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<\/a>Study: Properties of Oat- and Soy-Derived Dairy Alternatives.<\/a> Image credit: beats1\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\nFermentation may enhance the anti-inflammatory<\/a> and cardiometabolic bioactivity of plant-based dairy alternatives, such as oat and soy beverages, according to a study published in the journal Nutrients<\/a>.<\/p>\n Diet and inflammation<\/p>\n Dietary factors contribute to the chronic disease burden, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. These are associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation<\/a> and oxidative stress.<\/p>\n Diets rich in pro-inflammatory foods and energy-dense, nutrient-poor components lead to increased levels of inflammatory mediators, resulting in platelet and white cell activation, as well as endothelial dysfunction. These changes predispose to inflammation and clot formation within blood vessels, processes that hasten the onset and progression of cardiometabolic and malignant disease, especially in the presence of other pro-inflammatory factors such as\u00a0smoking, excess alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and stress.<\/p>\n Anti-inflammatory properties of plant-based diets<\/p>\n Plant-based diets are rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, including phenolics, carotenoids, vitamins, and polar lipids. Many of these have been previously linked to cardioprotective and anti-clotting processes.<\/p>\n Soybeans and oats are among the most common plant-based foods in terms of consumer choice, commercial manufacture, and research support. Soy-based products provide high-quality protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as multiple bioactive compounds.\u00a0Oats have a fiber-rich matrix, in addition to providing unique phenolics and other bioactive and lipid constituents.<\/p>\n Effects of fermentation on oats and soy beverages<\/p>\n The fermentation of soy and oats by lactic acid bacteria including Lactobacillus spp. and Streptococcus thermophilus has been reported to improve the bioavailability of their bioactive molecules and may strengthen their biologic effects. However, the lipids and associated bioactive compounds in these dairy alternatives remain largely unexplored. This study explored the effects of fermentation on bioactivity in commercial soy and oat beverages and yogurt-type products.<\/p>\n In particular, the authors investigated the ability of lipids to prevent platelet aggregation in response to inflammatory molecules, including platelet-activating factor (PAF) and the platelet activator adenosine-5\u2019-diphosphate (ADP). They also explored structure-function relationships. The authors used\u00a0an efficient, modified\u00a0extraction approach to isolate and fractionate lipids from these foods.<\/p>\n Dominant amphiphilic layer<\/p>\n In unfermented oat and soy beverages, the overall total lipid content was comparable, with amphiphilic compounds predominating in both. These include phospholipids and glycolipids that have known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-thrombotic activity.<\/p>\n The total amphiphilic lipid content in the unfermented oat beverage was 3.3 g\/100 g, compared to 0.3 g\/100 g of total lipophilic content, and a similar trend was observed in soy-based beverages.\u00a0In fermented beverages, total lipids increased. For instance, fermented soy yogurt-type drinks had, on average, 4.5 g of total lipids per 100 g, compared to 3.8 g per 100 g in nonfermented drinks.<\/p>\n Lipophilic layer concentrates phenolics<\/p>\n Antioxidant activity\u00a0varies by assay and is often highest in specific fractions, including the lipophilic fraction of unfermented beverages, especially oat beverages, likely due to their high phenolic content. Previous studies suggested that soy had higher antioxidant activity, perhaps associated with tocoferols and other lipophilic antioxidants.<\/p>\n The concentrations of most bioactives increased in certain fractions following fermentation. For instance, the phenolic content in the lipophilic fraction of soy yogurt increased,\u00a0whereas it decreased in oat yogurt, likely reflecting differences in the plant matrix, extraction fraction, phenolic binding, and fermentation process.<\/p>\n Carotenoids localized in amphiphilic layer<\/p>\n In addition to phenolics, soy and oat beverages contain carotenoids. These hydrophobic compounds are unstable and poorly soluble in nonpolar lipids. They were concentrated within the amphiphilic fraction across all beverages, likely due to stabilization by polar lipids. Fermentation increased carotenoid concentrations in both soy and oat products, particularly in yogurt-type samples.<\/p>\n In earlier studies, the lipophilic fraction contained high-molecular-weight carotenoids and phenolics, while the amphiphilic fraction contained phenolics and low-molecular-weight carotenoids. The authors hypothesize that these differences might reflect the food matrix, the relatively inefficient extraction process, or the presence of highly lipophilic esterified or lipid-associated phenolics.<\/p>\n Synergistic interactions promote cardiometabolic health<\/p>\n These compounds, polar lipids, carotenoids, and phenolics, may act, based on prior evidence, synergistically to enhance antioxidant efficiency and anti-inflammatory effects. For instance, phenolics scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress while also activating the body\u2019s antioxidant generative pathways.<\/p>\n Simultaneously, polar lipids and phenolics inhibit lipid peroxidation, thereby stabilizing biomembranes. Polar lipids form interfaces where lipophilic antioxidants and hydrophilic phenolics localize in close relation, acting together and possibly regenerating antioxidant capacity at the interface. These effects could inhibit LDL oxidation and other prothrombotic and pro-inflammatory pathways linked to atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n Unsaturated fatty acid ratios<\/p>\n In addition to bioactives, unfermented soy drinks have an anti-inflammatory unsaturated fatty acid ratio, whereas oat drinks have a more pro-inflammatory ratio. Fermentation was associated with a more favorable ratio in both, with anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and anti-thrombotic activity linked primarily to changes in the n-6\/n-3 ratio rather than a shift in overall lipid class dominance.<\/p>\n Fermentation was associated with changes in antioxidant capacity that varied by assay and lipid fraction, with soy yogurt showing strong\u00a0antiplatelet activity, while oat yogurt demonstrated particularly high antioxidant capacity in FRAP and carotenoid-rich amphiphilic fractions.<\/p>\n Platelet activity<\/p>\n Besides these properties, the amphiphilic fraction also\u00a0showed strong antiplatelet activity in the tested models, irrespective of fermentation and type of drink. Soy yogurt had the highest activity among all samples. Oat yogurt also showed enhanced platelet inhibition, probably through changes in the polar lipid content and lipid-soluble bioactives.<\/p>\n Platelet responses via the ADP pathway showed mixed results with fermentation: soy yogurt showed enhanced antiplatelet activity, whereas oat yogurt\u00a0showed\u00a0reduced activity compared to its non-fermented counterpart.<\/p>\n Structure-function relationships in phospholipids<\/p>\n Soy and oat beverages provide phospholipids that play important structural and metabolic roles in the human body. The authors identified the main bioactive phospholipids in these beverages.<\/p>\n They observed that fermentation-associated differences in activity are associated with structural changes across multiple molecules. For instance, fermentation is associated with changes in phosphatidylcholine structure, including shifts in fatty acid composition, particularly improved n-6\/n-3 balance and increased presence of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids in specific molecular positions, which may contribute to enhanced bioactivity.<\/p>\n Despite these promising findings, the authors emphasize the study’s preliminary nature, based on in vitro and ex vivo assays of commercial products rather than controlled human or clinical studies. Future studies are required to confirm whether these fermentation-driven changes are associated with meaningful health benefits in humans, and to clarify the underlying mechanisms.<\/p>\n Download your PDF copy by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n Journal reference:<\/p>\n