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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Genetic engineering of plant lipids.

Vegetable oils are a major component of human diets, comprising as much as 25% of average caloric intake. Until recently, it was not possible to exert significant control over the chemical composition of vegetable oils derived from different plants. However, the advent of genetic engineering has provided novel opportunities to tailor the composition of plant-derived lipids so that they are optimized with respect to food functionality and human dietary needs. In order to exploit this new capability, it is essential for food scientists and nutritionists to define the lipid compositions that would be most desirable for various purposes.

Dietary Fats, Unsaturated↗

PubMed2006

Preliminary approaches for the development of a high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection and label-free semi-quantitation of the main storage proteins of Lupinus albus in foods.

Since recent literature has indicated that white lupin (Lupinus albus) may be a useful source of hypocholesterolemic proteins to be used in functional food formulation, our final goal is the development of a fast and automated high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) method for the detection and the label-free semi-quantitation of the main lupin globulins in lupin foods and food ingredients. We present here some preliminary results in this direction. As a first step a total protein extract (TPE-WF) from lupin flakes was pre-fractionated by anion-exchange chromatography and each fraction was digested with trypsin and analyzed by HPLC/ESI-MS/MS. Subsequently, the tryptic digest of TPE-WF was directly analyzed by HPLC/ESI-MS/MS without any pre-fractionation. Eventually, in order to test the applicability of the method to real samples, a lupin beverage and two lupin protein isolates were analyzed. Both Mascot and Spectrum Mill MS Proteomics Workbench software were used to identify the protein composition in these samples and Spectrum Mill was used also to test the possibility of developing a label-free semi-quantitation method based on peptide hits. Encouraging results were obtained especially in the detection of the hypocholesterolemic component beta-conglutin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Survival and therapeutic potential of probiotic organisms with reference to Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp.

The present paper provides an overview on the use of probiotic organisms as live supplements, with particular emphasis on Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. The therapeutic potential of these bacteria in fermented dairy products is dependent on their survival during manufacture and storage. Probiotic bacteria are increasingly used in food and pharmaceutical applications to balance disturbed intestinal microflora and related dysfunction of the human gastrointestinal tract. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. have been reported to be beneficial probiotic organisms that provide excellent therapeutic benefits. The biological activity of probiotic bacteria is due in part to their ability to attach to enterocytes. This inhibits the binding of enteric pathogens by a process of competitive exclusion. Attachment of probiotic bacteria to cell surface receptors of enterocytes also initiates signalling events that result in the synthesis of cytokines. Probiotic bacteria also exert an influence on commensal micro-organisms by the production of lactic acid and bacteriocins. These substances inhibit growth of pathogens and also alter the ecological balance of enteric commensals. Production of butyric acid by some probiotic bacteria affects the turnover of enterocytes and neutralizes the activity of dietary carcinogens, such as nitrosamines, that are generated by the metabolic activity of commensal bacteria in subjects consuming a high-protein diet. Therefore, inclusion of probiotic bacteria in fermented dairy products enhances their value as better therapeutic functional foods. However, insufficient viability and survival of these bacteria remain a problem in commercial food products. By selecting better functional probiotic strains and adopting improved methods to enhance survival, including the use of appropriate prebiotics and the optimal combination of probiotics and prebiotics (synbiotics), an increased delivery of viable bacteria in fermented products to the consumers can be achieved.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed2003

High cell density cultivation of probiotics and lactic acid production.

The commercial interest in functional foods that contain live microorganisms, also named probiotics, is paralleled by the increasing scientific attention to their functionality in the digestive tract. This is especially true of yogurts that contain strains of lactic-acid bacteria of intestinal origin, among these, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus is extensively used in the dairy industry and it has been demonstrated to be a probiotic strain. In this work we describe high cell density cultivations of this microorganism also focusing on the stereospecific production of lactic acid. Key parameters such as medium composition (bactocasitone concentration) and diverse aeration conditions were explored. The results showed that the final concentration of biomass in anaerobic fermentation was lower than the one obtained in microaerophilic conditions, while it gave a very high productivity of lactic acid which was present as a racemic mixture in the permeate. Fermentation experiments carried out with air sparging, even at very low flow-rate, led to the production of the sole L(+) lactic acid giving sevenfold increase in biomass yield in respect to the batch cultivation. Finally, a mathematical model was developed to describe the microfiltration bioprocess applied in this research considering an inhibition kinetic and enucleating a suitable mathematical description for the decrease of the transmembrane flux.

Bioreactors↗

PubMed2002

Ground scratching and preferred leg use in domestic chicks: changes in motor control in the first two weeks post-hatching.

Lateralisation of a variety of visual functions: food discrimination, fear response, copulation, and performance of topographical and other tasks, such as olfactory and auditory functions, have been described in the domestic chick, Gallus gallus domesticus. A bias to left hemisphere control on day 8 and to the right on day 11 has also been demonstrated in the domestic chick. In this study we show that motor control as to foot preference in initiating a scratching bout and a tape-removing task is lateralised in both adults and chicks. There was a preference for the right leg to initiate a bout of ground scratching in both male and female adult birds. Second, foot preference is also affected by the changes in shifts of bias on day 8 and day 11. The right leg preference in initiating a ground scratching bout observed on day 5 is reversed to a left leg preference on day 8. This then reverts to the right leg preference after day 11. Hence it is postulated that the hemisphere that is not activated due to the bias of age controls the first leg to be used in initiating routine movements such as ground scratching. For the tape-removing task the right leg was used to remove a tape adhered to the beak of the chick for the trained group on day 8; but there was no preference in the naive group. Similarly, on day 11 a left foot bias was observed for the trained group and right foot bias for the naive group. To remove a tape the activated hemisphere on days of bias is used; whereas in a novel situation the foot use is reversed. Thus, footedness is affected by age, type of task, and changing hemispheric dominance.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Health foods: definitions, status, public health. Round table no. 4. XV].

'Alicaments' ('ali' for 'aliment' = 'food' in French, and 'cament' for medicament = drug), is an inappropriate term to designate a developing domain: functional foods, in other words health claims in nutrition. It is not easy to delineate the frontier between foods and drugs; this results in some regulatory problems. The key question is the evaluation of health claims. In this report, we synthesize the discussions of a workshop bringing together specialists from the food industry and nutritionists, scientists and representatives of public health departments.

Dietary Supplements↗

PubMed2000

Buckwheat allergy and reports on asthma and atopic disorders in Taiyuan City, Northern China.

Allergy to common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) has been reported from Europe and Japan, and a 24 kDa globulin protein has been identified as one of the major allergens. In China also another type, tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tartaricum) is grown and consumed. Three groups of individuals in Shanxi province, China, were investigated for buckwheat allergy using skin prick test. The groups were: agricultural researchers with occupational exposure to buckwheat (N = 16); workers in a food industry producing buckwheat noodles (N = 25), and patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease consuming buckwheat as functional food (N = 20). Information on atopic disorders and adverse food reactions were collected by a doctors-administered questionnaire. One male industrial worker had a positive skin prick test to buckwheat, but no symptoms while eating or handling buckwheat products. In total, 34% consumed buckwheat food at least every week, and 23% had a weekly consumption of tartary buckwheat. The prevalence of doctor's diagnosed asthma was low (1.6%). Four subjects (6.6%) reported a history of allergic rhinitis, with allergy to cedar pollen, carnation and peach.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Methods for the detection of antioxidants which prevent age related diseases: a critical review with particular emphasis on human intervention studies.

It is well documented that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the aetiology of age related diseases. Over the last decades, strong efforts have been made to identify antioxidants in human foods and numerous promising compounds have been detected which are used for the production of supplements and functional foods. The present paper describes the advantages and limitations of methods which are currently used for the identification of antioxidants. Numerous in vitro methods are available which are easy to perform and largely used in screening trials. However, the results of such tests are only partly relevant for humans as certain active compounds (e.g. those with large molecular configuration) are only poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and/or may undergo metabolic degradation. Therefore experimental models are required which provide information if protective effects take place in humans under realistic conditions. Over the last years, several methods have been developed which are increasingly used in human intervention trials. The most widely used techniques are chemical determinations of oxidised guanosine in peripheral blood cells or urine and single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assays with lymphocytes which are based on the measurement of DNA migration in an electric field. By using of DNA-restriction enzymes (formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase and endonuclease III) it is possible to monitor the endogenous formation of oxidised purines and pyrimidines; recently also protocols have been developed which enable to monitor alterations in the repair of oxidised DNA. Alternatively, also the frequency of micronucleated cells can be monitored with the cytokinesis block method in peripheral human blood cells before and after intervention with putative antioxidants. To obtain information on alterations of the sensitivity towards oxidative damage, the cells can be treated ex vivo with ROS (H(2)O(2) exposure, radiation). The evaluation of currently available human studies shows that in approximately half of them protective effects of dietary factors towards oxidative DNA-damage were observed. Earlier studies focused predominantly on the effects of vitamins (A, C, E) and carotenoids, more recently also the effects of fruit juices (from grapes, kiwi) and beverages (soy milk, tea, coffee), vegetables (tomato products, berries, Brussels sprouts) and other components of the human diet (coenzyme Q(10), polyunsaturated fatty acids) were investigated. On the basis of the results of these studies it was possible to identify dietary compounds which are highly active (e.g. gallic acid). At present, strong efforts are made to elucidate whether the different parameters of oxidative DNA-damage correlates with life span, cancer and other age related diseases. The new techniques are highly useful tools which provide valuable information if dietary components cause antioxidant effects in humans and can be used to identify individual protective compounds and also to develop nutritional strategies to reduce the adverse health effects of ROS.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

PubMed2003

Glycaemic index of different coconut (Cocos nucifera)-flour products in normal and diabetic subjects.

The glycaemic index (GI) of commonly consumed bakery products supplemented with increasing levels of coconut (Cocos nucifera) flour was determined in ten normal and ten diabetic subjects. Using a randomized crossover design, the control and test foods were fed in random order on separate occasions after an overnight fast. Blood samples were collected through finger prick before and after feeding and were analysed for glucose levels using a clinical chemistry analyser. The significantly low-GI (<60) foods investigated were: macaroons (GI 45.7 (sem 3.0)) and carrot cake (GI 51.8 (sem 3.3)), with 200-250 g coconut flour/kg (P<0.05). The test foods with 150 g coconut flour/kg had GI ranging from 61.3 to 71.4. Among the test foods, pan de sal (GI 87.2 (sem 5.5)) and multigrain loaf (GI 85.2 (sem 6.8)) gave significantly higher GI with 50 and 100 g coconut flour/kg respectively (P<0.05). On the other hand, granola bar and cinnamon bread with 50 and 100 g coconut flour/kg respectively gave a GI ranging from 62.7 to 71.6 and did not differ significantly from the test foods with 150 g coconut flour/kg (P<0.05). A very strong negative correlation (r -0.85, n 11, P<0.005) was observed between the GI and dietary fibre content of the test foods supplemented with coconut flour. In conclusion, the GI of coconut flour-supplemented foods decreased with increasing levels of coconut flour and this may be due to its high dietary fibre content. The results of the present study may form a scientific basis for the development of coconut flour as a functional food. However, the fat content of coconut flour-supplemented food should always be considered to optimize the functionality of coconut fibre in the proper control and management of diabetes mellitus.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Modifying milk fat composition of dairy cows to enhance fatty acids beneficial to human health.

There is increased consumer awareness that foods contain microcomponents that may have beneficial effects on health maintenance and disease prevention. In milk fat these functional food components include EPA, DHA, and CLA. The opportunity to enhance the content of these FA in milk has improved as a result of recent advances that have better defined the interrelationships between rumen fermentation, lipid metabolism, and milk fat synthesis. Dietary lipids undergo extensive hydrolysis and biohydrogenation in the rumen. Milk fat is predominantly TG, and de novo FA synthesis and the uptake of circulating FA contribute nearly equal amounts (molar basis) to the FA in milk fat. Transfer of dietary EPA and DHA to milk fat is very low (<4%); this is, to a large extent, related to their extensive biohydrogenation in the rumen, and also partly due to the fact that they are not transported in the plasma lipid fractions that serve as major mammary sources of FA uptake (TG and nonesterified FA). Milk contains over 20 isomers of CLA but the predominant one is cis-9,trans-11 (75-90% of total CLA). Biomedical studies with animal models have shown that this isomer has anticarcinogenic and anti-atherogenic activities. cis-9,trans-11-CLA is produced as an intermediate in the rumen biohydrogenation of linoleic acid but not of linolenic acid. However, it is only a transient intermediate, and the major source of milk fat CLA is from endogenous synthesis. Vaccenic acid, produced as a rumen biohydrogenation intermediate from both linoleic acid and linolenic acid, is the substrate, and delta9-desaturase in the mammary gland and other tissues catalyzes the reaction. Diet can markedly affect milk fat CLA content, and there are also substantial differences among individual cows. Thus, strategies to enhance milk fat CLA involve increasing rumen outflow of vaccenic acid and increasing delta9-desaturase activity, and through these, several-fold increases in the content of CLA in milk fat can be routinely achieved. Overall, concentrations of CLA, and to a lesser extent EPA and DHA, can be significantly enhanced through the use of diet formulation and nutritional management of dairy cows.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Prophylactic and therapeutic uses of probiotics: a review.

Probiotics, live microbial food supplements that beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, are quickly gaining interest as functional foods in the current era of self-care and complementary medicine. Microbes have been used for years in food and alcoholic fermentations and relatively recently have undergone scientific scrutiny to examine their purported health benefits. Some of the claims for which research supports a beneficial effect of probiotic consumption include: improving intestinal tract health, enhancing the immune system, synthesizing and enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients, reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance, decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals, and reducing risk of certain cancers. The mechanisms by which probiotics exert their effects are largely unknown, but may involve modifying gut pH, antagonizing pathogens through production of antimicrobial and antibacterial compounds, competing for pathogen binding and receptor sites as well as for available nutrients and growth factors, stimulating immunomodulatory cells, and producing lactase. Selection criteria, efficacy, food and supplement sources and safety issues around probiotics are reviewed. Nutrition professionals can provide a tremendous service by helping clients overcome negative perceptions of all bacteria and, when appropriate, by developing individualized dietary plans to take advantage of the benefits probiotics may confer.

Bifidobacterium↗

PubMed2002

Probiotics: potential pharmaceutical applications.

Realisation of the importance of human gut microbiota in health restoration and maintenance has kindled an interest in probiotics. Probiotics are defined as the microbial food supplements, which beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance. Probiotics are the health enhancing functional food ingredients used therapeutically to prevent diarrhea, improve lactose tolerance and modulate immunity. They may also have potential to prevent cancer and lower serum cholesterol levels. Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and several other microbial species are perceived to exert such effects by changing the composition of the gut microbiota. However, it is important that exogenously administered bacteria reach and establish themselves in the large intestine in an intact form. The use of non-digestible oligosaccharides ('prebiotics') can fortify intestinal microflora and stimulate their growth. The present review encompasses information regarding the probiotics and their proposed uses. It addresses the concepts of prebiotics and synbiotics, the application of genetic engineering to produce newer probiotics. Finally, the list of commercially available products are reviewed with discussion of questions regarding the reliability, utility and the safety of these products.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Folic acid - vitamin and panacea or genetic time bomb?

We live in a health-conscious age - many of us supplement our diet with essential micronutrients through the discretionary use of multivitamin pills or judicious selection of foods that have a health benefit beyond that conferred by the nutrient content alone - the so-called 'functional foods'. Indeed, the citizens of some nations have little choice, with a mandatory fortification policy in place for certain vitamins. But do we ever stop to consider the consequences of an increased exposure to micronutrients? We examine this issue in relation to the B-group vitamin folic acid, and ask whether supplementation with this vitamin could introduce a strong genetic selection pressure - one that has the side effect of increasing the prevalence of some of the most significant, human life-threatening diseases. Are we affecting our genetics - is this a case of human evolution in progress by altering our diet?

Dietary Supplements↗

PubMed2005

Challenges in the addition of probiotic cultures to foods.

Probiotic cultures are increasingly being added to foods in order to develop products with health-promoting properties. Although the literature is abundant on the beneficial effects of bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus acidophilus on health, little information is available on the challenges industry faces in adding these probiotic cultures to food products. The aim of this article is to examine seven issues that should be addressed when developing functional foods: 1) type or form of probiotic that should be used; 2) addition level required to have a beneficial effect; 3) toxicity; 4) effect of the processing steps on viability; 5) determination, in the product, of the cell populations added; 6) stability during storage; 7) changes in sensory properties of the foods.

Bacterial Physiological Phenomena↗

PubMed2000

Bitter taste, phytonutrients, and the consumer: a review.

Dietary phytonutrients found in vegetables and fruit appear to lower the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Studies on the mechanisms of chemoprotection have focused on the biological activity of plant-based phenols and polyphenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, terpenes, and glucosinolates. Enhancing the phytonutrient content of plant foods through selective breeding or genetic improvement is a potent dietary option for disease prevention. However, most, if not all, of these bioactive compounds are bitter, acrid, or astringent and therefore aversive to the consumer. Some have long been viewed as plant-based toxins. As a result, the food industry routinely removes these compounds from plant foods through selective breeding and a variety of debittering processes. This poses a dilemma for the designers of functional foods because increasing the content of bitter phytonutrients for health may be wholly incompatible with consumer acceptance. Studies on phytonutrients and health ought to take sensory factors and food preferences into account.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed2005

Biochemical properties of peptides encrypted in bovine milk proteins.

Milk proteins are precursors of many different biologically active peptides. These peptides are inactive within the protein sequence, requiring enzymatic proteolysis for release of the bioactive fragment from the proteins precursor. It is evident that activated peptides originating from milk proteins should be taken into account as potential modulators of various regulatory processes in the body. Activated peptides are potential modulators of various regulatory processes in the living system: immuno-modulatory peptides stimulate the activities of cells of the immune system and several cytomodulatory peptides inhibit cancer cell growth, antimicrobial peptides kill sensitive microorganisms, angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides exert an hypotensive effect, opioid peptides are opioid receptor ligands which can modulate absorption processes in the intestinal tract, mineral binding peptides may function as carriers for different minerals, especially calcium, antithrombotic peptides inhibit fibrinogen binding to a specific receptor region on the platelet surface and inhibit aggregation of platelets. Moreover, many milk-derived peptides reveal multifunctional properties, i.e. specific peptide sequences having two or more different biological activities have been reported. Bioactive peptides can interact with target sites (e.g. receptors, enzymes) at the luminal side of the intestinal tract, or they could be absorbed and reach any potential site of action in the system to elicit physiological effects. Bioactive peptides encrypted in bovine milk proteins can be produced on an industrial-scale and are claimed to be health enhancing components for functional foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations that are used to reduce risk of disease or to enhance certain physiological functions.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

PubMed2003

Antioxidant isoflavones in Osage orange, Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid.

Recent findings that many human chronic diseases are associated with oxidative stresses have instigated the search for dietary antioxidants. Many phytochemicals, particularly phenolic compounds, have been found to possess strong antioxidant activity and reduce the risks of those diseases. Isoflavones, a special phenolic group found in soybean, have been found to act as antioxidants in some model systems. This study investigated the isoflavone content in a unique nonedible tree fruit, Osage orange [Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid], and methods for the extraction, identification, and quantification of the two major isoflavones, osajin and pomiferin, were developed. The ethyl acetate extract contained 25.7% osajin and 36.2% pomiferin, and the two isoflavones were at 9.5 g kg(-1) of fresh Osage orange. Two model systems, FRAP and beta-CLAMS, were used to measure the antioxidant activity of these two isoflavones. Pomiferin was found to be a strong antioxidant in both systems, comparable to the antioxidant vitamins C and E and the synthetic antioxidant BHT. Osajin and the two soybean isoflavones (genistein and daidzein) showed no antioxidant activity. Although the Osage orange fruit is not a food source, it is considered to be safe and, therefore, a potentially good source of an antioxidant nutraceutical and functional food ingredient.

Acrolein↗

PubMed1988

The subjective experience of mastication in subjects with shortened dental arches.

In this study the perception of chewing is investigated in forty-three subjects with a shortened dental arch (SDA) by means of an interview. A group of fifty-four subjects with a complete dentition was used as a control group. The aim was: (i) do subjects with a SDA have a higher risk of chewing problems, and (ii) do they have different food perception and food selection leading to change in their diet? The results show that for subjects with a SDA the chewing function, food perception, food selection and actual food consumption are hindered within an acceptable degree.

Adult↗