The aim of this study was to compare the antibacterial effects of several essential oils (EOs) alone and in combination against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria associated with food products. Parsley, lovage, basil, and thyme EOs, as well as their mixtures (1:1, v/v), were tested against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium. The inhibitory effects ranged from strong (thyme EO against E. coli) to no inhibition (parsley EO against P. aeruginosa). Thyme EO exhibited strong (against E. coli), moderate (against S. typhimurium and B. cereus), or mild inhibitory effects (against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus), and basil EO showed mild (against E. coli and B. cereus) or no inhibitory effects (against S. typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus). Parsley and lovage EOs revealed no inhibitory effects against all tested strains. Combinations of lovage/thyme and basil/thyme EOs displayed antagonistic effects against all bacteria, parsley/thyme EOs against B. cereus, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli, and lovage/basil EOs against B. cereus and E. coli. Combinations of parsley/lovage and parsley/basil EOs exhibited indifferent effects against all bacteria. The combination of lovage/basil EO showed indifferent effect against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and S. typhimurium, and the combination parsley/thyme EO against S. typhimurium. Thyme EO has the highest percentage yield and antibacterial potential from all tested formulations; its combination with parsley, lovage, and basil EOs determines a reduction of its antibacterial activity. Hence, it is recommended to be used alone as the antibacterial agent.

Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and the third most popular beverage after water and tea. Emerging health-oriented lifestyle trends, demographics, stricter legislation, religious prohibitions, and consumers’ preferences have led to a strong and steady growth of interest for non-alcoholic beers (NABs), low-alcohol beers (LABs), as well for craft beers (CBs). Conventional beer, as the worlds most consumed alcoholic beverage, recently gained more recognition also due to its potential functionality associated with the high content of phenolic antioxidants and low ethanol content. The increasing attention of consumers to health-issues linked to alcohol abuse urges breweries to expand the assortment of conventional beers through novel drinks concepts. The production of these beers employs several techniques that vary in performance, efficiency, and usability. Involved production technologies have been reviewed and evaluated in this paper in terms of efficiency and production costs, given the possibility that craft brewers might want to adapt them and finally introduce novel non-alcoholic drinks in the market.

Nowadays, one of the most important research directions that concerns the scientific world is to exploit the earth’s resources in a sustainable way. Considering the increasing interest in finding new sources of bioactive molecules and functional products, many research studies focused their interest on demonstrating the sustainability of exploiting marine macroalgal biomass as feedstock for wastewater treatment and natural fertilizer, conversion into green biofuels, active ingredients in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, or even for the production of functional ingredients and integration in the human food chain. The objective of the present paper was to provide an overview on the recent progress in the exploitation of different macroalgae species as a source of bioactive compounds, mainly emphasizing the latter published data regarding their potential bioactivities, health benefits, and industrial applications.

Edible coatings and films represent an alternative packaging system characterized by being more environment-and customer-friendly than conventional systems of food protection. Research on edible coatings requires multidisciplinary efforts by food engineers, biopolymer specialists and biotechnologists. Entrapment of probiotic cells in edible films or coatings is a favorable approach that may overcome the limitations linked with the use of bioactive compounds in or on food products. The recognition of several health advantages associated with probiotics ingestion is worldwide accepted and well documented. Nevertheless, due to the low stability of probiotics in the food processing steps, in the food matrices and in the gastrointestinal tract, this kind of encapsulation is of high relevance. The development of new and functional edible packaging may lead to new functional foods. This review will focus on edible coatings and films containing probiotic cells (obtaining techniques, materials, characteristics, and applications) and the innovative entrapment techniques use to obtained such packaging.Polymers 2020, 12, 12 2 of 15 are biopolymers, proteins, lipids or composites. Thus, even if they are not consumed with food, they can be more rapidly and easily degraded with respect to plastic materials [5].The main difference between coating and film is in their preparation and application process. Indeed, edible films are usually obtained in parallel to food and then applied to the surface, whereas coatings are directly prepared on food surface [6]. Both coatings and films can entrap live probiotic microorganisms.Due to handling and hygienic limitations, EP can be combined with ecofriendly non-EP [6][7][8].The utilization of films for food preservation dates back to the 12th century in China, where wax was utilized to delay moisture loss from fruits. Sixteen centuries ago, the first edible films made from soymilk were used in Japan for fruits preservation and in order to obtain a shiny surface [9,10]. Due to the narrow variety of materials used to protect fruits and vegetables at that time, no big interest was shown to this type of package. Refrigeration, controlled/modified atmosphere, heat or radiation sterilization, smoking have ever received stronger attention than edible packaging. Of course, food conservation methods have considerably increased and have offered unlimited opportunities to prepare, store and consume any type of food in any season. However, EP can currently be applied to a large variety of food products, with unique, tailored and innovative ways of action than conventional food preservation techniques [1].Among various roles played by EP, physical protection [11] amplification and protection of food properties, carriers of food additives and prolongation of shelf life are the most important ones.EP may be categorized according to the class of their constituent material. Hydrocolloids (polysaccharides and proteins) and lipids are the most used materials. Among these, polysaccharides are the easiest to pu...

Iron deficiency in the human body is a global issue with an impact on more than two billion individuals worldwide. The most important functions ensured by adequate amounts of iron in the body are related to transport and storage of oxygen, electron transfer, mediation of oxidation-reduction reactions, synthesis of hormones, the replication of DNA, cell cycle restoration and control, fixation of nitrogen, and antioxidant effects. In the case of iron deficiency, even marginal insufficiencies may impair the proper functionality of the human body. On the other hand, an excess in iron concentration has a major impact on the gut microbiota composition. There are several non-genetic causes that lead to iron deficiencies, and thus, several approaches in their treatment. The most common methods are related to food fortifications and supplements. In this review, following a summary of iron metabolism and its health implications, we analyzed the scientific literature for the influence of iron fortification and supplementation on the gut microbiome and the effect of probiotics, prebiotics, and/or synbiotics in iron absorption and availability for the organism.