Betanin is the only betalain approved for use in food and pharmaceutical products as a natural red colorant. However, the antioxidant power and health-promoting properties of this pigment have been ...disregarded, perhaps due to the difficulty in obtaining a stable chemical compound, which impairs its absorption and metabolism evaluation. Herein, betanin was purified by semi-preparative HPLC-LC/MS and identified by LC-ESI(+)-MS/MS as the pseudomolecular ion
/
551.16. Betanin showed significant stability up to -30 °C and mild stability at chilling temperature. The stability and antioxidant ability of this compound were assessed during a human digestion simulation and ex vivo colon fermentation. Half of the betanin amount was recovered in the small intestine digestive fluid and no traces were found after colon fermentation. Betanin high antioxidant ability was retained even after simulated small intestine digestion. Betanin, besides displaying an inherent colorant capacity, was equally effective as a natural antioxidant displaying peroxy-radical scavenger ability in pork meat. Betanin should be considered a multi-functional molecule able to confer an attractive color to frozen or refrigerated foods, but with the capacity to avoid lipid oxidation, thereby preserving food quality. Long-term supplementation by beetroot, a rich source of betanin, should be stimulated to protect organisms against oxidative stress.
Soybeans display strategic potential in food security as a source of protein and functional bioactives for human consumption. Polyphenols and other bioactive compounds can be recovered after an ...aqueous extraction from soybean meal, a byproduct of soy oil refining. The objective of the present study was to compile and quantify compounds from soybean oil refinery by-products, providing information about valuable bioactive phytochemicals, their bioaccessibility and potential bioactivities. Genistin, daidzin, glycitin and malonylgenistin were the predominant isoflavones, and the overall bioaccessibility of their glycosidic forms was of nearly 75%. Sixteen phenolics were identified and caffeic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic chlorogenic acid and hesperidin were the most predominant. Approximately 30% of gallic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid and myricetin were released and the antioxidant capacity of aqueous extract was enhanced after simulated in vitro gastro intestinal digestion. The ability of aqueous soybean meal extract to inhibit lipid peroxidation was higher than natural and synthetic food antioxidants. Antimicrobial activity against several foodborne pathogens and antitumoral activity towards human glioblastoma cell line were also observed, but the aqueous extract showed no cytotoxicity to healthy murine cells. Compounds derived from the aqueous soybean meal extract have the potential to be used as health promoting agents.
The effects of indigenous fermentation on volatile compound profiles in a
Theobroma cacao
L, TSH565 clone, resistant to
Moniliophtora perniciosa
and
Phytophthora
spp. were evaluated in Southern ...Brazil. Sixty-three volatile flavor compounds in pulp and 36 in grains were identified by SPME-HS/GC–MS and classified as terpenes, alcohols, esters, ketones and aldehydes, among others. The relative amount of these compounds and their evolution until the end of the fermentation process were assessed in both fresh and fermented grains/pulp masses. β-myrcene and β-
cis
-ocimene, among terpenes, were detected in high amounts and are associated to a fine chocolate aroma. The sensory evaluation of chocolates manufactured from the fermented cocoa was performed by trained panelists, which defined 15 sensory descriptors. Chocolates from the TSH565 cultivar were characterized by a rich, fruity, intense cocoa flavor and bitterness, which are valuable sensorial and commercial attributes.
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•Beetroot is associated with vascular improvements, due to NO3− to NO conversion.•The newly beetroot-cereal bar enriched in nitrate and polyphenols was designed.•NO synthesis was ...increased after 3-week supplementation of beetroot-cereal bar.•Vascular and arterial values were improved after 9.5 ± 0.05 mmol of nitrate intake.
Dietary nitrate has been associated with nitric oxide bioconversion and beneficial vascular effects. A randomized, controlled, crossover and placebo 3-week supplementation trial with a beetroot-cereal bar enriched in nitrate (9.5 ± 0.05 mmol) and polyphenols was performed on patients displaying three risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The beetroot-cereal bar formulation was elected because it showed the highest nitrate, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity than beetroot chips and juice. Plasmatic nitrate and nitrite were increased ≈15 and ≈7 fold, respectively, endothelial function was improved, arterial stiffness was reduced and arterial blood pressures, both systolic and diastolic, were reduced by ≈−14.0 mm Hg and ≈−6.5 mm Hg, respectively. The nitrate and phenolic compound bioacessibility from the beetroot-cereal bar were 85% and 68% after intestinal uptake of simulated gastrointestinal digestion, respectively. Beetroot-cereal bar may be an effective strategy to improve cardiovascular parameters in patients presenting risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Diarrhea in piglets is one of the main causes of animal death after weaning; zinc oxide (ZnO) has been used in high doses for the control of this sickness. The aim of this study was to determine the ...physicochemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized and immobilized on a chitosan/alginate (CH/SA) complex and investigate the antimicrobial activity and in vitro release profile of zinc (Zn
) from these new compounds. The ZnO nanoparticles composites were prepared and combined with CH/SA or CH/SA and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The structure and morphology of the composites were analyzed by characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy.
The crystallite size of ZnO nano was 17 nm and the novel ZnO composites were effective in protecting ZnO in simulated gastric fluid, where Zn
reached a concentration six-fold higher than the levels obtained with the unprotected commercial-zinc oxide. In addition, the novel composites suggest effective antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
The results described herein suggest that the novel nano composites may work as an alternative product for pig feeding as verified by the in vitro assays, and may also contribute to lower the zinc released in the environment by fecal excretion in animals waste.
Oxidative stress is a common condition described in risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Betanin, a bioactive pigment from red beetroot demonstrates anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. ...The main aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term intake of betanin against oxidative stress in a rodent model, a common condition described in several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress was induced in Wistar rats by a hyperlipidemic diet for 60 days, followed by betanin administration (20 mg·kg
) through oral gavage for 20 days. Plasma biochemical parameters and antioxidant enzyme activities were evaluated. Lipid peroxidation and histopathological changes were determined in the liver. The hyperlipidemic diet caused hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and increases in alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels. Oxidative stress status was confirmed by reduction of antioxidant enzyme activities, increased lipid peroxidation, and liver damage. Purified betanin regulated glucose levels, insulin, and insulin resistance. Hepatic damage was reversed as evidenced by the reduction in alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels and confirmed by histological analyses. Betanin reduced hepatic malondialdehyde and increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities. Short-term betanin intake modulated biochemical parameters, reversed hepatic tissue damage, and attenuated oxidative stress in Wistar rats.
Objective:
To characterize the clinical presentation and outcomes of Kawasaki disease (KD) in infants <6 months of age as compared to those ≥6 months in Latin America.
Methods:
We evaluated 36 ...infants <6 months old and 940 infants ≥6 months old diagnosed with KD in Latin America. We compared differences in laboratory data, clinical presentation, treatment response, and coronary artery outcomes between the two cohorts.
Results:
The majority (78.1%) of infants and children ≥6 months of age were initially diagnosed with KD, as compared to only 38.2% of infants <6 months. Clinical features of KD were more commonly observed in the older cohort: oral changes (92 vs. 75%,
P
= 0.0023), extremity changes (74.6 vs. 57.1%,
P
= 0.029), and cervical lymphadenopathy (67.6 vs. 37.1%,
P
= 0.0004). Whether treated in the first 10 days of illness or after the 10th day, infants <6 months were at greater risk of developing a coronary artery aneurysm compared to KD patients ≥6 months treated at the same point in the course of illness ≤ 10 days (53.8 vs. 9.4%,
P
= 0.00012); >10 days (50 vs. 7.4%,
P
= 0.043).
Conclusion:
Our data show that despite treatment in the first 10 days of illness, infants <6 months of age in Latin America have a higher risk of developing a coronary artery aneurysm. Delay in the diagnosis leads to larger coronary artery aneurysms disproportionately in these infants. Thus, suspicion for KD should be high in this vulnerable population.
Objetivos. Describir las características clínicas, resistencia antibiótica y distribución de serotipos de cepas causantes de enfermedad neumocócica invasiva (ENI) en adultos. Materiales y métodos. ...Estudio tipo serie de casos. Se recolectaron cepas de neumococo de pacientes adultos hospitalizados con ENI en cinco hospitales nacionales y dos laboratorios de Lima durante los años 2009-2011. Resultados. Se estudiaron datos de 43 pacientes con ENI, el 58,2% fueron mayores de 60 años. Los diagnósticos fueron neumonía 39,5%, meningitis 30,2%, bacteriemia 13,9%, peritonitis 11,6%, artritis séptica 4,8%. El porcentaje de fallecidos fue 28,9%, de los cuales el 72,7% fueron mayores de 60 años. Las cepas de neumococo presentaron la siguiente resistencia: penicilina 0% en cepas no meningitis y 30,8% en cepas meningitis; ceftriaxona 4,5% y 16,7% de resistencia intermedia en cepas no meningitis y cepas meningitis respectivamente; 69% a trimetoprim/sulfametoxazol y 35,7% a eritromicina. Los serotipos más comunes fueron 19F, 23F, 6B, 14 y 6C. El porcentaje de cepas vacunales fue 44,2% para la vacuna conjugada siete-valente (PCV7) y para la PCV10, 51,2% para PCV13 y 60,4% para la vacuna polisacárida veintitrés-valente (PPV23). Conclusiones. El neumococo es un patógeno relevante en adultos, en especial en los adultos mayores, debido a su elevada mortalidad.
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