Investigation of Immunomodulatory and Gut Microbiota-Altering Properties of Multicomponent Nutraceutical Prepared from Lactic Acid Bacteria, Bovine Colostrum, Apple Production By-Products and Essential Oils

Effects of apples (Malus domestica) and their derivatives on metabolic conditions related to inflammation and oxidative stress and an overview of by-products use in food processing

Apple (Malus domestica) is the third most produced fruit worldwide. It is a well-known source of bioactive compounds mainly represented by hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, dihydrochalcones, dehydroascorbic acid, carotenoids, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and phloridzin. Due to the lack of a recent evaluation of the clinical trials associated with apple consumption, this review investigated the effects of this fruit on metabolic conditions related to inflammation and oxidative stress and reviewed the applications of apple waste on food products. Thirty-three studies showed that apples or its derivatives exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, improve blood pressure, body fat, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and reduce cardiovascular risks. Apples have a great economic impact due to its several applications in the food industry and as a food supplement since it has impressive nutritional value. Dietary fiber from the fruit pomace can be used as a substitute for fat in food products or as an improver of fiber content in meat products. It can also be used in bakery and confectionary products or be fermented to produce alcohol. Pomace phytocompounds can also be isolated and applied as antioxidants in food products. The potential for the use of apples and by-products in the food industry can reduce environmental damage.

Antimicrobial and Mycotoxin Reducing Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Influence on Blood and Feces Parameters of Newborn Calves

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of in acid whey (AW) multiplied Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LUHS135 (L.pl135), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei LUHS244 (L.pc244), and their biomass combination on newborn calves' feces and blood parameters. Additionally, the antimicrobial and mycotoxin-reducing properties and the resistance to antibiotics of the tested lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were analyzed. In order to ensure effective biomass growth in AW, technological parameters for the supplement preparation were selected. Control calves were fed with a standard milk replacer (SMR) and treated groups (from the 2nd day of life until the 14th day) were supplemented with 50 mL of AWL.pl135, AWL.pc244, and AWL.pl135×L.pc244 (25 mL AWL.pl135 + 25 mL AWL.pc244) in addition to SMR. It was established that L.pl135 and L.pc244 possess broad antimicrobial activities, are non-resistant to the tested antibiotics, and reduce mycotoxin concentrations in vitro. The optimal duration established for biomass growth was 48 h (LAB count higher than 7.00 log10 CFU mL-1 was found after 48 h of AW fermentation). It was established that additional feeding of newborn calves with AWL.pl135, AWL.pc244, and AWL.pl135×L.pc244 increased lactobacilli (on average by 7.4%), and AWL.pl135 and AWL.pc244 reduced the numbers of Enterobacteriaceae in calves' feces. The tested supplements also reduced the lactate concentration (on average, by 42.5%) in calves' blood. Finally, the tested supplements had a positive influence on certain health parameters of newborn calves; however, further research is needed to validate the mechanisms of the beneficial effects.

Ascertaining the Influence of Lacto-Fermentation on Changes in Bovine Colostrum Amino and Fatty Acid Profiles

The aim of this study was to collect samples of bovine colostrum (BCOL) from different sources (agricultural companies A, B, C, D and E) in Lithuania and to ascertain the influence of lacto-fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain 135 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain 244 on the changes in bovine colostrum amino (AA), biogenic amine (BA), and fatty acid (FA) profiles. It was established that the source of the bovine colostrum, the used LAB, and their interaction had significant effects (p < 0.05) on AA contents; lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used for fermentation was a significant factor for aspartic acid, threonine, glycine, alanine, methionine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, and tyrosine; and these factor's interaction is significant on most of the detected AA concentrations. Total BA content showed significant correlations with glutamic acid, serine, aspartic acid, valine, methionine, phenylalanine, histidine, and gamma amino-butyric acid content in bovine colostrum. Despite the differences in individual FA contents in bovine colostrum, significant differences were not found in total saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Finally, the utilization of bovine colostrum proved to be challenging because of the variability on its composition. These results suggest that processing bovine colostrum into value-added formulations for human consumption requires the adjustment of its composition since the primary production stage. Consequently, animal rearing should be considered in the employed bovine colostrum processing technologies.

A Systematic Review of the Influence of Bovine Colostrum Supplementation on Leaky Gut Syndrome in Athletes: Diagnostic Biomarkers and Future Directions

Background: Bovine colostrum (BC) contains a myriad of bioactive molecules that are renowned for possessing unique medicinal benefits in children and adults, and BC supplements are considered safe and cost-effective options to manage/prevent the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections and gut-related problems in athletes. In this review, we will try to answer the question: How will BC supplementation ameliorate gut permeability problems among athletes? Methods: Literature searches were performed using PRISMA guidance to identify studies assessing the influence of BC supplements on gut permeability. Studies were selected using four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO, and a total number of 60 articles were retrieved by using appropriate keywords. Results: Nine studies were selected that met the eligibility criteria for this review. The data analysis revealed that vigorous exercise profoundly increases intestinal permeability, and BC supplementation helps to reverse gut permeability in athletes. Conclusion: BC supplementation may be highly beneficial in improving gut permeability in athletes. However, well-designed, placebo-controlled, and randomized studies are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy and to determine the optimal dose schedules of BC supplementation in high-performance athletes.

Bread Sourdough Lactic Acid Bacteria—Technological, Antimicrobial, Toxin-Degrading, Immune System-, and Faecal Microbiota-Modelling Biological Agents for the Preparation of Food, Nutraceuticals and Feed

This review intends to highlight the fact that bread sourdough is a very promising source of technological, antimicrobial, toxin-degrading, immune system-, and faecal microbiota-modelling biological agents for the preparation of food, nutraceuticals, and feed, which has great potential at industrial biotechnology scale. There are many applications of sourdough lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are the main microorganisms in spontaneous sourdough. In addition to their application as pure technological strains in the food and feed industries, taking into consideration the specific properties of these microorganisms (antimicrobial, antifungal, immuno-, and microbiota-modulating, etc.), they are used as valuable ingredients in higher-value food as well as nutraceutical formulations. Additionally, a very promising application of LAB is their use in combination with plant- and/or animal-based ingredients to increase the functional properties of the whole combination due to different mechanisms of action, as well as desirable symbiotic activity. In addition to traditional foods prepared using sourdough microorganisms (bread, biscuits, meat products, dairy, beverages, etc.), they could find application in the preparation of added-value ingredients for the food, nutraceutical, and feed industries. Finally, this mini-review gives a brief introduction to the possible applications of sourdough LAB in the food, feed, and nutraceutical industries.

Diverse Immune Effects of Bovine Colostrum and Benefits in Human Health and Disease

The health benefits of bovine colostrum have extensively been studied, including immune effects mediated by immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and casein, as well as by certain growth factors. Some of these effects are not directly related to the absorption of proteins from the intestinal tract. The ingestion of BC can modulate the function of subsets of lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells and increase regulatory cytokines such as interleukin 10. In this review, we predominantly focused on evidence from human studies on benefits in health and disease. This review highlights that clear evidence of the prevention of infectious diseases in pre-term infants such as necrotizing enterocolitis, neonatal sepsis or prevention of cancer metastasis is lacking. This is clearly an area where translational science has to be strengthened, taking the considerable evidence from numerous ex vivo studies on cells and tissues and from animal interventions. The review focuses predominantly on human data.