Institute of sciences of food production (ISPA)

Focus

A new functional food of plant origin: probiotic olives

2003
The understanding that probiotic foods can have beneficial effects on health has recently led to an increase in consumer demand for such products, and to an increase in their commercial value. Daily intake of probiotic micro-organisms, such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, contributes to maintaining and improving the balance of intestinal microbe populations, and their presence in high numbers poses a severe obstacle to gastro-intestinal disturbances and improves well-being of the organism by ...

Functional proteins from human colostrum and milk

2002
Food quality is not only a function of nutritional values but also of the presence of bioactive compounds, which exert a positive effect on human health. In the case of milk, the known bioactive proteins and peptides are mainly derived from the casein fraction, and only a very few from the soluble protein (whey) fraction. The proteins associated with the milk fat globule membrane (MFGMP), representing 2-8% of the total protein milk content, derive from the apical membrane of secreting epithelial ...

Collection of toxigenic fungi of agri-food interest

2002
Among the fungi that are moulding agents of agri-food products, there are species belonging to the genera of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium and Claviceps that arise justified apprehension for food safety because are capable to produce mycotoxins, which are responsible to elicit strong intoxication in livestock and humans. It is well known that not all species of these genera are mycotoxin producers, and that within a toxigenic species there is a wide variability of toxin synthesis. The ...