In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in using food additives from natural sources to improve taste, texture and extend the shelf-life of foodstuffs. The aim of this study was to examine the quality changes in trout treated with lemon juice for 21 days. Fish were divided into T0, T1, T2 and T3 and treated with 0, 1%, 2% and 3% lemon juice respectively. The lowest pH was found in T3 followed by T2, T1 and T0. A significant difference in total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acid (FFA) was observed between the control and treatments, with the lowest increase in T3 followed by T2. Total plate count (TPC) crossed the limit in T2 and T3 on the 21st day, whereas in control and T1, the permissible limit crossed on the 12th and 18th days respectively. The sensory panel rejected the control on the 12th day and T1 and T3 on the 18th day; however, T2 remained acceptable till the 21st day, thus showing the promising effect of lemon juice on the quality of trout fillet and thereby increasing the shelf-life of the product by nine days.
Anemia is a global health condition affecting infants and pregnant women, and one of its most common causes is iron deficiency. Iron is an essential nutrient for children ages 6 and 11. In several countries, governments counter iron deficiency by promoting mineral fortification of widely consumed foods. In this study, we evaluated the acceptability of a flour formula composed of chickpea flour and chicken liver powder as iron sources, partially replacing wheat flour in a sweet bread (muffin) preparation. In the first part of our experiment, three formulations with variable shares of chickpea and chicken liver powder were presented to a children’s taste panel to assess odor, color, texture, and product acceptability, identifying the most acceptable substitution formulation (consisting of 65% chickpea flour, 5% chicken liver, and 30% wheat flour). The control recipe consisted of 100% wheat flour. The second part of the experiment evaluated product durability following three storage dates after preparation (1 day, 8 days, and 15 days). The attributes of color, texture, and flavor degraded slightly over time, and odor varied markedly in disproportion with storage time. The selected formulation can serve as an iron supplement without affecting the hedonistic perception of the final product made with it.
Anemia remains a global disease burden, with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest prevalence. In recent years, African traditional medicines have been researched for their potential to increase universal health coverage. This study assessed the effectiveness of avocado leaf extract on the hemoglobin level in mice with anemia induced using phenylhydrazine. Anemia was induced in 15 mice using the intraperitoneal injection of 2.5% phenylhydrazine at a dose of 40 mg/kg. The mice were divided into three groups: Group A was the control group, which received no treatment, while Group B received an iron supplement and Group C received avocado leaf extract. Blood samples were analyzed using a HemoCue machine. Analysis of data was done using the analysis of variance and the t-test. The avocado leaf extract was found to increase the hemoglobin level by 2.5 ± 1.6 g/dl (p = 0.031), while the iron supplement increased the hemoglobin level by 2.9 ± 1.9 g/dl (p < 0.001), as compared with that of the control. Compared with the avocado leaf extract, the iron tablets increased the hemoglobin level by 0.3 ± 1.1 g/dl (p = 0.951). A mean of 2.9 ± 0.02 mg/L of iron was found in the avocado leaf extract used in this study. The phytochemical analysis detected the presence of flavonoids and alkaloids in the avocado leaf extract. The study reveals the potential of avocado leaf extract in reversing anemia. Further studies are recommended to validate the adequate dose of avocado leaf extract in treating anemia.
A review of the importance of probiotic viability, the functions of viable and postbiotic microorganisms, and their use in nutritious foods has been attempted. Reviews and studies on the effectiveness of dead, inactivated, or destroyed probiotic cells for health benefits have been taken into consideration. Probiotic viability, postbiotics, viable or killed, inactivated probiotic cells, and functional foods were among the keywords used in the data search. Platforms like Google, Pub Med, ResearchGate, and others are used. Probiotics are beneficial to health, but they have certain drawbacks. Furthermore, a review of the literature and current research have shown that even dead cells can have positive effects on health. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that, in addition to live probiotics, deactivated or non-living probiotic cells can also effectively extend health benefits. Numerous postbiotic substances derived from a wide variety of microorganisms can enhance gut health and extend health advantages. Not all live probiotic cultures are equally effective, and as a result, inactive or dead cells do not possess similar functional properties to provide health benefits for all diseases. Postbiotics can be classified into three groups based on research findings regarding their functional properties: [i] Postbiotics are less effective than probiotics; [ii] postbiotics are equally effective as probiotics; and [iii] postbiotics are more effective than probiotics. When compared to live probiotics, the advantages of inactivated bacteria and/or purified compounds include safety, physiological effects, and pharmaceutical properties. Food manufacturers may be drawn to the effectiveness of non-viable probiotics or their cell fractions for health benefits because they have some advantages over live probiotics, including a longer shelf life, ease of transportation, and a lower need for refrigerated storage. Inclusion of non-viable probiotics or their cell fractions may have potential of developing probiotic food formulation.
Chaga, also known as Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát, belongs to the genera Basidiomycotina, Hymenomycetes, Hymenochaetales, Hymenochaetaceae, and Inonotus. Chaga is a brown polypore fungus that mostly grows under the bark of white birch and silver birch trees. It forms sarcoma-like sclerotia when the bark is damaged. It mainly grows in Northern Europe at the 40° to 50° north latitude, Siberia and the Far East in Russia, Hokkaido in Japan, and the Changbai Mountain area of the Heilongjiang Province and Jilin Province in China. Chaga has various pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. Inonotus obliquus, an edible fungus with the same origin as medicine and food, has attracted more and more attention. At present, Chaga has become a raw material with great potential for developing functional foods. In this article, Chaga’s blood sugar-lowering function, functional ingredients, and blood sugar-lowering mechanism and the development status of Chaga functional foods are reviewed and Chaga’s future development is analyzed and forecast.
Open Access
