In alignment with Hippocrates’ aphorisms “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food” and “All diseases begin in the gut”, recent studies have suggested that healthy diets should include fermented foods to temporally enhance live microorganisms in our gut. As a result, consumers are now demanding this type of food and fermented food has gained popularity. However, certain sectors of population, such as those allergic to milk proteins, lactose intolerant and strict vegetarians, cannot consume dairy products. Therefore, a need has arisen in order to offer consumers an alternative to fermented dairy products by exploring new non-dairy matrices as probiotics carriers. Accordingly, this review aims to explore the benefits of different fermented non-dairy beverages (legume, cereal, pseudocereal, fruit and vegetable), as potential carriers of bioactive compounds (generated during the fermentation process), prebiotics and different probiotic bacteria, providing protection to ensure that their viability is in the range of 10⁶–10⁷ CFU/mL at the consumption time, in order that they reach the intestine in high amounts and improve human health through modulation of the gut microbiome.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a spice used worldwide as a colouring and flavouring agent. Saffron is also a source of multiple bioactive constituents with potential health benefits. Notably, saffron displays consistent beneficial effects against a range of human neurological disorders (depression, anxiety, sleeping alterations). However, the specific compounds and biological mechanisms by which this protection may be achieved have not yet been elucidated. In this review, we have gathered the most updated evidence of the neurological benefits of saffron, as well as the current knowledge on the main saffron constituents, their bioavailability and the potential biological routes and postulated mechanisms by which the beneficial protective effect may occur. Our aim was to provide an overview of the neuroprotective effects attributed to this product and its main bioactive compounds and to highlight the main research gaps that need to be further pursued to achieve full evidence and understanding of the benefits of saffron. Overall, improved clinical trials and adequately designed pre-clinical studies are needed to support the evidence of saffron and of its main bioactive components (e.g., crocin, crocetin) as a therapeutic product to combat neurological disorders.

The consumption of probiotic foods is rather limited for many sectors of the population (vegans, lactose intolerant and celiacs). Therefore, it is necessary to offer functional alternatives for these sectors. Different red quinoa drinks were fermented with L. plantarum (QLPBB) and B. longum (QBLBB) at different times. Results showed that microbial concentration reached high levels (6–8 Log CFU/mL) after 6 h and probiotic viability was very high (6 Log CFU/mL) after gastrointestinal digestion (GD). However, QBLBB reached the best probiotic concentration at 24 h. From 6 h of fermentation, probiotic resistance to some antibiotics, especially B. longum, could have a great potential to restore the intestinal microbiota during and after treatment with certain antibiotics. QLPBB showed the highest levels of total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity (AOC) after GD. Therefore, these red quinoa drinks have potential as functional probiotic beverages for vegans, celiacs and allergic to milk protein and lactose-intolerant people.

The current production system of saffron spice generates hundreds of tons of waste. Thus, the aim of this study was to value both saffron and its floral by-products as a source of natural bioactive extracts, studying the in vitro antioxidant capacity, the composition of the volatile fraction by GC-MS/MS, and the determination of crocetins esters by HPLC-PDA. Saffron stigmas and floral by-products showed a high content of polyphenols and different antioxidant properties. Floral bio-residues (tepals, stamens, and styles) presented a high concentration of anthocyanins, and stigmas had high levels of flavonoids, β-carotene, and total crocins. In stigmas, 25 different volatile components were found, with safranal the most relevant. Floral by-products volatile composition consisted of 55 compounds with varying amounts depending on the drying treatment; all the samples presented acetic acid, 2(5H)-furanone, and phenylethyl alcohol. Therefore, saffron stigmas and flower by-products represent a sustainable source of bioactive ingredients for innovative healthy food formulations.

Summary: The development of synbiotic vegan drinks expands the probiotic food options on the market as an alternative to dairy products and with no added sugars. This study aimed to investigate the impact of fermentation and inulin addition in mixed carrot‐orange juice with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) on the sensory profile, consumer acceptance and functional stability. The results demonstrated that all fermented juices had high antioxidant capacity (AOC) and were a rich source of bioactive compounds such as β‐carotene and phenolics. However, only the β‐carotene showed a high correlation with the AOC. Inulin could improve LP survival, remaining at high concentration during the 21 days of storage. Only fermented juices with 2% inulin showed a positive correlation with sweet taste and had the best impact on sensorial properties. Fermentation with LP and inulin addition could contribute to the improvement of orange flavour and taste. Penalty analysis showed that the control‐unfermented juices were the samples with a clear need for improvement with respect to the fermented ones. Therefore, carrot‐orange juices represent a promising vegan food matrix for probiotic delivery.

The growing interest in probiotic food matrices has driven research toward the development of innovative products that ensure the stability and functionality of beneficial microorganisms. This study investigated the effects of varying alginate concentrations (2, 4, and 6%) on the encapsulation efficiency, viability, and release control of L. acidophilus (LA) loaded in multi-component hydrogel beads for applications in peach juice and animal feed. Higher alginate concentrations improved capsule stability, probiotic protection, and survival. Increasing alginate from 2 to 6% reduced moisture content, increased swelling capacity, bead size, and encapsulation efficiency. LA viability exceeded recommended levels after the encapsulation process in all bead types, with 6% alginate providing the highest protection (≥ 80%) under gastrointestinal conditions. In peach juice, higher alginate concentrations (4% and 6%) significantly improved probiotic retention and decreased LA release. However, in feed, 2% of alginate capsules showed greater LA viability. The study highlights the importance of modulating alginate concentration to optimize the characteristics of the beads with LA , differentially influencing its viability and release pattern, depending also on the specific characteristics of the final food matrix. These findings are fundamental for the design of stable and functional foods in future.