Chapters authored
Metabolism of Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Colon and Faeces of Mice After a Supplementation of Diets with Agave Fructans
Part of the book: Lipid Metabolism
Carbohydrate Analysis by NIRS-Chemometrics
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a high-throughput, low-cost, solvent-free, and nondestructive analytical tool. Chemometrics is the science that employs statistical and mathematical methods to explain near-infrared spectra; it has been proven that when they are coupled, their effectiveness highly improved in-depth carbohydrate characterization. This chapter focuses on the fundamentals of near-infrared spectroscopy in the study of carbohydrates, as well as the application of partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component analysis (PCA), as the most useful chemometric techniques involved in carbohydrate analysis. The theoretical aspects and practical applications starting from simple to complex carbohydrates mixtures are covered. Indeed, the contributions from different fields extend the implementation of near-infrared spectroscopy from industrial quality control to scientific research.
Part of the book: Developments in Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Fecal Metabolomics Insights of Agavins Intake in Overweight Mice
Targeted and non-targeted metabolite profiling can identify biomarkers after a dietary treatment leading to a better understanding of interactions between diet and health. This study was conducted to establish enriched or depleted metabolites in the feces of overweight mice after a diet shift plus agavins or inulins supplementation, and their possible association with beneficial effects on host health. Thirty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet for 5 weeks followed by a diet shift to a standard diet supplemented with agavins (HF-ST + A) or inulins (HF-ST + I) for five more weeks. Feces were collected before and after prebiotic supplementation for metabolomics analyses. HF-ST + I group increased the fecal excretion of two methyl esters: linoleic and oleic acid, while HF-ST + A mice showed a substantial augment of 2-decenal, fructose, cyclohexanol, and the acids: 10-undecenoic, 3-phenyllactic, nicotinic, 5-hydroxyvaleric, and lactic. From the metabolites identified in HF-ST + A, only lactic acid has been reported previously and associated with beneficial effects on host health. However, the identification of new metabolites, coming from the microbial fermentation of agavins, opens opportunities to transform this information into practical solutions to tackle overweight and associated metabolic syndrome.
Part of the book: Metabolomics