Comparative Study on the Effects of Four Plant Protein Sources on the Liver and Intestinal Health of Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides.

The effects of plant protein sources (PPSs) on the health of the liver and intestine of the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, were compared to verify the potential damaging effects of dietary fiber (DF). A diet containing 55% fish meal (FM) was used as the control. The test diets contained 25% soybean meal (SBM), rapeseed meal (RSM), cottonseed meal, or peanut meal, and the FM content was decreased to 30%. The protein and lipid contents of these five diets were balanced by casein and oil. Fish were raised for 8 weeks. The fish fed the diet containing PPS showed a trend of decreasing growth and apparent digestibility coefficients. The contents of total bile acid, lipid, and collagen in the liver were increased, and the mRNA expression levels of genes encoding inflammatory factors and enzymes involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis and bile acid synthesis were upregulated. Both the lipid and collagen contents in the liver were positively correlated with the DF content in the diet significantly. Morphology and histology showed reduced liver size, hepatic steatosis, and fibrosis in fish fed diets containing PPS. The lowest hepatosomatic index was observed in fish fed the SBM diet, and the most severe damage was observed in fish fed the RSM diet. No obvious histological abnormalities were observed in the hindgut. The bile acid profile in the liver could be used to distinguish the types of PPS very well by Fisher discriminant analysis. These results indicated that 25% of each of the four PPSs in the diet exceeded the tolerance range of largemouth bass and caused liver damage, which might be mediated by bile acid. DF in PPS might be an important agent contributing to liver damage.

Glycocholic acid supplementation improved growth performance and alleviated tissue damage in the liver and intestine in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco fed a high-pectin diet.

In a study on the anti-nutritional effect of dietary fiber, it was noticed that a high-pectin diet (PEC diet) caused growth retardation, hepatic cholestasis, steatosis, fibrosis, and enteritis accompanied by decreased glycocholic acid (GCA) in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. This study was conducted to investigate the potential alleviating effects of supplementation with GCA. A PEC diet and a diet supplemented with 0.6 g kg-1 GCA based on the PEC diet (named the GCA diet) were formulated and randomly fed to juvenile Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Compared to fish that were fed the PEC diet for 7 days, the GCA content in liver increased significantly in fish fed the GCA diet, the incidence of abnormal liver color, gallbladder somatic index (GBSI), total bile acid concentration in serum and liver, and the expression of arnesoid X receptor gene (fxr) upregulated and genes involved in bile acid (BA) synthesis and uptake in liver decreased significantly. After 56 days, the SGR, the expression of fxr and genes involved in BA synthesis and transportation in the liver, the serum content of total bilirubin, total protein, and globulin were significantly higher, while the hepatosomatic index, GBSI, liver lipid and collagen content, and the incidence of distal intestine tissue damage were lower in fish fed the GCA diet than in those fed the PEC diet. These results suggested that GCA improved growth performance and alleviated hepatic cholestasis and tissue damage to the liver and intestine induced by a high-pectin diet, which might occur through activating FXR.

Effects of Low or High Dosages of Dietary Sodium Butyrate on the Growth and Health of the Liver and Intestine of Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides.

The concentration of butyric acid in the intestine increased with the increase in the content of fermentable dietary fibre; however, the potential physiological impact of a high dose of butyric acid on fish has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two dosages of butyric acid on the growth and health of the liver and intestine of the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Sodium butyrate (SB) was added to the diet at 0 g/kg (CON), 2 g/kg (SB2), and 20 g/kg (SB20), and the juvenile largemouth bass were fed to apparent satiation for 56 days. No significant difference was observed in the specific growth rate or hepatosomatic index among the groups (P > 0.05). The concentration of ß-hydroxybutyric acid in the liver, the activities of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase, and the concentrations of triglyceride and total cholesterol in serum increased significantly in the SB20 group compared to the CON group (P < 0.05). The relative expression of fas, acc, il1b, nfkb, and tnfa in the liver of the SB20 groups was also significantly higher than that of the CON group (P < 0.05). The above indicators in the group SB2 had similar change tendencies. The expression of nfkb and il1b in the intestine of both the SB2 and SB20 groups was significantly downregulated compared with that in the CON group (P < 0.05). The size of hepatocytes was enlarged, and the intracellular lipid droplets and the degree of hepatic fibrosis were increased in the SB20 group compared to the CON group. There was no significant difference in intestinal morphology among the groups. The above results indicated that neither 2 g/kg nor 20 g/kg SB had a positive effect on the growth of largemouth bass, while a high dosage of SB induced liver fat accumulation and fibrosis.

Dietary pectin caused great changes in bile acid profiles of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.

To reveal the impact of dietary fiber (DF) on the bile acid (BA) profiles of fish, yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) were fed a diet containing 300 g kg-1 dextrin (CON diet, control) or pectin (a type of soluble DF, PEC diet) for 7 days, and then the BA profiles were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS. A total of 26 individuals of BAs were detected in the fish body, with 8, 10, 14, and 22 individuals of BAs detected in the liver, serum, bile, and hindgut digesta, respectively. The conjugated BAs (CBAs) of fish were dominated by taurine CBAs (TCBAs). The concentrations of free BAs (FBAs) and the value of FBAs/CBAs in the bile of fish fed the PEC diet were nearly 5 and 7 times higher, respectively than those in fish fed the CON diet. The value of glycine CBAs/TCBAs in the liver, serum and bile of fish fed the PEC diet was significantly lower, and in the hindgut digesta was higher than that of fish fed the CON diet (P < 0.05). These results suggested that dietary pectin greatly changed the BA profiles of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, attributed to inhibition of reabsorption of BAs. Therefore, attention should be paid to the impact on BA homeostasis when replacing fishmeal with DF-rich plant ingredients in the fish diet.

Effects of high-power ultrasound on microflora, enzymes and some quality attributes of a strawberry drink.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present work was to study the effect of high-power ultrasound (HPU) on the microflora, enzymes and some quality attributes of a strawberry drink and to provide a theoretical basis for strawberry drink processing conducive to the development of more nutritious and healthier strawberry drinks. RESULTS: Fresh strawberry drink was subjected to HPU treatment at 20 kHz (242, 605 and 968 W cm-2 ) for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min in an ice bath. Results showed that polyphenol oxidase (PPO), pectin methyl esterase (PME) and ß-glucosidase activities were decreased by 44.90, 89.11 and 84.71% respectively at 968 W cm-2 for 10 min. Lower L*, a* and b* values and higher browning degree (BD) were observed in HPU-treated samples, resulting in a significant increase in ΔE value (P < 0.05). HPU treatment caused loss of viscosity and turbidity, while total soluble solids (TSS) and pH of the strawberry drink were stable. Total phenol content and antioxidant capacity increased while anthocyanin content decreased compared with untreated samples. Total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and molds and yeasts (M&Y) were reduced by 2.07 and 1.13 log10 cycles respectively at 968 W cm-2 for 10 min. CONCLUSIONS: HPU can effectively achieve the effect of pasteurization and maintain the nutrients of strawberry drink. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure on enzymes, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, polymeric color and color of strawberry pulps.

BACKGROUND: Changes in activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) and ß-glucosidase, individual phenolic compounds other than anthocyanins, total phenols, monomeric anthocyanins, polymeric color and instrumental color of strawberry pulps were assessed after high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (400-600 MPa 5-25 min(-1)) at room temperature. RESULTS: ß-Glucosidase was activated by 4.7-16.6% at 400 MPa 5-25 min(-1) and inactivated by 8.0-41.4% at 500 or 600 MPa. PPO and POD were inactivated at all pressures, the largest reduction in activity being 41.4%, 51.5% and 74.6%, respectively. The individual phenolic compounds and total phenols decreased at 400 MPa, but total phenols increased at 500 or 600 MPa. However, the monomeric anthocyanins, polymeric color and redness (a*) exhibited no change. HHP induced a decrease in lightness (L*) and an increase in yellowness (b*) at 400 MPa, but no significant alteration in L* value and b* value at 500 or 600 MPa was observed; this was attributed to higher residual activity of PPO, POD and ß-glucosidase at 400 MPa. Total color difference (ΔE) was ≥5 at 400 MPa and ≤3 at 500 or 600 MPa. CONCLUSION: HHP effectively retained anthocyanins, phenolic compounds and color of strawberry pulps, and partly inactivated enzymes.