eFood最新文献

Natural emulsifier-stabilized emulsions have garnered a significant amount of attention in many industries including foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health care formulations, paints, polymer blends and oils. Various methods have been used to improve the bioavailability of functional substances, such as microemulsions, nanoemulsions, Pickering emulsions, and complexes. Over recent years, emulsions have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as drug-delivery vehicles for a wide range of application. In this review, we discuss some recent publications in the area of various emulsions in the food filed, detailed analysis of the mechanisms for different methods of preparation, compared with the different composition conditions on the stability. In addition, the above conditions affect the properties of the emulsions, but also affect functional activity. According to the current research status, some suggestions are put forward for further study.

Phytosterols (PS) are widely distributed in the plant source foods, and research on their health benefits has become increasingly active. This article briefly outlines the main extraction processes of PS and instrumental analysis methods of PS in detail. The PS isolation technique depends on the nature of the matrix and the form of the PS (free, esterified, and glycosylated). Conventional extraction technologies for PS commonly used in practice were Soxhlet extraction and maceration method. Due to their inherent molecular structure, PS exhibits poor stability to heat, light, oxygen, pH, and metal ions. It is of great significance to find a reliable analytical technique to extract PS and oxidation products from food substances and an accurate detection method of PS in different foods due to the instability of plant sterol and the interference of complex plant-based matrices. Generally, it is common to use GC–MS to determine the composition of total PS and their oxidation products, which requires standard monomer PS. It is desirable to use LC–MS to determine free PS in liquid samples. These methodologies could be meaningful in the quality assessment, health function evaluation, and applications and limitations of plant-sourced foods.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified semimetal arsenic as a human carcinogen. Arsenic poisoning can severely impact human health. Arsenic can be classified into inorganic and organic arsenic, with arsenolipids (AsLs) belonging to the category of organic arsenic. The primary species of AsLs include arsenic-containing hydrocarbons (AsHCs), fatty acids, and phospholipids. AsLs are highly abundant in marine organisms and diet may be the primary source of exposure to AsLs. Although increasing evidence shows that AsLs are cytotoxic to humans, the specific toxicity and its mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the hepatotoxicity and possible mechanisms of the toxic effects of AsLs in mice. Three AsLs (AsHC 332, AsHC 346, and AsHC 374) were administered via gavage at a dose of 3 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The results showed that short-term exposure did not affect the normal growth and development of mice. However, it caused liver damage in mice, mainly by disrupting the metabolism of selenium, copper, zinc, and other elements related to the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes, thereby reducing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of related genes. The liver damage effect of AsHC 332 was the strongest among the three AsLs.

This study evaluated the biological effects of exogenous advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on the induction of chronic kidney disease and the dose-effect relationship. Male C57BL/6 mice were placed on four diets, including saline and three other diets differing only in AGEs content (low-AGEs [LA], medium-AGEs [MA], and high-AGEs [HA] ratio, 1:3:5) for 4 weeks. With the increasing intake of AGEs, mice developed a significant increase in blood glucose and lipid levels, the fluorescence intensity of AGEs, Nε-(carboxymethyl)-lysine, Nε-(carboxyethyl)-lysine, and malondialdehyde levels, whereas their superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione levels were decreased significantly. HA had the highest urinary protein levels and the lowest creatinine clearance compared to the other groups. These suggested that AGEs are an essential contributor to increasing oxidative stress levels and intake of high-level AGEs induces more severe kidney function impairment. Meanwhile, the AGEs intake damaged the kidney structure in a dose-dependent manner, as evidenced by granular degeneration of kidney tubular epithelial cells and inflammatory cell infiltration. These findings shed light on the detrimental impacts of AGEs on human kidneys, which also will help reveal a dose-effect relationship of AGEs.

Rape (Brassica napus L.) bee pollen (RBP) is a functional food rich in nutrients obtained by worker bees collecting rape pollen and mixing it with nectar and bee salivary enzymes. The study aimed to investigate the protective impact of RBP on renal tissue damage and modulating gut microbiota in diabetic rats. We established a diabetic model of rat via streptozotocin injection, then the rats were treated with RBP for 6 weeks. Results showed that RBP significantly suppressed fasting glucose, reduced oxidative stress and prevented renal pathological changes as well as renal function damage in diabetic rats. In addition, RBP reduced the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, C-reaction protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and IL-18), and the expression levels of transforming growth factor-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 in the kidney. Moreover, RBP supplementation also improved the gut microbial dysregulation in diabetic rats. Based on the results, RBP can improve kidney tissue damage in diabetic rats. This study will promote the development of RBP functional food.

In this study, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, HPLC-DAD detected phytochemicals, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential of methanolic and aqueous (as infusion) extracts of the medicinal plant, Anthocleista djalonensis (leaf and stem bark) collected from two locations, Mafiblé and Prikro, in Ivory Coast, were investigated. The ranges of total phenolic and flavonoid contents obtained were 14.17–46.95 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 2.96–34.76 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g, respectively. Antioxidant abilities in terms of radical scavenging, reducing and metal chelating activity of the extracts in different assays were as follows: DPPH (4.90–48.82 mg trolox equivalent [TE]/g), ABTS (21.05–81.89 mg TE/g), CUPRAC (29.54–122.33 mg TE/g), FRAP (17.53–94.06 mg TE/g) and metal chelating (10.09–28.49 mg EDTAE/g. The extracts of A. djalonensis collected from Mafiblé, especially those of stem bark, contained higher level of total bioactive contents compared to Prikro extracts, detected by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). Only the methanolic extracts irrespective of plant parts/location, showed inhibition against acetylcholinesterase (1.42–2.12 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g), while only the stem bark methanolic extract of A. djalonensis from Mafiblé was found to inhibit butyrylcholinesterase (0.65 mg GALAE/g). Thus, findings from this study could be useful for better application of the medicinal benefits from this plant.

Meat can be a pathogen vehicle, and its spoilage contributes to food insecurity. Besides the importance of adopting good hygienic practices to avoid meat contamination, several decontaminating strategies have been studied. This review discusses the mechanisms of action of organic acids and peracetic acid, the factors that affect their efficacy, and compiles information about their microbiological and sensorial effects on meat. Factors that affect their efficacy include the species of microorganisms, the acid-susceptibility within the same species, the initial contamination degree, the organic acid used and concentration, pH and volume of solutions, methods of application, contact time, steps of a flowchart where the treatment occurred and quantity of applications, site of carcass/meat treated and tissues composition, and combinations with other decontaminating treatments. Inspite of the amount of available data, the log reductions with their standard deviations and the temperature of solutions applied are rarely presented; and several studies lack information on the pH of the solutions. This strategy will be helpful for industries, contributing to enhanced food security and safety. However, studies for in loco validation must be performed before implementing these treatments.

The objective of this research was to encapsulate probiotic bacteria based on the protein matrix and investigate the influences on the survival of probiotic bacteria during spray drying, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, heating, and storage. A probiotic isolate Bacillus coagulans BC01 was spray dried in whey protein isolate (WPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), camel whey protein isolate, or sodium caseinate. Probiotic microcapsules fabricated using WPI obtained the highest survival during spray drying, NaCl and paraxin challenges and storage, as less cell wall damage occurred during spray drying which could be observed by flow cytometer. However, the highest survivals during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and thermal treatment were found in microcapsules with SPI matrix, which could be attributed to its relatively low solubility in water that prevented probiotics from being released prematurely, thus protecting probiotics from the damage of low pH environment and diminishing the direct contact of cells with external heat shock. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that WPI-based probiotic microcapsules with less cell wall damage during processing and SPI-based probiotic microcapsules with relatively low solubility may provide better protection to adverse external environments.