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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2022) | Viewed by 14025

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: antimicrobials; nutraceuticals; in vitro digestion; nutrients and phytochemicals release; gut health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Terri Grassby

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Guest Editor

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Surrey, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK
Interests: food science; plant polysaccharides; dietary fibre; bioaccessibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Nutrients is planning a Special Issue focusing on the effects of nut and/or nut product intake on human health. We welcome submissions on all aspects of the relationship between nut and nut product intake and human health, with a special focus on gut health, cancer prevention, and epidemiological as well as metabolomic studies. We invite you to submit your latest research to this Special Issue.

With the increasing popularity of plant-based diets, understanding the health effects of nut consumption has never been so important.

All types of study will be considered where nuts are a key component of the analysis/intervention, including intervention trials, epidemiological studies, in vitro studies, and metanalyses. All nuts (tree and ground nuts) and nut products, whether individually, in combination, or as significant components of a dietary intervention, will be eligible for inclusion. Studies on the digestion and bioavailability of nutrients and phytochemicals, energy metabolism, appetite, satiety, and obesity are also welcome.

Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari
Dr. Terri Grassby
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nuts
health
gut microbiome
gut health
prebiotic effects
cancer prevention

Published Papers (5 papers)

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23 pages, 2937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Composition and Biological Properties of Blanched Skin and Blanch Water Belonging to Three Sicilian Almond Cultivars

by Mariarosaria Ingegneri, Antonella Smeriglio, Rossana Rando, Teresa Gervasi, Maria Pia Tamburello, Giovanna Ginestra, Erminia La Camera, Rosamaria Pennisi, Maria Teresa Sciortino, Giuseppina Mandalari and Domenico Trombetta

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1545; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu15061545 - 22 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1381

Abstract

The almond industry produces, by bleaching and stripping, two by-products: blanched skin (BS) and blanch water (BW). The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional and polyphenolic profile, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and potential prebiotic effects of BS and BW from three different Sicilian cultivars. The total phenols and flavonoids contents were ≥1.72 and ≥0.56 g gallic acid equivalents and ≥0.52 and ≥0.18 g rutin equivalents/100 g dry extract (DE) in BS and BW, respectively. The antioxidant activity, evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging ability, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity, was ≥3.07 and ≥0.83 g trolox equivalent/100 g DE in BS and BW, respectively. Isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant flavonoid detected in both by-products. No antimicrobial effect was recorded, whereas BS samples exerted antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus 1 (EC₅₀ 160.96 μg/mL). BS also showed high fibre (≥52.67%) and protein (≥10.99) contents and low fat (≤15.35%) and sugars (≤5.55%), making it nutritionally interesting. The present study proved that the cultivar is not a discriminating factor in determining the chemical and biological properties of BS and BW. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut, Nut Products and Health)

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13 pages, 3928 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Particle Size Distribution and Predicted Lipid Bioaccessibility of Almonds and the Effect of Almond Processing: A Randomised Mastication Study in Healthy Adults

by Alice C. Creedon, Estella S. Hung, Eirini Dimidi, Terri Grassby, Sarah E. Berry and Kevin Whelan

Nutrients 2023, 15(3), 489; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu15030489 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

Almonds are rich in unsaturated lipids, which play a role in some of the reported benefits of almond consumption for human health. Almond lipids are poorly bioaccessible due to almonds’ unique physicochemical properties that influence particle size distribution (PSD) following mastication, allowing much intracellular lipid to escape digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract. To investigate the impact of commercial processing (grinding almonds into flour), on PSD and predicted lipid bioaccessibility following mastication, a randomised cross-over design mastication study was conducted in healthy adults. The PSDs of masticated whole and ground almonds was assessed using two laboratory methods (mechanical sieving and laser diffraction). PSD from mechanical sieving was used to calculate lipid bioaccessibility using a theoretical mathematical model. Thirty-one healthy adults (18–45 years) completed both mastication sessions. Following mastication, ground almonds had a PSD with significantly fewer larger particles and more smaller particles, compared with whole almonds. Predicted lipid bioaccessibility of masticated ground almonds (10.4%, SD 1.8) was marginally but significantly greater than the predicted lipid bioaccessibility of masticated whole almonds (9.3%, SD 2.0; p = 0.017). Commercial grinding of almonds significantly influences the PSD of almonds following mastication, which results in a modest but significant increase in predicted lipid bioaccessibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut, Nut Products and Health)

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13 pages, 1179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantification of Phytochemicals, Cellular Antioxidant Activities and Antiproliferative Activities of Raw and Roasted American Pistachios (Pistacia vera L.)

by Wang Yuan, Bisheng Zheng, Tong Li and Rui Hai Liu

Nutrients 2022, 14(15), 3002; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14153002 - 22 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5347

Abstract

The consumption of pistachios has been linked to many potential health benefits. Phytochemicals in pistachios, including phenolics, vitamin E and carotenoids, have been considered to make contributions to the health benefits. The objectives of this study were (1) to explore the phytochemical profiles (total phenolics and total flavonoids, including both free and bound forms), selected phytochemicals, vitamin E and carotenoids of raw and roasted pistachios; (2) to determine total antioxidant activity and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA); and (3) to explore antiproliferative activities of pistachio extracts against human breast, liver and colon cancer cells in vitro. Both raw and roasted pistachios contained high total phenolics, at 479.9 ± 10.2 (raw) and 447.9 ± 9.4 (roasted) mg GAE/100 g, respectively, and high flavonoids, at 178.4 ± 10.6 (raw) and 144.1 ± 7.4 (roasted) mg GAE/100 g, respectively. The contributions of the free form to the total phenolics in pistachios were 82% (raw) and 84% (roasted), respectively, and the contributions of the free form to the total flavonoids in pistachios were 65% (raw) and 70% (roasted), respectively. Gentisic acid and catechin were the major phenolics in raw and roasted pistachios, respectively. Both raw and roasted pistachios had similar total antioxidant activity evaluated by Oxygen-Radical-Scavenging Capacity (ORAC) assay, at 7387.9 ± 467 (raw) and 7375.3 ± 602 (roasted) μmol TE/100 g, respectively. Both raw and roasted pistachio extracts exhibited cellular antioxidant activity inhibiting peroxyradical radical-induced oxidation, with CAA values of 77.39 ± 4.25 (wash) and 253.71 ± 19.18 (no wash) μmol QE/100 g of raw pistachios and 115.62 ± 3.02 (wash) and 216.76 ± 6.6 (no wash) μmol QE/100 g of roasted pistachios. Roasted pistachios contained more vitamin E when compared with raw pistachios, while raw pistachios contained more carotenoids than the roasted pistachios. Additionally, the free form of roasted pistachios extracts exhibited superior antiproliferation activity against HepG2, Caco-2 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, with EC₅₀ 34.73 ± 1.64, 36.66 ± 3.3 and 7.41 ± 0.82 mg per mL, respectively. These results provided new knowledge about the phytochemical profiles, antioxidant activity, cellular antioxidant activity and antiproliferative activity of raw and roasted pistachios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut, Nut Products and Health)

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0 pages, 6411 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumption of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) Nuts Counteracts Oxidative Stress and Tissue Inflammation in Mild Hyperhomocysteinemia in Rats

by Ramona D’Amico, Marika Cordaro, Roberta Fusco, Alessio Filippo Peritore, Tiziana Genovese, Enrico Gugliandolo, Rosalia Crupi, Giuseppina Mandalari, Daniela Caccamo, Salvatore Cuzzocrea, Rosanna Di Paola, Rosalba Siracusa and Daniela Impellizzeri

Nutrients 2022, 14(7), 1474; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14071474 - 01 Apr 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3818 | Correction

Abstract

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a methionine metabolism problem that causes a variety of inflammatory illnesses. Oxidative stress is among the processes thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of the damage produced by HHcy. HHcy is likely to involve the dysfunction of several organs, such as the kidney, liver, or gut, which are currently poorly understood. Nuts are regarded as an important part of a balanced diet since they include protein, good fatty acids, and critical nutrients. The aim of this work was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of cashew nuts in HHcy induced by oral methionine administration for 30 days, and to examine the possible pathways involved. In HHcy rats, cashew nuts (100 mg/kg orally, daily) were able to counteract clinical biochemical changes, oxidative and nitrosative stress, reduced antioxidant enzyme levels, lipid peroxidation, proinflammatory cytokine release, histological tissue injuries, and apoptosis in the kidney, colon, and liver, possibly by the modulation of the antioxidant nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 NRF-2 and inflammatory nuclear factor NF-kB pathways. Thus, the results suggest that the consumption of cashew nuts may be beneficial for the treatment of inflammatory conditions associated with HHcy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nut, Nut Products and Health)

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