Purpose. This study was performed to evaluate antifatigue effect of hydrogen water (HW) drinking in chronic forced exercise mice model. Materials and Methods. Twelve-week-old C57BL6 female mice were divided into nonstressed normal control (NC) group and stressed group: (purified water/PW-treated group and HW-treated group). Stressed groups were supplied with PW and HW, respectively, ad libitum and forced to swim for the stress induction every day for 4 consecutive weeks. Gross antifatigue effects of HW were assessed by swimming endurance capacity (once weekly for 4 wk), metabolic activities, and immune-redox activities. Metabolic activities such as blood glucose, lactate, glycogen, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as immune-redox activities such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, and the related cytokines were evaluated to elucidate underlying mechanism. Blood glucose and lactate were measured at 0 wk (before swimming) and 4 wk (after swimming). Results. HW group showed a higher swimming endurance capacity (p<0.001) than NC and PW groups. Positive metabolic effects in HW group were revealed by the significant reduction of blood glucose, lactate, and BUN in serum after 4 wk (p<0.01, resp.), as well as the significant increase of liver glycogen (p<0.001) and serum LDH (p<0.05) than PW group. In parallel, redox balance was represented by lower NO in serum (p<0.01) and increased level of GPx in both serum and liver (p<0.05) than PW group. In line, the decreased levels of serum TNF-α (p<0.01), IL-6, IL-17, and liver IL-1β (p<0.05) in HW group revealed positive cytokine profile compared to PW and NC group. Conclusion. This study shows antifatigue effects of HW drinking in chronic forced swimming mice via metabolic coordination and immune-redox balance. In that context, drinking HW could be applied to the alternative and safety fluid remedy for chronic fatigue control.

Macadamia husks are an underutilized by-product of nut processing and a rich source of phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. However, their instability during processing, storage, and gastrointestinal digestion limits their application in food systems. This study aimed to encapsulate macadamia husk phenolic-rich extract (MHPE) in liposomes to improve stability, enable controlled release, and assess cytotoxicity for functional food applications. MHPE was encapsulated in soy lecithin liposomes using high-shear mixing followed by high-pressure homogenisation. Liposomes were characterized by particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), ζ-potential, encapsulation efficiency, and morphology. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using Caco-2 cells, and phenolic release was assessed under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. MHPE-loaded liposomes exhibited nano-sized particles (77–78 nm), low PDI (0.21), and high negative ζ-potential (−43.11 to −47.01 mV) during two months of storage at 4 °C. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed predominantly spherical vesicles with sizes consistent with dynamic light scattering measurements. Encapsulation efficiency remained high (81.50% initially; 73.60% after 28 days). Both free and extract-loaded liposomes were non-cytotoxic to Caco-2 cells. Encapsulated MHPE showed slower phenolic release compared with the free extract. Overall, liposomal encapsulation effectively enhanced the stability and controlled release of macadamia husk phenolics, supporting their potential use as functional food and nutraceutical ingredients.

Macadamia husk, a major by-product of the macadamia industry, represents an underutilised source of phenolic compounds with significant potential for value-added applications. This study aimed to investigate the effects of extraction methods (conventional solvent extraction, accelerated solvent extraction and ultrasonic probe-assisted extraction) and solvent compositions (water, aqueous ethanol, and methanol) on the phenolic recovery and antioxidant activity of New Zealand-grown macadamia husk. Extraction performance was assessed by determining total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays. Extraction efficiency varied significantly (p < 0.05) depending on both the solvent and extraction technique. Among the solvents evaluated, aqueous ethanol demonstrated superior performance, with 50% ethanol yielding higher total phenolic content (45.19 mg GAE/g dry sample) and the highest total flavonoid content (149.85 mg QE/g dry sample). Ethanol-rich extracts also exhibited the highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity. Ultrasonic probe-assisted extraction generally achieved higher phenolic recovery than conventional solvent extraction and accelerated solvent extraction under the conditions evaluated. Although UPAE using 90% methanol yielded the highest total phenolic content, 50% aqueous ethanol provided the most practical food-grade extraction system, achieving comparably high phenolic recovery together with strong antioxidant activity. Overall, the findings demonstrate that phenolic extraction efficiency and antioxidant capacity are strongly influenced by both solvent composition and extraction technique. The results support further investigation of New Zealand-grown macadamia husk as a potential source of natural antioxidant ingredients, particularly using food-grade aqueous ethanol extraction.