Health Functional Food Research Articles

Structural elucidation and anti-diabetic osteoporotic activity of an arabinogalactan from Phellodendron chinense Schneid

Phellodendron chinense Schneid. was widely used as a medicinal herb for the treatment of diabetic osteoporosis in China. In this study, an arabinogalactan, named as PPCP-1, was isolated from the bark of Phellodendron chinense Schneid., and purified by DEAE-cellulose DE52 and Sephacryl S-200 HR column chromatography. The structure of PPCP-1 was characterized as a repeating unit consisting of →3)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →3,6)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →4)-α-d-Glcp-(1→, →3)-α-d-Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-d-Manp-(1→ with branches of →5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→ and terminal α-l-Araf. Pharmacologically, the oral administration of PPCP-1 preserved osteoporosis associated with hyperglycemia by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity, improving glucose tolerance, decreasing the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), as well as down-regulating the expression of receptor for AGEs in tibias of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Collectively, the present study suggested that the arabinogalactan PPCP-1 from Phellodendron chinense Schneid. might potentially be used as functional foods for bone health and/or developed for drug discovery for alleviating diabetic osteoporosis.

Involvement of Probiotics and Postbiotics in the Immune System Modulation

Intestinal microbiota interacts with other systems, especially the immune system, which is responsible for protecting the body by recognizing “stranger” (pathogen associated molecular patterns-PAMPs) and “danger” (damage-associated molecular patterns-DAMPs) molecular motifs. In this manner, it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases and health. Despite the use of probiotics that modulate the intestinal microbiota in providing health benefits and in the treatment of diseases, there are some possible concerns about the possibility of developing adverse effects, especially in people with suppressed immune systems. Since probiotics provide health benefits with bioactive compounds, studies are carried out on the use of products containing non-living probiotic microorganisms (paraprobiotics) and/or their metabolites (postbiotics) instead of probiotic products. It is even reported that these microbial compounds have more immunomodulatory activities than living microorganisms via some possible mechanism and eliminates some disadvantages of probiotics. Considering the increasing use of functional foods in health and disease, further studies are needed with respect to the benefits and advantages of parabiotic and/or postbiotic use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as immune system modulation. Although probiotics have been extensive studied for a long time, it seems that postbiotics are promising tools for future research and applications according to the recent literature. This review aimed to evaluate the interaction of probiotics and postbiotics with the immune systems and also their advantages and disadvantages in the area of food-pharmaceutical industry and immune system modulation.

Corosolic acid ameliorates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis induced by high-fat diet and carbon tetrachloride by regulating TGF-β1/Smad2, NF-κB, and AMPK signaling pathways.

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. var. major) is an edible and medicinal fruit that is very common in food and traditional Chinese medicine. Corosolic acid (CA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, which is an active component of hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. var. major), has been exhibiting various pharmacological activities such as antidiabetic, antibacterial, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant effects. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of CA on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice induced by 60 kcal% high-fat diet (HFD) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ). CA lowered liver index and serum AST, ALT, TG, and TC levels compared to those in the model group. Histological analyses of the liver tissues of mice treated with CA revealed significantly decreased number of lipid droplets and alleviated inflammation and fibrosis. CA inhibited the transcripts of pro-fibrogenic markers (including α-SMA, collagen I, and TIMP-1) and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-1β, caspase-1, and IL-6) associated with hepatic fibrosis, and NF-κB translocation and TGF-β1/Smad2 and AMPK pathways. In addition, CA reduced lipid accumulation via the regulation of AMPK and NF-κB activation in FFA-induced steatotic HepG2 cells. CA also decreased α-SMA, collagen I expressions, and Smad2 phosphorylation, which were reduced by TGF-β1 treatment in LX2 cells. Our results suggested that CA ameliorated NASH through regulating TGF-β1/Smad2, NF-κB, and AMPK signaling pathways, and CA could be developed as a potential health functional food or therapeutic agent for NASH patients.

HMT Exerts an Anticancer Effect by Targeting PAK-1

Heamatang (HMT) is a classic medicinal formula used in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine; it contains seven distinct components, mainly of herbal origin. HMT is used as an antiaging remedy, treating urinary disorders and increasing energy and vitality. However, the therapeutic applications of this formula have not been evaluated with evidence-based science. Therefore, we assessed HMT through various in vitro methods, including cell viability assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting assay (FACS), Western blotting, migration assay, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, siRNA-mediated PAK-1 knockdown, and crystal violet assays. HMT decreased PAK-1 expression in PC-3 cells and inhibited cell viability, growth, and motility. The inhibition of cell motility by HMT was correlated with PAK-1-mediated inhibition of Lim domain kinase (LIMK) and cofilin. HMT induced G1 arrest and apoptosis through the transcriptional regulation of cell cycle regulatory proteins and apoptosis-related proteins (increase in c-cas3 and inhibition of PARP and BCL-2). Moreover, HMT suppressed PAK-1 expression, leading to the inhibition of AKT activities. Finally, we showed that decursin was the active ingredient involved in the inhibitory effect of HMT on PAK-1. Our findings demonstrated that HMT exerts its anticancer influence through the inhibition of PAK-1. The HMT formula could be applied in various fields, including functional health food and pharmaceutical development.

A Study on the Tyrosinase Inhibitory and Antioxidant Effect of Microalgae Extracts

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) disrupt the cellular redox balance, exert cytotoxic effects, and consequently promote the development of various diseases in humans. Previous studies have reported that antioxidants counteract the adverse effects of ROS. Several studies examine the whitening effects of various agents based on their ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity. Tyrosinase is a critical enzyme involved in the synthesis of melanin, which protects the skin against radiation. Various agents exhibiting antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities have been synthesized. However, these synthetic drugs are associated with toxicity, decreased safety, and poor skin penetration in vivo, which has limited the clinical application of synthetic drugs. This study examined the antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of some microalgae. The methanol, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate extracts of four microalgal species (Tetraselmis tetrathele, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Platymonas sp., and Chaetoceros simplex) were prepared. The physiological and whitening effects of microalgal extracts were investigated by measuring the antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. The ethyl acetate extract of D. tertiolecta exhibited the highest antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Future studies must focus on examining the whitening effects of microalgae on cell lines to facilitate the development of microalga-based therapeutics for skin diseases, functional health foods, and whitening agents. Thus, microalgae have potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.

The Aqueous Extract of Eucommia Leaves Promotes Proliferation, Differentiation, and Mineralization of Osteoblast-Like MC3T3-E1 Cells.

Eucommia leaves are dry leaves of Eucommia ulmoides which have long been considered as a functional health food for the treatment of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, fatty liver, and osteoporosis. With the recent development of Chinese medicine, Eucommia leaves are widely used for tonifying the kidneys and strengthening bone. However, the specific molecular mechanism of Eucommia leaves for strengthening bone remains largely unknown. Osteoblasts are the main functional cells of bone formation; thus, it is essential to study the effect of Eucommia leaves on osteoblasts to better understand their mechanism of action. In the present study, we prepared an aqueous extract of Eucommia leaves (ELAE) and determined its content by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of ELAE on MC3T3-E1 cells were investigated by CCK-8 assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and Alizarin red S staining assays, combined with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and qRT-PCR validation. We demonstrated that ELAE had a significant promoting effect on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and significantly enhanced extracellular matrix synthesis and mineralization, which were achieved by regulating various functional genes and related signaling pathways. ELAE significantly increased the expression level of genes promoting cell proliferation, such as Rpl10a, Adnp, Pex1, Inpp4a, Frat2, and Pcdhga1, and reduced the expression level of genes inhibiting cell proliferation, such as Npm1, Eif3e, Cbx3, Psmc6, Fgf7, Fxr1, Ddx3x, Mbnl1, and Cdc27. In addition, ELAE increased the expression level of gene markers in osteoblasts, such as Col5a2, Ubap2l, Dkk3, Foxm1, Col16a1, Col12a1, Usp7, Col4a6, Runx2, Sox4, and Bmp4. Taken together, our results suggest that ELAE could promote osteoblast proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization and prevent osteoblast apoptosis. These findings not only increase our understanding of ELAE on the regulation of bone development but also provide a possible strategy to further study the prevention and treatment of osteogenic related diseases by ELAE.

Alkaloids and phenolics identification in fruit of Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and their a-glucosidase inhibitory effects in vivo and in vitro

Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. (NTB), mainly distributed in the Qaidam Basin of Tibetan Plateau, have high economic, ecological and medicinal value. The chemical compositions in the NTB fruits were tentatively analyzed and characterized by applying UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Total 45 constituents, including 9 hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives, 12 flavonols, 4 flavonoids, 1 trolox derivative, 8 β-carboline alkaloids, 4 tryptophan derivatives, and 7 other amino acid derivatives were identified by comparing with standard products, and analyzing their retention times, characteristic fragment ions and deprotonated molecule ions. The activity studies in vitro indicated that NTB-Z and NTB-C extracts had marked inhibitory effects against sucrase and maltase. Further sucrose/maltose/starch tolerance experiment demonstrated that both NTB-Z and NTB-C extracts at 400 mg/kg could markedly lower the postprandial blood glucose (PBG) level in diabetic animals. All these results indicated that the NTB fruits could be used as the functional health food or medicine for controlling postprandial blood glucose level.

AŞIRI DOZ KETEN TOHUMU (LINUM USITATISSIMUM L.) TÜKETİMİ RATLARDA KARACİĞER HASARINA NEDEN OLUR MU?

Natural health products and functional foods are
 frequently consumed for the prevention and treatment
 of many diseases. Flaxseed is one of the functional foods with anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal
 properties. In addition to its beneficial effects,
 excessive consumption without considering the appropriate
 dosage can cause toxic effects. In this study,
 it was planned to investigate the effects of different
 amounts of flaxseed consumption on rat liver.
 Materials and Methods
 Rats were randomly divided into four groups with 8
 rats in each groups; control group and experimental
 groups which given flaxseed for 7 days; 1.4, 2.8 and
 5.6 g/kg/day, respectively. At the end of the experiment,
 histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical
 analyzes were performed on tissue and blood
 samples.
 Results
 Serum AST, ALT and ALP values are significantly higher
 in 5.6 g/kg of flaxseed compared to control group
 (p values 0.003, 0.012 and 0.009, respectively). Albumin
 values were significantly lower in experimental
 groups compared to the control group (p

홍삼 분말을 첨가한 스트링 치즈의 품질 특성

According to health functional food law in Korea, red ginseng is classified as a health functional ingredient. In order to establish the optimal manufacturing condition of red ginseng string cheese, red ginseng powder was added to string cheese in different manufacturing processes which are raw milk before pasteurization (T1), curd before stretching (T2), and hot water for stretching curd (T3), respectively. After 2 weeks of storage period, the hardness of control cheese was lowest and decreased, as compared to 0 week, while the hardness of all string cheese with red ginseng powder was maintained (p<0.05). Total amount of ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1, and Rg3 was 34.41 mg/kg in T1, 55.99 mg/kg in T2, and 59.47 mg/kg in T3, respectively. All the red ginseng string cheese in this study might be labeled as functional foods which can provide legal requirement of more than 3 mg for boosting immunity and fatigue improvement. Because the sensory score of T2 was highest in texture, taste, and overall preference during storage period, it is recommended to add red ginseng powder before stretching curd for making red ginseng-added string cheese.

The Novel Use of PVP K30 as Templating Agent in Production of Porous Lactose.

It is necessary to prepare porous lactose in order to improve the dissolution behavior of insoluble active ingredient. In this study, polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) was firstly utilized as a templating agent with different use levels in preparing porous lactose. Then, the physical properties were profoundly characterized. Finally, the porous lactose was also employed as a health functional food/drug carrier to explore the effect on the dissolution behavior of curcumin. The results confirmed that (i) porous lactose was successfully prepared using PVP K30 as templating agent; (ii) PVP K30 significantly improved the yield of lactose in the spray drying; (iii) the improved powder properties of porous lactose were more conducive to the downstream operating process for the preparation of health functional food or drug; and (iv) the porous lactose significantly improved the dissolution behavior of curcumin. Therefore, the results obtained are beneficial to boosting the development of porous materials.

건강기능식품 섭취에 영향을 미치는 소비자의 특성 요인 분석

This study analyzed consumers’ characteristics for health functional food intake. A consumer survey was conducted to look for various factors influencing the consumption of health functional food. Heckman selection model is used to control the sample selection bias. The probit model results show that women, married person, the smaller family members, and the higher income were more likely to purchase health functional food. In addition, the higher interest in health and family disease history, and the higher the number of visits to the hospital lead the consumption of health functional food. The Heckman model results show that women, higher age, higher income, higher interest in health and longer intake period induce the higher amount of health functional food. These results could be utilized for the efficiency and development of the health functional food industry.

Increasing the Production of \u03b2-Glucan from Saccharomyces carlsbergensis RU01 by Using Tannic Acid

In this study, we increased β-glucan production from brewer’s yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis RU01, by using tannic acid. High-pressure freezing and transmission electron microscopy (HPF-TEM) revealed that the yeast cell wall obtained from yeast malt (YM) medium supplemented with 0.1% w/v tannic acid was thicker than that of yeast cultured in YM medium alone. The production of β-glucan from S. carlsbergensis RU01 was optimized in 3% w/v molasses and 0.1% w/v diammonium sulfate (MDS) medium supplemented with 0.1% w/v tannic acid. The results showed that MDS medium supplemented with 0.1% w/v tannic acid significantly increased the dry cell weight (DCW), and the β-glucan production was 0.28±0.01% w/v and 11.99±0.04% w/w. Tannic acid enhanced the β-glucan content by up to 42.23%. β-Glucan production in the stirred tank reactor (STR) was 1.4-fold higher than that in the shake flask (SF) culture. Analysis of the β-glucan composition by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that the β-glucan of S. carlsbergensis RU01 cultured in MDS medium supplemented with 0.1% w/v tannic acid had a higher proportion of polysaccharide than that of the control. In addition, β-glucans from brewer’s yeast can be used as prebiotic and functional foods for human health and in animal feed.

Seaweeds – a potential source of food, feed and fertiliser

Many communities in the world consume naturally growing and cultivated/ farmed seaweeds as food. Currently, commercial cultivation/farming produces more than 96% of seaweeds in the world and only around 3-4% is obtained from wild harvest (noncultivated). Naturally occurring and cultivated seaweeds are categorized into green, brown and red seaweeds, based on their pigmentation. More than 200 species of seaweeds are of commercial value, but only around 10 species of seaweeds are popularly cultivated. China, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines are the leading producers of cultured/ farmed species (viz. Eucheuma, Japanese kelp, Gracilaria, Unndaria pinnatifid); and Chile, China and Norway for wild species (mainly brown and red) and Chilean kelp. Seaweeds are rich in dietary fiber (polysaccharides), essential amino acids, major and micronutrients (minerals), vitamins etc. It has been reported that some species are a good source of plant growth regulators. Mainly, the people in China, Japan and Korea relish the soups, stews, flakes, coatings, snacks, etc., made from seaweeds. The use of seaweeds as human food in India is not very common. The second major use of seaweeds after food is the extraction of three important hydrocolloids (Agar, Alginate and Carrageenan). These are used as food additives and in many other industrial applications. A small portion of seaweed is used as an ingredient as livestock feed and fish feed. Seaweed meal and liquid extract of seaweed have been tried in conjunction with inorganic fertilizers with beneficial effects on crop yield, quality produce and soil health. Seaweed is an important marine resource and the coastline in India can be utilized to commercially cultivate seaweed species beneficial for human health and plants. Research is required in developing functional foods, health foods and nutraceuticals from seaweeds to improve the health and nutritional status of the human population. This paper briefly describes the status of production and utilization of seaweeds in different parts of the world.

Potentials of Raspberry Ketone as a Natural Antioxidant

Oxidative stress is closely linked to various diseases, and many studies have been conducted to determine how to reduce this stress. In particular, efforts are being made to find potential antioxidants from natural products. Studies have shown that raspberry ketone (RK; 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone) has various pharmacological activities. This review summarizes the antioxidant activities of RK and their underlying mechanisms. In several experimental models, it was proven that RK exhibits antioxidant properties through increasing total antioxidant capacity (TAC); upregulating antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT); and improving lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, research about RK’s antioxidant activities is directly or indirectly related to its other various physiological activities. Further studies at the clinical level will be able to verify the value of RK as an effective antioxidant, functional health food, and therapeutic agent.

Fortification using grape extract polyphenols – a review on functional food regulations

SummaryGrapes are rich sources of polyphenols and widely used in food fortification due to their health‐promoting properties. Previous studies have provided systematic strategies on foods fortified with grape polyphenols; however, until now, very little is known about grape polyphenol market, fortification and their health food regulations. It is, therefore, necessary to make a comprehensive overview of grape extract polyphenols and their fortification in functional foods. Hence, we reviewed the grape polyphenol market, fortification, health food market scenario and functional food regulations. The global grape polyphenol market is expected to rise 946.90 million USD by 2023 with its own trademark as polyphenol‐fortified functional foods. This is ultimately due to acceptability, extensive use, marketing of polyphenol‐fortified functional foods and their favourable food regulations. The future perspective on grape polyphenols research should be focused on extraction of polyphenols from grape waste and their fortification in functional foods.

Free radical scavenging activity of type II collagen peptides and chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides from by-products of mottled skate processing

The by-products of the skate processing industry have bioactive properties but are mostly discarded. In the present study, the properties of skate cartilage, a major by-product of skate processing that is rich in chondroitin sulfate (CS) and type II collagen were investigated. Enzymatically-hydrolyzed type II collagen peptides (CP) and thermally hydrolyzed CS oligosaccharides (CSo) from skate cartilage were prepared and their antioxidant activities were studied. High free radical scavenging activity was observed in the <3 kDa MW fraction of the papain hydrolyzed CP (Pa-CP). CSo also had high free radical scavenging activity, but the activity was mainly due to the intermediate and final products of the non-enzymatic browning reaction resulting from high-temperature hydrolysis. These products may have included flavonoid-like compounds. Furthermore, Pa-CP and CSo were not cytotoxic. Thus, Pa-CP and CSo derived from skate by-products may be beneficial antioxidant ingredients. The present study may contribute to the development of functional health foods and achieving zero-waste skate processing.

Development and Validation of a LC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Nitrofuran Metabolites in Soft-Shell Turtle Powder Health Food Supplement.

Soft-shell turtle (SST; freshwater terrapin or tortoise) is a popular and important health functional food (HFF) product in many Asian countries. HFFs containing SST must be safe, but several HFFs have been found to be contaminated with dangerous substances, such as nitrofuran metabolites (NFMs). This finding suggests that the consumption of HFFs results in the regular exposure of vulnerable individuals to hazardous substances. Importantly, nitrofuran antibiotics have been banned for use in food-producing animals since the 1990s by the European Union. Thus, in this study, we propose a reliable and quick method to reduce the time required for the detection of four NFMs in SST powder that conventional methods are unable to quantify. Our method involves the derivatization and hydrolysis of SST powder and was validated in accordance with the requirements of European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The method achieves an apparent mean recovery of 82.2–108.1%, repeatability of 1.5–3.8%, and reproducibility of 2.2–4.8% for 0.5–10.0 μg kg−1 of 1-aminohydantoin, semicarbazide, 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone, and 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone. In addition, linearity was achieved with correlation coefficients of 0.999, and the detection capability (CCβ) and decision limit (CCα) were found to be reliable, indicating that this is a fast and accurate method for the analysis of SST powder. The validated method was successfully applied to detect NFMs in SST powder in commercial HHFs.

Theanine as a promising agent for health-promotion: a review

With the aging of the population and the growing pressure of social competition, brain-related neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders increasingly affect our quality of life and place a huge burden on health systems around world. L-theanine is a unique non-protein amino acid from tea leave, and now commercially available as a safe food ingredient in the market. This review summarizes the studies on the effects of L-theanine on various mental and brain conditions, including mental stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, poor learning ability and memory, neurodegenerative diseases, and discusses its potential application in functional foods for brain health.

임신부의 건강기능식품 소비실태 및 인식에 관한 기초연구: 충남 일부지역을 중심으로

The purpose of this study was to investigate pregnant women’s consumption and perception of functional foods in Korea. A survey was conducted among 112 pregnant women in Chungcheongnam-do Province and 110 responses were included for final analyses. Results revealed that vitamin D, folic acid, and iron were the most frequently consumed functional foods. Of these respondents, 73.6% had experience in counseling with experts including doctors, pharmacists, and dietitians about functional food intakes. With such counseling experience, pregnant women were more likely to purchase functional foods at hospitals, to take two different kinds of them at the same time, and to spend about 50,000 to 100,000 won each month to purchase them. Those with counseling experience were also more likely to perceive effects of functional foods on diseases, but less likely to worry about their side effects. They tended to take functional foods for fetal health, although they have concerns about the quality and the high price of functional foods. These results could be used for future studies and policy development to promote and support healthy consumption of functional foods among pregnant women.

Choosing Suitable Food Vehicles for Functional Food Products

Globally, there is a growing demand for functional foods that provide health benefits without changing current dietary habits. However, the world is made up of diverse societies that consist of a wide range of individuals from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds associated with different food choices and preferences. Functional foods resemble traditional foods but have been designed and tailored to confer physiological and health benefits that go beyond their nutritional function. Of the seven-step cycle involved in functional food production, choosing a suitable food vehicle as a carrier of the bioactive components is essential. Therefore, this review explored the importance of food vehicles and how they can influence the acceptance of functional foods. Relevant scientific literature was electronically sourced from Google Scholar, Google, PubMed, databases of the Journals of Functional Foods in Health and Disease (JFFHD) and Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease (BCHD) based on their mention or discussion of food choice and preference and food vehicles for food fortification or functional food production. These studies revealed that although functional foods are found virtually in all food categories, they are not homogeneously scattered over all segments of the growing market. Consumer demands and acceptance in terms of consumption patterns, ethnicity, culture, religion, and allergy, amongst others, need to be taken into consideration when choosing appropriate vehicles for functional food development.Keywords: food vehicles, functional foods, food fortification, food choice, food preference, fortification, phytonutrients, bioactive compounds