Emerging applications of nanotechnologies to probiotics and prebiotics

Fervid interests on nanoparticles are increasing within the scientific and non-scientific communities, as they are utilised in food and non-food applications. The versatility of emerging applications of nanoparticles makes them potentially harmful to the food, healthcare and environment sectors, and thus necessitates the development of nanonutraceuticals from nutritional substances such as antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids, fibres, probiotics and prebiotics. This review excavated state of the art on nanotechnology applications such as gold and selenium particles, nanolayers, nanobeads, nanoemulsions and nanofibers to probiotics and prebiotics for the synthesis of anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant and photo-reactive products among others, and finally delved into other noteworthy considerations like safety. It is concluded that available literature on the current status of nanoprobiotics and prebiotics are exhaustive, despite their huge potentials and applications.     

不同醇沉竹荪多糖组分对青春双歧杆菌体外增殖作用的影响

本文以竹荪为原料提取多糖成分并以乙醇分级制备竹荪多糖(DPs)不同组分,通过青春双歧杆菌体外增殖试验初步评价竹荪多糖及其分级醇沉组分的益生元功效。结果显示在α-淀粉酶溶液中水解4 h后,20%、40%、50%、60%竹荪多糖醇沉组分水解度分别为9.10%、8.02%、8.88%、11.67%,与对照组菊粉(水解度13.15%)相比差异显著(P<0.05);80%竹荪多糖醇沉组分、未分级醇沉组分与菊粉对照组相比差异不显著(P>0.05)。在模拟胃液中水解6 h后,20%、40%、50%竹荪多糖醇沉组分水解度分别为17.30%、14.52%、9.61%,与对照组菊粉(水解度5.72%)相比差异显著(P<0.05);60%竹荪多糖醇沉组分、80%竹荪多糖醇沉组分、未分级醇沉组分水解度与对照组相比无显著差异(P>0.05)。随着竹荪多糖添加量的增加,青春双歧杆菌的菌体浓度呈现先增大而后不断减小的趋势。分级醇沉浓度达到80%的竹荪多糖组分和未分级的多糖组分,青春双歧杆菌体外增殖作用与pH下降显著且效果优于菊粉(P<0.05),并在20 h的发酵时间内两者表现出相似的效果。不同竹荪多糖醇沉组分对青春双歧杆菌均有增殖效果,且不同竹荪多糖醇沉组分的增殖效果和抗水解能力随乙醇浓度的增加而增强,未分级的多糖组分同样可以加强青春双歧杆菌增殖能力,具有益生元潜力。     

The Gut Microbiota: A Potential Gateway to Improved Health Outcomes in Breast Cancer Treatment and Survivorship

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. The disease and its treatments exert profound effects on an individual’s physical and mental health. There are many factors that impact an individual’s risk of developing breast cancer, their response to treatments, and their risk of recurrence. The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota, affects human health through metabolic, neural, and endocrine signaling, and immune activity. It is through these mechanisms that the gut microbiota appears to influence breast cancer risk, response to treatment, and recurrence. A disrupted gut microbiota or state of ‘dysbiosis’ can contribute to a biological environment associated with higher risk for cancer development as well as contribute to negative treatment side-effects. Many cancer treatments have been shown to shift the gut microbiota toward dysbiosis; however, the microbiota can also be positively manipulated through diet, prebiotic and probiotic supplementation, and exercise. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the current understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiota and breast cancer and to highlight potential strategies for modulation of the gut microbiota that could lead to improved clinical outcomes and overall health in this population.     

Effect of gums on viability and β‐galactosidase activity of Lactobacillus spp. in milk drink during refrigerated storage

The viability and β‐galactosidase activity of four Lactobacillus strains in milk drink containing gums during 28 days of refrigerated storage at 4 °C were assessed. The population of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GGB101 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GGB103 were maintained, whereas the population of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM20016 and Lactobacillus reuteri SD2112 significantly decreased. The recommended level of 6 log CFU g^?1 was exceeded for all tested trains throughout storage. The highest viable number of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GGB103 (8.76 ± 0.03 log CFU mL^?1) was obtained in the product containing carrageenan–maltodextrin. The addition of guar–locust bean–carrageenan led to 20‐fold increase in the level of β‐galactosidase activity for L. rhamnosus GGB101 (1208 ± 2.12 Miller units mL^?1) compared to the control (61 ± 2.83 Miller units mL^?1). Our results suggested that gums could be added to milk to improve viability and enhance β‐galactosidase activity of Lactobacillus.     

Whey valorization using transgalactosylation activity of immobilized β-galactosidase

Whey represents a significant dairy industry by-product that has recently received due attention based on the rich nutrient composition and significant transformation potential. Hereby, we investigated a possibility of whey lactose bioconversion into prebiotic compounds, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) using β-galactosidase transgalactosylation activity. The results showed that whey could be successfully used for GOS synthesis, since the highest GOS concentration (around 62 g L⁻¹) was obtained batchwise using 40% (w/w) sweet whey powder solution under optimum conditions (50°C, pH 4.5). Nevertheless, an efficient immobilized preparation using methacrylic Lifetech ECR8409 immobilization carrier was developed, enabling additional process improvement and ensuring at least 4 reaction cycles with unchanged yields and 2.5- fold enhanced productivity in comparison to the soluble enzyme. Therefore, this study provides a valuable contribution to the efficient and economical valorization of whey, which can be further on utilized as functional food and feed constituent.     

Bioactive Carbohydrates and Peptides in Foods: An Overview of Sources,Downstream Processing Steps and Associated Bioactivities

Bioactive peptides and carbohydrates are sourced from a myriad of plant, animal and insects and have huge potential for use as food ingredients and pharmaceuticals. However, downstream processing bottlenecks hinder the potential use of these natural bioactive compounds and add cost to production processes. This review discusses the health benefits and bioactivities associated with peptides and carbohydrates of natural origin and downstream processing methodologies and novel processes which may be used to overcome these.     

The effect of co-encapsulation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 with inulin on alginate/chitosan matrix: the viability in fermented soy blend and simulated digestive system

This research verified the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus encapsulated with inulin to tolerate the simulated digestive system and their viability in a soy blend. Probiotic encapsulated in alginate-chitosan matrix without inulin presented a better encapsulation efficiency (80.92%) than encapsulation with inulin (57.39%). On the 28th day, the count of probiotics decreased by 3.42 and 1.99 logarithmic cycles of free and encapsulated cells without inulin, respectively. In contrast, the microorganisms encapsulated with inulin showed an increase of 1.26 logs CFU g⁻¹. During gastrointestinal simulation, cell counts decreased by 0.78, 1.55 and 1.95 CFU g⁻¹ logs for encapsulated cells without inulin, free and encapsulated with inulin, respectively. Sensory panellists liked the fermented soy blend with encapsulated lactobacilli, and this result shows the possibility to create new probiotic foods of plant origin. Therefore, the alginate/chitosan matrix can be considered adequate for the encapsulation of L. rhamnosus. The inulin reduces the encapsulation efficiency and increases the cell loss in gastrointestinal simulation. Considering cellular losses, the best option for preparing a fermented soy blend is to use L. rhamnosus encapsulated without inulin.     

Production, health aspects and potential food uses of dairy prebiotic galactooligosaccharides

Galactooligosaccharides are sugars composed of 3-10 molecules of galactose and glucose via a transgalactosylation reaction mediated by the enzyme β-galactosidase. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that pass through the upper digestive system relatively intact and ferment in the lower colon, producing short-chain fatty acids that support the growth of supplemented or indigenous colonic microbiota. Galactooligosaccharides and other prebiotic ingredients are increasingly being recognized as useful dietary tools for the modulation of the colonic microflora toward a healthy balance. Galactooligosaccharides compare well to other oligosaccharides in terms of their prebiotic, immunomodulation, and functional properties in foods. This review elucidates the galactooligosaccharide production process from refined lactose and/or cheese whey permeates, galactooligosaccharide market share and economic value, their health properties, and potential food applications.