Ramon Flour (Brosimum alicastrum Swartz) Ameliorates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation, Induction of AMPK Phosphorylation, and Expression of the Hepatic Antioxidant System in a High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity Mouse Model.

Excessive consumption of fat and carbohydrates, together with a decrease in traditional food intake, has been related to obesity and the development of metabolic alterations. Ramon seed is a traditional Mayan food used to obtain Ramon flour (RF) with high biological value in terms of protein, fiber, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. However, few studies have evaluated the beneficial effects of RF. Thus, we aimed to determine the metabolic effects of RF consumption on a high-fat-diet-induced obesity mouse model. We divided male BALB/c mice into four groups (n = 5 each group) and fed them for 90 days with the following diets: Control (C): control diet (AIN-93), C + RF: control diet adjusted with 25% RF, HFD: high-fat diet + 5% sugar in water, and HFD + RF: high-fat diet adjusted with 25% RF + 5% sugar in water. The RF prevented the increase in serum total cholesterol (TC) and alanine transaminase (ALT) that occurred in the C and HFD groups. Notably, RF together with HFD increased serum polyphenols and antioxidant activity, and it promoted a decrease in the adipocyte size in white adipose tissue, along with lower hepatic lipid accumulation than in the HFD group. In the liver, the HFD + RF group showed an increase in the expression of ß-oxidation-related genes, and downregulation of the fatty acid synthase (Fas) gene compared with the HFD group. Moreover, the HFD + RF group had increased hepatic phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), along with increased nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) protein expression compared with the HFD group. Thus, RF may be used as a nutritional strategy to decrease metabolic alterations during obesity.

Spray drying encapsulation of a native plant extract rich in phenolic compounds with combinations of maltodextrin and non-conventional wall materials.

Crotalaria longirostrata (chipilin) leaves contain phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. These phenolic compounds, however, could easily degrade after extraction. Microencapsulation is a possible solution for avoiding this degradation. Frequently, microencapsulation is carried out using conventional encapsulating agents. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of several non-conventional encapsulating agents on microencapsulation by spray drying of phenolic compounds from chipilin, stability and release of phenolic compounds were also studied. Maltodextrin (MD), gum Arabic (GA), soy protein (SP), cocoa shell pectin (CSP), and protein (PC), as well as the gum (GC) of Cajanus cajan seeds were used. Different blends of these matrixes containing phenolic compounds from chipilin leaves were spray dried at 120 °C. After drying, the yield and microencapsulation efficiency were determined. All results were analyzed by an ANOVA test (p < 0.05). The release kinetics of phenolic compounds were modeled using zero, first-order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. The R2 was calculated for each model. The blends of encapsulating agents allowed the formation of an efficient polymer matrix with yields between 46 and 64% and microencapsulation efficiency between 65 and 92%. Results show that maltodextrin with soy protein allowed the highest (92%) microencapsulation efficiency, although maltodextrin and cocoa shell pectin were more effective protective agents, showing greater stability. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model was the best in predicting the phenolic compounds release with R2 values higher than 98%. The stability time for microcapsules with MD-CSP was 8.88 years and 1.43 years at 4 °C and 30 °C, respectively.