Pressure-dominated steam explosion for modifying textured soy proteins: Structure and in vitro digestion kinetics.

Textured Soy Proteins (TSPs) have been employed as building blocks in various food processes, but their availability remains limited. In this research, influence of Steam Explosion (SE) with pressure ranges (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 MPa) on the structure and in vitro digestibility of TSPs was investigated. The results showed that 0.5 and 1.0 MPa significantly increased the relative content of ß-sheets and decreased the relative content of α-helices and ß-turns. Correlation analysis revealed that the structural changes made the TSP brittle, with lower thermal stability and resistance to digestion. Moreover, SE decreased the degree of hydrolysis of TSPs in the gastric stage, with the lowest degree observed for the TSP at 0.5 MPa. However, in the intestinal phase, 1.0 and 1.5 MPa significantly increased the hydrolysis degree. These findings provide a better understanding of the SE pressure-modulated quality characteristics of TSPs and suggest the processing potential of modified TSPs as functional ingredients.

Bile acid and its bidirectional interactions with gut microbiota: a review.

Bile acids (BAs) are an important metabolite produced by cholesterol catabolism. It serves important roles in glucose and lipid metabolism and host-microbe interaction. Recent research has shown that different gut-microbiota can secrete different metabolic-enzymes to mediate the deconjugation, dehydroxylation and epimerization of BAs. In addition, microbes mediate BAs transformation and exert physiological functions in metabolic diseases may have a potentially close relationship with diet. Therefore, elaborating the pathways by which gut microbes mediate the transformation of BAs through enzymatic reactions involved are principal to understand the mechanism of effects between dietary patterns, gut microbes and BAs, and to provide theoretical knowledge for the development of functional foods to regulate metabolic diseases. In the present review, we summarized works on the physiological function of BAs, as well as the classification and composition of BAs in different animal models and its organs. In addition, we mainly focus on the bidirectional interactions of gut microbes with BAs transformation, and discuss the effects of diet on microbial transformation of BAs. Finally, we raised the question of further in-depth investigation of the food-gut microbial-BAs relationship, which might contribute to the improvement of metabolic diseases through dietary interventions in the future.

Ultrasonication-mediated formation of V-type lotus seed starch for subsequent complexation with butyric acid.

V-type starches comprise single helical structures that can be complexed with other small hydrophobic molecules. The development of the subtypes of these assembled V-conformations is dependent on the helical state of the amylose chains during complexation, which is influenced by the pretreatment employed. In this work, the effect of preultrasonication on the structure and in vitro digestibility of preformed V-type lotus seed starch (VLS) and its potential for complexing with butyric acid (BA), was investigated. The results showed that ultrasound pretreatment did not affect the crystallographic pattern of the V6-type VLS. The optimal ultrasonic intensities increased the crystallinity and molecular ordering of the VLSs. With an increase in the preultrasonication power, the pores on the VLS gel surface decreased in size and were more densely distributed. The VLSs formed at 360 W were less vulnerable to digestive enzymes than their untreated counterparts. Additionally, their highly porous structures could accommodate numerous BA molecules, and thus generated inclusion complexes via hydrophobic interactions. These findings would provide valuable insights into the ultrasonication-mediated formation of VLSs and suggest their potential application as carriers for the delivery of BA molecules to the gut.

Robust microfluidic construction of konjac glucomannan-based micro-films for active food packaging.

The objective of this study was to develop a novel active food packaging with high performance by using natural active compound. Here, a facile and green strategy was employed to construct the konjac glucomannan/polylactic acid/trans-cinnamic acid micro-films (KPTMF) via microfluidic spinning technology (MST). MST, a mild preparation approach, could remain the activities of natural compound during processing. Konjac glucomannan could drive the release of trans-cinnamic by using its hydrophilicity under our careful design. The results of fourier-transform infrared spectra and infrared images revealed that konjac glucomannan, polylactic acid, and trans-cinnamic acid had good compatibility through hydrogen bonds in the micro-films, which was consistent with the X-ray diffraction results. Also, the good swelling degree (81.36 ±â€¯5.79%) of KPTMF could promote the release of trans-cinnamic. Besides, the KPTMF had excellent mechanical properties (Tensile strength: 14.09 ±â€¯2.97 MPa, Elongation at break: 3.12 ±â€¯0.57%), thermal stabilities and hydrophobicity (Water vapor permeability: 4.81 × 10-6 g/(m·h·kPa), Water contact angle: 99.2°). The obtained micro-films with large specific surface areas exhibited great antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, which suggested the potential applications in active food packaging.