Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03;13:409-431

APC Microbiome Ireland and School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; email:

Competence refers to the specialized physiological state in which bacteria undergo transformation through the internalization of exogenous DNA in a controlled and genetically encoded process that leads to genotypic and, in many cases, phenotypic changes. Natural transformation was first described in and has since been demonstrated in numerous species, including and . Homologs of the genes encoding the DNA uptake machinery for natural transformation have been reported to be present in several lactic acid bacteria, including spp. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03;13:337-359

Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; email:

Plants produce a diversity of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), which function as defense chemicals against herbivores and microorganisms but also as signal compounds. An individual plant produces and accumulates mixtures of PSMs with different structural features using different biosynthetic pathways. Almost all PSMs exert one or several biological activities that can be useful for nutrition and health. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03;13:385-407

Instituto de Lactología Industrial (CONICET-UNL), Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina; email:

Life expectancy has dramatically increased over the past 200 years, but modern life factors such as environmental exposure, antibiotic overuse, C-section deliveries, limited breast-feeding, and diets poor in fibers and microbes could be associated with the rise of noncommunicable diseases such as overweight, obesity, diabetes, food allergies, and colorectal cancer as well as other conditions such as mental disorders. Microbial interventions that range from transplanting a whole undefined microbial community from a healthy gut to an ill one, e.g. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03;13:89-115

Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; email:

Microscopy is often used to assist the development of cheese products, but manufacturers can benefit from a much broader application of these techniques to assess structure formation during processing and structural changes during storage. Microscopy can be used to benchmark processes, optimize process variables, and identify critical control points for process control. Microscopy can also assist the reverse engineering of desired product properties and help troubleshoot production problems to improve cheese quality. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03;13:167-192

Laboratory of Food Oral Processing, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; email:

Food oral processing (FOP) is a fast-emerging research area in the food science discipline. Since its first introduction about a decade ago, a large amount of literature has been published in this area, forming new frontiers and leading to new research opportunities. This review aims to summarize FOP research progress from current perspectives. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 26;13:117-143. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; email:

Inherent characteristics of native starches such as water insolubility, retrogradation and syneresis, and instability in harsh processing conditions (e.g., high temperature and shearing, low pH) limit their industrial applications. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 18;13:315-336. Epub 2022 Jan 18.

Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands; email:

Traditional foods and diets can provide health benefits beyond their nutrient composition because of the presence of bioactive compounds. In various traditional healthcare systems, diet-based approaches have always played an important role, which has often survived until today. Therefore, investigating traditional foods aimed at health promotion could render not only novel bioactive substances but also mechanistic insights. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 18;13:59-87. Epub 2022 Jan 18.

Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Polysaccharides and polyphenols coexist in many plant-based food products. Polyphenol-polysaccharide interactions may affect the physicochemical, functional, and physiological properties, such as digestibility, bioavailability, and stability, of plant-based foods. In this review, the interactions (physically or covalently linked) between the selected polysaccharides and polyphenols are summarized. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 6;13:287-313. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore; email:

Dietary organosulfur-containing compounds (DOSCs) in fruits, vegetables, and edible mushrooms may hold the key to the health-promotion benefits of these foods. Yet their action mechanisms are not clear, partially due to their high reactivity, which leads to the formation of complex compounds during postharvest processing. Among postharvest processing methods, thermal treatment is the most common way to process these edible plants rich in DOSCs, which undergo complex degradation pathways with the generation of numerous derivatives over a short time. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 6;13:489-512. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; email:

Diet exerts a major influence upon host immune function and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Although components of the human diet (including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) are essential sources of nutrition for the host, they also influence immune function directly through interaction with innate and cell-mediated immune regulatory mechanisms. Regulation of the microbiota community structure also provides a mechanism by which food components influence host immune regulatory processes. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 6;13:263-286. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

INRAE, Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages, Nantes, France; email:

Lipid digestion and bioavailability are usually investigated separately, using different approaches (in vitro, modeling, in vivo). However, a few inclusive studies show that their kinetics are closely linked. Lipid bioavailability kinetics is likely involved in the development and evolution of several diseases, so lipid digestion kinetics could be involved as well and can be modulated by food design or combination. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 6;13:433-461. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, College Station, Texas, USA; email:

The gastrointestinal tract, or gut, microbiota is a microbial community containing a variety of microorganisms colonizing throughout the gut that plays a crucial role in animal health, growth performance, and welfare. The gut microbiota is closely associated with the quality and microbiological safety of foods and food products originating from animals. The gut microbiota of the host can be modulated and enhanced in ways that improve the quality and safety of foods of animal origin. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 6;13:463-488. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA; email:

A growing human population is a significant issue in food security owing to the limited land and resources available for agricultural food production. To solve these problems, sustainable food manufacturing processes and the development of alternative foods and ingredients are needed. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology can help solve the food security issue and satisfy the demand for alternative food production. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 4;13:1-17. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

North Carolina Food Innovation Lab, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA; email:

Our global population is growing at a pace to exceed 10 billion people by the year 2050. This growth will place pressure on the agricultural production of food to feed the hungry masses. One category that will be strained is protein. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 23;13:35-58. Epub 2021 Dec 23.

Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; email:

Protein is a major nutrient present in foods along with carbohydrates and lipids. Food proteins undergo a wide range of modifications during food production, processing, and storage. In this review, we discuss two major reactions, oxidation and the Maillard reaction, involved in chemical modifications of food proteins. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 22;13:217-237. Epub 2022 Dec 22.

Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; email:

Food processing represents a critical part of the food supply chain that converts raw materials into safe and nutritious food products with high quality. However, the fast-growing food processing industry has imposed enormous burdens on the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used for evaluating the sustainability of food systems; nonetheless, current attention mainly concentrates on the agricultural production stage. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 22;13:145-166. Epub 2021 Dec 22.

Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA; email:

Almonds ( are one of the most consumed tree-nuts worldwide, with commercial production in arid environments such as California, Spain, and Australia. The high consumption of almonds is partly due to their versatile usage in products such as gluten-free flour and dairy alternatives as well as them being a source of protein in vegetarian diets. They contain high concentrations of health-promoting compounds such as Vitamin E and have demonstrated benefits for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and improving vascular health. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 23;13:239-261. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, North Carolina; email:

The world food supply depends on a diminishing list of plant crops and animal livestock to not only feed the ever-growing human population but also improve its nutritional state and lower the disease burden. Over the past century or so, technological advances in agricultural and food processing have helped reduce hunger and poverty but have not adequately addressed sustainability targets. This has led to an erosion of agricultural biodiversity and balanced diets and contributed to climate change and rising rates of chronic metabolic diseases. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 16;13:193-215. Epub 2021 Nov 16.

DSM Biotechnology Center, Delft, The Netherlands; email:

To increase the appeal of plant protein-based meat analogs, further progress needs to be made in their sensory perception. Given the limited number of studies on meat analogs, this review focuses on structure, oral processing, and sensory perception of meat and subsequently translates the insights to meat analogs. An extensive number of publications has built the current understanding of meat mechanical and structural properties, but inconsistencies concerning terminology and methodology execution as well as the wide variety in terms of natural origin limit solid conclusions about the control parameters for oral processing and sensory perception. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 26;13:19-34. Epub 2021 Oct 26.

Laboratorio de Calidad, Autenticidad y Trazabilidad de los Alimentos, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C. (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo, Sonora, México.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected food supply chains worldwide, showing the vulnerability of food security. Efforts to develop alternative protein sources that are sustainable and can help alleviate global food shortage problems should be prioritized. Insects have been part of our diet for thousands of years and still are today, and market trends show a global increase in the number of food-grade insect producers. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2022 03 22;13:361-384. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland; email:

Microorganisms exist along the food chain and impact the quality and safety of foods in both positive and negative ways. Identifying and understanding the behavior of these microbial communities enable the implementation of preventative or corrective measures in public health and food industry settings. Current culture-dependent microbial analyses are time-consuming and target only specific subsets of microbes. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:591-609

Perfect Day, Berkeley, California 94710, USA; email:

Large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) testing has been increasingly used over the past several decades to provide a fuller picture of food rheological behavior. Although LAOS is relatively easy to perform on a wide variety of foods, interpretation of the resulting data can be difficult, as it may not be possible to link the results to food components, microstructural features or changes, or physicochemical properties. Several analysis methods have been developed to address this issue, but there is currently no standard method for foods. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:259-286

Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Science and Health, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; email:

Thermal processing is one of the most important processing methods in the food industry. However, many studies have revealed that thermal processing can have detrimental effects on the nutritional and functional properties of foods because of the complex interactions among food components. Proteins are essential nutrients for humans, and changes in the structure and nutritional properties of proteins can substantially impact the biological effects of foods. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:i-ii

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:539-566

Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA; email:

An increasing number of foodborne outbreaks, growing consumer desire for healthier products, and surging numbers of food allergy cases necessitate strict handling and screening of foods at every step of the food supply chain. Current standard procedures for detecting food toxins, contaminants, allergens, and pathogens require costly analytical devices, skilled technicians, and long sample preparation times. These challenges can be overcome with the use of biosensors because they provide accurate, rapid, selective, qualitative, and quantitative detection of analytes. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:51-73

Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Wädenswil 8820, Switzerland; email:

Cellular agriculture is the controlled and sustainable manufacture of agricultural products with cells and tissues without plant or animal involvement. Today, microorganisms cultivated in bioreactors already produce egg and milk proteins, sweeteners, and flavors for human nutrition as well as leather and fibers for shoes, bags, and textiles. Furthermore, plant cell and tissue cultures provide ingredients that stimulate the immune system and improve skin texture, with another precommercial cellular agriculture product, in vitro meat, currently receiving a great deal of attention. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03;12:iii-iv

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03 25;12:307-329. Epub 2021 Jan 25.

Department of Food and Animal Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama 35762-4900, USA; email:

Antioxidants are understood to play a key role in disease prevention; because of this, research and interest in these compounds are ever increasing. Antioxidative phytochemicals from natural sources are preferred, as some negative implications have been associated with synthetic antioxidants. Beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables, to name a few, are important sources of phytochemicals, which have purported health benefits. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03 20;12:331-354. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology Section, DTU Bioengineering, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; email:

Cereal brans and grain endosperm cell walls are key dietary sources of different types of arabinoxylan. Arabinoxylan is the main group of hemicellulosic polysaccharides that are present in the cell walls of monocot grass crops and hence in cereal grains. The arabinoxylan polysaccharides consist of a backbone of β-(1→4)-linked xylopyranosyl residues, which carry arabinofuranosyl moieties, hence the term arabinoxylan. Read More

Annu Rev Food Sci Technol 2021 03 20;12:513-538. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90032, USA; email:

Food safety continues to threaten public health. Machine learning holds potential in leveraging large, emerging data sets to improve the safety of the food supply and mitigate the impact of food safety incidents. Foodborne pathogen genomes and novel data streams, including text, transactional, and trade data, have seen emerging applications enabled by a machine learning approach, such as prediction of antibiotic resistance, source attribution of pathogens, and foodborne outbreak detection and risk assessment. Read More