Carboxymethyl cellulose/okara protein influencing microstructure, rheological properties and stability of O/W emulsions.

BACKGROUND: The role of protein-polysaccharide interactions and their mixtures has been a vital factor affecting the formation and stability of food emulsions. Okara protein (OP), which is extracted from the by-product of soybean processing, has received much attention because of its abundant sources and potential attributes with respect to food formulation. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a well-known food-grade polysaccharide additive, has been widely utilized in the protein-polysaccharide system, whereas, among the proteins, the role of OP has not yet been explored. RESULTS: The present study first assessed the ζ-potential and hydrodynamic diameter of aqueous mixtures containing OP (1.0 wt%) and CMC (0-0.5 wt%), followed by the investigation of OP-CMC mixtures stabilized O/W emulsions. As CMC increased, oil droplet size, surface protein adsorption, apparent viscosity and storage modulus increased, whereas the loss tangent decreased. CONCLUSION: CMC resulted in emulsion destabilization compared to emulsions without CMC, whereas a higher concentration of CMC promoted emulsion stability against creaming for emulsions in the presence of CMC. The results provide information with respect to OP and CMC being incorporated into food formulations and also strengthen our understanding of the related mechanism, in addition to facilitating the further utilization of OP. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of heat treatment at different moisture of mung bean flour on the structural, gelation and in vitro digestive properties of starch.

Effects of heat treatment (100 °C) at different moisture content (13-70 %) on the structural, gelation and digestive properties of starch in real mung bean flour (MBF) systems are investigated. The results showed that the structural destruction of the starch, the starch-lipid complexion and starch-protein interaction were promoted with increasing moisture content. The starch-protein interaction was mainly driven by hydrophobic interaction forces, leading the increase of total phase transition enthalpy. Even though starch retained ordered structure after heating at 50 %-70 % moisture, the typical pasting curve almost disappeared. The less leached amylose to construct the continuous phase, and more flexible amylopectin swollen granules dispersed in the matrix may weakened the viscoelasticity of the gels. As a result, two distinct gel textures were presented: soft solids with good water-binding capacity (below 30 %) and pasty fluids (above 40 %). Starch-lipid/protein interactions were demonstrated to retard the digestion rate of starch during MBS gelatinization according to the two-stage first-order kinetic and LOS (logarithm of the slope) models.

Clinical and virological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B patients with hepatic steatosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore clinical and virological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with hepatic steatosis in order to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of hepatic steatosis. METHODS: A total of 360 CHB inpatients were recruited from Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University and divided into hepatic steatosis group and non-hepatic steatosis group. The body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV DNA) and hepatic histological changes were detected and compared between the two groups. The association of these factors with hepatic steatosis was evaluated in CHB patients. RESULTS: BMI, FPG, TG, TC, GGT, AST and HBV DNA showed statistically significant differences between two groups (P<0.01). The patients with hepatic steatosis had markedly higher BMI, FBG, TG and TC than those without steatosis did. No significant differences were found in ALT and HBeAg between two groups (P>0.05). In male patients, there was marked difference in the WHR between two groups (P < 0.01), which was not found in female patients (P > 0.05). The severity of hepatic steatosis increased in patients with hepatic steatosis, compared to those without steatosis (P < 0.01), but the severities of inflammation and fibrosis in the non-hepatic steatosis group were dramatically higher than those in the hepatic steatosis group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: BMI, WHR, FBG, TG and TC appeared to be influencing factors of CHB combined with hepatic steatosis. Hepatic steatosis in CHB patients was closely related to changes in anthropometric indices and metabolic factors but not HBV. It is necessary to improve these factors to effectively prevent hepatic steatosis in CHB patients.

Formation, texture, and stability of yolk-free mayonnaise: Effect of soy peptide aggregates concentration.

A kind of yolk-free mayonnaise (YFM) with preferable quality was prepared by insoluble soy peptide aggregates (ISPA) in present work. The basic properties, rheology, texture, sensory quality, and stability for YFM with different concentration of ISPA were explored. As ISPA concentration increased from 1.50 wt% to 3.00 wt%, the droplet size of YFM decreased by 5.35 µm, while the storage and loss modulus increased 2.02 and 1.99 times, moreover, the thixotropic recovery percentage, hardness and gumminess of YFM increased to 95.84 %, 13.29 g and 10.05, respectively. Meanwhile, the ISPA concentration had positive effect on the oxidation stability and thermal stability for YFM. Noticeably, YFM with 2.75 wt% ISPA had good textural properties and sensory quality, which were close to those of commercial mayonnaise. In conclusion, YFM prepared by ISPA had low cholesterol level, which provided a new strategy for solving the health problems of traditional mayonnaise.

Formation and stability of Pickering emulsion gels by insoluble soy peptide aggregates through hydrophobic modification.

In this work, a highly stable food-grade Pickering emulsion gels was successfully prepared by hydrophobically modified insoluble soybean peptide aggregates. The relationships between the surface properties of insoluble soybean peptide aggregates and Pickering emulsion gels characteristics were clarified. After modification, the insoluble soybean peptide aggregates with high surface hydrophobicity had small particle size (377 nm), near-neutral wettability (θo/w = 92°) and strong interfacial adsorption capability. These allowed the modified insoluble soybean peptide aggregates to stabilize the oil-water interface and form continuous network surrounding oil droplets, leading to the formation of stable Pickering emulsion gels. Besides, Pickering emulsion gels prepared by insoluble soybean peptide aggregates with higher surface hydrophobicity had smaller droplet size and higher gel strength, and remained stable even after 60 days of storage. The findings suggest a preferable plant protein particle for the preparation of stable Pickering emulsion gels in food industry.

Rheology and stability of concentrated emulsions fabricated by insoluble soybean fiber with few combined-proteins: Influences of homogenization intensity.

Insoluble soybean fiber with few proteins, which is extracted from defatted okara by homogeneous combined with alkali treatment, was used to prepare concentrated emulsions. Firstly, insoluble soybean fiber extracted under pH12 was used to fabricate concentrated emulsions containing various particle concentrations and oil volume fractions and the optimized condition was obtained. Subsequently, insoluble soybean fiber extracted under pH12 followed by different homogeneous strengths were utilized. Concentrated emulsions stabilized by insoluble soybean fiber that was subjected to stronger homogenization presented lower absolute values of the ζ-potential about -47.7 mV and average droplet sizes of 37.0 µm approximately. Moreover, these emulsions exhibited a higher viscosity and elastic modulus, thereby providing better stability and less pronounced environmental sensitivities towards either pH 5 or 100 mM NaCl. Overall, results revealed that insoluble soybean fiber with few protein, especially subjected to homogenization during fiber extraction, was well suited to fabricate concentrated emulsions.

[Expression of RUNX3 protein in hepatic cell carcinoma and its clinicopathological implications].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of RUNX3 protein in hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with the clinicopathological factors of HCC. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of RUNX3 protein in HCC and the surrounding normal tissues, and the relation of RUNX3 with the clinicopathological factors of HCC was analyzed. RESULTS: The positivity rate of RUNX3 protein expression was 49.02% (25/51) in HCC tissues, significantly lower than that in the surrounding normal tissues [82.35% (42/51), Χ(2)=12.5706, P<0.01). RUNX3 protein expression varied significantly with such pathological factors as the differentiation degree, cancer-associated thrombosis in the portal vein and intrahepatic metastasis (P<0.05), but not with tumor diameter, location, tumoral hemorrhage, necrosis or histotypes of the tumor (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: RUNX3 protein expression is lowered in HCC as compared with that in the surrounding normal tissue, suggesting an important role of RUNX3 in the tumorigenesis and development of HCC and the possible identity of RUNX3 gene as an anti-oncogene of HCC.

[The associated research on the expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in hepatic cell carcinoma as well as the relationship with clinical pathological parameters].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC) and surrounding normal tissue, to analyze the relationship between RUNX3 expression and clinical pathological parameters. METHODS: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to detect the expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in HCC and surrounding normal tissue respectively, and their relationship with clinical pathological parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The relative expression value of RUNX3 mRNA found in 51 cases HCC was 0.4509 +/- 0.0963, and that did in 51 cases surrounding normal tissue was 0.9147 +/- 0.0222. The difference of RUNX3 mRNA expression between two kinds of samples was statistically significant (t = 33.6087, P < 0.001). The positives rate of RUNX3 protein expression found in 51 cases HCC tissue was 49.02% (25/51) and that did in 51 cases surrounding normal tissue was 82.35% (42/51). The difference of RUNX3 protein expression between two kinds of samples was statistically significant (chi2 = 12.5706, P < 0.005). The difference of RUNX3 mRNA and protein expression in some clinical pathological parameters involving differentiation degree, invasion, cancer thrombus and diversion in liver were statistically significant (P < 0.05). However that were not in another clinical pathological parameters involving gender, cancer diameter, cancer location as well as hemorrhage and necrosis of cancer, histotype (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of RUNX3 mRNA and protein in HCC were significantly lower than that in surrounding normal tissue. The lower expression of runx3 protein in the HCC probably plays an important role in the tumorigenesis and development of HCC. The RUNX3 gene may be an anti-oncogene of HCC.

Challenge in the differentiation between attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer: case report with review of the literature.

The clinical differentiation between hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) is very difficult. The 62-yr-old proband presented with duodenal adenocarcinoma. His history of subtotal colectomy for colon cancer, the rarity of duodenal adenocarcinoma in the general population, and his family history of colon cancer made us suspect that he might have FAP. We investigated this family by obtaining medical records and performing gene analysis. The proband had only 10 adenomatous colon polyps when he underwent subtotal colectomy for the cancer, so classic FAP was excluded. His family history included rectal cancer in his brother at 69 yr of age, colon cancer in his mother at 75 yr, and colon cancer in one maternal cousin at 42 yr. Three months after we started to study this family, the proband's 32-yr-old son presented with rectal cancer. His family fulfilled the Amsterdam criteria for HNPCC, but AFAP could not be excluded. Upon gene testing, the proband was negative for APC gene germline mutation, which made AFAP highly unlikely. Moreover, high microsatellite instability (MSI) was detected in his adenomas and cancer tissues. The fulfillment of Amsterdam criteria, the exclusion of FAP and AFAP, and the high MSI established the diagnosis of HNPCC in this family. We also summarize the differences between FAP, AFAP, and HNPCC; extend the graphic description of the MSI mechanism; and propose a diagnostic strategy for HNPCC.