Enzymatically synthesised fructooligosaccharides from sugarcane syrup modulate the composition and short-chain fatty acid production of the human intestinal microbiota

Fructooligosaccharides can be produced by direct enzymatic conversion from sucrose-rich sugarcane syrup (SS) consisting of 58.93% sucrose yielding 21.28 g FOS/100 g sucrose. This study evaluated the prebiotic effect of unpurified/purified SS containing FOS for the modulation of the human intestinal microbial composition and short-chain fatty acid production. The unpurified and purified FOS substrates, which were a mixture of 1-kestose, nystose and 1F-fructosylnystose, were supplemented into human faecal culture using a pH-controlled batch fermentation system and significantly increased the Bifidobacterium counts after 5 h fermentation, while Bacteroides/Prevotella counts were highest throughout 24 h fermentation. Meanwhile, Lactobacillus/Enterococcus exhibited a slight increase after 5 h fermentation before reaching a plateau afterwards. The steady Bacteroides/Prevotella growth and increased Bifidobacterium population promoted an increase in the production of short-chain fatty acids acetate (58 ± 2.70 mM), propionate (9.19 ± 5.94 mM) and butyrate (7.15 ± 2.28 mM). These results provide evidence that representative gut microbiota could utilise the enzymatically synthesised FOS to generate short-chain fatty acids as metabolites in pH-controlled conditions, thus FOS from SS are a potential prebiotic ingredient for foods and health drinks

Hydroxytyrosol Protects against Oxidative DNA Damage in Human Breast Cells

Over recent years, several studies have related olive oil ingestion to a low incidence of several diseases, including breast cancer. Hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol are two of the major phenols present in virgin olive oils. Despite the fact that they have been linked to cancer prevention, there is no evidence that clarifies their effect in human breast tumor and non-tumor cells. In the present work, we present hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol’s effects in human breast cell lines. Our results show that hydroxytyrosol acts as a more efficient free radical scavenger than tyrosol, but both fail to affect cell proliferation rates, cell cycle profile or cell apoptosis in human mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) or breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF7). We found that hydroxytyrosol decreases the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in MCF10A cells but not in MCF7 or MDA-MB-231 cells while very high amounts of tyrosol is needed to decrease the ROS level in MCF10A cells. Interestingly, hydroxytyrosol prevents oxidative DNA damage in the three breast cell lines. Therefore, our data suggest that simple phenol hydroxytyrosol could contribute to a lower incidence of breast cancer in populations that consume virgin olive oil due to its antioxidant activity and its protection against oxidative DNA damage in mammary cells

Effect of malting conditions and quality characteristics of malt and roasted malt extract from 'acha' grains (Digitaria exilis Stapf).

BACKGROUND:Considering the importance of malting and roasting on the quality of 'acha' beverages, a study was conducted to find optimum conditions for malting and the production of a high-quality roasted extract that could be used for an 'acha' beverage.RESULTS:The data obtained were analysed using response surface methodology. The results revealed that the most significant (P < 0.05) malting factors that affect the response variables were the linear terms of germination time and drying temperature. However, for the extract production, the linear term of roasting temperature was the most significant (P < 0.05) factor. The quadratic and interaction terms exhibited significant (P < 0.05) effect in all cases apart from the flavour. CONCLUSION:The overall optimum regions were established at 28 h of germination time, 55 degrees C drying temperature and 5.0% moisture content for the malting conditions while for the extract production, a roasting temperature of 210 degrees C, extraction temperature of 70 degrees C and extraction duration of 20 min were established

Microbial and Sensory Quality of Freshly Processed and Reconstituted “Kununzaki”- A Nigerian Millet Based Beverage

The microbial and sensory qualities of freshly processed and reconstituted Kununzaki beverages prepared from steeped millet grains were carried out. The samples were analysed for Aerobic plate, Fungi, Coliform, Staphylococcal, Salmonella and Shigella counts. The samples were also evaluated for difference and preference. The study showed that the reconstituted beverage had better microbiological quality with detectable difference between the two samples with the fresh sample being preferred. Key words: Millet grains, Kununzaki, microbial quality, sensory quality. J Food Tech in Africa (2002) 7, 65-6

Increased Breastfeeding Proportion Is Associated with Improved Gross Motor Skills at 3&ndash;5 Years of Age: A Pilot Study

Breastmilk provides key nutrients and bio-active factors that contribute to infant neurodevelopment. Optimizing maternal nutrition could provide further benefit to psychomotor outcomes. Our observational cohort pilot study aims to determine if breastfeeding extent and breastmilk nutrients correlate with psychomotor outcomes at school age. The breastfeeding proportion at 3 months of age and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3&ndash;5 years of age were recorded for 33 typically developing newborns born after uncomplicated pregnancies. The association between categorical breastfeeding proportion and neurodevelopmental outcome scores was determined for the cohort using a Spearman correlation with and without the inclusion of parental factors. Vitamin E and carotenoid levels were determined in breastmilk samples from 14 of the mothers. After the inclusion of parental education and income as covariates, motor skill scores positively correlated with breastmilk contents of &alpha;-tocopherol (Spearman coefficient 0.88, p-value = 0.02), translutein (0.98, p-value = 0.0007), total lutein (0.92, p-value = 0.01), and zeaxanthin (0.93, p-value = 0.0068). Problem solving skills negatively correlated with the levels of the RSR enantiomer of &alpha;-tocopherol (&minus;0.86, p-value = 0.03). Overall, higher exposure to breastfeeding was associated with improved gross motor and problem-solving skills at 3&ndash;5 years of age. The potential of &alpha;-tocopherol, lutein, and zeaxanthin intake to provide neurodevelopmental benefit is worthy of further investigation

Assessment of Maternal Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) as a Potential Marker for Dietary Carotenoid Intake during Lactation in Humans

Pregnancy and lactation can change the maternal nutrient reserve. Non-invasive, quantitative markers of maternal nutrient intake could enable personalized dietary recommendations that improve health outcomes in mothers and infants. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) is a candidate marker, as MPOD values generally reflect carotenoid intake. We evaluated the association of MPOD with dietary and breastmilk carotenoids in postpartum women. MPOD measurements and dietary intake of five carotenoids were obtained from 80 mothers in the first three months postpartum. Breastmilk samples from a subset of mothers were analyzed to determine their nutrient composition. The association between MPOD and dietary or breastmilk carotenoids was quantitatively assessed to better understand the availability and mobilization of carotenoids. Our results showed that dietary &alpha;-carotene was positively correlated with MPOD. Of the breastmilk carotenoids, 13-cis-lutein and trans-lutein were correlated with MPOD when controlled for the total lutein in breastmilk. Other carotenoids in breastmilk were not associated with MPOD. Maternal MPOD is positively correlated with dietary intake of &alpha;-carotene in the early postpartum period, as well as with the breastmilk content of lutein. MPOD may serve as a potential marker for the intake of carotenoids, especially &alpha;-carotene, in mothers in the early postpartum period