Transcript Layout Bologna - Medicinska fakulteta Maribor

Traditional foods: functional
properties and perspectives
Diana Di Gioia
Department of Agricultural Sciences
University of Bologna – Italy
Tampere, 1.7.2013
University of Bologna
Department of
Agricultural Sciences
Content
The aim is to give a brief overview of the
functional properties of traditional foods (TFs)

The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients


The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Challenges and perspectives of the TF
sector
The Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet
Whole cohort set
Mediterranean diet
Greece
Spain
Italy
France
UK
Denmark
Germany
Sweden
Netherlands
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Mortality ratios (%)
Trichopoulou et al., (2005), BMJ, 330, 991-997
7
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Bioactive compounds in plants
Secondary plant metabolites eliciting pharmacological or
toxicological effects in man and animals
Primary metabolic routes
(biosyntetic pathway)
Carbohydrates,
aminoacids, protein and
lipids
Secondary metabolic routes
(special metabolism)
Small molecules not
needed for daily
functioning of the plants
They are not useless !
The health image of TFs: the role of plant ingredients
Wounding
UV Light
anthocyanidins
flavonols/ flavones
cholorogenic acid
coumarins
lignin
psoralens
Pathogen Attack
isoflavones
Low Nitrogen
coumarins
flavonoids
flavonols
isoflavonoids
stilbenes
Low Iron
Low Phosphate
phenolic acids
anthocyanidins
Dixon & Paiva, The plant cell, 1995, 7; 1085-1097.
7
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Secondary plant metabolites can have a beneficial effect in
humans: some examples ….
 carotenoids
 polyphenols
The antioxidant activity of bioactive plant metabolites is the
main reason of their beneficial effects
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Free radicals
Reactive oxygen species
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Example of chain reaction
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
RO + AH
ROH + A
antioxidant
Free radical with a
low affinity for cellular
molecules
NO CHAIN
PROPAGATION
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Carotenoids
carotenes
xanthophylls
 Provitamin A activity: Vitamin A is produced within the
body from β-carotene
 Antioxidant activity (lycopene)
 prevention of age-related macular degeneration (lutein)
 enhancement of the immune system function
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Polyphenols
phenolic
acids
flavonoids
lignans
stilbenes
 group of molecules characterized by aromatic rings and
several hydroxyl groups
 widely distributed in plants
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
COOH
COOH
CH
HC
Phenolic
acids
OH
Hydrobenzoic
acids
Cinnamic acids
 p-coumaric acid is found in tomatoes, carrots and garlic.
It has antioxidant properties (lower risk of stomach cancer)
 caffeic acid occurs in fruits, grains and vegetables
 ferulic acid is the most abundant fenolic acid in cereal
grains (wheat and maize)
14
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Flavonoids
They are ubiquitous in the
human diet and are found
in fruits, vegetables and
grains.
Flavonoids in food are generally
considered to be beneficial to
consumers' health and are one of the
most important categories of bioactive
food components.
Epidemiological observations ascribed
to flavonoids:
to boost the immune sytem
to protect body from free radicals
to kill pathogenic microorganisms
to decrease the risk of cancer
15
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Lignans
• flaxseed;
• cereals (triticale and wheat),
• leguminous plants (lentils, soybean),
• fruit (pears, prunes),
• vegetables (asparagus, carrots)
 anti-inflammatory activity
 anti-oxidant activity
 protective effect against estrogen-related disease such as
osteoporosis
 anti-cancer properties (reduced incidence rate of breast,
prostate and colon cancer)
16
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Stilbenes
 antioxidant activity
prevention of cardiovascular disease: the “French
Paradox” (attenuation of coronary hearth disease in wine
drinkers)
 prevention of ischemic damage
 inhibition of the development of cancer and extended
lifespan in cell culture and animal cell models
17
The health image of TFs: the role of plant
ingredients
Functional compounds and organic
farming
It is recognized that highly-intensive agricultural practices
(conventional farming) may reduce the natural production of secondary
metabolites involved in plant defense;
Under organic farming conditions, plants are easily subjected to
stress conditions  elicitation effects on secondary metabolites 
increment in functional compounds.
The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Beneficial bacteria in the food chain can have:
a protective role (protective cultures), to reduce the
growth of pathogenic and/or spoilage microrganisms in
food BIOPRESERVATION
a probiotic role (probiotic cultures), i.e. conferring a
beneficial effect upon the host, either on a farm animal
through animal feed, or on humans, through different
food products.
19
The health image of TFs: the role of microorganisms
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the best candidates for
use as protective & probiotic cultures:
 Have been used since the beginning of history as starter cultures
 Present in almost all fermented foods-vegetables, meat products, dairy
products
 Are part of the natural microbiota of both farm animals and humans
 Have a long history of consumption and safe use
Lactobacillus
Bifidobacterium
Pediococcus
Lactococcus
Streptococcus
Oenococcus
20
The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Relevance of LAB in different fermented food products
Wine
Cider
Cheese
Sauerkraut
Fermented
milk
Fermented
sausages
21
The health image of TFs: the role of microorganisms
Protective cultures: applications in traditional dairy products
Soft cheeses
 Control of pathogens such as Listeria spp.
Mascarpone
Brie
Soft Cheese
Semi hard & hard cheeses
 Growth control of undesirable spoilage bacteria
Cheddar
Parmiggiano
Reggiano
Yogurt
The starter cultures used
can be considered protective
cultures
Starter cultures can also
have a role as probiotic
cultures
Pecorino
22
The health image of TFs: the role of microorganisms
Protective cultures: applications in traditional meat products
 Control of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni,
Salmonella enteriditis
 Control of spoilage bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp.,
…..)
Beef jerky
Sausages
Bresaola
Ground meat
Poultry
23
The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Interaction between probiotics and plant derived functional componds
Dietary
glycosides
Aglycones
Bacterial
hydrolysis
Bioactive form
Glucosidase
Fla Glu
Glu
Fla
Absorption
The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Bioavailability of dietary flavonoids  ability
of gut microbiota to degrade these
compounds (b-glucosidase activity)
Several groups of bacteria
possess b-glucosidase activity
Gut
microbiota
Bifidobacterium Lactobacillus
Interaction between microorganisms and
funtional compounds
The health image of TFs: the role of
microorganisms
Flavonoid metabolism: selected bifidobacteria
strains incubated with flavonoids extracted
from “Zolfino” bean seeds
Kaempferol
kaempferol 3-O-xylosylglucoside
kaempferol 3-O-glucoside
Kaempferol-3-0-xylosylglucoside
kaempferol 7-O-glucoside
Selected Bifidobacterium strains can be used as probiotic dietary
AFTER incubation with B7003
adjuncts to improve the health beneficial effects of flavonoid based
products,
0 including common
4 bean
8
12
Timefood
(min) derivatives
Challenges and perspectives of the TF
sector
Innovations in traditional food products are costantly looked for to
 guarantee the safety of the products (ensuring safety through
innovation)
 improve the nutritional and health properties of the food (link
between nutrition and health)
Consumer acceptance of innovation in TF (Kuhne et al. 2010)
Quality innovations
Mean values (on a 7 point scale)
Reduction of fat content
5.29 ± 1.37
Reduction of sugar content
5.08 ± 1.36
Reduction of salt content
5.08 ± 1.36
Addition of beneficial ingredients
5.06 ± 1.33
Using organic raw material
5.35 ± 1.36
New processes improving safety
5.34 ± 1.22
Challenges and perspectives of the TF
sector
Value (Technology +Iinformation)
Personalized Nutrigenomic Food Age
Nutrigenomic
food
Functional
food
Convenience
food
Chemical analysis
Nutraceutical
Functional
compounds
Health claim
Essential nutrients
Engineered food
Mass production
Survival food
Molecular nutrition
Tailor-made personal food
Home-test kits
Genomics
Diet
Health
Future
18th
19th
20th
21th Century
Challenges and perspectives of the TF
sector
Personalized Nutrigenetic Food Age
TFs
Pathologic status
Tailor made diet
Comparison
Health status
Summary
• The link between nutrition and health is extremely
important for the modern consumer, also in the sector of
TRADITIONAL FOODS
• Plants are an important source of bioactive compounds:
they mainly act as antioxidants which prevent biological
molecules’ oxidation
• Microorganisms have a functional role in foods: they are
used both as protective and probiotic cultures
• Microorganisms have also an important role in the
bioavailability of bioactive compounds
• The link among diet, health and genomics is increasingly
being important
Thank you
[email protected]