Biological Activity of α-Galactoside Preparations from Lupinus angustifolius L. and Pisum sativum L. Seeds

Abstract

Biological activity tests were performed on alpha-galactoside preparations obtained from Lupinus angustifolius L. cv. Mirela (alkaloid-rich) and Pisum sativum L. cv. Opal seeds. The studies included the following tests: acute toxicity, cytotoxic test, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH), plaque-forming cell number (IgM-PFC), and influence on the growth of bifidobacteria and coliform presence in rat colon. Results of these studies showed that alpha-galactosides from lupin and pea seeds were essentially nontoxic. Their acute toxicity (LD(50)) in mice was >4000 mg kg(-1) of body weight. alpha-galactoside preparations were not cytotoxic for mouse thymocytes in vitro. The in vitro test shows that oligosaccharides from lupin and pea are utilized by selected beneficial colon bacterium strains. The in vivo experiment demonstrated that alpha-galactosides from legume significantly influenced the growth of bifidobacteria in rats colon. Simultaneously, the decrease of the coliform presence was observed. The chemical composition of the tested preparations had no significant effect on their biological activity.

Characterization of bifidobacteria as starters in fermented milk containing raffinose family of oligosaccharides from lupin as prebiotic

“…These are suitable characteristics for use as starters in fermented milk. B. bifidum C-1 and C-2 strains showed the lowest levels of enzymatic activity in general, and enzymes for metabolizing carbohydrates in particular, including D-galactosyl-oligosaccharides, which allow selective proliferation of bifidobacteria in vitro as well as in the human intestinal tract (Gopal et al, 2001;Gulewicz et al, 2002). All strains showed very low levels of b-glucosidase activity, a favourable characteristic for general health, since this is produced by faecal enzymes (e.g., nitroreductase, azoreductase) of microbial origin that seems to convert procarcinogens to carcinogens (Kurmann, 1988).…”

“…Because of their prebiotic properties, oligosaccharides have recently received much attention as functional food ingredients. The most studied prebiotics are inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides but legumes are also a good source of oligosaccharides, known as a-galactosides or raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), which are utilized by bifidobacteria (Gopal, Sullivan, & Smart, 2001;Gulewicz et al, 2002). Lupins are legumes with one of the highest a-galactoside content of 7-15% (Martı´nez Villaluenga, Frı´as, & Vidal-Valverde, 2005;Muzquiz, Burbano, Pedrosa, Folkman, & Gulewicz, 1999;RuizLo´pez et al, 2000).…”

Dietary fibres in pulse seeds and fractions: Characterization, functional attributes, and applications

“…The raffinose and stachyose extracts from soybeans have been investigated by several research groups in Japan for their effect on the human gut microflora (e.g., Saito, Takano, & Rowland, 1992). Gulewicz et al (2002) demonstrated that isolated and purified RFO preparations from peas or lupin seeds (containing raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose) were utilized by selected beneficial colon bacterium strains in in vitro tests. Furthermore, their in vivo experiments demonstrated that the RFO significantly influenced the growth of bifidobacteria in the colon of rats.…”

Non-Nutritive Compounds in Fabaceae Family Seeds and the Improvement of Their Nutritional Quality by Traditional Processing – a Review

“…The fi nal products of these methods are: protein concentrate, high dietary fi ber and lupine extract showing yield-increasing activity [Ciesiołka et al, 2005]. As revealed in the studies of Gulewicz et al [2002], the lupine extract is also a rich source of RFOs with prebiotic properties.…”