Food Hydrocolloids for Health最新文献

Cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) is a toxic compound found as a pollutant in the environment due to agricultural and industrial sources. Exposure to Cd²⁺ is known to promote malignant tumors such as lung cancer and leukemia. While the current medications for cadmium toxicity focus on treatments to promote the excretion from the body, treatments to improve health after cadmium exposure are less well studied. Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is a polysaccharide derived from citrus peels that has been shown to induce natural killer cell activity in myeloid leukemia cells and also act as a natural chelation agent to help excrete toxic metals from healthy human subjects. We hypothesized that MCP might have a counteracting effect against CdCl₂ toxicity through cancer-related pathways. This study investigates the effects of MCP on CdCl₂ toxicity in C. elegans, which shares a number of cancer-related pathways with mammals. The results indicated that MCP was able to significantly counter the toxic effects of CdCl₂ on C. elegans lifespan and development. Our studies suggest that the beneficial effects of MCP may result from its ability to mitigate the effects of CdCl₂ on gene expression, particularly in conserved pathways associated with apoptosis, tumor induction and suppression and inflammation-related pathways.

Mycotoxins are widely present in maize, a favourite staple food in sub-Saharan Africa. Food processing methods, like fermentation, have been suggested as potential ways to reduce mycotoxin contamination levels in the grain and, as a result, limit the exposure of crop consumers to the harmful effects of the toxins. The influence of four traditional fermentation processes [cold (with changed steeping liquor (CSL) and unchanged steeping liquor (USL), Fon and Goun procedures] on the mycotoxin reduction and metabolites profile of ogi, a fermented maize product, was studied. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography linked to high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HR-TOF-MS) were respectively employed for the mycotoxin and metabolite profiles analyses of the samples. Among the nine mycotoxins detected in the raw maize samples, aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) + fumonisin B₂ (FB₂) concentrations were found to exceed the European Union (EU) maximum limit. Both cold (containing USL and CSL) and Goun fermentation techniques were able to lower the AFB₁ concentration below this threshold. The metabolomics result revealed that ogi produced using the cold (USL) and Fon fermentation processes had the highest number of most of the detected important compounds, whereas the Goun fermentation process produced the fewest compounds in total. There was no statistically significant difference in the ability of the specified natural fermentation processes to lower FB₁, FB₂, FB₃, deoxynivalenol (DON), sterigmatocystin (STERIG), and zearalenone concentrations in maize (ZEN). In addition, the results demonstrated that the four natural fermentation processes evaluated had varying effects.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are produced by microorganisms and can serve as crucial immunomodulatory agents. However, their effectiveness in regulating inflammatory cytokines and inducing remission of ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic and non-specific inflammatory ailment that affects around 5 million adults worldwide, remains largely unknown. The objective of this study was to conduct a thorough analysis and evaluation of the effects of exopolysaccharides on the immune system in animals with ulcerative colitis in randomized preclinical trials. The literature was performed according to the protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022348361) and PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, LiLacs, ScieLo, Cochrane and TripDatabase databases were reviewed for randomized preclinical studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria defined between January 2013 and July 2022. Methodological quality was assessed by SYRCLE “Risk of Bias” (RoB) and meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.3 software using a random effects model. A total of six studies met the inclusion criteria and were at low risk of bias. Meta-analysis showed that EPS significantly decreased both pro-inflammatory cytokines: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (SMD= -375.31, 95% CI (-628.23–122.39), p= 0.004); Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (SMD= -144.19, 95% CI (-261–26.54) p= 0.02); Interleukin-6 (IL-6) (SMD= -481.78, CI 95% (-771.00–192.56) p=0.001), how to recover colon length (SMD: 9.24, CI 95 % (4.38 - 14.09), p = 0.0002) and disease activity index (DAI) (SMD: -13.29, 95% CI(-19.04–7.55), p=0.00001), while they showed no effects against the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 (SDM: 683.59, 95% CI (-86.41-1453.60, p = 0.08) and IL-4 (SMD: 16.05, CI 95% (-52.27-84.37), p=0.65). The meta-analysis results indicated that EPS could be an alternative or adjuvant treatment for UC, mainly regulating of pro-inflammatory agents. However, studies of intracellular signaling are needed to offer more elucidative evidence.

The Australian native plant, lemon-scented tea tree (LSTT) is rich in polyphenols with strong antioxidant activities. Encapsulation enhances the potential applications of plant extracts and additionally protects them from degradation. The encapsulating agent is one of the key elements in the encapsulation process. In this study, lemon pomace powder (LPP) was investigated as a new carrier agent for LSTT leaf phenolic extract, and its performance was compared with the commonly used polysaccharide (i.e., maltodextrin (MD)) and protein-based (i.e., soy protein isolate (SPI)) coating materials. The encapsulation efficiency, colour, polyphenol and antioxidant property retention, particle morphology, crystallinity, flow properties, and release behaviour in food simulants and gastrointestinal fluid were studied to compare the performance of the carrier agents individually and in combinations. The encapsulation efficiency of lemon pomace powder (LPP) was above 95 % and the order for the retention of polyphenol and antioxidant capacities were MD>LPP>SPI. LPP offers better flow properties and unique particle morphology, which was also amorphous in nature with some degree of crystallinity. The release profile in the food simulants showed a controlled and sustained release rate over the tested period, which was comparable with MD and SPI. In gastrointestinal fluids, the percent release followed the order of SPI>LPP>MD for the carrier agents. The incorporation of LPP with MD and SPI can improve several properties of the individual carrier agents. Thus, LPP can be used as a potential carrier agent for polyphenols in functional food formulation either on its own or in combination with other coating materials.

Babies born to mothers suffering from gonorrhea may experience severe eye infections that might culminate in loss of vision. The eyes of the neonate can are infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, during birth. The primary goal of the study was to develop a stable aqueous ion-activated polymeric solution with clinically useful amounts of fatty acid-based monocaprin and a polymeric mixture of two commonly employed edible polysaccharide, sodium alginate and gellan gum. Monocaprin is an antibacterial agent against the treatment of gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum, which was successfully formulated as an ion-activated in-situ gel-forming ophthalmic solution. The absence of drug-polymer interaction was confirmed from the FTIR study. The gelling capacity confirmed pH dependent (pH 7.2–7.4) sol-to-gel transition at 37°C±0.5°C. Formulation C4 was selected as the best formulation because it exhibited clear appearance, pH, good gelling capacity, optimum viscosity, 96.4% in-vitro drug release up to 11h. Formulation C4 also exhibited 96.6% drug release after 12h using goat cornea. The study results demonstrated remarkable enhancement in corneal permeation of in-situ gel in contrast to conventional eye drops. Sterility results showed no evidence of bacterial growth after 14 days in different media. The developed monocaprin incorporated sodium alginate and gellan gum based in situ gel formulation showed promising results with increased ocular residence and enhanced corneal permeability.

Background

Plant-based fermented foods rich in lactic acid bacterial metabolites, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, can promote recovery from ethanol-induced liver damage by restoring liver antioxidant levels and suppressing liver inflammation, and improving certain metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus.

Methods

In the present study, the protective effects of nutraceutical-enriched lactic acid-fermented Amla beverage on chronic alcohol-induced biochemical modulations and diabetes in Wistar rats were investigated.

Results

The hepatoprotective studies showed that the fermented beverage was able to reverse the damage caused to the liver with ethanol administration in terms of liver index, liver enzymes (AST, ALT), serum enzymes (g-GT), and serum TG, TCH, hepatic TG, LPO levels, antioxidants (GSH, TSOD, CAT, GSH-Px). Along similar lines, in the hypoglycemic studies, the fermented beverage evidently improved body weight, and fasting blood glucose levels, reducing fasting HbAlc levels, improving C-peptide and GLP-1 levels, and alleviating renal dysfunction and lipid metabolism compared with diabetic rats. All these outcomes were supported by histological observations within the liver and pancreas.

Conclusion

The present study suggests that the consumption of fermented Amla beverage may have a protective effect against chronic alcohol-induced toxicity and diabetes. The effects of fermented Amla beverage may be attributed to antioxidant activity, flavonoids, bioactive compounds produced by LAB and their metabolites, which help to counteract free radicals induced by ethanol and in reducing glucagon levels, enhancing glucose utilization, leading to a decrease in blood glucose. The results show that fermented Amla beverage has positive effects in reducing the detrimental effect of alcohol and diabetes.

Food fortification can be a solution to anemia in developing countries. A previous study determined that the combination of spray drying, hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose as wall material, and maltodextrin as bulk material, encapsulated iron gluconate achieved the highest bioavailability. However, the addition of vitamin B12 to the hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose/maltodextrin capsules increased the iron cell uptake over the previously reported results. The cell viability, the number of live, healthy cells in a sample, of HepG2, human liver cancer cells, increases by about 17% for dual-encapsulated iron gluconate and vitamin b12. The cell uptake in Caco2, human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, is higher by 25% when using encapsulated iron and vitamin b12 compared to encapsulated iron. The strength of dual-encapsulated iron and vitamin b12 is also confirmed in in-vivo studies. Once fully anemic, young female rats eating food with encapsulated iron gluconate and vitamin b12, show the fastest recovery with respect to rats eating food with encapsulated iron and pure iron. The first needed only five days for their hemoglobulin values to return to normal. The second and the third needed 15 and 21 days, respectively.

The present work demonstrates the effect of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) (2 mm Orifice plate) as a pretreatment for egg white protein hydrolysates (EWPH) production. The obtained EWPH was evaluated for various physiochemical (degree of hydrolysis), functional (emulsifying, foaming), structural and nutritional properties (antioxidant activity and in-vitro digestibility). The egg white solutions (5% solid content) were pretreated for 10, 15 and 20 min with HC and later hydrolyzed using papain enzyme for 90 min. The structural analysis revealed that HC unfolded the protein structure which was confirmed through the formation of β-sheet (from 15 to 46%) and loss of α-helix (34 to 14%) content with increasing treatment time. Through the exposure of hydrophobic bonds, the degree of hydrolysis and surface hydrophobicity increased, which eventually improved the nutritional and functional properties of EWPH. The HC-15 min treated samples had the highest zeta potential (-25.4 mV) with the lowest average particle size (346.5 nm) and denaturation temperature (70.67°C). Further increase in treatment time led to instability of hydrolysates. HC effectively improved the functional and nutritional properties of EWPH and a treatment time of 15 min is recommended for obtaining EWPH with improved properties.

Cooked rice has high starch digestibility. Prolonged and excess consumption of polished rice has been associated with the incidence of diabetes amongst rice eating populations. Therefore, researchers are working on extensively to devise strategies that could retard digestion of cooked rice. Keeping this fact into consideration, four rice cultivars (SR-4, K-39, Mushq Budij and Zhag) grown in Kashmir were milled and cooked with varying concentrations (0, 2.5 and 5.0% w/w, rice basis) of karaya gum at different rice-water ratios (1:10 and 1:1.8). The prepared rice samples were evaluated for cooking and sensory properties, in-vitro digestibility and structural characteristics. Cooking of rice with karaya gum (2.5–5.0%) at large rice-water ratio (1:10) increased minimum cooking time (19.0–25.0 min) and water uptake ratio (3.23–4.69) of samples. Also, rice cooked in excess water had better sensory acceptability scores than those cooked in less water. At large rice-water ratio, Zhag rice prepared with karaya gum (2.5%) had acceptable hardness and flavour scores. With increase in gum concentration, the equilibrium starch hydrolysis percentage (C_∞) and estimated glycemic index (eGI) scores of cooked rice decreased, irrespective of cultivars and rice-water ratio. Maximum reduction in C_∞ was observed for Mushq Budij rice (85.20%) prepared with karaya gum (5.0%) at large rice-water ratio (1:10). Fourier transform infrared spectra of gum cooked rice samples revealed shifting of peak at 3250.0 cm⁻¹ to higher intensities indicating hydrogen bonding interaction of starch and gum. From X-ray diffraction studies, the highest relative crystallinity (16.20%) was observed for rice prepared with 5.0% gum concentration. Therefore, cooking of rice with karaya gum at large rice–water ratio can be considered to slow down starch hydrolysis process of cooked rice.

Zein nanoparticles (ZNPs) loaded with bioactive extracts of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) shell, cedar (Cedrus libani) and sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis) bark wastes were produced using different methods. Nanoprecipitation, high-speed homogenization and ultrasonic homogenization allowed the fabrication of ZNPs with particle sizes smaller than 202.40 nm, 430.25 nm and 325.50 nm, respectively. The smallest nanoparticle size was achieved at 132.81 nm for sweetgum bark extract-loaded ZNPs obtained by the nanoprecipitation method. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) was between 34.03 and 96.83% for all zein nanoparticles fabricated under different mixtures and process conditions. Zein concentration and extract ratio played an essential role in the EE of nanoparticles. The best conditions were determined to obtain the desired properties of ZNPs based on particle size, polydispersity index and EE by using a central composite rotatable design. The nanoprecipitation method was more appropriate for producing chestnut and cedar shell/bark extract-loaded nanoparticles. In contrast, the high-speed homogenization method was suitable for producing sweetgum bark extract-loaded nanoparticles. As a result of the encapsulation of various shell/bark extracts within zein nanoparticles, value-added products were generated from wastes having bioactive compounds. The developed zein nanoparticles for each extract type would offer eco-friendly, simple and safe food processing and packaging systems.