Interaction of anthocyanins, soluble dietary fiber and waxy rice starch: Their effect on freeze-thaw stability, water migration, and pasting, rheological and microstructural properties of starch gels.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the interaction of black rice anthocyanins (BRA), soluble dietary fiber from extruded rice bran (ES) and waxy rice starch (WRS) on the physicochemical properties of starch gels, including gelatinization properties, rheological properties, freeze-thaw stability, water migration, molecular structure and gel microstructure. The results showed that the pasting temperature (PT) of the mixtures was increased, and the peak viscosity (PV), trough viscosity (TV), final viscosity (FV) and setback viscosity (SV) were significantly reduced when ES and BRA were added to WRS in different proportions (ES:BRA, 4:0, 4:0.4, 4:1, 4:2, 8:0, 8:0.8, 8:2, 8:4). Both ES and BRA could enhance the viscosity of WRS gels, and ES exhibited strong ability on improving the strength of gels. The presence of ES and BRA improved the water retaining capacity of WRS gels, but weakened the freeze-thaw stability. ES, BRA and WRS formed non-covalent bonds (hydrogen bonds) through hydrophilic groups during gelatinization, which improved the gel properties. In addition, the steric hindrance formed by ES and BRA inhibited starch retrogradation. These results might contribute to the development of starch-based food formulations with good quality.

Structure, thermal stability, physicochemical and functional characteristics of insoluble dietary fiber obtained from rice bran with steam explosion treatment: Effect of different steam pressure and particle size of rice bran.

Rice bran was modified by steam explosion (SE) treatment to investigate the impact of different steam pressure (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0 MPa) with rice bran through 60 mesh and rice bran pulverization (60, 80, and 100 mesh) with the steam pressure of 1.2 MPa on the structure, thermal stability, physicochemical and functional characteristics of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) extracted from rice bran. IDF with SE treatment from scanning electron microscopy images showed a porous honeycomb structure, and lamellar shape in IDF became obvious with the increase of steam pressure. The relative crystallinity and polymerization degree of crystalline regions in IDF from rice bran with SE treatment from X-ray diffraction analysis were decreased. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that thermal stability of IDF with SE treatment increased with the increase of crushing degree. The results of FT-IR also suggested that some glycosidic and hydrogen bonds in IDF could be broken, and some cellulose and hemicellulose were degraded during SE process. The physicochemical and functional characteristics of IDF, including water-holding capacity, oil-holding, glucose adsorption capacity, α-amylase and pancreatic lipase inhibition capacity were decreased with the increase of steam pressure and crushing degree. The swelling and nitrite adsorption capacities of IDF were increased first and then decreased with the increase of steam pressure. The physicochemical and functional characteristics of IDF from rice bran were improved after SE treatment, which might provide references for the utilization of IDF from rice bran with SE treatment.

The regulatory mechanism and potential application of IL-23 in autoimmune diseases.

IL-23 is a heterodimeric pro-inflammatory cytokine secreted by dendritic cells and macrophages that belongs to the IL-12 family. It has pro-inflammatory effects and is a key cytokine and upstream regulatory cytokine involved in protective immune responses, stimulating the differentiation and proliferation of downstream effectors such as Th17 cells. It is expressed in various autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The IL-23/TH17 axis formed by IL-23 and TH17 has been confirmed to participate in autoimmune diseases pathogenesis. IL-23R is the receptor for IL-23 and plays an activating role. Targeting IL-23 is currently the main strategy for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases. In this review we summarized the mechanism of action and clinical application potential of IL-23 in autoimmune diseases by summarizing the latest research results and reviewing the literature, which would help to further understand IL-23 and provide a theoretical basis for future clinical targeting and drug development.

Effect of germination in the form of paddy rice and brown rice on their phytic acid, GABA, γ-oryzanol, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity.

This study investigated the effect of paddy rice and brown rice germination on their phytic acid, phytase, GABA, γ-oryzanol, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity. The GABA content and phytase activity in the rice germinated in the form of paddy (GP) were respectively lower than those in the rice germinated in the form of brown rice (GBR), and the level of phytic acid in GP was higher than that in GBR during germination processes from 18 h to 72 h. However, the contents of total γ-oryzanol, free phenolic, total phenolic, free flavonoid and total flavonoid in GP were higher than those in GBR during germination processes (18-72 h). The antioxidant activities of DPPH and T-AOC in GP were respectively higher than those in the GBR during germination processes (18-72 h). These results demonstrated that GP produced more γ-oryzanol, phenolics, flavonoids content and higher antioxidant activities, but less GABA content than those in GBR. This work might be useful for the specific aim of choosing germination ways and for the development of wholegrain foods.

Structure modification, antialgal, antiplasmodial, and toxic evaluations of a series of new marine-derived 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone derivatives.

Marine natural products play critical roles in the chemical defense of many marine organisms and are essential, reputable sources of successful drug leads. Sixty-seven 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone derivatives 3-27 and 30-71 of the natural product zeaenol (1) isolated from the marine-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus were semisynthesized by chlorination, acylation, esterification, and acetalization in one to three steps. The structures of these new derivatives were established by HRESIMS and NMR techniques. All the compounds (1-71) were evaluated for their antialgal and antiplasmodial activities. Among them, 14 compounds displayed antifouling activities against adhesion of the fouling diatoms. In particular, 9 and 34 exhibited strong and selective inhibitory effects against the diatoms Navicula laevissima and Navicula exigua (EC50 = 6.67 and 8.55 µmol/L), respectively, which were similar in efficacy to those of the positive control SeaNine 211 (EC50 = 2.90 and 9.74 µmol/L). More importantly, 38, 39, and 69-71 showed potent antiplasmodial activities against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values ranging from 3.54 to 9.72 µmol/L. Very interestingly, the five antiplasmodial derivatives displayed non-toxicity in the cytotoxicity assays and the zebrafish embryos model, thus, representing potential promising antiplasmodial drug agents. The preliminary structure-activity relationships indicated that biphenyl substituent at C-2, acetonide at positions C-5' and C-6', and tri- or tetra-substituted of acyl groups increased the antiplasmodial activity. Therefore, combining evaluation of chemical ecology with pharmacological models will be implemented as a systematic strategy, not only for environmentally friendly antifoulants but also for structurally novel drugs. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-021-00103-0.

Cochliomycin G, a 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone from a marine-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus.

Cochliomycin G (1), a new 14-membered resorcylic acid lactone, together with six known analogues (2-7), was isolated from the culture broth of a marine-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus. The planar structure of 1 was established by extensive NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute configuration was elucidated by the combination of empirical rules, CD data, and 13C chemical shift calculations. Compound 1 exhibited potent antifouling activity against Chlorella vulgaris, Chaetoceros socialis, and Navicula exigua, with EC50 values of 1.09, 0.92, and 0.61 µg/mL, respectively.

Solutions for whole grain food development.

Owing to the health benefits associated with whole grains, there has been a sustained global effort to increase their consumption, with many countries developing guidelines for recommended amounts of whole grain intake. In China, the consumption of whole grains is low. This is due, in part, to technical obstacles in the development of whole grain foods. This review focuses on possible solutions in the whole value chain and the application of new food technologies to develop whole grain foods that taste better, have more appealing texture, are safe to consume, and better retain bioactive compounds.

Characterization and interfacial behavior of nanoparticles prepared from amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates.

Amphiphilic graft copolymers were prepared from ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates hydrolyzed by trypsin at a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 2.2%. Nanoparticles were prepared from ß-conglycinin, ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates (CDC), and amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates at DH 2.2% (CDCH) by a desolvation method. All of the nanoparticle samples exhibited spherical structures, as evidenced by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The nanoparticles prepared from amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates at DH 2.2% (CDCHN) exhibited higher interfacial pressure and dilatational modulus after long-term absorption at the oil-water interface compared with nanoparticles prepared from ß-conglycinin (CN) and ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates (CDCN). This might be mainly associated with the higher surface hydrophobicity of CDCHN, which enhanced adsorption and intermolecular interactions of nanoparticles in the adsorbed layer.

An AAA-DDD triply hydrogen-bonded complex easily accessible for supramolecular polymers.

For a complementary hydrogen-bonded complex, when every hydrogen-bond acceptor is on one side and every hydrogen-bond donor is on the other, all secondary interactions are attractive and the complex is highly stable. AAA-DDD (A=acceptor, D=donor) is considered to be the most stable among triply hydrogen-bonded sequences. The easily synthesized and further derivatized AAA-DDD system is very desirable for hydrogen-bonded functional materials. In this case, AAA and DDD, starting from 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, were synthesized with the Hantzsch pyridine synthesis and Friedländer annulation reaction. The association constant determined by fluorescence titration in chloroform at room temperature is 2.09×10(7) M(-1) . The AAA and DDD components are not coplanar, but form a V shape in the solid state. Supramolecular polymers based on AAA-DDD triply hydrogen bonded have also been developed. This work may make AAA-DDD triply hydrogen-bonded sequences easily accessible for stimuli-responsive materials.

Protein-based pickering emulsion and oil gel prepared by complexes of zein colloidal particles and stearate.

This paper describes the successful preparation of a protein-based Pickering emulsion, with superior stability against both coalesence and creaming, through a novel strategy of facilitating the formation of protein particles and small molecular weight surfactant complexes; these complexes are able to overcome multiple challenges including limited solubility, poor diffusive mobility, and low interfacial loading. Soluble complexes of water-insoluble corn protein, zein colloidal particles, and surfactant sodium stearate (SS) were fabricated by simple ultrasonication. Gel trapping technology combined with SEM was applied to characterize the adsorbed particles monolayer at the oil-water interface; results revealed an enhanced adsorption and targeted accumulation of zein particles at the interface with the increase of SS concentration. Partial unfolding of zein particles modified by SS above its critical complexation concentration triggered the aggregation and close packing of particles at the oil-water interface and endowed a steric barrier against the coalescence of oil droplets. Moreover, protein-based oil gels without oil leakage were obtained by one-step freeze-drying of the zein-stabilized Pickering emulsions, which could be developed to a viable strategy for structuring liquid oils into semisolid fats without the use of saturated or trans fats.

Formation of complex interface and stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion prepared by soy lipophilic protein nanoparticles.

A lipophilic protein nanoparticle (LPP) was fabricated by ultrasonication of the soy lipophilic protein (LP), which contains hydrophobic proteins and phospholipids. This LPP (Rh = 136 ± 0.8 nm, ζ-potential = -20 mV, pH 7.0) had an improved dispersibility and acted as an emulsifier. The oil/water (O/W) emulsion stabilized by this LPP exhibited superior physical stability over long-term storage (8 weeks), during a stress storage test (200 mM NaCl addition and heating at 90 °C), and in the presence of Tween 20 (1.0-4.0 wt %), in contrast to those emulsions stabilized by ß-conglycinin and glycinin. Langmuir-Blodgett method and interface pressure determination revealed that LPP formed rigid and rough granular film at air/water interface. The excellent stability of emulsions stabilized by LPP highlights the synergic effect between hydrophobic proteins and phospholipids. These findings suggest that the complexes of hydrophobic protein aggregates and biosurfactant could form a stable interface which could be developed into a novel strategy to fabricate a stable food emulsion.

Limited aggregation behavior of ß-conglycinin and its terminating effect on glycinin aggregation during heating at pH 7.0.

In this work, different thermal aggregation behaviors of soy ß-conglycinin and glycinin at pH 7.0 were characterized with size exclusion chromatography and low-angle light scattering. Limited aggregation that grew via the consumption of "monomers" was detected in ß-conglycinin, forming soluble aggregates. For glycinin, the association between the aggregates that led to the appearance of insoluble materials was observed. Heated with ß-conglycinin, the assembly between the glycinin aggregates was terminated and its solubility was recovered. The structure of the soluble and insoluble aggregates was analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering. Unlike the ß-conglycinin soluble aggregates that possessed limited size and less compact conformation, particles with a denser core and a less dense outer shell were found in the glycinin insoluble aggregates. Evidence is presented to reveal the transition between the soluble and insoluble aggregates and the role of ß-conglycinin in the solubilization of the soy protein aggregates during heating.

In vitro assessment of the bioaccessibility of fatty acids and tocopherol from soybean oil body emulsions stabilized with ι-carrageenan.

The present investigation aimed to expand the knowledge of the in vitro bioaccessibility of fatty acids and tocopherol from natural soybean oil body emulsions stabilized with different concentrations of ι-carrageenan. Several physicochemical parameters including proteolysis of the interfacial layer, interfacial composition, and microstructure were evaluated with regard to their impact on the bioaccessibility of fatty acids and tocopherol. Results from simulated human digestion in vitro indicated that the bioaccessibility of total fatty acids and tocopherol decreased (62.7-8.3 and 59.7-19.4%, respectively) with the increasing concentration of ι-carrageenan. During the in vitro digestion procedure, ι-carrageenan affected physicochemical properties of the emulsions, thereby controlling the release of fatty acids and tocopherol. These results suggested that soybean oil body emulsions stabilized with ι-carrageenan could provide natural emulsions in foods that were digested at a relatively slow rate, the important physiological consequence of which might be increasing satiety.