(1) Background: Manihot esculenta, cassava, is an essential food crop for human consumption in many parts of the world. Besides the wide use of its roots, cassava leaves have been used locally as green vegetables and for medicinal purposes. However, nutritional health data regarding cassava leaves is limited, therefore we investigated its composition and associated potential bioactivity interest for human health. (2) Methods: Cassava leaf bioactivity investigations focused on antioxidant properties (free radical scavenging) in association with immunomodulatory activities on inflammatory murine macrophages to measure the impact of cassava extract on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin-6, Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha, Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1, Prostaglandin-E2 and mediators such as nitric oxide. (3) Results: Antioxidant and immunomodulatory bioactivities were significant, with a concentration-dependent inhibition of cytokines production by inflammatory macrophages; (4) Conclusions: Taken together, our results tend to suggest that Manihot esculenta leaves might be underrated regarding the potential nutrition-health interest of this vegetal matrix for both human nutrition and prophylaxis of metabolic disease with underlying low grade inflammation status.

Citrus juices represent a nutrient‐dense beverage due to the remarkable balance in their bioactive compounds (vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, and phytochemicals such as flavonoids and carotenoids). This review aims to examine the nutritional quality and the health benefits of citrus juice consumption linked to the world diversity of citrus fruits. This work provides heterogenous data found on the main citrus bioactive compounds, especially carotenoids and flavonoids, which are difficult to correlate to particular geographic areas. Through an example of study, this work addresses the question of how and to what extent the content of citrus bioactive compounds is linked to the health benefits observed in humans. We explore through the more recent human clinical trials, the health effects of consuming citrus fruit or taking dietary supplements of bioactive compounds to prevent the exponential increase of world chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity) and discuss the effects of dose. Finally, even if the data highlight the importance of geographical origin in accumulation of carotenoids or flavonoids from different Citrus species, the difference of content in front of the complex human metabolism of their absorption has lesser consequences for health than the fact of consuming citrus or not. The citrus health effect results in a synergistic action of numerous phytochemicals whose targeted health benefits vary depending more on the diversity of Citrus species than their geographic origin. Therefore, the use of the diversity of Citrus species could be an interesting approach to providing functional food.

The potential of drying to preserve the nutritional quality of a small freshwater fish Henicorhynchus siamensis was assessed. Drying time to reach moisture content and water activity of 10 g/100g and 0.65 ranged from 55 h at 50 °C to 20 h at 80 °C, respectively. Dried fish powder is rich in macronutrients (protein, lipid and ash) and essential minerals (calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc) due to water removal and despite lipid loss. It is still rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids although docosahexaenoic acid was reduced except at 60°C. Vitamin A was rapidly degraded and manganese was concentrated at high level. However, mean score for the nutritional adequacy of the 15 nutrients (SAIN) and score of nutrients to limit (LIM) show that the fish powder can be used as a food ingredient for example in the formulation of fish snack or instant soup. With the abundance of Henicorhynchus siamensis, dried fish powder from this species could contribute to food security in Cambodia, especially vulnerable people in rural areas.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of soaking and thermal treatment on proteins, anthocyanins, α‐galactosides (stachyose, raffinose), tannins and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), under different conditions, of three Phaseolus vulgaris L. varieties from Madagascar; and evaluate correlation with surface/volume ratio. Overall, dry matter, antinutrients and anthocyanins were impacted by the process, however proteins were not. Depending on varieties and operating conditions, soaking or thermal treatment led to up to 59% losses for dry matter, 73% for tannins, 99% for IP6, 92% for total α‐galactosides and 100% for anthocyanins. In certain cases, the process increased dry basis concentration of α‐galactosides probably through hydrolysis phenomena from precursors. A positive correlation between the surface/volume ratio of common beans and decrease of tannins and α–galactosides was highlighted. A global antinutritional indicator was used along with the dry matter to evaluate the best conditions to subside all antinutrients and limit the loss of nutrients, combining soaking and thermal treatment. These conditions were soaking (30°C) for 1 h followed by heat treatment at 65°C with 1/5 seed‐to‐water ratio during 2 h. Appropriate soaking/thermal treatment of common dry bean is crucial to reduce antinutrients and limit nutrient loss.