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Climate change is causing problems for agriculture, but the effect of combined abiotic stresses on crop nutritional quality is not clear. Here we studied the effect of 10 combinations of climatic conditions (temperature, CO2, O3 and drought) under controlled growth chamber conditions on the grain yield, protein, and mineral content of 3 wheat varieties. Results show that wheat plants under O3 exposure alone concentrated + 15 to + 31% more grain N, Fe, Mg, Mn P and Zn, reduced K by − 5%, and C did not change. Ozone in the presence of elevated CO2 and higher temperature enhanced the content of Fe, Mn, P and Zn by 2–18%. Water-limited chronic O3 exposure resulted in + 9 to + 46% higher concentrations of all the minerals, except K. The effect of climate abiotic factors could increase the ability of wheat to meet adult daily dietary requirements by + 6% to + 12% for protein, Zn and Fe, but decrease those of Mg, Mn and P by − 3% to − 6%, and K by − 62%. The role of wheat in future nutrition security is discussed.

Chickpeas are among the lowest glycaemic index carbohydrate foods eliciting protracted digestion and enhanced satiety responses. In vitro studies suggest that mechanical processing of chickpeas significantly increases starch digestion. However, there is little evidence regarding the impact of processing on postprandial glycaemic response in response to chickpea intake in vivo. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of mechanical processing on postprandial interstitial glycaemic and satiety responses in humans. In a randomised crossover design, thirteen normoglycaemic adults attended 4 separate laboratory visits following an overnight fast. On each occasion, one of four test meals, matched for available carbohydrate content and consisting of different physical forms of chickpeas (whole, puree, and pasta) or control (mashed potato), was administered followed by a subsequent standardised lunch meal. Continuous glucose monitoring captured interstitial glucose responses, accompanied by periodic venous blood samples for retrospective analysis of C-peptide, glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), ghrelin, leptin, resistin, and cortisol. Subjective appetite responses were measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Postprandial glycaemic responses were comparable between chickpea treatments albeit significantly lower than the control (p < 0.001). Similarly, all chickpea treatments elicited significantly lower C-peptide and GLP-1 responses compared to the control (p < 0.05), accompanied by enhanced subjective satiety responses (p < 0.05), whilst no significant differences in satiety hormones were detected among different intervention groups (p > 0.05). Chickpea consumption elicits low postprandial glycaemic responses and enhanced subjective satiety responses irrespective of processing methods.

This paper reviews and analyses the importance of maize as staple food in Eastern and Southern Africa (E&SA) and contributes in understanding the nexus between maize nutritional composition and prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) in these regions. MNDs remain a major public health concern particularly for women and children, with calcium, iodine, iron, selenium, zinc, folate and vitamin A deficiencies being the most common. Estimates of their prevalence are among the highest in E&SA: iron-deficient anaemia affected 26 to 31% of women of reproductive age, and deficiencies up to 53%, 36%, 66%, 75% and 62% for vitamin A, iodine, zinc, calcium and selenium, respectively, were measured in populations of these regions. Besides, these two regions show the highest worldwide maize per capita consumption (g/person/day) as main staple, with 157 in Eastern Africa and 267 in Southern Africa, including up to 444 in Lesotho. The analysis of food composition tables from these regions showed that 100 g of maize foods consumed by these populations could to some extent, contribute in satisfying dietary reference intakes (DRIs) of children and women in energy, proteins, carbohydrates, magnesium, zinc, vitamins B1 and B6. However, it provides very low supply of fats, calcium, sodium, selenium, vitamins C, A and E. The high occurrence of MNDs and considerable nutritional potential of maize consumed in E&SA can be explained by loss of nutrients due to processing practices, low food diversification and reduced nutrients bioavailability. Success cases of the main strategies to tackle the issue of MNDs in these regions by improving maize nutritional quality are discussed in this paper. Maize fortification was shown to improve nutrition and health outcomes of population. Increasing dietary diversity by complementing maize with other foods has improved nutrition through integration of micronutrient-rich foods in the diet. Mostly, biofortification has successfully contributed in reducing vitamin A and zinc deficiencies in rural communities more than nutrient supplementation, fortification and dietary diversity.

Obesity is associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis. Our previous research has shown that highly branched RG-I enriched pectin (WRP, 531.5 kDa, 70.44% RG-I, Rha:(Gal+Ara)=20) and its oligosaccharide with less branched (DWRP, 12.1 kDa, 50.29% RG-I, Rha:(Gal+Ara)=6) are potential prebiotics. The present study is conducted to uncover the impact by which the content, molecular size and branch degrees of RG-I on the inhibiting effect of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. The commercial pectin (CP, 496.2 kDa, 35.77% RG-I, Rha:(Gal+Ara)=6), WRP and DWRP were orally administered to HFD-fed C57BL/6J mice (100mg kg-1 d-1) to determine their individual effects on obesity. WRP significantly prevented bodyweight gain, insulin resistance, and inflammatory responses in HFD-fed mice. No obvious anti-obesity effect was observed in either CP or DWRP supplementation. Mechanistic study revealed that CP and DWRP could not enhance the diversity of gut microbiota, while WRP treatment positively modulated the gut microbiota of obese mice by increasing the abundance of Butyrivibrio, Roseburia, Barnesiella, Flavonifractor, Acetivibrio, and Clostridium cluster IV. Furthermore, the WRP significantly promoted browning of white adipose tissue in HFD-fed mice, while CP and DWRP did not.WRP can attenuate the HFD-induced obesity by modulation of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism. Highly branched RG-I domain enrichment are essential for pectin mitigating against the HFD-induced obesity.

Purpose: The food and starch industries generate large quantities of potato peel waste (PPW) that can be exploited for a range of biotechnological and biofuel applications. The purpose of this study was to characterise the ultrastructure and monosaccharide composition of PPW. Methods: The ultrastructure of PPW was observed using light and immunofluorescence microscopy. Fibre was prepared from PPW using mild detergent and subjected to sequential acid hydrolysis followed by high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Results: Potato peels are composed of small, stacked cells which generally lack starch granules. These cells are surrounded by thick cell walls rich in pectic polysaccharides. Following sequential extraction, seven different sugars and two uronic acids were identified including (in order of abundance) mannose, galacturonic acid, xylose, glucose, fucose, glucuronic acid, galactose, rhamnose and arabinose. The monosaccharides and uronic acid products showed good stability in the acidic conditions during storage, which would facilitate their downstream purification and eventual commercialisation. Conclusion: PPW is a readily available source of fibre, monosaccharides and uronic acids.

Rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) enriched pectin (WRP) was recovered from citrus processing water by sequential acid and alkaline treatment in a previous study. RG-I enriched pectin was proposed as a potential supplement for functional food and pharmaceutical development. However, previous studies illustrated favorable modulations of gut microbiota by RG-I enriched pectin were based on in vitro, changes in the overall microbial structure and whether there is a structure-dependent way in modulation of gut microbiota remain largely enigmatic. In the present study, modulations of gut microbiota by commercial pectin (CP), WRP and its depolymerized fraction (DWRP) with different RG-I content and Mw were compared in vivo. Revealed by 16s rRNA high-throughput sequencing, WRP and DWRP mainly composed of RG-I, modulated the gut microbiota in a positive way. WRP significantly increased the abundance of prebiotic such as Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., while DWRP increased SCFAs producers including species in Ruminococcaceae family. By maintaining more balanced gut microbiota composition and enriching some SCFA producers, dietary WRP and DWRP also elevated SCFAs content in the colon. Collectively, our findings offer new insight into structure-activity correlation of citrus pectin and provide impetus towards the development of RG-I enriched pectin with small molecular weight for specific use in health-promoting prebiotics ingredient and therapeutic.

The guidelines presented here have been developed through consultation with PATHWAY-27 project partners to provide practical guidance for designing, implementing and reporting pilot intervention studies using bioactive enriched foods (BEF). These guidelines update and complement previously published guidance documents, but are unique in providing practical information and troubleshooting based on the PATHWAY-27 pilot studies. The aim of PATHWAY-27 is to evaluate the effectiveness of BEF containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), anthocyanins (AC) and beta-glucan (BG) alone or in combination, on improving risk factors of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). These compounds were chosen for their known effects as single compounds, and considered as ingredients of BEF in three different widely consumed food matrices (dairy, bakery and egg products). This approach of using BEF, compared to single pure compounds, will allow a better understanding of possible bioactive synergisms and bioactive-matrix interactions. This knowledge will increase the potential for exploitation of bioactive and BEF commercialization by the food industry. A pilot trial is a small-scale study that is used to test the physiological effects and participant acceptance of prototype formulations in order to select food products to be tested in a larger scale trial. The pilot is also a great opportunity to test the data collection methods, procedures and logistics that can provide early identification of problems in order to find suitable solutions that can be implemented to improve the quality and efficiency of the main trial. With examples gathered from the PATHWAY-27 project, this guidance document describes the requirements for the formulation and production of BEF, the design and conductance of a pilot trial, and how the data and information gathered can be used to inform further larger trials and the best practice for public reporting.

AIM: Schizoid (ScPD) and Schizotypal (SPD) personality disorders are rare and severe disorders. They are associated with high liability to schizophrenia and present an attenuated form of its negative symptoms, which are considered a putative endophenotype for schizophrenia. The trans-diagnostic study of negative symptoms in non-psychotic populations such as ScPD/SPD might provide useful markers of a negative-symptom domain; however, little is known about their neurobiological substrates. The aim of the study was to investigate differences in gray and white matter volumes in subjects with ScPD/SPD compared to a group of healthy controls. METHODS: Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained from 20 never-psychotic subjects with ScPD/SPD and 28 healthy controls. Resulting values from clusters of differences were correlated in patients with relevant clinical variables (O-LIFE scale). RESULTS: ScPD/SPD presented greater bilateral white matter volume compared to healthy controls in the superior part of the corona radiata, close to motor/premotor regions, which correlated with the O-LIFE subtest of cognitive disorganization. No differences were found in regional gray matter or global gray/white matter volumes. CONCLUSION: Greater volumes in motor pathways might relate to cognitive symptoms and motor alterations commonly present in schizophrenia-related disorders. Given the established link between motor signs and psychosis, structural alterations in motor pathways are suggested as a putative biomarker of a negative-symptom domain in psychosis subject to further testing.

The use of different analytical methods to measure the dietary fibre content of foods complicates the interpretation of epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to determine the total (TDF) and insoluble (IDF) fibre content of 14 boiled and canned legumes commonly consumed in the UK using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) enzymatic gravimetric method. The fibre values obtained were compared to non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) values. The results showed that mean values for TDF (2.7–11.2 g/100 g) were higher than NSP (2.6–6.7 g/100 g), with a mean NSP:TDF ratio of 1:1.43. TDF was correlated with NSP (r = 0.6; p = 0.02). Canning significantly reduced TDF and IDF by an average of 30% and 26% compared to boiling respectively. However, IDF represented at least 60% of the TDF in both boiled and canned samples. In conclusion, fibre values are affected by the processing and analytical method used.

International audience; PATHWAY-27 will evaluate the effectiveness of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) alone or in combination with two other bioactives, beta-glucan (BG) and anthocyanins (AC) in reducing some risk factors of Metabolic Syndrome MS. These compounds will be used as ingredients of bioactive-enriched foods (BEF), enriching 3 different widely-consumed food matrices (dairy-, bakery-, egg products) and not as pure compounds. This will allow a better understanding of possible synergisms and bioactive-matrix interactions. BEFs to be tested in clinical studies have been designed, selected and produced by different Pathway’ partners. The aim of this multi-centre, randomized, double- blind, parallel pilot study is to identify the BEF achieving the greatest effect on lipid parameters (reduction in serum triglycerides or increase in HDL-C). The selected BEF will then be tested in a subsequent, larger interventional study. Three different matrices containing DHA, BG and AC given alone or of DHA associated with BG or AC will be tested. 300 men and women at risk for MS will be investigated (either one or two of the following criteria should be met: elevated waist circumference, elevated fasting trigycerides, reduced fasting HDL-C, elevated blood pressure or hypotensive treatment or elevated fasting glucose). MRI, ULE, CRNH will investigate BEFs based on either bakery, dairy or egg products, representing a different food matrix. Each pilot study will be conducted on 100 volunteers for a period of 4 weeks. Participants will be divided in 5 groups receiving BEF enriched with DHA, BG, or AC alone or DHA+BG, or DHA+AC. At baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention, fasting blood samples will be collected for further analysis. Additionally, blood pressure and anthropometric data will be determined. The 3 most effective BEF (one for each matrix) having the most significant impact on end-points selected for this study will be used in a larger randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The aim will be to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects observed on primary and secondary endpoints related to the consumption of BEF. Omics approaches will be used to examine metabolic changes and potentially identify new markers of effects.

Exposure to mineral dusts such as silica has been associated with progressive pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. There is evidence that the release of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) and cytokines by alveolar macrophages (AM) is involved in lung injury associated with silica exposure. However, the chronology and relationship between these two mediators are poorly understood. In this study, an animal model of silicosis has been used, allowing simultaneous follow-up of lung histopathologic state, AM TNF-alpha production at the protein (biologic assay) and mRNA (reverse transcriptase-PCR) levels, and the release of ROI (luminol-dependent chemiluminescence), after bronchoalveolar lavages. In particular, it has been shown that intratracheal instillation of silica (50 mg/kg) in rats led to fibrosis characterized by cellular interstitial infiltrates with granulomas, and in AM, it led to 1) an early and continuous increase in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate- or zymosan-triggered ROI production (days 1, 3, 14, and 28 post-treatment), and 2) a rise of TNF-alpha mRNA expression and protein secretion on days 3 and 14. A free radical scavenger pretreatment (N-ter-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone) reversed lung histopathologic changes and decreased AM ROI production and TNF-alpha expression at the level of mRNA. These findings suggest that ROI production is an important primary event determining the silica-induced inflammatory process. ROI may act in an autocrine or paracrine manner and regulate TNF-alpha production by a mechanism promoting gene expression. The critical role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of silicosis was confirmed by anti-TNF-alpha Ab treatment.