Carotenoids, but Not Vitamin A, Improve Iron Uptake and Ferritin Synthesis by Caco-2 Cells from Ferrous Fumarate and NaFe-EDTA

Antioxidant Activity, Probiotic Survivability, and Sensory Properties of a Phenolic-Rich Pulse Snack Bar Enriched with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum

Pulse-based snack bars incorporated with probiotics were developed to provide an overview for the preparation of simple functional food concerning the antioxidant load and iron status improvement. The study focused on the application of microencapsulated probiotics in dry matrices, such as chickpeas and green lentils, in snack bars. The study aims to analyse the products’ antioxidative activities, chemical and sensory properties, as well as the probiotic survivability in the dry matrices. The basic chemical composition showed that 100 g of product can fulfil up to 4.4% and 3.3% of the daily iron value from chickpeas and green lentils, respectively (assuming the iron bioavailability is 23%). Sensory evaluation and hedonic analysis of the fresh pulse snack bar showed that panelists preferred the chickpea snack bar over the green lentil snack bar. For storage analysis, snack bars were stored at 20 °C and were vacuum packaged in sealed low density polyethylene (LDPE) pouches with no light exposure for two months. Hedonic analysis during storage showed significant differences in the aroma of the snack bars (p < 0.05). Generally, the antioxidant activities decreased during the two months of storage. A strong correlation was observed between total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity assays: ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt), PCL (Photochemiluminescence,). Moreover, after two months of storage, a 1-log decrease of probiotic viable cells was observed in both snack bars. To meet the dietary requirement of probiotics, it is suggested that people consume five portions and 9.4 portions of the chickpea and green lentil snack bars, respectively. The resulting products have promising properties with respect to probiotics and antioxidant potential in an unconventional way.

Antioxidant Potential of Red Palm-Pressed Mesocarp Olein

Oxidative stress occurs due to the imbalance amount of the free radicals and antioxidants in human body which often associated with numerous chronic diseases. The antioxidant properties of red palm-pressed mesocarp olein (PPMO) have not been widely studied. Therefore, antioxidant properties of PPMO relative to commercially available edible oils, namely red palm olein (RPO), palm olein (PO), extra virgin olive oil (OO) and extra virgin coconut oil (CNO) were studied. PPMO exhibited significant higher phytonutrients which more than 2-fold compared to the edible oils. Overall, antioxidant screening indicated that PPMO has significantly higher antioxidant activities than RPO, PO and CNO in term of DPPH, H₂O₂, NO scavenging and FIC; and significantly higher H₂O₂ and FIC than OO. The outcomes of this study reveal that PPMO is as good as commercially available edible oil, also a good source for food applications and dietary nutritional supplements. More importantly, the utilization of PPMO could mitigate oil palm waste problem and results in positive environmental impact.

Novel Corneal Protein Biomarker Candidates Reveal Iron Metabolic Disturbance in High Myopia Eyes

Myopia is a major public health concern with increasing global prevalence and is the leading cause of vision loss and complications. The potential role of the cornea, a substantial component of refractive power and the protective fortress of the eye, has been underestimated in the development of myopia. Our study acquired corneal stroma tissues from myopic patients undergoing femtosecond laser-assisted small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery and investigated the differential expression of circulating proteins between subjects with low and high myopia by means of high-throughput proteomic approaches—the quantitative tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling method and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) validation. Across all corneal stroma tissue samples, a total of 2,455 proteins were identified qualitatively and quantitatively, 103 of which were differentially expressed between those with low and high myopia. The differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) between the groups of stroma samples mostly demonstrated catalytic activity and molecular function regulator and transporter activity and participated in metabolic processes, biological regulation, response to stimulus, and so forth. Pathway enrichment showed that mineral absorption, ferroptosis, and HIF-1 signaling pathways were activated in the human myopic cornea. Furthermore, TMT analysis and PRM validation revealed that the expression of ferritin light chain (FTL, P02792) and ferritin heavy chain (FTH1, P02794) was negatively associated with myopia development, while the expression of serotransferrin (TF, P02787) was positively related to myopia status. Overall, our results indicated that subjects with low and high myopia could have different proteomic profiles or signatures in the cornea. These findings revealed disturbances in iron metabolism and corneal oxidative stress in the more myopic eyes. Iron metabolic proteins could serve as an essential modulator in the pathogenesis of myopia.

Nutrient and Total Polyphenol Contents of Dark Green Leafy Vegetables, and Estimation of Their Iron Bioaccessibility Using the In Vitro Digestion/Caco-2 Cell Model

Dark green leafy vegetables (DGLVs) are considered as important sources of iron and vitamin A. However, iron concentration may not indicate bioaccessibility. The objectives of this study were to compare the nutrient content and iron bioaccessibility of five sweet potato cultivars, including three orange-fleshed types, with other commonly consumed DGLVs in Ghana: cocoyam, corchorus, baobab, kenaf and moringa, using the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. Moringa had the highest numbers of iron absorption enhancers on an “as-would-be-eaten” basis, β-carotene (14169 μg/100 g; p < 0.05) and ascorbic acid (46.30 mg/100 g; p < 0.001), and the best iron bioaccessibility (10.28 ng ferritin/mg protein). Baobab and an orange-fleshed sweet potato with purplish young leaves had a lower iron bioaccessibility (6.51 and 6.76 ng ferritin/mg protein, respectively) compared with that of moringa, although these three greens contained similar (p > 0.05) iron (averaging 4.18 mg/100 g) and β-carotene levels. The ascorbic acid concentration of 25.50 mg/100 g in the cooked baobab did not enhance the iron bioaccessibility. Baobab and the orange-fleshed sweet potato with purplish young leaves contained the highest levels of total polyphenols (1646.75 and 506.95 mg Gallic Acid Equivalents/100 g, respectively; p < 0.001). This suggests that iron bioaccessibility in greens cannot be inferred based on the mineral concentration. Based on the similarity of the iron bioaccessibility of the sweet potato leaves and cocoyam leaf (a widely-promoted “nutritious” DGLV in Ghana), the former greens have an added advantage of increasing the dietary intake of provitamin A.

Bioavailability of iron, vitamin A, zinc, and folic acid when added to condiments and seasonings

Seasonings and condiments can be candidate vehicles for micronutrient fortification if consumed consistently and if dietary practices ensure bioavailability of the nutrient. In this review, we identify factors that may affect the bioavailability of iron, vitamin A, zinc, and folic acid when added to seasonings and condiments and evaluate their effects on micronutrient status. We take into consideration the chemical and physical properties of different forms of the micronutrients, the influence of the physical and chemical properties of foods and meals to which fortified seasonings and condiments are typically added, and interactions between micronutrients and the physiological and nutritional status of the target population. Bioavailable fortificants of iron have been developed for use in dry or fluid vehicles. For example, sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA) and ferrous sulfate with citric acid are options for iron fortification of fish and soy sauce. Furthermore, NaFeEDTA, microencapsulated ferrous fumarate, and micronized elemental iron are potential fortificants in curry powder and salt. Dry forms of retinyl acetate or palmitate are bioavailable fortificants of vitamin A in dry candidate vehicles, but there are no published studies of these fortificants in fluid vehicles. Studies of zinc and folic acid bioavailability in seasonings and condiments are also lacking.