Publications by authors named "David Kitts"

Increasing accumulation of nanoplastics across ecosystems poses a significant threat to both terrestrial and aquatic life. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an emerging technique used for nanoplastics detection. However, the identification and classification of nanoplastics using SERS faces challenges regarding sensitivity and accuracy as nanoplastics are sparsely dispersed in the environment.

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The accumulation of micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) in ecosystems poses tremendous environmental risks for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Designing rapid, field-deployable, and sensitive devices for assessing the potential risks of MNPs pollution is critical. However, current techniques for MNPs detection have limited effectiveness.

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A 2D-intestinal epithelial Caco-2/RAW 264.7 macrophage co-culture model was developed to demonstrate the relative efficacy of different phenolic acids to mitigate changes in Caco-2 epithelial cell redox state initiated both directly by autoxidation products, HO, and indirectly through cell communication events originating from cytokine stimulated macrophage. An inducer cocktail (lipopolysaccharide + interferon gamma) was used to activate RAW 264.

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Ascertaining whether dietary polyphenols evoke an antioxidant or prooxidant activity, which translates to a functional role required to maintain intestinal cell homeostasis continues to be an active and controversial area of research for food chemists and biochemists alike. We have proposed that the paradoxical function of polyphenols to autoxidize to generate HO is a required first step in the capacity of some plant phenolics to function as intracellular antioxidants. This is based on the fact that cell redox homeostasis is achieved by a balance between HO formation and subsequent outcomes of antioxidant systems function.

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Curcumin is the major bioactive component in turmeric with potent antioxidant activity. Little is known about how pulsed light (PL) technology (an emerging non-thermal food processing technology relying on high intensity short duration flashes of light) can affect the chemical stability and antioxidant capacity of curcumin. This study found that PL treatment of fluence levels from 0 to 12.

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Phenolic acids derived from vegetables, fruits and beverages are considered abundant sources of natural antioxidants consumed in the human diet. In addition to having well-known antioxidant activity, phenolic acids also exhibit pro-oxidant activity under selected conditions. We hypothesized that the availability of extracellular HO derived from phenolic acid autoxidation will diffuse across cell membranes to participate as a messenger molecule to activate intracellular redox signaling in response to oxidative stress.

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Women with gestational diabetes (GD) have reduced antioxidant capacity; however, the relationship between maternal diet, maternal biochemical capacity, breast milk concentration, and infant intake has not been adequately explored in the literature. An exploration of underlying mechanism(s) is warranted, particularly for nutrient antioxidants impacted by maternal intake. These nutrients may provide a means for modifying maternal and infant antioxidant capacity.

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An emerging consumer trend to purchase minimally heated and ready-to-eat food products may result in processing methods that do not effectively reduce pathogenic populations. Crude Maillard reaction products (MRPs) are naturally generated compounds that have been shown to display antimicrobial effects against pathogens. Crude MRPs were generated from reducing sugars (fructose (Fru), glucose (Glc), ribose (Rib) or xylose (Xyl)) with lysine and the melanoidin equivalence was measured using an absorbance of 420 nm (Ab).

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Pulsed light (PL) is a novel, non-thermal technology being used to control the microbial spoilage of foods and beverages. Adverse sensory changes, commonly characterized as "lightstruck", can occur in beers when exposed to the UV portion of PL due to the formation of 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol (3-MBT) upon the photodegradation of iso-α-acids. This study is the first to investigate the effect of different portions of the PL spectrum on UV-sensitive beers (light-colored blonde ale and dark-colored centennial red ale) using clear and bronze-tinted UV filters.

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The physicochemical property of phenolic acids to generate hydrogen peroxide (HO) in cell culture media has been underreported when describing multiple biological effects in vitro. Our aim was to focus on examining the relative capacity of four common phenolic acids widely consumed in the Western diet for autoxidation potential to generate HO during in vitro culture. Furthermore, quantifying HO derived from different phenolic acids cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) was associated with changes in cell proliferation in non-differentiated human intestinal carcinoma cells.

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First Nations (FN) communities have traditionally used smoke to preserve fish for food security purposes. In this study, an assessment of chemical and microbiological food safety, together with nutritional quality, was conducted on fish preserved using traditional smoke processing. High-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) residues accounted for only 0.

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The effects of Pulsed Light (PL) technology on the anthocyanin condensation reaction in model wine solutions were investigated. Model wine solutions containing malvidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside were separately prepared with the presence of (-)-epicatechin and acetaldehyde. The solutions were subjected to PL treatment with 2, 4, and 8 J/cm energy and stored in 10 °C.

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Ball milling at ambient temperatures can accelerate the formation and accumulation of early-stage Maillard reaction intermediates considered important precursors of aromas and antioxidants. In this study, using chemical and biological assays, we explored the potential of sequential milling and heating to enhance the antioxidant and aroma-generating capacity of Maillard model systems. Milling (30 Hz/30 min) followed by dry heating (90 °C/30 min) of glycine or lysine with glucose significantly increased not only the intensity of their aroma-active compounds as analyzed by headspace-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) but also their free radical scavenging capacity as assessed by 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoneline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays.

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Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are an important point of contact between dietary food components consumed and subsequent whole-body utilization for body maintenance and growth. Selective bioactive phenolic acids, widely present in fruits, vegetables and beverages can generate hydrogen peroxide (HO) and contribute to the cellular redox balance, hence influencing well-known cellular antioxidant and pro-oxidant mechanisms. Our findings have showed that increasing extracellular HO resulted in associated changes in intracellular HO levels in Caco-2 cells (p < 0.

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Insulin nanoparticles (NPs) with high loading content have found diverse applications in different dosage forms. This work aimed to evaluate the impact of freeze-drying and spray drying process on the structures of insulin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles, with or without mannitol as cryoprotectants. We also assessed the quality of these nanoparticles by redissolving them.

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The Maillard reaction (MR), or non-enzymatic browning, involves reducing sugars reacting with amino acids, peptides, or proteins when heated to produce an abundance of products that contribute to sensory, nutritional, and functional qualities of the food system. One example of an important functional quality of MR relates to antioxidant capacity, which has relevance to preserve food quality and also to extend a potential role that may promote gastrointestinal health. The addition of Alphacel (10%), a non-reactive polysaccharide, to MR reactants produced small significant ( < 0.

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The use of natural surfactants including plant extracts, plant hydrocolloids and proteins in nanoemulsion systems has received commercial interest due to demonstrated safety of use and potential health benefits of plant products. In this study, a whey protein isolate (WPI) from a byproduct of cheese production was used to stabilize a nanoemulsion formulation that contained hempseed oil and the L. extract (AHE).

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Mangiferin is a potential candidate for use in nutraceutical and functional food applications due to its numerous bioactivities. However, the low bioavailability of mangiferin is a major limitation for establishing efficacy for use. This review describes current information on known food sources and factors that influence mangiferin contents, absorption, and metabolism features, and recent progress that has come from research efforts to increase the bioavailability of mangiferin.

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Plant-based protein sources have a characteristic aroma that limits their usage in various meat-alternative formulations. Despite being the most popular plant-based protein, the allergenicity of soy protein severely restricts the potential adoption of soy protein as an animal substitute. Thereby, allergen-free plant-protein sources need to be characterized.

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Fatty acid content and lipid oxidation products were compared in chicken breast and leg meats derived from birds fed on animal-fat- and vegetable-oil-based diets, supplemented with ginseng prong powder. The first experiment examined polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content and the formation of primary and secondary lipid oxidation products in meats stored at refrigeration temperatures (4 °C) for up to 10 days, while the second experiment examined similar changes in the poultry meats when frozen stored at -18 °C, for up to six months. Results showed that initial lipid hydroperoxide concentrations increased in both breast and leg meat within the first week of refrigerated storage and also was ongoing during the first three to four months of frozen storage.

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Turmeric, the rhizome of Curcuma longa plant belonging to the ginger family Zingiberaceae, has a history in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of chronic diseases, including metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This parallels a prevalence of age- and lifestyle-related diseases, especially CVD and type 2 diabetes (T2D), and associated mortality which has occurred in recent decades. While the chemical composition of turmeric is complex, curcuminoids and essential oils are known as two major groups that display bioactive properties.

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Emerging formulation technologies aimed to produce nanoemulsions with improved characteristics, such as stability are attractive endeavors; however, comparisons between competing technologies are lacking. In this study, two formulation techniques that employed ultrasound and microfluidic approaches, respectively, were examined for relative capacity to produce serviceable oil in water nanoemulsions, based on hempseed oil (HSO). The ultrasound method reached > 99.

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Background This study reports on the relative effects of administrating a cyanidin-3--glucoside-rich black rice fraction (BRF), a standardized wood sterol mixture (WS), and a combination of both to lower plasma and target tissue lipid concentrations in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats fed atherogenic diets. Methods Male WKY ( = 40) rats were randomly divided into five groups, which included a nonatherogenic control diet and atherogenic diets that included a positive control and atherogenic diets supplemented with BRF or WS, respectively, and a combination of both BRF + WS. Plasma and target tissue liver, heart and aorta cholesterol, and triacylglycerides (TAG) content were also measured.

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This work focused on the development of starch-based (potato, corn, sweet potato, green bean and tapioca) edible packaging film incorporated with blueberry pomace powder (BPP). The optical, mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties were subsequently tested. The film color was not affected by the addition of BPP.

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