Plant Foods for Human Nutrition最新文献

Broccoli is commonly consumed as food and as medicine. However, comprehensive metabolic profiling of two broccoli varieties, Romanesco broccoli (RB) and purple broccoli (PB), in relation to their anticholinergic activity has not been fully disclosed. A total of 110 compounds were tentatively identified using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS metabolomics. Distinctively different metabolomic profiles of the two varieties were revealed by principal component analysis (PCA). Furthermore, by volcano diagram analysis, it was found that PB had a significantly higher content of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and glucosinolates, indicating the different beneficial health potentials of PB that demonstrated higher antioxidant and anticholinergic activities. Moreover, Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed 18 metabolites, mainly phenolic and sulfur compounds, as the main bioactive. The binding affinity of these biomarkers to the active sites of acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase enzymes was further validated using molecular docking studies. Results emphasize the broccoli significance as a functional food and nutraceutical source and highlight its beneficial effects against Alzheimer’s disease.

This study delves into the transformative effects of atmospheric cold plasma (CP) treatment on little millet flour (LMF), specifically exploring alterations in bioactive compounds, antinutritional factors, and functional properties. Foaming and emulsification properties experienced noteworthy enhancements with plasma treatment, manifesting in significant increases in foaming capacity (up to 51.47 ± 0.49%), foaming stability, emulsification ability, and emulsion stability (up to 47.02 ± 0.35%). The treatment also positively influenced water absorption index and swelling power. Antinutritional factors, including tannins and saponins, exhibited substantial reductions following plasma treatment. Saponin content, for instance, decreased by an impressive 58% after exposure to 20 kV for 20 min. Conversely, bioactive compounds such as phenolic content and antioxidant activity saw significant increases. Total phenolic content (TPC) rose from 527.54 ± 8.94 to 575.82 ± 3.58 mg GAE/100 g, accompanied by a remarkable 59% boost in antioxidant activity. Interestingly, plasma treatment did not exhibit a discernible effect on pasting properties. These findings collectively underscore the potential of atmospheric CP treatment as a novel and effective method for enhancing the functional and nutritional attributes of LMF, thereby opening new avenues for its application in food science and technology.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are formed within the body as a part of normal metabolism and are also the by-products of cooking food. The elevated levels of AGEs in the body are considered pathogenic. The modern diets contain high levels of AGEs which are getting incorporated into the body AGEs pool and contribute to post-diabetic and age-related complications. The objective of the present study is to estimate the cross-linked AGEs (AGE-fluorescence) and the more stable carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) by spectrofluorimetry and ELISA in 58 kinds of foods in India. It was evident from the results that the foods cooked at higher temperatures showed high levels of AGEs. Among the studied foods, the highest fluorescence was observed in Biscuits 2 (362 AU), and the highest level of carboxymethyl lysine (CML) was found in Soya milk (659.3 ng/g). However, there was less correlation between the AGE-fluorescence and the CML content of the food samples. Processed food such as tomato sauce, chilli sauce, and cheese, along with western foods like chicken nuggets, pizza, and biscuits like Biscuits 2, are known to contain high levels of AGEs. In the present study a preliminary database of AGE-fluorescence and CML content of 58 foods was developed, which is the first attempt among Indian foods. Furthermore, elaborated database can be developed including maximum consumed foods in India which will help in suggesting a better diet for the diabetic population.

This study focused on studying the bioaccesible phenolic compounds (PCs) from yellow pea flour (F) and protein isolate (I). Total phenolic contents (TPC), PCs composition and antioxidant activities were analysed in ethanol 60% extracts obtained by applying ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE, 15 min/40% amplitude). The preparation of I under alkaline conditions and the elimination of some soluble components at lower pH produced a change of PCs profile and antioxidant activity. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID) of both ingredients to obtain the digests FD and ID, notable changes in the PCs concentration and profiles could be demonstrated. FD presented a higher ORAC activity than ID (IC₅₀ = 0.022 and 0.039 mg GAE/g dm, respectively), but lower ABTS^•+ activity (IC₅₀ = 0.8 and 0.3 mg GAE/g dm, respectively). After treatment with cholestyramine of extracts from FD and ID in order to eliminate bile salts and obtain the bioaccesible fractions FD_b and ID_b, ROS scavenging in H₂O₂-induced Caco2-TC7 cells was evaluated, registering a greater activity for ID respect to FD (IC₅₀ = 0.042 and 0.017 mg GAE/mL, respectively). These activities could be attributed to the major bioaccesible PCs: OH-tyrosol, polydatin, trans-resveratrol, rutin, (-)-epicatechin and (-)-gallocatechin gallate for FD; syringic (the most concentrated) and ellagic acids, trans-resveratrol, and (-)-gallocatechin gallate for ID, but probably other compounds such as peptides or amino acids can also contribute.

Kombucha is a unique fermented beverage made from a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria. Kombucha is normally based on black tea added to water, then sugar is added as a substrate for fermentation in this beverage. This unique beverage is composed of amino acids, flavonoids, vitamins, and some active enzymes. Several beneficial health effects such as antioxidant, antimicrobial effects have been reported as a result of probiotics and prebiotics presence. These health effects of kombucha are attributed to its bioactive chemical and biological agents of probiotics bacteria e.g., Gluconobacter, Acetobacter and yeasts like Saccharomyces sps., along with glucuronic acid as the main sources of the health protection. This review focuses on the beneficial effects of Kombucha including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer antidiabetic properties, as well as liver protection, treat of gastrointestinal problems, AIDS, gastric ulcers, obesity (and energy production), detoxification, and skin health.

Metabolites of the edible and medicinal plant Arctium have been shown to possess beneficial activities. The phytochemical profile of Arctium lappa is well-explored and its fruits are known to contain mainly lignans, fatty acids, and sterols. But the fruits of other Arctium species have not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study compares the metabolic profiles of the fruits of A. lappa, Arctium tomentosum, and Arctium minus. Targeted metabolomics led to the putative identification of 53 metabolites in the fruit extracts, the majority of these being lignans and fatty acids. Quantification of the major lignans showed that the year of collection had a significant effect on the lignan content. Furthermore, A. lappa fruits contained lesser amounts of arctigenin but greater amounts of arctigenin glycoside than A. minus fruits. Regarding the profile of fatty acids, A. minus fruits differed from the others in the presence of linolelaidic acid.

Graphical Abstract

Grapes present recognized beneficial effects on human health due to their polyphenolic composition. The grape overproduction together with the wine sales down and the world socioeconomic situation makes the wine grape valorization a promising strategy to give an added-value to this natural product. The objective of the present work was to study the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic profile of skin and seed extracts of different grape varieties (Tempranillo, Graciano, Maturana tinta and Hondarrabi zuri). After in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, total phenolic content (TPC) of seed polyphenolic extracts decreased significantly for all the varieties. The highest decrease was for Tempranillo going from 108 ± 9 to 50 ± 3 mg / g dry matter (dm). This variety also showed the highest decrease of 90% in antioxidant capacity. However, for all the skin polyphenolic extracts there was an increase in TPC. The highest variation was also for Tempranillo. It varied from 10.1 ± 0.8 to 55.1 ± 0.9 mg / g dm. Among red varieties Tempranillo skin polyphenolic extract showed the lowest undigested anthocyanin content but the highest bioaccessibility index (BI) of 77%. For flavanols, flavonols and procyanidins the seed polyphenolic extracts showed a BI at the intestinal phase between 11% for (+)-epicatechin gallate to 130% procyanidin A2. The results of this study suggest that grape skin extracts and grape seed extracts are a reliable source of bioaccessible antioxidant polyphenols, to be used for the development of antioxidant supplements with specific functionalities depending on the grape variety.

The industry has increasingly explored the development of foods with functional properties, where supplementation with probiotics and bioactive compounds has gained prominence. In this context, the study aimed to evaluate the influence of in vitro biological digestion on the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities of probiotic yogurt supplemented with the lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis R7 and red guava extract (Psidium cattleianum). A yogurt containing L. lactis R7 (0.1%) and red guava extract (4%) was characterized for the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and potential for inhibition of digestive enzymes after a simulated in vitro digestion process. After digestion, the caffeic and hydroxybenzoic acids remained, and sinapic acid only in the last digestive phase. Antioxidant activity decreased during digestion by 28.93, 53.60, and 27.97% for DPPH, nitric oxide and hydroxyl radicals, respectively, and the inhibition of the α-amylase enzyme decreased only 4.01% after the digestion process. α-glucosidase was more efficient in intestinal digestion, demonstrating an increase of almost 50% in probiotic yogurt with red guava extract before digestion. Possibly, the phenolics change their conformation during digestion, generating new compounds, reducing antioxidant activity, and increasing the inhibitory activity of α-glucosidase digestive enzymes. It was concluded that the probiotic yogurt formulation supplemented with red guava extract could interfere with the concentration of phenolic compounds and the formation of new compounds, suggesting a positive and effective inhibition of the digestive enzymes, even after the digestive process.

Global population growth poses a threat to sustainable development. Meanwhile, the use of plant proteins as healthy and sustainable alternatives to animal proteins needs further research. Therefore, this investigation was designed to study the nutritive, structural, and thermal properties of isolated protein fractions from different legumes, i.e., faba bean (FPI), soybean (SPI), and lupine (LPI). As a prospective plant-based protein powder, an equal mixture (MPI) of the three prior legume samples was formulated to study its properties compared to each sole sample. The alkaline extraction and isoelectric precipitation (AE-IP) technique was used for protein isolation. Results showed that all protein isolates had reasonable levels of protein with maximum protein content in SPI (96.15%). The MPI sample, however, came out on top in terms of amino acid profile followed by FBI. Compared to SPI and LPI, it had the highest isoleucine content and higher methionine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, and lysine. Moreover, MPI showed a median particle charge (-37.1 mV) compared to FPI, SPI, and LPI samples. MPI sample peak showed resistance to heat denaturation at a temperature greater than 200 °C when the DSC test was conducted. With respect to its rheological characteristics, it outperformed the other three protein isolates and exhibited the highest values of storage modulus G' and loss modulus G". Consequently, our study suggests that pulse-derived protein isolate mixture can be used as a unique type of nutritious dietary protein supplement. It could be a good nutritional alternative to proteins derived from animals.

Soybean-based fermented foods are commonly consumed worldwide, especially in Asia. These fermented soy-products are prepared using various strains of Bacillus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Aspergillus. The microbial action during fermentation produces and increases the availability of various molecules of biological significance, such as isoflavones, bioactive peptides, and dietary fiber. These dietary bio active compounds are also found to be effective against the metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In parallel, soy isoflavones such as genistein, genistin, and daidzin can also contribute to the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic mechanisms, by decreasing insulin resistance and oxidative stress. The said activities are known to lower the risk of CVD, by decreasing the fat accumulation and hyperlipidemia in the body. In addition, along with soy-isoflavones fermented soy foods such as Kinema, Tempeh, Douchi, Cheonggukjang/Chungkukjang, and Natto are also rich in dietary fiber (prebiotic) and known to be anti-dyslipidemia, improve lipolysis, and lowers lipid peroxidation, which further decreases the risk of CVD. Further, the fibrinolytic activity of nattokinase present in Natto soup also paves the foundation for the possible cardioprotective role of fermented soy products. Considering the immense beneficial effects of different fermented soy products, the present review contextualizes their significance with respect to their anti-obesity, anti-diabetic and cardioprotective roles.