Pregnancy outcomes with differences in grain consumption: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives Contemporary obstetrics has begun to appreciate the importance of diet in pregnancy, but guidelines are not based on robust data. The hypothesis that a whole grains diet improves pregnancy outcomes is tested in this study. We compared maternal and neonatal outcomes for a pregnancy diet containing 75% of total carbohydrates as refined grains with outcomes for a diet with 75% of total carbohydrates as whole grains. Methods This was a randomized interventional study in a clinic population over the last 4–7 months of normal pregnancy with extensive compliance measures. Besides obstetrical and neonatal outcomes, anthropometric measurements were done. In addition to food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), total plasma alkyl resorcinols, a unique quantitative measure of whole grains, were used as a measure of whole grain consumption. Results The data show effective compliance and no difference in outcomes between the diets with regard to maternal weight gain, birth weights, subcutaneous fat and glucose tolerance. Conclusions Ensuring compliance to a proper pregnancy diet resulted in satisfactory weight gain and normal outcomes even when the proportion of whole grains consumed is only 25% of total carbohydrates. www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03232762, Effects of Diet on Pregnancy Outcome and Child Obesity.

Nutritional Quality of Opuntia ssp. at Different Phenological Stages: Implications for Forage Purposes

The study aimed to evaluat the chemical composition of forage cactus cladodes of the genus Opuntia spp. at different stages of phenological development. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, with a 4×3 factorial scheme, with four species of cactus (Opuntia stricta Haw, Opuntia undulata Griffiths, Opuntia atropes Rose and Opuntia larreri FAC Weber) and three stages of cladode development (young, intermediate, and mature). The chemical composition of Opuntia cladodes varied according to species and phenological stage. Dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) concentrations increased, and crude protein (CP) decreased with cladode maturation. The species O. atropes had the lowest levels of organic matter (OM), CP, total carbohydrates, and non-fibrous carbohydrates, as well as the highest values of mineral matter, NDF and ADF. Calcium and phosphorus contents increased with cladodium maturation. The concentrations of boron, copper and manganese were higher in the young and intermediate stages. The cladodes of O. stricta, O. undulata and O. larreri showed better nutritional quality for feeding domestic ruminants. Young and intermediate cladodes are more proteinaceous and less fibrous. These results can be useful in selecting the forage cactus species and in optimizing the use of cladodes for feeding different categories of ruminants in semiarid regions.

Proximate Composition, Bioactive Compounds, and Antioxidant Potential of Wild Halophytes Grown in Coastal Salt Marsh Habitats

Halophytes have been characterized as a potential resource for fiber, food, fodder, and bioactive compounds. Proximate composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of five wild dominant halophytes (Arthrocnemummacrostachyum, Halocnemumstrobilaceum, Limoniastrummonopetalum, Limoniastrumpruinosum, and Tamarix nilotica) naturally growing along the Nile Delta coast were assessed. The soil supporting these halophytes was sandy to sand-silty, alkaline, with low organic carbon, and relatively high CaCO3. H. strobilaceum attained the highest moisture content, ash, crude fiber, lipids, and total soluble sugars. L. monopetalum showed the highest content of crude protein (18.00%), while T. nilotica had the highest content of total carbohydrates. The studied halophytes can be ranked according to their nutritive value as follows: H.strobilaceum > L.monopetalum > A.macrostachyum > L.pruinosum > T. nilotica. A. macrostachyum attained the highest amount of Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+. A. macrostachyum showed a high content of phenolic compounds, while H.strobilaceum was rich in tannins and saponin contents. The MeOH extract of A. macrostachyum and H. strobilaceum exhibited substantial antioxidant activity. The present results showed that the studied halophytes could be considered as candidates for forage production or used as green eco-friendly natural resources for bioactive compounds.

Optimization of the enzymatic synthesis of fructo-oligosaccharides using fructosyltransferase from aspergillus aculeatus

The obvious benefits of employing prebiotics as functional components in many food and feed products have resulted in higher demand for their industrial production, necessitating the development of more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing procedures. As a result, the goal of this study was to synthesize confirmed prebiotics, namely fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), using sucrose as a substrate, since it allows the synthesis of oligosaccharides with lower polymerization degree, and consequently, a more pronounced prebiotic effect. Due to its availability, low market price, and high stability under industrial conditions, a commercial enzymatic mixture, Pectinex® Ultra SP-L, is used as a source of enzyme – fructosyltransferase (FTase). By optimizing reaction conditions such as pH, temperature, enzyme and substrate concentrations, as well as the duration of the process, the composition of the FOS mixture can be adjusted to fit the potential applications. It was found that by performing the reaction in an aqueous medium (pH 7), at a temperature of 50 °C using an enzyme concentration of 1% (v/v) and any sucrose concentration in the range of 200-700 g/L, it was possible to achieve maximum FOS yield of 60% of total carbohydrates within a 24 h. The produced syrup with a high content of FOS can be further used as an adequate food additive, or else, optimized proceses should be used for transformation of various food products (such as juices, jams, fillings, candies, cakes, etc.) in which sucrose dominates, creating products with lower caloric and higher functional value.

Enhanced Optimization of Bioethanol Production from Palm Waste Using the Taguchi Method

In the present study, palm fiber (PF) and palm fronds (PFN) were selected as local agricultural wastes for the extraction of different biopolymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) by alkaline sodium hydroxide (PF, 2.37% NaOH at 86.5 °C for 1.6 h; PFN, 6% NaOH at 90 °C for 1 h) and bioethanol production. The processes of extraction were optimized by the experimental design method of Taguchi. The total carbohydrates of PF and PFN obtained were 24.4% and 31.0%, respectively. In addition, the untreated palm fiber (UPF), untreated palm frond (UPFN), cellulose palm fibers (CPF), and cellulose palm fronds (CPFN) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis processes using crude enzymes and commercial enzymes at 48 °C and pH 5.5. The results indicate that the maximum reducing sugars used were CPF 229.90, CPFN 243.69, UPF 120.19, and UPFN 100.00 (mg/g), which were obtained at a crude enzyme loading. CPF and CPFN hydrolysates were then successfully converted into bioethanol by a separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Anaerobic cultivation of the hydrolysates with S.cerevisiae resulted in 0.222 g/g and 0.213 g/g bioethanol in the case of CPF and CPFN, respectively. Optimization processes could be an innovative approach to the sustainable development of bioethanol production.

Upgrading the fermentability and prebiotic potential of palm decanter cake through fibre-degrading enzymatic treatments

Palm oil milling has produced tonnes of solid waste including palm decanter cake (PDC). The recalcitrant nature of PDC limits its full inclusion in animal feed. This study aims to investigate the effect of fibre-degrading enzyme such as cellulase and xylanase on the prebiotic activity and solid state fermentability of PDC. We used the following commercial enzyme loading: 5U cellulase (5UC), 5U xylanase (5UX) and combined enzymatic treatment 2.5U:2.5U (C25U) per gram of substrate to hydrolyse the defatted PDC. The sugar profile in the effluent was analysed by using high-performance liquid chromatography, and the degree of hydrolysis (DH) was estimated based on the total carbohydrates amount in the effluent. The DH of enzymatic-hydrolysed PDC followed the order of 5UC< C25U <5UX, which was 7.8 %, 44.2 2% and 46.27 %, respectively. The prebiotic activity score of ethanolic extract obtained from the PDC followed the order of untreated < C25U < 5UX < 5UC, which were -1.04, -0.74, -0.10 and 0.58, respectively. To further investigate the role of lignin (which can be eliminated through alkaline hydrogen peroxide treatment (AHPT) on the extent of hydrolysis and the fermentability of enzymatic-hydrolysed PDC, we tested the invasion capacity of fungus Aspergillus oryzae on untreated, and AHPT followed by enzymatic-treated PDC. Pre-treatment of PDC with AHP improved accessibility for enzymatic hydrolysis in which the highest fungus growth rate was observed on the AHP-C25U PDC. Enzymatic treatment succeeding AHPT is a feasible way to improve the fermentability of palm decanter cake.

Seaweed Blends as a Valuable Source of Polyunsaturated and Healthy Fats for Nutritional and Food Applications

Seaweeds are considered healthy and sustainable food. Although their consumption is modest in Western countries, the demand for seaweed in food markets is increasing in Europe. Each seaweed species has unique nutritional and functional features. The preparation of blends, obtained by mixing several seaweeds species, allows the obtaining of maximum benefits and ingredients with single characteristics. In this work, five seaweed blends, commercially available and produced under organic conditions in Europe, were characterized. The proximal composition included contents of ash (20.28–28.68% DW), proteins (17.79–26.61% DW), lipids (0.55–1.50% DW), and total carbohydrates (39.47–47.37% DW). Fatty acid profiles were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), allowing quantification of healthy fatty acids, namely n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and calculation of lipid quality indices. Each blend showed a characteristic PUFA content in the lipid pool (35.77–49.43% of total fatty acids) and the content in essential and healthy n-3 PUFA is highlighted. The atherogenicity (0.54–0.72) and thrombogenicity (0.23–0.45) indices evidenced a good nutritional value of lipid fractions. As nutritional and environmentally attractive products, the consumption of the studied seaweed blends can contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Dietary carbohydrate quality and risk of breast cancer among women

Background A few studies have examined the relationship between carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and risk of breast cancer (BC) among women in Middle Eastern countries. We studied the associations between carbohydrate quality index and the risk of BC in overall and by menopausal status. Methods In this case-control study, dietary intake of 461 women with pathologically confirmed BC within the past year were examined. The same information were collected for 495 apparently healthy controls using a 168-item validated FFQ. Carbohydrate quality was determined by considering four criteria including: ratio of solid carbohydrates to total carbohydrates, dietary fiber intake, GI and the ratio of whole grains to total grains. Results Mean GI and GL of participants were totally 57.5 ± 7.2 and 245.7 ± 64.7, respectively. A trend toward significant association was seen between GI and odds of BC in the whole population; such that after stratifying analysis by menopausal status, premenopausal women in the highest quartile of GI were 1.85 times higher likely to have BC than those in the lowest quartile (95% CI: 1.12, 3.07, P = 0.01). We found that women with the greatest CQI had lower odds for BC, compared with those with the lowest CQI (0.63; 95% CI: 0.43–0.94, P = 0.03). This association was remained after stratifying analysis by menopausal status in premenopausal (0.55; 95% CI: 0.34–0.90, P = 0.04). Conclusion We found that GI was directly and CQI inversely associated with odds of BC. In order to determine the effects of dietary carbohydrate quality prospective cohort studies are needed.

Optimization of Pressurized Liquid Extraction and In Vitro Neuroprotective Evaluation of Ammodaucus leucotrichus. Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis by UHPLC-MS/MS

Ammodaucus leucotrichus is a spontaneous plant endemic of the North African region. An efficient selective pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) method was optimized to concentrate neuroprotective extracts from A. leucotrichus fruits. Green solvents were tested, namely ethanol and water, within a range of temperatures between 40 to 180 °C. Total carbohydrates and total phenolics were measured in extracts, as well as in vitro antioxidant capacity (DPPH radical scavenging), anticholinesterase (AChE) and anti-inflammatory (LOX) activities. Metabolite profiling was carried out by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-q-TOF-MS/MS), identifying 94 compounds. Multivariate analysis was performed to correlate composition with bioactivity. A remarkable effect of the temperature using water was observed: the higher temperature, the higher extraction yield, the higher total phenolic content, as well as the higher total carbohydrates content. The water extract obtained at 180 °C, 10.34 MPa and 10 min showed meaningful anti-inflammatory (IC50LOX = 39.4 µg/mL) and neuroprotective activities (IC50AChE = 55.6 µg/mL). The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the cluster analysis correlated these activities with the presence of carbohydrates and phenolic compounds.

CRISPRi as a Tool to Repress Multiple Copies of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS)-Related Genes in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The use of the versatile cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) for biotechnological/biomedical applications implies an extensive knowledge of their biosynthetic pathways to improve/control polymer production yields and characteristics. The multiple copies of EPS-related genes, scattered throughout cyanobacterial genomes, adds another layer of complexity, making these studies challenging and time-consuming. Usually, this issue would be tackled by generating deletion mutants, a process that in cyanobacteria is also hindered by the polyploidy. Thus, the use of the CRISPRi multiplex system constitutes an efficient approach to addressing this redundancy. Here, three putative Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 kpsM homologues (slr0977, slr2107, and sll0574) were repressed using this methodology. The characterization of the 3-sgRNA mutant in terms of fitness/growth and total carbohydrates, released and capsular polysaccharides, and its comparison with previously generated single knockout mutants pointed towards Slr0977 being the key KpsM player in Synechocystis EPS production. This work validates CRISPRi as a powerful tool to unravel cyanobacterial complex EPS biosynthetic pathways expediting this type of studies.