Author: Cristina Otero
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
ISBN: 1681084295
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 435

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Book Description
Functional foods (foods with known bioactive properties) have shown potential for preventive and therapeutic treatments. However, this potential must be safely determined before they enter the commercial market. At the same time, nutrition research is transforming into a data driven field with reference to the identification and development of functional food products due to the large number of variables affecting food biochemistry in the human body. This volume presents reviews of recent advances in food chemistry, food technology and nutraceutical research (for diet therapy and cosmetics). Chapters in this volume cover a broad spectrum of topics: - drug discovery and development in the modern nutraceutical industry, - recent developments in the extraction, identification and quantification of bioactive peptides in foods, - concepts of bioavailability, bioaccessibility, bioactivity, bioefficiency and bioconversion of bioactive foods, - synthetic routes for obtaining bioactive compounds, - the role of nutrigenomics to identify key cellular functions by specific genetic and epigenetic interactions with a nutrient, - anti-cancer properties of important bioactive components of medicinal plants, - the effect of a diet based on different bioactive foods on prevention and treatment of diabetes, - antioxidant effects on cardiovascular disease, - beneficial effects of bioactive foods on metabolic syndrome, - the potential of tauroursodeoxycholic acid on prevention and recovery of neurodegenerative diseases, - the effects of natural phytochemicals in prostate cancer, - the effects of methylxanthines (caffeine and others), and culinary methods on physiological and toxicological effects of the bioactive food constituents. The volume is an ideal reference for pharmacy students, nutritionists, healthcare providers and nutraceutical R&D specialists interested in functional foods. [Series Intro] Frontiers in Bioactive Compounds brings edited reviews on the analysis and characterization of natural compounds of medicinal interest. Each volume covers useful information on a variety of natural sources as well as analytical techniques. This series is essential reading for analytical and medicinal chemists as well as professionals involved in natural and pharmaceutical product research and development.

Author: Paola Angelini
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288974566X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description

Author: Roberto Mazzoli
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889451852
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Microorganisms have had a long and surprising history. They were “invisible” until invention of microscope in the 17th century. Until that date, although they were extensively (but inconsciously) employed in food preservation, beer and wine fermentation, cheese, vinegar, yogurt and bread making, as well as being the causative agents of infectious diseases, they were considered as “not-existing”. The work of Pasteur in the middle of the 19th century revealed several biological activities performed by microorganisms including fermentations and pathogenicity. Due to the urgent issue to treat infectious diseases (the main cause of death at those times) the “positive potential” of the microbial world has been neglected for about one century. Once the fight against the “evil” strains was fulfilled also thanks to the antibiotics, industry began to appreciate bacteria’s beneficial characteristics and exploit selected strains as starters for both food fermentations and aroma, enzyme and texturing agent production. However, it was only at the end of the 20th century that the probiotic potential of some bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria was fully recognized. Very recently, apart from the probiotic activity of in toto bacteria, attention has begun to be directed to the chemical mediators of the probiotic effect. Thanks also to the improvement of techniques such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, several bioactive compounds are continuously being discovered. Bioactive molecules produced by bacteria, yeasts and virus-infected cells proved to be important for improving or impairing human health. The most important result of last years’ research concerns the discovery that a very complex network of signals allows communication between organisms (from intra-species interactions to inter-kingdom signaling). Based on these findings a completely new approach has arisen: the system biology standpoind. Actually, the different organisms colonizing a certain environmental niche are not merely interacting with each other as individuals but should be considered as a whole complex ecosystem continuously exchanging information at the molecular level. In this context, this topic issue explores both antagonistic compounds (i.e. antibiotics) and “multiple function” cooperative molecules improving the physiological status of both stimulators and targets of this network. From the applicative viewpoint, these molecules could be hopefully exploited to develop new pharmaceuticals and/or nutraceuticals for improving human health.