Β-glucan Research Articles

The Effect of Intravenous Gamma-globulin Reagents on the Measurement Results of (1→3)-β-D-glucan

Serum (1→3) beta-D-glucan (BG) measurement is a useful test for systemic mycoses, and often used. On the other hand, various factors, including administration of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) may cause false-positives. In the present study, we measured BG concentration of seven IVIG preparations with three lots respectively. BG levels varied with individual IVIG preparations (<3.0 - >300 pg/mL), and contamination from manufacturing processes was suspected. With serum BG concentration of clinical specimens obtained in Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital, the difference between before and after administration of IVIG were calculated. The false-positive rate of BG due to IVIG administration was 9.8 %, and the positive predective value was reduced to 37.5%. Above all, administration of IVIG can complicate the BG test's interpretation, and caution is required.

Integration of the sensory experience and post-ingestive measures for understanding food satisfaction. A case study on sucrose replacement by Stevia rebaudiana and addition of beta glucan in fruit drinks

The present study provides a more holistic view on consumers’ hedonic food experience compared to what is traditionally seen in sensory research, by integrating the hedonic sensory experience and post-ingestive sensations in one study to understand food satisfaction. The study was performed using apple-cherry fruit drinks with different levels of beta-glucans and different sweeteners, sucrose or Stevia rebaudiana. The aims were: 1) to study the hedonic sensory experience, 2) to study time and product effects on post-ingestive sensations and satisfaction, and 3) to study main drivers of satisfaction.A randomized cross-over consumer study was conducted using 66 subjects. Hedonic ratings of sensory perceptions were collected immediately after intake, and subjective ratings of post-ingestive sensations were collected pre intake and in 10min intervals up to 40min post intake. Significant hedonic differences of sensory properties were found between all fruit drinks, except between the fruit drinks varying in type of sweetener only. Differences in post-ingestive sensations were found immediately – and 10min post intake between fruit drinks with and without added beta glucan. Satisfaction with sensory attributes was found to be the main driver of food satisfaction, while post-ingestive sensations drove satisfaction as well. While replacing sucrose with Stevia rebaudiana did not affect the hedonic and post-ingestive sensations, addition of beta glucan resulted in both positive and negative post-ingestive sensations. In general, adding beta glucan without compromising satisfaction is difficult. This study show that a detailed description of hedonic sensory – as well as post-ingestive sensations can bring important information about factors driving consumers’ satisfaction.

Acidic Extraction of Oat Beta Glucan by High Purity

Beta Glucan is considered to be a functional and bioactive substance, which can be added to many types of food products or taken as a food supplement in the form of capsules. In our work, we try to extract Beta Glucan from oat bran especially of the high concentration in the extract. We used acidic method to extract Beta Glucan and got final extract by concentration and received Beta Glucan content of 90%. So, now using a simple method you only need accuracy in work and you can get Beta Glucan of high concentration and use it in many food products.

Radioprotective Effect of Beta D-Glucan and Vitamin E on Gamma Irradiated Mouse.

It is shown that beta-D-glucan is an immunologic system booster with radioprotectory effects. Radioprotectors are chemical components that can alleviate biological damage produced by ionizing radiation. This study was designed to investigate the synergistic radioprotectory effects of beta-D-glucan and vitamin E on irradiated mice with 60Co source. A total of 240 female mice were arranged in four, equal population groups of control group (C), treated group with beta D-glucan (G), treated group with vitamin E (E), and treated group with both beta D-glucan and vitamin E (G+E). Each group was divided into three equal population groups of D6, D7 and D8 exposed to 60Co radiation with prescribed total body dose of 6, 7 and 8 Gray (Gy), respectively. After the exposure, the number of survived animals was counted by time, then Lethal Dose50/30 (LD50/30), Lethal Dose50/60 (LD50/60) and Dose Reduction Factor (DRF) were calculated in all groups and corresponding groups. Based on the results of current study, treatment of the animals with vitamin E did not change values of LD50/30 and LD50/60, in comparison to control group. LD50/30 and LD50/60 of treated groups with beta D-glucan and beta D-glucan + vitamin E showed significant difference with those of control group (p<0.01). The DRF values in groups E, G and G + E, were calculated respectively as 1, 1.25 and 1.375 based on LD50/30, and respectively as 1, 1.17 and 1.33 based on LD50/60. While values of DRF in groups G and G + E showed significant difference in comparison to that of control group (p<0.01), but the difference between DRF of groups G and G + E was not significant (p=0.395). The findings of study obviously showed that, presence of beta D-glucan in the body of mice, during exposure to ionizing radiation, leads to DRF of higher than one, proving the radioprotectory effect of this agent. Also, we demonstrated that, while vitamin E had no radioprotectory effect on irradiated mice, beta D-glucan in combination with vitamin E increased resistance of mice against ionizing radiation.

Influence of alkaline and environmental processing of oil and grain outs on Beta-glucane output

Beta-glucan is a branched polysaccharide whose monomers are bound by (1,3, 1,4) and (1,6) beta-glucosidic bonds and has a wide spectrum of biological activity and, above all, immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory. B eta -glucan is found in fungi, yeast, bacteria, algae. However, the isolation of beta -glucan from this raw material, both natural and obtained in industrial conditions by biotechnological methods, is economically costly. A promising source of beta -glucan are grains: oats, barley, wheat, rye, rice, corn and millet. The industrial interest in cereals is associated with a high content of soluble branched non-starchy polysaccharides, from which beta -glucan production is possible. The purpose of this work is to determine the effect of alkaline and two-step alkaline and enzymatic methods for treating oat and oat bran grains on the efficiency of beta -glucan release. As a result of the studies, it has been established that the combination of alkaline and enzymatic methods for the isolation of beta glucan from the grain of oats of holed grinded and oat bran is more effective than the alkaline method. The yield of beta -glucan in the treatment with the alkaline and enzymatic method of oat bran is higher than that from the grain of oats of the hollow grinded. It has been shown that beta -glucan isolated from oat bran by two-step alkaline and enzymatic one-step alkaline methods contains fewer concomitant substances compared to beta -glucan isolated from the grain of oats of the hollow grinded. The higher yield of beta -glucan from oat bran can be explained by the high content in them, and also by the use of a grain-sized grain. The preliminary dissolution of the proteins of the aleuron layer and endosperm in sodium hydroxide, as well as starch and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis thereof, leads to a more complete recovery of beta -glucan.

Effect of Beta-Glucan and Resistant Starch on Prebiotic Dough and Bread Properties

White wheat flour is a poor source of dietary fiber. A demand therefore exists for the enrichment of bread with prebiotic non-digestible ingredients that exert a health-promoting effect. In this study, the effect of beta-glucan (BG) and resistant starch (RS) on the dough properties and bread-making characteristics has been investigated. The water absorption of doughs increased with increasing BG and RS amounts. The development time and farinograph quality number of BG–enriched doughs remained similar to the control while the stability of doughs decreased, and all of these values decreased when the RS was added. BG was more effective in increasing the softening of doughs than RS. The addition of RS or BG increased; the resistance to deformation, energy, maximum resistance and ratio number values, but their extensibility values had decreased compared to the control. Formulation containing BG/RS combination showed the best farinograph (development time, stability) and extensograph (resistance and extensibility) parameters. The application of BG and RS had similar or slightly smaller effect on specific volume and same or higher effect on the moisture content while it caused a decrease in firmness after five days of storage.

Glucan Supplementation Regulates Secretory Immunity and Stress

Sixty-six children were supplemented with beta glucan and dietary nucleotides, another 63 children served as negative control. We evaluated the effects of these supplements on several aspects of secretory immunity such as levels of secretory IgA (SIgA), albumin and SIgA/albumin ratio. In addition, in order to monitor effects of physical challenges and compensatory treatments on stress and reparation of immunity, we measured levels of salivary cortisol. We found significant effects of supplementation with beta glucan on secretory IgA in children with increased physical challenge. To fully explain these findings, we will need to add additional indicators of stress and salivary immunity.

Genotypic and growing location effect on grain β-glucan content of barley under sub-tropical climates

Effect of genotype and growing location on barley grain beta glucan content was studied in 25 barley genotypes grown over six different locations in India. Based upon the two years results, the genotypes BCU 554, BH 963, BHS 352 and DWR 30 were having higher content of beta glucan while the genotypes Azad, BCU2030, Bilara-2, Jagriti, K 14, K 141, Lakhan, Manjula, SLOOP SA WI 3167 and SLOOP VIC VB 9953 had lower values. The growing location has also been found to affect the beta glucan content significantly. Positive simple correlation has been found between grain beta glucan content and protein, 1000 grain weight, plump kernels and test weight.

بهینهیابی شرایط استخراج آبی بتاگلوکان از جو بدون پوشینه رقم لوت به روش سطح پاسخ

در این پژوهش تاثیر شرایط استخراج شامل زمان، نسبت حلال به آرد جو و pH بر ویژگی‌های فیزیکوشیمایی، رفتار جریان، پایدارکنندگی کف و امولسیون و رنگ بتاگلوکان استخراج شده از دانه جو بدون پوشینه رقم لوت توسط طرح مرکب مرکزی و به روش سطح پاسخ تعیین گردید. نتایج تجزیه و تحلیل آماری و ضرایب مدل‌ها نشان داد که مدت زمان استخراج، نسبت حلال به آرد جو و pH اثر معنی‌داری بر بازدهی و خلوص بتاگلوکان، پایداری کف و امولسیون، ضریب قوام (k)، شاخص رفتار جریان (n) و مولفه های رنگیL*، a* و b* داشت. افزایش زمان استخراج و نسبت حلال به آرد جو اثر مطلوبی بر بازدهی و خلوص بتاگلوکان استخراج شده گذاشت که این امر خود موجب بهبود خاصیت قوام‌دهندگی و ویژگی‌های رفتار جریان آن شد. از طرفی با افزایش قدرت قوام‌دهندگی بتاگلوکان، توانایی پایدارکنندگی سیستم‌های کف و امولسیون نیز افزایش یافت. افزایش pH موجب کاهش بازدهی استخراج و افزایش خلوص بتاگلوکان گردید. بهترین شرایط استخراج زمانی حاصل شد که زمان استخراج 90 دقیقه، نسبت حلال به آرد جو 10 به 1 و pH، 33/7 بود. در این نقطه بهینه، بازدهی استخراج، 12/4 درصد؛ خلوص، 11/69 درصد؛ پایداری کف، 95/86 درصد؛ پایداری امولسیون، 77/88 درصد؛ ضریب قوام، Pa.sn 51/1؛ شاخص رفتار جریان، 62/0؛ L*، 42/73 ؛ a*، 81/0 و b*، 72/8 بود.

A New Membrane Protein Sbg1 Links the Contractile Ring Apparatus and Septum Synthesis Machinery in Fission Yeast

Cytokinesis in many organisms requires a plasma membrane anchored actomyosin ring, whose contraction facilitates cell division. In yeast and fungi, actomyosin ring constriction is also coordinated with division septum assembly. How the actomyosin ring interacts with the plasma membrane and the plasma membrane-localized septum synthesizing machinery remains poorly understood. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, an attractive model organism to study cytokinesis, the β-1,3-glucan synthase Cps1p / Bgs1p, an integral membrane protein, localizes to the plasma membrane overlying the actomyosin ring and is required for primary septum synthesis. Through a high-dosage suppressor screen we identified an essential gene, sbg1+ (suppressor of beta glucan synthase 1), which suppressed the colony formation defect of Bgs1-defective cps1-191 mutant at higher temperatures. Sbg1p, an integral membrane protein, localizes to the cell ends and to the division site. Sbg1p and Bgs1p physically interact and are dependent on each other to localize to the division site. Loss of Sbg1p results in an unstable actomyosin ring that unravels and slides, leading to an inability to deposit a single contiguous division septum and an important reduction of the β-1,3-glucan proportion in the cell wall, coincident with that observed in the cps1-191 mutant. Sbg1p shows genetic and / or physical interaction with Rga7p, Imp2p, Cdc15p, and Pxl1p, proteins known to be required for actomyosin ring integrity and efficient septum synthesis. This study establishes Sbg1p as a key member of a group of proteins that link the plasma membrane, the actomyosin ring, and the division septum assembly machinery in fission yeast.

Influence of raw polysaccharide extract from mushroom stalk waste on growth and pH perturbation induced-stress in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Fish contributes to half of the total world animal protein produced. In vivo ionic imbalance caused by aqua-environmental pH perturbation makes fish more susceptible to oxidative stress and hence its growth and yield are compromised. Enhancing the antioxidant defense status by supplementing with natural antioxidant rich source is the most convenient alternative to protect fish from stress. Disposal of undesirable mushroom part (mushroom stalk waste, MSW) increases exponentially along with its production. As mushroom is a rich source of polysaccharides and antioxidants, we extracted raw polysaccharide (RP) from MSW for 2h (RP2) and 5h (RP5) respectively and supplemented to fish feed to evaluate the protective effect on stress caused by pH fluctuation. RP5 contained significantly higher amount of beta glucan (P=0.0023) and crude protein (P=0.0000). Phenolic content for the RP5 was 70.67mgGAE/g extract exhibiting significantly better IC50 values for DPPH radical scavenging, metal chelating activity and inhibition of LPO, with values of 0.821 (P=0.0000), 4.48 (P=0.0000) and 1.052 (P=0.0001) mg/mL. The experimental range of supplementation (5 and 10gRP/kg feed) showed zero mortality for Nile tilapia. Higher amount of SGR was observed in case of diet RP 5g/kg supplementation, however better WG and HSI were found for RP 10g/kg. In in vivo pre and post stress condition, diet RP 5g/kg feed has significantly improved the activity of SOD (P=0.0039 and P=0.0352, respectively for low and high pH) and CAT (P=0.0006, P=0.0006 and P=0.0074, respectively for pH5.5, pH8.5 and pH10.5). Pearson correlation analysis showed TPC and beta glucan has strong correlation respectively with DPPH (1.00 and 0.942), LPO (0.998 and 0.958) and metal chelating activity (0.988 and 0.980). CAT and SOD has shown strong correlation with SGR (0.960 and 0.935), moderate correlation with WG (0.461 and 0.170), respectively. In the principle component analysis, SGR and WG were observed clustered together with supplemented diet both in pre and post stress condition. In summary, the results suggest that RP5 is a promising antioxidant agent and supplementation of RP5 in fish feed showed the capacity of mitigating pH induced stress in fish, which enhances the growth rate in stress condition. Statement of relevanceThis experiment was conducted to improve the growth performance and to enhance the oxidative stress protection capacity of Nile tilapia. Raw polysaccharide of mushroom stalk waste (MSW) was used as supplement in diet which was available, cheap and rich in beta glucan content. This is first report on utilization of MSW as supplement of fish feed to increase the oxidative stress protection in aquatic organism. Nile tilapia, second largest aquatic fish, was used as experimental model fish. Enhancing the antioxidant defense status by supplementing with natural antioxidant rich source is the most convenient alternative to protect fish from stress. Disposal of undesirable mushroom part (mushroom stalk waste, MSW) increases exponentially along with its production. As mushroom is a rich source of polysaccharides and antioxidants, we extracted raw polysaccharide (RP) from MSW for 2h (RP2) and 5h (RP5) respectively and supplemented to fish feed to evaluate the protective effect on stress caused by pH fluctuation.We believe our findings will be of particular interest to the scientific community and very useful in practical to fish feed as supplement.

Potential clinical and economic outcomes of active beta-D-glucan surveillance with preemptive therapy for invasive candidiasis at intensive care units: a decision model analysis.

Early initiation of antifungal treatment for invasive candidiasis is associated with change in mortality. Beta-D-glucan (BDG) is a fungal cell wall component and a serum diagnostic biomarker of fungal infection. Clinical findings suggested an association between reduced invasive candidiasis incidence in intensive care units (ICUs) and BDG-guided preemptive antifungal therapy. We evaluated the potential cost-effectiveness of active BDG surveillance with preemptive antifungal therapy in patients admitted to adult ICUs from the perspective of Hong Kong healthcare providers. A Markov model was designed to simulate the outcomes of active BDG surveillance with preemptive therapy (surveillance group) and no surveillance (standard care group). Candidiasis-associated outcome measures included mortality rate, quality-adjusted life year (QALY) loss, and direct medical cost. Model inputs were derived from the literature. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of model results. In base-case analysis, the surveillance group was more costly (1387 USD versus 664 USD) (1 USD = 7.8 HKD), with lower candidiasis-associated mortality rate (0.653 versus 1.426 per 100 ICU admissions) and QALY loss (0.116 versus 0.254) than the standard care group. The incremental cost per QALY saved by the surveillance group was 5239 USD/QALY. One-way sensitivity analyses found base-case results to be robust to variations of all model inputs. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the surveillance group was cost-effective in 50% and 100% of 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations at willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of 7200 USD/QALY and ≥27,800 USD/QALY, respectively. Active BDG surveillance with preemptive therapy appears to be highly cost-effective to reduce the candidiasis-associated mortality rate and save QALYs in the ICU setting.

Proteomic analysis of muscle tissue from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed dietary β-glucan.

The aim of this study was to examine the changes in muscle proteome of the rainbow trout fed dietary β-glucan. The experimental diets contained 0 (control), 0.1% and 0.2% β-1,3/1,6 yeast glucan. First, feeding larvae were fed to apparent satiation nine times per day with their respective diets over two months. The percentage of body weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed 0.2% diet was significantly higher than those of fish fed the control and 0.1% diets. Fish fed the control and 0.2% diets were subjected to proteomic analysis. Proteins of the muscle tissue were analyzed using two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Spots that were found to differ significantly in abundance between control and β-glucan fed fish were selected for identification. Out of 8 protein spots showing differential expression, 7 spots were successfully identified. Two protein spots that were found to be increased in abundance in the β-glucan treated rainbow trout corresponded to tropomyosin alpha-1 chain (spot 1) and slow myotomal muscle tropomyosin (spot 2). The five spots that were down-regulated with dietary β-glucan supplementation were identified as different forms of myosin: myosin light polypeptide 3-2 (spot 3), myosin light chain 1 (spots 4 and 5), fast myosin light chain 2 (spot 6) and myosin heavy chain (spot 7). The altered expression of structural proteins in fish fed β-glucan may be related to higher growth rate in rainbow trout. These findings provide basic information to understand possible mechanisms of dietary β-glucan contribution to better growth in rainbow trout.

Extraction of β-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Comparison of different extraction methods and in vivo assessment of immunomodulatory effect in mice

Beta-glucan (BG) is a conserved cell wall components of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. BG is an immunomodulator and stimulates the host immune system. This study was performed to screen Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with high BG, extraction of BG using different chemical extraction methods, composition analysis of BG, and evaluation of the immunomodulatory effect of high-quality BG using mice model. Ten yeast strains were screened for high BG content using total glucan extraction kit and were subjected to FT-IR analysis. The kit based extraction revealed that HII31 showed a high content of total glucan and BG. HII31 cells were subjected to four different acid/base extractions, which indicated that combination of a strong base (NaOH) and weak acid (CH3COOH) extraction recovered high BG and a high ratio of polysaccharide, protein, and lipid. Further, the immunomodulatory effect of the selected BG was evaluated using mice, which suggested that low dose of HII31-BG induces the expression of selected pro-inflammatory (IL-17, IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) significantly, whereas relatively high dose was required to alter the IL-6 and TGF-β expression. Overall, the present study revealed that BG extracted from HII31 cells alters the expression of studied cytokines, which can be used as a potent immunomodulator in pharmaceutical products.

표고 수집종들의 유리당, 아미노산 및 β-glucan 함량

표고 수집종들의 유리당, 아미노산 및 β-glucan 함량

Blood product transfusions are associated with an increase in serum (1-3)-beta-d-glucan in infants during the initial hospitalization in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

Introduction: Serum (1-3)-beta-d-glucan (BDG) assay has been proposed as an adjunct for the rapid diagnosis of invasive fungal infection (IFI). However, false-positive results have been reported following transfusion of blood products in adults. Aims: To assess the relationship between blood product transfusion and elevated BDG in neonates. Method: Retrospective study including neonates ≤32 weeks, with no fungal colonization or infection, in whom BDG assay was performed for suspicion of IFI. Patients were classified in Transfusion (n = 78) and No Transfusion (n = 55) groups depending on whether or not they were transfused. Clinical, biochemical and microbiological characteristics were recorded. A BDG assay >80 pg/mL was considered as positive. Statistical analyses: bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results (median, IQR): One hundred and thirty-three infants were included (gestational age 28.4 weeks, 26.9–30; birth weight 1000 g, 847–1300). BDG was higher in the Transfusion group (170 pg/mL, 65–317) than in the No Transfusion group (57 pg/mL, 34–108; p < 0.001). False-positive BDG assay results were associated with red blood cells (RBC) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions. Conclusion: BDG is increased after RBC and FFP transfusions in neonates, leading to overdiagnosis of IFI. Fungal colonization status in peripheral sites and central cultures could help to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.

Turbidimetry Assay for Detection of beta-Glucan by G α a Binding Protein

Turbidimetry Assay for Detection of beta-Glucan by G α a Binding Protein

The study of clinical value of sTLR2 in identifying the pathogen of bloodstream infections in septic patients

Objective To search specific biomarkers of pathogenic bacteria in patients with sepsis so as to guide early using rationally antibiotic treatment. Methods Prospective survey of 147 patients with sepsis in ICU was carried out from Jan 2012 to Mar 2015. When patients blood culture was positive, clinical data including age, gender, vital signs, blood and, urine routine examination, DIC, blood biochemistry, c-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), microbial detection, etc were recorded. Cultured blood samples were from central venous catheter and peripheral vessel. ELISA method was employed to detect soluble toll-like receptor 2 (sTLR2) and interleukin-8(IL-8), and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ score) was calculated. The chi-square test and analysis of variance were performed where necessary. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to calculate cut-points (CP) and area under the curve (AUC). Results According to the results of blood culture, patients were divided into three groups: GP group [gram-positive bacteria (G+) group]; GN group [gram-negative bacteria (G-) group]; FG group (fungi group). There were no significantly statistical differences in age, APACHEⅡ score, vital signs and markers of inflammation among three groups (P> 0.05). Gram negative pathogenic bacterium was the most common microbe. Compared with GN group, the level of sTLR2 in the GP group was obviously higher ( P= 0.000); but there was no significant difference in sTLR2 level between GP group and FG group (P= 0.187). The amount of (1, 3)-beta glucan in the FG group was significantly higher than that in the GP group (P= 0.000). The sTLR2 level in FG group was obviously higher than that in the GN group (P= 0.000). There were no significantly statistical differences in PCT, CRP and IL-8 among the three groups (P> 0.05). For the diagnosis of gram negative bacteria infection, sTLR2 area under the curve was 0.768, and the sensitivity and specificity were 88.90% and 59.60%, respectively and the best cut-off point was 8.083 pg/mL. Namely, the diagnosis of gram negative bacteria infection was less likely, when level of sTLR2 was higher than 8.083 pg/mL. The markers of PCT, CRP, (1, 3)- beta glucan and IL-8 were less valuable for the diagnosis of Gram negative bacteria infection because the area under the curve was less than 0.5. Conclusions The combination of inflammatory indicators such as sTLR2 and (1, 3) - beta glucan etc, can imply the kind of pathogenic microorganisms partly. Key words: Sepsis; Bloodstream infections; Inflammatory markers; Soluble TOLL like receptor 2; (1, 3)-beta glucan; Calcitonin; C-reactive protein

Effects of beta-glucans ingestion (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on metabolism of rats receiving high-fat diet.

We investigated the effects of beta-glucans (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ingestion on metabolic parameters of Wistar rats receiving high-fat diet. The experimental period was divided into two stages: in the first one, the animals were divided into two groups containing 12 animals each. The first group received commercial feed and the second received high-fat diet containing 20% of pork fat during 60days. At the end of this period, body weight, blood glucose and Lee index were assessed. In the second stage, those 24 animals were redivided into four groups: (C) - control diet; (CB) - control diet and treated with Beta-glucan (BG); (O) - obese animals and (OB) - obese animals treated with BG. Animals from groups CB and OB received 30mg/kg of BG dissolved in saline solution by gavage. Animals from groups C and O received only saline solution for 28days. The design used was totally randomized in 2×2 factorial scheme. Data were submitted to analysis of variance (anova). Animals from OB group showed inferior levels (p<0.05) of total cholesterol (13.33%), triacylglycerols (16.77%) and blood glucose (23.97%) when compared to the animals from group O. The use of BG has provided smaller increase in Lee index (p<0.05), without promoting alteration in feed and water consumption, organs weight, HDL-C, LDL+VLDL-C, carcass composition, villus/crypt ratio, and pancreas, kidney and stomach histology. BG from S. cerevisiae promoted beneficial metabolic effects in rats receiving high-fat diet.

Cr-enriched yeast: beyond fibers for the management of postprandial glycemic response to bread.

Efforts regarding the amelioration of postprandial glycemic response to bread are mainly focused in the addition of soluble dietary fibers. The current study presents another approach which is based on the supplementation of flour with Cr-enriched yeast. Cr is known for its beneficial effects on improvement of glucose tolerance and enhancement of insulin sensitivity. Twelve normoglycemic subjects were provided with white bread (WB, reference food) or whole wheat bread with Cr-enriched yeast (WWCrB, rich in insoluble fibers) or white wheat bread with Cr-enriched yeast (WCrB, poor in fibers) or whole wheat-rye-barley bread enriched with oat beta glucans (BGB, rich in soluble fibers) with 1-week intervals in amounts that yielded 50g of available carbohydrates. Postprandial glucose, insulin and ghrelin responses as well as glycemic index (GI) were evaluated. Ingestion of WWCrB, WCrB and BGB elicited lower incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for 120-min glycemic response compared to WB (1033.02±282.32, 701.69±330.86 and 748.95±185.42 vs 2070.87±518.44mg/dLmin, respectively, P<0.05 for WCrB and BGB). The GI was calculated as 62.35±11.78 for WWCrB, 34.22±11.93 for WCrB and 37.90±5.00 for BGB (P<0.05 vs WB, GI=100). iAUC for 120-min insulin response to BGB was significantly lower than WB (2780.04±303.26 vs 3915.53±490.57μU/mLmin, P<0.05), while ghrelin remained suppressed for almost 120min after the consumption of WWCrB and BGB. Supplementation of flour with Cr-enriched yeast induces milder postprandial glycemic response to bread without the necessity of high fiber amounts, providing with another strategy for the management of glycemic control.