A Comparative Analysis between Whole Chinese Yam and Peeled Chinese Yam: Their Hypolipidemic Effects via Modulation of Gut Microbiome in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice.

Chinese yam is a "medicine food homology" food with medical properties, but little is known about its health benefits on hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, the effect of peeling processing on the efficacy of Chinese yam is still unclear. In this study, the improvement effects of whole Chinese yam (WY) and peeled Chinese yam (PY) on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic mice were explored by evaluating the changes in physiological, biochemical, and histological parameters, and their modulatory effects on gut microbiota were further illustrated. The results show that both WY and PY could significantly attenuate the HFD-induced obesity phenotype, accompanied by the mitigative effect on epididymis adipose damage and hepatic tissue injury. Except for the ameliorative effect on TG, PY retained the beneficial effects of WY on hyperlipemia. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that WY and PY reshaped the gut microbiota composition, especially the bloom of several beneficial bacterial strains (Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibaculum) and the reduction in some HFD-dependent taxa (Mucispirillum, Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002, and Candidatus_Saccharimonas). PICRUSt analysis showed that WY and PY could significantly regulate lipid transport and metabolism-related pathways. These findings suggest that Chinese yam can alleviate hyperlipidemia via the modulation of the gut microbiome, and peeling treatment had less of an effect on the lipid-lowering efficacy of yam.

Mung bean protein as an emerging source of plant protein: a review on production methods, functional properties, modifications and its potential applications.

Plant protein is rapidly becoming more of a prime interest to consumers for its nutritional and functional properties, as well as the potential to replace animal protein. In the frame of alternative protein new sources, mung bean is becoming another legume crop that could provide high quality plant protein after soybean and pea. In particular, the 8S globulins in mung bean protein have high structural similarity and homology with soybean ß-conglycinin (7S globulin), with 68% sequence identity. Currently, mung bean protein has gained popularity in food industry because of its high nutritional value and peculiar functional properties. In that regard, various modification technologies have been applied to further broaden its application. Here, we provide a review of the composition, nutritional value, production methods, functional properties and modification technologies of mung bean protein. Furthermore, its potential applications in the new plant-based products, meat products, noodles, edible packaging films and bioactive compound carriers are highlighted to facilitate its utilization as an alternative plant protein, thus meeting consumer demands for high quality plant protein resources. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Protective Effects of White Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) against Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Mice Are Linked to Modification of Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites.

Disturbances in the gut microbiota and its derived metabolites are closely related to the occurrence and development of hepatic steatosis. The white kidney bean (WKB), as an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals, has recently received widespread attention and might exhibit beneficial effects on a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis via targeting gut microbiota and its metabolites. The results indicated that HFD, when supplemented with WKB for 12 weeks, could potently reduce obesity symptoms, serum lipid profiles, and glucose, as well as improve the insulin resistance and liver function markers in mice, thereby alleviating hepatic steatosis. An integrated fecal microbiome and metabolomics analysis further demonstrated that WKB was able to normalize HFD-induced gut dysbiosis in mice, thereby mediating the alterations of a wide range of metabolites. Particularly, WKB remarkably increased the relative abundance of probiotics (Akkermansiaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and norank_f_Muribaculaceae) and inhibited the growth of hazardous bacteria (Mucispirillum, Enterorhabdus, and Dubosiella) in diet-induced hepatic steatosis mice. Moreover, the significant differential metabolites altered by WKB were annotated in lipid metabolism, which could ameliorate hepatic steatosis via regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism. This study elucidated the role of WKB from the perspective of microbiome and metabolomics in preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which provides new insights for its application in functional foods.

A comprehensive review on oat milk: from oat nutrients and phytochemicals to its processing technologies, product features, and potential applications.

Plant-based milk alternatives have become increasingly desirable due to their sustainability and the increased consumer awareness of health. Among many varieties of emerging plant-based milk, the smooth texture and flavor of oat milk make it spread rapidly around the world. Furthermore, as a sustainable source of diet, oats can provide rich nutrients and phytochemicals. Issues on the stability, sensory properties, shelf life, and nutritional quality of oat milk have been highlighted in published studies. In this review, the processing techniques, quality improvement, and product features of oat milk are elaborated, and the potential applications of oat milk are summarized. Besides, the challenges and future perspectives of oat milk production in the future are discussed.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): a comprehensive review of dietary sources, enrichment technologies, processing effects, health benefits, and its applications.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a naturally occurring potential bioactive compound present in plants, microorganisms, animals, and humans. Especially, as a main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, GABA possesses a broad spectrum of promising bioactivities. Thus, functional foods enriched with GABA have been widely sought after by consumers. However, the GABA levels in natural foods are usually low, which cannot meet people's demand for health effects. With the increasing public awareness on the food securities and naturally occurring processes, using enrichment technologies to elevate the GABA contents in foods instead of exogenous addition can enhance the acceptability of health-conscious consumers. Herein, this review provides a comprehensive insight on the dietary sources, enrichment technologies, processing effects of GABA, and its applications in food industry. Furthermore, the various health benefits of GABA-enriched foods, mainly including neuroprotection, anti-insomnia, anti-depression, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetes, and anti-inflammatory are also summarized. The main challenges for future research on GABA are related to exploring high GABA producing strains, enhancing the stability of GABA during storage, and developing emerging enrichment technologies without affecting food quality and other active ingredients. A better understanding of GABA may introduce new windows for its application in developing functional foods.

An update on nutritional profile, phytochemical compounds, health benefits, and potential applications in the food industry of pulses seed coats: A comprehensive review.

Pulses, as a sustainable source of nutrients, are an important choice for human diets, but vast quantities of seed coats generated in pulses processing are usually discarded or used as low-value ruminant feed. It has been demonstrated that pulses seed coats are excellent sources of dietary nutrients and phytochemicals with potential health benefits. With growing interest in the sustainable use of resources and the circular economy, utilization of pulses seed coats to recover these valuable components is a core objective for their valorization and an important step toward agricultural sustainability. This review comprehensively provides a comprehensive insight on the nutritional and phytochemical profiles presented in pulses seed coats and their health benefits obtained from the findings of in vitro and in vivo studies. Furthermore, in the food industry, pulses seed coats can be acted as potential food ingredients with nutritional, antioxidant and antimicrobial characteristics or as the matrix or active components of films for food packaging and edible coatings. A better understanding of pulses seed coats may provide a reference for increasing the overall added value and realizing the pulses' sustainable diets.

Corrigendum: Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Millet Polyphenols and Their Anti-diabetic Potential.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.780499.].

Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Millet Polyphenols and Their Anti-diabetic Potential.

Interest in polyphenols has grown due to their beneficial effect on diabetes attenuation. Millets are ancient crops that are rich in polyphenols and used for both food and feed. They are grown worldwide and are adapted to production under dry, hot conditions. The polyphenols found in millets have anti-diabetic properties. However, millet is usually consumed after being processed by heating, germination, fermentation, and other processing methods, which may alter polyphenol content and thus affect their anti-diabetic potential. This mini-review profiles the effects of different processing methods on millet polyphenols and how changes in millet polyphenols affect the hypoglycemic effect of millet. Future studies are needed to compare the anti-diabetes potential of millet polyphenols before and after processing and to explore ways to minimize polyphenol losses and thus maintain their hypoglycemic effect in final products.

Protective mechanism of mung bean coat against hyperlipidemia in mice fed with a high-fat diet: insight from hepatic transcriptome analysis.

Mung bean coat (MBC) is a good source of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds with medical properties, and can alleviate metabolic diseases. In the present study, the effects of MBC on high fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia mice were evaluated, and the underlying mechanisms of MBC against hyperlipidemia from hepatic transcriptional analysis were explored. Four groups of mice were fed a normal control diet or a HFD with or without MBC supplementation (6%, w/w) for 12 weeks. The results demonstrated that MBC supplementation could effectively alleviate HFD-induced obese symptoms, such as body weight gain and white adipose tissue accumulation. Notably, the serum lipid profiles, including total triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were significantly lowered, accompanied by a significant improvement in hepatic steatosis. RNA-sequencing analysis indicated 1126 differential expression genes responding to MBC supplementation, and the PPAR signaling pathway was significantly enriched. Furthermore, MBC supplementation could significantly upregulate the transcriptional expression of lipid transformation (lipidolysis)-related genes (Cpt1b, Cyp7a1, and PPAR-α) and downregulate the transcriptional expression of lipid synthesis-related genes (Scd1, Cd36, and PPAR-γ) to protect against the HFD-induced hyperlipidemia, and they were confirmed by qRCR and western blotting validation. Taken together, the present study provides valuable information for understanding the curative effects and action mechanism of MBC in alleviating hyperlipidemia, and thus may contribute to the development and application of MBC as functional foods or dietary supplement to protect against hyperlipidemia.

Adzuki Bean Alleviates Obesity and Insulin Resistance Induced by a High-Fat Diet and Modulates Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Adzuki bean consumption has many health benefits, but its effects on obesity and regulating gut microbiota imbalances induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) have not been thoroughly studied. Mice were fed a low-fat diet, a HFD, and a HFD supplemented with 15% adzuki bean (HFD-AB) for 12 weeks. Adzuki bean supplementation significantly reduced obesity, lipid accumulation, and serum lipid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels induced by HFD. It also mitigated liver function damage and hepatic steatosis. In particular, adzuki bean supplementation improved glucose homeostasis by increasing insulin sensitivity. In addition, it significantly reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota imbalances. Adzuki bean significantly reduced the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B); enriched the occurrence of Bifidobacterium, Prevotellaceae, Ruminococcus_1, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, Alloprevotella, Muribaculum, Turicibacter, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Lachnoclostridium; and returned HFD-dependent taxa (Desulfovibrionaceae, Bilophila, Ruminiclostridium_9, Blautia, and Ruminiclostridium) back to normal status. PICRUSt2 analysis showed that the changes in gut microbiota induced by adzuki bean supplementation may be associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, sulfur, and cysteine and methionine; and LPS biosynthesis; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation.

Dietary supplementation with mung bean coat alleviates the disorders in serum glucose and lipid profile and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced prediabetic mice.

As amajor by-product of mung bean processing, mung bean coat (MBC), which is rich in polyphenols and dietary fiber, is deemed to be mainly responsible for the health benefits of mung bean. However, its beneficial effects on the hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and gut microbiota composition in prediabetic mice is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of MBC in alleviating high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced prediabetes. Herein, compared with the model control, dietary supplementation with MBC (3%, w/w) for 12 weeks significantly decreased the fasting blood glucose (24.60%), total cholesterol (15.72%), triglyceride (14.41%), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (22.45%). Furthermore, the improvements in glucose tolerance were reflected in the reduction of the area under the curve (AUC) and incremental AUC by approximately 23.08% and 51.18%, respectively. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal microbiota suggested that MBC promoted the enrichment of beneficial bacteria (Roseburia and Bifidobacterium) and the production of short-chain fatty acids. All of the results from this study provided a scientific reference for avoiding the functional ingredients waste of MBC and expanding its application value.

Foxtail Millet Improves Blood Glucose Metabolism in Diabetic Rats through PI3K/AKT and NF-κB Signaling Pathways Mediated by Gut Microbiota.

Foxtail millet (FM) is receiving ongoing increased attention due to its beneficial health effects, including the hypoglycemic effect. However, the underlying mechanisms of the hypoglycemic effect have been underexplored. In the present study, the hypoglycemic effect of FM supplementation was confirmed again in high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with significantly decreased fasting glucose (FG), glycated serum protein, and areas under the glucose tolerance test (p < 0.05). We employed 16S rRNA and liver RNA sequencing technologies to identify the target gut microbes and signaling pathways involved in the hypoglycemic effect of FM supplementation. The results showed that FM supplementation significantly increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Ruminococcus_2, which were significantly negatively correlated with FG and 2-h glucose. FM supplementation significantly reversed the trends of gene expression in diabetic rats. Specifically, FM supplementation inhibited gluconeogenesis, stimulated glycolysis, and restored fatty acid synthesis through activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. FM also reduced inflammation through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Spearman's correlation analysis indicated a complicated set of interdependencies among the gut microbiota, signaling pathways, and metabolic parameters. Collectively, the above results suggest that the hypoglycemic effect of FM was at least partially mediated by the increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus, activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Millet: A review of its nutritional and functional changes during processing.

Millets are a major source of human food, and their production has been steadily increasing in the last decades to meet the dietary requirements of the increasing world population. Millets are an excellent source of all essential nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. However, the nutrients, bioactive compounds, and functions of cereal grains can be influenced by the food preparation techniques such as decortication/dehulling, soaking, germination/malting, milling, fermentation, etc. This study discusses the nutritional and functional changes in millet during different traditional/modern processing techniques, based on more than 100 articles between 2013 and 2020 from Web of Science, Google Scholar, FAO, and USDA databases. Our results concluded that processing techniques could be useful to combat undernourishment and other health issues. Moreover, this review provides detailed information about millet processing, which is advantageous for industry, consumers, and researchers in this area.

Beneficial effects of mung bean seed coat on the prevention of high-fat diet-induced obesity and the modulation of gut microbiota in mice.

PURPOSE: Our recent study has reported that whole mung bean showed better beneficial effects on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and gut microbiota disorders when compared with the decorticated mung bean at the same intervention dose level, suggesting that the mung bean seed coat (MBC) may play a crucial role in its health benefits. This study aims to investigate whether MBC has beneficial benefits on the prevention of HFD-induced obesity and the modulation of gut microbiota in mice when it was supplemented in HFD. METHODS: Herein, male C57BL/6 J mice were fed with normal control diet, HFD, and HFD supplemented with MBC (3-6%, w/w) for 12 weeks. The changes in physiological, histological, biochemical parameters, serum endotoxin, proinflammatory cytokines, and gut microbiota composition of mice were determined to assess the ability of MBC to alleviate HFD-induced obesity and modulate gut microbiota disorders in mice. RESULTS: MBC supplementation exhibited significant reductions in the HFD-induced adiposity, fat accumulation, serum lipid levels, lipopolysaccharide, and proinflammatory cytokines concentrations (P < 0.05), which was accompanied by improvements in hepatic steatosis and adipocyte size. Especially, the elevated fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance were also significantly improved by MBC supplementation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that MBC could normalize HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis. MBC not only could promote the bloom of Akkermansia, but also restore several HFD-dependent taxa (Blautia, Ruminiclostridium_9, Bilophila, and unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae) back to normal status, co-occurring with the decreases in obesity-related indices. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that MBC may be mainly responsible for the beneficial effects of whole mung bean on preventing the HFD-induced changes, thus enlarging the application value of MBC.

In Vitro Starch Digestibility and Estimated Glycemic Index of Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.) as Affected by Endogenous Proteins and Lipids, and Exogenous Heat-Processing Methods.

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro starch digestibility and estimated glycemic index (eGI) of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) as affected by endogenous proteins and lipids, and exogenous heat-processing methods. Results showed that the in vitro starch digestibility and eGI were significantly increased after the removal of protein, lipid, or both (P < 0.05). Moreover, the effects of endogenous proteins and lipids on the in vitro starch digestibility and eGI of mung bean followed the order: both protein and lipid removal > protein removal > lipid removal. In addition, heat-processing could make the slowly digestible starch and resistant starch convert to the rapidly digestible starch. The effects of different exogenous heat-processing methods on in vitro starch digestibility and eGI in the present study showed the following order: germination combined with cooking > high-pressure cooking > extrusion cooking > ordinary cooking. This study provided a crucial reference for the human with potential hyperglycemia to choose mung bean treated with ordinary cooking and without further protein and/or lipid removal.

A comparison between whole mung bean and decorticated mung bean: beneficial effects on the regulation of serum glucose and lipid disorders and the gut microbiota in high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced prediabetic mice.

The aim of this study is to investigate the beneficial effects of whole mung bean (WMB) and decorticated mung bean (DMB) on the regulation of serum glucose and lipid disorders in high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced prediabetic mice, and to further explore their gut microbiota modulatory effects. In the present study, the ability of mung bean-based diets to combat prediabetes-related metabolic disorders was determined by assessing the changes in the physiological, biochemical, and histological parameters, and the gut microbiota composition of prediabetic mice. The supplementation of both WMB and DMB can effectively alleviate HFD and STZ-induced impaired glucose tolerance (P < 0.05), which was accompanied by improvements in pancreatic ß-cell damage and hepatic steatosis. However, only WMB supplementation significantly decreased the fasting blood glucose and fasting serum insulin levels by sensitizing insulin action (P < 0.05), and reduced the serum lipid profiles and glycosylated serum protein levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, high-throughput pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that WMB and DMB supplementation could prevent HFD and STZ-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, especially for the enrichment of some benign bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, and the reduction of some harmful bacteria (Staphylococcus and Enterococcus). Overall, although decortication processing had an impact on the beneficial effects of mung bean, it did not cause the loss of all health benefits.

Whole mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) supplementation prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity and disorders in a lipid profile and modulates gut microbiota in mice.

PURPOSE: Obesity, a strong risk factor for metabolic disorder, has become a major impediment for public health globally. The objective of this study was to assess the anti-obesity effect of mung bean, and the relationship between the gut microbiota modulatory effects of mung bean and the prevention of obesity. METHODS: Thirty-two four-week-old male C57BL/6 J mice were divided into four groups: normal chow diet (NCD), high-fat diet (HFD), a high-fat diet supplemented with 30% whole mung bean flour (HFD-WMB), and a high-fat diet supplemented with 30% decorticated mung bean flour (HFD-DMB). The ability of a mung bean-based diet to combat obesity-related metabolic disorder was determined by assessing the changes in physiological, histological, biochemical parameters, and gut microbiota composition of mice with HFD-induced obesity at 12 weeks. RESULTS: Both of WMB and DMB supplementation can effectively alleviate HFD-induced lipid metabolic disorders, which was accompanied by a reduction in hepatic steatosis. However, the only supplementation with WMB significantly reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, fat accumulation, and adipocyte size, and ameliorated the glucose tolerance and insulin resistance by sensitizing insulin action. Furthermore, high-throughput pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that WMB and DMB supplementation could normalize HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis. Especially, WMB and DMB supplementation significantly promoted the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium, respectively, and both of them significantly restored the relative abundance of several HFD-dependent taxa back to normal status in this study. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that those genera are closely correlated with obesity-related indices. CONCLUSIONS: Although WMB showed better beneficial effects on HFD-induced obesity in comparison with DMB, DMB still retained some health benefits. Moreover, the alleviation of HFD-induced changes by mung bean supplementation was, at least, partially conciliated by structural modulation of gut microbiota.

Quantitative analysis of straight-chain/branched-chain Ratio During Enzymatic Synthesis of Dextran Based on Periodate Oxidation.

The applications of dextran depend not only on the molecular weight but also on the types and number of branches. In this study, dextran generated from Leuconostoc mesenteroides (L.M.CICC-20724) was characterized by fourier-transform infrared spectrum and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our analyses showed that dextran was a polysaccharide composed of d-glucose units with predominantly α(1 â†’ 6) linkages in the main chain and few α(1 â†’ 3) linkages in the branch. Periodate oxidation, a classic chemical method, was usually combined with Smith degradation and gas chromatography to analyze glycosidic linkages in polysaccharide quantitatively. In this study, we calculated the exact straight-chain/branched-chain ratio in the dextran using periodate oxidation only. The ratios obtained by periodate oxidation only were compared to the ratios obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance. The results showed that the ratios of the two groups were nearly equal, and the average relative error between the two groups was 0.83%. This method was evaluated and found to be accurate and stable. This technique provided a convenient and straightforward chemical method for the quantitative analysis of the straight-chains and branched-chains in polysaccharides which had a similar structure. The ratios during the enzymatic synthesis process of dextran were analyzed by this method and were found to be stable with a high level of approximately 95% on average.

Enzymatic synthesis of non-digestible oligosaccharide catalyzed by dextransucrase and dextranase from maltose acceptor reaction.

Non-digestible oligosaccharides have wide food industrial applications as dietary fibers and prebiotics. The aim of this study is to realize the effective biosynthesis of isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs) and reduce the production of by-product dextran. In the presence of acceptors improved the dextransucrase reaction shifting to oligosaccharides formation but a number of by-products dextran appeared. Maltose acceptor performed stronger inhibition behaviors in dextran synthesis than lactose and glucose acceptor due to its higher efficiencies. Acceptors had no influence on the structure of by-product dextran which mainly composed of α-(1,6)-glycosidic linkages and low α-(1,3)-glycosidic branch. In addition, the Mw and contents of IMOs and oligodextrans synthesized by dual-enzyme were hard to control. Addition of maltose acceptor in the dual-enzyme reaction, the adequate dextranase preferentially degraded dextran than the acceptor products to yield the IMOs. Results indicated that the combined use of the dual-enzyme and the maltose acceptor is a simple and effective method to promote the high-quality of functional IMOs.

Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits.

Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is an important pulse consumed all over the world, especially in Asian countries, and has a long history of usage as traditional medicine. It has been known to be an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and significant amounts of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, and peptides, therefore, becoming a popular functional food in promoting good health. The mung bean has been documented to ameliorate hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, and hypertension, and prevent cancer and melanogenesis, as well as possess hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory activities. These health benefits derive primarily from the concentration and properties of those active compounds present in the mung bean. Vitexin and isovitexin are identified as the major polyphenols, and peptides containing hydrophobic amino acid residues with small molecular weight show higher bioactivity in the mung bean. Considering the recent surge in interest in the use of grain legumes, we hope this review will provide a blueprint to better utilize the mung bean in food products to improve human nutrition and further encourage advancement in this field.