Publications by authors named "Zong Cai Tu"

This study investigated the progressive structural changes of fish gelatin in thermally reversible (TR) and irreversible (TI) states, formed through microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) cross-linking during in vitro gastric digestion. The focus was on dynamic structural changes and gastric digestion characteristics. Free amino content and SDS-PAGE analyses showed that both TR and TI groups were hydrolyzed into smaller fragments by pepsin during digestion.

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Tannin is the main naturally occurring phytochemicals in Rubus chingii Hu with poor digestive stability and low bioavailability. In this study, oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion gels encapsulating Rubus chingii Hu ellagitannins (RCHT) were fabricated and their structure, rheology, stability, in vitro digestion and in vivo metabolism were characterized. The W/O emulsion gel showed smaller particle size, better pH stability, thermal stability, centrifugal stability and storage stability.

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This study analyzes the interactions among Maillard reaction products (MRPs), digestibility and antioxidant activity in a β-lactoglobulin-glucose (βlg-Glu) model system during superheated steam treatment at 120 °C for 1 to 5 min. With an increase in treatment duration, there were significant increases in glucose loss, grafting degree, browning, and the formation of intermediate products in βlg-Glu. Characteristic MRPs, including α-dicarbonyl compounds, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), were formed through the degradation of sugars and condensation reactions between carbonyls and amines, accompanied by an increase in oxidative products.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored how whey protein isolate (WPI) conjugated with galacto-oligosaccharides can boost the immune system in mice that were immunosuppressed due to cyclophosphamide treatment.
  • Using dynamic high-pressure microfluidics, the researchers created these conjugates, which reduced harmful compounds in the body and significantly improved immune function, as shown by increased IgG levels and decreased immunosuppressive factors.
  • Genetic and metabolic analyses highlighted the activation of specific genes and pathways related to macrophage function, suggesting that the immune enhancement from the conjugates is closely linked to macrophage activation.
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Undaria pinnatifida (Up) is an edible seaweed known for its abundant nutrients and active compounds. In this research, six different methods, including acid hydrolysis extraction (AHE), alkaline hydrolysis extraction (LHE), enzymatic hydrolysis extraction (EHE), as well as their combinations with ultrasonic assisted extraction (AHE-U, LHE-U, EHE-U), were applied to extract non-extractable polyphenols from Up (UNEPPs). Results revealed that LHE-U was the most effective way to extract UNEPPs, it gave the highest yield (1.

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This study examined the rheological properties, interfacial characteristics, particle size, zeta potential, Turbiscan stability index (TSI), morphology, and encapsulation efficiency of curcumin (Cur) loaded fish gelatin (FG) emulsions modified with γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA). The results showed that adding γ-PGA significantly increased curcumin encapsulation efficiency. At 0.

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The effects of dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) on the structural, emulsifying properties, in vitro digestion and antioxidant activity of whey protein isolate (WPI) were investigated. The results demonstrated that WPI treated with 100 MPa DHPM exhibited superior emulsification performance. This can be attributed to the conformational changes induced by 100 MPa DHPM in WPI, leading to a transformation from disordered structures to ordered structures and an increased exposure of fluorophore such as tryptophan residues and hydrophobic groups, reduced aggregation state and particle size of WPI.

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Background: Emulsions are thermally unstable systems. This research aimed to investigate the thermal stability of fish gelatin (FG) oil-in-water emulsions in the presence of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) as an additive after heat treatment. The study assessed how γ-PGA influences the thermal stability of FG emulsions over time, focusing on their properties, structure, and food application potential.

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The study aimed to investigating the mechanisms of relieved intestinal barrier damage by dynamic high-pressure microfluidization assisted with galactooligosaccharide- glycated whey protein isolate. The modifications changed the multi-structure, and the modified whey protein isolate could promote the proliferation of IEC-6 cells and contributed to the restoration of LPS-induced occludin damage in IEC-6 cells. Also, it could repair cyclophosphamide-induced ileal villus rupture and crypt destruction in BALB/c mice, significantly altered the abundance of dominant bacteria, which were associated with propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, and valeric acid.

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The effect of whey protein isolate (WPI)- galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)/fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) conjugates on RAW264.7 cells, and further the effect of WPI-GOS conjugates on CTX-induced immunosuppressed mice were investigated. Compared to WPI-FOS conjugates, WPI-GOS conjugates exhibited deeper glycation extent, more pronounced structural unfolding and helix-destabilizing, and obviously improved functional indicators of RAW264.

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We prepared the β-lactoglobulin (BLG)-ferulic acid (FA)-glucose (Glu) conjugates by alkaline method and Maillard reaction to assess the allergenicity. FA and Glu can form a ternary covalent conjugate with BLG, as evidenced by the shortening of SEC retention time, upward migration of SDS-PAGE protein bands, considerable decrease in free amino and sulfhydryl content, and changes in multistructure. BLG-Glu-FA conjugates weakly bound to immunoglobulin E in allergic sera was weak, reduced interleukin 4 and tumor necrosis factor α levels in RBL-2H3 cells and histamin and interleukin 6 secretion levels in KU812 cells, and inhibited the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

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Phospholipid and nucleotide syntheses are fundamental metabolic processes in eukaryotic organisms, with their dysregulation implicated in various disease states. Despite their importance, the interplay between these pathways remains poorly understood. Using genetic and metabolic analyses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we elucidate how cytidine triphosphate usage in the Kennedy pathway for phospholipid synthesis influences nucleotide metabolism and redox balance.

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This work was to investigate the effect of four prebiotic saccharides gum arabic (GA), fructooligosaccharide (FOS), konjac glucomannan (KGM), and inulin (INU) incorporation on the encapsulation efficiency (EE), physicochemical stability, and in vitro digestion of urolithin A-loaded liposomes (UroA-LPs). The regulation of liposomes on gut microbiota was also investigated by in vitro colonic fermentation. Results indicated that liposomes coated with GA showed the best EE, bioaccessibility, storage and thermal stability, the bioaccessibility was 1.

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This study found that, after microwave treatment at 560 W for 30 s, alkaline protease enzymolysis significantly reduced the allergenicity of ovalbumin (OVA). Furthermore, specific adsorption of allergenic anti-enzyme hydrolyzed peptides in the enzymatic products by immunoglobulin G (IgG) bound to magnetic bead further decreased the allergenicity of OVA. The results indicated that microwave treatment disrupts the structure of OVA, increasing the accessibility of OVA to the alkaline protease.

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A novel strategy combining ferulic acid and glucose was proposed to reduce β-lactoglobulin (BLG) allergenicity and investigate whether the reduction in allergenicity was associated with gut microbiome and serum metabolism. As a result, the multistructure of BLG changed, and the modified BLG decreased significantly the contents of IgE, IgG, IgG, and mMCP-1 in serum, improved the diversity and structural composition of gut microbiota, and increased the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in allergic mice. Meanwhile, allergic mice induced by BLG affected arachidonic acid, tryptophan, and other metabolic pathways in serum, the modified BLG inhibited the production of metabolites in arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and significantly increased tryptophan metabolites, and this contribution helps in reducing BLG allergenicity.

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In this work, the effect of the addition of γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) on the rheology, physicochemical properties, and microstructure of fish gelatin (FG) emulsion gel was investigated. Samples of the emulsion gel were evaluated for rheological behavior and stability prior to gelation. The mechanical properties and water-holding capacity (WHC) of the emulsion were determined after gelation.

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The influence of ultrasonic pretreatment on the release and antioxidant activity of potential antioxidant peptides after in-vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion of β-lactoglobulin (BLG) were measured by HPLC-MS/MS, chemical and cellular-based assays. The gastrointestinal digest was fractionated into four fractions by Sephadex G-25 gel filtration column, and fractions showed a considerable ABTS· scavenging ability. The fraction with the strongest antioxidant activity was produced by ultrasonicated BLG after gastrointestinal digestion, which relies on ultrasonic-promoted proteolysis to produce many small-molecule antioxidant peptides.

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Urolithin A (UroA) is gut metabolites of ellagitannins possessing a vast range of biological activities, but its poor water solubility and low bioavailability hinder its potential applications. This study utilized the pH dependent dissolution characteristics of UroA and employed a simple pH-driven method to load UroA into liposomes. The characterization and stability of obtained liposomes under different conditions were evaluated, and their oral bioavailability was tested by pharmacokinetics, and compared with UroA liposomes prepared using traditional thin film dispersion (TFM-ULs).

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Ovalbumin (OVA) is a major allergen in hen eggs. Enzymolysis has been demonstrated as an efficient method for reducing OVA allergenicity. This study demonstrates that microwave pretreatment (MP) at 400 W for 20 s assisting bromelain enzymolysis further decreases the allergenicity of OVA, which was attributed to the increase in the degree of hydrolysis and promoted the destruction of IgE-binding epitopes.

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Methionine restriction (MR) provides metabolic benefits in many organisms. However, mechanisms underlying the MR-induced effect remain incompletely understood. Here, we show in the budding yeast S.

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This work intends to perform a comparative study on the allergenic potential of β-lactoglobulin (BLG)-glucose, BLG-caffeic acid and BLG-caffeoyl glucopyranose conjugates. The modifications changed the molecular weight and multi-structure of BLG and destroyed the allergenic epitope, which resulted in a decrease in the IgE binding level and the release ability of histamine and IL-6 in KU812 cells. Compared with BLG, the conjugates reduced the serum levels of IgG, IgE, β-Hex and IL-4 , while increasing the level of interferon-γ, which caused an imbalance of Th1/Th2 immune response.

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Gelatin emulsion was an important process for preparing gelatin films. A gelatin film with water resistance and ductility could be prepared using gelatin emulsion, whereas the prepared gelatin film has several defects (e.g.

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Alba (PRA), as a Traditional Chinese Medicine, is widely used in Chinese cuisine due to high health-benefits and nutrition, but the effect of different polarity of solvents on the extraction of antioxidant and hypoglycemic constituents, as well as the major active compounds remain unclear. In this research, 40, 70, and 95% ethanol were firstly applied to extract the polyphenols from PRA, the extraction yields, total phenolics, and total flavonoids content, free radical scavenging ability, α-glucosidase inhibition ability, and anti-glycation ability of extracts were evaluated spectroscopically. The oxidative damage protection, hypoglycemic activity, and alleviation on peripheral nerve damage were evaluated by HO-induced HepG2 cells and hyperglycemic zebrafish models.

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(RPA) is often used as food and medicine. This study aimed to enrich and identify the antioxidant and hypoglycemic bioactive compounds from RPA. The results indicated that the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) showed the highest total phenolic content, DPPH, ABTS scavenging ability, and α-glucosidase inhibition ability (IC = 7.

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