Proliferation of Bifidobacterium L80 under different proportions of milk protein hydrolysate.

The intestinal microecological environment is critical to an infant's growth. For those infants consuming milk power, it is very important to improve the intestinal microecological environment to promote the healthy growth of infants. In this paper, Milk protein hydrolysate (MPH), consisting of different proportions of proteins and small molecule peptides (5:5, 4:6, 3:7, 2:8, 1:9) were added to infant formula powder (IFP). The effects of MFP-enriched IFP addition on proliferation and metabolism of Bifidobacterium L80 were studied. Compared with MPH-free IFP, MFP-enriched IFP with 1:9 of proteins to small molecule peptides significantly enhanced the proliferation of Bifidobacterium L80, resulting in higher cell density, greater viable counts and higher titratable acidity. MFP-enriched IFP increased the content of seven organic acids and H2O2 in the system, and improved the antibacterial activity to E. coli BL21. This study suggested that MPH could be an effective addition to infant formula powder to promote the growth of Bifidobacterium, so to improve the intestinal health of infants.

Effects of soy protein isolate hydrolysates on cholecystokinin released by rat intestinal mucosal cells and food intake in rats.

Soy protein isolate hydrolysates (SPIH) were prepared from soy protein isolate (SPI). Effects of SPIH on a satiety signal cholecystokinin (CCK) and feeding behavior in rats were investigated. SPIH induced more CCK release (164.66 ± 2.40 pg/mL) by rat intestinal mucosal cells than SPI (143.33 ± 3.71 pg/mL). Meal size (MS), intermeal interval (IMI), and satiety ratio (SR = MS/IMI) of rats received different daily doses of SPIH or dietary fiber were detected for 40 days. A 100 mg/kg dose of SPIH resulted in a greater SR than an identical dose of dietary fiber, while a 300 mg/kg dose resulted in a less MS and IMI. A 500 mg/kg dose of SPIH had similar effects to the same dose of dietary fiber on reducing MS, extending IMI, and increasing SR, but resulted in a significantly less body weight at the end of the experiment (318.15 ± 17.83 g) than the dietary fiber group (340.28 ± 6.15 g).

Structural characterization and functional properties of CNPP, a byproduct formed during CPP preparation.

Casein nonphosphopeptide (CNPP), a byproduct formed during the preparation of casein phosphopeptide (CPP), is often discarded on a large scale. Although our previous studies have demonstrated the ameliorative effect of CNPP on muscle wasting disorders, its structure-function mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, considering the great influence of structural characteristics on function, this study aims to explain the potential mechanism by characterizing the physicochemical and functional properties of CNPP. The results of structural characterization indicated that CNPP was of low molecular weight and composed of the complete range of amino acids; it was particularly rich in leucine. Compared with casein, CNPP had a lower molecular size and total/free sulfhydryl content (reduced 2.44 and 2.02 µmol/g in CNPP, respectively). Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis revealed that enzymatic hydrolysis caused protein unfolding, and the content of ß-turns and random coils reached 50.20% and 10.67%, respectively. Fluorescence-dependent detection of CNPP indicated a reduction of spectral intensity and the occurrence of a red shift. The changes in the structure of CNPP significantly affected its functional characteristics. CNPP has better solubility, foaming, and digestion properties than those of casein and whey protein. Specifically, the foam stability and emulsification properties decreased in the order of casein > CNPP > whey protein. The present study can provide a substantial basis for future application of CNPP as a functional ingredient against sarcopenia.

HS-GC-IMS with PCA to analyze volatile flavor compounds across different production stages of fermented soybean whey tofu.

The variations in flavor substances across the different stages of fermented soybean whey tofu (FSWT) production were analyzed by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA). The results revealed 24 representative flavor compounds in the samples across all production stages. After heating, the signal intensity of hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, heptanal, and (E)-2-hexenol, which are unpleasant flavor substances found in raw soymilk, weakened, whereas those of some aroma substances increased. Furthermore, fermented flavor compounds, namely, 2-heptanone, 2-pentylfuran, pentanal, and 2,3-butanedione, were produced after the addition of fermented soybean whey as a coagulant. A PCA based on the signal intensity of the detected volatile compounds revealed effective differentiation of samples from different stages into comparatively independent spaces. These results showed that the flavor fingerprints of the samples from different stages of FSWT production can be successfully built using HS-GC-IMS and PCA based on the detected volatile compounds.

The influence of soy protein hydrolysate (SPH) addition to infant formula powder on Streptococcus thermophilus proliferation and metabolism.

Nowadays, more and more infants are getting allergic to cow's milk protein, so it is urgent to search for infant formula powder with milk protein alternatives. In the present work, soy protein hydrolysate (SPH) was added to protein-free infant formula powder and the effects of SPH addition on proliferation and metabolism of Streptococcus thermophilus were studied. Compared with commercially available infant formula powder (CK) and protein-free milk powder (BK), the infant formula powder with 20% SPH significantly enhanced the proliferation of S. thermophilus in MRS medium, resulting in a higher cell density and greater viable counts. Moreover, the influence of SPH on the metabolism of S. thermophilus was investigated by analyzing the content of seven organic acids and H2O2 in the medium. The higher content of organic acids and H2O2 is consistent with the stronger antibacterial activity to Escherichia coli. As a consequence, the addition of SPH to infant formula powder can effectively promote the growth of probiotics and SPH may be a promising protein alternative in the infant formula powder.

Effects of casein non-phosphopeptide on the development of rat muscle analyzed using computed tomography scanning technology.

The effects of casein non-phosphopeptide (CNPP) on the muscle development of healthy rats and selected blood hormones levels were investigated. CT technology and the ELISA kit were employed to detect the cross-sectional area of each muscle group and blood hormone levels, respectively. The cross-sectional area of the trunk and lower limb muscles of resistance exercise group (REG) rats that were administered a high daily dose of CNPP for 50 days increased more significantly than that of the blank group rats, no exercise group (NEG) rats administered with the same daily dose of CNPP, and REG rats administered with the same daily dose of lactalbumin (P < 0.05).The more enhanced development of trunk and lower limb muscles in CNPP-administered REG rats was associated with a higher blood level of insulin, while no clear trends in blood levels of growth hormone and testosterone were observed. The present results have demonstrated that a combination of physical exercise and diet supplementation with CNPP can synergistically improve muscle mass.

Effects of oxidative stress on apoptosis in manganese-induced testicular toxicity in cocks.

Manganese (Mn) is a trace element known to be essential for maintaining the proper function and regulation of many biochemical and cellular reactions. However, little is known about the reproductive toxicity of Mn in birds. To investigate the toxicity of Mn on male reproduction in birds, 50-day-old cocks were fed either a commercial diet or a Mn-supplemented diet containing 600, 900, and 1800 mg/kg MnCl2. After being treated with Mn for 30, 60, and 90 d, the following were determined: Mn content; histological and ultrastructural changes in the testes, apoptosis; the malondialdehyde (MDA) level; the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD); the inhibition ability of hydroxyl radicals (OH); the levels of nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and protein carbonyl in the testes; the DNA-protein crosslinks (DPC); and the activity of the ATP enzyme. Exposure to Mn significantly lowered the activity of SOD and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the inhibition ability of OH. Mn exposure also increased the levels of MDA, NO, NOS, DPC, and protein carbonyl; the number of apoptotic cells; and the Mn content and caused obvious histopathological changes in the testes. These findings suggested that Mn exposure resulted in the oxidative damage of cock testicular tissue by altering radical formation, ATP enzyme systems, apoptosis, and DNA damage, which are possible underlying reproductive toxicity mechanisms induced by Mn exposure.

Novel photodegradable insecticide W/TiO(2)/Avermectin nanocomposites obtained by polyelectrolytes assembly.

Stable and even microcrystals of Avermectin (AVM) were produced by recrystallization in presence of a stabilizer. Sequential layer growth was achieved by the layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly of biocompatible polyelectrolytes (PEs). The coated colloids were characterized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in vitro release of Avermectin from microcapsules was studied under the simulated insect midgut conditions. W-doped TiO(2) photocatalysts were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method, and characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements and SEM. The photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts, which were undoped with TiO(2) and W-doped TiO(2), were evaluated by the photocatalytic oxidation degradation of AVM microcapsules in aqueous solution under UV illumination. The toxicity of the photodegradable insecticide was evaluated by the adult stage Martianus dermestoides. The results showed that AVM microcrystals which were obtained by association had a mean length of 13.8µm and a zeta potential of -34.7mV. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency were 65.57±0.96% and 46.15±0.96%, respectively. The in vitro release experiments revealed that the polyelectrolytes prolonged the release time of the encapsulated AVM microcrystals. The sample which was prepared at 120°C with 4.0mol% W-doped amount had the highest photocatalytic activity. Toxicity of the novel photodegradable insecticide was higher in the adult stage compared to the 95% AVM as indicated by the lower LC(50) value.