Food Compounds Research Articles

Innovative strategy to improve β-carotene recovery from carrot peel extracts: ultrafiltration with layer-by-layer graphene oxide membrane coating

Reuse of carrot peels from industrial residues has great potential for a high value-added by-product, such as the recovery and concentration of β-carotene. The use of this compound in food is an alternative to synthetic antioxidants. Commercial modified polymeric membranes are an eco-friendly, more economical, and fouling-reduced way to obtain this compound compared to other methods used. Thus, the objective of the present study was to recover it from the carrot peel extract obtained and a triple extraction with 70% ethanol. Ultrafiltration of this extract was performed on layer-by-layer membrane modification with sulfonic groups, polyethylene glycol and graphene oxide functionalized with tannic acid. Quantitative analysis showed purification of 70.35% of β-carotene in the first filtration cycle. This showed antioxidant activity by FRAP (131.30 µmol TE/g sample) and Folin Ciocauteu (129.84 mg/L). Characterization and performance analyze showed that the modified membrane has antifouling action with flux recovery rate of 89.24%. Thus, the modified membrane can be considered an emerging technology since it has low energy consumption and ecological methodology for the recovery and purification of β-carotene.

Biosynthesis of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in Fermented Food Production.

In recent decades, given the important role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in human health, scientists have paid great attention to the enrichment of this chemical compound in food using various methods, including microbial fermentation. Moreover, GABA or GABA-rich products have been successfully commercialized as food additives or functional dietary supplements. Several microorganisms can produce GABA, including bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Among GABA-producing microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are commonly used in the production of many fermented foods. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (formerly Lactobacillus plantarum) is a LAB species that has a long history of natural occurrence and safe use in a wide variety of fermented foods and beverages. Within this species, some strains possess not only good pro-technological properties but also the ability to produce various bioactive compounds, including GABA. The present review aims, after a preliminary excursus on the function and biosynthesis of GABA, to provide an overview of the current uses of microorganisms and, in particular, of L. plantarum in the production of GABA, with a detailed focus on fermented foods. The results of the studies reported in this review highlight that the selection of new probiotic strains of L. plantarum with the ability to synthesize GABA may offer concrete opportunities for the design of new functional foods.

Repurposing FDA-Approved Anastrozole-based Drugs for Breast Cancer through Drug-Drug Transcriptomic Similarity and Cavity Detection Guided Blind Docking

Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, necessitating innovative strategies for drug discovery and development. Repurposing existing drugs offers a promising avenue, leveraging the wealth of information available on food and drug administration (FDA) approved compounds. This study investigates the repurposing potential of anastrozole-based drugs, already established for their efficacy in certain conditions, for breast cancer treatment. This research presents a multifaceted investigation into the identification, structural refinement, and virtual screening of potential therapeutics targeting the aromatase CYP19A enzyme, a crucial player in hormone-related conditions such as breast cancer. The study commences with the identification of anastrozole-based drugs exhibiting transcriptomic profiles closely resembling known breast cancer therapeutics. Through a comprehensive analysis, a subset of compounds demonstrates high transcriptomic similarity, suggesting shared molecular pathways and target interactions. Notably, anastrozole, a well-known aromatase inhibitor, emerges as a top candidate, highlighting its potential in breast cancer treatment. The crystallographic structure of aromatase CYP19A is subjected to meticulous preprocessing using the PDB-REDO server, resulting in significant improvements in various validation metrics. Structural changes, including alterations in rotamers, removal of water molecules, and peptide flips, indicate the success of the refinement process in enhancing the accuracy of the protein model. The refined structure serves as a reliable foundation for subsequent studies. Further, structure-based cavity detection unveils potential binding sites on the aromatase enzyme. Docking studies employing the cb-dock server elucidate the interaction patterns and binding affinities of selected compounds within these cavities. Anastrozole, along with other candidates like dolasetron and stiripentol, exhibits promising binding scores and interacts with specific residues crucial for enzyme activity. This integrative approach, combining transcriptomic similarity analysis, structural refinement, and virtual screening, provides valuable insights into potential lead compounds for the inhibition of aromatase in breast cancer therapy. The identified compounds offer a starting point for further experimental validation and drug development. The most promising compound that can be repurposed for as an aromatase inhibitor is dolasetron. Overall, this research contributes to the ongoing efforts to leverage computational methodologies for the rational design of targeted therapeutics against hormone-related disorders.

Rapid Screening of Phenolic Compounds with Anti-Enteritis Activity from Camellia oleifera Oil Using a Smurf Drosophila Model and Molecular Docking Methods.

Screening and identifying the active compounds in foods are important for the development and utilization of functional foods. In this study, the anti-enteritis activity of ethanol extract from Camellia oleifera oil (PECS) was quickly evaluated using a Smurf Drosophila model and the metabolomics approach, combined with molecular docking techniques, were performed to rapidly screen and identify compounds with potential anti-enteritis activity in PECS. PECS showed good anti-enteritis activity and inhibited the activity of 5-lipoxygenase (LOX), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In particular, wighteone and p-octopamine were newly identified in C. oleifera oil and were proven to have good anti-enteritis activity. The inhibitory activity of kaempferitrin (IC50 = 0.365 mmol L-1) was higher than that of wighteone (IC50 = 0.424 mmol L-1) and p-octopamine (IC50 = 0.402 mmol L-1). Of note, the IC50 value of salazosulfapyridine was 0.810 mmol L-1. Inhibition of LOX activity is likely one of the anti-enteritis mechanisms of PECS. These new findings lay the foundation for further investigations into the underlying mechanisms of anti-enteritis activity in C. oleifera oil.

Theory and protocol of dual mode unity solid-phase microextraction

The solid-phase microextraction (SPME) bias problem limits comprehensive analysis of volatile compounds in real samples. The study introduces dual mode unity solid-phase microextraction (DMU-SPME) as a novel SPME mode to achieve balanced extraction of both volatile and low-volatile compounds. The DMU-SPME method exhibits excellent linearity (R2 ≥ 0.994), low quantitation limits (0.12–240 μg/L), and notable stability (relative standard deviations below 20 % for both intra-day and inter-day analyses). In practical application to soy sauce, the DMU-SPME method identified a total of 107 compounds, encompassing all those detected by both headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME). Theoretical insights indicate that DMU-SPME is less influenced by Kfs0 and Kfs in comparison to HS/DI-SPME, rendering it suitable for complex matrices containing both volatile and low-volatile compounds. In conclusion, DMU-SPME emerges as a highly effective extraction mode for analyzing volatile and low-volatile compounds in food, medical, and environmental samples.

Update and Application of a Deep Learning Model for the Prediction of Interactions between Drugs Used by Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) often take multiple drugs at the same time to modify the course of disease, alleviate neurological symptoms and manage co-existing conditions. A major consequence for a patient taking different medications is a higher risk of treatment failure and side effects. This is because a drug may alter the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic properties of another drug, which is referred to as drug-drug interaction (DDI). We aimed to predict interactions of drugs that are used by patients with MS based on a deep neural network (DNN) using structural information as input. We further aimed to identify potential drug-food interactions (DFIs), which can affect drug efficacy and patient safety as well. We used DeepDDI, a multi-label classification model of specific DDI types, to predict changes in pharmacological effects and/or the risk of adverse drug events when two or more drugs are taken together. The original model with ~34 million trainable parameters was updated using >1 million DDIs recorded in the DrugBank database. Structure data of food components were obtained from the FooDB database. The medication plans of patients with MS (n = 627) were then searched for pairwise interactions between drug and food compounds. The updated DeepDDI model achieved accuracies of 92.2% and 92.1% on the validation and testing sets, respectively. The patients with MS used 312 different small molecule drugs as prescription or over-the-counter medications. In the medication plans, we identified 3748 DDIs in DrugBank and 13,365 DDIs using DeepDDI. At least one DDI was found for most patients (n = 509 or 81.2% based on the DNN model). The predictions revealed that many patients would be at increased risk of bleeding and bradycardic complications due to a potential DDI if they were to start a disease-modifying therapy with cladribine (n = 242 or 38.6%) and fingolimod (n = 279 or 44.5%), respectively. We also obtained numerous potential interactions for Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors that are in clinical development for MS, such as evobrutinib (n = 434 DDIs). Food sources most often related to DFIs were corn (n = 5456 DFIs) and cow's milk (n = 4243 DFIs). We demonstrate that deep learning techniques can exploit chemical structure similarity to accurately predict DDIs and DFIs in patients with MS. Our study specifies drug pairs that potentially interact, suggests mechanisms causing adverse drug effects, informs about whether interacting drugs can be replaced with alternative drugs to avoid critical DDIs and provides dietary recommendations for MS patients who are taking certain drugs.

Chilean sea cucumber: New potential source of biomolecules with high nutritional value and cytotoxic activity

Sea cucumbers are important sources of human food and pharmacological compounds. However, few studies have evaluated the potential differences between the sexes or organs in a particular species to explore new commercial opportunities. In this study, the proximate composition and amino acid profile of the body wall, the saponin content in the organs of Athyonidium chilensis males and females, and their cytotoxicity against colon cancer cells were evaluated. There were no significant differences in the proximate composition and amino acid profile of the body wall between the sexes. Protein content differed significantly between organs and sexes, fluctuating between 36.29 % and 72.98 % (dry weight). Saponin content was significantly higher in the gonads and lower in the longitudinal musculature. Cell viability was significantly lower (9.50 ± 2.23 %) with the digestive system saponin extract than with 40 % (94.75 ± 2.65 %). This work demonstrates the great potential of A. chilensis as a food and source of saponins with pharmacological importance.

Development and validation of a LC–MS/MS method for the quantification of phenolic compounds in human saliva after intake of a procyanidin-rich pine bark extract

Plant-derived phenolic compounds are regularly ingested as food compounds or as food supplements. Concentrations of individual compounds and metabolites are typically measured in serum or urine samples. This, however, allows no conclusion on the distribution into organs and tissues. An easily accessible biofluid is saliva. At this point, it was not clear yet, whether polyphenols circulating in the blood would be secreted or diffuse into saliva. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a method using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for analysis of phenolic compounds in human saliva. Method validation for the quantification of taxifolin, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, para-coumaric acid, and protocatechuic acid and the gut microbial catechin metabolite δ-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone (M1) in human saliva was performed according to current guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. The lower limit of quantification ranged from 0.82 ng/ml for M1 to 8.20 ng/ml for protocatechuic acid. The method was successfully applied to an authentic saliva sample of a volunteer after swallowing of procyanidin-rich pine bark extract capsules (dietary supplement Pycnogenol®). All polyphenols except ferulic acid were quantified at concentrations ranging from 1.20 ng/ml (M1) to 10.34 ng/ml (gallic acid). Notably, in contrast to serum samples, all phenolic compounds were present without sulfate or glucuronic acid conjugation in saliva, suggesting an enzymatic deconjugation, e.g., by a β-glucuronidase activity, during compound transfer from serum to saliva. Since M1 is only produced in the gut, its presence in saliva ruled out the possibility of sample contamination by phenolic compounds residing in the oral cavity after food intake. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the gut microbiota-derived metabolite M1 has been detected in saliva. To further investigate the role of phenolic compounds in saliva, the described analytical method can be applied in clinical studies investigating the biodistribution of polyphenols and their metabolites.

Masking the bitter taste of quercetin by liposomes modified with whey protein isolate: Better to be coated or inserted?

The unsatisfactory bitterness of quercetin restricts its application to healthy food systems. In this study, whey protein isolate (WPI) inserted and coated quercetin-loaded liposomes were compared in reducing quercetin bitterness and improving the stability of quercetin-loaded liposomes. By electronic tongue and sensory evaluation, the liposomes coated by WPI (0.5–3.0 mg/mL) and inserted with WPI (0.5 mg/mL) significantly reduced the bitterness of quercetin compared to physical mixing. It was also found that the encapsulation efficiency was increased by 15.24% after insertion of WPI at 2.0 mg/mL. The environmental stability results showed that both WPI insertion and coating improved the thermal stability of the quercetin-loaded liposomes compared to the physical mixture, and the WPI coated quercetin-loaded liposomes had the best storage stability and tolerance to salt ions. In contrast, WPI insertion improved the ability of liposomes to resist against surfactant. Raman spectra and fluorescence analysis demonstrated that the modification of WPI reduced the free motion of lipid molecules and promoted the ordering at the polar headgroup area and hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. These findings have the potential to support the utilization of WPI modified liposomes as promising option for an efficient transportation of bitter bioactive compounds in nutraceutical and functional foods.

Biotransformation of essential oil composition of Zanthoxylum limonella by the fungus Pleopunctum pseudoellipsoideum provides the products with enhanced antimicrobial activities

Microbial biotransformation presents an alternative technology for enhancing more valuable bioproducts. This study utilized three fungi including Pleopunctum pseudoellipsoideum, Stagonosporopsis pini, and Thyrostroma jaczewskii to biotransform Zanthoxylum limonella essential oil composition. The essential oil composition of Z. limonella treated with these fungi was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Z. limonella oil treated with the fungus T. jaczewskii gave cryptone, neoiso-verbanol, and dehydro-linalool as the major compounds. P. pseudoellipsoideum treatment resulted in the transformation of linalool, cryptone, and thymol, while treatment with the fungus S. pini yielded major transformed compounds such as citronellic acid, cis-limonene oxide, and eucarvone. Varied enzymes produced by each fungus led to diverse transformed volatile profiles. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) was employed to analyze the volatile profiles of the transformed essential oils, effectively highlighting the distinct nature of fungal biotransformation. Antibacterial activities of the essential oils obtained from all treatments were tested. The Z. limonella oil treated with P. pseudoellipsoideum exhibited the highest antibacterial activity, followed by S. pini and T. jaczewskii, in comparison to pure Z. limonella oil. The results suggest the potential biocatalytic properties of these fungi as tools for enhancing novel value-added bioactive compounds for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Exploring the chemical composition, antioxidant potential, and bread quality effects of the nutritional powerhouse: Wheat bran – A mini-review

Wheat bran, the primary by-product from the wheat milling process, represents an abundant reservoir of essential nutrients, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, synergistically contributing to commendable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This review explored the proximate compositions of wheat bran, highlighting its potential as a nutritional powerhouse. Wheat bran proteins exhibit nutritionally balanced amino acid compositions and show significant potential as a plant-based source of dietary protein. Enzymatic and fermentation bioprocessing can enhance the hydrolysis of wheat bran protein, improving its functionality and digestibility. Furthermore, dietary fiber derived from wheat bran promotes bowel health, reduces cholesterol, and mitigates the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity, along with several other physiological activities. Its rich mineral content supports body metabolic function and homeostasis, factors that can be improved through strategies such as hydrothermal treatment, particle size reduction, and fermentation. Bioactive peptides and arabinoxylan in wheat bran exhibit immunomodulating, antihypertensive, osteoprotective, and antimicrobial properties. Processing techniques that focus on the release of these bioactive compounds foster the utilization of these valuable compounds in functional food and nutraceutical applications. Lastly, this review delves into the challenges associated with breadmaking when incorporating wheat bran into whole-wheat bread. Various strategies have been implemented to overcome these barriers, such as different pretreatments, fermentation, and the addition of enzymes. This review contributes valuable insights into nutrition, functional food research, and healthier wheat-based products, with the ultimate goal of benefiting consumer health.

Functional Nutrition as Integrated Intervention for In- and Outpatient with Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and progressive disorder characterized by cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abnormalities associated with neuronal development and synaptic plasticity alterations. Genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in cortical parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons and consequent alterations in glutamate-mediated excitatory neurotransmission during early neurodevelopment underlie schizophrenia manifestation and progression. Also, epigenetic alterations during pregnancy or early phases of postnatal life are associated with schizophrenia vulnerability and inflammatory processes, which are at the basis of brain pathology and a higher risk of comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. In addition, schizophrenia patients adopt an unhealthy lifestyle and poor nutrition, leading to premature death. Here, I explored the role of functional nutrition as an integrated intervention for the long-term management of patients with schizophrenia. Several natural bioactive compounds in plant-based whole foods, including flavonoids, phytonutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals, modulate brain functioning by targeting neuroinflammation and improving cognitive decline. Although further clinical studies are needed, a functional diet rich in natural bioactive compounds might be effective in synergism with standard treatments to improve schizophrenia symptoms and reduce the risk of comorbidities.

A Shared Perspective on in Vitro and in Vivo Models to Assay Intestinal Transepithelial Transport of Food Compounds.

Assessing nutrient bioavailability is complex, as the process involves multiple digestion steps, several cellular environments, and regulatory-metabolic mechanisms. Several in vitro models of different physiological relevance are used to study nutrient absorption, providing significant challenges in data evaluation. However, such in vitro models are needed for mechanistic studies as well as to screen for biological functionality of the food structures designed. This collaborative work aims to put into perspective the wide-range of models to assay the permeability of food compounds considering the particular nature of the different molecules, and, where possible, in vivo data are provided for comparison.

Physico-Chemical Alternatives for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Using Fusarium Chlamydosporum

Abstract Introduction/Objective Background: Synthesizing metal nanoparticles (NPs) by chemical or physical methods is difficult due to energy and time consumption, equipment costs, and chemical toxicity. Chemosynthesis-derived NPs are unstable, limiting their biological applications. Thus, identifying alternative green sources to address these drawbacks is difficult scientifically. The hardest part of green metal nanoparticle synthesis is finding a nontoxic natural product and an eco-friendly solvent. Objectives: Isolation of fungal endophytes from Eucalyptus sideroxylon leaves to synthesize ZnO and Au nanoparticles. Methods/Case Report Materials and methods: We used healthy Eucalyptus sideroxylon plant samples from the desert research center to separate endophytes. All fungi were grown on malt extract broth on a rotary shaker at 28 °C (120 rpm) for 96 hours after isolation. Biomass components were removed by filtration and washing in distilled water. Nanoparticles came from biomass cell filtrate. 0.1 M, 1 mL of Zn SO4, and HAuCl4 were added to 10 mL of fungal filtrate and agitated for 24 hours in the dark at room temperature to make Zn and Au nanoparticles separately. Characterization of nanoparticles shows a green synthesis of ZnONPs and AuNPs. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) Results: Fungal endophytes' filtrates were mixed with 1mM Zn SO4 and HAuCl4 solutions to test their extracellular biosynthesis of ZnO and Au NPs. The fungal filtrate became colorless and violet after mixing with Zn SO4 and HAuCl4. Only FI-03 is from 13 (FI-01 to FI-013). The most potent fungal strain for Zn O NP and Au NP nanoparticle synthesis was Fusarium Chlamydosporum. Pure, mostly spherical ZnO and Au NPs averaged 19.3 and 22.1 nm. UV-Vis absorption: Excitonic absorption peaks of ZnO NPs were between 300 and 400 nm. ZnO NPs' maximum absorption peak was 305 nm, while Au NPs' peak was 520 nm. One absorption peak indicates metallic gold nanoparticles. Au and ZnO NPs aggregate the most due to their hydrophilicity, HD of 34.88 and 15.77 nm, and PdI of 0.77, 1.00, and 0.952. Gold face-centered cubic fcc structure dominates Au NPs' XRD pattern. EDX shows 64.61 and 35.39 percent Zn and O, respectively, in both nanoparticles. The optical absorption band of gold nanocrystallites peaked at 2.2 keV in energy-dispersive X-rays. Conclusion Endophytic fungus biosynthesizes ZnO and Au NPs, which are bioactive compounds for medicine and food without toxic chemicals and are environmentally friendly.

Formation of adducts during digestion triggered dietary protein for alleviating cytotoxicity of 2-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone

2-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone (TBBQ), a degradation product of lipid antioxidant Tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), is a new hazardous compound in foods. This study investigated whether co-ingestion of dietary protein and TBBQ can alleviate the toxicity of TBBQ. The results indicated that soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, and rice protein significantly reduced the residual amount of TBBQ during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. This result was attributed to the excellent elimination capacity of the released amino acids for TBBQ through formation of adducts. Among 20 amino acids, histidine, lysine, glycine, and cysteine showed better elimination capacity for TBBQ; they can eliminate 92.1%, 89.4%, 86.1%, and almost 100%, respectively, in 5 min at pH 8.0. Further study indicated that amino acids with lower ionization constant exhibited greater TBBQ elimination capacity. In addition, incubation of the cells with 50 μM TBBQ for 12 h decreased the cell viability to 28.95 ± 3.25%; while amino acids intervention was involved in the alleviation of TBBQ cytotoxicity via decreasing ROS. Particularly, cysteine showed 100 times more TBBQ detoxifying capacity than other amino acids. This work could provide a theoretical basis for the potential application of amino acids for detoxifying TBBQ in the food industry.

The foodsafetyportal. Online expert support for enforcement and risk assessment

It is an obligation in the EU that a Member State's RASFF Contact Point notifies to the European Commission and the other Member States on a hazard of, among others, a chemical compound in food, within 48 h. To determine the risk, an exposure assessment might be needed. Following the concept of Risk Analysis of the Codex Alimentarius, the Contact Point is officially a risk manager. Being not a risk assessor, support might be needed. The foodsafetyportal (https://foodsafetyportal.eu) provides such support. A risk manager can now perform a rapid exposure assessment using calculators and data-sets presented in the portal. Furthermore, a risk assessor can find additional information in the portal, such as details about reference values and EFSA's approach of the Margin of Exposure. The portal is used in BTSF training sessions on the program On Risk Assessment (Course 1, Chemical risk assessment in food). To develop this portal and its tools it was needed to download various data-sets from EFSA and other providers, and to create computer codes for the calculation tools. New concepts were developed for the selection of the most appropriate HBGV to evaluate consumers' intake and for the implementation of EFSA's Margin of Exposure. Based on the experiences of acquiring the data-sets, it is concluded that scientifically-based food safety needs better harmonization of data sources' formats and relation schemes. And agreements on how to arrange updates. Besides, EFSA is kindly requested to provide a public download of the FOODEX 2 codes, and to make existing data of consumption of individual consumers in the member states' surveys also available for download.

3D-printed Chlorella vulgaris snacks: a contribution to a healthy diet

The aim of the present work was to study the potential health benefits of 3D snacks enriched with increasing levels of incorporation of C. vulgaris (2%–18% w/w). Health impact was evaluated based on the nutritional profile of snacks, as well as protein digestibility, mineral bioaccessibility, glycemic index and antioxidant activity. Higher additions of Chlorella vulgaris to snack’s formulation led to obtain a new food product with elevated nutritional properties, that is a source of protein and minerals, that presents a lower glycemic index, a boosted antioxidant activity and an enhanced mineral bioaccessibility. Despite substantial evidence on the health benefits of microalgae-derived food products, functional food value of algae products remains largely qualitative. The present work contributed to provide insights on bioaccessibility of nutritional compounds of a microalgae food—3D snack–aiming to provide a more sustainable healthy food choice.

The absorption of bovine milk small extracellular vesicles largely depends on galectin 3 and galactose ligands in human intestinal cells and C57BL/6J mice.

Small extracellular vesicles in milk (sMEVs) have attracted attention in drug delivery and as bioactive food compounds. Previous studies implicate galactose residues on the sMEV surface in sMEV transport across intestinal and endothelial barriers in humans, but details of glycoprotein-dependent transport are unknown. We used a combination of cell biology and genetics protocols to identify glycoproteins on the sMEV surface that facilitate sMEV absorption. We identified 256 proteins on the bovine sMEVs surface by using LC-MS/MS, and bioinformatics analysis suggested that 42, 13, and 13 surface proteins were N-, O-, and 13 C-glycosylated, respectively. Lectin blots confirmed the presence of mannose, galactose, N-acetyl galactose, fucose, and neuraminate. When surface proteins were removed by various treatment with various proteases, sMEV uptake decreased by up to 58% and 67% in FHs-74 Int and Caco-2 cells, respectively, compared with controls (P < 0.05). When glycans were removed by treatment with various glycosidases, sMEV uptake decreased by up to 54% and 74% in FHs-74 Int and Caco-2 cells, respectively (P < 0.05). When galactose and N-acetyl galactosamine residues were blocked with agglutinins, sMEV uptake decreased by more than 50% in FHs-74 Int cells (P < 0.05). When bovine sMEVs were administered to Galectin-3 knockout mice by oral gavage, hepatic sMEV accumulation decreased by 56% compared with wild-type mice (P < 0.05), consistent with a role of β-galactoside glycan structures in the absorption of sMEVs. We conclude that sMEVs are decorated with glycoproteins, and Galectin-3 and its galactose ligands are particularly important for sMEV absorption.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first paper to assess the role of unique glycans and their Galectin-3 receptor in the transport and distribution of small extracellular vesicles ("exosomes") from milk in mammals. The research assessed milk exosome transport and distribution by using multiple approaches and platforms including cell cultures, various exosome labels, knockout and mutant mice, enzymatic removal of surface proteins and glycans, and lectin blocking of glycans.

Occurrence of organotin compounds in food: increasing challenge of phenyltin compounds

Concentrations and distribution for 16 organotin compounds were studied in all kinds of foods, including seafood, agricultural products, and wine. Meanwhile, the degradation of the TBT or TPhT was also evaluated. Concentrations of total organotins in seafood, agricultural products, and wine were 1047.2, 469.4, and 13.5 μg Sn/kg. Meanwhile, the most frequently detected organotin in three kinds of samples were TPhT, MPhT, and MPhT, respectively. The results demonstrated that phenyltin may probably become an emerging organotin pollutant. Regarding seafood, organotin concentrations of fish and mollusks were much higher than those of crustaceans. At the same time, a significant positive correlation was observed between the concentrations of TBT and MBT (p < 0.05), and between DBT and MBT(p < 0.0001). Moreover, TPhT was significantly and positively associated with DPhT (p < 0.0001), suggesting that TPhT was the precursor of DPhT. Apart from the likely illegal use of OTs as biocides in antifouling paints for ships, anthropogenic activity like agricultural activity or industrial activity also caused organotin contamination. Further research and more effective measures should be formulated to protect the food safety. Meanwhile, monitoring of the organotin contamination should not only in Qinhuangdao, but also expand to the cities along Bohai Bay.

PSVIII-23 Volatile Flavor Profile of Wet Pet Food Influences Canine and Feline Palatability Performance

Abstract Volatile flavor compounds as they relate to canine and feline palatability of wet pet food has yet to be established in the industry. The objectives of this study were to determine volatile compounds in wet pet food in diets that performed differently in palatability feeding studies. Five pairs of wet pet food diets (n = 3 feline; n = 2 canine) were obtained from separate manufacturing facilities and were selected based on palatability preference (P &amp;lt; 0.05, n = 3) or palatability parity (P &amp;gt; 0.05, n = 2). Volatile compounds were extracted using solid phase microextraction and analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Diets were analyzed in triplicate. Significance was determined at P &amp;lt; 0.05. Alcohols, aldehydes, and hydrocarbons comprised the main groups, and 58 total volatile compounds were identified. 1-octen-3-ol, an artifact of lipid oxidation, was found in all diets and was consistently greater (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in diets that were less preferred in palatability testing. A feline diet less preferred in palatability performance had increased concentrations (P &amp;lt; 0.05) of volatile compounds such as furfuryl alcohol and 2-pentyl furan, derived from both the Maillard reaction and thermal lipid degradation pathways, respectively. Conversely, a canine diet with palatability preference was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in lipid degradation products such as 2-pentyl furan, 1-hexanol, and p-xylene. Overall, one set of diets had an increased (P &amp;lt; 0.05) production of Maillard reaction products including Strecker aldehydes, furans, and pyrazines whereas lipid degradation products were predominant in the second set. In conclusion, these data generally showed a significant difference (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in Maillard reaction and lipid degradation products in each pair of diets. Future studies are warranted to better understand how the volatile compound profile impacts palatability for canines and felines. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that volatile compound profile analysis could be utilized to further elucidate influencers of pet food palatability preferences.