digestion and fermentation characteristics of eight kinds of pulses and suggestions for different populations.

Pulse-based diets are attracting attention for their potential in combating diet-related non-communicable diseases. However, limited research studies have focused on the digestive and fermentative properties of pulses, which are crucial for exerting benefits. Here, we investigated the digestibility of starch/protein, along with the fermentation characteristics, of eight pulses and their pastes, including white kidney beans, adzuki beans, cowpeas, broad beans, mung beans, chickpeas, white lentils, and yellow peas.

Lipid metabolism regulation by dietary polysaccharides with different structural properties.

Lipid metabolism plays an important role in energy homeostasis maintenance in response to stress. Nowadays, hyperlipidemia-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and fatty liver pose significant health challenges. Dietary polysaccharides (DPs) have gained attention for their effective lipid-lowering properties.

A review: Effects of microbial fermentation on the structure and bioactivity of polysaccharides in plant-based foods.

Fermented plant-based foods that catering to consumers' diverse dietary preferences play an important role in promoting human health. Recent exploration of their nutritional value has sparked increasing interest in the structural and bioactive changes of polysaccharides during fermentation, the essential components of plant-based foods which have been extensively studied for their structures and functional properties. Based on the latest key findings, this review summarized the dominant fermented plant-based foods in the market, the involved microbes and plant polysaccharides, and the corresponding modification in polysaccharides structure.

Insoluble/soluble fraction ratio determines effects of dietary fiber on gut microbiota and serum metabolites in healthy mice.

Both soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) play pivotal roles in maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis; whether the effects of the different ratios of IDF and SDF are consistent remains unclear. Consequently, we selected SDFs and IDFs from six representative foods (apple, celery, kale, black fungus, oats, and soybeans) and formulated nine dietary fiber recipes composed of IDF and SDF with a ratio from 1 : 9 to 9 : 1 (NDFR) to compare their impact on microbial effects with healthy mice. We discovered that NDFR treatment decreased the abundance of Proteobacteria and the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes at the phylum level.

Polysaccharides from fermented coix seed modulates circulating nitrogen and immune function by altering gut microbiota.

L. seed is an important food item in Asia with culinary and medicinal values. The effects of non-fermented coix seed (NFC), fermented coix seed with NCU137 (FC) and polysaccharides from NFC, FC (FCP) on mice circulating nitrogen and immune disorder induced by high relative humidity (RH, 90 ± 2%) exposure were compared.

Effects of tea polysaccharides in combination with polyphenols on dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice.

Both tea polysaccharides (TPS) and tea polyphenols (TPP) are promising in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the effects of their combination against IBD are still unknown. In the present study, the therapeutic effects of TPS, TPP and TPS + TPP on dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice were investigated.

Gut microbial utilization of xylan and its implication in gut homeostasis and metabolic response.

Xylan as the second most abundant indigestible carbohydrate found in nature attracts great interests of researchers, nutritionist and consumers due to its various health benefits. However, accumulated studies indicate the interactions with gut microbiota greatly affect these benefits, and significant progress has been made over the past few years to understand how microbes utilize xylan at gene level. In this review, we focused on gut xylanolytic microbes and xylan's physico-chemical features, summarized the xylanases needed for complete xylan decomposition, their substrate specificity and the presence in gut microbes, as well as microbial degradation of xylan in single strain mode and cooperation mode.

Short-term exposure to high relative humidity increases blood urea and influences colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism by altering the gut microbiota.

Introduction: Colonic urea-nitrogen metabolites have been implicated in the pathogenesis of certain diseases which can be affected by environmental factors.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the influence of ambient humidity on colonic urea-nitrogen metabolism.

Methods: Blood biochemical indexes, metabolites of intestinal tract, and gut microbiota composition of mice ( = 10/group) exposed to high relative humidity (RH, 90 ± 2%) were analyzed during the 14-day exposure.

In vitro digestion of eight types of wholegrains and their dietary recommendations for different populations.

Wholegrains have been promoted for human consumption due to their various health benefits. However, different wholegrains vary in nutritional composition and their beneficial impact on health. In this study, we compared the in vitro starch and protein digestibility, as well as dietary fiber content of eight different wholegrains including barley, buckwheat, coix seed, foxtail millet, oat, proso millet, quinoa, and sorghum and their porridges.

Microbiota-related effects of prebiotic fibres in lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemic mice: short chain fatty acid production and gut commensal translocation.

Fructans such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin have been reported to directly regulate ileal inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemic mice, without alterations in the colonic microbiota. Firstly, we replicated this model and found that a single gavage of 10 mg g of fructans directly promoted caecal acetate and propionate production. Thus, the previous understanding of microbiota-independent effects of prebiotic fructans in endotoxemic mice has been challenged.

Effects of fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum NCU137 on nutritional, sensory and stability properties of Coix (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) seed.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum NCU137 on the nutritional, sensory and stability properties of Coix (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) seed. The nutritional compounds, including free amino acid, free fatty acid, soluble dietary fiber and organic acids of fermented coix seed were significantly (p < 0.

Effects of insoluble and soluble fibers isolated from barley on blood glucose, serum lipids, liver function and caecal short-chain fatty acids in type 2 diabetic and normal rats.

Large prospective cohort studies suggested an important role of cereal insoluble fiber in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, which challenge the traditional view that viscosity and solubility are the main driving factors for these beneficial effects of dietary fiber. To evaluate the anti-diabetic effects of insoluble- (BIF) and soluble fibers (BSF) enzymatically isolated from barley, a conventional rat model and a type 2 diabetes rat model were used. Our results showed that 4-week treatment of BIF or BSF effectively reduced FBG in the diabetic condition, with caecal level of propionic acid and minor SCFAs increased by BIF and that of butyric acid and insulin sensitivity improved by BSF, respectively.

pH and lipid unsaturation impact the formation of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in model system at frying temperature.

The effect of unsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) and triglycerides (TGs) on the formation of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) at frying temperature was investigated. We hypothesized that the nature of the precursors generated by the Maillard reaction in the presence of FFAs and TGs, such as the Amadori product and α-dicarbonyl compounds, would impact acrylamide and HMF formation. Interestingly, the initial pH of the aqueous phase impairs the observed effect of the addition of lipids on the formation of acrylamide.

Improved -mediated enhancer trap identifies weakly expressed genes during liver and β cell development and regeneration in zebrafish.

The liver and pancreas are two major digestive organs, and among the different cell types in them, hepatocytes and the insulin-producing β cells have roles in both health and diseases. Accordingly, clinicians and researchers are very interested in the mechanisms underlying the development and regeneration of liver and pancreatic β cells. Gene and enhancer traps such as the transposon-based system are useful for identifying genes potentially involved in developmental processes in the zebrafish model.

Effects of barley variety, dietary fiber and β-glucan content on bile acid composition in cecum of rats fed low- and high-fat diets.

Diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance have been linked to changes in bile acid (BA) profiles, which in turn are highly dependent on the dietary composition and activity of the gut microbiota. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the type and level of fiber had an effect on cecal BA composition when included in low- and high-fat diets. Groups of rats were fed two barley varieties, which resulted in three test diets containing three levels of β-glucans and two levels of dietary fiber.

Barley malt increases hindgut and portal butyric acid, modulates gene expression of gut tight junction proteins and Toll-like receptors in rats fed high-fat diets, but high advanced glycation end-products partially attenuate the effects.

Barley malt, a product of controlled germination, has been shown to produce high levels of butyric acid in the cecum and portal serum of rats and may therefore have anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of the study was to investigate how four barley malts, caramelized and colored malts, 50-malt and 350-malt, differing in functional characteristics concerning beta-glucan content and color, affect short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), barrier function and inflammation in the hindgut of rats fed high-fat diets. Male Wistar rats were given malt-supplemented high-fat diets for four weeks.

Modulation of gut microbiota in rats fed high-fat diets by processing whole-grain barley to barley malt.

Scope: The gut microbiota is linked with human health, and by manipulating its composition, health conditions might be improved. The aim of this study was to investigate whether two barley products, whole-grain barley and barley malt, caused differentiation of the cecal microbiota in rats fed high-fat diets and whether there were correlations with the short-chain fatty acids formed.

Methods And Results: Male Wistar rats were given barley or malt (7-8 dietary fiber/100 g) for 4 weeks.

Effects of two whole-grain barley varieties on caecal SCFA, gut microbiota and plasma inflammatory markers in rats consuming low- and high-fat diets.

Mixed-linkage β-glucans are fermented by the colon microbiota that give rise to SCFA. Propionic and butyric acids have been found to play an important role in colonic health, as well as they may have extraintestinal metabolic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate how two whole-grain barley varieties differing in dietary fibre and β-glucan content affected caecal SCFA, gut microbiota and some plasma inflammatory markers in rats consuming low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF) diets.

Prebiotic and synbiotic effects on rats fed malted barley with selected bacteria strains.

Background: Butyric acid, one of the key products formed when β-glucans are degraded by the microbiota in the colon, has been proposed to be important for colonic health. Glutamine bound to the fibre may have similar effects once it has been liberated from the fibre in the colon. Both β-glucans and glutamine are found in high amounts in malted barley.