Protective effects of defatted dabai peel extracts in hypercholesterolemic rabbits based on histopathological methods

Defatted dabai peel contains a high amount of anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are known to prevent several types of disease, including cardiovascular-related complications. This study aimed to describe the effects of different doses of defatted dabai peel extract by histopathological analyses on lesions in the liver, kidney, heart and aorta. Histopathology methods were applied to determine the protective effects of defatted dabai peel extracts against hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative damages to animal organs. Haematoxylin and eosin staining was applied for histopathology examination for liver, kidney, heart and aorta. Data showed that a high dose of defatted dabai extract (3000 mg per day) applied to hypercholesterolemic rabbits for eight weeks had mild protective effect, especially reducing the severity of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis of the renal medulla. The high dose of extract supplementation also reduced inflammation of aorta and formation of atherosclerosis plaque in the cell wall of right ventricle of the heart. The high dose of defatted dabai peel extract could be a protective agent against oxidative stress

Effects of Mangifera pajang Kostermans juice on plasma antioxidant status and liver and kidney function in normocholesterolemic subjects

The effects of a bambangan juice powder (BJP) drink on plasma vitamin and antioxidant enzyme levels and liver and kidney function were investigated. Thirty-two healthy subjects (12 male and 20 female) ages 24–28 years were recruited from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Compared with consuming the placebo, consumption of the BJP drink daily for 9 weeks significantly increased the concentration of plasma β-carotene and ascorbic acid. Plasma total antioxidant status was increased, but liver and kidney functions were unaffected after consumption of the BJP drink. The consumption of a BJP drink resulted in a significant improvement in certain cardiovascular biochemical parameters and thus reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease

Characterisation of fibre-rich powder and antioxidant capacity of Mangifera pajang K. fruit peels.

The composition of bambangan peel dietary fibre (DF) and several properties related to its nutritional quality were investigated. The physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity for the fibre-rich powder (FRP) were investigated, and the chemical composition for soluble dietary fibre (SDF) and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) were also studied. The FRP had a high amount of total dietary fibre (TDF; 72.3 g/100 g FRP) with a balanced SDF/IDF ratio (46.3/53.7%). The FRP had a high glucose retardation index, water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), and swelling. The antioxidant capacity of the FRP, as determined by the DPPHradical dot assay using an Elisa reader, exhibited a strong potency due to the presence of associated total polyphenols (98.3 mg/g FRP). These FRP characteristics indicated that bambangan peels are a rich source of DF, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds that can be incorporated with food products to improve the nutraceutical properties of these products

Effects of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on lipid profile and histopathological changes in hypercholesterolaemic rats

The present study investigated the effects of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on lipid profile, liver and kidney function, and body fat in hypercholesterolaemic rats. 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. The negative control group received a standard diet. The positive control group received a cholesterol-enriched diet, whereas the intervention groups received a cholesterol-enriched diet supplemented with B. longum BB536 alone or in combination with inulin or Mangifera pajang fibrous polysaccharides. After 8 weeks, plasma lipids, and liver and kidney function were tested. Intake of the cholesterol-enriched diet increased total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, creatinine, urea, liver weight, adipose tissue weight, liver lipid deposition and adipocyte size. B. longum BB536 supplementation significantly reduced total cholesterol, liver lipid deposition and adipocyte size, and positively affected liver and kidney function. These effects were significantly increased in the presence of inulin and M. pajang fibrous polysaccharides

Functional properties and characterization of dietary fiber from mangifera pajang kort. Fruit pulp

A dried high fiber product from bambangan (Mangifera pajang Kort.) fruit pulp was prepared and evaluated for proximate composition, functional properties, and soluble and insoluble dietary fiber composition. Mangifera pajang fibrous (MPF) consisted of 4.7% moisture, 0.8% fat, 4% protein, and 30 mg total polyphenol per g of dry sample, and 9, 79 and 88% soluble, insoluble and total dietary fiber, respectively. Water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, swelling, and solubility were found to be 9 g/g dry sample, 4 g/g dry sample, 16 mL/g dry sample, and 11%, respectively. The glucose dialysis retardation index of MPF was approximately double that of cellulose fiber. Soluble dietary fiber contained mannose, arabinose, glucose, rhamnose, erythrose, galactose, xylose, and fucose at 1.51, 0.72, 0.39, 0.16, 0.14, 0.05, 0.04, and 0.01%, respectively, with 5.8% uronic acid, while insoluble dietary fiber was composed of arabinose (18.47%), glucose (4.46%), mannose (3.15%), rhamnose (1.65%), galactose (1.20%), xylose (0.99%), and fucose (0.26%) with 15.5% uronic acid and 33.1% klason lignin. These characteristics indicate that MPF is a rich source of dietary fiber and has physicochemical properties which make it suitable as an added ingredient in various food products and/or dietetic, low-calorie high-fiber foods to enhance their nutraceutical propertie

Hypocholesterolaemic effect of yoghurt containing Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum G4 or Bifidobacterium longum BB536

The effect of a yoghurt supplement containing Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum G4 or Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on plasma lipids, lipid peroxidation and the faecal excretion of bile acids was examined in rats fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. After 8 weeks, the rats in the positive control (PC) group who were fed the cholesterol-enriched diet showed significant increases in plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and malondialdehyde (MDA). However, groups fed a cholesterol-enriched diet supplemented with yoghurt containing B. pseudocatenulatum G4 or B. longum BB536 had significantly lower plasma TC, LDL-C, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and MDA than had the PC group after 8 weeks of treatment. In addition, faecal excretion of bile acids was markedly increased in the rats fed the yoghurt containing B. pseudocatenulatum G4 or B. longum BB536 as compared to the PC and NC groups

Cholesterol and alpha-tocopherol contents of fish and other seafood from the Straits of Malacca

This study was conducted to determine the cholesterol and alpha-tocopherol contents of 20 marine fish and four other seafood from the Straits of Malacca. Cholesterol and alpha-tocopherol contents of the fish and other seafood were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that most of the fish contained low amounts of cholesterol, except sixbar grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus), long-tailed butterfly ray (Gymnura sp.), yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis), cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), large-scale tongue sole (Cynoglossus arel), and longtail shad (Hilsa macrura) that contained high amounts of cholesterol (119.39-353.97 mg/100 g wet samples). Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta), giant seaperch (Lates calcarifer), prawn (Metapenaeus affinis), and moonfish (Trachinotus blochii) had high alpha-tocopherol contents (462-989 μg/100 g wet sample). Regular consumption of fish and other seafood is highly recommended partly due to the high alpha-tocopherol content. Due to the high cholesterol in certain types of fish, consumption of the fish fillets of sixbar grouper, long-tailed butterfly ray, yellowstripe scad, cuttlefish, and large scale tongue sole should be <100 g per day and <50 g per day for longtail shad. Validation of the analytical method also showed a high accuracy and reproducibility of the HPLC method

Antioxidant activities and total phenolic content in germinated and non-germinated legume extracts following alkaline-acid hydrolysis

This study was aimed to determine and compare Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Antioxidant Activities (AA) in germinated and non-germinated legume [peanut (Arachis hypogeal) and soybean (Glycine max)] extracts prepared using alkaline-acid hydrolysis. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activities 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging and reducing Ferric Ion Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) in extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. Total phenolic content in non-germinated peanut and soybean were 1090.58 and 888.08 mg GAE/100g dry weight, respectively. After germination, total phenolic content in peanut increased to reach 1151.33 mg GAE/100g dry weight; while soybean significantly decreased. In non-germinated peanut and soybean DPPH was 1084.99 and 507.59 μM TE/100g dry weight; and FRAP was 47966.67 and 23010.00 μM Fe2+ equivalent/100g dry weight respectively. Following germination, DPPH and FRAP were decreased in peanuts but increased in soybeans. The process of germination has resulted to the increments of antioxidant activities in soybean and total phenolic content in peanut

Prebiotics as functional foods: a review

Prebiotics are short chain carbohydrates that are non-digestible by digestive enzymes in humans and selectively enhance the activity of some groups of beneficial bacteria. In the intestine, prebiotics are fermented by beneficial bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids. Prebiotics also render many other health benefits in the large intestine such as reduction of cancer risk and increase calcium and magnesium absorption. Prebiotics are found in several vegetables and fruits and are considered functional food components which present significant technological advantages. Their addition improves sensory characteristics such as taste and texture, and enhances the stability of foams, emulsions and mouthfeel in a large range of food applications like dairy products and bread. This contribution reviews bioactives from food sources with prebiotic properties. Additionally, food application of bioactive prebiotics, stimulation of the viability of probiotics, health benefits, epidemiological studies, and safety concerns of prebiotics are also reviewed

Purification, characterization and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides extracted from the fibrous pulp of Mangifera pajang fruits.

Polysaccharides were isolated from the fibrous pulp of bambangan (Mangifera pajang Kort.). Neutral and acidic polysaccharides were separated using DEAE-Cellulose. Size exclusion chromatography analyses showed that the average molecular weight (MW) of the neutral M. pajang polysaccharides (F1) was approximately 7 kDa, and those of three acidic polysaccharides (F2, F3 and F4) were approximately 13, 24 and 9 kDa, respectively. The monosaccharide compositions of these polysaccharides were determined using high performance liquid chromatography. F1 contained erythrose, rhamnose, arabinose, mannose, fructose and glucose (5, 7, 21, 42, 4 and 21 mg/100 mg fraction respectively), F2 consisted of rhamnose, xylose and arabinose (33, 7 and 51 mg/100 mg fraction respectively), F3 consisted of fructose (14 mg/100 mg fraction) and glucose (72 mg/100 mg fraction), and F4 comprised arabinose, mannose, fructose and glucose (32, 36, 2 and 10 mg/100 mg fraction respectively). Results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the monosaccharide compositions suggested that the fibrous pulp of M. pajang fruit consisted of heteropolysaccharide and belonged to α and β–type of the pyran group. Additionally, crude polysaccharide and its fractions showed strong antioxidant activities. The acidic polysaccharides had the highest antioxidant activity and should be considered as a prospective antioxidant