GC/EI-MS Determination of the Diastereomer Distribution of Phytanic Acid in Food Samples

In vitro characterization of anti-inflammatory activities of 3RS, 7R, 11R-phytanic acid

The aim of the research described here was to investigate the in vitro immunomodulatory effects of 3RS, 7R, 11R-phytanic acid (3RS-PHY) from the perspective of efficacy against autoimmune diseases. 3RS-PHY is a milk component with strong agonist activity at the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR). As PPAR is a therapeutic target for several human diseases, 3RS-PHY intake may have possible health benefits. Recently, we chemically synthesized a preparation of 3RS-PHY and demonstrated that 3RS-PHY inhibited T-cell production of interferon (IFN)-γ. However, the overall immunomodulatory effects were not evaluated. In this study, mouse splenocytes, purified T-cells and B-cells were stimulated by mitogens and incubated with 3RS-PHY, followed by evaluation of cytokine and antibody production. A macrophage-like cell line J774.1 was also incubated with 3RS-PHY to evaluate nitric oxide production. 3RS-PHY decreased mRNA levels not only of IFN-γ but also of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10 and IL-17A in splenocytes and similar effects were confirmed at the protein level. In addition, 3RS-PHY had a direct action on T-cells with preferential inhibitory effects on Th1 and Th17 cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-17A. Furthermore, 3RS-PHY suppressed antibody secretion by B-cells and nitric oxide production by J774.1 almost completely, indicating that 3RS-PHY is a bioactive fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties. These findings encourage further investigations, including in vivo experiments, to evaluate whether 3RS-PHY actually shows the potential to prevent autoimmune diseases, and provide basic information to produce milk and dairy products with an increased 3RS-PHY concentration.

Molecular evidence for new foodways in the early colonial Caribbean: organic residue analysis at Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico

Ceramic objects account for over 90% of the cultural material recovered from archaeological sites in the Caribbean. However, little research has been conducted on molecular evidence for past food production from these same vessels. Forty ceramic sherds from Isla de Mona have been analysed by GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS in order to address questions surrounding foodways in the Greater Antilles prior to and post European arrival. We evaluate evidence for dietary changes to illuminate aspects of cultural exchange between Indigenous populations and the first generations of Spanish colonists. Here, we show that plant residues are found in a variety of pottery forms, with some evidence for non-ruminant and ruminant fats. The dearth of marine biomarkers is curious given the volume of fish bones found in archaeological contexts on Isla de Mona and may offer evidence for spit-roasting, pit-roasting, or the use of a 'barbacoa' to cook fish on the island. The ubiquity of plant residues in a variety of pottery forms may relate to the large-scale cultivation and export of cassava (Manihot esculenta) from the island. A Spanish olive jar revealed evidence of wine residues, which may constitute the earliest detection of wine residues in pottery found in the Americas.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-023-01771-y.

Naturally occurring 3RS, 7R, 11R-phytanic acid suppresses in vitro T-cell production of interferon-gamma

BACKGROUND

Among the eight stereoisomers of phytanic acid (PA), the 3RS, 7R, 11R-isomer is naturally occurring and is present in foods and the human body. PA is considered to have possible health benefits in the immune system. However, it remains undetermined whether these effects are elicited by the 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA isomer, because previous studies used a commercially available PA whose isomer configuration is unknown. In this study, we synthesized a preparation of 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA, and investigated its in vitro immunomodulatory effects, especially the T-cell production of interferon (IFN)-γ, which is associated with various autoimmune diseases. This study also investigated the effects of 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA on NF-κB activity in order to address the mechanism of its immunomodulatory effects.

METHODS

Mouse splenocytes and purified T-cells were stimulated with T-cell mitogens and incubated with 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA, followed by evaluation of IFN-γ production. The effect of 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA on NF-κB activity was also investigated using an A549 cell line with stable expression of an NF-κB-dependent luciferase reporter gene.

RESULTS

3RS, 7R, 11R-PA significantly reduced in vitro IFN-γ production at both the protein and mRNA levels, and was accompanied by decreased expression of T-bet, a key regulator of Th1 cell differentiation. The results indicated that NF-κB-mediated transcriptional activity was significantly decreased by 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA and that GW6471, an antagonist of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), abrogated the inhibitory effect of 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA on NF-κB activity.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggests that 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA is a functional and bioactive fatty acid, and has a potentially beneficial effect for amelioration of T-cell mediated autoimmune diseases. This study also indicates that interference in the NF-κB pathway via PPARα activation is a potential mechanism of the immunomodulatory effects of 3RS, 7R, 11R-PA.

Effect of incremental amounts of camelina oil on milk fatty acid composition in lactating cows fed diets based on a mixture of grass and red clover silage and concentrates containing camelina expeller

Camelina is an ancient oilseed crop that produces an oil rich in cis-9,cis-12 18:2 (linoleic acid, LA) and cis-9,cis-12,cis-15 18:3 (α-linolenic acid, ALA); however, reports on the use of camelina oil (CO) for ruminants are limited. The present study investigated the effects of incremental CO supplementation on animal performance, milk fatty acid (FA) composition, and milk sensory quality. Eight Finnish Ayrshire cows (91d in milk) were used in replicated 4×4 Latin squares with 21-d periods. Treatments comprised 4 concentrates (12kg/d on an air-dry basis) based on cereals and camelina expeller containing 0 (control), 2, 4, or 6% CO on an air-dry basis. Cows were offered a mixture of grass and red clover silage (RCS; 1:1 on a dry matter basis) ad libitum. Incremental CO supplementation linearly decreased silage and total dry matter intake, and linearly increased LA, ALA, and total FA intake. Treatments had no effect on whole-tract apparent organic matter or fiber digestibility and did not have a major influence on rumen fermentation. Supplements of CO quadratically decreased daily milk and lactose yields and linearly decreased milk protein yield and milk taste panel score from 4.2 to 3.6 [on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)], without altering milk fat yield. Inclusion of CO linearly decreased the proportions of saturated FA synthesized de novo (4:0 to 16:0), without altering milk fat 18:0, cis-9 18:1, LA, and ALA concentrations. Milk fat 18:0 was low (<5g/100g of FA) across all treatments. Increases in CO linearly decreased the proportions of total saturates from 58 to 45g/100g of FA and linearly enriched trans-11 18:1, cis-9,trans-11 18:2, and trans-11,cis-15 18:2 from 5.2, 2.6, and 1.7 to 11, 4.3, and 5.8g/100g of FA, respectively. Furthermore, CO quadratically decreased milk fat trans-10 18:1 and linearly decreased trans-10,cis-12 18:2 concentration. Overall, milk FA composition on all treatments suggested that one or more components in camelina seeds may inhibit the complete reduction of 18-carbon unsaturates in the rumen. In conclusion, CO decreased the secretion of saturated FA in milk and increased those of the trans-11 biohydrogenation pathway or their desaturation products. Despite increasing the intake of 18-carbon unsaturated FA, CO had no effect on the secretions of 18:0, cis-9 18:1, LA, or ALA in milk. Concentrates containing camelina expeller and 2% CO could be used for the commercial production of low-saturated milk from grass- and RCS-based diets without major adverse effects on animal performance.

Ancient lipids document continuity in the use of early hunter-gatherer pottery through 9,000 years of Japanese prehistory

The earliest pots in the world are from East Asia and date to the Late Pleistocene. However, ceramic vessels were only produced in large numbers during the warmer and more stable climatic conditions of the Holocene. It has long been assumed that the expansion of pottery was linked with increased sedentism and exploitation of new resources that became available with the ameliorated climate, but this hypothesis has never been tested. Through chemical analysis of their contents, we herein investigate the use of pottery across an exceptionally long 9,000-y sequence from the Jōmon site of Torihama in western Japan, intermittently occupied from the Late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene. Molecular and isotopic analyses of lipids from 143 vessels provides clear evidence that pottery across this sequence was predominantly used for cooking marine and freshwater resources, with evidence for diversification in the range of aquatic products processed during the Holocene. Conversely, there is little indication that ruminant animals or plants were processed in pottery, although it is evident from the faunal and macrobotanical remains that these foods were heavily exploited. Supported by other residue analysis data from Japan, our results show that the link between pottery and fishing was established in the Late Paleolithic and lasted well into the Holocene, despite environmental and socio-economic change. Cooking aquatic products in pottery represents an enduring social aspect of East Asian hunter-gatherers, a tradition based on a dependable technology for exploiting a sustainable resource in an uncertain and changing world.

High concentrations of furan fatty acids in organic butter samples from the German market

Furan fatty acids (F-acids) are valuable antioxidants containing a furan moiety in the central part of the molecule. They occur in the lipids of different foodstuffs and plants, with grass being the main source for their presence in milk fat and butter. Because cows from organic farming receive higher portions of grass-based feed, it was tested whether organic butter samples (n = 26) contain more F-acids than conventional ones (n = 25) in Germany. For this purpose, samples were melted, and the lipid phase was separated and transesterified into methyl esters, which were enriched using silver ion chromatography and analyzed by GC-EI/MS in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Levels of F-acids in butter were higher in summer than in winter, and in both seasons, organic samples contained significantly higher levels of F-acids than conventional ones (one-way ANOVA: p < 0.001). Furthermore, the daily intake of F-acids via milk fat and other foodstuffs was calculated.

Effect of forage conservation method on ruminal lipid metabolism and microbial ecology in lactating cows fed diets containing a 60:40 forage-to-concentrate ratio

The effect of forage conservation method on ruminal lipid metabolism and microbial ecology was examined in 2 complementary experiments in cows. Treatments comprised fresh chopped grass, barn-dried hay, or untreated (UTS) or formic acid-treated silage (FAS) prepared from the same grass sward. Preparation of conserved forages coincided with the collection of samples from cows offered fresh grass. In the first experiment, 5 multiparous Finnish Ayrshire cows (229 d in milk) were used to compare the effects of feeding diets based on grass followed by hay during 2 consecutive 14-d periods separated by a 5-d transition during which extensively wilted grass was fed. In the second experiment, 5 multiparous Finnish Ayrshire cows (53 d in milk) were assigned to 1 of 2 blocks and allocated treatments according to a replicated 3×3 Latin square design with 14-d periods to compare the effects of hay, UTS, and FAS. Cows received 7 or 9 kg/d of the same concentrate in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Conservation of grass by drying, but not ensiling, decreased forage fatty acid content primarily due to losses of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3. Compared with grass, feeding hay had no effect on dry matter intake (DMI), rumen pH, or fermentation characteristics, other than increasing ammonia content, but lowered whole-tract organic matter and fiber digestibility (experiment 1). Relative to hay, silage increased DMI, rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, and molar proportions of butyrate, and decreased molar acetate proportions (experiment 2). Compared with UTS, FAS increased DMI, had no effect on rumen ammonia or VFA concentrations, but tended to lower rumen pH and the molar ratio of lipogenic to glucogenic VFA. Conservation method had no substantial effect on ruminal or whole-tract digestibility coefficients. Compared with fresh grass and silages, hay decreased lipolysis and biohydrogenation (BH) of dietary unsaturates in the rumen, resulting in similar flows of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, but lower amounts of trans-11 18:1 and Δ11,13 18:2 at the omasum. The extent of silage fermentation had minimal influence on ruminal lipid metabolism. Treatments were not associated with changes in the relative abundance of specific bacteria known to be capable of BH or rumen protozoal numbers. In conclusion, conservation method altered forage lipids, the extent of lipolysis and BH in the rumen, and the flow of fatty acids at the omasum, in the absence of substantial changes in ruminal Butyrivibrio populations.

Analytical authentication of organic products: an overview of markers

Consumers' interest in organic foods is increasing and so is the need for robust analytical tools for their authentication. This review focuses on the most promising biomarkers/analytical approaches that are available for the authentication of organic produce. Food products have been subdivided into two groups: foods of plant origin (crops) and foods of animal origin (meat, milk and dairy products, eggs and fish). For each food category the most suitable biomarkers are presented and their potential for authentication is discussed. In the light of current knowledge, it is unlikely that the authentication of organic food products can be attained by the measurement of a single marker. Analytical approaches based on the measurement of multiple markers and/or complex chemical or physical profiles/fingerprints supported by multivariate statistical analysis seem considerably more promising in this respect. For the development of robust classification models, well-designed experimental studies must be performed that rely on data sets that are both well balanced and of sufficient size to ensure that all relevant sources of variation for the target biomarkers are included in the reference database.

Content and distribution of phytanic acid diastereomers in organic milk as affected by feed composition

Phytanic acid (PA) is a bioactive compound found in milk that is derived from the phytol chain of chlorophyll, and the content of PA in milk fat depends on the availability of phytol from feed. In this study, the content of PA diastereomers was analyzed in milk sampled from five organic herds twice during the grazing season (May and September). The total content of PA was higher in September compared to May, but was not affected by breed (Danish Holstein or Danish Jersey). Total PA could not be directly related to intake of green feed items. The distribution between diastereomers was closely related to the amount of grazed clovers, where a higher intake resulted in a higher share of the RRR isomer.