The miniature brainless version 1 and trehalose have important physiological functions and are very common in biology.

2. Trehalose is widely used in food, health care products, medicines and cosmetics.

3. Trehalose is related to Clostridium difficile infection, but healthy people need not worry.

4. Trehalose can promote the proliferation of Bifidobacterium.

Don't ask backstage, it's me.

At the beginning of 20 18, Nature published a paper: trehalose often added to food and health products will multiply the virulence of pathogenic bacteria, or it will be the driving force for the outbreak of Clostridium difficile infection!

Although most people can't understand what this paper is about, in view of the authoritative academic status of Nature, many people are still worried.

What exactly is trehalose? Will it really make us sick?

Electron microscope photograph of Clostridium difficile

The sugar of life

Is trehalose from seaweed?

Trehalose does exist in seaweed, but it exists in many microorganisms, macrofungi, plants and animals, such as yeast, lactic acid bacteria, mushrooms and insects.

In fact, trehalose was discovered by humans as early as 100 years ago, and it was first discovered from a fungus called ergot.

Trehalose is a natural disaccharide (sucrose is also disaccharide), which is about half as sweet as sucrose and can be decomposed into glucose in the intestine, but its glycemic index is low.

Its proudest ability is to protect the activity and function of biological cells and macromolecules, and it plays an important role in cold, drought and frost resistance of animals and plants.

In 2000, Nature magazine once commented that "for many living things, whether trehalose exists or not means life and death", so many people later called it "the sugar of life".

How to obtain trehalose

Trehalose can't be synthesized artificially. First, it depends on biological extraction or fermentation process.

For example, more than100g of trehalose can be extracted from100g of active dry yeast with ethanol.

If you choose yeast or other microorganisms that produce more trehalose, you can "feed" with starch, sucrose and other raw materials to harvest trehalose solution.

The Dutch even invented the technology of making sugar beet and potato produce trehalose through transgenic technology.

However, what really makes trehalose go to large-scale application is actually the technology invented by the Japanese to directly convert starch and sugar into trehalose with biological enzymes.

After that, the market price of trehalose dropped several times!

Application in food

Trehalose is a safe and non-toxic substance, which has almost no toxic side effects on animals.

Its nature is very stable, and it is not afraid of heat and acid, so it is very suitable for food industry.

Around 2000, the United States, Canada, the European Union, South Korea and other countries and regions approved the use of trehalose in food, some as food raw materials and some as food additives.

20 14, China also approved trehalose as a food raw material, which can be added to various foods.

It has many functions, for example, in the processing of fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products, it can play an auxiliary role in preservation.

In candy, chocolate, chewing gum and drinks, it can not only adjust the sweetness, but also not easily cause dental caries.

In addition, it can also delay the rancidity of fatty acids and inhibit or correct the fishy smell in fish, poultry and other foods.

Other applications

Trehalose is widely used in biomedicine, agriculture, cosmetics and other fields.

Bioactive substances, such as blood products, vaccines, antibodies, hormones, recombinant albumin, etc. Trehalose can be added to make powder, which can be recovered by dissolving in water without refrigeration.

In the agricultural field, trehalose can improve the tolerance of crop seeds and seedlings to harsh environment.

Trehalose does not absorb moisture and has a certain radiation protection effect, so it can be used for moisturizing and sunscreen cosmetics, such as lipstick, cream, mask and so on. It can also be used as eye drops to prevent and relieve dry eye.

In addition, trehalose is also a bifidus factor, which can promote the proliferation of intestinal bifidobacteria, so it is widely used in health food.

Add trehalose to cause disease?

Although some studies have shown that there is a certain correlation between trehalose and Clostridium difficile infection, it is far from the conclusion that "adding trehalose to food leads to infection".

First of all, most Clostridium difficile infections occur after the intestinal flora of patients is destroyed by antibiotics, so healthy people need not worry too much.

Moreover, these bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, and rational drug use is the key to control infection.

Secondly, trehalose is so common in nature that it can be eaten without adding it.

For example, steamed bread, bread and beer related to yeast may contain trehalose, and mushrooms such as mushrooms, Agrocybe aegerita, Pleurotus ostreatus and Flammulina velutipes are also commonly contained.

Even the intestinal flora may produce trehalose by itself. Why only blame the added trehalose?

In addition, there are many scientific evidences that trehalose is beneficial to health.

For example, it is a certain prebiotic, and another paper from Nature also says that it can activate immune cells and fight atherosclerosis.

Do you think it is healthy or harmful?