Abstract Beta-glucan (BG) is one of the most common types of polysaccharides, and is a potent immune activator. It is present in microbes, plants, and mushrooms. The immunomodulatory properties of BG are varied among different species. This paper explains the composition of BG from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae HII31), oat (Avena sativa L.) and mushroom (Hericium erinaceus), and also describes in vivo immunomodulation and changes in the antioxidant capacity of BG. In vivo studies were conducted in BALB/cMlac mice, and changes in cytokines level, antioxidant enzymes, and total antioxidant capacity were evaluated. About 91.42 ± 5.07, 86.90 ± 3.44, and 84.43 ± 4.10% of BG were recorded in yeast, mushroom, and oat samples, respectively, with 4-5% of α-glucan in all the samples. The band area range ratio analysis indicate that yeast and mushroom have a high content of β-1,3-glucan followed by β-1,6-glucan, whereas oat recorded a high content of β-1,4-glucan. Yeast-BG stimulated the expression of IL-6, IL-17, IFN-γ, IL-10, and TGF-β effectively. Moreover, antioxidant capacity was enhanced during yeast-BG supplementation in a dose-dependent manner than oat and mushroom BG. This study reveals that yeast-BG is a potent immune activator and enhancer of the host’s antioxidant capacity than oat, and mushroom-BG.

Abstract Beta-glucan (BG) is a conserved cell wall components of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. BG is an immunomodulator and stimulates the host immune system. This study was performed to screen Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with high BG, extraction of BG using different chemical extraction methods, composition analysis of BG, and evaluation of the immunomodulatory effect of high-quality BG using mice model. Ten yeast strains were screened for high BG content using total glucan extraction kit and were subjected to FT-IR analysis. The kit based extraction revealed that HII31 showed a high content of total glucan and BG. HII31 cells were subjected to four different acid/base extractions, which indicated that combination of a strong base (NaOH) and weak acid (CH3COOH) extraction recovered high BG and a high ratio of polysaccharide, protein, and lipid. Further, the immunomodulatory effect of the selected BG was evaluated using mice, which suggested that low dose of HII31-BG induces the expression of selected pro-inflammatory (IL-17, IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) significantly, whereas relatively high dose was required to alter the IL-6 and TGF-β expression. Overall, the present study revealed that BG extracted from HII31 cells alters the expression of studied cytokines, which can be used as a potent immunomodulator in pharmaceutical products.

The fermented herbal juices are capable of curing and preventing diseases and reducing the aging progress. The present study was performed to investigate the fermentation of Phyllanthus emblica fruit by Lactobacillus paracasei HII01 with respect to carbon sources, polyphenols, and antioxidant properties. The physical changes, for instance, color, odor, taste, turbidity and gas formation, throughout the fermentation process was manually monitored. The fermented product was rich in polyphenolic content. The acid content and pH of the product were under the norms of Thai community product standards. Antioxidant properties of the fermented product were proved using ABTS, and FRAP assays. Chelation based study suggested that fermented P. emblica fruit juices are healthy enough to stabilize the oxidized form of the metal ion. The optimum fermentation period was 15 days. All the results supported that studied carbon sources did not interfere with the quality of the product. This report is the prelude study on the use of probiotic starter culture for the production of P. emblica fruit based lactic acid bacteria fermented beverages (LAFB) enriched with bioactive compounds. Further research on the impact of different carbon sources and upstream processes on the quality of LAFB is currently in progress.

AbstractThe current study was employed to assess the influence of the different extraction methods on total tocols, γ-oryzanol content, and antioxidant properties of Chiang Mai Black rice, Mali Red rice, and Suphanburi-1 Brown rice bran oil. Rice bran oil (RBO) was extracted by Hexane, Hot pressed, Cold pressed, and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFe) methods. High yield of RBO was extracted by hexane and SFe methods. Total and subgroups of tocols, and γ-oryzanol content were determined by HPLC. The hexane extracted sample accounts for high content of γ-oryzanol and tocols. Besides, all of RBO extracts contain a significantly high amount of γ-tocotrienol. In vitro antioxidant assay results indicated that superior quality of oil was recovered by hexane extraction. The temperature in the extraction process also affects the value of the oil. Superior quality of oil was recovered by hexane extraction, in terms of phytochemical contents and antioxidant properties compared to other tested extraction methods. Further, thorough study of factors compromising the quality and quantity of RBO recovery is required for the development of enhanced functional foods and other related products.