Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains one of the most significant public health problems, and its incidence rate is steadily increasing worldwide despite scientific and technological progress in the field of medicine. The focus of research in this area is gradually shifting from classic risk factors—such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle and genetic predisposition—toward additional, potentially modifiable contributors such as micronutrient imbalances; among them are disturbances in zinc homeostasis that may influence glucose metabolism and oxidative stress. Objective: This systematic review with narrative synthesis aims to examine the bidirectional relationship between zinc status and T2DM and to evaluate whether zinc screening and personalized nutritional support could contribute to comprehensive metabolic management. Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database and the Cochrane library for studies published between 2010 and 2024. Studies assessing zinc status or supplementation in relation to the risk, progression, or management of T2DM were included. Data were synthesized narratively, focusing on clinical and mechanistic evidence. Results: Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. Evidence indicates that zinc imbalance (both deficiency and excess) is associated with T2DM risk and outcomes. Zinc deficiency may impair insulin synthesis and signaling, promote oxidative stress and inflammation, while excessive zinc intake may induce metabolic disturbances. T2DM itself may lead to reduced zinc status via altered absorption and increased excretion. While some studies suggest modest improvements in glycemic or lipid parameters following zinc supplementation, findings remain inconsistent and context-dependent. The prevalence of suboptimal zinc status in certain populations supports the rationale for targeted screening rather than routine supplementation. Conclusions: Zinc is mechanistically involved in insulin synthesis, antioxidant defense, and inflammation control, but current clinical evidence does not justify its use as a therapeutic agent in T2DM. Instead, assessment of zinc status and individualized correction of deficiency may represent a component of personalized nutritional support, particularly for patients with long disease duration, poor dietary quality, or genetic predispositions affecting zinc metabolism.

Antiradical potential (ARP) is an important measure of food safety. In addition, it directly or indirectly affects the rate of occurrence of a number of human pathologies. Using a photocolorimetric analysis of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) solutions, we estimated the antiradical potential of food raw materials, food concentrates, biologically active substances, and wild plants. We conducted approximately 1500 analyses of almost 100 food products selected from 11 food groups: vegetables, milk, meat, fish, cereals and bread, drinks (including tea and coffee), etc. With a confidence interval (CI) of 95%, the average values for animal products range from 15.87 to 18.70 ascorbic acid equivalents per gram of dry matter. For plant materials, the range is 474.54–501.50 equivalents when wild herbs are included and 385.02–408.83 equivalents without taking herbs into account. The antiradical potential of the biologically active substances we studied ranged from 706.84 to 847.77 equivalents per gram of dry matter, which makes it possible to use some of the components to repair products with low ARP values, for example, bread and baked goods, confectionery, milk and dairy products, carbonated drinks, and juice. In this study, a low ARP value is associated with a reduction in the shelf life of products and a deterioration in their organoleptic properties; therefore, we propose using ARP as an important reference for describing the quality of food products and raw food materials.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) represents a multifactorial condition requiring multi-target therapeutic strategies beyond traditional single-marker approaches. In this work, we present a fully in silico nutraceutical screening pipeline that integrates molecular prediction, systemic aggregation, and technological design. A curated panel of ten MASLD-relevant targets, spanning nuclear receptors (FXR, PPAR-α/γ, THR-β), lipogenic and cholesterogenic enzymes (ACC1, FASN, DGAT2, HMGCR), and transport/regulatory proteins (LIPG, FABP4), was assembled from proteomic evidence. Bioactivity records were extracted from ChEMBL, structurally standardized, and converted into RDKit descriptors. Predictive modeling employed a stacked ensemble of Random Forest, XGBoost, and CatBoost with isotonic calibration, yielding robust performance (mean cross-validated ROC-AUC 0.834; independent test ROC-AUC 0.840). Calibrated probabilities were aggregated into total activity (TA) and weighted TA metrics, combined with structural clustering (six structural clusters, twelve MOA clusters) to ensure chemical diversity. We used physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to translate probabilistic profiles into minimum simulated doses (MSDs) and chrono-specific exposure (%T>IC50) for three prototype concepts: HepatoBlend (morning powder), LiverGuard Tea (evening aqueous form), and HDL-Chews (postprandial chew). Integration of physicochemical descriptors (MW, logP, TPSA) guided carrier and encapsulation choices, addressing stability and sensory constraints. The results demonstrate that a computationally integrated pipeline can rationally generate multi-target nutraceutical formulations, linking molecular predictions with systemic coverage and practical formulation specifications, and thus provides a transferable framework for MASLD and related metabolic conditions.

The use of various types of functional non-traditional plant and animal raw materials in the preparation of bakery products is a classic approach to increasing their biological and nutritional value and requires the use of mathematical methods for designing recipes. The paper presents the results of modeling the composition of bakery products with amino acid and fatty acid composition recommended by the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology, close to the reference value of an ideal protein. An analysis of the biological value and biological effectiveness of plant functional raw materials (flax seeds, sesame and pine nuts) was carried out in order to enrich them with new products for the baking industry. A mathematical optimization problem was formulated and, using the Maple computer algebra software environment, the optimal ratio of components was calculated to ensure the maximum approximation of the biochemical composition in terms of the ratio of essential amino acids, as well as ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, to the reference value in the developed bakery products. The ratios of new components used in the recipe provided an increase of 31.4% in the biological value and a decrease in the energy value of the developed bakery products by 3.8%. The finished product is balanced according to the ratio ω-3: ω-6 = 1.0: 3.9 and mineral substances Ca: P: Mg = 1: 1.49: 0.6. Satisfaction of the daily requirement for functional ingredients is 21 - 31% (in control - 14%). The results obtained and the proposed methodology can be used as a model for enriching the composition of various functional foods.

The prospects of using some chelated forms of zinc to develop new enriched food products are substantiated in the work. The authors give a brief description of the synthesis of chelated double forms: Zn diglycinate, Zn pantothenate-glycinate, Zn thiaminate-glycinate, Zn citrate, Zn cysteinate-glycinate. Synthesis of chelates included the stages of treatment of Zn compounds with amino acids and vitamins with partial heating, as well as ultrasound treatment at a frequency of 25 kHz to create micro-nanoparticles and to accelerate formation of chelates. Authenticity of obtained compounds was determined using IR spectroscopy by comparison with reference databases. The ability of chelates not to form insoluble compounds when adding to food systems was examined on several food groups: bakery products, multi-fruit juice-containing beverages, fermented food products (kefir and whey-containing beverages), products of meat processing and sugary confectionary products. Preservation of the soluble forms of Zn was determined by the method of direct extractive titration with the use of metallochromic indicator dithizone with the following photocolorimetry in the visible spectrum (530–550 nm) in the medium of carbon tetrachloride or hexane. The ability to be extracted from a food system for chelated compounds of Zn increased in the following order: whey-based beverages < bread and products containing phytic acids < juice-containing beverage < yogurt, including yogurt with fruit filling < marmalade based on agar-agar and other sugary confectionery products with the similar consistency < products from meat raw materials. The data obtained indicate significant prospects of developing food products enriched with chelated compounds of Zn to satisfy the needs of some groups of the population in this microelement.

Background: The composition of polyphenolic compounds in various parts of the Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) has been studied in detail and published. A number of these compounds have sufficient antiradical activity (ARA) to create functional foods based on extracts from this plant that are preventive against free-radical pathologies in humans. Part of substances with antiradical activity (e.g., vitamins, polyphenol components) are destroyed during the technological processing of food raw materials, and the values of ARA drop in the finished food product concerning the initial values (before and after technical processing) are not fully evaluated. Objective: The object of the study is to study the thermal stability of polyphenol components possessing ARA (dried at 60°C and 150°C) and evaluate their residual ARA in the finished food products, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), as one of the known antiradical, was used as a reference substance. Methods: Spectrophotometric method was used to evaluate the change of ARA in prepared foods. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used as an additional method to evaluate the difference in the chemical composition of polyphenol components. Results: The residual ARA in the finished products (for caramel and bakery products) was ≈ 23.9% for rapidly extractable substances, for polyphenol compounds ≈ 46.1%, and for amino acids and easily hydrolyzable substances ≈ 34.5%. Conclusion: Rosebay willowherb extract and N-acetylcysteine are recommended for increasing the ARA (between 1.6 – 4.9 times) of foods with low ARA (confectionery, bread, or other heavily processed foods) and for diets and diets preventive of free-radical pathologies by adding polyphenolic plant components and cysteine derivatives.