One significant food group that is part of our daily diet is the dairy group, and both research and industry are actively involved to meet the increasing requirement for plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs). The production tendency of PBDAs is growing with a predictable rate of over 18.5% in 2023 from 7.4% at the moment. A multitude of sources can be used for development such as cereals, pseudocereals, legumes, nuts, and seeds to obtain food products such as vegetal milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, and different sweets, such as ice cream, which have nearly similar nutritional profiles to those of animal-origin products. Increased interest in PBDAs is manifested in groups with special dietary needs (e.g., lactose intolerant individuals, pregnant women, newborns, and the elderly) or with pathologies such as metabolic syndromes, dermatological diseases, and arthritis. In spite of the vast range of production perspectives, certain industrial challenges arise during development, such as processing and preservation technologies. This paper aims at providing an overview of the currently available PBDAs based on recent studies selected from the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus. We found 148 publications regarding PBDAs in correlation with their nutritional and technological aspects, together with the implications in terms of health. Therefore, this review focuses on the relationship between plant-based alternatives for dairy products and the human diet, from the raw material to the final products, including the industrial processes and health-related concerns.

Active films were prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blended with itaconic acid (Ia), and with chitosan (Ch), enriched with tomato processing by-products extract (TBE) in order to develop new bioactive formulations for food packaging. The effects of two biopolymers (Ch, Ia) and of the incorporated TBE—containing phenolic compounds and carotenoids—were studied regarding the physical and antimicrobial properties of films; in addition, their influence on the total phenolic content, viscosity, and flow behavior on the film-forming solutions was investigated. The results showed increased physical properties (diameter, thickness, density, weight) of the films containing the TBE versus their control. TBE and Ch conferred significant antimicrobial effects to PVA films toward all the tested microorganisms, whereas the best inhibition was registered against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of <0.078 mg DW/mL. The Ia-PVA films also exhibited some antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (2.5 mg DW/mL). The total phenolic content of the film-forming solutions presented the highest values for the TBE and Ch-added PVA samples (0.208 mg gallic acid/100 mL film-forming solution). These results suggest that the PVA + Ch film containing TBE can be used for the development of intelligent and active food packaging materials.

Some species of the Ericaceae family have been intensively studied because of the beneficial health impact, known since ancient times, of their chemical components. Since most studies focus on the effects of fruit consumption, this review aims to highlight the phenolic components present in the leaves. For this purpose, five species from Ericaceae family (bilberry—Vaccinium myrtillus L., lingonberry—V. vitis-idaea L., bog bilberry—V. uliginosum L., blueberry—V. corymbosum L. and bearberry—Arctostapylos uva-ursi L.) were considered, four of which can be found in spontaneous flora. The chemical composition of the leaves revealed three major phenolic compounds: chlorogenic acid, quercetin and arbutin. The health promoting functions of these compounds, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that could have preventive effects for cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and obesity, have been exemplified by both in vitro and in vivo studies in this review. Furthermore, the importance of bioaccessibility and bioavailability of the phenolic compounds have been summarized. The findings highlight the fact that leaves of some Ericaceae species deserve increased attention and should be studied more profoundly for their biological activities, especially those from spontaneous flora.

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology gained significance in the fields of medicine, engineering, the food industry, and molecular gastronomy. 3D food printing (3DFP) has the main objective of tailored food manufacturing, both in terms of sensory properties and nutritional content. Additionally, global challenges like food-waste reduction could be addressed through this technology by improving process parameters and by sustainable use of ingredients, including the incorporation of recovered nutrients from agro-industrial by-products in printed nourishment. The aim of the present review is to highlight the implementation of 3DFP in personalized nutrition, considering the technology applied, the texture and structure of the final product, and the integrated constituents like binding/coloring agents and fortifying ingredients, in order to reach general acceptance of the consumer. Personalized 3DFP refers to special dietary necessities and can be promising to prevent different non-communicable diseases through improved functional food products, containing bioactive compounds like proteins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and/or probiotics.