Peruvian maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root native to the Andean region, cultivated for at least 2000 years. Maca is rich in fiber, a large number of essential amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutrients, including vitamin C, copper, iron, and calcium. Besides these essential nutrients, this root contains bioactive compounds responsible for benefits to the human body, which has caused a considerable increase in its consumption in the last 20 years worldwide. This review documents the Peruvian maca composition and the recent findings regarding the medicinal effects of this root in sexual dysfunction regulation, neuroprotective effects, action in memory enhancement, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, and skin protection.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have emerged as green alternatives to conventional organic solvents in food processing. They are biodegradable, nonvolatile, and highly efficient at solubilizing bioactive molecules, including polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and alkaloids. From 2020 to 2025, significant advances have clarified their composition, physicochemical behavior, interaction mechanisms, and technological uses in foods. Rational combinations of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, often composed of substances classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), enable selective and high-yield extraction from plants, agro-industrial byproducts, and food waste. Coupling NADES with ultrasound, microwave, or pressurized extraction has increased efficiency while protecting heat-sensitive compounds. Beyond extraction, NADES show promise as preservatives, delivery systems, encapsulating media, color stabilizers, and natural antioxidants in meat, dairy, fermented, and plant-based products. Remaining bottlenecks include high viscosity, scarce toxicological and metabolic data, absence of specific regulations, and limited research on sensory impacts and shelf life under realistic large-scale industrial conditions.

Some filamentous fungi are able to grow in food and produce toxic metabolites. It occurs mainly in grains, cereals, oilseeds and some by-products. The growth of fungi in a particular food is governed largely by a series of physical and chemical parameters. The production of toxic metabolites is not confined to a single group of molds irrespective of whether they are grouped according to structure, ecology, or phylogenetic relationships. Mycotoxins can be carcinogenic and cause several harmful effects to both human and animal organisms, in addition to generating large economic losses. The major mycotoxins found in food are the aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, patulin, zearalenone, and trichothecenes, generally stable at high temperatures and long storage periods. Considering the difficult prevention and control, international organizations for food safety establish safe levels of these toxins in food destined for both human and animal consumption. Good agricultural practices and control of temperature and moisture during storage are factors which contribute significantly to inhibit the production of mycotoxins. The use of some fungistatic products, such as essential oils and antioxidants, as well as physical, mechanical, chemical, or thermal processing, represents important methods to have the concentration of mycotoxins reduced in food.