Seed oils are the richest source of vitamin-E-active compounds, which contribute significantly to antioxidant activities. Cottonseed oil (CS-O) is attaining more consideration owing to its high fiber content and stability against auto-oxidation. CS-O has gained a good reputation in the global edible oil market due to its distinctive fatty acid profile, anti-inflammatory, and cardio-protective properties. CS-O can be extracted from cottonseed (CS) by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), aqueous/solvent extraction (A/SE), aqueous ethanol extraction (A-EE), subcritical water extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SC-CO₂), and enzyme-assisted extraction (E-AE). In this review, the importance, byproducts, physicochemical characteristics, and nutritional profile of CS-O have been explained in detail. This paper also provides a summary of scientific studies existing on functional and phytochemical characteristics of CS-O. Its consumption and health benefits are also deliberated to discover its profitability and applications. CS-O contains 26-35% saturated, 42-52% polyunsaturated, and 18-24% monounsaturated FA. There is approximately 1000 ppm of tocopherols in unprocessed CS-O, but up to one-third is lost during processing. Moreover, besides being consumed as cooking oil, CS-O discovers applications in many fields such as biofuel, livestock, cosmetics, agriculture, and chemicals. This paper provides a comprehensive review of CS-O, its positive benefits, fatty acid profile, extraction techniques, and health applications.

The Bifidobacterium bifidum susceptibility in gastrointestinal conditions and storage stability limit its use as potential probiotics. The current study was design to encapsulate B. bifidum using sodium alginate (SA, 1.4% w/v) and different concentration of zein as coating material i.e. Z₁ (1% w/v), Z₂ (3% w/v), Z₃ (5% w/v), Z₄ (7% w/v), Z₅ (9% w/v). The resultant microbeads were further investigated for encapsulation efficiency, survival in gastrointestinal conditions, release profile in intestinal fluid, storage stability and morphological characteristics. The highest encapsulation efficiency (94.56%) and viable count (>10⁷ log CFU/g) was observed in Z₄ (7% w/v). Viable cell count of B. bifidum was >10⁶ log CFU/g in all the zein coated microbeads as compare to free cells (10³ log CFU/g) and SA (10⁵ log CFU/g) at 4 °C after 32 days of storage. Therefore, B. bifidum encapsulated in zein coated alginate microbeads present improved survival during gastric transit and storage.

Fucoidans are promising sulfated polysaccharides isolated from marine sources that have piqued the interest of scientists in recent years due to their widespread use as a bioactive substance. Bioactive coatings and films, unsurprisingly, have seized these substances to create novel, culinary, therapeutic, and diagnostic bioactive nanomaterials. The applications of fucoidan and its composite nanomaterials have a wide variety of food as well as pharmacological properties, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-thrombic, anti-coagulant, immunoregulatory, and anti-viral properties. Blends of fucoidan with other biopolymers such as chitosan, alginate, curdlan, starch, etc., have shown promising coating and film-forming capabilities. A blending of biopolymers is a recommended approach to improve their anticipated properties. This review focuses on the fundamental knowledge and current development of fucoidan, fucoidan-based composite material for bioactive coatings and films, and their biological properties. In this article, fucoidan-based edible bioactive coatings and films expressed excellent mechanical strength that can prolong the shelf-life of food products and maintain their biodegradability. Additionally, these coatings and films showed numerous applications in the biomedical field and contribute to the economy. We hope this review can deliver the theoretical basis for the development of fucoidan-based bioactive material and films. Graphical Abstract

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are the prebiotic constituents with various functional qualities that promote the optimal proliferation of gut microbiota and are consequently beneficial to human health. GOS are not absorbed by humans and animals, but they play numerous health-related positive roles in the human body. Currently, their production has occupied much attention due to the increasing demand for functional foods. It could be produced by enzymatic and chemical approaches. Many microbial enzymes have been utilized for GOS production but the main source of these enzymes is lactose. Moreover, characterization of GOS structures is also a necessary and critical effort for understanding their mechanism of action. Hence, this review is written to understand the extensive but related features for the synthesis of GOS which includes: the enzymatic production of GOS through various enzymes and the types of enzymes such as free, immobilized, recombinant, crude, and purified enzymes that are involved in their synthesis, the techniques used in the purification of GOS, the analysis and quantification of GOS through various practices, and the functional properties of GOS are also discussed in this review. It also aims to combine new findings with current information in order to improve understanding of GOS formation and other factors related to its functionality.