Culinary practices mimicking a polysaccharide-rich recipe enhance the bioaccessibility of fat-soluble micronutrients

Association of serum lycopene concentrations with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with chronic kidney disease: A cohort study

Background

Lycopene is one of the hydrocarbon carotenoids which is largely studied for its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as improvement of endothelial function and anti-arteriosclerosis effects. The use of lycopene has been shown to reduce mortality in the general population. However, few studies have examined the association between serum lycopene level and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Method

This study included 7,683 adults with CKD from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994) and NHANES 2001-2006. Mortality status and cause of death were ascertained by linkage to National Death Index records through 31 December 2018. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CIs for mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Result

During a median follow-up time of 309 months, there were 5,226 total deaths. The median (interquartile range) serum lycopene concentration was 20.0 (12.0, 32.0) μg/dl. After fully adjusted, restricted cubic spline analyses reported that higher serum lycopene concentrations were significantly associated with decreased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in participants with CKD (P < 0.001, P = 0.001). When extreme quartiles of serum lycopene concentrations were compared, the multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.778 (0.714-0.848) for all-cause mortality (P < 0.001), and 0.791 (0.692-0.905) for CVD mortality (P < 0.001). Specifically, higher serum lycopene decreased the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality at both CKD stage 1-2 and stage 3-5. Further subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses supported the current results.

Conclusion

Higher serum lycopene was independently associated with a decreased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with CKD. These findings suggested that maintain serum lycopene concentrations could lower mortality risk in CKD patients.

Lycopene: A Natural Arsenal in the War against Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Diseases

Lycopene is a bioactive red pigment found in plants, especially in red fruits and vegetables, including tomato, pink guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. Several research reports have advocated its positive impact on human health and physiology. For humans, lycopene is an essential substance obtained from dietary sources to fulfil the body requirements. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative stress and downstream complications include one of the major health concerns worldwide. In recent years, oxidative stress and its counter strategies have attracted biomedical research in order to manage the emerging health issues. Lycopene has been reported to directly interact with ROS, which can help to prevent chronic diseases, including diabetes and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. In this context, the present review article was written to provide an accumulative account of protective and ameliorative effects of lycopene on coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that fights ROS and, subsequently, complications. It reduces blood pressure via inhibiting the angiotensin-converting enzyme and regulating nitrous oxide bioavailability. It plays an important role in lowering of LDL (low-density lipoproteins) and improving HDL (high-density lipoproteins) levels to minimize atherosclerosis, which protects the onset of coronary artery disease and hypertension. Various studies have advocated that lycopene exhibited a combating competence in the treatment of these diseases. Owing to all the antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive properties, lycopene provides a potential nutraceutical with a protective and curing ability against coronary artery disease and hypertension.

A kinetic study of carotenoid degradation during storage of papaya chips obtained by vacuum frying with saturated and unsaturated oils

The aim of the study was to evaluate the degradation kinetics of carotenoids (CTs) in vacuum-fried papaya (Carica papaya L.) chips (PCs) during storage at four temperatures (15, 25, 35 and 45 °C) for 52 and 94 days for the two highest and lowest temperatures, respectively. Three treatments were applied to obtain the chips: chips with soy oil (24% lipids) and chips with palm oil (24% and 29% lipids). All the chips were packaged under air or nitrogen conditions. The CTs analyzed by HPLC-DAD were per order of content all-E-lycopene (LYC), Z-lycopene (Z-LYC), all-E-β-carotene (BC), all-E-β-cryptoxanthin (BCX) and Z-β-carotene (Z-BC). The all-E-forms represented 80% of carotenoids in PCs. No significant carotenoid degradation was observed in the PCs packaged under nitrogen conditions during storage. For chips stored under air conditions, a second-order kinetic model best fitted the experimental data. Rate constants for LYC degradation were the lowest, while BCX and BC presented similar rate constants 4-23-fold higher depending on lipid composition. All Z-isomers degraded faster than all-E-forms, but Z-BC degraded only 2-4-fold faster than Z-LYC. All CTs followed Arrhenius temperature-dependency pattern and LYC showed the lowest activation energies (5-21 kJ/mol). A higher lipid content in the chips with palm oil enhanced the carotenoid retention in PCs. Moreover, a greater retention (p < 0.05) of CTs was observed in PCs with soy oil. The use of soy oil instead of palm oil increased the theoretical half-life (at 25 °C) by 2.2, 1.3 and 5.9-fold for BCX, BC and LYC, respectively. Packaging under nitrogen conditions and lipid composition may be considered to optimize the shelf life and carotenoid retention in PCs during storage.

Cooking effects on bioaccessibility of chlorophyll pigments of the main edible seaweeds

Edible seaweeds are highly consumed food with a rich chlorophyll profile. Although seaweeds are mainly cooked ingested, the influence of cooking on the chlorophyll bioaccessibility remains unknown. In this research, cooked Nori, Sea Lettuce and Kombu were subjected to an in vitro digestion and following micellarization investigations. The processing of red seaweed does not affect the chlorophyll recovery, while cooking green and brown seaweeds implies an important increase in chlorophyll recovery after in vitro digestion. In this line, while cooking affects negatively the micellarization rate of chlorophyll derivatives in Nori and Kombu, it does not modify the micellarization in Sea Lettuce. Generally, the chlorophyll bioaccessibility of microwaved seaweeds is always higher than that of boiled ones. However, cooking improves the chlorophyll bioaccessibility in brown seaweeds, while decreases in red seaweeds. In conclusion, the characteristics of food matrix are the determinant factor on the chlorophyll bioaccessibility of cooked seaweeds.

Comparative analysis of selected bioactive components (fatty acids, tocopherols, xanthophyll, lycopene, phenols) and basic nutrients in raw and thermally processed camelina, sunflower, and flax seeds (Camelina sativa L. Crantz, Helianthus L., and Linum L.)

The aim of study was to determine the content of basic nutrients, the level of fatty acids, tocopherols, xanthophyll, and lycopene, and the total phenolic content in camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) (Cs), sunflower (Helianthus L.) (Ha), and flax (Linum L.) (Lu) seeds. The seeds were either raw or subjected to processing, i.e. boiling, micronization, or microwave roasting. The basic chemical composition was established and the fatty acid composition as well as the content of tocopherol (α, β, γ, δ, total), β-carotenoids, xanthophyll, lycopene, and total phenolics were determined in the analyzed oil seeds. The analyzed oil seeds are a rich source of protein and PUFAs as well as α-tocopherols (Ha) and γ-tocopherols (Cs, Lu), xanthophyll, and phenolics One portion of seeds covered from 746/513 (Cs) to as much as 1209/813% (Lu) (female/male) of the ALA daily intake. The AI value in the processed seeds increased (P < 0.05) and the values of H/H and HC declined (P < 0.05). The oil seed processing resulted in loss of most nutrients and bioactive constituents and appearance of some amounts of trans isomers, especially in the microwave roasted seeds (0.99-1.79 g/100 g crude lipid). The phenolic content decreased in the boiled seeds (Ha: 1301; Cs: 578.3, and Lu: 62.75 mg/100 g).

Bioaccessibility of Biofortified Sweet Potato Carotenoids in Baby Food: Impact of Manufacturing Process

Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), a biofortified crop rich in β-carotene, can be used as a component of baby food recipes in order to tackle vitamin A deficiency in children <6 years old. In this work, the impact of formulation (addition of pumpkin, oil, and egg yolk) and industrial heat processing (pasteurization, sterilization) on carotenoid content and bioaccessibility was evaluated in an OFSP-based baby puree. A commercial OFSP baby food product from Brazil and a homemade OFSP puree were used as references. The losses of all-trans-β-carotene ranged from 16 to 21% (pasteurization, homemade) to 32% (sterilization). Because of higher particle sizes and despite a higher content in carotenoids, the homemade puree had a lower bioaccessibility (i.e., micellar transfer using in vitro digestion: 0.50%) compared with the sterilized and commercial purees (5.3-6.2%). Taking into account bioaccessibility and applying a 50% conversion to retinol, a 115 g baby portion of the sterilized OFSP-puree formulated with 2% oil provided 31.4% of the daily vitamin A requirement (RDA) for children under 6 years. In comparison, 115 g of homemade OFSP-puree provided only 3.5% of the RDA. Addition of pumpkin to OFSP did not improve the percentage of RDA. Interestingly, the incorporation of an emulsifier (egg yolk powder) before cooking could improve the percentage of provision by a factor of 2.7. These results showed that reaching a balance between formulation and processing is determinant to maximize carotenoid bioaccessibility of carotenoids from OFSP-based baby food.

Effect of lycopene supplementation on cardiovascular parameters and markers of inflammation and oxidation in patients with coronary vascular disease

Oxidative stress and antioxidant deficiency play a pivotal role in initiation, development, and outcomes of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacokinetic parameters as well as the impact of highly bioavailable lycopene on cardiovascular variables, markers of inflammation and oxidation were investigated during a 30-day clinical trial in patients with coronary vascular disease. The patients were randomized into two major groups and were supplemented with a single 7 mg daily dose of lycopene ingested either in the form of lactolycopene (68 patients) or in the form of lycosome-formulated GA lycopene (74 patients). The endpoints included cardiovascular function parameters, serum lipids, and four markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Ingestion of lycosome-formulated lycopene increased serum lycopene levels by 2.9- and 4.3-fold, respectively, after 2 and 4 weeks of the trial, whereas supplementation with lactolycopene upregulated serum lycopene by half-fold only after 4 weeks of ingestion. Lycosome formulation of lycopene resulted by the end of the trial in a threefold reduction in Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG and reduction to the same degree of the inflammatory oxidative damage marker. The decrease in oxidized LDL caused by lycosome-formulated lycopene was fivefold. Moreover, supplementation with lycosome-formulated lycopene was accompanied by a significant increase in tissue oxygenation and flow-mediated dilation by the end of the observational period. In contrast, lactolycopene did not cause any significant changes in the parameters studied. Therefore, enhanced bioavailability of lycopene promotes its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions and endorses a positive effect of lycopene on cardiovascular system.

Oxidative status of a yogurt-like fermented maize product containing phytosterols

This work describes the formulation of a functional yogurt-like product based on fermented maize with added phytosterols and its oxidative stability during cold storage. The technological challenge was to stabilize 3.5% esterified phytosterols (between 2 and 3 g of free sterols) in a low-fat emulsion and to preserve the obtained product throughout processing and storage. The natural bioactive compounds: lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and γ-tocopherol were detected in the yogurt, and remained stable during 12 days of refrigeration. Higher content of C18:1 n-9 and C18:3 n-3 (six and ninefold, respectively) were obtained in samples with phytosterols. This was desirable from a nutritional point of view, but at the same time it induced lipid oxidation that was 1.4-fold higher in the product with phytosterols than in the controls. The use of a multivariate approach served to find descriptors which were related to treatments, and to explain their behavior over time.

Pectin structure and particle size modify carotenoid bioaccessibility and uptake by Caco-2 cells in citrus juices vs. concentrates

Pectin changes from a citrus-based product modify bioaccessibility and carotenoid uptake by intestinal cells.