The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains an international concern. Although there are drugs to fight it, new natural alternatives such as polyphenols are essential due to their antioxidant activity and high antiviral potential. In this context, this review reports the main findings on the effect of phenolic compounds (PCs) against SARS-CoV-2 virus. First, the proven activity of PCs against different human viruses is briefly detailed, which serves as a starting point to study their anti-COVID-19 potential. SARS-CoV-2 targets (its proteins) are defined. Findings from in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies of a wide variety of phenolic compounds are shown, emphasizing their mechanism of action, which is fundamental for drug design. Furthermore, clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of PCs in the prevention and as a possible therapeutic management against COVID-19. The results were complemented with information on the influence of polyphenols in strengthening/modulating the immune system. It is recommended to investigate compounds such as vitamins, minerals, alkaloids, triterpenes and fatty acids, and their synergistic use with PCs, many of which have been successful against SARS-CoV-2. Based on findings on other viruses, synergistic evaluation of PCs with accepted drugs against COVID-19 is also suggested. Other recommendations and limitations are also shown, which is useful for professionals involved in the development of efficient, safe and low-cost therapeutic strategies based on plant matrices rich in PCs. To the authors' knowledge, this manuscript is the first to evaluate the relationship between the antiviral and immunomodulatory (including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects) activity of PCs and their underlying mechanisms in relation to the fight against COVID-19. It is also of interest for the general population to be informed about the importance of consuming foods rich in bioactive compounds for their health benefits.

Globally, a large amount of agri-food waste is generated as a result of industrial processes or direct consumption of raw materials, and when discarded, they represent a factor of environmental pollution. Mango by-products have a great bioactive potential, especially because they contain phenolic compounds in which mangiferin predominates, in addition to a great variety of phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins, which confer antioxidant effects against cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, among others. In addition, it was demonstrated that they have an effect against a broad microbial spectrum, including multiple pathogenic bacteria and fungi such as Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, respectively. According to the literature, mango peel and seed extracts also have potential as an additive, by influencing the sensory and physicochemical characteristics of foods, which has been proven by their addition to products such as shrimp, yogurt and cookies. Considering the importance of mango by-products, this work focused on their phenolic properties, the mechanism of antioxidant and antimicrobial action, their fields of pharmacological and food applications, in addition to evaluating their extraction methods and proposing microencapsulation as a suitable technology to avoid their degradation and control their release under appropriate conditions. Based on the analysis performed, further studies are suggested on the application in different foods and to evaluate the interaction of polyphenols with the compounds of the product, to avoid possible negative effects. It is also recommended to experiment with the use of combined technologies to improve results during extraction and microencapsulation.

The constant increase in the demand for safe and high-quality food has generated the need to develop efficient methods to evaluate food composition, vitamin C being one of the main quality indicators. However, its heterogeneity and susceptibility to degradation makes the analysis of vitamin C difficult by conventional techniques, but as a result of technological advances, vibrational spectroscopy techniques have been developed that are more efficient, economical, fast, and non-destructive. This review focuses on main findings on the evaluation of vitamin C in foods by using vibrational spectroscopic techniques. First, the fundamentals of ultraviolet–visible, infrared and Raman spectroscopy are detailed. Also, chemometric methods, whose use is essential for a correct processing and evaluation of the spectral information, are described. The use and importance of vibrational spectroscopy in the evaluation of vitamin C through qualitative characterization and quantitative analysis is reported. Finally, some limitations of the techniques and potential solutions are described, as well as future trends related to the utilization of vibrational spectroscopic techniques.

COVID-19 has had a strong impact on the food supply chain (FSC) in many countries. The objective of this study was to determine the vulnerability of the FSC in a developing country, namely Peru. The main weakness of the FSC is its centralization, and COVID-19 aggravated this deficit in Peru. This prevents its stability on a large scale, especially in rural areas, which suffer from food and nutritional insecurity. In spite of this, the food system was stabilized due to agricultural, livestock and fishing potential of Peru. In addition, the efforts of local producers and informal vendors helped to maintain the availability of food throughout the country. Several examples of short (and decentralized) FSC were described, highlighting their importance for supplying the population in different areas of the country. In addition, they allow for rapid resolution of interruptions such as the current health crisis. Also mentioned are some suggestions for strengthening Peru's FSC such as the use of new technologies, self-production of food and the exploitation of non-conventional food sources. Emphasis is placed on the importance of environmental sustainability of the FSC and of implementing strategies to prevent illness among workers. This study aims to reflect on the importance of having a resilient and flexible FSC. Taking Peru as a model, the information provided is useful to understand how to improve the food system through the intervention of all the agents involved, such as government, academia, industry and the population.

The objective of this study was to predict the degradation kinetics of vitamin C in camu camu and naranjilla juices using accelerated storage tests. The juices were produced under controlled processing conditions, including physicochemical standardization, pasteurization, and hot filling into glass containers. They were then stored at 35, 45, and 55 °C for 21, 14, and 7 days, respectively. The vitamin C content was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography, showing a progressive decrease depending on temperature. The kinetic data were fitted to zero-order and first-order models, as well as to the nonlinear Weibull model, the latter presenting the best statistical fit (R² = 0.9678–0.9931) and adequately describing the nonlinear degradation behavior of vitamin C. Temperature dependence was modeled using the Arrhenius equation, allowing activation energy to be estimated and confirming temperature-dependent degradation behavior in both juices, with different thermal responses depending on the modeling approach. Likewise, shelf life (t₈₀) was estimated using the Weibull model and showed a significant reduction with increasing storage temperature. Arrhenius-based shelf-life predictions suggested greater vitamin C retention in camu camu juice at lower storage temperatures, whereas naranjilla exhibited a more pronounced decrease as temperature increased. The physicochemical parameters (pH, acidity, and °Brix) showed moderate changes, maintaining the stability of the system during storage. The results confirm the applicability of the Weibull model to describe vitamin C degradation in complex matrices and highlight the importance of thermal control in the preservation of bioactive compounds in tropical juices.

In order to determine the values of the dependent variable called “Color of the mango puree”, first the peel and the seed must be extracted by pulping and secondly refined again on a fine mesh sieve to obtain the puree. Five mesh sizes were evaluated from the first independent variable called “Sieve size” and corresponding to the second independent variable “Interaction time” ten different times were evaluated every 15 minutes from zero minute to 135 minutes. As for the dependent variable, the Hunter Lab coordinates were evaluated, using a Minolta CR-400 colorimeter, with three levels of the variable, which are the brightness, the a-coordinate a (a+: yellow/a-: blue), and the b-coordinate (b+: red/b-: green). As far as the results of the colour coordinates are concerned, during refined pulping for the same time, predominantly the smaller the hole size (larger mesh size) the lower the values for luminosity and the b-coordinate (b+) will be obtained: yellow colour; whereas as the interaction time increases from 0 minutes (freshly refined) to 135 minutes (final interaction time), predominantly lower values will be obtained for both brightness and b-coordinate, and there is no marked difference to the a-coordinate values (a+: red colour).