The Effect of Processing Methods on Food Quality and Human Health: Latest Advances and Prospects

Heat is a widely used method to control microbial growth by targeting and denaturing cellular proteins, thereby killing or inactivating microbes. This method's effectiveness is quantified using parameters such as the thermal death point (TDP), thermal death time (TDT), and decimal reduction time (D value). TDP represents the lowest temperature at which all microorganisms in a liquid suspension are eliminated within 10 minutes, whereas TDT is the time necessary to achieve sterilization at a...

Microbial growth control refers to various methods employed to inhibit, reduce, or eliminate microorganisms to ensure safety and hygiene across different settings. These methods are categorized based on the target environment and the level of microbial control required.Biocides are versatile agents designed to control microorganisms by either inhibiting their growth or outright killing them. These agents work through various physical, chemical, mechanical, or biological mechanisms. The...

Microorganisms play a crucial role in agriculture and the food industry, contributing to soil fertility, crop protection, and food production. Their functions range from nitrogen fixation and biopesticide production to fermentation and food preservation, making them indispensable to sustainable farming and food safety.Role in AgricultureNitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium (symbiotic) and Azotobacter (free-living), convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through biological nitrogen...

Drugs, encompassing various chemical compounds from natural sources, lab synthesis, or genetic engineering, elicit different biological responses in living organisms. Some of these responses are desirable or therapeutic, while others are undesirable. The primary goal of administering a drug is to achieve a therapeutic effect, that is, to address a specific disease or health condition. Any concurrent effects outside of this therapeutic outcome are considered undesirable. These undesirable...

Orally administered drugs primarily enter the systemic circulation via passive diffusion through the intestinal membranes. The drug's absorption is influenced by drug stability in the gastrointestinal GI tract, membrane permeability, the surface area available for absorption, luminal drug concentration, and residence time in the lumen. Drug permeability can be enhanced by adjusting the lipophilicity, polarity, or molecular size of the drug, promoting its passive transport across intestinal...

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...