Effect of cooked rice with added fructo-oligosaccharide on faecal microorganisms investigated by in vitro digestion and fermentation

In the present study,the effects of cooked rice(CR)with added fructo-oligosaccharide(FOS)on faecal flora were studied by a simulated in vitro digestion and fermentation method.The total carbohydrate content,p H,and s hort-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)were determined during in vitro digestion and fermentation.The change in the bacterial phase distribution after the fermentation was also analysed.The results showed that t he total carbohydrate content of the CR with added FOS(FCR)significantly decreased during the simulated digestion.Meanwhile,the p H of the FCR decreased and the SCFAs concentration increased significantly compared to those of the CR during the simulated fermentation.In addition,the FCR showed the advantage of promoting beneficial bacteria,such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus,and inhibiting harmful bacteria,such as Bacteroides and Klebsiella compared to the CR.Therefore,the FOS as a prebiotic could be recommended to produce the high-quality healthy rice food.

Effects of high temperature and high relative humidity drying on moisture distribution,starch microstructure and cooking characteristics of extruded whole buckwheat noodles

Drying is a key step in starch noodle production.The effects of high temperature(60,70,80°C)and high relative humidity(65%,75%,85%)drying(HTHD)on the moisture distribution,starch microstructure and cooking characteristics of extruded whole buckwheat noodles were investigated.Compared to the conventional hot-air drying(CHAD)at 40°C,the increase in drying temperature(60–80°C)and the decrease in relative humidity(85%–65%)significantly improved drying efficiency of the extruded noodles.By adjusting drying temperature and relative humidity,the rate of moisture migration in noodles and phase transition of starch could be appropriately controlled.The optimum drying parameters(T70H75,70°C drying temperature and 75%relative humidity)showed smooth and dense network structure,resulting in the lowest cooking loss(6.61%),broken rate(0%),highest hardness(1695.17 g)and springiness(0.92).However,the total flavonoid content(TFC)and the total phenolic content(TPC)reduced by 6.81%–28.50%and 7.19%–53.23%in contrast to CHAD,and the color of buckwheat noodles became darker through HTHD.These findings showed the potential of HTHD for increasing drying efficiency and improving buckwheat noodle quality.The appropriate drying parameters could maintain a balanced relationship between moisture migration in noodles and phase transition of starch,which resulted in better cooking quality for extruded whole buckwheat noodles.Such a study is valuable for regulating the process conditions of buckwheat-based foods and promoting its commercial utilization.

A critical review on the health promoting effects of mushrooms nutraceuticals

Extensive elucidations focusing on the efficient health promoting properties and high nutritional values of mushrooms have been expanded dynamically from the past few decades.Due to its high quality of proteins,polysaccharides,unsaturated fatty acids,mineral substances,triterpenes sterols and secondary metabolites,mushrooms have always been appreciated for their vital role in protecting and curing various health problems,such as immunodeficiency,cancer,inflammation,hypertension,hyperlipidemia,hypercholesterolemia and obesity.Moreover,investigations in recent years have revealed the correlations between the health-promoting benefits and gut microbiota regulating effects induced by the mushrooms intake.Researches on the immense role in the nutritional and health benefits displayed by mushrooms have become an emergent task to study.The present article overviewed and compiled the latest information correlated to the health benefits and underlying functional mechanisms of mushroom nutraceuticals,and concluded that the supplementation of mushrooms as a dietary composition could become a natural adjuvant for the prevention and treatment of several health diseases.

Biodegradable films of chitosan and tea polyphenols catalyzed by laccase and their physical and antioxidant activities

The effects of laccase crosslinking chitosan(CS)and tea polyphenols(TP)on the structure,physical and antioxidant properties of CS-based biodegradable films were investigated in this study.Laccase crosslinking significantly increased the particle size and zeta-potential of CS+TP particles.A simple blending of CS and TP decreased the elongation at break significantly,while the elongation at break of biodegradable films significantly increased after laccase crosslinking.Furthermore,TP addition increased the tensile strength(TS)of CS based films,while laccase crosslinking promoted the increase,making it more suitable for application.The addition of TP significantly changed the CS-based films from white and transparent to light brown.NMR spectra showed that no C=N bond was observed in CS+TP particles,which could result from the inhibition of Schiff base reaction due to the big steric hindrance of TP.Right shift of amide I peak to lower wavelength in laccase catalyzed films indicated the conversion of some primary amines into secondary amines caused by Michael addition reaction.It was proposed that laccase oxidized polyphenol to o-quinones,which reacted with nucleophilic groups of chitosan,leading to the increase of secondary amines.Furthermore,the antioxidant capacity of CS+TP films crosslinked by laccase increased significantly compared with CS and CS+TP blended films.In summary,laccase catalysis could be applied to manufacture biodegradable films with improved mechanical property and antioxidant activity.

Bioactivities and molecular mechanisms of polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus

Hericium erinaceus,an edible and medicinal mushroom,has been utilized since ancient China due to its delicious taste and health benefits.The polysaccharide from H.erinaceus(HEP)is supposed to be one of the major bioactive compounds,which garnered widespread attention in seeking innovative applications for precision nutrition.Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that HEP possesses antioxidant and anti-aging,gastrointestinal protecting,anti-tumor,hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic,immune-enhancing,neuroprotective,and hepatoprotective activities,verifying its functional benefits to human health.This review provides an overview of the extraction and structure of HEP,and concluded that HEP had different structures with different sources of H.erinaceus and extraction methods.Besides,the biochemical and pharmacological properties of HEP as well as the relative mechanism were highlighted and summarized on the basis of in vivo and in vitro studies,which could be helpful for the healthy application of HEP.Finally,the research prospects of HEP for specific populations or precision nutrition were proposed.

Light-up lipid droplets for the visualization of lipophagy and atherosclerosis by coumarin-derived bioprobe

Lipid droplets(LDs) are intracellular lipid-metabolism organelles that involved in many physiological processes,metabolic disorders as well as diseases such as atherosclerosis.However,the specific probes that can visually locate abnormal LDs-rich tissues and track LDs-associated behavior to the naked eye with adequate biosafety still are rare.Herein,we develop a new design strategy of LDs-targeted probe based on the solvatochromism of coumarin derivatives.The results revealed that the emission wavelength of coumarin fluorophores gradually red shift in different solvents with increasing polarity,while absorption wavelength almost unchanged.As a result,the enlarged stokes shift of coumarin was emerged from oil to water.Furthermore,properly reducing water solubility and adding electronic donor at the structure of coumarins can enlarge this type of solvatochromism.This discovery was utilized to develop suitable probe for the image of LDs and LDs-rich tissues with high resolution and biosafety.Therefore,LDs-associated behavior was visible to the naked eye during the process of lipophagy and atherosclerosis.We deem that the developed probe here offers a new possibility to accurately diagnosis and analyse LDs-related diseases in clinic and preclinical study.