As biostimulants have become a strategic tool for sustainable crop production in the face of changing environmental conditions, there is a continual demand for the development of innovative and more effective formulations. A novel approach that utilizes plasma treatment to enhance the extraction process in biostimulant production has recently emerged. This study investigated the plant-based biostimulant (prepared from horsetail, dog rose, and soapwort) and the potential of using gliding arc cold plasma (GA) and low-pressure microwave (MW) discharges to improve its efficacy. The experiment evaluated the effects of untreated versus plasma-treated biostimulants on soybean plant growth and vitality while elucidating their mechanisms. The results revealed that biostimulant application had a positive effect (p < 0.05) on different microbial groups in the soil. The treated plants presented greater root length and biomass (p < 0.05) as well as increased shoot height (p < 0.05). Generally, treatment with biostimulants increased lignification, as reflected by higher acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) fractions, as well as elevated peroxide levels, total isoflavone content, and antioxidant potential of plants measured by DPPH and ABTS assays. All biostimulants strongly upregulated the pathogenesis-related protein genes CHIA1 (encoding chitinase A1) and GLU (encoding β-1,3-glucanase) in the leaves of soybean plants. Elevated expression of selected genes related to jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling, cellular detoxification, and redox homeostasis was also observed. Overall, all the tested biostimulant variants improved the growth parameters of the soybean plants. Biostimulant application triggered complex defence responses involving changes in gene expression, antioxidant potential, secondary metabolite levels, and cell wall composition. The formulation generated by GA outperformed the other tested variants (MW discharge and untreated biostimulants), highlighting the potential of this technology to enhance biostimulant efficacy.

Black garlic (BG) is a functional food derived from fresh garlic (FG) that has a significant antioxidant activity (AOA). Little is known about the influence of FG composition on the antioxidant properties of BG. Therefore, we used seven different FG cultivars to produce BG, and monitored changes in basic composition, metabolomic profile and AOA. We found that different cultivars and the ageing process significantly impacted most of the markers. On average, 27 markers were upregulated, 21 downregulated, and 26 remained unchanged or changed to a lesser degree. Correlation study revealed that fructosyl-arginine positively associates with AOA of BG (r = 0.8, p < 0.05 for ABTS). Moreover, fructosyl-arginine in BG correlates with protein content (r = 0.79, p < 0.05). Thus, crude protein content in FG may serve as a practical predictor of the AOA of BG under the tested conditions. This study presents a deeper understanding of tailoring the BG biological potential.

Fruit wines have become a popular alternative to grape wines for their variability of sensory properties and unique chemical profiles, offering interesting biological activities. Winemaking also utilizes fruits, which are usually sensitive to biological deterioration, thus reducing post-harvest losses. The quality of wines depends on the fermentation conditions, including the wine yeast selection. In this study, we observed the effect of three common Saccharomyces wine yeast strains on the physicochemical characteristics (color, pH, ethanol content), antioxidant potential (total polyphenol content—TPC, DPPH, and ABTS antioxidant assays), and sensory properties and their relations within plum, apple, and hawthorn wines. Generally, we observed quite-wide ranges in physicochemical properties (pH: 2.8–3.8, ethanol content: 9.0–16.2%) and antioxidant potential parameters (TPC: 0.5–2.4 mg/GAE, DPPH: 0.3–1.4 mg/AAE, 0.5–3.0 mg/AAE), which were affected by the fruit, yeast, and sampling term. The yeast strain significantly affected physicochemical properties and the antioxidant potential on a minor scale. The highest impact of yeast was observed within sensory analyses, where the hawthorn and apple wines fermented by yeast strain Fruit Red exhibited a different sensory profile than those fermented by the Buket and Special strains. A positive correlation between antioxidant potential parameters and their relationship with wine color was confirmed. Moreover, the overall acceptability grew with sweet taste intensity, and panelists preferred wines with lower ethanol content. In general, this study proved the significant impact of wine yeast strain selection on certain qualitative parameters of fruit wines.

2,5-Diketopiperazines (2,5-DKPs), naturally occurring in food and beverages, have demonstrated notable antimicrobial properties. However, their synergism with other secondary metabolites in real food matrices remains largely unexplored. In our study, a group of microbially produced 2,5-DKPs, including proline-based dilactams (Pro-DKPs), was synthesized and evaluated for their efficacy against common foodborne pathogens: CCM 4516, CCM 4517, CCM 1961, DBM 4062, CCM 8189, and DMF 0109. We also investigated the impact of the polarity of 2,5-DKPs on their antimicrobial effect. Among the four synthesized 2,5-DKPs, cyclo-(l-Leu-l-Pro) (Pro-DKP-1) inhibited the growth of DMF 0109 by up to 83%, as determined using the poisoned plate method. Further experiments investigated the synergistic effects of Pro-DKPs in combination with lactic acid at food-relevant concentrations. The addition of lactic acid considerably enhanced the antimicrobial activity of all three Pro-DKPs, with inhibitions reaching up to 99% against DMF 0109. Our findings suggest that employing commercial starter cultures capable of producing 2,5-DKPs, including Pro-DKPs, may offer a promising strategy for extending the shelf life of food products and beverages.

BACKGROUND:The specific structure of low-processed foods places unique demands on technological processes. The study examines an alternative protocol to preserve the quality of shredded radish during cold storage - applying pre-storage treatments with the probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (SP) alone or in combination with the prebiotic inulin (SPI). RESULTS:Shredded radish samples were soaked in the functional solutions and, after cold storage, were further tested in terms of colour changes, microbiological quality, nutritional value and antioxidant properties. The treatments not only improve microbiological safety and enhance colour stability but also maintain nutritional value without any adverse effects. The SPI-treated samples showed a 56% reduction in coliforms compared to the control and were rich in probiotics (6.74 log10CFU g-1). Both treatments reduced browning, which was especially visible in the SPI samples (40%). Compared to fresh samples, the application of SPI significantly increased the levels of glucoraphenin (2.19-fold), glucobrassicin (2.48-fold), gluconapoleiferin 1 and 2 isomers (2.97- and 2.17-fold) and oxodihydroxyoctadecenoic acid (29-fold). These changes were reflected in the improved antioxidant properties, including reducing, antiradical and lipid-protecting capacities. Treatments slightly decreased starch and protein content but without any negative impact on digestibility. CONCLUSION:The results confirm that the pre-storage treatments described may be an alternative to traditional preservation methods and are practical tools for extending the shelf life and overall quality of shredded radish. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Piper nigrum L. (pepper), a member of the Piperaceae family, is among the most widely used spices worldwide. The essential oil and oleoresin extracted from pepper contain numerous bioactive compounds, such as piperine, β-caryophyllene, sabinene, β-pinene, and limonene. These compounds contribute to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticancer activities of pepper extracts. Recent studies have focused on the application of pepper extracts in encapsulation technology. The bioactive compounds in pepper extracts can be encapsulated using various methods such as coacervation, nanoemulsion, polymer-based and lipid-based and hybrid systems encapsulation, and cyclodextrin inclusion, producing micro- or nano-sized particles. This encapsulation enhances the stability and bioactivity of the compounds and allows controlled release during subsequent applications. Additionally, micro- and nano-capsules provide effective protection during food processing as well as oral and gastric digestion, opening promising prospects for their use as food preservatives and functional ingredients.

Oilseed cakes left after the oil extraction are mainly used as feed or compost amendment, but this is a waste of potential for the production of protein-rich flour. Similarly, milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertner) is mainly used as an oilseed crop and pharmaceutical herb, but the seeds are also rich in protein. Here, milk thistle oilseed cakes of Tevasil and Tevadian cultivars were defatted and fractionated by sieving in flours below and above 250 mu m and were used for the preparation of protein extract and concentrate using alkali extraction and acid precipitation. The obtained products were analysed for their composition, nutritional and functional characteristics. The highest protein content was found in defatted flours sieved below 250 mu m, reaching 38.76 and 44.92% of dry matter (DM) for Tevasil and Tevadian, respectively. In the fraction of the flour above 250 mu m, there was an accumulation of fiber and substances with antioxidant potential, including silymarin complex. In the above 250 mu m fraction, antioxidant activity (using ABTS radical) reached 88.3 and 88.5 mg AAE g- 1, and silymarin content was 66.12 and 68.82 mg g- 1 of DM for Tevasil and Tevadian, respectively. A final product with a protein of up to 96% and protein solubility of up to 89% was obtained similarly for both cultivars, combining alkali extraction and acid precipitation.

Plant biostimulants constitute a promising environmentally friendly alternative for increasing crop yield and tolerance to unfavorable conditions. Among various types of such formulations, botanical extracts are gaining more recognition as products supporting plant performance. Moreover, novel tools such as cold-plasma or low-pressure microwave plasma discharge are being proposed as techniques that might improve their efficacy. Elucidation of the biostimulant’s mode of action requires complex research at a molecular level. Transcriptional changes occurring after biostimulant spraying might be investigated using RT-qPCR. However, this technique requires data normalization against stable endogenous controls. Here, we tested the expression stability of ten candidate genes in soybean plants exposed to various biostimulants treatment. Selection of the best-performing reference genes was conducted using four algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt method). According to the obtained results, Bic-C2 (RNA-binding protein Bicaudal-C) and CYP (cyclophilin type peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase) showed highest expression stability, while expression of EF1B (elongation factor 1-beta) fluctuated the most among a tested set of candidate genes. Overall, we recommend using Bic-C2 together with CYP for the RT-qPCR data normalization in soybean biostimulation experiments. To our best knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study of reference genes stability in plants subjected to biostimulant treatment. The results of this study will aid in further biostimulant research in crop plants, facilitating analyses performed on the transcriptional level.

In recent years, it has been realized that agriculture has become one of the economic sectors with a huge impact on the environment. Therefore, measures have been taken to reduce the negative impact of agricultural production on the environment. The use of biostimulants in agriculture, especially of plant origin, is part of this trend. However, obtaining suitable formulation of biostimulants requires the development of appropriate technologies for their production. Therefore, it was undertaken to investigate the possibility of using gliding arc cold plasma (GA) and low-pressure microwave (MW) discharges to produce water plant extracts with biostimulating potential. An increase in total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity was observed, indicating the high potential of using low-pressure microwave discharge to produce effective plant biostimulants. Also, low-pressure microwave discharge improved the extraction of elements such as Ca, K and Fe.

Linseed represents a rich source of nutritional, functional and health-beneficial compounds. Nevertheless, the chemical composition and content of bioactive compounds may be quite variable and potentially affected by various factors, including genotype and the environment. In this study, the proximate chemical composition, lignans content and antioxidant potential of six experimentally grown linseed cultivars were assessed and compared. A diagonal cultivation trial in the University of South Bohemia Experimental Station in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, was established in three subsequent growing seasons (2018, 2019 and 2020). The results showed that the cultivar and growing conditions influenced most studied parameters. The lack of precipitation in May and June 2019 negatively affected the seed yield and the level of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside but did not decrease the crude protein content, which was negatively related to the oil content. The newly developed method for lignans analysis allowed the identification and quantification of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside and matairesinol. Their content correlated positively with the total polyphenol content and antioxidant assays (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity), indicating the significant contribution to the biofunctional properties of linseed. On the other hand, we did not detect minor linseed lignans, pinoresinol and lariciresinol. The results of this study showed the importance of cultivar and growing conditions factors on the linseed chemical composition and the lignans content, determining its nutritional and medicinal properties.

The research is focused on the quantitative evaluation of the flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) proteome at the level of seed cake (SC), fine flour—sieved a fraction below 250 µm (FF)—and protein concentrate (PC). The evaluation was performed on three oilseed flax cultivars (Agriol, Raciol, and Libra) with different levels of α-linolenic acid content using LC-MS/MS (shotgun proteomics) analysis, which was finalized by database searching using the NCBI protein database for Linum usitatissimum and related species. A total of 2560 protein groups (PGs) were identified, and their relative abundance was calculated. A set of 33 quantitatively most significant PGs was selected for further characterization. The selected PGs were divided into four classes—seed storage proteins (11S globulins and conlinins), oleosins, defense- and stress-related proteins, and other major proteins (mainly including enzymes). Seed storage proteins were found to be the most abundant proteins. Specifically, 11S globulins accounted for 41–44% of SC proteins, 40–46% of FF proteins, and 72–84% of PC proteins, depending on the cultivar. Conlinins (2S albumins) were the most abundant in FF, ranging from 10 to 13% (depending on cultivar). The second most important class from the point of relative abundance was oleosins, which were represented in SC and FF in the range of 2.1–3.8%, but only 0.36–1.20% in PC. Surprisingly, a relatively high abundance of chitinase was found in flax products as a protein related to defence and stress reactions.

Summary Flaxseed mucilage (FM) is a hydrocolloid heteropolysaccharide comprised of a variable ratio of neutral and acidic monosaccharides. It possesses emulsifying, thickening, gelling and water−/oil‐binding properties. Due to these properties, it is highly applicable in foods as a functional agent to improve their physical and sensory parameters, thus representing an alternative to common plant gums. The most recent research is focused on the potential of FM for food treatments as a functional component. FM is usable in coatings and films. Combining with chitosan, bioactive proteins and peptides, or other compounds improves the quality of food products. FM may serve as a structural agent of novel gel materials, like oleogels, cryogels and aerogels. It can also be utilised within dietary applications to encapsulate living probiotics or bioactive compounds or serve as a prebiotic agent. Complexing of FM with proteins can lead to the improvement of their functional properties. The versatility of FM and unique properties, on the other hand, reveal its potential for further study and predetermine its use in a broad range of food and related applications in the future.

Lignocellulose biomass has recently been considered a cost-effective and renewable energy source within circular economy management. Cellulases are important key enzymes for simple, fast, and clean biomass decomposition. The intestinal tract of millipedes is the environment which can provide promising microbial strains with cellulolytic potential. In the present study, we used the tropical millipede Telodeinopus aoutii as an experimental organism. Within a feeding test in which millipedes were fed with oak and maple leaf litter, we focused on isolating culturable cellulolytic microbiota from the millipede gut. Several growth media selecting for actinobacteria, bacteria, and fungi have been used to cultivate microbial strains with cellulolytic activities. Our results showed that oak-fed millipedes provided a higher number of culturable bacteria and a more diversified microbial community than maple-fed ones. The screening for cellulolytic activity using Congo red revealed that about 30

As a source of nutritionally important components, hemp seeds are often dehulled for consumption and food applications by removing the hard hulls, which increases their nutritional value. The hulls thus become waste, although they may contain valuable protein items, about which there is a lack of information. The present work is therefore aimed at evaluating the proteome of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) at the whole-seed, dehulled seed, and hull levels. The evaluation was performed on two cultivars, Santhica 27 and Uso-31, using LC-MS/MS analysis. In total, 2833 protein groups (PGs) were identified, and their relative abundances were determined. A set of 88 PGs whose abundance exceeded 1000 ppm (MP88 set) was considered for further evaluation. The PGs of the MP88 set were divided into ten protein classes. Seed storage proteins were found to be the most abundant protein class: the averages of the cultivars were 65.5%, 71.3%, and 57.5% for whole seeds, dehulled seeds, and hulls, respectively. In particular, 11S globulins representing edestin (three PGs) were found, followed by 7S vicilin-like proteins (four PGs) and 2S albumins (two PGs). The storage 11S globulins in Santhica 27 and Uso-31 were found to have a higher relative abundance in the dehulled seed proteome (summing to 58.6 and 63.2%) than in the hull proteome (50.5 and 54%), respectively. The second most abundant class of proteins was oleosins, which are part of oil-body membranes. PGs belonging to metabolic proteins (e.g., energy metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism, and protein synthesis) and proteins related to the defence and stress responses were more abundant in the hulls than in the dehulled seeds. The hulls can, therefore, be an essential source of proteins, especially for medical and biotechnological applications. Proteomic analysis has proven to be a valuable tool for studying differences in the relative abundance of proteins between dehulled hemp seeds and their hulls among different cultivars.

The utilization of plant by-products as functional food ingredients has received increasing attention in the last decade. One such by-product generated during milk thistle oil pressing is oilseed cakes, which could be used as a novel food ingredient. Therefore, the study aimed at investigating the effects of the addition of milk thistle oilseed cake (MTOC) flour fractions obtained via dry sieving, differing in particle size (unsieved; coarse: >710 µm; medium: 315–710 µm; and fine: <315 µm), on the quality of gluten-free bread and stability of silymarin during breadmaking. The 10% addition of the fractions into gluten-free bread increased the protein, fibre, fat, ash and silymarin content. The breads with the coarse fraction had the highest content of fibre, whereas the breads with the fine fraction excelled in protein, fat and ash content. The medium fraction was characterized as the richest source of silymarin, whilst the fine fraction was the poorest. Silymarin constituents were slightly released during dough rising but also partially decomposed during baking; moreover, silydianin was the most susceptible and degraded the most. The enriched breads had better sensory and textural properties compared to the control bread. The results suggest that MTOC flour fractions can improve the potential health benefits and nutritional profile of gluten-free bread.

Invertebrate–microbial associations are widespread in the biosphere and are often related to the function of novel genes, fitness advantages, and even speciation events. Despite ~ 13,000 species of millipedes identified across the world, millipedes and their gut microbiota are markedly understudied compared to other arthropods. Exploring the contribution of individual host-associated microbes is often challenging as many are uncultivable. In this study, we conducted metatranscriptomic profiling of different body segments of a millipede at the holobiont level. This is the first reported transcriptome assembly of a tropical millipede Telodeinopus aoutii (Demange, 1971), as well as the first study on any Myriapoda holobiont. High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed that Telodeinopus aoutii contained > 90% of the core Arthropoda genes. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Euryarchaeota represented dominant and functionally active phyla in the millipede gut, among which 97% of Bacteroidetes and 98% of Firmicutes were present exclusively in the hindgut. A total of 37,831 predicted protein-coding genes of millipede holobiont belonged to six enzyme classes. Around 35% of these proteins were produced by microbiota in the hindgut and 21% by the host in the midgut. Our results indicated that although major metabolic pathways operate at the holobiont level, the involvement of some host and microbial genes are mutually exclusive and microbes predominantly contribute to essential amino acid biosynthesis, short-chain fatty acid metabolism, and fermentation.

As important decomposers of soil organic matter, millipedes contribute to lignocellulose decomposition and nutrient cycling. The degradation of lignocellulose requires the action of several carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and, in most invertebrates, depends on the activity of mutualistic gut microorganisms. To address the question of the importance of the microbiota and endogenous (host) enzymes in digestive processes in millipedes, we analyzed metatranscriptomic data from the tropical millipede Telodeinopus aoutii at the holobiont level. Functional annotation included identification of expressed CAZymes (CAZy families and EC terms) in the host and its intestinal microbiota, foregut, midgut, and hindgut, compared to non-intestinal tissues. Most of the 175 CAZy families were expressed exclusively in the gut microbiota and more than 50% of these microbial families were expressed exclusively in the hindgut. The greatest diversity of expressed endogenous CAZymes from all gut sections was found in the midgut (77 families). Bacteria were the major microbial producers of CAZymes, Proteobacteria dominating in the midgut and Bacteriodetes with Firmicutes in the hindgut. The contribution of the eukaryotic microbiota to CAZymes production was negligible. Functional classification of expressed CAZy families confirmed a broad functional spectrum of CAZymes potentially expressed in the holobiont. Degradation of lignocellulose in the digestive tract of the millipede T. aoutii depends largely on bacterial enzymes expressed in the hindgut. Endogenous cellulases were not detected, except for the potentially cellulolytic family AA15, but an expression of cellulolytic enzymes of this family was not confirmed at the EC-number level. The midgut had the greatest diversity of expressed endogenous CAZymes, mainly amylases, indicating the importance of digesting α-glucosidases for the millipede. In contrast, bacterial lignocellulolytic enzymes are sparsely expressed here. The hindgut was the hotspot of microbial degradation of cellulose and hemicellulases. The gain of the millipede from the microbial lignocellulose degradation in the gut, and consequently the mutualistic status of the relationship between the millipede and its cellulolytic gut bacteria, depends on the ability of the millipede to take up microbial metabolites as nutrients through the hindgut wall. Enzymes expressed in the intestine can degrade all components of lignocellulose except lignin. Assuming that soil microbiota is partially degraded lignin in the millipede diet, T. aoutii can be considered a decomposer of soil organic matter relying primarily on its gut bacteria. The deposition of millipede fecal pellets containing an organic matter modified by the hindgut bacterial community could be of ecological significance.

Flaxseed is an excellent source of valuable nutrients and is also considered a functional food. There are two types of hydrocolloids in flaxseed: flaxseed gum and proteins. Flaxseed gum exhibits emulsifying and foaming activities or can be used as a thickening and gelling agent. Due to its form of soluble fiber, flaxseed gum is related to many health benefits. Flaxseed proteins have various functional properties based on their physicochemical properties. While albumins possess the emulsion-forming ability, globulins better serve as foaming agents. Flaxseed proteins may also serve as a source of functional peptides with interesting biological and health-related activities. Functional properties and health-related benefits predetermine the application of these hydrocolloids, mainly in the food industry or medicine. Although these properties of flaxseed hydrocolloids have been recently and extensively studied, they are still not widely used on the industrial scale compared to other popular plant gums and proteins. The aim of this review was to present, discuss and highlight the recent discoveries in the structural characteristics and functional and biological properties of these versatile hydrocolloids with respect to factors affecting their characteristics and offer new insights into their potential applications as comparable alternatives to the other natural hydrocolloids or as the sources of novel functional products.

Streptomyces sp. TR1341 was isolated from the sputum of a man with a history of lung and kidney tuberculosis, recurrent respiratory infections, and COPD. It produces secondary metabolites associated with cytotoxicity and immune response modulation. In this study, we complement our previous results by identifying the genetic features associated with the production of these secondary metabolites and other characteristics that could benefit the strain during its colonization of human tissues (virulence factors, modification of the host immune response, or the production of siderophores). We performed a comparative phylogenetic analysis to identify the genetic features that are shared by environmental isolates and human respiratory pathogens. The results showed a high genomic similarity of Streptomyces sp. TR1341 to the plant-associated Streptomyces sp. endophyte_N2, inferring a soil origin of the strain. Putative virulence genes, such as mammalian cell entry (mce) genes were not detected in the TR1341’s genome. The presence of a type VII secretion system, distinct from the ones found in Mycobacterium species, suggests a different colonization strategy than the one used by other actinomycete lung pathogens. We identified a higher diversity of genes related to iron acquisition and demonstrated that the strain produces ferrioxamine B in vitro. These results indicate that TR1341 may have an advantage in colonizing environments that are low in iron, such as human tissue.