THE OUTLOOK FOR NUTRACEUTICALS AND FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Effect of food matrix and processing on release of almond protein during simulated digestion

Abstract The aims of the present work were to assess digestibility of almond protein in the upper gastrointestinal tract, evaluate the effects of food matrix on protein release and assess the persistence of immunoreactive polypeptides generated during simulated digestion. Prunin, the most abundant protein in almond flour, was sensitive to pepsin, with complete digestion after 20 min in the gastric phase. Addition of the surfactant phosphatidylcholine did not affect the rate and kinetic of digestion, as observed by SDS-PAGE analysis and HPLC, in the stomach and the small intestine of either natural or blanched almond flour. However, incorporation of almond flour into a food matrix, such as chocolate mousse and Victorian sponge cake, decreased the rate of almond protein degradation by pepsin and immunoreactivity of almond polypeptides detected by dot blots and sandwich ELISA retained better. Most of the almond protein identified by in-gel tryptic digestion and MALDI-TOF analysis corresponded to prunin, with pI values of 5–7. Further human sera studies are warranted to investigate the relationship between food matrix and almond allergy

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Some physico-chemical characteristics of dietary fiber

Particle size distribution, chemical composition, water binding and water holding capacities, microstructure, and Theological properties of dietary fiber residues of American Association of Cereal Chemists certified food grade wheat bran, apple mesocarp and pomace, cabbage and carrot (edible portion) were determined. The semiauto-mated Tecator FiberTec system and the extraction techniques of D.A.T. Southgate and of P.J. Van Soest were used for digestion and collection of dietary fiber residues. The ability of various fiber residues, of different size ranges, to interact with water was assessed by two methods. Water holding capacity was estimated as the amount of water remaining within a hydrated sample subjected to compaction by a standard centrifugation technique. This method closely resembles conditions in the body, but is an inaccurate technique, since supernatant water is not easily separated from the sample. A new method, called filtrafugation, was developed to obtain information on water binding which Mas defined as the amount of water adhering to the fiber particle when water is allowed to drain from the sample during centrifugation. The amounts of water remaining with the fiber in centrifugation and filtrafugation tests differed significantly for each fiber source, the difference being the water held within the fiber matrix interstices. Although the fruit and vegetable fiber sources had greater water binding and holding capacities on a dried weight basis, wheat bran held and bound more water on a fresh weight basis because of higher fiber content and percent dry matter. Scanning electron microscopy of the different fiber sources and their fiber residues confirmed the progressively erosive action of the solvent extraction treatments and elucidated subsequent differences in water binding and holding capacities. Since bran is a senescent and lignified plant tissue, in vitro digestion changed the particle appearance, but the structural matrix, and the water binding and holding capacities were maintained throughout. Micrographs of the fruit and vegetable fiber sources and the fiber residues confirmed that the initial structures were able to bind and hold large amounts of water but with digestion the delicate structures were totally disrupted, thus providing a weak compact matrix characterized by low water binding and holding capacities. Dispersions of the fiber residues were evaluated viscometrically at human body temperature in order to elucidate their behavior in fluid systems. When aqueous dispersions were prepared at low concentrations the solid materials gradually settled except for the apple pomace dispersions. Steady shear flow behavior studies using 60% w/w sucrose solution as the continuous phase revealed large viscosity increases at higher concentrations of the dietary fiber residue.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat