Dicarbonyl compounds and sugar contents of Thai commercial beverages

Glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO), two -dicarbonyl compounds (RCS) found in humans, cause carbonyl stress following the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Both are linked to many chronic diseases. Foods, the extrinsic source, could cause the increase of RCS levels in physiological conditions. Previous data showed that high fructose corn syrup is the major source of RCS in beverages. Because of increasing consumption of syrup-sweetened beverages in Thailand, we aimed to find the GO, MGO, sugar contents, and their quantity relationship. We discovered that 70 different types of beverages contained extremely high levels of GO and MGO at maximum level of 333 and 1,208 μg/ml, respectively. All commercial syrup tested contained dicarbonyl contents, and statistics tests showed strong significant correlation between monosaccharide sugar and RCS. The total sugar contents of more than 20 tested was higher than the current daily recommendation for sugar intake to maintain health

Subcritical liquified dimethyl ether and supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction of gamma oryzanol from rice bran acid oil

Gamma oryzanol (γ-oryzanol) is a bioactive compound in rice bran acid oil, a by-product of the rice bran oil refining process that possesses various pharmacological properties. This study investigated the effect of green technology supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction (SF–CO2) and subcritical liquified dimethyl ether extraction (SUBLDME) of γ-oryzanol from rice bran acid oil. Results showed that subcritical liquified dimethyl ether extracted oryzanol at 4865.25 mg/100 g from rice bran acid oil without pretreatment by hexane and ethyl acetate compared with supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction (2569.04 mg/100 g), with high extraction efficiency (62.73 vs 18.86%). Further extraction of the filter cake remaining from supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction from rice bran acid oil without pretreatment using subcritical liquified dimethyl ether extraction gave the highest percentage yield and γ-oryzanol contents (8128.51 mg/100 g). Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction together with subcritical liquified dimethyl ether extraction showed promise as a green technology to extract γ-oryzanol from rice bran acid oil. Further studies are required to optimize both SF-CO2 and SUBLDME extraction methods to increase the γ-oryzanol content

Comparative study on amount of nutraceuticals in by-products from solvent and cold pressing methods of rice bran oil processing

Rice bran oil (RBO) has become a popular oil globally. However, the RBO extraction process leaves various residue products, which contain bioactive substances of varying potency which could be significant sources of functional ingredients for both food production and pharmaceutical manufacture. The objective of our study was to compare the bioactive substances in various by-products derived from the two rice bran oil processing methods; solvent extraction and cold pressing. The residues from solvent extraction processing contained up to 97.37 mg/100 g of γ-aminobutyric acid in defatted rice bran, and the rice acid oil contained high levels of vitamin E (tocopherols, tocotrienols), up to 120.59 mg/100 g, as well as γ-oryzanol (3829.65 mg/100 g), phytosterol (599.40 mg/100 g), and policosanol compounds (332.79 mg/100 g). All of these values are higher than in the residues derived from cold pressing. Importantly, high amounts of total nutraceuticals (8.3 kg/100 kg) were found in residues from both processing methods, indicating the commercial potential of these residues as a source of functional ingredients for food production, as dietary supplements, and in pharmaceutical manufacture. Keywords: Rice bran oil, By-products, Nutraceutical, Refining process, Cold pressing proces

Reactivity and stability of selected flavor compounds

Flavor is the most important aspect of food. Based on the complex matrix of the food system and the flavor structure themselves, one important factor that plays a key role in the quality attribute of food is flavor stability. Not surprisingly, there is a large volume of published research investigating the stability of different food flavor compounds, since understanding flavor stability is crucial to creating greater awareness of dietary flavor application. This review presents a variety of factors that are thought to be involved in the stability of several selected important flavor compounds and the approach to improve the stability of different flavors. Some mechanisms of chemical degradation of flavor compounds were also provided

Chemopreventive Effects of Phytochemicals and Medicines on M1/M2 Polarized Macrophage Role in Inflammation-Related Diseases

Macrophages can polarize into two different states (M1 and M2), which play contrasting roles during pathogenesis or tissue damage. M1 polarized macrophages produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators resulting in inflammation, while M2 macrophages have an anti-inflammatory effect. Secretion of appropriate cytokines and chemokines from macrophages can lead to the modification of the microenvironment for bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. Increasing evidence suggests that polarized macrophages are pivotal for disease progression, and the regulation of macrophage polarization may provide a new approach in therapeutic treatment of inflammation-related diseases, including cancer, obesity and metabolic diseases, fibrosis in organs, brain damage and neuron injuries, and colorectal disease. Polarized macrophages affect the microenvironment by secreting cytokines and chemokines while cytokines or mediators that are produced by resident cells or tissues may also influence macrophages behavior. The interplay of macrophages and other cells can affect disease progression, and therefore, understanding the activation of macrophages and the interaction between polarized macrophages and disease progression is imperative prior to taking therapeutic or preventive actions. Manipulation of macrophages can be an entry point for disease improvement, but the mechanism and potential must be understood. In this review, some advanced studies regarding the role of macrophages in different diseases, potential mechanisms involved, and intervention of drugs or phytochemicals, which are effective on macrophage polarization, will be discussed

High Levels of Policosanols and Phytosterols from Sugar Mill Waste by Subcritical Liquefied Dimethyl Ether

Extracting nutraceuticals with high value from bagasse, filter mud, and sugarcane leaves discarded as sugar mill by-products, is crucial for the development of a sustainable bio-economy. These by-products are important sources of policosanols and phytosterols, which have a cholesterol-lowering effect. This research focused on using a promising green technology, subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction, with a low pressure of 0.8 MPa, to extract policosanols and phytosterols and on application of pretreatments to increase their contents. For direct extraction by subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether without sample pretreatment, the highest extraction yield (7.4%) and policosanol content were found in sugarcane leaves at 2888 mg/100 g, while the highest and lowest phytosterol contents were found in filter mud at 20,878.75 mg/100 g and sugarcane leaves at 10,147.75 mg/100 g, respectively. Pretreatment of filter mud by ultrasonication in hexane solution together with transesterification before the second subcritical liquefied dimethyl ether extraction successfully increased the policosanol content, with an extract purity of 60%, but failed to increase the phytosterol content

Exploring the excellence of commercial Brahmi products from Thai online markets: Unraveling phytochemical contents, antioxidant properties and DNA damage protection

Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.) is extensively used as a nutritional supplement in various commercial products as the plant contains abundant phytochemicals and has antioxidant properties. This study assessed the phytochemical contents, antioxidant properties, and DNA damage protection among seven Brahmi products sold through Thai online markets. Results showed that the P6 sample exhibited 3.5–7.5 fold higher bacoside contents than values observed in the other six product samples. The P6 sample also demonstrated the highest TTC, TFC, and TPC compared to the other brands. For antioxidant activity, the samples (P1–P7) displayed high capacity to scavenge DPPH free radicals with slightly significant differences ranging from 78.37 ± 0.25 to 87.21 ± 0.05 at p-value ≤0.01. The P6 sample showed strong protection against H2O2-induced oxidation of DNA strand breakage, indicating highly potent phytochemical compounds with effective free radical scavenging activity, and the ability to prevent DNA damage. The P6 sample showed promise as a valuable ingredient for the development of functional food products. However, further in vivo animal and clinical studies are required to explore the neuroprotective enhancement effects of Brahmi extracts

Physicochemical properties of Terminalia catappa seed oil as a novel dietary lipid source

Terminalia catappa Linn (TC) is an ornamental tree planted extensively in many countries. It has been known for a long time that the seeds are edible but no research has focused on the realm of its use as food. Our previous data showed that the seed contains high levels of oil content (600 g/kg) and possesses the optimum fatty acid balance indicated in fat dietary guidelines. This study aims to investigate the physical and chemical properties and the possibility of using TC seed oil as a new dietary lipid. The effects of extraction conditions, partial refining process, and storage stability on TC oil properties were conducted compared with soybean oil. The results showed that physicochemical properties including the density, refractive index, melting point, acidity, free fatty acid, saponification value, unsaponifiable, peroxide, and fatty acid composition of the extracted oil were comparable with soybean oil and their values followed the dietary standard of edible oil