Possibility and challenge of plant-derived ferritin cages encapsulated polyphenols in the precise nutrition field.

Polyphenols have attracted extensive attention due to their rich functional activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. However, the low solubility and poor stability limit their bioavailability and functional activities. Plant-derived ferritin cages have a unique hollow cage structure that can embed polyphenols to improve their unfavorable properties. Therefore, it is essential to adequately elaborate and summarize plant-derived ferritin cages to maximize their potential benefits in nutritional interventions. This review focuses on the fundamental properties of plant-derived ferritin cages, including the preparation process, purification technology, identification methods, and structural and functional properties. The relevant research on ferritin cages in polyphenol delivery has been summarized, including the delivery of water/lipid soluble polyphenols, modification of ferritin cages, and the interaction between polyphenols and ferritin cages. The research progress, shortcomings and prospects of plant-derived ferritin cages in precise nutrition are introduced. In addition, the relevant research on ferritin in immune response and protein engineering is also discussed to provide the theoretical basis for applying plant-derived ferritin cages in many frontier fields.

New perspective on protein-based microcapsules as delivery vehicles for sensitive substances: A review.

Sensitive substances have attracted wide attention due to their rich functional activities, such as antibiosis activities, antioxidant activities and prevent disease, etc. However, the low stability of sensitive substances limits their bioavailability and functional activities. Protein-based microcapsules can encapsulate sensitive substances to improve their adverse properties due to their good stability, strong emulsifying ability and wide source. Therefore, it is necessary to fully elaborate and summarize protein-based microcapsules to maximize their potential benefits in nutritional interventions. The focus of this review is to highlight the classification of protein-based microcapsules. In addition, the principles, advantages and disadvantages of preparation methods for protein-based microcapsules are summarized. Some novel preparation methods for protein-based microcapsules are also emphasized. Moreover, the mechanism of protein-based microcapsules that release sensitive substances in vitro is elucidated and summarized. Furthermore, the applications of protein-based microcapsules are outlined. Protein-based microcapsules can effectively encapsulate sensitive substances, which improve their bioavailability, and provide protective effects during storage and gastrointestinal digestion. In addition, microcapsules can improve the sensory quality of food and enhance its stability. The performance of protein-based microcapsules for delivering sensitive substances is influenced by factors such as protein type, the ratio between protein ratio and the other wall material, the preparation process, etc. Future research should focus on the new composite protein-based microcapsule delivery system, which can be applied to in vivo research and have synergistic effects and precise nutritional functions. In summary, protein-based microcapsules have broader research prospects in the functional foods and nutrition field.

Extraction of Lentinus Edodes Polysaccharides with Ultrasound Enhanced with Deep Eutectic Solvent and Their Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity.

Ultrasound extraction (UE) enhanced with deep eutectic solvent (DES) was used to extract Lentinus edodes polysaccharides. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to investigate the influences of water content (10-90 %), solid-liquid solvent (1 : 10-1 : 50 g/mL), time (4-12 min), temperature (40-80 °C) and ultrasonic power (100-500 W) on the yield of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides. The optimal extraction conditions were ultrasonic power of 300 W, extraction time of 8 min, water content of 80 %, a solid-liquid ratio of 1 : 30 g/mL and a temperature of 60 °C, respectively. The highest extraction yield of Lentinus edodes polysaccharide was 10.17 % under optimal conditions. The results of FT-IR, SEM, and monosaccharide composition confirmed that the extracts possessed the characteristics of polysaccharides. In addition, the polysaccharides obtained with the UE enhanced with DES method exhibited higher antioxidant activities than the polysaccharides extracted with the UE method and HWE method. This extraction method can further expand the production efficiency and structural diversity of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides and meet the supply and demand relationship. It can be foreseen that this method can be applied to the extraction of more active substances.

Toxicity and oxidative stress of HepG2 and HL-7702 cells induced by PAH4 using oil as a carrier.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a widespread class of food pollutants, are commonly exposed to humans along with edible oil. The dietary exposure pattern of PAH4 was simulated to study the toxicity and oxidative stress of oil-based PAH4 on hepatocytes. The findings demonstrated that oil-based PAH4 induced cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased and promoted apoptosis and oxidative stress in a concentration-dependent manner. Benzo[a]pyrene had the strongest toxicity and HL-7702 cells were more sensitive to toxicity than HepG2 cells, due to differences in induced CYP1A enzyme activity. Oil-based PAH4 had greater cytotoxicity than PAH4, attributed to the synergistic effect of oil and PAH4. Furthermore, oil-based PAH4 induced oxidative stress in HepG2 and HL-7702 cells through the same AHR-Nrf2-KEAP1 pathway, which was elucidated by detecting genes and proteins expression. This study lays the foundation for elucidating the harm of dietary exposure to PAHs and reminds us that food composition may increase the harm of PAHs.

Combined toxicity of oil-based PAH4 mixtures on HL-7702 cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a group of prevalent persistent organic pollutants in the environment are always found as mixtures. The combined toxicity of oil-based PAH4 seems seldom to be mentioned. To evaluate the combined toxicity of oil-based PAH4 mixtures on HL-7702 cells, the effects of single, binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures on cell viability were examined, and the concentration addition model and combination index (CI)-isobologram model were selected to predict the toxicological interactions of the mixtures. The results showed that the PAH4 mixtures had a concentration-dependent effect on cell viability. The CI model was more suitable for elucidating the toxicity interactions of mixtures. In addition, the combined toxicity of BaA + BaP and BaA + Chr + BbF + BaP was antagonistic, BaA + Chr, BaA + BbF, Chr + BbF, and BaA + Chr + BbF was synergistic, and the remaining mixtures shifted from antagonistic to synergistic. Antagonistic effects were observed in all mixtures containing BaP, indicating that oil-based PAH4 mixtures containing BaP had a mitigating effect on cytotoxicity. Furthermore, BbF was identified as playing a key role in the synergistic effects in binary and ternary mixtures. This study provided a new acknowledgment to assess the interactions of PAH4 mixtures which is helpful for further study of the toxicity risks in the environment.

Relationship between PAH4 formation and thermal reaction products in model lipids and possible pathways of PAHs formation.

Lipids are closely related to the generation of PAHs during food thermal processing. During heating, lipids mainly triglycerides undergo hydrolysis, oxidation and decomposition. The relationship between the various products and the formation of PAHs is still unclear. This paper investigated the effect of different lipid standards on PAH4 production, and explored their thermal stability and reaction products to delve into nature of the differences in PAH4 production. Fatty acids were more prone to generate PAH4 than glycerides. The higher the degree of esterification of glycerides, the higher its thermal stability and the lower the content of PAH4 generated, implying that hydrolysis of glycerides promoted the generation of PAH4. In addition, there was a positive correlation between unsaturation in lipids and the PAH4 production. After heat treatment, hydroperoxides, unsaturated fatty alcohols and aldehydes, alkenes and aromatic substances were abundant in oleic acid and linoleic acid which produced the most PAH4. Thermal decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides was the pathway for the generation of conjugated hydrocarbon radicals, alcohols, aldehydes, and alkenes. The intramolecular cyclization and Diels-Alder reaction acted as ring-forming reactions, with consequent dehydrogenation, decarboxylation, side-chain breaks and radical reorganization, ultimately facilitating the amplification of the aromatic rings and the formation of PAHs.

Improving the Physicochemical Stability of Soy Phospholipid-Stabilized Emulsions Loaded with Lutein by the Addition of Sphingomyelin and Cholesterol: Inspired by a Milk Fat Globule Membrane.

The emulsifying performance of glycerophospholipids alone is inferior to proteins, etc., while the sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (Chol) naturally existing in biological membranes could interact with glycerophospholipids to influence the polar lipid arrangement. Inspired by the natural membranes, the effect of SM and Chol on the physicochemical stability of soy phospholipid (SPL)-stabilized emulsions during storage or under environmental stresses was determined. The results indicated that the addition of SM and/or Chol could improve the storage stability of the emulsions and protective effect on lutein significantly (p < 0.05). Except for UV irradiation, the addition of Chol significantly improved the stability of the emulsions against acid, salt, and heat. The strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds and condensed assembly formed by SM and Chol contributed to the best stability of SPL + SM + Chol-stabilized emulsions. The results gave insight into improving the emulsifying properties of glycerophospholipids with SM and Chol.

Intervention Effects of Deer-Tendon Collagen Hydrolysates on Osteoporosis In Vitro and In Vivo.

Deer tendon, a deer processing byproduct, is an excellent protein source for the preparation of peptides for improving osteoporosis by its high protein content and high nutritional value. The optimal process of collagen acid extraction was implemented and the results showed that the acid concentration was 7%, the material-liquid ratio was 1:25, and the soaking time was 48 h. DTCHs could promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and increase alkaline phosphatase activities in vitro. In addition, compared with the model group, the DTCHs treatment groups with an oral dosage of 350, 750, and 1500 mg/kg rat/day could significantly improve the shape, weight, bone mechanics, and alkaline phosphatase activities of tail-suspended mice. Bone microstructure and mineralization also recovered significantly in vivo. This result is expected to provide the structural and biological information for DTCHs-based functional foods.

Advance in Morchella sp. polysaccharides: Isolation, structural characterization and structure-activity relationship: A review.

Morchella sp. is a kind of precious medicinal and edible fungus with a unique flavor and is rich in various amino acids and organic germanium needed by the human body. Most notably, Morchella sp. polysaccharides have attracted widespread attention due to their significant bioactivity in recent years. At present, extensive studies have been carried out on the extraction methods, structural characterization and activity evaluation of Morchella sp. polysaccharides, which provides a good theoretical basis for its further development and application. However, the systematic summary of the related research of Morchella sp. polysaccharides has not been reported yet. Therefore, this review mainly focused on the isolation and purification methods, structural characterization, biological activities and structure-activity relationship of Morchella sp. polysaccharides. This work will help to have a better in-depth understanding of Morchella sp. polysaccharides and provide a scientific basis and direct reference for more scientific and rational applications.

Advances in lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for curcumin: bioavailability, precise targeting, possibilities and challenges.

BACKGROUND: Curcumin (Cur) is a natural pigment containing a diketone structure, which has attracted extensive attention due to its strong functional activities. However, the low solubility and poor stability of Cur limit its low bioavailability and multi-function. It is essential to develop effective measures to improve the unfavorable nature of Cur and maximize its potential benefits in nutritional intervention. SCOPE AND APPROACH: The focus of this review is to emphasize the construction of lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for Cur, including emulsion, nanoliposome and solid liposome. In addition, the potential benefits of vehicles-encapsulated Cur in the field of precise nutrition were summarized, including high targeting properties and multiple disease interventions. Further, the deficiencies and prospects of Cur encapsulated in vehicles for precise nutrition were discussed. KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: The well-designed lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for Cur can improve its stability in food processing and the digestion in vivo. To meet the nutritional requirements of special people for Cur-based products, the improvement of the bioavailability by using delivery vehicles will provide a theoretical basis for the precise nutrition of Cur in functional food.

Structural properties and bioavailability of curcumin were summarized.The practical problems and challenges in the utilization of curcumin were discussed.Various technologies for preparing lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for curcumin were described.The design of delivery vehicles for curcumin and intervention strategies in precise nutrition was reviewed.

Walnut Protein: A Rising Source of High-Quality Protein and Its Updated Comprehensive Review.

Recently, plant protein as a necessary nutrient source for human beings, a common ingredient of traditional processed food, and an important element of new functional food has gained prominence due to the increasing demand for healthy food. Walnut protein (WP) is obtained from walnut kernels and walnut oil-pressing waste and has better nutritional, functional, and essential amino acids in comparison with other vegetable and grain proteins. WP can be conveniently obtained by various extraction techniques, including alkali-soluble acid precipitation, salting-out, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction, among others. The functional properties of WP can be modified for desired purposes by using some novel methods, including free radical oxidation, enzymatic modification, high hydrostatic pressure, etc. Moreover, walnut peptides play an important biological role both in vitro and in vivo. The main activities of the walnut peptides are antihypertensive, antioxidant, learning improvement, and anticancer, among others. Furthermore, WP could be applied in the development of functional foods or dietary supplements, such as delivery systems and food additives, among others. This review summarizes recent knowledge on the nutritional, functional, and bioactive peptide aspects of WP and possible future products, providing a theoretical reference for the utilization and development of oil crop waste.

Formation, migration, derivation, and generation mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during frying.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic and lipophilic, which can be found in frying system. This review summarized the formation, migration and derivation for PAHs, hypothesized the possible mechanism for PAHs generation during frying and presented the research prospects. Some factors like high oil consumption, high temperature, long time and oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids promoted the formation of PAHs and the presence of antioxidants inhibited the PAHs formation. The effect of proteins and carbohydrates in foods on the formation of PAHs is inconclusive. The formed PAHs were migrated into food and air. Moreover, some PAHs transformed into more toxic PAHs-derivatives during frying. The generation of PAHs may be related to low-barrier free radical-mediated reaction and the unsaturated hydrocarbons may be precursors of PAHs during frying. In future, the isotope tracer technology and on-line detection may be applied to discover intermediates and provide clues for studying PAHs generation mechanisms.

Effects of casein phosphopeptides on thermal stability and sensory quality of whey protein emulsions containing calcium beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate.

This study aimed to elucidate the effect of casein phosphopeptides (CPP) on the thermal stability and sensory quality of whey protein emulsions containing calcium beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (WPEs-HMB-Ca). The interaction mechanism among CPP, HMBCa, and WP in the emulsions before and after autoclaving (121 °C, 15 min) was systematically investigated from macroscopic external and microscopic molecular perspectives. It was found that WPEs-HMB-Ca treated by autoclaving resulted in an increase in droplet size (d4,3 = 24.09 µm) due to aggregation/flocculation of proteins, along with a stronger odor with higher viscosity, compared to those without autoclaving. When CPP:HMB-Ca = 1:25 (w/w) in the emulsion, the droplets exhibited a more uniform and consistent state in the emulsion. In addition, CPP was able to inhibit the formation of complex spatial network structures of proteins during autoclaving by binding with Ca2+, thus improving the thermal stability and storage stability of WPEs-HMB-Ca. This work might provide theoretical guidance for developing functional milk drinks with good thermal stability and flavor.

Physicochemical, functional, and digestive characteristics of tea seed cake protein obtained by ultrafiltration.

To make full use of tea seed cake protein (TSCP), this study investigated the physicochemical and functional properties of TSCP, including the TSCP extract and three ultrafiltration fractions TSCP-1 (Mw > 10 kDa), TSCP-2 (3.5 kDa < Mw < 10 kDa), and TSCP-3 (Mw < 3.5 kDa). After ultrafiltration, the content, thermal stability, and surface hydrophobicity of TSCP were increased, and the molecular weight distribution and structure of TSCP showed significant differences. In terms of functionality, each fraction showed its advantages. Specifically, compared with the others, TSCP had better solubility and foaming properties, and TSCP-1 had significantly higher oil absorption capacity, and TSCP-2 had better water absorption capacity and emulsifying properties, and TSCP-3 can flow more easily (p < 0.05). In terms of nutritional value, the content of essential amino acids in all samples was sufficient. The degree of hydrolysis of TSCP was highest (80.98 ± 1.50%), and ultrafiltration decreased digestibility. These results indicated that ultrafiltration effectively improved the structure and functional properties of TSCP, and the obtained fractions can be applied to different scenarios. Practical Application: Tea seed cakes are rich in protein and usually regarded as byproducts during oil processing. Because of its good functional properties, tea seed cake proteins obtained by ultrafiltration have the potential to be used as ingredients for food.

Subcritical Water Enhanced with Deep Eutectic Solvent for Extracting Polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes and Their Antioxidant Activities.

In the present study, subcritical water extraction (SWE) assisted with deep eutectic solvent (DES) is used to extract Lentinus edodes polysaccharides (LEP). In addition, the antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide samples was also investigated. Based on a single factor test and response surface test, the optimal extraction factors were a liquid-solid solvent of 40:1 mL/g, extraction temperature of 147.23 °C, water content of 39.76% and extraction time of 17.58 min. Under these extraction conditions, the yield of LEP was 6.26 ± 0.08%. Compared with the SWE and hot water extraction (HWE), it improved by 19.24% and 17.01%, respectively. In addition, the results of monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, FT-IR, UV and SEM confirmed that the extracts had the features of polysaccharides. Interestingly, the polysaccharides obtained with the SWE assisted with the DES procedure showed a higher DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, which indicated that the polysaccharides with this method had a stronger antioxidant activity. These findings demonstrated that the SWE-assisted DES is a strong method to obtain polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes for food, biopharmaceutical and other industrial production.

Whey Protein Isolate Nanofibers Prepared by Subcritical Water Stabilized High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsion to Deliver Curcumin.

This study aimed to design a Pickering emulsion (PE) stabilized by whey protein isolate nanofibers (WPINs) prepared with subcritical water (SW) to encapsulate and prevent curcumin (Cur) degradation. Cur-loaded WPINs-SW stabilized PE (WPINs-SW-PE) and hydrothermally prepared WPINs stabilized PE (WPINs-H-PE) were characterized using the particle size, zeta potential, Congo Red, CD, and TEM. The results indicated that WPINs-SW-PE and WPINs-H-PE showed regular spherical shapes with average lengths of 26.88 ± 1.11 µm and 175.99 ± 2.31 µm, and zeta potential values were -38.00 ± 1.00 mV and -34.60 ± 2.03 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiencies of WPINs-SW-PE and WPINs-H-PE for Cur were 96.72 ± 1.05% and 94.07 ± 2.35%. The bio-accessibility of Cur of WPINs-SW-PE and WPINs-H-PE were 57.52 ± 1.24% and 21.94 ± 2.09%. In addition, WPINs-SW-PE had a better loading effect and antioxidant activities compared with WPINs-H-PE. SW could be a potential processing method to prepare a PE, laying the foundation for the subsequent production of functional foods.

New Perspective on Natural Plant Protein-Based Nanocarriers for Bioactive Ingredients Delivery.

The health effects of bioactive substances in the human body are affected by several factors, including food processing conditions, storage conditions, light and heat, among others. These factors greatly limit the stability and bioavailability of bioactive substances. These problems can be solved by a novel protein-based nanocarrier technology, which has the excellent potential to enhance solubility, bioavailability, and the controlled release of bioactive substances. In addition, plant protein has the advantages of economy, environmental protection, and high nutrition compared to animal protein. In this review, the preparation, characterization, and application of plant protein-based nanocarriers are summarized. The research deficiency and future prospects of plant protein nanocarriers are emphasized.

Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Tea Seed Cake Protein Nanoparticles as Lutein Carrier.

To effectively deliver lutein, hydrothermally prepared tea seed cake protein nanoparticles (TSCPN) were used to fabricate Pickering emulsion, and the bioaccessibility of lutein encapsulated by Pickering emulsion and the conventional emulsion was evaluated in vitro. The results indicated that the average size and absolute value of zeta potential of TSCPN increased along with the increase in the protein concentration, and 2% protein concentration was adopted to prepare TSCPN. With the increase in the concentration of TSCPN, the size of Pickering emulsion decreased from 337.02 µm to 89.36 µm, and when the TSCPN concentration was greater than 0.6%, all emulsions exhibited good stability during the 14 days storage. Combined with the microstructure result, 1.2% TSCPN was used to stabilize Pickering emulsion. With the increase in ionic concentration (0-400 mM), the particle size of the emulsions increased while the absolute value of zeta potential decreased. TSCPN-based Pickering emulsion was superior to the conventional emulsion for both lutein encapsulation (96.6 ± 1.0% vs. 82.1 ± 1.4%) and bioaccessibility (56.0 ± 1.1% vs. 35.2 ± 1.2%). Thus, TSCPN-based Pickering emulsion in this study have the potential as an effective carrier for lutein.

Migration and Distribution of PAH4 in Oil to French Fries Traced Using a Stable Isotope during Frying.

Isotope-labeled four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4-d12) were applied to study the migration and distribution of PAH4 in oil to French fries during frying. The results showed that the mobilities of PAH4-d12 showed a downtrend within 0-6 h and then an uptrend, and PAH4-d12 were mainly distributed in the crust of the French fries, especially five-ring PAHs-d12. The correlation analysis showed that PAH4-d12 migration was mainly caused by oil absorption of French fries. The low fluidity of the oil slowed down the PAH4-d12 migration, which was accelerated as the total polar component increased (higher than 15-20%). Additionally, higher frying temperature enhanced the crust ratio and porous structure of French fries, which explained the abundant five-ring PAHs-d12 distributed in the crust. This study provided references for optimizing the frying parameters: the exposure of PAH4 in French fries to humans can be reduced by controlling the oil quality and weakening the crust of the French fries.

A review on selenium-enriched proteins: preparation, purification, identification, bioavailability, bioactivities and application.

Selenium (Se) deficiency can cause many diseases and thereby affect human health. Traditional inorganic Se supplements have disadvantages of toxicity and low bioavailability. Se-Enriched proteins exhibit good bio-accessibility and high biological activities. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the preparation, purification, identification, bioavailability, bioactivities and application of Se-enriched proteins. The method of extracting Se-enriched proteins from animals, microorganisms and plants mainly includes solvent extraction (water, salt, ethanol and alkali solution extraction) and novel extraction technologies (ultrasound-assisted and pulsed electric field assisted extraction). Se-Enriched proteins and their hydrolysates exhibit good bioactivities, mainly including antioxidant activity, immune regulation, neuroprotective activity, and inhibition of hyperglycemic activity, among others. Future research should focus on the relationship between Se-enriched protein metabolism and the selenium regulatory protein metabolic pathway by using multi-omics technology. In addition, it is necessary to comprehensively study the structure-activity relationship of Se-enriched proteins/hydrolysates from different sources, to further clarify their bioactive mechanism and to verify their health benefits in vivo.