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The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of sodium long chain polyphosphate (SLCPP) and effect of dietary supplementation of SLCPP on growth performance, organ characteristics, blood metabolites, and intestinal microflora of broilers. Antimicrobial activities of SLCPP were observed against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica ser. Pullorum, Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in agar well diffusion assay. In addition, SLCPP demonstrated good anti-biofilm activity against K. pneumonia and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, to investigate the dietary effect of SLCPP, a total of 480 1-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to three dietary treatment groups (4 replicates per group, 40 birds in each replicate): an antibiotic-free corn-soybean meal basal diet (NC); basal diet + enramycin 0.01% (PC); and basal diet + 0.1% SLCPP (SPP). The experiment lasted for 35 days. Results showed that birds fed with SLCPP had higher body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), and lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the grower phase (days 7 to 21) (p < 0.05). Except for blood urea nitrogen, all other blood biochemical parameters remained unaffected by the dietary supplementation of SLCPP. Compared to the control group, lengths of the duodenum and ileum in the SPP group were significantly shorter (p < 0.05). Moreover, counts of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total aerobes, and Streptococcus spp. in jejunum as well as LAB in cecum were increased in the SPP group than in the PC group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that dietary supplementation of SLCPP might promote the growth of broilers in their early growth phase.

Paenibacillus konkukensis sp. nov., SK3146 is a novel strain isolated from a pig feed. Here, we present complete genome sequence of SK3146. The genome consists of a single circular genome measuring 7,968,964 bp in size with an average guanine + cytosine (G+C) content of 53.4%. Genomic annotation revealed that the strain encodes 151 proteins related to hydrolases (EC3), which was higher than those in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Diverse kinds of hydrolases including galactosidase, glucosidase, cellulase, lipase, xylanase, and protease were found in the genome of SK3146, coupled with one bacteriocin encoding gene. The complete genome sequence of P. konkukensis SK3146 indicates the immense probiotic potential of the strain with nutrient digestibility and antimicrobial activity functions.

NMN demonstrates potential in ameliorating the structural and functional decline of the intestine during aging.

In recent years, considerable and growing attention has been given to the application of host-associated microorganisms as a more suitable source of probiotics in aquaculture sector. Herein, we isolated and screened the olive flounder gut microbiota for beneficial bacterial strains that might serve as potential probiotics in a low fishmeal extruded aquafeed. Among the ten identified isolates, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SK4079 and B. subtilis SK4082 were screened out based on their heat-resistant ability as well as enzymatic and non-hemolytic activities. Although both strains were well able to utilize carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xylan, and soybean meal (SBM) as a single carbon source in the minimal nutrient M9 medium, B. subtilis exhibited significantly higher cellulase, xylanase, and protease activities than B. amyloliquefaciens. The two selected strains were well able to degrade the undesirable anti-nutritional component of the SBM, which would limit its utilization as protein source in aquafeed industry. Significantly higher biofilm formation capacity and notably stronger adhesive interactions with the flounder’s skin mucus were detected in B. subtilis than B. amyloliquefaciens. Immobilization of the spores from the selected strains, in a SBM complex carrier, remarkably enhances their thermal resistance at 120 °C for 5 min and different drying conditions. It was also interesting to learn that the B. subtilis spores could survive and remain viable after being sprayed onto extruded low-fish meal feed pellets for as long as 6 months. Overall, the findings of the present study could help the food/feed industries achieve their goal of developing cost-effective yet efficient products.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the supplementary effect of a phytogenic blend (SPA: a mixture containing fermented Schisandra chinensis pomace, fermented Pinus densiflora needle extract, and Allium tuberosum powder in the ratio of 2:2:1) on egg production, egg quality, blood constituents, and visceral organs in laying hens.Methods: A total of 135 Hy-line brown laying hens (48-wk-old) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments with 5 replicates of 9 hens. The control group (CON) was fed a basal diet (no exogenous SPA addition) and the experimental groups were fed the basal diet containing SPA at the level of 0.1% and 0.3% for 6 weeks.Results: The feed intake was significantly improved in SPA supplemented groups as compared with the control (p0.05). For egg quality traits, only Haugh unit (HU) was significantly improved in SPA (0.3%) (p0.05). Furthermore, SPA supplementation did not affect the blood biochemical constituents except for the phosphate content, which was significantly higher in SPA groups than the CON group (p

Recently, yogurt has been extensively studied to further enhance its functions using edible plant extracts. This study was conducted to investigate whether safflower petal (SP) as a natural food additive can be used to develop functional yogurt with improved health benefits. SPs were extracted with ethanol (SPE) and hot water (SPW), and then safflower yogurt was prepared by adding 0%-1.0% of those extracts to plain yogurt. With an increase in the fermentation duration, the pH of SPE and SPW yogurt samples was decreased, whereas titratable acidity and microbial counts were increased. The concentration of total polyphenols and total flavonoids, the activity of antioxidants, and the inhibitory effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) were higher in SPW yogurt than SPE yogurt. Furthermore, α-glucosidase and lipase activity inhibitory effects of SPW yogurt were higher than those of SPE yogurt. In particular, free radical-scavenging activities, ROS inhibitory effect, and α-glucosidase activity inhibitory effects were significantly increased in SPW yogurt in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these results suggest that SP extract possesses antioxidant activities and that it can downregulate α-glucosidase and lipase activities. The SP extract may have potential benefits as a natural food additive for the development of functional yogurt.

This study investigated the effect of noni juice (NJ) addition on physico-chemical, sensory, and bioactive properties of yogurt. NJ addition increased the acidity, yogurt starter count, total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and flavor of yogurt. However, it reduced the viscosity, syneresis, and color parameters. Furthermore, whether feeding yogurt with or without NJ (7%, v/v) (NY or Y) (20 g/kg of diet) could alter the response of mice to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) was investigated. Intriguingly, dietary NY significantly ameliorated body weight loss, colon length, and histopathological changes in the UC mice. This relief of symptoms might be associated with the decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and IFN-γ and the increased mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. These results suggest the feasibility of NJ addition into yogurt which could serve as a potential adjuvant dietary therapy for reducing inflammation in UC patients.

Chicken eggshell (ES) waste is a rich source of calcium carbonate (CaCO3); however, the potential of ES as dietary calcium (Ca) in old laying hens has not been explored. This study compared the effects of feeding limestone, cockle shell, oyster shell, fine ES, and coarse ES as the sole Ca source on production performance, egg quality, blood biochemical constituents, and tibia characteristics in old laying hens. A total of 450 ISA-Brown laying hens at 73 wk of age with similar egg production rate (EPR) were randomly assigned to 5 treatment groups (90 hens/group, 9 hens/replicate) for 7 wk. Dietary treatment groups comprised a corn-soybean meal based diet containing different Ca sources: (i) limestone (LS; P P P P > 0.05). Notably, the use of ESF led to a lower proportion of cracked eggs than ESC (P P P P 0.05). The yolk color was darker in the eggs of group ESF as compared with other dietary groups (P P > 0.05). The blood biochemistry results were not affected by the dietary Ca (P > 0.05) except for lower levels of high-density lipoprotein percentage (HDL %) in OS and ESC fed hens (P P > 0.05). However, the ESC and OS fed hens showed higher tibia bone mineral density (BMD) than the other groups (P

Astaxanthin is widely used in food, feed and nutraceutical industries. Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is one of the most promising natural sources of astaxanthin. However, the astaxanthin yield in the wild-type X. dendrorhous is considered low for industrial application. In the present study, X. dendrorhous ATCC 66272 was subjected to two-staged mutagenesis: (i) UV light and (ii) N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitroso-guanidine (NTG) toward attaining higher astaxanthin yield. The UV-irradiation mutant, X. dendrorhous SK974 showed 1.7-fold (1.07 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production as compared with the wild-type strain (0.65 mg/g). The UV mutant strain was then treated with NTG, designated as X. dendrorhous SK984, displayed further 1.4-fold (1.45 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production. Furthermore, the oak leaf extract (5%, v/v) and inorganic phosphate (KH2PO4, 3 mM) supplementation resulted about 1.4-fold (1.98 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production as compared with control (1.45 mg/g) in X. dendrorhous SK984. These findings serve as a platform suggesting that intersecting approaches might be aimed toward systematically enhanced astaxanthin production.

Last few decades have witnessed the unprecedented growth in the application of probiotics for promoting the general gut health as well as their inception as biotherapeutics to alleviate certain clinical disorders related to dysbiosis. While numerous studies have substantiated the health-restoring potentials for a restricted group of microbial species, the marketed extrapolation of a similar probiotic label to a large number of partially characterized microbial formulations seems biased. In particular, the individuals under neonatal stages and/or those with some clinical conditions including malignancies, leaky gut, diabetes mellitus, and post-organ transplant convalescence likely fail to reap the benefits of probiotics. Further exacerbating the conditions, some probiotic strains might take advantage of the weak immunity in these vulnerable groups and turn into opportunistic pathogens engendering life-threatening pneumonia, endocarditis, and sepsis. Moreover, the unregulated and rampant use of probiotics potentially carry the risk of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance transfer to the gut infectious pathogens. In this review, we discuss the safety perspectives of probiotics and their therapeutic interventions in certain at-risk population groups. The embodied arguments and hypotheses certainly will shed light on the fact why probiotic usage should be treated with caution.

In recent years, considerable and growing attention has been given to the application of host-associated microorganisms as a more suitable source of probiotics in aquaculture sector. Herein, we isolated and screened the olive flounder gut microbiota for beneficial bacterial strains that might serve as potential probiotics in a low fishmeal extruded aquafeed. Among the ten identified isolates, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SK4079 and B. subtilis SK4082 were screened out based on their heat-resistant ability as well as enzymatic and non-hemolytic activities. Although both strains were well able to utilize carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xylan, and soybean meal (SBM) as a single carbon source in the minimal nutrient M9 medium, B. subtilis exhibited significantly higher cellulase, xylanase, and protease activities than B. amyloliquefaciens. The two selected strains were well able to degrade the undesirable anti-nutritional component of the SBM, which would limit its utilization as protein source in aquafeed industry. Significantly higher biofilm formation capacity and notably stronger adhesive interactions with the flounder's skin mucus were detected in B. subtilis than B. amyloliquefaciens. Immobilization of the spores from the selected strains, in a SBM complex carrier, remarkably enhances their thermal resistance at 120 °C for 5 min and different drying conditions. It was also interesting to learn that the B. subtilis spores could survive and remain viable after being sprayed onto extruded low-fish meal feed pellets for as long as 6 months. Overall, the findings of the present study could help the food/feed industries achieve their goal of developing cost-effective yet efficient products.

Allium species are revered worldwide as vegetables, condiments, and spices as well as the therapeutic agents in traditional medicine. The bioactive compounds in alliums mainly include organosulfur compounds, polyphenols, dietary fibers, and saponins. Flavonoids, particularly flavonols from alliums, have been demonstrated to have the antioxidant, anticancer, hypolipidemic, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and antimicrobial activities. However, flavonols are mostly characterized from onions and have not been comprehensively reviewed across different species. This article therefore focuses on flavonol profiles from different Allium species, their health effects, underlying molecular mechanisms, and bioavailability. Intriguingly, the functional health effects of flavonols were mainly ascribed to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities involving a cascade of multiple signaling pathways. Although the Allium-derived flavonols offer tremendous potential in preventing chronic disease risks, in-depth studies are needed to translate their clinical application.

Recently, yogurt has been extensively studied to further enhance its functions using edible plant extracts. This study was conducted to investigate whether safflower petal (SP) as a natural food additive can be used to develop functional yogurt with improved health benefits. SPs were extracted with ethanol (SPE) and hot water (SPW), and then safflower yogurt was prepared by adding 0%–1.0% of those extracts to plain yogurt. With an increase in the fermentation duration, the pH of SPE and SPW yogurt samples was decreased, whereas titratable acidity and microbial counts were increased. The concentration of total polyphenols and total flavonoids, the activity of antioxidants, and the inhibitory effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) were higher in SPW yogurt than SPE yogurt. Furthermore, α-glucosidase and lipase activity inhibitory effects of SPW yogurt were higher than those of SPE yogurt. In particular, free radical-scavenging activities, ROS inhibitory effect, and α-glucosidase activity inhibitory effects were significantly increased in SPW yogurt in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these results suggest that SP extract possesses antioxidant activities and that it can downregulate α-glucosidase and lipase activities. The SP extract may have potential benefits as a natural food additive for the development of functional yogurt.

This study was conducted to investigate the long‐term effect of a low fish meal (FM) diet comprising plant‐based protein sources (PPS) on changes of gut microbial diversity in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) over the course of life. Two experimental diets were prepared to contain 74% FM (control) or 52% FM with 22% PPS (30% FM replacement, FM30). Fish were fed one of the two experimental diets for 8 months, and we collected the midgut contents to analyze the gut bacterial community by Illumina MiSeq based on the metagenomic sequences in the V3–V4 regions of 16S rRNA. We found that there were nine dominant phyla, which in turn presented Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria as the three major phyla in the gut microbiota of the flounder. At genus level, the dominant genera were Delftia, Prevotella, and Chthoniobacter at the juvenile stage (below 100 g/fish); Chthoniobacter, Bacillus, and Bradyrhizobium at the grower stage (400 g/fish); Chthoniobacter, Bacillus, and Delftia at the subadult stage (800 g/fish); and Lactobacillus and Prevotella at the adult stage (over 1,000 g/fish). The microbial diversity in olive flounders arched from the juvenile and subadult stage and reached a plateau thereafter. The fish fed the FM30 diet significantly had an increased abundance of Lactobacillus and Photobacterium and had less abundance of Prevotella and Paraprevotella than the control. However, the effect of dietary PPS was not significant on total microbial richness, indicating no negative effect as feed sources on the intestinal microbiota in olive flounder. These results indicate that the life stage of olive flounder is more important in modulating intestinal microbiota than is the diet. It could also be concluded that dietary PPS might be used as a potential fish meal alternative without any compromising effects on microbial diversity of olive flounder for long‐term feeding., This study was conducted to investigate the long‐term effect of a low fish meal diet FM30 comprising plant‐based protein sources (PPS) on changes of gut microbial diversity in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) over the course of life. The data indicate that the life stage is more important in modulating intestinal microbiota than is the diet. The dietary PPS might be used as a potential fish meal alternative without any compromising effects on microbial diversity of olive flounder for long‐term feeding.

Artemisia annua L. is a widely distributed medicinal plant and well-known for treating malaria due to the artemisinin content. We previously found enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented A. annua dried leaves in vitro. The present study compared the effects of the dietary supplementation of L. plantarum, fermented (FA) or non-fermented (NFA) A. annua on laying performance, egg quality, serum cholesterol, and egg yolk oxidative stability during storage in 40-weeks-old Hy-Line Brown layers. In total, 180 layers were randomly allocated into four treatments for 6 weeks: basal diet (CON), basal diet + 0.5% L. plantarum only (LO), basal diet + 0.5% NFA, and basal diet + 0.5% FA. Each treatment comprised five replicates with nine birds each. Egg weight of NFA and FA groups were significantly higher as compared with the CON and LO groups (p

Simple Summary The routine and unregulated use of in-feed antibiotics as growth promoters in poultry have been linked to the development of antimicrobial resistance, a serious global threat to the human, animal, and environment health. Growing public health concerns about food and environmental safety intensified the search for effective antibiotic alternatives in poultry production. The aim of this review is to present the current state of knowledge on the use of alliums as effective poultry feed additives in relation to their effects on growth performance, disease infections, gut and immune modulation, and product quality. Abstract The genus Allium, belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae has been known since ancient times for their therapeutic potentials. As the number of multi-drug resistant infections has increased due to in-feed antibiotic usage in poultry, the relevance of alliums as feed additives has been critically assessed. Garlic and the other Allium species, such as onions, leek, shallot, scallion, and chives, have been characterized to contain a plethora of bioactive compounds such as organosulfur compounds, polyphenols, saponins, fructans, and fructo-oligosaccharides. Consequently, alliums have been validated to confer antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, immunostimulatory, gut homeostasis, and lipid- as well as cholesterol-lowering properties in poultry. This review intends to summarize recent progress on the use of edible alliums as poultry feed additives, their beneficial effects, and the underlying mechanisms of their involvement in poultry nutrition. Perspectives for future research and limitations are also briefly discussed.

Herein, we explore the probiotic potentials and soybean meal (SBM) compound feed fermentative applications of Lactobacillus plantarum SK1305 strain isolated previously from Korean green chili pickled pepper (gochu-jangajji). The isolate exhibited higher acid (pH 2.5) and bile tolerance (0.3%, w/v) up to 2 h and 4 h, respectively. The cell-free culture supernatant (CFCS) displayed a broad spectrum antibacterial activities against various pathogens, which may be ascribed to high lactic acid production (L-form, 86.8 ± 0.8 mM and D-form, 44.8 ± 0.2 mM). Further, the strain displayed high cell-surface hydrophobicity (92.7 ± 1.0%), coupled with low auto-aggregation (23.6 ± 4.4%) but relatively higher co-aggregation properties with C. perfringens (49.6 ± 0.6%) as well as H2O2 (1.0 mM) resistant property. Additionally, the isolate displayed significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity (55.2 ± 0.6%) and superoxide reducing ability in MAC-T cells. Considering safety, the isolate has no transmissible antibiotic resistant genes and harmful enzymes as well as non-hemolytic activities. Ushered by these appreciable probiotic properties, the isolate was used for solid state fermentation (SSF) of SBM compound feed. Notably, we observed a higher strain adaptability (> 1010 CFU/g) following the production of L- (> 6.0 ± 0.0 mM) and D-form (> 5.2 ± 0.3 mM) lactic acid during fermentation for 8 h. The methanolic extracts of fermented feed displayed high antibacterial and antioxidant activities, affirming the potential functional activities of fermented compound feeds. Therefore, L. plantarum SK1305 may act as a worthy inoculum toward fermentation of feed with enhanced nutritional properties.

This study aimed to investigate the supplemental effects of fermented pine (Pinus densiflora) needle extract (FPNE) in laying hen diets on productive performance, egg quality, and serum lipid metabolites. A total of 108 40-week-old Hy-line brown laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the three dietary treatment groups: (1) basal diet + 0 mL FPNE/kg diet (CON), (2) basal diet + 2.5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T1), or (3) basal diet + 5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T2) for 6 weeks. Each group consisted of four replicates of nine hens each. Feed and water provided ad libitum. Results showed that dietary supplementation of FPNE increased egg production percentage (linear, p &lt, 0.01 and quadratic, p &lt, 0.05), egg mass (linear, p &lt, 0.05), and feed intake (linear, p &lt, 0.05) during the entire experimental period. In addition, dietary inclusion of FPNE significantly increased the eggshell color (linear, p &lt, 0.01), egg yolk color (quadratic, p &lt, 0.01), and eggshell breaking strength (linear, p &lt, 0.05 and quadratic, p &lt, 0.05) while the Haugh unit decreased (quadratic, p &lt, 0.05). However, serum lipid profile did not differ among the dietary treatments (p &gt, 0.05). Notably, antioxidant activity of egg yolk was improved by significantly decreasing the malondialdehyde content in egg yolks after 6 weeks of storage (linear, p &lt, 0.001 and quadratic, p &lt, 0.05). In summary, dietary inclusion of FPNE could improve laying performance and the antioxidant capacity of eggs.

This research determined the antioxidant activities of medicinal plants fermented by Enterococcus faecium and their subsequent applications as dog food additives. Turmeric (5%, w/v), glasswort (2.5%, w/v), Ganghwa mugwort (2.5%, w/v), and their mixture (5%, w/v) were fermented by autochthonous E. faecium (1%, v/v) for 72 h. Bacterial cell counts and pH were monitored during fermentation. Total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), 2,2&prime, azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and intracellular superoxide scavenging activity in bovine mammary alveolar epithelial (MAC-T) cells were measured with the fermented and non-fermented samples. Only the antioxidant capacity of the mixture was increased after fermentation. However, intracellular superoxide level in MAC-T cells was significantly reduced after treatment with fermented plant samples (p &lt, 0.001) as compared with that in non-fermented plants. Fermented plants were then sprayed at 1% (v/w) onto dog foods. TPC, TFC, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and DPPH radical scavenging activity of dog foods were significantly enhanced after the addition of fermented plants. Food preference testing was conducted using a two-pan method&mdash, control diet vs. four treatment diets&mdash, for 4 days for each additive diet, a total 16 days in 9 beagles. Feces were collected to enumerate bacterial counts. Preferences for glasswort and Ganghwa mugwort were higher than those of the control (p &lt, 0.05). Furthermore, fecal microbiota enumeration displayed a higher number of beneficial microorganisms in treated groups. These results suggest that fermented plants with enhanced antioxidant abilities might be useful as potential additives for dog foods.

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of multi-strain probiotics (MSP) in a low fish meal (FM) diet on overall performance, gut microbiota, selected non-specific immune responses and antioxidant enzyme activities of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) juveniles. A total of 225 healthy olive flounders (initial mean body weight, 13.5 ± 0.01 g) were randomly separated into 3 groups of 75 fish, each group having three replicates of 25 fish; first group was fed with a FM-based control diet (Con), 2nd group was fed with a low-FM diet containing a blend of plant and animal protein meals replacing 30% of the FM protein (FM30), and 3rd group was fed with the FM30 diet supplemented with 108–109 CFU kg−1 of the MSP (Pro). With the exception of lipid retention, which was significantly lower in fish fed the FM30 diet compared to the other two treatments, no other statistically significant differences were recorded with respect to any of the other growth and nutrient utilization parameters. Myeloperoxidase and lysozyme activities of fish fed the Pro diet were much higher and significantly different than those of fish fed the FM30 diet. Glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly higher in Pro- than in Con-fed fish, which, in turn, was significantly higher than FM30-fed fish. Expression of immune-related genes including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α was markedly upregulated in livers of the fish fed Pro diet compared to those fed the Con and FM30 diets. Furthermore, supplementation of MSP in FM30 diet enriched the Lactobacillus abundance in the fish gut as well as predictive gene functions in relation to lipid and carbohydrate metabolisms. These data suggested that the MSP could reduce the potential adverse effects of the low-FM diet and might be used as a healthy immunostimulant for olive flounder.

In recent years, Bacillus spp. have garnered attention as probiotic supplements in aquafeed owing to the production of heat stable and low pH resistant spores. Herein, we isolated and characterized an autochthonous Bacillus licheniformis KCCM 43270 from the intestine of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) for supplementation in low‐fishmeal extruded aquafeeds. The KCCM 43270 was screened based on amylase, protease, cellulase, and lipase as well as non‐hemolytic activities. The isolate was able to grow in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xylan, and soybean meal (SBM) when used as a single carbon source in the minimal nutrient M9 medium. The KCCM 43270 spores displayed complete survival in acid (pH 2.5) and bile (0.3%, w/v) for 3 hr, strong biofilm formation, and nearly 50% adhesion with intestinal mucus. The spores of the isolate also showed significant survival ability at 80, 90, 100°C for 60, 30, and 1 min, respectively. In addition, the spores in a blend of SBM complex carrier showed significant heat stability at 120°C for 5 min and under different drying conditions. Furthermore, the spores also survived the extrusion process during low‐fishmeal aquafeed manufacturing, implying the potential application of B. licheniformis KCCM 43270 in aquafeed industry.

Astaxanthin is widely used in food, feed and nutraceutical industries. Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is one of the most promising natural sources of astaxanthin. However, the astaxanthin yield in the wild-type X. dendrorhous is considered low for industrial application. In the present study, X. dendrorhous ATCC 66272 was subjected to two-staged mutagenesis: (i) UV light and (ii) N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitroso-guanidine (NTG) toward attaining higher astaxanthin yield. The UV-irradiation mutant, X. dendrorhous SK974 showed 1.7-fold (1.07 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production as compared with the wild-type strain (0.65 mg/g). The UV mutant strain was then treated with NTG, designated as X. dendrorhous SK984, displayed further 1.4-fold (1.45 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production. Furthermore, the oak leaf extract (5%, v/v) and inorganic phosphate (KH(2)PO(4), 3 mM) supplementation resulted about 1.4-fold (1.98 mg/g) higher astaxanthin production as compared with control (1.45 mg/g) in X. dendrorhous SK984. These findings serve as a platform suggesting that intersecting approaches might be aimed toward systematically enhanced astaxanthin production.

The genus Allium, belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae has been known since ancient times for their therapeutic potentials. As the number of multi-drug resistant infections has increased due to in-feed antibiotic usage in poultry, the relevance of alliums as feed additives has been critically assessed. Garlic and the other Allium species, such as onions, leek, shallot, scallion, and chives, have been characterized to contain a plethora of bioactive compounds such as organosulfur compounds, polyphenols, saponins, fructans, and fructo-oligosaccharides. Consequently, alliums have been validated to confer antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, immunostimulatory, gut homeostasis, and lipid- as well as cholesterol-lowering properties in poultry. This review intends to summarize recent progress on the use of edible alliums as poultry feed additives, their beneficial effects, and the underlying mechanisms of their involvement in poultry nutrition. Perspectives for future research and limitations are also briefly discussed.

The discovery of nutritious dietary supplements and side effect-free therapeutics are a priority in the current scenario of increasing instances of metabolic syndromes. In this direction, mushroom polysaccharides have shown immense promise. Scores of studies have characterized and evaluated their biological relevance, which range from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and antilipemic to immunomodulatory. Hence, it is important to accumulate the key findings of these investigations, and to apply the insights to develop functional foods, and immunomodulators. This review attempts to meet this goal by gleaning the key discoveries on mushroom polysaccharides in the recent years, and to present them in a comprehensive manner. With this objective, the physiological relevance of the polysaccharides, the underlying mechanism, and hurdles in the path of their therapeutics transition, have been discussed. Finally, critical comments have been made to expedite research in this area.

The present study describes physico-chemical properties, prebiotic potential and biocompatibility of dextran produced from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1426. Dextran displayed porous surface, pseudoplastic non-Newtonian behavior, 32% solubility, 290% water holding capacity and a degradation temperature of 290 °C. The dextran exhibited significantly higher non digestibility as compared with the standard prebiotic, inulin in simulated human gastric juice and α-amylase. The dextran significantly stimulated the growth of probiotics, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and was comparable to that by inulin. The viability of human embryonic kidney (HEK 293), human cervical adenocarcinoma (INT-407) and human colon carcinoma (HT-29) cell lines by dextran treatment (50–1000 µg/ml) remained unaffected displaying the biocompatibility of the dextran. Therefore, the dextran from L. mesenteroides NRRL B-1426 can act as potential prebiotic, gelling agent and be used as food supplement for health benefits.

The extracellular dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1426 was produced and purified using polyethylene glycol fractionation. In our earlier study, it was reported that L. mesenteroides dextransucrase synthesizes a high-molecular mass dextran (>2 × 10(6) Da) with ∼85.5% α-(1→6) linear and ∼14.5% α-(1→3) branched linkages. Isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs) were synthesized through depolymerization of dextran by the action of dextranase. The degree of polymerization of IMOs was 2-10 as confirmed by mass spectrometry. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of α-(1→3) linkages in the synthesized IMOs. The IMOs were resistant to dextranase, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase, and therefore can have potential application as food additives in the functional foods.

International audience; An epoxy-activated monolithic Convective Interaction Media (CIM®) disk was used for the immobilization of endodextranase D8144 from Penicillium sp. (EC 3.2.1.11) in order to produce on-line isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs) from Dextran T40. Enzymatic parameters, molecular weight of IMOs and performance of the IMmobilized Enzymes Reactor (IMER) were investigated. The immobilization yield of enzymes was about 45.3% (w/w), and the real specific activity close to 3.26 U mg−1. The Km values did not significantly change between free (12.8 g L−1) and immobilized enzymes (14.2 g L−1), due to the absence of diffusional limitation. The IMER system presented more than 80% of its residual activity after 5000 column volumes, highlighting the high stability of the immobilized endodextranases. Response surface methodology was used to enhance the performance of the IMER. Depending on dextran concentrations and flow rates, specific patterns of IMOs distributions were observed during the enzymatic hydrolysis. Finally, prebiotic activity was also investigated on IMOs produced by medium conditions (flow rate 0.3 mL min−1 and dextran concentrations 4% w/w) against Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103). Their scores were at least as good as two commercialized fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), Fibrulose® F97 and Orafti® P95.

Functional oligosaccharides have emerged as valuable components of food and dietary supplements. Their resistance to digestion and fermentation by colonic microbes has given them the nutritional edge. Apart from implications as dietary fibers, sweeteners, and humectants, they are hailed as prebiotics. Their beneficial effects extend from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiallergic, hypotensive, hyperlipemic, neuroprotective to anticancer. The rising popularity of bioactive oligosaccharides has accelerated the search for their generation from new, sustainable sources. The surfacing crucial role in healthcare and unprecedented demand necessitates deeper investigation. The present review embodies an overview on various aspects of production, properties with emphasis on therapeutic applications of functional oligosaccharides. The biological efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of oligosaccharides have also been discussed.

Dextran produced from Weissella cibaria JAG8 was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of dextran as determined by the gel filtration and copper bicinchoninate method was approximately, 800 kDa. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that the polysaccharide comprised only glucose units. Dynamic light scattering study confirmed the mono-disperse nature of dextran with hydrodynamic radius of 900 nm. Surface morphology study of dextran by scanning electron microscopy showed the porous web like structure. Cytotoxicity studies on human cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line showed non-toxic and biocompatible nature of dextran. The relative browning for dextran from W. cibaria JAG8 was similar to commercial prebiotic Nutraflora P-95 and 3-fold lower than Raftilose P-95. Synthesis of dextran by dextransucrase treated, sucrose-supplemented skimmed milk revealed the promising potential of dextran as a food additive.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1426 dextransucrase synthesized a high molecular mass dextran (>2 × 10(6) Da) with ~85.5% α-(1→6) linear and ~14.5% α-(1→3) branched linkages. This high molecular mass dextran containing branched α-(1→3) linkages can be readily hydrolyzed for the production of enzyme-resistant isomalto-oligosaccharides. The acceptor specificity of dextransucrase for the transglycosylation reaction was studied using sixteen different acceptors. Among the sixteen acceptors used, isomaltose was found to be the best, having 89% efficiency followed by gentiobiose (64%), glucose (30%), cellobiose (25%), lactose (22.5%), melibiose (17%), and trehalose (2.3%) with reference to maltose, a known best acceptor. The β-linked disaccharide, gentiobiose, showed significant efficiency for oligosaccharide production that can be used as a potential prebiotic.