No abstract

Rubus suavissimus S. Lee leaves, also known as Chinese sweet tea or Tiancha, are used in folk medicine in southern China. This study evaluated the impact of the addition of Chinese sweet tea extract (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1%) on the chemical composition, organoleptic properties, yogurt culture viability, and biological activities (i.e., antioxidant, anticancer, and antihypertensive activities) of yogurt. Seven phenolic compounds were reported in Chinese sweet tea for the first time. The numbers of the yogurt culture were similar across all yogurt treatments. The yogurt supernatant with 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% Chinese sweet tea extract had a total phenolic content that was 3.6-, 6.1-, and 11.2-fold higher, respectively, than that of the control yogurt. The biological activities were significantly increased by the addition of Chinese sweet tea extract: Yogurt with the addition of 1% Chinese sweet tea extract had the highest biological activities in terms of the antioxidant activity (92.43%), antihypertensive activity (82.03%), and inhibition of the Caco-2 cell line (67.46%). Yogurt with the addition of 0.5% Chinese sweet tea extract received the highest aroma and overall acceptability scores. Overall, Chinese sweet tea extract is a promising food ingredient for producing functional yogurt products that may substantially contribute to reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

A total of 246 bacterial isolates were collected from various food and animal sources within Nanning city, China. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that 24.4% of the isolates were lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Initial screens identified three isolates from semi-hard cheese: Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum strains K3 and K4 and Lb. paracasei subsp. tolerans K8; and one from raw buffalo milk: Lb. plantarum subsp. plantarum E41 as having the highest levels of cell surface hydrophobicity and autoaggregation. Further characterization of these strains showed that all four isolates were completely stable after exposure to the pepsin and trypsin for 6 hours, and strains K8 and E41 remained viable after 6 hours of exposure to acidic conditions (pH 2.5) and bile salts (0.3%). In addition, strains K3 and K4 were shown to inhibit the growth of potential human pathogens, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi, with inhibition zones being >14 mm for each bacterial target. Results from this study suggested that the four characterized LAB strains could survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract, thus supporting the need for additional studies to assess their potential as probiotics.

milk represents an integrated meal for newborns; its whey protein is rich in many health beneficial components and proteins. The current study aimed to investigate the differences between colostrum and mature milk from Mediterranean and Murrah buffaloes using labeled proteomics and bioinformatics tools. In the current work, LC-MS/MS analysis led to identification of 780 proteins from which 638 were shared among three independent TMT experiments. The significantly changed proteins between the studied types were analyzed using gene ontology enrichment and KEGG pathways, and their interactions were generated using STRING database. Results indicated that immunological, muscular development and function, blood coagulation, heme related, neuronal, translation, metabolic process, and binding proteins were the main terms. Overall, colostrum showed higher levels of immunoglobulins, myosins, actin, neurofascin, syntaxins, thyroglobulins, and RNA-binding proteins, reflecting its importance in the development and activity of immunological, muscular, cardiac, neuronal, and thyroid systems, while lactoferrin and ferritin were increased in mature milk, highlighting its role in iron storage and hemoglobin formation.