Effect of combined ultrasonic and enzymatic extraction technique on the quality of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice.

In order to obtain noni juice with high yield and good quality, the effect of combined extraction technique of enzymatic treatment (EZ) and ultrasonication (US) on the overall quality of noni juice was investigated. Moreover, the extraction performance of the EZ-US combined extraction technique was compared with that of EZ-based extraction and the US-based extraction. Response surface methodology (RSM) was designed to optimize the parameters of ultrasonic treatment, by taking consideration of the extraction efficiency, quality parameters and bioactive ingredients of noni juice. The results indicated that combined ultrasonic and enzymatic treatment achieved a synergistic effect on promoting the quality of noni juice. The maximum juice yield of 67.95 % was obtained under ultrasonication for 10 min at 600 W after enzymatic treatment (EZU). In addition, EZU-treated juice exhibited the highest contents of total phenolic and flavonoid, which were 148.19 ± 2.53 mg gallic acid/100 mL and 47.19 ± 1.22 mg rutin/100 mL, respectively, thus contributing to better antioxidant activity. Moreover, the EZU treatment significantly reduced the particle size of noni juice, and improved its suspension stability and rheological properties. FTIR results indicated that the treatments did not bring major changes in the chemical structure and the functional groups of compounds in noni juice. Therefore, EZU treatment can be successfully applied to the extraction of noni juice with better nutritional properties and overall quality.

Phenolics from noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit alleviate obesity in high fat diet-fed mice via modulating the gut microbiota and mitigating intestinal damage.

Noni fruit has certain anti-obesity effect. However, the bioactive ingredients in noni fruit that contribute to anti-obesity activity as well as the relation between its anti-obesity activity and gut microbiota remain unclear. In this study, obese mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD) and were intervened with noni fruit phenolic extract (NFE) for 10 weeks. The results showed NFE supplementation decreased body weight, lipid accumulation in liver andadiposetissues, ameliorated gut microbiota dysbiosis by increasing short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria and decreasing lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing bacteria, and mitigated intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress. Moreover, NFE supplementation improved intestinal barrier dysfunction by elevating the protein expression levels of Claudin-1, Occludin and ZO-1, alleviated the HFD-induced intestinal inflammation by repressing the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Collectively, the findings revealed NFE intervention inhibits obesity by improving gut microbiota disorder, barrier function, and inflammation. Hence, NFE may be an effective way to ameliorate HFD-induced damage.

Production of Bacterial Cellulose in the Medium with Yeasts Pre-Fermented Coconut Water or with Addition of Selected Amino Acids.

The uncontrolled natural pre-fermentation process of coconut water represents great hidden safety hazards, unstable production, and impact on the quality of nata de coco-the trade name of bacterial cellulose (BC) in food industry. In this study, BC production from Komagataeibacter nataicola Q2 was conducted in the media of coconut water (50%, v/v) pre-fermented by 11 coconut-sourced yeast strains in static. Results suggested that coconut water pre-fermented by different yeast strains had varied effects on the production of BC. Compared with the use of fresh coconut water, the use of coconut water pre-fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae SC7 increased the BC yield by 165%. Both natural pre-fermentation and SC7 pre-fermentation altered the concentrations of amino acids in fresh coconut water. The addition of selected amino acids aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, methionine, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and proline at different concentrations had varied effects on the production of BC. The yield of BC was the highest when adding 3.0% (w/v) methionine. Moreover, adding 3.0% methionine allowed the production of BC with larger loops of looser aggregated microfibers, increased the crystallinity of BC from 64.8% to 69.4%, but decreased the temperature of maximum weight loss rate, hardness, and adhesiveness from 223 °C, 8.68 kg, and 92.8 g.sec to 212 °C, 7.01 kg, and 58.5 g.sec, respectively, in the test condition.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit phenolic extract supplementation ameliorates NAFLD by modulating insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, liver metabolism and gut microbiota.

The liver-protective activity of phenolics has been consistently reported, but the underlying protective mechanism of phenolic extract from noni fruit (NFE) against high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. Mice were fed with HFD or combination of HFD and NFE for 10 weeks, and then the gut microbiota and liver metabolites were compared. In this study, NFE supplementation alleviated HFD-induced liver injury and metabolic comorbidities, as evidenced by reduced liver function markers, decreased lipid profile levels, and improved obesity and insulin resistance. NFE supplementation restored the composition of gut microbiota with a remarkable elevation in the relative abundance of Parabacteroides, Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Akkermansia and a significant reduction in Helicobacter, norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae, Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum at the genus level. Liver metabolomics demonstrated that NFE supplementation favorably regulated the metabolic pathways involved in oxidative stress and inflammation, including purine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, galactose metabolism etc. Furthermore, NFE supplementation inhibited the HFD-induced activation of the liver endotoxin - TLR4 - NF-κB pathway, and alleviated liver inflammation. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide new evidences supporting that NFE can be used as a therapeutic approach for HFD-induced NAFLD via modulating the gut microbiota composition, liver metabolite profile and suppressing inflammatory reaction.

Glycolipid Metabolism and Metagenomic Analysis of the Therapeutic Effect of a Phenolics-Rich Extract from Noni Fruit on Type 2 Diabetic Mice.

The phenolics of noni fruit possess antihyperglycemic activity; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To understand the potential effects it has on type 2 diabetes (T2D), the glycolipid metabolism and gut microbiota regulation of phenolic-rich extracts from noni fruit (NFEs) were investigated. The results indicated that NFE could remarkably ameliorate hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and glycolipid metabolism via the adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in T2D mice. Furthermore, metagenomic sequencing results revealed that NFE intervention modulated the gut microbiota composition in T2D mice, characterized by increased abundance of unclassified_o_Bacteroidales, Alistipes, Prevotella, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia and decreased abundance of Oscillibacter, Desulfovibrio, and significantly decreased the pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism, translation, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. Taken together, the results provided new evidence that the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of NFE in T2D were likely attributed to the activation of the liver AMPK pathway and modulation of gut microbiota.

Solvents effect on phenolics, iridoids, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and pancreatic lipase inhibition activity of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit extract.

This study focused on the relationship between content levels of phytochemicals and the biological activities of noni (Morinda Citrifolia L.) fruit extracts (NFEs) prepared with traditional solvents and deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The results indicated the total phenolic content in Bet-Gly (Betaine: Glycerol) extracts (11.89 mg GAE/g DW) and total iridoid content in 70% ethanol extracts (26.38 mg CE/g DW) were the highest. A total of 17 compounds were identified and quantified in NFEs. Traditional solvent extracts, except ethyl acetate, exhibited higher antioxidant activities than DESs. Three DES extracts showed higher activities against pancreatic lipase than traditional solvent extracts. Multivariate analysis revealed that the type of extraction solvent exerts a significant influence on the phytochemical compositions and biological activities of NFEs. This study provided valuable information on the efficient extraction of phytochemicals from noni fruits and DESs are promising green solvent for the extraction of bioactive compounds from noni fruits.

Intestinal microbiota are involved in the immunomodulatory activities of longan polysaccharide.

It is difficult for polysaccharides to be directly absorbed through the intestine, which implies other utilization mechanisms involved in the bioactivity performance of polysaccharide. In this study, the multi-omics approach was applied to investigate the impacts of longan polysaccharide on mouse intestinal microbiome and the interaction between the polysaccharide-derived microbiome and host immune system. According to the result, the longan polysaccharide showed a significant improvement in the typical intestinal immunity index of mice. Meanwhile, at the taxonomy level, the intestinal microbiota from the control group and polysaccharide group were highly distinct in organismal structure. At the functional level, a significant decline in the microbial metabolites of pyruvate, butanoate fructose and mannose in the control group was found. Additionally, a significant increase was observed in the succinic acid and the short-chain fatty acid, including acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, in the polysaccharide group. Furthermore, the multi-omic based network analysis indicated that the intake of longan polysaccharide resulted in the changes of the intestinal microbiota as well as the gut metabolites, which led to the enhancement of host's immune function under the stress conditions. These results indicated the polysaccharide-derived changes in intestinal microbiota were involved in the immunomodulatory activities.

[Preparation of crocin from gardenia yellow pigment by slow rotary countercurrent chromatography].

A method was established for the preparation of crocin from gardenia yellow pigment by slow rotary countercurrent chromatography (SRCCC). A two-phase solvent system consisting of methyl tert-butyl ether, n-butanol, acetonitrile and water (2 : 2. 5 : 1 : 5, v/v/v/v) was used. The upper phase was used as the stationary phase, and the lower phase as the mobile phase. By SRCCC elution, 2.47 g of crocin with a purity of 96.8% was obtained from 5 g of gardenia yellow pigment at a flow rate of 5 mL/min and a rotation speed of 50 r/min. The results indicated that SRCCC is a powerful technique for the purification of crocin from gardenia yellow pigment with high preparative capacity, high safety and high efficiency in resolution, and it is possible to prepare crocin at industrial level by SRCCC.