Food Nutritional Supplements Research Articles

Enhanced production of high-value polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from potential thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium sp.

Due to growing health concerns, the urban population is utterly inclined towards a healthy lifestyle and incorporated nutritional food supplements to lower common health risks. The ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs consumption is increasing, hence alternative commercial production is essentially developed. The microbial source is an emerging platform to overcome the global demand for omega PUFAs. Marine oleaginous protist Aurantiochytrium sp. found a potential source to produce substantial DHA and SFA. The objective of the present research was to enhance the PUFA yield by optimizing maximum tolerable glucose concentration with a suitable nitrogen ratio (10:1). The maximum lipid and DHA yield and content were determined 4.30, 1.34 g/L, and 62.4, 33.49 % of total biomass and lipid at 30 g/L glucose respectively, which is one of among highest reported, however relative PUFA was maximum 46.97 % (DHA) in total lipid at 10 g/L glucose. Remaining 42–53.6 % SFA could be used for biodiesel.

Preparation of Cellulose-Based Flocculant and Its Application in the Enrichment of Vitamin K2 in Fermentation Supernatant.

Nutritional food supplements and pharmaceutical products produced with vitamin K2 as raw materials a very promising market in the global scope. The main production method of vitamin K2 is microbial fermentation, but approximately 50% of vitamin K2 synthesized by the main production strain Bacillus subtilis natto exists in extracellular form, which is not easy to separate and extract. In order to solve this problem, in this study, we synthesized a novel cellulose flocculant, MCC-g-LMA, by grafting reaction using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and lauryl methacrylate (LMA) as monomers, and ammonium persulfate as an initiator to flocculate VK2 from the fermentation supernatant. The flocculant was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the grafting reaction was successful. When the flocculant dosage was 48.0 mg/L and pH was 5.0, the flocculation rate of the MCC-g-LMA on the fermentation supernatant reached 85.3%, and the enrichment rate of VK2 reached 90.0%. Furthermore, we explored the flocculation mechanism of VK2 by the MCC-g-LMA and speculated that the flocculation mechanism mainly included adsorption bridging, hydrophobic association and net trapping and sweep effect. In this study, the extraction method for trace high-value biological products in the fermentation supernatant was improved, which provided a method and theoretical basis for the efficient separation and purification of VK2 and other terpenoids.

Understanding the Therapeutic Potential of Ascorbic Acid in the Battle to Overcome Cancer.

Cancer, a fatal disease, is also one of the main causes of death worldwide. Despite various developments to prevent and treat cancer, the side effects of anticancer drugs remain a major concern. Ascorbic acid is an essential vitamin required by our bodies for normal physiological function and also has antioxidant and anticancer activity. Although the body cannot synthesize ascorbic acid, it is abundant in nature through foods and other natural sources and also exists as a nutritional food supplement. In anticancer drug development, ascorbic acid has played an important role by inhibiting the development of cancer through various mechanisms, including scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), selectively producing ROS and encouraging their cytotoxicity against tumour cells, preventing glucose metabolism, serving as an epigenetic regulator, and regulating the expression of HIF in tumour cells. Several ascorbic acid analogues have been produced to date for their anticancer and antioxidant activity. The current review summarizes the mechanisms behind ascorbic acid’s antitumor activity, presents a compilation of its derivatives and their biological activity as anticancer agents, and discusses delivery systems such as liposomes, nanoparticles against cancer, and patents on ascorbic acid as anticancer agents.

Nanopore and Illumina Genome Sequencing of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lini Strains of Different Virulence.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lini is the one of notoriously known pathogens of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), causing wilt. In the case of young seedlings, the disease may lead to complete yield losses (Kommedahl et al., 1970). At the same time, flax is an important crop used for manufacturing oil of high nutritional value, food supplements, industrial products, and fiber (Jhala and Hall, 2010; Czemplik et al., 2011; Kezimana et al., 2018; Parikh and Pierce, 2019). However, flax production is dependent on the resistance of flax varieties to phytopathogens, whereas F. oxysporum demonstrates considerable genetic diversity (Edel et al., 2001; Michielse and Rep, 2009). At present, phytopathogenic strains of F. oxysporum are classified into numerous formae speciales according to their ability to colonize different hosts (Armstrong and Armstrong, 1981). Unfortunately, this system cannot provide researchers with enough information on a type of the pathogen and the severity of the infection it causes (Edel-Hermann and Lecomte, 2019). Like other representatives of the species, forma specialis lini is morphologically and genetically heterogeneous. Strains of the pathogen differ in such characteristics as the type of sporulation, conidia formation, pigment production, and the rate of growth on different media. Moreover, the degree of pathogenicity varies within the forma and depends on the infected crop variety (Kommedahl et al., 1970). For molecular classification of F. oxysporum, numerous markers were used (Baayen et al., 2000; Lievens et al., 2008; Baysal et al., 2010; Sharma et al., 2014; van Dam et al., 2018; Srinivas et al., 2019; Sasseron et al., 2020), and genes associated with virulence were considered as targets for molecular discrimination of strains of the fungus (Lievens et al., 2008; van Dam et al., 2018). It was shown that secreted in xylem (SIX) genes are associated with pathogenicity of F. oxysporum, and the majority of them are distributed within the sequence of one chromosome (Rep et al., 2004; Houterman et al., 2007; Kashiwa et al., 2017; Carvalhais et al., 2019). Importantly, the combination of these genes differs between and within formae (Lievens et al., 2009). Secreted in xylem are also responsible for the resistance of cultivars to certain pathogen races due to gene-for-gene interaction between SIX genes of a pathogen and R genes (resistance genes) of a plant. Breaking the resistance of plant lineages to wild-type F. oxysporum could be accomplished by deletion of a certain SIX gene, which is recognized by the immune system of a plant (Houterman et al., 2008). However, in the case of F. oxysporum f. sp. lini, the connection between the degree of pathogenicity of a strain and the set of its SIX genes is not investigated deeply, and gaining insights into the mechanisms of pathogenicity offers an opportunity for effective disease control. Besides, F. oxysporum representatives differ not only in the content of genes and their sequences but also in the number of chromosomes due to chromosomal rearrangements and the mobility of lineage-specific chromosomes (Daviere et al., 2001; Ma et al., 2010; Schmidt et al., 2013; Vlaardingerbroek et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2020). Having learned the statistics of deposited F. oxysporum assemblies, one may conclude that genome sizes vary from about 50 to 70 Mb and differ between many formae (data of the NCBI Genome database, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/browse/#!/eukaryotes/707/). Summing up, F. oxysporum f. sp. lini appears to be heterogeneous. However, there is a lack of next-generation sequencing data concerning the genome structure of the flax pathogen and the molecular basis of pathogenicity in relation to diverse virulence of the strains. In this work, we have chosen six strains of F. oxysporum f. sp. lini of low, medium, and high virulence (two strains per each degree of pathogenicity), performed genome sequencing on Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Illumina platforms, and obtained de novo assemblies of the sequenced strains.

Polydatin and its potential protective effect on COVID-19

The recent published guidelines for nutritional management of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection have recommended that nutritional intervention and food supplements should be considered as an integral part of the approach for individuals at risk or infected with SARS-CoV-2 [[1]Barazzoni R. Bischoff S.C. Krznaric Z. Pirlich M. Singer P. ESPEN expert statements and practical guidance for nutritional management of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection.Clin Nutr. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.03.022Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (445) Google Scholar]. Individuals at risk for severe COVID-19 include elderly persons and individuals affected by chronic and acute diseases since more susceptible for developing inflammatory conditions provoking interstitial pneumonia, vasculitis and gastrointestinal symptoms, identified as the most severe COVID-19 clinical conditions [[2]Li T. Lu H. Zhang W. Clinical observation and management of COVID-19 patients.Emerg Microb Infect. 2020; 9: 687-690Crossref PubMed Scopus (261) Google Scholar]. While, no effective treatment has been identified aimed at reducing significantly inflammatory response to the infection, interleukins and cytokine cascades have been identified as indicators of the abnormal human response to viral presence and replication and some clinical trials are ongoing to test the drugs able to moderate or modulate the immune response, including anti-chronic rheumatic and anti-clotting ones [[2]Li T. Lu H. Zhang W. Clinical observation and management of COVID-19 patients.Emerg Microb Infect. 2020; 9: 687-690Crossref PubMed Scopus (261) Google Scholar]. However, for their adverse effects, an appropriate patient monitoring is needed in order to balance benefits and risks. According with the ESPEN guidelines [[1]Barazzoni R. Bischoff S.C. Krznaric Z. Pirlich M. Singer P. ESPEN expert statements and practical guidance for nutritional management of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection.Clin Nutr. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.03.022Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (445) Google Scholar], in addition, we would like to briefly outline some concerns regarding the food supplement polydatin and its potential protective effect for individual at risk COVID-19. Indeed, several studies have revealed the potential of natural compounds of plant origin, as resveratrol, to protect against SARS coronaviruses infection including SARS-CoV-2 [[3]McKee D.L. Sternberg A. Stange U. Laufer S. Naujokat C. Candidate drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 pharmacol.Res. 2020; 157: 104859Google Scholar]. In the last years, we have been involved in using the natural glycosylated and bioavailable form of resveratrol, the polydatin, extracted by the plant Polygonum Cuspidatum, and tested as food supplements in very different clinical conditions from very different aetiology, but all having in common a general inflammatory and immune-depressed state [[4]Bonucci M. Pastore C. Ferrera V. Fiorentini C. Fabbri A. Integrated cancer treatment in the course of metastatic pancreatic cancer: complete resolution in 2 cases.Integr Canc Ther. 2018; 17: 994-999Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar,[5]Vacca R.A. Bawari S. Valenti D. Tewari D. Nabavi S.F. Shirooie S. et al.Down syndrome: neurobiological alterations and therapeutic targets.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019; 98: 234-255Crossref PubMed Scopus (46) Google Scholar]. During these last weeks we are receiving rather frequent feedback from both polydatin prescribers and consumers; from unrelated and merely unconnected groups we were informed about a “protective” effect from COVID-19 diffusion and its clinical worst consequences. Reporting users’ groups include individual at risk COVID-19 such as Down syndrome eldest (in voluntary treatment to reduce oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial bioenergetics) as well as chemotherapy prescribed patients following an integrated approach (official oncology evidence-based protocols plus natural substances). Polydatin efficacy lies mainly to moderate acute clinical as well as chronic subclinical inflammation and also tested on pneumonia or lung inflammation processes [[6]Jiang Q. Yi M. Guo Q. Wang C. Wang H. Meng S. et al.Protective effects of polydatin on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury through TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway.Int Immunopharm. 2015; 29: 370-376Crossref PubMed Scopus (152) Google Scholar]. Actually, the cited food supplement is very safe, can lower the inflammation status, can work properly skipping the overload of reactive oxygen species and exhibits many pharmacological activities including multiple-organ protection [[7]Du Q.H. Peng C. Zhang H. Polydatin: a review of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics.Pharm Biol. 2013; 51: 1347-1354Crossref PubMed Scopus (172) Google Scholar]. Thus, it is reasonable to suggest the phytochemical polydatin as preventative (co-) treatment for individual at risk of COVID-19, as (asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic) relatives and contacts of swap positive confirmed cases. Of course, these observations warrant rigorous clinical trials (including or excluding other prevention measures) that can confirm or cancel our hypothesis without any risk and major costs. The polydatin effective dose is well known, and it can be obtained extracting it from plants in several well-documented ways, many of them are anymore covered by patents; so, its procurement can be affordable in the case of positive results, without any “strong, fully or partially monopolistic” hand on its availability. All authors contributed equally to conceive the idea and write the manuscript. Dr Raggi declares that GHIMAS SpA is a maker of Polydatin based Cosmetics and Food Supplements. The other authors declare no competing interests for the content of this paper.

Post grafting time significantly influences royal jelly yield and content of macro and trace elements.

Royal jelly (RJ) is commercially harvested after the 4th day of queen larval age. In the current study, it was harvested after 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after grafting of 1-day larval age queens to investigate changes in macro and trace elements associated with harvesting time. The RJ yields were significantly affected by harvest time, and the highest yield was obtained 72 hours after grafting. The highest phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) contents were obtained from RJ harvested 24 hours after grafting. Royal jelly harvested 48 hours after grafting had the highest concentrations of magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn). Likewise, RJ harvested 96 hours after grafting had higher concentrations of copper (Cu). Royal jelly harvested 72 hours after grafting showed the second rank for P, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Fe, Cu, and Mn concentrations. In descending order, P, Mg, Ca, and K were the most dominant elements in RJ harvested at different times after grafting. The Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cu, and Mn concentrations in RJ were all positively correlated, and P, Fe, and Zn were positively correlated. The P and Zn were negatively correlated with Ca, Cu, and Mn. It was concluded that macro and trace element contents in RJ can differ depending on the harvest time after grafting. We recommend harvesting RJ at 72 hours after grafting for possible use as healthy nutritional human food supplement.

Moringa oleifera Intake during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding toward Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid Levels in Breast Milk

BACKGROUND: Moringa oleifera is a nutritional food supplement that can save lives, particularly in countries with malnourished community. Such supplement can also be provided to breastfeeding mothers so that they can produce more breast milk.
 AIM: This study investigated the effect of M. oleifera on pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on their breast milk’s docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) concentration.
 METHODS: This was a longitudinal study which was the continuity from the previous experimental study. The research sample was 64 breastfeeding mothers given Moringa leaves powder (MLP), Moringa leaves extract (MLE), or iron-folic acid (IFA). The data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis test with the significance level of 95% aiming to assess the difference between the breast milk’s DHA and AA level on MLP, MLE, and IFA groups.
 RESULTS: This research indicated that most mothers had low education level (71.9 %) and did not work (89.1%). There was no significant difference between the DHA level (p = 0.215) and AA (p = 0.914) of the breast milk among the MLP, MLE, and IFA groups.
 CONCLUSION: The intervention might contribute a little effect on DHA and AA level in the breast milk.

Red Rice in Himachal Pradesh: History, Tradition and Uses

Red rice or Laal Dhaan (Oryza sativa L.) is a famous land race of mid and high hills of South Western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Uttrakhand. Being a traditional crop of Himachal Pradesh, red rice is deeply knitted with traditional rituals and used in various folk dishes and snacks. The key special uses include; Phooli Moorhi, Sookhi Moorhi, Chewrhior Hari Moorhi, Shakli or Sanse and the flour of red rice is also used to make Sidhku. Red rice is also used for making beverages in many areas of the state. Lugrhi, a brewed drink prepared from red rice, is famous in Kullu district. The husk separated while making Chewrhi is used as medicine to cure poisoning symptoms in cattle. The decoction made from red rice and lassi is used to cure dysentery in human beings. The rice water separated after cooking rice is fed to pregnant and lactating women as nutritional food supplement. The demand of nutraceutically rich food is increasing day by day. Keeping in view, the increased demand and shrinking area under the red rice, a concrete policy and marketing strategy is urgently required to motivate farmers and boost the cultivation of rice in its traditional areas of cultivation. A well-developed postharvest value chain is urgently required so that this nutraceutically rich gift of nature reaches the consumer across the globe.

Manganese threonine chelate-a new enteric contrast agent for MRI: a pilot study on rats.

Enteric contrast agents are important in gastrointestinal MRI. However, no currently available agent is well established as the standard of care. In this study, in vitro relaxivities of manganese threonine chelate (Mn-Thr), a common nutritional food supplement, were measured at 1.5 T and 3 T with further investigation of its efficacy and safety in vivo as an enteric contrast agent. According to the calculated relaxivities, T1 W and T2 W TSE sequences of Mn-Thr solutions at different concentrations were acquired, and the optimal concentration for dark lumen imaging on both T1 W and T2 W images was determined in vitro. To validate the optimal concentration in vivo, eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups. Each group received rectal injection of either 2.00 g/L (about 3.80 mM) Mn-Thr or saline as an enteric contrast agent and underwent MRI. After a time interval of one week, the same procedures were repeated with the alternative contrast agent. Animals were sacrificed after the second MRI. Tissue manganese quantification and histopathological examination were obtained. Qualitative MR image quality assessments were performed and compared between Mn-Thr and saline. Measured T1 and T2 relaxivities of Mn-Thr were significantly higher than those of MnCl2 in vitro (p < 0.05). At the concentration of 2.00 g/L (about 3.80 mM), Mn-Thr produced a dark lumen on T1 W and T2 W images both in vitro and in vivo. Compared with saline, Mn-Thr showed significantly more homogenous luminal signal and increased bowel wall conspicuity in image quality assessments. Tissue manganese concentrations were not significantly different between two groups. Histopathological examinations were normal in both groups. Our data suggest that Mn-Thr possesses favorable paramagnetic properties and can create a homogenous dark lumen on T1 W and T2 W images without obvious side effects in healthy rats. As a commercially available nutritional food supplement, Mn-Thr appears to be a promising enteric contrast agent for MRI.

In-Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Lipophilic Antioxidant Compounds from 3 Brown Seaweed.

Lipophilic compounds of seaweed have been linked to their potential bioactivity. Low polarity solvents such as chloroform, diethyl ether, n-hexane and their various combinations were used to extract the lipophilic antioxidants from brown seaweed namely Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata. An equal-volume mixture of chloroform, diethyl ether and n-hexane (Mix 4) gave the highest total phenol (52.7 ± 1.93 to 180.2 ± 1.84 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), flavonoid (31.9 ± 2.65 to 131.3 ± 4.51 mg quercetin equivalents/g), carotenoid (2.19 ± 1.37 to 3.15 ± 0.91 μg/g) and chlorophyll content (2.88 ± 1.08 to 3.86 ± 1.22 μg/g) in the tested seaweeds. The extracts were screened for their potential antioxidant capacity and the extracts obtained from the selected solvents system exhibited the highest radical scavenging capacity against 2,2′-diphenly-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (EC50 98.3 ± 2.78 to 298.8 ± 5.81 mg/L) and metal ions (EC50 228.6 ± 3.51 to 532.4 ± 6.03 mg/L). Similarly, the same extract showed the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power (8.3 ± 0.23 to 26.3 ± 0.30 mg trolox equivalents/g) in all the seaweeds. Rapid characterization of the active extracts by liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-PDA–ESI-MS/MS) identified cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, fucoxanthin, violaxanthin, β-carotene, chlorophyll a derivatives and chlorophyll b derivatives in the tested seaweed. The study demonstrated the use of tested brown seaweed as potential species to be considered for future applications in medicine, cosmetics and as nutritional food supplement.

In vitro enzyme inhibitory properties, antioxidant activities, and phytochemical fingerprints of five Moroccan seaweeds

The coastlines of Morocco have an abundant resource of diverse seaweeds but the bioactivity of many of these seaweeds is still unexplored. The aim of this study was to contribute to the evaluation of the antioxidant potential, using different in vitro systems and searching some fingerprints of phenolic constituents based on LC-MS/MS method of five seaweeds species obtained from Moroccan Atlantic Ocean: Bifurcaria bifurcata, Cystoseira humilis, Cystoseira stricta, Fucus spiralis and Gelidium sesquipedale. The total phenolic compounds, the antioxidant activity, anticholinesterase, tyrosinase inhibitory, urease inhibitory activities and the organic compounds were determined. The results showed that Fucus spiralis possessed the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents compared to the others. In addition, Fucus spiralis (IC50: 13.25 ± 0.9 µg/mL) and Cystoseira stricta (IC50: 13.58 ± 1.2 µg/mL) exhibited higher lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity. The highest1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50: 47.23 ± 3.8 µg/mL), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) dia-mmonium salt (ABTS) (IC50: 5.95 ± 0.6 µg/mL), and Cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) (55.24 ± 0.04 µg trolox equivalents/mg) activity was measured in Fucus spiralis. Regarding metal chelating activity, Bifurcaria bifurcata was the best (IC50: 45.22 ± 0.9 µg/mL) compared to the others. The highest acetylcholinesterase (IC50: 28.92 ± 1.8 µg/mL), butyrylcholinesterase (IC50: 11.72 ± 2.8 µg/mL), tyrosinase (IC50: 6.19 ± 0.4 µg/mL) and urease (IC50: 10.96 ± 1.3 µg/mL) inhibitory activities was found in Fucus spiralis. According to LC-MS/MS results, quinic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-OH-benzoic acid, hesperidin, were detected in ethanol extracts of the five Moroccan seaweeds. This study demonstrated that seaweeds, particularly Fucus spiralis and Cystoseira stricta could be a promising source of antioxidants and phytochemicals which can be used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and as nutritional food supplement in food industries to deleterious free radical induced stress, disorder and diseases.

Nutritional value, micronutrient and antioxidant capacity of some green leafy vegetables commonly used by southern coastal people of Bangladesh

Southern coastal people of Bangladesh are highly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition due to coastal flooding, deforestation and increased soil salinity. A number of green leafy vegetables are found in the southern coastal belt being traditionally eaten as daily basis by local people. But they are unaware of nutritional and medicinal use of these vegetables. To contribute to their wider utilization, five common vegetables namely Hibiscus sabdariffa, Trianthema portulacastrum, Diplazium esculentum, Heliotropium indicum L. and Hygrophila auriculata were selected for analysis of nutritional proximate, micronutrients and antioxidant potential. Nutritional properties were analyzed in terms of moisture, pH, protein, lipid, ash, fibre, minerals and carbohydrate. Total flavonoid, tannin and antioxidant capacity were evaluated using established protocols. The results demonstrated that collected plants are rich in carbohydrate, fibre, proteins, moisture and ash content but low in lipid content. The mineral elements were high with remarkable amount of Na (19.9–21.5 mg/gm), K (7.9–13.5 mg/gm) and P (1.0–1.8 mg/gm). All the samples were found to have considerable amount of flavonoid (90.6–144.5 mg QE/gm) and tannin content (26.8–57.2 mg GAE/gm). The IC50 value of DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging was the lowest for H. indicum (37.1 and 83.4 μg/ml, respectively) whereas T. portulacastrum possessed high reducing power (IC50 53.7 μg/ml). Among the five investigated species, T. portulacastrum and H. indicum were found to have good nutritional and antioxidant properties, thus can be promoted as a significant source of nutritional and antioxidant food supplements.

Diverse Cyanobacteria Resource from North East Region of India for Valuable Biomolecules: Phycobiliprotein, Carotenoid, Carbohydrate and Lipid

Background: :North east region of India is well known as biodiversity hotspot with endemic flora and fauna. Organisms belonging to the cyanobacterial species are commonly known as blue green algae and are found in diverse categories in the environment of north-east India. Potentials of these cyanobacterial species are mostly unexplored. Present study aimed to isolate, identify and evaluate the potential cyanobacterial strains for the sustainable producers of biomolecules with agricultural, therapeutic and industrial significance.Methods::Growth and biochemical characterization were performed with the isolated cyanobacterial species to investigate the growth kinetics, cellular pigments (carotenoid, phycobiliprotein and chlorophyll), protein, carbohydrate and lipid content.Results::Three Phormidium sp., one Oscillatoria sp., and one Microcoleus sp. were isolated from the Tripura state (North-east region of India). Results revealed that isolated Oscillatoria sp. has high lipid (~20%), protein (~40%), and carbohydrate (~30%) yield. Further, two isolated Phormidium sp., produced significant amount of carotenoids (~23 mg/gm dry biomass), phycobiliprotein (~20-25%) and high protein (~55%). Microcoleus sp. produced 62% carbohydrate and 20% phycobiliprotein with significant amount of carotenoids (~17 mg/gm dry biomass).Conclusion::Isolated Oscillatoria sp. is the promising resource for lipid and nutritional supplement due to high accumulated primary metabolites. Two Phormidium sp., can be used as animal and human nutritional food supplement and also can be further investigated for pigment production at industrial scale. Isolated Microcoleus sp. is the potential resource of carbohydrate and pigment. Isolated cyanobacterial strains are identified as viable candidates for the industrial production of biomass as well as other value added biomolecules.

The anti-invasive activity of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Amorpha fruticosa L. on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line

The paper investigates anticancer effects of methanol extracts of invasive plant species Robinia pseudoacacia L. (RpE) and Amorpha fruticosa L. (AfE) on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and healthy MRC-5 cells. The anticancer activity was evaluated through examination of cytotoxic effects, anti-invasive potential and impact on redox status in comparative analysis using their chemical composition. According to the IC50 values, the investigated plants had no significant cytotoxic effects either on healthy cell line MRC-5 or on MDA-MB-231 cancer cells, but they showed great anti-invasive potential by suppressing all investigated parameters of tumor invasion and metastases (Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP), protein concentration and MMP-9, C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 12 (CXCL-12), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-A) and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF-1α) gene expression) in MDA-MB-231 cells. Based on their remarkable anti-invasive potential, RpE and AfE are suitable for use as potential supplements in anticancer therapy or as nutritional food supplements.

The Impact of Starvation on the Microbiome and Gut-Brain Interaction in Anorexia Nervosa

Interactions between the gut microbiome and the brain are of increasing interest to both researchers and clinicians. Evidence is mounting on the causal role of an altered gut microbiome in inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and diabetes, and psychiatric diseases like anxiety and depression. Mechanisms include altered energy harvest from food, hormonal changes, increased gut permeability, inflammation, immune response, and a direct influence on the brain and behavior. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is the third most common disease in adolescence and exacts a high burden on patients and caregivers. It often becomes chronic and has the highest mortality of all psychiatric diseases. As AN is characterized by nutritional restrictions, weight loss, and severe behavioral symptoms including weight phobia, comorbid anxiety and depression, accompanied by endocrine alterations, increased inflammation, and immune response, exploring the role of the gut microbiome is crucial. Here, we present an overview of the potential mechanisms of interaction between the gut microbiome, the host and particularly the brain in AN and summarize the initial findings of microbiome research on AN. We conclude by identifying future research directions and potential therapeutic approaches, including nutritional interventions, probiotics, prebiotics and food supplements, that could become important additions to current AN therapy.

Stability Assessment of Virgin Coconut Oil‐Based Emulsion Products

AbstractIn recent years, there has been dramatic growth in the market for virgin coconut oil (VCO). VCO, a promising functional food oil, has gained popularity and captured public attention worldwide. Two VCO‐based emulsion products were developed as a new nutritional food supplement with the aim of increasing the consumption of VCO. The stability of VCO‐based emulsion products was assessed during a storage period of 3 months to gauge the quality of the optimized VCO‐based emulsions. The particle‐size distributions of the VCO‐based emulsions remained stable throughout the 3‐month storage period at 25 and at 50°C. However, a slight increase in the particle sizes was observed in the VCO‐based emulsions samples after 2 months of storage at 4 °C. Nevertheless, phase separation did not occur in either of the VCO‐based emulsions products throughout the storage‐stability assessment period. No signs of microbial growth were detected in the emulsion products during the storage period. Furthermore, no significant changes in the free fatty acid contents of the emulsion products were observed during storage at 4 or 25°C throughout the storage period. The VCO‐based emulsion products possessed sufficient emulsion stability to withstand changes at different storage temperatures.

Phenolic extracts of the leaves ofPsidium guineenseSw. improve the shelf life of sunflower oil and baked cake and antioxidant status of Wistar rats

The potential of the ethanolic extract of Psidium guineense Sw. leaves (PGLE) to protect food from oxidation was evaluated using sunflower oil and baked cake as food models. The nutritional quality of PGLE was evaluated by feeding Wistar rats with PGLE for 150 days. Psidium guineense Sw. leaves contain 195.25 ± 9.56 mg g–1 phenolic substances, 51% of which are o-diphenols. Protection factor, the ability of Psidium guineense Sw. leaves to protect sunflower oil against oxidation (1.82 ± 0.13), was not significantly affected by heat treatment compared to BHT. Formation of oxidation products, peroxide and hexanal in PGLE- and BHT-added cake was significantly lower (<5 ppm over 28 days) compared to control with no added antioxidants. Therefore, addition of PGLE improved the shelf life of sunflower oil and oxidative stability of baked cake. PGLE also improves the serum antioxidant capacity and inhibits lipid and protein oxidation in Wistar rats. Practical applications PGLE is a rich source of phenolic substances. Due to high antioxidant activity, pleasant sensory quality and high thermal stability, PGLE can be used to improve the shelf life of baked cake and edible oils. As PGLE also improves serum and plasma antioxidant properties without causing any toxicity, nutritional food supplements can be developed based on PGLE.

Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border

Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval centers of apothecary tradition in the region. Local botanical remedies shared by Boyko, Lemko, and Gorale ethnic groups were a part of the medieval European system of medicine, used according to their Dioscoridean and Galenic qualities. Within the context of ethnic plant medicine and botanical classification, this review identified strong preferences for local use of St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), gentian (Gentiana lutea L.), lovage (Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch), and lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor L.). While Ukrainian ethnic groups favored the use of guilder-rose (Viburnum opulus L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), Polish inhabitants especially valued angelica (Angelica archangelica L.) and carline thistle (Carlina acaulis L.). The region also holds a strong potential for collection, cultivation, and manufacture of medicinal plants and plant-based natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries, in part due to high degree of biodiversity and ecological preservation. Many of these products, including whole food nutritional supplements, will soon complement conventional medicines in prevention and treatment of diseases, while adding value to agriculture and local economies.

Free Radical Scavenging Activities and Nutritional Value of Lagenaria siceraria: A Nutriment Creeper

In the present study, a modified Osborne fractionation method was followed to isolate albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins successively from seeds of Lagenaria siceraria. This research work was undertaken to determine amino acid content, molecular weight distribution and antioxidant potential of isolated protein fractions of L. siceraria seed. The antioxidant activity of the protein fractions was evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, nitric oxide radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, lipid peroxidation, reducing power and phosphomolybdate assays. The molecular weights of these fractions were in the range of 10–260 kDa. Globulin contains highest amount of hydrophobic amino acid (138.1 mg/gm) as well as essential amino acid (165.6 mg/g) as compared to other fractions. This resulted in highest antioxidant activity with nutritional values. The percentage of inhibition of the protein fractions differs significantly from each other (p ≤ 0.05). The results indicate that the protein fractions of L. siceraria may be helpful in the therapy of various oxidative-stress-induced diseases and development of novel nutritional food supplements.

Whey protein concentrate supplementation protects rat brain against aging-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is a rich source of sulfur-containing amino acids and is consumed as a functional food, incorporating a wide range of nutritional attributes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of WPC on rat brain during aging. Young (4 months) and old (24 months) male Wistar rats were supplemented with WPC (300 mg/kg body weight) for 28 days. Biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in terms of ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), lipid hydroperoxide (LHP), total thiol (T-SH), protein carbonyl (PC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were measured in brain of control and experimental (WPC supplemented) groups. In addition, gene expression and histopathological studies were also performed. The results indicate that WPC augmented the level of FRAP, T-SH, and AChE in old rats as compared with the old control. Furthermore, WPC-treated groups exhibited significant reduction in LHP, PC, ROS, and NO levels in aged rats. WPC supplementation also downregulated the expression of inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6), and upregulated the expression of marker genes associated with autophagy (Atg3, Beclin-1, LC3B) and neurodegeneration (neuron specific enolase, Synapsin-I, MBP-2). The findings suggested WPC to be a potential functional nutritional food supplement that prevents the progression of age-related oxidative damage in Wistar rats.