Docosahexaenoic acid-loaded nanoparticles: A state-of-the-art of preparation methods, characterization, functionality, and therapeutic applications.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, offers several beneficial effects. DHA helps in reducing depression, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. It can stimulate the development of brain and nerve, alleviate lipids metabolism-related disorders, and enhance vision development. However, DHA susceptibility to chemical oxidation, poor water solubility, and unpleasant order could restrict its applications for nutritional and therapeutic purposes. To avoid these drawbacks and enhance its bioavailability, DHA can be encapsulated using an effective delivery system. Several encapsulation methods are recognized, and DHA-loaded nanoparticles have demonstrated numerous benefits. In clinical studies, positive influences on the development of several diseases have been reported, but some assumptions are conflicting and need more exploration, since DHA has a systemic and not a targeted release at the required level. This might cause the applications of nanoparticles that could allow DHA release at the required level and improve its efficiency, thus resulting in a better controlling of several diseases. In the current review, we focused on researches investigating the formulation and development of DHA-loaded nanoparticles using different delivery systems, including low-density lipoprotein, zinc oxide, silver, zein, and resveratrol-stearate. Silver-DHA nanoparticles presented a typical particle size of 24 nm with an incorporation level of 97.67 %, while the entrapment efficiency of zinc oxide-DHA nanoparticles represented 87.3 %. By using zein/Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) stabilized nanoparticles, DHA's encapsulation level reached 84.6 %. We have also highlighted the characteristics, functionality and medical implementation of these nanoparticles in the treatment of inflammations, brain disorders, diabetes as well as hepatocellular carcinoma.

Exopolysaccharides from Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus thermophilus: Bioactivities, gut microbiome effects, and fermented milk rheology.

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are carbohydrate polymers that can be produced from probiotic bacteria. This study characterized the EPSs from Enterococcus faecium (EPS-LB13) and Streptococcus thermophilus (EPS-MLB10) and evaluated their biological and technological potential. The EPSs had high molecular weight and different monosaccharide compositions. The EPSs exhibited various biological activities at 250 mg/L, such as scavenging free radicals (10 % to 88.8 %), enhancing antioxidant capacity (714 to 2848 µg/mL), inhibiting pathogens (53 % to 74 %), and suppressing enzymes and cancer cells (2 % to 83 %), etc. The EPSs supported the growth of beneficial gut bacteria from Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Acinetobacter in fecal fermentation with total Short-chain fatty acids production from 5548 to 6023 PPM. Moreover, the EPSs reduced the gelation time of fermented skimmed bovine milk by more than half. These results suggest that the EPSs from LB13 and MLB10 have promising applications in the dairy and pharmaceutical industries.

Properties of low-fat Cheddar cheese prepared from bovine-camel milk blends: Chemical composition, microstructure, rheology, and volatile compounds.

Making cheese from camel milk (CM) presents various challenges due to its different physicochemical properties compared with bovine milk (BM). In this study, we investigated the chemical composition, proteolysis, meltability, oiling off, texture profile, color, microstructure, and rheological properties of low-fat Cheddar cheese (LFCC) prepared from BM-CM blends. LFCC was produced from BM or BM supplemented with 15% CM (CM15) and 30% CM (CM30), and analyzed after 14, 60, 120, and 180 d of ripening at 8°C. Except for salt content, no significant differences were observed among LFCC from BM, CM15, and CM30. The addition of CM increased the meltability and oiling off in the resulting cheese throughout storage. With respect to color properties, after melting, LFCC CM30 showed lower L* values than LFCC made from BM and CM15, and a* and b* values were higher than those of BM and CM15 samples. LFCC from CM30 also exhibited lower hardness compared with the other cheeses. Moreover, LFCC made from BM showed a rough granular surface, but cheese samples made from BM-CM blends exhibited a smooth surface. The rheological parameters, including storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent, varied among cheese treatments. The determined acetoin and short-chain volatile acids (C2-C6) in LFCC were affected by the use of CM, because CM15 showed significantly higher amounts than BM and CM30, respectively. The detailed interactions between BM and CM in the cheese matrix should be further investigated.

Invited review: Camel milk and gut health-Understanding digestibility and the effect on gut microbiota.

Camel milk (CM), known for its immune-regulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antidiabetic properties, is a natural healthy food. It is easily digestible due to the high levels of ß-casein and diverse secreted antibodies, exhibiting superior antibacterial and antiviral activities compared with bovine milk. ß-casein is less allergic and more digestible because it is more susceptible to digestive hydrolysis in the gut; therefore, higher levels of ß-casein make CM advantageous for human health. Furthermore, antibodies help the digestive system by destroying the antigens, which are then overwhelmed and digested by macrophages. The connection between the gut microbiota and human health has gained substantial research attention, as it offers potential benefits and supports disease treatment. The gut microbiota has a vital role in regulating the host's health because it helps in several biological functions, such as protection against pathogens, immune function regulation, energy harvesting from digested foods, and reinforcement of digestive tract biochemical barriers. These functions could be affected by the changes in the gut microbiota profile, and gut microbiota differences are associated with several diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel disorder, mental illness, allergy, and obesity. This review focuses on the digestibility of CM components, particularly protein and fat, and their influence on gut microbiota modulation. Notably, the hypoallergenic properties and small fat globules of CM contribute to its enhanced digestibility. Considering the rapid digestion of its proteins under conditions simulating infant gastrointestinal digestion, CM exhibits promise as a potential alternative for infant formula preparation due to the high ß-/αs-casein ratio and protective proteins, in addition to the absence of ß-lactoglobulin.

Microencapsulation of Bifidobacterium bifidum F-35 via modulation of emulsifying technique and its mechanical effects on the rheological stability of set-yogurt.

Microencapsulation of B. bifidum F-35 was carried out through emulsification technique in order to increase the microbial load while maintaining the rheological functions of set-yogurt. To produce single-layer (SL) microcapsules of whey protein, the pH was adjusted to 6.4 within Transglutaminase-induced gelation. Sodium alginate was processed as the external layer using calcium-induced gelation (pH 5.5) to produce the double-layer (DL) microcapsule. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that SL and DL microcapsules had sizes of 10 and 280 µm, respectively. The highest microbial load was clearly visible in the DL sample. According to texture profile analysis, the DL sample had the highest levels of gumminess, chewiness, and adhesiveness. The free sample outperformed the encapsulated samples in terms of springiness and cohesiveness. Although the SL sample had the highest viscosity, it produced a deformed gel when firmness was measured. In terms of firmness, the DL sample performed quite well. The viability of encapsulated B. bifidum F-35 in DL was higher than SL microcapsules during storage. Microencapsulation of B. bifidum F-35 with whey protein and sodium alginate is a promising technique that could improve the rheological properties of set-yogurt as a popular vehicle for bioactive ingredients.

Structural characterization, biofunctionality, and environmental factors impacting rheological properties of exopolysaccharide produced by probiotic Lactococcus lactis C15.

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) possess distinctive rheological and physicochemical properties and innovative functionality. This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical, bioactive, and rheological properties of an EPS secreted by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis C15. EPS-C15 was found to have an average molecular weight of 8.8 × 105 Da and was identified as a hetero-EPS composed of arabinose, xylose, mannose, and glucose with a molar ratio of 2.0:2.7:1.0:21.3, respectively. The particle size and zeta potential represented 311.2 nm and - 12.44 mV, respectively. FITR exhibited that EPS-C15 possessed a typical polysaccharide structure. NMR displayed that EPS-C15 structure is → 3)α-d-Glcvi (1 → 3)α-d-Xylv (1 → 6)α-d-Glciv(1 → 4)α-d-Glc(1 → 3)ß-d-Man(1 → 2)α-d-Glci(1 → . EPS-C15 scavenged DPPH and ABTS free radicals with 50.3% and 46.4% capacities, respectively. Results show that the antiproliferative activities of EPS-C15 revealed inhibitions of 49.7% and 88.1% against MCF-7 and Caco-2 cells, respectively. EPS-C15 has antibacterial properties that inhibited Staphylococcus aureus (29.45%), Salmonella typhimurium (29.83%), Listeria monocytogenes (30.33%), and E. coli O157:H7 (33.57%). The viscosity of EPS-C15 decreased as the shear rate increased. The rheological properties of the EPS-C15 were affected by changes in pH levels and the addition of salts. EPS-C15 is a promising biomaterial that has potential applications in various industries, such as food, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.

Effect of whey protein isolate addition on set-type camel milk yogurt: Rheological properties and biological activities of the bioaccessible fraction.

The manufacture of camel milk (CM) yogurt has been associated with several challenges, such as the weak structure and watery texture, thereby decreasing its acceptability. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of whey protein isolate (WPI) addition on the health-promoting benefits, texture profile, and rheological properties of CM yogurt after 1 and 15 d of storage. Yogurt was prepared from CM supplemented with 0, 3, and 5% of WPI and compared with bovine milk yogurt. The results show that the water holding capacity was affected by WPI addition representing 31.3%, 56.8%, 64.7%, and 45.1% for yogurt from CM containing 0, 3 or 5% WPI, and bovine milk yogurt, respectively, after 15 d. The addition of WPI increased yogurt hardness, adhesiveness, and decreased the resilience. CM yogurt without WPI showed lower apparent viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus values compared with other samples. The supplementation of CM with WPI improved the rheological properties of the obtained yogurt. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of yogurt before and after in vitro digestion varied among yogurt treatments, which significantly increased after digestion except the superoxide anion scavenging and lipid oxidation inhibition. After in vitro digestion at d 1, the superoxide anion scavenging of the 4 yogurt treatments respectively decreased from 83.7%, 83.0%, 79.1%, and 87.4% to 36.7%, 38.3%, 44.6%, and 41.3%. The inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, cholesterol removal, and degree of hydrolysis exhibited different values before and after in vitro digestion.

Fermented camel milk influenced by soy extract: Apparent viscosity, viscoelastic properties, thixotropic behavior, and biological activities.

During fermentation, camel milk forms a fragile, acid-induced gel, which is less stable compared with the gel formed by bovine milk. In this study, camel milk was supplemented with different levels of soy extract, and the obtained blends were fermented with 2 different starter culture strains (a high acidic culture and a low acidic culture). The camel milk-soy extract yogurt treatments were evaluated for pH value, acidity, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacities, degree of hydrolysis, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, antiproliferative activities, and rheological properties after 1 and 21 d of storage at 4°C. The results revealed that some of the investigated parameters were significantly affected by the starter culture strain and storage period. For instance, the effect of starter cultures was evident for the degree of hydrolysis, antioxidant capacities, proliferation inhibition, and rheological properties because these treatments led to different responses. Furthermore, the characteristics of camel milk-soy extract yogurt were also influenced by the supplementation level of soy extract, particularly after 21 d of storage. This study could provide valuable knowledge to the dairy industry because it highlighted the characteristics of camel milk-soy yogurt prepared with 2 different starter culture strains.

Physicochemical, rheological, and bioactive properties of exopolysaccharide produced by a potential probiotic Enterococcus faecalis 84B.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) have attracted a great interest due to their potential health-promoting properties and industrial applications. This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical, rheological, and biological properties of an EPS produced by a potential probiotic strain Enterococcus faecalis 84B. The results show that the extracted EPS, designated EPS-84B, had an average molecular weight of 604.8 kDa, particles size diameter of 322.0 nm, and mainly composed of arabinose and glucose with a molar ratio of 1:2. Furthermore, EPS-84B exhibited a shear-thinning behavior and had a high melting point. The rheological properties of EPS-84B were strongly influenced by the type of salt than by the pH value. EPS-84B displayed ideal viscoelastic properties, with both viscous and storage moduli increasing with frequency. The antioxidant activity of EPS-84B at a concentration of 5 mg/mL was 81.1 % against DPPH and 35.2 % against ABTS. At 5 mg/mL, the antitumor activity of EPS-84B against Caco-2 and MCF-7 cell lines was 74.6 and 38.6 %, respectively. In addition, the antidiabetic activity of EPS-84B towards α-amylase and α-glucosidase was 89.6 and 90.0 %, respectively at 100 µg/mL. The inhibition of foodborne pathogens by EPS-84B was up to 32.6 %. Overall, EPS-84B has promising properties that could be utilized in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Dietary Sphingomyelin Metabolism and Roles in Gut Health and Cognitive Development.

Sphingomyelin (SM) is a widely occurring sphingolipid that is a major plasma membrane constituent. Milk and dairy products are rich SM sources, and human milk has high SM content. Numerous studies have evaluated the roles of SM in maintaining cell membrane structure and cellular signal transduction. There has been a growing interest in exploring the role of dietary SM, especially from human milk, in imparting health benefits. This review focuses on recent publications regarding SM content in several dietary sources and dietary SM metabolism. SM digestion and absorption are slow and incomplete and mainly occur in the middle sections of the small intestine. This review also evaluates the effect of dietary SM on gut health and cognitive development. Studies indicate that SM may promote gut health by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption in adults. However, there has been a lack of data supporting clinical trials. An association between milk SM and neural development is evident before childhood. Hence, additional studies and well-designed randomized controlled trials that incorporate dietary SM evaluation, SM metabolism, and its long-term functions on infants and children are required.

Chemical and molecular examinations of some cowpea genotypes using simple sequence repeat and intersimple sequence repeat DNA markers in relation to their cooking quality.

Cowpea is a leguminous crop that has received widespread attention due to its high nutritional value. However, it is prone to losing some of its nutritional content due to the long cooking process. In this study, fourteen cowpea genotypes were evaluated for their chemical properties before and after cooking, along with the effect of different cooking treatments on the cooking time, considered as the main indicator of the cooking quality. Moreover, the correlation between molecular markers (simple sequence repeat (SSR) and intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR)) and the cooking time of cowpea genotypes was determined. The obtained results showed significant differences between all the investigated genotypes before and after the cooking procedure, reflecting significant genotypic and heritability estimates. Kareem 7 and Greenish Black Balady genotypes showed the shortest cooking time. Microwave's treatment manifested the shortest cooking time compared with the other treatments, which appeared as a new approach to improve the cooking quality of cowpea seeds. Spearman's rank correlation showed that the calculated values were smaller than the tabulated value at 0.05, reflecting the existence of a rank correlation between SSR/ISSR-PCR banding products and the cooking time of cowpea genotypes. Such a study appeared to be a new approach, particularly in Egypt for the proper selection of the optimal cowpea seed on the basis of its cooking quality.

Structural and physicochemical characteristics of lyophilized Chinese sturgeon protein hydrolysates prepared by using two different enzymes.

The structural and physicochemical characteristics of protein hydrolysates prepared from Chinese sturgeon through the enzymatic hydrolysis process were evaluated. Two different enzymes including papain and alcalase 2.4L were used in the hydrolysis process. The papain enzyme significantly increased the degree of hydrolysis (20.62%) and decreased the ζ-potential (12.4 ± 1.31 mV) as compared to the alcalase enzyme, which represented 15.55% and 15.53 ± 0.77 mV, respectively. Alcalase 2.4L hydrolysate exhibited smaller particle size (822.047 ± 61.26 nm) than papain hydrolysate (1425.39 ± 44.82 nm). Hydrolysis by papain and alcalase 2.4L enzymes decreased the molecular weights (MW ≤ 1,000 Da) to 98.27% and 86.84%, respectively. The surface hydrophobicity and turbidity of the hydrolysates significantly affected by enzyme type and protein concentrations. By using the X-ray diffraction analysis, the papain hydrolysate showed a higher relative crystallinity degree (30.33%) than alcalase 2.4L hydrolysate (29.40%), whereas the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed more clearly peaks for the amide bands of alcalase hydrolysate. The thermal properties also affected by enzymatic hydrolysis conditions, since the melting temperatures were 159.17 and 149.58 °C, whereas the rate of mass loss was 67.04% and 62.8%, for papain and alcalase hydrolysates, respectively. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The enzymatic hydrolysis process of proteins is employed to obtain the nutritionally and functionality important peptides that result during the preparation of fish protein hydrolysate. The objective of this study was to investigate the structural and physicochemical characteristics of protein hydrolysate prepared from Chinese sturgeon. This study showed that these characteristics were affected by enzymatic hydrolysis conditions especially enzyme type. The finding of this study may be useful in terms of providing new information on the properties of the protein hydrolysate and the structural changes resulting from controlled enzymatic hydrolysis conditions. Overall, these conditions could potentially alter the secondary structure of the protein hydrolysates or peptides and enhance their functional properties.

Effects of ultrasonic, microwave, and combined ultrasonic-microwave pretreatments on the enzymatic hydrolysis process and protein hydrolysate properties obtained from Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).

Degree of hydrolysis (DH), yield, amino acid profile, protein solubility, and antioxidant activity of Chinese sturgeon protein hydrolysates, as influenced by thermal pretreatment, ultrasonic (US), microwave (MW), and combined US-microwave pretreatments were investigated. Initially, the samples were subjected to thermal pretreatments in order to measure their effect on DH, which increased at 55°C. The DH recorded 7.63, 5.55, and 6.02% for US, MW, and combined US-MW pretreatment (US + MW), respectively, at the optimal time (8 min). The enzymatic hydrolysis (EN) of pretreated samples increased the DH to 19.41, 14.18, and 16.91% for US + EN, MW + EN, and US + MW + EN, respectively. The US + EN treatment was most effective for obtaining higher DH and yield, which were 19.41% and 18.62%, respectively. The use of US + EN also resulted in an increase in the percentage of molecular weights (≤1,000 Da), amino acid content and protein solubility, which reached 89.24, 80.08, and 98.58%, respectively. While, US + MW + EN pretreatment has achieved the highest antioxidant activities by IC50 of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-Azinobis (3-ehtylbenzothiazoli- 6-sulfnic acid), which were 3.01 and 1.85 mg/ml, respectively, in addition to the reducing power assay, which was 0.528 at a protein concentration of 5 mg/ml. Therefore, US and combined US-MW techniques can play a promising role in the production of protein hydrolysates and the improvement of their antioxidant properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Nowadays, interest in Chinese sturgeon production has increased as a promising source of protein and antioxidant peptides. The optimal thermal pretreatment can be used to enhance the degree of hydrolysis. The results indicated that the use of ultrasound as a pretreatment enhanced the degree of hydrolysis, which could be useful in the preparation of protein hydrolysate with higher yields. The use of combined US-MW significantly improved the antioxidant properties of the protein hydrolysate. The combined US-MW technique is a novel method for obtaining valuable peptides and protein hydrolysates that can be applied as antioxidant constituents in the food products.

Proximate composition, nutritional evaluation and functional properties of a promising food: Arabian wax Cissus (Cissus rotundifolia Forssk) leaves.

Cissus rotundifolia is a wild plant, extensively used during scarcity and famine; however, the information about its chemical and nutritional properties still limited. In this work, C. rotundifolia was evaluated for its chemical, nutritional and functional properties. The results revealed that C. rotundifolia mainly contained carbohydrates (72.54%), proteins (12.16%), ash (12.53%), dietary fiber (14.10%), in addition to adequate amounts of essential amino acids and minerals. Fructose, glucose, galactose, and arabinose were the major monosaccharides with a percentage of 23.32, 13.60, 1.24, and 0.25 g/100 g DW, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that C. rotundifolia contained important vitamins, including thiamin (5.37 mg/100 g DW), riboflavin (1.19 mg/100 g DW), pyridoxine (0.46 mg/100 g DW) and folic acid (0.20 mg/100 g DW). The findings of functional properties revealed good water and oil absorption capacities of 2.74 and 1.63 g/g, respectively. Foaming capacity and water solubility index were 14 and 18.74%, respectively. From these results, it can be stated that C. rotundifolia has high nutritional values, which could be used widely in food applications.

Spray-dried novel structured lipids enriched with medium-and long-chain triacylglycerols encapsulated with different wall materials: Characterization and stability.

Novel structured lipids (SLs) enriched with medium-and long-chain triacylglycerols (MLCTs) were synthesized to combine the benefits of both arachidonic acid and medium-chain fatty acids; however, they are susceptible to oxidative degradation. In this work, the influences of the partial replacement of whey protein isolate (WPI) as the primary wall material by prebiotic carbohydrates, such as maltodextrin (MD) and inulin (IN) as the secondary wall materials on the physicochemical characteristics and oxidative stability of the spray-dried MLCTs-rich SLs microcapsules were investigated. The highest values of viscosity and zeta-potential were achieved by the WPI/IN (1:1) emulsions. Size distributions of all the emulsions were mono modal and became bimodal after microencapsulation process. The microcapsules prepared with WPI/IN (1:1) had the lowest lightness and the highest yellowness values. The partial replacement treatments increased the solubility and reduced the moisture content of the produced microcapsules. The partial replacement of WPI by IN significantly enhanced the encapsulation efficiency (89.10 ±â€¯1.03%), wettability properties (205 ±â€¯10.61 S), and decreased the incidence of surface oil on the microcapsules. The free oil content was noted as 5.73 ±â€¯0.05, 3.83 ±â€¯0.01, and 2.40 ±â€¯0.03% for the microcapsules produced using WPI, WPI/MD (1:1), and WPI/IN (1:1), respectively. Larger microcapsules and fairer flowing properties were achieved in the powders produced with only WPI. The partial replacement of WPI by IN provided the best oxidative stability of the microencapsulated MLCTs-rich SLs. The results revealed that MD and IN with WPI together, particularly IN proved to be a good substitute secondary wall material for spray-dried MLCTs-rich SLs, therefore suggesting its usefulness in functional food applications.

Natural phospholipids: Occurrence, biosynthesis, separation, identification, and beneficial health aspects.

During the last years, phospholipids (PLs) have attracted great attention because of their crucial roles in providing nutritional values, technological and medical applications. There are considerable proofs that PLs have unique nutritional benefits on human health, such as reducing cholesterol absorption, improving liver functions, and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. PLs are the main structural lipid components of cell and organelle membranes in all living organisms, and therefore, they occur in all organisms and the derived food products. PLs are distinguished by the presence of a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail, consequently they possess amphiphilic features. Due to their unique characteristics, the extraction, separation, and identification of PLs are critical issues to be concerned. This review is focused on the content of PLs classes in several sources (including milk, vegetable oils, egg yolk, and mitochondria). As well, it highlights PLs biosynthesis, and the methodologies applied for PLs extraction and separation, such as solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction. In addition, the determination and quantification of PLs classes by using thin layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with different detectors, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques.

Liposome: composition, characterisation, preparation, and recent innovation in clinical applications.

In the last decades, pharmaceutical interested researches aimed to develop novel and innovative drug delivery techniques in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Recently, phospholipid vesicles (Liposomes) are the most known versatile assemblies in the drug delivery systems. The discovery of liposomes arises from self-forming enclosed phospholipid bilayer upon coming in contact with the aqueous solution. Liposomes are uni or multilamellar vesicles consisting of phospholipids produced naturally or synthetically, which are readily non-toxic, biodegradable, and are readily produced on a large scale. Various phospholipids, for instance, soybean, egg yolk, synthetic, and hydrogenated phosphatidylcholine consider the most popular types used in different kinds of formulations. This review summarises liposomes composition, characterisation, methods of preparation, and their applications in different medical fields including cancer therapy, vaccine, ocular delivery, wound healing, and some dermatological applications.

Synthesis of 1,3-dioleoyl-2-arachidonoylglycerol-rich structured lipids by lipase-catalyzed acidolysis of microbial oil from Mortierella alpina.

Microbial oils (MOs) have gained widespread attention due to their functional lipids and health promoting properties. In this study, 1,3-dioleoyl-2-arachidonoylglycerol-rich structured lipids (SLs) were produced from MO and oleic acid (OA) via solvent-free acidolysis catalyzed by Lipozyme RM IM. Under the optimal conditions, the content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) increased from 60.63 to 84.00%, while the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) content decreased from 39.37 to 16.00% at sn-1,3 positions in SLs. Compared with MO, arachidonic acid (ARA) content at the sn-2 position of SLs accounted for 49.71%, whereas OA was predominantly located at sn-1,3 positions (47.05%). Meanwhile, the most abundant triacylglycerol (TAG) species in SLs were (18:1-20:4-18:1), (20:4-20:4-18:1), (18:1-18:2-18:1), (18:1-18:2-18:0) and (24:0-20:4-18:1) with a relative content of 18.79%, 11.94%, 6.07%, 5.75% and 4.84%, respectively. Such novel SLs with improved functional properties enriched with UFAs are highly desirable and have the potential to be used in infant formula.

Identification of phospholipids classes and molecular species in different types of egg yolk by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS.

Egg phospholipids (PLs) are currently the products of greatest commercial interest with major area of importance in various fields. Therefore, in this study, duck, hen and quail egg yolk PLs were isolated by solvent extraction with chilled acetone precipitation, and subsequently separated and identified by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Egg PLs were separated on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) with ethylene bridged hybrid (BEH) column by gradient elution using acetonitrile/ammonium formate as a mobile phase, and detected by mass spectrometry (MS) under electrospray ionization in positive and negative ion mode. Structural characterizations of 57 molecular species of egg yolk PLs were identified based on MS/MS fragment ion information and elemental composition in MassLynx 4.1 software. The obtained results showed that phosphatidylcholine (16:0-18:1), phosphatidylethanolamine (18:0-20:4), phosphatidylinositol (18:0-18:2), phosphatidylserine (18:0-18:2), sphingomyelin (d18:1/16:0) and lysophosphatidylcholine (16:0) were the predominant species among the different classes of egg yolk phospholipids.