Suchergebnisse

A growing body of evidence highlights the relevance of free fatty acids (FFA) for human health, and their role in the cross talk between the metabolic status and immune system. Altered serum FFA profiles are related to several metabolic conditions, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Recent studies have highlighted the link between gut microbiota and host metabolism. However, although most of the studies have focused on different clinical conditions, evidence on the role of these mediators in healthy populations is lacking. Therefore, we have addressed the analysis of the relationship among gut microbial populations, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, FFA levels, and immune mediators (IFNγ, IL-6, and MCP-1) in 101 human adults from the general Spanish population. Levels of selected microbial groups, representing the major phylogenetic types present in the human intestinal microbiota, were determined by quantitative PCR. Our results showed that the intestinal abundance of Akkermansia was the main predictor of total FFA serum levels, displaying a negative association with total FFA and the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. Similarly, an altered FFA profile, identified by cluster analysis, was related to imbalanced levels of Akkermansia and Lactobacillus as well as increased fecal SCFA, enhanced IL-6 serum levels, and higher prevalence of subclinical metabolic alterations. Although no differences in nutritional intakes were observed, divergent patterns in the associations between nutrient intakes with intestinal microbial populations and SCFA were denoted. Overall, these findings provide new insights on the gut microbiota–host lipid metabolism axis and its potential relevance for human health, where FFA and SCFA seem to play an important role. ; This work was funded through the Grant GRUPIN14-043 "Microbiota Humana, Alimentación y Salud" funded by "Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias," Asturias, Spain and by the grants AGL2010-14952 from Spanish "Plan Nacional I+D+I" and by Biopolis SL within the framework of the e-CENIT Project SENIFOOD from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. JR-C and NS benefit from postdoctoral contracts supported by the Grant GRUPIN14-043 and by a Clarín regional contract cofinanced by the Marie Curie CoFund European Program, respectively. Regional grants received cofounding from European Union FEDER funds. ; The authors acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). ; Peer reviewed

Trans fatty acids (TFAs) have no known health benefits and are linked to an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). To eliminate TFAs from the food supply, the government of Thailand imposed a ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in 2018. This study was aimed at analyzing the government policies and actions to eliminate TFAs in Thailand, focusing on policy content, context, process, and actors. This single-case qualitative study used a documentary review and interviews with 20 key policy actors. The data analysis was guided by thematic analysis based on the policy triangle framework. The results reveal that policy actors—government organizations, academics, civil society organizations, and the food industry—have different roles, interests, and influences with regard to eliminating TFAs in Thailand. Both formal and informal communication among policy actors aided in the policymaking process and the actions that followed. Changing perceptions of TFAs, the low intake of PHOs in Thailand, hype around trans fats, and trade dynamics shaped the government's decision to impose the ban. As a result, the ban was selected to avoid the technical components of TFA elimination. This study suggests that eliminating TFAs in Thailand could be further enhanced by strengthening government actions in terms of enforcement and creating consumer awareness.

Heterotrophic microalgae are recognized as a source of bioactive compounds. However, there are still some drawbacks for their use at an industrial scale associated with the high cost of glucose, the main carbon source in heterotrophic cultures. In recent years, significant efforts have been made to investigate more sustainable carbon sources to produce biomass. In this study, the capacity of Schizochytrium limacinum to grow on waste-derived volatile fatty acids and the effect that their use produces on biomass and fatty acids profiles were investigated. Acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric and caproic acid were evaluated independently, as well as in a synthetic mixture (VFA). The use of acetic and butyric resulted in a good biomass productivity, while the use of valeric and propionic acid resulted in higher content of odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA), increasingly investigated due to their potential benefits for human health. The use of industrial waste-derived VFA as a potential carbon source was validated through the utilization of biowaste derived effluents from a volatile fatty acid platform. The biomass produced was of 18.5 g/L, 54.0% lipids, 46.3% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 25.0% OCFA, concluding that waste derived VFA can produce DHA and OCFA in a suitable ratio of DHA/OCFA with potential industrial applications. ; The authors would like to thank the European project VOLATILE. The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 720777.

14 pags., 4 figs., 1 tab. -- Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 4.0 ; Increasing energy demands and health-related concerns worldwide have motivated researchers to adopt diverse strategies to improve medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) biosynthesis for use in the functional food and aviation industries. The abundance of naturally produced MCFAs from botanical sources (i.e., coconut fruit/seeds and palm tree) has been observed to be insufficient compared with the various microorganisms used to cope with industrial demands. Mucor circinelloides is one of many promising microorganisms; it exhibits diverse biotechnological importance ranging from the production of functional lipids to applications in the manufacture of bio-fuel. Thus, research was conducted to acquire the desired elevated amounts of MCFAs (i.e., C8–C12) from metabolically engineered strains of M. circinelloides M65. To achieve this goal, four different acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase (TE)-encoding genes exhibiting a substrate preference for medium-chain acyl-ACP molecules were expressed in M. circinelloides M65, resulting in the generation of C8–C12 fatty acids. Among all the engineered strains, M65-TE-03 and M65-TE-04 demonstrated the highest production of non-native C8–C10 and C12 fatty acids, respectively, in comparison to the control. These recombinant strains biosynthesized MCFAs de novo within the range from 28 to 46% (i.e., 1.14 to 2.77 g/L) of total cell lipids. Moreover, the reduction in chain length eventually resulted in a 1.5–1.75-fold increase in total lipid productivity in the engineered strains. The MCFAs were also found to be integrated into all lipid classes. This work illustrates how the integration of heterologous enzymes in M. circinelloides can offer a novel opportunity to edit the fatty acid synthases (FAS) complex, resulting in increased production of microbial MFCAs. ; This work was supported by Chinese Government Scholarship Council (CSC), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31670064), TaiShan Industrial Experts Program (tscy 20160101), and starting grant from Shandong University of Technology.

Plan Regional de Investigacion del Principado de Asturias, Asturias, Spain [GRUPIN14-043]; Spanish "Plan Nacional I+D+I" [AGL2010-14952]; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; Marie Curie CoFund European Program; European Union FEDER funds

VTT Symposium 244. Applied Material Research at VTT. Symposium on Applied Materials. Espoo, Finland, 8 June 2006. Ritschkoff, Anne-Christine, Koskinen, Jari & Paajanen, Mika (Eds.), 102 - 109 ; Development of environmentally benign products and technologies has become increasingly interesting during recent years because of health and environmental aspects as well as recent environmental legislation. Many valuable intermediates and products can be produced via modification of natural fatty acids and oils. These renewable raw materials are highly attractive for ecological reasons. In this paper, new feasible options to produce environmentally friendly products and polymers from renewable fatty acids are discussed. Different methods of production, properties and applications of intermediates and binders under development are described. Especially work toward self-emulsifying, air-drying alkyd binders for coating applications is presented. In addition, possibilities to utilize fatty acid-based polymers in new applications, such as composites, are briefly introduced. ; Development of environmentally benign products and technologies has become increasingly interesting during recent years because of health and environmental aspects as well as recent environmental legislation. Many valuable intermediates and products can be produced via modification of natural fatty acids and oils. These renewable raw materials are highly attractive for ecological reasons. In this paper, new feasible options to produce environmentally friendly products and polymers from renewable fatty acids are discussed. Different methods of production, properties and applications of intermediates and binders under development are described. Especially work toward self-emulsifying, air-drying alkyd binders for coating applications is presented. In addition, possibilities to utilize fatty acid-based polymers in new applications, such as composites, are briefly introduced.

Feeding goats with calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) can supply ruminants with lipids, with minimal effects on ruminal fermentation and fiber digestibility. However, there is a shortage of information on the effect of CSFA on characteristics of rumen fermentation in grassland goats. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the addition of CSFA to concentrate on the parameters of rumen fermentation of grazing goats. Five rumen cannulated goats were distributed in a Latin square 5x5 design (treatments: 0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5% and 6.0% CSFA. The pH, ammonia N and volatile fatty acids (VFA) content were analyzed in the ruminal fluid at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours after concentrate supplementation. The pH and ammonia N concentration showed a linear effect with the addition of CSFA. There was no effect observed for the VFA molar concentration after grazing goats were fed with the experimental diet. In conclusion, further research is needed to investigate the addition of CSFA to goat diets because there is evidence that CSFA increases ruminal pH and decreases excess ruminal ammonia without changing the VFA concentration in the rumen fluid.

21 pags., 8 figs., 2 tabs. ; Concerns about global warming, fossil-fuel depletion, food security, and human health have promoted metabolic engineers to develop tools/strategies to overproduce microbial functional oils directly from renewable resources. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, C8-C12) have been shown to be important sources due to their diverse biotechnological importance, providing benefits ranging from functional lipids to uses in bio-fuel production. However, oleaginous microbes do not carry native pathways for the production of MCFAs, and therefore, diverse approaches have been adapted to compensate for the requirements of industrial demand. Mucor circinelloides is a promising organism for lipid production (15-36% cell dry weight; CDW) and the investigation of mechanisms of lipid accumulation; however, it mostly produces long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). To address this challenge, we genetically modified strain M. circinelloides MU758, first by integrating heterologous acyl-ACP thioesterase (TE) into fatty acid synthase (FAS) complex and subsequently by modifying the β-oxidation pathway by disrupting the acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) and/or acyl-CoA thioesterase (ACOT) genes with a preference for medium-chain acyl-CoAs, to elevate the yield of MCFAs. The resultant mutant strains (M-1, M-2, and M-3, respectively) showed a significant increase in lipid production in comparison to the wild-type strain (WT). MCFAs in M-1 (47.45%) was sharply increased compared to the wild type strain (2.25%), and it was further increased in M-2 (60.09%) suggesting a negative role of ACOX in MCFAs production. However, MCFAs in M-3 were much decreased compared to M-1,suggesting a positive role of ACOT in MCFAs production. The M-2 strain showed maximum lipid productivity (~1800 milligram per liter per day or mg/L.d) and MCFAs productivity (~1100 mg/L.d). Taken together, this study elaborates on how the combination of two multidimensional approaches, TE gene over-expression and modification of the β-oxidation pathway via substantial knockout of specific ACOX gene, significantly increased the production of MCFAs. This synergistic approach ultimately offers a novel opportunity for synthetic/industrial biologists to increase the content of MCFAs. ; This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31670064, 31972851), the TaiShan Industrial Experts Program (tscy 20160101), the Chinese Government Scholarship Council (CSC) to Y.S., and the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) Grant R03 AI11917 and the University of Texas at San Antonio research funds to S.C.L.

Jocelyne R BenatarGreen Lane Cardiovascular Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New ZealandAbstract: There has been a significant increased consumption of trans fats in the developed world as we have embraced processed and take away foods in our diet in the last 40 years. These fatty acids are not essential for human nutrition and are hazardous to health. They increase the risk of cardiovascular disease more than any other macronutrient including saturated fat, through multiple mechanisms including adverse effects on lipids, endothelial function and inflammation. They are readily incorporated into cell structures such as cell membranes and the Golgi apparatus, resulting in unintended effects on multiple biological pathways. The majority of trans fats in our diet are artificially manufactured by a process of partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil with little coming from natural sources. It should be possible to replace these harmful fats in the food chain at source with concerted efforts from food manufacturers and legislators.Keywords: trans fats, coronary artery disease, hydrogenated vegetable oils