Adjusting Bioactive Functions of Dairy Products via Processing

Milk is known for its high nutrient content that helps to maintain important body functions. In this regard, bioactive peptides that are encrypted in milk proteins and get released during processing and/or digestion might play a role. These peptides are able to inhibit enzymes, influence cell growth, or target specific receptors. The peptide profile that arises after protein digestion in the jejunum before the absorption into the blood takes place includes these bioactive peptides. The composition of the peptide profile is influenced strongly via processing and a modification in processing might target specific functionalities. Thermal, chemical, biochemical, and physical treatments affect protein digestion mainly by changing the protein structure for example via denaturation or protease actions. Parameters influencing this are external ones, like the matrix of the product, and internal ones, like specific enzyme deficiencies. However, considering all the important aspects that are involved, there might be the possibility in the future to adjust a bioactive function via processing

Comparison of physicochemical properties of commercial UHT-treated plant-based beverages and cow's milk

A comparison of consumer-relevant physicochemical and technofunctional properties was performed between plant-based beverages (PBBs) and cow’s milk treated at ultra-high temperatures. The PBBs’ viscosities and pH values were similar to or higher than those in cow’s milk. The PBBs were less white, and their mean particle sizes were usually considerably larger than those of cow’s milk. Foam heights were quite different, from 41.5 mm to 173 mm at room temperature (milk foam height: 134.8 mm) and 50.9 mm to 203.6 mm at 60 °C (milk foam height: 179.3 mm), with a median bubble size radius (root mean square) of 14.0–149.5 μm (milk bubble size: 18 μm) and 31.0–175.5 μm (milk bubble size: 82.8 μm). Our correlation revealed that phytic acid (PA) might affect foam height at 60 °C, the temperature of interest for the consumption of hot beverages. This may be of interest, as PA might be reduced in these beverages for nutritional reasons

Serum Metabolites Responding in a Dose-Dependent Manner to the Intake of a High-Fat Meal in Normal Weight Healthy Men Are Associated with Obesity

Although the composition of the human blood metabolome is influenced both by the health status of the organism and its dietary behavior, the interaction between these two factors has been poorly characterized. This study makes use of a previously published randomized controlled crossover acute intervention to investigate whether the blood metabolome of 15 healthy normal weight (NW) and 17 obese (OB) men having ingested three doses (500, 1000, 1500 kcal) of a high-fat (HF) meal can be used to identify metabolites differentiating these two groups. Among the 1024 features showing a postprandial response, measured between 0 h and 6 h, in the NW group, 135 were dose-dependent. Among these 135 features, 52 had fasting values that were significantly different between NW and OB men, and, strikingly, they were all significantly higher in OB men. A subset of the 52 features was identified as amino acids (e.g., branched-chain amino acids) and amino acid derivatives. As the fasting concentration of most of these metabolites has already been associated with metabolic dysfunction, we propose that challenging normal weight healthy subjects with increasing caloric doses of test meals might allow for the identification of new fasting markers associated with obesity

The NutriChip project - translating technology into nutritional knowledge

Advances in food transformation have dramatically increased the diversity of products on the market and, consequently, exposed consumers to a complex spectrum of bioactive nutrients whose potential risks and benefits have mostly not been confidently demonstrated. Therefore, tools are needed to efficiently screen products for selected physiological properties before they enter the market. NutriChip is an interdisciplinary modular project funded by the Swiss programme Nano-Tera, which groups scientists from several areas of research with the aim of developing analytical strategies that will enable functional screening of foods. The project focuses on postprandial inflammatory stress, which potentially contributes to the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. The first module of the NutriChip project is composed of three in vitro biochemical steps that mimic the digestion process, intestinal absorption, and subsequent modulation of immune cells by the bioavailable nutrients. The second module is a miniaturised form of the first module (gut-on-a-chip) that integrates a microfluidic-based cell co-culture system and super-resolution imaging technologies to provide a physiologically relevant fluid flow environment and allows sensitive real-time analysis of the products screened in vitro. The third module aims at validating the in vitro screening model by assessing the nutritional properties of selected food products in humans. Because of the immunomodulatory properties of milk as well as its amenability to technological transformation, dairy products have been selected as model foods. The NutriChip project reflects the opening of food and nutrition sciences to state-of-the-art technologies, a key step in the translation of transdisciplinary knowledge into nutritional advic

Protein Quality Changes of Vegan Day Menus with Different Plant Protein Source Compositions

To underline the importance of protein quality in plant-based diets, we estimated the protein quality of different exclusively plant-protein-based day menus that are based on the “planetary health diet” developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission. PDCAAS and DIAAS were used to estimate the protein quality (PQ) and fulfilling of the amino acid recommendation for adults in vegan daily menus based on the planetary health diet: 2 days with only low-quality (LQ) protein sources and 2 days with low + high-quality (HQ) protein sources. The protein quality of Day 1LQ (DIAAS 76, PDCAAS 88) was increased by the addition of high-quality protein sources (HQPS): Day 1HQ (DIAAS 94, PDCAAS 98). Day 2LQ had a low PQ (DIAAS 71, PDCAAS 74), but when HQPS were used (Day 2HQ), the PQ increased (DIAAS 83, PDCAAS 88). Scenarios (day 1HQ, day 1LQ, and day 2 HQ) were classified as of good PQ. However, day 1LQ had a low protein quality. Consuming HQPS in a vegan diet can help to fulfil the recommendation of essential amino acids. This work served to understand and apply methods to estimate protein quality that can be applied to optimize protein mixtures to fulfil amino acid requirements in the future

The NutriChip project--translating technology into nutritional knowledge

Advances in food transformation have dramatically increased the diversity of products on the market and, consequently, exposed consumers to a complex spectrum of bioactive nutrients whose potential risks and benefits have mostly not been confidently demonstrated. Therefore, tools are needed to efficiently screen products for selected physiological properties before they enter the market. NutriChip is an interdisciplinary modular project funded by the Swiss programme Nano-Tera, which groups scientists from several areas of research with the aim of developing analytical strategies that will enable functional screening of foods. The project focuses on postprandial inflammatory stress, which potentially contributes to the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. The first module of the NutriChip project is composed of three in vitro biochemical steps that mimic the digestion process, intestinal absorption, and subsequent modulation of immune cells by the bioavailable nutrients. The second module is a miniaturised form of the first module (gut-on-a-chip) that integrates a microfluidic-based cell co-culture system and super-resolution imaging technologies to provide a physiologically relevant fluid flow environment and allows sensitive real-time analysis of the products screened in vitro. The third module aims at validating the in vitro screening model by assessing the nutritional properties of selected food products in humans. Because of the immunomodulatory properties of milk as well as its amenability to technological transformation, dairy products have been selected as model foods. The NutriChip project reflects the opening of food and nutrition sciences to state-of-the-art technologies, a key step in the translation of transdisciplinary knowledge into nutritional advice

Validation of an in vitro digestive system for studying macronutrient decomposition in humans

The digestive process transforms nutrients and bioactive compounds contained in food to physiologically active compounds. In vitro digestion systems have proven to be powerful tools for understanding and monitoring the complex transformation processes that take place during digestion. Moreover, the investigation of the physiological effects of certain nutrients demands an in vitro digestive process that is close to human physiology. In this study, human digestion was simulated with a 3-step in vitro process that was validated in depth by choosing pasteurized milk as an example of a complex food matrix. The evolution and decomposition of the macronutrients was followed over the entire digestive process to the level of intestinal enterocyte action, using protein and peptide analysis by SDS-PAGE, reversed-phase HPLC, size exclusion HPLC, and liquid chromatography-MS. The mean peptide size after in vitro digestion of pasteurized milk was 5-6 amino acids (AA). Interestingly, mostly essential AA (93.6%) were released during in vitro milk digestion, a significantly different relative distribution compared to the total essential AA concentration of bovine milk (44.5%). All TG were degraded to FFA and monoacylglycerols. Herein, we present a human in vitro digestion model validated for its ability to degrade the macronutrients of dairy products comparable to physiological ranges. It is suited to be used in combination with a human intestinal cell culture system, allowing ex vivo bioavailability measurements and assessment of the bioactive properties of food components