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Cold plasma (CP) is an emerging technology employed to safeguard highly perishable food items, particularly aquatic products such as shrimp. Due to its significant amount of moisture, superior protein composition that contains important amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acid content, shrimp are susceptible to microbial deterioration and overall alterations in their physical and chemical characteristics. Such spoilage not only diminishes the nutritional value of shrimp but also has the potential to generate harmful substances, rendering it unsuitable for consumption. Recent observations have indicated a growing market demand for shrimp that maintains its quality and has a prolonged shelf life. Furthermore, there is a significant emphasis on the production of food items that undergo minimal processing or nonthermal preservation methods. Extensive documentation exists regarding the efficacy of CP technology in eliminating microorganisms from shrimp without inducing resistance or activating enzymes that contribute to shrimp spoilage. Therefore, CP can be mentioned as a slight processing interference to preserve shrimp quality. This chapter primarily explores the principles and methods of CP technology, as well as its impact on melanosis, physicochemical changes, microbial and sensory properties, and the preservation of shrimp quality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Bacteriocins, natural antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, present eco-friendly, non-toxic, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional chemical antimicrobial agents in the food industry. This review provides a comprehensive update on the classification of bacteriocins in food preservation. It highlights the significant industrial potential of pediocin-like and two-peptide bacteriocins, emphasizing chemical synthesis methods like Fmoc-SPPS to meet the demand for bioactive bacteriocins. The review details the mode of action, focusing on mechanisms such as transmembrane potential disruption and pH-dependent effects. Furthermore, it addresses the limitations of bacteriocins in food preservation and explores the potential of nanotechnology-based encapsulation to enhance their antimicrobial efficacy. The benefits of nanoencapsulation, including improved stability, extended antimicrobial spectrum, and enhanced functionality, are underscored. This understanding is crucial for advancing the application of bacteriocins to ensure food safety and quality., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International.)

Electrospinning is a technology for fabricating ultrafine fibers from natural or synthetic polymers that have novel or enhanced functional properties. These fibers have found applications in a diverse range of fields, including the food, medicine, cosmetics, agriculture, and chemical industries. However, the tendency for electrospun nanofibers to dissociate when exposed to certain environmental conditions limits many of their practical applications. The structural integrity and functional attributes of these nanofibers can be improved using physical and/or chemical crosslinking methods. This review article discusses the formation of polymeric nanofibers using electrospinning and then describes how different crosslinking methods can be used to enhance their mechanical, thermal, and biological attributes. Methods for optimizing the crosslinking reactions are discussed, including proper selection of crosslinker type and reaction conditions. Then, food, medical, and separation applications of crosslinked electrospun fibers are assessed, including in bone and skin tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, air filtration, water filtration, oil removal, food packaging, food preservation, and bioactive delivery. Finally, areas where future research are needed are highlighted, as well as possible future applications of crosslinked nanofibers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Increasing demand for safe, efficient, and eco-friendly solutions for pharmaceutical and food industries has led researchers to explore new approaches to bacterial storage. Several advantages make electrospinning (ES) a promising technique for food systems, including simple manufacturing equipment, a relatively low spinning cost, a wide variety of spinnable materials, and a mild process that is easily controlled, which allows continuous fabrication of ultrafine polymeric fibers at submicron or nanoscales without high temperatures or high pressures. This review briefly describes recent advances in the development of electrospun fibers for loading probiotics (PRB) by focusing on ES technology, its efficiency for loading PRB into fibers (viability, digestive stability, growth rate, release, thermal stability, and interactions of fibers with PRB), and the application of PRB-loaded fibers as active packaging (spoilage/microbial control, antioxidant effect, shelf life). Based on the literature reviewed, the incorporation of PRB into electrospun fibers is both feasible and functional. However, several studies have been limited to proof-of-principle experiments and the use of model biological products. It is necessary to conduct further research to establish the industrial applicability of PRB-loaded fibers, particularly in the fields of food and medicine., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

In this study, oil was extracted from black cumin ( Nigella sativa ) seed (BCS) by press, and oil was extracted from the obtained cake with a solvent. The changes in the quality of both crude oils obtained by pressing and by solvent were investigated during refining. Findings revealed that the p -anisidin value ( p -AV) and fatty acid profile did not change significantly, but there were significant differences ( p  < .05) in the peroxide value (PV), reflective index, pigment contents, free fatty acid content (FFA%), and antioxidant activity (total phenol content (TPC), thymoquinone, and DPPH inhibition) of BCS oils obtained by the two different methods. PV and FFA decreased to less than 15 meqO 2 /kg and 0.3%, respectively, in the refined oil. The TPC (65%), thymoquinone (45-97%), carotenoids (86-89%), and chlorophyll (75-85%) were removed from BCS oil, but the DPPH value was raised by about 33%. The current study gives a clear picture of the changes during refining in BCS oil, which can be a useful guide in food applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The effects of potato starch (PS) coating containing amino acids (AAs) on the formation of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) in chicken breasts were evaluated. PhIP is classified as a Group 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The 5% (w/w) gelatinized PS coating solution was incorporated with tryptophan (Trp) or lysine (Lys) at 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75% (w/w of the coating solution) concentrations. Chicken breast cuts with the same dimensions (5 × 2 × 1.5 cm) were dipped in the PS coating solution for 15 min before frying. After frying the chicken at 195°C for 7.5 min on each side, PhIP levels, color, cooking loss, tenderness, and texture profile assay were evaluated. The average PhIP concentration was decreased from 92.62 ng/g for the control chicken breast without coating to 6.30 ng/g (0.25% Lys), 6.76 ng/g (0.5% Lys), and 11.98 ng/g (0.75% Lys), accounting for an 89%-92% reduction in PhIP levels compared to the controls. However, dipping in Trp-containing PS coating had a significantly lower (p < 0.05) PhIP reduction effect (34%-67%). There was no significant difference in cooking loss percentage, tenderness, texture profile parameters, and color parameters of PS-coated chicken. Triangle test results showed that consumers did not detect a significant difference in the PS-coated chicken breasts (p < 0.001). Overall, this study suggests that the application of PS-based coatings incorporated with AAs on chicken breast reduces the PhIP formation., (© 2023 Institute of Food Technologists.)

Neurodegenerative diseases are comprise a prominent class of neurological diseases. Generally, neurodegenerative diseases cannot be cured, and the available treatments can only regulate the symptoms or delay the disease progression. Among the several factors which could clarify the possible pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, next to aging as the main risk, the dietary related diseases are the most important. Vegetable oils, which are composed of triacyclglycerols as the main components and several other components in a trace amount, are the main part of our diet. This review aims to study the effect of refined or unrefined vegetable oil consumption as a preventive or aiding strategy to slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In the refining process, owing to the chemical materials or severe temperatures of the refining process, removal of the desirable minor components is sometimes unavoidable and thus a worrisome issue affecting physical and neurological health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests., (©2023 The Authors.)

This study aimed to conduct on the concentration of nitrate/nitrite (mg kg -1 ) in vegetables and fruits with a special emphasize on the effect of climate condition. The highest concentration (mean and 95%CI) of nitrate/nitrite was determined in Rocket (4825.15; 3044.14-6606.16), Mizuna (3500; 2702.48-4297.52), and Bok choy (3407.40; 2841.39-3973.42) in vegetable group and in wolfberry (2395.83; 1611.89-3179.77), Jack fruit (237.8; 202.88-272.71) and Cantaloupe (220.32; -224.53 to 665.19) in fruits group. Brazil (2816.77), Estonia (2133.76), Republic of China, Taiwan (2118.28) were the nations with the highest average concentration of nitrate/nitrite in all samples taken from these nations across the globe. Furthermore, Chinese fruits contain the highest concentrations of nitrates/nitrites of other countries (500.57; 416.74-584.41). Nitrate is present in greater quantities in fruits (44.02; 42.12-45.93) and vegetables (438.31; 422.51-454.11) than nitrite; however, the quantity of nitrite has a relatively similar content in both. Our findings revealed that increase in humidity (> 60%), annual rainfall (> 1500 mm), average temperature (> 10 °C) and application of fertilizers lead to significant increase in accumulation of nitrate/nitrite composition of vegetables and fruits (p < 0.05). According to the results of rating countries using the Food Security Index (GFSI), countries with high scores-like Poland and Portugal, which have GFSI scores of 75.5 and 78.7 and average contamination levels of 8.26 and 11.08, respectively-have a trend of average nitrate/nitrite levels of fruit and vegetable products that is significantly decreasing (p = 0.00). Although GFSI levels and other environmental variables can influence nitrate/nitrite levels, fertilizer usage (kg ha -1 ) is one of the most significant controllable and impactful factors in contaminants residue, which should be manage. The result of our study, will serve as a basis to estimate the dietary exposure to nitrates and nitrites from fruits and vegetables among populations around the world based on climatology and monitor the related health outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The presence of melamine in food is one of the most significant threats to consumer health and food safety now confronting the communities. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the melamine content of different food products available on the Iranian market. The pooled melamine concentration (95% confidence interval) on 484 samples of animal-based foodstuffs was as follows: 0.22 (0.08, 0.36 mg kg -1 ) for milk, 0.39 (0.25, 0.53 mg kg -1 ) for coffee mate, 1.45 (1.36, 1.54 mg kg -1 ) for dairy cream, 0.90 (0.50, 1.29 mg kg -1 ) for yoghurt, 1.25 (1.20, 1.29 mg kg -1 ) for cheese, 0.81 (-0.16, 1.78 mg kg -1 ) for hen eggs, 1.28 (1.25, 1.31 mg kg -1 ) for poultry meat, 0.58 (0.35, 0.80 mg kg -1 ) for chocolates, and 0.98 (0.18, 1.78 mg kg -1 ) for infant formula. Based on the results of health risk assessment study on toddlers under 2 years old who ingested infant formula (as a melamine-sensitive group), all groups of toddlers are at an acceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk (THQ ≤ 1). Toddlers were classified according to their ILCR (carcinogenic risk) levels due to infant formula consumption as follows: under 6 months (0.0000056), 6-12 months (0.0000077), 12-18 months (0.0000102), and 18-24 months (0.0000117). The melamine carcinogenicity in infant formula for children had an ILCR value of 0.000001-0.0001 in the investigation, which was considerable risk. According to the findings, Iranian food products (notably infant formula) should be analyzed for melamine contamination on a regular basis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to replace chicken breast by mycoprotein in nuggets and optimizing the sensory and technological properties. In the first step of the study, 14 formulations were prepared by mixture design to evaluate the impact of three binding agents (as independent variables): soy protein isolate, phosphate, and carrageenan on sensory properties. Then, the optimized formulation of mycoprotein nugget (with higher acceptability) was characterized and compared to chicken nugget (control) from texture, color, and physicochemical aspects. The texture attributes including hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of the optimized sample (1.37 kg, 0.70 mm, 0.56, and 0.53 kg.mm) had no significant difference ( p  > .05) compared to control. Based on the results, optimized sample had a lower lightness and yellowness (a*, b*, and L* were 3.06, 18.62, and 59.23, respectively) rather than the similar value of the control (2.20, 21.27, and 79.10, respectively), which indicated carrageenan did not lead to any significant impact ( p  > .05) on the color. Also, mycoprotein nugget showed 33% lower cooking loss in comparison to control. Moisture, protein, lipid, and ash in optimized sample were 57.9 ± 1.9, 24.1 ± 1.0, 13.2 ± 1.2, and 2.1 ± 0.5, respectively. Investigation on physicochemical properties shows an acceptable characterization in optimized sample in comparison to control. The results of this study present an opportunity to produce nonmeat nuggets with similar texture and acceptable sensory and technological characteristics by using mycoprotein as meat alternative. The production of mycoprotein is eco-friendly, not dependent on climate (flood and drought) and landscape limitation, which is an important aspect in meat alternatives in the near future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Risk assessment of heavy metals is critical in controlling and preventing risks of foodborne diseases. Fish can be used as bioindicators for exposure to potential toxic elements (PTEs), which can represent potential risks for humans. The long Iranian coastline and three major fishery regions in the country, including the northern (Caspian Sea) and southern (Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman) seas as well as inland waters and aquacultures (rivers, dams, wetlands and fish farms) have made Iran a large producer of fish. In the first step of the present study, data collection and report of PTEs in fish from the three fishery regions (2010-2022) were carried out. In the second step, health risks were assessed using Monte Carlo simulation in child and adult consumers. The average concentrations of Cd, Hg and Pb for the northern sea, southern sea, and inland waters and aquacultures were 0.273, 0.249, 1.077; 0.430, 0.423, 1.182; and 1.387, 0.232, 1.703 μg/g per dry weight, respectively. Based on the target hazard quotient results, Hg intake of Iranian children from all the three fishery regions was more than 1, which was alarming. In the adult age group, southern sea fish consumers were at risk of Hg adverse health effects. Moreover, Cd included the highest carcinogenic risk of toxic elements in fish from the three fishery regions of Iran. Estimation of THQ, HI, ILCR and EDI revealed that consumption of fish might induce health complexities for the consumers in Iran. Moreover, Iranians from northern and southern regions of the country consumed further seafood due to the availability of high seafood sources in these regions. Hence, various indices must be used for the risk assessment of general human health. Due to the high risks of carcinogenicity/non-carcinogenicity estimated in the risk assessment, consumption of fish by infants and pregnant women must critically be assessed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) as non-degradable elements (especially carcinogenic types for humans such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As)) are widely distributed in the environment. They are one of the most concerned pollutants that can be absorbed and accumulated in the human body, primarily via contaminated water and foods. Acute or chronic poisoning of humans to PTEs can pose some serious risks for human health even at low concentrations. In this context, some methods are introduced to eliminate or reduce their concentration. While the biological treatment by bacterial strains, particularly probiotic bacteria, is considered as an effective method for reducing or eliminating of them. The consumption of probiotics as nonpathogenic microorganisms at regular and adequate dose offer some beneficial health impacts, it can also be applied to remove PTEs in both alive and non-alive states. This review aimed to provide an overview regarding the efficacy of different types of probiotic bacteria for PTEs removal from various environments such as food, water, in vitro, and in vivo conditions., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The contamination of food products by Listeria monocytogenes as a pathogen bacterium, threatening public health and raised a global concern for a long time. Dairy and meat products and ready-to-eat foods are recognized as the most common carriers for L. monocytogenes., Methods: The related reports of the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in dairy products in Middle East countries from 2009 to 2020 were screened through some of the international databases such as Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. While a random effect model was applied to estimate pooled or overall prevalence, 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used., Results: Results showed severe heterogeneity (84.2%) in studies and estimated the overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes dairy food products from the Middle East region of 3.5% (CI: 2.2-5). The highest and lowest prevalence was associated with Jordan (17.6% CI: 9.8-26.9) and Iraq (1.6% CI: 0.3-3.7), respectively. Based on the type of product, the highest and lowest prevalence of L. monocytogenes was recognized for raw cow milk (5.8% CI: 2.7-9.7) and pasteurized cow milk (1.1% CI: 0-8), respectively., Conclusion: There is no justification for severe heterogeneity (I 2 ) of subgroups as prevalence is heterogenic innately, but Jordan and row cow milk subgroups were found to have a considerable effect on overall pooled prevalence. Thus, they were the reason for prevalence changes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Bashiry et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Coronaviruses have caused worldwide outbreaks in different periods. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) was the first emerged virus from this family, followed by MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV or COVID 19), which is newly emerged. Many studies have been conducted on the application of chemical and natural drugs for treating these coronaviruses and they are mostly focused on inhibiting the proteases of viruses or blocking their protein receptors through binding to amino acid residues. Among many substances which are introduced to have an inhibitory effect against coronaviruses through the mentioned pathways, natural components are of specific interest. Secondary and primary metabolites from plants, are considered as potential drugs to have an inhibitory effect on coronaviruses. IC50 value (the concentration in which there is 50% loss in enzyme activity), molecular docking score and binding energy are parameters to understand the ability of metabolites to inhibit the specific virus. In this study we reviewed 154 papers on the effect of plant metabolites on different coronaviruses and data of their IC50 values, molecular docking scores and inhibition percentages are collected in tables. Secondary plant metabolites such as polyphenol, alkaloids, terpenoids, organosulfur compounds, saponins and saikosaponins, lectins, essential oil, and nicotianamine, and primary metabolites such as vitamins are included in this study., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Recently emerged coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19 is considered as a serious threat for human health. Due to unavailable specific drugs for this virus, there is an urgent need for supportive cares. Epigenetic immune boosting approaches and developing anti-inflammatory agents by gut-associated bioactive macronutrients can be plausible protective cares for COVID-19. Suitable intake of bioactive macronutrients including prebiotics, fatty acids, proteins and branched-chain amino acids may result in anti-viral responses through modulating macrophages and dendritic cells via Toll-like receptors, decreasing viral load, inactivating the enveloped viruses, increasing the anti-inflammatory metabolites and inhibiting the proliferation of microbial organisms. Bioactive macronutrients may help in promotion of immunological responses and recovery acceleration against Covid-19. This review focuses on the mechanisms of bioactive macronutrients and related clinical trials on enveloped viruses with emphasis on gut-microbiome-immune axis. Macronutrients and this axis may be conducive strategies to protect host against the viral infection., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.)

Bio-plastics are eco-friendly biopolymers finding tremendous application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Bio-plastics have suitable physicochemical, mechanical properties, and do not cause any type of hazardous pollution upon disposal but have a high production cost. This can be minimized by screening potential bio-polymers producing strains, selecting inexpensive raw material, optimized cultivation conditions, and upstream processing. These bio-plastics specifically microbial-produced bio-polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) find application in food industries as packaging material owing to their desirable water barrier and gas permeability properties. The present review deals with the production, recovery, purification, characterization, and applications of PHAs. This is a comprehensive first review will also focus on different strategies adopted for efficient PHA production using dairy processing waste, its biosynthetic mechanism, metabolic engineering, kinetic aspects, and also biodegradability testing at the lab and pilot plant level. In addition to that, the authors will be emphasizing more on novel PHAs nanocomposites synthesis strategies and their commercial applicability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Nutritional and environmental benefits of mycoprotein verify its beneficial role on the health of humankind in the next decades. Agro-industrial wastes can be used as cheap substrates to decrease the total cost of product. However, fungi may produce toxins or lead to allergic reactions in consumers. Therefore, the study of the safety and nutritional aspects of this product are very important., Results: Fusarium venenatum IR372C was cultured on date wastes and ammonium salts in submerge fermentation. The safety and nutritional issues of produced mycoprotein were investigated including allergy tests and analyses of toxins, as well as existence of toxin genes, and content of heavy metals, metals, amino acids and fatty acids. The results showed that fumonisin genes in F. venenatum IR372C remain without any gene expression during 1 week fermentation. Zearalenone and deoxynivalenol cannot be detected in the fermentation medium after 3 weeks. Prick tests on 30 volunteers demonstrated no sensitivities to mycoprotein. The content of lead was 658 μg kg -1 as the highest heavy metal followed by arsenic, cadmium and mercury at 161, 30.57 and 0 μg kg -1 , respectively. Produced mycoprotein includes essential amino acids at appropriate contents and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acid was nearly 2:1. Also, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc were found in mycoprotein, which could have health beneficial impacts on consumers., Conclusion: This study has provided information on safety aspects of mycoprotein production by F. venentaum IR372C from date wastes. However, further studies with focus on long-term clinical benefits of diets containing mycoprotein are necessary. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Brucellosis, known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever, is one of the most common bacterial zoonotic diseases caused by Brucella spp. which can result in serious health issues. The objective of the present study was to systematically review and summarize the studies regarding the prevalence of Brucella spp. in milk and milk products in the Middle East region. Some international databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) were searched to retrieve relevant reports published between 1 January 2008 and 30th October 2018. After assessing for eligibility, 30 articles containing 9281 samples, were included in the current study. The highest number of publications were found in Iran and Turkey (n = 12 and 7, respectively), while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Syria had the lowest number of publications (n = 1). Besides, the highest and lowest prevalence was observed in Kuwait (62%) and Egypt (15%), respectively. The highest and lowest overall prevalence of Brucella spp. in milk was found in raw cow milk 36% (95%CI: 28-54%) and raw buffalo milk 13% (95%CI: -22-48%), respectively. The overall prevalence in cheese estimated to be 9% (95%CI: -16-35%). The overall prevalence of Brucella spp. in dairy products in the Middle East was estimated to be 29% (95%CI: 23-35%). The results indicate that more risk management plans are needed to reduce the incidence of Brucella spp. in dairy products in the Middle East, especially in cow milk., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Human and animals are exposed to heavy metals such as arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) through atmospheric depositions, industrial effluents, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, erosion of geological beds, and mining wastes which can result in the contamination of food chains. The aim of the current study was to review the available papers reporting contamination levels of As and Hg in commonly consumed foods in Iran. A descriptive search was carried out with specific keywords and entry criteria in databases of Science-Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Scientific Iranian Database (SID) published from January 2000 to July 2018. All articles were assessed by two reviewers, and final decision was made through discussions or a third reviewer arbitration. The articles were categorized based on the type of food groups including rice, fruit, vegetable, fish, seafood, drinking water, tea, and miscellanies. Of 221 identified articles on As and Hg contaminations in foods, 92 articles were selected using defined criteria. Published articles were reviewed to report contamination (mean and rate) of each food group in Iran. Results showed that rice and fish included the highest contamination rates of As and Hg, respectively. In general, As and Hg contents in Iranian foods cause serious health concerns due to the consumption quantities of the main foods. Further risk-based surveillance studies must be carried out to decrease exposure to As and Hg from dietary and non-dietary sources.

Antibiotic therapy is among the most important treatments against infectious diseases and has tremendously improved effects on public health. Nowadays, development in using this treatment has led us to the emergence and enhancement of drug-resistant pathogens which can result in some problems including treatment failure, increased mortality as well as treatment costs, reduced infection control efficiency, and spread of resistant pathogens from hospital to community. Therefore, many researches have tried to find new alternative approaches to control and prevent this problem. This study, has been revealed some possible and effective approaches such as using farming practice, natural antibiotics, nano-antibiotics, lactic acid bacteria, bacteriocin, cyclopeptid, bacteriophage, synthetic biology and predatory bacteria as alternatives for traditional antibiotics to prevent or reduce the emergence of drug resistant bacteria., (© 2019 The Author (s).)

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a widespread zoonotic protozoan which poses a great threat to human health and economic well-being worldwide. It is usually acquired by ingestion of water contaminated with oocysts from the feces of infected cats or by the ingestion of raw or undercooked foodstuff containing tissue cysts. The oocyst can contaminate irrigation water and fresh edible produce. It is estimated that approximately one-third of the human population worldwide harbor this parasite. Infection with T. gondii is an important cause of diseases of the central nervous system and the eye in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and applicability of thermal (heating, cooking, freezing and low temperature), non-thermal (high pressure processing, ionizing irradiation and curing) and chemical and biochemical (disinfection, essential oils and biochemical methods such as enzymes, nanoparticles, antibiotics and immune response) treatments for the inactivation, inhabitation or to kill T. gondii in foodstuff intended for public consumption and under experimental conditions.

Purpose: Nutritional quality and oxidation stability are two main factors in the evaluation of edible oils. Oils in their pure form do not have an ideal fatty acid composition or suitable oxidative stability during processing or storage. Methods: This study was designed to evaluate the chemical, nutritional and rheological properties of oil mixtures in three ratios of olive: sesame: linseed, 65:30:5; 60:30:10 and 55:30:15. Acidity value, peroxide value, rancimat test, fatty acid profile, nutritional indexes and rheological properties of the oil blends were determined. The nutritional quality was determined by indexes, including the atherogenic and thrombogenic indexs; the ratios of hypocholesterolemic: hypercholesterolemic; poly unsaturated fatty acid: saturated fatty acid and the ω 6 :ω 3 . Results: The results indicated that blending of other vegetable oils with linseed oil could balance ω 6 :ω 3 . Results showed that formulated oils had a good balance of oxidation stability and nutritional properties as well. Rheological data showed that these oil blends followed Newtonian behavior at 4°C and 25°C. Conclusion: According to the results, addition of linseed oil to vegetable oils containing high levels of bioactive compounds was a simple and economic practice to obtain a functional oil with good nutritional and stability properties.

Puffed corn snacks are tasty and affordable cereal-based food products which have a relatively poor nutritional quality. Sesame seed is a rich source of essential amino and fatty acids, phenolic compounds, tocopherols, and antioxidants. In this study, puffed corn snacks were produced by incorporating sesame powder at 0% (control sample), 5%, 10%, and 15% levels in its formulation and stored at room temperature (24°C) for 60 days. Fatty acid composition, tocopherol, sesamin and sesamolin, phenolic compounds, peroxide value (PV), acidity (AV), and sensory evaluation of the samples were determined. The results indicate that oleic acid content increased and palmitic acid decreased significantly ( p  < .05) in all the samples at 10% and 15% inclusion levels. The content of phenolic compounds, γ-tocopherols, sesamin, and sesamolin had significant increases in all the formulated samples. PV results indicated that the formulated samples had a higher stability when the ratio of sesame powder was increased, while the AV values showed a significant increase during storage. Incorporation of 10% sesame powder in the snack formulation had a positive effect on the stability, sensory, and nutritional quality of the product. This approach can be used to modify nutritional quality of this food product and introduce to food market as a relatively healthy snack.

Purpose: Suitable ratio of essential fatty acids has an important role in maintaining good health. There is no pure oil with an ideal fatty acid composition and oxidative stability. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the physical, chemical and nutritional properties of oil obtained by blending flaxseed oil as a rich source of ω 3 fatty acids with sesame and olive oils. Methods: Three different ratios (65:30:5, 60:30:10 and 55:30:15) were prepared using olive, sesame and flaxseed oils. These mixtures were stored at 4°C and 24°C and their quality and physicochemical properties were determined by measuring the fatty acid composition, phenolic compound, peroxide, anisidine values and schaal tests. Results: Fatty acid composition indicated that adding 10% and 15% flaxseed oil into blends have suitable ratio of essential fatty acids. The sample which contained 5% flaxseed oil had the highest phenolic content among treatments and these compounds showed a significant decrease during storage. A significant increase (p<0.05) was observed in peroxide values of all samples during storage. Increasing the flaxseed oil content in the blends, lead to an increase of the anisidine value. Conclusion: Blending sesame and olive oils with flaxseed oil produced oil blends with a good balance of essential fatty acids. Although peroxide and anisidine values increased during storage of the oil blends; the blends were of a good quality for home and industrial use.