Mushrooms are well-known functional foods due to the presence of a huge quantity of nutraceutical components. These are well recognized for their nutritional importance such as high protein, low fat, and low energy contents. These are rich in minerals such as iron, phosphorus, as well as in vitamins like riboflavin, thiamine, ergosterol, niacin, and ascorbic acid. They also contain bioactive constituents like secondary metabolites (terpenoids, acids, alkaloids, sesquiterpenes, polyphenolic compounds, lactones, sterols, nucleotide analogues, vitamins, and metal chelating agents) and polysaccharides chiefly β-glucans and glycoproteins. Due to the occurrence of biologically active substances, mushrooms can serve as hepatoprotective, immune-potentiating, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and hypocholesterolemic agents. They have great potential to prevent cardiovascular diseases due to their low fat and high fiber contents, as well as being foremost sources of natural antioxidants useful in reducing oxidative damages. However, mushrooms remained underutilized, despite their wide nutritional and bioactive potential. Novel green techniques are being explored for the extraction of bioactive components from edible mushrooms. The current review is intended to deliberate the nutraceutical potential of mushrooms, therapeutic properties, bioactive compounds, health benefits, and processing aspects of edible mushrooms for maintenance, and promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

Over recent years, the scientific community has acknowledged the crucial role of certain microbial strains inhabiting the intestinal ecosystem in promoting human health, and participating in various beneficial functions for the host. These microorganisms are now referred to as next-generation probiotics and are currently considered as biotherapeutic products and food or nutraceutical supplements. However, the majority of next-generation probiotic candidates pose nutritional demands and exhibit high sensitivity towards aerobic conditions, leading to numerous technological hurdles in large-scale production. This underscores the need for the development of suitable delivery systems capable of enhancing the viability and functionality of these probiotic strains. Currently, potential candidates for next generation probiotics (NGP) are being sought among gut bacteria linked to health, which include strains from the genera Bacteroids, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia and Clostridium. In contrast to Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., NGP, particularly Bacteroids spp. and Clostridium spp., appear to exhibit greater ambiguity regarding their potential to induce infectious diseases. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of NGPs in terms of their health beneficial effects, regulation framework and risk assessment targeting relevant criteria for commercialization in food and pharmaceutical markets.

Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) and adzuki beans (Vigna angularis) are some of the most nutritious underutilized pulses that are significant in being used as basic ingredients for the preparation of various food products. The present study aimed to determine the impact of soaking and germination on nutritional and bioactive components, in vitro protein digestibility, reducing power, metal chelating capacity, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional components of lima and adzuki beans. The findings showed that during the germination treatment, the in vitro protein digestibility of lima and adzuki beans increased by 14.75 and 10.98%, respectively. There was an increase in the antioxidant activity of lima beans by 33.48% and adzuki beans by 71.14% after 72 h of germination, respectively. The reducing power assay of lima and adzuki beans indicated an increase of 49.52 and 36.42%, respectively, during germination. Similarly, the flavonoid and metal chelating activity increased in lima and adzuki beans after 72 h of germination. In contrast, the anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid, tannin content, and trypsin inhibitor activity, decreased significantly p < 0.05 after 72 h of germination. These results are encouraging and allow for utilizing the flour obtained from the germinated beans in functional bakery products, which can contribute to eradicating protein deficiency among some population groups. At the same time, promoting soaking and germination of the beans as a way to enhance the nutritional quality and reduce anti-nutrients can contribute to the interest in these underutilized pulses. They could be seen as an additional tool to improve food security.

Probiotics, beneficial microorganisms that can enhance human health, are susceptible to adverse effects from processing and storage and passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Various conventional and nonconventional formulations are accessible for administering probiotics, with the latter subject to fewer regulatory guidelines. Pharmaceutical formulations, part of the conventional category, are specifically crafted to deliver an effective quantity of viable microorganisms. However, probiotics are particularly sensitive to environmental and processing factors, which can compromise their viability within the final formulation. This review addresses a significant gap in the current literature by focussing on the encapsulation technologies developed to enhance the stability of probiotics throughout the storage period, providing physical protection through the digestive system and improving their colonisation ability. Key advancements in encapsulation processes, including innovative approaches, thermal treatments and strategies to overcome gastrointestinal conditions, are discussed in this review.

Maize is considered as an important annual cereal crop cultivated widely throughout the world. Blue Maize (Zea mays L.) is a blue-colored variety of maize containing high content of anthocyanin and belongs to the family Poaceae. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of soaking, germination, natural fermentation, and roasting on nutritional, anti-nutritional, and bioactive components of blue maize. The changes in chemical composition were studied after 12 and 24 h of soaking and 24, 48, and 72 h of germination treatment. The blue maize grains were subjected to natural fermentation for time intervals of 12, 24, and 36 h, and roasting treatment by heating at 180 °C on a hot plate for 10 s. The results revealed that the phenolic content increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 44.88 to 51.56 mg GAE/100g after 36 h fermentation and from 44.88 to 61.05 mg GAE/100g after 72 h of germination whereas it decreased from 44.88 to 35.73 mg GAE/100g during the roasting process. Further, there was a 44.02 and 20.22% increase in protein content during germination and fermentation processes, respectively, and a slight decrease of 2.16% after roasting treatment. The antioxidant activity increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 10.41 to 18.85% during germination and 10.41 to 14.50% during fermentation, respectively. But it was found to get decreased by 6.53% after the roasting process. The anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and tannins declined significantly (p≤0.05) during the processing treatments. Phytic acid decreased to the extent of 63.57, 55.99, and 27%, and tannin contents as 62.5, 50, and 41.66%, after germination, fermentation, and roasting processes, respectively. There was a significant (p≤0.05) increase in mineral contents after all processing treatments of blue maize.