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Macronutrients of pulses or cereals are stored in the cotyledon or endosperm cells with protection from intact cell walls. However, pulses and cereals are generally processed into fine particles during food production. For example, after milling, the macronutrients enclosed in the intact cells are released and are easily accessible to digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to high metabolic responses. Therefore, studies on the health effects of intact cells and developing an alternative ingredient with a higher proportion of intact cells are areas of emerging interest. In this review, we highlighted the smallest unit of whole grain, an individual cell, as "nutritional capsules" and elucidated the structure–function of the nutritional capsules, followed by isolation techniques, as a potential novel functional ingredient and food. The polysaccharides’ monomeric composition, secondary structure, and interactions determine the cell wall properties including the cell detachment during isolation and isolated cell properties. The intact cellular structure is retained after mild food processing and digestion, thereby, contributing to a lower extent/rate of digestion of entrapped macronutrients. Furthermore, the excursed intact capsules in the colonic environment modulate the population and diversity of microbiota, favouring the increased production of the short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The structural schematic model of Type‐I and Type‐II cells is developed together with the schematics of the cell wall isolation process. The review provides a critical summary of the recent trends in intact plant cells as a functional‐nutritional food. It paves the way for the industrial production of intact cells as a novel food ingredient.

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In this study, the stability of red cabbage anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds (TPC) co‐pigmented with various metals ions (Al3+, Ca2+, Fe3+, and Sn2+) under thermal treatment, spray drying, and storage was investigated. In general, it was found that the addition of metal ions accelerated the anthocyanins degradation but delayed TPC loss. Thermally treated samples experienced the highest loss of anthocyanins (k = 0.00173 min−1) when Sn2+ was added whereas less detrimental effect (k = 0.00106 min−1) was observed with aluminum ion (Al3+). During spray drying, metal ions, excluding Al3+, induced significant losses of anthocyanins, ranging from 7.3% to 10.6%. However, TPC degradation of samples containing metal ions (18.6–22.2%) was less than control samples (26.7%). Similarly, degradation of anthocyanins during storage was more severe in samples containing Sn2+ (k = 0.03602 week−1) than in control samples (0.00644 week−1) but TPC retention could be improved up to 6% by metal ions. Practical application Anthocyanins in fruits and vegetables are important sources of natural colorants. Co‐pimentation with metal ions is a viable mechanism to impart the color and improve the stability of anthocyanins from plant and fruit extracts. However, its implications in anthocyanins treatments and preservation remain unknown. This study reported potential effects of metal ions on the stability of anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds under thermal treatment, encapsulation, and storage.

Ultrasonic assisted alkaline extraction of protein from banana flower was optimized using response surface methodology. The extracted proteins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and molecular weight distribution was determined by gel electrophoresis. The maximum protein yield of 252.25 mg/g was obtained under optimized extraction conditions: temperature 50 °C, 30 min extraction time and 1 M NaOH concentration. The alkaline extraction produced a significantly high protein yield compared to enzymatic extraction of banana flower. Chemical finger printing of proteins showed the presence of tyrosine, tryptophan and amide bonds in extracted protein. Alkaline and pepsin assisted extracted banana flower proteins showed characteristic bands at 40 and 10 kDA, respectively. The extracted proteins showed antibacterial effects against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The high protein content and antimicrobial activity indicate the potential applications of banana flower in the food and feed industry.