Molecular basis of sodium chloride dominated glutenin interaction and bread properties

Long-lasting chemiluminescence-based portable biosensor for POCT of food contaminant azodicarbonamide

Azodicarbonamide (ADA) in flour products is easily converted to semicarbazide which greatly threatens human health. Herein, a long-lasting chemiluminescence (CL)-based biosensor was developed for quantitative point-of-care testing (POCT) of ADA. The threonine (Thr)-functionalized Cu-hemin MOFs (Cu-hemin@Thr) could induce persistent CL of luminol with excellent stability. The CL intensity was related to the competition reaction among ADA and a composite of glutathione-silver ions (GSH-Ag+). In the presence of ADA, GSH is oxidized to glutathione disulfide (GSSG), which breaks the coordination between Ag+ and GSH. The CL of the sensing system is then decreased which is expected to be used for ADA detection. By combining a homemade portable device as a detector and a smartphone as an analyzer, quantitative POCT of ADA was successfully achieved. The limit of detection was 0.562 μM (0.065 ppm), which is much lower than the maximum permissible concentration of ADA (45 ppm) in flour extract. The developed strategy demonstrated quantitative POCT capabilities along with advantages of low cost, excellent selectivity, and repeatability, presenting great potential application in food safety and environment monitoring.

Identification and mechanism of wheat protein disulfide isomerase-promoted gluten network formation

Formation of the gluten network depends on glutenin crosslinking via disulfide bonds, and wheat protein disulfide isomerase (wPDI) plays an important role in this process. Here, we identify a substrate gluten protein of wPDI and the mechanism underlying wPDI-promoted glutenin crosslinking. Farinographic, rheologic, and alveographic analysis unambiguously proves that wPDI improves gluten network formation, which is directly observed by 3D reconstruction of the gluten network. Protein analysis and LC-MS/MS reveal that glutenin subunit 1Dx5 is primarily recruited by wPDI to participate in gluten network formation, and its cysteine-containing N-terminal domain (1Dx5-NTD), which harbors three cysteine residues for crosslinking, is purified. 1Dx5-NTD interacts with wPDI in both redox states, possibly folded by reduced wPDI and then catalyzed by oxidized wPDI, as further evidenced by wPDI-promoted self-crosslinking. Consistent with macroscopic observations, our results suggest that wPDI folds 1Dx5-NTD into β-strand structure that favors disulfide bond formation.

Use of a compound modifier to retard the quality deterioration of frozen dough and its steamed bread

To retard the quality deterioration of the dough during frozen storage, the effects of a compound modifier (CM) comprised of sodium stearoyl lactate, VC, and β-glucanase on the properties of the frozen dough, as well as the quality of the frozen dough steamed bread were investigated. The results revealed that CM restricted the migration of water in the dough and improved its rheological properties. Furthermore, CM minimized the deterioration of specific volume and textural properties, and prevented starch retrogradation in the frozen dough steamed bread. Moreover, the addition of CM strengthened the secondary structure of gluten protein and formed a more resilient gluten network. The microstructure of the frozen dough steamed bread showed that CM reduced the damage caused by ice crystals on the gluten network. Overall, the use of CM strengthened the gluten network and effectively delayed the quality deterioration of the frozen dough, thus is potential as an improver for frozen dough.

Mucin Binding Protein of Lactobacillus casei Inhibits HT-29 Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation

Many Lactobacillus casei strains are reported to exhibit anti-proliferative effects on colorectal cancer cells; however, the mechanism remains largely unknown. While there has been considerable interest in bacterial small metabolites such as short chain fatty acids, prior reports suggested that larger-sized molecules mediate the anti-proliferative effect of L. casei. Here, other possible ways of communication between gut bacteria and its host are investigated. LevH1 is a protein displayed on the surface of L. casei, and its mucin binding domain is highly conserved. Based on previous reports that the cell-free supernatant fractions decreased colorectal cell proliferation, we cloned the mucin binding domain of the LevH1 protein, expressed and purified this mucin binding protein (MucBP). It has a molecular weight of 10 kDa, is encoded by a 250 bp gene, and is composed primarily of a β-strand, β-turns, and random coils. The amino acid sequence is conserved while the 36th amino acid residue is arginine in L. casei CAUH35 and serine in L. casei IAM1045, LOCK919, 12A, and Zhang. MucBP^36R exhibited dose-dependent anti-proliferative effects against HT-29 cells while a mutation of 36S abolished this activity. Predicted structures suggest that this mutation slightly altered the protein structure, thus possibly affecting subsequent communication with HT-29 cells. Our study identified a novel mode of communication between gut bacteria and their host.

Economical and eco-friendly isolation of anthocyanins from grape pomace with higher efficiency

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Ultrasonication temperature and time were optimized with RSM.

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More anthocyanins and their derivatives were identified from grape pomace.

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Optimized method obtained nearly-two folds anthocyanin yield.

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Harmless reagents were used along all the industrial friendly steps.

Isolating anthocyanins from grape pomace, byproduct of red wine, becomes attracting for the multiple health beneficial effects of anthocyanins. Here in the ultrasound assisted anthocyanin isolation, parameters of time, ethanol concentration and pH, as well as temperature were individually optimized first. Then, surface response methodology was employed to further optimize the interactive and synergistic effect of these parameters. Optimal isolation condition was identified as the following: at the material liquid ratio of 1:15, 78.9 % of ethanol of pH 7.0 was utilized to extract at 63.8 °C for ∼48 min. Experimental yield with the optimal isolation conditions was 193.547 mg/100 g anthocyanin from grape pomace, almost twice as much as previously reported. Two more anthocyanins, delphinidin-acetylglucoside and cyanidin-coumaroylglucoside, were identified in the extract. With ethanol as the only organic solvent used, this isolation method is an economical, eco-friendly and more efficient, anthocyanin preparation method with simpler instrument setups.

Mechanism differences between reductive and oxidative dough rheology improvers in the formation of 1D and 3D gluten network

Gluten network formed by oxidation of glutenin sulfhydryl groups is the determinant of dough rheological properties, while chemical reagents including oxidants and reductants are both used as dough rheology improvers under different circumstances. This study compares the impact of sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) and azodicarbonamide (ADA), as the representative reductive and oxidative dough improvers, at series of concentrations that offer or remove the same number of electrons form dough, respectively. The alveographic characterization, protein distribution and glutenin composition analysis, and free sulfhydryl measurement were performed on dough containing redox equivalent SMBS or ADA. Finally, at each optimal concentration, the dough protein network was analyzed with confocal microscopy. Results showed that SMBS increased the free sulfhydryl content, loosened the microstructure of gluten network, and thus enhanced dough extensibility. ADA reduced the free sulfhydryl content, compacted the dough microstructure, thus enhanced the tenacity and baking strength of dough. It is therefore proposed that the reductants reduce disulfide bonds in gluten network and renders the formation of one-dimensional gluten network while oxidants promote the disulfide linkage and formation of three-dimensional gluten network. This study offers a theoretic foundation of differentiating dough rheology improvers for their specified application.

History, mechanism of action, and toxicity: a review of commonly used dough rheology improvers

Dough rheology improvers, which often are oxidative reagents in nature, have long been used in bread-making industry to enhance protein crosslinking and subsequently improve the dough rheological properties and bread qualities. Numerous studies were conducted to explore the effects of these oxidative agents on dough quality improving, however, the underlying mechanism of their action during dough development has not been fully understood. Due to the public health concerns, multiple oxidative reagents were banned in some countries across the world, while others are still permitted in accordance with regulations. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of their application, significance, and safety in bread manufacturing is necessary. This review aims to provide a detailed information about the evolutionary history of several commonly used oxidants acting as dough rheology improvers, their mechanisms of action, as well as their potential toxicity.

Thermal and Acidic Treatments of Gluten Epitopes Affect Their Recognition by HLA-DQ2 in silico

Celiac disease (CD) is a prevalent disorder with autoimmune features. Dietary exposure of wheat gluten (including gliadins and glutenins) to the small intestine activates the gluten-reactive CD4⁺ T cells and controls the disease development. While the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is the single most important genetic factor of this polygenic disorder, HLA-DQ2 recognition of gluten is the major biological step among patients with CD. Gluten epitopes are often rich in Pro and share similar primary sequences. Here, we simulated the solution structures changes of a variety of gluten epitopes under different pH and temperatures, to mimic the fermentation and baking/cooking processes. Based on the crystal structure of HLA-DQ2, binding of differently processed gluten epitopes to DQ2 was studied in silico. This study revealed that heating and pH change during the fermentation process impact the solution structure of gluten epitope. However, binding of differently treated gluten epitope peptide (GEP) to HLA-DQ2 mainly depended on its primary amino acid sequence, especially acidic amino acid residues that play a pivotal role in their recognition by HLA-DQ2.