SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition – serie

The detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is becoming very complex, with new GMOs, approved and unapproved, constantly entering world markets. Traceability and labelling of GMOs is defined in regulations worldwide, demanding accurate and reliable testing to support the requirements of legislation. This Brief provides the current state-of-the-art on all key topics involved in GMO testing and is a source of detailed practical information for laboratories. Special focus is given to qualitative and quantitative real-time PCR analysis relevant to all areas where detection and identification rely on nucleic acid-based methods. The following topics, important for testing laboratories, are also discussed: organization of the laboratory, focusing on aspects of the quality system and methods for testing, validation and verification of methods, and measurement uncertainty. The Brief also discusses the new challenges of GMOs and novel modified organisms, using new technologies, and the possible solutions for GMO detection, including bioinformatics tools. Finally, legislation on GMOs and sources of information on GMOs are provided, which are relevant not only to testing laboratories, but to anyone interested in GMOs.The authors of this Brief have many years of experience in GMO testing, development of real-time PCR methods, implementation of quality system requirements, validations and verification of methods, and measurement uncertainty. The National Institute of Biology is a highly qualified research laboratory and a National Reference Laboratory, which also performs routine analyses of food, feed and seed. The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection of the European Union Joint Research Centre has extensive knowledge and experience of GMO detection. It hosts the European Union Reference Laboratory for GM Food and Feed in addition to chairing the European Network of GMO Laboratories.

This is a review of recent advances on the use of DNA microarray for diagnosing foodborne pathogens. Rapid detection and characterization of foodborne pathogens is critical for food safety. Many relevant technologies have been intensively developed to date. DNA microarray technology offers a new way to food safety involving pathogen detection and characterization. DNA microarray can be used for detection and characterization of pathogens by analyzing hybridization patterns between capture probes and nucleic acids isolated from food samples or bacteria. It allows more rapid, accurate, and cost-effective detection of pathogens compared with traditional approaches of cultivation or immuno-assays. The application of DNA microarrays to different foodborne bacteria, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, or Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli, will improve their rapid identification and characterization of their genetic traits (e.g., antimicrobial resistance, virulence). As bacterial foodborne diseases are posing more serious threats to public healthcare, development of rapid and accurate methods for pathogen detection and characterization is critical to their proper control at the earliest time.

This book will review old and new methods to study emulsion stability and structure. Examples of emulsion-based foods include ice cream, yoghurt, and mayonnaise. The physicochemical properties of emulsions play an important role in food systems, as they directly contribute to the texture, sensory and nutritional properties of foods. One of the main properties is stability, which refers to the ability of an emulsion to resist physical changes over time. The development of an effective strategy to prevent undesirable changes in the properties of a particular food emulsion depends on the dominant physicochemical mechanism(s) responsible for the changes. In practice, two or more of these mechanisms may operate in concert. It is therefore important for food scientists to identify the relative importance of each mechanism, the relationship between them, and the factors that influence them, so that effective means of controlling the stability and physicochemical properties of emulsions can be established. Several techniques are used to study the physical behavior and structure of emulsions. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages and provides different insights into the destabilization mechanisms. Among the oldest methods used to study emulsion stability is visual observation and small deformation rheometry. More recently, other techniques, such as ultrasound profiling, microscopy, droplet size distribution, and measurement of surface concentration to characterize adsorbed protein at the interface, have also been employed. Some of these techniques, such as droplet size distribution, involve some form of dilution. However, dilution disrupts some structures that play an important role in stability. The ability to study the stability of food emulsions in their undiluted form may reveal subtle nuances about their stability. Diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS), laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Turbiscan are among the more powerful, non-perturbing techniques used to characterized emulsions.

Vibrational spectroscopy techniques, which have traditionally been used to provide non-destructive, rapid, and relevant information on microbial systematics, are useful for classification and identification. In conjunction with advanced chemometrics, infrared spectroscopy enables the biochemical signatures from microbiological structures to be extracted and analysed. In addition, a number of recent studies have shown that Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy can help to understand the molecular basis of events, such as the adaptive tolerance responses expressed by bacteria when exposed to stress conditions in the environment, i.e. environments that cells confront in food and during food processing. The proposed Brief will discuss the published experimental techniques, data-processing algorithms, and approaches used in FT-IR spectroscopy to assist in the characterization and identification of microorganisms, to assess the mechanisms of bacterial inactivation by food processing technologies and antimicrobial compounds, to monitor the spore and membrane properties of foodborne pathogens in changing environments, to detect stress-injured microorganisms in food-related environments, to assess dynamic changes in bacterial populations, and to study bacterial tolerance responses.

The goal of the Brief is to summarize the state of the art on the chemical safety issues currently concerning meat and poultry, and to discuss the current international legislation on the tools available for their control. The Brief will review the analytical controls and instrumentation available for the control of residues of growth promoters, antibiotics, and any other environmental substances in raw meat and poultry. In addition, there will be a discussion of both the substances that may be generated as a consequence of processing, and the tools that are available for their control. These substances may be quite varied in nature; they may include, for example, the heterocyclic amines generated by heating, the nitrosamines sometimes present in cured meats with nitrite if not properly processed, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that can be generated depending on the type of smoking used, or the biogenic amines that can be generated during fermentation. Finally, the controls for the detection of foreign proteins (e.g., whey proteins) in the final products will be also compiled. The Brief will conclude with a view of future trends and key references for readers interested in learning more about this topic.

Many statistical innovations are linked to applications in food science. For example, the student t-test (a statistical method) was developed to monitor the quality of stout at the Guinness Brewery and multivariate statistical methods are applied widely in the spectroscopic analysis of foods. Nevertheless, statistical methods are most often associated with engineering, mathematics, and the medical sciences, and are rarely thought to be driven by food science. Consequently, there is a dearth of statistical methods aimed specifically at food science, forcing researchers to utilize methods intended for other disciplines.   The objective of this Brief will be to highlight the most needed and relevant statistical methods in food science and thus eliminate the need to learn about these methods from other fields.  All methods and their applications will be illustrated with examples from research literature.  ​

Predictive microbiology is a recent area within food microbiology, which studies the responses of microorganisms in foods to environmental factors (e.g., temperature, pH) through mathematical functions. These functions enable scientists to predict the behavior of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms under different combinations of factors. The main goal of predictive models in food science is to assure both food safety and food quality.   Predictive models in foods have developed significantly in the last  20 years due to the emergence of powerful computational resources and sophisticated statistical packages. This book presents the concepts, models, most significant advances, and future trends in predictive microbiology. It will discuss the history and basic concepts of predictive microbiology. The most frequently used models will be explained, and the most significant software and databases (e.g., Combase, Sym’Previus) will be reviewed.  Quantitative Risk Assessment, which uses predictive modeling to account for the transmission of foodborne pathogens across the food chain, will also be covered. ​

It is generally assumed that microorganisms synthesize, release, detect and respond to small signaling hormone-like molecules. These molecules are used for a process termed “quorum sensing” (QS), a phenomenon that enables bacteria to sense when the minimal number of cells, or “quorum,” is achieved for a concerted response to be initiated. Words such as “language” and “behavior” are frequently used to depict QS in the literature. More simply put, language and cross-talk between bacteria, and between bacteria and animal or plant hosts, determines the behavior (e.g., beneficial or pathogenic effects) of bacteria. Currently, the major concern is to understand and decode this language. Overall, bacterial cross-talk was mainly studied on environmental, plant, and human pathogenic bacteria. Few studies considered food-related lactic acid bacteria. The cross-talk between bacteria influences the behavior and, in turn, the environmental adaptation and phenotypes. Therefore, it is understood that bacterial cross-talk has important applicative repercussions. The language spoken between bacteria populating the same food ecosystem may condition the phenotypic traits of starter lactic acid bacteria and, consequently, their performance. This Brief aims to define the basis of cell-to-cell signalling in food fermentation and will highlight: (i) microbiology, nutritional, chemical and functional aspects; (ii) functional properties due to microbial adaptation to the gastrointestinal tract; (iii) principal phenotypes under control of QS circuitries; (iv) quorum quenching. This Brief will be the first reference on this topic and it will highlight the main results for a more productive industrial application. Draft content 1. Signals of food related Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria The chapter will describe the different signaling languages used by Gram-negative bacteria (N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones) and Gram-positive bacteria (based on the synthesis ofpost-translationally modified peptides) and the universal chemical lexicon, shared by both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria (autoinducer-2 through the activity of the LuxS enzyme). 2. Phenotypes related to quorum sensing The chapter will describe the bacterial phenotypes, such as virulence, biofilm maturation, bacteriocin synthesis, and secondary metabolite production under control of QS circuitries. 3. Cell-to-cell signalling in fermented food: sourdough The chapter will describe the language spoken between bacteria populating the same food ecosystem (sourdough) and will provide an overview of the conditioned phenotypic traits of starter lactic acid bacteria and, consequently, their performance. 4. Cell-to-cell signalling in fermented food: yoghurt The chapter will describe the language spoken between bacteria populating the same food ecosystem (yoghurt) and will provide an overview of the conditioned phenotypic traits of starter lactic acid bacteria and, consequently, their performance. 5. Probiotic message at the intra-, inter-species and inter-kingdom level The chapter will describe the mechanisms that regulate the interaction between microorganism and host, and the capacity of the microorganism to adapt to environment. Particular reference will also be made to: (i) pathogen inhibition and restoration of microbial homeostasis through microbe-microbe interactions; (ii) enhancement of epithelial barrier function; and (iii) modulation of immune responses. 6. New Perspectives of quorum sensing This chapter will provide an overview of the future perspective regarding quorum sensing, showing that bacterial cross-talk may have important applicative repercussions. It will highlight the interference on the language of QS, which is defined as quorum quenching (QQ). Increasing translation of the bacterial cross-talk has shown that in some environmental circumstances, quenching of the language may occur.

It's well known that the structural characteristics of food materials influence their mass transfer, especially their water transfer properties during such processes as drying, hydration, and storage. In porous cereal-based products, for example, effective water diffusivity is highly affected by the volume fraction and distribution of both solid and gas phases, while in dense food materials, such as fat-based or other edible coatings, it depends on factors that affect the "tightness" of the molecular structure (e.g., free volume, cohesive energy density, crystallinity). This Brief will review the impact of food structure on moisture transfer. A multi-scale analysis of food structure will include a look at molecular structure (e.g., free volume, crystallinity), nanostructure, microstructure (e.g., porous food), and macrostructure (e.g., bilayer structure). For each structural analysis, a focus on the mathematical modelling of the relationship between structural properties and moisture transfer properties will be performed. ​

Features a Foreword by Dr. Dietrich Knorr. Fruit processing and preservation technologies must ensure fresh-like characteristics in foods while providing an acceptable and convenient shelf life, as well as assuring safety and nutritional value. Processing technologies include a wide range of methodologies to inactivate microorganisms, improve quality and stability, and preserve and minimize changes of fresh-like characteristics in fruit. High pressure as a food preservation technique inactivates microorganisms at room temperature or lower; thus, sensory and nutritional characteristics can be maintained. In recent years, a significant increase in the number of scientific papers in literature demonstrating novel and diversified uses of high pressure processing indicates it to be highly emerging technology. The effect of high pressure technology on the quality and safety of foods will be discussed. Selected practical examples in fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat industries using high pressure will be presented and discussed. A brief account of the challenges in adopting this technology for industrial development will also be included.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is responsible for around half of the total number of hepatitis infections diagnosed worldwide. HAV infection is mainly propagated via the fecal-oral route, and as a consequence of globalization, transnational outbreaks of foodborne infections are reported with increasing frequency. Therefore, in this review, state-of-the-art information on the molecular procedures for HAV detection in food, and the efficacy of common food manufacturing processes are compiled. The purpose of this Brief is to consolidate basic information on various aspects of HAV and to provide a guideline for its prevention and control across the food supply chain from pre-harvest to manufacturing. ​

The pore structure of foods directly affects the success of such food processes as drying, puffing, freeze-drying, and rehydration. Consequently, the pore structure of foods determines what types of food processes will work best with a particular food. This Brief will first discuss in depth the need to correctly measure the pore structure of foods and then will identify and describe in detail the current methods available to measure food porosity. Finally, it will review the applications of these various methods.   ​

Hepatitis E (HEV) is a viral infectious disease that infects humans and domestic, wild, and synanthropic animals alike. In developing countries, the disease often presents as an epidemic, transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route. In recent years, sporadic cases have also been documented in industrial countries, including Europe. ​The identification and characterization of animal strains of HEV from pigs, wild boar, and deer, and the demonstrated ability of cross-species infection by these animal strains raise potential public health concerns for foodborne and zoonotic transmission of the virus. This Brief will provide a thorough overview of HEV. It will discuss the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the virus in both humans and animals, review detection methods, and provide methods for its control and prevention.

Sonocrystallization of Fats will summarize the latest research efforts and discoveries in the relatively new area of sonocrystallization of edible lipids. Ultrasound has been used extensively in the past to induce the crystallization of molecules. Until recently, however, very little work has been done using power ultrasound to induce the crystallization of edible lipids and understand how the phenomena applies in these systems. Power ultrasound is used in fats to induce their crystallization and to generate small crystals, which ultimately result in a harder material. Since the elimination of trans-fats from food products, novel processing technologies have been sought to improve the functional properties of low saturated, no-trans lipids. Power ultrasound can be used as a new processing condition to modify the crystallization of fats and tailor their functional properties to specific food uses.   This Springer Brief will describe recent research performed in the area of sonocrystallization of fats and the possible application in the food industry. An overview of ultrasound theories will be presented at the beginning of the book followed by a brief description of the uses of power ultrasound in the food industry. Description of recent research in the area of fat sonocrystallization and detailed information regarding the experimental conditions used, such as type of equipment and ultrasound settings, will be presented. The book will end with a description of the future trends in sonocrystallization of fats in the food industry. ​

Although widely recognized as an important waterborne pathogen, Giardia duodenalis can also be transmitted by contamination of food. The same properties of this protozoan parasite that mean that water is an excellent transmission vehicle are also important for foodborne transmission. These include the low infective dose, the high number of cysts that are excreted, and the robustness of these transmission stages. However, many more outbreaks of waterborne giardiasis have been reported than foodborne outbreaks. This is probably partly due to epidemiological tracing being much more difficult for foodborne outbreaks than waterborne outbreaks, and the number of persons exposed to infection often being fewer. Nevertheless, the potential importance of foodborne transmission is gradually being recognized, and a wide range of different foodstuffs have been associated with those outbreaks that have been recorded. Additionally, various factors mean that the potential for foodborne transmission is becoming of increasing importance: these include the growth of international food trade, a current trend for eating raw or very lightly cooked foods, and the rise in small-scale organic farms, where there the possibility for contamination of vegetable crops with animal faeces may be greater. ​

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been applied extensively to great benefit in the food processing sector. Its numerous applications include: predicting the gas flow pattern and particle histories, such as temperature, velocity, residence time, and impact position during spray drying; modeling of ovens to provide information about temperature and airflow pattern throughout the baking chamber to enhance heat transfer and in turn final product quality; designing hybrid heating ovens, such as microwave-infrared, infrared-electrical or microwave-electrical ovens for rapid baking; model the dynamics of gastrointestinal contents during digestion based on the motor response of the GI tract and the physicochemical properties of luminal contents; retort processing of canned solid and liquid foods for understanding and optimization of the heat transfer processes.   This Brief will recapitulate the various applications of CFD modeling, discuss the recent developments in this field, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of CFD when applied in the food industry. ​

Although widely recognized as an important waterborne pathogen, Cryptosporidium spp. can also be transmitted by contamination of food. The same properties of this protozoan parasite that mean that water is an excellent transmission vehicle are also important for foodborne transmission. These include the low infective dose, the high number of oocysts that are excreted, and the robustness of these transmission stages. However, many more outbreaks of waterborne cryptosporidiosis have been reported than foodborne outbreaks. This is probably partly due to epidemiological tracing being much more difficult for foodborne outbreaks than waterborne outbreaks, and the number of persons exposed to infection often being fewer. Nevertheless, the potential importance of foodborne transmission is gradually being recognized, and a wide range of different foodstuffs have been associated with those outbreaks that have been recorded. Additionally, various factors mean that the potential for foodborne transmission is becoming of increasing importance: these include the growth of international food trade, a current trend for eating raw or very lightly cooked foods, and the rise in small-scale organic farms, where there the possibility for contamination of vegetable crops with animal feces may be greater.

Nanoencapsulation has the potential to improve human health through its capacity to both protect bioactive compounds and release them at a specific time and location into various substances, including food. Numerous nanoencapsulation technologies have emerged in recent years, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The goal of this Brief is to discuss the various nanoencapsulation technologies, such as emulsification, coacervation, inclusion encapsulation, anti-solvent precipitation, nanoprecipitation, freeze drying, and spray drying, including their limitations. Recent safety and regulatory issues concerning the various nanoencapsulation technologies will also be covered.

Freezing time and freezing heat load are the two most important factors determining the economics of food freezers. This Brief will review and describe the principal methods available for their calculation. The methods can be classified into analytical methods, which rely on making physical simplifications to be able to derive exact solutions; empirical methods, which use regression techniques to derive simplified equations from experimental data or numerical calculations and numerical methods, which use computational techniques such as finite elements analysis to solve the complete set  of equations describing the physical process. The Brief will evaluate the methods against experimental data and develop guidelines on the choice of method. Whatever technique is used, the accuracy of the results depends crucially on the input parameters such as the heat transfer coefficient and the product's thermal properties. In addition, the estimation methods and data for these parameters will be reviewed and their impacts on the calculations will be evaluated. Freezing is often accompanied by mass transfer (moisture loss, solute absorption), super cooling and nucleation and may take place under high pressure conditions; therefore methods to take these phenomena into account will also be reviewed.

The purpose of this Brief is to provide a global view of the concept of biopreservation and its potential and existing applications in the different food sectors. Biopreservation, an approach already experimented with by our ancestors, has been used empirically for centuries and now the rationale behind it is becoming increasingly popular, applied singly or in combination with novel and classical food processing technologies. The growing world population, together with the globalization of the food market and consumer demand for foods that are ready to eat, lightly preserved, fresh-tasting, and rich in flavor, nutrients, and bioactive compounds, is forcing the food industry to develop less aggressive food preservation methods.

This Brief will review the methods that are currently available for the detection, isolation, and typing of pathogenic E. coli with a particular focus on foodborne diseases caused by the Shiga toxigenic E. coli group, which have been implicated in a number of significant outbreaks in recent years. Pathogenic forms of E. coli can cause a variety of diarrheal diseases in hosts due to the presence of specific colonization and virulence factors, and pathogenicity-associated genes, which are generally not present in other E. coli. Six pathotypes of pathogenic E. coli are recognized (Shiga toxigenic E. coli, Enteropathogenic E. coli, Enterotoxigenic E. coli, Enteroinvasive E. coli, Enteroaggregative E. coli and Diffusely Adherent E. coli) and certain strains among these groups are major public health concerns due to the severity of disease that they can cause. Methods to detect and isolate these pathogens from a variety of sources are constantly evolving. In addition, the accumulation of knowledge on these pathogens allows for improved intervention strategies.

The technology used to ripen bananas is affected by a wide range of factors, including the cultivar, growing conditions, harvesting method, and maturity at which the fruit are harvested and handled. Various post harvest treatments applied to fruit can also impact ripening. While many textbooks have been dedicated to Musa (bananas and plantains), none have focused exclusively on the ripening process.The commercial ripening of bananas and the chemical changes that occur thereby are considered here in detail. In developed, temperate countries where bananas are imported, successful ripening technologies have evolved. Most bananas, however, are marketed locally in the country where they are grown, and often the ripening technologies used have economic and health implications. This brief offers an in-depth discussion of not only the implications of these technologies, but also of alternative ripening methods and their commercial applications. For an understanding of both the chemical basis by which bananas ripen and the technologies used to control the process, look no further than this essential text.

Starch is one of the most important natural and biodegradable polymers on Earth. It is used by many plants as an energy reserve, and due to its biocompatibility and relatively easy structural modification, it is widely used in the cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical and materials industries. In recent years, interest in starch has increased due to the development of starch-based nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are small particles—diameters ranging from 10 nm to 500 nm—that can be highly crystalline (nanocrystals) or completely amorphous (nanoparticles). Owing to their versatility, starch-based nanomaterials can be used as carriers of bioactive molecules to improve medical treatments or nutrient absorption. They can also be used as reinforcement in composite materials, improving their mechanical and barrier properties, and new potential applications are continuously reported in the literature. This brief provides a quick guide to the exciting world of starch-based nanomaterials, including their chemical and physical characteristics as well as their synthesis methods and most common applications.

This Brief provides an overview of commercially successful current applications of high pressure processing (HPP) non-thermal technology. In recent years, HPP has gained acceptance in the industry for its use in the development of nutritious clean label food products which meet modern demands from health-conscious consumers. HPP products are now commercially available in many countries, and more than 400 HPP industrial equipment installations are currently in operation.  Advances in Food Applications for High Pressure Processing Technology offers an in-depth discussion of recent applications of HPP for different food commodities, including fruit juices, vegetable and fruit products, meat products, ready-to-eat meals, avocado products, dairy products, dips and condiments, wet salads and sandwich fillings, fermented products and baby and infant foods.

This brief provides a comprehensive overview of nanocarriers used for nanoencapsulation of bioactive compounds. It includes the basis of encapsulation mechanism, encapsulation efficiency, controlled release, target delivery, and its application in food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals.

Oxidative stress plays a prominent role in the development of numerous human diseases associated with animal-based protein, high-carbohydrate diets and excessive fat consumption. Obesity represents the main risk factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Extensive research highlights the detrimental impacts of diets high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity are attributed to the sedentary lifestyles, overconsumption of foods high in saturated fats and carbohydrates, and the saturation of nutrient storage. Indeed, the effects of oxidative stress are associated with the absolute quantity and the type of macronutrients; both of these aspects contribute to oxidative stress and may favor the development of obesity-associated diseases and obesity. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms of nutritionally mediated oxidative stress are complex and poorly understood. The literature reported on nutritionally mediated oxidative stress and the role of diets in oxidative stress-induced diseases has not well been compiled in a singular source.“Nutrients and Oxidative Stress: Biochemistry Aspects and Pharmacological Insights” explores how dietary choices dampen or exacerbate inflammation and oxidative stress. The implications of oxidative stress in glucose metabolism and adipocyte and obesity-associated non-communicable diseases are also discussed in this brief. Several issues linked to nutritionally mediated oxidative stress, including high carbohydrates, high animal-based proteins, and excessive consumption of fats and oxidative stress, and molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced diseases are covered. The role of diets in oxidative stress-induced diseases is also discussed. By summarizing all the literature in one place, this work provides a cohesive representation of the information and practical reference on the underlying mechanisms of nutritionally mediated oxidative stress involved in the prevention of chronic diseases. The work provides a better understanding of the nutritionally mediated oxidative stress and the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress in the development of chronic diseases and obesity.

For Muslims, Halal food is crucial, and regulations are in place to protect quality and authenticity, including methods for keeping out forbidden elements. The identification and elimination of non-Halal contents is the basis of the Halal analyses, promoting the development of analytical techniques for Halal product authentications. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), electronic nose (e-nose), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) are some of the most popular techniques used in Halal food analysis. Due to its satisfactory results, straightforward approach and lack of damaging preparation, FTIR spectroscopy, combined with chemometrics, is an excellent technique for analyzing halal food.Authentication of Halal Products using FTIR Spectroscopy aims to widen the concept of Halal food by covering FTIR in conjunction with chemometrics for Halal authentication. This combination has never been discussed before in such detail, providing the latest connection between Halal analysis and authentication plus providing comprehensive coverage on FTIR and chemometrics for Halal authentication. Halal authentication of meat, fat, oil, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals are covered plus Halal production, processing, ingredients, storage, logistics methods, and global perspective.

Rice is a fundamental principal food for more than half of the world’s people, providing more than 20% of the calories consumed globally, particularly in Latin America and West Indies, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Rice is usually consumed as fully mature grains in the form of whole kernels after boiling in excess water or cooking using a certain amount of water. Besides traditional consumption, rice has been increasingly used as an ingredient of various food formulations including rice-based products. Rice-based food products are commonly consumed globally, providing up to 43% and 46% of dietary protein and dietary energy in the sub-Saharan region, respectively. Rice noodles, also known as rice noodle strips or rice vermicelli, based on the rice flour or rice starch obtained by wet-milling, are one of the popular types of rice-based products consumed in Asian countries. There are various sizes and shapes of rice noodles, namely short and long, round and flat, and thin and thick. Traditionally, rice noodles are made from long-grain rice with intermediate to high amylose content. Since amylose networks play a crucial role in the structure of rice noodles, high amylose rice is often utilized for making rice noodles. Nonetheless, rice noodles made from different rice cultivars give different qualities. Amylose plays a crucial role in regulating the glycemic index. Starchy foods that are rich in amylose are linked to slower emptying of the human gastrointestinal tract and lower blood glucose levels compared to those with low levels of amylose. Indeed, rice noodles are the potential rice-based products that can be formulated to be a lower glycemic index value compared to other rice products. The literature reported on rice noodles as well as their nutritional aspect, quality improvement, and processing technique has not well been adequately covered in the current literature.“Rice Noodles: Quality Improvement, Processing Techniques and Nutritional Aspects” discusses several issues associated with rice noodles, namely classification of noodles, processing of rice noodles, raw materials and their roles, factors affecting the qualities of rice noodles, qualities and nutritional values improvement of rice noodles, the glycemic index of the rice noodles, and future prospects. By summarizing all the literature cohesively in one brief, this work provides a cohesive overview of the processing and production of rice noodles, highlighting the factors essential for the quality of rice noodles as well as their nutritional values and glycemic index. The work provides a better understanding of the rice noodles production and processing.

Contrary to the common belief that dietary supplements are “unregulated” in the United States, nutrients and other dietary ingredient-containing products have been regulated in this country for a little over a century at least in some capacity, initially through the Pure Food and Drug Act (PFDA) of 1906 and culminating with the many anticipated regulations to be implemented following the recent enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 (FSMA).   The goal of this brief is to review and discuss the current statutes and regulations surrounding the ingredients, manufacturing standards, safety, and labeling of dietary supplements for the purpose of protecting consumers. ​