Untitled

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

In vitro fermentation of lupin seeds (Lupinus albus) and broad beans (Vicia faba): dynamic modulation of the intestinal microbiota and metabolomic output

Publication . Gullón, Patricia; Tavaria, Freni; Vasconcelos, Marta; Gomes, Ana Maria

Broad beans (Vicia faba) and lupin seeds (Lupinus albus) are legumes rich in a wide range of compounds, which may represent a useful dietary approach for modulating the human gut microbiome. In this work, after in vitro digestion, legume samples were used as carbon sources in anaerobic batch cultures to evaluate their impact on the intestinal microbiota composition and on their metabolic products. The fermentations were monitored by a decrease in pH, generation of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and lactate and the changes in the dynamic bacterial populations by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The total SCFA at the end of fermentation was 81.52 mM for lupin seeds and 78.41 mM for broad beans accompanied by a decrease of the pH for both legumes. The microbial groups that increased significantly (P < 0.05) were Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus-Enterococcus, Atopobium, Bacteroides-Pretovella, Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia intestinalis. This impact on the intestinal microbiota suggests that lupin seeds and broad beans may be used in the development of novel functional foods, which can be included in dietary strategies for human health promotion.

2015Journal article

Restricted access

In vitro assessment of the prebiotic potential of Aloe vera mucilage and its impact on the human microbiota

Publication . Gullón, Beatriz; Gullón, Patricia; Tavaria, Freni; Alonso, José Luis; Pintado, Manuela

Aloe vera mucilage is reported to be rich in acemannan that is a polysaccharide with a backbone of beta-(1 -> 4)-D-mannose residues acetylated at the C-2 and C-3 positions and contains some side chains of galactose and arabinose attached to the C-6 carbon. The evaluation of the prebiotic potential of Aloe vera mucilage was carried out by in vitro fermentation using intestinal microbiota from six healthy donors as the inoculum. The prebiotic activity was assessed through the quantification of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and the evaluation of dynamic bacterial population in mixed faecal cultures by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Our findings support the possible incorporation of the Aloe vera mucilage in the development of a variety of food products known as prebiotics aimed at improving gastrointestinal health.

2015Journal article

Restricted access

Structural features and assessment of prebiotic activity of refined arabinoxylooligosaccharides from wheat bran

Publication . Gullón, Beatriz; Gullón, Patrícia; Tavaria, Freni; Pintado, Manuela; Gomes, Ana M. P.; Alonso, José Luis; Parajó, Juan Carlos

Wheat bran (WB) samples were subjected to two stage processing (aqueous extraction and hydrothermal treatment) to assess their potential as a raw material for the manufacture of xylan-derived prebiotics. The liquid phase from the second stage, containing hemicellulose- derived soluble arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS), was refined by consecutive steps of membrane filtration and ion exchange. The purified AXOS were characterised by matrixassisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and chromatographic techniques. The most complex saccharide identified was made up of 19 pentoses. Human faecal slurry cultures were used to assess the bifidogenic activity of AXOS and their effects on the production of Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) and lactic acid. The results were compared with data obtained using fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which are accepted as the gold standard of a prebiotic ingredient. The stimulatory effects reached by AXOS upon the bifidobacterial population were of the same order as those obtained with FOS. Higher SCFA production was observed with AXOS in comparison with FOS.

2014Journal article

Restricted access

Effects of hemicellulose-derived saccharides on behavior of Lactobacilli under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Publication . Gullón, Patricia; Gullón, Beatriz; Cardelle-Cobas, Alejandra; Alonso, José Luis; Pintado, Manuela; Gomes, Ana Maria

Four types of purified xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from several lignocellulosic materials, showing different structural features (including chain length, branching, and linkage types), obtained from different feedstocks (Eucalyptus globuluswood, rice husks,wheat bran or barley wastes), were assessed (using fructooligosaccharides as reference substrate) for their effects on the growth of six different probiotic Lactobacillus strains in basal MRS media and survival in different simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions. The hydrophobicity of bacterial cells, which measures their potential for epithelial adhesion, was also evaluated. Improved growth of Lactobacillus strains was observed for media containing XOS as the single source of carbohydrate, confirming their role as prebiotics. These oligosaccharides also led to improvement in the resistance of the target Lactobacillus to the simulated GIT environment. The enhancement of the survival rates depended on the type of oligosaccharide. This is the first comparative study of the effects in lactobacilli involving four types of XOS obtained from different lignocellulosic materials. The obtained results show that these oligosaccharides manufactured from alternative sources could be interesting prebiotic substrates with different structures in comparison with the available commercially and with interesting potential towards the development of synbiotic products.

2014Journal article

Restricted access

HPLC-DAD, ESI–MS/MS, and NMR of lycopene isolated from P. guajava L. and Its biotechnological applications

Publication . Amorim, Adriany G. N.; Souza, Jessica M. T.; Santos, Raimunda C.; Gullón, Beatriz; Oliveira, Ana; Santos, Luiz F. A.; Virgino, Adamor L. E.; Mafud, Ana C.; Petrilli, Helena; Mascarenhas, Yvonne; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Pintado, M.M.E; Leite, José R. S. A.

Psidium guajava L. have been reported to be a rich source of antioxidant compounds. Its carotenoids have been highlighted by their high antioxidant capacity, which offers several benefits for human health. In this sense, lycopene isomers need to be identified. In this work, the comprehensive chemical characterization, by HPLC-DAD, MS/MS, and NMR, of lycopene isolated from P. guajava L., antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of lycopene extracts and isolated lycopene are evaluated. The FTIR results reported a structure with Z configuration, confirmed by UV-Vis, with λmax = 448, 473, and 505 nm for 5-Z lycopene. Furthermore, MS/MS positive ionization shows one fragment m/z 309 [M-227]+, relatively abundant for isolated lycopene. Experimental and Theoretical NMR studies revealed that guava may contain 5-Z lycopene because of the similarity found among the peaks. Lycopene extracts presented higher antioxidant activity than isolated lycopene, from both P. guajava L. and tomato, when measured by ABTS and ORAC (r2 = 0.9995 and r2 = 0.9992, respectively). In addition, lycopene extract shows antibacterial efficacy against E. coli, S. aureus, and L. innocua, presenting MBC values of 20 mg mL−1. These results suggest that lycopene extract have potential applicability for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industry.

2018Journal article

Restricted access