Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a drought tolerant cereal and the fifth most produced grain in the world with an annual production of over 60 million tons. The grains provide calories, protein, dietary fiber and minerals, especially iron and zinc, in amounts equivalent to rice or maize. Sorghum is rich in phenolic compounds, with more than 90% of these compounds concentrated in the pigmented outer layers of the grain (pericarp and testa). The main phenolics include phenolic acids (gallic and ferulic acids) and flavonoids (including flavones and flavanones) existing in all cultivars, whereas pigmented cultivars are characterized by the unique accumulation of 3-deoxyanthocyanidin. Condensed tannins, also known as proanthocyanidins, are also largely found in the pigmented testa. These bioactive compounds have been associated with numerous health-promoting effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities, which are mediated through free radical scavenging, modulation of enzyme activity, and regulation of the gut microbiota. However, high levels of tannins may exert antinutritional effects by binding to proteins and minerals, which reduces nutrient bioavailability. Processing greatly influences phenolic content, including germination, fermentation, and extraction. Advanced extraction techniques have been developed to maximize the recovery of sorghum phenolic compounds. Sorghum phenolic extracts are increasingly incorporated into functional foods and nutraceutical products, including antioxidant supplements and natural colorants. Future research should focus on enhancing the stability, bioavailability, and sensory characteristics, particularly reducing tannin-associated bitterness, while promoting the breeding of high-phenolic sorghum cultivars with desirable phenolic profiles to optimize their health benefit potential.
The tuber of Gastrodia elata (GR), a traditional food and medicinal homologous substance, exhibits significant variation in quality and market value across geographical origins, highlighting the need for reliable authentication methods. This study established a high-precision classification model for the origin of the mainstream cultivated variety Gastrodia elata f. elata (Hongtianma) by integrating multi-element fingerprints and functional chemicals, while also examining the response of these factors to bioclimatic factors. A total of 270 batches of GR samples from 23 counties and cities across four major producing regions were analyzed for inorganic elements and functional compounds. Nine machine learning algorithms were systematically compared through repeated stratified sampling combined with nested cross-validation, and key discriminatory variables were further correlated with bioclimatic factors using Mantel tests and Redundancy Analysis. Results revealed distinct regional chemical patterns of GR, with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model demonstrating the best overall performance, achieving a test set accuracy of 92.53% alongside superior generalization capability (Kappa = 0.88, F1 = 87.16%). Key discriminant variables included elements such as Cd and Ca, as well as compounds such as p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and parishin C. Environmental factors, particularly temperature regimes (e.g., MTCO, AMT) and precipitation (AP), significantly correlated with chemical characteristics and contributed to the geographical differentiation of GR quality. This integrated data strategy provides a reliable tool for GR origin traceability, elucidates environmental driving mechanisms, and offers scientific support for its quality standardization, market regulation, and sustainable cultivation.
This study investigated whether the dietary substitution of soybean oil with camelina oil affects the metabolic profile, meat quality and sensory properties of pigs during the fattening–finishing phase. Twenty male Apulo-Calabrese Black Pigs (∼7 months old, 65 ± 2.7 kg) were divided into two groups differing only in dietary oil (soybean vs. camelina, 2%). Serum biochemistry was analyzed at the start and end of the trial, along with meat physical properties, chemical composition, fatty acid profile, antioxidant status and sensory properties. Pigs fed the diet containing soybean oil showed higher blood cholesterol at the end of the trial (p = 0.034). Meat from the camelina oil group exhibited higher L* and b* values, lower Warner Bratzler shear force and cooking loss, and reduced malondialdehyde content (p < 0.05), indicating better tenderness and oxidative stability. Protein concentration was higher in raw and cooked meat from the camelina oil group, which also showed lower cholesterol content (p = 0.031). Individual fatty acids and food risk factors were not significantly affected by dietary treatment. The camelina oil diet improved the sensory evaluation of meat, resulting in higher scores for appearance and overall liking (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that camelina oil may be an interesting and worth alternative to soybean oil in diets for finishing pigs.
Excessive maize canopy dominance can restrict peanut performance in maize/peanut strip intercropping, but the long-term effects of regulating maize canopy structure on component-crop light use and system productivity remain unclear. This study evaluated whether EDAH-mediated regulation of maize canopy dominance could alter crop light interception (LI), improve light use efficiency (LUE), and enhance system productivity. A five-year field experiment (2020-2024) was conducted in Liaoning Province, China, with sole maize, sole peanut, and maize/peanut strip intercropping treatments. Maize canopy regulation was achieved by applying a compound plant growth regulator (EDAH; 27% ethephon and 3% diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate) to maize at the V7 stage. Light interception was estimated using a strip-intercropping light interception model. Across five growing seasons, EDAH reduced the maximum plant height and leaf area index of intercropped maize by 7.9% and 14.7%, respectively, resulting in a more compact maize canopy. This canopy adjustment slightly increased peanut LI by 5.2% and reduced maize LI by 5.4%, relative to the non-sprayed intercrop, although neither difference was statistically significant. Meanwhile, canopy regulation increased dry matter-based and grain-based LUE of intercropped peanut by 18.0% and 12.0%, respectively, and increased grain-based LUE of intercropped maize by 17.8%. These responses were accompanied by yield increases of 10.1% for intercropped maize and 21.9% for intercropped peanut. For 2020-2023, EDAH increased the land equivalent ratio (LER) by 11.9% relative to the untreated intercrop. The results indicate that EDAH-mediated canopy regulation improved component-crop LUE and system productivity, while the modeled LI responses suggest that changes in crop light distribution may contribute to these benefits. These findings show that regulating maize canopy dominance can improve maize/peanut strip intercropping productivity by modifying canopy structure and balancing competition and complementarity between component crops.
Crop production systems play a crucial role in providing the food needed for healthy diets globally. The availability of a diverse range of crop products is a prerequisite for an adequate, diverse, and balanced supply of macro- and micro-nutrients to support healthy diets. While Ethiopia launched its first food-based dietary guidelines (EFBDG) in 2022, there is no evidence on whether current crop production supplies the crops required to meet the EFBDG and nutrient requirements. We conducted a descriptive analysis comparing crop production quantities and the nutrients provided by crops with the population's nutritional requirements. Our results show that cereals are overproduced, while insufficient quantities of vegetables, fruits, pulses, and nuts and seeds are produced to meet the EFBDG. Consequently, there is a surplus of total dietary energy supply, and especially that of cereals, compared to the population’s requirements. Although 14 of the 18 nutrients are supplied in sufficient amounts to meet Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), crop production fails to provide enough fat (-28%), vitamin A (-86%), vitamin E (-47%), and calcium (-4%) to meet the nutritional requirements. To address these shortages, Ethiopia needs to shift its focus from cereals to more nutrient-dense crops. We conclude that Ethiopia has the potential to align with national and international dietary guidelines by shifting its focus from cereal-based to nutrient-dense crop production systems. To make this possible, investments in agricultural infrastructure, building financial capacity, and institutional coordination for implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture will be key to steering Ethiopian agriculture towards ensuring the availability of food to support healthy diets.
Cocoa fermentation is a critical determinant of the physicochemical and functional quality of cocoa derivatives, yet filamentous fungi remain an underexplored option as starter cultures. This study evaluated the potential of Neurospora sitophila as a fungal starter culture for cocoa fermentation, assessing its effects on fermentative dynamics, bioactive compounds, and structural properties of cocoa beans and liquor across three inoculum concentrations (5 × 103, 5 × 104, and 5 × 105 spores/mL) and a non-inoculated control. Physicochemical, colorimetric, chromatographic (HPLC), and spectroscopic (FTIR) analyses were performed throughout fermentation, drying, roasting, and liquor production, while thermal properties (DSC) were assessed in the resulting liquor. Fermentation time, rather than inoculum concentration, was the principal factor associated with pH decline (∼6.0 to ∼4.9–5.0), fermentation index progression, colorimetric changes, and bioactive compound dynamics, as indicated by multivariate (PCA, HCA) and FTIR analyses. N. sitophila inoculation produced compound-, parameter-, and stage-specific effects without a uniform dose-dependent pattern. NS5 showed the most pronounced spectral changes during fermentation, greater retention of epicatechin, catechin, theobromine, and caffeine in the liquor, and thermal behavior within the range commonly associated with the β(V) cocoa butter polymorph. Treatment effects on color were limited relative to processing stage, and no treatment performed consistently better across all parameters. Overall, N. sitophila shows potential as a fungal starter culture, but further studies incorporating microbiological monitoring, shorter fermentation times, sensory evaluation, and formal optimization are needed before establishing technological application.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) dynamics are strongly influenced by land-use systems (LUS) and topographic variability, particularly in fragile Himalayan ecosystems, where climate and vegetation interact across steep environmental gradients. However, information on SOC fractions and N pools in the wet temperate northwestern Himalayas remains limited. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of LUS (agriculture, agroforestry, horticulture, and barren land), topography (valley and mountain), and soil depth (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) on SOC fractions, carbon pool index (CPI), carbon management index (CMI), and N fractions in the high-hill wet temperate region of Himachal Pradesh, India. The results revealed significant (p<0.05) variation in SOC fractions and nitrogen pools among LUS and topographic positions. Agroforestry had the highest total organic carbon, active carbon pool, passive carbon pool, and soil nitrogen density, followed by horticulture, whereas barren land exhibited the lowest values. Among the topographies, the valley ecosystem had the highest active carbon pool (9.08 mg g-1), whereas the mountainous topographies had the highest passive pool (9.04 mg g-1). Soil depth significantly (p < 0.05) influenced carbon distribution, with Cfrac1, Cfrac2, and Cfrac3 decreasing by 45.7%, 45.8%, and 34.5%, respectively, whereas Cfrac4 increased by 84.8% from D1 to D3. The CPI and CMI were significantly (p<0.05) higher under agroforestry and horticulture systems, indicating greater carbon accumulation and changes in carbon lability. Overall, the findings indicate that land-use system, topographic position, and soil depth jointly influenced soil carbon and nitrogen distribution, with tree-based systems showing greater carbon and nitrogen accumulation than conventional agriculture. These findings highlight the potential of agroforestry as a sustainable land-use option for maintaining soil carbon and nitrogen in wet temperate Himalayan ecosystems.
Insomnia and related neurological disorders have emerged as major global public health problems. Although mulberry fruit exhibits neuroprotective properties, its underlying mechanisms in sleep regulation remain poorly understood. This study systematically investigated the therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of mulberry fruit anthocyanin extract MFE by using an integrative approach of animal experiments, multi-omics analyses, and network pharmacology in an insomnia mouse model. We evaluated behavioral changes, neurotransmitter levels, inflammatory cytokines, gut microbiota composition via 16S rRNA sequencing, and serum metabolomics, and further validated key regulatory pathways and genes through RT-qPCR. MFE treatment significantly attenuated insomnia-related behavioral abnormalities, as evidenced by improved locomotor activity and attenuated body weight loss in model mice. Mechanistically, MFE restored the GABA/Glu balance and elevated 5-HT levels in brain tissue while mitigating neuroinflammation. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that MFE improved the gut microbiota composition, reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and enriching beneficial taxa such as Akkermansia and Muribaculaceae. Serum metabolomic analysis identified marked elevations in multiple metabolites, including amino acid derivatives, glycosides, organic acids, and aliphatic compounds. Network pharmacology predictions, corroborated by RT-qPCR, implicated the involvement of the TNF and IL-17 signaling pathways and the serotonergic synapse pathway. Consistently, MFE intervention downregulated the hippocampal mRNA expression of key pro-inflammatory genes (PTGS2, IL-6, and IL-1β) in insomnia model mice. These results reveal multifaceted association mechanism by which MFE modulates insomnia-associated neurochemical and behavioral alterations, concurrently involving the modulation of neurotransmitter homeostasis, neuroinflammation, gut microbiota ecology, and systemic metabolism. The findings suggest a potential involvement of the gut-brain axis as a mechanistic hypothesis that warrants further causal validation that warrants further causal validation. This study provides mechanistic insights and a scientific rationale for developing MFE as a functional food for promoting sleep health.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) imposes a significant health burden due to estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss. Auricularia auricula polysaccharide (AAP), a traditional edible fungal component, has shown anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, yet its potential osteoprotective effects remain insufficiently characterized. Here, ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction of AAP was optimized using a Box-Behnken design. Following slight practical adjustment of the response-surface-predicted optimal conditions, the experimental extraction yield of AAP reached 30.15 ± 0.48%. Physicochemical characterization identified AAP as an acidic heteropolysaccharide with molecular weights ranging from 976 to 1.5 × 106 Da, enriched in glucose and uronic acid residues. In the ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, high-dose AAP (500 mg/kg) attenuated bone loss under the tested conditions, while no increase in uterine index was observed. Mechanistic studies provided evidence that the IGF-1/IGF-1R signaling axis is involved in AAP-induced osteogenic differentiation, as supported by increased phosphorylation of IGF-1R and its downstream signaling molecules and by IGF-1R knockout experiments. In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion further showed that AAP retained measurable osteogenic activity after digestion. These findings support the potential of AAP as a functional food ingredient for supporting bone health.
Centella asiatica (L.) is an important medicinal herb valued for its wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, and cognitive-enhancing properties. However, information on its physiological responses to drought stress and the application of hyperspectral remote sensing for drought assessment in this species remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of four soil moisture regimes (control, mild, moderate, and severe drought) on plant growth, physiology, and leaf spectral reflectance in two trials. Drought stress significantly reduced gas exchange, growth, and biomass production. Under severe drought, stomatal conductance decreased by 88%, accompanied by a 37% increase in canopy temperature. Net photosynthetic rate declined by 69% and was positively correlated with soil moisture content (R = 0.80). Marketable fresh weight declined from 6.5 under control to 1.0 kg m-2 under severe drought, while dry biomass decreased from 0.64 to 0.26 kg m-2 in trial 1 and from 0.57 to 0.28 kg m-2 in trial 2. Drought stress also altered leaf spectral reflectance, particularly in the visible region, resulting in significant changes in several vegetation indices that were strongly correlated with key morpho-physiological traits. Additionally, functional relationships between soil moisture and major physiological and growth traits were established through environmental productivity indices, providing a quantitative framework for predicting plant responses to water availability. These findings demonstrate the potential of hyperspectral sensing for early, non-destructive drought detection and provide practical tools for improving irrigation management and precision cultivation of C. asiatica under field and greenhouse conditions.
Maintaining food quality and safety throughout the supply chain remains critical, particularly for perishable commodities. Traditional packaging methods inadequately monitor real-time freshness and preventing food spoilage. Intelligent packaging systems incorporating pH-sensitive colourimetric indicators offer promising solutions. Anthocyanins, water-soluble flavonoid compounds responsible for the red, purple, and blue colours in many plants and stored in cell vacuoles, are natural pigments from fruits, vegetables, and flowers. They have attracted increasing attention due to their pH-responsive properties, non-toxicity, and compatibility with biodegradable polymers. This comprehensive review examines anthocyanin-incorporated intelligent and consumer-friendly films and labels to reduce food waste, enhance safety, and promote environmental sustainability. Anthocyanin types, sources, and intelligent properties, highlighting structural diversity and pH-dependent colour transformation mechanisms are discussed. Sustainable bio-matrices including polysaccharides (chitosan, cellulose, starch, pectin) and proteins are evaluated for supporting anthocyanin functionality. Advanced fabrication strategies from conventional solvent casting to electrospinning and 3D printing and its film performance and commercial viability are also reviewed. Recent applications across fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and muscle foods demonstrate system versatility in providing real-time visual freshness indicators through colour changes correlated with spoilage markers. Despite some progress, considerable challenges from anthocyanin stability, formulation standardization, production scalability, and regulatory approval needs to be solved.
Maturity assessment in color-sensitive crops such as tomatoes is a critical requirement for automated harvesting and quality management, yet it remains challenging due to subtle phenotypic differences that are easily affected by illumination variation, occlusion, and complex field backgrounds. These factors limit the effectiveness of lightweight object detectors, while aggressive data augmentation and generic attention mechanisms often provide limited benefits or introduce additional computational overhead. To address these challenges, this study presents a lightweight tomato maturity detection framework based on YOLOv8n that integrates detection-head semantic refinement with structural compression using Ghost-style and depthwise–pointwise convolutions. A Residual Directional Attention (RDA) module was introduced at the detection head to enhance high-level semantic representation through directional depthwise spatial filtering, channel-selective gating, and controlled residual modulation, enabling improved discrimination between visually adjacent ripeness stages without altering color distributions. To preserve real-time efficiency, a compression strategy replaces redundant high-capacity operators in the detection head with lightweight alternatives, reducing model size and computational cost without modifying the detection pipeline. Experimental results on a tomato ripeness dataset show that the proposed framework Yolov8n +RDA-lite improves detection precision from 79.8% to 85.4% and increases localization accuracy from 86.8% to 88.0% mAP@0.5 and from 74.7% to 75.9% mAP@0.5:0.95, while reducing the parameter count from 3.01 million to 2.68 million. Performance gains are most pronounced for intermediate ripeness stages characterized by high interclass similarity, while stable behavior is maintained for clearly separable classes. The results demonstrate that targeted detection-head refinement combined with structural model compression provides an effective balance between detection accuracy and computational efficiency for tomato maturity assessment.
Water scarcity and soil degradation constrain agricultural production in arid, semi-arid and rainfed systems, increasing the need for crops capable of maintaining production under limited water and input availability. This systematic review synthesised evidence on the contributions of underutilised crops to soil health, water-use efficiency, and climate-smart agricultural outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2025 were identified from Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Of 275 records identified, 28 studies met the eligibility criteria. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) was the most frequently studied crop (14 studies), followed by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) (12), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) (9), finger millet (Eleusine coracana) (7), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (6), amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) (4), African nightshade (Solanum scabrum) (2) and African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) (1). Water-use efficiency was the most frequently reported water-related indicator, occurring in 23 of 28 studies (82.1%), followed by drought tolerance (11; 39.3%), rainfed performance (8; 28.6%), soil-moisture retention (5; 17.9%) and irrigation requirement (3; 10.7%). Soil-health evidence was concentrated on biological nitrogen fixation, soil nitrogen, soil organic carbon and nutrient availability, whereas soil structure, aggregation, microbial processes, and erosion control were less frequently assessed. Leguminous crops contributed primarily through biological nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling, while drought-adapted cereals and millets were more consistently associated with water-use efficiency, rainfed performance and production under moisture stress. Wider adoption was constrained particularly by competition with major staple crops, inadequate policy support, limited agronomic knowledge, weak extension services, poor seed availability and underdeveloped markets. Overall, the evidence most strongly supports the adaptation and productivity benefits of selected underutilised crops in water-scarce systems, while long-term soil processes and climate-mitigation outcomes remain insufficiently quantified. Future research should prioritise long-term, crop-specific field studies that simultaneously measure crop productivity, soil processes and water dynamics across contrasting water-scarce environments.
Agricultural soils increasingly receive mixtures of toxic metals, pesticides, antibiotics, and micro- and nanoplastics, creating simultaneous risks to crop productivity, food safety, soil biological function, and water quality. Biochar is a scalable carbonaceous amendment, but its performance evolves after application because oxidation, fragmentation, mineral association, and microbial colonization alter the reactive interface. This review advances an aging–engineering–risk–translation framework that links time-dependent biochar transformation with nanoparticle functionalization and field performance, rather than treating fresh biochar or nanocomposites as static adsorbents. The literature was critically screened with emphasis on 2019–2026 studies and earlier mechanistic papers where required. Natural aging can increase oxygen-containing surface functionality and organo-mineral association, and multi-year field evidence shows that immobilization of lead, copper, and cadmium can strengthen with aging under favorable conditions. Nanoparticle-modified biochars add contaminant-specific functions, including ligand exchange, redox transformation, photocatalytic oxidation, and magnetic recovery; however, the optimum design is soil- and contaminant-specific rather than universally transferable. The review also evaluates secondary risks, including nanoparticle detachment or dissolution, environmentally persistent free radicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mobile nano-biochar, antibiotic resistance determinants, and effects on microorganisms, soil enzymes, earthworms, and plants. A central conclusion is that high removal percentage alone is an inadequate endpoint: durable immobilization, transformation-product toxicity, biological function, recoverability, lifecycle burden, and field aging must be evaluated together. These insights provide a mechanistic basis for designing safer, durable, and field-relevant biochar–nanoparticle systems for agricultural soil remediation.
Horticultural production is often capital intensive and generates high economic value, creating strong potential for the use of digital technologies (DTs). However, their adoption remains constrained by a wide range of determinants. Existing studies have examined DT adoption in horticulture from different perspectives and theoretical frameworks, but the evidence remains fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes current knowledge on DT adoption by distinguishing three adoption constructs: willingness to adopt (WTA), behavioral intention (BI), and usage behavior (UB). Following PRISMA guidelines, 129 empirical studies were included in the systematic review, of which 54 contributed data to the meta-analysis. The qualitative synthesis shows that studies of BI mainly focus on psychological and social determinants, whereas studies of UB more often examine technical, knowledge, social, infrastructure, and institutional determinants. Evidence on WTA remains comparatively limited. The meta-analysis shows that age, social influence, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are significantly associated with BI. For UB, significant positive associations were found for sex, education level, training participation, planting area, farming income, household income, organization or cooperative membership, risk attitude, social network, and social influence. Subgroup analyses further showed that some associations with UB varied across geographic regions, crop systems, and DT types. The findings show that the relevance of adoption determinants differs across WTA, BI, and UB and varies across horticultural contexts. This study provides a more differentiated understanding of DT adoption in horticulture and offers evidence for developing more targeted policy, technical, and institutional support.
Sustainable extraction and stabilization of anthocyanins from grape pomace provide high-value bioactives while reducing agro-industrial wastes. The current study optimized the ultrasound-assisted green extraction and microencapsulation of grape pomace anthocyanins to facilitate their commercial use in food products and to minimize the thermal degradation of anthocyanins during food processing. The optimized condition of hydroethanolic extraction yielded 322.539±1.922 mg anthocyanin/100 g dry pomace at 238 W of ultrasonic power and 7 min of extraction with 75% ethanol. The grape extract was microencapsulated by freeze drying employing maltodextrin (MD), gum arabic (GA) and whey protein concentrate (WPC), individually and in different combinations. FT-IR analysis established a physical form of encapsulation for all types of encapsulates. Morphology of the encapsulates observed by SEM showed irregular, flake-like particles, typical for freeze-drying. Encapsulate formulated with all three wall materials (WMG, WPC: MD+GA=6:4) exhibited the highest efficiency of anthocyanin encapsulation (77.13±1.57%) followed by the combination of WPC and MD (WM, WPC:MD= 7:3, 76.77±2.17%). Both W and WM exhibited low water activity and hygroscopicity, good flow properties, antioxidant potency, and thermal stability in thermogravimetric analysis (till 286 °C and 204 °C, respectively). However, in storage study, the highest improvement in the half-life of anthocyanins was obtained from the encapsulate with MD and GA (MG, MD:GA=7:3), 5.7 times at 60 °C and 5.8 times at room temperature. Hence, as wall materials for encapsulating grape pomace anthocyanins, W or WM will be suitable for applications involving high temperature, and MG for long-term storage of the grape extract.
The global rise in obesity and metabolic disorders highlights the need for dietary strategies targeting lipid-regulating enzymes. (Poly)phenols are promising candidates due to their ability to influence lipid metabolism and adipogenesis. This study evaluated how processing, storage, and sweetener type affect the phenolic composition, bioaccessibility, and metabolic activity of maqui–citrus beverages. Fresh, pasteurised, and stored formulations were analysed, and their bioaccessible fractions were tested in vitro using 3T3-L1 adipocytes to assess lipoprotein lipase (LPL) inhibition and triglyceride (TG) accumulation. Pasteurisation preserved the main anthocyanins and flavanones, while 30–day storage caused anthocyanin losses of up to 60.0 %, although it significantly improved phenolic bioaccessibility, particularly for hesperidin (>34.0 %). Bioaccessible fractions inhibited LPL activity by 19.0 %–35 .0 % and reduced intracellular TG accumulation by up to 65.0%, depending on processing and formulation. Sweetener type modulated these effects in an endpoint-specific manner. According to the main results, stevia was most efficient in reducing intracellular TG accumulation, whereas both stevia and sucralose preserved high LPL inhibitory activity compared to sucrose. Overall, these findings provide in vitro functional evidence that encourages further investigation of non-caloric sweetened maqui–citrus beverages as potential candidates for functional food development.
This study evaluates the effects of ultrasound modification on the structure, in vitro activities, and gut microbiota-modulating potential of Cassia seed polysaccharide (CSP). The results show that both CSP and its modified product, MCSP, contain mannose as the predominant monosaccharide. Ultrasound treatment markedly reduces the molecular weight of the polysaccharide from approximately 17.5 to 3.4 kDa, while no marked change was observed in the overall FT-IR profile. It also promotes the formation of a looser and more porous hierarchical microstructure in MCSP. Compared with CSP, MCSP shows stronger DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities, greater FRAP reducing power, and higher inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase and α-amylase, whereas its hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity is slightly lower. In vitro fecal fermentation indicates that both polysaccharides modulate the gut microbiota. MCSP exerts stronger effects on Proteobacteria, selected subgroups of Firmicutes, and the genera Escherichia and Klebsiella. Functional prediction indicates that the affected microbial functions are mainly associated with biosynthesis, carbohydrate degradation, and energy metabolism. Overall, ultrasound modification enhances some in vitro bioactivities and the selective microbiota-modulating potential of CSP by reducing its molecular weight and reshaping its microstructure.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum.L) is a widely cultivated dual-purpose crop for forage and grain in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems. Stem structural traits contribute to grain yield stability under terminal heat and drought stress. However, there is limited information regarding the association and potential trade-offs of stem traits with forage productivity and quality. We hypothesized that stem structural traits (diameter and solidness) might influence forage productivity and quality, potentially leading to trade-offs between structural biomass and forage quality (fiber digestibility). Therefore, this study focuses on evaluating a set of twelve advanced wheat lines and two commercial checks for stem diameter, stem solidness, and forage productivity and quality at the milk-dough stage over two seasons under rain-fed conditions. We observed considerable genotypic variation for days to heading (74-132 days), plant height (90 -135 cm), dry matter (DM) yield (992 -1536 g m-2) and forage quality traits [acid detergent fiber (ADF, 35-44%), neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 51-66%), acid detergent lignin (ADL, 4.3-6.1%), DM digestibility (DMd 48h, 66-80%), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFd 48h, 50-64%)]. With the exception of plant height, stem structural traits showed no significant association with forage yield or digestibility. In addition, no trade-offs were detected between stem solidness and diameter and DM yield or digestibility (NDFd). In contrast, crop phenology was the primary driver of forage productivity and quality. Acid detergent fiber, reduced digestibility, confirming its role as key element dictating forage quality. We identified advanced spring wheat lines (YF5H, YF9S, RF27H, and RF28S) that combine higher DM yield, NDFd, and DMd with reduced ADL content. These findings highlight late-heading lines as a promising breeding strategy for enhancing forage productivity without compromising digestibility, while further emphasizing that lignification rather than stem structure per se is the primary constraint limiting forage quality.
Gastrodia elata is a traditional and valuable Chinese medicinal herb that possesses both medicinal and edible properties; its clinical efficacy is significantly influenced by its quality. However, as cultivation expands, the quality of G. elata from different producing areas exhibits considerable variability. Therefore, a systematic evaluation of G. elata from different origins is essential for cultivating high-quality medicinal materials. This study innovatively integrates multi-source active ingredient data with environmental factors and employs a machine learning-SHAP analysis framework to explore the above scientific issues, thereby achieving precise quantification of factor contributions and spatial prediction of quality. The results indicate that the quality of wild G. elata surpasses that of cultivated varieties, with significantly higher levels of gastrodin, 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, and parishin B. Notably, 96% of cultivated G. elata meet the basic requirements outlined in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, although the contents of effective components vary significantly across regions. Among these, 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol emerges as the most significant effective component for distinguishing G. elata from different origins, followed closely by gastrodin. Spatial distribution maps reveal that regions with high concentrations of gastrodin and 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol are predominantly located in the traditionally interconnected areas of eastern Sichuan, northeastern Yunnan, and western Guizhou. Furthermore, SHAP analysis identifies the mean temperature of the coldest quarter as the most critical determinant affecting its quality. This study not only confirms traditional knowledge but also uncovers new patterns, thereby providing important scientific evidence and data support for the standardized cultivation and systematic quality evaluation of G. elata.
