Bee Bread Ameliorates Vascular Inflammation and Impaired Vasorelaxation in Obesity-Induced Vascular Damage Rat Model: The Role of eNOS/NO/cGMP-Signaling Pathway

Obesity and hyperlipidemia are major risk factors for developing vascular diseases. Bee bread (BB) has been reported to exhibit some biological actions, including anti-obesity and anti-hyperlipidemic. This study aims to investigate whether bee bread can ameliorate vascular inflammation and impaired vasorelaxation activity through eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway in obese rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10/group), namely: control (normal group), obese rats (OB group), obese rats treated with bee bread (0.5 g/kg/day, OB/BB group) and obese rats treated with orlistat (10 mg/kg/day, OB/OR group). The latter three groups were given a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks to induced obesity before being administered with their respective treatments for another 6 weeks. After 12 weeks of the total experimental period, rats in the OB group demonstrated significantly higher Lee obesity index, lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein), aortic proinflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-α, nuclear factor-κβ), aortic structural damage and impairment in vasorelaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh). Bee bread significantly ameliorated the obesity-induced vascular damage manifested by improvements in the lipid profile, aortic inflammatory markers, and the impaired vasorelaxation activity by significantly enhancing nitric oxide release, promoting endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) immunoexpression. These findings suggest that the administration of bee bread ameliorates the impaired vasorelaxation response to ACh by improving eNOS/NO/cGMP-signaling pathway in obese rats, suggesting its vascular therapeutic role.     

传统酸面团全麦粉馒头的工艺优化研究

全麦粉馒头是以全麦粉为原料制作的产品,因其含有丰富的膳食纤维、矿物质、维生素等营养成分而备受消费者喜爱。为了提高全麦粉馒头的营养品质,以传统酸面团为发酵剂,结合冷藏中种发酵法制作酸面团全麦粉馒头。通过单因素试验,研究酸种的添加量、中种面团中全麦粉的添加比例、全麦粉中种面团的冷藏发酵时间对馒头品质的影响。进一步通过Box-Behnken设计进行响应面优化试验,以全麦粉馒头的感官评分为响应值确定出最佳工艺参数:酸种的添加量为40%、中种面团中全麦粉的添加比例为70%、全麦粉中种面团的冷藏发酵时间为27 h。在此工艺条件下制作酸面团全麦粉馒头,感官评分为86.22,与预测值86.50无显著性差异。与酵母全麦粉馒头相比,酸面团全麦粉馒头具有更大的比容,更细腻、更均匀的组织结构,更松软的口感,并具有传统老面馒头特有的发酵风味。     

Microscopic investigation of the formation of a thermoset wheat gluten network in a model system relevant for bread making

Although the impact of heat on molecular properties of wheat gluten is well understood, changes in its microstructure have rarely been studied. Here, formation of the thermoset gluten network in a model system relevant for bread baking was studied with confocal laser scanning microscopy and protein network analysis. From 65 °C onwards, gluten converts from thick aligned protein strands in a highly branched and homogeneous network of small thin protein threads. Neither gliadin incorporation in the network nor application of aqualysin 1, the thermo-active serine peptidase from Thermus aquaticus which recently has been reported to hydrolyse gluten proteins in dough only at temperatures exceeding 80 °C, impacts on the gluten microstructure. As starch causes structure setting itself and thereby decreases protein mobility, molecular scale changes in the gluten network at temperatures exceeding 80 °C brought about by aqualysin 1 do not impact its microstructure.     

Effects of green tea powder on the quality attributes of hard red winter wheat flour and Chinese steamed bread

The effects of green tea powder (GTP) on the properties of hard red winter (HRW) flour and Chinese steamed bread were investigated. GTP was blended with HRW flour at levels of 0.00, 1.00, 2.00, 3.00 and 4.00 g GTP/100 g wheat flour. With the addition of GTP, the maximum torque of flour became stronger. The resilience and degree of green colour of steamed bread increased, while hardness and chewiness decreased, with the addition of GTP. The addition of 1.00% GTP did not significantly affect the specific volume, but remarkably influenced the hardness and resilience of steamed bread. In steamed bread formulated with GTP, the antioxidant activity was 0.84 mm TE per g at 1.00% of GTP and increased with GTP levels. The steamed bread had a pleasant flavour, and the degree of overall liking of steamed bread increased with GTP levels to the maximum used in this work.     

Growth inhibition of Fusarium graminearum and deoxynivalenol detoxification by lactic acid bacteria and their application in sourdough bread

Eight lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were screened for their ability to inhibit Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum) growth and remove deoxynivalenol (DON). Furthermore, the selected LAB strains were applied as starter cultures to evaluate their performance during the breadmaking process. Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) AR524 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against F. graminearum growth in a pH-dependent manner and removed up to 40.9% of DON, mainly through cell wall binding. Compared with the control, L. plantarum AR524 inhibited 60.19% of F. graminearum growth and removed 50.53% of DON during breadmaking. The texture properties of the bread were also remarkably improved by L. plantarum AR524, and its shelf life was extended from 3 days to 6 days without the application of any chemical preservatives. Therefore, L. plantarum AR524 shows excellent potential for application as a bioprotective starter culture in bakery products.     

The Effect of Active Packaging on Microbial Stability and Quality of Chinese Steamed Bread

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of active packaging [oxygen absorber (OA) or oxygen absorber combined with ethanol emitter (OA + EE)] on microbial stability and quality of Chinese steamed bread (CSB) stored at 25 °C. Air‐packaged CSB was taken as control. Microbiological, sensory, physical, thermal and mechanical changes were monitored as a function of treatment and storage time. On day 2 of storage total plate count was reduced by 3.1, 3.7 and 4.4 cfu/g by OA, OA + EE (1% v/v) and OA + EE (3% v/v), respectively (p < 0.05). Yeasts and moulds were inhibited during the entire storage period. No detrimental effects of OA + EE (1% v/v) were observed on organoleptic parameters, whereas OA + EE (3% v/v) gave a strong objectionable flavour and taste. Active packaging significantly (p < 0.05) delayed the increase of potential of hydrogen as compared to the control. No significant effect of active packaging was found on moisture content, water activity, colour and specific volume. An increase in the melting enthalpy of amylopectin crystallite was observed in all samples during storage. The stored CSB samples packaged with OA showed higher values of hardness compared to samples packaged with OA + EE (1% v/v), indicating the potential of ethanol as plasticizer of the protein network. The results indicate the potential application of OA and OA + EE (1% v/v) as an antimicrobial packaging system for CSB preservation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.