Acute and second-meal effects of almond form in impaired glucose tolerant adults: a randomized crossover trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nut consumption may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The aim of the current study was to measure the acute and second-meal effects of morning almond consumption and determine the contribution of different nut fractions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fourteen impaired glucose tolerant (IGT) adults participated in a randomized, 5-arm, crossover design study where whole almonds (WA), almond butter (AB), defatted almond flour (AF), almond oil (AO) or no almonds (vehicle - V) were incorporated into a 75 g available carbohydrate-matched breakfast meal. Postprandial concentrations of blood glucose, insulin, non-esterified free fatty acids (NEFA), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and appetitive sensations were assessed after treatment breakfasts and a standard lunch.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>WA significantly attenuated second-meal and daylong blood glucose incremental area under the curve (AUCI) and provided the greatest daylong feeling of fullness. AB and AO decreased blood glucose AUCI in the morning period and daylong blood glucose AUCI was attenuated with AO. WA and AO elicited a greater second-meal insulin response, particularly in the early postprandial phase, and concurrently suppressed the second-meal NEFA response. GLP-1 concentrations did not vary significantly between treatments.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Inclusion of almonds in the breakfast meal decreased blood glucose concentrations and increased satiety both acutely and after a second-meal in adults with IGT. The lipid component of almonds is likely responsible for the immediate post-ingestive response, although it cannot explain the differential second-meal response to AB versus WA and AO.</p

Advances on the Antioxidant Peptides from Nuts: A Narrow Review

Antioxidant peptides extracted from natural foods have been studied for their potential use in the development of additives, nutraceuticals, and therapeutic agents. Nut proteins are considered an excellent source of plant-derived proteins for the human diet, due to their high protein content and digestibility of up to 86.22%. Furthermore, compared with grain and soybean proteins, nut proteins have a special amino acid composition, which makes their protein structure different, and promotes their disparate functional characteristics and great bioactivity potential. This review presents the most remarkable studies on antioxidant peptides from nuts, to gain insights into feasible production methods, different evaluation indexes within in vivo or in vitro systems, high bioavailability, and the complex structure-activity relationship resulting from the particularity of their protein structure and amino acid composition. Previously published studies mainly focused on the effects of the production methods/processes of nut-derived peptides on antioxidant activity, and proved that nut-extracted antioxidant peptides can resist the degradation of acid, alkali, and gastrointestinal enzymes, have high antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo, and also have the potential to cross small intestinal epithelial cells in a stable and integral manner. However, the structure-activity relationship of antioxidant peptides from nuts has not been fully established, and the structure information of antioxidant peptides obtained from various nut protein sources is still unclear. The findings presented in this review can be used to provide the theoretical basis for the design and production of nut-derived antioxidant peptides

In vitro and in vivo modeling of lipid bioaccessibility and digestion from almond muffins: the importance of the cell-wall barrier mechanism

This study compares in vitro and in vivo models of lipid digestion from almond particles within a complex food matrix (muffins) investigating whether the cell-wall barrier regulates the bioaccessibility of nutrients within this matrix. Muffins containing small (AF) or large (AP) particles of almond were digested in triplicate using an in vitro dynamic gastric model (DGM, 1 h) followed by a static duodenal digestion (8 h). AF muffins had 97.1 ± 1.7% of their lipid digested, whereas AP muffins had 57.6 ± 1.1% digested. In vivo digestion of these muffins by an ileostomy volunteer (0–10 h) gave similar results with 96.5% and 56.5% lipid digested, respectively. The AF muffins produced a higher postprandial triacylglycerol iAUC response (by 61%) than the AP muffins. Microstructural analysis showed that some lipid remained encapsulated within the plant tissue throughout digestion. The cell-wall barrier mechanism is the main factor in regulating lipid bioaccessibility from almond particles

The perception of disability by community groups: Stories of local understanding, beliefs and challenges in a rural part of Kenya

Cultural narratives on disability have received much attention over the past few decades. In contexts of poverty, limited information and everyday challenges associated with having, or caring for someone with a disability, different understandings have emerged. A project was set up to promote disability awareness in neighborhood communities in a rural part of Kenya, using a process of reflection and education. This paper reports on the first aspect–reflection. The aim was to investigate local understanding of disability as a co-constructed concept. The research questions were: 1. What cultural beliefs shape local understanding of disability? 2. What challenges are perceived to be associated with disability? A phenomenological approach was adopted. Focus group discussions were conducted with twenty-one community groups involving 263 participants and audio-recorded. The data were transcribed and thematic analysis was carried out. Visual maps were created to illustrate any interconnections, before establishing the final conclusions. Local beliefs attributed disability to: human transgression of social conventions, particularly concerning inappropriate family relations, which invoked a curse; supernatural forces affecting the child; the will of God; unexplained events; and biomedical factors. Challenges associated with disability related to the burden of caregiving and perceived barriers to inclusion, with stress as a shared bi-product. Local understanding of disability in this rural part of Kenya demonstrated overlapping explanations and plurality of beliefs. Two possible interpretations are offered. Firstly, oscillation between explanatory lines demonstrated instability, affecting broader acceptance of disability. Secondly, and more positively, in the face of challenges, the desire to make sense of the existing situation, reflected a healthy pluralism

Optimization of Enzymatic Production of Oligopeptides from Apricot Almonds Meal with Neutrase and N120P

Neutrase 0.8L and N120P proteases were used for oligopeptide production from apricot almonds meal, and response surface design was carried out to optimize the effect of hydrolysis conditions on hydrolysis degree (DH) and oligopeptide yield rate. Four independent variables were used to optimize the hydrolysis process: hydrolysis temperature (X1), enzyme-to substrate ratio (E/S) (X2), substrate concentration (X3) and reaction time (X4). Statistical analysis indicated that the four variables, quadratic terms of X1, X3, and X4, and the interaction terms with X1 had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on DH. The yield rate was also significantly affected by the four variables and quadratic terms of X1, X2 and X4. Two mathematical models with high determination coefficient were obtained and could be employed to optimize protein hydrolysis. The optimal hydrolysis conditions were determined as follows: hydrolysis temperature 52.5 °C; enzyme-to-substrate ratio (E/S) 7200 U/g; substrate concentration 2%; reaction time 173 min. The initial pH 6.5 and Neutrase-to-N120P dosage ratio 2:1 were fixed in this study according to the preliminary research. Under these conditions, the experimental DH and yield rate were 34.10 ± 5.25% and 72.42 ± 2.27%, respectively

Mejora de la extracción proteica de la harina de girasol mediante hidrólisis con alcalasa

Extraction of proteins from defatted sunflower meal has been improved by addition of the protease alcalase during alkaline extraction. This method offers several additional advantages as compared to the traditional alkaline extraction without alcalase, which is usually carried out after a sedimentation/flotation step to remove the lignocellulosic fraction. As compared to extraction without alcalase, addition of 0.1% (v/v) alcalase improved the yield of protein extraction from 57.5% to 87.4%, providing an extract that is 22% hydrolyzed. In addition, an increment of up to 4.5 times in protein solubility at low pH values is achieved, which correlates with the degree of hydrolysis. The extracts that were obtained in the presence of alcalase had a higher proline and glycine content, suggesting that the protease improves extraction of proline-rich and glycine-rich cell wall proteins that are part of the lignocellulosic fraction. These protein extracts can be directly dried without generation of wastewater, and the resulting fiber-rich material could be used for animal feeding.Se ha mejorado la extracción proteica de la harina desengrasa de girasol mediante la adición de la proteasa alcalasa durante la extracción alcalina. Este método ofrece varias ventajas adicionales en comparación con la extracción alcalina tradicional sin alcalasa, que se desarrolla normalmente mediante un proceso de flotación/sedimentación para retirar la fracción lignocelulósica. En comparación a la extracción sin alcalasa, la adicción de 0.1% (v/v) de alcalasa mejora los rendimientos de extracción proteica desde un 57.5% a un 87.4%, dando un extracto con un 22% de grado de hidrólisis. Además se obtiene un incremento de hasta 4.5 veces de la solubilidad proteica a bajos pHs, que se correlaciona con el grado de hidrólisis. Los extractos obtenidos con alcalasa tenían un mayor contenido de prolina y glicina, sugiriendo que la proteasa mejora la extracción de las proteínas ricas en prolina y glicina de la pared celular que forma parte de la fracción lignocelulósica. Este extracto proteico puede ser secado directamente sin generación de aguas residuales, y el material resultante rico en fibra podría ser usado para alimentación animal.This work was supported by grant AGL 2001-0526.Peer reviewe

Effects of roasting conditions on sensory attributes, polyphenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

Roasting is considered the commonest processing method applied to foods, it affects both phytochemicals and sensory attributes. In the present study, the effect of varying roasting parameters on sensory attributes was determined, as well as scavenging property against free radicals (DPPH) and polyphenolic content (TPC and TFC) of whole peanut kernels. Whole peanut kernels were roasted at different temperatures (130-150 °C) with various durations (5-20 min). Finding revealed that peanuts roasted at 130, 140, and 150 °C for 15, 10, and 5 min, respectively, received significantly the highest (p<0.05) sensory scores in all the parameters investigated. Therefore, they were selected for TPC, TFC, and DPPH assays. All three assays were found to increase during roasting compared to the unroasted counterpart. Peanuts that were roasted at 140 °C for 10 min, had the highest total phenolic contents of 67.26 ± 1.77 mg GAE/g while those roasted at 150 °C for 5 contained the highest TFC of 12.91 ± 0.56 mg QE/g. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity was detected in the sample roasted at 140 °C for 10 min with an IC50 value of 417.44 μg/mL. Roasting significantly affected the bioactive contents as well as the scavenging activity of the whole peanut

Processing Approaches to Improve Functionality and Value of Soybean Products

Soybeans have high concentrations of proteins, amino acids and unsaturated lipids. Various soybean products, such as soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, and soy protein isolate are available and have been studied, due to their abundant nutrient contents. They are acceptable substitutes for meat for vegetarians and vegans, due to their high nutritional value. Soy products have been extensively utilized in the animal feed industry as a protein source as well. Unfortunately, there are challenges associated with soybeans and soy products. Soybeans cannot be consumed without being processed. The main problem is the presence of Anti Nutritional Factors (ANFs), which are a major cause of poor protein digestibility. With respect to animal feeds, other problems include morphological and pathological changes, such as abnormalities in the digestive systems in non-ruminant animals. Hence, the objective of this study was to review various methods of processing soybeans, which can reduce anti-nutritional factors, increase nutrient availability, and effectively utilize the nutritional value of soybeans

OBTENTION OF PROTEIN CONCENTRATE AND POLYPHENOLS FROM MACADAMIA (MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA) WITH AQUEOUS EXTRACTION METHOD

Objective: The aim of this study was to obtain protein concentrates from macadamia using alkaline pH at different pHs of precipitation with water to analyze the protein isolates using the Native-PAGE, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and RP-UHPLC methods.Materials &amp; Methods: Macadamia protein concentrates were obtained using the isoelectric precipitation method at different pHs using water as solvent. Proteins were analyzed using the Native-PAGE, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and RP-UHPLC methods.Results: A yield of 36.57±0.17a of protein concentrate of defatted macadamia flour at pH 6.0 with a 51.564% of protein was obtained using the Dumas method. Polypeptides profile was identified in the 11-63 kDa range. Total polyphenols content was high at pH 5.0 with a value of 367,340 mg GAE equivalents / 100 g.Conclusions: Macadamia seed is a good source of proteins. Native-PAGE, SDS-PAGE and RP-UHPLC are good methods to identify the macadamia protein isolate in presence of water. Â