Effects Of Melanoidins Research Articles

Characterization of melanoidins in thermal hydrolysis sludge and effects on dewatering performance

Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) of sludge can form the refractory brown melanoidins due to the occurrence of the Maillard reaction, which adversely involves the subsequent sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) process. However, details of the generation pattern of melanoidins and how they affect the sludge dewaterability remain largely unknown. This work aims to determine an approach to characterize and quantify the melanoidins created by THP of sludge. On this basis, the effect of melanoidins on sludge dewatering performance was revealed by adding synthetic melanoidins to the mixed sludge. Experimental results showed that three-dimensional fluorescence-region integration (3DEEM-FRI) could effectively distinguish melanoidins from other organic substances and achieve semi-quantitative characterization in sludge. The melanoidins significantly deteriorated the sludge dewaterability, and the lowest solids content of the filter cake (TS) was only 17.78% at the addition of 480 mg (g TS)-1, which was a drop of about 20% compared to the control group. The mechanism investigations indicated that the internal structure of sludge becoming particularly complicated and the opportunities for molecules to collide with each other enlarged because of the contribution of melanoidins, resulting in the increment of the sludge apparent viscosity and consistency coefficient (k), a decline of the flow behavior index (n) and a weakening of flowability. Melanoidins could capture massive water molecules and carry negative charges with the decrease of sludge particle size and zeta potential value, which enhanced the electrostatic repulsion between sludge particles and abated the flocculation ability, thus further aggravating the sludge dewatering performance.

The gastro-intestinal tract as the major site of biological action of dietary melanoidins.

Emerging evidence from laboratory researches has highlighted the bioactivity of food melanoidins and melanoproteins. Whilst such studies have been carried out with different in vitro systems, information about melanoidins absorption and bio-availability are scarce. However, they are generally considered as poorly absorbable and bio-available compounds. Therefore, we present a review in which the gastro-intestinal tract is hypothesized to be the main site of action of food melanoidins and melanoproteins biological activity. We described recent data supporting this hypothesis both in vitro model systems and in vivo. Importantly, we focused this review only on the effect of melanoidins and melanoproteins extracted from food. Most of the studies had been carried out using water-soluble carbohydrate-based melanoidins isolated from different food sources (beer, barley coffee, coffee). In bakery products, melanoidins are protein-based structure (melanoproteins) which are largely insoluble in water. Dietary melanoidins and melanoproteins have been demonstrated to exert in vitro antioxidant and metal chelating ability in the gastro-intestinal tract reducing the formation of lipid hydroperoxides and advanced lipid oxidation end products during the digestion of meat. The reduction in the formation of these pro-atherogenic compounds has been shown to be followed by a decrease in their absorption in human volunteers. Food melanoidins have also shown in vitro anti-caries and prebiotic activities. We conclude by underlining the possible role of food melanoidins in the prevention of gastro-intestinal tract cancers. We hope this review will stimulate further research on food melanoidins and their biological activities in the gastro-intestinal tract.

The effect of a model melanoidin mixture on faecal bacterial populationsin vitro

The Maillard reaction produces coloured, macromolecular materials (melanoidins) in a variety of foods, on heating. Significant quantities may enter the human gut on a daily basis, but there is little information on their metabolism in the human colon. As the large bowel contains a diverse population of bacteria involved in normal bowel function, it is possible that melanoidins are metabolized therein. Depending on the bacteria involved, there may be disease or health implications. The aim of the present study was to use in vitro models to determine the digestibility of melanoidins and the effect of melanoidins on colonic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Melanoidins were prepared and the effects of simulated upper-gut secretions on their stability determined in a model system. The effects of faecal bacteria were also determined, in batch culture, with a combination of phenotypic and genotypic (probes) criteria being used to identify the microbial diversity involved. Simulation of peptic and pancreatic digestion showed that the melanoidins did not produce detectable amounts of low-molecular-mass degradation products. However, melanoidins affected the growth of gut bacteria during mixed culture growth. The effect was to cause a non-specific increase in the anaerobic bacteria enumerated. This in vitro study indicates that melanoidins can affect the growth of human large-bowel bacteria and serves to demonstrate possible effects that may occur in vivo. Given the large and varied number of food items that contain Maillard reaction products, this may have relevance for lower-gut health.

Effect of melanoidin on the plasma cholesterol level in rats fed with diets containing cholesterol and sodium cholate.

In male rats of the Wistar strain that were fed with a 25% casein (25C) diet supplemented with cholesterol (CHO) and/or sodium cholate (SC), the effects of melanoidin (a mixture of low- and high-molecular weight components that was prepared from a glucose-lysine system) on the contents of lipids, CHO and bile acids were examined. Animals weighing 160- 180 g were given ad libitum the 25C meal containing either or both 1% CHO and 0.2% SC with or without 4% of melanoidin for 3 weeks. By adding melanoidin to the 25C diet supplemented with CHO or CHO and SC, the level of total plasma CHO was depressed, but the amounts of total liver CHO, total fecal CHO and total bile acids were enhanced in general. The 25C diet containing 0.2, 0.4 or 0.6% of SC with or without CHO and melanoidin was fed ad libitum to the rats having about 90 g of body weight the 3 days. The addition of melanoidin to the CHO meal containing 0.2% SC restrained the total plasma CHO concentration and, furthermore, elevated the amount of total fecal CHO. However, these effects were not observed by supplementing the 0.6% SC-added CHO diet with melanoidin.

Effect of melanoidin on cholesterol in plasma, liver and feces in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.

The effect of melanoidin, prepared with a D-glucose and glycine system, on cholesterol metabolism in rats was examined. Male rats of the Wistar strain weighing ca. 140 g were fed a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with nondialyzable melanoidin for three weeks. The dietary melanoidin suppressed elevation of the cholesterol level in both plasma and liver, while the cholesterol levels in feces and the contents of the caecum decreased unexpectedly. Neutral steroids other than cholesterol also decreased. However, chromatograhy of fecal steroids indicated that melanoidin markedly affected the intestinal metabolism of neutral steroids, including cholesterol. On the other hand, the fecal recovery of radioactivity from orally ingested 26 [27]-14C cholesterol was promoted by the added melanoidin, although the radioactive species were not identified. This suggested that the cholesterol level decreased due to the interference of melanoidin in the intestinal absorption of cholesterol.