Food proteins and peptides are able to exert a variety of well-known bioactivities, some of which are related to well-being and disease prevention in humans and animals. Currently, an active trend in ...research focuses on chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, delineating their major pathogenetic role in age-related diseases and in some forms of cancer. The present study aims to investigate the potential effects of pseudocereal proteins and their derived peptides on chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. After purification and attribution to protein classes according to classic Osborne's classification, the immune-modulating, antioxidant, and trypsin inhibitor activities of proteins from quinoa (
Willd.), amaranth (
L.), and buckwheat (
Moench) seeds have been assessed in vitro. The peptides generated by simulated gastro-intestinal digestion of each fraction have been also investigated for the selected bioactivities. None of the proteins or peptides elicited inflammation in Caco-2 cells; furthermore,
showed different degrees of protection of cells from IL-1β-induced inflammation. Immune-modulating and antioxidant activities were, in general, higher for the albumin fraction. Overall, seed proteins can express these bioactivities mainly after hydrolysis. On the contrary, higher trypsin inhibitor activity was expressed by globulins in their intact form. These findings lay the foundations for the exploitation of these pseudocereal seeds as source of anti-inflammatory molecules.
Applying a circular economy approach, this research explores the use of cheese whey permeate (CWP), by-product of whey ultrafiltration, as cheap substrate for the production of bacterial cellulose ...(BC) and Sakacin-A, to be used in an antimicrobial packaging material. BC from the acetic acid bacterium Komagataeibacter xylinus was boosted up to 6.77 g/L by supplementing CWP with β-galactosidase. BC was then reduced to nanocrystals (BCNCs, 70% conversion yield), which were then conjugated with Sakacin-A, an anti-Listeria bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus sakei in a CWP based broth. Active conjugates (75 Activity Units (AU)/mg), an innovative solution for bacteriocin delivery, were then included in a coating mixture applied onto paper sheets at 25 AU/cm
. The obtained antimicrobial food package was found effective in reducing Listeria population in storage trials carried out on a fresh Italian soft cheese (named "stracchino") intentionally inoculated with Listeria. Production costs of the active material have been mainly found to be associated (90%) to the purification steps. Setting a maximum prudential 50% cost reduction during process up-scaling, conjugates coating formulation would cost around 0.89 €/A4 sheet. Results represent a practical example of a circular economy production procedure by using a food industry by-product to produce antimicrobials for food preservation.
γ-conglutin (γC) is a major protein of
seeds, but its function is still unknown. It shares high structural similarity with xyloglucan-specific endo-glucanase inhibitor proteins (XEGIPs) and, to a ...lesser extent, with
endoxylanase inhibitors (TAXI-I), active against fungal glycoside hydrolases GH12 and GH11, respectively. However, γC lacks both these inhibitory activities. Since β-galactomannans are major components of the cell walls of endosperm in several legume plants, we tested the inhibitory activity of γC against a GH2 β-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.25). γC was actually able to inhibit the enzyme, and this effect was enhanced by the presence of zinc ions. The stoichiometry of the γC/enzyme interaction was 1:1, and the calculated
was 1.55 μM. To obtain further insights into the interaction between γC and β-mannosidase, an in silico structural bioinformatic approach was followed, including some docking analyses. By and large, this work describes experimental findings that highlight new scenarios for understanding the natural role of γC. Although structural predictions can leave space for speculative interpretations, the full complexity of the data reported in this work allows one to hypothesize mechanisms of action for the basis of inhibition. At least two mechanisms seem plausible, both involving lupin-γC-peculiar structures.
Okara is a soybean transformation agri-food by-product, the massive production of which currently poses severe disposal issues. However, its composition is rich in seed storage proteins, which, once ...extracted, can represent an interesting source of bioactive peptides. Antimicrobial and antifungal proteins and peptides have been described in plant seeds; thus, okara is a valuable source of compounds, exploitable for integrated pest management. The aim of this work is to describe a rapid and economic procedure to isolate proteins from okara, and to produce an enzymatic proteolyzed product, active against fungal plant pathogens. The procedure allowed the isolation and recovery of about 30% of okara total proteins. Several proteolytic enzymes were screened to identify the proper procedure to produce antifungal compounds. Antifungal activity of the protein digested for 24 h with pancreatin against Fusarium and R. solani mycelial growth and Pseudomonas spp was assessed. A dose-response inhibitory activity was established against fungi belonging to the Fusarium genus. The exploitation of okara to produce antifungal bioactive peptides has the potential to turn this by-product into a paradigmatic example of circular economy, since a field-derived food waste is transformed into a source of valuable compounds to be used in field crops protection.
Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum) is a major cereal adopted since antiquity to feed humans. Due to its use, dating back several millennia, this species features a wide genetic diversity and ...landraces are considered important repositories of gene pools which constitute invaluable tools for breeders. The aim of this work is to provide a first characterization of a wheat landrace, referred to as 'TB2018', that was collected in the Apulia region (Southern Italy). 'TB2018' revealed, through visual inspection, characters reminiscent of the traditional variety 'Senatore Cappelli', while exhibiting a distinctive trait, i.e., reduced stature. Indeed, the comparison with a set of Italian durum wheat cultivars conducted in this study, in which 24 CPVO plant descriptors were adopted, placed the 'TB2018' landrace in proximity to the 'Senatore Cappelli' cultivar. In addition, the close similarity between the two genotypes was confirmed by the analysis of the seed protein pattern. A relative reduction was detected for 'TB2018' root elongation in the early stages of plant growth. The 'TB2018' genome sequence, obtained through low-coverage resequencing and comparison to the reference 'Svevo' cultivar is also reported in this study, followed by a genome-wide comparison against 259 durum wheat accessions that placed 'TB2018' close to the 'Cappelli' reference. Hundreds of genes putatively affected by variants that possess Gene Ontology descriptors were detected, among which some were shown to be putatively linked to the morphological traits that distinguish 'TB2018' from 'Senatore Cappelli', Overall, this study poses the basis for a possible exploitation of 'TB2018' per se in cultivation or as a source of alternative alleles in the breeding of traditional cultivars. This work also presents a genomic methodology that exploits the information contained in a low-depth, whole-genome sequence to derive genotypic data useful for cross-platform (chip data) comparisons.
Many recent studies have explored the healing properties of the extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) to utilize electromagnetism for medical purposes. The non-invasiveness of ...electromagnetic induction makes it valuable for supportive therapy in various degenerative pathologies with increased oxidative stress. To date, no harmful effects have been reported or documented. We designed a small, wearable device which does not require a power source. The device consists of a substrate made of polyethylene terephthalate and an amalgam containing primarily graphene nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots. This device can transmit electromagnetic signals, which could induce biological effects. This study aims to verify the preliminary effects of the electromagnetic emission of the device on leukemic cells in culture. For this purpose, we studied the best-known effects of magnetic fields on biological models, such as cell viability, and the modulations on the main protagonists of cellular oxidative stress.
This study is meant to characterize the serum proteome in a small geographical cluster of sporadic ALS subjects originating from a restricted geographical area and sharing the same environmental ...exposure, in a broader context of evaluating the relevance of environmental factors to disease onset, status, and progression. An Artificial Neural Network based software is used to compare the relative abundance of proteins identified as different (by means of bi‐dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry) in the serum proteome of patients and age‐matched healthy controls. The patient's group is characterized by altered levels of acute phase reactants and of proteins involved in lipid homeostasis, along with over‐representation of the APOE*4 allele. Characterization of the serum proteome in a small cluster of sporadic ALS patients, originating from a geographically restricted area with a high prevalence of the disease and evaluation of the results with software based on artificial neural networks, highlights the association of the relative abundance of some proteins (most notably, acute phase reactants and lipid homeostasis proteins) with the disease presence and status.
γ-Conglutin (γ-C) is the glycoprotein from the edible seed L. albus, studied for long time for its postprandial glycaemic regulating action. It still lacks clear information on what could happen at ...the meeting point between the protein and the organism: the intestinal barrier. We compared an in vitro system involving Caco-2 and IPEC-J2 cells with an ex vivo system using pig ileum and jejunum segments to study γ-C transport from the apical to the basolateral compartment, and its effects on the D-glucose uptake and glucose transporters protein expression. Finally, we studied its potential in modulating glucose metabolism by assessing the possible inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. RP-HPLC analyses showed that γ-C may be transported to the basolateral side in the in vitro system but not in the pig intestines. γ-C was also able to promote a decrease in glucose uptake in both cells and jejunum independently from the expression of the SGLT1 and GLUT2 transporters.
Camelina sativa , commonly referred to as camelina or false flax, has emerged as a promising cover crop with the potential to mitigate climate change—a pressing global challenge that demands urgent ...and sustainable solutions. Belonging to the Brassicaceae family and native to Europe and Central Asia, camelina is an oilseed crop known for its resilience in diverse climates, including arid and semi-arid regions, making it adaptable to various environments. A breeding program started from a study of six winter varieties and five spring varieties of camelina is described: these genetic materials were characterized by SSRs molecular markers and by GBS technique. Molecular data clearly showed all spring varieties were genetically similar and distinguishable from the winter varieties, which, in turn, clustered together. Using molecular data, parental varieties belonging to the two different clusters were selected to generate new genetic variability. The new variety obtained, selected through the bulk method based on three parameters: yield, earliness, and weight of 1000 seeds, has allowed the generation of the new genetic material provisionally named C1244. Chemical characterization was performed (bromatological and glucosinolates analysis) to better describe C1244 in comparison with benchmark varieties. The new variety exhibited early maturity, similar to spring varieties, making this genetic material promising for use in intercropping systems, a high weight of 1000 seeds (1.46 g) which improves and facilitates seeding/harvesting operations and a high oil content (33.62%) akin to winter varieties making it valuable for human and animal food purposes.
In recent years, the interest in increasingly sustainable agriculture has also turned attention towards new cover crops suitable for use in marginal areas that could enter the food chain as new ...protein and oil sources or for biodiesel production. In this scenario, Camelina sativa is a perfect crop to study. Camelina is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Brassicaceae which is interesting in terms of its oil content, since the seeds contain about 40% oils, with a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (30–40% alpha linolenic acid, 15–25% linoleic acid, 15% oleic acid and about 15% eicosenoic acid). It is a hexaploid species (2n = 40, genome size ~782 Mb) characterized by rapid growth, a short life cycle (85–100 days for spring varieties, 190–210 for autumn varieties) and low input cultivation needs. However, its use in feed and food is limited by the presence of glucosinolates (GLS). GLS are sulfur molecules involved in plant defense. In recent years, they have been studied not only as antinutritionals but also for their anti-carcinogenic effects against chronic inflammatory and heart diseases and for their use as natural pesticides. Given the recent interest in camelina and its highly nutritious oil, eight pure lines and a synthetic population were compared in two different growing periods, spring and winter. In this work, the genetic materials were characterized for different phenotypic traits, yields and yield components, and bromatological and glucosinolate content. The results confirmed that in North Italy, camelina has higher yields if cultivated in the autumn–winter period (about 2 t/ha vs. 0.6 t/ha); furthermore, a negative correlation was found between spring and winter yields, indicating that varieties that produce more in winter cultivation produce less in spring cultivation. Moreover, to our knowledge, it is the first work in which a synthetic population of Camelina sativa has been tested and proved to be a valid solution for use in various environments both for its adaptability and for the low content of glucosinolates (about 17 mmol/kg).
PDF
