Adducts of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)-amino acids are formed during food processing and digestion; the elimination capacity of in vitro intestinal digests of biscuits, instant noodles, and potato crisps for HMF is 652, 727, and 540 μg/g, respectively. However, the safety of these adducts is unknown. In this study, an HMF-cysteine adduct named 1-dicysteinethioacetal-5-hydroxymehtylfurfural (DCH), which was found to be produced in the gastrointestinal tract after HMF intake, was prepared to test its effect toward Caco-2 cells. Compared with HMF, the adduct displayed lower cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells with an IC value of 31.26 mM versus 14.95 mM (HMF). The DCH did not induce cell apoptosis, whereas HMF significantly increased the apoptosis rate after incubation at concentrations of 16, 32, and 48 mM for 72 h. DCH showed an absorption rate considerably lower than that of HMF by Caco-2 cells. Lower absorption of DCH may result in lower toxicity compared with HMF against Caco-2 cells. Intracellular transformation of DCH has been observed.

The absorption of a 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)−cysteine adduct, 1-dicysteinethioacetal−5-hydroxymethylfurfural (DCH), and its effect on antioxidant activity and gut microbiota were investigated. Results indicated that DCH is more easily absorbed in rats than HMF. Serum DCH concentrations were 15−38-fold of HMF concentrations from 30 to 180 min after intragastrical administration at the level of 100 mg/kg of body weight, and 2.7−4.5% of absorbed DCH was converted to HMF. The malondialdehyde content in the plasma, heart, liver, and kidneys significantly increased after drug (100 mg/kg of bw) administration for 1 week, suggesting that HMF and DCH were oxidative-stress-inducing agents, instead of antioxidant agents, in rats. HMF and DCH also modulated gut microbiota. HMF promoted the growth of Lactobacillus, Tyzzerella, Enterobacter, and Streptococcus. DCH increased the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and promoted the growth of Akkermansia, Shigella, and Escherichia while inhibiting the growth of Lactobacillus.

Feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to be incorporated in baked goods. This research aimed to investigate the influence of FOs on flavour formation. Results revealed that the furfural content increased 5.2-, 6.7-, 5.6-, and 6.5-fold after 10 mg/g FOs was added and by 6.7-, 37.8-, 12.4-, and 64.5-fold after 50 mg/g FOs was added to aspartic acid/glucose, asparagine/glucose, glutamic acid/glucose, and dough models, respectively. Addition of FOs prevented the formation of favourable Maillard flavour compounds, such as pyrazines, maltol, nonanal, and cedrol, but produced unpleasant flavour compounds, such as dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide, and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol. Our findings suggest that the addition of FOs to thermally processed food should be evaluated with caution. ARTICLE HISTORY

Madeira wine (MW) oxidative aging results in the formation of several key aromas. Little is still known about their odor relevance to the aroma of the most commercialized MWs. This report presents an in-depth study of the odor impact of sotolon in MW blends. First, its odor perception was estimated in MWs according to ASTM E679, testing different 3-year-old (3-yo) commercial blends. The odor relevance of sotolon in the aroma of 3-, 5-, and 10-yo commercial blends (89 MWs) was then appraised by calculating its Odor Activity Value (OAV), after determining its content by RP-HPLC-MS/MS. The sotolon odor perception in MW was as low as 23 µg/L, although it was found that little differences in the wine matrix influenced its perception. OAVs varied between 0.1 and 22, increasing with the blend age. Considering that 16% of the OAVs are higher than 10 (mostly ≥ 10-yo), sotolon was found to be a key contributor to the overall aroma MW blends.

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