Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has emerged as a global health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effects of the combined application of rice bran (RB) and Lactobacillus johnsonii 23, a producer of feruloyl esterase, on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. High-yielding ferulic acid esterase bacteria (FAEb) were screened and administered to DSS-induced UC mice along with rice bran. Disease symptoms, histopathology, oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, and cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were assessed to evaluate the alleviating effects on UC mice. The combined intervention effectively improved body weight changes, disease activity index (DAI) scores, and colon length in UC mice, reversing DSS-induced epithelial cell necrosis, crypt structural loss, inflammatory cell infiltration, goblet cell depletion, and mucosal erosion and edema. The combination also reduced colonic MDA levels, enhanced SOD, GSH, and GSH-Px levels, thereby boosting antioxidant capacity. It decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α while increasing the expression of the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10, promoting anti-inflammatory capacity. Furthermore, the combined application resisted DSS-induced depletion of SCFAs. The combined administration of rice bran and L. johnsonii 23 holds the potential to emerge as a novel dietary supplement for the prevention or treatment of UC.

Rice bran is a kind of agricultural by-product, which is rich in renewable organic carbon sources and mainly used in feed and fertilizer production today. It has been reported that rice bran is rich in various active ingredients such as dietary fiber, polyphenols and polysaccharides, which have significant physiological activities such as anti-oxidation, lowering blood lipid and blood sugar. This paper starts with the bioactive components of rice bran, analyzes its the functional properties of rice bran and its active components in anti-oxidation, hypoglycemia, anti-obesity, hypolipidemic, immunomodulating, antitumor, etc, in order to improve the application value of the bioactive components of rice bran and provide theoretical basis for the effective utilization and industrialization of the following agricultural by-products.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is becoming an increasingly serious health problem. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a newly isolated Lactobacillus species that produces feruloyl esterase (FAEb) on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC in mice. In this study, FAEb supplementation slowed body weight loss and mitigated colon length shortening, the severity of fecal occult blood, and increases in the disease activity index (DAI) in UC model mice. FAEb supplementation was also shown to reduce the expression of proinflammatory factors, increase the antioxidant capacity, improve the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), upregulate the expression of tight junction proteins, reduce the histopathological scores, and reduce mucous barrier damage in the gut. Furthermore, FAEb supplementation was shown to inhibit inflammatory NF-κB signaling pathway activity, increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and regulate the balance of microbiota in the gut. These results suggest that FAEb may serve as a potential probiotic to prevent and treat UC.

L-arabinose is a good and healthy food additive. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of L-arabinose in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induced by exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ). The model mice received L-arabinose at 20 and 60 mg (kg body weight [bw])-1 d-1 , metformin at 300 mg (kg bw)-1 d-1 (positive control) or sterile water (control) via oral gavage. Compared with the model group, mice treated with L-arabinose exhibited attenuated symptoms of diabetes mellitus, including a slower rate of body weight loss, increased homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function index levels, decreased blood glucose, alleviation of steatosis, and repair of pancreatic islet cells. L-arabinose also exerted an anti-inflammatory effect and partially mitigated dyslipidemia. A 16S-rRNA sequence analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that at the phylum level, treatment with L-arabinose significantly reduced the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes due to a decreased relative abundance of Firmicutes; at the genus level, it reversed the increase in the relative abundance of Allobaculum and the decrease abundance of Oscillospira caused by exposure to an HFD and STZ. And the model mice received L-arabinose at 20 mg (kg bw)-1 d-1 had a better effect on improving T2DM than the high-dose group supplemented L-arabinose at 60 mg (kg bw)-1 d-1 . These results strongly suggest L-arabinose as an excellent candidate supplement to prevent or treat T2DM. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: L-arabinose, xylitol and sucralose are well-known substitutes for sucrose. L-arabinose has been reported to have beneficial effects on hyperglycemia, glycemic index, and fat accumulation. In this study, we found that low-dose (20 mg (kg bw)-1 d-1 ) supplementation of L-arabinose significantly improved glucose intolerance and gut microbiota incoordination in T2DM caused by HFD and STZ.

目前食品专业人才的知识储备与社会应用不一致,导致培养的人才专业性较弱.该文以生物化学为示范,主要介绍了新型本科生培养模式,通过统计分析食品科学相关企业的人才诉求,设计教学方案,激发学生的创新思维;实现以社会问题为导向,教学、科研和创新有机结合的新型教育体系.针对社会需求靶向性地培养学生的科研能力,为食品行业的社会发展培养有用人才.