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The quinoa flour processing is mostly subject to the properties of starch. Starches from four colored quinoa varieties, including white quinoa (QS-W), yellow quinoa (QS-Y), red (QS-R), and black (QS-B), were compared with respect to their physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility. Results indicated that QS-B exhibited the highest content of amylose (8.14%) (p 0.05). All starch samples exhibited as irregular sphere with a particle size less than 3 µm. Results of the FT-IR and X-ray showed that the short-range order of the four quinoa starches exhibited no significant difference; all starches showed a typical A-type diffractrometric pattern and was not affected by seed color, and QS-Y had the highest relative crystallinity (34.3%) (p 0.05). In addition, QS-W reflected the highest solubility (6.32%) and QS-Y showed the highest swelling power (19.45 g/g) (p 0.05). QS-Y also presented a higher ΔH value (11.46 J/g) (p 0.05), while QS-R peak temperature and peak G' were the lowest. Besides, QS-B had the highest slow-digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) content, while the lowest estimated glycemic index (eGI) value (p 0.05). Also, there was a negative correlation between hydrolysis rates and amylose content of quinoa starch. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Due to the low gelatinization temperature of quinoa starch, it can be used to both produce and improve instant and fast food products. Quinoa starch particles are small, and Pickering emulsions and additives have potential application values. Red quinoa contains easily digestible starch, which can be a good food choice for infants and the elderly, while white quinoa starch has less swelling power and can be used in noodle products. The results of this study can help to underpin the study of quinoa nonstarch components versus starch component.

Weaning is the gradual process of introducing solids or semisolid foods into an infant's diet, in order to ensure their healthy growth. This study developed two kinds of formula weaning food based on roasted or extruded quinoa and millet flour, and evaluated their quality. A fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS)/galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) mix was added to provide the prebiotic potential. The protein contents of the roasted quinoa-millet complementary food (RQMCF) and extruded quinoa-millet complementary food (EQMCF) were 16.7% and 17.74% higher, respectively, than that of commercial millet complementary food (CMCF). Both RQMCF and EQMCF provided sufficient levels of energy and minerals. Extrusion provided the foods with a lower viscosity, and higher solubility and water absorption ability than roasting. In vitro digestion results showed that EQMCF exhibited the highest starch and protein digestibility (89.76% and 88.72%, respectively) followed by RQMCF (87.75% and 86.63%) and CMCF (83.35% and 81.54%). The digestas of RQMCF and EQMCF after in vitro digestion exhibited prebiotic effects by promoting the growth of the probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus delbrueckii). These results will contribute to developing complementary weaning foods for infants. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study has shown that extrusion is an efficient and stable processing method for producing infant complementary foods with low density, balanced nutrition, and high levels of starch and protein digestibility. Extruded quinoa-millet prebiotic complementary food can also promote the proliferation of probiotics. This will provide a new direction for developing novel infant formula weaning foods.

The work aimed to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes (UVC-LEDs) at 275 nm against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh-cut white pitaya. Besides, the influences of UVC-LED treatments on the quality of fresh-cut white pitaya were also investigated. The distance between the UVC-LEDs and the surface of the pitaya pieces was approximately 5 cm. The inactivation behavior of E. coli O157:H7 on fresh-cut pitaya began almost instantaneously and then tailed off as the fluence increased. The quantities of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated on fresh-cut white pitaya were reduced by 2.21 lg10 CFU/g after UVC-LED treatment at 1200 mJ/cm2 (33 min). The Weibull plus tail model was satisfactorily fitted to estimate the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 on fresh-cut white pitaya, with the R2 and root mean square error (RMSE) reached 0.99 and 0.05, respectively. Physicochemical properties (pH, total soluble solids, and total phenolic content) and color parameters of fresh-cut pitaya did not change significantly after UVC-LED treatment. However, UVC-LED treatment at a higher fluence led to a small reduction of antioxidant properties. These results indicate that UVC-LEDs emitting at 275 nm may improve the microbiological safety and maintain the qualities of fresh-cut fruit. Moreover, the synergy of UVC-LEDs with other preservation methods would have a potential application in the fresh-cut fruit processing industry to present enhanced inactivation efficiency and to better maintain the nutritional and sensory qualities of fresh-cut fruits.

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a thermoacidophilic, spore-forming bacillus. A. acidoterrestris and its spores can survive in pasteurized juices and cause microbial spoilage. In this work, the effects of ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes at 275 nm on the inactivation of A. acidoterrestris vegetative cells and its spores in commercial pasteurized orange juice were studied. Meanwhile, the effects of ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes on the quality attributes of the orange juice were also investigated. The quantities of A. acidoterrestris vegetative cells and its spores inoculated in orange juice were reduced by 6.04 and 2.49 log10 CFU/mL after ultraviolet-C light-emitting diode treatment at 220 mJ/cm2, respectively. The Weibull and Weibull plus tail models were satisfactorily fitted to estimate the reductions of A. acidoterrestris vegetative cells and its spores in orange juice, respectively. Physicochemical properties (pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and clarity) of orange juice did not change significantly after exposure to ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes. However, the total phenolic content of orange juice decreased with increasing fluence. In addition, ultraviolet-C light-emitting diode treatment at a higher fluence led to a noticeable color difference. These results indicate that ultraviolet-C light-emitting diode treatment has a potential application in the juice processing industry.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) on the physicochemical, functional, and antioxidant properties of flaxseed protein following APPJ treatment (0 to 240 s). The results showed that the pH value continuously dropped with the minimum value of 3.45 ± 0.15 after 240 s of APPJ treatment (-61.7%, P < 0.05). The relative protein solubility significantly declined after 15 s of APPJ treatment (-43.1%, P < 0.05), which was accompanied by the evident increase in mean particle size of flaxseed protein in aqueous solution (+157%, P < 0.05). Moreover, the surface hydrophobicity and contents of disulfide bonds gradually raised when the APPJ exposure time extended from 30 to 240 s. Notably, the foaming, emulsifying, and in vitro antioxidant properties of flaxseed protein were significantly improved following short time of APPJ treatment (5 to 15 s), which was paralleled with the changes of spatial conformation, mild protein oxidation, as well as the release of phenolic acids and flavonoids from naturally occurring protein-phenolic complex. Our findings elucidated that APPJ may be considered as an effective strategy to improve the functionality and antioxidant activities of flaxseed protein. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We had evaluated the effect of APPJ treatment on the physicochemical, functional, and antioxidant properties of flaxseed protein, which was conducive to tailor flaxseed protein with the optimal techno-functionality and antioxidant activities as a potential nano-delivery vehicle.

This study was aimed to compare the beneficial effects of oat β-glucan (OG), oat resistant starch (ORS), and whole oat foods (WO), and explore the correlations between the key phylotypes of gut microbiota and type 2 diabetes (T2D) indexes and inflammation indexes in high-fat diet induced T2D rats. WO exhibited better effects on ameliorating insulin resistance and glucose tolerance than OG and ORS (p 0.05). OG, ORS, and WO altered the gut microbiota composition with increased genus Clostridium, and Butyricoccus, but decreased genus Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Oscillospira, and Ruminococcus. In addition, the Pearson correlation analysis showed that genus Bacteroides, Butyricoccus, Parabacteroides, Lactobacillus, Oscillospira, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium positively correlated (p

This study aimed to explore the dynamic changes in the antioxidant activities and phenolic acid profiles of oat and buckwheat vinegars during different production stages. The results showed that both oat and buckwheat vinegar products comparably attenuated D‐galactose‐induced oxidative damage in mice serum and liver, indicating no obvious dose dependence within the tested concentrations. However, oat vinegar product revealed more favorable in vitroantioxidant activities than those in buckwheat vinegar product as evaluated by 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities. Moreover, the alcoholic fermentation, acetic acid fermentation and fumigating induced successive increase in DPPH radical scavenging abilities and phenolic acid contents of the fermentation substrates of oat and buckwheat vinegars. Importantly, the different fermentation processes of oat and buckwheat vinegars were accompanied by the dynamic migration and transformation of specific phenolic acids across bound, esterified and free fractions. Thus, the antioxidant activities of oat and buckwheat vinegars could be improved through targeted modulation of the generation of specific phenolic acid fractions during production processes. We had evaluated the in vitroand in vivoantioxidant activities and phenolic acid contents of oat and buckwheat vinegars, and further explored the dynamic changes of bound, esterified and free phenolic acid fractions during successive fermentation processes of oat and buckwheat vinegars. This study provided the theoretical guidance for obtaining minor grain vinegar with the optimal antioxidant activities through targeted modulation of fermentation processes.

Interest in proso millet as a functional food is growing. However, studies on the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities’ differences of proso millet cultivars in China are limited. Nine Chinese proso millet varieties (five waxy varieties – S, D, N2, N4, N8 and four non-waxy varieties – J1, J3, J7, J9) were investigated. Results showed that the non-waxy varieties were significantly higher than waxy varieties in the content of amylase and resistant starch (22.95%, 0.23%, 2.02%, and 0.78%, respectively; P

Emerging evidence suggests that higher circulating long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFA) levels were intimately associated with lower prevalence of obesity and insulin resistance. However, the understanding of bioactivity and potential mechanism of α-linolenic acid-rich flaxseed oil (ALA-FO) against insulin resistance was still limited. This study evaluated the effect of FO on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance in C57BL/6J mice focused on adipose tissue lipolysis. Mice after HFD feeding for 16 weeks (60% fat-derived calories) exhibited systemic insulin resistance, which was greatly attenuated by medium dose of FO (M-FO), paralleling with differential accumulation of ALA and its n-3 derivatives across serum lipid fractions. Moreover, M-FO was sufficient to effectively block the metabolic activation of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), thereby improving adipose tissue insulin signaling. Importantly, suppression of hypoxia-inducible factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α were involved in FO-mediated modulation of adipose tissue lipolysis, accompanied by specific reconstitution of n-3PUFA within adipose tissue lipid fractions.

This study determined the effects of four thermal processing methods for germinated highland barley (GHB) on its nutritional composition, physicochemical properties, in vitro starch and protein digestibility, and in vitro prebiotic effects. The contents of total dietary fiber (TDF) and total phenols were significantly increased by steaming, microwave, baking and extrusion processing, while the contents of ash, starch and resistant starch were decreased. Except for baking, the other three methods improved the water hydration properties by increasing the water absorption index, water solubility index and swelling power. Thermally processed samples, especially those extruded, exhibited better thermal stability, pasting properties and in vitro protein digestibility, possibly because of the damage to the whole grain powder particles. The thermally processed digesta of GHB promoted the proliferation of Lactobacillus plantarum and L. delbrueckii in a dose-dependent manner, especially for those extruded, followed by those processed by steaming, microwave and baking. A Pearson correlation analysis showed that the prebiotic effect was positively correlated with the content of TDF in the different samples. Overall, thermal processing increased the quality and digestibility of GHB, with extrusion being the most suitable for industrial processing.

Three oat products were supplemented into high fat diets and fed to obese rats for 8 weeks. Each oat product decreased body weight, epididymal fat accumulation, and serum inflammatory factor levels and significantly regulated serum lipid levels. Oat bran significantly reduced mean adipocyte size and TNF-α mRNA expression levels. Principal components analysis showed that the oat products shifted the overall structure of gut microbiota in DIO rats. The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio were altered towards that of normal rats. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that changes in the overall microbiota composition were significantly correlated with total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, endotoxin, and tumour cell necrosis factor-α levels in serum, and mRNA expression levels. Oat products significantly increased the total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentration in colonic digesta. These results suggest that oat products attenuate obesity and related metabolic disorders while modifying the gut microbiota composition in high fat diet-induced obese rats.

This study aimed to compare the prebiotic effects of oat β-glucan between steaming and microwave processing by high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that microwave-processed oat β-glucan with lower average molecular weight (Mw) exhibited a more significant effect in promoting Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium compared with steaming processed oat β-glucan with higher Mw at the genus level. The overall microbial composition structure results indicated that the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Dialister exhibited significant differences between the samples (p

Normal pressure steaming, high pressure steaming, microwave, and frying are widely used to deactivate enzyme in the oats, but these thermal processing methods may affect the structural and functional properties of soluble dietary fiber, which contribute greatly to the health benefits of oat foods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of four different thermal processing methods on the structural and functional properties of soluble dietary fiber from whole grain oats. The results showed that the thermal processing resulted in changes on nutritional components of whole grain oats. Especially dietary fiber components, the total dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber, and soluble dietary fiber content of heat-treated oats were significantly increased ( p

Background Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) bran is a by-product of millet processing, rich in dietary fiber (DF) and has great application value. A comparative study was conducted to explore the differences in structural and functional properties among millet bran DF, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF). Results There was a significant difference in the content of monosaccharides between SDF and IDF, in which xylose, arabinose and glucose were the main compositions. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that DF and IDF had different forms of network structure, and SDF presented a sign of mutual adhesion. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 0.54 and 0.08 g kg-1 in SDF. Antioxidant activity of SDF was higher than that of IDF based on the evaluation of free radical scavenging and iron reducing capacity in vitro. Meanwhile, the glucose dialysis retardation index of IDF and SDF was 12.59% and 9.26% at 30 min, respectively. And, there was no significant difference in the adsorption capacity of glucose among different samples (P > 0.05). Furthermore, SDF had strong α-amylase inhibition (17.92% inhibition rate) and sodium cholate adsorption capacities; the adsorption amount was 16.76 g kg-1 in 2.00 g L-1 sodium cholate solution. Conclusion Foxtail millet bran DF, especially SDF, has good functional properties and would be a suitable ingredient for health-beneficial food production. However, the relevant verification trials in vivo need to be carried out in the next steps. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

The study is aimed at studying the effects of soluble and insoluble oat β-glucan on colon carcinogenesis in mice. One hundred and twenty male Kunming mice were divided into normal control (NC), model control (MC), high doses (100 mg/kg body weight) of soluble (H-SOG) and insoluble β-glucan (H-IOG), and low doses (50 mg/kg body weight) of soluble (L-SOG) and insoluble β-glucan (L-IOG) groups. The mice except those in the NC group were given subcutaneous injections of DMH to induce colon cancer. The bile acid content was significantly reduced but the colonic short-chain fatty acid content was enhanced (p

In this research, acid hydrolyzed starch, B-type microcrystalline starch, and amorphous starch were prepared from natural corn starch. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were used to analyze the structure of these four types of starches. The Raman spectrum scattering peaks have decreased vibration wave numbers because of the changes of crystal type, and the intensity of each Raman peak is related to the size of the crystalline region. By identifying the scattering peak area in Raman spectrum as the crystalline region and the total area under the scattering curve minus the fluorescent area as the sum of the amorphous and crystalline regions, we have established a useful method for calculating the crystallinity of starch samples by Raman spectra. The comparison of results by Raman spectra with those by X-ray diffraction indicated that when the sample had high crystallinity, the difference between XRD and Raman spectrum results is small. When the sample crystallinity was low, the error of this method was only slightly larger. Therefore, Raman spectroscopy could be used as an efficient method for evaluation of the relative crystallinity of starches.

This study aimed to explore the dynamic changes in the antioxidant activities and phenolic acid profiles of oat and buckwheat vinegars during different production stages. The results showed that both oat and buckwheat vinegar products comparably attenuated D-galactose-induced oxidative damage in mice serum and liver, indicating no obvious dose dependence within the tested concentrations. However, oat vinegar product revealed more favorable in vitro antioxidant activities than those in buckwheat vinegar product as evaluated by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities. Moreover, the alcoholic fermentation, acetic acid fermentation and fumigating induced successive increase in DPPH radical scavenging abilities and phenolic acid contents of the fermentation substrates of oat and buckwheat vinegars. Importantly, the different fermentation processes of oat and buckwheat vinegars were accompanied by the dynamic migration and transformation of specific phenolic acids across bound, esterified and free fractions. Thus, the antioxidant activities of oat and buckwheat vinegars could be improved through targeted modulation of the generation of specific phenolic acid fractions during production processes.We had evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities and phenolic acid contents of oat and buckwheat vinegars, and further explored the dynamic changes of bound, esterified and free phenolic acid fractions during successive fermentation processes of oat and buckwheat vinegars. This study provided the theoretical guidance for obtaining minor grain vinegar with the optimal antioxidant activities through targeted modulation of fermentation processes.

Carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic diterpene isolated from rosemary, shows potential benefits in health promotion and disease prevention. In the present study, the cytotoxic and apoptotic-inducing effects of CA on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells were investigated. The MTT assay results indicated that CA decreased cell viability in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with CA caused a rapid Caspase-3 activation and subsequently proteolytic cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), both of which were markers of cells undergoing apoptosis. CA also dissipated mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax protein, which mediated cytosolic translocation of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Furthermore, CA reduced the phosphorylation of Akt, which was partially inhibited by insulin, an activator of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling pathway. In conclusion, our data suggest that the mitochondrial dysfunction and deactivation of Akt may contribute to the apoptosis-inducing effects of CA.

The primary objective was to determine the beneficial effects of oat β-glucan (OG) and barley β-glucan (BG) on gut health. A total of 200 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups of 40 rats each, control group (CON), low-dose OG-administered group (OGL), high-dose OG-administered group (OGH), low-dose BG-administered group (BGL), and high-dose BG-administered group (BGH). OGL and OGH were administered oat β-glucan by intragastric gavage at a dose of 0.35 g/kg of body weight (BW) and 0.70 g/kg of BW daily for 6 weeks, and BGL and BGH were administered barley β-glucan. The CON received normal saline. Intestinal-health-related indexes were analyzed at baseline, week 3, week 6, and week 7. Cereal β-glucan significantly influenced the fecal water content, pH value, ammonia levels, β-glucuronidase activity, azoreductase activity, and colonic short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations (p0.05). Moreover, the population of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium increased (p0.05), whereas the number of Enterobacteriaceae decreased (p0.05) in a dose-dependent manner during the period of cereal β-glucan administration. These results suggested that cereal β-glucan might exert favorable effects on improving intestinal functions and health but the gut-health-promoting effects of oat β-glucan were better than those of barley β-glucan.

A new low-fat (Lf) mayonnaise product was prepared and optimised, using response surface methodology (RSM) with the following conditions: the dosage of egg yolk was 10.6%, the dextrose equivalent (DE) value of oat dextrine was 8.1 and its substituted rate for fat was 27.9%. This new mayonnaise product had a higher viscosity (1620 MPa s) and a lower caloric value (597.7 kcal/100 g) compared to full-fat (Ff) mayonnaise. Sensory evaluation demonstrated that mayonnaise substituted with oat dextrine was acceptable. Microstructure analysis showed that the fat granules became uniform, small and symmetrical when the substituted levels of oat dextrine were under 30%. This study showed good potential for oat dextrine to be used as a fat substitute in mayonnaise.

Oat products are abundant in β-glucan, which could lower the glycemic index of products or foods. A low glycemic index is beneficial in the control of postprandial glycemia. The study examined the hypoglycemic effects of oat products that had the same percentage of oat β-glucan and were added into the diet fed to streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice for 6 weeks, and potential mechanisms are discussed here. Oat products significantly decreased fasting blood glucose and glycosylated serum protein (p0.05), but the hypoglycemic effect was not more than that of metformin (p0.05). Oat products increased glycogen, hormone, and nuclear receptor levels (p0.05), decreased free fatty acid content and succinate dehydrogenase activity (p0.05), and inhibited pancreatic apoptosis (p0.05). The results showed oat products had hypoglycemic effects. Hypoglycemic effects of oat products might be regulating glucose and fat metabolisms, stimulating hormone secretion, activating the nuclear receptor, and protecting organ function.

Diets that are high in dietary fiber are reported to have substantial health benefits. We sought to compare the metabolic effects of 4 types of oat products - oat β-glucan, oat bran, oat flour and oatmeal - on body weight, peristalsis of gastrointestinal and intestinal morphology in normal mouse model. Fifty male mice (Kong Ming) were randomly divided into 5 groups that consumed normal diet alone or normal diet containing 5% oat β-glucan, oat bran, oat flour and oatmeal, respectively. After baseline measurement was assessed for body weight, animals were treated for 4 weeks. Weight gain and food intake were measured everyday. Gastric emptying, gastrointestinal transit and intestinal morphology were evaluated at the end of study. Whereas there was no difference at the baseline, body weight gains in the oat β-glucan and oatmeal groups were significantly lower than in the control group at the end of study. No difference in the food efficiency was observed among the oat flour, oatmeal and the control groups' animals. In addition, food intake test were also significantly lower in the oat β-glucan and oatmeal groups than in the control. Moreover, the jejunal villi in mice fed different oat products were predominantly tonguelike and fingerlike in appearance compared to those of mice fed the control diet. These results suggest that addition of oat diets result in improvements on cholesterol and lipid metabolism in mice through some changes in intestinal morphology.

Background: In recent years, most of the studies focused on oat bran and the food of oat containing β-glucan that could bring about hypoglycemic effects, while only a few studies paid attention to the functions of oat β-glucan, in addition , there was much controversy about the effective dose of oat β-glucan in humans with type 2 diabetes. Objective: To evaluate the association between the oat β-glucan and type 2 diabetes and decide the optimal dose after taking of different doses of oat β-glucan extraction (from the oat bran of Shanxi, and the content is 82.10%). Design: Male KM mice (n=100) were randomly divided into two groups within a randomized design after adaptive feeding for 3 days, the normal control group (NC, n=15) was kept with chow diets and the model group (n=85) was fed high-fat diets. The model of type 2 diabetic mice was successful, then oral administration of oat β-glucan at 800 mg/kg•bw, 1200 mg/kg•bw and 2000 mg/kg•bw up to 6 weeks. Methods: The type 2 diabetic mice resulted from high fat and Streptozotocin (STZ) .Decide the adequate levels of oat β-glucan by many measures, such as fasting/ postprandial blood glucose(FBG/PBG)、fasting blood insulin(Fins) 、 Insulin activity index （IAI） and oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT). Results: Oat β-glucan can remarkably reduce the FBG/PBG and stimulate insulin secretion, as well as improve the ability of glucose tolerance (p