Identification of the Botanical Origin of Commercial Pine Nuts Responsible for Dysgeusia by Gas-Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Fatty Acid Profile

Over the last 10 years, complaints were increasingly reported from consumers that experienced dysgeusia following the consumption of pine nuts. In the present study, pine nuts samples (N = 16) from consumers that reported dysgeusia have been analyzed to identify the botanical origin of critical pine nuts samples. The fatty acid composition of the samples was performed, and diagnostic index values were used to identify the botanical origin of the samples. Pinus armandii nuts were identified in all the samples pure or in mixture with P. koraiensis nuts. P. armandii is not reported as edible pine nuts by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This study confirmed that consumption of P. armandii nuts may lead to dysgeusia. Based on the present study and previous work, we advise import companies to trade pine nuts from traditionally recognized species such as P. pinea, P. sibirica, P. koraiensis, or P. gerardiana

Plasma appearance and correlation between coffee and green tea metabolites in human subjects

Coffee and green tea are two of the most widely consumed hot beverages in the world. Their respective bioavailability has been studied separately, but absorption of their respective bioactive phenolics has not been compared. In a randomised cross-over design, nine healthy subjects drank instant coffee and green tea. Blood samples were collected over 12h and at 24h to assess return to baseline. After green tea consumption, (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) was the major catechin, appearing rapidly in the plasma; (−)-EGC gallate (EGCg) and (−)-epicatechin (EC) were also present, but (−)-EC gallate and C were not detected. Dihydroferulic acid and dihydrocaffeic acid were the major metabolites that appeared after coffee consumption with a long time needed to reach maximum plasma concentration, suggesting metabolism and absorption in the colon. Other phenolic acid equivalents (caffeic acid (CA), ferulic acid (FA) and isoferulic acid (iFA)) were detected earlier, and they peaked at lower concentrations. Summations of the plasma area under the curves (AUC) for the measured metabolites showed 1·7-fold more coffee-derived phenolic acids than green tea-derived catechins (P=0·0014). Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between coffee metabolites based on AUC. Inter-individual differences were observed, but individuals with a high level of CA also showed a correspondingly high level of FA. However, no such correlation was observed between the tea catechins and coffee phenolic acids. Correlation between AUC and maximum plasma concentration was also significant for CA, FA and iFA and for EGCg. This implies that the mechanisms of absorption for these two classes of compounds are different, and that a high absorber of phenolic acids is not necessarily a high absorber of catechin

Differential effect of maternal diet supplementation with α-Linolenic adcid or n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on glial cell phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine fatty acid profile in neonate rat brains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are of crucial importance for the development of neural tissues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a dietary supplementation in n-3 fatty acids in female rats during gestation and lactation on fatty acid pattern in brain glial cells phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in the neonates.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sprague-Dawley rats were fed during the whole gestation and lactation period with a diet containing either docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 0.55%) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 0.75% of total fatty acids) or α-linolenic acid (ALA, 2.90%). At two weeks of age, gastric content and brain glial cell PE and PS of rat neonates were analyzed for their fatty acid and dimethylacetal (DMA) profile. Data were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate statistics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the neonates from the group fed with n-3 LC-PUFA, the DHA level in gastric content (+65%, P < 0.0001) and brain glial cell PE (+18%, P = 0.0001) and PS (+15%, P = 0.0009) were significantly increased compared to the ALA group. The filtered correlation analysis (P < 0.05) underlined that levels of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), DHA and n-3 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) were negatively correlated with arachidonic acid (ARA) and n-6 DPA in PE of brain glial cells. No significant correlation between n-3 and n-6 LC-PUFA were found in the PS dataset. DMA level in PE was negatively correlated with n-6 DPA. DMA were found to occur in brain glial cell PS fraction; in this class DMA level was correlated negatively with DHA and positively with ARA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study confirms that early supplementation of maternal diet with n-3 fatty acids supplied as LC-PUFA is more efficient in increasing n-3 in brain glial cell PE and PS in the neonate than ALA. Negative correlation between n-6 DPA, a conventional marker of DHA deficiency, and DMA in PE suggests n-6 DPA that potentially be considered as a marker of tissue ethanolamine plasmalogen status. The combination of multivariate and bivariate statistics allowed to underline that the accretion pattern of n-3 LC-PUFA in PE and PS differ.</p

Chlorella vulgaris in a heterotrophic bioprocess : study of the lipid bioaccessibility and oxidative stability

Microalgal biomass is an emerging source of several health-related compounds, including polyunsaturated fatty acids. Herein, Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated heterotrophically in a 16-L stirred tank bioreactor. The lipid oxidative stability and lipid bioaccessibility of the biomass harvested during the exponential and stationary phases were evaluated. The biomass harvested during the stationary phase showed lower lipid oxidation than that harvested during the exponential phase, likely due to the higher content of antioxidants in the former. In both biomasses, the hexanal and propanal profiles showed only moderate increase over 12 weeks of storage at 40 °C, indicating good oxidative stability. Lipid bioaccessibility measured in an infant in vitro model was 0.66% ± 0.16% and 2.41% ± 0.61% for the biomass harvested during the exponential and late stationary phases, respectively. This study indicates that C. vulgaris biomass can be considered as a stable and nutritious (optimal ω3:ω6 profile) source of essential fatty acids. Our results suggested that regarding lipid stability and bioaccessibility, harvesting during stationary phase could be preferred choice. In general, treatment of the biomass to increase lipid bioaccessibility should be investigated

Head and neck radiotherapy amid the COVID‑19 pandemic: practice recommendations of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO)

Abstract Management of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs) is challenging for the Radiation Oncologist, especially in the COVID-19 era. The Italian Society of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) identified the need of practice recommendations on logistic issues, treatment delivery and healthcare personnel’s protection in a time of limited resources. A panel of 15 national experts on HNCs completed a modified Delphi process. A five-point Likert scale was used; the chosen cut-offs for strong agreement and agreement were 75% and 66%, respectively. Items were organized into two sections: (1) general recommendations (10 items) and (2) special recommendations (45 items), detailing a set of procedures to be applied to all specific phases of the Radiation Oncology workflow. The distribution of facilities across the country was as follows: 47% Northern, 33% Central and 20% Southern regions. There was agreement or strong agreement across the majority (93%) of proposed items including treatment strategies, use of personal protection devices, set-up modifications and follow-up re-scheduling. Guaranteeing treatment delivery for HNC patients is well-recognized in Radiation Oncology. Our recommendations provide a flexible tool for management both in the pandemic and post-pandemic phase of the COVID-19 outbreak

Isolation and structural analysis of the cyclic fatty acid monomers formed from eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids during fish oil deodorization

International audienceLong-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) present in fish oils are thermolabile molecules. Among the degradation reactions encountered, thermal cyclization occurs during refining or other heat treatments. Numerous studies have been carried out in the past to quantify and determine the structures of cyclic fatty acid monomers (CFAMs) formed from oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids in heated vegetable oils. Recently, much attention have been given to LC-PUFAs due to their potential health benefits. However, data on quantification of CFAMs formed from these fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, cis-5, cis-8, cis-11, cis-14, cis-17 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, cis-4, cis-7, cis-10, cis-13, cis-16, cis-19 22:6), the two main LC-PUFAs in fish oils, are scarce. In the present study, structural analyses of CFAMs formed from EPA and DHA during the deodorization of fish oil are presented. Fish oil sample was deodorized at 250 °C for 3 h under a pressure of 1.5 mbar in a laboratory deodorizer. The CFAMs formed during heat treatment of fish oil were isolated by a combination of saponification, esterification, urea fractionations and column chromatography. Structural analyses of C20- and C22-CFAMs were achieved by gas-chromatography electronic-ionization mass-spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) of their 4,4-dimethyloxazoline (DMOX) derivatives. We identified seven out of 13 possible structures of hydrogenated CFAMs formed from EPA, and nine out of 16 possible structures of CFAM formed from DHA. Major CFAMs from both EPA and DHA were cyclohexyl isomers. All possible cyclohexyl isomers were found but only nine out of 18 of the cyclopentyl isomers were present in concentration sufficient for identification. Chemical mechanisms involved in the formation of polyunsaturated LC-PUFAs have been investigated. The results have shown that general principle involved in the cyclization of LC-PUFAs is same as that for the thermal cyclization of oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids

Biochemical and nutritional evaluation of Chlorella and Auxenochlorella biomasses relevant for food application

Microalgae are a source of potentially healthy and sustainable nutrients. However, the bioaccessibility of these nutrients remains uncertain. In this study, we analyzed the biomass composition of five commercial Chlorella and Auxenochlorella strains, and Chlorella vulgaris heterotrophically cultivated in our laboratory. Protein accounted for 65% ± 3% (w w-1) dry matter (DM) in all biomasses, except for the lab-grown C. vulgaris that contained 20% (w w-1) DM protein. The lipid content was comparable and ranged between 7%–10% (w w-1) DM. Most of the biomasses had a ω6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)/ω3-PUFAs ratio < 4, as recommended by nutritional experts. A recently published harmonized protocol for in vitro digestion was used to evaluate lipid and protein bioaccessibility. Protein bioaccessibility ranged between 60%–74% for commercial Chlorella and Auxenochlorella biomasses and was 43% for the lab-grown C. vulgaris. Lipid bioaccessibility was < 7% in commercial biomasses and 19% in the lab-grown C. vulgaris. Taken together, the results show that microalgae are promising sources of bioaccessible protein. The limited lipid bioaccessibility indicates the need for alternative upstream and downstream production strategies

Analysis of eicosapentaenoic and decosahexaenoic acid geometrical isomers formed during fish oil deodorization

International audienceAddition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) from marine oil into food products implies preliminary refining procedures of the oil which thermal process affects the integrity of LC-PUFAs. Deodorization, the major step involving high temperatures, is a common process used for the refining of edible fats and oils. The present study evaluates the effect of deodorization temperature on the formation of LC-PUFA geometrical isomers. Chemically isomerized eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were used as reference samples. Fish oil samples have been deodorized at 180, 220 and 250 °C for 3 h and pure EPA and DHA fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were chemically isomerized using p-toluenesulfinic acid as catalyst. FAMEs prepared from fish oil were fractionated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Geometrical isomers produced by both processes were fractionated by silver-ion thin-layer chromatography (Ag-TLC) and silver-ion high-performance liquid chromatography (Ag-HPLC). The FAME fractions were subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) on a 100 m highly polar cyanopropylpolysiloxane coated capillary column, CP-Sil 88. Our results show that thermally induced geometrical isomerization appears to be a directed reaction and some ethylenic double bond positions on the hydrocarbon chain are more prone to stereomutation. Only minor changes were observed in the EPA and DHA trans isomers content and distribution after deodorization at 180 °C. The analyses of EPA and DHA isomer fractions revealed that it is possible to quantify EPA geometrical isomers by GC using the described conditions. However, we notice that a mono-trans isomer of DHA, formed during both chemical and thermal treatments, co-elute with all-cis DHA. This feature should be taken into consideration for the quantification of DHA geometrical isomers

Thermal degradation of long-chain polyunsatured fatty acids during deodorization of fish oil

International audienceLong-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) of the n-3 series, particularly eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid, have specific activities especially in the functionality of the central nervous system. Due to the occurrence of numerous methylene-interrupted ethylenic double bonds, these fatty acids are very sensitive to air (oxygen) and temperature. Non-volatile degradation products, which include polymers, cyclic fatty acid monomers (CFAM) and geometrical isomers of EPA and DHA, were evaluated in fish oil samples obtained by deodorization under vacuum of semi-refined fish oil at 180, 220 and 250 °C. Polymers are the major degradation products generated at high deodorization temperatures, with 19.5% oligomers being formed in oil deodorized at 250 °C. A significant amount of CFAM was produced during deodorization at temperatures above or equal to 220 °C. In fact, 23.9 and 66.3 mg/g of C20 and C22 CFAM were found in samples deodorized at 220 and 250 °C, respectively. Only minor changes were observed in the EPA and DHA trans isomer content and composition after deodorization at 180 °C. At this temperature, the formation of polar compounds and CFAM was also low. However, the oil deodorized at 220 and 250 °C contained 4.2% and 7.6% geometrical isomers, respectively. Even after a deodorization at 250 °C, the majority of geometrical isomers were mono- and di-trans. These results indicate that deodorization of fish oils should be conducted at a maximal temperature of 180 °C. This temperature seems to be lower than the activation energy required for polymerization (intra and inter) and geometrical isomerization