Leveraging lignin as mussel-bioinspired adhesives and fillers for sustainable food-packaging applications: A review.

Lignin is a complex polymer with a unique phenolic structure rich in methoxy and hydroxyl groups. When leveraged, lignin as a bioadhesive in renewable materials can impart exceptional UV-blocking, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties through mussel-inspired chemistry. These properties are highly desirable for food packaging, particularly in extending shelf life.

Alternative proteins; A path to sustainable diets and environment.

With a growing global population and the resulting pressure on natural resources, the supply of high-value protein has become increasingly limited. The rise of environmental and ethical concerns has led to the emergence of meat analogues as a credible alternative to traditional animal-derived meat. Growing demand for plant-based protein sources has gained attention as viable alternatives to conventional animal proteins.

Unlocking the potential of green-engineered carbon quantum dots for sustainable packaging biomedical applications and water purification.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with well-defined architectures offer highly fascinating properties such as excellent water-solubility, exceptional luminescence, large specific surface area, non-toxicity, biocompatibility and tuneable morphological, structural, and chemical features. This review comprehensively overviews recent breakthroughs and critical milestones in the green synthesis of CQDs from renewable sources and provides guidance for their sustainable development towards fulfilling the goals of green chemistry. It also discusses the interaction of CQDs with various biopolymers to improve the material performance and functionality.

Characterizing the antioxidant and antifungal properties of nano-encapsulated pistachio hull extract in fenugreek seed gum to maintain the quality and safety of fresh pistachio.

The quality of pistachio, one of the export products of Iran, will be decreased during storage as a result of mold spoilage, toxins production, and oil oxidation. This study aimed to investigate the capability of pistachio hull extract (PHE) loaded in fenugreek seed gum (FSG):whey protein isolate (WPI) nanoemulsion to control oil oxidation, and fungi growth in fresh pistachio nut during storage at 4°C. The total anthocyanin and total phenolic content of the PHE were 125.

Sustainable strategies for using natural extracts in smart food packaging.

The growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly food packaging has prompted research on innovative solutions to environmental and consumer health issues. To enhance the properties of smart packaging, the incorporation of bioactive compounds derived from various natural sources has attracted considerable interest because of their functional properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. However, extracting these compounds from natural sources poses challenges because of their complex chemical structures and low concentrations.

Enhanced carbohydrate-based plastic performance by incorporating cerium-based metal-organic framework for food packaging application.

The development of biodegradable active packaging films with hydrophobic characteristics is vital for extending the shelf life of food and reducing the reliance on petroleum-based plastics. In this study, novel hydrophobic cerium-based metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. The Ce-MOF nanoparticles were then incorporated into the cassava starch matrix at varying concentrations (0.

Advanced technologies in biodegradable packaging using intelligent sensing to fight food waste.

The limitation of conventional packaging in demonstrating accurate and real-time food expiration dates leads to food waste and foodborne diseases. Real-time food quality monitoring via intelligent packaging could be an effective solution to reduce food waste and foodborne illnesses. This review focuses on recent technological advances incorporated into food packaging for monitoring food spoilage, with a major focus on paper-based sensors and their combination with smartphone.

Integration of MXene and Microfluidics: A Perspective.

The fusion of MXene-based materials with microfluidics not only presents a dynamic and promising avenue for innovation but also opens up new possibilities across various scientific and technological domains. This Perspective delves into the intricate synergy between MXenes and microfluidics, underscoring their collective potential in material science, sensing, energy storage, and biomedical research. This intersection of disciplines anticipates future advancements in MXene synthesis and functionalization as well as progress in advanced sensing technologies, energy storage solutions, environmental applications, and biomedical breakthroughs.

Starch-gelatin blend films: A promising approach for high-performance degradable food packaging.

Packaging plays a vital role in safeguarding food from environmental factors and contamination. However, the overuse and improper disposal of non-biodegradable plastic packaging materials have led to environmental concerns and health risks. To address these challenges, the development of degradable food packaging films is crucial.

The Role of Ancient Grains in Alleviating Hunger and Malnutrition.

Meeting the United Nation's sustainable development goals for zero hunger becomes increasingly challenging with respect to climate change and political and economic challenges. An effective strategy to alleviate hunger and its severe implications is to produce affordable, nutrient-dense, and sustainable food products. Ancient grains were long-forgotten due to the dominance of modern grains, but recently, they have been rediscovered as highly nutritious, healthy and resilient grains for solving the nutrition demand and food supply chain problems.

Improving the functionality of biodegradable food packaging materials via porous nanomaterials.

Non-biodegradability and disposal problems are the major challenges associated with synthetic plastic packaging. This review article discusses a new generation of biodegradable active and smart packaging based on porous nanomaterials (PNMs), which maintains the quality and freshness of food products while meeting biodegradability requirements. PNMs have recently gained significant attention in the field of food packaging due to their large surface area, peculiar structures, functional flexibility, and thermal stability.

Encapsulation of Orange Peel Oil in Biopolymeric Nanocomposites to Control Its Release under Different Conditions.

Orange peel oil (OPO) is one of the most common flavorings used in the food industry, but it is volatile under environmental conditions (the presence of light, oxygen, humidity, and high temperatures). Encapsulation by biopolymer nanocomposites is a suitable and novel strategy to improve the bioavailability and stability of OPO and its controlled release. In this study, we investigated the release profile of OPO from freeze-dried optimized nanocomposite powders as a function of pH (3, 7, 11) and temperature (30, 60, and 90 °C), and within a simulated salivary system.

Spectrophotometric Methods for Measurement of Antioxidant Activity in Food and Pharmaceuticals.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the application of antioxidants in food and pharmaceuticals due to their association with beneficial health effects against numerous oxidative-related human diseases. The antioxidant potential can be measured by various assays with specific mechanisms of action, including hydrogen atom transfer, single electron transfer, and targeted scavenging activities. Understanding the chemistry of mechanisms, advantages, and limitations of the methods is critical for the proper selection of techniques for the valid assessment of antioxidant activity in specific samples or conditions.

Recent progress in using zein nanoparticles-loaded nanocomposites for food packaging applications.

Biopolymers are important due to their exceptional functional and barrier properties and also their non-toxicity and eco-friendly nature for various food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications. However, biopolymers usually need reinforcement strategies to address their poor mechanical, thermal, and physical properties as well as processability aspects. Several natural nanoparticles have been proposed as reinforcing agents for biopolymeric food packaging materials.

Renewable and Recyclable Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging: A New Open Special Issue in .

"Renewable and Recyclable Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging" is a new open Special Issue of that will publish original and review papers on new scientific and applied research, and the articles it contains will make a contribution to the discovery and understanding of biodegradable and recyclable materials, their functional properties, characterization and applications [...

Ozone in wineries and wine processing: A review of the benefits, application, and perspectives.

Ozone (O ) is an emerging eco-friendly technology that has been widely used in the beverage industry due to its broad spectrum of usages, such as fermentation, microbial inactivation, Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems, and postharvest treatment. Wine is among the most financially profitable sectors of the beverage industry. Ozone technology as an alternative approach to conventional methods to inhibit microbes in wine processing and wineries has attracted researchers' attention as this emerging technology will probably play important roles in wineries in the future.

Tuning the Physicochemical, Structural, and Antimicrobial Attributes of Whey-Based Poly (L-Lactic Acid) (PLLA) Films by Chitosan Nanoparticles.

Recently, the research and innovation to produce raw materials from microbial processes has gained much attention due to their economic and environmental impacts. Lactic acid is a very important microbial product due to its wide application in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries. In the current study, poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was produced by the ring opening polymerization (ROP) technique of L-lactic acid recovered from whey fermentation, and was used for the production of nanocomposites films reinforced with chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) (average diameter ca.

Plant protein-based nanocomposite films: A review on the used nanomaterials, characteristics, and food packaging applications.

Consumer demands to utilize environmentally friendly packaging have led researchers to develop packaging materials from naturally derived resources. In recent years, plant protein-based films as a replacement for synthetic plastics have attracted the attention of the global food packaging industry due to their biodegradability and unique properties. Biopolymer-based films need a filler to show improved packaging properties.

Application of Red Cabbage Anthocyanins as pH-Sensitive Pigments in Smart Food Packaging and Sensors.

Anthocyanins are excellent antioxidant/antimicrobial agents as well as pH-sensitive indicators that provide new prospects to foster innovative smart packaging systems due to their ability to improve food shelf life and detect physicochemical and biological changes in packaged food. Compared with anthocyanins from other natural sources, red cabbage anthocyanins (RCAs) are of great interest in food packaging because they represent an acceptable color spectrum over a broad range of pH values. The current review addressed the recent advances in the application of RCAs in smart bio-based food packaging systems and sensors.

Fabrication and characterization of a pH-sensitive intelligent film incorporating dragon fruit skin extract.

A novel intelligent pH-sensing indicator based on gelatin film and anthocyanin extracted from dragon fruit skin () (DFSE) as a natural dye was developed to monitor food freshness by the casting method. Anthocyanin content of DFSE was 15.66 ± 1.

The control of fungi and mycotoxins by food active packaging: a review.

Conventionally used petrochemical-based plastics are poorly degradable and cause severe environmental pollution. Alternatively, biopolymers (e.g.

The Association between Consumption of Dairy-Originated Digestion Resistant and Bioactive Peptides and Breast Cancer Risk: A Case-Control Study.

Bioactive peptides (BPs) content of dairy products is suggested to be a significant ingredient for reducing breast cancer (BC) risk. There is no observational study regarding the correlation between BPs and the risk of chronic disease because BPs' content of food items has not been evaluated in any study. The goal of the current study was to assess the association of dairy-originated BPs with BC risk.

A review of recent advances in the decontamination of mycotoxin and inactivation of fungi by ultrasound.

Innovative technologies for the pasteurization of food products have increased due to the global demand for higher-quality food products. In this regard, the current article aimed to provide an overview regarding the latest research on US application in the decontamination of fungi in food products and highlight the parameters influencing the effectiveness of this method. Therefore, the related article with inactivation of fungi and mycotoxins by ultrasound among last four years (2018-2021) by using terms such as 'mycotoxin,' 'inactivation,' 'ultrasound,' 'decontamination' among some international databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar" was retrieved.

Aflatoxin, microbial contamination, sensory attributes, and morphological analysis of pistachio nut coated with methylcellulose.

Pistachio is a nut with high consumption that could be affected by aflatoxin contamination, which affects the consumption market; therefore, broad studies seem to be necessary for this area. In the current study, pistachio nuts (Abbasali variety) were coated with different concentrations (0.1%, 0.