Fermentation of Cauliflower and White Beans with Lactobacillus plantarum - Impact on Levels of Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B12, and Amino Acid Composition.

As diets change in response to ethical, environmental, and health concerns surrounding meat consumption, fermentation has potential to improve the taste and nutritional qualities of plant-based foods. In this study, cauliflower, white beans, and a 50:50 cauliflower-white bean mixture were fermented using different strains of Lactobacillus plantarum. In all treatments containing cauliflower, the pH was reduced to <4 after 18 h, while treatments containing only white beans had an average pH of 4.8 after 18 h. Following fermentation, the riboflavin, folate, and vitamin B12 content of the cauliflower-white bean mixture was measured, and compared against that of an unfermented control. The riboflavin and folate content of the mixture increased significantly after fermentation. Relative to control samples, riboflavin increased by 76-113%, to 91.6 ± 0.6 µg/100 g fresh weight, and folate increased by 32-60%, to 58.8 ± 2.0 µg/100 g fresh weight. For one bacterial strain, L. plantarum 299, a significant 66% increase in vitamin B12 was observed, although the final amount (0.048 ± 0.013 µg/100 g fresh weight) was only a small fraction of recommended daily intake. Measurements of amino acid composition in the mixture revealed small increases in alanine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, and valine in the fermented sample compared to the unfermented control.

Effects of an isocaloric healthy Nordic diet on insulin sensitivity, lipid profile and inflammation markers in metabolic syndrome -- a randomized study (SYSDIET).

BACKGROUND: Different healthy food patterns may modify cardiometabolic risk. We investigated the effects of an isocaloric healthy Nordic diet on insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, blood pressure and inflammatory markers in people with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: We conducted a randomized dietary study lasting for 18-24 weeks in individuals with features of metabolic syndrome (mean age 55 years, BMI 31.6 kg m(-2) , 67% women). Altogether 309 individuals were screened, 200 started the intervention after 4-week run-in period, and 96 (proportion of dropouts 7.9%) and 70 individuals (dropouts 27%) completed the study, in the Healthy diet and Control diet groups, respectively. Healthy diet included whole-grain products, berries, fruits and vegetables, rapeseed oil, three fish meals per week and low-fat dairy products. An average Nordic diet served as a Control diet. Compliance was monitored by repeated 4-day food diaries and fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids. RESULTS: Body weight remained stable, and no significant changes were observed in insulin sensitivity or blood pressure. Significant changes between the groups were found in non-HDL cholesterol (-0.18, mmol L(-1) 95% CI -0.35; -0.01, P = 0.04), LDL to HDL cholesterol (-0.15, -0.28; -0.00, P = 0.046) and apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 ratios (-0.04, -0.07; -0.00, P = 0.025) favouring the Healthy diet. IL-1 Ra increased during the Control diet (difference -84, -133; -37 ng L(-1) , P = 0.00053). Intakes of saturated fats (E%, beta estimate 4.28, 0.02; 8.53, P = 0.049) and magnesium (mg, -0.23, -0.41; -0.05, P = 0.012) were associated with IL-1 Ra. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy Nordic diet improved lipid profile and had a beneficial effect on low-grade inflammation.

Probiotics lower plasma glucose in the high-fat fed C57BL/6J mouse.

Today, the gut microbiota is considered a key organ in host nutritional metabolism and recent data have suggested that alterations in gut microbiota contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Accordingly, a whole range of beneficial effects relating to inflammation and gut health have been observed following administration of probiotics to both humans and different animal models. The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effects of an oral probiotic supplement, Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 15313, to high-fat diet (HFD) fed C57BL/6J mice, a model of human obesity and early diabetes. The mice were fed the experimental diets for 20 weeks, after which the HFD had induced an insulin-resistant state in both groups compared to the start of the study. The increase in body weight during the HFD feeding was higher in the probiotic group than in the control group, however, there were no significant differences in body fat content. Fasting plasma glucose levels were lower in the group fed the probiotic supplement, whereas insulin and lipids were not different. Caecal levels of short-chain fatty acids were not significantly different between the groups. An oral glucose tolerance test showed that the group fed probiotics had a significantly lower insulin release compared to the control group, although the rate of glucose clearance was not different. Taken together, these data indicate that L. plantarum DSM 15313 has anti-diabetic properties when fed together with an HFD.

Serum lipids and postprandial glucose and insulin levels in hyperlipidemic subjects after consumption of an oat beta-glucan-containing ready meal.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate whether a daily intake of a nutrient-balanced ready meal containing 4 g of oat beta-glucans lowers total cholesterol (T-C) and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hyperlipidemic subjects and to evaluate its effect on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. METHODS: A parallel, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in 43 healthy men and women with elevated serum cholesterol levels. During the 3-week run-in period, all subjects consumed daily a ready-meal soup, low in energy and fat and high in fiber but without oat beta-glucans. Subjects were then randomly assigned for the following 5-week intervention period to either continue consumption of the control soup or an equal soup supplemented with beta-glucan. RESULTS: Consumption of the beta-glucan-enriched ready meal decreased T-C (0.22 +/- 0.41 mmol/l) and LDL-C (0.16 +/- 0.36 mmol/l), but the reductions were not significantly lower compared with control. After a meal with beta-glucan soup, neither postprandial glucose nor insulin concentrations were significantly different from those after a control soup. CONCLUSION: A daily dose of 4 g of oat beta-glucans incorporated into a healthy ready meal did not significantly lower T-C and LDL-C compared with an equal ready meal without beta-glucans. Thus, if a food product fulfils general healthy dietary recommendations it may not necessarily be a candidate for supplementation with beta-glucans.

Occurrence of selenoprotein enzyme activities and mRNA in bovine mammary tissue.

To elucidate the possible role of selenoproteins for milk formation and mammary gland physiology, the activities of selenoprotein enzymes and the expression of selenoprotein genes were studied in the bovine mammary gland. Messenger RNA was demonstrated for selenoprotein P, thioredoxin reductase 1, and for glutathione peroxidase (GPx) 1, 3, and 4. Significant differences in mRNA expression between the cows were seen for GPx 1 and GPx 3. The enzyme activity of glutathione peroxidase varied approximately 16-fold among cows, and the activity of thioredoxin reductase and the concentration of soluble Se varied approximately 6-fold among cows. There were positive correlations between glutathione peroxidase activity, thioredoxin reductase activity, and soluble Se, the correlation between glutathione peroxidase activity and soluble Se being the strongest. Furthermore, selenoprotein P expression correlated with GPx 1 mRNA expression and with soluble Se. There was also a correlation between glutathione peroxidase activity and the mRNA expression of GPx 1. The general conclusion from the data was that the activity of glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase and the mRNA expression of selenoprotein P and GPx 1 and 3 were influenced by Se status, but the expression of GPx 4 and thioredoxin reductase 1 were not. These results indicate that the Se status in mammary tissue is an important regulator of selenoprotein activity and expression, but that other factors are also in operation.

Changes in serum lipids and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations after consumption of beverages with beta-glucans from oats or barley: a randomised dose-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate side by side the effects on serum lipoproteins and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations of beverages enriched with 5 or 10 g of beta-glucans from oats or barley. DESIGN AND SETTING: An 8-week single blind, controlled study with five parallel groups carried out at two centres under identical conditions. SUBJECTS: A total of 100 free-living hypercholesterolaemic subjects were recruited locally and 89 completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: During a 3-week run-in period all subjects consumed a control beverage. For the following 5-week period four groups received a beverage with 5 or 10 g beta-glucans from oats or barley and one group continued with the control beverage. Blood samples in weeks 0, 2, 3, 7 and 8 were analysed for serum lipids, lipoproteins, glucose and insulin. Postprandial concentrations of glucose and insulin were compared between control and the beverage with 5 g of beta-glucans from oats or barley. RESULTS: Compared to control, 5 g of beta-glucans from oats significantly lowered total-cholesterol by 7.4% (P<0.01), and postprandial concentrations of glucose (30 min, P=0.005) and insulin (30 min, P=0.025). The beverage with 10 g of beta-glucans from oats did not affect serum lipids significantly in comparison with control. No statistically significant effects compared to control of the beverages with barley beta-glucans were found. CONCLUSIONS: A daily consumption of 5 g of oat beta-glucans in a beverage improved the lipid and glucose metabolism, while barley beta-glucans did not.

Influence of a drink containing different antioxidants and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v on plasma total antioxidant capacity, selenium status and faecal microbial flora.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a supplement of antioxidants to subjects with a high working pace can influence the antioxidant capacity. The study was parallel and double blind with 98 subjects randomised into two groups. One of the groups was given a test drink with antioxidants for 4 weeks (450 ml/day) while the other group took a corresponding amount of placebo drink. The test drink contained: 2 mg beta-carotene/100 ml, 40 mg alpha-tocopherol/100 ml, 80 mg ascorbic acid/100 ml, 2 mg pyridoxine/100 ml, 15 mg magnesium/100 ml, 0.2 mg manganese/100 ml, 1 mg zinc/100 ml, 0.1 mg copper/100 ml and 10 microg selenium/100 ml. Consumption of the test drink for 4 weeks increased the total plasma antioxidant capacity by 7% (ferric reducing ability of plasma method, P<0.05 compared with the placebo group), and the content of selenium and selenoprotein P in serum was raised by 16-17% (P<0.001 compared with the placebo group). No significant changes were found in the placebo group. The test drink also contained Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (5 x 10(7) cfu/ml) and 4 weeks' consumption led to a significant increase of Lb. plantarum 299v in the faeces. In conclusion, consumption of a drink rich in different antioxidants can increase the antioxidant capacity in subjects with a high working pace. This can be valuable since it may increase the protection against reactive oxygen radicals.

Fractionation of soluble selenium compounds from fish using size-exclusion chromatography with on-line detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Fish accumulate significant amounts of selenium and are an important dietary source of this element. Some studies have however indicated a low bioavailability of the selenium from fish. Since little is known of the selenium forms in fish, we have studied soluble selenium compounds in fish species, and compared different techniques for fractionation of selenocompounds (size-exclusion chromatography, ultrafiltration, and precipitation with trichloroacetic acid). The size-exclusion column (Superdex 200 HR 10/30) was coupled on-line to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The limit of detection was 0.20 microgram l-1 and the selenium response was linear in the investigated concentration range of 0-20 micrograms l-1 (r2 = 0.98). For plaice 47% of the selenium was extractable while the extraction efficiency for cod was 23%. The fish extracts were injected onto the column four times each and the variation in the quantitative data for different selenium-containing fractions between the runs was small (RSD < 10%). The recovery of selenium in the chromatographic step was about 70%, indicating some interaction between the fish extracts and the column material. Ultrafiltration using a membrane with a cut-off at M(r) 10,000 gave results similar to the size-exclusion fractionation, for cod about 20% of the soluble selenium had a M(r) < 10,000 and the corresponding value for plaice was 69%. Removal of high-molecular-weight compounds from the sample by trichloroacetic acid precipitation showed a similar proportion of low-molecular-weight compounds for plaice (77%), while the obtained value for cod was higher (38%) compared with the other techniques.

Consumption of oat milk for 5 weeks lowers serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in free-living men with moderate hypercholesterolemia.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumption of a newly developed oat milk deprived of insoluble fiber would result in lower serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in men with moderate hypercholesterolemia. The study had a randomized, controlled double-blind design, and oat milk was compared with an identically flavored control drink. Sixty-six men were recruited from a screening program and were randomly assigned to two groups. Each group took either oat milk or a control drink (rice milk) for 5 weeks (0.75 liters/day) and then switched to the other drink regimen for another 5-week period with a 5-week washout period between the test periods. The oat milk contained more dietary fiber, especially beta-glucan (0.5 g/100 g), than the control drink (<0.02 g/100 g). Both drinks were well appreciated and got similar sensory evaluation, indicating that the double-blind design had been attained. In the final analysis 52 subjects remained. Compared with the control drink, intake of oat milk resulted in significantly lower serum total cholesterol (6%, p = 0.005) and LDL cholesterol (6%, p = 0.036) levels. The decrease in LDL cholesterol was more pronounced if the starting value was higher (r = -0.55, p < 0.001). The concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not significantly different after consumption of the two drinks. Serum triglycerides did not change significantly after intake of oat milk, but a significant increase was observed after intake of the control drink (p = 0.003). It is concluded that also oat milk deprived of insoluble fiber has cholesterol-reducing properties.

Effects of consumption of oat milk, soya milk, or cow's milk on plasma lipids and antioxidative capacity in healthy subjects.

A drink based on oats has been developed with new technology. In this study the effects of this oat milk, soya milk and cow's milk on plasma lipid, glucose, insulin, and antioxidant status (measured as the ability of serum to suppress the formation of the radical cation ABTS*+) were compared in 24 healthy men and women. Half of the subjects (group A) consumed 0.75-1 liters/day of oat milk and soya milk for 4 weeks each, and the other half (group B) consumed oat milk and cow's milk for two 4-week periods. In the combined groups A plus B the oat milk regimen resulted in decreased plasma cholesterol (4%) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (9%) levels as compared with baseline, but no changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride values were observed. Also soya milk consumption resulted in decreased LDL cholesterol concentrations. The only significant plasma lipid change observed during consumption of cow's milk was an increase in HDL cholesterol. No consistent changes in body weight, fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, and antioxidant status occurred after consumption of any milk regimen. A significant correlation between baseline antioxidant status and total plasma cholesterol was found (r = -0.56). It is proposed that the high content of beta-glucans in oat milk was responsible for the decreased plasma cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations, but the effect could also be due to a replacement of saturated fat in the customary diet by unsaturated fat. It is concluded that oat milk can be used as an alternative to other milk drinks by subjects who would benefit from reduced LDL cholesterol values.

Influnce of oat saponins on intestinal permeability in vitro and in vivo in the rat.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether oat saponins (avenacosides A and B) have any effect on the permeability of the rat intestine to actively and passively transported markers in vitro and in vivo. Intestinal segments were mounted in modified Ussing chambers, and the passage of the different marker compounds from the mucosal to the serosal side was measured for 120 min. Avenacosides (1 mg/ml) gave a significantly higher passage of the macromolecule ovalbumin and there was a tendency to increased passage of [14C]D-mannitol and [51Cr]EDTA. On the other hand, the saponins did not affect the active transport of [3H]methyl glucose. When rats were given saponins (40 mg/kg body weight) together with markers by gastric intubation, the passage of [51Cr]EDTA into blood and urine was somewhat reduced. For the macromolecule bovine serum albumin, no evident effect on the passage was observed in the presence of saponins. Thus, in contrast to the in vitro results, the in vivo marker passage seemed to be unaffected or even reduced in the presence of avenacosides. The study shows that saponins can affect the permeability of the rat intestine. However, this effect needs further investigation in vivo, especially regarding proteins.

Effect of oat saponins and different types of dietary fibre on the digestion of carbohydrates.

The effects of oat saponins (a mixture of avenacosides A and B) and dietary fibre (cellulose and guar gum) on the disaccharidase activities in the proximal small intestine of the rat were investigated. The influence of avenacosides A and B on the activity of disaccharidases and alpha-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) was also studied in vitro. In vivo, oat diets with three avenacoside contents (negligible, normal and twice normal) were used. No significant differences in sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20), trehalase (EC 3.2.1.28) and lactase (EC 3.2.1.21) activities were found between the oat groups after 19 d feeding. The rats that were given cellulose tended to have higher disaccharidase activities compared with the other groups. The avenacosides inhibited the lactase activity significantly in vitro while no or small effects on the other disaccharidases were found. In contrast, the in vitro hydrolysis of starch by alpha-amylase was increased in the presence of saponins, probably due to their detergent effect. Thus, the in vitro studies showed that the avenacosides could influence the enzyme activities. In vivo, these effects are probably minor due to the low avenacoside concentrations found in oats.

Effect of oat saponins on plasma and liver lipids in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and rats.

The effects of oat saponins (a mixture of avenacosides A and B) on plasma and liver lipids in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) and rats were investigated. Cholesterol-containing diets high in total and saturated fat and with different avenacoside contents (zero (ethanol-extracted oats), normal (oats) and twice normal (ethanol-extracted oats plus added avenacosides)) were used. Compared with a cellulose control group the oat diets in both species gave a significantly higher cholesterol content in the HDL fraction and a significantly lower liver cholesterol content. No significant differences in total plasma cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and plasma triacylglycerols were found, however, between the groups fed on oats with different avenacoside content. The liver weight, total liver cholesterol and free liver cholesterol were also similar, whereas the liver lipid content was significantly lower in rats given the highest amount of avenacosides compared with zero or normal amounts. The tendency was the same in gerbils. Thus, the oat saponins had only minor effects on lipid metabolism in gerbils and rats.

Variation in dietary fibre, beta-glucan, starch, protein, fat and hull content of oats grown in Sweden 1987-1989.

Samples of oat groat from cultivars grown in Sweden during 3 years (1987-1989, 50 samples/year) were investigated. On an average, the kernels contained 15.9% protein, 7.0% fat, 9.7% dietary fibre and 63.2% starch (% of dry matter). The coefficient of variation was highest for fat (26%) and lowest for starch (7%). The thousand kernel weight was on average 34.7 g. The content of dietary fibre and fat was significantly negatively correlated and the starch positively correlated with the thousand kernel weight. The samples contained mean (and range) 9.7% (5.0-13.4) total dietary fibre, 3.5% (2.0-5.0) soluble dietary fibre, and 4.6% (3.5-5.7) beta-glucan. The beta-glucan content was significantly positively correlated with insoluble and total dietary fibre as well as with the fat content, and significantly negatively correlated with starch.