The influence of dry matter of different alcoholic beverages on lipids, proteins, and antioxidant activity in serum of rats

Bioactivity of wine prepared from ripened and over-ripened kiwifruit

In order to evaluate the fruit maturity value of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) as material for wine production, ripened and over-ripened fruit samples were analyzed. In addition, the effect of pectinase enzyme treatment on physicochemical characteristics of the wine during the fermentation process was also examined. The results showed that wine production from ripening kiwifruit took almost twice as long as from over-ripened fruit. The yield of wine production was increased from 63.35% to 66.19% by using riper kiwifruits and adding pectinase before amelioration. The soluble solid content (13.5%) in the wine produced from over-ripened fruits increased in comparison with the wine produced from ripened samples (10.3%). In both groups there was a decrease to 5° Brix at the end of fermentation. Difference of fruit maturity did not have a significant effect on acidy, pH, nor color of wine. The highest scores of total acceptance estimated during fermentation were for wine made from over-ripened fruits. Total phenolics content and antioxidant activities were similar in both wine groups while the mineral content, especially potassium, in wine made from over-ripened kiwifruit was higher than wine produced from ripened fruits. In conclusion, the quality characteristics of kiwifruit wine made from over-ripened fruit treated with pectinase showed higher values of wine in many aspects such as sensory value, alcohol and total phenolics content, antioxidant activity, minerals and production yield.

The effect of short-term lyophilized beer consumption on established hypertension in rats

Effects of short-term lyophilized beer (LB) consumption on normotensive (WKY) and hypertensive (SHR) rats are reported. It was found that LB contains high quantities of bioactive compounds and has a high antioxidant potential. The WKY and SHR rats were divided into four groups of 8, two experimental and two controls, which were named LBWKY and LBSHR and ControlWKY and ControlSHR, respectively. LB was given to the rats of the LBWKY and LBSHR groups intragastrically at a dose of 2.72 g/kg in a volume of 10 ml/kg for 10 days. The rats of the control groups received saline solution. The following indices were determined: body weight gain, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, using a tail cuff method and GABA accumulation in the hypothalamus and the pons-medulla as measured by GABA-T inhibition. It was found that the treatment of rats with LB had no effect on the blood pressure and heart rate values. In both rat strains, LB decreased GABA accumulation in the hypothalamus and the pons-medulla. A significant reduction of body weight gain was observed in both LB-treated groups when compared with the corresponding controls. In conclusion, LB contains high quantities of bioactive compounds and possesses a high antioxidant potential. Diet supplemented with LB causes significant reduction of the central GABAergic activity in WKY and SHR rats without any effect on cardiovascular function. In addition, in both animal strains there was an apparent inverse association between LB intake and body weight gains.

The influence of beer with different antioxidant potential on plasma lipids, plasma antioxidant capacity, and bile excretion of rats fed cholesterol-containing and cholesterol-free diets

The aim of this investigation was to assess the influence of beers with different antioxidant potentials on plasma lipid metabolism, plasma antioxidant capacity, and bile excretion of rats fed cholesterol-containing and cholesterol-free diets. Four types of beers were investigated in vitro. Two of them (designated as BeerHigh and BeerLow) with the highest and lowest antioxidant potentials (34.5% and 21.4% and 2.07 mmol/L and 1.65 mmol/L according to beta-carotene assay and Trolox equivalent antioxidant coefficient, respectively), were chosen for the experiment on rats. A total of 60 male Wistar rats were divided into 6 dietary groups of 10 rats each; the groups were designated as Control, BeerA, BeerB, Chol, Chol/BeerA, and Chol/BeerB. The rats in the Control group were fed a basal diet (BD) only, which included wheat starch, casein, soybean oil, vitamin, and mineral mixtures. To the BD of the other five groups were added the following: BeerHigh (BeerA), BeerLow (BeerB), 1% of cholesterol (Chol), 1% of cholesterol and BeerHigh (Chol/BeerA), and 1% of cholesterol and BeerLow (Chol/BeerB). After 4 weeks of feeding, diets supplemented with BeerHigh and, to a lesser degree, with BeerLow (Chol/BeerA and Chol/BeerB groups) hindered a rise in plasma lipids and a decrease in plasma antioxidant capacity, and increased the bile excretion indices. Supplementation with BeerHigh and, to a lesser degree, with BeerLow in rats fed cholesterol-free diets increased their plasma antioxidant capacity. No significant changes in the plasma lipid levels, antioxidant capacity, and bile excretion indices were observed in the Control group. In conclusion, beer was found to have a positively effect on plasma lipid profile and plasma antioxidant capacity, and to increase the bile excretion indices in rats fed cholesterol-containing diets. The degree of this positive influence is directly connected to the contents of the bioactive components and the related antioxidant potential of beer. It is suggested that to achieve the best results, beer with the highest antioxidant potential must be consumed.

Alcohol beverages and biochemical changes in blood

Coronary atherosclerosis is the major cause of death in western civilization: one of every three in men as well as in women. It was shown that diets supplemented with moderate quantities of alcoholic beverages could lead to positive biochemical changes in blood of the consumers, which are regarded widely as indicators of improved prevention of atherosclerosis. This review summarizes the recent epidemiological, experimental and clinical investigations concerning mainly the plasma biochemical changes in lipid levels, anticoagulant and antioxidant activities.

Beer increases plasma antioxidant capacity in humans

The positive association of a moderate intake of alcoholic beverages with a low risk for cardiovascular disease, in addition to ethanol itself, may be linked to their polyphenol content. This article describes the effect of acute ingestion of beer, dealcoholized beer, and ethanol (4.5% v/v) on the total plasma antioxidant status of subjects, and the change in the high performance liquid chromatography profile of some selected phenolic acids (caffeic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids) in 14 healthy humans. Plasma was collected at various times: before (T0), 1 hour after (T1), and 2 hours after (T2) drinking. The study is part of a larger research planned to identify both the impact of brewing on minor components potentially present in beer and their metabolic fate in humans. Beer was able to induce a significant (P < 0.05) increase in plasma antioxidant capacity at T1 (mean +/- SD: T0 1,353 +/- 320 microM; T1 1,578 +/- 282 microM), returning close to basal values at T2. All phenolic acids measured in plasma tended to increase after beer intake (20% at T1, 40% at T2). Syringic and sinapic acid reached statistical significance (P < 0.05 by one-way analysis of variance-Fisher's test) at T1 and T2, respectively. Plasma metabolic parameters (glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid) and plasma antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol and glutathione) remained unchanged. Ethanol removal impaired the absorption of phenolic acids, which did not change over the time of the experiment, accounting for the low (and not statistically significant) increase in plasma antioxidant capacity after dealcoholized beer drinking. Ethanol alone did not affect plasma antioxidant capacity or any of the antioxidant and metabolic parameters measured.