The fortification of encapsulated soy isoflavones and texture modification of soy milk by α-lactalbumin nanotubes.

Nanocarriers can improve the dispersibility of hydrophobic bioactive compounds and potentially improve the texture of liquid food formulations. Here, nanotubes (NTs) with a high aspect ratio formed by self-assembly of peptides partially hydrolyzed from α-lactalbumin (α-lac) were used to deliver soy isoflavones (IFs) and modify soy milk texture. IFs encapsulated by nanotube (NT/IFs) via hydrophobic interactions, which had improved dispersibility, with a maximum loading efficiency of 4%. The rheological characterization showed that the nanotubes enhanced the viscoelastic property and long term-stability of soy milk. About 80% of the NT/IFs in soy milk survived simulated in in vitro gastric digestion promoting the release of IFs in the intestinal phase. Overall, this work demonstrated that α-lac nanotubes may be a multi-functional carrier system for hydrophobic compounds providing beneficial changes to functional food texture.

In Vitro Gut Fermentation of Whey Protein Hydrolysate: An Evaluation of Its Potential Modulation on Infant Gut Microbiome.

Whey protein and its hydrolysate are ubiquitously consumed as nutritional supplements. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effect of whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) on the infant gut microbiome, which is more variable than that of adults. Colonic fermentation was simulated through a static digestion model and fecal culture fermentation, using feces from normal infants aged from 1−3 years old. During in vitro gut fermentation, measurements of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were performed. Additionally, the growth curves of cultivated probiotics were analyzed to evaluate the prebiotic potential of WPH. Besides the decline of pH in fermentation, the addition of WPH induced a significant increase in the SCFA production and also the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroides, and Streptococcus (p < 0.05). The lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes in WPH-supplemented samples indicated the positive modulation of WPH on the gut microbiota, which could benefit the energy balance and metabolism of infants. The stimulation effect of WPH on the probiotics (particularly Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM) during cultivation implied the prebiotic potential as well. Our findings shed light on WPH as a valuable dietary supplement with not only enriched resources of essential amino acids but also the potential to restore the infant gut microbiome.

The effect of steam cooking on the proteolysis of pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) proteins: Digestibility, allergenicity, and bioactivity.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of steam cooking on the proteolysis of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) using the simulated oral-gastrointestinal digestion model and a NCM460 cell monolayer. Steam cooking changed the peptide profile of the digests of oysters considerably and induced more thorough hydrolysis. However, the heat-stable allergen, Cra g 1, still had remnant fragments in the intestinal phase, which could be allergenic epitopes. Two regions of Cra g 1 (residues 224-228 and 245-248) were digestion-tolerant. Furthermore, more oligopeptides were derived from raw proteins than from steamed proteins. After molecular docking and in vitro determination, six novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEi) peptides were finally identified in the hydrolysates (WIS, WLS, LSL, SGPF, LGPI, and IGLP). Among them, LSL exhibited the highest ACEi activity (IC50 = 107.17 nM). Our findings provide supportive information on the effective utilization of oyster proteins.

Bioaccessibility and Intestinal Transport of Deltamethrin in Pacific Oyster (Magallana Gigas) Using Simulated Digestion/NCM460 Cell Models.

Deltamethrin (DEL) can be introduced into the food chain through bioaccumulation in Pacific oysters, and then potentially threaten human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the bioaccessibility of DEL in oysters with different cooking methods after simulated digestion. DEL content in different tissues of oysters going from high to low were gills, mantle, viscera, and adductor muscle. Bioaccessibility of DEL in oysters decreased after steaming (65%) or roasting (51%) treatments compared with raw oysters (82%), which indicated that roasting can be used as a recommended cooking method for oysters. In the simulated digestion process, the concentration of DEL in the digestive juice and the bioaccessibility of DEL were affected by the pH in the gastric phase. And the transport efficiency of DEL through the monolayer molecular membrane of NCM460 cells ranged from 35 to 45%. These results can help assess the potential harm to consumers of DEL in shellfish. Furthermore, it provides a reference for the impact of lipophilic toxins in seafood.