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Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2023This study is focused on the preparation, characterization, and multifunctional properties of intelligent hybrid nanopigments. The hybrid nanopigments with excellent...
Preparation of Hybrid Nanopigments with Excellent Environmental Stability, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties Based on Red and Sepiolite by One-Step Grinding Process.
This study is focused on the preparation, characterization, and multifunctional properties of intelligent hybrid nanopigments. The hybrid nanopigments with excellent environmental stability and antibacterial and antioxidant properties were fabricated based on natural red, surfactant, and sepiolite via a facile one-step grinding process. The density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the surfactants loaded on sepiolite were in favor of enhancing the electrostatic, coordination, and hydrogen bonding interactions between red and sepiolite. Thus, the obtained hybrid nanopigments exhibited excellent antibacterial and antioxidant properties, with an inhibition effect on Gram-positive bacteria that was superior to that of Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the scavenging activity on DPPH and hydroxyl free radicals as well as the reducing power of hybrid nanopigments were higher than those of hybrid nanopigments prepared without the addition of the surfactant. Inspired by nature, gas-sensitive reversible alochroic superamphiphobic coatings with excellent thermal and chemical stability were successfully designed by combining hybrid nanopigments and fluorinated polysiloxane. Therefore, intelligent multifunctional hybrid nanopigments have great application foreground in related fields.
PubMed: 37299695
DOI: 10.3390/nano13111792 -
Nutrients May 2023Reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a key target for lowering cardiovascular risk and preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease... (Review)
Review
Reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a key target for lowering cardiovascular risk and preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Red yeast rice (RYR) is a nutraceutical widely used as a lipid-lowering dietary supplement. The main cholesterol-lowering components of RYR are monacolins, particularly monacolin K, which is structurally identical to lovastatin and targets the same key enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis. RYR supplementation reduces LDL-C levels by approximately 15-34% versus placebo, with a similar effect to low-dose, first-generation statins in subjects with mild-to-moderate dyslipidemia. RYR has also demonstrated beneficial reductions of up to 45% versus placebo in the risk of ASCVD events in secondary prevention studies. RYR at a dose that provides about 3 mg/d of monacolin K is well tolerated, with an adverse event profile similar to that of low-dose statins. RYR is therefore a treatment option for lowering LDL-C levels and ASCVD risk for people with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia who are ineligible for statin therapy, particularly those who are unable to implement lifestyle modifications, and also for people who are eligible for statin therapy but who are unwilling to take a pharmacologic therapy.
Topics: Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; Cholesterol, LDL; Hyperlipidemias; Cholesterol; Lovastatin; Biological Products; Dietary Supplements; Atherosclerosis; Anticholesteremic Agents
PubMed: 37242171
DOI: 10.3390/nu15102288 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) May 2023Natural colorants, mostly of plant and fungal origins, offer advantages over chemically synthetic colorants in terms of alleviating environmental pollution and promoting... (Review)
Review
Natural colorants, mostly of plant and fungal origins, offer advantages over chemically synthetic colorants in terms of alleviating environmental pollution and promoting human health. The market value of natural colorants has been increasing significantly across the globe. Due to the ease of artificially culturing most fungi in the laboratory and in industrial settings, fungi have emerged as the organisms of choice for producing many natural colorants. Indeed, there is a wide variety of colorful fungi and a diversity in the structure and bioactivity of fungal colorants. Such broad diversities have spurred significant research efforts in fungi to search for natural alternatives to synthetic colorants. Here, we review recent research on the genetic and environmental factors influencing the production of three major types of natural fungal colorants: carotenoids, melanins, and polyketide-derived colorants. We highlight how molecular genetic studies and environmental condition manipulations are helping to overcome some of the challenges associated with value-added and large-scale productions of these colorants. We finish by discussing potential future trends, including synthetic biology approaches, in the commercial production of fungal colorants.
PubMed: 37233296
DOI: 10.3390/jof9050585 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) has been reported to be pivotal for various physiological processes in many fungi. However, the functions that HAT Rtt109 perform in...
Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) has been reported to be pivotal for various physiological processes in many fungi. However, the functions that HAT Rtt109 perform in edible fungi and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we identified the gene in , constructed the knockout strain (Δ) and its complementary strain (Δ:com) by CRISPR/Cas9 methods, and functionally characterized the roles that Rtt109 play in . Deletion of significantly reduced conidia formation and colony growth, whereas, it increased the yield of pigments (MPs) and citrinin (CTN). Further real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated that Rtt109 remarkably affected the transcriptional expression of key genes related to development, morphogenesis, and secondary metabolism of . Together, our results revealed the critical roles of HAT Rtt109 in , and enriched our current knowledge of the development and regulation of secondary metabolism in fungi, throwing light on restraining or eliminating citrinin in the development and industrial applications of .
PubMed: 37233241
DOI: 10.3390/jof9050530 -
Journal of Food and Drug Analysis Mar 2023Red mold rice (RMR) is a traditional Chinese medicine prepared using Monascus fermentation. Monascus ruber ( pilosus) and Monascus purpureus have a long history of use...
Red mold rice (RMR) is a traditional Chinese medicine prepared using Monascus fermentation. Monascus ruber ( pilosus) and Monascus purpureus have a long history of use as food and medicine. As an economically important starter culture, the relationship between the taxonomy of Monascus and production capabilities of secondary metabolites is crucial for the Monascus food industry. In this study, monacolin K, monascin, ankaflavin, and citrinin production by M. purpureus and M. ruber were genomically and chemically investigated. Our findings suggest that M. purpureus can produce monascin and ankaflavin in a correlated manner, whereas M. ruber produces monascin with minimum ankaflavin. M. purpureus is capable of producing citrinin; however, it is unlikely able to produce monacolin K. In contrast, M. ruber produces monacolin K, but not citrinin. We suggest that the current monacolin K content-related regulation of Monascus food should be revised, and labeling of Monascus species should be considered.
Topics: Monascus; Fermentation; Lovastatin; Oryza
PubMed: 37224553
DOI: 10.38212/2224-6614.3438 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV), Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar (ZAV), Sichuan bran vinegar (SBV), and Fujian monascus vinegar (FMV) are the representative Chinese traditional...
Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV), Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar (ZAV), Sichuan bran vinegar (SBV), and Fujian monascus vinegar (FMV) are the representative Chinese traditional vinegars. However, the basic differential compositions between the four vinegars are unknown. In this study, compositions of commercial vinegar were investigated to evaluate the influence of diverse technologies on their distinct flavor. Unlike amino acids and organic acids which were mostly shared, only five volatiles were detected in all vinegars, whereas a dozen volatiles were common to each type of vinegar. The four vinegars could only be classified well with all compositions, and difference analysis suggested the most significant difference between FMV and SBV. However, SAV, ZAV, and SBV possessed similar volatile characteristics due to their common heating treatments. Further, the correlation of identification markers with vinegars stressed the contributions of the smoking process, raw materials, and inoculum to SAV, SBV, and FMV clustering, respectively. Therefore, regardless of the technology modification, this basic process supported the uniqueness of the vinegars. This study contributes to improving the standards of defining the characteristics of types of vinegar.
PubMed: 37174404
DOI: 10.3390/foods12091865 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023red pigments (MRPs) are mainly used as natural food colorants; however, their application is limited due to their poor stability. To expand their areas of application,...
red pigments (MRPs) are mainly used as natural food colorants; however, their application is limited due to their poor stability. To expand their areas of application, we investigated the binding constants and capacity of MRPs to whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) and calculated the surface hydrophobicities of WPI and WPH. MRPs were combined with WPI and WPH at a hydrolysis degree (DH) of 0.5% to form the complexes (DH = 0.0%) and (DH = 0.5%), respectively. Subsequently, the structural characteristics of complex (DH = 0.5%) and WPI were characterized and the color retention rates of both complexes and MRPs were investigated under different pretreatment conditions. The results showed that the maximum binding constant of WPI with MRPs was 0.670 ± 0.06 U and the maximum binding capacity was 180 U/g. Furthermore, the thermal degradation of complex (DH = 0.0%), complex (DH = 0.5%), and MRPs in a water bath at 50-100 °C followed a first-order kinetic model. Thus, the interaction of WPI with MRPs could alter the protein conformation of WPI and effectively protect the stability of MRPs.
PubMed: 37174284
DOI: 10.3390/foods12091745 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Natural pigments and colorants have seen a substantial increase in use over the last few decades due to their eco-friendly and safe properties. Currently, customer... (Review)
Review
Natural pigments and colorants have seen a substantial increase in use over the last few decades due to their eco-friendly and safe properties. Currently, customer preferences for more natural products are driving the substitution of natural pigments for synthetic colorants. Filamentous fungi, particularly ascomycetous fungi (, , , and ), have been shown to produce secondary metabolites containing a wide variety of pigments, including β-carotene, melanins, azaphilones, quinones, flavins, ankaflavin, monascin, anthraquinone, and naphthoquinone. These pigments produce a variety of colors and tints, including yellow, orange, red, green, purple, brown, and blue. Additionally, these pigments have a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including immunomodulatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiproliferative activities. This review provides an in-depth overview of fungi gathered from diverse sources and lists several probable fungi capable of producing a variety of color hues. The second section discusses how to classify coloring compounds according to their chemical structure, characteristics, biosynthetic processes, application, and present state. Once again, we investigate the possibility of employing fungal polyketide pigments as food coloring, as well as the toxicity and carcinogenicity of particular pigments. This review explores how advanced technologies such as metabolic engineering and nanotechnology can be employed to overcome obstacles associated with the manufacture of mycotoxin-free, food-grade fungal pigments.
PubMed: 37108908
DOI: 10.3390/jof9040454 -
Marine Drugs Mar 2023The mold , also called red yeast rice, anka, or koji, has been used as the natural food coloring agent and food additives for more than 1000 years in Asian countries. It...
The mold , also called red yeast rice, anka, or koji, has been used as the natural food coloring agent and food additives for more than 1000 years in Asian countries. It has also been used in Chinese herbology and traditional Chinese medicine due to its easing digestion and antiseptic effects. However, under different culture conditions, the ingredients in -fermented products may be changed. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the ingredients, as well as the bioactivities of -derived natural products, is important. Here, through the thorough investigation into the chemical constituents of wmd2424, five previously undescribed compounds, monascuspurins A-E (-), were isolated from the EtOAc extract of mangrove-derived fungus wmd2424 cultured in RGY medium. All the constituents were confirmed via HRESIMS and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. Their antifungal activity was also evaluated. Our results showed that four constituents (compounds -) possessed mild antifungal activity against , , , and . It is worth mentioning that the chemical composition of the type strain wmd2424 has never been studied.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Monascus; Fungi; Food Additives; Coloring Agents; Fermentation; Oryza
PubMed: 37103340
DOI: 10.3390/md21040200 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2023Sauce-flavor baijiu is one of the twelve flavor types of Chinese distilled fermented product. Microbial composition plays a key role in the stacked fermentation of...
Sauce-flavor baijiu is one of the twelve flavor types of Chinese distilled fermented product. Microbial composition plays a key role in the stacked fermentation of Baijiu, which uses grains as raw materials and produces flavor compounds, however, the active microbial community and its relationship remain unclear. Here, we investigated the total and active microbial communities of stacked fermented grains of sauce-flavored Baijiu using flow cytometry and high-throughput sequencing technology, respectively. By using traditional high-throughput sequencing technology, a total of 24 bacterial and 14 fungal genera were identified as the core microbiota, the core bacteria were (0.08-39.05%), (0.25-81.92%), (0.03-29.61%), etc. The core fungi were (23.11-98.21%), (0.02-26.36%), (0.33-37.56%), etc. In contrast, using flow cytometry combined with high-throughput sequencing, the active dominant bacterial genera after cell sorting were found to be , , , , , and , etc., whereas the active dominant fungal genera detected were , , , , , and , etc. These results indicate that although the abundance of , , and was high after stacked fermentation, they may have little biological activity. Flow cytometry and cell sorting techniques have been used in the study of beer and wine, but exploring the microbiome in such a complex environment as Chinese baijiu has not been reported. The results also reveal that flow cytometry and cell sorting are convenient methods for rapidly monitoring complex microbial flora and can assist in exploring complex environmental samples.
PubMed: 37051523
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1160552