Influence of pH and ionic strength on the physicochemical and structural properties of soybean ß-conglycinin subunits in aqueous dispersions.

Understanding the impact of pH and ionic strength on the physicochemical and structural properties of soy proteins at subunit level is essential for design and fabrication of many plant-based foods. In this study, soybean ß-conglycinin and its subunit fractions αα' and ß were dispersed in solutions with different pH values (3.7, 7.6, and 9.0) at low (5 mM NaCl) and high (400 mM NaCl) ionic strengths, respectively. The solubility, rheology, particle size, zeta potential, microstructure, secondary structure, and tertiary structure of the different dispersions were analyzed using a range of analytical methods. The ß-conglycinin, αα'- and ß-subunits aggregated near the isoelectric point (pH 3.7). Increasing the ionic strength led to the assembly of more homogeneous units. An increase in ionic strength at pH 7.6 and pH 9.0 led to electrostatic screening, which promoted dissociation of the aggregates. The ß-subunit showed a greater sensitivity to pH and ionic strength than the αα'-subunits. Based on the evidence from a range of analytical methods, the highly hydrophilic extension region of the αα'-subunits played an important role in determining the stability of the ß-conglycinin dispersions under different environmental conditions. Moreover, the N-linked glycans appeared to impact the conformation and aggregation state of the ß-conglycinin.

An In Vitro Comparison of the Digestibility and Gastrointestinal Fate of Scallops and Plant-Based Scallop Analogs.

Concerns exist regarding the negative environmental impact and health risks associated with ocean fishing and aquaculture, such as stock depletion, pollution, biodiversity loss, and toxin presence. To address these concerns, plant-based seafood analogs are being developed. Our previous study successfully created plant-based scallop analogs using pea proteins and citrus pectin, resembling real scallops in appearance and texture. This study focuses on comparing the digestive fate of these analogs to real scallops, as it can impact their nutritional properties. Using an in vitro digestion model (INFOGEST), we simulated oral, gastric, and small intestinal conditions. The analysis revealed differences in the microstructure, physicochemical properties, and protein digestibility between the plant-based scallops and real scallops. The particle size and charge followed the following similar trends for both types of scallops: the particle size decreased from the mouth to the stomach to the small intestine; the particles were negative in the mouth, positive in the stomach, and negative in the small intestine. The protein digestibility of the plant-based scallops was considerably lower than that of real scallops. For instance, around 18.8% and 61.4% of protein was digested in the stomach and small intestine phases for the real scallop (80.2% total digestion), whereas around 8.7% and 47.7% of the protein was digested for the plant-based scallop (56.4% total digestion). The lower digestibility of the plant-based scallops may have been due to differences in the protein structure, the presence of dietary fibers (pectin), or antinutritional factors in the plant proteins. These findings are crucial for developing more sustainable next-generation plant-based seafood analogs.

Excess serum Na level in rats administered with high doses of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate-casein nanoparticles prepared with sodium caseinate.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-incorporated casein nanoparticles benefit from excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities due to their synergistic efficiency, but few studies have evaluated their safety. In this study, the EGCG-casein nanoparticles (EGCG-NPs) formulated using caseinate by ultrasonic treatment were evaluated for their subacute toxicity. The subacute toxicity test of EGCG-NPs through 28-day oral administration in rats did not exhibit adverse effect, with a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of at least 5.0 g per kg body weight (BW) per day, which was equivalent to 500 mg per kg BW EGCG per day. However, the serum Na level in females and males treated with 10.0 g per kg BW EGCG-NPs increased significantly as compared to the control rats (P < 0.05). Similar indications appeared in rats treated with 10.0 g per kg BW pure casein nanoparticles without EGCG, which indicated that high doses of caseinate nanoparticles result in an excess serum Na level. Therefore, we should consider the safety of the nanoparticle formulation of caseinate when it is used as a loading nutrient and a functional substance in foods.

Enhanced antibacterial activity of eugenol-entrapped casein nanoparticles amended with lysozyme against gram-positive pathogens.

This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial efficiency and synergistic mechanisms of novel formulated eugenol-casein-lysozyme nanoparticles (ECL-NPs) against gram-positive bacteria. We obtained optimized ECL-NPs 151.9 nm in size and with an entrapment efficiency of 92.2%. ECL-NPs exhibited a satisfactory slow-release pattern, excellent storage stability (for 180 days at 4 °C), and freeze-drying stability. The synergy of low-dose lysozyme significantly enhanced the inhibitory efficiency of eugenol-casein nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus sp. by 5.83-fold and 5.53-fold, respectively; this resulted in a much lower minimum inhibitory concentration (3.75-fold and 4.16-fold) and minimum bacterial concentration (2.92-fold and 1.70-fold) values. Scanning electron microscopy clearly demonstrated that the entire cell morphological structure was broken into pieces after exposure to ECL-NPs. Furthermore, 100% microbial inhibition was observed in fresh fruits treated with ECL-NPs for 15 days. These findings suggest that ECL-NPs have an excellent potential for use in food industry against gram-positive bacteria.

A novel cholesterol-free mayonnaise made from Pickering emulsion stabilized by apple pomace particles.

Yolk-based mayonnaise is widely used to enhance the flavor of daily food. In view of health concerns on dietary cholesterol, novel mayonnaises (NMs) were made from Pickering emulsions stabilized by apple pomace particles using micro-jet (MJ-NM), ultrasonic (US-NM), and high-speed-shear homogenizer (HSS-NM), respectively. NMs and commercial mayonnaise (CM) were comparatively investigated in appearance, droplet size, rheological, tribological, and stability properties. NMs presented almost identical appearances to CM except for color. The droplets' size in NMs were larger than CM. Both NMs and CM demonstrated shear-thinning behavior and solid-like properties. Among mayonnaises, MJ-NM was demonstrated the most rapid thixotropy recovery with its storage modulus recovered within 51 s. Although both NMs and CM were of mixed tribology nature, NMs presented lower oral lubricity. Upon 210-day storage, both NMs and CM exhibited excellent stabilities without any oil-water separation occurred. Overall, the Pickering emulsions are promising and health alternatives for traditional mayonnaise.

Inactivation of Penicillium italicum on kumquat via plasma-activated water and its effects on quality attributes.

Plasma-activated water (PAW) has good liquidity and uniformity and may be a promising candidate to inactivate Penicillium italicum and maintain the quality attributes of kumquat. In this study, the effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) on the viability of Penicillium italicum on kumquat and quality attributes of PAW-treated kumquats were then systematically investigated to elucidate the correlation between PAW and kumquat quality attributes. The effects of PAW on fruit decay, microbial loads, and firmness of postharvest kumquats during the 6-week storage were also investigated. The results showed that the viability of Penicillium italicum was notably inhibited by PAW on kumquats. Moreover, PAW did not significantly change the surface color of kumquats. No significant reductions in ascorbic acid, total flavonoid, and carotenoids were observed in kumquats after the PAW treatment. Results from nitrate and nitrite residue analyses showed that PAW did not leave serious nitrate and nitrite residues after treatment. The decay analysis results demonstrated that PAW has the potential to control kumquat decay and fungal contamination as well as maintain the firmness of postharvest kumquats throughout 6-week storage. Transmit electron microscope observation confirmed that PAW could cause the surface sculpturing in the skin cell wall of kumquat. The information obtained from this research may provide insight into the utilization of PAW to fight against fungal infection during the storage of citrus fruit.

Superior anti-infective potential of eugenol-casein nanoparticles combined with polyethylene glycol against Colletotrichum musae infections.

The aim of this study was to improve the stability of eugenol-casein nanoparticles (EL-CS-NPs) through polyethylene glycol (PEG) modification. The results show that modifying the EL-CS-NPs with PEG after loading with eugenol (EL) gives PEG-EL-CS-NPs, with increased stability. The NPs modified with higher-molecular-weight PEG showed better stability. A CS/PEG ratio of 200 : 1 (w/w) yielded the NPs with the best stability. A PEG20 K-EL-CS-NP dispersion remained stable in cold storage for over one year, and also exhibited stronger inhibitory effects against Colletotrichum musae inoculated on bananas than an EL-CS-NP dispersion, since it showed more prolonged sustained release of EL than the EL-CS-NP dispersion. Lyophilized PEG20 K-EL-CS-NP powder showed better effectiveness against mold on bread than lyophilized EL-CS-NPs powder. Using PEG to modify CS-NPs shows potential for improving the stability of CS-NPs loaded with hydrophobic substances for delivery in the fields of food and agriculture.

Micronized apple pomace as a novel emulsifier for food O/W Pickering emulsion.

In order to develop natural, food-grade particles as emulsifiers, wet-milled has been conducted to obtain apple pomace particles in varying sizes. Structural characteristics, physicochemical properties and Pickering emulsifying potential of the particle in different sizes were investigated. Particle size of apple pomace was gradually reduced from 12.9 µm to 550 nm during 8 h milling. With the decrease of particles size, the morphology became less angular. Meanwhile, some insoluble dietary fibers transformed into soluble ones, and the wettability tended to be hydrophilic, therefore, the water and oil holding capacities and free-radical-scavenging capacities increased. The properties of Pickering emulsions stabilized by wet-milled apple pomace particles in different sizes were then investigated. The decrease of particle size resulted in the size reduction of emulsion droplets, and gave rise to enhance gel-like properties and antioxidative activities of emulsions. The results demonstrated promising prospect of wet-milled apple pomace particles as emulsifiers in food industry.

Structural Modification of Nanomicelles through Phosphatidylcholine: The Enhanced Drug-Loading Capacity and Anticancer Activity of Celecoxib-Casein Nanoparticles for the Intravenous Delivery of Celecoxib.

This study aims to stabilize loaded celecoxib (CX) by modifying the structure of casein nanoparticles through phosphatidylcholine. The results show that Egg yolk phosphatidylcholine PC98T (PC) significantly increased the stability of CX-PC-casein nanoparticles (NPs) (192.6 nm) from 5 min (CX-ß-casein-NPs) to 2.5 h at 37 °C. In addition, the resuspended freeze-dried NPs (202.4 nm) remained stable for 2.5 h. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that PC may block the micropore structures in nanoparticles by ultrasonic treatment and hence improve the physicochemical stability of CX-PC-casein-NPs. The stability of the NPs was positively correlated with their inhibiting ability for human malignant melanoma A375 cells. The structural modification of CX-PC-casein-NPs resulted in an increased intracellular uptake of CX by 2.4 times than that of the unmodified ones. The pharmacokinetic study showed that the Area Under Curve (AUC) of the CX-PC-casein-NPs was 2.9-fold higher in rats than that of the original casein nanoparticles. When CX-PC-casein-NPs were intravenously administrated to mice implanted with A375 tumors (CX dose = 16 mg/kg bodyweight), the tumor inhibition rate reached 56.2%, which was comparable to that of paclitaxel (57.3%) at a dose of 4 mg/kg bodyweight. Our results confirm that the structural modification of CX-PC-casein-NPs can effectively prolong the remaining time of specific drugs, and may provide a potential strategy for cancer treatment.

Low-dose vardenafil potentiates the protective effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on cardiomyocytes.

The major polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) of green tea shows well-known health benefits such as potential anti-cancer, anti-oxidation and ameliorating cardiovascular disease. This work aims to improve the bioactivity of EGCG on H9C2 cardiomyocytes by combination regimen of vardenafil and EGCG. The proliferative rates were significantly improved by 18.74%, 10.77% and 29.17% after 48 h with EGCG, vardenafil, and the combination of EGCG and low-dose vardenafil treatments, respectively. The treatments also increased the expression of the nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and acutely stimulate production of vasodilators nitric oxide (NO) from 17.33µmol/L to 19.75, 20.87 and 24.47µmol/L in H9C2 cells. We further demonstrated that vardenafil also remarkably promoted EGCG to counteract H2O2-induced apoptotic damage in H9C2 by strengthening antioxidant defense systems and suppressing myocardial apoptosis. These results suggest that EGCG and low-dose vardenafil in combination may be a promising regimen to help prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Orange Fragrance with Sustained-Release Properties Prepared by Nanoethosomal Encapsulation of Natural Orange Essential Oil.

There is an upsurge of interest in improving the stability and prolong the scent holding time of fragrances in cosmetic industry. In this study, to encapsulate the orange essential oils (OEO), nanoethosomes were constructed with optimized proportions of ethanol, water, soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC), Tween 80, and palm oil sucrose esters (PSE). The controlled-release behavior of nanoethosomes was then studied concerning physicochemical stability, microstructure, and olfactory sensation. The sustained-release effectiveness of the nanoethosomal fragrances was influenced by particle size and OEO amount of specific formula. Herein, there was a positive correlation between particle size and sustained-release effectiveness. In particular, the mean diameter of nanoethosomal orange fragrances (nano-OFs)-prepared by EO-ethanol-water-SPC-Tween 80-PSE (3-7:25:72-68:2:1.0:0.1) and 3%, 5%, and 7% OEO-was 68.6±3.6, 79.5±4.5 and 87.3±6.9 nm, respectively. The results of olfactory sensation and GC-MS analysis showed that these fragrances could sustainedly release the aromatic compounds to yield satisfactory smell longer than that of the conventional orange fragrance. Furthermore, the nano-OF made of 5% EO yield a satisfactory smell more than 3 h, which was 3 times of that of the conventional orange fragrance. This fragrance was stable when stored at 4 °C (>1 year) and 25 °C (>10 months). The knowledge gained from this study will be helpful to develop nanoethosomal fragrances or perfumes for commercial use.

Enhanced Antiarthritic Efficacy by Nanoparticles of (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate-Glucosamine-Casein.

This work aims to improve the antiarthritic activity of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and glucosamine (GA) through fabrication and optimization of casein protein nanoparticles (EGC-NPs). Optimized EGC-NPs were obtained with a EGCG/GA/casein ratio of 1:2:8 (w/w/w). The EGC-NPs gave a mean size of 186 ± 3.5 nm and an entrapment efficiency of 86.8 ± 2.7%, and they exhibited a greater inhibitory activity against human fibroblast-like synoviocytes-osteoarthritis cells and human fibroblast-like synoviocytes-rheumatoid arthritis cells compared with that of the EGCG-GA mixture by 33.5% and 20.8%, respectively. Freeze-dried EGC-NPs stored at 25 °C during 12 months showed high dispersion stability. Moreover, the redispersion of the freeze-dried EGC-NPs produced almost no significant changes in their physicochemical properties and bioactivity. Rat experiments demonstrated that the antiarthritis effect of the EGC-NPs was significantly higher than that of EGCG-GA mixture, as assessed through an analysis of anti-inflammatory efficacy, radiographic images and histopathological assessments of paw joints, and immunohistochemical changes in serum cytokines. The enchanced antiarthritic activity in vivo was consistent with that in vitro. The EGC-NPs demonstrate potential as a food supplement for the treatment of arthritis.

Enhancement in Antibacterial Activities of Eugenol-Entrapped Ethosome Nanoparticles via Strengthening Its Permeability and Sustained Release.

The antibacterial efficiency and synergistic mechanisms of novel formulated eugenol entrapped ethosome nanoparticles (ELG-NPs) against fruit anthracnose were investigated. The results showed that concentrations of eugenol and ethanol significantly influenced the particle size and entrapment efficiency of nanoethosome, and the particle size significantly influenced the antibacterial effect. Superior ELG-NPs with optimized process (0.5% eugenol, 2% lecithin, and 30% ethanol) were obtained with a size of 44.21 nm and entrapment efficiency of 82%. ELG-NPs exhibited an antibacterial activity (>93%) against fruit pathogens that was greater than that of free eugenol and showed 100% inhibition of the anthracnose incidence in postharvest loquat after 6 d. The permeability study, first visualized in banana cortex with fluorescent indicators, demonstrated that eugenol delivered to the interior with ELG-NPs was 6-fold higher than that of free eugenol. ELG-NPs showed a satisfactory slow-release and prolonged antibacterial action. This work provides a promising strategy for disease controls in agricultural, food, cosmetic, and medical areas.

Influence of Hydrocolloids (Dietary Fibers) on Lipid Digestion of Protein-Stabilized Emulsions: Comparison of Neutral, Anionic, and Cationic Polysaccharides.

The impact of dietary fibers on lipid digestion within the gastrointestinal tract depends on their molecular and physicochemical properties. In this study, the influence of the electrical characteristics of dietary fibers on their ability to interfere with the digestion of protein-coated lipid droplets was investigated using an in vitro small intestine model. Three dietary fibers were examined: cationic chitosan; anionic alginate; neutral locust bean gum (LBG). The particle size, ζ-potential, microstructure, and apparent viscosity of ß-lactoglobulin stabilized oil-in-water emulsions containing different types and levels of dietary fiber were measured before and after lipid digestion. The rate and extent of lipid digestion depended on polysaccharide type and concentration. At relatively low dietary fiber levels (0.1 to 0.2 wt%), the initial lipid digestion rate was only reduced by chitosan, but the final extent of lipid digestion was unaffected by all 3 dietary fibers. At relatively high dietary fiber levels (0.4 wt%), alginate and chitosan significantly inhibited lipid hydrolysis, whereas LBG did not. The impact of chitosan on lipid digestion was attributed to its ability to promote fat droplet aggregation through bridging flocculation, thereby retarding access of the lipase to the droplet surfaces. The influence of alginate was mainly ascribed to its ability to sequester calcium ions and promote depletion flocculation.