Temperature-treated gluten proteins in Gluten-Friendly™ bread increase mucus production and gut-barrier function in human intestinal goblet cells

Healthy and pro-inflammatory gut ecology plays a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of a novel Gluten Friendly™ bread in celiac subjects: a randomized, double blind, placebo control in vivo study

Gluten Friendly™ (GF) is a new gluten achieved through a physicochemical process applied to wheat kernels. The goal of this research was to assess the in vivo effects of Gluten Friendly™ bread on celiac gut mucosa and microbiota. In a double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study, 48 celiac disease (CD) patients were randomized into 3 groups to eat 100 g of bread daily, containing different doses (0; 3 g; 6 g) of GF for 12 weeks. The small-bowel morphology (VH/CrD), intraepithelial densities of CD3+, celiac serology, MUC2, CB1, gut permeability, proinflammatory cytokines, gluten in stools, symptoms, and gut microbial composition were assessed. All 48 CD subjects experienced no symptoms. K-means analysis evidenced celiac subjects clustering around unknown parameters independent of GF dosage: K1 35%; K2 30%; K3 35%. VH/CrD significantly decreased in K1 and K2. VH/CrD did not correlate with IEL increase in K2. 33-mer was not detected in 47% and 73% of patients in both K1 and K2, respectively. VH/CrD and IEL did not change significantly and strongly correlated with the absence of 33-mer in K3. Inflammation and VH/CrD decrease are strongly related with the presence of proinflammatory species at the baseline. A boost in probiotic, butyrate-producing genera, is strongly related with GF tolerance at the end of the trial. Our research suggests that a healthy and proinflammatory ecology could play a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of the new gluten molecule in celiac subjects. However, GF can be completely digested by gut microbiota of CD subjects and shapes it toward gut homeostasis by boosting healthy butyrate-producing populations. The clinical trial registry number is NCT03137862 (https://clinicaltrials.gov).

Characterizing the Rheological and Bread-Making Properties of Wheat Flour Treated by "Gluten FriendlyTM" Technology

After discovering an innovative technology for the reshaping of gluten proteins—the “Gluten Friendly^TM” system—that confers to wheat flour some unprecedented characteristics, such as reduced epitope antigenicity and a positive modulation of the gut microbiota, its effects on the production and quality of bread have been studied. Mainly, we have investigated the chemical, rheological and pasting properties of Gluten Friendly Flour (GFF) and of control flour (CF) with the aim of analyzing and interpreting potential differences. Furthermore, the bread made from GFF and CF was evaluated in terms of microstructure properties and sensory quality. The experiments demonstrated that GFF became soluble in aqueous solution, making it unfeasible to isolate using the Glutomatic apparatus. Although the water absorption of GFF increased by 10% compared to CF, dough elasticity was reduced, and dough stability decreased from 5 to 2 min. A significant increase in the alveograph index (P/L) from 0.63 to 6.31 was detected, whereas pasting properties did not change from the control flour. Despite these profound modifications in the rheological properties, GFF exhibited a high ability to shape dough and to produce bread with high quality and negligible differences from the control bread in terms of appearance, taste, aroma, color and texture.

Comparative Evaluation of the Antimicrobial and Mucus Induction Properties of Selected Bacillus Strains against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Probiotics have been shown to bind to host receptors, which are important for pathogen adhesion and induce the host’s production of defence factors. They can activate the goblet-cell-derived production of mucins, a major component of the mucus layer and a physical barrier participating in limiting the proximity of microorganisms to the epithelial layer. In the last decade, Bacillus spp. strains have gained interest in human and animal health due to their tolerance and stability under gastrointestinal tract conditions. Moreover, Bacillus spp. strains can also produce various antimicrobial peptides that can support their use as commercial probiotic supplements and functional foods. The present study aimed to evaluate and determine the ability of selected Bacillus spp. strains to inhibit the growth of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4 and to reduce binding of ETEC F4 to HT29-16E (mucus-secreting and goblet-like) human intestinal cells. Moreover, mucus production in the HT29 cells in the presence of the Bacillus spp. strains was quantified by ELISA. Bacillus spp. strains (CHCC 15076, CHCC 15516, CHCC 15541, and CHCC 16872) significantly inhibited the growth of ETEC F4. Moreover, the ability of the probiotic Bacillus spp. strains to stimulate mucin release was highly strain dependent. The treatment with Bacillus subtilis CHCC 15541 resulted in a significant increase of both MUC2 and MUC3 in HT29-16E cells. Therefore, this strain could be an up-and-coming candidate for developing commercial probiotic supplements to prevent infections caused by ETEC F4 and, potentially, other pathogens.

Molecular Insights Into O-Linked Glycan Utilization by Gut Microbes

O-linked glycosylation is a post-translational modification found mainly in eukaryotic cells, which covalently attaches oligosaccharides to secreted proteins in certain threonine or serine residues. Most of O-glycans have N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) as a common core. Several glycoproteins, such as mucins (MUCs), immunoglobulins, and caseins are examples of O-glycosylated structures. These glycans are further elongated with other monosaccharides and sulfate groups. Some of them could be found in dairy foods, while others are produced endogenously, in both cases interacting with the gut microbiota. Interestingly, certain gut microbes can access, release, and consume O-linked glycans as a carbon source. Among these, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron are prominent O-linked glycan utilizers. Their consumption strategies include specialized α-fucosidases and α-sialidases, in addition to endo-α-N-acetylgalactosaminidases that release galacto-N-biose (GNB) from peptides backbones. O-linked glycan utilization by certain gut microbes represents an important niche that allows them to predominate and modulate host responses such as inflammation. Here, we focus on the distinct molecular mechanisms of consumption of O-linked GalNAc glycans by prominent gut microbes, especially from mucin and casein glycomacropeptide (GMP), highlighting the potential of these structures as emerging prebiotics.

Wheat Seed Proteins: Factors Influencing Their Content, Composition, and Technological Properties, and Strategies to Reduce Adverse Reactions

Wheat is the primary source of nutrition for many, especially those living in developing countries, and wheat proteins are among the most widely consumed dietary proteins in the world. However, concerns about disorders related to the consumption of wheat and/or wheat gluten proteins have increased sharply in the last 20 years. This review focuses on wheat gluten proteins and amylase trypsin inhibitors, which are considered to be responsible for eliciting most of the intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms experienced by susceptible individuals. Although several approaches have been proposed to reduce the exposure to gluten or immunogenic peptides resulting from its digestion, none have proven sufficiently effective for general use in coeliac-safe diets. Potential approaches to manipulate the content, composition, and technological properties of wheat proteins are therefore discussed, as well as the effects of using gluten isolates in various food systems. Finally, some aspects of the use of gluten-free commodities are discussed.

The Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity

Obesity is a global pandemic complex to treat due to its multifactorial pathogenesis-an unhealthy lifestyle, neuronal and hormonal mechanisms, and genetic and epigenetic factors are involved. Scientific evidence supports the idea that obesity and metabolic consequences are strongly related to changes in both the function and composition of gut microbiota, which exert an essential role in modulating energy metabolism. Modifications of gut microbiota composition have been associated with variations in body weight and body mass index. Lifestyle modifications remain as primary therapy for obesity and related metabolic disorders. New therapeutic strategies to treat/prevent obesity have been proposed, based on pre- and/or probiotic modulation of gut microbiota to mimic that found in healthy non-obese subjects. Based on human and animal studies, this review aimed to discuss mechanisms through which gut microbiota could act as a key modifier of obesity and related metabolic complications. Evidence from animal studies and human clinical trials suggesting potential beneficial effects of prebiotic and various probiotic strains on those physical, biochemical, and metabolic parameters related to obesity is presented. As a conclusion, a deeper knowledge about pre-/probiotic mechanisms of action, in combination with adequately powered, randomized controlled follow-up studies, will facilitate the clinical application and development of personalized healthcare strategies.

A Preliminary Report on the Use of the Design of Experiments for the Production of a Synbiotic Yogurt Supplemented With Gluten FriendlyTM Flour and Bifidobacterium infantis

The main goal of this paper was to design a synbiotic yogurt containing Bifidobacterium infantis and Gluten Friendly FlourTM; the proposed approach relies upon milk fermentation through the classical starter of yogurt (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) to avoid a strong production of acetic acid by bifidobacterial and inoculum of B. infantis after the fermentation. The research was divided in 3 steps. The aim of the first step was the optimization of fermentation kinetic by L. delbureckii and S. thermophilus, by combining the amount of flour (either Gluten Friendly Flour-GF- or Control Flour-CF) in milk, temperature and inoculum level; the factors were combined through a mixture design. As a result of this step, the best combination was pointed out: flour at 2.5 g/l; L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus at 6 log cfu/ml; temperature at 37-40°C. The goal of the second step was to study the effect of flour (2.5 g/l) on the viability of B. infantis. GF prolonged the viability of the probiotic for 14 days. In the last step, a synbiotic yogurt, supplemented with GF and fermented with L. delbureckii and S. thermophilus, and then inoculated with B. infantis, was produced. The product was stored at 8 and 15°C. A positive effect of GF was found at 15°C, with B. infantis at 7.0 log cfu/g in GF sample and 5.5.5.7 log cfu/g in CF sample.

The In Vitro Protective Role of Bovine Lactoferrin on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier

The intestinal epithelial barrier plays a key protective role in the gut lumen. Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) has been reported to improve the intestinal epithelial barrier function, but its impact on tight junction (TJ) proteins has been rarely described. Human intestinal epithelial crypt cells (HIECs) were more similar to those in the human small intestine, compared with the well-established Caco-2 cells. Accordingly, both HIECs and Caco-2 cells were investigated in this study to determine the effects of bioactive protein bLF on their growth promotion and intestinal barrier function. The results showed that bLF promoted cell growth and arrested cell-cycle progression at the G2/M-phase. Moreover, bLF decreased paracellular permeability and increased alkaline phosphatase activity and transepithelial electrical resistance, strengthening barrier function. Immunofluorescence, western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that bLF significantly increased the expression of three tight junction proteins-claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1-at both the mRNA and protein levels, and consequently strengthened the barrier function of the two cell models. bLF in general showed higher activity in Caco-2 cells, however, HIECs also exhibited desired responses to barrier function. Therefore, bLF may be incorporated into functional foods for treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases which are caused by loss of barrier integrity.

The Impact of Gluten Friendly Flour on the Functionality of an Active Drink: Viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus in a Fermented Milk

The Gluten Friendly^TM Technology is an innovative method that induces structural changes in gluten proteins. In this paper a synbiotic fermented milk, containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Gluten Friendly Flour (GFF), was proposed. A mixture design was used to combine flour, temperature and probiotic to study the effects of these variables on the acidification. The experiments were done on both GFF and control flour (CF). Thus, the following conditions were chosen to produce the fermented milk: L. acidophilus at 6.5 log cfu/ml; flour at 2.5 g/l; temperature at 37°C. Then, the fermented milk was produced and stored at 4°C for 90 days. The most important result was the positive effect of GFF on the viability of the probiotic, with a prolongation of the shoulder length to 20 days (12–13 days in the control). Moreover, GFF did not act on the sensory scores and on the physico-chemical parameters.