Search Results (20)

The treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), particularly ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, remains a challenge. As the available therapeutic options have limited efficacy and various side effect, there is a need to identify new inflammatory modulators that can influence IBD. Natural polyphenols and polyphenol-rich extracts have been found to have preventive and therapeutic potential, including various anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, the inhibition of the formation of mediators associated with intestinal inflammation, remodelling, and angiogenesis by the spent hop extract (SHE), a polyphenol-rich extract from Humulus lupulus L., and its flaxseed polysaccharide-based encapsulates was examined using tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-stimulated human small intestinal epithelial (HIEC-6) and large intestinal epithelial (CCD841CoN) cells. Also, we assessed the activity of the tested agents after in the vitro-simulated gastrointestinal digestion process. SHE strongly inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, mainly IL-1β and TNF-α, as well as the expression and activity of type IV collagenases (MMP-2 and MMP-9); these effects resulted from the suppression of NF-κB, ERK and Akt signalling pathways. We also proved the protective effect of encapsulation process against the reduction in the bioaccessibility of SHE, observed under the influence of digestion process. Our results provide initial evidence on the potential utility of SHE and its encapsulates in IBD. Full article

The protein fraction of slaughterhouse blood remains underutilized primarily due to challenges associated with its instability during processing and storage. This study aimed to develop stable bovine blood plasma gels using selected lactic acid bacteria and flaxseed oil cake flour. Various lactic acid bacteria strains were incorporated at concentrations of 5–20% (w/w), and gel properties such as pH, gelation time, yield stress, and freeze–thaw syneresis were evaluated. Optimal gelation was achieved at 20% inoculum, producing fibrin networks with yield stresses (372 Pa) comparable to recalcified controls (410 Pa), but accompanied by high serum loss and undesired acidic aromas at higher bacterial densities. Incorporating 5% hydrated flaxseed oil cake flour successfully reduced syneresis below 10%, improved water-holding capacity (135%), and prevented development of off-flavors, demonstrating beneficial interactions between flaxseed polysaccharides and blood plasma proteins. Thus, combining a 20% mixed lactic starter with 5% flaxseed cake flour yielded a stable plasma gel suitable for meat product applications, balancing rapid gel formation, high moisture retention, desirable rheological properties, and neutral sensory characteristics. Full article

A new focus with respect to the extraction of plant protein is that ingredient enrichment should target functionality instead of pursuing purity. Herein, the sequence aqueous extraction method was used to co-enrich five protein-polysaccharide natural fractions from flaxseed meal, and their composition, structure, and functional properties were investigated. The total recovery rate of flaxseed protein obtained by the sequence extraction approach was more than 80%, which was far higher than the existing reports. The defatted flaxseed meal was soaked by deionized water to obtain fraction 1 (supernatant), and the residue was further treated to get fraction 2 (supernatant) and 3 (precipitate) through weak alkali solubilization. Part of the fraction 2 was taken out, followed by adjusting its pH to 4.2. After centrifuging, the albumin-rich supernatant and precipitate with protein content of 73.05% were gained and labeled as fraction 4 and fraction 5. The solubility of fraction 2 and 4 exceeded 90%, and the foaming ability and stability of fraction 5 were 12.76 times and 9.89 times higher than commercial flaxseed protein, respectively. The emulsifying properties of fractions 1, 2, and 5 were all greater than that of commercial sodium caseinate, implying that these fractions could be utilized as high-efficiency emulsifiers. Cryo-SEM results showed that polysaccharides in fractions were beneficial to the formation of network structure and induced the formation of tighter and smoother interfacial layers, which could prevent emulsion flocculation, disproportionation, and coalescence. This study provides a reference to promote the high-value utilization of flaxseed meals. Full article

Flaxseed mucilage and its derivatives have been extensively investigated over the last decade, mainly due to their inherent techno-functional (thickening, gelling, interface-stabilizing, and film-forming) properties that are relevant in the food industry. Hydrocolloids are used to modify food properties, such as for stabilization and emulsion, and are also used to control the microstructure of the food. Increasing research attention has been paid to the application of hydrocolloid materials in gel particles for encapsulation or texture control in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and probiotic products. Thus, it is important to investigate the properties of hydrocolloids manufactured from various sources and explore their possible applications in the food industry. The applied nature of the study of plant mucus substances is associated with the ever-increasing demand for their use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmacological industries, determining the related research priorities, including the development of the most effective methods for the extraction of glycans and the search for highly productive raw materials for the production of polysaccharides. The aim of this work was to study varietal differences in the compositions of heteropolysaccharides in the mucus samples of oilseed and fiber flax varieties using a modern methodological approach for obtaining glycans based on the ultrasonic extraction of polysaccharides. The seeds of 10 flax varieties were studied, differing in their morphotype, place, and time of creation. The obtained results indicated significant differences in the quantitative and qualitative compositions of the heteropolysaccharides of flax seeds of various varieties. The contents of reducing sugars in the studied varieties ranged from 5.61 ± 0.01 to 18.81 ± 0.01 mg/g, indicating significant differences in the structural organization of glycans in different flax varieties. Additionally, the results obtained here allowed us to conclude that the range of reducing sugars for flax heteropolysaccharides is significantly less than this range for oilseed flax varieties. The obtained results of the study of the composition of flax seed heteropolysaccharides allowed us to consider them as selection trait and genetic markers. Full article

Obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges. Recently, we found that flaxseed polysaccharides (FPs) had an anti-obesity effect through promoting lipid metabolism, but the obesity-inhibiting pathway of FP is still unclear. In this study, after FP intervention in an obese rat model, a transcriptome study was performed to further investigate how FP intervention alters the gene expression of colonic epithelial tissues (CETs). The results showed that there were 3785 genes differentially expressed due to the FP intervention, namely 374 downregulated and 3411 upregulated genes. After analyzing all the differentially expressed genes, two classical KEGG pathways were found to be related to obesity, namely the PPAR-signaling pathway and energy metabolism, involving genes Fabp1–5, Lpl, Gyk, Qqp7, Pparg, Rxrg, Acsl1, Acsl4, Acsl6, Cpt1c, Car1–4, Ca5b, Car8, Car12–14, Cps1, Ndufa4l2, Cox6b2, Atp6v1g2, Ndufa4l2 and Cox4i2. QRT-PCR results showed a consistent expression trend. Our results indicate that FP promotes lipid metabolism by changing the expression of some key genes of CETs, thus inhibiting obesity. Full article

The pectic polysaccharides extracted from flaxseed (Linum usitatissiumum L.) mucilage and kernel were characterized as rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I). In this study, the conformational characteristics of RG-I fractions from flaxseed mucilage and kernel were investigated, using a Brookhaven multi-angle light scattering instrument (batch mode) and a high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) system coupled with Viscotek tetra-detectors (flow mode). The M_w of flaxseed mucilage RG-I (FM-R) was 285 kDa, and the structure-sensitive parameter (ρ) value of FM-R was calculated as 1.3, suggesting that the FM-R molecule had a star-like conformation. The M_w of flaxseed kernel RG-I (FK-R) was 550 kDa, and the structure-sensitive parameter (ρ) values ranged from 0.90 to 1.21, suggesting a sphere to star-like conformation with relatively higher segment density. The correlation between the primary structure and conformation of RG-I was further discussed to better understand the structure–function relationship, which helps the scale-up applications of pectins in food, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic industries. Full article

When seeds sown in the soil become wet, their hulls secrete viscous matter that can retain water and thus support germination. Flaxseed mucilage (FSM) is an example of such a material and is attractive for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications due to its suitable rheological properties. FSM consists mainly of two polysaccharides, namely, arabinoxylan and rhamnogalacturonan I, and it also contains some proteins, minerals, and phenolic compounds. The genotype and the year of the flax harvest can significantly affect the composition and functional properties of FSM. In this work, FSM samples were isolated from flax seeds of different cultivars and harvest years, and their structural and rheological properties were compared using statistical methods. The samples showed significant variability in composition and rheological properties depending on the cultivar and storage time. It was found that the ratio of two polysaccharide fractions and the contribution of less-prevalent proteins are important factors determining the rheological parameters of FSM, characterizing the shear-thinning, thixotropic, and dynamic viscoelastic behavior of this material in aqueous solutions. The yield strength and the hysteresis loop were found to be associated with the contribution of the pectin fraction, which included homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan I. In contrast, the shear-thinning and especially the dynamic viscoelastic properties depended on the arabinoxylan content. Proteins also affected the viscoelastic properties and maintained the elastic component of FSM in the solution. The above structural and rheological characteristics should be taken into account when considering effective applications for this material. Full article

The food industry generates a great amount of food waste and by-products, which in many cases are not fully valorized. Press cakes, deriving from oilseeds extraction, represent interesting co-products due to their nutritional value, high biopolymers content, and the presence of bioactive phytochemicals. Gluten-free breads (GFBs) are products that have disadvantages such as unsatisfactory texture, low nutritional value, and short shelf life, so natural additives containing proteins and hydrocolloids are in demand to increase GFBs value. In this study, extract from flaxseed by-product (FOCE—Flaxseed Oil Cake Extract) was used to replace water (25–100%) in GFBs formulations and their nutritional value, antioxidant properties, and sensory features were investigated. The results showed that GFBs with FOCE had an elevated nutritional and nutraceutical profile (up to 60% more proteins, significantly increased K, Mg, and P levels). Moreover, the addition of FOCE improved the technological parameters (increased specific volume, number of cells and height/width ratio, reduced density, average size, and perimeter of cells), antioxidant potential, and overall sensory quality of GFBs. This study showed an encouraging way of using a by-product that, due to its high content of proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, and antioxidants, can add value to GFBs. Full article

Flaxseed gum (FG) and whey protein microparticles (WPMs) were used to substitute fats in model mayonnaises. WPMs were prepared by grinding the heat-set whey protein gel containing 10 mM CaCl₂ into small particles (10–20 µm). Then, 3 × 4 low-fat model mayonnaises were prepared by varying FG (0.3, 0.6, 0.9 wt%) and WPM (0, 8, 16, 24 wt%) concentrations. The effect of the addition of FG and WPMs on rheology, instrumental texture and sensory texture and their correlations were investigated. The results showed that all samples exhibited shear thinning behavior and ‘weak gel’ properties. Although both FG and WPMs enhanced rheological (e.g., viscosity and storage modulus) and textural properties (e.g., hardness, consistency, adhesiveness, cohesiveness) and kinetic stability, this enhancement was dominated by FG. FG and WPMs affected bulk properties through different mechanisms, (i.e., active filler and entangled polysaccharide networks). Panellists evaluated sensory texture in three stages: extra-oral, intra-oral and after-feel. Likewise, FG dominated sensory texture of model mayonnaises. With increasing FG concentration, sensory scores for creaminess and mouth-coating increased, whereas those of firmness, fluidity and spreadability decreased. Creaminess had a linear negative correlation with firmness, fluidity and spreadability (R² > 0.985), while it had a linear positive correlation with mouth-coating (R² > 0.97). A linear positive correlation (R² > 0.975) was established between creaminess and viscosity at different shear rates/instrumental texture parameters. This study highlights the synergistic role of FG and WPMs in developing low-fat mayonnaises. Full article

Agro-industrial by-products are promising source of biopolymers, including proteins and polysaccharides. This study was designed to evaluate the flaxseed oil cake extract (FOCE) as natural encapsulating material and carrier for probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnous GG (LGG). The powders were obtained using three spray drying inlet temperatures (110 °C, 140 °C, 170 °C), and reconstituted. The influence of temperature on water activity, morphology, chemical composition, flowability and cohesiveness of the powders was estimated. For all variants, the survival of bacteria during spray drying, and simulated passage through the gastrointestinal tract was evaluated. The preservation of LGG probiotic features such as cholesterol reduction, hydrophobicity and adhesion to mucin were examined. Results revealed that all physicochemical and functional characteristics of the powders were affected by the inlet temperature. This study demonstrated that FOCE is an appropriate matrix for spray drying (due to flaxseed proteins and polysaccharides) providing high survivability of bacteria (89.41–96.32%), that passed meaningfully through the simulated gastrointestinal tract (4.39–5.97 log reduction), largely maintaining their probiotic properties, being a promising environmentally-friendly carrier for probiotic LGG. Full article

Consumer demands for biocompatible, minimally processed and eco-friendly foods have increased drastically and are currently trending. Polysaccharides derived from various plant seeds exhibiting structure conformational diversity are among such foods and used for the development of edible films. In this study, the physical properties of flaxseed, proximate characterization and rheological, mechanical and thermal features of flaxseed meal-based edible films were investigated. A development strategy worked through adding pectin + flaxseed meal to a plasticizer (glycerol) with a ratio of 7:3 w/v, whereas, in the control group, the flaxseed meal remained unaltered. The rheological results showed the non-Newtonian behavior of film-forming solutions and data were well fitted into the power law model. The developed film (flaxseed + pectin) was slightly brownish and exhibited a transparency of 17.78, which is clear enough to be used as see-through packaging material, whereas the control sample had a transparency of 38.25, indicating its fair transparency. The water vapor permeability of the test sample was also beneficial (0.992 g/cm²/24 h) and was competitively close to the control (0.981 g/cm²/24 h). The developed blended films were 98–99% soluble in water and acid, indicating their usefulness when applied as a coating. The mechanical properties, tensile strength and elongation value of the test sample were less than the control. This study will be helpful in the development of a novel biodegradable film for extending the life of different foods. Full article

Ultrasound is one of the most commonly used methods to prepare Pickering emulsions. In the study, zein nanoparticles-flaxseed gum (ZNP-FSG) complexes were fabricated through various preparation routes. Firstly, the ZNP-FSG complexes were prepared either through direct homogenization/ultrasonication of the zein and flaxseed gum mixture or through pretreatment of zein and/or flaxseed gum solutions by ultrasonication before homogenization. The Pickering emulsions were then produced with the various ZNP-FSG complexes prepared. ZNP-FSG complexes and the final emulsions were then characterized. We found that the complex prepared by ultrasonication of zein as pretreatment followed by homogenization of the ZNP with FSG ((ZNP_U-FSG)H) exhibited the smallest turbidity, highest absolute potential value, relatively small particle size, and formed the most stable complex particles. Meanwhile, complex prepared through direct ultrasonication plus homogenization on the mixture ((ZNP-FSG)HU) showed significantly decreased emulsifying properties and stability. Compared with the complex without ultrasonic treatment, the complex and emulsion, which prepared by ultrasonicated FSG were extremely unstable, and the phase separation phenomenon of the emulsion was observed 30 min after preparation. The above conclusions are also in line with the findings obtained from the properties of the corresponding emulsions, such as the droplets size, microstructure, freeze-thaw stability, and storage stability. It is, therefore, clear that to produce stable Pickering emulsion, ultrasonication should be avoided to apply together at the end of ZNP-FGS complex preparation. It is worth noticing that the emulsions prepared by complex with ultrasonicated zein (ZNP_U-FSG)H are smaller, distributed more uniformly, and are able to encapsulate oil droplets well. It was found that the emulsions prepared with ZNP_U-FSG remained stable without serum phase for 14 days and exhibited improved stability at low-temperature storage. The current study will provide guidance for the preparation of protein–polysaccharide complexes and Pickering emulsions for future work. Full article

The market of gluten-free (GF) products has been steadily increasing in last few years. Due to the technological importance of gluten, the GF food production is still a challenge for the industry. Indeed, large quantities of fat, sugars, structuring agents, and flavor enhancers are added to GF formulations to make textural and sensorial characteristics comparable to conventional products, leading to nutritional and caloric intake imbalances. The formulation of the novel “clean-label” GF bread included a commonly used mixture of maize and rice flour (ratio 1:1) fortified with selected protein-rich flours. Naturally hydrocolloids-containing flours (psyllium, flaxseed, chia) were included in the bread formulation as structuring agents. A type-II sourdough was obtained by using a selected Weissella cibaria P9 and a GF sucrose-containing flour as substrate for fermentation to promote the exo-polysaccharides synthesis by the starter lactic acid bacterium. A two-step protocol for bread-making was set-up: first, the GF sourdough was fermented (24 h at 30 °C); then, it was mixed with the other ingredients (30% of the final dough) and leavened with baker’s yeast before baking. Overall, the novel GF bread was characterized by good textural properties, high protein content (8.9% of dry matter) and in vitro protein digestibility (76.9%), low sugar (1.0% of dry matter) and fat (3.1% of dry matter) content, and an in vitro predicted glycemic index of 85. Full article

We discussed about the influence of extraction mode on the flaxseed gums composition and their thermal stabilities. In order to do so, flaxseed gum was extracted by both classical magnetic stirring method and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE). As a function of time, protein content, gum yield, pH values were evaluated and samples were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The flaxseed gum extracted in aqueous solution correspond to a mixture of different components, including polysaccharides, proteins and sometimes lignan derivatives. It is found that the protein and gum contents increase with the extraction duration for both the ultrasonic assisted and the traditional extraction while the pH decreases at the same time. As expected, compared to traditional magnetic stirring method, ultrasonic assisted extraction method can significantly enhance the yield of polysaccharides, lignans and proteins. The variation of pH is correlated to the increase of lignan molecules in the extracted samples. For thermic methods, SEM experiments showed that lignan derivatives which ester-bonded to polysaccharides associated to proteins are responsible to the formation of globular aggregates. Supplementary rod-like molecular organization were obtained from UAE and questions on the nature of the amphiphilic mesogen carbohydrate structures. Full article

Currently, a majority of oilseeds plants are converted into byproducts and waste materials during processing. Press cakes are rich in valuable biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides (fiber, lignans, etc.). In this study flaxseed oil cake extract (FOCE) was used to stabilize flaxseed oil-in-water emulsions. The effect of FOCE with various flaxseed oil concentrations (10–50% v/v) on several physicochemical properties of emulsions, such as stability, rheology, color and particle size was investigated. The rheological parameters suggested that all samples were non-Newtonian fluids, whereas particle size measurements and calculation SPAN index provided information about the broadness of emulsions particle size distribution. FOCE was able to efficiently stabilize oil/water interfaces with a high oil content. Results obtained for FOCE were compared with effects for synthetic emulsifier (Tween 80) and separated FOCE compounds (flaxseed gum and flaxseed protein). FOCE emulsifying activity is a result of different water-holding and oil-binding capacities of flaxseed gum and protein. This result is an intriguing conclusion regarding the necessity for using pure emulsifiers, showing the possibility of using a bio-based extract containing biopolymers, which is part of the principles of circular economy and the idea of zero-waste. The results give the opportunity to use FOCE as an ingredient in efficient flaxseed oil emulsions stabilizer for food applications. Full article