Potentials of Ulva spp.-derived sulfated polysaccharides as gelling agents with promising therapeutic effects.

Ulvan, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Ulva spp., has garnered significant attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its potential health benefits. These include immunomodulation, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-cancer effects. Nonetheless, practical applications in these fields remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of its gelation mechanisms. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of its gelation have not been completely understood and thoroughly reviewed. The primary objective is to provide current insights into ulvan's gelling mechanisms and potential health impacts. This review also delves into the existing applications of ulvan polysaccharides. By unraveling these aspects, the information provided in this work is expected to deepen our understanding of ulvan's gelation mechanisms and its prospective role in enhancing health, holding promise for advancements in the fields of food science and disease prevention. This work's theoretical insights contribute significantly to a deeper understanding of these aspects, which holds paramount importance in unleashing the full potential of ulvan and elevating its scientific significance.

Structural characterization and ferroptosis-related immunomodulatory of a novel exopolysaccharide isolated from marine fungus Aspergillus medius.

Marine fungal exopolysaccharides play a crucial role in immunoregulation. In this investigation, a novel polysaccharide was extracted from the culture medium of the marine fungus Aspergillus medius SCAU-236. Compositional analysis revealed a structure composed of glucose units with (1,4)-α-D-Glcp, (1,3,4)-ß-D-Glcp, and (1,4,6)-α-D-Glcp, along with side chains of 1-α-D-Glcp linked to carbon 6 of (1,4,6)-α-D-Glcp and carbon 3 of (1,3,4)-ß-D-Glcp. Functional evaluations on RAW264.7 macrophage cells demonstrated Aspergillus medius polysaccharide (ASMP)'s effects on cell proliferation, nitric oxide levels, and the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß cytokines. Additionally, metabolomics indicated ASMP's potential to modulate macrophage immune function by impacting key regulatory molecules, including COX-2, iNOS, Nrf2, SLC7A11, GPX4, and ACSL4. The Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 axis and ACSL4 were suggested to be involved in ASMP-induced ferroptosis, leading to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and lipid peroxidation. These findings propose a unique mechanism by which ASMP exerts immunomodulatory effects through ferroptosis induction, contributing to the understanding of marine-derived compounds in immunomodulation research.

Advancements in understanding low starch hydrolysis in pigmented rice: A comprehensive overview of mechanisms.

This review explores the health-promoting properties of pigmented rice, focusing on its unique ability to promote slow starch digestion and improve blood sugar regulation. While the impact of slow starch digestibility is widely acknowledged, our current understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains insufficient. Therefore, this review aims to bridge the gap by examining the intricate factors and mechanisms that contribute to the low starch hydrolysis of pigmented rice to better understand how it promotes slower starch digestion and improves blood sugar regulation. This paves the way for future advancements in utilizing pigmented rice by enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms behind low starch hydrolysis. These may include the development of food products aimed at mitigating hyperglycemic symptoms and reducing the risk of diabetes. This research broadens our understanding of pigmented rice and facilitates the development of strategies to promote health outcomes by incorporating pigmented rice into our diets.

A New Exopolysaccharide of Marine Coral-Associated Aspergillus pseudoglaucus SCAU265: Structural Characterization and Immunomodulatory Activity.

Recent studies have found that many marine microbial polysaccharides exhibit distinct immune activity. However, there is a relative scarcity of research on the immunomodulatory activity of marine fungal exopolysaccharides. A novel water-soluble fungal exopolysaccharide ASP-1 was isolated from the fermentation broths of marine coral-associated fungus Aspergillus pseudoglaucus SCAU265, and purified by Diethylaminoethyl-Sepharose-52 (DEAE-52) Fast Flow and Sephadex G-75. Structural analysis revealed that ASP-1 had an average molecular weight of 36.07 kDa and was mainly composed of (1→4)-linked α-D-glucopyranosyl residues, along with highly branched heteropolysaccharide regions containing 1,4,6-glucopyranosyl, 1,3,4-glucopyranosyl, 1,4,6-galactopyranosyl, T(terminal)-glucopyranosyl, T-mannopyranosyl, and T-galactopyranosyl residues. ASP-1 demonstrated significant effects on the proliferation, nitric oxide levels, and the secretion of cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Metabolomic analysis provided insights into the potential mechanisms of the immune regulation of ASP-1, suggesting its involvement in regulating immune function by modulating amino acid anabolism, particularly arginine synthesis and metabolism. These findings provide fundamental scientific data for further research on its accurate molecular mechanism of immunomodulatory activity.

Innovative Insights for Establishing a Synbiotic Relationship with Bacillus coagulans: Viability, Bioactivity, and In Vitro-Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion.

This study investigates the use of encapsulating agents for establishing a synbiotic relationship with Bacillus coagulans (TISTR 1447). Various ratios of wall materials, such as skim milk powder, maltodextrin, and cellulose acetate phthalate (represented as SMC1, SMC3, SMC5, and SMC7), were examined. In all formulations, 5% inulin was included as a prebiotic. The research assessed their impact on cell viability and bioactive properties during both the spray-drying process and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The results demonstrate that these encapsulating agents efficiently protect B. coagulans spores during the spray-drying process, resulting in spore viability exceeding 6 log CFU/g. Notably, SMC5 and SMC7 displayed the highest spore viability values. Moreover, SMC5 showcased the most notable antioxidant activity, encompassing DPPH, hydroxy radical, and superoxide radical scavenging, as well as significant antidiabetic effects via the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Furthermore, during the simulated gastrointestinal digestion, both SMC5 and SMC7 exhibited a slight reduction in spore viability over the 6 h simulation. Consequently, SMC5 was identified as the optimal condition for synbiotic production, offering protection to B. coagulans spores during microencapsulation and gastrointestinal digestion while maintaining bioactive properties post-encapsulation. Synbiotic microcapsules containing SMC5 showcased a remarkable positive impact, suggesting its potential as an advanced food delivery system and a functional ingredient for various food products.

Encapsulated starch characteristics and its shell matrix mechanisms controlling starch digestion.

Encapsulated starch can be classified as physically inaccessible starch or type 1 resistant starch (RS1), which is produced by encapsulating starch granules within food matrices using various encapsulation techniques. Encapsulated starch has the potential to be used as a functional ingredient in low-/medium-glycemic index (GI) foods as it can help control glycemic and insulin responses. Despite its remarkable benefits, the relevant information related to entrapped starch and its application is still insufficient and needs further elucidation. The objective of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of the current techniques utilized for the preparation of encapsulated starch and its characteristics, thereby extending the fundamental knowledge. Furthermore, this review delves into the mechanisms governing starch hydrolysis regulated by shell matrices and provides the prospective utilization of encapsulated starch in food production.

In vitro fecal fermentation characteristics of mutant rice starch depend more on amylose content than crystalline structure.

To obtain the relation between rice starch features and fermentation characteristics, rice starches with various polymorphic types and apparent amylose contents were subjected to in vitro fecal fermentation. Gas and short-chain fatty acid production was evaluated as a function of fermentation time, and the microbial responses were monitored by 16S rRNA sequencing technique at the end of fermentation. Regardless of polymorphic type, three high-amylose mutant rice starches (i.e., GM03, A-type; BP577, B-type; Wx21TT, C-type) displayed significantly slower fermentation rate during the first 12 h and higher final butyrate yield (17.6-17.9 mM) compared to the A-type normal starches (9311 and Wx22TT), and promoted the proliferation of Roseburia. However, A-type normal rice starches presented higher propionate production, and increased the growth of Bacteroides and Megamonas. The principal component and redundancy analyses indicated that three high-amylose mutant rice starches showed similar abundance and migration of microbial communities, and the apparent amylose content was closely correlated with the abundance of their five key amplicon sequence variants. Our results demonstrated that amylose content might be a controlling factor in determining the fermentation properties of rice starches than crystalline structure.

Quality attributes and cooking properties of commercial Thai rice noodles.

One of the most popular and abundant traditional foods in Asian countries is dried rice noodles. In fact, the demand for this product has increased steadily around the world in recent years. The qualities of rice noodles are directly related to the specific preferences of consumers. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the properties of eight commercial dried rice noodles that are readily available in most Thai markets. The specific properties under investigation and comparison in this study were proximate composition, amylose content, color, pasting quality, cooking quality, texture, and sensory properties. The specimens were divided into two groups: white (A, B, C, D, and E) and colored rice noodles (F, G, and H). The results showed that the proximate composition, amylose content, and color of both white and colored rice noodles were significantly different (p < 0.05). The lowest cooking losses in white and colored rice noodles were 0.11% (B) and 2.03% (G) (p < 0.05), respectively. Higher values of pasting (setback and final viscosities) and texture properties (tensile strength and extensibility) provided higher overall acceptability. The highest scores for acceptability of white and colored rice noodles were 7.00 (B) and 5.87 (H) (p < 0.05), respectively.

Encapsulation of caffeine into starch matrices: Bitterness evaluation and suppression mechanism.

In this study, caffeine (CA) was encapsulated into food-grade starch matrices, including swelled starch (SS), porous starch (PS), and V-type starch (VS). The bitterness of the microcapsules and suppression mechanisms were investigated using an electronic tongue, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and the in vitro release kinetics of CA. All the CA-loaded microcapsules showed a lower bitterness intensity than the control. The MD results proved that the weak interactions between starch and CA resulted in a moderate CA release rate for SS-CA microcapsules. The PS-CA microcapsule presented the longest CA release, up to 40 min, whereas the VS-CA microcapsule completely released CA in 9 min. The CA release rate was found to be related to the microcapsule structure and rehydration properties. A low CA bitterness intensity could be attributed to a delay in the CA release rate and resistance to erosion of the microcapsules. The results of this work are valuable for improving starch-based microcapsules (oral-targeted drug-delivery systems) by suppressing the bitterness of alkaloid compounds.

Effects of food hydrocolloids on quality attributes of extruded red Jasmine rice noodle.

The aim of this study was to examine the quality characteristics of extruded red Jasmine rice flour (RJF) noodle that had been prepared with hydrocolloids, namely guar gum (GG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and xanthan gum (XG) at the concentrations of 0.0 (control sample), 0.2, and 0.4% (w/w), respectively. The use of hydrocolloids had no effect on total phenolic contents, antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), color, and X-ray diffraction patterns (p > 0.05). In contrast, the hydrocolloids tended to increase the expansion ration of the noodle. GG and CMC improved cooking, textural, and sensory properties. Ultimately, 0.2%-GG showed the lowest cooking loss (5.07%) when compared with others. Moreover, it also provided the noodle with better textural properties such as tensile strength, extensibility, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness (p < 0.05). For these reasons, the highest acceptability (6.75) for the noodle was achieved with GG02. XG resulted in lower overall acceptability (5.05), particularly the 0.4%-XG recipe (p < 0.05). Thus, usage of 0.2%-GG was the best option for improving the qualities of extruded RJF noodle. XG was deemed ineffective for improving the noodle.

Effect of red Jasmine rice replacement on rice flour properties and noodle qualities.

This study aimed to assess flour and noodle qualities after substituting Phitsanulok rice flour (PH) with red Jasmine rice flour (RJ). Blended rice flours were prepared by replacing PH with RJ at various ratios [100:00 (0RJ), 75:25 (25RJ), 50:50 (50RJ), 25:75 (75RJ), and 00:100 (100RJ)]. Some quality improvements were observed in the blended rice flour in terms of chemical and pasting properties at the replacement ratio of 75:25 (p < 0.05). At the same ratio, total phenolic contents, antioxidance activites, and some textural and sensory properties of noodle were developed (p < 0.05). However, increasing values of some undesirable properties including cooking loss and rehydration were also observed (p < 0.05). The noodle made from 100RJ showed the highest level of acceptability but not significantly different compared with others (p > 0.05). Thus, RJ could be used to improve the nutritional value of rice flour, and it could be used for development of health benefits in rice noodle.