Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disorder caused by a multifactorial etiology, thus dietary intervention plays an important role in the prevention of AD at its early stage. Selenium (Se)-enriched green tea (Se-GT) exhibits benefits for reducing the risk of several diseases. However, few studies were reported on Se-GT in the intervention of AD and its associated mechanism. The current study was designed to investigate the Se-enriched green tea water extract (Se-TE) on the pathologies of triple transgenic AD mice and primary neurons, as well as its potential regulatory mechanism. Our results indicated that Se-TE supplement ameliorated learning and memory impairment of AD mice, and exerted neuroprotective effects, evidenced as by inhibiting β-amyloid generation via regulating the expression of insulin-degrading enzyme and proliferator-activated receptor γ reducing tau hyperphosphorylation via regulating glycogen synthase kinase 3β and protein phosphatase 2A, repairing neuronal injury and reducing neuronal apoptosis via inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress. Our research findings illuminate the advantageous effects of Se-TE in both the prevention and alleviation of AD.

Plastic packaging pollution is a global environmental problem. Hence, the development of biodegradable materials has gained extensive attention in the field of food packaging. Starch, a common polysaccharide in nature, has the advantages of low price, safety, non-toxicity, and easy processing, and has shown great potential in the development of environmentally friendly food packaging materials. However, pure starch films have poor barrier performance and monotonous functional characteristics, which cannot satisfy people’s increasing requirements for food storage period and freshness. Polyphenols are natural antioxidants with a variety of beneficial health effects, so different types of polyphenols can be introduced into starch-based films to fabricate starch-polyphenol composite films with various functional properties. In this article, three preparation methods for starch-polyphenol composite films, extrusion, electrospinning and solvent casting are reviewed in terms of the preparation process, influential factors, advantages and disadvantages, and the interaction between starch and polyphenols is elucidated. The effects of adding polyphenols on physicochemical properties of starch-based composite films and their applications in the field of food packaging are analyzed, and future developments and challenges for starch-polyphenol composite films are discussed.

A microcapsule system for the co-encapsulation of selenium-enriched peptides, being hydrophilic, and vitamin E (VE), being lipophilic, was developed using a combination of emulsification and freeze-drying. The effects of wall material concentration, selenium-enriched peptide content, and VE content on the encapsulation efficiency was investigated by single-factor experiments. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the selenium-enriched peptides and VE were effectively encapsulated in the microcapsules, and the microcapsules possessed good water dispersibility and maintained its double emulsion structure after reconstitution. The results of thermal stability analysis and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging assay confirmed that compared with selenium-enriched peptides, the microcapsules had higher thermal stability and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, electronic nose analysis showed that the microcapsule system possessed a good masking effect on the odor of selenium-enriched peptides. In vitro simulated digestion experiments showed that microencapsulation enhanced the stability of selenium-enriched peptides in simulated gastric juice and lowered the retention rate in simulated intestinal fluid; selenium-enriched peptides were effectively released from the microcapsules. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the development of selenium-enriched functional foods and nutritional supplements.

Polyphenols, a class of compounds in plant foods, have excellent biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. However, polyphenols are susceptible to external adverse factors such as high temperature, light and alkaline conditions during food processing, storage, and digestion, resulting in partial or complete loss of their biological activities. As a natural polysaccharide, gel systems based on starch have good biocompatibility, degradability and safety, as well as excellent encapsulation capacity and effective controlled release effect on active small-molecule compounds due to their unique three-dimensional network structures. Starch-based gels fabricated through different approaches including 3D printing, covalent or non-covalent cross-linking, and gel fillers have a promising prospect in improving the stability and bioavailability of polyphenols. In this article, the biological activities and limitations of polyphenols are described. The relationship between starch properties such as gelatinization, retrogradation and gelling properties as well as different cross-linking strategies and the formation of starch-based gels is discussed. Furthermore, the role of polyphenols in the formation of starch-based gels and how starch-based gels in turn affect the encapsulation and release properties of polyphenols are analyzed. Finally, future applications and challenges of polyphenols encapsulated by starch-based gel systems in the food industry are also discussed.

Food packaging films effectively preserve food from adverse environmental factors (such as oxygen, water vapor, microorganisms, and light), thereby ensuring food quality and safety and extending its shelf life. Starch, a biodegradable biopolymer naturally produced by plants, has shown great potential in the development of environmental-friendly food packaging materials due to its advantages of low price, wide sources, renewability, and excellent film-forming properties. Compared with films prepared by casting and extrusion blowing, films composed of micro- or nanofibers exhibit higher specific surface area, porosity, and loading capacity, which have received considerable interest in the development of food packaging films. In this article, the principles and influential factors of the three major starch fiber preparation techniques including solution blow spinning, electrospinning, and centrifugal spinning are reviewed, and their advantages and disadvantages are compared. More importantly, the relationship between the structural changes of electrospun starch fibers caused by different physical and chemical modification methods and the packaging properties of modified starch fibers is analyzed. Finally, future prospects for the application of starch-based fiber films in food packaging are discussed.