Hongyuan Zhao

The brewing conditions are critical factors influencing the nutrient, flavor characteristic and bioactive components of tea. In this work, the effects of different brewing conditions on the nutritional composition, flavor profile, sensory characteristics, and antioxidant capacity of Xanthoceras sorbifolium bud black tea (XBT) were investigated. Results showed that brewing at 90 ℃ for 30 min (XBTI-1) was identified as the optimal condition to contributes high quality of XBT due to higher content of flavonoids, soluble sugars, and total polyphenols, accompanied by the well-balanced nutrients, intense umami, and outstanding richness in XBT infusion. Moreover, 1-octen-3-one, 2-methylpropanal, and 2-methylbutanal were found as flavor markers in 16 key odorants with relative odor activity value (ROAV > 1.0) from 75 volatile organic compounds in XBT infusion. Furthermore, XBTI-1 displayed the strongest antioxidant activity with Antioxidant Potency Composite (APC) index of 0.984. Collectively, 90 ℃/30 min is recommended as the ideal brewing condition for XBT.

Fructose dietary intake is one of the most common risk factors for hyperuricemia, which is a critical threat to human health, and the lack of an effective biological intervention method is the main problem in preventing hyperuricemia caused by fructose intake. Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Fmb14 (L. rhamnosus Fmb14) has a fructose-metabolizing ability to produce extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs), and the yield of EPSs reached 0.50 and 0.42 g/L after 48 h of fermentation in liquid media of glucose-MRS and fructose-MRS. Six pure polysaccharide components were obtained after purification. A hyperuricemic mouse model was subsequently established by feeding a 60% high-fructose diet with potassium oxyazinate for 8 weeks, and the results revealed that L. rhamnosus Fmb14 and fructose-derived EPS (F-EPS) intervention significantly reduced the serum uric acid level of the model mice from 133.6 μmol/L to 106.7 to 111.0 μmol/L. The content of XOD in the liver decreased from 2188.1 ng/L in the model group to 1797.9 ng/L in the H-Fmb14 group and 1906.6 ng/L in the H-F-EPS group, alleviating fatty liver degeneration and improving intestinal barrier (increasing OCLN and ZO1 expression in colon). The abundances of allobaculum, bacteroides, Lactobacilli prevotella, and clostridium, the new potential biomarkers of fructose-induced hyperuricemia, were found to be modulated after Fmb14 and F-EPS intervention. The effects of Fmb14 and F-EPS in reducing uric acid synthesis and protecting the intestinal tract are very promising as food intervention agents in the prevention of hyperuricemia caused by fructose dietary.

Gelatine-processing wastewater contains much residual sludge due to its high calcium ion concentration and chemical oxygen demand. In this study, N3-4, a microbial strain with excellent calcium tolerance capacity, was screened and identified as Virgibacillus pantothenticus using morphological observation, physiological and biochemical testing, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Its growth characteristics were investigated, and the maximum adsorption of calcium reached 572.43 μg/g under the optimal conditions (contact time, 72.68 min; biomass dosage, 1.3 g/l; initial calcium concentration, 142.01 mg/l). Conditions were optimized using response surface methodology and structural characterization. The structure of the bacterial pellets was altered from flat to rough, accompanied by bulges and sediments after Ca²⁺ treatment, according to structural characterization. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of the bacterial precipitates under calcium(II) treatment revealed the immobilization of Ca²⁺ species on the bacterial cell surface. The results indicate that –OH, –NH₂, C≡C, C=O, –CH₂, –C–O–, and –C–N groups play a significant role in calcium dispersion on the surface of V. pantothenticus.

Prevention mechanism of L. rhamnosus Fmb14 on DSS-induced depression-like behaviors.

Surfactin from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 was utilized to treat mice with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) induced by a high-fat diet/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ). Our group’s earlier research indicated that surfactin could lower blood glucose and mitigate liver dysfunction to further improve HFD/STZ-induced T2DM through modulating intestinal microbiota. Thus, we further investigated the effects of surfactin on the pancreas and colon in mice with T2DM to elucidate the detailed mechanism. In the present study, mice with HFD/STZ-induced T2DM had their pancreatic and colon inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) reduced when given oral surfactin at a dose of 80 mg/kg body weight. According to further research, surfactin also improved glucose metabolism by activating the phosphatidylinositol kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, further protecting islets β-cell, promoting insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon release and mitigating pancreas dysfunction. Additionally, after surfactin treatment, the colon levels of the tight junction proteins Occludin and Claudin-1 of T2DM mice were considerably increased by 130.64% and by 36.40%, respectively. These findings revealed that surfactin not only ameliorated HFD/STZ-induced pancreas inflammation and dysfunction and preserved intestinal barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota homeostasis but also enhanced insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in T2DM mice. Finally, in the further experiment, we were able to demonstrate that early surfactin intervention might delay the development of T2DM caused by HFD/STZ, according to critical biochemical parameters in serum.

Probiotics strategies for ameliorating hyperuricemia are promising based on the characteristics of probiotics and uric acid metabolism in humans. The administration of probiotics could ameliorate hyperuricemia and its related metabolic disorders.