Antonio Jiménez-Escrig

Dietary fibre from edible seaweeds: chemical structure, physicochemical properties and effects on cholesterol metabolism.

Abstract This brief review outlines the chemical structure, physicochemical properties and effects of seaweed polysaccharides on serum cholesterol levels. Some seaweed polysaccharides are used by the food industry as texture modifiers because of their high viscosity and gelling properties. In Asia, seaweeds have been used for centuries in salads, soups and as low-calorie dietetic foods. The dietary fibre which constitutes 25–75% of the dry weight of marine algae and represents their major component, is primarily soluble fibre. Nowadays, dietary fibre from different sources is known to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, mainly due to its characteristics of dispersibility in water (water-holding capacity), viscosity, binding ability, absorptive capacity, faecal bulking capacity and fermentability in the alimentary canal. Indigestible viscous seaweed polysaccharides such as alginates, carrageenans and funorans, which are capable of forming ionic colloids, have shown positive effects on serum lipid levels in rats. The capacity of seaweed polysaccharides to lower serum cholesterol levels seems to be due to their ability to disperse in water, retain cholesterol and related physiologically active compounds and inhibit lipid absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.

Assessment of some parameters involved in the gelatinization and retrogration of starch

Abstract Factors influencing the formation of resistant starch (RS) during gelatinization and retrogradation were studied in starches and flours from cereals (wheat, corn, rice) and potato. RS obtained using a high-pressure autoclave system varied between 3.94 and 21.21% (rice and potato starches, respectively) similar to the values obtained after gelatinization in a boiling water bath. Except for rice, RS was higher in pure starches than in flours. Stirring during gelatinization yielded more homogeneous products than non-stirred samples. Apparently, gelatinization was unaffected by pH values between 3.5 and 10.5. To obtain optimum RS yields during retrogradation, it was necessary to cool down starch gels prior to freezing, followed by thawing at room temperature and drying at 60°C. These conditions ensure good yields in the formation of RS with potential industrial applications. ©

Evaluation of free radical scavenging of dietary carotenoids by the stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

In order to avoid the interference of compounds with a chromophoric system when the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) method is used, a new measure of the decrease in absorbance at 580 nm was performed (correlation coefficient between absorbance and DPPH· concentration, 0.9979; p < 0.01). The antioxidant effectiveness of dietary carotenes and xanthophylls towards the stable free radical DPPH· was measured. The antioxidant activity expressed as the amount of antioxidant able to reduce the initial DPPH· concentration to 50% (EC50), given in terms of moles of antioxidant per mole of DPPH·, ranged from 0.16 ± 0.01 (lycopene) to 3.29 ± 0.31 (lutein). The parameter antiradical efficiency (AE), which involves the potency (1/EC50) and the time taken to reach the steady state at EC50 (TEC50), was calculated to discriminate carotenoids with no significant difference between their EC50. Comparison of the structures of the carotenoids tested revealed that the scavenging ability towards DPPH· was increased by the length of the effective conjugated double-bond system and was modulated by the addition of chemical groups on the terminal rings (xanthophylls). © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry

Study of low-density lipoprotein oxidizability indexes to measure the antioxidant activity of dietary polyphenols.

Abstract Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recent studies have reported that specific polyphenols play a role as antioxidants inhibiting lipid peroxidation, LDL oxidation and scavenging oxygen radicals. To investigate the mechanism by which dietary antioxidants may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by inhibiting oxidative damage of lipoproteins, low-density lipoprotein oxidizability indexes were studied to measure the antioxidant activity of dietary polyphenols and a modification in the CLT 50 parameter was proposed. This parameter measure the concentration of antioxidant that increase the Lag time to 50% greater than that of the control, and the proposed modification eliminate the effects of the LDL status in the oxidation induced with Cu 2+ . The lower the CLT 50 , the higher antioxidant activity in the inhibition of LDL oxidation. Polyphenols with different structures such as condensed tannins (tannin acid), flavonols (catechin, quercetin, rutin), cinnamic acids (caffeic and ferulic acid), stilbenes (resveratrol), benzoic acids (gallic acid), anthocyanidins (malvidin); a synthetic phenol (3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, BHA) and two vitamins (ascorbic acid - vitamin C- and DL-α-tocopherol -vitamin E-) were studied. All antioxidants tested showed dose-dependent inhibition of LDL oxidation. In general, it was suggested that dietary polyphenols are better antioxidants than other common antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E. An adequate study of the low-density lipoprotein oxidizability indexes could determine the serum antioxidant status within different subjects, and/or evaluate the antioxidant efficiency of different antioxidants in the inhibition of human LDL oxidation.

Health-Promoting Effects of a Dietary Fiber Concentrate from the Soybean Byproduct Okara in Rats

Okara (a byproduct of the soy milk industry) is rich in proteins (24.5-37.5 g/100 g of dry matter (dm)), lipids (9.3-22.3 g/100 g of dm), and dietary fiber (DF) (14.5-55.4 g/100 g of dm). It also contains isoflavones (0.14 g/100 g of dm). In the present study we fed female healthy Wistar rats either a standard rat diet or a supplemented 10% DF-rich okara (DFRO) diet for 4 weeks, and then we assessed several health parameters in the serum and the cecum compartments. In comparison to the control group, rats fed DFRO showed a significant decrease in weight gain (5.00 +/- 1.22 g vs 2.00 +/- 1.46 g, P < 0.03, during week 4) and in total cholesterol (65 +/- 8 mg/dL vs 51 +/- 5 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and a significantly increased antioxidant status (36.71 +/- 15.31 micromol of Trolox equivalents (TEs)/g vs 69.75 +/- 16.11 micromol of TEs/g, P < 0.0003) and butyrogenic effect (39.37%, P < 0.003) in the cecum. In addition, a significant enhancement in the apparent absorption (41.89 +/- 1.64% vs 47.02 +/- 2.51%, P < 0.004) and in the true retention (41.62 +/- 1.60% vs 46.68 +/- 2.55%, P < 0.005) of calcium was appreciated. In summary, these findings show for the first time that a concentrate DF from a soybean byproduct protects the gut environment in terms of antioxidant status and prebiotic effect. These results may highlight the development of an innovative soybean byproduct rich in DF which could be useful as a functional ingredient with health-promoting attributes.

Brown and red seaweeds as potential sources of antioxidant nutraceuticals

Multifunctional antioxidant potential of several brown and red edible seaweeds was evaluated in organic and aqueous soluble extracts. The great reduction power and radical scavenging activity of Bifurcaria bifurcata—a Sargassaceae brown algal species—in both organic and aqueous extracts were emphasized. In addition, two Gigartinaceae red algal species, Gigartina pistillata and Mastocarpus stellatus showed relatively high reduction power in the aqueous extracts. When all of the variables of the aqueous extracts were combined in a principal component analysis, a clear differentiation pattern among the tested seaweeds was observed. In the Phaeophyceae, the correlation found among reduction power, radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content is in favour of the involvement of phenolic compounds in the antioxidant mechanisms, whereas in the case of the Florideophyceae, the role of sulphate-containing polysaccharides in reduction power is presumably shown. Nevertheless, the evidence of some taxonomy-based clustering (class and order levels) in this study may prove that polyphenol and sulphate content, besides multifunctional antioxidant profile, are related to specific groups of seaweeds. This evidence could help the search of suitable sources of phytochemicals from seaweeds for further nutraceutical applications.

Molecular weight distribution of polysaccharides from edible seaweeds by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC).

Biological properties of polysaccharides from seaweeds are related to their composition and structure. Many factors such as the kind of sugar, type of linkage or sulfate content of algal biopolymers exert an influence in the relationship between structure and function. Besides, the molecular weight (MW) also plays an important role. Thus, a simple, reliable and fast HPSEC method with refractive index detection was developed and optimized for the MW estimation of soluble algal polysaccharides. Chromatogram shape and repeatability of retention time was considerably improved when sodium nitrate was used instead of ultrapure water as mobile phase. Pullulan and dextran standards of different MW were used for method calibration and validation. Also, main polysaccharide standards from brown (alginate, fucoidan, laminaran) and red seaweeds (kappa- and iota-carrageenan) were used for quantification and method precision and accuracy. Relative standard deviation (RSD) of repeatability for retention time, peak areas and inter-day precision was below 0.7%, 2.5% and 2.6%, respectively, which indicated good repeatability and precision. Recoveries (96.3-109.8%) also showed its fairly good accuracy. Regarding linearity, main polysaccharide standards from brown or red seaweeds showed a highly satisfactory correlation coefficient (r>0.999). Moreover, a good sensitivity was shown, with corresponding limits of detection and quantitation in mg/mL of 0.05-0.21 and 0.16-0.31, respectively. The method was applied to the MW estimation of standard algal polysaccharides, as well as to the soluble polysaccharide fractions from the brown seaweed Saccharina latissima and the red Mastocarpus stellatus, respectively. Although distribution of molecular weight was broad, the good repeatability for retention time provided a good precision in MW estimation of polysaccharides. Water- and alkali-soluble fractions from S. latissima ranged from very high (>2400 kDa) to low MW compounds (<6 kDa); this high heterogeneity could be attributable to the complex polysaccharide composition of brown algae. Regarding M. stellatus, sulfated galactans followed a descending order of MW (>1400 kDa to <10 kDa), related to the different solubility of carrageenans in red seaweeds. In summary, the method developed allows for the molecular weight analysis of seaweed polysaccharides with very good precision, accuracy, linearity and sensitivity within a short time.

Stroke: roles of B vitamins, homocysteine and antioxidants

In the present review concerning stroke, we evaluate the roles of B vitamins, homocysteine and antioxidant vitamins. Stroke is a leading cause of death in developed countries. However, current therapeutic strategies for stroke have been largely unsuccessful. Several studies have reported important benefits on reducing the risk of stroke and improving the post-stroke-associated functional declines in patients who ate foods rich in micronutrients, including B vitamins and antioxidant vitamins E and C. Folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 are all cofactors in homocysteine metabolism. Growing interest has been paid to hyperhomocysteinaemia as a risk factor for CVD. Hyperhomocysteinaemia has been linked to inadequate intake of vitamins, particularly to B-group vitamins and therefore may be amenable to nutritional intervention. Hence, poor dietary intake of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 are associated with increased risk of stroke. Elevated consumption of fruits and vegetables appears to protect against stroke. Antioxidant nutrients have important roles in cell function and have been implicated in processes associated with ageing, including vascular, inflammatory and neurological damage. Plasma vitamin E and C concentrations may serve as a biological marker of lifestyle or other factors associated with reduced stroke risk and may be useful in identifying those at high risk of stroke. After reviewing the observational and intervention studies, there is an incomplete understanding of mechanisms and some conflicting findings; therefore the available evidence is insufficient to recommend the routine use of B vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin C for the prevention of stroke. A better understanding of mechanisms, along with well-designed controlled clinical trials will allow further progress in this area.

Study of plasma antioxidant status in Alzheimer's disease

To examine the plasma antioxidant status of Alzheimers disease (AD) patients and to evaluate the influence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. There are reasons to suspect involvement of the free hydroxyl radical in the pathogenesis of AD. In contrast, studies in plasma of AD patients for the evaluation of levels of biomarkers of oxidation are controversial. Twenty AD patients diagnosed using the National Institute for Neurological Disorders/Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders (NINDS/ADRDA) criteria and 22 controls chosen amongst different subjects without cognitive damage. All the subjects – both AD patients and controls – were stratified by their APOE genotype (3/3, 3/4 or 4/4), which was determined by PCR. Plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was determined using two complementary procedures: FRAP, which measures the ferric reduction capacity, and ABTS, which measures the radical scavenging capacity. In addition, 2‐amino‐adipic semialdehyde (2‐AAS), a biomarker of protein oxidation, was evaluated. No significant difference was observed between the AD and control groups regarding plasma TAC. When the subjects were classified by their APOE genotype, significant differences were found in the APOE 4/4 group in the TCA determined by the FRAP method. Subjects with APOE genotype 4/4, which is the group with higher incidence in AD, showed lower antioxidant capacity of plasma. It is the first time that antioxidant capacity in plasma is evaluated in AD patients characterized by their APOE genotypes.

Seaweed as a source of novel nutraceuticals: sulfated polysaccharides and peptides.

Seaweeds and seaweed-derived products are underexploited marine bioresources and a source of natural ingredients for functional foods. Nutritional studies on seaweeds indicate that brown and red seaweeds possess a good nutritional quality and could be used as an alternative source of dietary fiber, protein, and minerals. Moreover, bioactive sulfated polysaccharides are the main components of soluble fiber in seaweeds and also bioactive peptides can be prepared from seaweed protein. This chapter gives an overview of the main biological properties of sulfated polysaccharides and peptides from brown and red seaweeds. Recent studies have provided evidence that sulfated polysaccharides from seaweeds can play a vital role in human health and nutrition. Besides, peptides derived from algal protein are most promising as antihypertensive agents. Further research work, especially in vivo studies, are needed in order to gain a better knowledge of the relation structure-function by which bioactive compounds from seaweeds exert their bioactivity.