Effects of Food Processing, Storage, and Cooking on Nutrients in Plant-Based Foods
Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat in Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
The main structural components of the oat kernel are similar to other grains: a protective hull that surrounds the groat, which is comprised of the barn, germ, and endosperm. The endosperm contains most of the starch, whereas the bran contains most of the dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals (Grundy, Fardet, Tosh, Rich, & Wilde, 2018). In addition to cellulose, oats and barley contain a special type of fibers called beta-glucans, which are glucose polysaccharides arranged in a repeating pattern of three glucose units linked by a beta (1–4) linkages followed by a beta (1–3) linkage (Henrion, Francey, Le, & Lamothe, 2019). Cereal beta-glucans comprise about 4.5% of the mass of barley, and oats also occur in whole wheat and rye (Henrion et al., 2019).
Fungi and Water
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy in Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Fungi have cell walls similar to plants and are different from animals. The fungal cell wall is composed of chitin that gives shape, form, and rigidity to fungi. It protects against mechanical injury, prevents osmotic lysis, and provides passive protection against the ingress of potentially harmful macromolecules (2–3). Chitin is a polymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. The major polysaccharides of the cell wall matrix consist of non-cellulosic glucans such as glycogen-like compounds, mannans (polymers of mannose), chitosan (polymers of glucosamine), and galactans (polymers of galactose). Small amounts of fucose, rhamnose, xylose, and uronic acids may be present (2). Glucan refers to a large group of D-glucose polymers having glycosidic bonds. Insoluble β-glucans are apparently amorphous in the cell wall. Yeast cell wall is composed of three layers and is about 200- to 600-nm thick. Its inner surface is chitinous, and its outer layer contains α-glucan (2). In addition to chitin, glucan, and mannan, cell walls may contain lipid, protein, chitosan, acid phosphatase, α-amylase, protease, melanin, and inorganic ions such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium (2). The fungal wall also protects cells against mechanical injury and blocks the ingress of toxic macromolecules. The fungal cell wall is also essential to prevent osmotic lysis. Even a small lesion in the cell wall can result in extrusion of cytoplasm due to the internal (turgor) pressure of the protoplast. The cell membrane of a fungus has a unique sterol and ergosterol (3).
Bamboo as Food and Medicine
Nirmala Chongtham, Madho Singh Bisht in Bamboo Shoot, 2020
Beta glucans extracted from bamboo (Sasa sensanensis) leaves are known to have an immune-modulatory effect in animals (Ohtsuka et al. 2014). These glucans have been used for the treatment of diseases such as viral infections, inflammation and cancer. The immunomodulatory effect of SanSTAGE (TM) which is a pure compound obtained from bamboo leaves (25% of bamboo leaf extract and 75% of dextrin) was studied on peripheral blood leukocyte population and mRNA expression of immune related molecules of dairy cows. Cows supplemented with SanSTAGE (TM) showed an increased number of CD8(+) T cells and expression of perforin (cytotoxicity factor to virally infected cells) and MX-2 (anti-virus factor). The study describes for the first time that oral administration of supplement extracted from Kumaizasa bamboo leaves affects the cellular immune function of dairy cows and can be recommended as part of a diet for the prevention of infectious diseases.
Beverage Containing Dispersible Yeast β-Glucan Decreases Cold/Flu Symptomatic Days After Intense Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2020
Eunice Mah, Valerie N. Kaden, Kathleen M. Kelley, DeAnn J. Liska
β-glucan is a family of natural polysaccharides consisting of D-glucose monomers linked by a β-glycosidic bond. They are important structural elements of the cell wall and serve as energy storage in bacteria and fungi, including yeast, algae, and plants. Oat and barley β-glucans are primarily linear with large regions of (1,4)-β linkages separating shorter stretches of (1,3)-β structures, mushroom β-glucans have short (1,6)-β-linked branches coming off of the (1,3)-β backbone, and yeast β-glucans have (1,6)-β branches that are further elaborated with additional (1,3)-β regions (Bashir and Choi 2017). Not all β-glucans are able to modulate immune function, and the ability to do so depends mainly on the primary chemical structure of the β-glucan. Of these, those derived from fungi and yeast are known for their immunomodulating effects.
Effects of Yeast (1,3)-(1,6)-Beta-Glucan on Severity of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study in Healthy Subjects
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2019
Tanita Dharsono, Karolina Rudnicka, Manfred Wilhelm, Christiane Schoen
Nutrition and its micronutrients play an important role in the immune system and functional responses (8,9). Besides vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and zinc, the class of beta-glucans is associated with immune-modulating properties (10). Beta-glucans are a heterogeneous group of natural polysaccharides consisting of D-glucose monomers linked by a beta-glycosidic bond. They are important structural elements of the cell wall and may serve as energy storage in bacteria, fungi including yeast, algae, and plants, while they are absent in vertebrate and invertebrate tissue (11,12). Depending on their origin, their linkage of glucose monomer differs. Especially beta-glucans derived from fungi and yeast and consisting of a (1,3)-beta-linked backbone with small numbers of (1,6)-beta-linked side chains are essentially known for their immune-modulating effects (13). It was shown that orally administered beta-glucans induce a cascade of innate and adaptive immune response (11,13,14). Within two independent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials with brewers’ yeast beta-glucan, a reduced incidence of common cold episodes during the cold season in otherwise healthy subjects was documented (15,16). Additionally, clinical studies with bakers’ yeast beta-glucan demonstrated beneficial effects with respect to upper respiratory tract infections in different collectives (17,18). The immunomodulatory effects of brewers’ yeast beta-glucans have been shown in regard to the stimulation of monocytes to release elevated levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10 (19).
Thermal Processing has no Impact on Chemopreventive Effects of Oat and Barley Kernels in LT97 Colon Adenoma Cells
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2021
Wiebke Schlörmann, Julia Atanasov, Stefan Lorkowski, Christine Dawczynski, Michael Glei
The health-promoting effects of β-glucan from oat and barley, particularly the regulation of cholesterol and postprandial glucose levels, have been well studied and approved as health claims (6). Nevertheless, there is still a great need for research to elucidate the impact of oat and barley on intestinal health. Due to their unique dietary fiber composition with relatively high proportions of β-glucan compared to other cereals, oat and barley may exert chemopreventive effects. Some In Vitro studies indicated that oat and barley or β-glucan derived from these cereals exhibit chemopreventive properties against Colo-205 colon carcinoma cells (10,11). But, in most In Vitro studies the complex food matrix and processing as well as the metabolization (digestion, fermentation) are not sufficiently considered. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the chemopreventive potential of oat and barley kernels after In Vitro digestion and fermentation by simulating the human gastrointestinal passage. To address the impact of processing on potential chemopreventive effects the oat and barley kernels were roasted at different temperatures.