Arabinoxylan and Pectin Metabolism in Crohn’s Disease Microbiota: An In Silico Study

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic disorder including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (CD). Gut dysbiosis is often associated with CD, and metagenomics allows a better understanding of the microbial communities involved. The objective of this study was to reconstruct in silico carbohydrate metabolic capabilities from metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) obtained from healthy and CD individuals. This computational method was developed as a mean to aid rationally designed prebiotic interventions to rebalance CD dysbiosis, with a focus on metabolism of emergent prebiotics derived from arabinoxylan and pectin. Up to 1196 and 1577 MAGs were recovered from CD and healthy people, respectively. MAGs of Akkermansia muciniphila, Barnesiella viscericola DSM 18177 and Paraprevotella xylaniphila YIT 11841 showed a wide range of unique and specific enzymes acting on arabinoxylan and pectin. These glycosidases were also found in MAGs recovered from CD patients. Interestingly, these arabinoxylan and pectin degraders are predicted to exhibit metabolic interactions with other gut microbes reduced in CD. Thus, administration of arabinoxylan and pectin may ameliorate dysbiosis in CD by promoting species with key metabolic functions, capable of cross-feeding other beneficial species. These computational methods may be of special interest for the rational design of prebiotic ingredients targeting at CD.     

Strawberry Texture and Pectin Content as Affected by Electron Beam Irradiation

Fresh Tristar' strawberries were irradiated with electron beam irradiation at 0, 1, and 2 kGy. Fruit firmness decreased as irradiation dose increased. Water-soluble pectin increased and oxalate-soluble pectin decreased at 0 and 1 day after 1 and 2 kGy irradiation. Fruit firmness correlated with oxalate-soluble pectin content. Total pectin and nonextractable pectin were not affected by irradiation. The oxalate-soluble pectin content and firmness of irradiated strawberries increased slightly at the beginning of 2°C storage and then decreased as storage time increased. No changes occurred in water-soluble pectin, nonextractable pectin, or total pectin during storage.     

Comparison of high pressure treatment and thermal pasteurization effects on the quality and shelf life of guava puree

The effects of high pressures and thermal pasteurization on the survival of microorganisms, enzyme inactivation and quality changes of guava puree during storage at 4°C were investigated and compared with untreated samples. After treatment at a pressure of 600MPa and 25°C for 15 min, the microorganisms in guava puree were inactivated to less than 10 cfu mL⁻¹ and the product exhibited no change in colour, pectin, cloud and ascorbic acid content as compared with fresh samples. The inactivation of enzymes in guava puree by thermal pasteurization was greater than by high pressures. The microbial count in guava puree reduced to 200 cfu mL⁻¹ and the product showed marked changes in viscosity, turbidity and colour when heated at 88–90°C for 24s. The content of pectin, cloud and ascorbic acid as well as colour in untreated and high pressurized (400MPa) guava puree gradually decreased, whereas these changes were not observed in pasteurized (88–90°C) and high pressurized (6000MPa) puree during storage at 4°C for 60 days. The guava puree treated at 600MPa and 25°C for 15 min retained good quality similar to the freshly extracted puree after storage at 4°C for 40 days.     

Pectin Changes in Ripening Cherry Fruit

Pectin solubilization was studied during ripening of cherry fruit. Pectic materials were isolated at specific stages during development. The proportion of alcohol-insoluble-material decreased on a fresh weight basis with ripeness, but increased per fruit. Pectic substances were divided into water-, oxalate- and acid-soluble fractions. The oxalate-and water-soluble part increased as acid-soluble components decreased. Water- and acid-soluble fractions contained many more neutral sugar residues than the oxalate-soluble fraction. Changes in individual sugars indicated the major alterations were the degradation of galactan and the absence of arabinan solubilization in acid-soluble pectic substance. Size exclusion chromatography showed absence of pectin depolymerization during ripening, indicating that fruit softening does not depend on pectin depolymerization.     

Molecular Mass and Solubility Changes in Pectins during Storage of Satsuma Mandarin Fruits (Citrus unshiu Marc.)

Soluble pectins in satsuma mandarin fruits stored at 5°C were investigated by High Performance Gel Filtration chromatography. Pectins isolated from the flavedo, albedo, membranes and juice sacs were separated into four fractions. The hydrochloric acid soluble pectin fraction in each part was the highest and decreased slightly while the water-soluble pectin increased slightly. The avergae molecular weights of the fractionated soluble pectins in juice sacs were nearly constant but those in flavedo, albedo and membranes decreased as storage time increased. The ratios of higher molecular weight of water soluble and ammonium oxalate-soluble pectins in all the four parts and those of hydrochloric acid soluble pectin in flavedo and membranes decreased as ratios of lower molecular weight fractions increased.     

Sunflower Head Residue Pectin Extraction as Affected by Physical Conditions

Effects of extraction pH, temperature, and time on yield and quality of pectin from sunflower heads (Interstate cultivar) were investigated. The low-methoxyl pectin was extracted, using 0.75% sodium hexametaphosphate at pH 3, 4, and 5 and at 75, 85, and 95°for 20, 40, and 60 min, respectively. Yield, molecular mass, and firmness of jellies of the pectins were determined. Three-way statistical analysis on yield, molecular mass and gel firmness showed strong interactions among pH, temperature and time. Highest yields were obtained at pH 5, 95°for 20 min and pH 4, 85°for 40 min. Pectin extracted for 40 min at pH 3 and 4 and at 85°and 75°C, respectively, had the highest molecular mass. Gel firmness of sunflower pectin prepared at pH 5.4 was higher than that of a commercial citrus pectin.     

超滤分级甜菜中果胶的理化性质及乳化特性研究

利用超滤技术将甜菜果胶分为相对分子质量不同的4个级分,并采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)、傅里叶变化红外光谱(FT-IR)和气相色谱(GC)等技术研究了不同级分果胶分子的结构组成及其乳化特性。结果表明:甜菜果胶中截留相对分子量(MWCO)大于100,000的含量最大,达到64.86%;果胶相对分子量与其性质直接相关,随着相对分子量的增大,果胶中半乳糖醛酸、阿魏酸和酯化度均增大,单糖种类增多,而单糖的含量却减少,其分布亦有差异;相对分子量不同的果胶乳化性有很大不同,其中分子量为4.64×104Da组分的果胶乳化活性和乳化稳定最好。     

Mucoadhesive Phenolic Pectin Hydrogels for Saliva Substitute and Oral Patch

Oral disease is one of the most common conditions worldwide, negatively affecting general health, reducing the quality of life, and often developing into systemic illness. However, the design of therapeutic agents for oral diseases is challenging due to various unique features of the oral cavity, including its wet and dynamic environment and curved shape. Herein, the development of highly biocompatible mucoadhesive functional hydrogels for oral applications is reported, generated by introducing bio-inspired phenolic moieties into a pectin polymer. Pyrogallol-functionalized pectin (Pec-PG) can be crosslinked in situ via autoxidation without chemical agents and readily fabricated as various formulations. Sprayable Pec-PG hydrogel exhibits strong mucoadhesion and outstanding hydration ability ex vivo and in vivo, thus displaying significant potential as a novel saliva substitute for dry mouth. The authors further show that topical application of mucoadhesive Pec-PG patches pre-loaded with corticosteroid significantly promotes the repair of diabetic oral ulcer tissue via prolonged drug release, free radical scavenging, and physical barrier effects. Moreover, similar applications for oral ulcer treatment using a pectin hydrogel modified with catechol (Pec-CA), another phenolic moiety are demonstrated. Together, these findings suggest that mucoadhesive phenolic pectin derivatives can provide highly biocompatible, convenient, and effective hydrogel platforms for treating oral diseases.     

Effect of preheating on potato texture

Preheating potatoes at 50 to 80°C has a firming effect on the cooked potato tissue. This effect is particularly pronounced at a preheating temperature of 60 to 70°C followed by cooling. Several theories have been presented in the literature to explain this firming effect: retrogradation of starch, leaching of amylose, stabilization of the middle lamellae and cell walls by the activation of the pectin methylesterase (PME) enzyme, and by the release of calcium from gelatinized starch and the formation of calcium bridges between pectin molecules. Most probably, none of these theories alone can explain the phenomenon and more than one mechanism seems to be involved. Some of these mechanisms seem to be interdependent. As an example, calcium could be considered as a link all the way through release after starch gelatinization to cross‐linking pectin substances in the cell wall and the middle lamellae, which has been demethylated by the PME enzyme. More research and “clear cut” experiments are needed in order to elucidate the role of each mechanism, especially which of them is the main contributor to the process of firming. Most probably, the calcium‐pectin‐PME mechanism plays a secondary role, that is, it only retards the collapse of the tissue structure that would otherwise occur during the final heating without preheating, and it is not the main factor of firmness.