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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global health challenge, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) triggers a plethora of respiratory disturbances and even multiple organs failure that can be fatal. Nutritional intervention is one of the key components toward to a proper management of COVID-19 patients, especially in those requiring medication, and should thus be considered the first-line treatment. Immuno-modulation and -stimulation are currently being explored in COVID-19 management and are gaining interest by food and pharmaceutical industries. Various dietary combinations, bioactive components, nutrients and fortified foods have been reported to modulate inflammation during disease progression. Dietary combinations of dairy-derived products and eggs are gaining an increasing attention given the huge immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties attributed to some of their chemical constituents. Eggs are complex dietary components containing many essential nutrients and bioactive compounds as well as a high-quality proteins. Similarly, yogurts can replenish beneficial bacteria and contains macronutrients capable of stimulating immunity by enhancing cell immunity, reducing oxidative stress, neutralizing inflammation and regulating the intestinal barriers and gut microbiome. Thus, this review highlights the impact of nutritional intervention on COVID-19 management, focusing on the immunomodulatory and inflammatory effects of immune-enhancing nutrients.

Essential oils with antimicrobial properties are widely used in the food industry. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of a blend of garlic (Allium sativum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils on the antimicrobial and mechanical properties of zein films. Four bacteria (Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus) related to food contamination were chosen to evaluate the antimicrobial properties. The results indicated that the oil blend acted as a plasticizer, decreasing the glass transition temperature and the Young’s Modulus of the films. The addition of the oil blend also resulted in lower solubility and water absorption. The addition of the oil blend (0, 2%, 3% and 5% (v/v)) to the zein films showed inhibitory activity against all the bacteria tested, with inhibitory halos of between 6.5 mm and 8.27 mm. The results showed that the coating could be applied as a support to increase the shelf life of food products.

Macrolides (e.g., erythromycin, fidaxomicin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin) are a class of bacteriostatic antibiotics commonly employed in medicine against various gram-positive and atypical bacterial species mostly related to respiratory tract infections, besides they possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and resulted in a continuing pandemic. Macrolides have been extensively researched as broad adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 due to its immunostimulant abilities. Among such class of drugs, azithromycin is described as azalide and is well-known for its ability to decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including matrix metalloproteinases, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8. In fact, a report recently published highlighted the effectiveness of combining azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment. Indeed, it has been underlined that azithromycin quickly prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection by raising the levels of both interferons and interferon-stimulated proteins at the same time which reduces the virus replication and release. In this sense, the current review aims to evaluate the applications of macrolides for the treatment of COVID-19.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by some filamentous fungi, which can cause toxic effects in humans and animals. The purpose of the study was to report the influence of postharvest conditions of grains and animal feed on the occurrence of mycotoxins in milk and dairy products which are widely consumed worldwide and have several health benefits for consumers. Among the most toxic mycotoxins are aflatoxins (AFs), with AFB 1 being the most toxic and present in grains and cereals used in the feeding of dairy cows. After ingestion, AFB 1 is converted to AFM 1 , which is excreted in milk, being a source of direct contamination to consumers of this product and dairy products. Thus, knowledge about this substance and the care that can be taken to reduce the consumption of contaminated food is a matter of great importance concerning public health and food safety. This review reports that the temperature and humidity at which the grains are stored, are the main conditions that can be controlled during storage, aiming to reduce the growth of fungi and the production of mycotoxins. This work reinforces that the continuous control of mycotoxins in milk and dairy products is of vital importance to obtain a safe product. Besides, strategies to mitigate the development of fungal contamination have been carefully revised to prevent the formation of these toxic substances.

The PSE (Pale, Soft and Exudative) swine meat is an anomaly that produces great economic losses in the swine industry and products because proteins lose their functionality, affecting the ability of water retention, binding, and emulsification of meat. Due to the importance of quality control of carcasses, the determination of the pH parameter is necessary to perform the classification of the product in: normal; PSE; and DFD (Dark, Firm, and Dry). In this sense, the purpose of the work was to perform the evaluation of pH values after 45 minutes of bleeding (pH45) and function of the distance from farms to a slaughterhouse and calculate the indicator of Meat PSE in swine carcasses. The experiment was carried out in a large plant, under the supervision of the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). A total of 725 carcasses were used, separated into lots and the transport distance from the farms to the slaughterhouse ranged from 25 to 427 km. For the evaluation of the incidence of PSE, pH45 was measured by a direct method, and the management of pre-slaughter animals was standardized for all lots, except for rest time. The animals transported for shorter distances (25 and 65 km) presented 11% indicative of PSE meat, a fact that shows that the stress response is higher when the animals are subjected to short transport distances compared to longer distances (320, 340, and 427 km).