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Cognitive decline is one of the most important consequences of aging and pharmacological therapies had been largely unsuccessful. Other strategies include the use of functional foods to reduce the burden of cognitive decline. The MFGM is an important source of polar lipids and glycoproteins that decline in the aging brain. We have developed a milk drink fortified with MFGM (MFGM-M) as a dietary supplement and studied it in a randomized clinical pilot study. Forty-four > 65-year-old healthy or mildly cognitively impaired subjects received MFGM-M or control milk (CM) for 14 weeks, during which they underwent a battery of cognitive tests. Lipidomic analyzes were also performed. The female participants showed improvement in episodic memory, the ability to recall events in our lives. It is conceivable that any intervention should be started before clinical symptoms manifest, as a preventive measure against cognitive decline. Future long-term studies may shed further light on this point.

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) imparts human health benefits ranging from improved immune system, gut, and brain function to improved cardiometabolic health. The industry’s growing interest in introducing MFGM-enriched foods requires scientific evidence that the benefits derived from this compound are not affected by the formulation or processes that may alter its function, such as the digestion process. In this study, the impact of food matrices and supplementation levels on the bioaccessibility and assimilation of MFGM lipids in cell culture was investigated. Three food matrices including a protein-rich jelly, carbohydrate-rich cookie, and a carbohydrate- and fat-rich cookie with sunflower oil (SF-cookie) were supplemented with an MFGM ingredient derived from cottage cheese acid whey at 2, 5, and 10% (w/w). Each formulation underwent simulated digestion consisting of oral, gastric, and intestinal phases, and the micellar fraction was collected for both analysis and lipid assimilation in Caco-2 intestinal cells. The micellar fractions were diluted and applied to the cells for 4 h. A lipidomic approach was used to assess the lipid profiles of micellar fractions and intestinal cells. The micelles from digested jellies, cookies, and SF-cookies containing MFGM showed a distinct separation using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Both correlation loadings and variable importance in projection (VIP) scores demonstrated a tendency of MFGM polar lipids (ceramides, glucosylceramides) for micelles from digested jelly, whereas micelles from digested cookies were associated with MFGM neutral lipids (free fatty acids, cholesterol, etc.). The effect of supplementation level on the micellar lipid profiles reinforced this pattern. The lipid profiles of intestinal cells after incubation with the micellar fractions differed considerably from the corresponding micellar lipid profiles. Specifically, the SF-cookie-treated cells were associated with a greater abundance of PUFA relative to jelly- and cookie-treated cells; however, increasing MFGM supplementation showed irregular patterns and rearrangement of cellular lipid profiles, suggesting the cells’ role in regulating lipid metabolism in response to nutritional stimuli. The nature of lipid micellarization and assimilation in intestinal cells from MFGM-containing food formulations echoes the complexity of lipids inherent to the MFGM itself, suggesting the need for application-based MFGM supplementation.

ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in blood long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) and oxylipin concentrations in very preterm infants from birth to 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age (WPA) after providing an emulsified arachidonic acid (ARA):docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplement at two different concentrations.Study designThis prospective, randomized trial assigned infants to receive a supplement (1) 80:40 group (80 mg/kg/day ARA and 40 mg/kg/day DHA, n = 9) or (2) 120:60 group (120 mg/kg/day ARA and 60 mg/kg/day DHA, n = 9). Infants received supplement daily from birth until 36 WPA. At baseline, 21 days of life and 36 WPA, the LCPUFAs were measured in plasma by gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometry. Additionally, LCPUFAs and oxylipins were analyzed in whole blood by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, a sample of oral mucosa was obtained to analyze single-nucleotide polymorphism located in the FADS1 gene by PCR.ResultsGestational age was similar between groups (80:40 = 28+6 [27+3; 30+3] completed weeks+days; 120:60 = 29+6 [27+3; 30+5] completed weeks+days, p = 0.83). At 36 WPA, the change in plasma ARA was significantly different between groups (80:40 group = 0.15 [−0.67; 0.69] %nmol, 120:60 = 1.68 [1.38; 3.16] %nmol, p = 0.031). In whole blood, the levels of ARA-derived oxylipins (5-, 8-, 9-, 11-, 15-HETE and 8,9-EET) and EPA-derived oxylipins (18-HEPE) significantly increase from baseline to 36 WPA in the 120:60 group than the 80:40 group.ConclusionSupplementation at high doses (120:60 mg/kg/day) increased levels of ARA, and EPA- and ARA-derived oxylipins compared to low doses (80:40 mg/kg/day). Differences were detected in EPA metabolites without a significant increase in plasma DHA.

Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is a cyclic oligosaccharide consisting of seven glucose units. β-CD is increasingly used in food research to reduce cholesterol due to its affinity for non-polar molecules such as cholesterol and as a natural additive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of curd washing in ewe’s milk cheese on the reduction in cholesterol by β-CD from pasteurized ewe’s milk Manchego cheese and the characteristics of its main components: milk, lipids, and flavor. An approximately 98.45% cholesterol reduction was observed in washed experimental cheeses that were treated by using β-CD. The remaining residual β-CD from the effect of curd washing was 0.15% in mature cheese, of the initial 1% β-CD treatment of the milk. The chemical properties (fat, moisture, and protein) did not change as a result of the curd washing with or without β-CD. The curd washing with or without β-CD on the levels of the various lipid fraction (fatty acids, triglycerides, and phospholipids) were comparable in treated and untreated cheeses. The effects of curd washing and the β-CD treatment did not significantly affect flavor components or short chain free fatty acids. The β-CD molecules were edible and nontoxic; as a result, they could be used safely in cholesterol removal processing in cheese manufacturing, improving the reduction in residual β-CD by curd washing by 85%. Therefore, the present study suggests that curd washing combined with β-CD is an effective process for cholesterol removal in Manchego cheese, preserving its desirable properties.

Recent studies have demonstrated the positive effects of regular intake of milk fat globule membranes (MFGMs) on neural and cognitive development, as well as immune and gastrointestinal health in infants and elders. Dairy products and by-products generated from the butter and butter oil manufacturing process are valuable sources of MFGM. Thus, in view of the growing need to reduce by-products and waste, it is crucial to foster research aimed at the valorization of dairy by-products rich in MFGM. For this purpose, all the by-products coming from butter and butter oil production (from raw milk to the related by-products) were used to study the MFGM isolated fractions, followed by their characterization through a combined lipidomic and proteomic approach. The patterns of polar lipids and proteins indicated that buttermilk (BM), butterserum (BS), and their mix (BM-BS blend) are the most suitable by-products to be employed as starting material for the isolation and purification of MFGMs, thus obtaining MFGM-enriched ingredients for the manufacture of products with high biological activity.

Onions are the main dietary source of flavonols that have been associated with important health-promoting properties. Onion treated by high-pressure processing (HPP-treated onion) was subjected to a dynamic gastrointestinal digestion and colon fermentation simulator (DGID-CF) to study the effect on the gut microbiota metabolism in the three colon regions (ascending—AC, transverse—TC, and descending—DC) by means of chronic feeding with 27 g/day for 14 days. HPP-treated onion presented a high content of the flavonols quercetin-3,4’-diglucoside and quercetin-4’-glucoside, and a large percentage of them reached the AC without change. TC and DC progressively increased the total phenolic metabolites 2.5 times respective to day 2, mainly 3-hydroxyphenylacetic, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropionic acids. In addition, the chronic feeding increased the beneficial colon bacteria Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. and the production of total SCFAs (acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) 9 times (AC), 2.2 times (TC), and 4.4 times (DC) respective to day 1. A multivariate analysis (principal component analysis, PCA) showed a clear separation between the three colon regions based on their phenolic composition (precursors and metabolites). These results showed that HPP-treated onion modulated the human gut microbiota’s metabolism and the DGID-CF is a good system to study these changes.

The use of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to reduce cholesterol is increasing in food research due to its affinity for non-polar molecules such as cholesterol. The objective of this study was to study the ability of β-CD to remove cholesterol in natural egg, powdered egg, and duck liver pâté and its effect on individual fatty acids. A concentration of 5% of β-CD was found to be a suitable amount to remove 80.04 ± 4.96−82.12 ± 5.36% of cholesterol from yolk and powdered eggs and 80.21 ± 5.28% of cholesterol from duck liver pâté. β-CD complexed to cholesterol was precipitated and removed by centrifugation. Individual fatty acid compositions did not differ (p < 0.05) between the controls and the products treated with 5% β-CD.

ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are known to have several beneficial effects, such as preventing the occurrence of cardiovascular events in adults and improving the development of the central nervous system during fetal life and childhood. Dairy products enriched in PUFA are now available on the market and can help consumers to meet the ω3-PUFA daily intake recommendations. Although PUFA are prone to oxidation, little information exists regarding the alterations they undergo when products containing PUFA are stored. In this study, five infant formulae (IF) and five ω3-PUFA enriched Ultra High Temperature (UHT)-milk products were examined during storage at room temperature in terms of fatty acid (FA) composition and trans fatty acid (tFA) content until the end of shelf life by chromatography techniques. The IF included two follow-on formulae, two first-age formulae and a special medical purpose formula with different fat contents (from 2.6% to 27.7%). In the ω3-PUFA enriched UHT-milk products the milk fat was replaced by eicosapentanoic fatty acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) rich oils. The fatty acid content of all samples remained stable whereas some variations were observed for the tFA isomer content (p < 0.05) in the UHT-milk samples.

Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is a cyclic oligosaccharide consisting of seven glucose units and is produced from starch using cyclodextrin glycotransferase enzymes to break the polysaccharide chain and forming a cyclic polysaccharide molecule. The use of β-CD in food research for reduction of cholesterol is increasing due to its affinity for non-polar molecules such as cholesterol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using β-CD in cholesterol removal from pasteurized ewe’s milk Manchego cheese and evaluate the effect on the main components of the milk, lipids, and flavor characteristics. Approximately 97.6% cholesterol reduction was observed in the cheese that was treated using β-CD. Physicochemical properties (fat, moisture and protein) were not changed by the β-CD treatment, except the soluble nitrogen and non-protein nitrogen that showed slight differences after the treatment. The amount of the different components of the lipid fraction (fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids) were similar in cheeses treated and not treated with β-CD. Flavor compound and short chain free fatty acids were not mostly significantly influenced by the effect of the β-CD. β-CD molecules are edible and nontoxic and as a result they can be used safely for cholesterol removal processing in cheese manufacturing. Therefore, the present study suggests that β-CD treatment is an effective process for cholesterol removal from Manchego cheese while preserving its properties.