Senegalia macrostachya (Reichenb. ex DC.) Kyal. & Boatwr seed (SMS) is a wild legume used as food and medicine in many African countries. In the current study, a novel polysaccharide...

Konjac flour, mainly obtained and purified from the tubers ofAmorphophallus konjac C. Koch, yields a high molecular weight (M w) and viscous hydrocolloidal polysaccharide: konjac glucomannan (KGM). KGM has been widely applied in the food industry as a thickening and gelation agent as a result of its unique colloidal properties of effective viscosity enhancement and thermal-irreversible gelling. This review first narrates the typical commercial KGM source species, the industrial production, and the purification process of KGM flour. The structural information on native KGM, gelation mechanisms of alkali-induced deacetylated KGM (Da-KGM) hydrogel, progress on degraded KGM derivatives, cryoprotection effect, and colloidal nutrition are highlighted. Finally, the regulatory requirements of konjac flour and KGM among different countries are briefly introduced. The fine structure and physicochemical properties of KGM can be regulated in a great range via the deacetylation or degradation reaction. Here, the relationship between the physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, solubility, gelation, and nutritional effects, of native KGM, Da-KGM, and degraded KGM derivatives was preliminary established, which would provide theoretical guidance for designing KGM-based products with certain nutritional needs.

Chronic diseases and viral infections have threatened human life over the ages and constitute the main reason for increasing death globally. The rising burden of these diseases extends to negatively affecting the economy and trading globally, as well as daily life, which requires inexpensive, novel, and safe therapeutics. Therefore, scientists have paid close attention to probiotics as safe remedies to combat these morbidities owing to their health benefits and biotherapeutic effects. Probiotics have been broadly adopted as functional foods, nutraceuticals, and food supplements to improve human health and prevent some morbidity. Intriguingly, recent research indicates that probiotics are a promising solution for treating and prophylactic against certain dangerous diseases. Probiotics could also be associated with their essential role in animating the immune system to fight COVID-19 infection. This comprehensive review concentrates on the newest literature on probiotics and their metabolism in treating life-threatening diseases, including immune disorders, pathogens, inflammatory and allergic diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, and COVID-19 infection. The recent information in this report will particularly furnish a platform for emerging novel probiotics-based therapeutics as cheap and safe, encouraging researchers and stakeholders to develop innovative treatments based on probiotics to prevent and treat chronic and viral diseases.

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The intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with chronic inflammation is a major health concern. This work aimed to investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanism of Senegalia macrostachya seed polysaccharide fraction...

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is still a global health concern. Long-term alcohol intake alters the gut microbiota diversity and metabolic activity, and causes intestinal barrier dysfunction, leading to the development...

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Green and purple SPL consumption may enhance the Nrf2-mediated hepatic antioxidant activity and modulate xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and transporters via different mechanisms.