Background: Respiratory tract infections are a common health issue, driving interest in preventive strategies like nutritional supplements, while evidence on their usage and effectiveness remains limited. In this context, social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), provide a unique opportunity to gather large-scale public health-related data. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to survey participants’ uses and opinions on nutritional supplements in prevention or treatment of respiratory tract infections, by using X. Methods: A survey was conducted between 1st and 15th December 2022. A single open-ended question “Which are the best dietary supplements to counteract respiratory infections?“ was asked. One week after the start of the survey, a poll was posted to get more relevant information and boost the survey’s reach. Total endorsements were calculated for each tweet posted as the total sum of replies, retweets, and likes. Results: The open-ended question received a total of 118 retweets, 39 quotes, and 371 likes, while the poll received 56 retweets, 13 quotes, and 67 likes. A total of 495 replies, 2,251 retweets, 5,118 likes, and 148 quotes were received for the question and its related tweets. Vitamin D (1,607 endorsements), zinc (1,347 endorsements), vitamin C (803 endorsements), magnesium (694 endorsements), and honey (661 endorsements) were the nutritional supplements that received most endorsements. Conclusion: Various foods, drinks, and natural ingredients have been suggested as potentially helpful for counteracting respiratory infections. Approximately half of respondents indicated using such supplements for themselves. The result of this study supports the idea that the X platform can be used as an effective survey tool to study global health-related behaviours and trends.

(1) Background: The definition of value addition is based on the process or processes which are used to transform, physically, the initial raw material into the final food or non-food article. Diversification can enhance the possibility of increased gains. The aim of this work is to give a reliable description of value addition when speaking of coconut-based beverages among all possible derivatives. (2) Methods: A systematic review in which the main papers on the argument have been critically examined and discussed. (3) Results: Processing degree is a consequence of consumers’ requests. Three different drivers for value addition have been considered: packaging, durability, and size options; sensorial features; and sustainability. The results of this investigation have highlighted the added value of several products because of recyclable packaging materials, intermediate- or long-durability expectations, different available sizes, and good or excellent sensorial performances. (4) Conclusions: There are different value-added coconut-based beverages with interesting perspectives. On the other hand, sustainability and eco-friendly policies may be a problem for those products that are produced similarly to non-coconut-based beverages. The opportunity presented by certified organic and/or fair-trade products could help the coconuts industry in the near future. More research is still needed on this topic.

Pumpkin has particular health properties for patients suffering from chronic diseases as it is considered an excellent and low-cost source of phytochemicals, antioxidant properties, vitamins and minerals, antiinflammatory properties, and low in calories. This study aimed to fortify chicken sausage with various ratios (15, 30, and 45%) of fresh pumpkin pulp to prevent lipid oxidation during cold storage. Sensory evaluation indicated that the sample fortified with 30% pumpkin is the most favorite and nearest to the control sample. It improved taste and texture as compared to other treatments. Its moisture contents were higher than that of the control group, leading to minimizing the caloric value (25%). Seventeen amino acids were found that were similar to the control sample. Still, the ratio between total essential amino acids and total amino acids in fortified samples was 1.04-fold higher compared to the control sample. A similar trend was also detected when the ratio between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids was calculated. Results showed that this new product has functional, healthy properties for patients suffering from chronic diseases.

BACKGROUND:The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled "International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce" (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring together in collaborative environment individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research, and to empower their interactions by using digital communication tools.METHODS:In this work, we present a general overview of INPST activities and showcase the specific use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool that was used to host a one-week "2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event" (spanning from 31st May 2021 to 6th June 2021) based on the application of the Twitter hashtag #INPST.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The use of this hashtag during the networking event period was analyzed with Symplur Signals (https://www.symplur.com/), revealing a total of 6,036 tweets, shared by 686 users, which generated a total of 65,004,773 impressions (views of the respective tweets). This networking event's achieved high visibility and participation rate showcases a convincing example of how this social media platform can be used as a highly effective tool to host virtual Twitter-based international biomedical research events.

Food preservation can be defined as the science that deals with the process of prevention of decay or spoilage of food and helps it to be stored in a fit condition for future use. It helps to increase the shelf life of food thus increasing the food supply. It can be saved by means of proper food preservation methods during scarcity, stabilizing food prices, and increasing the availability by minimizing wastage. Food preservation has enabled the food industry to produce a wide range of foodstuffs of good and uniform quality at reasonable prices. At present, the main challenges for the modern industry of foods and beverages are innovation, sustainability, and safety. The innovation aims at maintaining technological processes at the highest possible level. On the other side, food safety should be considered as an ideal macro-container including innovation and process sustainability. Unfortunately, difficulties are occurring with a notable frequency at present when speaking of food regulatory compliance. This chapter would give some useful advice and information concerning modern technologies and food quality and safety.

Food safety and quality control ensure the food is safe for human consumption. Proper food supply chain management benefits both the manufacturers and consumers. Quality assurance and quality control processes are implemented to supply safe food and beverage products to the consumer. National regulatory guidelines of each country monitor the activities of food business operators, like the United States Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, China Food and Drug Administration, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Food manufacturers are required to meet the given standards of quality and food safety and need to get certified to ensure the defence mechanism against many foodborne diseases. These arguments are debated for decades. On the other side, what about the perception of quality control and effectiveness? In fact, the difference between real-time checks and the evidence of already carried out checks should be evaluated. This chapter discusses this problem—and the possible solution on behalf of the final recipients—in detail.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a central part of the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organizations Food Standards Program, adopts internationally recognized standards, guidelines, and code of practices that help ensure safety, quality, and fairness of food trade globally. Although Codex standards are not regulations per se, regulatory authorities around the world may benchmark against these standards or introduce them into regulations within their countries. Recently, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) initiated a draft revision to the Codex standard for follow-up formula (FUF), a drink/product (with added nutrients) for young children, to include requirements for limiting or measuring the amount of sweet taste contributed by carbohydrates in a product. Stakeholders from multiple food and beverage manufacturers expressed concern about the subjectivity of sweetness and challenges with objective measurement for verifying regulatory compliance. It is a requirement that Codex standards include a reference to a suitable method of analysis for verifying compliance with the standard. In response, AOAC INTERNATIONAL formed the Ad Hoc Expert Panel on Sweetness in November 2020 to review human perception of sweet taste, assess the landscape of internationally recognized analytical and sensory methods for measuring sweet taste in food ingredients and products, deliver recommendations to Codex regarding verification of sweet taste requirements for FUF, and develop a scientific opinion on measuring sweet taste in food and beverage products beyond FUF. Findings showed an abundance of official analytical methods for determining quantities of carbohydrates and other sweet-tasting molecules in food products and beverages, but no analytical methods capable of determining sweet taste. Furthermore, sweet taste can be determined by standard sensory analysis methods. However, it is impossible to define a sensory intensity reference value for sweetness, making them unfit to verify regulatory compliance for the purpose of international food trade. Based on these findings and recommendations, the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling agreed during its 41st session in May 2021 to inform CCNFSDU that there are no known validated methods to measure sweetness of carbohydrate sources; therefore, no way to determine compliance for such a requirement for FUF.

This chapter concerns a general introduction to the category of natural and synthetic antioxidants. The current situation in the food and beverage industries and the market is showing many interesting challenges for food technologists. Several points of discussion should be considered, including the historical, technological, and nutritional diversification of food and beverage products, the nature of food products as the association between contained food and container, the study of food-related risks, prevention methods, and correlated scandals. Actually, there are no modern food or beverage products without chemical substances. Consequently, the use of chemical compounds has to be considered a natural feature of modern edible products, also in conjunction with the need to extend shelf life (the First Parisi’s Law of Food Degradation assigns limited durability for each food and beverage product), and in spite of the demand for ‘natural’ foods or ‘clean labels’. In this ambit, the action of (preferably) natural antioxidants or synthetic compounds concerns essentially the delay of cell damage in the human body, contrasting ‘oxidative stress’. These molecules could be also useful for therapeutic approaches in the medical sector with the possibility of direct supplementation by means of non-food applications. Consequently, the use of natural antioxidants should not be considered at present as a single approach for food production, in the Indian subcontinent and worldwide.

In India, the prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing due to many factors such as globalization, urbanization, sedentary lifestyle, and dietary patterns. The consequences are immense as it results in type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver illness, arthritis, cancer, and many other associated complications. Diet counselling and optimum dietary modifications help in the management of obesity. Dietary management includes restriction of calories, carbohydrates, fats, and protein enabling weight loss in a slow and steady phase. This chapter has the aim of highlighting different diets and methods to reduce obesity: from calories-restricted diets, such as the ‘Atkins diet’ (very low-calorie diet, intermittent energy restriction…) to no-sugar and carbohydrates-restricted (low-carb) diets such as the ketogenic model, to fats-restricted and protein-restricted approaches… and other ‘questionable’ diets. What about the pros and cons of similar extreme diets?

This book compiles the recent Trends in food chemistry, nutrition and technology with a focused overview of the Indian Sub-continent

Background: With prostate cancer being the fifth-greatest cause of cancer mortality in 2020, there is a dire need to expand the available treatment options. Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progresses despite androgen depletion therapy. The mechanisms of resistance are yet to be fully discovered. However, it is hypothesized that androgens depletion enables androgen-independent cells to proliferate and recolonize the tumor. Objectives: Natural bioactive compounds from edible plants and herbal remedies might potentially address this need. This review compiles the available cheminformatics-based studies and the translational studies regarding the use of natural products to manage CRPC. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar searches for preclinical studies were performed, while ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were searched for clinical updates. Studies that were not in English and not available as full text were excluded. The period of literature covered was from 1985 to the present. Results and Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that natural compounds exert beneficial effects due to their broad-spectrum molecular disease-associated targets. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed several bioactive compounds, including rutaecarpine, berberine, curcumin, other flavonoids, pentacyclic triterpenoids, and steroid-based phytochemicals. Molecular modeling tools, including machine and deep learning, have made the analysis more comprehensive. Preclinical and clinical studies on resveratrol, soy isoflavone, lycopene, quercetin, and gossypol have further validated the translational potential of the natural products in the management of prostate cancer.