The application of protein-protein interaction (PPI) has been widely used in various industries, such as food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical. A deeper understanding of PPI is needed, and the molecular forces governing proteins and their interaction must be explained. The design of new structures with improved functional properties, e.g., solubility, emulsion, and gelation, has been fueled by the development of structural and colloidal building blocks. In this review, the molecular forces of protein structures are discussed, followed by the relationship between molecular force and structure, ways of a bind of proteins together in solution or at the interface, and functional properties. A more detailed look is thus taken at the relationship between the various influencing factors on molecular forces involved in PPI. These factors include protein properties, such as types, concentration, and mixing ratio, and solvent conditions, such as ionic strength and pH. This review also summarizes methods tha1t are capable of identifying molecular forces in protein and PPI, as well as characterizing protein structure.

The increasing bacterial resistance and negative impacts of the present antibacterial agents have led to the search for novel antibacterial agents. This study focuses on the influence of synthetic methods on the aggregation stability and antibacterial activity of gold nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by using sodium citrate as a reducing and capping agent against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Gold NPs were synthesized using a simple and rapid sonochemical method and compared to gold NPs synthesized using a reduction method. The physicochemical features of gold NPs were characterized using UV-vis, XRD, TEM, and zeta potential, and the TEM results showed that the sonochemical method produced monodispersed spherical gold NPs with an average diameter of 18.5 nm, while the reduction method produced NPs with an average diameter of around 20 nm. The sonochemical method produced gold NPs with excellent stability (−48 mV) compared to the reduction method (−21 mV). The gold NPs with high stability also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus present in water, indicating their potential use in water purification processes to limit bacterial growth. The outcomes of this research are expected to significantly contribute to the creation of new drugs by paving the way for the development of novel strategies to combat pathogens using highly stable gold nanoparticles. These gold NPs, produced via the sonochemical method, have the potential to be employed as beneficial nanocompounds in the medical industry.

Despite long‐standing uses in several food and medicine traditions, the full potential of the leguminous crop fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum‐graecum L.) remains to be realized in the modern diet. Not only its seeds, which are highly prized for their culinary and medicinal properties, but also its leaves and stems abound in phytochemicals with high nutritional and health promoting attributes. Fenugreek dual food‐medicine applications and reported metabolic activities include hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory, antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, anticarcinogenic, immunomodulatory, and antinociceptive effects, with potential organ‐protective effects at the cardiovascular, digestive, hepatic, endocrine, and central nervous system levels. Effectiveness in alleviating certain inflammatory skin conditions and dysfunctions of the reproductive system was also suggested. As a food ingredient, fenugreek can enhance the sensory, nutritional, and nutraceutical qualities of a wide variety of foods. Its high nutritive density can assist with the design of dietary items that meet the demand for novelty, variety, and healthier foods. Its seeds provide essential protective nutrients and other bioactive compounds, notably galactomannans, flavonoids, coumarins, saponins, alkaloids, and essential oils, whose health benefits, alone or in conjunction with other bioactives, are only beginning to be tapped into in the food industries. This review summarizes the current state of evidence on fenugreek potential for functional food development, focusing on the nutrients and non‐nutrient bioactive components of interest from a dietary perspective, and their applications for enhancing the functional and nutraceutical value of foods and beverages. New developments, safety, clinical evidence, presumed mechanisms of action, and future perspectives are discussed. Highlights: Fenugreek seeds and leaves have long‐standing uses in the food‐medicine continuum. Fenugreek phytochemicals exert broad‐spectrum biological and pharmacological activities. They show high preventive and nutraceutical potential against common chronic diseases. Current evidence supports multiple mechanisms of action mediated by distinct bioactives. Opportunities for fenugreek‐based functional foods and nutraceuticals are expanding.

Protein digestibility, secondary protein structure components, sugars, and phenolic compounds were analysed to investigate the effect of fermentation on the quality, structure, digestibility, and nonnutritive contents of lentil (Lens culinaris) proteins (LPs). Fermentation was carried out using water kefir seed. The initial pH of the unfermented LPs (6.8) decreased to pH 3.4 at the end of the fermentation on day 5. Protein digestibility increased from 76.4 to 84.1% over the 5 days of fermentation. Total phenolic content increased from 443.4 to 792.6 mg of GAE/100 g after 2 days of fermentation, with the sums of the detected phenolic compounds from HPLC analysis reaching almost 500 mg/100 g. The predominant phenolic compounds detected in fermented LPs include chlorogenic and epicatechin, while traces of rutin, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid were observed. Fermentation played a major role in the changes of the components in the secondary protein structure, especially the percentage of -helices and random coils. In addition, the reduction in -helix: -sheet ratio with the increase in protein digestibility was related to the prolongation of the fermentation time. The model used in this research could be a robust tool for improving protein quality, protein degradation, and nonnutritive nutrients using water kefir seed fermentation.

Demands for high nutritional value-added food products and plant-based proteins have increased over the last decade, in line with the growth of the human population and consumer health awareness. The quality of the plant-based proteins depends on their digestibility, amino acid content, and residues of non-nutritive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, anti-nutritional compounds, antioxidants, and saponins. The presence of these non-nutritive compounds could have detrimental effects on the quality of the proteins. One of the solutions to address these shortcomings of plant-based proteins is fermentation, whereby enzymes that present naturally in microorganisms used during fermentation are responsible for the cleavage of the bonds between proteins and non-nutritive compounds. This mechanism has pronounced effects on the non-nutritive compounds, resulting in the enhancement of protein digestibility and functional properties of plant-based proteins. We assert that the types of plant-based proteins and microorganisms used during fermentation must be carefully addressed to truly enhance the quality, functional properties, and health functionalities of plant-based proteins.