Melatonin is a tryptophan-derived molecule with pleiotropic activities. It is present in almost all or all organisms. Its synthetic pathway depends on the species in which it is measured. For example, the tryptophan to melatonin pathway differs in plants and animals. It is speculated that the melatonin synthetic machinery in eukaryotes was inherited from bacteria as a result of endosymbiosis. However, melatonin's synthetic mechanisms in microorganisms are currently unknown. Melatonin metabolism is highly complex with these enzymatic processes having evolved from cytochrome C. In addition to its enzymatic degradation, melatonin is metabolized via pseudoenzymatic and free radical interactive processes. The metabolic products of these processes overlap and it is often difficult to determine which process is dominant. However, under oxidative stress, the free radical interactive pathway may be featured over the others. Because of the complexity of the melatonin degradative processes, it is expected that additional novel melatonin metabolites will be identified in future investigations. The original and primary function of melatonin in early life forms such as in unicellular organisms was as a free radical scavenger and antioxidant. During evolution, melatonin was selected as a signaling molecule to transduce the environmental photoperiodic information into an endocrine message in multicellular organisms and for other purposes as well. As an antioxidant, melatonin exhibits several unique features which differ from the classic antioxidants. These include its cascade reaction with free radicals and its capacity to be induced under moderate oxidative stress. These features make melatonin a potent endogenously-occurring antioxidant that protects organisms from catastrophic oxidative stress.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/20/10/18886/pdf

Melatonin as a Potent and Inducible Endogenous Antioxidant: Synthesis and Metabolism.

Sources and contamination routes of microbial pathogens to fresh produce during field cultivation: A review.

Bioactive compounds in wine: Resveratrol, hydroxytyrosol and melatonin: A review

Background Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables have gained much more attention worldwide in the past decades. Due to the increased awareness of consumers in sensorial and nutritional qualities of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, as well as the serious concerns towards public health caused by foodborne outbreaks owing to inappropriate handling or preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut industry is in urgent need of new and improved technologies for shelf life extension. Scope and approach In this review the recent development in novel shelf life extension technology applied to fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, including physical, chemical and biopreservation methods are described. These novel technologies better maintain or improve the quality and safety of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. However, reduction in microbial load without compromising in sensory and nutritional qualities could not be easily achieved by one technique alone. Some combined application of these techniques proved to be very effective in both shelf life extension and microbial inhibition of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Key findings and conclusions Future research needs to consider varieties of further combined applications of physical, chemical and biopreservation technologies, which may allow a better maintenance of the fresh-like characteristics of the raw produce. Meanwhile, consumer's acceptance, safety and legal aspects, and commercial availability, such as the efficacy, cost-effectiveness ratio and convenient manipulation, should also be taken into consideration in future studies.

/pdf/recent-developments-in-novel-shelf-life-extension-39ga2nkny4.pdf

Recent developments in novel shelf life extension technologies of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

Food contamination is a matter of serious concern, as the high concentration of chemicals present in the edibles poses serious health risks. Protecting the public from the degrees of the harmfulness of contaminated foods has become a daunting task. This article highlights the causes, types, and health implications of chemical contamination in food. The food contamination could be due to naturally occurring contaminants in the environment or artificially introduced by the human. The phases of food processing, packaging, transportation, and storage are also significant contributors to food contamination. The implications of these chemical contaminants on human health are grave, ranging from mild gastroenteritis to fatal cases of hepatic, renal, and neurological syndromes. Although, the government regulates such chemicals in the eatables by prescribing minimum limits that are safe for human consumption yet measures still need to be taken to curb food contamination entirely. Therefore, a variety of food needs to be inspected and measured for the presence of chemical contaminants. The preventative measures pertaining about the food contaminants problems are pointed out and discussed.

/pdf/the-sources-of-chemical-contaminants-in-food-and-their-4oo0cxw91k.pdf

The Sources of Chemical Contaminants in Food and Their Health Implications.

The consumption of fruit and vegetables continues to rise in the United States and European Union due to healthy lifestyle recommendations. Meanwhile, the rate of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of these products remains high in both regions, representing a significant public health and financial issue. This study addresses the occurrence of reported foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables consumption in the United States and European Union during the period 2004–2012, where data are available. Special attention is paid to those pathogens responsible for these outbreaks, the mechanisms of contamination, and the fresh produce vehicles involved. Norovirus is shown to be responsible for most of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by Salmonella. Norovirus is mainly linked with the consumption of salad in the United States and of berries in the European Union, as demonstrated by the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Salmonella was the leading cause of mult...

M. Isabel Rodriguez-Naranjo

Papers

Reported Foodborne Outbreaks Due to Fresh Produce in the United States and European Union: Trends and Causes

Melatonin is synthesised by yeast during alcoholic fermentation in wines

Melatonin: A new bioactive compound in wine

Comparative evaluation of the antioxidant activity of melatonin and related indoles

Melatonin is formed during winemaking at safe levels of biogenic amines