Commentary - (2022) Volume 11, Issue 2
Are processed foods better or worse for the health? Processed foods can change their chemical composition and obtain end products that were not there at the beginning. Heat processing of foods has been traditionally considered as a possible source of components with adverse health effects for example, furan, acrylamide Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), or 3-Monocloropropano- 1,2-Diol (3-MCPD) could be formed. Assessing whether treatments at high pressure and temperature (autoclave) applied in the processing of certain fiber-rich vegetable foods result in more or less healthy foods is a major challenge. In this case, the presence of an active molecule, the 4,5-Dihydro- 2-Clyclopenten-1-one (DHCP), in heat-processed fruit and vegetable puree marketed as baby food has been investigate.
Baby food is subjected to high pressure and temperatures in order to sterilize and thus have a long shelf life. We have detected for the first time these DHCP during thermal sterilization of pectin rich foods [1]. Pectin is a water-soluble indigestible polysaccharide, present in all fruit and vegetable and in most plant-derived food and DHCP is a molecule that is formed from uronic acid, the main monomer of pectin, when the pectin is exposed to high temperature. This small molecule has shown high cytotoxic activity on several cancer cell lines [2], induces cell death in colon cancer cells via induction of mitochondrial ROS [3] and is able inhibits CT-26 tumour growth in colon cancer cells implanted in mice [4].
In addition, DHCP attracts attention due to its potential antiviral and antiinflammatory effects [5]. It becomes very important to determine whether DHCP can represent a health-promoting component. Its structural similarities to prostaglandins, a family of biologically active molecules present in the human organism, which are able to react with certain cellular proteins resulting in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and antiviral effects [6,7], may to explain the beneficial effects. The presence of a cyclopentanone ring and an α, β-unsaturated carbonyl group (*) in both DHCP and cyclopentenone prostaglandins is the key to this structural similarity (Figures 1-3). Its potent electrophilia is the reason for its high reactivity forming covalent adducts with nucleophilic residues –SH or –NH2 of free amino acids and protein as we have demonstrated in the previous study [1]. Therefore, it is important to determine whether these adducts are bioactive, reversible, and safe. This high temperature/pressure treatment occurs not only during industrial production of fruit and vegetable purees as baby food, but also when using a pressure cooker at home in our daily life.
Figure 1: Chemical structure of 4,5-dihydroxy-2-clyclopenten-1-one (DHCP).
Note: * electrophilic α, β-unsaturated carbonyl group).
Figure 2: Molecular formula of cyclopentenone prostaglandins (cyPGs).
Note: * electrophilic α, β-unsaturated carbonyl group).
Figure 3: Mechanism of protein addition by DHCP. Electrophile, with α, β-unsaturated carbonyl, react with nucleophile group such as thiol group in protein and form adduct via Michael-type conjugation reaction.
Vegetable and fruit purees marketed as baby foods are also used in some situations by the elderly. Children and elderly are two population groups in which good nutritional support is particularly important, especially when they suffer from certain pathologies that make digestion difficult, two population groups in which good nutritional support is especially important, and when suffering certain pathologies that impair digestion. They are produced according to current legislation and following quality standards in order to provide appropriate nutritional value. The characterization of health-promoting properties in these products could have very positive repercussions for public health. But is this small active molecule and related adducts, formed in heatprocessed foods rich in pectin, better or worse for health? Are homemade baby food made without heat treatment for sterilization healthier? Or do these compounds make it better? Only science will give that answer.
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Citation: Bolañosand JF & Bermúdez-Oria A. Bioactive Molecule Formation During Thermal Processing of Vegetable and Fruit Puree (Baby Food). J Biol Today's World, 2022, 11(2), 001-001.
Received: 20-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. JBTW-22-57814; Editor assigned: 23-Mar-2022, Pre QC No. JBTW-22-57814(PQ); Reviewed: 06-Apr-2022, QC No. JBTW-21-57814; Revised: 11-Apr-2022, Manuscript No. JBTW-22-57814(R); Published: 18-Apr-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2322-3308-11.2.003
Copyright: © 2022 Fernández-Bolaños, J, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
