High-Value Components and Bioactives from Sea Cucumbers for Functional Foods—A Review

Sea cucumbers, belonging to the class Holothuroidea, are marine invertebrates, habitually found in the benthic areas and deep seas across the world. They have high commercial value coupled with increasing global production and trade. Sea cucumbers, informally named as bêche-de-mer, or gamat, have long been used for food and folk medicine in the communities of Asia and Middle East. Nutritionally, sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), and minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities including anti-angiogenic, anticancer, anticoagulant, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antithrombotic, antitumor and wound healing have been ascribed to various species of sea cucumbers. Therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array of bioactives especially triterpene glycosides (saponins), chondroitin sulfates, glycosaminoglycan (GAGs), sulfated polysaccharides, sterols (glycosides and sulfates), phenolics, cerberosides, lectins, peptides, glycoprotein, glycosphingolipids and essential fatty acids. This review is mainly designed to cover the high-value components and bioactives as well as the multiple biological and therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with regard to exploring their potential uses for functional foods and nutraceuticals

Thermodynamic phase diagram stability, electronic and thermoelectric properties of the half-Heusler KMgP [111] films

The mechanical, electronic and thermoelectric calculations of the KMgP half-Heusler compound and its [111] thin films have been done in the framework of density functional theory. The KMgP bulk has mechanical stability in the static and dynamic viewpoints, and it has the p-type semiconductor behavior with the 1.1-eV energy gap. The KMgP in the bulk phase is a relatively good thermoelectric compound with a figure of merit of 0.7 above the room temperature. The KMgP [111] film has three K-, Mg- and P-terminations. The last one has 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level, which is referred to as the fully half-metallic behavior. The thermoelectric efficiency of the P-termination case in the up spin is more than that of the bulk structure. The figure of merit for this termination is about one at room temperature, which made it the right candidate for thermoelectric applications

Surface functionalization of anodized tantalum with Mn3O4 nanoparticles for effective corrosion protection in simulated inflammatory condition

| openaire: EC/H2020/860462/EU//PREMUROSA This study has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 860462 for “PREMUROSA” project (A.B–K., M.G.). The fabrication of the anodic and EPD coatings was performed at Materials and Energy Research Center, Tehran, Iran. The authors are willing to express their gratitude for this support.The study highlights the corrosion behavior of untreated and treated tantalum with addition of trimanganese tetraoxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles in simulated inflammatory media. The anodic layer was produced on pure tantalum by anodization in electrolytes composed of ammonium fluoride, ethylene glycol, and water. Nanoparticles were deposited uniformly on the surface of the anodized tantalum with the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. The results revealed that the anodic/EPD coating possessed more compact microstructure and higher bond strength than the anodic coating. Simulated inflammatory medium was based on phosphate-buffered saline with additions of H2O2 and HCl. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies showed that the anodic and Mn3O4 layers protected the tantalum from corroding in an acidic inflammatory condition. Finally, the corrosion protection mechanism of Mn3O4 NPs in inflammatory condition was presented.Peer reviewe

Alcalase-generated proteolysates of stone fish (Actinopyga lecanora) flesh as a new source of antioxidant peptides

In the present study, the alcalase-generated proteolysates obtained after 8 h of proteolysis of stone fish flesh showed the most potent antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH• radical scavenging activity (77.43%, IC50 of 0.5 mg/mL), ABTS• radical scavenging activity (92.73%, IC50 of 0.33 mg/mL) and FRAP value (39.2 mmol/100 mL FeSO4). These proteolysates profiled and characterized as antioxidative peptides. The proteolysates were initially subjected to ultrafiltration using MWCO Spin-X UF. Potent fractions were further characterized based on hydrophobicity using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and isoelectric point using an OFFGEL isoelectric focusing fractionator. Results indicated that most of the antioxidative peptides found in fractions with a molecular weight (MW) of less than 2 kDa, hydrophilic (hydrophilicity >80%) and basic (pI = 9.7). The final purified fraction with the highest antioxidant activity was selected for peptide identification and sequencing using Q-TOF mass spectrometry. A total of four peptides were identified, from which Peptide 1 (GVSGLHID) showed the highest antioxidant activity and this has potential as a novel bioingredient of nutraceuticals and functional foods to promote human health

Optimisation of ultrasound-assisted extraction of oil from papaya seed by response surface methodology: oil recovery, radical scavenging antioxidant activity, and oxidation stability

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) condition on the yield, antioxidant activity and stability of the oil from papaya seed. The studied ultrasound variables were time, temperature, ultrasound power and solvent to sample ratio. The main goal was to optimise UAE condition providing the highest recovery of papaya seed oil with the most desirable antioxidant activity and stability. The interaction of ultrasound variables had the most and least significant effects on the antioxidant activity and stability, respectively. Ultrasound-assisted extraction provided a relatively high oil recovery (∼73%) from papaya seed. The strongest antioxidant activity was achieved by the extraction at the elevated temperature using low solvent to sample ratio. The optimum ultrasound extraction was set at the elevated temperature (62.5 °C) for 38.5 min at high ultrasound power (700 W) using medium solvent to sample ratio (∼7:1 v/w). The optimum point was practically validated

The Improvement of The Endogenous Antioxidant Property of Stone Fish (Actinopyga lecanora) Tissue Using Enzymatic Proteolysis

The stone fish (Actinopyga lecanora) ethanolic and methanolic tissue extracts were investigated for total phenolic contents (TPCs) as well as antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Both extracts showed low amount of phenolics (20.33 to 17.03 mg of gallic acid equivalents/100 g dried sample) and moderate antioxidant activity (39% to 34%  DPPH• radical scavenging activity and 23.95 to 22.30 mmol/100 mL FeSO4 FRAP value). Enzymatic proteolysis was carried out in order to improve the antioxidant activity using six commercially available proteases under their optimum conditions. The results revealed that the highest increase in antioxidant activity up to 85% was obtained for papain-generated proteolysate, followed by alcalase (77%), trypsin (75%), pepsin (68%), bromelain (68%), and flavourzyme (50%) as measured by DPPH• radical scavenging activity, whilst for the FRAP value, the highest increase in the antioxidant activity up to 39.2 mmol/100 mL FeSO4 was obtained for alcalase-generated proteolysate, followed by papain (29.5 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), trypsin (23.2 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), flavourzyme (24.7 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), bromelain (22.9 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), and pepsin (20.8 mmol/100 mL FeSO4). It is obvious that proteolysis of stone fish tissue by proteolytic enzymes can considerably enhance its antioxidant activity

Metabolite-based dietary supplementation in human type 1 diabetes is associated with microbiota and immune modulation

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the gut microbiota have beneficial anti-inflammatory and gut homeostasis effects and prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D) in mice. Reduced SCFA production indicates a loss of beneficial bacteria, commonly associated with chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including T1D and type 2 diabetes. Here, we addressed whether a metabolite-based dietary supplement has an impact on humans with T1D. We conducted a single-arm pilot-and-feasibility trial with high-amylose maize-resistant starch modified with acetate and butyrate (HAMSAB) to assess safety, while monitoring changes in the gut microbiota in alignment with modulation of the immune system status. Results: HAMSAB supplement was administered for 6 weeks with follow-up at 12 weeks in adults with long-standing T1D. Increased concentrations of SCFA acetate, propionate, and butyrate in stools and plasma were in concert with a shift in the composition and function of the gut microbiota. While glucose control and insulin requirements did not change, subjects with the highest SCFA concentrations exhibited the best glycemic control. Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and vitamin B7 production correlated with lower HbA1c and basal insulin requirements. Circulating B and T cells developed a more regulatory phenotype post-intervention. Conclusion: Changes in gut microbiota composition, function, and immune profile following 6 weeks of HAMSAB supplementation were associated with increased SCFAs in stools and plasma. The persistence of these effects suggests that targeting dietary SCFAs may be a mechanism to alter immune profiles, promote immune tolerance, and improve glycemic control for the treatment of T1D. Trial registration: ACTRN12618001391268. Registered 20 August 2018,https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=375792 [MediaObject not available: see fulltext.]SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe