Cyanidin-3-O-Glucoside Alleviates Alcoholic Liver Injury via Modulating Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Mice.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is primarily caused by long-term excessive alcohol consumption. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) is a widely occurring natural anthocyanin with multiple biological activities. This study aims to investigate the effects of C3G isolated from black rice on ALD and explore the potential mechanism. C57BL/6J mice (male) were fed with standard diet (CON) and Lieber-DeCarli liquid-fed (Eth) or supplemented with a 100 mg/kg/d C3G Diet (Eth-C3G), respectively. Our results showed that C3G could effectively ameliorate the pathological structure and liver function, and also inhibited the accumulation of liver lipids. C3G supplementation could partially alleviate the injury of intestinal barrier in the alcohol-induced mice. C3G supplementation could increase the abundance of Norank_f_Muribaculaceae, meanwhile, the abundances of Bacteroides, Blautia, Collinsella, Escherichia-Shigella, Enterococcus, Prevotella, [Ruminococcus]_gnavus_group, Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, Romboutsia, Streptococcus, Bilophila, were decreased. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that 12 distinct genera were correlated with blood lipid levels. Non-targeted metabolic analyses of cecal contents showed that C3G supplementation could affect the composition of intestinal metabolites, particularly bile acids. In conclusion, C3G can attenuate alcohol-induced liver injury by modulating the gut microbiota and metabolites, suggesting its potential as a functional food ingredient against alcoholic liver disease.

Dietary Fiber from Navel Orange Peel Prepared by Enzymatic and Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvents: Physicochemical and Prebiotic Properties.

Dietary fiber (DF) was extracted from navel orange peel residue by enzyme (E-DF) and ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent (US-DES-DF), and its physicochemical and prebiotic properties were characterized. Based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, all DF samples exhibited typical polysaccharide absorption spectra, indicating that DES could separate lignin while leaving the chemical structure of DF unchanged, yielding significantly higher extraction yields (76.69 ± 1.68%) compared to enzymatic methods (67.27 ± 0.13%). Moreover, ultrasound-assisted DES extraction improved the properties of navel orange DFs by significantly increasing the contents of soluble dietary fiber and total dietary fiber (3.29 ± 1.33% and 10.13 ± 0.78%, respectively), as well as a notable improvement in the values of water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and water swelling capacity. US-DES-DF outperformed commercial citrus fiber in stimulating the proliferation of probiotic Bifidobacteria strains in vitro. Overall, ultrasound-assisted DES extraction exhibited potential as an industrial extraction method, and US-DES-DF could serve as a valuable functional food ingredient. These results provide a new perspective on the prebiotic properties of dietary fibers and the preparation process of prebiotics.

Insight into interfacial adsorption behavior of high-density lipoprotein hydrolysates regulated by carboxymethyl dextrin and in vitro digestibility of curcumin loaded high internal phase emulsions.

The interaction between high-density lipoprotein hydrolysate hydrolyzed by trypsin (EHT) and carboxymethyl dextrin (CMD) at pH 7.0, and in vitro digestibility of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were studied. The particle size of EHT/CMD mixtures increased from 207.2 nm to 1229.6 nm with increase of the ratio of EHT to CMD from 8:1 to 1:2. The proportion of EHT adsorbed on the surface increased from 60.83 % to 80.81 %, forming thicker interfacial layer, exhibiting higher resistance to centrifugation and ionic strength. And more uniform proton density distribution and shorter relaxation time (T2) were charactered in HIPEs formed by mixtures. Rheological analysis further proved that CMD could lead to high viscosity, high elasticity, excellent oscillation performance of HIPEs. The spatial and electrostatic repulsion forces reduced the aggregation of oil droplets and promoted the formation of more mixed micelles, improving the bioaccessibility of curcumin. These findings provided theoretical strategies for lipid-soluble nutrients delivery systems.

Effects of pullulanase enzymatic hydrolysis on the textural of acorn vermicelli and its influencing mechanism on the quality.

The effect of pullulanase enzymatic hydrolysis time on the textural properties of acorn vermicelli was investigated by texture analyzer. And the influencing mechanism was revealed by exploring the physicochemical properties of acorn starch under the optimum enzymatic hydrolysis time by texture analyzer, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and brabender viscograph. After acorn starch was hydrolyzed by pullulanase for 14 h, acorn vermicelli had excellent textural properties. In addition, the enzymatic hydrolysis transformed the acorn starch from spherical particles with smooth surface to polygonal particles with rough surface, as well as transformed the crystal structure of acorn starch from C-type to B-type. Compared with native acorn starch, enzyme hydrolyzed acorn starch had higher amylose content, better freeze-thaw stability, lower swelling power and, breakdown viscosity, stronger gel strength and, higher light transmittance. These excellent properties contributed to the exceptional textural properties and quality of acorn vermicelli. The results of this study may provide valuable information on the preparation of acorn vermicelli.

Self-Assembled Pea Protein Isolate Nanoparticles with Various Sizes: Explore the Formation Mechanism.

Pea protein isolate nanoparticles (PPINs) were successfully prepared by potassium metabisulfite (K2S2O5). The disulfide bonds were disrupted by K2S2O5, and then the PPINs were formed through self-assembly. The average diameter of PPINs increased from 124.7 to 297.5 nm as the concentration of K2S2O5 was increased from 2 to 8 mM, and the PPINs showed higher ζ-potentials (-32.2 to -35.8 mV) and unimodal distribution. The content of free sulfhydryl groups first increased and then decreased with the fracture and reformation of disulfide bonds. Subsequently, the increase of the ß-sheet, which has considerable hydrophobicity, promoted the formation of PPINs. The formation mechanism of PPINs was explored by dissociation tests: hydrophobic interactions maintained the basic skeleton of PPINs, disulfide bonds stabilized the internal structure, and hydrogen bonds existed on the exterior of the particles. This study provided a simple and economical method to fabricate nanoparticles.

Preparation and characterization of zein/carboxymethyl dextrin nanoparticles to encapsulate curcumin: Physicochemical stability, antioxidant activity and controlled release properties.

In this work, zein/carboxymethyl dextrin nanoparticles were successfully fabricated at different zein to carboxymethyl dextrin (CMD) mass ratios. Zein/CMD nanoparticles with the negative charge and the smallest size (212 nm) were formed when the mass ratio of zein to CMD was 2:1, exhibiting improved encapsulation efficiency of curcumin (85.5%). Electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were main driven forces for nanoparticles formulation and curcumin encapsulation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy determined curcumin might be partially embedded in CMD during encapsulation. The spherical structures of zein/CMD nanoparticles and curcumin-loaded zein/CMD nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The photothermal stability and antioxidant activity of curcumin were significantly enhanced after be loaded in zein/CMD nanoparticles. Furthermore, encapsulation of curcumin in zein/CMD nanoparticles significantly delayed the release of curcumin in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. These results indicated that zein/CMD nanoparticles could be effective encapsulating materials for bioactive compounds in food industry.

Study on the fabrication and in vitro digestion behavior of curcumin-loaded emulsions stabilized by succinylated whey protein hydrolysates.

In this study, the succinic anhydride (SA) modified whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein hydrolysates (WPH) were prepared and characterized as novel emulsifiers. After the succinylation, the solubility, emulsibility, and water/oil binding capacity of WPI/WPH were improved. Emulsions with modified and unmodified WPI/WPH were prepared and characterized on rheological property, particle sizes, and droplet distribution using rheometer, zeta-sizer and confocal laser scanning microscopy. A simulated digestion system was utilized to monitor the gastrointestinal fate of emulsions and the bioaccessibility of curcumin loaded in emulsions. The final digestion extents of WPIE-10 and WPHE-10 (emulsions stabilized by modified WPI/WPH with 10% SA addition) were lower than those of WPIE-0 and WPHE-0 (emulsions stabilized by unmodified WPI/WPH). The order of curcumin bioaccessibility was WPIE-10 (79.64%) ≈ WPHE-10 (86.75%) > WPIE-0 (64.23%) ≈ WPHE-0 (60.62%). Our study provided valuable information about novel emulsifiers stabilizing delivery system to improve curcumin bioaccessibility.

Evaluation studies on effects of pectin with different concentrations on the pasting, rheological and digestibility properties of corn starch.

In this paper, the effects of pectin (PE) with different concentrations on the pasting, rheological and digestibility properties of corn starch (CS) were evaluated. The Rapid Visco-Analyzer results showed that the peak viscosity was decreased with the concentrations of PE (0.5% and 1.0%) and then increased when the concentration of PE exceeded 2.0%. PE resulted in lower breakdown and setback values of CS. Rheological results revealed that the CS and CS-PE mixtures exhibited a pseudoplastic and shear-thinning behavior. The storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G″) of CS were increased with increasing PE concentrations from 2.0% to 10.0%. PE resulted in a decrease in the starch susceptibility to α-amylase and promoted a remarkable reduction (P < 0.05) in the fraction of rapidly digested starch. The hydrolysis kinetic analysis suggested a decelerating effect of pectin on the hydrolysis rate of CS with lower values of equilibrium hydrolysis percentage (C∞) and kinetic constant (k).

Effect of multiple freezing-thawing cycles on structural and functional properties of starch granules isolated from soft and hard wheat.

Properties of starches isolated from soft and hard wheat dough after freezing/thawing (F/T) treatment were investigated. Significance of results was observed between isolated hard wheat starch (HWS) and soft wheat starch (SWS), but both cultivars showed an increase in the amounts of damaged starch and leaching proteins, lipids, and amylose with F/T cycles. The freezing-treated HWS exhibited a higher swelling power and peak, trough, breakdown and final viscosity than SWS after F/T treatment. The onset, peak and conclusion gelatinization temperatures and the enthalpy of the isolated HWS determined by differential scanning calorimetry, decreased throughout F/T cycles. Concomitantly, the bread containing freezing-treated HWS exhibited a lower bread specific volume and harder crumb firmness, which might be associated with its significant structural changes induced by F/T treatment.

Evaluation studies on the combined effect of hydrothermal treatment and octenyl succinylation on the physic-chemical, structural and digestibility characteristics of sweet potato starch.

In order to increase the degree of substitution (DS), a combination of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) and octenyl succinylation (OSA) was used to modify sweet potato starch (SPS). The content of OSA had significant influence on the DS of starch, and DS of HMT OSA-modified SPS (HOSA-SPS) was higher than that of OSA-modified SPS (OSA-SPS), indicating that prior HMT could enhance the reaction. HOSA-SPS showed higher contents of SDS and RS in comparison with OSA-SPS as OSA concentration was beyond 6%. HMT decreased swelling power of starch while OSA modification had a contrary role (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed starch was destroyed by OSA modification while HMT had slight effect on the structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that crystal type of starch was transformed from C- to A-type resulted from HMT, and remained unchanged by OSA modification. The onset, peak, and conclusion gelatinization temperatures of starch increased by HMT and decreased by OSA modification (p < 0.05).

Preparation and characterization of non-crystalline granular starch and corresponding carboxymethyl starch.

Native corn starch slurried in 50% ethanol solution was treated at 60°C, 70°C, 80°C, and 85°C, respectively. The resultant starches were investigated by polarized microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The Maltese cross of ethanol-heating treated starch gradually weaken with increasing temperature and completely disappeared at 85°C. SEM data indicated the treated granular exhibited a rougher surface with more pores and grooves than native starch granular, but the shape of the treated starch was still intact. DSC and XRD data confirmed ethanol-heating treated starch changed from crystalline to non-crystalline structure at 85°C. The highest degree of substitution (DS) and corresponding reaction efficiency (RE) for the carboxymethylation of native starch were 0.66 and 36.7%, respectively, while the corresponding DS and RE for non-crystalline granular starches increased by 0.29 and 16.1% at the same reaction condition, respectively.