Carotenoid Absorption Research Articles

Turmeric, red pepper, and black pepper affect carotenoids solubilized micelles properties and bioaccessibility: Capsaicin/piperine improves and curcumin inhibits carotenoids uptake and transport in Caco-2 cells.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of spices/spice active principles on physical, biochemical, and molecular targets of bioaccessibility/bioavailability. Carotenoids-rich micellar fraction obtained through simulated digestion of green leafy vegetables (GLV) with individual or two/three combinations were correlated to their influence on bioaccessibility, cellular uptake, and basolateral secretion of carotenoids in Caco-2 cells. Results suggest that carotenoids' bioaccessibility depends on micelles physicochemical properties, which is affected due to the presence of co-treated dietary spices and their composition. Increased bioaccessibility of β-carotene (BC) and lutein (LUT) is found in GLV (spinach) digested with turmeric (TM) than red pepper (RP) and black pepper (BP). In contrast, enhanced cellular uptake and secretion of BC and LUT-rich triglyceride-rich lipoprotein is observed in the presence of RP and BP compared to the control group. In contrast, TM inhibited absorption, while retinol levels significantly reduced in the presence of TM and RP than BP. Control cells have indicated higher cleavage of β-carotene to retinol than the spice-treated group. Besides, spice active principles modulate facilitated transport of carotenoids by scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1) protein. The effect of spices on carotenoids' bioavailability is validated with active spice principles. Overall, carotenoids' bioavailability (cellular uptake and basolateral secretion) was found in the following order of treatments; piperine>capsaicin>piperine + capsaicin>curcumin + capsaicin + piperine>control>turmeric. These findings suggested that the interaction of specific dietary factors, including spice ingredients at the enterocyte level, could provide greater insight into carotenoid absorption. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Spices/spice active principles play a role in the digestion process by stimulating digestive enzymes and bile acids secretion. Since carotenoids are lipid soluble and have low bioavailability, spice ingredients' influence on intestinal absorption of carotenoids is considered crucial. Hence, understanding the interaction of co-consumed spices on the absorption process of carotenoids may help to develop functional foods/formulation of nutraceuticals to improve their health benefits.

Effects of single‐species microalgae diet on accumulation of lipid and carotenoid and expression of lipid‐related genes in Nan'ao Golden ScallopChlamys nobilis

Nan'ao Golden Scallop, Chlamys nobilis, is an important scallop species in aquaculture and is rich in lipids and carotenoid. Previous studies have shown that microalgae diet has a significant effect on the accumulation of total lipid content (TLC) and total carotenoid content (TCC) in bivalves. However, the effects of single-species microalgae diet on accumulation of TLC and TCC at molecular level are unclear. In this study, we used C. nobilis as a bivalve animal model to assess the effects of single-species microalgae diet (Tetraselmis subcordiformis, Dicrateria zhanjiangensis and Chaetoceros mulleri) on the accumulation of lipids and carotenoids, and the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and scavenger receptor class B-like-3 (SRB-like-3) genes in C. nobilis. The results of this study indicated that high lipid microalgae diet promoted the accumulation of TCC in C. nobilis tissues. The expression of SCD and SRB-like-3 genes was highly affected by the lipid composition of diet, in which high expression of SCD and SRB-like-3 genes was correlated with low C16:1n-9 and/or C18:1n-9t and/or C16:1/C16:0 and/or C18:1/C18:0. In intestine and adductor muscle, the expression of SCD gene was positively correlated with accumulation of TCC, TLC and fatty acid content, suggesting that SCD gene may indirectly promote the accumulation of TCC (lipid soluble) by promoting lipid accumulation. For SRB-like-3 gene, the high expression of SRB-like-3 was only correlated to the high TCC in intestine, suggesting that SRB-like-3 may be a candidate gene for carotenoid absorption in C. nobilis and has nothing to do with the transport or accumulation of carotenoid. The findings of this study are of great significance for further understanding how microalgae diet affects the accumulation of TCC and TLC, and the expression of lipid-related genes in bivalves.

Deploying new generation sequencing for the study of flesh color depletion in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

BackgroundThe flesh pigmentation of farmed Atlantic salmon is formed by accumulation of carotenoids derived from commercial diets. In the salmon gastrointestinal system, the hindgut is considered critical in the processes of carotenoids uptake and metabolism. In Tasmania, flesh color depletion can noticeably affect farmed Atlantic salmon at different levels of severity following extremely hot summers. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to investigate the reduction in flesh pigmentation. Library preparation is a key step that significantly impacts the effectiveness of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) experiments. Besides the commonly used whole transcript RNA-Seq method, the 3’ mRNA-Seq method is being applied widely, owing to its reduced cost, enabling more repeats to be sequenced at the expense of lower resolution. Therefore, the output of the Illumina TruSeq kit (whole transcript RNA-Seq) and the Lexogen QuantSeq kit (3’ mRNA-Seq) was analyzed to identify genes in the Atlantic salmon hindgut that are differentially expressed (DEGs) between two flesh color phenotypes.ResultsIn both methods, DEGs between the two color phenotypes were associated with metal ion transport, oxidation-reduction processes, and immune responses. We also found DEGs related to lipid metabolism in the QuantSeq method. In the TruSeq method, a missense mutation was detected in DEGs in different flesh color traits. The number of DEGs found in the TruSeq libraries was much higher than the QuantSeq; however, the trend of DEGs in both library methods was similar and validated by qPCR.ConclusionsFlesh coloration in Atlantic salmon is related to lipid metabolism in which apolipoproteins, serum albumin and fatty acid-binding protein genes are hypothesized to be linked to the absorption, transport and deposition of carotenoids. Our findings suggest that Grp could inhibit the feeding behavior of low color-banded fish, resulting in the dietary carotenoid shortage. Several SNPs in genes involving in carotenoid-binding cholesterol and oxidative stress were detected in both flesh color phenotypes. Regarding the choice of the library preparation method, the selection criteria depend on the research design and purpose. The 3’ mRNA-Seq method is ideal for targeted identification of highly expressed genes, while the whole RNA-Seq method is recommended for identification of unknown genes, enabling the identification of splice variants and trait-associated SNPs, as we have found for duox2 and duoxa1.

Proton motive force in plant photosynthesis dominated by ΔpH in both low and high light.

The proton motive force (pmf) across the thylakoid membrane couples photosynthetic electron transport and ATP synthesis. In recent years, the electrochromic carotenoid and chlorophyll absorption band shift (ECS), peaking ∼515 nm, has become a widely used probe to measure pmf in leaves. However, the use of this technique to calculate the parsing of the pmf between the proton gradient (ΔpH) and electric potential (Δψ) components remains controversial. Interpretation of the ECS signal is complicated by overlapping absorption changes associated with violaxanthin de-epoxidation to zeaxanthin (ΔA505) and energy-dependent nonphotochemical quenching (qE; ΔA535). In this study, we used Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants with altered xanthophyll cycle activity and photosystem II subunit S (PsbS) content to disentangle these overlapping contributions. In plants where overlap among ΔA505, ΔA535, and ECS is diminished, such as npq4 (lacking ΔA535) and npq1npq4 (also lacking ΔA505), the parsing method implies the Δψ contribution is virtually absent and pmf is solely composed of ΔpH. Conversely, in plants where ΔA535 and ECS overlap is enhanced, such as L17 (a PsbS overexpressor) and npq1 (where ΔA535 is blue-shifted to 525 nm) the parsing method implies a dominant contribution of Δψ to the total pmf. These results demonstrate the vast majority of the pmf attributed by the ECS parsing method to Δψ is caused by ΔA505 and ΔA535 overlap, confirming pmf is dominated by ΔpH following the first 60 s of continuous illumination under both low and high light conditions. Further implications of these findings for the regulation of photosynthesis are discussed.

Transcriptomic and metabonomic analyses reveal roles of VPS 29 in carotenoid accumulation in adductor muscles of QN Orange scallops

BackgroundIn our previous studies, we demonstrated that the accumulation of carotenoids in QN Orange scallops might be regulated by the vacuolar protein sorting 29 (VPS29) gene. VPS genes are involved in pigments accumulation (including carotenoids) in some species and VPS29 is known as the core component of the membrane transport complex Retromer. However, the possible mechanism of carotenoids accumulation underlying the VPS29 remains unexplored. This study aimed to further elucidate the roles of VPS29 in the carotenoid deposition. ResultsTranscriptomic analyses revealed four differentially expressed genes related to carotenoid accumulation, including three down-regulated genes, low-density lipoprotein receptor domain class, scavenger receptor, Niemann Pick C1-like 1, and one up-regulated gene, ATP binding cassette transporter in RNAi group. Results from metabonomic analyses indicated increased profiles of retinol and decreased fatty acids between the RNAi and the control group. ConclusionsIt thus speculated that VPS may be related to the accumulation of carotenoids as RNAi of VPS 29 seemed to result in a reduction in pectenolone through the blockage in the absorption of carotenoids and an accelerated cleavage of carotenoids into retinol.

Improvement of the Carotenoids Bioaccessibility from Vegetable Salads Using Excipient Emulsions: Impacts of the Emulsification and the Type of Dietary Fats

Abstract Objectives Carotenoids which are rich in fruits and vegetables, are known for their health-promoting benefits. However, due to their hydrophobicity, carotenoids are poorly absorbed in human body and there is a need to improve their absorption. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the emulsification and the type of dietary fat on the bioaccessibility of carotenoids from vegetable salads. Methods Oil-in-water emulsions were formed using the high-pressure homogenizer with whey protein isolate as the emulsifier. A mixture of raw vegetable salads, including tomatoes, baby spinach, carrots, romaine lettuce and Chinese wolfberry, were co-digested with 4 different types of dietary fats: olive oil-in-water emulsion (OLE), olive oil-water mixture (OLN), coconut oil-in-water emulsion (COE) and coconut oil-water mixture (CON). The bioaccessibility of 5 main carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene and lycopene) was evaluated via a simulated in-vitro gastrointestinal model and the carotenoids were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results The bioaccessibility (mean ± SD) of total carotenoids was enhanced when vegetable salads were co-digested with the oil-in-water emulsion (23.5 ± 2.8%) than the oil-water mixture (15.4 ± 7.6%) (P < 0.05). Specifically, OLE showed an increase in the bioaccessibility of α-carotene (OLE: 24.5 ± 2.4%, OLN: 19.0 ± 0.6%, P < 0.05) and β-carotene (OLE: 20.4 ± 1.0%, OLN: 14.6 ± 2.5%, P < 0.05), compared to OLN, while no differences were observed for lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. On the other hand, COE resulted in higher bioaccessibility of all the individual carotenoids as compared to CON (P < 0.05), except for the zeaxanthin. Overall, the bioaccessibility of total carotenoids was higher with olive oil (24.0 ± 2.8%) than coconut oil (14.9 ± 6.9%) (P < 0.05). Conclusions Findings from this study indicate that emulsification of dietary fats and olive oil enhance the bioaccessibility of carotenoids. Using excipient olive oil-in-water emulsion in particular, may be a potential way to improve the absorption of carotenoids when it is added into the carotenoids-rich vegetable salads as salads dressing. Funding Sources National University of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

Nile Tilapia: A Model for Studying Teleost Color Patterns.

The diverse color patterns of cichlid fishes play an important role in mate choice and speciation. Here we develop the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a model system for studying the developmental genetics of cichlid color patterns. We identified 4 types of pigment cells: melanophores, xanthophores, iridophores and erythrophores, and characterized their first appearance in wild-type fish. We mutated 25 genes involved in melanogenesis, pteridine metabolism, and the carotenoid absorption and cleavage pathways. Among the 25 mutated genes, 13 genes had a phenotype in both the F0 and F2 generations. None of F1 heterozygotes had phenotype. By comparing the color pattern of our mutants with that of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp), a natural mutant produced during hybridization of tilapia species, we found that the pigmentation of the body and eye is controlled by different genes. Previously studied genes like mitf, kita/kitlga, pmel, tyrb, hps4, gch2, csf1ra, pax7b, and bco2b were proved to be of great significance for color patterning in tilapia. Our results suggested that tilapia, a fish with 4 types of pigment cells and a vertically barred wild-type color pattern, together with various natural and artificially induced color gene mutants, can serve as an excellent model system for study color patterning in vertebrates.

Carotenoid absorption in rats fed with vacuum-fried papaya chips depends on processed food microstructure associated with saturated and unsaturated oils

Many studies indicate that food matrix microstructure and type of dietary oil or fat play a key role in carotenoid absorption. Therefore, this work was designed to highlight the relationship between processed food microstructure and carotenoid absorption. This study aimed to evaluate the consumption of a carotenoid-rich fruit snack on lipid profile, glycemia and especially on carotenoid absorption/bioconversion in Wistar rats. Animals were fed with mixtures based on vacuum-fried papaya chips with either soy oil (PC-S) or palm oil (PC-P) during 7 days, receiving 0.29 mg lycopene/kg/day and 0.35 mg total carotenoids/kg/day. Lycopene and retinoids were analyzed in plasma and liver of rats by HPLC-DAD. Results showed that the consumption of mixtures based on papaya chips did not affect the lipid profile or glycemia in rat plasma, regardless the type of oil. Wide-field and confocal microscopy analyses of food matrix helped to understand why lycopene accumulation in the liver was higher (p < 0.05) in rats fed with PC-P (0.442 µg/g liver) than in those fed with PC-S (0.291 µg/g liver). A better dissolution of crystalloid lycopene was found in PC-P. Conversely, a higher bioconversion of provitamin A carotenoids was observed for soy products. The effect of type of oil was underlined by epifluorescence microscopy of papaya mixtures showing homogeneous and small lipid droplets for soy products. These results showed that PC-S could be recommanded as a healthy snack, being a source of provitamin A carotenoids and bioavailable lycopene in a diversified diet.

Two-photon absorption and excitation spectroscopy of carotenoids, chlorophylls and pigment-protein complexes.

In addition to (bacterio)chlorophylls, (B)Chls, photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes bind carotenoids (Cars) that fulfil various important functions which are not fully understood, yet. However, certain excited states of Cars are optically one-photon forbidden ("dark") and can potentially undergo excitation energy transfer (EET) to (B)Chls following two-photon absorption (TPA). The amount of EET is reflected by the differences in TPA and two-photon excitation (TPE) spectra of a complex (multi-pigment) system. Since it is technically and analytically demanding to resolve optically forbidden states, different studies reported varying contributions of Cars and Chls to TPE/TPA spectra. In a study using well-defined 1 : 1 Car-tetrapyrrole dyads TPE contributions of tetrapyrrole molecules, including Chls, and Cars were measured. In these experiments, TPE of Cars dominated over Chl a TPE in a broad wavelength range. Another study suggested only minor contributions of Cars to TPE spectra of pigment-protein complexes such as the plant main light-harvesting complex (LHCII), in particular for wavelengths longer than ∼600/1200 nm. By joining forces and a combined analysis of all available data by both teams, we try to resolve this apparent contradiction. Here, we demonstrate that reconstruction of a wide spectral range of TPE for LHCII and photosystem I (PSI) requires both, significant Car and Chl contributions. Direct comparison of TPE spectra obtained in both studies demonstrates a good agreement of the primary data. We conclude that in TPE spectra of LHCII and PSI, the contribution of Chls is dominating above 600/1200 nm, whereas the contributions of forbidden Car states increase particularly at wavelengths shorter than 600/1200 nm. Estimates of Car contributions to TPA as well as TPE spectra are given for various wavelengths.

Influence of natural pigment sources on growth performance, live and post slaughter skin pigmentation, serum carotenoids and lipid profile of broiler chickens

Carotenoids are bioactive molecules synthesized in plants and are important in thedevelopment of hues in the skin and muscles of chickens, which influence consumerperception and consumption. The extent of absorption and assimilation of carotenoids from different plant-based pigment sources was explored in this study. One hundred and twentyeight day old broiler chicks were allotted to four treatments, four replicates of eight chicks each. Chicks were fed a starter diet for 21 days and thereafter grower-finisher diets containing one of moringa (Moringa oleifera), baobab (Adansonia digitata) leaves, roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) calyces and orange (Citrus x sinensis) rind- at 4% of their diet for 35 days. Skin pigmentation was scored in the apterylum region and shank of live broiler chicken weekly and in the breast, back, vent, shank and abdominal fat of 56 day old broiler chicken post-slaughter using a DSM broiler colour fan. Serum carotenoids measured as red and yellow pigments and serum lipid profile were determined by a spectrophotometric method. Pigmentation was higher in the shank, with visual score ranging from 101.0 – 103.78 and least in the skin of the back ranging from 101.0 – 102.0 (P&lt;0.05), while pigmentation in the vent and breast were similar for chickens on the different dietary treatments. Higher live and post-slaughter skin pigmentation was observed in chickens on moringa diet with visual score ranging from 103.1. – 103.75 and 102.0 – 103.78 respectively, and lower pigmentation in those on roselle diet, ranging from 101.13 – 101.32 and 101.0 – 101.34 respectively. Shank pigmentation score peaked at 21d for chickens on baobab (102.32) and roselle (101.32) diets, and 35d for chickens on themoringa and orange rind (103.75 and 102.06, respectively) diets. Apterylum pigmentation peaked at 21d for chickens on baobab (101.54) and orange (101.40) diets and 28d for chickens on the moringa (102.40) diet. Dietary sources of carotenoids did not significantly influence yellow pigment deposition in the serum between 21-28d of exposure while red pigment deposition in the serum was unaffected by the dietary treatments after 28d of exposure. Yellow pigment composition of serum was significantly (P&lt;0.05) lowest in chickens on moringa diet at 14 and 21d (19.84 and 18.54 ppm). A similar trend was observed for red pigment composition of serum of chickens on moringa diet at 28 and 35d (19.60 and 18.36 ppm). However the serum lipid profile of chickens in the study was not affected by the different pigment sources in their diets. Absorption and assimilation of carotenoids varied for the different carotenoid sources assessed, with Moringa oleifera leaves significantly improving live and post-slaughter pigmentation of broilers.

Effects of harvest time, fruit size and cultivar on the bulk optical properties of Satsuma mandarin

As Satsuma mandarin is a multi-layered fruit, the optical properties of the different tissue layers influence the performance of spectroscopy-based quality detection models. Therefore, the variation in the bulk optical properties (BOP) of the inner (juice vesicles) and outer (flavedo) tissue layer of Satsuma mandarin was investigated for different harvest times, fruit sizes and cultivars. Satsuma mandarin fruit from three different cultivars (Iwasaki, Okitsu and Goku Wase) were harvested at three different times around the recommended harvest date and the BOP of the inner and outer tissue layers were estimated from double integrating spheres measurements. Along the harvest time, the absorption peak related to carotenoids in the bulk absorption coefficient (μa) spectrum increased in both tissue layers, while the values attributed to chlorophylls decreased in the flavedo. Moreover, a slightly increasing trend over the harvest time was observed in the bulk scattering coefficient (μs) spectra of juice vesicles, especially at the early stage. The μa values of both tissue layers and the μs values of juice vesicles deviated among different fruit sizes, which can be related to the development stage. Smaller fruit presented a higher carotenoids concentration in juice vesicles, an advanced color change in flavedo throughout the maturation stages and higher μs values in juice vesicles at earlier maturation stages. The μa differences in pigment absorption among different cultivars were related to the maturation order. Earlier maturing cultivars possessed higher μa values related to carotenoids absorption in juice vesicles and advanced color changes in flavedo. The μs values of the flavedo differed among the cultivars and these differences were enhanced during maturation. These insights in the sources of variation in the bulk optical properties of Satsuma mandarin tissues can be used for simulation-based optimal design of an optical measurement configuration and interpretation of the acquired signals in spectroscopy-based quality detection and monitoring.

Overlapping Vitamin A Interventions with Provitamin A Carotenoids and Preformed Vitamin A Cause Excessive Liver Retinol Stores in Male Mongolian Gerbils

Vitamin A (VA) deficiency is a public health problem in some countries. Fortification, supplementation, and increased provitamin A consumption through biofortification are efficacious, but monitoring is needed due to risk of excessive VA intake when interventions overlap. Two studies in 28-36-d-old male Mongolian gerbils simulated exposure to multiple VA interventions to determine the effects of provitamin A carotenoid consumption from biofortified maize and carrots and preformed VA fortificant on status. Study 1 was a 2×2×2 factorial design (n=85) with high-β-carotene maize, orange carrots, and VA fortification at 50% estimated gerbil needs, compared with white maize and white carrot controls. Study 2 was a 2×3 factorial design (n=66) evaluating orange carrot and VA consumption through fortification at 100% and 200% estimated needs. Both studies utilized 2-wk VA depletion, baseline evaluation, 9-wk treatments, and liver VA stores by HPLC. Intestinal scavenger receptor class B member 1 (Scarb1), β-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase (Bco1), β-carotene 9',10'-oxygenase (Bco2), intestine-specific homeobox (Isx), and cytochrome P450 26A1 isoform α1 (Cyp26a1) expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR in study 2. In study 1, liver VA concentrations were significantly higher in orange carrot (0.69±0.12 μmol/g) and orange maize groups (0.52±0.21 μmol/g) compared with baseline (0.23±0.069 μmol/g) and controls. Liver VA concentrations from VA fortificant alone (0.11±0.053 μmol/g) did not differ from negative control. In study 2, orange carrot significantly enhanced liver VA concentrations (0.85±0.24 μmol/g) relative to baseline (0.43±0.14 μmol/g), but VA fortificant alone (0.42±0.21 μmol/g) did not. Intestinal Scarb1 and Bco1 were negatively correlated with increasing liver VA concentrations (P <0.01, r2=0.25-0.27). Serum retinol concentrations did not differ. Biofortified carrots and maize without fortification prevented VA deficiency in gerbils. During adequate provitamin A dietary intake, preformed VA intake resulted in excessive liver stores in gerbils, despite downregulation of carotenoid absorption and cleavage gene expression.

Fabrication of chitosan nanoparticles with phosphatidylcholine for improved sustain release, basolateral secretion, and transport of lutein in Caco-2 cells

Biopolymers-based nanoparticles delivery emerged alternatively to improve nutraceuticals and drug bioavailability. The intestinal physiology suggested a prerequisite of lipid moiety for carotenoid absorption. This study aimed to fabricate chitosan-based nanoparticles with phosphatidylcholine (PC) to enhance lutein bioavailability. Lutein encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles with PC (LCNPC) or without PC (LCN) were assessed for bioaccessibility, sustain release, cellular uptake/internalization, and basolateral secretion of lutein in Caco-2 cells. Standard lutein mixed micelles (LMM), and micelles derived through in vitro digestion of green leafy vegetables (GMM) treated as controls. The LCNPC showed reduced particle size, higher colloidal stability, homogeneous dispersion, and suitable for oral administration compared to LCN. The cellular uptake of lutein (20 h) in LCNPC was higher than LCN, LMM, and GMM, respectively. Interestingly, lutein uptake was maximum at 8 h in LMM and gradually decreased against sustain-release response in LCNPC and LCN, whereas considerably low lutein uptake from GMM at all time points. Further, LCNPC significantly increased basolateral secretion of triglyceride (TG) and positively correlated enhanced lutein uptake/internalization process than LCN and micelles. Also, LCNPC demonstrated the upregulation of endocytosis, paracellular, scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SRB-1), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) mediated lutein transport mechanism. These results suggested that fabrication of biopolymer-based nanoparticles with PC could provide greater insight to improve lutein bioavailability at enterocyte levels, to avoid age-related macular degeneration and other chronic diseases.

Optimizing the Multimode Brownian Oscillator Model for the Optical Response of Carotenoids in Solution by Fine Tuning of Differential Evolution

During last twenty years, the Differential evolution algorithm (DE) has proved to be one of the powerful methods to solve minimization problems for multidimensional functions. Being a member of the family of evolutionary optimization algorithms, its main principle is based upon the concepts of natural selection and mutation. In this study, we test the potential of DE to find a proper set of parameters for the multimode Brownian oscillator model, which was then used to simulate absorption lineshapes of carotenoid molecules in solution: spheroidene and spheroidenone. This theory assumes that the correlation function of a particular electronic state of the carotenoid is calculated using the semiclassical spectral density function. Considering our previous studies on photosynthetic pigments, we employed several DE strategies to do fitting of the carotenoid experimental spectra. We found that simulated absorption spectra are very sensitive to several parameters that characterize carotenoid vibronic modes, namely, Huang–Rhys factors. Fine tuning of DE crossover parameter (Cr) and the scaling factor (F) provided acceptable convergence of the algorithm. It appears that to get good convergence of DE, a certain spectral range of carotenoid absorption from 400 to 600 nm must be chosen. This fact can be explained by the limitations of the applied theory, which simply does not predict properly the carotenoid absorption at higher frequencies.

Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activity of Mixed Oil of Safou (Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam) from Several Trees

The valorization of lipids can be highlighted by industrial exploitation of safou pulp, very rich in these. However, the low yield of safou trees is lacking. It&amp;rsquo;s necessary to estimate the technological potentialities of the oil obtained in order to describe the nutritional value and potential exploitation of this oil. Physical and chemical characteristics of this oil were examined. The aim of our study was to extract oil from fruits of several safou fruits and prepared a unique sample. This sample was essayed for its physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity. Results showed that the refractive index was 1.4693. The density and viscosity values were 0.9 mg/mL and 31.08 mPa/s, respectively. Acid and peroxide values were 6.17 mg KOH/g and 31.46 meq O2/kg. Gas chromatography revealed that the major fatty acids were C16:0 (44.23%), C18:1 (30.50%), and C18:2 (19.62%). Triacylglycerols were the most important lipids (88.88% of total lipids). Spectrometric assessment of color led to the remarkable presence of the peaks associated with the visible absorption of carotenoids near 530 nm and chlorophyll pigments located between 610 and 670 nm. Antioxidant activity and DPPH radical scavenging activities of safou oil were exanimate. So, oil mixtures can be used, while varietal delimitation and mix some varieties for oil industry.

Optical properties of the CaEuAl3O7 phosphor with dual‐activator Eu2+/Eu3+ for multifunctional applications

AbstractAt present, most blue‐red composite LED light sources are widely used in the field of plant lighting. However, their full‐width at half‐maximum of blue light is too small to meet the requirements of plants for photosynthesis. Herein, a dual‐emitting single‐phase self‐luminescent phosphor CaEuAl3O7 (CEAO) is reported in this study, which provides broadband blue emission of Eu2+ ions and red emissions of Eu3+ ions. According to the optical properties of Eu2+ and Eu3+ ions in the CEAO phosphor, it can be found that all emissions are consistent with the absorption of chlorophylls and pigment carotenoids. In addition, the temperature sensing based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) in the CEAO phosphor is also studied and the maximum sensitivity (S) can reach as high as 6.90% K−1 at 313 K. The results indicate that the single‐component phosphor CEAO with blue and red double‐color emission possesses an outstanding potential in plant growth lamps and optical thermometry applications.

An Artificial Intelligence Approach for Italian EVOO Origin Traceability through an Open Source IoT Spectrometer.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) represents a crucial ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. Being a first-choice product, consumers should be guaranteed its quality and geographical origin, justifying the high purchasing cost. For this reason, it is important to have new reliable tools able to classify products according to their geographical origin. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the efficiency of an open source visible and near infra-red (VIS-NIR) spectrophotometer, relying on a specific app, in assessing olive oil geographical origin. Thus, 67 Italian and 25 foreign EVOO samples were analyzed and their spectral data were processed through an artificial intelligence algorithm. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results reported significant differences (p < 0.001) between the Italian and foreign EVOO VIS-NIR matrices. The artificial neural network (ANN) model with an external test showed a correct classification percentage equal to 94.6%. Both the MANOVA and ANN tested methods showed the most important spectral wavelengths ranges for origin determination to be 308–373 nm and 594–605 nm. These are related to the absorption of phenolic components, carotenoids, chlorophylls, and anthocyanins. The proposed tool allows the assessment of EVOO samples’ origin and thus could help to preserve the “Made in Italy” from fraud and sophistication related to its commerce.

Colorful turtles lack a preference for carotenoid-based food that maintains stripe and spot color.

For animals with carotenoid-based skin or feather color, plant matter can be an important food item because plants contain carotenoids which help maintain that color. Because skin or feather color impacts a species ability to advertise its identity and potentially act as a sexually-selected signal, animals should evolve preferences for eating plants. Adult painted turtles eat a wide variety of aquatic plants and animals, and here we examine whether adult turtles prefer some common native aquatic plants (arrowhead, cat-tails, water lilies, and waterweeds) over a common aquatic fish (juvenile bluegill sunfish). We presented juvenile and adult turtles 3.5 cm2 pieces of the aquatic plants and bluegill, observed which items were bitten and eaten, and calculated selectivity and preference for each plant and bluegill fish. We found that juvenile and adult turtles show a strong selectivity and preference for bluegill sunfish. Bluegill may be selected for and preferred by painted turtles because fish is a high calory diet item, rich in proteins and fats, which facilitates the absorption and delivery of carotenoids to the skin.

Exopolysaccharides from milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria enhance dietary carotenoid bioavailability in humans in a randomized crossover trial and in rats

Dietary supplementation with carotenoids can have beneficial health effects, but carotenoids are poorly absorbed. We aimed to evaluate how milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria affects dietary carotenoid bioavailability in humans and rats and to investigate mechanisms by which active components in milk fermented by Lactobacilli enhance dietary carotenoid absorption. Male rats (n=8/group) were administered β-carotene or β-carotene+fermented milk. Rats (n=6/group) were also pretreated with ezetimibe, a cholesterol absorption inhibitor, to investigate β-carotene transport mechanisms. In humans, 3 studies were conducted using a randomized crossover method. Subjects (n=16/study) consumed a vegetable (carrot, tomato, or spinach) drink alone or with a fermented milk drink. Blood samples were collected at various time points after consumption. In rats, the serum β-carotene area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was significantly higher for the β-carotene+fermented milk than for β-carotene only. A significant correlation (r=0.83, P<0.001) between the exopolysaccharide (EPS) content of fermented milk and serum β-carotene AUC was observed. Ezetimibe treatment did not suppress elevations in serum β-carotene concentrations induced by fermented milk ingestion. In humans, the incremental area under the concentration-time curve (iAUC) for β-carotene in the plasma triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction was significantly (1.8-fold, range: 0.6-3.9) higher when carrot+fermented milk was consumed compared with carrot drink alone. A significantly (6.5-fold, range: 0.04-7.7) higher iAUC for lycopene in the plasma TRL fraction was observed for subjects who consumed tomato+fermented milk compared with tomato drink alone. A significant increase in plasma lutein in all fractions was observed after consumption of spinach+fermented milk, but not with spinach drink alone. Co-ingestion of β-carotene and fermented milk significantly increased dietary β-carotene bioavailability in humans and rats. EPSs could affect the physical properties of fermented milk to enhance dietary β-carotene absorption mediated by simple diffusion mechanisms. These findings may be relevant for methods to increase dietary carotenoid bioavailability.This trial was registered at umin.ac.jp/ctr as UMIN000034838, UMIN000034839, and UMIN000034840.

Phytosterol vehicles used in a functional product modify carotenoid/cholesterol bioaccessibility and uptake by Caco-2 cells

Abstract Functional foods containing dispersible phytosterols (DPs) are recommended to reduce cholesterol absorption in humans. However, only a few studies have been conducted on the effect of DP vehicles on carotenoid bioaccessibility and uptake by intestinal cells. On a previously developed fermented maize product containing both DPs and carotenoids, we aim to evaluate the effect of DPs encapsulated by maltodextrin on the carotenoid/phytosterol/cholesterol interactions during gastro-duodenal digestion. Thanks to maltodextrin properties, β-carotene and lycopene bioaccessibilities were significantly improved by 40.2 ± 1.4% while that of β-cryptoxanthin decreased by 14 ± 0.1%. Additionally, the presence of DPs reduced the cholesterol micellarization by 51.8 ± 4.2%. Despite a slight decrease in carotenoid uptake caused by the DP vehicle, related to micelle size, an inhibition of cholesterol accumulation by Caco-2 cells was observed. These results highlighted the key role of maltodextrin as a vehicle of DPs on carotenoid and cholesterol absorption.