Recent
Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture
ISSN: 1876-1429
Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture
Volume 1, Number 1, January 2009
Contents
Plant Sterols and Stanols as Cholesterol-Lowering Ingredients
in Functional Foods Pp. 1-14
Afaf Kamal-Eldin and Ali Moazzami
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Food and Food Supplements with Hypocholesterolemic
Effects Pp. 15-24
Ruitang Deng
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Patented Techniques for the Extraction and Isolation
of Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside from Flaxseed
Pp. 25-31
Farah S. Hosseinian and Trust Beta
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Improving Carotenoids and Amino-Acids in Cassava
Pp. 32-38
Nagib M.A. Nassar, Osmindo P. Junior, Marcelo V. Sousa
and Rodomiro Ortiz
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Recent Patents on Vitamin C: Opportunities for Crop
Improvement and Single-Step Biological Manufacture Pp.
39-49
Robert D. Hancock
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Galactolipids as Potential Health Promoting Compounds
in Vegetable Foods Pp. 50-58
Lars P. Christensen
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Physiology, Affecting Factors and Strategies for Control
of Pig Meat Intramuscular Fat Pp. 59-74
Gao Shi-Zheng and Zhao Su-Mei
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Applications and Case Studies of the Next-Generation
Sequencing Technologies in Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
Pp. 75-79
George E. Liu
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Recent Patents for Sodium Reduction in Foods Pp.
80-86
Fidel Toldrá and José M. Barat
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Isolation and Boactivities of Furfuran Type Lignan
Compounds from Edible Plants Pp. 87-95
Dai-Eun Sok, Hui S. Cui and Mee R. Kim
[Abstract] [Full
Text Article]
Patent
Selections Pp. 96-99
Abstracts
[Back to top]
Plant Sterols and Stanols as Cholesterol-Lowering Ingredients
in Functional Foods
Afaf Kamal-Eldin and Ali Moazzami
[Full Text Article]
This article reviews developments related to the use
of plant sterols and stanols as cholesterol-lowering ingredients
in foods and nutraceuticals preparations. Plant sterols and
stanols are extracted from the deodorizer distillates of vegetable
oil refining and from tall oil, a by-product of paper pulping
industry. Plant sterols/stanols inhibit cholesterol absorption
possibly by competitively inhibiting its incorporation into
the mixed micelles in the small intestine although other mechanisms
can not be excluded. Daily consumption of 1-2 grams of plant
sterols or stanols was shown to cause 10-20% reduction in
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). Combinations
of plant sterols/stanols with certain lipid-lowering ingredients
were shown to potentate their cholesterol-lowering effects
and, in some cases, add triacylglycerol-lowering effects.
In this article, patents based information is also discussed.
[Back to top]
Food and Food Supplements with Hypocholesterolemic
Effects
Ruitang Deng
[Full Text Article]
Hypercholesterolemia is a predominant risk factor for atherosclerosis
and associated coronary and cerebrovascular diseases. Control
of cholesterol levels through therapeutic drugs, notably statins,
have significantly reduced the risk for developing atherosclerosis
and associated cardiovascular diseases. However, adverse effects
associated with therapeutic drugs warrant to find other alternative
approaches for managing hypercholesterolemia, especially for
those with borderline cholesterol levels. Food supplements
have increasingly become attractive alternatives to prevent
or treat hypercholesterolemia and reduce the risk for cardiovascular
diseases. This review summarized current patents on food supplements
with claims of hypocholesterolemic effects. They can be mainly
divided into four categories based on the active ingredients
in the supplements: 1) plant sterols or stanols; 2) fiber
or polysaccharides; 3) microorganism-derived; and 4) soy protein
and phytoestrogens. The efficacy, mechanisms of action and
potential side effects are reviewed for each of the four categories.
The hypocholesterolemic effects of plant sterols, fiber, Monascus
products and soy protein preparations have been consistently
demonstrated in clinical trails whereas the efficacy of some
probiotic bacteria and phytoestrogens-containing supplements
remains to be established. Accumulative clinical data show
that plant sterols, fiber, soy protein and phytoestrogen are
generally considered safe and cause no obvious side effects.
However, additional clinical studies are required to establish
the safety profiles of certain probiotic bacteria as food
supplements.
[Back to top]
Patented Techniques for the Extraction and Isolation
of Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside from Flaxseed
Farah S. Hosseinian and Trust Beta
[Full Text Article]
Plant lignans are phenolic compounds generally containing
a dibenzylbutane skeleton. Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside
(SDG) is the major lignan found in flaxseed. SDG is known
to have antioxidant and anticancer properties. SDG can potentially
be used as a natural antioxidant in foods thereby preventing
further oxidation reactions and thus enhance the shelf life
of foods. This article reviews the patents that are concerned
with the extraction of SDG from flaxseed, the richest plant
source of lignans. Most of the patented techniques for the
extraction, isolation, and purification of SDG are conducted
on defatted flaxseed and whole flaxseed. Flaxseed hull is
potentially a good starting material. Furthermore, most methods
use aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol)
to extract the complexed form of SDG. Combinations of these
solvents are commonly used with water. Alkaline hydrolysis
liberates SDG from its complexed form. SDG is enriched by
a process involving either liquid-liquid partitioning or passing
the aqueous phase through anion exchange resins or C18 resins.
The SDG is recovered after evaporation of the water. Analytical
HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry is performed to determine
the quantity and purity of the extracted SDG.
[Back to top]
Improving Carotenoids and Amino-Acids in Cassava
Nagib M.A. Nassar, Osmindo P. Junior, Marcelo V. Sousa
and Rodomiro Ortiz
[Full Text Article]
More than 800 million people in tropics and sub tropics use
cassava as food. However, its roots are poor in protein content
(0.7-2%). Amino acids such as lysine and methionine are also
low, and some research reports indicate the absence of methionine
in cassava edible roots. By inter-specific hybridization it
was possible to increase true protein in cassava roots measured
by amino acid contents. The amino acid profiles of a common
cassava cultivar and an inter-specific hybrid, namely ICB
300, were determined using the computerized amino acid analyzer
Hitachi L-8500. The inter-specific hybrid has 10-fold lysine
and 3-fold methionine than common cassava cultivar: lysine
content was 0.010 g per 100 g in the common cassava cultivar
while it reached 0.098 in the inter-specific hybrid. Methionine
in the common cassava cultivar was 0.014 g per 100 g whereas
it reached 0.041 g per 100 g in the inter-specific hybrid.
Total amino acid content in the common cassava cultivar was
0.254 g per 100 g viz. a viz. 1.664 g per 100 g in the inter-specific
hybrid. The genetic variability of the profile and quantity
of amino acids indicate the feasibility of selecting inter-specific
hybrids that are rich in both crude protein and amino acids.
Carotenoid content could be improved in cassava edible roots
by selecting cultivars rich in carotenoids. In Brazil, the
center of cassava origin, cassava landraces have acquired
through their domestication a large diversity in relation
to many economic traits such as high content of carotenoids
and excellent palatability among other characters. One of
these clones, which has been grown by indigenous farmers in
Brazil and available at the University of Brasília
genebank, showed a high level of lycopene content (5 mg/kg
viz. a viz. zero in common cultivars, and 12-20 mg/kg in tomato-a
lycopene-rich vegetable). The cassava landrace UnB 400 had
a high content of β-carotene
(up to 4 mg/kg). This article also discusses relevant patents
to the main subject of this research.
[Back to top]
Recent Patents on Vitamin C: Opportunities for Crop
Improvement and Single-Step Biological Manufacture
Robert D. Hancock
[Full Text Article]
Vitamin C is an essential human nutrient obtained primarily
from plant foods. Despite the necessity of the vitamin for
human health and the essential role that it plays in plant
stress resistance, it is only in the last decade that an understanding
of its biosynthesis in plants has emerged. These fundamental
discoveries present for the first time the opportunity to
manipulate crop plants for improved human nutrition and enhanced
agronomic performance and are discussed in relation to recent
patents protecting aspects of vitamin C synthesis and degradation
in plants.
Vitamin C has a wide range of medicinal and industrial uses
resulting in an annual market exceeding US$600 million. In
recent years, there has been strong competition in vitamin
C markets as a result of emerging Chinese producers and one
response has been increased investment in research and development
for the biological manufacture of the vitamin. Knowledge of
the plant biosynthetic pathway has provided novel opportunities
for the synthesis of vitamin C in yeasts, although successes
have been limited to date. A more promising route is the direct
synthesis of vitamin C in acetic acid bacteria and significant
research and development has gone into the genetic improvement
of appropriate strains.
[Back to top]
Galactolipids as Potential Health Promoting Compounds
in Vegetable Foods
Lars P. Christensen
[Full Text Article]
Galactolipids are a class of compounds widely found in the
plant kingdom, including edible plants, and are an important
part of the cell membranes. Galactolipids in plants consists
mainly of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols and digalactosyldiacylglycerols
containing one or two saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acids
linked to the glycerol moiety. Several galactolipids have
been shown to possess in vitro and/or in vivo
anti-tumor promoting activity and anti-inflammatory activity.
Recently, it has been demonstrated that the galactolipid,
1,2-di-O-α-linolenoyl-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-sn-glycerol
(1), may be important for the anti-inflammatory
activity of dog rose (Rosa canina), a medicinal plant
with documented effect on anti-inflammatory diseases such
as arthritis. This galactolipid also occurs in relative high
concentrations in certain legumes (e.g., common bean, pea),
leaf vegetables (e.g., kale, leek, parsley, perilla and spinach),
stem vegetables (e.g., asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts),
and fruit vegetables (e.g., chilli, bell pepper, pumpkin).
Furthermore, compound 1 has been isolated
from spinach and several medicinal plants by bioassay-guided
fractionation as a galactolipid with possible cancer preventive
effects. In this review, the bioactivity of galactolipids
is discussed and their potential role in human diet as important
nutraceuticals. Moreover, recent patents on the bioactivity
of specific galactolipids and inventions making use of this
knowledge are presented and discussed.
[Back to top]
Physiology, Affecting Factors and Strategies for Control
of Pig Meat Intramuscular Fat
Gao Shi-Zheng and Zhao Su-Mei
[Full Text Article]
Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important determinant
of quality characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and
flavour, and of its acceptability by consumers. Research has
therefore focused on improving meat quality by optimizing
IMF. The present review describes evidence from studies of
physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, candidate
genes and nutritional regulation as well as animal trials
relating to pig meat IMF and meat quality. Recent evidence
suggests that breed and marker-assisted selection, candidate
genes and nutritional regulation are the most promising strategies
for improving IMF content. Additionally, some important aspects
of IMF content research and related patents are also discussed.
[Back to top]
Applications and Case Studies of the Next-Generation
Sequencing Technologies in Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
George E. Liu
[Full Text Article]
The next-generation sequencing technologies are able to produce
millions of short sequence reads in a high-throughput, cost-effective
fashion. The emergence of these technologies has not only
facilitated genome sequencing but also started to change the
landscape of life sciences. Here, I survey their major applications
ranging from whole-genome sequencing and resequencing, single
nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and structural variation discovery,
to mRNA and noncoding RNA profiling and protein-nucleic acid
interaction assay. These case studies in structural, functional
and comparative genomics, metagenomics, and epigenomics are
providing a more complete picture of the genome structures
and functions. In the near future, we will witness broad impacts
of these next-generation sequencing technologies for solving
the complex biological problems in food, nutrition and agriculture.
In this article, recent patents based information is also
included.
[Back to top]
Recent Patents for Sodium Reduction in Foods
Fidel Toldrá and José M. Barat
[Full Text Article]
There are many foods containing variable amounts of sodium
chloride in their formulation, sometimes its content is relatively
large and has strong contribution to the salt dietary intake.
Some of these foods belong to usual products like bakery,
butchery and dairy foods, ready meals, sauces, snacks, etc.
There is a clear increasing trend in the number of patents
towards a lower salt content in foods as demanded by consumers
and medical associations. Different approaches have been proposed,
most of them by replacement with other salts and addition
of other substances to keep the sensory quality. The recent
patents for sodium reductions and its applications in foods
are reviewed in this manuscript.
[Back to top]
Isolation and Boactivities of Furfuran Type Lignan
Compounds from Edible Plants
Dai-Eun Sok, Hui S. Cui and Mee R. Kim
[Full Text Article]
Lignans constitute a group of phytochemicals, which are
produced by oxidative dimerization of two phenylpropanoid
units. Furfuran type lignans such as secoisolariciresinol,
matairesinol, lariciresinol or pinoresinol are widely distributed
in edible plants, and most of those dietary lignans are metabolized
by the gut microflora to enterolactone and enterodiol, also
known as enterolignans, traditionally classified as phytoestrogens.
The rich sources of lignans are flaxseed, sesame seeds, cereal
products, and Brassica vegetables. There is a growing
interest in biological functions of lignans from edible plants,
since a higher intake of edible plants containing lignans
is known to reduce the incidence of certain chronic diseases.
This review deals with the isolation and preparation of furfuran
type lignans from edible plants, and their bioactivities such
as anticancer, antioxidant, cardiovasculoprotective, neuroprotective,
and anti-inflammatory activities, so that recent informations
about bioactive lignans from edible plants may be available
for the development of potential functional food agents. In
this article, patents based information is also discussed.
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