In a recent editorial published in Fermentation, researchers examined the usage of fermentation as a method to extend the antioxidant potential of foods.
Free radicals corresponding to reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause oxidative stress, potentially leading to numerous conditions like cancer and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Dietary antioxidants may help to guard cells from free radicals.
Fermentation, which began as a method to increase the shelf-life of foods, has been investigated for its health advantages, including those provided by antioxidant compounds.
In regards to the editorial
In the current editorial, researchers examined the potential of fermentation and the usage of microbial enzymes to boost the activity of bioactive constituents in foods, enhancing their antioxidant potential.
The necessary contribution of antioxidant molecules to food longevity and their health-promoting effects, together with growing concern about synthetic antioxidants, are causing scientific researchers to point out interest in natural antioxidants. Bioactive peptides, polyphenols, vitamins, and amino acids are probably the most prevalent antioxidant molecules present in meals naturally.
Nonetheless, permitting future advances in dietary antioxidant activities within the in vitro settings, which could potentially reflect within the in vivo settings, is a critical subject. Biological conversion induced by microbial enzymatic substances and fermentation with chosen starter molecules may very well be viewed as a way for potentiating the activities of bioactive substances by promoting their expression or modifying their structural configuration.
Recent studies have explored the health advantages of fermentation, including those conferred by antioxidants. Much of the research published included in vitro experiments to research ways wherein spontaneous or chosen starter fermentation might enhance the antioxidant properties of legumes, by-products of milling, cereals, and other vegetable matrices. Animal studies were utilized in several articles to elucidate the in vivo effects of fermented foods.
Usually, lactic acid bacterial organisms (LAB) and yeast activities increased the biological accessibility of phenol-containing molecules, leading to increased antioxidant activity, often evaluated using 2,2-difenil1-picrylidrazyl (DPPH), based on its radical scavenging activities, and increased anti-platelet and anti inflammatory potential.
Although using in vitro assays has generated controversy over several years as a consequence of their limitations, they continue to be of considerable importance in choosing compounds with antioxidant potential and analyzing conspicuous microbes and matrices, so that they are continuously combined with other techniques, including those based on cellular modeling.
This was utilized in a study conducted by Polo et al. (2023) to guage the impact of fermentation using various LAB initiators for fermenting ice cream. They observed fermentation of the ice cream with the Lacticaseibacillus casei F14 strain, inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines corresponding to interleukin-6 and interleukin-8, in addition to ROS, in human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cells, demonstrating anti-inflammatory and anti-free radical properties.
Nevertheless, in vitro in addition to ex vivo experiments can only estimate antioxidant activities within the in vivo settings, and human-based clinical studies are lengthy and severely controlled by ethics committees. Indeed, exposing rats to oxidative stress and administering lactic acid bacteria or yogurt as a probiotic led to statistically significant reductions in triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
As well as, remarkably elevated high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels were observed, indicating fermentation as a feasible approach to boost food functionality. Nevertheless, novel bioconversion routes have to be identified, bio-accessibility and bioavailability of various antioxidant compounds have to be evaluated, and their roles related to digestion in vivo have to be explored.
Implications
Based on the findings, microbial enzymes and fermentation with certain starters can enhance the activities of bioactive chemicals in foods by stimulating their secretion or changing their structural form, leading to increased antioxidant capability. Incorporating fermented foods into one’s food regimen can provide a natural supply of antioxidants, hence improving one’s general health and well-being.
Food makers might investigate the usage of fermentation and microbial enzymes to spice up the antioxidant activity of their goods, providing healthier alternatives to customers. Further research and development on this field may end in the event of progressive food items with enhanced antioxidant qualities, meeting the rising demand for natural and functional foods.
Future research must address potential limitations or challenges related to the usage of natural antioxidants in fermented foods, assess the efficacy or effectiveness of assorted fermentation techniques in increasing the antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds, and investigate the potential impact of fermentation on the bioavailability or absorption of antioxidant compounds within the human body.