Rumex hanus by. Extract Protects Against Chronic Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury in Mice.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has become a global health problem. The hepatoprotective effects of bioactive ingredients extracted from Rumex hanus by. on chronic alcoholic liver injury was investigated for the first time. The extract from R. hanus by. (ERHB) was obtained by 70% ethanol extraction, and the endotoxin antagonism rate of ERHB was 88.94 ± 1.24% in vitro. The animal experiments demonstrated that ERHB promoted hepatic function by significantly enhancing the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and by reducing the activities of cytochrome P450 proteins, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase. Furthermore, ERHB improved alcohol-induced dyslipidemia by regulating lipid metabolism. In addition, ERHB ameliorated the alcohol-induced liver injury by inhibiting endotoxin-caused inflammation. Seven compounds with antagonistic activity on endotoxin were identified in ERHB. These results demonstrated that ERHB had protective effects on ALD and if the results can be confirmed in humans, it might be useful as a functional food supplement for ALD treatment.

Brewing of glucuronic acid-enriched apple cider with enhanced antioxidant activities through the co-fermentation of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia kudriavzevii) and bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum).

Co-fermentation using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia kudriavzevii) and the bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) as starters isolated from spontaneous sourdough was conducted for the brewing of glucuronic acid (GlcA)-enriched apple cider. The concentration of GlcA in the apple cider co-fermented for 14 d with commercial S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum was 37.7 ± 1.7 mg/mL while a concentration of 62.8 ± 3.1 mg/mL was recorded for fermentation with P. kudriavzevii and L. plantarum, which was higher than the corresponding single yeast fermentation. The co-fermented apple cider revealed higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of 171.67 ± 0.79 µg trolox equivalents (TE)/mL using P. kudriavzevii and L. plantarum, compared to the control (143.89 ± 7.07 µg TE/mL) just using S. cerevisiae. Thus, the co-fermentation of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum and P. kudriavzevii and L. plantarum provided a new strategy for the development of GlcA-enriched apple cider with enhanced antioxidant capacity.

Composition, physicochemical properties, and anti-fatigue activity of water-soluble okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) stem pectins.

Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, an annual herbaceous plant, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Water-soluble pectic hydrocolloids from okra stems (HOS) were extracted and purified using polydivinylbenzene HP-20 resins. The sugar composition of the purified HOS with an weight-average molecular weight of 178.4 ± 2.1 kDa and a polydispersity index of 1.02 ± 0.02 contained galacturonic acid (34%), galactose (31%), rhamnose (21%), arabinose (4.2%), glucuronic acid (2.5%), xylose (1.2%), and other monosaccharides (6.1%) by weight. Its favorable rheological behaviors were evident on relatively higher concentrations (20, 25, and 30 mg/mL) and moderately lower pH levels (3 and 5) of HOS. The anti-fatigue experiments in vivo demonstrated that a high dose of HOS (450 mg/kg feed) prolonged the exhaustive swimming time of mice, significantly induced an increase in blood glucose and glycogen, and decreased lactic acid and serum urea nitrogen levels. HOS digestion in vivo was fairly conducive to the improvement of energy storage capacity and renal function for physically induced fatigue, compared with the conventional herbal supplement Panax quinquefolium. Accordingly, HOS exhibits potential for reutilization of okra stem waste.

Composition and biochemical properties of ale beer enriched with lignans from Schisandra chinensis Baillon (omija) fruits.

To develop a beverage with high antioxidant capacity and desirable sensory characteristics, Schisandra chinensis (omija) fruits were added to ale type beer at different time points of the brewing process. The phenolic compounds contents in beer were found to be dependent at the moment of the addition of omija fruit. Addition of omija fruits at the initiation of boiling imparted highest oxidative stability to beer and resulted in highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents in ale beer (606.82 mg GAE/L and 406.75 mg QE/L, respectively). The amounts of schisandrin, gomisin A and gomisin B in beer were 12.10 mg/mL, 3.12 mg/mL and 0.86 mg/mL, respectively. Taken together, it is hypothesized that the addition of omija fruits to traditional brewing process can improve the development of value-added beer products.

Influence of fermentation on antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties of maifanite mineral water-cultured common buckwheat sprouts.

Buckwheat sprouts (BS) becomes popular due to its' health-promoting properties as food product. The effects of fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum on antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities as well as functional composition in common BS cultivated in maifanite mineral water were investigated here. DPPH and ·OH results showed higher antioxidant potential in fermented BS compared to unfermented BS, due to the higher rutin, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The S. cerevisiae-fermented BS also exhibited 113% and 110% higher DPPH and ·OH scavenging activities than the L. plantarum-fermented BS, respectively. In hyperlipidemic mice, blood lipid parameters were improved as dose-dependent manner when supplemented the food with S. cerevisiae-fermented BS. Fermented BS also restored liver antioxidant levels significantly. The fermented BS had greater effect on different parameters than those of unfermented BS. Therefore, fermentation is a valuable method to enhance the bioactive potential of BS.

Brewing Rutin-Enriched Lager Beer with Buckwheat Malt as Adjuncts.

Brewing with buckwheat as an ingredient has been proven to be successful in several previous studies. However, few studies have focused on the effects of buckwheat on the rutin content and antioxidant activity of beer. In order to develop a lager beer with high rutin content and desirable sensory characteristics, tartary buckwheat malt was used as a brewing adjunct. The results showed that the rutin-degrading enzyme was the key factor affecting the rutin content in the wort and beer. Compared to beer made using the common mashing method, the rutin content in the buckwheat beers produced using an improved mashing method was approximately 60 times higher. The total flavonoid contents in buckwheat beers also depended strongly on the mashing methods, ranging from 530.75 to 1,704.68 mg QE/l. The rutin-rich beers also showed better oxidative stability during forced-aging. Meanwhile, the buckwheat beers were found to be acceptable in terms of the main quality attributes, flavor, and taste.

A new trichothecene from Myrothecium roridum QDFE005, a symbiotic fungus isolated from Mactra chinensis.

A new trichothecene, 12'-episatratoxin H (1), together with three known analogs: roridin A (2), 16-hydroxyroridin E (3), and roridin E (4), was isolated from the culture broth of the symbiotic fungus Myrothecium roridum QDFE005, which was isolated from Mactra chinensis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) techniques. Compound 1 exhibited significant cytotoxicity against the human tumor cell lines KB and HepG2 with IC50 values of 1.42 and 2.27 µM, respectively.

Purification and Characterization of a Protease Produced by a Planomicrobium sp. L-2 from Gut of Octopus vulgaris.

Protease widely exists in the digestive tract of animals and humans, playing a very important role in protein digestion and absorption. In this study, a high protease-producing strain Planomicrobium sp. L-2 was isolated and identified from the digestive tract of Octopus variabilis. The strain was identified by physiological and biochemical experiments and 16S rDNA sequences analysis. A protease was obtained from the strain Planomicrobium sp. L-2 through ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and enrichment, DEAE-Sephadex A50 anion-exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography. The molecular weight and properties of the protease were characterized, including optimum temperature and pH, thermal stability, protease inhibitions and metal ions. According to our results, the protease from Planomicrobium sp. L-2 strain designated as F1-1 was obtained by three-step separation and purification from crude enzyme. The molecular weight of the protease was 61.4 kDa and its optimum temperature was 40°C. The protease F1-1 showed a broad pH profile for casein hydrolysis between 5.0~11.0. No residual activity was observed after incubation for 40 min at 60°C and 60 min at 50°C. F1-1 protease was inhibited by Mn(2+), Hg(2+), Pb(2+), Zn(2+), and Cu(2+) ions, as well as PMSF, indicating that the protease F1-1 was a serine protease. Additionally, research basis provided by this study could be considered for industrial application of octopus intestinal proteases.

[Genetic algorithm for fermentation kinetics of submerged fermentation by Morchella].

Fermentation kinetics is important for optimizing control and up-scaling fermentation process. We studied submerged fermentation kinetics of Morchella. Applying the genetic Algorithm in the Matlab software platform, we compared suitability of the Monod and Logistic models, both are commonly used in process of fungal growth, to describe Morchella growth kinetics. Meanwhile, we evaluated parameters involved in the models for Morchella growth, EPS production and substrate consumption. The results indicated that Logistic model fit better with the experimental data. The average error of this model was 5.8%. This kinetics model can be useful for optimizing and up-scaling fungal fermentation process.