Effect of Acute Intake of Fermented Orange Juice on Fasting and Postprandial Glucose Metabolism, Plasma Lipids and Antioxidant Status in Healthy Human

Lactic Acid Bacterial Culture Selection for Orange Pomace Fermentation and Its Potential Use in Functional Orange Juice

The main goal of this study is to improve the bioactivity of citrus pomace by subjecting it to solid-state fermentation by Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus plantarum over varying periods of time. The viability of Lactobacillus, as well as the total phenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) values of orange pomace (OP), varied depending on the Lactobacillus species and fermentation period. The incorporation of pomace into orange juice samples at a ratio of 5% considerably enhanced the viability of probiotics. The TPC and TAC of orange juice samples were reduced after fermentation. The addition of orange pomace to orange juice significantly increased prostaglandin H2 and improved antioxidant capacity with more pronounced effects at increased pomace concentrations. After postfermentation with L. plantarum, key bioactive compounds such as corynoxeine and phenolics were upregulated, while picroside III and allocryptopine levels were decreased. On the other hand, metabolomics analysis revealed significant changes after fermentation in amino acid, sphingolipid, and fatty acid metabolism and the synthesis of secondary metabolites improving the nutritional profile and bioactivity of fermented orange juice. These findings highlight the potential of pomace addition and fermentation to improve the health benefits and quality of orange juice products. Therefore, the combined use of fermentation and fortification with OP could be a promising approach to creating new functional foods and promoting the use of edible food waste and byproducts.

Inverse association between uric acid levels and muscle quality index in adults: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2011-2014

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to delineate the association between serum uric acid (UA) levels and Muscle Quality Index (MQI), assessing muscle strength relative to mass, in adults aged 20 to 59 years.

METHODS

Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014, this study examined the association between UA levels and MQI-a ratio of muscle strength to mass. Weighted linear models, adjusted for potential confounders, assessed the relationship, with a generalized additive model (GAM) probing for non-linear patterns. Subgroup analyses and interaction effects were conducted using weighted linear regression across diverse demographic and clinical groups to ensure the robustness and reliability of our findings.

RESULTS

Among 5,277 participants, a significant inverse association was observed between UA levels and MQI, with a 0.08 decrease in MQI per 1 mg/dL increase in UA (95% CI: -0.11 to -0.06, p < 0.001). The negative trend was dose-dependent across UA quartiles, which was most pronounced in the highest quartile (Q4: -0.28, 95% CI: -0.36 to -0.19, p < 0.001). Curve-fitting analysis revealed a consistent inverse relationship without evidence of non-linearity. Stratified analyses reinforced the core findings across all examined subgroups, highlighting the universal relevance of the observed association.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate a significant inverse association between elevated serum UA levels and MQI, highlighting the potential importance of uric acid management in enhancing muscle quality among young and middle-aged adults. The consistency of this relationship across different subgroups underscores the need for targeted strategies and interventions to manage UA levels. Future research should explore longitudinal impacts and intervention outcomes to further elucidate the potential benefits of uric acid management on muscle health.

Evaluating the roles of food matrix, lipid micronutrients and bioactives in controlling postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia and inflammation

Lipids play an important role in human nutrition. Although adequate lipid consumption is necessary for an optimal functioning of the human body, overconsumption of saturated fatty acids can lead to postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia, which triggers the development of atherosclerosis. Important parameters that impact postprandial lipaemia and inflammation are related to the matrix structure and the fat-soluble micronutrient profile of ingested foods/lipids, but the specific effect of these parameters should be further studied, as most of the available studies evaluate their effect at fasting state. This review specifically explores the effects of food structure and fat-soluble micronutrients, from either micronutrient-rich foods or supplements, on postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia and inflammation. The review also highlights the potential of emerging biomarkers such as miRNAs or circulating microvesicles, as an alternative to the widely use biomarkers (e.g. low-density lipoproteins or blood concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines), to identify inflammation associated with postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia at early stages.

Pera orange juice (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) alters lipid metabolism and attenuates oxidative stress in the heart and liver of rats treated with doxorubicin

Background

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective chemotherapy drug widely used to treat cancer, but its use is limited due to multisystemic toxicity. Lipid metabolism is also affected by doxorubicin. Orange juice can reduce dyslipidemia in other clinical situations and has already been shown to attenuate cardiotoxicity. Our aim is to evaluate the effects of Pera orange juice (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) on mitigating lipid metabolism imbalance, metabolic pathways, and DOX induced cytotoxic effects in the heart and liver.

Methods

Twenty-four male Wistar rats were allocated into 3 groups: Control (C); DOX (D); and DOX plus Pera orange juice (DOJ). DOJ received orange juice for 4 weeks, while C and D received water. At the end of each week, D and DOJ groups received 4 mg/kg/week DOX, intraperitoneal. At the end of 4 weeks animals were submitted to echocardiography and euthanasia.

Results

Animals treated with DOX decreased water intake and lost weight over time. At echocardiography, DOX treated rats presented morphologic alterations in the heart. DOX increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides. It also reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, increased protein carbonylation in the heart and dihydroethidium (DHE) expression in the liver, decreased glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) and the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ1) in the heart, and reduced carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT1) in the liver.

Conclusion

DOX caused dyslipidemia, liver and cardiac toxicity by increasing oxidative stress, and altered energy metabolic parameters in both organs. Despite not improving changes in left ventricular morphology, orange juice did attenuate oxidative stress and mitigate the metabolic effects of DOX.

Optimized Sugar-Free Citrus Lemon Juice Fermentation Efficiency and the Lipid-Lowering Effects of the Fermented Juice

Aging and obesity make humans more prone to cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome diseases, leading to several serious health conditions, including hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, and sleep disturbance. This study aimed to explore the hypolipidemic effect of fermented citrus lemon juice using a hyperlipidemic hamster model. The sugar-free lemon juice's fermentation was optimized, and the characteristics of fresh and fermented lemon juice (FLJ) were evaluated and compared, which contained polyphenols and superoxide dismutase-like activity. Results showed that the absorption and utilization efficiency of FLJ was higher compared with the unfermented lemon juice. This study's prefermentation efficiency evaluation found that 21-30 days of bacterial DMS32004 and DMS32005 fermentation of fresh lemon juice provided the best fermentation benefits, and 21-day FLJ was applied as a remedy after the efficiency compassion. After six weeks of feeding, the total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) values in the blood and liver of the FLJ treatment groups were decreased compared with the high-fat diet (HFD) group. In addition, the blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were significantly reduced in the FLJ treatment groups compared with the HFD group. In contrast, the blood high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) to LDL-C ratio increased considerably in the FLJ treatment groups, and the total to HDL ratio was significantly lower than in the HFD group. Compared with the HFD group, the TC content in the FLJ treatment groups' feces increased significantly. This study demonstrated that the sugar-free fermentation method and fermentation cycle management provided FLJ with the potential to regulate blood lipids. Further research and verification will be carried out to isolate specific substances from the FLJ and identify their mechanisms of action.