Background Watermelon intake has demonstrated effects on blood pressure regulation along with other health benefits. Objective We hypothesized that intake of whole watermelon and products made from watermelon rind (WR) and watermelon skin (WS) would remediate metabolic complications in C57BL/6 J male mice fed a diet modeling a Western-style diet. Methods Ten-week-old male C57BL/6 J mice were provided either a low-fat (LF) diet [10% fat (by energy), 8% sucrose (by energy) and no added cholesterol], a high-fat (HF) diet [45% fat (by energy), 20% kcal sucrose (by energy), and 1% (w/w) cholesterol], or an HF diet plus WS, WR, or watermelon flesh (WF) for 10 wk. Dried WF was provided at 8% of total energy (equivalent to 2 servings/d) and watermelon skin and rind were added at 2.25% (w/w, dry weight of additives) of diet. Animals were provided experimental diets ad libitum. Body weights, food intake, and glucose tolerance were determined. Serum insulin, inflammatory markers, microbiome, and the relative hepatic concentrations of 709 biochemicals were measured postmortem. Results The final body weight of the LF control group was significantly lower than that of the HF-fed control group (32.8 ± 0.9 g compared with 43.0 ± 1.7 g, P ≤ 0.05). Mice in treatment groups fed HF supplemented with watermelon products had final body weights similar to those of the HF-fed control mice. Serum insulin concentrations were reduced by ∼40% in mice fed an HF diet with WR supplementation compared with mice fed an HF diet alone (P ≤ 0.05). Depending on the individual species or group, microbiome populations changed significantly. Supplementation with WF resulted in a return to the basal hepatic concentrations of monohydroxy fatty acids and eicosanoids observed in LF-fed mice (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions In obese male mice, supplementation with each of the watermelon products to an HF diet improved fasting blood glucose, circulating serum insulin concentrations, and changes in hepatic metabolite accumulation. At a modest level of supplementation to an HF diet, fiber-rich additives made from WR and WS further improved glucose metabolism and energy efficiency and shifted the microbiome composition.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is associated with numerous health benefits related to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurological function. The addition of this compound to food products would help to deliver these health benefits to the consumer. However, bitterness associated with resveratrol may impart negative sensory qualities on the food products into which resveratrol is added; thus, decreasing consumer acceptability. This concern may be resolved by encapsulating resveratrol through spray drying, an innovative processing technique. The objectives of this research were to (1) compare taste detection thresholds of unencapsulated resveratrol and encapsulated resveratrol and (2) determine if the inclusion of anhydrous milk fat in the formulation of the encapsulation wall material affects the taste detection threshold of resveratrol within the microcapsules. Resveratrol microcapsules were produced by encapsulating resveratrol in a protein matrix through spray drying. R-index measure by the rating method was used to determine the average taste detection threshold and the pooled group taste detection threshold. The average and pooled group taste detection thresholds of unencapsulated resveratrol, sodium-caseinate-based resveratrol microcapsule without fat (SC), and sodium-caseinate-based resveratrol microcapsule with fat (SCAMF) were 90 and 47 mg resveratrol/L (unencapsulated), 313 and 103 mg resveratrol/L (SC), 334 and 108 mg resveratrol/L (SCAMF), respectively. The findings demonstrate that the encapsulation of resveratrol decreased the detection of the compound and provided a means to incorporate resveratrol into food products without imparting negative sensory properties.

Background Consumption of watermelon has been associated with beneficial effects on metabolism including reductions in systolic blood pressure, improved fasting blood glucose levels, and changes in hepatic metabolite accumulation. Objective In the present study, we investigated the impact of consumption of watermelon flesh (WF), rind (WR), and skin (WS) on hepatic gene expression patterns in an obesogenic mouse model. Methods Following a ten-week feeding trial during which C57BL/6 J mice were provided either low-fat (LF) diet, high-fat (HF) diet, or high-fat plus watermelon skin (WS), watermelon rind (WR), or watermelon flesh (WF), hepatic RNA was isolated and RNA sequencing was performed. Bioinformatic approaches were used to determine changes in canonical pathways and gene expression levels for lipid- and xenobiotic-regulating nuclear hormone receptors and other related transcription factors including AhR, CAR, FXR, PPARα, PPARγ, LXR, PXR, and Nrf2. Results There were 9,394 genes that had unchanged expression levels between all 5 diet groups, and 247, 58, and 34 genes uniquely expressed in the WF, WR, and WS groups, respectively. Relative levels of mRNAs regulated by AhR, CAR, and PPARα were upregulated in mice consuming WF compared to HF fed mice, whereas mRNAs regulated mainly by CAR were upregulated in mice consuming WR and WS compared to HF. Conclusions At modest levels of intake reflective of typical human consumption, mice consuming WF, WS, and WR exhibited hepatic gene expression profiles altered from HF. Several of these changes involve genes regulated by ligand-responsive transcription factors implicated in xenobiotic and lipid metabolism, suggesting that modulation of these transcription factors occurred in response to consumption of watermelon skin, rind, and flesh. Some of these changes are likely due to nuclear hormone receptor-mediated changes involved in lipid and xenobiotic metabolism.

Hydrolysable tannins, mainly gallotannins and ellagitannins, either extracted directly from oak or as a part of lyophilized extracts from finished wine, have been associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that...

The objective of the studies summarized in the present chapter was to determine if intake of walnuts alone or in combination with two or more other phytochemical-rich foods would ameliorate some of the negative metabolic effects developed from consumption of an obesogenic and diabetogenic, Western-style diet. The two studies summarized in this chapter were designed the same using a C57BL/6 J mouse strain as a model to induce obesity using a high fat, sugar, and cholesterol diet, while supplementing the diet with 1.5 servings/day of various nutrient-dense whole foods. In Part 1, walnut alone and walnut plus green tea supplementation were studied. Based on the results of Part 1, Part 2 studied supplementation with four whole foods (walnut, green tea, cherry, and red raspberry) in combination to determine any synergistic effects. In both studies, the combination of two or more test foods appeared to work synergistically to produce further changes in metabolism than compared to walnuts alone. Key findings included attenuation of weight gain, improved circulating serum insulin and cytokine concentrations, improved hepatic levels of protective omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as decreased levels of hepatic proinflammatory fatty acids.