Effects of dietary phosphorus deficiency on the growth performance, hepatic lipid metabolism, and antioxidant capacity of Yellow River Carp Cyprinus carpio haematopterus.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of phosphorus (P) deficiency in diets on growth performance, hepatic lipid metabolism, and antioxidant capacity in Yellow River Carp Cyprinus carpio haematopterus. METHODS: In this study, 72 healthy experimental fish (initial weight = 12.0 ± 0.1 g [mean ± SE]) were randomly selected and distributed to two groups, with three replicates in each group. The groups were fed either a P-sufficient diet or a P-deficient diet for 8 weeks. RESULT: The P-deficient feed significantly decreased the specific growth rate, feed efficiency, and condition factor of Yellow River Carp. Fish that were fed the P-deficient feed demonstrated higher contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol (T-CHO), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the plasma and a higher T-CHO content in the liver compared to the P-sufficient diet group. In addition, the P-deficient diet significantly reduced the catalase activity level, decreased the glutathione content, and increased the malondialdehyde content in the liver and in the plasma. Furthermore, P deficiency in the diet significantly downregulated the messenger RNA expression of nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, whereas it upregulated the messenger RNA expression of tumor necrosis factor α and fatty acid synthase in the liver. CONCLUSION: Dietary P deficiency reduced fish growth performance, induced fat deposition and oxidative stress, and impaired liver health.

[Effect of transurethral thuliumlaser vapoenucleation of the prostate with low-power conventional pulse mode on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of a novel transurethral thulium laser vapoenucleation of the prostate with low-power conventional pulse mode (LP-ThuVEP) on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: 89 BPH patients admitted to Department of Urology, Jintan People's Hospital, Affiliated to Jiangsu University, from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected and randomly divided into the LP-ThuLEP group (45 cases) and the transurethral plasma kinetic resection of the prostate (TUPKRP) group (44 cases). Perioperative indicators were recorded, and the IPSS, Qmax, Qavg, PVR, and QoL of the two groups of patients before surgery and 3 months and 6 months after surgery were comparatively analyzed. The effect of surgery on male sexual function was evaluated through the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculatory Dysfunction (MSHQ-EjD) score. RESULTS: Compared with the TUPKRP group, the LP-ThuVEP group had no statistically significant difference in operation time (P>0.05), but there were statistical differences in bladder irrigation time and indwelling urinary catheter time (P<0.05) and significant statistical differences in the decrease in hemoglobin on the day of surgery and the disappearance time of gross hematuria induced by defecation after surgery (P<0.001). The perioperative complications of the two groups were comparable. Among the urinary tract symptom indicators, the LP-ThuVEP group had statistically significant differences in IPSS score, QoL score, and PVR compared with the TUPKRP group 3 months after surgery (P<0.05). In terms of male sexual function, there was a statistical difference in IIEF-5 scores between the two groups at 3 months and 6 months after surgery (P<0.05); Except that there was no statistical difference in the ejaculation-related satisfaction scores between the two groups at 3 months after surgery (P>0.05), there had all significant statistical differences in ejaculation function and satisfaction scores between and within the groups at 3 months and 6 months after surgery (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with TUPKRP, the LP-ThuVEP can also effectively relieve urinary tract obstruction caused by BPH and has the advantages of less damage and faster recovery of erectile function and ejaculatory function of patients.

Addition of Chlorella sorokiniana meal in the diet of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Influence on fish growth, gut histology, oxidative stress, immune response, and disease resistance against Aeromonas salmonicida.

This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary addition with Chlorella sorokiniana on fish growth, gut histology, antioxidant capacity, immune response, and disease resistance in rainbow trout. Three diets with similar proximate composition and different Chlorella meal levels were formulated. The control diet, 5% Chlorella diet, and 10% Chlorella diet contained 0%, 5% Chlorella meal, and 10% Chlorella meal, respectively. Each diet was assigned to triplicate tanks containing 30 fish (165.3 ± 0.6 g) in each tank. Fish were fed experimental diets for ninety days. The results showed that the addition of 5% Chlorella in the diet significantly increased feed intake by 19.3% and weight gain rate by 17.3% (P < 0.05) without affecting feed efficiency and gut histology. Diets containing Chlorella meal significantly decreased malonaldehyde contents in the plasma after the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with Chlorella meal significantly increased lysozyme (LZM) activity levels (in the head kidney) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) (in the head kidney) and complement component 3 (C3) (in the spleen) contents before the LPS challenge, and simultaneously increased LZM activity levels (in the plasma) and C3 contents (in the plasma and head kidney) after the LPS challenge (P < 0.05). Furthermore, dietary administration of Chlorella meal significantly increased the survival rate of fish infected with Aeromonas salmonicida (P < 0.05). In conclusion, C. sorokiniana can be used to improve fish growth, antioxidant capacity, and immunity.

Effect of glycosylation with apple pectin, citrus pectin, mango pectin and sugar beet pectin on the physicochemical, interfacial and emulsifying properties of coconut protein isolate.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of glycosylation with four different sources of pectin on the structural, interfacial and emulsifying properties of coconut protein isolate (CPI). The conjugates achieved the degree of graft of 59.11%, 52.80%, 41.39% and 39.26% for apple pectin, citrus pectin, mango pectin and sugar beet pectin, respectively. The covalent bonding of the conjugates was further confirmed by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis and FT-IR spectra. In addition, CD spectra exhibited that the conjugates had less α-helix and ß-sheet, and more random coil, resulting in more flexible and loose protein structure. Attributed to glycosylation and the strong steric hindrance effects of pectin, fluorescence intensity of the conjugates decreased significantly. Moreover, the solubility, soluble free sulfhydryl content, surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying activity and emulsifying stability of the conjugates improved significantly after glycosylation. The results of adsorption kinetics showed that glycosylation could increase interfacial pressure, adsorption and rearrangement rates of CPI at the oil-water interface. In summary, the glycosylation between CPI and the four different sources of pectin can significantly improve their emulsifying properties, in particular, citrus pectin and sugar beet pectin have more significant effects.

Whey protein isolate-gum Acacia Maillard conjugates as emulsifiers for nutraceutical emulsions: Impact of glycation methods on physicochemical stability and in vitro bioaccessibility of ß-carotene emulsions.

The physicochemical stability and in vitro bioaccessibility of ß-carotene emulsions stabilized by the whey protein isolate (WPI)-gum Acacia (GA) conjugates prepared by dry-heating (Con WPI (D)) and ultrasound (Con WPI (U)) Maillard reaction were investigated in this study. The conjugate-stabilized emulsions have a larger mean size than the WPI-stabilized emulsion. The stability of emulsions under freeze-thaw treatment, high ionic strength conditions, thermal treatment and pH conditions near the isoelectric point of WPI were improved by glycation. The chemical stability of ß-carotene in emulsions was also enhanced by WPI-GA conjugates. The WPI-GA conjugate-stabilized emulsions have better stability for droplet aggregation during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, which increased ß-carotene bioaccessibility. However, the Con WPI (U)-stabilized emulsion shows poor thermal stability and lower ß-carotene bioaccessibility than the Con WPI (D)-stabilized emulsion, which may be attributed to ultrasound-induced structural changes during the process of glycation.

Effects of Daily Iron Supplementation on Motor Development and Brain Connectivity in Preterm Infants: A Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Study.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to demonstrate the characteristic of motor development and MRI changes of related brain regions in preterm infants with different iron statuses and to determine whether the daily iron supplementation can promote motor development for preterm in early infancy. Methods: The 63 preterm infants were grouped into non-anemia with higher serum ferritin (NA-HF) group and anemia with lower serum ferritin (A-LF) group according to their lowest serum Hb level in the neonatal period as well as the sFer at 3 months old. Forty-nine participants underwent MRI scans and Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB) at their 3 months. At 6 months of corrected age, these infants received the assessment of Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS) after 2 mg/kg/day iron supplementation. Results: In total, 19 preterm infants were assigned to the NA-HF group while 44 preterm infants to the A-LF groups. The serum ferritin (sFer) level of the infants in A-LF group was lower than that in NA-HF group (44.0 ± 2.8 mg/L vs. 65.1 ± 2.8 mg/L, p < 0.05) and was with poorer scores of INFANIB (66.8 ± 0.9 vs. 64.4 ± 0.6, p < 0.05) at 3 months old. The structural connectivity between cerebellum and ipsilateral thalamus in the NA-HF group was significantly stronger than that in the A-LF group (n = 17, 109.76 ± 23.8 vs. n = 32, 70.4 ± 6.6, p < 0.05). The decreased brain structural connectivity was positively associated with the scores of PDMS (r = 0.347, p < 0.05). After 6 months of routine iron supplementation, no difference in Hb, MCV, MCHC, RDW, and sFer was detected between A-LF and NA-HF groups as well as the motor scores of PDMS-2 assessments. Conclusion: Iron status at early postnatal period of preterm infant is related to motor development and the enrichment of brain structural connectivity. The decrease in brain structural connectivity is related to the motor delay. After supplying 2 mg/kg of iron per day for 6 months, the differences in the iron status and motor ability between the A-LF and NA-HF groups were eliminated.

Dietary sodium butyrate supplementation attenuates intestinal inflammatory response and improves gut microbiota composition in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fed with a high soybean meal diet.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary sodium butyrate (NaBT) supplementation on the gut health of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fed with a high soybean meal diet. Three isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated: a high fishmeal group (Control); a high soybean meal group (SBM), in which the 30% fishmeal protein in the Control diet was replaced by soy protein; and an NaBT group, in which 0.2% NaBT was added to the SBM diet. Each diet was fed to triplicate tanks (20 fish in each tank). After 8 weeks of feeding trial, the distal intestine and intestinal digesta of the fish in each treatment were sampled. The results showed that fishmeal replacement and NaBT supplementation did not affect fish growth performance. Dietary 0.2% NaBT supplementation improved intestinal morphology, increasing the villus width and villus height and reducing the width of lamina propria. The distal intestine of fish in the control and NaBT groups demonstrated lower activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and a lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, compared with the fish in the SBM group. Moreover, the addition of 0.2% NaBT in the feed significantly decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) compared to the SBM diet. PCoA and UPGMA analyses based on weighted UniFrac distances demonstrated that intestinal microbial communities in the NaBT group were closer to those in the control group than to those in the SBM group. In addition, dietary 0.2% NaBT supplementation significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of Tenericutes at the phylum level. Furthermore, the abundance of Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae_unclassified, and Lachnospiraceae_uncultured was significantly increased, while that of Mycoplasma was significantly decreased in fish intestine at NaBT group at the genus level. In conclusion, dietary NaBT supplementation had beneficial roles in protecting the gut health of largemouth bass from the impairments caused by soybean meal.

Effect of Daily Iron Supplementation on Infantile Iron Homeostasis in Preterm Infants.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of unified iron supplementation and identify the factors related to the iron homeostasis among preterm infants. Method: A total of 250 preterm infants were divided into neonatal anemic (NA, n = 154) and non-neonatal anemic group (NNA, n = 96). Iron supplements at a dose of 2 mg/kg per day were given from 40 weeks' gestational age to 6 months. Iron status parameters were measured at 3 and 6 months, respectively. Prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and the correlated factors were analyzed. Growth and side-effects were monitored. Results: There were no significant differences for the prevalence of ID or IDA between the two groups. Multivariate regression analyses showed that higher Hb at birth and early treatment of blood transfusion reduced the risk of ID/IDA at 3 months (all p < 0.05); while higher level of Hb at 3 months (p = 0.004) and formula feeding reduced the occurrence of ID/IDA at 6 months (p < 0.05); males had a 3.35 times higher risk to develop ID/IDA than girls (p = 0.021). No differences in growth and side effects were found. Conclusion: A daily dose of 2 mg/kg iron supplement is beneficial to maintain iron homeostasis in majority preterm infants within 6 months regardless of their neonatal anemia history. Under the routine iron supplementation, Hb level at birth and at 3 months, early treatment of blood transfusion, gender and feeding patterns are the major factors affecting the prevalence of ID/IDA among preterm infants in infancy.

Study on the Relationship between Emulsion Properties and Interfacial Rheology of Sugar Beet Pectin Modified by Different Enzymes.

The contribution of rheological properties and viscoelasticity of the interfacial adsorbed layer to the emulsification mechanism of enzymatic modified sugar beet pectin (SBP) was studied. The component content of each enzymatic modified pectin was lower than that of untreated SBP. Protein and ferulic acid decreased from 5.52% and 1.08% to 0.54% and 0.13%, respectively, resulting in a decrease in thermal stability, apparent viscosity, and molecular weight (Mw). The dynamic interfacial rheological properties showed that the interfacial pressure and modulus (E) decreased significantly with the decrease of functional groups (especially proteins), which also led to the bimodal distribution of particle size. These results indicated that the superior emulsification property of SBP is mainly determined by proteins, followed by ferulic acid, and the existence of other functional groups also promotes the emulsification property of SBP.

Effect of glycosylation with sugar beet pectin on the interfacial behaviour and emulsifying ability of coconut protein.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of glycosylation with sugar beet pectin (SBP) on the interfacial behaviour and emulsifying ability of coconut protein (CP). The physical stabilities of the emulsions were predicted by transmission variation, droplet distribution and zeta potentials. The results showed that SBP-CP-stabilized emulsions showed better stability during centrifugation than those stabilized by CP because SBP-CP reduced the degree of variation in the CP transmission profile. The adsorption kinetics of all emulsifiers at the oil-water interface were determined to investigate the relationship between the interfacial behaviour and emulsion stability. The presence of SBP considerably reduced the adsorption rate of CP (0.698 mN/m/s1/2) and hampered the development of a highly viscoelastic network at the oil-water interface. The values of the dilatational elastic modulus (Ed = 19.477 mN/m) and dilatational viscous modulus (E = 19.719 mN/m) were approximately equal, indicating that the adsorption process was mainly dominated by elastic behaviour. Additionally, the SBP-CP interaction enhanced the dilatational property of the CP-absorbed layer.

Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein effectively protected numb-taste substance degradation of Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyl-sanshools are mainly responsible for the numb taste and biological activities of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, but they show low water solubility, high volatility and easy degradation, which limit their application in the catering and food industries. Thus microcapsules of Z. bungeanum essential oil (ZBEO) were prepared to prevent numb-taste substance attenuation. RESULTS: The complex effects of hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HPCD) with other materials, such as konjac glucomannan octenyl succinate (KGOS), octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch (OSAS), soy protein isolate (SPI) and gum arabic (GA), on the protection of the main numb-taste substance of ZBEO were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that ZBEO was successfully encapsulated in the complex wall materials. X-ray diffraction indicated that the loaded essential oil did not affect the crystalline form of the wall material. The stability of the numb-taste substance α-sanshool in the microcapsules prepared with the complex microcapsule wall materials was higher than that in single-wall microcapsules. Storage stability evaluation indicated that microcapsules prepared with a combination of HPCD and SPI showed the greatest effect in maintaining the stability of the main numb-taste substance α-sanshool in ZBEO at room temperature, low pH and in high-salt conditions. CONCLUSION: Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein could effectively protect the numb-taste substance degradation of Z. bungeanum during processing and storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Citrus pectin modified by microfluidization and ultrasonication: Improved emulsifying and encapsulation properties.

In this study, modified citrus pectin treated with a combination of microfluidization and ultrasonication was compared to the original and ultrasonication treated pectin on hydrodynamic diameter, molecular weight, polydispersity, zeta potential, apparent viscosity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), their emulsifying properties and encapsulation properties. Modified pectin treated with a combination of microfluidization and moderate ultrasonication (MUB) was found to have lowest hydrodynamic diameter (418 nm), molecular weight (237.69 kDa) and polydispersity (0.12), and relatively low apparent viscosity among all pectin samples. Furthermore, it showed significantly higher DPPH radical scavenging capacity than the original pectin although only slightly higher than that of ultrasonication treated one (UB). MUB showed a thin fibrous morphology and decreased degree of branching from SEM and AFM. Emulsion stabilized by MUB had highest centrifugal and thermal stability compared to emulsions stabilized by UB and the original pectin. This could be attributed to higher interfacial loading of MUB (17.90 mg/m2) forming more compact interfacial layer observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Moreover, both MUB and UB exhibited improved encapsulation functionality to protect cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) from UV degradation compared to the original pectin.

Comparative Metabolomic Analysis of Dendrobium officinale under Different Cultivation Substrates.

Dendrobium officinale, a precious herbal medicine, has been used for a long time in Chinese history. The metabolites of D. officinale, regarded as its effective components to fight diseases, are significantly affected by cultivation substrates. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was conducted to analyze D. officinale stems cultured in three different substrates: pine bark (PB), coconut coir (CC), and a pine bark: coconut coir 1:1 mix (PC). A total of 529 metabolites were identified. Multivariate statistical analysis methods were employed to analyze the difference in the content of metabolites extracted from different groups. By the criteria of variable importance in projection (VIP) value ≥1 and absolute log2 (fold change) ≥1, there were a total of 68, 51, and 57 metabolites, with significant differences in content across groups being filtrated out between PB and PC, PB and CC, and PC and CC, respectively. The comparisons among the three groups revealed that flavonoids were the metabolites that fluctuated most. The results suggested the D. officinale stems from the PB group possessed a higher flavonoid content. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the significantly regulated metabolites were mainly connected with flavonoid biosynthesis. A comprehensive profile of the metabolic differentiation of D. officinale planted in different substrates was provided, which supports the selection of an optimum cultivation substrate for a higher biomass yield of D. officinale.

Manothermosonication (MTS) treatment by a continuous-flow system: Effects on the degradation kinetics and microstructural characteristics of citrus pectin.

Modified pectin (MP) was reported to have increased bioactivities compared with the original one. However, traditional modification methods such as using an acidic solvent with heating are not only costly but causing severe pollution as well. In this study, manothermosonication (MTS) with a continuous-flow system was utilized to modify citrus pectin. The citrus pectin (5 g/L) treated by MTS (3.23 W/mL, 400 kPa, 45 °C) exhibited lower molecular weight (Mw, 248.17 kDa) and PDI (2.76). The pectin treated by MTS (400 KPa, 45 °C, 5 min) exhibited a narrower Mw distribution and lowered more Mw (48.8%) than the ultrasound(US)-treated (23.8%). Pectin degradation data fitted well to kinetic model of 1/Mwt -1/Mw0 = kt (45-65 °C). A lower activation energy of 13.33 kJ/mol was observed in the MTS treatment compared with the US-treated (16.38 kJ/mol). The MTS-treated pectin lowered the degree of methoxylation (DM), mol% of rhamnose and galacturonic acid (GalA) while increased mol% of galactose (Gal), xylose (Xyl), and arabinose (Ara). The 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance showed that MTS could not alter the primary structures of citrus pectin. However, an elevated (Gal + Ara)/Rha and reduced GalA/(Rha + Ara + Gal + Xyl) molar ratios after MTS suggested that MTS resulted in more significant degradation on the main chains and less on the side chains of pectin, in agreement with the result of atomic force microscope. Moreover, the MTS-treated pectin exhibited a higher 1,1-diphenyl-2picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging capacity compared with original pectin.

Ultrasonic modification of pectin for enhanced 2-furfurylthiol encapsulation: process optimization and mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Pectin is an intriguing polymer, which is usually regarded as a byproduct from agricultural and biological processes. In previous studies, ultrasound treatment has been explored to improve the functionality of pectin but most of that work focused on aspects of molecular structure and the chemical properties of pectin. In this study, we utilized ultrasound treatment to modify the physiochemical properties of pectin. Using ultrasound treatment, we evaluated the emulsifying capability of pectin as a function of ultrasonic time and power density, using a response surface approach. A very potent yet unstable coffee-like aroma compound, 2-furfurylthiol, was also used for comparing the encapsulation feasibility of emulsion made with original pectin and ultrasound-treated pectin. RESULTS: Our results showed that the particle size of pectin was highly correlated with power density and ultrasound time. Approximately 370 nm of pectin particle size could be reached at a power density of 1.06 W mL-1 for 40 min. Ultrasound treatment increased emulsion droplet size but significantly improved emulsifying capacities, such as centrifugal stability and surface loading, although it was highly dependent upon the ultrasound treatment condition. When used as the encapsulation wall material, the ultrasound-modified pectin had significantly enhanced performance compared with the original, in terms of flavor retention over time at 45 °C and 65 °C. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound treatment was able to modify the physiochemical properties of pectin, which thus improved emulsification stability and encapsulation feasibility by forming a thicker layer at the oil / water interface to protect the core materials. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of citrus pectin and apple pectin in conjugation with soy protein isolate (SPI) under controlled dry-heating conditions.

In this study, we selected two most commonly-available commercial pectin, i.e. citrus pectin and apple pectin as the grafting polysaccharides to prepare soy protein isolate-pectin conjugates. Despite the similar degrees of methoxylation and acetylation for two pectin samples, apple pectin showed much more complex structures compared to citrus pectin, with a 2.20-fold higher molecular weight and large numbers of side chains. The conjugates were prepared under controlled dry-heating conditions and achieved the degree of graft of 25.00% and 21.85% for citrus and apple pectin, respectively. Formation of the conjugates was further confirmed by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis and IR spectra. Attributed to the strong steric-hindrance effect of pectin, the fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity of the soy protein isolate were significantly decreased after Maillard reaction. However, both solubility and emulsifying properties of the conjugates were significantly improved. Results indicated that both pectin samples played favorable roles in protein modification.

Preparation and properties of ferulic acid-sugar beet pulp pectin ester and its application as a physical and antioxidative stabilizer in a fish oil-water emulsion.

A ferulic acid-sugar beet pulp pectin complex (FA-SBPP) was prepared using an immobilized enzyme (Novozym 435®) as the catalyst at 60 °C in a vacuum-controlled system. The structure of FA-SBPP was characterized by FT-IR and NMR (1H and 13C). In addition, the antioxidant activity of FA-SBPP was evaluated according to the DPPH free radical scavenging ability and ORAC values. Moreover, the physical and oxidation stability of the emulsion was evaluated by particle size distribution, cream index (CI), peroxide value (POV), and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) formation. The results showed that esterification between FA and SBPP was confirmed, and the reaction mainly occurred at the C-2, C-3, and C-6 positions. When the concentration was 1.0 mg/mL, the DPPH scavenging activity and total antioxidant activity of FA-SBPP-3 were 80.03% and 355.72 µmol TE/g, respectively. Compared with SBPP, FA-SBPP-stabilized emulsions exhibited significant smaller droplet sizes and lower CIs, POVs and TBARS amounts. Thus, the introduction of FA changed not only the chemical reactivity but also the polarity of SBPP, thereby improving its antioxidant ability and affinity for the oil-water interface. Thus, we provide a multifunctional stabilizer that can reduce the dose of antioxidants or even replace them in oil-in-water emulsions.

Co-Encapsulation of EGCG and Quercetin in Liposomes for Optimum Antioxidant Activity.

Although different delivery systems have been developed to overcome the limits of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and quercetin in food application, none have referred to their simultaneous encapsulation. In this study, these two polyphenols were successfully co-loaded into liposomes. Under the optimal conditions (lecithin-total polyphenols ratio 25:1, lecithin-cholesterol ratio 6:1, lecithin-Tween 80 ratio 8:1 and ultrasonic time 2 min), the mean size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential of liposomes were 111.10 ± 0.52 nm, 0.259 ± 0.006 and -19.83 ± 0.45 mV, with an encapsulation efficiency of 64.05 ± 1.56% and 61.73 ± 2.55% for EGCG and quercetin, respectively. After 30-day storage, an increase of 4.05% was observed in the mean size with no significant change (P ≥ 0.05) in the PDI and zeta potential. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay revealed a synergistic antioxidant effect of the two compounds in liposomal system. These results demonstrated that co-encapsulation of EGCG and quercetin enhances their effectiveness. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: EGCG and quercetin are natural polyphenols abound in the human diet with diverse biological activities. These two polyphenols were successfully co-encapsulated into a homogeneous and stable liposomal system. Interestingly, a synergistic antioxidant effect of the two polyphenols was observed due to co-encapsulation. This indicated that the simultaneous delivery of EGCG and quercetin was an attractive approach to improve their functionality for expanding their application in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Synergistic Effect of Laccase and Sugar Beet Pectin on the Properties of Concentrated Protein Emulsions and Its Application in Concentrated Coconut Milk.

Concentrated coconut milk (CCM), a raw material from coconut products, is extremely unstable because of its high oil content (>30%). In this study, three model emulsions-primary emulsions stabilized by coconut proteins only, secondary emulsions stabilized by the conjugation of sugar beet pectin (SBP) and coconut protein, and laccase-treated secondary emulsions-were prepared to investigate the effects of different factors (coconut proteins, coconut proteins + SBP, laccase-treated emulsions) on the stability of model emulsions and the application of this method to real CCM. The stability of the emulsions was evaluated based on their interfacial tension, zeta potential, particle size distribution, rheological properties, and the assembly formation of SBP and coconut protein at the oil⁻water interface. Results showed that addition of SBP or laccase can increase the viscosity and reduce the interfacial tension of the emulsion, and the effect was concentration dependent. Zeta potential of the emulsion decreased with the increase of protein (from -16 to -32 mV) and addition of SBP (from -32 to -46 mV), and it was reduced when laccase was added (from -9.5 to -6.0 mV). The secondary emulsion exhibited the narrowest particle size distribution (from 0.1 to 20 µm); however, laccase-catalyzed secondary emulsions showed the best storage stability and no layering when the laccase content reached 10 U/100 g. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed that protein was adsorbed on the oil⁻water interface and SBP distributed in the continuous phase could undergo oxidative crosslinking by laccase. These results show that the stability of the concentrated emulsion can be effectively improved by adding SBP and laccase.

The Candida albicans Inhibitory Activity of the Extract from Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Seed Relates to Mitochondria Dysfunction.

The inhibitory activity of the papaya seed extract (PSE) on Candida albicans (C. albicans) was determined by turbidimetry method. The inhibitory mechanisms were also evaluated from the prospective of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) decrease, and the activities of four complex enzymes in mitochondria respiratory chain. Results obtained from this study indicated that the PSE exhibited an effective inhibitory activity on C. albicans and induced significant accumulation of ROS and collapse of MMP. The Complex I and Complex III exhibited continues significant decrease in mitochondrial enzyme activity assays, but the Complex II and Complex IV activities were not positively correlated. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis demonstrated that the PSE represents a rich and high-purity source of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), which indicated the BITC may be responsible for the mitochondrial dysfunction.