Pectin Consumption Research Articles

Consumption of Pectin Associates With Microbiome α Diversity in Infants and Toddlers

Consumption of Pectin Associates With Microbiome α Diversity in Infants and Toddlers

Serum short chain fatty acids mediate hippocampal BDNF and correlate with decreasing neuroinflammation following high pectin fiber diet in mice.

Dietary components, such as prebiotic fiber, are known to impact brain chemistry via the gut-brain axis. In particular, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) generated from excessive soluble fiber consumption are thought to impact neuroimmune signaling and brain function through increased production of neurotropic factors. Given reports that high dietary fiber intake is associated with increased mental health and improved quality of life scores, we set out to identify whether changes in SCFA levels as a result of a high soluble fiber diet mediate hippocampal neuroinflammation and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mice. Adult male and female C57BL/6 mice were fed a 1-month high pectin fiber or cellulose-based control diet. Following 1 month of excessive pectin consumption, serum SCFAs were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and hippocampal cytokines and BDNF were assessed via multiplex magnetic bead immunoassay. Pectin-based fiber diet increased circulating acetic acid in both sexes, with no effect on propionic or butyric acid. In the hippocampus, a high fiber diet decreased TNFa, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IFNγ and increased BDNF levels. Furthermore, increased SCFA levels were inversely correlated with neuroinflammation in the hippocampus, with acetic acid revealed as a strong mediator of increased BDNF production. Collectively, these findings highlight the beneficial effects of fiber-induced molecular changes in a brain region known to influence mood- and cognition-related behaviors. Dietary composition should be considered when developing mental health management plans for men and women with an emphasis on increasing soluble fiber intake.

Use of lupine flour and cavbuz puree in bread technology

Introduction. The influence of vegetable additives: сavbuz (a hybrid of watermelon and pumpkin) puree and flour of non–alkaloid lupine on the nutritional and biological value of wheat bread, its sorption capacity in relation to toxic lead ions was studied. Materials and methods. Content of following substances was determined: proteint by Bradford method; starch by polarimetric method; fat by exhaustive extraction with chemically pure hexane; vitamins E, P (rutin), β–carotene colorimetrically; vitamin C titrimetrically; В1, В2 fluorometrically; fiber by acid hydrolysis; pectin by the calcium–pectate method; te amount of lead absorbed by “wet burning” method. Results and discussion. Cavbuz puree is a rich source of substances with antioxidant activity: β-carotene, 13.4 mg, Р (rutin), 45.4 mg, phenolic compounds, 283.23 mg, as well as natural food sorbents such as fiber 1.7% and pectin, 1.5% per 100 g of product with moisture content 83.1%. According to sensory and physico-chemical characteristics, cavbuz puree may be used as a component in the manufacturing of health products. Lupine flour contains 3.9 times more protein, 40 times more fiber, 10.5 pectin substances compared to wheat flour; a significant amount of tocopherols, 12.8 mg, β-carotene, 0.52 mg, vitamin C, 35.84 mg per 100 g of product with moisture content 9.5%. The inclusion of 4-7% of lupine flour and 3–5% of cavbus puree in the recipe of wheat bread, makes it possible to obtain bread for health purposes, in which the protein content is 22–32%, fiber content is two to three times higher, tocopherols are 9 times higher than in control, provided that the physico-chemical and organoleptic parameters of the product are acceptable. 100 g of developed bread provides 23% of the minimum rate of pectin consumption, 6% of the daily need for vitamin E; 13.8% in В1, 14% in β–carotene; 6.6% in flavonoids, which are absent in wheat bread. Enriched bread has a 25–30 times higher sorption capacity for toxic divalent lead ions than wheat bread. Conclusions. It is recommended to use of cavbuz puree and flour of non–alkaloid lupine varieties for the production of wheat bread with increased nutritional value.

Dose-dependent effects of apple pectin on alleviating high fat-induced obesity modulated by gut microbiota and SCFAs

Recently, pectin has been used as an alternative for commercial prebiotic products to modulate gut microbiota. In this study, the standard diet (Chow group) and high fat diet containing 0% (HF group), 1%, 3%, 5%, 8% or 12% (m/m) apple pectin (HF-P group) were offered ad libitum for 8 weeks to 4-week C57BL/6J mice (n=10/group). Results showed that body weight gain (R2=–0.990), subcutaneous adipose accumulation (R2=–0.930), serum triglyceride elevation (R2=–0.879), acetate (R2=0.955) and propionate concentration reduction (R2=0.985) were suppressed by pectin from 1% to 12%, indicating dose response to pectin consumption. Moreover, abundance of obesity-related bacteria Coriobacteriaceae, and pectin-degradating bacteria, Faecalibaculum, Ruminococcus were significantly increased with pectin dosage increased, and the R2 were 0.936, 0.963 and 0.937, respectively. Besides, attenuations for colonic injury and liver steatosis were observed after adding 5% and 8% pectin, respectively. This study confirmed the dose-sensitive manner of pectin to alleviate HF-induced obesity by modulating gut microbiota and enhancing short-chain fatty acids production.

A Common Food Glycan, Pectin, Shares an Antigen with Streptococcus pneumoniae Capsule.

We are exposed daily to many glycans from bacteria and food plants. Bacterial glycans are generally antigenic and elicit antibody responses. It is unclear if food glycans' sharing of antigens with bacterial glycans influences our immune responses to bacteria. We studied 14 different plant foods for cross-reactivity with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against 24 pneumococcal serotypes which commonly cause infections and are included in pneumococcal vaccines. Serotype 15B-specific MAb cross-reacts with fruit peels, and serotype 10A MAb cross-reacts with many natural and processed plant foods. The serotype 10A cross-reactive epitope is terminal 1,6-linked β-galactose [βGal(1-6)], present in the rhamno-galacturonan I (RG-I) domain of pectin. Despite wide consumption of pectin, the immune response to 10A is comparable to the responses to other serotypes. An antipectin antibody can opsonize serotype 10A pneumococci, and the shared βGal(1-6) may be useful as a simple vaccine against 10A. Impact of food glycans should be considered in host-pathogen interactions and future vaccine designs.IMPORTANCE The impact of food consumption on vaccine responses is unknown. Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is an important human pathogen, and its polysaccharide capsule is used as a vaccine. We show that capsule type 10A in a pneumococcal vaccine shares an antigenic epitope, βGal(1-6), with pectin, which is in many plant foods and is widely consumed. Immune response to 10A is comparable to that seen with other capsule types, and pectin ingestion may have little impact on vaccine responses. However, antibody to pectin can kill serotype 10A pneumococci and this shared epitope may be considered in pneumococcal vaccine designs.

Effects of dietary pectin on the profile and transport of intestinal bile acids in young pigs.

Pectin has been known to lower circulating cholesterol by interacting with bile acid (BA) metabolism. The current study was aimed to investigate intestinal BA transport at the molecular level in a pig model. Twelve young pigs (11.05 ± 0.11 kg) were randomly divided into 2 groups and fed corn-soybean meal diets with either 5% pectin or cornstarch for 72 d. In pigs fed with pectin, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were lowered but high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) was increased (P < 0.05). Serum triglycerides tended to be lower in the pectin-fed animals (P = 0.093), whereas no change was noted in serum total bile acid. Along the length of the intestine, the size and composition of BA pools vary. The ratio of primary, secondary, taurine-conjugated, and glycine-conjugated BAs in the ileal pool was about 46:15:9:30, whereas it was 28:61:1:11 in the cecum and 22:65:3:9 in the colon (P < 0.05). In the feces, lithocholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) made up of over 97% of the total BA pool. Overall, the ileum had the greatest expression of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and apical sodium-coupled bile acid transporter (ASBT) than the duodenum, jejunum, cecum, and colon (P < 0.05), whereas organic solute transporters α/β (OSTα/β) gene expression was peaked in the ileum and jejunum (P < 0.05). Expression multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) gradually decreased towards the end of the intestine (P < 0.05). Greater expression of G protein-coupled bile acid receptor and multidrug resistance protein 3 (MRP3) was found in the cecum and colon (P < 0.05). In pigs fed with 5% pectin, only cecal UDCA (P = 0.097) and hyocholic acid (P = 0.088) showed a decreasing tendency. But FXR, ASBT, and MRP2 were upregulated in the ileum and FXR, OSTα/β, MRP2, and MRP3 in the cecum of PEC-fed pigs (P < 0.05). Liver enzymes involved in BA biosynthesis (CYP7A1, CYP27A1, bile acid-CoA synthase, and bile acid-CoA:amino acid N acyltransferase) were not affected by pectin consumption. In conclusion, the abundant distribution of BA transporters and the greater BA pool size suggests the ileum as the major site for intestinal BA reabsorption in pigs. In the ileum, pectin increased in-and-out BA transport on the apical membrane by increasing ASBT and MRP2, but it increased the overall BA transport in the cecum by increasing OSTα/β and MRP3.

Pectin Alleviates High Fat (Lard) Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice: Possible Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Gut Microbiota Regulated by Pectin.

Consumption of pectin contributes to changes in the gut microbiota and the metabolism of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). We aimed to investigate the effects of and mechanism by which pectin prevented nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice that were fed a high-fat diet containing 30% lard (HF). HF-fed mice that orally ingested pectin for 8 weeks exhibited improvements in lipid metabolism and decreased oxidative stress and inflammation through a mechanism regulated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Pectin dose-dependently generated an increase in acetic acid (from 566.4 ± 26.6 to 694.6 ± 35.9 μmol/mL, p < 0.05) and propionic acid (from 474.1 ± 84.3 to 887.0 ± 184.7 μmol/mL, p < 0.05) contents and significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides (from 0.27% to 11.6%), Parabacteroides (from 3.9‰ to 5.3%), Olsenella (from 2.9‰ to 1.3%), and Bifidobacterium (from 0.03% to 1.9%) in the gut of HF-fed mice. Intestinal microbiota and SCFAs may thus contribute to the well-established link between pectin consumption and NAFLD.

Effect of pectin feeding on obesity development and duodenal alkaline phosphatase activity in Sprague-Dawley rats fed with high-fat/high-energy diet.

Purpose The objective of this study was to evaluate whether pectin feeding would affect the small intestinal function and whether these changes would lead to obesity prevention in rats fed with high-fat diet. Three groups of weaned male rats (ad lib. fed; rats fed with diet containing 15% w/w of citrus pectin; restrictedly pair-fed rats) were fed with either a standard diet (9.5% fat) or a high-fat diet (30% fat) for 10 days. Results Our results revealed that pectin feeding led to significant decreases in body weight, energy intake and fat pad weight in rats fed with the standard as well as high-fat diet. Moreover, compared to the restrictedly pair-fed rats, in both groups of rats fed with the diet containing pectin, significant decrease in duodenal alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity was observed in histochemically stained cryostat sections. In contrast, despite their lower energy intake, restrictedly pair-fed rats showed similar fat pad deposition accompanied by unchanged values of AP activity in comparison to the controls. Conclusions Our findings indicate that daily pectin consumption could be beneficial in suppressing body weight gain and reducing probability of obesity risk in rats fed with a high-fat diet.

Effects of Dietary Fiber on the Feline Gastrointestinal Metagenome

Four healthy adult cats were used in a crossover design to determine phylogeny and metabolic functional capacity of the cat's gastrointestinal microbiota using a metagenomic approach. Healthy adult cats (1.7 years old) were fed diets containing 4% cellulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or pectin for 30 d, at which time fresh fecal samples were collected. Fecal DNA samples from each cat consuming each diet were subjected to 454 pyrosequencing. Dominant phyla determined using two independent databases (MG-RAST and IMG/M) included Firmicutes (mean=36.3 and 49.8%, respectively), Bacteroidetes (mean=36.1 and 24.1%, respectively), and Proteobacteria (mean=12.4 and 11.1%, respectively). Primary functional categories as determined by KEGG were associated with carbohydrates, clustering-based subsystems, protein metabolism, and amino acids and derivatives. Primary functional categories as determined by COG were associated with amino acid metabolism and transport, general function prediction only, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Analysis of carbohydrate-active enzymes revealed modifications in several glycoside hydrolases, glycosyl transferases, and carbohydrate-binding molecules with FOS and pectin consumption. While the cat is an obligate carnivore, its gut microbiome is similar regarding microbial phylogeny and gene content to omnivores.

Oxygen transfer coefficient and the kinetic parameters of exo-polygalacturonase production by Aspergillus flavipes FP-500 in shake flasks and bioreactor.

To evaluate and compare the sensitivity of Exo-PG production and kinetic parameters of Aspergillus flavipes FP-500 to oxygen transfer condition in shake flasks and bioreactor. Aspergillus flavipes FP-500 was grown on pectin as carbon source in shake flasks and bioreactor at different oxygen transfer conditions. The volumetric coefficient of oxygen transfer (kLa) was modified by changing both, the flask size/medium volume ratio and the agitation speed. Higher biomass concentration, Exo-PG activity, maximum specific growth rate and yield coefficient were obtained in bioreactor at higher kLa value. A strong correlation was found between biomass, Exo-PG activity and growth-associated product coefficient to kLa in bioreactor but does not in shake flasks. The mathematical model provided a good description of growth, pectin consumption and Exo-PG production in submerged batch cultures carried out in bioreactor. Biomass concentration, Exo-PG activity and their kinetics of Aspergillus flavipes FP-500 were strongly influenced by oxygen transfer condition and cultivation system. Significance and Impact of Study The production of enzymes by fungal fermentation is strictly aerobic and understanding the influence of oxygen transfer condition on the production kinetic is of vital importance in order to design, optimize and translate bioprocesses to industrial scale.

Toward a Quantitative Modeling of the Synthesis of the Pectate Lyases, Essential Virulence Factors in Dickeya dadantii

A dynamic mathematical model has been developed and validated to describe the synthesis of pectate lyases (Pels), the major virulence factors in Dickeya dadantii. This work focuses on the simultaneous modeling of the metabolic degradation of pectin by Pel enzymes and the genetic regulation of pel genes by 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG), a catabolite product of pectin that inactivates KdgR, one of the main repressors of pel genes. This modeling scheme takes into account the fact that the system is composed of two time-varying compartments: the extracellular medium, where Pel enzymes cleave pectin into oligomers, and the bacterial cytoplasm where, after internalization, oligomers are converted to KDG. Using the quasi-stationary state approximations, the model consists of some nonlinear differential equations for which most of the parameters could be estimated from the literature or from independent experiments. The few remaining unknown parameters were obtained by fitting the model equations against a set of Pel activity data. Model predictions were verified by measuring the time courses of bacterial growth, Pel production, pel mRNA accumulation, and pectin consumption under various growth conditions. This work reveals that pectin is almost totally consumed before the burst of Pel production. This paradoxical behavior can be interpreted as an evolutionary strategy to control the diffusion process so that as soon as a small amount of pectin is detected by the bacteria in its surroundings, it anticipates more pectin to come. The model also predicts the possibility of bistable steady states in the presence of constant pectin compounds.

Major diet-drug interactions affecting the kinetic characteristics and hypolipidaemic properties of statins.

Concomitant administration of statins with food may alter statin pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics, increasing the risk of adverse reactions such as myopathy or rhabdomyolysis or reducing their pharmacological action. This paper reviews major interactions between statins and dietary compounds. Consumption of pectin or oat bran together with Lovastatin reduces absorption of the drug, while alcohol intake does not appear to affect the efficacy and safety of Fluvastatin treatment. Grapefruit juice components inhibit cytochrome P-4503A4, reducing the presystemic metabolism of drugs such as Simvastatin, Lovastatin and Atorvastatin. Follow-up studies on the therapeutic effect of statins in patients consuming a Mediterranean-style diet are necessary to assure the correct prescription because the oil-statin and minor oil compound-statin possible interactions have been only briefly studied. Preliminary study suggests that olive oil can increase the hypolipaemiant effect of Simvastatin with respect sunflower oil. The consumption of polyunsaturated rich oils, throughout the cytochrome P- 450 activation could decrease the half-life of some statins and therefore their hypolipaemic effects. The statins and n-3 fatty acids combined therapy gives rise to pharmacodinamic interaction that improves the lipid profile and leads greater cardioprotection. Although statins are more effective in high endogenous cholesterol production subjects and plant sterols are more effective in high cholesterol absorption efficacy subjects, plant esterols-statins combined therapy generates very positive complementary effects. This review ends suggesting possible diet-stain interactions that require further investigations (e.g. types of olive oils, fruit juices other than grapefruit, fibre or consumption of alcoholic beverages rich in polyphenols or ethanol).

Effect of dietary soluble fiber on neurohormonal profiles in serum and brain of rats

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary soluble fiber administration and /or high fat diet on serum and brain neurohormonal profiles, adipose tissue mass and body weight gain in Sprague-Dawley rats. Four groups of rats were respectively fed 10% fat diet (C), 10% fat plus pectin diet (P), 20% fat diet (HFC) and 20% fat plus pectin diet (HFP) for 4 weeks. In HFP group, the food and energy intake, body weight gain, FER including fecal excretion were the smallest (p<0.05). Serum HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose level were also the lowest in HFP group (p<0.05). The weight of brain, epididymal fat pad and adrenal gland except liver didn't show any significant differences among groups. Interestingly serum norepinephrine concentration of HFP group tended to be higher, but dopamine concentration tended to be lower than those of HFC group. However serum catecholamine concentration didn't show any significant differences among all groups. Norepinephrine and epinephrine contents of right portion of midbrain of P and HFP groups were remarkably lower than those of the C group. These results suggested that soluble fiber pectin consumption might affect neurohormonal profiles in serum and brain according to dietary fat level.

We-P14:473 Effect of the consumption of pectin and phytosterols on sterol levels supplemented to a saturated diet in guinea pigs

We-P14:473 Effect of the consumption of pectin and phytosterols on sterol levels supplemented to a saturated diet in guinea pigs

We-P14:474 Fatty acid profile after plant sterols and pectin consumption enriched into a saturated diet in guinea pigs

We-P14:474 Fatty acid profile after plant sterols and pectin consumption enriched into a saturated diet in guinea pigs

The Human Gut Bacteria Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Fusobacterium varium Produce Putrescine and Spermidine in Cecum of Pectin-Fed Gnotobiotic Rats

Pectin is a soluble indigestible polysaccharide that stimulates cecal polyamine formation in rats. Bacteroides and fusobacteria, two numerically dominant bacterial population groups in the large intestine, were found to synthesize in vitro high amounts of spermidine and putrescine. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of pectin on the polyamine production by defined bacterial species in vivo. Germfree male Wistar rats (n = 18) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (i) monoassociation with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron + fiber-free diet; (ii) diassociation with B. thetaiotaomicron + Fusobacterium varium + fiber-free diet or (iii) diassociation with B. thetaiotaomicron + F. varium + fiber-free diet + 10% pectin. The cecal contents of monoassociated rats fed fiber-free diet contained large amounts (1.51+/-0.21 micromol/dry total cecum content) of spermidine which was the major polyamine. The cecum of diassociated rats fed the fiber-free diet contained even higher concentrations of spermidine (2.53+/-0.21 micromol/dry total cecum content) and also putrescine, which was now the dominant polyamine (putrescine 0.32+/-0.28 vs. 3.01+/-0.28 micromol/dry total cecum content; monoassociation vs. diassociation). Pectin consumption by diassociated rats led to an additional increase in the cecal concentrations of all polyamines: putrescine, spermidine and spermine were 40, 37 and 100%, respectively, higher in the diassociated rats consuming the pectin diet than in those consuming the pectin-free diet. Since the microbial counts in the cecum did not differ in the diassociated treatment groups, the elevated concentrations of polyamines observed in the pectin group must have been due to stimulated bacterial polyamine synthesis. The decline of individual polyamines from cecum to feces detected at the end of the study in all treatment groups and the high microbial counts in the cecum and in feces suggest that bacterial polyamines are absorbed in cecum and colon. Pectin stimulates intestinal microbes to synthesize large amounts of polyamines which may be utilized by the host.

Dietary Pectin Lowers Sphingomyelin Concentration in VLDL and Raises Hepatic Sphingomyelinase Activity in Rats

There is evidence that cholesterol and sphingomyelin metabolism are interrelated, and thus the hypothesis tested was that dietary pectin, because it can alter hepatic cholesterol metabolism, would also alter hepatic sphingomyelin metabolism. For that purpose, 4-wk-old female Wistar rats were fed a diet without or with pectin (20 g/100 g) up to 21 d. In accordance with previous work, pectin consumption caused a significant (P < 0.001) reduction in hepatic (65%), whole plasma (37%), and VLDL (80%) cholesterol levels. Pectin also significantly reduced VLDL sphingomyelin concentrations (57%), but raised the amount of sphingomyelin in the high density lipoproteins (HDL)-2 fractions (58%), so that the level of sphingomyelin in whole plasma remained unaffected. Pectin did not affect the sphingomyelin concentration in the liver. Pectin consumption did not affect the hepatic sphingomyelin synthesizing enzymes, serine palmitoyltransferase, phosphatidylcholine:ceramide phosphocholine transferase, or phosphatidylethanolamine:ceramide phosphoethanolamine transferase. In contrast, dietary pectin activated both lysosomal (28%) and plasma membrane (26%) sphingomyelinase and thus may have enhanced sphingomyelin degradation. An attempt was made to describe the effects of dietary pectin on sphingomyelin metabolism in terms of altered fluxes through liver and plasma, with whole liver and whole plasma concentrations of sphingomyelin remaining unaffected.