This study was carried out in the Food Science Department, Agriculture College, Basrah University to investigate the effect of different chitosan concentrations on drinking water quality. The studied parameters were turbidity, TDS, electrical conductivity and pH. The results showed that the turbidity, TDS, electrical conductivity and pH have been decreased with the increase of chitosan concentration. When chitosan concentration increased from 0 to 1g 100ml−1, the turbidity, TDS, electrical conductivity and pH were decreased from 1.98 to 0.98 NTU, 5.67 to 4.13gL−1, 10.18 to 5.27mScm−1, 6.1 to 5.71 respectively. The linear equations have represented the relationship between all parameters and chitosan concentration. However, the total bacteria count, total coliform bacteria, Staphylococci, Fecal coliform bacteria and Vibrio spp. have been eliminated completely by using Chitosan concentration of 0.8, 0.4, 0.8, 0.2 and 0.2g100ml−1 respectively

Nanotechnology in human nutrition represents an innovative advance in increasing the bioavailability and efficiency of bioactive compounds. This work delves into the multifaceted dietary contributions of nanoparticles (NPs) and their utilization for improving nutrient absorption and ensuring food safety. NPs exhibit exceptional solubility, a significant surface-to-volume ratio, and diameters ranging from 1 to 100 nm, rendering them invaluable for applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery, as well as elevating food quality. The encapsulation of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants within NPs introduces an innovative approach to counteract nutritional instabilities and low solubility, promoting human health. Nanoencapsulation methods have included the production of nanocomposites, nanofibers, and nanoemulsions to benefit the delivery of bioactive food compounds. Nutrition-based nanotechnology and nanoceuticals are examined for their economic viability and potential to increase nutrient absorption. Although the advancement of nanotechnology in food demonstrates promising results, some limitations and concerns related to safety and regulation need to be widely discussed in future research. Thus, the potential of nanotechnology could open new paths for applications and significant advances in food, benefiting human nutrition.

A variety of organisms produce bioactive peptides that express inhibition activity against other organisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered the best example of a unicellular organism that is useful for studying peptide production. In this study, an antibacterial peptide was produced and isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s yeast) by an ultrafiltration process (two membranes with cut-offs of 2 and 10 kDa) and purified using the ÄKTA Pure 25 system. Antibacterial peptide activity was characterized and examined against four bacterial strains including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The optimum condition for yeast growth and antibacterial peptide production against both Escherichia. coli and Klebsiella aerogenes was 25–30 °C within a 48 h period. The isolated peptide had a molecular weight of 9770 Da, was thermostable at 50–90 °C for 30 min, and tolerated a pH range of 5–7 at 4 °C and 25 °C during the first 24 h, making this isolated antibacterial peptides suitable for use in sterilization and thermal processes, which are very important aspect in food production. The isolated antibacterial peptide caused a rapid and steady decline in the number of viable cells from 2 to 2.3 log units of gram-negative strains and from 1.5 to 1.8 log units of gram-positive strains during 24 h of incubation. The isolated antibacterial peptide from Saccharomyces cerevisiae may present a potential biopreservative compound in the food industry exhibiting inhibition activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

There is a growing interest in the development and use of natural emulsifiers, which provide biodegradability as well as non-toxicity along with giving better performance compared to existing emulsifying agents used in the food industry. A large variety of sources of starting material, i.e., the microorganisms, are available to be used, hence giving a diverse range of applications. The focus of this review paper is on the production of bioemulsifiers, which are said to be “green surfactants”, from fungi, bacteria and yeasts; furthermore, an overview pertaining to the knowledge gained over the years in terms of characterization techniques is reported. The methods used for the characterization and isolation such as TLC, GC-MS, HPLC, NMR have also been studied. The end-application products such as cookies, muffins, and doughs along with the methods used for the incorporation of bioemulsifiers, microorganisms from which they are derived, properties imparted to the product with the use of a particular bioemulsifier and comparison with the existing food grade emulsifiers has been discussed in detail. The future prospects indicate that newer bioemulsifiers with anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and stabilization properties will prove to have a larger impact, and emphasis will be on improving the performance at an economically viable methodology.