The crop-livestock system is a sustainable agricultural model. Plant microbiomes play essential roles in host fitness and functionality. Here, the responses and functional roles of microorganisms in leaves and fruits were systematically investigated. Endophytic communities remained stable and predominantly beneficial, while epiphytic microorganisms responded more strongly to grass planting and sheep grazing. Grass planting increased the alpha diversity of epiphytic bacteria on leaves, while grazing enhanced the alpha diversity of epiphytic fungi, though both treatments reduced epiphytic bacterial richness on fruits. Grazing enriched potentially beneficial taxa, suppressed potential pathogens, and enhanced the bacterial metabolic potential and symbiotic fungal guilds. Correlations between microbial community variation and grape growth, health, and yield were stronger in leaves than in fruits, more pronounced for epiphytic than endophytic, and greater for bacteria than for fungi. Management simplified fruit and endophytic networks while increasing leaf epiphytic complexity. These findings reveal that microbiome-mediated mechanisms underpin the ecological benefits of integrated management.

Liver diseases remain a global health crisis, with limited safe therapeutic options. Cornus officinalis, a traditional medicinal-edible plant, has demonstrated significant hepatoprotective potential. This review systematically summarizes its liver-protective mechanisms and explores its potential as a functional food. Data were collected from scientific databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and relevant literature. Key bioactive compounds-including iridoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides-contribute to hepatoprotection by mitigating oxidative stress, inflammation, steatosis, apoptosis, and by regulating gut microbiota. As critical quality markers, iridoids exhibit suboptimal bioavailability, necessitating targeted technological interventions-nanoencapsulation for liver-specific delivery and microbial fermentation for controlled aglycone conversion are proposed to enhance their pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity. Future research could adopt encapsulation and fermentation technologies for C. officinalis processing, aiming to develop targeted functional food products with enhanced bioactivity of its active components. This review, for the first time, establishes a "component-pathway-integration" model, providing a theoretical framework for evidence-based CO-derived functional food development and highlighting the need for further research on iridoid metabolic transformation to advance liver health management.

Antarctic krill oil (AKO) is a valuable nutraceutical; however, it is highly susceptible to oxidation. Encapsulation represents an effective strategy to enhance the storage stability of AKO. This study explored a novel approach for encapsulating AKO using sodium alginate (ALG) and gelatin (GLN) to improve its stability, and multiple parameters were systematically evaluated, including oil-loading efficiency, surface oil content, particle size, water activity, and thermal stability. Additionally, core-material retention efficiency, acid value, peroxide value, and anisidine value were measured after accelerated oxidation. The results demonstrated that the optimal encapsulation conditions consisted of an ALG:GLN ratio of 2:1, a 9% CaCl2 coagulation bath, 750 μm nozzle size, followed by freeze-drying. Under these conditions, the microcapsules achieved an oil-loading efficiency of 62.63% and a surface oil content of 19.21%. The water activity of the microcapsules was 0.516. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that AKO microcapsules encapsulated with ALG/GLN exhibited higher thermal stability (~300 °C) compared to those encapsulated with ALG alone (~280 °C). When AKO or its microcapsules were subjected to accelerated oxidation at 65 °C, compared to ALG-encapsulation alone, the ALG/GLN encapsulation system significantly reduced the oxidation indicators of the oil, such as acid value (24%), peroxide value (26%), and anisidine value (28%). In conclusion, incorporating GLN into ALG-based microcapsules significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of AKO and prolonged its shelf life.

In this study, Ganoderma oregonense was used for the solid-state fermentation of germinated black bean (GBB), and the nutritional composition, antioxidant activities, and structural changes of GBB were determined at different fermentation periods. The results showed that G. oregonense fermentation altered the nutritional composition and enhanced the antioxidant activities of GBB. After fermentation, the content of reducing sugar, crude protein, and vitamin E in GBB increased, while the content of soluble protein decreased. The contents of essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids increased by 77.72 % and 62.21 %, respectively, on the 17th day of fermentation. The beta-glucosidase activity and alpha-amylase activity increased significantly to 1454.04 U/ g and 23.24 U/g at 17 d of fermentation, respectively, when the substrate decomposition was maximized. The triterpenoids, flavonoids and total phenols increased 1.12, 1.49 and 3 times, respectively, at 31 d of fermentation. This study lays a foundation for the development of germinated black bean-based functional foods based on G. oregonense fermentation.

This study presents a novel environmentally-friendly process for the selective extraction and enrichment of DHA/EPA-containing phospholipids (PL-DHA/EPA) from krill oil. The methodology leverages differential crystallization behavior between phospholipids and triacylglycerols in ethanolic solutions, exploiting their distinct freezing point thresholds to achieve precise fractionation. Response surface methodology optimization identified optimal extraction parameters: liquid-to-material ratio of 6:1 (v/w), freezing temperature of −20 °C, freezing duration of 25 h, and rotary evaporation temperature of 45 °C, yielding a final product with 39.40% PL-DHA/EPA content. Principal component analysis revealed substantial overlap in confidence ellipses among extraction methodologies, indicating effective preservation of core phospholipid signatures from the parent krill oil while maintaining critical structural characteristics and molecular species distribution. Comprehensive analysis of phospholipid fractions and heatmap analysis revealed distinctive molecular profiles compared to conventional organic solvent extraction, with selective enrichment of EPA-containing phospholipids, particularly PC-EPA and PI-EPA species. The green extraction method demonstrated comparable oxidative stability to conventional approaches, with superior protection against secondary oxidation as evidenced by significantly lower anisidine values. This sustainable approach achieves effective phospholipid enrichment while substantially reducing environmental impact through elimination of halogenated solvents, addressing the critical need for environmentally conscious technologies in marine lipid processing with potential applications in nutraceutical and functional food industries.

The hydrophobicity of glutelin, zein, and carotenoids has limited the development of corn-based functional food products. This paper aims to construct emulsions stabilized by multiple corn-derived components using a simple and organic solvent-free method. The emulsions comprised oil droplets dispersed in the water, where glutelin and starch were stabilizers. Optimal stability, smaller droplet sizes, and moderate viscosity were achieved with a glutelin/starch ratio of 1:4. The results of the dynamic rheological measurements of bulk emulsions as well as interfacial properties and microstructure revealed that the stability mechanism of glutelin-starch complex was the interplay of the increased continuous phase viscosity and stronger interfacial viscoelastic films. Thus, these combined factors effectively inhibited the creaming and coalescence of oil droplets. Interfacial films also protected the carotenoids. The results of this study elucidate the stabilization mechanism among different corn-derived components and therefore guide the design of corn-based personalized nutritional systems.

Carotenoids in plant foods are sources of pro-vitamin A and nutrients with several health benefits, including antioxidant and anticancer activities. However, humans cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo and must obtain them from the diet, typically via plant foods. We review the chemical changes of carotenoids in plant foods from farm to table and nutrition, including nutrient release and degradation during processing and metabolism in vivo. We also describe the influencing factors and proposals corresponding to enhancing the release, retention and utilization of carotenoids, thus benefiting human health. Processing methods influence the release and degradation of carotenoids, and nonthermal processing may optimize processing effects. The carotenoid profile, food matrix, and body status influence the digestion, absorption, and biotransformation of carotenoids in vivo; food design (diet and carotenoid delivery systems) can increase the bioavailability levels of carotenoids in the human body. In this review, the dynamic fate of carotenoids in plant foods is summarized systematically and deeply, focusing on changes in their chemical structure; identifying critical control points and influencing factors to facilitate carotenoid regulation; and suggesting multi-dimensional strategies based on the current state of food processing industries to achieve health benefits for consumers.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BAM) was the primary spoilage bacteria in instant wet noodles (IWNs), so reducing BAM spores was crucial to extending shelf-life. This study proposed a strategy combining spore germination (SG) and lactic acid (LA) treatment for the shelf-life extension of IWNs. In liquid culture medium, L-histidine was an efficient germinant and increased the SG rate 1.05 times. The acid mortality of spores was increased to 83.57% at pH 3.0 while increasing the membrane permeability of the spores. In IWNs, compound germinants (1% L-histidine, 0.5% D-glucose, and 1% sodium chloride) increased the SG rate by 3.61 times. The strategy further increased spore heat death by 34.41%-41.68%, and led to a spore acid-heat death rate of 76.52%-94.03%. This strategy was significantly effective in IWNs processing, extending shelf-life by 3.00-5.50 times, and the pH to 5.5-6.6 for IWNs. Meanwhile, the comprehensive quality of IWNs improved. The strategy has potential applications in the development of IWNs with high quality and a long shelf-life.

乳酸保鲜是即食湿面工业化加工过程中常用的抑菌工艺,降酸处理会导致即食湿面的微生物滋生,为明确低酸性乳酸保鲜即食湿面的优势致腐微生物及其生长特性,该研究以低酸性和酸性乳酸保鲜即食湿面为研究对象,分析其微生物多样性,同时结合传统分离培养方法,通过形态学和分子生物学鉴定获得了乳酸保鲜即食湿面中的降酸致腐优势菌种,同时研究了其生长特性.微生物多样性分析显示,低酸性乳酸保鲜即食湿面中的优势致腐微生物为芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus sp.).通过传统分离鉴定,从低酸性乳酸保鲜即食湿面中分离获得 4 株解淀粉芽孢杆菌(Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)和 1 株耐寒短杆菌(Peribacillus frigoritolerans).解淀粉芽孢杆菌为低酸性乳酸保鲜即食湿面致腐微生物中的优势菌,为非溶血性的兼性好氧菌,最大耐受 pH 值为 4.70,最大耐盐质量分数 12%,100℃热处理 5 min仍有 84.99%～92.71%的芽孢存活.该研究为乳酸保鲜即食湿面产业化降酸工艺改进及防腐保鲜技术开发提供了理论依据.

Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (APS) possess significant biological activities, such as anti-tumor, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. However, there is still a lack of research on the structure-activity relationship of APS. In this paper, two carbohydrate-active enzymes from Bacteroides in living organisms were used to prepare degradation products. The degradation products were divided into APS-A1, APS-G1, APS-G2, and APS-G3 according to molecular weight. Structural analysis showed that all degradation products had an & alpha;-1,4linked glucose backbone, but APS-A1 and APS-G3 also had branched chains of & alpha;-1,6-linked galactose or arabinogalacto-oligosaccharide. In vitro, immunomodulatory activity evaluation results indicated that APS-A1 and APS-G3 had better immunomodulatory activity, while the immunomodulatory activities of APS-G1 and APS-G2 were comparatively weaker. Molecular interaction detection showed that APS-A1 and APS-G3 could bind to toll-like receptors-4 (TLR-4) with a binding constant of 4.6 x 10-5 and 9.4 x 10-6, respectively, while APS-G1 and APS-G2 failed to bind to TLR-4. Therefore, the branched chains of galactose or arabinogalactooligosaccharide played a crucial role in the immunomodulatory activity of APS.

Ellagitannins, the main components of walnut kernel polyphenols, are easily degraded by heating to produce ellagic acid, precursor in the production of urolithins that show multiple physiological functions. To analyze the conversion of ellagitannins to free ellagic acid in walnut kernels during baking, a quantitative method was developed to investigate the ellagic acid content (EAC) in free phenolic acid (FPA), acid-hydrolyzable phenolic acid (AHPA), and bound phenolic acid (BPA) fractions. The results showed that the EAC in FPA reached its maximum (5.17 ± 0.30 mg/g DW) after baking at 165 °C for 30 min, which increased by 99.52% compared with the control. Meanwhile, the content of ellagitannins (ETC) in AHPA and BPA dropped by 89.14% and 26.08%, respectively. It suggested that baking promoted the conversion of ellagitannins in AHPA and BPA to ellagic acid in FPA. Eight ellagitannins were regarded as the main precursors of ellagic acid in walnut kernels.

The production and use of many heavy meal contained materials almost inevitably release cadmium (Cd) into environment, generating Cd pollutants with adverse impacts on food and human health. Developing an effective method for Cd concentration evaluation in food crops could be an effective approach for toxicity prediction and pollution control. Here, we exploited the genotype-to-phenotype relationship of maize kernel Cd accumulation at whole-genome level, and developed genome-wide association study (GWAS) assisted genomic-enabled prediction (GP) models using machine learning and linear statistical methods. In benchmark tests, marker density and training populations were key parameters in determining GP baseline precision. With optimized parameters, three statistical methods, including Bayes A, ridge regression–best linear unbiased prediction (rrBLUP) and random forest (RF), showed the highest prediction accuracy (Bayes A, 0.83; rrBLUP, 0.89; RF, 0.75) with 100 iterations of cross-validation. In field trial, GP models with rrBLUP performed better than Bayes A and RF, with a higher GP accuracy (rMG) and lower mean absolute error value. Integrating GP with GWAS can be implemented as an effective strategy for accurate evaluation of Cd concentration, which could provide useful guidelines for accelerating the selection and breeding cycle of low-Cd food crops and addressing the environmental Cd contamination problem.

This study aimed to investigate the structural characterization, conformational properties, and hepatoprotective activity of corn silk acidic polysaccharide (CSP-50E). CSP-50E with molecular weights of 1.93 × 105 g/mol was composed of Gal, Glc, Rha, Ara, Xyl, Man and uronic acid with a weight ratio of 12:25:1:2:2:5:21. Structural analysis with methylation indicated that CSP-50E mainly contained T-Manp, 4-substituted-D-Galp/GalpA, and 4-substituted-D-Glcp. CSP-50E presented random coils conformation in an aqueous solution based on the analysis of HPSEC. In vitro experiments showed that CSP-50E exhibited significant hepatoprotective effects, CSP-50E reduce IL-6, TNF-α content, and AST, ALT activity to protect ethanol-induced damage liver cells (HL-7702), while the polysaccharide functioned mainly through the caspase cascade and mediate the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. In this study, we describe a novel acidic polysaccharide from corn silk with hepatoprotective activity that facilitates the development and utilization of corn silk resources.

The content of bioactive components is the key to determining the quality of Ganoderma lucidum fermented whole wheat (GW) products, and drying is a necessary link in the initial processing of GW, which will affect the bioactivity and quality of GW. This paper was to assess the effect of hot air drying (AD), freeze drying (FD), vacuum drying (VD) and microwave drying (MVD) on the content of bioactive substances and the characteristics of digestion and absorption of GW. The results showed that FD, VD and AD were beneficial to the retention of unstable substances such as adenosine, polysaccharide and triterpenoid active components in GW, and their contents were 3.84-4.66 times, 2.36-2.83 times and 1.15-1.22 times of MVD, respectively. The bioactive substances in GW were released during digestion. The bioavailability of polysaccharides in the MVD group (419.91 %) was significantly higher than that in the FD, VD and AD groups (68.74 %-78.92 %), but their bioaccessibility (5.66 %) was lower than that in the FD, VD and AD groups (33.41 %-49.69 %). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that VD is more suitable for GW drying due to the comprehensive performance of 3 aspects in terms of active substance retention, bioavailability and sensory quality.

To improve the quality of autoclaved recooked noodles (ARNs), this study explored the effects of precooking on the sensory and tensile properties of ARNs from the perspectives of changes in protein structure and water distribution. The results showed that the ARNs of two kinds of pretreatments (Boiling 2 min, Boiling 1 min + Steaming 2 min) presented the best sensory quality (average score >= 7.50) and high tensile properties (tensile distance >= 45.24 mm). After autoclaving and recooking, the proportion of tightly bound water increased by 11.30%-12.52%, resulting in stronger water-solid interaction. The results of laser confocal microscopy (CLSM) proved that a strengthened gluten network (protein percentage area >= 40.28%; junction density >= 10.96 x 10-4) appeared. Therefore, appropriate precooking treatment could effectively improve the sensory quality and tensile properties of ARNs by enhancing the tightly bound water ratio and strengthening the gluten network.

SummaryThe present study sought to investigate the rheological properties of wheat starch‐gluten (WS‐G) and potato starch‐gluten (PS‐G) model doughs with different gluten fractions to elucidate the effectiveness of using model dough to predict wheat dough properties. The highest linear viscoelastic region, frequency dependence, maximum creep compliance and the lowest viscoelastic modulus and zero shear viscosity were observed in the wheat dough, followed by WS‐G and PS‐G model doughs. PS exerted a more significant damage effect on the gluten network while WS shared a tight integration with gluten protein, forming a more stable dough structure. The viscoelasticity of the model doughs shared a close association with the wheat dough under increased gluten fraction, while the frequency dependence of the model doughs showed no trend towards wheat dough. Therefore, starch‐gluten model dough could not fully stimulate the functionality of wheat dough irrespective of its gluten fraction.

ObjectiveTo provide reference for rational rice consumption and government safety supervision in China， the potential health risk in different populations was evaluated based on the investigation results of Cadmium （Cd） exposure from rice.MethodsCd of 6 249 rice samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）， the Cd pollution level and distribution characteristic in rice were analyzed. Monte-Carlo simulations were employed to estimate the cumulative distribution function of Hazard quotients （HQ） and Cancer-risk index （CR） of Cd exposure from rice to assess the potential health risks of rice consumption.ResultsThe average Cd content in rice samples from four regions， weighted by regional yield， was 0.1661 mg/kg， 25.99% of the overall rice samples and 56.64% of the rice samples from Central China exceeded the national limit. Analysis showed that Cd exposure level from rice in Northeast China was low and there was no carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic health risk. In other regions， the probability range of non-carcinogenic health risk level of HQ>1 was 0.06%~7.12% for adults and 0.15%~11.44% for children， respectively. The probability range of carcinogenic risk level of CR>10-4 was 0.16%~72.55% for adults and 0.26%~77.93% for children， respectively. The potential health risk caused by Cd exposure from rice was highest in Central China.ConclusionThere are high health risks of Cd exposure from rice in part of China， especially in Central China. The exposure risk of Cd from rice to children was higher than that of adults. It’s suggested that more attention should be paid to Cd exposure from rice for the critical areas and children.

建立高效液相色谱(high performance liquid chromatography,HPLC)法测定核桃仁中鞣花酸含量,对比分析不同品种及温185核桃仁不同部位中的鞣花酸含量.确定检测鞣花酸的色谱条件为Phenomenex Synergi Hydro-RP C18色谱柱(4.6 mm×250 mm,4μm)梯度洗脱,检测波长254 nm,柱温:35℃,流速1 mL/min.使用该方法测得山西古县辽河1号、古县绵核桃仁鞣花酸含量分别是(99.26±1.06)、(90.53±4.31)mg/100 g,新疆温185、新2核桃仁鞣花酸含量分别是(51.39±1.72)、(76.46±7.55)mg/100 g;新疆温185核桃仁中约60％鞣花酸来源于种皮,其含量高达(585.93±31.50)mg/100 g种皮,40％来源于脱皮仁,其含量仅为(20.52±0.38)mg/100 g脱皮仁.

This study explored the gelling and structural properties of partially gelatinised potato starch before and after reheating in response to their initial degree of starch gelatinisation (DSG). The retrogradation R and setback of starch increased from 4.18 to 17.14 and 179 to 579 mPa center dot s, respectively, with increasing initial DSG from 56.11% to 90.56%. The starch gel strength increased, whereas the short-range ordered structure decreased as DSG increased without reheating. After reheating, the starch gel strength with relatively low initial DSG (56.11%) was 2.4 times higher than that of native starch and 1.7 times higher than that of starch with high DSG (90.56%). The interspersed starch granules in gels without reheating affected the formation of the network. After reheating, all gel samples formed a honeycomb structure with increased porosity as DSG increased. This could be related to the different degrees of dehydration synthesis of starch with different DSGs during retrogradation.

近年来,植物基干酪受到广泛关注.以玉米醇溶蛋白、水和椰子油为原料,干酪的功能特性(拉伸性、熔化性、油脂析出性)为评价指标,经单因素和正交试验确定玉米醇溶蛋白基马苏里拉干酪的最佳配比为玉米醇溶蛋白:水:椰子油=3:3:2(质量比).最佳配方所得玉米醇溶蛋白基马苏里拉干酪的拉伸性、熔化性分别为市售天然马苏里拉干酪和市售植物基马苏里拉干酪的1.4、10.8倍和1.8、1.4倍.硬度、黏着性、弹性与市售天然马苏里拉干酪相近.试验所得玉米醇溶蛋白基马苏里拉干酪有良好的功能特性和质构特性,具有广阔的市场应用前景.