Evaluation of Thai Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) Hydrolysate Powder for Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertensive Rats.

The angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) plays a pivotal role in hypertension, and while ACE inhibitors are conventional in hypertension management, synthetic medications often carry undesirable side effects. This has spurred interest in alternative ACE inhibitors derived from natural sources, such as edible insects. The silkworm, recognized for its bioactive peptides with potent ACE-inhibitory properties, has emerged as a promising candidate. This study aims to evaluate the acute toxicity and assess the antihypertensive efficacy of crude mature silkworm hydrolysate powder (MSHP) obtained from mature Thai silkworms. Utilizing the commercial protease Alcalase®2.4L, MSHP was administered at various doses, including 50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1, to hypertensive rats. The investigation spans a 14-day period to observe any potential acute toxic effects. Results indicate that MSHP exhibits LD50 values equal to or exceeding 2000 mg kg-1, signifying a low level of acute toxicity. Furthermore, the effective dose for blood pressure reduction in hypertensive rats surpasses 100 mg kg-1 of rat body weight. These findings suggest that MSHP derived from Thai mature silkworms holds promise as a natural antihypertensive food source. The implications of this research extend to the development of functional foods, functional ingredients, and dietary supplements aimed at managing hypertension.

A Comprehensive Review with Future Prospects on the Medicinal Properties and Biological Activities of Curcuma caesia Roxb.

Plants are the primary source of the food chain and are rich in nutrients and biochemical compounds that mainly give beneficial effects to humans as well as other living organisms. Curcuma caesia Roxb. is a family member of Zingiberaceae commonly known as black turmeric. The leaves and rhizomes of this plant are extensively used in Ayurvedic medicine and as traditional remedies for various ailments. The aromatic rhizomes and leaves are due to the presence of essential oils reported as camphor, ar-turmerone, (Z)-ß-ocimene, ar-curcumene, 1,8-cineole, ß-elemene, borneol, bornyl acetate, tropolone, ledol, ß-elemenone, and α-bulnesene. Previous research studies have revealed most of the biological activities of C. caesia, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which are due to the presence of various bioactive components. The diverse chemical composition contained in this plant contributes to various biological activities, which may be beneficial for the health, food, and cosmetic industries. The purpose of this review was to summarise updated research on the in vitro and in vivo activities of C. caesia as well as the current clinical investigations. A compilation of the latest findings regarding the potential activities of C. caesia and mechanisms related to its health benefits is discussed and reviewed. This valuable information is the key that can be used for the development of drugs, functional food ingredients, and food products.

Brown Algae as Functional Food Source of Fucoxanthin: A Review.

Fucoxanthin is an algae-specific xanthophyll of aquatic carotenoid. It is prevalent in brown seaweed because it functions as a light-harvesting complex for algal photosynthesis and photoprotection. Its exceptional chemical structure exhibits numerous biological activities that benefit human health. Due to these valuable properties, fucoxanthin's potential as a potent source for functional food, feed, and medicine is being explored extensively today. This article has thoroughly reviewed the availability and biosynthesis of fucoxanthin in the brown seaweed, as well as the mechanism behind it. We included the literature findings concerning the beneficial bioactivities of fucoxanthin such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, anticancer, and other potential activities. Last, an additional view on its potential as a functional food ingredient has been discussed to facilitate a broader application of fucoxanthin as a promising bioactive compound.

Review of sialic acid's biochemistry, sources, extraction and functions with special reference to edible bird's nest.

Sialic acids are a group of nine-carbon α-keto acids. Sialic acid exists in more than 50 forms, with the natural types discovered as N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), deaminoneuraminic acid (2-keto-3-deoxy-nonulononic acid or Kdn), and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). Sialic acid level varies depending on the source, where edible bird's nest (EBN), predominantly Neu5Ac, is among the major sources of sialic acid. Due to its high nutritive value and complexity, sialic acid has been studied extensively through acid, aqueous, and enzymatic extraction. Although detection by chromatographic methods or mass spectrometry is common, the isolation and recovery work remained limited. Sialic acid is well-recognised for its bioactivities, including brain and cognition development, immune-enhancing, anti-hypertensive, anticancer, and skin whitening properties. Therefore, sialic acid can be used as a functional ingredient in the various industries. This paper reviews the current trend in the biochemistry, sources, extraction, and functions of sialic acids with special reference to EBN.

Enzymatic hydrolysis: Sialylated mucin (SiaMuc) glycoprotein of edible swiftlet's nest (ESN) and its molecular weight distribution as bioactive ESN SiaMuc-glycopeptide hydrolysate.

Bioactive edible swiftlet's nest (ESN) sialylated-mucin (SiaMuc) hydrolysate is produced by alcalase hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis of ESN breakdown high-valued ESN SiaMuc-glycoprotein into bioactive SiaMuc-glycopeptide. This is a breakthrough for the issue of insolubility and low extraction rate in ESN, and even increases the bioavailability of ESN nutritional functionality and health benefits. Hydrolysis of ESN SiaMuc-glycoprotein was performed for 1 to 4 h and its effect on physicochemical properties, molecular weight (MW) distribution, SiaMuc-glycoprotein and glycopeptide integrity were determined. Other than improvement in solubility and bioavailability as SiaMuc-glycopeptide, results from SDS-PAGE revealed that MW of SiaMuc-glycoprotein decreased from 42.0-148.8 kDa to 17.7-142.7 kDa with increasing hydrolysis period. Further hydrolysis from maximized DH (90 min) showed an insignificant effect on the MW of ESN SiaMuc-glycopeptide and remained constant at 15.2 kDa. This highlights that enzymatic hydrolysis only influences macro SiaMuc-glycoprotein fractions (142.7, 115.3 and 102.7 kDa), while the majority of SiaMuc-glycopeptide fractions from 36.6-98.6 kDa remained intact. Conclusively, alcalase hydrolysis of ESN showed high recovery in the form of bioactive ESN SiaMuc-glycopeptide. Therefore, enzymatic biotechnology is an economic alternative applicable on ESN that broaden industrial utilization by reducing the MW without destroying the quality of bioactive SiaMuc-glycoprotein.

Comprehensive computational target fishing approach to identify Xanthorrhizol putative targets.

Xanthorrhizol (XNT), is a bioactive compound found in Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. This study aimed to determine the potential targets of the XNT via computational target fishing method. This compound obeyed Lipinski's and Veber's rules where it has a molecular weight (MW) of 218.37 gmol-1, TPSA of 20.23, rotatable bonds (RBN) of 4, hydrogen acceptor and donor ability is 1 respectively. Besides, it also has half-life (HL) values 3.5 h, drug-likeness (DL) value of 0.07, oral bioavailability (OB) of 32.10, and blood-brain barrier permeability (BBB) value of 1.64 indicating its potential as therapeutic drug. Further, 20 potential targets were screened out through PharmMapper and DRAR-CPI servers. Co-expression results derived from GeneMANIA revealed that these targets made connection with a total of 40 genes and have 744 different links. Four genes which were RXRA, RBP4, HSD11B1 and AKR1C1 showed remarkable co-expression and predominantly involved in steroid metabolic process. Furthermore, among these 20 genes, 13 highly expressed genes associated with xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, chemical carcinogenesis and steroid metabolic pathways were identified through gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis. In conclusion, XNT is targeting multiple proteins and pathways which may be exploited to shape a network that exerts systematic pharmacological effects.

Functional polysaccharides of fucoidan, laminaran and alginate from Malaysian brown seaweeds (Sargassum polycystum, Turbinaria ornata and Padina boryana).

Brown seaweeds are rich source of functional polysaccharides that exhibit various bioactivities. However, Malaysian seaweeds are under-utilised, leading to low revenue throughout the supply chain of the seaweed industry. The aims of this study were to extract the functional polysaccharides, namely fucoidan (F), laminaran (L) and alginate (A) from Malaysian brown seaweeds (Sargassum polycystum, Turbinaria ornata and Padina boryana) and subsequently evaluate the properties of the extracted polysaccharides. P. boryana recorded the significantly (p ≤ 0.05) highest carbohydrate content (74.78 ± 1.63%) with highest fucoidan yield (Fpad = 1.59 ± 0.16%) while T. ornata contained significantly (p ≤ 0.05) highest alginate yield (Atur = 105.19 ± 3.45%). Water activities of these extracted polysaccharides varied from 0.63-0.71 with average score of browning indexes (~40). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the extracted polysaccharides exhibited similar spectral pattern of spectra with the respective standards. Meanwhile, laminaran extracts showed the significantly highest (p ≤ 0.05) total phenolic contents (Lsar = 43.29 ± 0.43 mgGAE/g) and superoxide anion scavenging activity (Lsig = 21.7 ± 3.6%). On the other hand, the significantly highest (p ≤ 0.05) DPPH scavenging activity was recorded in alginate with Asar at 85.3 ± 0.8%. These findings reported the properties and bioactivities of natural polysaccharides from Malaysian brown seaweeds that revealed the potential to develop high-value functional ingredients from Malaysian brown seaweeds.

Lactic acid separation and recovery from fermentation broth by ion-exchange resin: A review.

Lactic acid has become one of the most important chemical substances used in various sectors. Its global market demand has significantly increased in recent years, with a CAGR of 18.7% from 2019 to 2025. Fermentation has been considered the preferred method for producing high-purity lactic acid in the industry over chemical synthesis. However, the recovery and separation of lactic acid from microbial fermentation media are relatively complicated and expensive, especially in the process relating to second-generation (2G) lactic acid recovery. This article reviews the development and progress related to lactic acid separation and recovery from fermentation broth. Various aspects are discussed thoroughly, such as the mechanism of lactic acid production through fermentation, the crucial factors that influence the fermentation process, and the separation and recovery process of conventional and advanced lactic acid separation methods. This review's highlight is the recovery of lactic acid by adsorption technique using ion-exchange resins with a brief focus on the potential of in-site separation strategies alongside the important factors that influenced the lactic acid recovery process by ion exchange. Apart from that, other lactic acid separation techniques, such as chemical neutralization, liquid-liquid extraction, membrane separation, and distillation, are also thoroughly reviewed.

Effect of Thermal Processing on Physico-Chemical and Antioxidant Properties in Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) Powder.

The mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) is a common edible insect in many countries. However, the impact of thermal processing, especially regarding Thai silkworm powder, is poorly known. We, therefore, determined the optimum time for treatment in hot water and subsequent drying temperatures in the production of silkworm powder. The silkworms exposed to 90 °C water for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min showed values of Total Phenolic Compounds (TPCs), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging (DPPH) assay, 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assay, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay that were significantly (p < 0.05) higher at the 5 min exposure time compared with the other times. The reduction of microorganisms based on log CFU/g counts was ≥3 log CFU/g (99%) at the 5 min treatment. To determine the optimum drying temperature, the silkworms exposed to 90 °C water for 5 min were subjected to a hot-air dryer at 80, 100, 120, and 140 °C. The TPC value was the highest (p < 0.05) at 80 °C. The silkworm powder possessed significantly (p < 0.05) higher DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and ferric ion reducing capability (FRAP assay) at 80 °C compared with other drying temperatures. This study indicates that shorter exposure times to hot water and a low drying temperature preserve the antioxidant activities. High antioxidant activities (in addition to its known protein and fat content) suggest that silkworms and silkworm powder can make a valuable contribution to human health.

Recovery of value-added glycopeptides from edible bird's nest (EBN) co-products: enzymatic hydrolysis, physicochemical characteristics and bioactivity.

BACKGROUND: Processing of edible bird's nest (EBN) requires extensive washing to remove impurities and produces huge amounts of EBN co-products, which contain mainly feathers with glycoproteins attached, which are usually discarded. This study was conducted to recover the valuable EBN glycoproteins from the waste material. Enzymatic hydrolysis was applied to recover EBN glycopeptides from EBN co-products (EBNcoP ) and processed cleaned EBN (EBNclean ) was used as control, which were then freeze-dried into EBN hydrolysates (EBNhcoP and EBNhclean , respectively). RESULTS: The recovery yield for EBNhclean and EBNhcoP were 89.09 ± 0.01% and 47.64 ± 0.26%, respectively, indicating nearly 50% of glycopeptide can be recovered from the waste material. Meanwhile, N-acetylneuraminic acid, a major acid sugar in EBN glycoproteins, of EBNhcoP increased by 229% from 58.6 ± 3.9 to 192.9 ± 3.1 g kg-1 , indicating the enzymatic hydrolysis removed impurities and thus enhanced the N-acetylneuraminic acid content. Total soluble protein was more than 330 g kg-1 for all the samples. Colour parameter showed that hydrolysate samples have greater L* (lightness) values. Chroma result indicates the intensity of all the samples were low (< 11). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum displayed that the EBNhcoP exhibited similar functional groups with EBNhclean , indicating that the EBNcoP has similar functionality as EBNclean . Significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activities were reported in EBNhcoP after the enzymatic reaction. CONCLUSION: EBNhcoP were successfully recovered from low value EBNcoP with enhanced antioxidant activities. The findings of this work are beneficial for the EBN industry to reduce wastage and enhance economic values of EBN co-products, both economically and nutritionally. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Alcoholic fermentation of soursop (Annona muricata) juice via an alternative fermentation technique.

BACKGROUND: Wines are produced via the alcoholic fermentation of suitable substrates, usually sugar (sugar cane, grapes) and carbohydrates (wheat, grain). However, conventional alcoholic fermentation is limited by the inhibition of yeast by ethanol produced, usually at approximately 13-14%. Aside from that, soursop fruit is a very nutritious fruit, although it is highly perishable, and thus produces a lot of wastage. Therefore, the present study aimed to produce fermented soursop juice (soursop wine), using combination of two starter cultures, namely mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), as well as to determine the effects of fermentation on the physicochemical and antioxidant activities of fermented soursop juice. Optimisation of four factors (pH, temperature, time and culture ratio) using response surface methodology were performed to maximise ethanol production. RESULTS: The optimised values for alcoholic fermentation were pH 4.99, 28.29 °C, 131 h and a 0.42 culture ratio (42:58, P. pulmonarius mycelia:S. cerevisiae) with a predicted ethanol concentration of 22.25%. Through a verification test, soursop wine with 22.29 ± 0.52% ethanol was produced. The antioxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant power) showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase from the soursop juice to soursop wine. CONCLUSION: The alternative fermentation technique using yeast and mushroom has successfully been optimised, with an increased ethanol production in soursop wine and higher antioxidant activities. Ultimately, this finding has high potential for application in the brewing industry to enhance the fermentation process, as well as in the development of an innovative niche product, reducing wastage by converting the highly-perishable fruit into wine with a more stable and longer shelf-life. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Structural elucidation of fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus (Okinawa mozuku).

Fucoidan is a sulphated polysaccharide, made up mainly of l-fucose, which is found in brown seaweeds. Its chemical structure is diverse and depends on maturity, species and geographical location. The objective of this study was to elucidate the chemical structure of fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus harvested in Japan. The fucoidan was subject to purification prior to monosaccharide profiling, sulphate content determination, and linkage analysis. Our results showed that Japanese Cladosiphon okamuranus fucoidan contained 70.13 ±â€¯0.22 wt% fucose and 15.16 ±â€¯1.17 wt% sulphate. Other minor monosaccharides found were d-xylose, d-galactose, d-mannose, d-glucose, d-arabinose, d-rhamnose and d-glucuronic acid. Linkage analysis revealed that fucopyranoside units along the backbone are linked, through α-1,3-glycosidic bonds, with fucose branching at C-2, and one sulphate group at C-4 per every three fucose units, i.e. the structure of fucoidan from Japanese Cladosiphon okamuranus is [→3)-α-fuc(1→]0.52[→3)-α-fuc-4-OSO3-(1→]0.33[→2)-α-fuc]0.14.

A review on conventional and biotechnological approaches in white pepper production.

White pepper is the dried seeds obtained from pepper berries (Piper nigrum L.) after the removal of the pericarp. It has been widely used as seasoning and condiments in food preparation. Globally, white pepper fetches a higher price compared to black pepper due to its lighter colour, preferable milder flavour and pungency. Increasing global demand of the spice outpaced the supply as the conventional production method used is laborious, lengthy and also not very hygienic. The most common conventional method is water retting but can also include pit soil, chemical, boiling, steaming and mechanical methods. The introduction of a biotechnological approach has gained a lot of interest, as it is a more rapid, convenient and hygienic method of producing white pepper. This technique involves the application of microorganisms and/or enzymes. This review highlights both conventional and latest biotechnological processes of white pepper production. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Varieties, production, composition and health benefits of vinegars: A review.

Vinegars are liquid products produced from the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentation of carbohydrate sources. They have been used as remedies in many cultures and have been reported to provide beneficial health effects when consumed regularly. Such benefits are due to various types of polyphenols, micronutrients and other bioactive compounds found in vinegars that contribute to their pharmacological effects, among them, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidative, antiobesity and antihypertensive effects. There are many types of vinegars worldwide, including black vinegar, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar and white wine vinegar. All these vinegars are produced using different raw materials, yeast strains and fermentation procedures, thus giving them their own unique tastes and flavours. The main volatile compound in vinegar is acetic acid, which gives vinegar its strong, sour aroma and flavour. Other volatile compounds present in vinegars are mainly alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes and ketones. The diversity of vinegars allows extensive applications in food.

Physicochemical Properties of Starch from Dioscorea pyrifolia tubers.

Starch from Dioscorea pyrifolia tubers was characterized for its proximate composition, physicochemical properties and toxicity. This starch contains 44.47±1.86% amylose, 4.84±0.29% moisture, 0.88±0.21% ash, 1.34±0.11% proteins and 92.73±0.48% carbohydrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed a type-C starch with a relative crystallinity of 23.31±2.41%. The starch granules are polyhedral, with a diameter of 2.8 to 5.6µm and average size of 3.93±1.47µm. Initial, peak and finishing gelatinization temperatures for the starch were 71.51±0.07, 75.05±0.15, and 78.25±0.18°C, respectively; the gelatinization enthalpy was 3.86±0.02J/g, and the peak height index was 1.09±0.05. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a weight loss of 85.81±0.52% and a decomposition temperature of 320.16±0.35°C, which indicated that there was good thermal stability of the starch. Fish embryo toxicity (FET) showed that the starch was not toxic and that it was suitable for food and non-food industries.

Characterisation of fucoidan extracted from Malaysian Sargassum binderi.

Fucoidan is a sulphated polysaccharide that consists mainly of fucose, normally found in brown seaweeds. In this study, fucoidan was extracted from Sargassum binderi (Fsar) from Malaysia and subsequently characterised. The chemical characteristics of Fsar were found to be different than those of commercial food grade fucoidan (Fysk) and those of previously studied fucoidans. NMR analysis proposed that the main structure of Fsar is →3)fuc-2-OSO3(-)(1→3)fuc(1→. The molecular weight (47.87kDa) and degree of sulphation (0.20) of Fsar were higher than those of Fysk, at 27.98kDa and 0.15, respectively. However, Fsar's polydispersity index (1.12) and fucose content (34.50%) were lower than those of Fysk, at 1.88 and 43.30%, respectively. Both Fsar and Fysk showed similar thermo-gravimetric properties with four mass losses, amorphous in nature and negative optical rotations. Results show that Fsar has fundamental characteristics of fucoidan with different structural conformation i.e. variation in glycosidic linkages and sulphate group orientation.

Chemical properties and toxicology studies of fucoidan extracted from Malaysian Sargassum binderi.

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide that consists mainly of fucose and is found in brown seaweeds. In this study, fucoidan was extracted from Sargassum binderi (Fsar) from Malaysia and subsequently characterized in terms of composition, structure and toxicology. It was found that the molecular weight, polydispersity index, monosaccharide profile and degree of sulfation of Fsar differed from those of commercial food-grade fucoidan (Fysk). NMR analysis suggested that the main structure of Fsar was →3)fuc-2-OSO3 -(1→3)fuc-2-OSO3 -(1→. A cytotoxicity study employing up to 200 mg/mL Sargassum binderi extract showed that cell inhibition was less than 50% (IC50), while acute toxicity results classified S. binderi as category 5 (unclassified) according to the OECD Guideline 423, as no mortality was observed at the highest dosage (2,000 mg/kg). Both toxicity results showed that this material is safe to be consumed. The chemical characteristics and non-toxicity of Fsar demonstrate its potential in biological and food product applications.