Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed the anti-constipation mechanisms of xylooligosaccharides from corn cobs.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) have recently garnered interest for their potential as an anti-constipation agent. In this study, we investigated the effects of XOSs derived from corn cobs on constipation in mice through a comprehensive analysis of both the metabolome and transcriptome. Our multi-omics approach revealed that XOSs primarily modulated butanoate metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways, as well as key signaling pathways such as PPAR and NF-kappa B. Notably, we observed a decrease in inflammatory biomarker expression and an elevation of butyric acid metabolite levels with XOSs treatment. A deeper analysis of gene expression and metabolite alterations highlighted significant changes in genes encoding critical enzymes and metabolites involved in these pathways. Overall, these findings underscore the considerable potential of XOSs derived from corn cobs as a dietary supplement for effectively alleviating constipation.

Xylooligosaccharides from corn cobs alleviate loperamide-induced constipation in mice via modulation of gut microbiota and SCFA metabolism.

This study aimed to optimize the structure and efficacy of xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) from corn cobs in constipated mice. Structural analysis revealed that XOSs from corn cobs were composed of ß-Xyl-(1 →4)-[ß-Xyl-(1→4)]n-α/ß-Xyl (n = 0-5) without any other substituents. XOS administration significantly reduced the defecation time, increased the gastrointestinal transit rate, restored the gastrointestinal neurotransmitter imbalance, protected against oxidative stress, and reversed constipation-induced colonic inflammation. Fecal metabolite and microbiota analysis showed that XOS supplementation significantly increased short chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels and improved the gut microbial environment. These findings highlighted the potential of XOSs from corn cobs as an active ingredient for functional foods or as a therapeutic agent in constipation therapy.

Synthesis, physicochemical and emulsifying properties of OSA-modified tamarind seed polysaccharides with different degrees of substitution.

Octenyl succinic anhydride modified tamarind seed polysaccharides (OTSPs) with various degrees of substitution were first synthesized and characterized in this work. The structural, solid-state, solution and emulsifying properties of the OTSPs and the effect of the degree of substitution (DS) were investigated. The structural characterization confirmed the successful grafting of the OSA moiety into TSP and the chain extension of the OTSPs. The hydrophobicity of the modified polysaccharide molecules increased, the absolute value of the zeta potential increased, and the thermal stability decreased, which were positively or negatively correlated with the changes in DS. In contrast, the hydrolysis of polysaccharides in alkaline aqueous solution led to a decrease in molar mass and the rigidity of the molecules, which were not significantly related to DS. Particle size analysis showed that OTSPs tended to aggregate into relatively small agglomerates, which was confirmed by the results of morphological analysis. Most importantly, the instability indices of emulsions stabilized by TSP, arabic gum and OSA-starch were 0.521, 0.715, and 0.804, respectively, while for OTSPs this parameter was between 0.04 and 0.19 under the same conditions, indicating better physical stability of the OTSP-stabilized emulsions, especially for OTSP-30. Overall, OTSP has great potential as an emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions, especially for emulsification and stabilization in food processing.

Self-assembly of tamarind seed polysaccharide via enzymatic depolymerization and degalactosylation enhanced ice recrystallization inhibition activity.

Polysaccharides are becoming potential candidates for developing food-grade cryoprotectants due to their extensive accessibility and health-promoting effects. However, unremarkable ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity and high viscosity limit their practical applications in some systems. Our previous study found a galactoxyloglucan polysaccharide from tamarind seed (TSP) showing moderate IRI activity. Herein, the enhancement of the IRI performance of TSP via enzymatic depolymerization and degalactosylation-induced self-assembly was reported. TSP was depolymerized and subsequently removed ∼40 % Gal, which induced the formation of supramolecular rod-like fiber self-assembles and exhibited a severalfold enhancement of IRI. Ice shaping assay did not show obvious faceting of ice crystals, indicating that both depolymerized and self-assembled TSP showed very weak binding to ice. Molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the absence of molecular complementarity with ice. Further, it highlighted that degalactosylation did not cause significant changes in local hydration properties of TSP from the view of a single oligomer. The inconsistency between molecular simulation and macroscopic IRI effect proposed that the formation of unique supramolecular self-assemblies may be a key requirement for enhancing IRI activity. The findings of this study provided a new opportunity to enhance the applied potential of natural polysaccharides in food cryoprotection.

Inhibition of ice recrystallization by tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) seed polysaccharide and molecular weight effects.

This study aimed to investigate the inhibition effects of tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) on ice recrystallization and to figure out its possible molecular weight-dependent effects. TSP fractions (2412.38-20.75 kDa) were prepared while preserving the natural structure. Ice recrystallization was effectively inhibited by TSP. Decreasing the molecular weight to a certain range, such as 224.04 kDa and 90.41 kDa, could enhance the activity of TSP due to the reduction of self- and intermolecular aggregation. Adding TSP into water decreased the melting temperature of bulk ice. Raman spectra showed that partial group vibrations or deformations of TSP molecules were restricted upon solution freezing and also revealed a destructuring effect of TSP on the H-bond network of water. These findings suggested the potential of TSP as a novel food cryoprotectant and help produce TSP fractions with enhanced activity, and shed new light on understanding the antifreeze mechanism of natural polysaccharides.

Molecular aggregation via partial Gal removal affects physicochemical and macromolecular properties of tamarind kernel polysaccharides.

The role of molecular aggregation was investigated on physicochemical and macromolecular properties of tamarind kernel polysaccharides via partial degalactosylation (TKPs vs. CTKPs). From the results, their main structural characteristics remained when partially degalactosylated, while primary aggregates as fundamental solution behavior were dynamically converted into higher aggregated forms. Micromorphologically, their conformational changes in different forms of crimping and aggregation could be further promoted by partial Gal removal to assemble on larger scales via hydrophobic interactions. Obviously, the aggregation role was unignorable, especially after partial degalactosylation, which affected TKPs and CTKPs differently concerning viscous behaviors, macromolecular characteristics, amorphous-crystalline transition and thermal stability, probably related to distinctiveness in polymerization degree, chemical structure, conformational entropy, solvent-solute interactions, specific intermolecular associations, etc. Therefore, molecular aggregation in tamarind kernel polysaccharides via specific Gal tailoring could be potential in applicable fields, such as postsurgical adhesion, packaging material design and plasma lipid metabolism.

Pectic polysaccharides from Biluochun Tea: A comparative study in macromolecular characteristics, fine structures and radical scavenging activities in vitro.

In this study, two acidic Biluochun Tea polysaccharides (BTP-A11 and BTP-A12) were investigated comparatively, which mainly consisted of Rha, Ara, Gal and GalA, possibly suggesting their pectic nature. Structurally, their galacturonan backbones composed of →4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→ and →2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→ were revealed similar, while Ara- and Gal-based branches attached to the O-2 of →2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→ were in distinctive types, proportions, extensibilities and branching degrees. This could lead to their different macromolecular characteristics, where BTP-A11 with higher Mw presented a more hyper-branched chain conformation and relatively higher structural flexibility/compactness, thereby resulting in a lower exclusion effect and an insufficient hydrodynamic volume. Besides, better radical scavenging activities in vitro were also determined for Gal-enriched BTP-A11, where a larger surface area containing more H-donating groups were related to its higher Mw, more hyper-branched conformation, lower DM and higher DA. Therefore, the understanding of structure-property-activity relationships was improved to some degrees for acidic Biluochun Tea polysaccharides, which could be potentially required for more applications in food, medical and cosmetic fields.

Macromolecular and thermokinetic properties of a galactomannan from Sophora alopecuroides L. seeds: A study of molecular aggregation.

The molecular aggregation of a galactomannan (NSAP-25) from Sophora alopecuroides L. seeds was investigated, where three polydisperse systems were confirmed during particle size analysis, indicating existence of different aggregates composed of random coil chains revealed by circular dichroism. Morphologically, NSAP-25 aggregate of various sizes (200-1200 nm) was possibly multi-stranded and formed by ellipsoid-like particles (20-60 nm) composed of compact coil chain, exhibiting extended amorphous structure with chain-like branches intertwined. Hence, NSAP-25 aggregation was inevitable, which exerted an unignorable effect on augmenting flexibility (ß↓, γ↓, α↓ and Lp/ML↓) and compactness (ρ↓, df↑ and C∞↓) of branched random coil chain based on macromolecular analysis, especially when concentration increased. Moreover, it could be relevant to thermokinetic behavior of random nucleation and subsequent growth (A2 model and negative ΔS*) as well as good thermal stability (IPDT, ITS, t0.05, Tm and Tp), thus conferring potential applications for NSAP-25 in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Casein-maltodextrin Maillard conjugates encapsulation enhances the antioxidative potential of proanthocyanidins: An in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

Practical application of proanthocyanidins (PAs) as antioxidants is limited because of their hard-to-maintained activities during the processes and storage and in severe gastrointestinal environments. To overcome this challenge, we have developed an easy and green method to encapsulate PAs based on casein-maltodextrin Maillard conjugates. The current work entails the systematic study on the antioxidative potentials of fabricated casein-maltodextrin-PAs nanoparticles (CMPNs). In vitro antioxidant activities of CMPNs remained well during storage in 28 days and treatments under 40-80 °C. In vivo Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model further showed that the CMPNs could prolong the lifespan of nematodes and protected nematodes from oxidative stress and heat shock. Analyses of intracellular superoxide dismutase and catalase activities also confirmed the existence of an antioxidant protective effect. Besides, in vitro release test showed that the encapsulation enhanced the bioaccessibility of PAs. These results have important implications for the development of novel antioxidants in nutraceutical industries.

An ultrasonic-extracted arabinoglucan from Tamarindus indica L. pulp: A study on molecular and structural characterizations.

In this study, an ultrasonic-extracted polysaccharide (nCPTP-55) was obtained with the highest yield (61.08%, w/w) from tamarind pulp, which consisted chiefly of total sugar (85.98%, w/w) with few protein (2.10%, w/w). Monosaccharide analysis showed nCPTP-55 was mainly composed of arabinose (39.19 mol%) and glucose (50.48 mol%) with negligible GlcA (2.05 mol%), indicating the neutral nature of nCPTP-55, which was further elucidated structurally via GC-MS and NMR, i.e., an arabinoglucan composed of →3)-ß-D-Glcp-(1→ backbone with only T-α-L-Araf-(1→ branched at O-4 (27.82%) and O-6 (39.99%), resulting in relatively high A/G ratio (0.68-0.70). Based on MM2 minimized energy, the 3D schematic structures of nCPTP-55 could be considered as structural basis for its conformational behavior, which was preliminarily estimated via HPSEC-MALLS as between compact sphere and loosely hyper-branched chain (ρ = 0.84). Therefore, the relationship between molecular structure and conformational behavior was basically established for nCPTP-55, which was in a bid to have a better knowledge of its structure-property and structure-bioactivity relationships potentially required for more applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields.

Application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for the quality and safety analysis of fats and oils: A review.

Fats and oils are essential food components. Their quality and safety pose major concerns for consumers and food producers because of factors such as oxidation and rancidity, excessive levels of trans fatty acid (TFA), and widespread adulteration. Thus, a rapid and easy-to-use technique must be exploited for quality parameter evaluation and monitoring to ensure the edibility, safety, and quality of fats and oils. In the last decades, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has shown great potential in analyzing fats and oils given its speed and simplicity. FTIR-based analytical techniques for common intrinsic quality parameters, including peroxide value, free fatty acid, moisture, TFA, iodine value, as well as oxidation stability, adulteration, and classification of various fats and oils, are summarized in this review. The advantages and disadvantages of selected infrared spectral accessories and sample preparation and spectral processing methods are highlighted. The prospects and reformative aspects for future application of the FTIR technique in the field of fats and oils are also discussed. This review may serve as a basis for applying FTIR not only in future research but also in the fat and oil industries.

Efficient Detection of Edible Oils Adulterated with Used Frying Oils through PE-film-based FTIR Spectroscopy Combined with DA and PLS.

Edible oil adulteration has been a considerable problem worldwide, and rapid detection methods should be established. In this study, a validation method for edible oil adulterated with used frying oil (UFO) was introduced through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The spectral region of 6000-400 cm-1 was determined through FTIR by using a disposable polyethylene film, and absorption profiles at 1550-650 cm-1 region could be used for detection analysis. A qualitative analysis model was established through discriminant analysis, and edible oil adulteration with more than 1% content of UFO could be qualitatively analyzed. A quantitative analysis model was also created through partial least squares regression. When the actual value was more than 1.5%, the predicted and actual values showed good linear correlation. FTIR coupled with chemometric analysis is a useful tool to detect edible oil adulteration.