Anthocyanin (ACN) fortification of commonly consumed foods is significant as a dietary strategy against the development of metabolic complications by delivering ACNs at high doses. However, its bioactivity and translated metabolic effects in the presence of varying food matrices and macro-constituents is particularly unclear. This end-to-end study investigates the metabolic effects of black rice ACN extract (BRAE) fortification—from in-vitro enzyme inhibitory activities and digestibility, to downstream in vivo impacts on GI, postprandial glycemia and lipidemia. The in vivo effects were investigated in two separate crossover randomised controlled trials (RCT) of 24 healthy participants each—the first RCT determined the postprandial blood glucose, insulin, and ACN bioavailability to a starch-rich single food over 2 h, while the second RCT determined the postprandial blood glucose, insulin, lipid panel, and lipoprotein particles and subfractions to a starch- and fat-rich composite meal over 4 h. In-vitro findings confirmed the inhibitory activities of major black rice ACNs on carbohydrases (p = 0.0004), lipases (p = 0.0002), and starch digestibility (p < 0.0001). in vivo, a 27-point mean GI reduction of wheat bread was observed with BRAE fortification, despite a non-significant attenuation in postprandial glycemia. Conversely, there were no differences in postprandial glycemia when fortified bread was consumed as a composite meal, but acute lipid profiles were altered: (1) improved plasma HDL-c, ([0.0140 mmol/L, 95% CI: (0.00639, 0.0216)], p = 0.0028), Apo-A1 ([0.0296 mmol/L, 95% CI: (0.00757, 0.0515)], p = 0.0203), and Apo-B ([0.00880 mmol/L, 95% CI: (0.00243, 0.0152)], p = 0.0185), (2) modified LDL and HDL subfractions (p < 0.05), and (3) remodelled lipid distributions in HDL and LDL particles. This end-to-end study indicates the potential of ACN fortification in GI reduction and modulating postprandial lipoprotein profiles to starch- and fat-rich composite meals.

Inadequate intake of lutein is relevant to a higher risk of age-related eye diseases. However, lutein has been barely incorporated into foods efficiently because it is prone to degradation and is poorly bioaccessible in the gastrointestinal tract. Microfluidics, a novel food processing technology that can control fluid flows at the microscale, can enable the efficient encapsulation of bioactive compounds by fabricating suitable delivery structures. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the stability and the bioaccessibility of lutein that is encapsulated in a new noodle-like product made via microfluidic technology. Two types of oils (safflower oil (SO) and olive oil (OL)) were selected as a delivery vehicle for lutein, and two customized microfluidic devices (co-flow and combination-flow) were used. Lutein encapsulation was created by the following: (i) co-flow + SO, (ii) co-flow + OL, (iii) combination-flow + SO, and (iv) combination-flow + OL. The initial encapsulation of lutein in the noodle-like product was achieved at 86.0 ± 2.7%. Although lutein’s stability experienced a decreasing trend, the retention of lutein was maintained above 60% for up to seven days of storage. The two types of device did not result in a difference in lutein bioaccessibility (co-flow: 3.1 ± 0.5%; combination-flow: 3.6 ± 0.6%) and SO and OL also showed no difference in lutein bioaccessibility (SO: 3.4 ± 0.8%; OL: 3.3 ± 0.4%). These results suggest that the types of oil and device do not affect the lutein bioaccessibility. Findings from this study may provide scientific insights into emulsion-based delivery systems that employ microfluidics for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds into foods.

Purpose Dietary fiber intake may influence the risk and severity of atopic dermatitis (AD), a common chronic allergic skin condition. This cross-sequential study investigated the association between dietary fiber intake and various characteristics of AD, including house dust mites (HDM) allergy and dry skin, in 13,561 young Chinese adults (mean years = 22.51, SD ± 5.90) from Singapore and Malaysia. Methods Dietary habits were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative, investigator-administered food frequency questionnaire from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. We derived an amount-based dietary index to estimate fiber intake while studying its correlation with probiotic drinks intake. AD status was determined by skin prick tests for HDM and symptomatic histories of eczema. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for demographic, genetic predisposition, body mass index and lifestyle factors, and synergy factor analysis were used to explore the association and interaction of dietary factors on disease outcomes. Results High fiber intake (approximately 98.25 g/serving/week) significantly lowered the associated risks for HDM allergy (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 0.895; 95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 0.810–0.989; adjusted p-value < 0.05) and AD (AOR: 0.831; 95% CI: 0.717–0.963; adjusted p-value < 0.05), but not dry skin. While probiotic intake was not associated with AD, it was significantly correlated with fiber intake (R² = 0.324, p-value < 0.0001). Among those frequently consuming probiotics, moderate fiber intake sufficiently lowered the AD risk (AOR: 0.717; 95% CI: 0.584–0.881; adjusted p-value < 0.01). Moreover, a fibre-rich diet independently mitigated risks associated with high intake of fats, saturated fats, and protein. Conclusion A high-fiber diet is associated with AD and HDM allergy. Moderate-to-high fiber intake, particularly in conjunction with probiotics, may further mitigate AD risks.

Background: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been increasing in recent years, especially in Asia. There is growing evidence to suggest the importance of dietary patterns in the development and management of AD. Here, we seek to understand how certain dietary patterns in a Singapore/Malaysia population are associated with various risks of AD development and exacerbation. Methods: A standardized questionnaire following the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) guidelines was investigator-administered to a clinically and epidemiology well-defined allergic cohort of 13,561 young Chinese adults aged 19–22. Information on their sociodemographic, lifestyle, dietary habits, and personal and family medical atopic histories were obtained. Allergic sensitization was assessed by a skin prick test to mite allergens. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was used to assess the correlation between the intake frequencies of 16 food types. Dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Four corresponding dietary scores were derived to examine the association of identified dietary patterns with allergic sensitization and AD exacerbations through a multivariable logistic regression that controlled for age, gender, parental eczema, BMI, and lifestyle factors. Results: The correlation is the strongest between the intake of butter and margarine (R = 0.65). We identified four dietary patterns, “high-calorie foods”, “plant-based foods”, “meat and rice”, and “probiotics, milk and eggs”, and these accounted for 47.4% of the variance in the dietary habits among the subjects. Among these patterns, moderate-to-high intake of “plant-based foods” conferred a negative association for chronic (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.706; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.589–0.847; p < 0.001) and moderate-to-severe AD (AOR: 0.756; 95% CI: 0.638–0.897; p < 0.01). “Meat and rice” and “probiotics, milk and eggs” were not significantly associated with AD exacerbation. While frequent adherence to “high-calorie foods” increased the associated risks for ever AD and moderate-to-severe AD, having a higher adherence to “plant-based foods” diminished the overall associated risks. Conclusions: Frequent adherence to “plant-based foods” was associated with reduced risks for AD exacerbation in young Chinese adults from Singapore/Malaysia. This provides the initial evidence to support the association between dietary factors and AD. Further research is needed to better understand the pathomechanisms underlying diet and AD exacerbations.

Anthocyanins reduce starch digestibility via carbohydrase-inhibitory pathways, but food matrix effects during digestion may also influence its enzymatic function. Understanding anthocyanin-food matrix interactions is significant as the efficiency of carbohydrase inhibition relies on anthocyanin accessibility during digestion. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the influence of food matrices on black rice anthocyanin accessibility in relation to starch digestibility in common settings of anthocyanin consumption—its co-ingestion with food, and consumption of fortified food. Our findings indicate that black rice anthocyanin extracts (BRAE) had reduced intestinal digestibility of bread to a larger extent for the co-digestion of BRAE with bread (39.3%) (4CO), than BRAE-fortified bread (25.9%) (4FO). Overall anthocyanin accessibility was about 5% greater from the co-digestion with bread than fortified bread across all digestion phases. Differences in anthocyanin accessibility were also noted with changes to gastrointestinal pH and food matrix compositions—with up to 10.1% (oral to gastric) and 73.4% (gastric to intestinal) reductions in accessibility with pH changes, and 3.4% greater accessibility in protein matrices than starch matrices. Our findings demonstrate that the modulation of starch digestibility by anthocyanin is a combined result of its accessibility, food matrix composition, and gastrointestinal conditions.