Stefan Kasapis

Over the past few decades, there has been a notable increase in the incorporation of sprouted oats into the human diet, driven by their perceived health benefits from enhanced nutritional qualities and bioactive contents. This review finds that sprouting consistently improves protein digestibility, phenolic content and GABA levels, while reducing anti-nutrients such as phytate—though the extent of enhancement is highly dependent on cultivar and germination conditions. These nutritional modifications contribute to potential health-promoting effects, including anti-inflammatory and chemopreventative properties, thereby opening opportunities in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. However, a critical gap remains in limited human clinical trials validating these health benefits, and the influence of light spectra on the oat nutritional profile remains unexplored. A critical understanding of these germination-induced changes is essential for optimizing processing parameters and developing innovative products to meet evolving consumer demands for novel, health-focused food products.

Bioactive compounds are widely recognized for their ability to enhance health and prevent diseases due to their various biological activities. However, these compounds are very sensitive to environmental factors, which can reduce their solubility, bioavailability, permeability, and stability, necessitating carriers to protect and ensure targeted delivery. To develop an effective delivery system, it is essential to assess the key factors that influence the release behaviour of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate how the conditions of the release media, the attributes of hydrogels, and the characteristics of the entrapped bioactive compounds regulate the release kinetics of these compounds. Prior to create suitable carriers, it is essential to comprehend the mechanisms of digestion and absorption of these compounds. Consequently, absorption and the factors influencing stability and bioavailability of bioactives were reviewed first. The conditions of release media, especially the pH, ionic characteristics, temperature, and the nature of solvent served as a critical determinant in the release of bioactive substances by affecting the functional groups, electrostatic interactions between carrier and entrapped bioactive compound, dissociation and conformational changes in polymers. The properties of delivery systems can be controlled using polymers, crosslinkers, plasticizers, and specific environmental factors. The application of dual crosslinkers or a combination of physical and chemical crosslinkers enhanced the efficiency of the crosslinking process, subsequently improving the overall release profile of bioactive compounds from the matrices. Therefore, this review explored several options for enhancing the delivery system.

Proteins have potential to form the next generation of delivery vehicles for functional food and nutraceutical applications. Improved water solubility, biocompatibility and non-toxicity make them an attractive prospect for a health-conscious society. Research unveils these biopolymers as efficient encapsulators of bioactive compounds for controlled release, however, much of the literature does not explore the microstructural properties and physical mechanisms governing release from such systems. Of particular interest is the role of the aqueous solvent in controlling small molecule diffusivity. At a low level of solids, the presence of solvent alters the physical landscape of the protein and defines critical parameters such as crosslink density, mesh size and intermolecular coupling constant as tuneable properties to control release. As the level of solids increases, the landscape again shifts. Here, protein molecules can be treated using the free volume theory to ascribe a link between the mechanical glass transition temperature and bioactive compound release. While the focus of this review is on proteins, the industrialist must also consider protein and polysaccharide mixtures, as they closely resemble industrial formulations. Here, we demonstrate how the use of fundamental rheology-based blending laws provides a mechanistic understanding of these composite gels in relation to bioactive compound diffusion.

The interactions between Agaricus bisporus lectin (ABL) and phenolic acids, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4HBA) and p-coumaric acid (p-CA), were found to be non-covalent in nature at neutral pH and ambient temperature according to UV-vis analysis. Secondary structure analysis of the ABL on complexation with 4HBA or p-CA showed a reduction in α-helix content of around 3 and 4%, respectively. Intrinsic fluorescence quenching indicates that the association constant between ABL and 4HBA is stronger (1.27 × 10⁵ M^− 1) than ABL and p-CA (1.88 × 10⁴ M^− 1), with molecular docking analysis also showing a stronger binding energy (ΔG) for ABL-4HBA (-20.1 kJ/mol) than ABL-p-CA (-16.3 kJ/mol). Docking also suggests that phenolic acid interactions occur in the glucose binding region of ABL, stabilized mainly by multiple hydrogen bonds, notably including Arg103, which is also suspected to be a significant residue in glucose binding. These findings provide valuable insights into the binding behaviour of ABL with naturally occurring phenolic compounds, contributing to a better understanding of its potential bioactive properties in functional foods or as a nutraceutical.

A subject of increasing fundamental and technological interest is the techno- and bio-functionality of functional foods and nutraceuticals in high-solid gels. This encompasses the diffusion of natural bioactive compounds, prevention of oxidation of essential fatty acids, minimization of food browning, and the prevention of malodorous flavour formation in enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions, to mention but a few. Textural and sensory considerations require that these delivery/encapsulating/entrapping vehicles are made with natural hydrocolloids and co-solutes in a largely amorphous state. It is now understood that the mechanical glass transition temperature is a critical consideration in monitoring the performance of condensed polymer networks that incorporate small bioactive compounds. This review indicates that the metastable properties of the rubber-to-glass transition in condensed gels (as opposed to the thermodynamic equilibrium in crystalline lattices) are a critical parameter in providing a fundamental quality control of end products. It appears that the “sophisticated synthetic polymer research” can provide a guide in the design of advanced biomaterials for targeted release or the prevention of undesirable byproducts. Such knowledge can assist in designing and optimizing functional foods and nutraceuticals, particularly those including vitamins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, stimulants for performance enhancement, and antimicrobials.

Valorisation of pomelo peel into stable, gel-like sorbents through a rapid and robust emulsion-based gelation process at room temperature.

This study provided a comprehensive physiochemical and functional comparison between food-grade, commercially available bovine lactoferrin (cLF) and two precision-fermented variants (pfLF_highFe and pfLF_lowFe) at varying iron saturation levels. LC-MS and FTIR/CD spectroscopy confirmed high purity and structural fidelity at primary and secondary levels, while UV-vis analysis revealed comparable molar absorptivity across all preparations. Fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated tertiary structural variability with redshifts observed as a result of iron binding. Molecular weight (M _w ) comparisons made using SDS-PAGE showed pfLF_highFe and pfLF_lowFe closely resembled cLF, while glycosylation analysis demonstrated very similar N-glycan compositions and site occupancy across low iron samples. The isoelectric points (pI) of pfLF_highFe and pfLF_lowFe were similar to cLF; however, varied slightly as a function of iron saturation, as did surface hydrophobicity (S ₀ ) measurements. Thermal denaturation analyses revealed characteristic behaviour of bovine lactoferrin preparations, with differences again observed according to the preparation’s iron saturation. Functional studies highlighted the iron chelating ability of native-LF preparations, cLF and pfLF_lowFe, and accompanying antimicrobial activity, but comparable interaction capacity with Lipid A (LPS) demonstrates preservation of structural and certain functional capabilities in precision-fermented bovine lactoferrin irrespective of iron saturation levels.