, alone or in conjunction with other bioactives, are only beginning to be tapped into in the food industries. This review summarizes the current state of evidence on fenugreek potential for functional food development, focusing on the nutrients and non-nutrient bioactive components of interest from a dietary perspective, and their applications for enhancing the functional and nutraceutical value of foods and beverages. New developments, safety, clinical evidence, presumed mechanisms of action, and future perspectives are discussed. HIGHLIGHTS: Fenugreek seeds and leaves have long-standing uses in the food-medicine continuum. Fenugreek phytochemicals exert broad-spectrum biological and pharmacological activities. They show high preventive and nutraceutical potential against common chronic diseases. Current evidence supports multiple mechanisms of action mediated by distinct bioactives. Opportunities for fenugreek-based functional foods and nutraceuticals are expanding.
The nutrient composition of 50 commonly consumed Jordanian food dishes was determined to support the development of a novel nutrition management system designed to assist with dietary intake assessment and diet management. Composite dishes were selected by interviewing households located in the northern region of Jordan. For each dish, five different recipes were collected from experienced chefs and the typical recipe was formulated based on the average weights of ingredients and net weight of the dish. Proximate composition as well as vitamin and mineral contents were determined and related to ingredient composition and cooking conditions. The newly created food composition database was used to develop a user-centric nutrition management software tailored to reflect the characteristics of the Jordanian diet with representative items from this diet. This novel nutrition management system is customizable, enabling users to build daily meal plans in accordance with personalized dietary needs and goals.
This research aimed to determine the biofunctional properties of wheat flour (WF) protein fractions and modifications to the antioxidant, anti-α-amylase and anti-angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) activities induced by the action of digestive endopeptidases in vitro. A molecular characterization of the most abundant protein fractions, i.e., albumins, glutelins-1, glutelins-2 and prolamins, showed that low- and high-MW polypeptides rich in cysteine, glutamic acid and leucine were present in albumins and glutelins, whereas low-MW subunits with a high proportion of polar amino acids prevailed in prolamins. Prolamins exhibited the second-highest water holding capacity (54%) after WF (84%), while albumins provided superior foam stability (76%). Prolamins, glutenins-1 and globulins demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity (up to 95%, 68% and 59%, respectively) both before and after hydrolysis with pepsin (P-H) or trypsin-chymotrypsin (TC-H). Prolamins, globulins and WF strongly inhibited α-amylase (>90%) before and after TC-H, and before P-H (55-71%). Moreover, P-H significantly increased α-amylase inhibition by albumins from 53 to 74%. The fractions with strong ACE inhibitory activity (70-89%) included prolamins and globulins after TC-H or P-H, as well as globulins before TC-H and WF before P-H. This novel evidence indicates that WF protein fractions and their peptide-enriched P and TC hydrolysates are excellent sources of multifunctional bioactives with antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive potential.
This study aimed to assess the technique of natural fermentation by applying water kefir to the casein protein. The diverse microorganisms and their enzymes found naturally in the water kefir can influence casein's characteristics. The fermented casein's protein quality (digestibility and secondary protein structure) and composition (total soluble solids and nutritive and non-nutritive substances) were investigated. Our findings revealed that the fermented casein's protein digestibility and total phenolic content increased from 82.46 to 88.60 % and 7.6 to 8.0 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, respectively. In addition, their surface charge and hydrophobicity changed from -30.06 to -34.93 mV and 286.9 to 213.7, respectively. Furthermore, the fermented casein's secondary protein components, α-helix (decreased from 13.66 to 8.21 %) and random coil (increased from 16.88 to 19.61 %), were also altered during the fermentation. Based on these findings, the water kefir fermentation approach could be an effective, practical, non-thermal approach for improving casein's protein quality and composition.