1.
Phytochemical characterisation and aromatic potential for brewing of wild hops (Humulus lupulus L.) from Northern France: Towards a lead for local hop varieties.
Paguet, AS, Siah, A, Lefèvre, G, Vandenberghe, M, Lutun, D, Degardin, N, Samaillie, J, Mathiron, D, Dermont, C, Michels, F, et al
Food chemistry. 2024;:137302
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Abstract
In the current context of developing aromatic beers, our study aims at deciphering the chemical characterisation of cones from 39 wild hop genotypes collected in the North of France and replanted in an experimental hop farm, as well as 10 commercial and 3 heirloom varieties, using HS-SPME/GC-MS for the volatile compounds, UHPLC-UV for phenolic compound quantification, and UHPLC-IMS-HRMS for untargeted metabolomics. These analyses revealed a strong opposition between wild accessions and reference varieties, and an original chemical composition of some genotypes. 27 beers were produced with the same recipe, analysed by SBSE-GC-MS and evaluated by panellists. The unique difference relates to the hops to be assessed in order to determine their sensory profile. The different datasets were compared by OPLS-DA analysis in order to identify chemical markers which may influence the hop aromatic potential. Our results highlight the aromatic potential of some wild accessions, close to the commercial variety Cascade.
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Probiotics-induced changes in gut microbial composition and its effects on cognitive performance after stress: exploratory analyses.
Bloemendaal, M, Szopinska-Tokov, J, Belzer, C, Boverhoff, D, Papalini, S, Michels, F, van Hemert, S, Arias Vasquez, A, Aarts, E
Translational psychiatry. 2021;(1):300
Abstract
Stress negatively affects cognitive performance. Probiotics remediate somatic and behavioral stress responses, hypothetically by acting on the gut microbiota. Here, in exploratory analyses, we assessed gut microbial alterations after 28-days supplementation of multi-strain probiotics (EcologicBarrier consisting of Lactobacilli, Lactococci, and Bifidobacteria in healthy, female subjects (probiotics group n = 27, placebo group n = 29). In an identical pre-session and post-session, subjects performed a working memory task before and after an acute stress intervention. Global gut microbial beta diversity changed over time, but we were not able to detect differences between intervention groups. At the taxonomic level, Time by Intervention interactions were not significant after multiple comparison correction; the relative abundance of eight genera in the probiotics group was higher (uncorrected) relative to the placebo group: Butyricimonas, Parabacteroides, Alistipes, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Family_XIII_AD3011_group, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-010. In a second analysis step, association analyses were done only within this selection of microbial genera, revealing the probiotics-induced change in genus Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003 was significantly associated with probiotics' effect on stress-induced working memory changes (rspearman(27) = 0.565; pFDR = 0.014) in the probiotics group only and independent of potential confounders (i.e., age, BMI, and baseline dietary fiber intake). That is subjects with a higher increase in Ruminococcaceae_UCG-003 abundance after probiotics were also more protected from negative effects of stress on working memory after probiotic supplementation. The bacterial taxa showing an increase in relative abundance in the probiotics group are plant fiber degrading bacteria and produce short-chain fatty acids that are known for their beneficial effect on gut and brain health, e.g., maintaining intestinal-barrier and blood-brain-barrier integrity. This study shows that gut microbial alterations, modulated through probiotics use, are related to improved cognitive performance in acute stress circumstances.
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Stress matters: Randomized controlled trial on the effect of probiotics on neurocognition.
Papalini, S, Michels, F, Kohn, N, Wegman, J, van Hemert, S, Roelofs, K, Arias-Vasquez, A, Aarts, E
Neurobiology of stress. 2019;10:100141
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Plain language summary
Increasing animal studies indicate the role of probiotics in regulating mood and cognition through the gut-brain axis, however in human studies evidence of this causal association is lacking. The aim of this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled intervention was to investigate the effects of probiotics on neurocognitive measures in 58 healthy participants. Participants were randomly assigned to either probiotic or placebo group and were tested once before and after the 28-day intervention. The neurocognitive outcomes measured included emotion reactivity, emotion regulation, cognitive control and the effects of acute stress on working memory. These were assessed through functional MRI (fMRI) and questionnaires. This study found when stress was induced, probiotic supplementation led to a significant improvement in working memory performance. Without stress, there was no causal association between neurocognitive outcomes and probiotic intake. Based on these results, the authors conclude that during challenging situations, probiotics can aid in buffering the detrimental effects of stress on cognition.
Abstract
Probiotics are microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed. In animals, probiotics reverse gut microbiome-related alterations in depression-like symptoms, in cognition, and in hormonal stress response. However, in humans, a causal understanding of the gut-brain link in emotion and cognition is lacking. Additionally, whether the effects of probiotics on neurocognition are visible only in presence of stress, remains unclear. We investigated the effects of a multispecies probiotic (Ecologic®Barrier) on specific neurocognitive measures of emotion reactivity, emotion regulation, and cognitive control using fMRI. Critically, we also tested whether probiotics can buffer against the detrimental effects of acute stress on working memory. In a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subjects intervention study, 58 healthy participants were tested once before and once after a 28-day intervention. Without stress induction, probiotics did not affect brain, behavioral, or related self-report measures. However, relative to placebo, the probiotics group did show a significant stress-related increase in working memory performance after supplementation. This change was associated with intervention-related neural changes in frontal cortex during cognitive control exclusively in the probiotics group. Overall, our results show neurocognitive effects of a multispecies probiotic in healthy women only under challenging situations, buffering against the detrimental effects of stress on cognition.