Food Research and Development Institute

Kori-tofu is made from soybean and contains abundant high quality protein and fat. The low sodium Kori-tofu was manufactured using potassium carbonate instead of sodium hydrogen carbonate for the purpose of reducing sodium. This study aimed to examine the effects of low sodium Kori-tofu intake on body composition and blood pressure in Japanese subjects. During the 8-week treatment period, the subjects ingested 16.5g of Kori-tofu each day. After the intervention, waist circumference and blood pressure were significantly decreased compared with baseline. Furthermore, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased, regardless of the weight loss. The body weight of lean type subjects was significantly increased. No adverse effects related to gastrointestinal symptom were observed in any of the subjects throughout the experimental period. A daily intake of the low sodium Kori-tofu was associated with body composition and blood pressure in Japanese subjects. The findings indicated that adding low-sodium Kori-fu to dishes has a beneficial effect. Although this study is the lack of a control group, the results provide a useful basis for future controlled trials in nutritional and functional food research.

ในช่วงไม่กี่ปีที่ผ่านมา “โพสต์ไบโอติก” (postbiotics) ได้รับความสนใจอย่างมากในวงการอาหารและโภชนาการ เนื่องจากเป็นองค์ประกอบชีวภาพที่เกิดจากกระบวนการเผาผลาญของจุลินทรีย์ที่มีประโยชน์ โดยไม่จำเป็นต้องมีจุลินทรีย์มีชีวิตร่วมด้วย โพสต์ไบโอติกประกอบด้วยสารหลากหลาย เช่น กรดไขมันสายสั้น เปปไทด์ต้านจุลชีพ เอนไซม์ โพลีแซ็กคาไรด์ และเซลล์จุลินทรีย์ที่ไม่สามารถเจริญได้ ซึ่งสารเหล่านี้มีบทบาทสำคัญในการส่งเสริมสุขภาพลำไส้ เสริมสร้างภูมิคุ้มกัน และอาจช่วยในการดูดซึมโปรตีน จากคุณสมบัติดังกล่าว อุตสาหกรรมอาหารเริ่มนำโพสต์ไบโอติกมาใช้ในผลิตภัณฑ์ต่าง ๆ เช่น อาหารหมัก ผลิตภัณฑ์นมพืช และอาหารเสริมเพื่อสุขภาพ โพสต์ไบโอติกยังเป็นอีกทางเลือกหนึ่งที่มีความปลอดภัยและความคงตัวทางชีวภาพสูงกว่าเมื่อเทียบกับพรีไบโอติกหรือโพรไบโอติกในบางบริบท บทความนี้จึงมุ่งนำเสนอองค์ความรู้เกี่ยวกับประเภท กลไกการออกฤทธิ์ คุณประโยชน์ และแนวโน้มการประยุกต์ใช้โพสต์ไบโอติกในอุตสาหกรรมอาหาร เพื่อเป็นแนวทางสำหรับการพัฒนาผลิตภัณฑ์อาหารสุขภาพในอนาคต

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and widely used as a culinary spice. The present research aimed to investigate the physicochemical characteristics, phenolic profile, antioxidant potential, and antimicrobial activity of ten summer savory samples (dried leaves and flowers) grown in different regions of Bulgaria. The physicochemical analyses of the dried plant material demonstrated that the ash content varied from 19.51 to 26.92%, proteins from 16.25 to 22.78%, and carbohydrates from 5.37 to 10.01%. The values of the total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 1.10 to 4.83 mg GAE/g dw (aqueous savory extracts—ASE) and from 3.98 to 9.54 mg GAE/g dw (methanolic savory extracts—MSE). The values of the total flavonoid content (TFC) were from 0.08 to 0.29 mg QE/g dw (ASE) and from 0.73 to 1.23 mg QE/g dw (MSE). The investigated samples exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with values determined by the DPPH method varying between 35.01 and 59.93 mM TE/g dw (ASE) and between 51.75 and 91.85 mM TE/g dw (MSE). The values by the FRAP method ranged from 74.49 to 134.85 µmol Fe2+/g dw (ASE) and from 108.20 to 215.48 µmol Fe2+/g dw (MSE). The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that rosmarinic acid was predominant in all tested samples (3.54–5.90 mg/g dw), whereas ferulic, caffeic and p-coumaric acids were detected in trace amounts. The HPLC analysis of organic acids revealed that ascorbic acid was present in higher concentration in all samples (0.35–0.98 mg/g dw) compared to malic acid, which was found in trace amounts. The antimicrobial activity test demonstrated that methanolic savory extracts showed moderate to high inhibitory activity against most of the microorganisms used (most pronounced against Staphylococcus aureus 6538P, with diameters of the inhibition zones from 20 to 30 mm), while aqueous savory extracts exhibited antifungal rather than antibacterial activity. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that savory is a plant with potential for use in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, in addition to its culinary applications.

The component composition of Bulgarian essential oil from Origanum heracleoticum L. was determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. Fifty-three different compounds were identified in the essential oil, with carvacrol (70.31–70.52%) and p-cymene (10.86–11.03%) determined to be the main components. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was determined against 138 clinical isolates of four species of Candida spp., and it was found to exhibit high antimycotic activity (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) between 64 μg mL−1 and 128 μg mL−1) against both fluconazole-sensitive and fluconazole-resistant strains. It was found that Bulgarian essential oil from O. heracleoticum L. disrupts the normal permeability of the cell membrane and inhibits some of the main virulence factors of medically important fungi in the genus Candida by preventing germination, transition to the filamentous stage of growth and the production of hydrolytic enzymes.

The use of plant proteins as sources of essential nutrients in the development of new products for people with specific dietary needs is of growing interest to the food sector. The aim of the present research was to design emulsion products i.e. mayonnaises supplemented with encapsulated rice and pea proteins and enriched with thyme oil extract as a source of bioactive compounds. The physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the products were monitored during refrigerated storage at 4 °C for 20 days. The values of the emulsifying activity index and the emulsion stability index showed that the emulsion base was stable during the storage period. Regarding their microbiological quality, they retained a low number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms, yeasts and fungi, which were within the permissible limits (5×102 cfu.g-1) on the 15th day of storage in all samples. The results from the sensory evaluation showed very good acceptance by the consumers. Therefore, the newly designed mayonnaises enriched with rice and pea proteins, and thyme as a source of bioactive compounds can be considered as products with improved quality and functional features, which can be used by people with specific dietary requirements.

This study evaluated Chardonnay wines produced with and without skin maceration, considering both fermentative and postfermentative contact with grape skins. Analyses compared phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, and behavior during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Wines with skin maceration exhibited substantially higher phenolic content (≈345–860 mg/L) than nonmacerated wines (≈155–305 mg/L), as well as greater antioxidant capacity before and after digestion. Spectroscopic and instrumental sensory analyses confirmed the chemical and sensory distinctiveness of macerated wines, with fluorescence spectroscopy explaining over 95% of the variance in differentiating wine styles. FTIR and electronic tongue data indicated greater analytical variability among macerated samples. Although digestion reduced concentrations of individual phenolics and increased convergence of analytical profiles, macerated wines retained superior antioxidant potential. These findings highlight the compositional complexity and bioactive potential of skin-macerated white wines, underscoring the need for further research on enological strategies that influence their nutritional, sensory, and functional properties.

牛乳の長期常温保存中に発生するゲル化の有無を保存初期に予測できる方法を見出した. 牛乳を各温度 (5, 25, 37 ℃) で保存し, SDS-PAGEまたはHPLCでカゼイン分解度を分析した. その結果, 長期常温保存後にゲル化する殺菌前加温保持なしの直接加熱殺菌牛乳は, 25 ℃と37 ℃で2–4週間保存後, SDS-PAGEおよびHPLCでカゼイン分解が確認された. カゼイン分解は, 2週間保存後よりも４週間保存後, 25 ℃保存よりも37 ℃保存で顕著であった. これらの結果より, 牛乳を25–37 ℃で2–4週間保存し, SDS-PAGEまたはHPLCでカゼイン分解度を分析することで長期常温保存後のゲル化の有無を早期に予測できることを示した. また, 従来報告されていなかった直接加熱殺菌牛乳の加温保持条件 (80 ℃ 2分間, 80 ℃ 5分間, 85 ℃ 2分間, 85 ℃ 5分間) が長期常温保存後のゲル化抑制効果を有することを明らかにした.

Chocolates were prepared with the probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 13/20 and a prebiotic component of blackcurrant, cherry and blueberry flours. The probiotic cells were introduced by encapsulation in cocoa butter and the prebiotic components by dissolution in an alginate gel. The rheological performances of the resulting chocolates were investigated. It was shown that the addition of prebiotic in the amount of 3.5% negatively affected the rheological properties as well as the organoleptic performance. The candies were characterized by higher moisture content. It has been shown that the size of the gel beads significantly affected the rheology of the chocolate products. The larger the diameter of the gel beads, the stronger their influence on the rheological properties of the chocolates. The sample with gel pearls and blueberry at 2,5% had the best organoleptic characteristics. The microbiological status of the chocolates was determined. All chocolates met the standard requirements for microbiological safety.

Abstract Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and heavy metals are contaminants that threaten ecosystem health. Migratory birds can bioaccumulate these contaminants; therefore, contaminant effects should be assessed during reproductive, migratory, and wintering stages. We assessed Hg, Pb, and OCPs in the Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) during their winter stay in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, evaluating associations with exposure and the effects on health-status biomarkers. These migratory ducks use a wide variety of sites in the central and western United States, Canada, and Alaska and along the Mexican portion of the eastern Pacific Flyway. Spatula clypeata showed significantly higher concentrations of Hg in feathers compared to those found in A. acuta. Although there were no differences between species in feather Pb concentrations, the concentrations were high, indicating widespread Pb contamination in wetlands along migratory routes. Compared to those of A. acuta, S. clypeata exhibited lower condition index values, higher organosomatic index values, a higher degree of Hg and OCP bioaccumulation, and a higher OCP liver/muscle ratio. Both species showed similar associations between OCP and Pb concentrations and high spleensomatic index values. Neither species exhibited a relationship between contaminants and the heterophile/lymphocyte ratio or budcells in polychromatic erythrocytes. Our results indicate that both species, despite coexisting along their migratory routes and in their wintering habitat, likely have different bioaccumulation profiles due to differences in trophic niches.