In this study, potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) were artificially damaged and then soaked in 10 mmol/L diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) solution, an inhibitor of superoxide dismutase (SOD). We determined the StSODs gene expression and activity of SOD, reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, phenylpropanoid metabolism-related enzyme activity, total phenols and lignin contents at the wound site during the healing process. In addition, the deposition of suberin polyphenolic (SPP) and lignin were observed. The results showed that DDC treatment downregulated StSODs expression, suppressed SOD activity, reduced the content of H2O2, and decreased the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POD) as well as the contents of total phenols and lignin compared with the control. After 1 day of healing, the expression of StCSD1, StFSD3 and StMSD in the treated tubers were 31.90%, 69.30% and 61.83% lower than those of the control, respectively. In addition, SOD activity, H2O2 content, PAL and POD activity were 36.17%, 15.38%, 28.20% and 24.90% lower than those of the control, respectively. The deposition of SPP and lignin were delayed by DDC treatment. After 7 days of healing, the thicknesses of the SPP and lignin layers in the treated tubers were 16.84% and 23.00% lower than those of the control, respectively. In summary, DDC treatment downregulated StSODs expression during the healing process, inhibited the activity of SOD, reduced H2O2 content, weakened phenylpropanoid metabolism, and delayed the accumulation of SPP and lignin at the wound site of potato tubers. Therefore, the effect of DDC on delaying callus formation in wounded potato tubers is closely related to its inhibitory effect on H2O2 production catalyzed by SOD.

In this study, the effect of applying different concentrations (50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/L) of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) at the fruit swelling stage on the quality and volatile metabolites of Korla fragrant pear fruit was examined. The quality of pear fruit with and without calyx was determined at the maturity stage. Meanwhile, comprehensive quality evaluation of pear fruit under 5-ALA treatment was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA), and the optimal 5-ALA concentration for improving the fruit quality was determined. The results showed that exogenous spraying of 150 mg/L 5-ALA had the best effect on improving the quality of fragrant pear fruit. Specifically, compared with the control group, the hardness, stone cell content and titratable acid content of the fruit without calyx decreased by 13.45%, 31.03% and 42.31%, respectively, and the soluble solids content and solid/acid ratio increased by 9.95% and 90.57%, respectively; the hardness, titratable acid content and stone cell content of the fruit with calyx decreased significantly by 12.89%, 48.48% and 30.16%, and the soluble solids content, soluble sugar content and solid/acid ratio increased by 19.33%, 23.51% and 131.63%, respectively. In addition, exogenous spraying of 5-ALA significantly increased the mass fraction of volatile metabolites in both fruits, mainly including terpenoids and esters, enriching their aroma attributes such as woody, fruity, vanilla, fresh, grassy and sweet notes. The differential metabolites between the 5-ALA treatment and control groups were most enriched in the sesquiterpene and triterpenoid biosynthesis pathway. Among them, α-farnesene, 4-[((1E)-1,5-dimethyl-1,4-hexanedi-1-yl]-1-methyl-cyclohexene, δ-cadinene, (E)-1-methyl-4-(6-methylhept-5-en-2-ylidene) cyclohex-1-ene and germacrene B were annotated as key compounds to this pathway, which together endowed Korla fragrant pears with special citrus-like, lavender, lemony, astringent, thyme-like, spicy, earthy, non-medicinal and orange flower-like flavors. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that the exogenous application of 5-ALA significantly improved the quality of Korla fragrant pear fruit, the effect being most pronounced at 5-ALA concentration of 150 mg/L.

In order to comprehensively evaluate the nutritional value of common bean polysaccharides, shiitake mushroom polysaccharides were used as the reference standard in this study. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Congo red assay were used to characterize the structures, monosaccharide compositions, molecular masses, and microstructures of the two kinds of polysaccharides. Their water solubility and water-holding capacity were compared, and their antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in vitro were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that the yield of common bean polysaccharides was significantly higher than that of shiitake mushroom polysaccharides, (7.01 ± 0.57)% versus (5.04 ± 0.38)% (P < 0.05), and the content of uronic acid in common bean polysaccharides was 2.21 times higher than that of shiitake mushroom polysaccharides. The major polysaccharide components of common bean and shiitake mushroom had molecular masses of 77.157 and 559.245 kDa, respectively. Common bean polysaccharides contained a small amount of esterified pectic polysaccharides with a loose and rough microstructure, while shiitake mushroom polysaccharides were heteropolysaccharides with a triple helical structure containing α- and β-pyran rings, which exhibited a compact and smooth microstructure. The water solubility and water-holding capacity of shiitake mushroom polysaccharides were 1.61 and 6.07 times higher than those of common bean polysaccharides, respectively. The in vitro antioxidant capacity, hypoglycemic activity and hypolipidemia activity of common bean polysaccharides were higher than those of shiitake mushroom polysaccharides, 2.43 versus 1.82. In conclusion, common bean is an ideal food resource for developing active polysaccharide products.

In this study, walnut protein/Cistanche deserticola polysaccharide (WP/CDPS) composite nanoparticles were constructed and employed as a stabilizer to prepare a Pickering emulsion. The nanoparticles and the Pickering emulsion were evaluated in terms of particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. The effect of WP/CDPS mass ratio on the interfacial tension, storage stability, thermal stability, encapsulation efficiency, microstructure and oxidation stability of the Pickering emulsion was investigated. The results showed that with the increase in the proportion of CDPS, the zeta potential of the WP/CDPS nanoparticles gradually decreased from −22 to −37 mV. The Pickering emulsion (C1W1R) with a mass ratio of WP to CDPS of 1:1 had the smallest average particle size (5.927 μm), the lowest interfacial tension (11.88 mN/m), good storage stability and thermal stability. After 480 h of storage, the proportion of the emulsified layer was 95.6%. The particle size of C1W1R had the smallest change with temperature. The results of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that the WP/CDPS-stabilized emulsion could effectively encapsulate resveratrol (RT) with an encapsulation efficiency of more than 85%, which was higher than that of WP-stabilized emulsion, and the encapsulation efficiency reached 92.9% after 35 days of storage. Pickering emulsions stabilized by WP/CDPS offer a promising alternative carrier for steady-state delivery of resveratrol in the functional food industry and other related industries.

To reveal the difference in the oil/water interfacial behavior of nanoemulsions prepared separately with three emulsifiers, octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-modified starch, Tween-80/Span-80 (T/S80), and lecithin, this study employed a rheometer and a contact angle meter to analyze the shear rheological properties and interfacial adsorption dynamics of the emulsion systems. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation was utilized to delve into the underlying mechanisms of their microscopic oil/water interfacial behavior. The findings revealed that OSA exhibited the lowest interfacial tension at the oil/water interface, while T/S80 demonstrated the highest diffusion rate within the oil/water interfacial layer. This was primarily attributed to the carbon chain-based structure of T/S80, which facilitated its dispersion in water. The number of hydrogen bonds formed between the OSA-modified starch-stabilized emulsion and water molecules was the largest, approximately 1 300, indicating stronger hydrophobic effect and explaining why the emulsion droplets were the closest to a sphere in shape. OSA-modified starch and T/S80 molecules tended to form van der Waals force with water molecules. In contrast, the two carbon chains of lecithin, with glycerol as its backbone, showed a more diverse range of weak interactions because of their mutual repulsion.

Feruloylated arabinoxylan (F-AX) was extracted from black wheat bran by either of two methods: ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction or alkaline extraction as control. The content and linkage of bound ferulic acid in the extract were investigated, and its antioxidant and in vitro digestive properties were studied. Our results showed that the enzymatic extract possessed lower relative molecular mass in a wider range when compared with the alkaline extract. They differed in monosaccharide composition and glycosidic linkage. The amount of ferulic acid in the enzymatic extract, (13.11 ± 0.19) μg/mg, was significantly higher than that of the alkaline extract, (0.05 ± 0.01) μg/mg. During the in vitro digestion of the enzymatic extract, the release of ferulic acid was very low at various digestion stages (oral: (0.06 ± 0.01) μg/mg, gastric: (0.60 ± 0.02) μg/mg, intestinal: (0.14 ± 0.01) μg/mg). In addition, the enzymatic extract possessed higher antioxidant activity than the alkaline extract. Our results provide a theoretical basis to fully preserve ferulic acid and its bioactivity during F-AX extraction from wheat bran, to explore its physiological effects, and to unleash the nutritional value of grain resources.

In this study, ultrafine-pulverized whole soybean flour was reconstituted in boiling water and treated by dynamic high pressure microfluidization after cooling down to ambient temperature. Four fermented soybean wheys were prepared by fermentation with Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus followed by evaporative concentration or the reverse sequence and used separately to prepare water-in-oil (W/O) slow-release coagulants. The effects of different slow-release coagulants on the gel properties of reconstituted whole soybean flour were investigated. The results showed that the gel with fermented soybean whey obtained by S. thermophilus fermentation followed by concentration had the highest gel strength (24.48 g) and water-holding capacity (91.43%) and exhibited high storage modulus (G’) and yield stress (498.22 Pa) in dynamic rheological test. Moreover, it had strong resistance to deformation and breakage. Encapsulation treatment effectively controlled ion release rates, thereby enabling slow gelation. The development and application of controlled-release coagulants based on fermented soybean whey in the production of whole soybean gel products can effectively address the problem of rough network structures caused by rapid gelation, so the controlled-release coagulants will have broad application prospects.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary addition of Allium mongolicum Regel powder (AMRP) and aging time on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of Angus beef. In this experiment, 24 healthy Angus cattle at (14 ± 2) months of age with similar body mass of (271.17 ± 17.6) kg were randomly divided into a control group and three experiment groups. The control group was fed a basal diet, and the experimental groups, LAMR, MAMR and HAMR, were fed a basal diet supplemented daily with 10, 15 and 20 g of AMRP per animal, respectively. The experimental period lasted for 135 days. The results showed that adding AMRP at different gradients to the diet improved the color of beef. With increasing aging time, the shear force first decreased and then leveled off on the third day (P > 0.05). Adding AMRP to the diet had no significant effect on the texture characteristics (P > 0.05). With increasing aging time, the springiness first increased (days 1 to 5) (P < 0.05), then reached a plateau (days 5 to 7) (P > 0.05), and finally decreased significantly (days 7 to 9) (P < 0.05). Adding 15 g/d of AMRP to the diet increased intramuscular fat deposition, and with the increase in aging time, the content of intramuscular fat gradually increased (P < 0.05). Adding 10 g/d of AMRP to the diet improved the activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD). In contrast, adding 20 g/d of AMRP to the diet improved the content of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). AMRP improved the antioxidant capacity of beef with aging time, especially on the 5th day. Compared with the control group, the acid value of the LAMR group significantly increased (P < 0.01). During the whole aging period, the acid value first decreased and then tended to be stable, and the peroxidase activity decreased significantly (P < 0.01).

In this study, black soybean protein was enzymatically hydrolyzed to prepare xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitory peptide. Based on XOD inhibitory activity and degree of hydrolysis (DH), various proteases were screened, and the hydrolysis parameters were optimized. Furthermore, the protein hydrolysate was fractionated by membrane separation into several fractions. The molecular mass ranges of the resulting fractions were determined based on XOD inhibitory activity, and their amino acid composition, molecular mass distribution, peptide sequences, activity and stability were analyzed. The results showed that the optimum enzymatic hydrolysis conditions were as follows: alkaline protease dosage of 1.5%, hydrolysis time of 4 h, temperature of 50 ℃, pH 9.0, and substrate concentration of 3%. Under the optimized conditions, the XOD inhibition rate and DH of the protein hydrolysate were 73.61% and 21.29%, respectively. The XOD inhibitory activity of F3, obtained from ultrafiltration of the hydrolysate, was the highest (with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 8.76 mg/mL), with the molecular mass ≤ 1 500 Da. In F3, hydrophobic and basic amino acids accounted for 56.66% and 20.16% of the total amino acids, respectively. This fraction had good stability under high-temperature treatment, simulated gastric and trypsin digestion. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified 18 peptides in F3, with an average molecular mass of approximately 500–1 400 Da. In these peptides, hydrophobic amino acids at the N-terminus and C-terminus accounted for 44.86% and 33.14%, respectively, and basic amino acids accounted for 33.57% and 39.29% of the total amino acid residues, respectively. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the high value utilization of black bean protein.

Untargeted metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was adopted to study three types of Boza, made from different raw materials. Multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to screening for differential metabolites, and pathway enrichment analysis of differential metabolites was carried out. The results showed that there were significant differences in metabolites among the three types of Boza. Altogether, 109, 124 and 114 differential metabolites were identified in intangible cultural heritage (G1) vs traditional Talmi Boza (G2), G1 vs traditional corn Boza (G3), and G3 vs G2, respectively. These differential metabolites mainly included lipids and lipid-like molecules, organic acids and their derivatives, organic heterocyclic compounds, phenylpropanoids, and polyketones. The difference might be caused by the difference in raw materials. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway enrichment analysis, these differential metabolites mainly participated in the biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites in plants, the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, the biosynthesis and degradation of flavonoids, and other metabolic pathways. This study provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of Boza.

To test the feasibility of inoculated fermentation with lactic acid bacteria for improving the quality of fermented beef-soybean paste, samples prepared by natural and inoculated fermentations with Lactobacillus plantrum (Lp), Pediococcus pentosaceus (Pp) or their mixture (Lp:Pp = 1:1) were comparatively evaluated for their physicochemical properties, free amino acid composition and volatile flavor composition. The results showed that compared with natural fermentation, inoculated fermentation with lactic acid bacteria decreased the pH, amino nitrogen and total free amino acid contents, and increased the total acid and reducing sugar contents as well as the number and amount of volatile flavor substances in the paste. The Lp-Pp fermented paste contained the largest number (16) of ester compounds. By calculation of relative odor activity value (ROAV) as well as using orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), it was found that inoculated fermentation with lactic acid bacteria changed the composition of key volatile flavor compounds in the paste, with Lp-Pp inoculation promoting the generation of ethyl octanoate, isovaleraldehyde, benzaldehyde and phenylacetaldehyde, thereby contributing to the good flavor of the paste. Collectively, this study provides a theoretical basis for the production of quality fermented beef-soybean paste inoculated with lactic acid bacteria.

This work employed high-throughput sequencing technology to delve into the mechanism driving microbial community succession during the fermentation of black Daqu used for Jiangxiangxing Baijiu production, and it also applied flavoromics to analyze the change of volatile flavor compounds. Furthermore, this study performed an integrative analysis of the driving mechanisms for microbial community succession and the change of volatile flavor compounds. The results showed that temperature, moisture, and acidity were the key driving factors for microbial community succession. A large accumulation of pyrazines occurred during the transition from the first to the second turnover stage, indicating that this transition might be key to the synthesis and formation of flavor substances in black Daqu. The microbial community structure of black Daqu during the fermentation process was quite different from that of ordinary Daqu. Bacillus and Thermoascus predominated in the microbial community throughout the fermentation process, while biomarkers in different stages showed stage-by-stage succession patterns. It was also found that the bacterial community exerted a significant effect on the fermentation power of black Daqu, while the fungal community was the major contributor to the liquefaction power. For the bacterial community, Oceanobacillus, Virgibacillus and Kropentedtia positively contributed to the synthesis of various flavor compounds such as ethyl decanoate, 2-acrolein, benzyl alcohol, and benzyl alcohol. For the fungal community, Saccharomyces was positively correlated with various pyrazines. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the evolution of microbial community characteristics and flavor compounds during the fermentation process of black Daqu, thereby offering new insights into strengthening brewing production and product quality.

This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of fructan metabolism in lactic acid bacteria in order to develop low-fructan fermented foods. One strain capable of utilizing fructan, 19M03, was selected from 287 lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from sourdough. Then, the strain was subjected to whole-genome sequencing and its fructan metabolism mechanism was analyzed by using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic techniques. The sequencing results showed that the genome of strain 19M03 contained one chromosome and nine plasmids, with a total length of 3 246 316 bp, GC content of 44.53%, 3 084 coding genes, 66 tRNAs and 16 rRNAs. The phylogenetic relationship analysis showed that strain 19M03 belonged to Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. The results of gene function annotation showed that its genome sequence contained a total of 357 genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and 351 genes encoding carbohydrate transport proteins in the Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs), Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and CAZy databases, as well as 12 genes related to fructan metabolism and transport, respectively. Based on the metabolic relationship of these genes in the KEGG database, a fructan metabolism model was proposed for 19M03. The model resolved the cellular localization of the fructan hydrolysis process and related catalytic reactions (both intracellular and extracellular), the specific transporters of fructooligosaccharide and fructose in the cell membrane (IIABCFOS, IIABCDfru and IIABCfru), the intracellular pathways of fructose catabolism (n = 4) and fructose anabolism (n = 1), and the genes encoding all related enzymes. In addition, resistance and virulence gene analyses demonstrated that 19M03 had a good safety profile. In conclusion, these results provide an important theoretical basis for elucidating the fructose metabolism mechanism of lactic acid bacteria so as to provide high-quality strain resources for the development and application of low-fructofuran functional foods in the future.

Newly weaned rats were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) (containing 45% fat) for 12 weeks, and body mass, serum lipid and glucose levels were observed. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to evaluate the spatial learning and memory capacity of the rats; Western blot was used to detect the expression of phosphorylated Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (p-CaMKII) and cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB), pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG); the expression of ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) in the DG were observed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the above changes was examined by microinjection of the NMDA receptor blocker MK-801 into the DG. Our results showed that the rats developed diet-induced obesity (DIO) after long-term HFD consumption compared with the control (CON) group. Body mass and the levels of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein were significantly increased in the DIO and DIO + MK-801 injection groups. In the MWM test, compared with the CON group, spatial learning and memory capacity was impaired in the DIO group, and microinjection of MK-801 into the DG rescued these impairments. Compared with the CON group, the expression of p-CaMKII and p-CREB was significantly decreased and the expression of Iba1, IL-6 and IL-1β in the DG was significantly increased in the DIO group; however, these changes were reversed by microinjection of MK-801 into the DG of DIO rats. Our results suggest that long-term HFD consumption induces DIO and neuroinflammatory responses, and impairs spatial learning and memory. Moreover, blocking of NMDA receptors in the DG rescues spatial learning and memory impairments in DIO rats by activating the CaMKII-CREB signaling pathway and decreasing neuroinflammatory responses. This study provides a theoretical basis for rational diet and understanding the mechanism of HFD-induced impairments in learning and memory.

In this study, we explored the effect of two arsenolipids with different molecular masses, AsHC 332 and AsHC 346, which are commonly found in seafood, on aging and lifespan-related indicators in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The possible mechanism by which the arsenolipids promote aging was analyzed by measuring the expression of DAF-16 protein in the nematode, the longevity of aging mutants and stress-related genes. The results showed that AsHCs significantly reduced the body length, body width, brood size and head thrash frequency of C. elegans in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Moreover, the resistance to heat stress (P < 0.000 1) and ultraviolet stress (P < 0.05) was significantly reduced by AsHCs. The lifespan of C. elegans was significantly shortened (P < 0.01). The accumulation of lipofuscin was increased (P < 0.001). The relative expression of the daf-16, sod-3, ctl-1, gst-4 and hsp-16.2 genes was up-regulated, while the nuclear localization of DAF-16 was not significantly promoted, and there was no effect on the lifespan of the daf-16(mu86) mutant. AsHC 332 and AsHC 346 had the same toxic effects on nematode aging, which may shorten the lifespan of C. elegans by regulating the transcription factor DAF-16.

In order to elucidate the health efficacy of Vaccinium dunalianum buds as a tea substitute and to reveal the material basis for its functionality, we studied the chemical constituents of V. dunalianum buds by using separation materials such as silica gel, MICHP-20p gel, Sephadex LH-20, and RP-18 combined with preparative and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Totally 16 phenolic compounds were isolated and identified from the water extract of V. dunalianum buds, including seven arbutins, four flavonoids, two lignansand, and three other phenolic compounds, among which compounds 2–5, 7, and 11–16 were isolated from the Vaccinium genus for the first time. Secondary mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis revealed that the major fragmentation pathway of glycosides in the negative ion mode was the breakage of glycosidic bonds to produce fragments of aglycone or glycosyl units. Then, the aglycone or glycosyl units continued to lose neutral fragments such as H2O, CO, CHO, and CH2O to yield a series of sub-ions. Flavonoids or lignans lost their substituents such as hydroxyl, hydroxymethyl, and methoxyl groups to produce neutral fragments or additional ions. Besides, retro-Diels-Alder (RDA) fragmentation was also common in the cleavage of the flavonoid skeleton. Compounds 1–4, 6, 10 and 16 had protective effects on SH-SY5Y cells damaged by H2O2. The neuroprotective effect of compound 3 (Icariside F2) increased with increasing its concentration at 5, 10, and 20 μmol/L, and the survival rate exceeded 80% at all three concentrations. The neuroprotective effect was stronger than that of the positive drug epigallocatechin gallate. The above findings indicated that V. dunalianum buds was rich in phenolic compounds with obvious neuroprotective effects, which would expand the health functions of V. dunalianum buds as green health foods.

Objective: To explore the effect of astaxanthin on immune function and myocardial injury in mice with chronic sleep deprivation (CSD). Methods: A modified multi-platform water environment method was used to establish an CSD mouse model for two weeks. At the same time, mice were intragastrically administered with astaxanthin at different doses. Immune function and myocardial injury were evaluated by measuring organ coefficients as well as using the carbon clearance test and commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The targets of astaxanthin and related biological processes and pathways were analyzed by network pharmacology. Results: Compared with the model group, body mass, phagocytic index and clearance index significantly increased in the treatment groups, and heart, spleen and pancreas coefficients decreased. Moreover, the levels of serum creatine kinase (CK), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) rose markedly in each treatment group, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly declined. Conclusion: Astaxanthin greatly ameliorates immune dysfunction and myocardial injury caused by CSD, perhaps by regulating the neurotrophic factors, Toll-like receptor, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), T cell receptor and apoptosis signaling pathways and inhibiting inflammatory response.

One bud with two or three leaves from large leafed trees grown in Yunnan that were plucked in summer were used to manufacture Dianhong congou black tea (DCT) by five variable temperature fermentation processes. To determine the optimal variable temperature fermentation parameters, the volatile components in DCT samples were analyzed by sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), odor activity value (OAV) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The results of sensory evaluation showed that DCT fermented at 35 ℃/3 h + 25 ℃/3 h had the strongest sweet and fresh aroma with a slight floral note and scored highest among the five DCT samples. The GC-MS analysis identified a total of 747 volatile metabolites belonging to 16 chemical classes. The total amount of aroma volatiles was in the decreasing order of 35 ℃/3 h + 25 ℃/3 h (286.97 μg/g) > 35 ℃/5 h +25 ℃/1 h (261.14 μg/g) > 35 ℃/2 h + 25 ℃/4 h (253.62 μg/g) > 35 ℃/1 h + 25 ℃/5 h (238.79 μg/g) > 35 ℃/4 h + 25 ℃/2 h (214.44 μg/g). Using the cutoff of OAV > 1, 152 key aroma compounds were identified from the five samples. β-Ionone, linalool and geraniol may contribute to the strong sweet floral aroma of DCT fermented at 35 ℃/3 h + 25 ℃/3 h. In addition, (1S)-2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1] hept-2-ene, α-pinene, piperonal, 1,3,3-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1] hept-2-one, toluene and β-phenylethyl acetate were found to be the key differential aroma components between 35 ℃/3 h + 25 ℃/3 h and the other fermentation processes. In summary, DCT fermented at 35 ℃/3 h + 25 ℃/3 h showed rich varieties and contents of aroma substances. These results provide a reference for processing innovations and quality improvement of DCT.

In this study, sensory evaluation, headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and odor activity value (OAV) were used to evaluate the aroma quality of pearl orchid flowers in five developmental stages: bud, initial bloom, semi-bloom, full bloom, and withering. Subsequently, principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and permutation tests were performed. The results showed that there were differences in the sensory evaluation and the types and contents of volatile compounds among pearl orchid flowers at different developmental stages. The fully blooming flower had the best aroma quality, being pure and long-lasting, followed by the semi-blooming and initially blooming flowers, which had a faint flowery aroma. The withering flowers had a flowery aroma with spoilage odor and the buds had no flowery aroma, but instead had a green odor, so neither of them could be used to scent tea. A total of 98 volatile compounds were detected at levels in the range of 77.521-200.838 μg/g, including 22 alcohols, 13 aldehydes, 36 olefins, 14 esters, 4 ketones and 9 others. The content of volatile compounds in the fully blooming flowers was the highest, including 28 aroma compounds with OAV > 1 and 9 substances with OAV > 50. Due to its good appearance, aroma characteristics and aroma release capacity, the fully blooming flowers were used to scent green tea and black tea. It was found that the contents of aroma components such as methyl jasmonate of pearl orchid flowers in the scented tea were obviously increased compared with those in the plain tea, indicating improved aroma quality of tea. To sum up, the fully blooming flowers of pearl orchid is the most suitable for making scented tea.

Non-targeted metabolomics was used in order to investigate the differences in the metabolite composition of two varieties of Baijiu-brewing rice (JKY and PXY) and their influence on Baijiu brewing. A total of 4 159 metabolites were detected in both rice samples, mainly including lipids and lipid-like molecules, organoheterocyclic compounds, organic acids and their derivatives. A comparison between PXY and JKY yielded 326 differential metabolites (variable importance in projection (VIP) > 1 and P < 0.05), including the major components of Baijiu, such as lactic acid, ferulic acid and fumaric acid, as well as important substrates that supported brewing microorganism growth, such as melibiose, maltose, glucose and lactulose. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of differential metabolites identified 16 significantly differential biological pathways (P < 0.05), of which 14 were assigned to metabolic functions, including those related to Baijiu brewing such as galactose metabolism, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid biosynthesis, and butanoate metabolism. These results offer a better understanding of the relationship between raw materials and Baijiu brewing, thereby providing a basis for selecting and promoting high-quality raw materials.

To investigate the changes in the quality of Dongxiang blue-shelled eggs at different laying stages, the egg quality, nutrient composition and mineral element contents were measured at the early (22 weeks old), middle (39 weeks old) and late laying phases (62 weeks old). At the same time, principal component analysis (PCA) and fuzzy membership function (FMF) analysis were employed to comprehensively evaluate the quality of eggs. The results showed that the egg quality, nutrient components and mineral elements varied to different extents with laying age. All quality indexes except b* value and the contents of magnesium (P > 0.05) changed significantly across the three laying phases (P < 0.05). By the combined use of PCA, correlation analysis and cluster analysis 10 key quality indicators including fat, egg mass, cholesterol, Ca, yolk color, Haugh unit, egg shape index, protein content, egg white height, and eggshell strength were identified. From FMF analysis, it was concluded that the decreasing odor of comprehensive quality at different laying stages was middle > early > late. The results of this study provide a reference for establishing quality standards and evaluation methods for local eggs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the composition of bigels on rheological performance, 3D printing performance and textural properties of surimi inks. The results showed that when the addition level of beeswax was 9.0%, the mass ratio of oleogel (9% beeswax) to hydrogel (4% xanthan gum) was 6:4, and the mass ratio of bigels to surimi was 3:7, the moisture content of surimi was 86%, the best rheological properties were obtained with yield stress (τ0) of 44.44 Pa, viscosity index (K) value of 7.972 × 104 Pa⋅sn, flow index (n) value of 0.265, and recovery rate of 86.75%. The surimi inks with bigels were able to continuously print up to 40 layers of 20.00 mm × 20.00 mm × 40.00 mm rectangular structures and some types of complex structures. And the printed structures had a hardness of 204.91 g, elasticity of 0.28, cohesiveness of 0.26, adhesiveness of 52.68 g, and breaking strength of 31.65 g. This study provides ideas for the development and application of bigels in food 3D printing.

To investigate the effect of different doses of 60Co-γ ray irradiation on the quality of ponkan peels, the major functional components of irradiated ponkan peels were determined by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The volatile components were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results showed that irradiation affected the major functional constituents of ponkan peels. Treatment with a certain dose of irradiation increased the contents of total phenol, total flavonoid, nobiletin and tangeretin while decreasing the contents of hesperidin, gallic acid and ferulic acid, but had no significant effect on caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid. The irradiation treatment had a significant effect on the aroma constituents of ponkan peels, resulting in a decrease in the percentage, type and content of olefinic substances and an increase in the contents of alcohols, phenolic acids and aldehydes and ketones. Totally 51 new aroma substances were formed after irradiation treatment, and the odor activity value (OAV) showed that linalool, limonene and n-octanal were the key aroma substances of irradiated ponkan peels, indicating that 60Co-γ ray treatment accelerated the aging of ponkan peels. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the quality of ponkan peels varied with different irradiation doses, the highest overall evaluation score being observed for ponkan peels irradiated at 4 kGy. This study provides a reference for accelerating the aging of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae as well as a basis for the development and utilization of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae products.

In this study, fresh fish vermicelli was made from surimi and starch using a cutting process. The effects of ultrasonic pretreatment at different powers (120, 150, 180, 240 and 300 W) for different periods (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min) on the cooking quality, sensory quality and texture characteristics of fresh fish vermicelli were explored. The underlying mechanism was clarified by measuring the particle size and viscosity of the paste as well as the infrared spectrum, moisture distribution and microstructure of the vermicelli. The results showed that with the increase in ultrasonic power and time, the particle size and viscosity of the paste initially decreased and then increased, while the opposite trend was observed for the percentage of bound water (A21). Decreased ultrasonic time and power improved the dispersion and uniformity of raw materials, increased the water-binding capacity, and promoted fish vermicelli to form a uniform and dense microstructure. Increased ultrasonic time and power caused protein degradation, reduced the microstructural uniformity of fresh fish vermicelli, and deteriorated its quality. Ultrasonic treatment at 120 W for 10 min increased the tensile strength and stretching distance of fresh fish vermicelli increased by 23.98% and 21.08%, respectively, and decreased the broken rate and grout vomiting value decreased by 28.27% and 11.54%, respectively, compared with the control group without ultrasonic treatment. Under this ultrasonic condition, fish vermicelli had the highest sensory score.

In order to improve the stability of Monascus pigments (MPs), gelatin and Arabic gum were used as wall materials, supplemented with transglutaminase (TGase) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, to prepare MP microcapsules by composite coagulation. Based on zeta potential and turbidity, the optimal gelatin-Arabic gum ratio and pH were determined to be 1:1 and 4.0, respectively. Furthermore, using response surface methodology, the optimal process conditions that provide maximum microencapsulation efficiency (85.06%) were established as follows: wall material concentration of 1.5%, core-to-wall ratio of 2.89:1, and coacervation time of 42 min. The solubility, storage stability, photostability and in vitro release characteristics of the microcapsules were characterized. The results showed that the microcapsules significantly improved the water solubility and storage stability of MPs and were the most stable under low temperature and room temperature conditions. The photodegradation processes of free and microencapsulated Monascus red and orange pigments followed the first-order kinetic model, while the photodegradation process of free and microencapsulated Monascus yellow pigments obeyed the zero-level kinetic model. Microencapsulation significantly improved the photostability of MPs. In addition, the microcapsules had good slow-release performance in simulated gastric fluid, and the release rate was significantly lower than in simulated intestinal fluid, indicating that the microcapsule system could well control the release of MPs in simulated gastrointestinal fluid.

In order to investigate trends in the odor profiles of different parts (cap and stipe) of Tricholoma matsutake during the shelf-life, the present study used an electronic nose and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis to analyze the changes of volatile flavor substances in T. matsutake at different points of the shelf-life. The results showed that a total of 48 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including 10 aldehydes, 6 alcohols, 5 ketones, 4 sulfur-containing compounds, 9 esters, 2 acids, 3 alkenes, 9 other volatile substances such as heterocyclic compounds, and 15 unidentified volatile compounds, were detected. The stipe contained a richer variety of volatile substances than the cap. In general, the types and contents of volatile substances in T. matsutake continued to decrease during the shelf-life period. The inflection point of volatile substances occurred after around 24 h for the cap, and after both around 12 and 48 h for the stipe. In conclusion, the combination of electronic nose and GC-IMS can be used to quickly and intuitively analyze the differences in volatiles between the cap and stipe of T. matsutake at different time points of the shelf-life, thereby helping to determine the freshness of T. matsutake.

This study investigated the effect of electron beam generated X-ray (EBGX) irradiation at different doses (0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 kGy) on the storage quality of harvested Agaricus bisporus at (15 ± 1) ℃. The results indicated that EBGX-treated mushroom had significant superiority in delaying mass loss, maintaining apparent color and textural properties, and promoting phenol accumulation compared with the non-treatment group. Different from the other irradiation doses, the 0.9 kGy treatment effectively delayed the rate of superoxide anion radical production, reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and inhibited microbial growth. It is suggested that EBGX treatment can obviously delay the quality deterioration of A. bisporus during storage. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of EBGX treatment in the preservation of A. bisporus.

In order to solve the problems of strong subjectivity and low targeting in sampling decision-making that exist in food safety surveillance sampling, this study proposed a correlation analysis method based on an improved Frequent Pattern-growth (FP-growth) algorithm for food risk factors. First, the entropy weight method was used to assign weights to the risk indicators of food categories so as to calculate the risk indices of different food categories. Second, the risk index was used as a feature for risk clustering based on MiniBatchKmeans to obtain the risk level of food products. Finally, an improved FP-growth algorithm with constraints was used for association rule mining of food risk factors to excavate the association relationship between the risk level of food products and the information of food types, time, and geographic attributes, and the mined results were analyzed by correlation analysis so as to provide guidance for precise targeting to guide the decision making of sampling inspection. This study was based on food sampling data from certain regions of China in 2019, which were assigned with indicators to calculate the risk index. Afterwards, the risk was clustered into low (L), medium (M), and high risk (H). Finally, the data was imported into the improved FP-growth algorithm to obtain the association rules of food risk factors. For 17 214 pieces of sampling data, the improved FP-growth algorithm had a shorter running time when compared with the Apriori algorithm. Compared with the traditional one, the improved FP-growth algorithm removed invalid rules and improved the analysis efficiency of the association rules of food risk factors. Thus, it provides an accurate and efficient decision-making basis for the sampling work of food regulatory authorities.

In response to the issue of low detection accuracy for mild moldy-core disease in apples using single methods, this study proposed an approach based on the fusion of near-infrared transmission spectroscopy and acoustic-vibration technology to enhance the discriminability of mild moldy-core disease in apples. For the near-infrared spectral signals, the impacts of different preprocessing and feature extraction methods on modeling outcomes were analyzed to select the spectral feature bands. For the acoustic-vibration signals, 7 time-domain features were optimized by using the YSV engineering test and signal analysis software as well as calculating Pearson correlation coefficients. The spectral feature bands and time-domain features were then concatenated to form a fused feature vector. Convolutional neural networks (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and CNN-LSTM were employed to construct discrimination models based on single and fused features, separately. The performance analysis of the models revealed that the CNN-LSTM combination model, which integrated 15 near-infrared transmission spectral bands and 7 time-domain features, exhibited the best performance in discriminating mild moldy-core disease, with accuracy, recall, specificity, and F1 scores of 98.31%, 97.06%, 97.06%, and 97.90% on the test set, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively improve the discrimination accuracy of mild moldy-core disease in apples.

Currently, some intelligent devices are available to assist in the detection of imperfect wheat grains. However, the background of grain surface images acquired by intelligent devices is dense and complicated with overlapping particles, causing noise interferences in the detection of imperfect wheat grains. To address the high missed detection rate of imperfect grains in target detection algorithms and to enhance the model detection speed, this study optimized the lightweight network model YOLOV4-Tiny. First, a small target detection layer was added to enhance the utilization of high semantic information. Then, the SENet attention mechanism optimized with exponential thinking was embedded to facilitated the design of an Enhanced Feature Extraction Network (Increase-FPN) in order to enhance the model’s ability to extract features of imperfect grains amidst complex backgrounds so that the detection accuracy could be improved and false negative rates reduced. At last, depthwise separable convolution was employed as the feature extraction method for the residual network of the backbone component to reduce the calculation of model parameters, optimize model deployment, and solve the issue of poor real-time performance. Experimental results demonstrated that the improved IDS-YOLO algorithm achieved a balance between detection speed and accuracy, with an average increase of 6.2% in mean average precision (mAP) when compared with other benchmark algorithms. The frames per second (FPS) value was 88.03, meeting the real-time detection requirements, and the parameter size of the improved model was only 5.51 MB.

Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) originated from China and has high nutritional and medicinal value. As one of the major active ingredients in Chinese jujube, polysaccharides have various functions including immunoregulatory, hepatoprotective, anemia-relieving, lipid-lowering, anti-obesity and gut microbiota regulatory effects. On the basis of extraction and purification of Chinese jujube polysaccharide, current research on the structures of Chinese jujube polysaccharides focuses on the modification of primary structures, monosaccharide composition, molecular mass and glycosidic linkages. However, the relationship between the structure and activity of Chinese jujube polysaccharides and the mechanism of action bioactive polysaccharides from Chinese jujube have not been fully determined. This paper reviews the current progress on the structural characterization and biological activity of Chinese jujube polysaccharides in the literature, and gives an outlook on future research. It is expected that this review will provide a theoretical basis for the wide application of Chinese jujube polysaccharides in health foods, medicine and other fields.

Flavor is one of the key characteristics of foods. Most flavor compounds are prone to degradation and volatilization, which limits their applications in the food industry. Powder stabilization technology is an effective method for protecting flavor compounds, enhancing their thermal and oxidative stability, suppressing their high volatility, and controlling the release of flavor. In this article, five common powder stabilization technologies (spray drying, freeze drying, spray freeze drying, fluidized bed coating, and electro-spraying) are reviewed. The impacts of these technologies on flavor substances are analyzed and the respective advantages and limitations of these technologies are compared. Additionally, the flavor release characteristics of stabilized powder in storage and food matrices are elaborated. Finally, the factors affecting powder storage and flavor release are discussed, including powder properties, environmental conditions, and food matrices. The article provides valuable guidance for the research and application of flavor stabilization and controlled release.

Food safety is a major global public health concern. Targeted proteomics based on mass spectrometry (MS) plays an increasingly important role in addressing this issue due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and quantitative accuracy. In this article, two common targeted proteomics approaches including multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) are briefly introduced. The progress that has been made in the application of targeted proteomics in food safety detection in the last five years is summarized including authentication of animal-derived foods, analysis of food allergens, and detection of foodborne pathogens and their toxins. Meanwhile, an outlook on the future development of this field is given.

With the widespread application of sensory analysis techniques in the food industry, there is an increasing demand for sensory analysis methods suitable for different application scenarios, especially rapid sensory analysis methods that match the short development cycle of a product and are easy to organize and implement in practice. Pivot profile (PP) emerges as the times require. Taking the center sample (Pivot) as a reference, this method obtains easy-to-perceive and expressible sensory descriptors based on the participants’ difference perception and free description to effectively differentiate between sample sets. This paper summarizes and analyzes the literature on PP with respect to its key technical points, advantages, limitations and applications in combination with and in comparison to other methods in the food industry, and provides an outlook on future trends, with the aim of providing a basis for further research and application of PP in the food industry.

In recent years, in the context of global resource shortage, mechanoenzymatic reactions have attracted great attention from both academia and the food industry due to their efficient, green, energy-saving and sustainable characteristics. Organic synthesis reactions typically use a large amount of chemical reagents and require strict reaction conditions and complex downstream operations to separate and purify products, which should be used sparingly or not at all in foods. Mechanoenzymology, i.e., the use of mechanical energy to promote enzyme-catalyzed reactions in a solvent-free system, is in line with the current development needs and concepts. This paper reviews the origin, development, influencing factors and mechanism of mechanoenzymology and the applications of different enzymes in mechanoenzymology in order to provide theoretical guidance for the field of food chemistry and biocatalysis.

Trans fatty acids (TFAs) have attracted considerable attention from all sectors of the community. As vegetable oils are the major source of TFAs in the daily diet, it is essential to understand the formation of TFAs in vegetable oils for accurate regulation. In recent years, a number of studies have explored the amount of TFAs generated in different vegetable oils and breakthroughs have been made in understanding the formation pathways and regulatory mechanisms of different TFAs isomers, but a systematic and comprehensive review has not yet been conducted. In this review, a systematic summary of the types and contents of TFAs in different vegetable oils, their formation mechanisms, regulatory measures and mechanisms is presented, with a view to providing references for people’s daily intake of TFAs through vegetable oils as well as subsequent research on TFAs in vegetable oils.

Codonopsis Radix, the dried roots of the genus Codonopsis of Platycodonaceae, has a very long history of culinary and medicinal use in China and is considered to strengthen the middle warmer and benefit vital energy as well as to benefit the stomach and help produce saliva in Chinese medicine. Codonopsis Radix contains a rich variety of chemical constituents, including flavonoids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, saponins, steroids, trace elements and amino acids, with many pharmacological effects, such as enhancing immunity, protecting the heart, nerve and gastrointestinal tract, regulating blood sugar, antioxidant, anti-fatigue, antibacterial, anti-virus, and anti-tumor functions, so it has been increasingly applied as both food and medicine. In this article, the chemical composition, pharmacological actions and application of Codonopsis Radix are reviewed so as to provide a reference for understanding the theoretical basis for the health benefits of Codonopsis Radix as well as for its development and application.

Cruciferous vegetables are highly favored by consumers due to their unique flavor, with glucosinolates and their metabolites making important contributions to the flavor formation in cruciferous vegetables. Glucosinolates are a class of sulfur-containing compounds composed of a β-D-thioglucose moiety, sulfoxyl amino groups, and R-group side chains. They can be converted into various flavor compounds such as isothiocyanates, nitriles, thiocyanates and thiols through enzymatic or non-enzymatic pathways, thereby significantly influencing the taste and aroma of cruciferous vegetables. This article outlines the composition of glucosinolates and their metabolites, analyzes the metabolic pathways involved in the synthesis and conversion of glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables, and elucidates the relationship between glucosinolates and their metabolites and flavors. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis for the flavor analysis and regulation of cruciferous vegetables and related processed products.

The dairy industry, with the longest supply chain in the food sector, plays a crucial role in national welfare and people’s livelihood and has significant responsibilities for green, low-carbon and sustainable development. Based on panel data from 28 Chinese provinces between the years 2008 and 2021, this paper assessed the green development of the dairy industry using the super-efficiency epsilon-based measure (EBM) model and the global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index. On the basis of clarifying the formation mechanism of the environmental effect of dairy industrial agglomeration, this paper established benchmark regression models and intermediary effect models to examine the impact and mechanism of industrial agglomeration in the dairy industry on its green development. It was found that (1) industrial agglomeration significantly promoted the green development of the dairy industry, and this finding still holds after robustness and endogeneity tests, such as replacing the green development metrics, changing the clustering level, performing instrumental variable estimation and using heteroscedasticity-based instrumental variable methods; (2) the mechanism test showed that industrial agglomeration played a positive role in the green development of the dairy industry by improving the level of technological innovation and informatization; (3) group-wise regression results showed that for provinces that had not implemented the “ten-million-ton project” with low levels of good manufacturing practices, industrial agglomeration exerted a more positive effect on the green development of the dairy industry. Drawing on these findings, the study offers policy recommendations to advance the integration of industrial clusters and the green development of the dairy industry chain.

Matcha is a micronized green tea product, which has a unique flavor and taste due to its special processing technique and is widely used in foods. This article examines the progress that has been made in the past decade in matcha research, and analyzes the hot topics and trends in research articles through visual analysis. Based on keyword density analysis, it summarizes the bioactive substances and health benefits of matcha. The caffeine and tea polyphenols in matcha can refresh the mind on their own, they can also work synergistically with theanine to enhance cognitive capacity and reduce anxiety. The tea polyphenols contained in matcha can inhibit the viability of cancer cells through various mechanisms, and reduce the incidence of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Secondly, the changes in bioactive substances during the production and processing of matcha are elaborated and summarized. Finally, future prospects for the development and application of matcha in foods are discussed. Matcha is a traditional Chinese tea product with high health value. Studying its development trend and elucidating its application in foods will help to enhance its industrial value and provide a theoretical basis for the future development of matcha-based functional foods.