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Nutrigenomics is a multidisciplinary science focusing on the diet-genes interaction and exploiting different ‘omics’ technologies to comprehensively investigate the overall effects of different nutrients or diets on health. Recent scientific evidence highlighted the role of dietary polyphenols in modulating gene expression, transcription factors, and cellular processes, thus in potentially affecting health and diseases. Nutrigenomics contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the direct beneficial effects of polyphenolic compounds in humans. This short review critically summarizes some recent findings on the nutrigenomics-related effects mediated by the major polyphenolic classes of nutritional interest.

The amount of amylose within a food may elicit lower glycemic and insulin postprandial responses and thus potentially modulate the satiating effect. In this context, the effect of biscuits formulated with high amylose starch (HAS) flour on satiety-related sensations and food intake was studied. Three types of biscuits were produced: control biscuit (CRT, 0% of HAS), Amy-25 (25% HAS), and Amy-50 (50% HAS). Fifteen healthy volunteers were enrolled to conduct two in vivo experiments. In experiment 1, volunteers consumed biscuits ad libitum and their sensations of satiety and food intake were evaluated. In experiment 2, volunteers received a quantity of biscuits equivalent to the 20% of the daily estimated energy requirements, and both satietyrelated sensations and food intake were checked at subsequent meal. The Amy-50 significantly reduced food intake at subsequent meal (p ˂ 0.05), compared to Amy-25 and CRT. The satietyrelated sensations were not significantly affected in both experiments, excepted for intra-meal hunger variation induced by Amy-25 which resulted significantly higher (p ˂ 0.05) than Amy-50 and CRT. These findings support the need to reformulate carbohydrate rich foods commonly consumed in a dietary context, to provide consumers healthier alternatives to prevent and tackle obesity and related chronic diseases.

This study explored the interest for Gluten-Free Beer (GFB) in a panel of beer drinkers. The authors adopted a conjoint rating experiment and the respondents were given sixty-four beer concepts to evaluate and score on a 9-point scale of interest. Each concept included eleven factors (alcohol content, colour, type of malt, beer price, drinking location, drinking occasion, bottle size, label claims, type of farming, type of brewer, and bottle closure) varied at different levels. The results showed that the consumers placed greatest importance on alcohol content (30.8%), followed by beer colour (18.3%), price (13.8%), type of brewer (9.5%), drinking occasion (9.5%) and bottle closure (6.5%). The label claim “rich in” and the factors drinking location, malt type, bottle size, and type of farming were judged as being of little importance. Average consumers’ interest for GFB was moderate (5.48 on a 9-point scale) and oriented towards a blond small-scale brewed beer with a «V > 7.0. This beer was priced in the 1.51-2.50 Euros range per 0.33 L bottle and was suitable for drinking in the evening after dinner. Differences in interest between genders, age classes, and patterns of beer consumption are reported and discussed. These results support new GFB development and ensure R&D processes are tailored to the target consumer.

As a side effect of food production, mycotoxins have always accompanied humanity, even if the danger posed by these molecules has only recently been understood and new research has begun to identify and study ways to reduce their presence in food. This Special Issue of Toxins includes papers on new findings concerning well-known mycotoxins, results of studies regarding emerging mycotoxins, such as alternaria and botryodiplodin, and new techniques to reduce mycotoxin contamination in processed cereals. Reliable data on the presence of mycotoxins in food is very important in the toxicological evaluation of the risk associated with these toxic fungal compounds. Two papers cover this subject: Quevedo-Garza et al. [1] analyze Mexican infant formula food for aflatoxin M1 and Zentai et al. [2] determine the fumonisins in Hungarian maize-based food. Fusarium spp., together with Aspergillus spp., are the most relevant fungi genus responsible for mycotoxin production. Researchers have focused their attention on cereals, while neglecting other crops. A paper from a Chinese group reports on the identification of the Fusarium species causing sweet pepper fruit rot and on the kinds of mycotoxins produced by these microorganisms [3]. A new toxic molecule produced by a fungal parasite of soybean is the focus of two papers from Abbas et al. who investigate the production of botryodiplodin [4] and its toxicity [5], while another contribution [6] considers secalonic acids, which are the main ergot ergochromes in overall ergot toxicity. We have observed not only the appearance of new or emerging mycotoxins, but also of new foods, such as insects, that can also be contaminated by mycotoxins. On this topic, a paper in this Special Issue studies the metabolism of aflatoxin B1 in the larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) [7]. The reduction of mycotoxin contamination can be obtained by intervening during the cultivation or storage of products. Research carried out by Giorni et

The quality perception of gluten-free beer was explored using conjoint analysis with a panel of Polish millennials (n = 200; aged 20 to 35), who were given 64 gluten-free beer concepts to evaluate and score on a 9-point scale of interest (1 = not interested at all; 9 = extremely interested). The constituent factors of the beer concepts were alcohol content, color, type of malt, price, drinking location and occasion, bottle size, label claims, type of farming, type of brewer, and bottle closure. Consumers judged price (38.4%) and alcohol (28.8%) five times more important than the other factors. Bottle size (5.3%), claims (4.8%), type of brewer (4.8%), malt type (4.6%), bottle closure (4.0%), beer color (3.6%), drinking location (2.3%), drinking occasion (2.0%), and type of farming (1.3%) were considered of little importance. The interest of Polish Millennials in gluten-free beer resulted moderate and not linked to medical needs. Males were more interested in gluten-free beers and gave more importance to alcohol content and less importance to price, compared to females. However, for both genders, interest and price were inversely correlated, while interest and alcohol content were directly correlated.

OBJECTIVE: Grana Padano, an Italian protected designation of origin (PDO) semi-fat cheese, undergoes a long ripening period during which the proteolysis carried out by natural starter lactic acid bacteria releases peptides having sustained angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. The length (generally 3-8 amino acid residues) and the sequence of these peptides are responsible for their ability to elicit ACE-inhibitory activity. The aim of this study has been the evaluation of the effect of a daily dietary supplement consisting in a small amount (30 g/day) of Grana Padano cheese, in terms of the lowering of the blood pressure (BP) of mild - moderate hypertensive subjects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty mild – moderate hypertensive patients, with BP values not on target (> 140 and/or > 90 mmHg) after at least 3 months of stable treatment were considered in this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study. All patients randomly received a dietary integration (30 g/day) of Grana Padano cheese or a placebo (made from flavored grated bread mixed with fats and salts in concentrations equal to those of the cheese). BP was evaluated at baseline and at the end of the active and placebo treatments (2 months each) by: – Office BP (OBP); – Automated Office BP (AOBP) using the BpTRU ®, an automated oscillometric device that provides the average of multiple (n=6) blood pressure measurements; – Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) 24 hour monitoring. RESULTS: Dietary integration with Grana Padano cheese resulted in a significant decrease in Office, Automated Office and Ambulatory BP. The mean decrease (vs. placebo) for 24-hour ABP was –3.5 mmHg for systolic and –2.4 mmHg for diastolic BP (p = 0.0063 and p = 0.0065, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Daily dietary integration with 30 g of Grana Padano DOP cheese effectively reduces BP and may help mild-to-moderate hypertensive patients to reach a target BP.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin suspected to exert toxic effects on liver cell: in our research, we investigated the role of OTA on the genesis of liver disease and HCC in a case-control study. 43 subjects with chronic liver disease (case group) were matched for age and sex with 62 volunteers without liver disease (control group). In order to avoid any confounding effect of alcohol intake, all subjects consumed less than 20 g/day of alcohol for men and 10 g/day for woman. A blood sample was taken from each subject and analyzed for OTA, liver transaminases, ALP. Bilirubin, CRP and creatinine. In our study, OTA intake was low (0.039 ng/kg b.w./day - 0.065 ng/kg b.w./day) and 49% (51/104) of subjects had plasma OTA levels lower than LOD (25 ng/l). Only 10 (%) subjects exceeded the value of 200 ng/l; no differences were found between serum OTA concentrations of control and case groups. In the case group, the CRP levels were linearly related with bilirubin levels (r = 0.298; P < 0.05) and in subjects with liver disease and positive serum OTA concentration, this relationship improved (r = 0.638; P < 0.01). Although OTA did not affect the prevalence of liver disease, among the 29 cirrhotic patients, the prevalence of HCC was higher in OTA positive subjects than in OTA negative ones (P < 0.05). Our results do not clearly support the role of OTA as a risk factor for HCC or cirrhosis, however the observed prevalence of HCC in OTA positive subjects requires further investigation.

Weaning is a critical period for piglets, typically accompanied by low feed intake, weight loss and increased mortality. In this period the gut undergoes morphological and histological changes that include reduction of villous height and increase in crypt depth. Antibiotics used in the past to mitigate weaning problems have been recently replaced by organic acids, to avoid the selection and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic strain. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in gene expression induced by the stress of weaning and by the inclusion of sorbic acid in the diet during this critical period. Sixteen female piglets were sacrificed during the experiment: 4 before weaning (T0) and 12 five days after weaning (T5). The T5 group was split in two subgroups, one receiving a standard diet containing 5 g/kg of sorbic acid, and the other receiving the same diet in which organic acid was replaced by barley flour. Gene expression was measured in the ileum using Combimatrix whole transcriptome microarrays. No significant difference was found between diets in term of gene expression, metabolism and histology. This probably as a consequence of the short period of treatment and of the severe stress provoked by weaning that likely masked the effect of the different diets. Conversely, 205 genes were found differentially expressed between T0 and T5. These mediate piglet stress response and metabolic adaptation to a new diet and environment during weaning. Gene ontology (Blast2Go software), pathway and network analyses (IPA software) of differentially expressed genes indicated the activation of several important pathways related to immune and inflammatory response. Transcriptome analysis well described the biological response to stress of piglets in this critical life stage and will be useful to test the effects of specific nutrients or additives (including pre- and pro-biotics) designed to mitigate the stress-induced inflammatory response in the gut and to improv

Weaning is a critical period for piglets, typically accompanied by low feed intake, weight loss and increased mortality. In this period the gut undergoes morphological and histological changes that include reduction of villous height and increase in crypt depth. Antibiotics used in the past to mitigate weaning problems have been recently replaced by organic acids, to avoid the selection and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic strain. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in gene expression induced by the stress of weaning and by the inclusion of sorbic acid in the diet during this critical period. Sixteen female piglets were sacrificed during the experiment: 4 before weaning (T0) and 12 five days after weaning (T5). The T5 group was split in two subgroups, one receiving a standard diet containing 5 g/kg of sorbic acid, and the other receiving the same diet in which organic acid was replaced by barley flour. Gene expression was measured in the ileum using Combimatrix whole transcriptome microarrays. No significant difference was found between diets in term of gene expression, metabolism and histology. This probably as a consequence of the short period of treatment and of the severe stress provoked by weaning that likely masked the effect of the different diets. Conversely, 205 genes were found differentially expressed between T0 and T5. These mediate piglet stress response and metabolic adaptation to a new diet and environment during weaning. Gene ontology (Blast2Go software), pathway and network analyses (IPA software) of differentially expressed genes indicated the activation of several important pathways related to immune and inflammatory response. Transcriptome analysis well described the biological response to stress of piglets in this critical life stage and will be useful to test the effects of specific nutrients or additives (including pre- and pro-biotics) designed to mitigate the stress-induced inflammatory response in the gut and to improv

Weaning is a critical period for piglets, typically accompanied by low feed intake, weight loss and increased mortality. In this period the gut undergoes morphological and histological changes that include reduction of villous height and increase in crypt depth. Antibiotics used in the past to mitigate weaning problems have been recently replaced by organic acids, to avoid the selection and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic strain. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in gene expression induced by the stress of weaning and by the inclusion of sorbic acid in the diet during this critical period. Sixteen female piglets were sacrificed during the experiment: 4 before weaning (T0) and 12 five days after weaning (T5). The T5 group was split in two subgroups, one receiving a standard diet containing 5 g/kg of sorbic acid, and the other receiving the same diet in which organic acid was replaced by barley flour. Gene expression was measured in the ileum using Combimatrix whole transcriptome microarrays. No significant difference was found between diets in term of gene expression, metabolism and histology. This probably as a consequence of the short period of treatment and of the severe stress provoked by weaning that likely masked the effect of the different diets. Conversely, 205 genes were found differentially expressed between T0 and T5. These mediate piglet stress response and metabolic adaptation to a new diet and environment during weaning. Gene ontology (Blast2Go software), pathway and network analyses (IPA software) of differentially expressed genes indicated the activation of several important pathways related to immune and inflammatory response. Transcriptome analysis well described the biological response to stress of piglets in this critical life stage and will be useful to test the effects of specific nutrients or additives (including pre- and pro-biotics) designed to mitigate the stress-induced inflammatory response in the gut and to improv

Chronic constipation is a widespread pathology resulting in a very low frequency of evacuation, and defecation can be also very difficult. In addition to colo-rectal cancer or pelvic floor disfunction, stipsi can be determined by low fibre intake. In our experiment, we tested the efficacy of a linseed-based snack on the defecation frequency in a cohort affected by stipsi. Enrolled people received for 21 days a high fibre and linseed-based snack (30 g)-the severity of constipation was evaluated with the Constipation Scoring System (CSS) determined at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The consumption of this biscuit significantly increased defecation frequency and reduced difficult or incomplete evacuation. As a consequence of this improvement, the CSS was significantly reduced: 9.19 vs. 4.52. No adverse effects, due to the consumption of the tested snack, were observed. © Springer-Verlag Italia 2013.