The prominent role of taurine in human health has garnered extensive attention recently. This undoubtedly elevates the application of taurine in functional foods and food engineering. This review, in conjunction with recent research advancements, conducts a detailed examination of the processes of taurine absorption, transportation, synthesis, and excretion, and discusses the influencing factors in each process. It also collates and analyzes the application limits of taurine in various food categories and related safety research reports in seven countries, namely the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. Furthermore, it provides an overview of the use of taurine as a stabilizer, preservative, and in other aspects in food engineering. Finally, it is discussed that artificial intelligence and machine learning have considerable application value in the intelligent monitoring of the taurine processing process.

Animal-derived raw materials are rich in various nutrients, especially the high level of protein, and have good application prospects in health foods and other fields. However, due to their special sources and processing methods, the requirements for the compliant use of animal-derived raw materials are stringent. Therefore, when animal-derived raw materials are used to produce health foods, great attention needs to be paid to relevant laws and regulations, processing methods and the requirements for their safe application. In recent years, a lot of new progress has been made in the studies on the bioactive ingredients and functions of animal-derived raw materials, but there are few reviews on the evidence for the compliance use of animal-derived raw materials in the production of health foods, the current status of the use of animal-derived raw materials in the production of health foods, and the health functions of animal-derived raw materials in functional foods. In this context, this paper presents the evidence for the compliance use of animal-derived raw materials in the production of health foods in China, and a statistical analysis of the current status of the use of animal-derived raw materials in the production of health foods using the national special food information query platform as a retrieval tool. We hope that this review will provide a useful reference for further mining, development and utilization of animal-derived raw materials.

Gastrodia elata Bl. is used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It contains a variety of bioactive components such as gastrodin, parishin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, polysaccharides, and has good health-promoting functions such as improving memory, helping sleep, and anti-epilepsy effect. At present, much progress has been made in the research on bioactive components in Gastrodia elata Bl. and their biological activity, but a systematic summary is lacking. Therefore, this article summarizes the basis for the application of Gastrodia elata Bl. in common foods and health foods, and reviews recent progress in research on major bioactive components in Gastrodia elata Bl. and their pharmacological effects and action mechanisms. We anticipate that this review will provide a reference for the reasonable application of Gastrodia elata Bl. in the food field and further research on its health benefits.

With the acceleration of population aging, the problem of functional constipation has become increasingly prominent, significantly affecting the quality of life of the elderly. Currently, there are numerous studies focusing on the pathogenesis of and nutritional interventions in functional constipation in the elderly population. However, systematic reviews are lacking. Therefore, this paper focuses on discussing the correlation between gut microbial metabolites and the occurrence of functional constipation, and presents a systematic summary and classification of the raw materials that have been approved for use in health foods for moistening the intestine and promoting defecation. Furthermore, their mechanisms of action in alleviating constipation are discussed. This review is expected to provide enlightenment and assistance for the research and development of functional foods against functional constipation in the elderly.

Eye health has become an important part of national health. With the improvement of public health conditions, visual fatigue has become a focus of attention in eye health. In this context, functional foods have played a key role in maintaining visual fatigue. However, there are challenges in evaluating the efficacy of functional foods in relieving visual fatigue, including a lack of data from animal experiments and the subjectivity of human feeding trials. This paper analyzes the current development status of functional foods for eye health, the various symptoms of visual fatigue, and their association with visual organ. It explores the significant advantages of 3D tissue-engineered organoid technology in simulating the structure and function of the eye, and its potential application in establishing visual fatigue models and exploring the mechanisms of nutrient interventions. Finally, based on organoid technology and existing technical bottlenecks combined with the current policy orientation, new suggestions are made for the evaluation system for and efficacy claims on eye health-related functional foods. This article provides a new research direction for developing more effective eye health-protecting functional foods and highlights the important role of organoid technology in driving the development of eye health-protecting functional foods.

Whey protein contains a wide range of bioactive components and has been found to have various functional properties including immunoenhancing, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, antidiabetic, muscle loss-preventing, and skin-protecting effects. However, as a high-quality dietary protein that can benefit human health, its application in health foods is restricted by particular product types and insufficient innovation. Therefore, this article provides a systematic and comprehensive review of the composition, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and functions of whey protein and its application in health products in China. This review hopes to improve the public’s understanding of the nutritional value of whey protein, broaden its application scope as a health product, and promote its applications in functional foods and clinical formulations and consequently the high-quality development of the health industry.

With the continuous improvement of the evaluation system for health food technology, the existing evaluation methods are no longer able to meet the needs of future development. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a more comprehensive and accurate evaluation system that combines advanced technological means with traditional evaluation models. Organoid technology, as a new biological means, can simulate the structure and function of human organs more realistically, improve the accuracy and reliability of experiments, and reduce the need for animal experiments. This paper explores the potential application of 3D organoid technology in health food research from the perspectives of toxicological evaluation, the absorption and metabolism of functional factors, the research and development of health foods for special populations, and the development of new evaluation models for functionalities. It also puts forward new considerations on the development direction of health food evaluation system. The aim is to provide a more accurate and physiologically relevant technical platform for the evaluation system of health foods, so as to promote the scientific research and development and strict supervision of health foods.

The increasing frequency of people using electronic products has led to an increase in the amount of time spent with the eyes, which in turn often results in a variety of eye discomforts such as soreness, dryness and blurriness, a condition known as visual fatigue. A growing body of studies suggest that visual fatigue can be effectively alleviated through dietary supplementation, particularly through supplementation of substances with both medicinal and culinary uses. At present, there are more and more health food products for relieving visual fatigue and improving eyesight available on the market, which indicates that those products are in great demand and has a good development prospect. Chrysanthemum, as one of the main ingredients of visual fatigue-relieving health foods, can effectively reduce visual fatigue caused by oxidative stress and inflammatory damage. This article analyzes the differences in the chemical structures and contents of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components in different varieties of chrysanthemum. Through the national special food information query platform under the State Administration for Market Supervision, health food products containing chrysanthemum are summarized and analyzed. Moreover, we review recent progress in research on the safety of chrysanthemum and its application in relieving visual fatigue. We also put forward opinions and outlooks on future research with a view to providing a reference and theoretical foundation for the development of visual fatigue-relieving health foods mainly based on chrysanthemum in the future.

Long-term use of Sorafenib (SOR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma will lead to drug resistance, leading to diarrhea, weight loss and other adverse reactions. Cistanche deserticola, as a homologous substance of medicine and food, its total glycosides (TG) have anti- hepatocellular carcinoma activity. This paper aimed to explore the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect of TG combined with SOR on mice and its mechanism. In this study, according to the previous research of experts, the dosage of 30mg/kg SOR was selected, aiming at giving consideration to the anti-tumor effect and reducing toxicity. Specifically, HepG2 cells were used to establish a subcutaneous tumorigenic model. Histological changes, oxidative stress, immune regulation and intestinal metabolism and microbial composition of mice were detected. It was found TG did not affect the normal growth of mice without any toxic side effects and could synergize with SOR to inhibit tumor growth. HE results found mice in TG group had more complete hepatocyte structure and less pathological changes in liver. The tumor tissue cells became rare and necrotic. TUNEL staining results revealed that TG could significantly promote apoptosis of HepG2 cells, but at a lower level than SOR. In addition, the content of CAT (Catalase), SOD (Superoxide Dismutase) and ALT/GPT (Glutamic-pyruvic transaminase) increased, AST/GOT (Aspartate aminotransferase) and AKP/ALP (Alkaline phosphatase) decreased, indicating TG could effectively reduce liver lesions. TG could also decrease the content of Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Interleukin-17 (IL-17), Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), etc., and increase interferon-γ (IFN-γ), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Meanwhile, immunohistochemistry was used to observe the decreased expression of Ki67, β-catenin and Dishevelled (Dsh) proteins and the increased GSK-3β in the tumor tissues, it was presumed that TG exerted its anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Most importantly, TG could synergize with SOR to regulate metabolic levels in the gut, balance intestinal microbial composition, and increase the abundance of beneficial intestinal bacteria. In conclusion, the results showed that TG (64mg/kg) could assist SOR (30mg/kg) to inhibit the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, provide some theoretical basis and technical support. Cistanche deserticola, as a homologous substance of medicine and food, its combination with SOR can provide a new idea for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and its future application potential is worth further exploration and development.

Visual fatigue is an eye discomfort caused by a variety of factors and affects a wide range of the population. Studies have shown that reasonable dietary supplements can effectively improve eye discomfort caused by visual fatigue and even reduce the occurrence of visual fatigue. At present, the mechanisms of action of carotenoids represented by lutein in relieving visual fatigue has not been studied deeply, and few reviews have been conducted on their application in health foods for relieving visual fatigue. Therefore, this article describes the pathways of digestion, absorption, and metabolism of carotenoids in the human body, and reviews recent progress in carotenoids for relieving visual fatigue. Also, this article provides a statistical analysis of the application of carotenoid-rich ingredients in health foods for relieving visual fatigue in China, with a view to providing a reference and inspiration for researchers to develop health foods for relieving visual fatigue.