Journal of Food Bioactives

Upcycling for a sustainable food future: turning waste into highvalue products for nutrition and health

Cesarettin Alasalvar — 2026-03-31

Upcycling and zero-waste food processing are transforming how we think about leftovers from farms, fisheries, and food production. Instead of letting nutrient-rich coproducts go to waste, new sustainable technologies - such as smart fermentation, green extraction methods, and innovative biotransformation - can turn them into valuable ingredients for healthy foods, supplements, and even animal feed. These materials often contain proteins, fibers, beneficial fats, and health-promoting bioactive compounds. By reclaiming them, we not only reduce landfill use and environmental impact but also strengthen food security, support local economies, and move closer to a truly circular food system. This review highlights sustainable strategies for valorizing agricultural, oilseed, and marine coproducts into high-value functional ingredients and industrial materials, thereby advancing the transition toward a zero-waste, circular bioeconomy.

Food and nutrition in the prevention of dementia–A mini-review

Klaus W. Lange — 2026-03-31

Dementia has become a widespread public health issue. Preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is a significant challenge. Observational studies suggest that certain nutritional factors may provide cognitive benefits. However, nutritional epidemiology studies have only inconsistently found an association between food or nutrition and cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical trials of dietary and nutritional interventions have generally been unable to demonstrate a reduction in cognitive impairment. The available intervention results were usually small, heterogeneous, and statistically insignificant. Long-term interventions may be necessary to demonstrate an effect. Nevertheless, our understanding of risk factors for dementia and potential preventive measures is improving. There is high potential for preventing dementia; nearly half of cases could theoretically be prevented by eliminating 14 modifiable risk factors. Four of these risk factors—including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity—are nutrition-related. Lifestyle changes related to diet and nutrition that aim to decrease the risk of dementia should include maintaining a systolic blood pressure of 130 mmHg or less starting at age 40, detecting and treating high LDL cholesterol from midlife, and maintaining a healthy weight and treating obesity, which also helps prevent diabetes

Aromatic plant-derived essential oils: bioactive compounds and their neuroprotective functions in neurological health

Ying Ni — 2026-03-31

Essential oils (EOs), complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds derived from aromatic plants, have demonstrated significant therapeutic potential for neurological and psychiatric disorders through multi-targeted mechanisms. This comprehensive review synthesizes current evidence regarding the neurological effects of essential oil components, with emphasis on psychiatric disorders (depression and anxiety), sleep disorders (insomnia), and neurodegenerative diseases (particularly Alzheimer’s disease). The major bioactive constituents—including monoterpe-nes (linalool, α-pinene, limonene, 1,8-cineole), sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, patchoulol), and phenylpropanoids(cinnamaldehyde, eugenol)—exert neuroprotective effects through convergent mechanisms despite compositional diversity. These mechanisms encompass modulation of neurotransmitter systems (GABAergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, cholinergic), regulation of the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, inhibition of pathological protein aggregation, enhancement of neurotrophic factor expression, and receptor-mediated neuroprotection involving GABAA and cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptors. The convergence of diverse phytochemical compositions on common therapeutic targets suggests potential for personalized approaches based on individual tolerability profiles, while the multi-targeted nature of EOs aligns with the multifactorial pathogenesis of neurological disorders, supporting their investigation as complementary therapeutic strategies.

R&D roadmaps and eco-system for successful functional food products

Pavinee Chinachoti — 2026-03-31

Food with enhanced health benefits has gained global popularity, surpassing traditional food science and nutrition. This trend influences consumer behavior, health, longevity, and food systems. However, it strains value chains, from traditional production to scientifically advanced foods, including regulatory processes. Functional Food is expected to be safe and support wellness, disease prevention, and healthy lifestyles. In Asia, functional food development has grown competitive, driven by accelerated academic R&D. Yet, regulatory challenges hinder product health claim approval. This presentation shares a policy study and proposes systemic infra-structure and capacity building needs for intervention. Examples of Thailand’s Food with Function Claims (FFC) and other concepts will be discussed.

Effects of highly bioavailable 2,5-diketopiperazines in standardized extract of cultured Lentinula edodes mycelium (ECLM) on phagocytosis and inflammatory mediators production by J774A.1 macrophages

Ann Elaine D.S. Wagan — 2026-03-31

A standardized extract of cultured Lentinula edodes mycelia (ECLM) has been reported to enhance innate and acquired immunity and suppress chronic inflammation. The present study revealed that the aqueous extract of ECLM significantly enhanced the phagocytic activity of J774A.1 macrophages. After fractionation, 23 distinct 2,5-diketopiperazines (DKPs) were identified in the active fraction, of which 12 were detected at concentrations≥1 μmol/kg or L in various samples from rats after oral administration of ECLM at 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg. These bioavail-able DKPs did not suppress phagocytosis in LPS-stimulated macrophages, whereas DKPs significantly suppressed LPS-induced NO and IL-6 productions. In the absence of LPS, these DKPs significantly enhanced phagocytosis in macrophages to levels similar to those achieved by the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) allosteric agonist R-568, which was partially abolished by the CaSR allosteric antagonist NPS-2143. These facts indicate that DKPs in ECLM have dual roles in promoting innate immune responses without inducing proinflammatory responses, possibly via allosteric CaSR activation.

Oral GABA supplementation immediately improves standardized MOBA micro-performance and frontal EEG engagement in esports: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial

Ryousuke Furukado — 2026-03-31

Oral intake of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) reduces stress and promotes relaxation, but its effect on esports performance is unclear. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 21 MOBA-genre esports players were enrolled; 18 were analyzed after prespecified exclusions. Thirty minutes after ingesting 200 mg GABA or placebo, players completed the Mobalytics Proving Ground (MPG), a standardized MOBA micro-performance battery. Frontal EEG at Fp1 yielded an SMR-weighted, EEG-derived engagement index, a putative EEG marker of task engagement (flow). GABA increased total MPG score and the engagement index versus placebo (p < 0.05). Higher ΔSMR was associated with higher MPG scores (r = 0.418, p = 0.011), and the ΔSMR × treatment interaction was not significant (F(1,16) = 0.367, p = 0.553). These findings indicate that oral GABA intake can enhance immediately micro-management performance under cognitive load accompanied by increasing EEG-indexed engagement in esports.

Bioactive-rich kale extracts protect against UV-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in human skin fibroblasts

Harichandana Valisakkagari — 2026-03-31

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes oxidative stress and DNA damage in skin cells. This study investigated the protective effects of bioactive-rich extracts prepared from upcycled kale powder using UV-induced human skin fibroblasts (WS1 cells) in vitro. The extracts were prepared using ultrasound-assisted extraction [K(U)] and microwave-assisted extraction [K(M)]. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS) demonstrated that K(M) contains higher concentrations of major bioactive phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, carotenoids, glucosinolates and flavonoids, than K(U). Both extracts contributed to higher cell viability (>80%) at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µg/mL compared to the UV-exposed control. Furthermore, the kale extracts and all tested phytochemicals (0.001-100 µg/mL) significantly reduced UV-induced reactive oxygen species (p < 0.05) compared to the UV-treated control. UV irradiation increased DNA damage, while K(U) at 0.01 and 0.1 µg/mL, chlorogenic acid at 0.1 µg/mL, and sulforaphane at 0.001 and 0.01 µg/mL significantly reduced DNA damage compared to the UV-treated control, as determined using phosphorylated H2A histone (γ-H2AX) immunofluorescence assay. Therefore, phytochemical-rich kale extracts demonstrate potential in protecting skin fibroblasts from UV-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage, suggesting potential applications in cosmeceutical formulations for skin protection against UV radiation.

Preparation and characterization of phosphopeptides derived from egg yolk granules

Jiandong Ren — 2026-03-31

Phosphorylated peptides derived from egg yolk phosvitin (PPP) have been reported with various physiological functions such as mineral absorption promoting, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the animal/clinical study and commercial application of PPP was hampered by the difficulties in phosvitin purification and peptide fragmentation. This study introduced a new approach to prepare phosphopeptides from egg yolk granules to avoid difficulties obtaining purified phosvitin. The egg yolk granules were first dephosphorylated by 0.2 N NaOH for 0.5 h and then hydrolyzed by eight enzymes, respectively. Pancreatin produced the highest degree of hydrolysis of 24.2% with a protein recovery of 41.8% and nitrogen to phosphorus atomic ratio of 19.1, which is comparable to commercial casein phosphopeptides. In the pancreatin hydrolysate 15 peptide sequences were characterized from three phosvitin domains: AKTSSSSSSASSTATSSSSSSASSPN (PV 9-34), DEEENDQV (PV 40-47) and SGHLEDDSSSSSSSSVLSKIWG (PV 190-211). In addition, 54 peptides were characterized from lipovitellins, and 26 of them were phosphorylated. This experiment suggests that it is feasible to produce phosphopeptides from granules instead of purified phosvitin.

Biotransformation of Coreopsis tinctoria major flavonoids marein and flavanomarein

Yixing Zhu — 2026-03-31

Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. is a medicinal plant that is cultivated in many countries around the world. The major bioactives of C. tinctoria include marein, flavanomarein, okanin, isookanin and others; among them, marein and flavanomarein are the dominant components, whereas the others present in minor amounts, although they have demonstrated significant biological activities. Continued pharmacological research of flavanomarein, okanin, and isookanin requires sufficient amounts of these components, therefore, this study investigated the efficient biotransformation of marein to flavanomarein, okanin, and isookanin. By screening different enzyme types and optimizing reaction conditions (temperature, concentration, time, and pH), the optimal enzymatic conditions for converting marein to its corresponding cyclic isomer and aglycone were determined. Under enzymatic catalysis, marein and flavanomarein were transformed into their aglycones, okanin and isookanin, respectively. The optimal conditions were as follows: enzyme activity 25 U/mL (VinoTaste^® proline enzyme), 37 °C, pH 8.0, and a reaction time of 2 h. Under these conditions, marein yielded 34.56% okanin and 18.31% isookanin, while flavanomarein yielded 92.25% isookanin. This study reports, for the first time, the efficient enzymatic conversion of Coreopsis tinctoria flavonoid glycosides into their aglycones.