Effects of garlic-derived fructan and oligofructose mixtures on intestinal health and constipation relief in mice.

BACKGROUND: Garlic polysaccharides (GPs) constitute over 75% of the dry weight of garlic. They are characterized by fructan with a 2,1-ß-d-Fruf backbone and 2,6-ß-d-Fruf branches. Studies have suggested a role for GPs in regulating gut microbiota but whether they possess a comprehensive function in maintaining intestinal well-being and can serve as effective prebiotics remains unknown. To explore this, varied doses of GPs (1.25-5.0 g kg-1 body weight) and inulin (as a positive control) were administered to Kunming mice via gavage, and their effects on the intestinal epithelial, chemical, and biological barriers were assessed. A constipation model was also established using loperamide to investigate the potential effects of GPs on the relief of constipation. RESULTS: Administration of GPs significantly upregulated expression of tight-junction proteins and mucins in Kunming mouse small-intestine tissue. Garlic polysaccharides elevated cecal butyric acid content, reduced the abundance of Desulfobacterota, and decreased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (the F/B ratio). Garlic polysaccharides also promoted the growth of Bacteroides acidifaciens and Clostridium saccharogumia. Tax4Fun functional predictions suggested the potential of GPs to prevent human diseases, reducing the risk of insulin resistance, infectious diseases, and drug resistance. Garlic polysaccharides also exhibited a beneficial effect in alleviating loperamide-induced constipation symptoms by enhancing small intestinal transit, softening stool consistency, accelerating bowel movements, and promoting the release of excitatory neurotransmitters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the important role of GPs in maintaining gut fitness by enhancing intestinal barrier function and peristalsis. Garlic polysaccharides are promising prebiotics, potentially contributing to overall intestinal well-being and health. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antioxidants Discovery for Differentiation of Monofloral Stingless Bee Honeys Using Ambient Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Approaches.

Stingless bee honey (SBH) is a natural, sweet product produced by stingless bees (Meliponini tribe) that has been used as a traditional medicine to treat various illnesses. It has been shown that SBH has high nutritional value and health-promoting properties due to the presence of plant bioactive compounds from different botanical flora of the foraged nectar. In this study, the antioxidant activities of seven monofloral honeys from acacia, agarwood, coconut, dwarf mountain pine (DMP), Mexican creeper (MC), rubber, and starfruit botanical origins were investigated. The antioxidant properties of SBH studied had a range from 19.7 to 31.4 mM TE/mg for DPPH assays, 16.1 to 29.9 mM TE/mg for ABTS assays, 69.0 to 167.6 mM TE/mg for ORAC assays, and 45.5 to 89.3 mM Fe2+/mg for FRAP assays. Acacia honey showed the highest level of antioxidant properties. The models built from mass spectral fingerprints from direct ambient mass spectrometry showed distinct clusters of SBH by botanical origin and correlated with the antioxidant properties. An untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics approach was undertaken to identify the antioxidant compounds that could explain the unique antioxidant and compositional profiles of the monofloral SBH by its botanical origin. The antioxidants that were identified predominantly consisted of alkaloids and flavonoids. Flavonoid derivatives, which are potent antioxidants, were found to be key markers of acacia honey. This work provides the fundamental basis for the identification of potential antioxidant markers in SBH associated with the botanical origin of the foraged nectar.

Effect of fermentation on the antioxidant properties and phenolic compounds of Bambangan (Mangifera pajang) fruit.

The study aimed to determine the antioxidant activities and phenolic compounds of Bambangan (Mangifera pajang), a type of wild fruit belongs to the family of Anacardiaceae during fermentation at room (28 °C) and elevated temperature (35 °C). The antioxidant capacity was estimated based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picyrlhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, ferric-ion-reducing power (FRAP), 2,2´-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation assay and oxygen-radical absorbing capacity (ORAC). A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify the phenolic compounds. Samples of bambangan fermented at 35 °C achieved the highest FRAP (141.42 mM Fe(II)/g extract) and ABTS values (5.00 mmol TE/g) within the first six days as compared to the samples fermented at room temperature (28 °C), which required 10 days to achieve the highest FRAP and ABTS values. No significant difference was found (p > 0.05) on the antioxidant activity of the samples that were kept at prolonged fermentation and storage. The total phenolic content (TPC) increased throughout the fermentation with the highest value of 44.69 ± 0.01 mg GAE/g. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, vanillin, ρ -coumaric acid and rutin are the major phenolic compounds identified in the fermented product. The results suggested that the antioxidant capacity of bambangan is affected by the fermentation temperature and the fermented product could be a source of antioxidants.

A Review on Nutrients, Phytochemicals, and Health Benefits of Green Seaweed, Caulerpa lentillifera.

Caulerpa lentillifera is a type of green seaweed widely consumed as a fresh vegetable, specifically in Southeast Asia. Interestingly, this green seaweed has recently gained popularity in the food sector. Over the last two decades, many studies have reported that C. lentillifera is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds that contribute many health benefits. On the other hand, there is currently hardly any article dedicated specifically to C. lentillifera regarding nutritional composition and recent advancements in its potential health benefits. Hence, this study will summarise the findings on the nutritional content of C. lentillifera and compile recently discovered beneficial properties throughout the past decade. From the data compiled in this review paper, it can be concluded that the nutrient and phytochemical profile of C. lentillifera differs from one region to another depending on various external factors. As a result, this paper will offer researchers the groundwork to develop food products based on C. lentillifera. The authors of this paper are hopeful that a more systematic review could be done in the future as currently, existing data is still scarce.

Banana by-products: an under-utilized renewable food biomass with great potential.

Banana (Musaceae) is one of the world's most important fruit crops that is widely cultivated in tropical countries for its valuable applications in food industry. Its enormous by-products are an excellent source of highly valuable raw materials for other industries by recycling agricultural waste. This prevents an ultimate loss of huge amount of untapped biomass and environmental issues. This review discusses extensively the breakthrough in the utilization of banana by-products such as peels, leaves, pseudostem, stalk and inflorescence in various food and non-food applications serving as thickening agent, coloring and flavor, alternative source for macro and micronutrients, nutraceuticals, livestock feed, natural fibers, and sources of natural bioactive compounds and bio-fertilizers. Future prospects and challenges are the important key factors discussed in association to the sustainability and feasibility of utilizing these by-products. It is important that all available by-products be turned into highly commercial outputs in order to sustain this renewable resource and provide additional income to small scale farming industries without compromising its quality and safety in competing with other commercial products.

Activity-guided fractionation and evaluation of potent antioxidants from extract of angel wings mushroom, Pleurotus porrigens (higher Basidiomycetes).

Pleurotus porrigens is a well-known edible, wild mushroom enjoyed as a delicacy by aborigines in Sabah and as source of income for the aborigines who collect and sell them at tamu (local market). This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity in vitro and identify potent antioxidative components of aqueous extracts of P. porrigens. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging ability, ABTS radical cation inhibition activity, ferric reducing/antioxidant power, and total phenolic content. Activity-guided purifications based on DPPH radical scavenging ability resulted in 5 subfractions (SF). The highest DPPH radical scavenging ability was found in SF-III and SF-IV, but all were lower than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and α-tocopherol. Analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detectors found presence of ascorbic acid and (+)-catechin in SFs of P. porrigens, as well as some unidentified components that may have contributed to the radical scavenging ability. In conclusion, aqueous extract of P. porrigens possesses promising antioxidant activities, although they are lesser in their partially purified SFs. Nonetheless, P. porrigens could be promoted as an antioxidant-rich food as part of a normal diet that provides antioxidative benefit.

Optimization of extraction time and temperature on antioxidant activity of Schizophyllum commune aqueous extract using response surface methodology.

Central composite design of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extraction time (X 1 : 99.5-290.5 min) and temperature (X 2 : 30.1-54.9 °C) of Schizophyllum commune aqueous extract with high antioxidant activities and total phenolic content (TPC). Results indicated that the data were adequately fitted into four second-order polynomial models. The extraction time and temperature were found to have significant linear, quadratic and interaction effects on antioxidant activities and TPC. The optimal extraction time and temperature were: 290.5 min and 35.7 °C (DPPH(•) scavenging ability); 180.7 min and 41.7 °C (ABTS(•+) inhibition ability); 185.2 min and 42.4 °C (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP); 290.5 min and 40.3 °C (TPC). These optimum conditions yielded 85.10%; 94.31%; 0.74 mM Fe(2+) equivalent/100 g; 635.76 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, respectively. The yields of antioxidant activities and TPC obtained experimentally were close to its predicted values. The establishment of such model provides a good experimental basis employing RSM for optimizing the extraction time and temperature on antioxidants from S. commune aqueous extract.

Oxidative stability of sunflower oil supplemented with medicinal split gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune Fr.:Fr. extract during accelerated storage.

The oxidative stability of sunflower oil supplemented with medicinal split gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune's crude extract (CE), the formic acid (FA) fraction and semipurified subfractions (SF) II and IV were tested, compared to BHA and alpha-tocopherol, by measuring their peroxide value, iodine value, p-anisidine value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and free fatty acid content. Their total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) were also evaluated. FA and CE exhibited highest DPPH* scavenging, while FA and SFIV showed the highest FRAP; TPC was found to be highest in CE, FA, and SFIV. BHA and alpha-tocopherol are more protective in stabilizing the sunflower oil; SFII and SFIV had short-term protective effect in secondary oxidation for 1 year, while CE and FA retarded secondary oxidation and extended the shelf life 1 1/2 years and 2 years, respectively. HPLC-DAD analysis found (+)-catechin in Sch. commune's extracts. Sch. commune's extracts did not show similar retardation of lipid oxidation in sunflower oil as compared to alpha-tocopherol and BHA at the 200 ppm level. However, the higher concentration of Sch. commune's extract that provided the protective effect in stabilizing sunflower oil can be further studied.

Comparative study of antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of selected edible wild mushrooms.

The present study aims to assess the antioxidant activities (AOA) and total phenolic content (TPC) of water extracts of selected edible wild mushrooms: Pleurotus porrigens, Schizophyllum commune, Hygrocybe conica, and Lentinus ciliatus. The AOA were evaluated against DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation scavenging ability, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and beta-carotene-linoleate bleaching (beta-CB) assays, and the Folin-Ciocalteu method for TPC. BHA was used as reference. P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability (90.78 +/- 0.30%) and FRAP (6.37 +/- 0.22 mM FE/100g), while Sch. commune showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) ABTS*+ inhibition activity (94.96 +/- 0.70%) and beta-CB inhibition activity (94.18 +/- 0.17%), respectively. TPC was found in a descending order of P. poriggens > L. ciliatus = Pleurotus ostreatus (cultivated) > H. conica = Sch. commune. Positive correlation was observed between the AOA and TPC. When compared to BHA (2 mM), P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability and reducing power, while Sch. commune showed comparable DPPH* scavenging ability and ABTS*+ inhibition activity. All the mushrooms have better ABTS*+ inhibition activity than BHA (1 mM). The beta-CB inhibition activity of BHA was significantly higher than those of edible wild mushrooms. The water extracts of edible wild mushrooms showed potent antioxidant activities compared to BHA to a certain extent.