Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is associated with various chronic diseases. TMAO is a downstream oxidative metabolite of trimethylamine (TMA) that is generated by the gut microbiota from dietary choline, carnitine, and betaine. Current analytical methods predominantly target TMAO only, due to the challenge of efficiently extracting and quantifying TMA. The present study demonstrates a simple and rapid UPLC–MRM–MS method for concurrent quantification of TMAO, TMA, and related precursors (choline, betaine, and various carnitines) following a methanol extraction from plasma and derivatization using iodoacetonitrile (IACN). Pure methanol resulted in a higher extractability of TMA (up to two-fold) compared to both pure acetonitrile and various methanol/acetonitrile mixtures. The quantification method showed high linearity within the tested range of 0.0625–100 μmol/L (determination coefficient > 0.999) and an intra- (n = 3) and inter-day (n = 9) precision of 2–8% along with an average recovery of above 94% for all metabolites (TMAO, TMA, choline, betaine, L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine, and propionyl-L-carnitine). The method’s applicability was confirmed through a comparison of TMAO and its precursor concentrations in plasma samples of overnight-fasted subjects with (n = 12) and without (n = 21) metabolic syndrome.

Background/Objectives: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiota-derived metabolite from L-carnitine and choline (abundant in meat and eggs), is linked to CVD and T2D. This study investigated whether TMAO responses to animal-based foods differ between individuals with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS), in relation to their gut microbiota composition.

Subjects/Methods: In a randomized crossover trial, 12 MetS (>= 3 criteria according to the Adult Treatment Panel III: elevated waist circumference, fasting glucose, triglycerides, and blood pressure or reduced HDL cholesterol) and 21 non-MetS subjects consumed two test meals (3 hard-boiled eggs or 170 g meat balls) after overnight fasting, with >= 1-week washout. Blood was collected at baseline and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h postprandially; urine was collected over 6 h. Fecal samples (collected pre-first day of intervention) underwent 16S rRNA sequencing. Plasma and urinary TMAO, TMA, choline, and carnitine were quantified using UPLC-MS/MS.

Results: MetS subjects exhibited a non-significant trend towards higher incremental AUCs for plasma TMA, TMAO, choline, and carnitine after consuming both foods, with a 30-50% higher urinary TMAO excretion (but similar for TMA) versus non-MetS subjects. This exploratory analysis also indicated that MetS subjects had reduced gut microbial diversity, featuring decreased Blautia glucerasea (butyrate producer) and increased Ruminococcus torques (pro-inflammatory), a profile associated with inflammation but not TMA production.

Conclusion: No significant increase in plasma methylamines after choline and carnitine challenge was observed in subjects with MetS compared with non-MetS. In MetS subjects (without CVD and T2D), gut microbiota composition was characterized by increased pro-inflammatory bacteria rather than TMAO-generating bacteria. The lack of statistical significance with regard to plasma TMAO response could be due to an insufficient sample size rather than the absence of an effect. Nevertheless, the observed elevation might still be clinically relevant, supported by concurrent differences in microbiota composition. These preliminary findings warrant validation in larger cohorts due to sample size limitations.

Growing demand for environmentally sustainable protein sources is shifting dietary preferences toward plantderived alternatives such as legumes. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds offer great potential for expanded human consumption, but sensory quality is key for consumer acceptance and cultivar development. In this study, a diversity panel of 15 pea accessions was evaluated for nutrients and phytochemicals (protein, resistant and nonresistant starch, fatty acids, choline, phytate, saponins, and sucrose) and their sensory attributes (taste, aroma, mouthfeel, and aftertaste). Among the sensory attributes, mouthfeel and aroma contributed most to the variation. Principal component analysis revealed two large, distinct clusters, primarily separated by seed coat (testa) colour. Accessions with a dark-coloured testa were generally perceived more odour intense and with more texture, while accessions with light-coloured testa were sweeter and juicier. Accessions with wrinkled seeds stood out in their content of non-resistant starch, sucrose, total choline, and phytate, when compared to smooth and dimpled seeds. Shorter cooking times were positively correlated to the perception of higher bitterness. This study highlights the potential in combining seed compositional analysis and sensory evaluations for screening pea accessions suitable for the development of future food products.

BACKGROUND: Cooking time and cooking evenness are two critical quantities when determining the cooking quality (termed cookability) of pulses. Deciphering which factors contribute to pulse cookability is important for breeding new cultivars, and the identification of potential cookability predictors can facilitate breeding efforts. Seeds from 24 morphologically diverse pea accessions were tested to identify contributing factors and potential predictors of the observed cookability using a Mattson cooker. Size- and weight-based measures were recorded, and seed-coat hardness was obtained with a penetrometer. Content of protein, starch (amylose and amylopectin), and phytate was also determined.RESULTS: Distinct differences were found between wrinkled and non-wrinkled seeds in terms of water-absorption capacity, seed-coat hardness, and plunger-perforation speed. Potential predictive indicators of cooking time and cooking evenness were seed-coat hardness (r = 0.49 and r = 0.38), relative area gained (r = -0.59 and r = -0.8), and percentage of swelled seeds after soaking (r = -0.49 and r = -0.58), but only for non-wrinkled seeds. Surprisingly, the coefficients of variation for the profile area of both dry and swelled seeds appeared to be potential cookability predictors of all pea types (correlation coefficients around r = 0.5 and supported by principal component analysis). However, no strong correlation was observed between cookability and protein, starch, or phytate levels.CONCLUSION: Using three types of instruments together with chemical components enabled the identification of novel cookability predictors for both cooking time and cooking evenness in pea. This study unveils the diverse quantitative aspects influencing cookability in pea. Considering both cooking time and cooking evenness, as well as seed-coat hardness, underscores the multifaceted nature of pulse cookability and offers important insights for future breeding strategies to enhance pea cultivars. (c) 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

In a boreal acidic sulfate-rich subsoil (pH 3–4) developing on sulfidic and organic-rich sediments over the past 70 years, extensive brownish-to-yellowish layers have formed on macropores. Our data reveal that these layers (“macropore surfaces”) are strongly enriched in 1 M HCl-extractable reactive iron (2–7% dry weight), largely bound to schwertmannite and 2-line ferrihydrite. These reactive iron phases trap large pools of labile organic matter (OM) and HCl-extractable phosphorus, possibly derived from the cultivated layer. Within soil aggregates, the OM is of a different nature from that on the macropore surfaces but similar to that in the underlying sulfidic sediments (C-horizon). This provides evidence that the sedimentary OM in the bulk subsoil has been largely preserved without significant decomposition and/or fractionation, likely due to physiochemical stabilization by the reactive iron phases that also existed abundantly within the aggregates. These findings not only highlight the important yet underappreciated roles of iron oxyhydroxysulfates in OM/nutrient storage and distribution in acidic sulfate-rich and other similar environments but also suggest that boreal acidic sulfate-rich subsoils and other similar soil systems (existing widely on coastal plains worldwide and being increasingly formed in thawing permafrost) may act as global sinks for OM and nutrients in the short run.

The health benefits of bean consumption are widely recognized and are largely attributed to the dietary fiber content. This study investigated and compared the effects of whole brown beans and an isolated bean dietary fiber fraction on the plasma lipid profile, atherosclerotic plaque amount, gut microbiota, and microbiota-dependent metabolites (cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and plasma methylamines) in Apoe−/− mice fed high fat diets for 10.5 weeks. The results showed that both whole bean and the isolated fiber fraction had a tendency to lower atherosclerotic plaque amount, but not plasma lipid concentration. The whole bean diet led to a significantly higher diversity of gut microbiota compared with the high fat diet. Both bean diets resulted in a lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, higher relative abundance of unclassified S24-7, Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, and unclassified Clostridiales, and lower abundance of Lactobacillus. Both bean diets resulted in higher formation of all cecal SCFAs (higher proportion of propionic acid and lower proportion of acetic acid) and higher plasma trimethylamine N-oxide concentrations compared with the high fat diet. Whole beans and the isolated fiber fraction exerted similar positive effects on atherosclerotic plaque amount, gut microbiota, and cecal SCFAs in Apoe−/− mice compared with the control diets.

It has not been clarified whether the anti-atherosclerotic effect of lingonberry can be ascribed to its content of flavonoids or dietary fibre or both. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effects of whole lingonberries compared with isolated flavonoid and fibre fractions on atherosclerotic plaques, plasma lipid profiles, gut microbiota and microbiota-dependent metabolites in an Apoe(-/-) mouse model. Mice fed whole lingonberries showed the lowest amount of atherosclerotic plaques, while mice fed the fibre fraction had the highest formation of caecal butyric acid. Flavonoids, rather than dietary fibre, were suggested to be the components that favour proliferation of Akkermansia, as judged by the lowest abundance of this bacterium in mice fed the fibre fraction. All groups fed lingonberry diets had both, lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios and creatinine concentrations, compared with the control. To conclude, different components in lingonberries are associated with different physiological effects in Apoe(-/-) mice.

The concept of glycaemic index (GI) has led to efforts to develop low-GI foods. Bread contributes around one-quarter of carbohydrate intake in the Swedish diet. In this study, we sought to develop low-GI bread prototypes and examined the effects of bread making on content of total dietary fibre (TDF) and resistant starch (RS). Five bread prototypes were made in a commercial bakery, using sourdough fermentation and intact cereal and legume kernels. Predicted (p-GI) andin vivoGI values were determined, and TDF and RS were quantified. The p-GI value of the five prototypes was between 56 and 68. The confirmedin vivoGI value was 65 and 67 for two of the breads. The TDF content (>= 17%) was not affected by bread making, but RS content was increased by three-fold. All breads were categorised as medium-GI, but with low glycaemic load (GL).

Yellow pea and faba bean are potential candidates to replace soybean-based ingredients due to their suitability for cultivation in the northern hemisphere, non-genetically modified organisms cultivation practice and low risk of allergenicity. This study examined the functionality of local yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrate as meat analogue products. The most critical factors affecting the texture properties of meat analogue were also determined. Extrusion was used to produce high-moisture meat analogues (HMMAs) from yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrates and HMMAs with fibrous layered structures was successfully produced from both imported commercial and local sources. The texture properties of the HMMA produced were mainly affected by the ash, fiber and protein content and water-holding capacity of the source protein. Three extrusion process parameters (target moisture content, extrusion temperature, screw speed), also significantly affected HMMA texture. In conclusion, functional HMMA can be produced using protein isolates derived from locally grown pulses.

Pulses are an important crop for the human diet. The aim of this work was to characterize phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids) in common Swedish dried pulses and to investigate the retention and distribution of phenolic compounds during hydrothermal treatment processes, including soaking, draining, and boiling. An ultrasound-assisted extraction method was optimized for flavonoid extraction. The phenolic compounds in the raw and cooked pulses, and the processing (soaking and boiling) water were analyzed using HPLC-UV/MS. Optimized extraction conditions for flavonoids were: 70 % methanol, pH 2, and sonication for 60 min. A total of 33 flavonoids and 6 phenolic acids were directly or tentatively identified and quantified. The profile of phenolic compounds largely depends on the pulse type with the total content ranging between 38-1860 mu g/g dry matter in the raw material. In most pulses, hydrothermal treatment led to a decrease of 50-85 % of total phenolic content, mainly due to leaching. The distribution of major phenolic compound subgroups in the soaking water, boiling water, and cooked pulse varied. The rate of retention of individual phenolic compounds depends possibly on both their structure and the pulse matrix.