Pressurized water extraction of isoflavones by experimental design from soybean flour and Soybean Protein Isolate

A Doehlert experimental design was conducted and surface response methodology was used to determine the effect of temperature, contact time and solid liquid ratio on isoflavone extraction from soybean flour or Soybean Protein Isolate in pressurized water system. The optimal conditions conducted gave an extraction yield of 85% from soybean flour. For Soybean Protein Isolate compared to soybean flour, the isoflavone extraction yield is 61%. This difference could be explained by higher aglycon content, while aglycon appears to be the least extracted isoflavone by pressurized water. The solid liquid ratio in the ASE cell was the overriding factor in obtaining high yields with both soybean products, while temperature has less influence. A high temperature causes conversion of the malonyls-glucosides and glucosides isoflavone derivatives into glucosides or aglycons forms. pressurized water extraction showed a high solubilization of protein material up to 95% of inserted Soybean Protein Isolate

Effects of saffron extract supplementation on mood, well-being, and response to a psychosocial stressor in healthy adults: A randomized, double-blind, parallel group, clinical trial

Anxiety, stress, and low mood are closely related and may contribute to depressive symptoms. Among non-pharmacological solutions to improve subclinical mood symptoms and resilience to stress, natural products such as saffron—identified as promising following preliminary beneficial effects in major depressive disorder—represent a relevant strategy. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of 8 weeks' supplementation with 30 mg standardized saffron extract on emotional well-being in healthy adults with subclinical feelings of low mood and anxiety and/or stress and evaluate the acute effect of saffron in response to a lab-based psychosocial stressor. The study adopted a double-blind, randomized, parallel groups design in which 56 healthy male and female individuals (18–54 years) received either a saffron extract or a placebo for 8 weeks. Chronic effects of saffron on subjective anxiety, stress, and depressive feelings were assessed using a questionnaire battery [including Profile of Mood State-2, (POMS)] and acute effects in response to a lab-based psychosocial stressor were measured through psychological and physiological parameters. Urinary crocetin levels were quantified. Participants who received the saffron extract reported reduced depression scores and improved social relationships at the end of the study. Urinary crocetin levels increased significantly with saffron supplementation and were correlated with change in depression scores. The typical stress-induced decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) during exposure to the stressor was attenuated following acute saffron intake. Saffron extract appears to improve subclinical depressive symptoms in healthy individuals and may contribute to increased resilience against the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Clinical trials number: NCT03639831

Circulating human serum metabolites derived from the intake of a saffron extract (Safr’Inside™) protect neurons from oxidative stress: Consideration for depressive disorders

Increases in oxidative stress have been reported to play a central role in the vulnerability to depression, and antidepressant drugs may reduce increased oxidative stress in patients. Among the plants exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, saffron, a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, is also known for its positive effects on depression, potentially through its SSRI-like properties. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects and their health benefits for humans are currently unclear. Using an original ex vivo clinical approach, we demonstrated for the first time that the circulating human metabolites produced following saffron intake (Safr’Inside™ ) protect human neurons from oxidative-stress-induced neurotoxicity by preserving cell viability and increasing BNDF production. In particular, the metabolites significantly stimulated both dopamine and serotonin release. In addition, the saffron’s metabolites were also able to protect serotonergic tone by inhibiting the expression of the serotonin transporter SERT and down-regulating serotonin metabolism. Altogether, these data provide new biochemical insights into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of saffron on neuronal viability and activity in humans, in the context of oxidative stress related to depression

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Fractionation of vegetable proteins for the development of novel baby food ingredients with hypoallergenic properties and low content in phytoestrogens

Les travaux de recherche présentés dans ce manuscrit ont pour but de développer des procédés industriels pour la production de quatre ingrédients alimentaires infantiles ayant des propriétés hypoallergéniques et des teneurs réduites en phytoestrogènes. Les propriétés nutritionnelles des protéines de riz et de soja en font des sources intéressantes. Néanmoins, plusieurs problématiques liées aux caractéristiques des produits apparaissent aujourd’hui : la présence de phytoestrogènes (isoflavones) dans les isolats protéiques de soja ; la difficulté à solubiliser et isoler les protéines de riz et la forte allergénicité des protéines dans le cas du soja. Ces travaux présentent l’étude du fractionnement des protéines de soja et de riz pour le développement : d’isolat protéique à teneur réduite en isoflavones ; isolat protéique de riz ayant une teneur supérieure à 90% de protéines ; hydrolysats protéiques de soja et de riz dont le profil de poids moléculaire est maitrisé et potentiellement hypoallergénique. Afin d’y parvenir, la réduction de la taille des protéines par des processus enzymatiques puis le contrôle de leur poids moléculaire ont dû être étudiés. Concernant l’élimination des phytoestrogènes (isoflavones), deux méthodes ont permis d’atteindre de hauts rendements d’extractions. En premier lieu, l’étude de l’extraction par éthanol via une optimisation à petite échelle, suivie d’une mise à l’échelle industrielle ont permis de développer un premier produit à teneur résiduelle en isoflavones inférieure à 50 μg/g de produit sec représentant une réduction de près de 98% de la teneur en isoflavones. Le second procédé étudié a été la rétention des isoflavones sur résine d’adsorption à partir d’un hydrolysat protéique de soja préalablement mis au point, et ceci, par l’utilisation de solution aqueuse sans étape préalable d’extraction. Ce procédé a fait l’objet d’une mise à l’échelle industrielle et d’une étude du comportement chromatographique des isoflavones. L’extraction des isoflavones par eau subcritique et CO2 supercritique est aussi présentée dans cette thèse. Elle a permis de mettre en évidence l’influence de la polarité des différents composés et de la teneur en protéines des produits de soja utilisés. Ces travaux de thèse ont aussi permis de définir un nouveau procédé pour la production d’isolat protéique de riz par l’intermédiaire d’enzymes de types cellulolytiques et amylases, à partir de coproduits issus de l’industrie du sirop de glucose. Des études sur des matières moins transformées telles que le son de riz et la farine ont aussi été étudiées pour la concentration des protéines. L’étude de l’hydrolyse des protéines de soja et de riz a été possible par le suivi de différents indicateurs tels que le pH, la solubilité des protéines, le degré d’hydrolyse, le profil de poids moléculaire par électrophorèse et par chromatographie d’exclusion stérique. Ces procédés ont permis la production de quatre nouveaux ingrédients pouvant être testés pour leurs caractéristiques hypoallergéniques avant une éventuelle production industrielleThe objectives of these works were to develop industrial processes for the production of four infant food ingredients with hypoallergenic properties and reduced levels of phytoestrogens. For this purpose, the nutritional properties of the rice and soy protein are promising. However, due to the presence of phytoestrogens (isoflavones) the consumption of soy protein isolates is a big concern for infant food security because the high exposure to these compounds, known to be endocrine disruptors. Consequently, it was first intended to develop a soy protein isolate with reduced content of isoflavones below 50 μg/g following the recommendations of French and European health authorities. Rice protein isolates are either non-existent on the market, or extremely rare. Therefore, the development of rice protein isolate with a minimum content of 90 % protein was another objective. For the sensitive population, such as infants, the aim of this work was also to develop soy and rice protein hydrolysates conferring hypoallergenic properties. To achieve this goal, the reduction of the size of proteins and the control of their molecular weight was studied. Two methods were used to achieve high extractions yields. A study of ethanol extraction ranging from small-scale optimization to industrial scale was used for a final product with a residual content in isoflavones below 50 μg/g. The second method was to retain isoflavones on adsorption resin from a soy protein hydrolysate. This was possible without preliminary extraction step by solvent. This method was also tested in the industrial scale. The chromatographic behavior of different isoflavones was also studied. The extraction of isoflavones with subcritical water and supercritical CO2 is also presented in this thesis even though these methods were not retained. These pressurized extractions showed the influence of the polarity of isoflavones and the protein content of soy products onto the isoflavone extraction. These works also identified a novel process for the production of rice protein isolate by the hydrolysis of polysaccharides with cellulolytic enzymes and amylases from concentrated protein byproducts from the glucose syrup industry. Studies on less processed materials such as rice bran and flour were also studied for protein isolation. The study of the hydrolysis by proteases of soy and rice proteins were monitored by various indicators such as pH, protein solubility, the degree of hydrolysis, the molecular weight profile by electrophoresis, and size exclusion chromatography. These processes are enabled for the production of four new ingredients that will be tested for their hypoallergenic characteristics before a large scale production

Authentication of Iranian Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i>) Using Stable Isotopes δ¹³C and δ²H and Metabolites Quantification

Saffron is a very high value-added ingredient used in the food supplement market and contains a high level of safranal. Adding synthetic safranal to saffron, which is significantly cheaper, and falsifying the origin of saffron may represent recurrent fraud. Saffron from different countries was analyzed to determine the stable isotope ratios δ13C and δ2H from safranal by gas chromatography coupled with isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C/P-IRMS) and the concentration of saffron metabolites with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD). The isotopic analysis highlighted a higher ratio of δ2H in synthetic safranal than in natural safranal; the mean values were 36‰ (+/− 40) and −210‰ (+/− 35), respectively. The δ13C between Iranian, Spanish and other saffron was significantly different and represents median values of −28.62‰, −30.12‰ and −30.70‰, respectively. Moreover, linear and quadratic discriminant analyses (LDA and QDA) were computed using the two isotope ratios of safranal and the saffron metabolites. A first QDA showed that trans-crocetin and the δ13C of safranal, picrocrocin, and crocin C3 concentrations clearly differentiated Iranian saffron from other origins. A second model identified δ13C, trans-crocetin, crocin C2, crocin C3, and picrocrocin as good predictors to discriminate saffron samples from Iran, Spain, or other origins, with a total ability score classification matrix of 100% and a prediction matrix of 82.5%. This combined approach may be a useful tool to authenticate the origin of unknown saffron