Vol. 1 No. 2 (2023)

The incidence rate of chronic diseases has been rising globally as living conditions have improved, which has led to an increase in people’s focus on their health. Additionally, while nutrition is already widely used in today’s culture, it will continue to play an important role in human society in the future. This issue will provide readers with an intriguing investigation of topics including food security, the chemical composition, structure, and functions of some natural foods, and malnutrition. It is anticipated that readers will gain a great deal from this issue and learn the most recent findings from studies on food nutrition chemistry and related fields.

Background: Nutritional deficiency and malnutrition induce cyclothymia, depressed mood, and anemia. Therefore, in the present study, we experimentally induced malnutrition in chickens to follow up on brain functions and anemia profiles (blood indices) in chickens. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 60 one-day-old chicks that were equally divided into two groups and fed two different diets for six weeks. The control group was fed commercial grower and finisher rations during the growing and finishing periods, while the second group, which was the food deficiency test group, was fed yellow corn constantly during the growing and finishing periods. All chicks were weighed weekly to record weight differences. Whole blood samples and brain homogenates were collected from 10 chicks in each group every two weeks to evaluate brain tissue homogenate parameters, differential leukocyte count, complete blood count, and blood indices. Results: In the food deficiency group, acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) consistently increased throughout the study period. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) increased after the second and fourth weeks but showed no significant difference after the sixth week. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased significantly in the control group during the entire experiment. In terms of blood counts, the white blood cells (WBCs) were consistently higher in the food deficiency group. Eosinophils were significantly elevated after two and four weeks but not after six weeks. Lymphocytes were elevated in the control group after the second week and in the food deficiency group after six weeks. Band neutrophils increased significantly in the food deficiency group after six weeks, while monocytes increased after two weeks in the food deficiency group and after six weeks in the control group. Basophils and segmented neutrophils increased after two weeks in the food deficiency group but showed no significant differences after four and six weeks in either group. Furthermore, hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBCs), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and platelet count increased significantly in the control group throughout the study. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) increased significantly after four and six weeks in the control group. Conclusion: Malnutrition can have high effects on brain functions and blood parameters.

Regular monitoring of pesticides in agricultural farmland is essential to prevent the misuse of toxic pesticide chemicals. As crop samples are typically disintegrated to extract the pesticide residue for chromatographic analysis, non-destructive techniques for pesticide monitoring are ideal for preventing the unwanted destruction of crops. This, however, requires analytical techniques that can detect trace pesticide amounts. Here, we show that terahertz (THz) spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection mode, combined with a low-cost graphene oxide (GO) plasmonic sensor, can be used for sensitive, fast, and non-destructive pesticide detection on mango skin. After the application of a pesticide solution onto the mango skin, the dried pesticide residue was transferred to the GO sensor by pressing it in contact with the mango skin surface. Due to the adsorption of the pesticide molecules onto the oxygen-rich GO surface, a signal in the THz range was obtained corresponding to the pesticide’s chemical fingerprint. With this technique, pesticide surface concentrations of as low as 1 µg/cm² on mango skins can be detected.

Nutritional deficiency is a serious public health concern in many developing nations due to the high cost of food for those in lower socioeconomic classes. 1.3 billion tons of food are reportedly lost or wasted annually, beginning in the production phase and continuing into the consumer sector. Yet, worldwide, malnutrition-related problems claim the lives of 75% of youngsters. In Asia, including India, cauliflower, turnips, radishes, and peas are frequently consumed and grown in enormous amounts. However, the leaves and pods of these vegetables are normally discarded. They include large macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant-rich phenolic chemicals. In this study, unwanted vegetable parts—primarily leaves and pods—typically thrown away in trash cans were repurposed to create a product that can help the low-socioeconomic population overcome nutritional deficiencies. Many product varieties were made using unused turnips, radish, peas, and cauliflower leaves. The items with the best acceptability were those that were high in calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, phenol, and antioxidants. Therefore, it can be stated that the product, which was created utilizing an abandoned vegetable portion (leaves and pods), is nutrient-dense, affordable, and capable of addressing nutritional inadequacies.

Palmyraculture is a sustainable livelihood, in which people structure their lifestyle utilizing the values of the palmyra palm. The Asian palmyra palm, Borassus flabellifer, gives a lot of nutritional and nutraceutical products, as it is rich in vital biomolecules, especially flabelliferins and borassosides. Flabelliferins are found in the fruit, tuber, and inflorescence of palmyra palm, and the borassosides are found in the inflorescence. There are 14 types of flabelliferins (only nine of their structures are known) and six types of borassosides have been extracted so far. Flabelliferin F-II reduces intestinal glucose uptake and is anti-diabetic and anti-obesitic. Flabelliferin FB is an antimicrobial agent, an inhibitor for SARS-CoV main proteinase, a SARS-CoV main protease, and a human cellular transmembrane serine proteinase, while borassoside E is an antifungal agent. Further studies have to be conducted to determine the structures and functions of the other flabelliferins and borassosides.

Dioscorea opposita is a famous medicinal and edible plant that contains polysaccharides, stilbenes, diarylheptanoids, steroids, lignans, and terpenoids. It has many biological activities, such as anti-oxidation, enhancement of immunity, and hypoglycemic activity. In this paper, the research progress on the chemical constituents of D. opposita and their biological activities was reviewed. This review provides a scientific basis for the further development and utilization of D. opposita.

The basic goal of food preservation is to limit microbial development during storage, which promotes a longer shelf life and lowers the risk of food poisoning. Fruits and vegetables are a crucial addition to the human diet because they include the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed to sustain good health. Papaya contains a proteolytic enzyme known as papain, which is used in a variety of food processing procedures to break down proteins. The objective of this review is to carefully study the extraction methods for the papain enzyme that employ grinding and ultra-sonication extraction techniques and determine the application of papain as a preservative in future studies. Because the papaya fruit contains cysteine proteinases, it can be used as a significant instrument in pharmacology and medicine. The papaya fruit and seeds all contain carpaine, an alkaloid with a bitter taste that has a potent heart-depressant effect. Food preservation primarily aims to maintain the nutritional value of food, while also preserving its appearance and increasing its shelf life. Due to papaya’s widespread popularity and reputation for its high nutritional value, it is necessary to fortify the fruit with the best preservation enzyme. Enzymes have evolved into critical tools for numerous industries, most notably food, animal feed, biofuel, detergent, textile, pulp, and paper industries.