Chin-Wen Lin

Hypocholesterolaemic effects of milk-kefir and soyamilk-kefir in cholesterol-fed hamsters

This study aimed to evaluate the hypocholesterolaemic property of milk-kefir and soyamilk-kefir. Male hamsters were fed on a cholesterol-free or cholesterol-enriched diet containing 10 % skimmed milk, milk-kefir, soyamilk or soyamilk-kefir for a period of 8 weeks. The soyamilk, milk-kefir and soyamilk-kefir diets all tended towards a lowering of serum triacylglycerol and total cholesterol concentrations, and a reduction of cholesterol accumulation in the liver, the decrease in serum cholesterol concentration being mainly in the non-HDL fraction. The soyamilk-kefir diet led to a significant increase in the faecal excretion of neutral sterols and bile acids compared with the other two diets. The soyamilk-kefir diet also elicited a significant decrease in the serum ratio of non-HDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol, compared with the control, than was the case for the other diets. These findings demonstrate that soyamilk-kefir may be considered to be among the more promising food components in terms of preventing CVD through its hypocholesterolaemic action.

Antitumor Activity of Milk Kefir and Soy Milk Kefir in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Abstract: The effects of oral administration of milk and soy milk kefirs on tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice and the mucosal immunoglobulin A response in mice were studied. Oral administration of milk and soy milk kefirs to mice inoculated with sarcoma 180 tumor cells resulted in 64.8% and 70.9% inhibition of tumor growth, respectively, compared with controls. In addition, oral administration of the two kefir types induced apoptotic tumor cell lysis. Total immunoglobulin A levels for tissue extracts from the wall of the small intestine were also significantly higher for mice fed a milk kefir or a soy milk kefir regimen for 30 days. These results suggest that milk and soy milk kefirs may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of cancer prevention and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal infection.

Effect of lactic or acetic acid on degradation of myofibrillar proteins in post-mortem goose (Anser anser) breast muscle

The effects of lactic acid (LA) and acetic acid (AA) on changes in myofibrillar proteins of post-mortem goose breast muscle marinated for 24 h at 5 °C were studied. Purified myofibrils were prepared from 0.1 M LA or AA samples and controls (non-marinated samples) after 0, 1, 3, 7 or 14 days of storage at 5 °C. The changes in myofibrillar proteins of goose muscle were examined by SDS-PAGE. Goose breast muscle marinated in LA and AA exhibited degradation of myosin heavy chains. The appearance of ∼95 and ∼27 kDa components and the disappearance of titin and nebulin were also more rapid than for control muscle. These results suggest that acid marination enhanced the post-mortem proteolysis of goose breast muscle. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry

The extraction and properties of superoxide dismutase from porcine blood

Crude Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was prepared by extraction with chloroform-ethanol, centrifugation and acetone precipitation. The specific activity of the SOD was 1570 units mg(-1), and an unusual ultraviolet spectrum with maximum absorbance at 256.4 nm was observed. When the SOD was kept at 40, 50 and 60 °C for 10 min, it showed little loss of stability but it retained only 95, 69, 45 and 2.5% of its original activity after holding at 60, 70, 75, and 80 °C for 5 min., respectively. When cupric ions were added, the thermostability of SOD was enhanced. When the extracted SOD was kept at -23, 4, 25 and 30 °C for 20 weeks, the relative activity retained was 76, 67, 26 and 16%, respectively. Using the sensitive test with cyanide and hydrogen peroxide, the acrylamide gel of the SOD showed this enzyme was of the Cu Zn type. The molecular weights of the holoenzyme and its subunits, estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were approximately 31 and 15 kD, respectively.