Bile Concentrations Research Articles

Effects of high intake of cod or salmon on gut microbiota profile, faecal output and serum concentrations of lipids and bile acids in overweight adults: a randomised clinical trial

PurposeTo explore whether high intake of cod or salmon would affect gut microbiota profile, faecal output and serum concentrations of lipids and bile acids.MethodsSeventy-six adults with overweight/obesity with no reported gastrointestinal disease were randomly assigned to consume 750 g/week of either cod or salmon, or to avoid fish intake (Control group) for 8 weeks. Fifteen participants from each group were randomly selected for 72 h faeces collection at baseline and end point for gut microbiota profile analyses using 54 bacterial DNA probes. Food intake was registered, and fasting serum and morning urine were collected at baseline and end point.ResultsSixty-five participants were included in serum and urine analyses, and gut microbiota profile was analysed for 33 participants. Principal component analysis of gut microbiota showed an almost complete separation of the Salmon group from the Control group, with lower counts for bacteria in the Bacteroidetes phylum and the Clostridiales order of the Firmicutes phyla, and higher counts for bacteria in the Selenomonadales order of the Firmicutes phylum. The Cod group showed greater similarity to the Salmon group than to the Control group. Intake of fibres, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, faecal daily mass and output of fat, cholesterol and total bile acids, and serum concentrations of cholesterol, triacylglycerols, non-esterified fatty acids and total bile acids were not altered in the experimental groups.ConclusionA high intake of cod or salmon fillet modulated gut microbiota but did not affect faecal output or serum concentrations of lipids and total bile acids.Clinical trial registrationThis trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02350595.

Effect of bacterial contamination in bile on pancreatic cancer cell survival

BackgroundIntroduction of gut flora into the biliary system is common owing to biliary stenting in patients with obstructing pancreatic head cancer. We hypothesize that alteration of biliary microbiome modifies bile content that modulates pancreatic cancer cell survival. MethodsHuman bile samples were collected during pancreaticoduodenectomy. Bacterial strains were isolated from contaminated (stented) bile and identified using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Human pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC1, CFPAC, Panc1) were treated for 24 hours with sterile (nonstented) bile, contaminated (stented) bile, and sterile bile preincubated with 106 colony forming unit of live bacteria isolated from contaminated bile or a panel of bile acids for 24 hours at 37°C, and evaluated using CellTiter-Blue Cell Viability Assay (Promega Corp. Madison, WI). Human bile (30–50 μl/mouse) was coinjected intraperitoneally with 105 Panc02 mouse pancreatic cancer cells in C57BL6/N mice to evaluate the impact of bile on peritoneal metastasis 3 to 4 weeks after tumor challenge. ResultsWhile all bile samples significantly reduced peritoneal metastasis of Panc02 cells in mice, some contaminated bile samples had diminished antitumor effect. All sterile bile (n = 4) reduced pancreatic cancer cell survival in vitro. Only 40% (2/5) of contaminated bile samples had significant effect. Preincubation of sterile bile with live Enterococcus faecalis or Streptococcus oralis modified the antitumor effect of sterile bile. These changes were not observed with culture media preincubated with live bacteria, suggesting live gut bacteria can modify the antitumor components present in bile. Conjugated bile acids were more potent than unconjugated cholic acid in reducing pancreatic cancer cell survival. ConclusionAlteration of bile microbiome from biliary stenting has a direct impact on pancreatic cancer cell survival. Further study is warranted to determine if this microbiome shift alters tumor microenvironment.

In vitro digestion of salmon: Influence of processing and intestinal conditions on macronutrients digestibility

Salmon is the main dietary source of omega-3 lipids and contains high-biological value protein. However, processing techniques could affect macronutrient digestibility. Also, altered intestinal conditions, particularly given in pancreatic insufficiency, could threaten digestibility. This study tested both hypotheses by subjecting raw, marinated and microwave-cooked salmon to static in vitro digestion under healthy (pH 7, bile concentration 10 mM) and altered (pH 6, bile 1 or 10 mM) intestinal conditions with different pancreatin concentrations. In the standard conditions, proteolysis was not affected by processing, but lipolysis decreased in marinated (46%) and raw salmon (57%) compared to the cooked matrix (67%). In altered conditions, proteolysis and lipolysis decreased to different extents depending on the treatment. Overall, processing affected proteolysis the most (f-ratio = 5.86), while intestinal conditions were the major determinants of lipolysis (f-ratio = 58.01). This study could set the ground to establish dietary recommendations of salmon for specific population groups.

Adhesion mechanisms of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis JCM 10602 to dietary fiber.

Adherence of probiotics to dietary fibers present in the intestinal tract may affect adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells. The properties of the adhesion of bifidobacteria to mucin or epithelial cells have been well studied; however, adhesion of bifidobacteria to dietary fiber has not been investigated. The adhesion ratio of six Bifidobacterium strains to cellulose and chitin was examined; among the strains, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis JCM 10602 showed high adherence to both cellulose and chitin, and two strains showed high adherence to only chitin. The ratios of adhesion of B. animalis to cellulose and chitin were positively and negatively correlated with ionic strength, respectively. These data suggest that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are involved in the adhesion to cellulose and chitin, respectively. The adhesion ratios of the cells in the late logarithmic phase to cellulose and chitin decreased by approximately 40% and 70% of the cells in the early logarithmic phase, respectively. Furthermore, the adhesion ratio to cellulose decreased with increasing bile concentration regardless of the culture phase of the cells. On the other hand, the adhesion ratio to chitin of cells in the early logarithmic phase decreased with increasing bile concentration; however, that of cells in the late logarithmic phase increased slightly, suggesting that adhesins differ depending on the culture phase. Our results indicated the importance of considering adhesion to both dietary fibers and the intestinal mucosa when using bifidobacteria as probiotics.

Comparison of spectral characteristics in human and pig biliary system with hyperspectral imaging (HSI)

Abstract Injuries to the biliary tree during surgical, endoscopic or invasive radiological diagnostic or therapeutic procedures involving the pancreas, liver or organs of the upper gastrointestinal tract give rise to the need to develop a method for clear discrimination of biliary anatomy from surrounding tissue. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging optical technique in disease diagnosis and image-guided surgery with inherent advantages of being a non-contact, non-invasive, and non-ionizing technique. HSI can produce quantitative diagnostic information about tissue pathology, morphology, and chemical composition. HSI was applied in human liver transplantation and compared to porcine model operations to assess the capability of discriminating biliary anatomy from surrounding biological tissue. Absorbance spectra measured from bile ducts, gall bladder, and liver show a dependence on tissue composition and bile concentration, with agreement between human and porcine datasets. The bile pigment biliverdin and structural proteins collagen and elastin were identified as contributors to the bile duct and gall bladder absorbance spectra.

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Bifidobacterium longum against Common Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

The probiotic potential and antimicrobial activity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Bifidobacterium longum were investigated against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. Selected strains were subjected to different acid levels (pH 2.5–6.0) and bile concentrations (1.0–3.0%). Strains were also evaluated for their antimicrobial activity by agar spot test. The potential probiotic strains tolerated pH 3.5 and above without statistically significant growth reduction. However, at pH 2.5, a significant (p < 0.05) growth reduction occurred after 1 h for L. plantarum (4.32 log CFU/mL) and B. longum (5.71 log CFU/mL). S. cerevisiae maintained steady cell counts for the entire treatment period without a statistically significant (p > 0.05) reduction (0.39 log CFU/mL). The results indicate at 3% bile concertation, 1.86 log CFU/mL reduction was observed for L. plantarum, while S. cerevisiae, and B. longum growth increased by 0.06 and 0.37 log CFU/mL, respectively. L. plantarum and B. longum demonstrated antimicrobial activity against E. coli O157:H7, S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes. However, S. cerevisiae did not display any inhibition to any of the pathogens. The results indicate that L. plantarum and B. longum present probiotic potential for controlling E. coli O157:H7, S. and L. monocytogenes in poultry.

Quantitation of plasma and biliary cefpiramide concentrations in human samples using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Cefpiramide is frequently used to treat biliary infections. However, no bioanalytical method has been validated to quantitate cefpiramide in human samples, particularly in bile. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop a simple, selective and validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method to determine cefpiramide in human plasma and bile. A protein precipitation procedure was used to extract cefpiramide and cefoperazone (internal standard, IS) from 200 μl of plasma and bile. Utilizing a Capcell Pak C18 column (4.6 × 250 mm), cefpiramide and IS were separated using the timed-gradient mobile phase consisting of 0.1 m sodium acetate (pH 5.2) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 ml/min with photodiode array detector (wavelength set at 273 nm). The calibration curves showed linearity at concentrations ranging from 1 to 150 μg/ml in both plasma and bile (r2 > 0.999). The within- and between-run coefficients of variation (CVs) for plasma samples were 0.570-4.43 and 1.10-2.76%, respectively; for bile samples, the within- and between-day precision (CV) was 0.814-6.34 and 2.05-4.00%, respectively. Our newly developed bioanalytical method was successfully employed to quantify cefpiramide concentrations in both plasma and bile at multiple time points in patients with acute cholangitis.

Selection criteria of Pediococcus sp. and Bifidobacterium bifidum Strains Isolated from Cereals Based on Fermented Food for Probiotic Use

Cereal based Fermented foods are a rich source of Probiotic organisms. Once if the Probiotic organisms are consumed, it should be capable of adhering to the colon region. To find out the efficiency of Pediococcus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. they were subjected to in-vitro tests such as tolerance to bile, resistance to low pH values, cell adhesion and antagonistic activity among the two organisms, Bifidobacterium sp. showed better growth at pH 3.5 than Pediococcus sp. during the increased incubation time. Cells remain viable up to 0.8% of bile concentration beyond which the multiplication was slow in the case of both the strains. Bifidobacterium sp. showed good adherence to the substratum than Pediococcus sp. Both the organisms were antagonistic against common enteric pathogens, which is an ideal characteristic of a probiotic.

Bifidobacterial biofilm formation is a multifactorial adaptive phenomenon in response to bile exposure

In the current study, we show that biofilm formation by various strains and species belonging to Bifidobacterium, a genus that includes gut commensals with reported health-promoting activities, is induced by high concentrations of bile (0.5% (w/v) or higher) and individual bile salts (20 mM or higher), rather than by acid or osmotic stress. The transcriptomic response of a bifidobacterial prototype Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 to such high bile concentrations was investigated and a random transposon bank of B. breve UCC2003 was screened for mutants that affect biofilm formation in order to identify genes involved in this adaptive process. Eleven mutants affected in their ability to form a biofilm were identified, while biofilm formation capacity of an insertional mutation in luxS and an exopolysaccharide (EPS) negative B. breve UCC2003 was also studied. Reduced capacity to form biofilm also caused reduced viability when exposed to porcine bile. We propose that bifidobacterial biofilm formation is an adaptive response to high concentrations of bile in order to avoid bactericidal effects of high bile concentrations in the gastrointestinal environment. Biofilm formation appears to be a multi-factorial process involving EPS production, proteins and extracellular DNA release, representing a crucial strategy in response to bile stress in order to enhance fitness in the gut environment.

Prediagnostic concentrations of circulating bile acids and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: REVEAL-HBV and HCV studies.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the dominant histologic type of liver cancer, accounting for 75% of cases. Growing evidence suggests that the cross-talk between the gut microbiome and metabolome (ie, gut-liver axis) are related to the development of hepatic inflammation, and ultimately, HCC. Bile acids are metabolites, derived from cholesterol and synthesized in the liver, which may have a critical role in regulation of the gut-liver axis. We investigated whether prediagnostic circulating bile acids were associated with HCC risk, using the Risk Evaluation of Viral Load Elevation and Associated Liver Disease/Cancer (REVEAL)-Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and REVEAL-Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) cohorts from Taiwan. Fifteen bile acids were quantitated using liquid chromatography, from 185 cases and 161 matched controls in REVEAL-HBV and 96 cases and 96 matched controls in REVEAL-HCV. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between bile acid levels and HCC were calculated using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression. Higher levels of glycine and taurine conjugated primary bile acids were associated with a 2- to 8-fold increased risk of HBV- (eg, glycocholic acid ORQ4vsQ1 = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.48-7.71, Ptrend < .003) and HCV-related HCC (eg, OR = 8.16, 95% CI: 2.21-30.18, Ptrend < .001). However, higher levels of the secondary bile acid deoxycholic acid were inversely associated with HBV-related HCC risk (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.88, Ptrend = .02). Our study provides evidence that higher concentrations of bile acids-specifically, conjugated primary bile acids-are associated with increased HCC risk. However, our study does not support the hypothesis that higher levels of secondary bile acids increase liver cancer risk; indeed, deoxycholic acid may be associated with a decreased HCC risk.

Probiotic potential and safety characterization of Enterococcus hirae G24 isolated from indigenous raw goat milk

In this paper, an investigation on lactic acid bacterial isolates from ethnic goat raw milk samples were examined for their probiotic potential and safety parameters. For this purpose, isolated bacterial cultures were screened based on certain parameters viz., sugar fermentation, tolerance to temperature, salt, low pH, bile salts, and phenol resistance. After that, these bacterial cultures were more estimated in vitro for auto-aggregation, cell surface hydrophobicity, response to simulated stomach duodenum channel, antibiotic resistance, and antimicrobial activity. Besides, probiotic traits show the absence of gelatinase and hemolytic activity supports its safety. The isolate G24 showed good viability at different pH, bile concentration, phenol resistance and response to simulated stomach duodenum passage but it did not show gelatinase and hemolytic activities. Isolate G24 was susceptible to amikacin, carbenicillin, kanamycin, ciprofloxacin, co-trimazine, nitrofurantoin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Isolate G24 also exhibited antimicrobial action against five common pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogens, and Salmonella typhimurium. It displayed the maximum auto-aggregation, cell surface hydrophobicity to different hydrocarbons. Following molecular characterization the isolate G24 was identified as Enterococcus hirae with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogeny. E. hirae G24 bears the excellent properties of probiotics.

Bile salt hydrolase activity, growth characteristics and surface properties in Lactobacillus acidophilus

Thirteen strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus of various origins were tested for bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, growth characteristics and surface properties during cultivation in the presence of ox bile. Seven strains were BSH positive, three strains were found to hydrolyse both sodium glycocholate and taurocholate and four hydrolysed only glycocholate. The addition of ox bile (3; 5 or 10 g/l) to MRS growth medium affected the growth rate of both BSH-positive and BSH-negative strains. The lag phases were increased when 5 or 10 g/l of ox bile were added. Growth rates and lag phases were significantly different between BSH-positive and BSH-negative strains in MRS medium with bile. BSH-positive strains were better able to adapt to increasing bile concentrations. The concentration of 2 g/l sodium cholate completely inhibited growth of all lactobacilli tested. Its toxicity was influenced by pH of medium. The addition of 3 g/l ox bile affected the properties related to ability of lactobacilli to adhere to surfaces––autoaggregation increased in all strains and zeta potential only in BSH-negative strains. In all strains tested, bshA and bshB genes were identified with the exception of L. acidophilus Lafti-L10. Repeated cultivation in MRS with bile did not cause the expression of genes in BSH-negative strains.

Optimal dietary copper requirements and relative bioavailability for weanling pigs fed either copper proteinate or tribasic copper chloride

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to determine the effects of supplementing Cu on growth performance, Cu metabolism and Cu-related enzyme activities of weanling pigs fed diets with two different Cu sources, and to estimate optimal Cu requirements and relative bioavailability from these two sources for pigs.MethodsWeanling pigs were allocated to 14 treatments arranged factorially, including 6 added Cu levels (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 mg/kg), and 2 mineral sources (tribasic Cu chloride, TBCC and copper proteinate, CuPro), as well as one negative control (0 mg/kg added Cu level) and one maximum allowed level treatment (200 mg/kg TBCC) for the entire 38-d experiment. Growth performance, mineral status and enzyme activities were measured at the end of this study.ResultsIncreasing levels of Cu showed linear and quadratic responses (P < 0.01) for final BW, ADG and FCR regardless of the sources. Supplementation with TBCC (> 80 mg/kg) and CuPro (> 20 mg/kg) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) diarrhea incidence of weanling pigs. There were linear and quadratic increases (P < 0.01) in bile, hepatic, and intestinal Cu concentrations, fecal Cu contents, and plasma enzyme activities (alkaline phosphatase, ceruloplasmin, Cu, Zn-Superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), and glutathione peroxidase), whereas plasma malondialdehyde decreased (P < 0.01) linearly and quadratically as dietary Cu level increased. Similarly, pigs fed CuPro absorbed and retained more Cu and excreted less Cu than those fed TBCC when supplemented 80 mg/kg and above. Optimal dietary Cu requirements for pigs from 28 to 66 d of age estimated based on fitted broken-line models (P < 0.05) of bile Cu, plasma Cu/Zn SOD and growth performance were 93–140 mg/kg from TBCC, and 63–98 mg/kg from CuPro accordingly. According to slope ratios from multiple linear regression, the bioavailability value of CuPro relative to TBCC (100%) was 156–263% (P < 0.01).ConclusionThe findings indicated that Cu recommendation from current NRC (5–6 mg/kg) was not sufficient to meet the high requirement of weanling pigs. Cu from CuPro was significantly more bioavailable to weanling pigs than TBCC in stimulating growth and enzyme activities, decreasing diarrhea frequency and fecal Cu contents to the environment.

Toxicity evaluation and microbiota response of the lined sole Achirus lineatus (Chordata: Achiridae) exposed to the light petroleum water-accommodated fraction (WAF)

ABSTRACT Exposure to contaminants might directly affect organisms and alter their associated microbiota. The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of the petroleum-water-accommodated fraction (WAF) from a light crude oil (API gravity 35) on a benthic fish species native from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Ten adults of Achirus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758) were exposed to a sublethal WAF/water solution of 50% v/v for 48 hr. Multiple endpoints were measured including tissue damage, presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) metabolites in bile and gut microbiota analyses. Atrophy and fatty degeneration were observed in livers. Nodules and inflammation were detected in spleen, and structural disintegration and atrophy in the kidney. In gills hyperplasia, aneurysm, and gills lamellar fusion were observed. PAHs metabolites concentrations in bile were significantly higher in exposed organisms. Gut microbiome taxonomic analysis showed significant shifts in bacterial structure and composition following WAF exposure. Data indicate that exposure to WAF produced toxic effects in adults of A. lineatus, as evidenced by histological alterations and dysbiosis, which might represent an impairment to long-term subsistence of exposed aquatic organisms.

Impaired bile acid metabolism with defectives of mitochondrial-tRNA taurine modification and bile acid taurine conjugation in the taurine depleted cats

Taurine that conjugates with bile acid (BA) and mitochondrial-tRNA (mt-tRNA) is a conditional essential amino acid in humans, similarly to cats. To better understand the influence of acquired depletion of taurine on BA metabolism, the profiling of BAs and its intermediates, BA metabolism-enzyme expression, and taurine modified mt-tRNAs were evaluated in the taurine deficient diet-supplemented cats. In the taurine depleted cats, taurine-conjugated bile acids in bile and taurine-modified mt-tRNA in liver were significantly decreased, whereas unconjugated BA in serum was markedly increased. Impaired bile acid metabolism in the liver was induced accompanied with the decreases of mitochondrial cholesterol 27-hydroxylase expression and mitochondrial activity. Consequently, total bile acid concentration in bile was significantly decreased by the low activity of mitochondrial bile acid synthesis. These results implied that the insufficient dietary taurine intake causes impaired bile acid metabolism, and in turn, a risk for the various diseases similar to the mitochondrial diseases would be enhanced.

Comparative analysis of bile components in patients with different types of gallstones

Objective To study the relationship among bile components and different gallstone types through comparing and analyzing gallbladder bile contents in patients with different types of gallstones. Methods A retrospective study of 542 consecutive patients with gallstones or gallbladder polyps was conducted. The stone composition type and 14 kinds of bile components from these patients were analyzed. The bile parameters consisted of potassium (K+ ), sodium (Na+ ), chlorine (Cl-), calcium (Ca2+ ), bicarbonate (HCO3-), magnesium (Mg2+ ), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), total bile acid (TBA), cholesterol (CHO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and pH. Finally, the content of these bile components among the different types of stones and gallbladder polyps were compared. According to the composition determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the gallstone patients were divided into five groups. Results Compared with other groups, the content of K+ , GGT, ALP, TBIL, TBA and CHO in the calcium carbonate stone group were lower (P 0.05). In addition, there was no difference in bile contents among the pigment gallstone group, mixed stone group and polyp group (P>0.05). Conclusions In gallstone patients, the bile components of patients with calcium carbonate stones is significantly different. The high cholesterol content in bile is the main feature of cholesterol stone patients, and there is no significant difference in bile composition between patients with pigment stones and mixed stones. Key words: Cholecystolithiasis; Bile; Gallbladder polyps; Cholesterol; Bile acid; Calcium carbonate stones

A candidate probiotic strain of Enterococcus faecium from the intestine of the crucian carp Carassius auratus

In the present study, a Gram-positive bacterium was isolated from the intestine of healthy crucian carp Carassius auratus and named strain R8. It was initially identified as Enterococcus faecium according to its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. Further identification by using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis confirmed the R8 strain (Genbank accession no. MF928076) as E. faecium. Challenge and hemolysis experiments showed that the E. faecium R8 strain had no toxicity to the crucian carp. Bacteriostatic experiment showed that this isolate obviously inhibited the growth of Aeromonas veronii and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. The proliferation of E. faecium R8 strain occurred after exposure to various growth conditions such as at pH values from 2.0 to 4.0 for 8 h, bile concentrations from 0.2 to 1.2% and high temperature of 80 °C. This bacterial strain grew best under the condition of 37 °C, pH 7.0 and salinity 30 ppt, and its growth curve exhibited four distinct phases. These results showed that the E. faecium R8 strain had potential probiotic characteristics and could be used as a candidate strain for aquatic probiotics.

Locomotion of Micromotors Due to Liposome Disintegration.

Synthetic micromotors are evaluated extensively in a range of biomedical, microscale transport, and environmental applications. Fundamental insight into micromotors that exhibit locomotion due to triggered disintegration of their associated liposomes is provided. Directed self-propulsion is observed when the lipid vesicles are solubilized using Triton X-100 (TX) and bile at sufficiently high concentrations. Directional motion, initiated by a propagating TX or bile gradient, is found when using a sufficiently high concentration of solubilization agents. On the other hand, a low bile concentration results in short-term reverse directional motion. The experimental and theoretical considerations offer valid fundamental understanding to complement the list of explored locomotion mechanisms for micromotors.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the cestode Oncomegas wageneri parasite of Mexican flounder Cyclopsetta chittendeni

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites (PAHm) and their bioconcentration factors (BCF) were determined in the larval stages of the cestode Oncomegas wageneri, recovered from the intestine of the Mexican flounder Cyclopsetta chittendeni, in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The PAHm concentrations in O. wageneri were measured using fixed-wavelength fluorescence spectrometry and compared with PAHm concentrations in host bile. Oncomegas wageneri PAHm concentrations were markedly higher than those in host tissues. The highest BCF values were obtained for 1-hydroxypyrene (OHP) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Using a General Linear Model, a significant negative relationship was found between O. wageneri PAHm concentrations (as response variable) and the number of O. wageneri and oil well proximity. Low BCF values and PAHm concentrations in C. chittendeni correlated positively with O. wageneri PAHm concentrations. In contrast, high BCF values for PAHm concentrations in C. chittendeni had a negative association with O. wageneri PAHm concentrations. This study provides the first evidence of the presence of PAHm in intestinal larval cestodes of marine flatfishes, demonstrating levels of PAHm that were higher than levels in their hosts.

An invitro study of the prebiotic properties of Xylooligosaccharide (XOS) and organoleptic evaluation of XOS added Prawn patia and Black rice kheer.

Background: There is emerging evidence that functional foods ingredients can have an impact on a number of gut related diseases and dysfunctions [1]. A prebiotic is a selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers health benefits [2]. Besides providing the health benefits, prebiotics are known to extend technological advantages in favour of improved organoleptic qualities of the food products. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) is a stable prebiotic which can withstand heat up to 100℃ under acidic conditions (pH=2.5-8) and has a potential to be incorporated into food products [3]. However, its prebiotic properties needs to be established in terms of bile resistance, acid tolerance, fermentability to produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and growth of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Escherichia coli. XOS also needs to be exploited for its potential to be incorporated into various food products and study their organoleptic properties similar to fructooligosaccharides (FOS) which have proven technological benefits in terms of its miscibility and organoleptic qualities.Context and purpose of this study: Several prebiotics such as FOS, GOS, inulin have been recently recognized for their health promoting abilities. XOS is yet another emerging prebiotic that needs to be explored for its prebiotic potential especially in terms of its acid tolerance, bile resistance and ability to get fermented by the probiotic bacteria and produce health promoting short chain fatty acids as well as its potential to be added to food products. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the prebiotic properties of XOS invitro and to study the organoleptic properties of XOS upon its addition on a few Indian traditional foods (Prawn patia and Black rice kheer).Results: No degradation of XOS was observed on its exposure to bile at 0h, 1.5h and 3h with bile concentration 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%. XOS recovery was observed to be 100% on its exposure to pH 1.5, 2 and 3 at 0h. At 1.5h it was found to be 98.4%, 98.9% and 97.9% at 1.5pH, 2pH and 3pH respectively and 96.2%, 97.3% and 96.3% upon its exposure to 1.5pH, 2pH and 3pH respectively at 3h. Growth of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium adolescentis was higher (OD 0.71) and (OD 0.75) up to 2% when compared to glucose (p≤0.01), whereas, growth of Escherichia coli (OD 0.4) was restricted upon addition of XOS when compared to glucose (p≤0.01). Acetate was produced the most, followed by Propionate and Butyrate. Organoleptic evaluation revealed no significant difference in XOS added Prawn patia and Black rice kheer at all levels of addition (5%, 8% and 10%). Hence, adsition of XOS to these two products were well accepted by the panellists up to 10% level of addition.Conclusions: This study has successfully established the prebiotic potential of XOS in terms of acid tolerance, bile resistance, growth of probiotic bacteria and production of SCFA. XOS was well accepted in both the food products at all the three levels of incorporation, i.e. 5%, 8% and 10%. Limited researches have been conducted on prebiotic XOS. Therefore, for discussion references were taken with regards to other prebiotics such as FOS, inulin etc. Further studies can be undertaken to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of XOS intake with respect to various non communicable diseases.