Intestinal integrity prevents the diffusion of allergens, toxins, and pathogens from the gastrointestinal lumen into the tissue and the circulatory system. Damage in intestinal integrity may cause mild to serious health issues, such as inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, maintaining a healthy intestinal barrier function is essential to sustain health. Probiotics are known for their ability to protect and restore intestinal permeability in vitro and in vivo. The multi-strain probiotics are more efficient than that of a single strain in terms of their protective efficacy. Therefore, the present study was planned and implemented to study the supplementation of probiotic mix (Lactobacillus paracasei HII01, Bifidobacteriumbreve, and Bifidobacterium longum) on intestinal permeability, lipid profile, obesity index and metabolic biomarkers in elderly Thai subjects. The results revealed that the supplementation of studied probiotics improved the intestinal barrier function (up to 48%), significantly increasing the high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. Moreover, the intervention improved obesity-related anthropometric biomarkers and short-chain fatty acid levels in human subjects. The current study strongly recommends further extended research to confirm the beneficial effect of probiotics, which may pave the way to formulate probiotic-based health supplements to adjuvant the treatment of several metabolic diseases.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), particularly type 2 DM (T2DM), is one of the most common metabolic disorder worldwide. The prevention measures and treatment strategies for DM are improving steadily. The current study explains the impact of germination on phytochemical content of Thai black rice (BR), and the influence of germinated BR extract (GBRE) supplementation on diabetic conditions in rats. Methods: BR was germinated and the phenolic, anthocyanin, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content of the extract were analyzed using HPLC and spectrophotometric methods. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were supplemented with high and low doses of GBRE. The plasma glucose, insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, antioxidant status, and antioxidant enzyme levels of treated animals were assessed using ELISA and spectrophotometric methods. Results: Germination enhanced the GABA content of BR, and GBRE intervention improved the total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzymes levels in diabetic rats. The plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, insulin resistance and glucose tolerance were reduced, and the degree of insulin secretion in rat plasma was significantly increased upon GBRE treatment. Both pre and post-treatment approaches showed the anti-diabetic ability of GBRE. In most of the analyzed parameters, GBRE was quite equal to the performance of drug-metformin. Conclusions: GBRE supplementation helps prevent and manage the consequences of DM.

The present study estimated the optimum germination conditions to achieve high content of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and other phytochemicals in Thai black rice cultivar Kum Payao (BR). The Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology was employed to optimize the germination conditions. The changes in the GABA, phytochemical content, impact of salt, and temperature stress variation on phytochemical content, and stability of GABA were studied. The results showed that 12 h of soaking at pH 7, followed by 36 h of germination was the optimum condition to achieve maximum GABA content (0.2029 mg/g of germinated BR (GBR)). The temperature (8 and 30 °C), and salt (50-200 mM NaCl) content affected the phytochemicals of GBR, especially GABA, and anthocyanins. Dbviously, the antioxidant capability, and enzyme (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) inhibiting nature of BR was significantly (P < 0.001) increased after germination. The storage of GBR at 4 °C significantly, preserved the GABA content (∼80%) for 45 days. Primarily, the current study revealed the changes in phytochemical content, and bioactivity of Thai black rice cr. Kum Payao during germination. More studies should be carried out on pharmacological benefits of GABA-rich GBR.Keywords: germinated rice; gamma-amino butyric acid; antioxidant; stress; stability.Practical Application: Dptimization of germination conditions to produce GABA-rich germinated rice for pharmaceutical applications.

Perilla frutescens (Nga-Mon) is an annual herbaceous plant, reported for its antioxidant, anti-allergic, antiinflammatory and neuroprotective properties. The current study was conducted to compare the different pretreatment techniques followed by hexane extraction for perilla seed oil and its pharmaceutical values. There are no significant differences in the yield of seed oil after pre-treatments except sonication. All the pre-treatments diminish the endogenous lipase activity, peroxidation and degradation of the oil. Fatty acid content analysis revealed that the nutrient quality, with respect to fatty acid content, of perilla seed was not compromised with any of the pre-treatments of current study. The results of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and protein glycation inhibition assays suggested that tested perilla seed oils are pharmaceutical candidate for the treatment of carbohydrate related diseases, especially for diabetes. Selection of appropriate pre-treatment strategies will helps to extract the perilla seed oil without any compromise in its quality. The current study suggested that moist heat with pressure can be an appropriate pre-treatment method for perilla seed oil extraction.

Morinda citrifolia L., generally known as noni, is commonly used in Thai medicines and cuisine. Several bioactive phytochemicals have been isolated and identified from the noni plant, and their compositions differ based on the cultivars and harvesting period. Different types of fermented noni fruit juices (FNJ) were used as health supplement in several southeastern countries. The formation of a large amount of alcohol, especially methanol, in FNJ is one of the major hindrances to FNJ production. The current study explains the impact of starter culture (Lactobacillus plantarum SK15), pasteurization and addition of EGCG on alcohol content, bioactivity, and the physiochemical property of FNJ. The pH and sugar content of the samples were reduced during fermentation, while the organic acid content increased. The samples with EGCG obviously exhibited high total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The level of pectin was high, and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity was low in EGCG-added samples compared with other samples. The alcohol content of the samples was under the permissible level of Thai standard; specifically, the methanol level was low in EGCG-added samples. Pasteurization and addition of starter culture did not influence any of the studied parameters. About 70% of acceptability index was observed for FNJ samples in the sensory evaluation. The study concluded that the addition of EGCG effectively reduced the alcohol content and improved the quality of FNJ. Also, further studies are required to reveal the role of starter culture in noni fruit fermentation.Practical Application: The production of enriched bioactive fermented noni fruit juice with low alcohol content.

Beta-glucan (BG) is one of the most common types of polysaccharides, and is a potent immune activator. Ot 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 HOO31), 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 OL-6, OL-17, OFN-γ, OL-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.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most highly prevalent metabolic disorders worldwide. Uncontrolled T2DM can lead to other health threats such as cardiac arrest, lower-limb amputation, blindness, stroke, impaired kidney function, and microvascular and macrovascular complications. Many studies have demonstrated the association between gut microbiota and diabetes development and probiotic supplementation in improving glycemic properties in T2DM. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of Bifidobacterium breve supplementation on glycemic control, lipid profile, and microbiome of T2DM subjects. Forty participants were randomly divided into two groups, and they received probiotics (50 × 109 CFU/day) or placebo interventions (corn starch; 10 mg/day) for 12 weeks. The changes in the blood-urea nitrogen (BUN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), creatinine levels, and other factors such as body-mass index, visceral fat, body fat, and body weight were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. B. breve supplementation significantly reduced BUN, creatinine, LDL, TG, and HbA1c levels compared to the placebo group. Significant changes were observed in the microbiome of the probiotic-treated group compared to the placebo group. Firmicutes and proteobacteria were predominant in the placebo and probiotic-treated groups. Genera Streptococcus, Butyricicoccus, and species Eubacterium hallii were significantly reduced in the probiotic-treated group compared to the placebo. Overall results suggested that B. breve supplementation could prevent worsening of representative clinical parameters in T2DM subjects. The current study has limitations, including fewer subjects, a single probiotic strain, and fewer metagenomic samples for microbiome analysis. Therefore, the results of the current study require further validation using more experimental subjects.

Theobroma cacao L. (Cocoa) is an agricultural product that is economically valuable worldwide; it is rich in bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids. These compounds are known for their anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, and immune-modulating properties. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are the major cocoa seed products, and cocoa seed oil (CSO) is the least-studied cocoa seed product. CSO is used in several industries; therefore, optimizing the extraction of high-quality CSO is essential. We used response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the restriction dies, temperature, and sieve size to achieve a high yield and quality of CSO. The quality of the CSO was assessed according to total phenolic content (TPC), acid, and peroxide values, fatty acid content, and nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity. The highest yield (actual value: 46.10%; predicted value: 45.82%) was observed with the following restriction parameters: die size: 0.8 cm, temperature: 40 °C, and sieve size > 1.4 mm. The 2FI model for CSO extraction, the pressing time, the reduced quadratic model for acid value, the reduced cubic model for peroxide value, and the TPC showed that the model was significant. Our study primarily reported the impact of sieve size, restriction die, and temperature on CSO yield, acid, peroxide values, TPC of the CSO, and the influence of pressing time on the quantity and quality of the CSO. The high yield of CSO was of relatively lower quality. The temperature affected the yield, acid, peroxide values, TPC, and the nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity. In comparison, the fatty acid composition of the CSO was not affected by the processing temperature or sieve size. The results indicated that the extraction conditions must be chosen based on the application of the extracted oil. Further studies are warranted to confirm the results and further analyze other influential parameters during CSO extraction.