Betaine is a non-essential amino acid with proven functional properties and underutilized potential. The most common dietary sources of betaine are beets, spinach, and whole grains. Whole grains—such as quinoa, wheat and oat brans, brown rice, barley, etc.—are generally considered rich sources of betaine. This valuable compound has gained popularity as an ingredient in novel and functional foods due to the demonstrated health benefits that it may provide. This review study will provide an overview of the various natural sources of betaine, including different types of food products, and explore the potential of betaine as an innovative functional ingredient. It will thoroughly discuss its metabolic pathways and physiology, disease-preventing and health-promoting properties, and further highlight the extraction procedures and detection methods in different matrices. In addition, gaps in the existing scientific literature will be emphasized.

Betaine is a non-essential nutrient which performs several important physiological functions in organisms. Abundant data exist to suggest that betaine has a potential for prevention of chronic diseases and that its dietary intake may contribute to overall health enhancement. Several studies have pointed out that the betaine status of the general population is inadequate and have suggested nutritional strategies to improve dietary intake of betaine. Cereal-based food has been implicated as the major source of betaine in the Western diet. This review summarizes the results on the betaine content in various cereals and related products. Attention has been given to the betaine content in gluten-free grains and products. It also discusses the stability of betaine during processing (cooking, baking, extrusion) and possibilities to increase betaine content by fortification.

This study investigated the design of novel pasta enriched with different forms of wild garlic (WG): a powder, an extract and an encapsulated extract applied at three enrichment levels (low/middle/high). The effect of cooking on changes in the content of bioactive compounds, antioxidative activity, cooking behaviour, texture, colour and sensory properties of the cooked pasta was evaluated. WG preparations significantly increased the antioxidant potential (by 185–600%) as well as the content of phenolics (by 26–146%), flavonoids (by 40–360%) and potassium (up to three-fold) in the cooked pasta, depending on WG type and enrichment level. Flavonoids were dominantly present in the free form. Cooking resulted in a significant loss of flavonoids (39–75%) whereas phenolics were liberated from the matrix. The highest increase in total phenolics and antioxidant activity was exerted by the WG powder and extract. Pasta hardness and adhesiveness were increased, but encapsulated WG deteriorated cooking behaviour. The best-scored enriched pasta regarding sensory quality and texture was that enriched with WG powder at the low/moderate level.

The aim of this study was to examine the microbiological quality of raw donkey milk of an indigenous Serbian breed as well as the changes in the microbial populations during storage at 4 °C. In addition, antibacterial activity of donkey milk against E. coli, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus at 15 °C as well as the content of the two main antibacterial proteins lysozyme and lactoferrin were investigated. Microbiological examination of 137 individual milk samples collected over a period of 21 months showed good microbiological quality since foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were not detected in any of the analyzed samples, while the number of E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, total coliform bacteria, sulfite-reducing Clostridia and aerobic sporogenic bacteria was below the limit of quantification (<1 cfu mL⁻¹). During the six-days storage at 4 °C, total bacterial counts and the counts of lactic acid bacteria remained at the initial level while pathogenic bacteria were not detected. The strongest antibacterial activity of the tested milk was observed against E. coli, while S. aureus was the least sensitive to milk antibacterial compounds. Although further research is needed to fully elucidate the antibacterial mechanism and synergistic activity of different compounds in donkey milk, the high content lysozyme (2.63 ± 0.03 g L⁻¹) and lactoferrin (15.48 mg L⁻¹) observed in tested milk could contribute to its strong antibacterial activity and extension of the storage period during which it can be safely consumed.