Search Results (165)

The current study evaluated the effect of combining mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) and onion peel (OP) on ruminal in vitro total gas (GP), greenhouse gas emissions, dry matter and fiber fraction digestibility, partitioning factor (PF₂₄; mg degradable DM per mL gas), microbial mass, and volatile fatty acids using two dietary substrates: high forage (HF) and high concentrate (HC) diets. The study was arranged as a 2 × 2 × 6 factorial design with two dietary substrates, two time points (6 and 24 h), and six treatments. The treatments included a control group with no MOS or OP administration and groups administered with 2% of a mixture containing MOS and OP in the following ratios: 1:0 (MOS), 0:1 (OP), 1:1 (MOS:OP), 1:2 (MOS:2OP), and 1:3 (MOS:3OP). No significant diet × treatment interactions were observed for any of the measured parameters. However, treatments decreased (p < 0.05) the undegraded portion of HC, and treatment × substrate interactions were significant (p < 0.05) for PF₂₄ and microbial mass. The treatments in the HC diet produced higher GP (p < 0.001) at 6 h compared to the treatments in the HF diet. Administration of MOS:2OP to the HC diet increased GP at 24 h of incubation, while the lowest GP was observed with the OP in the HF diet. The administration of MOS, OP, and MOS:2OP to the HC diet decreased methane production at 24 h of incubation. Additionally, MOS:2OP and MOS:3OP increased (p < 0.001) degradable acid detergent fiber (dADF) in the HC diet at 6 h of incubation. Both OP and MOS:3OP decreased the degradability of acid detergent lignin in the HC diet (p < 0.001). The OP also resulted in the lowest DM disappearance (p < 0.001) at 24 h of incubation in the HF diet, while the MOS:3OP had the highest dADF. At the end of incubation, the highest productions of total volatile fatty acids and acetate were observed (p = 0.002) with the MOS:OP administration in the HC diet, whereas the lowest values were observed with MOS and OP administration to the HF diet. The inclusion of mannan oligosaccharide and onion peel combinations as additives improved substrate (HC and HF) fermentation, leading to higher GP and volatile fatty production, and modulated fiber degradability by improving the breakdown of acid detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin. Full article

The intestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem where the microbial community (including bacteria) can metabolize available substrates via metabolic pathways specific to each species, often related in symbiotic relations. As a consequence of using available substrates and microbial growth, specific beneficial metabolites can be produced. When this reflects the health benefits for the host, these substrates can be categorized as prebiotics. Given that most prebiotic candidates must have a low molecular weight to be further metabolized by the microbiota, the role in the preliminary biological pretreatment is crucial. To provide proper substrates to the intestinal microbiota, a strategy could be to decrease the complexity of polysaccharides and reduce the levels of polymerization to low molecular weight for the target molecules, driving better solubilization and the consequent metabolic use by intestinal bacteria. When high molecular weight pectin is degraded (partially depolymerized), its solubility increases, thereby improving its utilization by gut microbiota. With regards to application, prebiotics have well-documented advantages when applied as food additives, as they improve gut health and can enhance drug effects, all shown by in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials. In this review, we aim to provide systematic evidence for the mechanisms of action and the modulation of gut microbiota by the pectin-derived oligosaccharides produced by decreasing overall molecular weight after physical and/or chemical treatments and to compare with other types of prebiotics. Full article

Fucose, fucose-containing oligosaccharides, and fucose-containing polysaccharides have been widely applied in the fields of food and medicine, including applications in Helicobacter pylori eradication and renal function protection. Fucose-containing carbohydrates (FCCs) derived from marine organisms such as seaweed, invertebrates, microalgae, fungi, and bacteria have garnered growing attention due to their diverse bioactivities and potential therapeutic applications. Marine-derived FCCs characterized by high fucose residue content and extensive sulfate substitution, including fucoidan, fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, and fucose-rich microbial exopolysaccharides, have demonstrated significant potential in promoting gastrointestinal health. This review describes the unique structural features of FCCs and summarizes their health benefits, including regulation of gut microbiota, modulation of microbial metabolism, anti-adhesion activities against H. pylori and gut pathogens, protection against inflammatory injuries, and anti-tumor activities. Additionally, this review discusses the structural characteristics that influence the functional properties and the limitations related to the activity research and preparation processes of FCCs, providing a balanced perspective on the application potential and challenges of FCCs with specific structures for the regulation of gastrointestinal health and diseases. Full article

The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem of microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract (GI), plays a crucial role in maintaining metabolic health and influencing disease susceptibility. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbiota, has been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through mechanisms such as reduced glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance. A balanced gut microbiota, or eubiosis, is associated with improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, potentially reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications. Various strategies, including the use of prebiotics like inulin, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, resistant starch, pectic oligosaccharides, polyphenols, β-glucan, and Dendrobium officinale have been shown to improve gut microbial composition and support glycemic control in T2DM patients. These prebiotics can directly impact blood sugar levels while promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria, thus enhancing glycemic control. Studies have shown that T2DM patients often exhibit a decrease in beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria, like Roseburia and Faecalibacterium, and an increase in harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia and Prevotella. This review aims to explore the effects of different prebiotics on T2DM, their impact on gut microbiota composition, and the potential for personalized dietary interventions to optimize diabetes management and improve overall health outcomes. Full article

The current research is devoted to the development and characterization of green antimicrobial polymer biocomposites for food packaging applications. The biocomposites were developed by melt compounding on the basis of two different succinate polymer matrices with varying chain stiffness—polybutylene succinate (PBS) or its copolymer with 20 mol.% of polybutylene adipate (PBSA). Fungi chitosan oligosaccharide (C98) and crustacean chitosan (C95) were used as antimicrobial additives. The rheological properties of the developed biocomposites were determined to clear out the most suitable temperature for melt processing. In addition, mechanical, thermal, barrier and antimicrobial properties of the developed biocomposites were determined. The results of the investigation revealed that PBSA composites with 7 wt% and 10 wt% of the C98 additive were more suitable for the development of green packaging films because of their higher ultimate elongation values, better damping properties as well as their superior anti-microbial behavior. However, due to the lower thermal stability of the C98 additive as well as PBSA, the melt processing temperatures of the composites desirably should not exceed 120 °C. Additionally, by considering decreased moisture vapor barrier properties, it is recommended to perform further modifications of the PBSA-C98 composites through an addition of a nanoclay additive due to its excellent barrier properties and thermal stability. Full article

The prevalence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD) has been increasing over the last two decades. Yet, treatment strategies are still limited, in part due to the multifactorial nature of the disease and the complex interplay between genetic, environmental, dietary, immune, and gut microbial factors in its etiology. With their direct and indirect anti-inflammatory properties, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a promising treatment and management strategy for IBD. However, to date there are no insights into how HMOs may affect pIBD microbiota. Here, we compared the effects of 2′fucosyllactose (2′FL), difucosyllactose (DFL), 3′sialyllactose (3′SL), and blends thereof with fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on microbiota functionality (short- and branched-chain fatty acids, pH, and gas production) and composition (quantitative shallow shotgun sequencing) using fecal material from eight different pediatric Crohn’s disease patients inoculated in the SIFR^® technology. In general, all HMO treatments significantly increased total short-chain fatty acid production when compared with FOS, despite equal gas production. We found that 2′FL, either alone or in combination with DFL and 3′SL, exhibited a strong acetogenic and propiogenic effect, and 3′SL an acetogenic effect that surpassed the effects observed with FOS. No differences in overall community diversity between HMO- and FOS-treated pIBD microbiota were observed. There was, however, a stronger bifidogenic effect of 2′FL, 3′SL, 2′FL/DFL, and 2′FL/DFL + 3′SL when compared with FOS. In general, 3′SL and HMO blends enriched a broader species profile, including taxa with potentially anti-inflammatory properties, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Blautia species. This study suggests HMOs as a promising strategy to beneficially alter the gut microbial profile in pIBD. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the effect of an essential oil/fumaric combination, mannan-oligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, and a mannan-oligosaccharide/galactooligosaccharide combination on the dry matter disappearance (DMD), gas production, greenhouse gasses, volatile fatty acid, and microbial community of a total mixed ration using a 24 h in vitro batch culture technique. The study design was a completely randomized design with four treatments as follows: a control treatment without any additives, the control treatment supplemented with galactooligosaccharide at 3% (Gos treatment), a galactooligosaccharide and mannan-oligosaccharide mixture at 1:1 at 3% (Gosmos treatment), or an essential oil blend (200 μL/g feed) and fumaric acid at 3% combination (Eofumaric treatment). The Gosmos treatment had the highest (p < 0.05) DMD (63.8%) and the numerical lowest acetate–propionate ratio (p = 0.207), which was 36.9% higher compared to the control. The lowest Shannon index, Simpson’s index, and all the diversity indices were recorded for the Eofumaric treatment, while the other treatments had similar Shannon index, Simpson’s index, and diversity index. The Z-score differential abundance between the Eofumaric and the control indicated that the inclusion of the Eofumaric treatment differentially increased the abundance of Patescibacteria, Synergistota, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, and Euryarchaeota while Verrucomicrobiota, WPS-2, Fibrobacterota, and Spirochaetota were decreased. The Random Forest Classification showed that the lower relative abundance of Fibrobacterota, Spirochaetota, and Elusimicrobiota and the higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Chloroflexi were most impactful in explaining the microbial community data. Overall, the essential oil blend showed great potential as a methane gas mitigation strategy by modifying rumen fermentation through changes in the microbial community dynamics. Full article

Ulvan is a water-soluble sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the green algae cell wall. Compared with polysaccharides, oligosaccharides have drawn increasing attention in various industries due to their enhanced biocompatibility and solubility. Ulvan lyase degrades polysaccharides into low molecular weight oligosaccharides through the β-elimination mechanism. The elucidation of the structure, catalytic mechanism, and molecular modification of ulvan lyase will be helpful to obtain high value-added products from marine biomass resources, as well as reduce environmental pollution caused by the eutrophication of green algae. This review summarizes the structure and bioactivity of ulvan, the microbial origin of ulvan lyase, as well as its sequence, three-dimensional structure, and enzymatic mechanism. In addition, the molecular modification of ulvan lyase, prospects and challenges in the application of enzymatic methods to prepare oligosaccharides are also discussed. It provides information for the preparation of bioactive Ulva oligosaccharides through enzymatic hydrolysis, the technological bottlenecks, and possible solutions to address these issues within the enzymatic process. Full article

The objective of this review was to identify the characteristics and functional roles of milk coproducts from human, bovine, and porcine sources and their impacts on the intestinal microbiota and intestinal immunity of suckling and nursery pigs. Modern pig production weans piglets at 3 to 4 weeks of age, which is earlier than pigs would naturally be weaned outside of artificial rearing. As a result, the immature intestines of suckling and nursery pigs face many challenges associated with intestinal dysbiosis, which can be caused by weaning stress or the colonization of the intestines by enteric pathogens. Milk oligosaccharides are found in sow milk and function as a prebiotic in the intestines of pigs as they cannot be degraded by mammalian enzymes and are thus utilized by intestinal microbial populations. The consumption of milk oligosaccharides during suckling and through the nursery phase can provide benefits to young pigs by encouraging the proliferation of beneficial microbial populations, preventing pathogen adhesion to enterocytes, and through directly modulating immune responses. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the specific functional components of milk oligosaccharides from human, bovine, and porcine sources, and identify potential strategies to utilize milk oligosaccharides to benefit young pigs through the suckling and nursery periods. Full article

The microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microorganisms that inhabit a specific environment. It plays a significant role in human health, from food digestion to immune system strengthening. The “Novel Foods” refer to foods or ingredients that have not been consumed by humans in the European Union before 1997. Currently, there is growing interest in understanding how “Novel Foods” affect the microbiome and human health. The aim of this review was to assess the effects of “Novel Foods” on the human gut microbiome. Research was conducted using scientific databases, focusing on the literature published since 2000, with an emphasis on the past decade. In general, the benefits derived from this type of diet are due to the interaction between polyphenols, oligosaccharides, prebiotics, probiotics, fibre content, and the gut microbiome, which selectively promotes specific microbial species and increases microbial diversity. More research is being conducted on the consumption of novel foods to demonstrate how they affect the microbiome and, thus, human health. Consumption of novel foods with health-promoting properties should be further explored to maintain the diversity and functionality of the gut microbiome as a potential tool to prevent the onset and progression of chronic diseases. Full article

Food allergy, referred to as the atypical physiological overreaction of the immune system after exposure to specific food components, is considered one of the major concerns in food safety. The prevalence of this emerging worldwide problem has been increasing during the last decades, especially in industrialized countries, being estimated to affect 6–8% of young children and about 2–4% of adults. Marine organisms are an important source of bioactive substances with the potential to functionally improve the immune system, reduce food allergy sensitization and development, and even have an anti-allergic action in food allergy. The present investigation aims to be a comprehensive report of marine bioactive compounds with verified actions to improve food allergy and identified mechanisms of actions rather than be an exhaustive compilation of all investigations searching beneficial effects of marine compounds in FA. Particularly, this research highlights the capacity of bioactive components extracted from marine microbial, animal, algae, and microalgae sources, such as n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), polysaccharide, oligosaccharide, chondroitin, vitamin D, peptides, pigments, and polyphenols, to regulate the immune system, epigenetic regulation, inflammation, and gut dysbiosis that are essential factors in the sensitization and effector phases of food allergy. In conclusion, the marine ecosystem is an excellent source to provide foods with the capacity to improve the hypersensitivity induced against specific food allergens and also bioactive compounds with a potential pharmacological aptitude to be applied as anti-allergenic in food allergy. Full article

Due to the challenge of weaning pigs and the need to reduce the use of antimicrobials in animal feed, there is a growing need to look for nutraceutical alternatives to reduce the adverse effects of the post-weaning period. We evaluate the effect of different feed nutraceutical additives on the microbial communities, gut health biomarkers, and productivity of pigs during the post-weaning period. The study involved 240 piglets weaned on the 21st day of age and randomized to six different diets: D1-BD commercial standard feed, D2-AGP: D1 + 150 ppm zinc bacitracin, D3-MD: D1 + 550 ppm maltodextrin, D4-FOS: D1 + 300 ppm fructo-oligosaccharides, D5-EO: D1 + 70 ppm Lippia origanoides essential oil, and D6-SH: D1 + 750 ppm sodium humate. On day 30 post-weaning, zootechnical parameters were evaluated, and jejunal samples were taken to obtain morphometric variables, expression of barrier and enzymatic proteins, and analysis of microbial communities. Animals fed D4-FOS and D5-EO had the lowest feed conversion ratio and higher expression of barrier and enzymatic proteins compared to D1-BD, D2-AGP, and D3-MD. The use of the additives modified the gut microbial communities of the piglets. In conclusion, fructo-oligosaccharides and Lippia origanoides essential oil were the best alternatives to zinc bacitracin as antibiotic growth promoters. Full article

The gut has been a focus of chronic disease research. The gut microbiota produces metabolites that act as signaling molecules and substrates, closely influencing host health. Nondigestible oligosaccharides (NDOs), as a common dietary fiber, play an important role in regulating the structure and function of the gut microbiota. Their mechanism of action is mainly attributed to providing a carbon source as specific probiotics, producing related metabolites, and regulating the gut microbial community. However, due to the selective utilization of oligosaccharides, some factors, such as the type and structure of oligosaccharides, have different impacts on the composition of microbial populations and the production of metabolites in the colon ecosystem. This review systematically describes the key factors influencing the selective utilization of oligosaccharides by microorganisms and elaborates how oligosaccharides affect the host’s immune system, inflammation levels, and energy metabolism by regulating microbial diversity and metabolic function, which in turn affects the onset and progress of chronic diseases, especially diabetes, obesity, depression, intestinal inflammatory diseases, and constipation. In this review, we re-examine the interaction mechanisms between the gut microbiota and its associated metabolites and diseases, and we explore new strategies for promoting human health and combating chronic diseases through dietary interventions. Full article

The study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) meal levels on the nutrient disappearance rate, rumen fermentation, and microflora of beef cattle in vitro. A total of 24 fermentation tanks were randomly divided into four treatments containing 0% COS (CON), 0.02% COS, 0.04% COS, and 0.08% COS for an 8-day experiment period, with each treatment comprising six replicates. The disappear rates of DM, CP, EE, and total gas production were quadratically increased with increasing COS levels. The disappear rates of DM, CP, EE, and ADF were greatest, whereas the total gas production was lowest in the 0.08% COS group. The pH, NH₃-N, MCP, the content of propionate, isobutyrate, butyrate, valerate, and the A/P were quadratically increased with increasing COS levels, while the A/P were linearly decreased. The pH, MCP, and the content of propionate, and butyrate were highest, whereas the NH₃-N and the content of acetate, isobutyrate, valerate, and the A/P were lowest in the 0.08% COS group. Microbiomics analysis showed that the rumen microbial diversity was not altered between the CON and the 0.08% COS group. However, the relative abundance of Methanosphaera, Ruminococcus, Endomicrobium, and Eubacterium groups was increased, and the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria Dorea and Escherichia-Shigella showed a decrease in the 0.08% COS group. Overall, the 0.08% COS was the most effective among the three addition levels, resulting in an increase in the disappearance rate of in vitro fermented nutrients and improvements in rumen fermentation indexes and microbial communities. This, in turn, led to the maintenance of rumen health. Full article

Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous metabolic disorder that poses significant health and economic challenges across the globe. Polysaccharides, found abundantly in edible plants, hold promise for managing diabetes by reducing blood glucose levels (BGL) and insulin resistance. However, most of these polysaccharides cannot be digested or absorbed directly by the human body. Here we report the production of antidiabetic oligosaccharides from cress seed mucilage polysaccharides using yeast fermentation. The water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from cress seed mucilage were precipitated using 75% ethanol and fermented with Pichia pastoris for different time intervals. The digested saccharides were fractionated through gel permeation chromatography using a Bio Gel P-10 column. Structural analysis of the oligosaccharide fractions revealed the presence of galacturonic acid, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, glucose and arabinose. Oligosaccharide fractions exhibited the potential to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. The fraction DF73 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against α-amylase with IC₅₀ values of 38.2 ± 1.12 µg/mL, compared to the positive control, acarbose, having an IC₅₀ value of 29.18 ± 1.76 µg/mL. Similarly, DF72 and DF73 showed the highest inhibition of α-glucosidase, with IC₅₀ values of 9.26 ± 2.68 and 50.47 ± 5.18 µg/mL, respectively. In in vivo assays in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, these oligosaccharides significantly reduced BGL and improved lipid profiles compared to the reference drug metformin. Histopathological observations of mouse livers indicated the cytoprotective effects of these sugars. Taken together, our results suggest that oligosaccharides produced through microbial digestion of polysaccharides extracted from cress seed mucilage have the potential to reduce blood glucose levels, possibly through inhibition of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes and regulation of the various signaling pathways. Full article