How Wheat Germ Prevents Celiac Disease
long tern negative effects of food processing – wheat germ peptides restore reactive oxygen species to normal in celiac model
Celiac disease (CD) is an allergic intestinal disorder mainly triggered by gliadin, a component of gluten, and it is common in the population. Alpha gliadin peptide causes harm by significantly raising levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. This study investigated the protective effects of 25 wheat germ peptides (WGPs) on Caco-2 cells treated with the α-gliadin peptide (P31-43). The results showed that three peptides, WGP2, WGP7, and WGP11, notably improved cell viability and reduced the damage caused by P31-43. ROS assays indicated that these three WGPs significantly lowered ROS levels, which had been elevated by the P31-43 peptide, back to normal. Additionally, these WGPs markedly increased the levels of antioxidant-related enzymes such as catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the ratio of glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG), thereby enhancing the cells’ antioxidant capacity. By examining key proteins in the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway, it was found that WGPs could activate Nrf2 and up-regulate the glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). WGP2 and WGP7 led to the down-regulation of the glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier (GCLM), while WGP11 significantly up-regulated it.
This study suggests that wheat germ peptides can effectively reduce the cellular damage caused by the α-gliadin peptide, offering a new approach for preventing and treating CD.
e book
Immune For Life
Reintroduce yourself to nature’s prescription for health and natural oral immune therapeutics that modulate the gut and systemic biology by using products that are the bio active backbone of immunity. Release the power of activating factors that have transformed the health outcomes of thousands. These and other natural oral immune therapeutics that are beginning to flood the marketplace are promising to shape the future of medicine as safe bio actives for future health products and minimally refined functional foods, including infant formula.Learn how you can quickly begin to transform your gut and immune health today without complicated diets or expensive plans, no matter your age!
Contemporary Wheat Germ Food Processing
The aging population and the high incidence of age-related diseases are significant global challenges. Incorporating bioactive substances into our diets is increasingly recognized as essential for maintaining the health of older adults. Wheat germ protein, with its balanced peptide structure and amino acid profile, holds promise but remains underutilized, leading to wasted resources. This review highlights innovative extraction methods for wheat germ protein/peptides (WGPs), emphasizing the variety of WGPs that different methods can yield. Notably, in addition to previously identified bioactive properties, WGPs exhibit potential anti-aging effects through mechanisms like antioxidant activity, immunomodulation, and gut flora regulation. However, comprehensive in vitro and in vivo bioactivity assessments of WGPs are still lacking.
WGPs have excellent physicochemical properties, including good foamability, emulsification, and water retention, making them valuable as raw materials or additives to enhance food quality. Therefore, further research is needed to develop methods for isolating specific types of WGPs, understand their nutritional and bioactive mechanisms, and verify their efficacy in humans. Aging is a complex process influenced by multiple factors and associated with various negative effects on the body, such as oxidative damage, inflammation, dysbiosis, and cognitive decline. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the number of people aged 60 or older was 963 million in 2017 and is projected to rise to 2.1 billion by 2050 and 3.1 billion by 2100. Thus, identifying effective strategies to prevent and treat aging and age-related diseases is of great public interest.
Diet plays an increasingly important role in human well-being, including aging. The nutritional properties of food, which have become clearer in recent years, are integral to a healthy diet. Precision diets, or selective eating based on the functional properties of food, are becoming essential in medicine and promoting a healthy life. Consequently, it is vital to increase research efforts and focus on food production and the associated health benefits of specialized diets.
In the 21st century, wheat germ remains popular due to its essential role in healthy diets. Including wheat germ in daily meals is considered fundamental to “correct” and “healthy” nutrition systems. Wheat germ, which constitutes 2%-3% of the wheat’s total weight, contains 26%-35% protein, 10%-15% lipids, about 10%-14% dietary fiber, and about 4% minerals. However, during production, unsaturated fatty acids, oxidants, and hydrolases in wheat germ can affect flour quality and shorten shelf life. As a result, wheat germ is often removed during flour production, becoming a by-product of the flour industry.
Notably, wheat germ contains up to 30% WGPs, making it a comprehensive source of plant protein. Unfortunately, WGPs are underutilized because wheat germ is typically used for wheat germ oil extraction, leading to partial resource wastage. WGPs contain eight essential amino acids, with relatively high levels of lysine, isoleucine, valine, and leucine. The amino acid composition closely matches the standard recommended by FAO/WHO. WGPs are easily absorbed and have high nutritional value. Moreover, WGPs have less glutenin than whole wheat, making them a suitable option for those with gluten intolerance. Wheat germ also has a high non-protein nitrogen content, primarily asparagine, choline, lecithin, and glutathione. Choline is crucial in many physiological processes, including signal transduction, biosynthesis, and maintaining cell membrane integrity. Glutathione, an active tripeptide composed of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, protects cells from oxidative and toxic damage. Other amino acid sequences in WGPs also exhibit bioactivities, such as the antioxidant, lipid-lowering, and anti-inflammatory functions of peptides like AREGETVVPG and PVLGPVRGPFPLL.
WGPs encompass various subtypes that can be extracted or hydrolyzed from wheat germ for human consumption. These peptides can be used as additives in food processing to enhance food properties and quality. WGPs possess excellent physicochemical properties, such as emulsifying activity, foaming property, and water retention. As one of the most promising sources of plant nitrogen, studying the extraction, function, and application of WGPs is important. This review underscores the features of WGPs, focusing on developing extraction methods, the specific characteristics of each method, the bioactive functions of WGPs in reducing the onset of age-related health issues, and their applications in the food industry.
In conclusion, WGPs represent a valuable yet underutilized resource with significant potential to improve human health, particularly in addressing age-related conditions. Future research should focus on refining extraction methods, understanding the nutritional and bioactive mechanisms of WGPs, and verifying their effectiveness in human studies. By doing so, WGPs can become a crucial component of dietary strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging and preventing age-related diseases.
Wheat germ peptides (WGPs) are proteins found in wheat germ. New methods to extract WGPs that keep their excellent properties are being developed. WGPs have many functions, including slowing down aging through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gut-protective abilities. They are widely used in the food industry in products like flour, beverages, meat products, food packaging, and health foods. Future studies should focus on refining the extraction of specific peptide fragments and conducting clinical evaluations of WGPs to maximize their health benefits for humans.
WGPs by the microbial fermentation method
Microbial fermentation is a promising method to produce biologically active peptides, especially using natural sources like wheat germ. This process involves the enzymatic breakdown of a natural source using specific microbial strains. In the food industry, fermenting wheat germ can improve its physiological properties due to the mild fermentation conditions. During fermentation, microbes such as Bacillus subtilis, lactic acid bacteria, and various fungi release numerous peptides, some of which have bioactive properties.
For instance, antioxidant peptides have been prepared from defatted wheat germ through fermentation with B. subtilis (Niu et al., 2013). The resulting peptides had a molecular weight of less than 1 kDa and good sensory qualities, with no bitterness. Additionally, fermentation with B. subtilis and Enterococcus faecium has been shown to increase the levels of small peptides and crude proteins in defatted wheat germ (Shi et al., 2017). Although these fermentation products are not bitter, more research is needed to fully understand the fermentation process and optimize conditions for high yield.
Hydrolyzed fermentation peptides have shown potential antioxidant activity against free radicals. The role of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in producing wheat germ peptides has also drawn attention. Fermentation with lactic acid bacterial strains Lactobacillus plantarum LB1 and L. rosella LB5 produced bioactive substances that inhibited the growth of germ cell tumors, colon carcinoma cells, and ovarian carcinoma cells (Rizzello et al., 2013).
Video
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” – E. H.
I’ve mentioned many times how the most profitable components of foods are stripped to become commodities and who is behind such practices, most recently acid whey in yogurt leaving behind hard to digest casein (pig food) all the while claiming these changes are based on consumer demand and pushed with clever marketing and monopoly tactics. Casein and peptides are beneficial but only when digested normally. These naturally present metabolites then make their way to the pharmaceutical industry where they are re-produced as high priced drugs (now a foreign substance with no effect at the cellular level)(they are also usually injected leading to a substantial risk of malignancy). I introduce two diet staples and show how removing the most beneficial components (wheat germ and beneficial fats) lead to disease, celiac and NAFLD. In fact they’ve stripped flour (and destroyed wheat) so much that it is actually illegal to sell it without re-fortifying it with low quality synthetic B vitamins. The lowest grade cereals get shipped to poor countries and may contain higher levels of ergot, mold and other fungal toxins. How the for profit food processing industry kills you…. This study suggests that wheat germ peptides can effectively reduce the cellular damage caused by the α-gliadin peptide, offering a new approach for preventing and treating CD (Celiac Disease).
paperback
Immune For Life
Reintroduce yourself to nature’s prescription for health and natural oral immune therapeutics that modulate the gut and systemic biology by using products that are the bio active backbone of immunity. Release the power of activating factors that have transformed the health outcomes of thousands. These and other natural oral immune therapeutics that are beginning to flood the marketplace are promising to shape the future of medicine as safe bio actives for future health products and minimally refined functional foods, including infant formula.Learn how you can quickly begin to transform your gut and immune health today without complicated diets or expensive plans, no matter your age!
healthy blueberry wheat germ muffins
Low in sugar, additional yogurt and high in anti-oxidants. Quick and easy recipe.