Stearic acid: a possible substitute for trans fatty acids from industrial origin

Performance of β-carotene-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers under dynamic in vitro digestion system: Influence of the emulsifier type

A better understanding of how emulsifier type could differently influence the behavior of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) under the gastrointestinal digestion process, as well as at the cellular level, is of utmost importance for the NLC-based formulations' optimization and risk assessment in the food field. In this study, NLC composed by fully hydrogenated soybean and high-oleic sunflower oils were prepared using soy lecithin (NLC Lβ) or Tween 80 (NLC Tβ) as an emulsifier. β-Carotene was entrapped within NLC developed as a promising strategy to overcome β-carotene's low bioavailability and stability. The effect of emulsifier type on the digestibility of β-carotene-loaded NLC was evaluated using an in vitro dynamic digestion model mimicking peristalsis motion. The influence of β-carotene-loaded NLC on cell viability was assessed using Caco-2 cells in vitro. NLC Tβ remained stable in the gastric compartment, presenting particle size (PS) similar to the initial NLC (PS: 245.68 and 218.18 nm, respectively), while NLC Lβ showed lower stability (PS > 1000 nm) in stomach and duodenum phases. NLC Tβ also provided high β-carotene protection and delivery capacity (i.e., β-carotene bioaccessibility increased 10-fold). Based on the results of digestion studies, NLC Tβ has shown better physical stability during the passage through the in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal system than NLC Lβ. Moreover, the developed NLC did not compromise cell viability up to 25 µg/mL of β-carotene. Thus, the NLC developed proved to be a biocompatible structure and able to incorporate and protect β-carotene for further food applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The findings of this study hold significant implications for industrial applications in terms of developing nanostructured lipid carriers from natural raw materials widely available and used to produce other lipid-based products in the food industry, as an alternative to synthetic ones. In this respect, the β-carotene-loaded NLC developed in this study would find a great industrial application in the food industry, which is in constant search to develop functional foods capable of increasing the bioavailability of bioactive compounds.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis reveals dynamic changes in co-fermentation with human milk-derived probiotics and Poria cocos

Introduction

To develop functional foods with traditional medicines and homologous food ingredients as well as human milk-derived probiotics, the co-fermentation process of two probiotics, Lactobacillus plantarum R9 and Lactobacillus gasseri B1-27, isolated from the human milk of healthy parturients and the traditional medicine and food homologous ingredient Poria cocos, were separately investigated.

Results

The Poria cocos fermentation broth at 2.5% significantly enhanced the total number of L. plantarum R9 (p = 0.001) and L. gasseri B1-27 (p = 0.013) after 20 h of fermentation, and Non-targeted metabolomics assays conducted before and after fermentation of the human milk-derived L. plantarum R9 and L. gasseri B1-27 using the 2.5% Poria cocos fermentation broth revealed 35 and 45 differential metabolites, respectively. A variety of active substances with physiological functions, such as L-proline, L-serine, beta-alanine, taurine, retinol, luteolin, and serotonin, were found to be significantly increased. Mannitol, a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index, was also identified. The most significantly altered metabolic pathways were pyrimidine metabolism, pentose phosphate, yeast meiosis, ABC transporter, insulin signaling, and mineral absorption, suggesting that co-fermentation of human milk-derived probiotics and Poria cocos may affect the metabolism of trace minerals, sugars, organic acids, and amino acids.

Discussion

Overall, we determined that the optimal concentration of Poria cocos to be used in co-fermentation was 2.5% and identified more than 35 differentially expressed metabolites in each probiotic bacteria after co-fermentation. Moreover, several beneficial metabolites were significantly elevated as a result of the co-fermentation process indicating the valuable role of Poria cocos as a functional food.

Production and characterization of promising β-stable seed crystals to modulate the crystallization of fat-based industrial products

Spray cooling or spray chilling is a technique for obtaining solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) within the diameter range in micrometers using low temperatures and no organic solvents. It is a low-cost technique and is easy to scale-up. The production of SLMs into β-form represents a technological challenge due to the fast crystallization given by the spray cooling system, which generally results in SLMs crystallized into the metastable polymorphic form α. This study focuses on the production and characterization of SLMs by spray cooling using hard fat soybean oil (HS) added of D-limonene or canola oil, aiming to their application as β-seed crystals into lipid systems. The β-seed crystals could turn into an alternative lipid material to be used in fat-based products that present the preferential β' crystallization, like palm oil, increasing its compatibility with cocoa butter (CB) and allowing for the development of substitutes. The obtained SLMs showed spherical geometry and no agglomeration during storage at 25 °C for up to 30 days, verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mean diameters (D₅₀) were between 150 and 200 μm and the β' and β-form, determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), appeared immediately after the crystallization process by spray cooling using HS added of 5% D-limonene (the HS control sample presented only the α-form). The SLMs of this study demonstrated their potential use as β-seed crystals into lipid systems.

Potential of Milk Fat to Structure Semisolid Lipidic Systems: A Review

Food production and consumption patterns have changed dramatically in recent decades. The universe of oils and fats, in particular, has been changed due to the negative impacts of trans fatty acids produced industrially through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Regulations prohibiting its use have led the industry to produce semisolid lipid systems using chemical methods for modification of oils and fats, with limitations from a technological point of view and a lack of knowledge about the metabolization of the modified fats in the body. Milk fat is obtained from the complex biosynthesis in the mammary gland and can be a technological alternative for the modulation of the crystallization processes of semi-solids lipid systems, once it is naturally plastic at the usual processing, storage, and consumption temperatures. The natural plasticity of milk fat is due to its heterogeneous chemical composition, which contains more than 400 different fatty acids that structure approximately 64 million triacylglycerols, with a preferred polymorphic habit in β', besides other physical properties. Therefore, milk fat differs from any lipid raw material found in nature. This review will address the relationship between the chemical behavior and physical properties of semisolid lipids, demonstrating the potential of milk fat as an alternative to the commonly used modification processes.

Improvement of fatty acid profile and studio of rheological and technological characteristics in breads supplemented with flaxseed, soybean, and wheat bran flours

Functional breads constitute an interesting alternative as vehicle of new essential fatty acids sources. The aim of this study was to improve the fatty acids (FA) profile of bakery products, producing breads with low saturated fatty acid (SFA) content and with high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, through partial substitution of wheat flour by other ingredients (soy flour, flax flour, and wheat bran) and to analyze the effect of this change on the technological, rheological, and sensorial characteristics of breads. Flaxseed flour (FF), soybeans flour (SF), or wheat bran (WB) was used to replace 50, 100, and 150 g kg(-1) of wheat flour (WF) in breads. FF or SF produced a decrease in monounsaturated and SFA and an increase of PUFA in these breads. Furthermore, breads replaced with FF presented considerable increase in the content of n3 FA, while, SF or WB contributed to rise of linoleic and oleic FA, respectively. The substitution percentage increase of FF, SF, or WB to formulation produced changes in the colour, rheological, textural, and technological characteristics of breads. This replacement resulted in improved lipid profile, being breads with 50 g kg(-1) SF, the better acceptance, baking features, and enhanced fatty acid profile.