Researchers at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering have discovered that incorporating amyloids into processed food has significant nutritional and health benefits
New discoveries related to processed food and the possibility of the nutritional benefit of amyloid fibers - in a study by scientists from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at the Technion. the research presented in the journal Food Hydrocolloids Led by Prof. Uri Lazmes, PhD students Gil Raphael and Alon Romano in collaboration with Prof. Mital Landau and PhD student Yitzhak (Itzik) Engelberg from the Faculty of Biology at the Technion and Prof. Amri Koren from the Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University.
Amyloids are structures formed from proteins and are notorious in the context of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, which involve amyloid accumulations that come out as plugs (plaques) that disrupt brain activity.
The current study examined whether we should be concerned about the formation of amyloids in processed food, and it reveals a positive side to this question in the context of the processes they go through in the digestive system. The amyloids, it turns out, lead to a slow breakdown of the proteins in the digestive system and encourage positive changes in the large intestine. In fact, these changes are similar to those of "normal" dietary fiber that we know from fruits and whole grains. Furthermore, the bacteria in our intestines prefer amyloids to "naked" proteins, which can lead to negative effects such as fermentation in the intestines.
Proteins are essential components in building the body and its normal functioning, and today it is clear that proper consumption of proteins is important for human health and even affects various behaviors such as appetite, hunger and fatigue. Against this background, an extensive effort has been made to develop protein-rich nutritional solutions even for those who do not consume animal products. This is the background to the positive findings that emerge from the study published inFood Hydrocolloids. The researchers focused on the amyloids they produced from eggs and whey protein and showed that these fibers:
- Break down gradually in the upper digestive system and thus may encourage a slower and more controlled absorption of the proteins into the body.
- help preserve the microbial diversity in the intestines; In particular, it was found that they maintain a low ratio between two important bacterial communities (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes). This ratio indicates the health of the digestive system, while an unbalanced diet encourages an increase in the ratio between these families and an increase in the risk of morbidity (obesity, diabetes and cancer).
In the broader picture, the study demonstrates the potential inherent in food processing in promoting the nutritional and health effectiveness of food. According to Prof. Lazmes, "Nowadays we know how to control very precisely the composition of food and to assess, for example, using stomach models that we developed in my laboratory, how different food components will be digested in the body. This scientific approach, together with innovative research tools, will help us pinpoint the fate of proteins and innovative food components in the bodies of various consumers and perhaps even produce personalized nutrition solutions. I believe this research paves new ways to understand the potential of processed food, when processed wisely, to expand the sources of human nutrition and improve his health."
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Russell Berry Institute for Nanotechnology at the Technion. The authors thank the team of the Smoller Center for Proteomics at the Technion and Dana Binyamin from the Koren Laboratory at Bar Ilan University.
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One response
First, there are many good reasons to stay away from processed food, and the obesity epidemic that plagues the US and other Western countries is just a demonstration of the damage caused by consuming highly processed food.
Secondly, there is a completely ridiculous paragraph here, about the concern for supplying proteins to people who do not eat animal food... by processing whey and eggs, no less. In this context, all these efforts are in vain to begin with, because vegans want to consume (plant) foods in their least processed form. All Beyond Meat and the like - let them go work for someone else.