Depression is a common and complex mental and emotional disorder that causes disability, morbidity, and quite often mortality around the world. Depression is closely related to several physical and metabolic conditions causing metabolic depression. Studies have indicated that there is a relationship between the intestinal microbiota and the brain, known as the gut–brain axis. While this microbiota–gut–brain connection is disturbed, dysfunctions of the brain, immune system, endocrine system, and gastrointestinal tract occur. Numerous studies show that intestinal dysbiosis characterized by abnormal microbiota and dysfunction of the microbiota–gut–brain axis could be a direct cause of mental and emotional disorders. Traditional treatment of depression includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, and it mainly targets the brain. However, restoration of the intestinal microbiota and functions of the gut–brain axis via using probiotics, their metabolites, prebiotics, and healthy diet may alleviate depressive symptoms. Administration of probiotics labeled as psychobiotics and their metabolites as metabiotics, especially as an adjuvant to antidepressants, improves mental disorders. It is a new approach to the prevention, management, and treatment of mental and emotional illnesses, particularly major depressive disorder and metabolic depression. For the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy, psychobiotics should be administered at a dose higher than 1 billion CFU/day for at least 8 weeks.

Starch stability under the processing conditions can be improved by modifying the granule structure using chemical and/or physical processes. The effect of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) on the physicochemical, morphological, pasting and thermal properties of green banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) starch was investigated. To analyze the changes in starch properties due to the combined effect of the process variables, time (h), moisture (%), and temperature (°C) were considered as independent variables using a central composite rotatable design. The native starch extracted using ammonium hydroxide as an antioxidant contained 80.4% total carbohydrates, 53.7% apparent amylose, 11.46% moisture, and other constituents (ash, protein, lipids), which accounted for less than 1%. The granule morphology was affected by the moisture and temperature used in HMT. A and B type X-ray diffraction patterns were observed in the native and modified starch. Mathematical models that describe the behaviour of modified starch properties as a function of the evaluated parameters were obtained. The variables time and temperature significantly affected the physicochemical, rheological and digestibility properties of starch.