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This 42-day study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with β-1,3-glucan (Aleta™) on the vaccination response to Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and infectious bursal disease (IBD) in a non-challenged environment. This trial included 600 chicks (all vaccinated with IBD at the hatchery) which were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: vaccination (NDV, IBV), no vaccination, or vaccination combined with feed supplemented with Aleta (100 g/MT of feed). The vaccination with Aleta treatment group showed a trend for improved FCR that was not statistically significant. Control birds that were not vaccinated for IBV had significantly lower IBV titers on day 21 compared to birds that were vaccinated (both with and without Aleta). Surprisingly, there was significant separation among treatment groups for NDV titer levels, especially on day 21, where birds vaccinated and supplemented with Aleta had significantly higher titer levels compared to vaccination alone or no vaccination at all. Critically, only 14% of the birds receiving the vaccine plus Aleta had titer levels below the critical titer threshold for immunity compared to 28% of the birds receiving the vaccine alone and 40% of the unvaccinated birds. This suggests that Aleta supplementation may help to improve the vaccination response by birds, especially for NDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the effect of a dried algae product containing beta-1,3-glucan on broiler performance and immunity during an Eimeria challenge. Heterotrophically grown Euglena gracilis, which contained ∼55% beta-1,3-glucan, was dried and milled for inclusion into a non-medicated starter diet. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate dietary treatments containing 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 g/ton dried algae. In both experiments, male broilers were orally challenged on day 14 with a coccidial inoculum consisting of E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella. Fecal matter was collected 120–144 hours post-exposure to determine relative amounts of oocyte shedding and birds were sacrificed on day 20 for lesion scoring. Broiler performance was assessed on a weekly basis. In the first experiment, birds receiving dried algae at 50 and 200 g/ton showed a significant improvement in FCR compared to the infected control during the challenge period (days 14–20). In the second experiment, the dried algae treatment had no significant effect on FCR, but lesion scores were significantly reduced in the groups receiving 50, 150, and 200 g/ton dried algae relative to the infected control. In both experiments, the dried algae treatment did not significantly impact mortality or oocyte shedding. In the second experiment, staining of intestinal samples with fluorescently tagged antibodies demonstrated that dried algae at 100 g/ton increased the number of intestinal macrophages compared to the infected control. A significant and dose-dependent increase in intestinal MHC-II+ expression was also observed for birds fed dried algae, with an 8-fold increase observed in the 200 g/ton group relative to the infected control. Similarly, increased total immune cell density (measured by the mean fluorescence intensity of CD45+ cells) was also observed at 150 and 200 g/ton. Overall, these data suggest that dried algae rich in beta-1,3-glucan can help improve gut immunity and host protection, thereby reducing morbidity associated with coccidiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-(1,3)- d -glucan (BDG) is used to rule out invasive fungal disease (IFD) but its usefulness in cystic fibrosis (CF) has not been evaluated. We measured serum BDG in CF patients with no clinical suspicion of IFD. Samples from 46 adult CF patients during a stable period and during pulmonary exacerbation were tested. The association of BDG with clinical variables was analyzed. Three hundred and three non-CF patients with suspected IFD were used as comparators. Both samples were negative in 52% of CF patients, whereas 67% of comparators had only negative results ( P = 0.08). CF patients with pancreatic insufficiency and CF-related diabetes had fewer negative results ( P < 0.05 for both). Negative results were more common in older CF patients ( P < 0.05). Use of antibiotics, presence of fungi in sputum and CF liver disease did not impact BDG levels. In conclusion, patients with CF experience significant BDG antigenaemia in the absence of IFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides a more holistic view on consumers’ hedonic food experience compared to what is traditionally seen in sensory research, by integrating the hedonic sensory experience and post-ingestive sensations in one study to understand food satisfaction. The study was performed using apple-cherry fruit drinks with different levels of beta-glucans and different sweeteners, sucrose or Stevia rebaudiana . The aims were: 1) to study the hedonic sensory experience, 2) to study time and product effects on post-ingestive sensations and satisfaction, and 3) to study main drivers of satisfaction. A randomized cross-over consumer study was conducted using 66 subjects. Hedonic ratings of sensory perceptions were collected immediately after intake, and subjective ratings of post-ingestive sensations were collected pre intake and in 10 min intervals up to 40 min post intake. Significant hedonic differences of sensory properties were found between all fruit drinks, except between the fruit drinks varying in type of sweetener only. Differences in post-ingestive sensations were found immediately – and 10 min post intake between fruit drinks with and without added beta glucan. Satisfaction with sensory attributes was found to be the main driver of food satisfaction, while post-ingestive sensations drove satisfaction as well. While replacing sucrose with Stevia rebaudiana did not affect the hedonic and post-ingestive sensations, addition of beta glucan resulted in both positive and negative post-ingestive sensations. In general, adding beta glucan without compromising satisfaction is difficult. This study show that a detailed description of hedonic sensory – as well as post-ingestive sensations can bring important information about factors driving consumers’ satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are difficult to diagnose, especially early in the course of infection when antifungal therapy is most effective. There are two commercially available biomarker assays useful for detection of the IFIs most commonly seen in patients with hematologic malignancies, the galactomannan and beta glucan assays. The former is specific for aspergillosis, the latter positive for not only Aspergillus and Candida species, but several other clinically relevant fungal pathogens as well. Both have good assay performance characteristics, provide rapid test results, are widely available, can be assayed non-invasively, and are positive early in the course of infection, often before onset of signs and symptoms of infection. Adoption of these assays into clinical practice has led to reduced need to perform invasive procedures to obtain deep tissue to establish the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. Improved survival rates from aspergillosis are, in part, due to earlier detection of infection and earlier therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The scope of the current study is to investigate the ultrafiltration process of high molecular weight β-glucan molecules with a final purpose to optimize their recovery from oat mill waste. Therefore, standard β-glucan solutions were processed in a dead-end cell using three types of membranes (regenerated cellulose, polyethersulfone and polysulfone) under several transmembrane pressures. Optimization was conducted by monitoring performance parameters and retention coefficients for each experimental combination. In terms of membrane type, polysulfone was selected as the most appropriate membrane material since it obtained satisfactory retention coefficient and performance parameter values when the β-glucan concentration was less than 600mg/L. Thereafter, the polysulfone membrane was applied in a pilot cross-flow module instead of a dead-end cell. The retention of β-glucan as well as the flux recovery was markedly improved with no important reduction of the permeate flux. Finally, polysulfone membrane was applied in the pilot cross-flow module for the ultrafiltration of β-glucan containing feeds (<600mg/L) recovered from the industrial oat mill waste. Results indicated that the optimized ultrafiltration process (polysulfone in cross-flow module, with transmembrane pressure ≤2bar and β-glucan concentrations<600mg/L) could be utilized in order to recover β-glucan from the oat mill waste feeds and clarify them from smaller organic and inorganic compounds. A disadvantage of the latter application was the small degree of separation between β-glucan and proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 1H NMR imaging (MRI) was used as a noninvasive technique to study water distribution and mobility in hydrated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds of accessions with varying content of beta glucan (BG), a highly hygroscopic cell wall component. High contents of BG in barley are unfavorable in malting where it leads to clotting of filters and hazing of beer as well as in animal feed where it hinders the rapid uptake of energy. However, a high content of BG has a positive nutritional effect, as it lowers the cholesterol and the glycaemic index. It was studied whether water distribution and mobility were related to content and location of BG. Water mobility was investigated by following the rate and mode of desiccation in hydrated single seeds. In order to determine the different water components, a multispin echo experiment was set up to reveal the T2 transverse relaxation rates of water within the seeds. A principal component analysis (PCA) discriminated control seeds from the high-BG mutant seeds. MRI proved efficient in tracing the differences in water-holding capacity of contrasting barley seeds. All accessions showed nonuniform distribution of water at full hydration as well as during desiccation. The embryo retained water even after 36 h of drying, whereas the endosperm showed low and heterogeneous mobility of the water after drying. The relaxation time constants indicated that the BG mutants had regions of much higher water mobility around the ventral crease compared to the control. It is concluded that MRI can be applied to investigate temporal and spatial differences in the location of specific chemical compounds in single seeds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aim: Glucans are glucose polymers that constitute a structural part of fungal cell wall. They can stimulate the innate immunity by activation of monocytes/macrophages. In human studies it has been shown that beta glucan has an immunomodulatory effect and can increase the efficacy of the biological therapies in cancer patients. In this prospective clinical trial we assessed in vivo effects of short term oral beta glucan administration on peripheral blood monocytes and their expression of activation markers in patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods: 23 female patients with advanced breast cancer were included in the study. Median age of the patients was 52 years. Sixteen healthy females with a median age of 48 years served as the control group for comparing the initial blood samples. Peripheral blood samples were drawn on day zero and patients started receiving oral 1–3, 1–6, D-beta glucan daily. Blood samples were recollected on the 15th day. In the initial samples mean lymphocyte count was significantly lower in the patients with breast cancer (1281±306/mm3 versus 1930±573/mm3, p =0.04). In the patients with breast cancer, mean monocyte count which was 326+124/mm3 at the beginning, was increased to 496+194/mm3 at the 15th day (p =0.015). Expression of CD95 (Apo1/Fas) on CD14 positive monocytes was 48.17% at the beginning, which was increased to 69.23 % at the 15th day (p =0.002). Expression of CD45RA on CD14 positive monocytes was 49.9% at the beginning; it was increased significantly to 61.52% on day 15 (p =0.001). Conclusion: Oral beta glucan administration seems to stimulate proliferation and activation of peripheral blood monocytes in vivo in patients with advanced breast cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Neurological implications of COVID-19 directly correlate with neural inflammation. • Clotting dysregulation following inflammation leads to stroke and hemorrhage. • Scavengers like microglia handle the clearing of damages caused by inflammation. • β-Glucans by rejuvenating microglia, help attenuate post-COVID neuroinflammation. • Study on β-Glucans as prophylaxis to COVID-19 is worthy for its beneficial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the application of high pressure homogenization (HPH) as a pretreatment prior to the process of autolysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in order to enhance both the production of yeast extract and the valorization of the solid residue of autolysis for β-glucan extraction. Autolysis of HPH treated (200–600 bar, 1–3 passes) and untreated samples, carried out at 52 °C and pH = 5.5, was mathematically modelled based on protein, amino acid and total solids release. HPH treatment accelerated yeast autolysis at all conditions studied and resulted in higher protein, amino acid and total solids yield. A combination of HPH treatment and shorter autolysis times achieved high extract yields of low turbidity. The β-glucan content of the solid autolysis residue increased with increasing treatment intensity and autolysis time with a simultaneous decrease in protein content due to the mechanical disruption of the cells. The use of HPH as a pretreatment of yeast suspensions allows for the acceleration of yeast extract production by autolysis, reducing the very long autolysis times otherwise required. At the same time, the solid residue obtained after autolysis has a higher β-glucan content for HPH treated samples, allowing for more efficient valorization of this rich in valuable glucan by-product. In our work we have demonstrated that with one pretreatment step, both aspects of the autolytic process can be significantly enhanced. • The effect of HPH on yeast autolysis and β-glucan recovery was studied. • Autolysis was described mathematically in terms of protein, α-amino nitrogen and total solids yield. • Release of protein, α-amino nitrogen and total solids during autolysis depends on the cell disintegration index. • HPH and autolysis increased the β-glucan content of the crude solid autolysis residue by up to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]