Soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) are a group of destructive Gram-negative phytopathogens that can infect a wide range of plant hosts, including potatoes. There are no effective control agents available against SRP, making their management challenging. We have developed a novel approach to protect potato tubers against SRP. It makes use of encapsulated predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus bacteria that upon release from a polymeric carrier, prey upon SRP. We applied a carrageenan-trehalose-based formulation containing a B. bacteriovorus HD100 predator to prevent soft-rot disease development in potato tubers, under various conditions. The dried formulation exhibited very high stability over an eighteen-month period at room temperature (˜25ºC), in contrast to unencapsulated suspensions of the predator, in which viability decreased rapidly below detection level. The rehydrated formulation was as efficient as freshly grown unencapsulated predators, and provided high protection in potted potato tubers, displaying an average of 50% reduction in disease parameters (e.g. tissue decay and disease index) under controlled conditions at 7-days post-inoculation and planting. The protective effect provided by this formulation was maintained in longer-term trials (28 days) conducted in larger vessels within a net-house under natural climate conditions, highlighting its potential for practical application in the field.

The objective of this study is the development of innovative nanocurcumin-based formulations designed for the treatment and prevention of oxidative stress and diabetes. Nanocurcumin was obtained through a micronization process and subsequently encapsulated within biopolymers derived from corn starch and fenugreek mucilage, achieving encapsulation rates of 75% and 85%, respectively. Subsequently, the encapsulated nanocurcumin was utilized in the formulation of sugar-free syrups based on Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The stability of the resulting formulations was assessed by monitoring particle size distribution and zeta potential over a 25-day period. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed a particle size of 119.9 nm for the fenugreek mucilage-based syrup (CURF) and 117 nm for the corn starch-based syrup (CURA), with polydispersity indices PDIs of 0.509 and 0.495, respectively. The dissolution rates of the encapsulated nanocurcumin were significantly enhanced, showing a 67% improvement in CURA and a 70% enhancement in CURF compared with crude curcumin (12.82%). Both formulations demonstrated excellent antioxidant activity, as evidenced by polyphenol quantification using the 2.2-diphenyl 1-pycrilhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In the evaluation of antidiabetic activity conducted on Wistar rats, a substantial reduction in fasting blood sugar levels from 392 to 187 mg/mL was observed. The antioxidant properties of CURF in reducing oxidative stress were clearly demonstrated by a macroscopic observation of the rats\' livers, including their color and appearance.

An eco-friendly extraction process of polyphenols from conventional dried rosemary tissues and post-distillation waste residues was applied using β-cyclodextrin as a co-solvent. The aqueous extracts were characterized by measuring the total phenolic content, and their phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by LC-MS. Sodium alginate solutions (2% w/w) with/without incorporation of rosemary aqueous extracts were prepared and used for the preparation of O/W emulsions containing 20% rapeseed oil and an 80% water phase. Hydrogel beads were then stored at 20 °C for 28 days. The quality of encapsulated oil during storage was evaluated by measurements of the peroxide value, p-anisidine value, free fatty acids, total oxidation value, and fatty acid composition, whilst the aqueous phase of the beads was analyzed for its total extractable phenolic content (TEPC). The experimental findings indicate that the incorporation of aqueous extracts from post-distillation rosemary residues in emulsion-filled hydrogel beads resulted in the lowest level of oxidation products in the encapsulated rapeseed oil (PV = 10.61 ± 0.02 meq/Kg oil, p-AnV = 4.41 ± 0.09, and FFA = 0.14 ± 0.00, expressed as % oleic acid content), indicating an acceptable oil quality until the end of the storage period.

The use of enzyme immobilisation is becoming increasingly popular in beverage processing, as this method offers significant advantages, such as enhanced enzyme performance and expanded applications, while allowing for easy process termination via simple filtration. This literature review analysed approximately 120 articles, published on the Web of Science between 2000 and 2023, focused on enzyme immobilisation systems for beverage processing applications. The impact of immobilisation on enzymatic activity, including the effects on the chemical and kinetic properties, recyclability, and feasibility in continuous processes, was evaluated. Applications of these systems to beverage production, such as wine, beer, fruit juices, milk, and plant-based beverages, were examined. The immobilisation process effectively enhanced the pH and thermal stability but caused negative impacts on the kinetic properties by reducing the maximum velocity and Michaelis-Menten constant. However, it allowed for multiple reuses and facilitated continuous flow processes. The encapsulation also allowed for easy process control by simplifying the removal of the enzymes from the beverages via simple filtration, negating the need for expensive heat treatments, which could result in product quality losses.

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) from plant biomass is becoming popular, attributed to the protective encapsulation of bioactive compounds in Pickering emulsion, preventing degradation and stabilizing the emulsion. NFC, as a natural dietary fiber, is a prominent fat replacer, providing a quality enhancement to reduced-fat products. In this study, NFC Pickering emulsions were prepared at NFC concentrations of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1% to encapsulate carotenoids. The NFC Pickering emulsions at NFC concentrations of 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1% were incorporated into margarine-like reduced fat (3%) spreads as the aqueous phase. Characterization of both NFC Pickering emulsion and the incorporated NFC Pickering emulsion, margarine-like reduced fat spreads, was conducted with mastersizer, rheometer, spectrophotometer, and texture analyzer. The particle size (73.67 ± 0.35 to 94.73 ± 2.21 nm), viscosity (138.36 ± 3.35 to 10545.00 ± 567.10 mPa s), and creaming stability (25% to 100% stable) of the NFC Pickering emulsions were increased significantly when increasing the NFC concentration, whereas the encapsulation efficiency was highest at NFC 0.4% and 0.6%. Although imitating the viscoelastic solid-like behavior of margarine was difficult, the NFC Pickering emulsion properties were still able to enhance hardness, slip melting point, and color of the reduced fat spreads compared to the full-fat margarine, especially at 0.6% of NFC. Overall, extensive performances of NFC can be seen in encapsulating carotenoids, especially at NFC concentrations of 0.4% and 0.6%, with the enhancement of Pickering emulsion stability while portraying futuristic possibilities as a fat replacer in margarine optimally at 0.6% of NFC concentration. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Nanocellulose extracted from palm dried long fiber was utilized to encapsulate carotenoids and replace fats in margarine-like reduced fat (3%) spreads. Our study portrayed high encapsulation efficiency and successful fat replacement with promising stability performances. Hence, nanocellulose displayed extensive potential as encapsulating agents and fat replacers while providing quality and sustainability enhancements in reduced-fat food.

Quercetin is a flavonoid that occurs in many types of fruit and vegetables and is stable for no longer than 4.5 h in the investigated pH range (6.0-8.0), even at 4 °C in the dark. At higher temperatures, the degradation/oxidation process is much faster. Simple but effective proliposomal encapsulation was used to protect the quercetin from environmental conditions such as pH. With this approach, 65 to 90% of pure quercetin and quercetin-rich onion extract was kept after >60 days under conditions that favoured its oxidation (pH 7.4). In addition, the encapsulated quercetin decreases the lipid peroxidation induced by pulsed UV light by >50%. At a mass ratio of 1:100 quercetin to lipids (w/w), the liposomes remained intact in solutions for six months. Quercetin in lipid bilayers simultaneously protects the unsaturated lipids from peroxidation.

In order to enhance stability of Raman reporters, trapping these reporters into metal organic frameworks (MOFs) exoskeleton which is grown and compressed on the Fe3O4@Au core-satellites has been performed so as to fabricate recyclable SERS nanotags. Furthermore, encapsulation of Raman reporters in assembled MOFs-based nanocomposites has been divided into two kinds of patterns, i.e., pre-enrichment and post-enrichment, for disentangling chemical enhancement of charge transfer (CT) from electromagnetic enhancement (EM) in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Hence, in order to demonstrate encapsulation effect, a typical non-thiolated Raman reporter, e.g., crystal violet (CV) trapped in core-satellites nanoassembly based-zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) shell has been selected, and the results suggest that its stability and Raman intensity have been remarkably improved. Moreover, CV incorporation pattern into ZIF-8 shell with tunable shell thickness can contribute to promoting to disentangle CT effects from EM effects.

In this study, we inserted a dynamic chemical reaction system that can generate CO2 into Janus hydrogel (JH) to develop a multidimensional preservation platform that integrates hygroscopicity, antibacterial activity, and modified atmospheric capacity. The double gel system developed using sodium alginate/trehalose at a 1:1 ratio effectively encapsulated 90% of citric acid. Furthermore, CO2 loss was avoided by separately embedding NaHCO3/cinnamon essential oil and citric acid microcapsules into a gelatin pad to develop JH. Freeze-dried JH exhibited a porous and asymmetric structure, very strongly absorbing moisture, conducting water, and rapidly releasing CO2 and essential oils. Furthermore, when preserving various fruits and vegetables in practical settings, JH provided several preservation effects, including color protection, microbial inhibition, and antioxidant properties. Our study findings broaden the application of JH technology for developing chemical reaction systems, with the resulting JH holding substantial promise for cold chain logistics.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the pure casein fraction of milk protein, particularly β-casein due to its physicochemical properties as well as its bio- and techno-functional properties. The utilization of self-assembled β-caseins from bovine origin as nanocarriers for the delivery of nutraceutical compounds or drugs has increased dramatically. Concerning β-caseins from other milk sources, the use of hypoallergenic donkey β-caseins as a potential delivery vehicle for nutraceutical hydrophobic compounds is beginning to generate interest. The present review deals with casein micelles models, bovine and donkey β-casein molecular structures, as well as their physical-chemical properties that account for their exploitation in nutraceutics and pharmaceutics. This review work suggests the possibility of developing delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactive compounds using β-casein purified from hypoallergenic donkey milk, highlighting the potential of this protein as an innovative and promising vehicle for enhancing the enrichment and bioavailability of various bioactive substances in food products.

Chitosan coating containing nanoliposomes loaded with licorice root extract was prepared to investigate shrimp\'s shelf life and anti-browning function during 20 days of ice storage. 1% licorice root hydroethanolic extract (LHE) was encapsulated in nanoliposomes or coated with chitosan, and then the shrimp were immersed in coating solutions. LHE treatment had the lowest browning indices (5 and 1.02), TBA (0.32 mg MDA/kg), and FFA (0.01%). Chitosan-coated LHE treatment (Ch-LHE) showed the best performance for TVN, microbial counts, and discoloration. PV, WHC, and cook loss in the treatment with LHE nanoliposome coated with chitosan (Ch-N-LHE) were measured at acceptable levels of 0.53 meq/kg, 86.12%, and 15.06%, respectively. Experiments showed that pure or encapsulated LHE is an effective method for increasing the quality and preventing the browning of shrimp. Additionally, due to its cost-effectiveness and health benefits, it can be an effective natural substitute for sodium metabisulfite at the global export level.