Fresh channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) exhibit heightened susceptibility to microbial contamination, leading to an extremely limited shelf life. Consequently, this study evaluated the synergistic effects of high-voltage electric field (HVEF) treatment combined with Lotus seedpod procyanidins (LSPC) on microbial community dynamics and quality retention of fish fillets during refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C. The results showed that the combination of HVEF and LSPC significantly delayed quality deterioration of the fillets during storage. Specifically, compared to the control group (CK), the levels of drip loss and total volatile basic nitrogen were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) by 33.34 %, and 37.28 %, respectively, on day 12. Additionally, the combined treatment inhibited the accumulation of biogenic amines and prevented texture softening in the fillets. Microbial counts in the combined treatment group also decreased by 2.01 lg CFU/g on day 8 compared to the CK group. High throughput sequencing analysis further showed that HVEF combined with LSPC effectively suppressed the growth of spoilage bacteria such as Pseudomonas and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae. Based on these findings, the combination of HVEF and LSPC extended the shelf life of channel catfish fillets by 4 days, suggesting that this combined treatment could be an effective method for prolonging the shelf life of fresh fish fillets.

The fermentation of gut microbiota represents a critical metabolic pathway for lactose-intolerant individuals to process dietary lactose. Using an in vitro fermentation model with patient-derived fecal samples, this study innovatively employed highland barley water-soluble β-glucan (WHBG) as an intervention to modulate lactose metabolism. After 48 h of fermentation, supplementing with WHBG increased lactose consumption in the fermentation broth by 44.48%. Notably, the additional WHBG significantly enriched Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium, with Bifidobacterium relative abundance doubling. Among the dominant microbiota, Bifidobacterium showed the strongest positive correlation with lactase activity (R = 0.943) and lactate production (R = 0.829), as well as the strongest negative correlation with lactose content (R = -0.913). These findings suggested that WHBG was degraded to indirectly enrich Bifidobacterium, thereby enhancing lactose consumption, as WHBG alone (without lactose) failed to stimulate Bifidobacterium proliferation effectively. Metabolomics analysis revealed that WHBG supplementation substantially elevated concentrations of 4-aminobutyric acid, L-phenylalanine, N-palmitoyl arginine, and γ-linolenic acid, with amino acid metabolism emerging as the most activated pathway. Parabacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Haemophilus exhibited the most influence on amino acid and short-chain fatty acid metabolism. Our investigation provided a theoretical foundation for developing prebiotic-based food for lactase-intolerant patients.

Lactose intolerance affects over 70% of the global population due to the untimely metabolism of lactose in the colon. To accelerate lactose metabolism, we innovatively employed highland barley polysaccharides (HBP) to modulate the colonic fermentation efficiency of lactose using an in vitro fermentation model and fecal samples from lactose intolerant patients. With the addition of HBP, the consumption efficiency of lactose began to increase after 6 h of fermentation. At 48 h, lactose consumption increased by 29%, surpassing the effect of commercial prebiotics. Meanwhile, HBP with lower molecular weight (HBP-L, 8.69 × 104 g/Mol) exhibited more effective impacts than HBP with high molecular weight (HBP-H, 1.22 × 105 g/Mol), which was particularly evident during the 12-48 h of fermentation. More importantly, HBP, particularly HBP-L, substantially enriched Segatella, Bifidobacterium, and Ligilactobacillus in a time-dependent manner and was positively correlated with decreased lactose levels and elevated bacterial lactase activity, resulting in significant conversion of lactose to lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids. During the first 12 h of fermentation, HBP-L underwent more significant degradation than HBP-H. Meanwhile, the xylose residues and Glcp glycosidic bonds in HBP-L were preferentially utilized, while it was glucose residue in HBP-H. Thus, it indicated that HBPs were degraded and altered the composition of the gut microbiota, thereby enhancing the fermentation efficiency of lactose. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for developing targeted prebiotic foods to manage lactose intolerance.

Innovative non-thermal treatments, such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) pretreatment, have proven effective in enhancing the release of bioactive peptides from animal proteins, particularly angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides. This study applied HHP at 200 MPa for 5 min, significantly disrupting protein structures and increasing enzyme cleavage sites, leading to enhanced protein-enzyme interactions. Under these conditions, ACE inhibitory activity increased by 59.5 % compared to untreated samples. Peptidomics analysis revealed a notable rise in peptide abundance, primarily in peptides under 3 kDa, while molecular weight distributions remained stable, indicating improved enzymatic efficiency. A total of 9632 peptides were identified, with peptide SFSQYPPLGRF demonstrating the highest ACE inhibitory potential through molecular docking. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that HHP treatment impacts proteins involved in metabolic pathways and energy production, promoting enzymatic hydrolysis and the release of bioactive peptides. Industrial relevance: This study highlights the potential of HHP pretreatment as a scalable, non-thermal processing method for enhancing the production of ACE inhibitory peptides. The significant increase in peptide abundance and bioactivity underscores its industrial applicability in functional food and nutraceutical development. The approach aligns with growing consumer demand for natural, health-promoting ingredients and offers a sustainable, efficient solution for peptide production.

This study evaluated the effects of the combined treatment of high pressure homogenization (HPH) and pectinase (pectin methylesterase, PME, and polygalacturonase, PG) on bioaccessibility of carotenoids (BAC) of mango juice. The concentration and structure of water-soluble pectin (WSP) in mango juice were modified by HPH combined with/without pectinase. In addition, WSP improved the solubility or dispersibility of carotenoids in the aqueous phase, and HG backbone and methoxyl groups of WSP play important roles. Compared with the control, the BACs were increased by 32.91 % and 41.94 % with HPH (100 MPa) and HPH (100 MPa) + PME, respectively, while decreased by 8.79 % with HPH (100 MPa) + PME + PG. The BAC showed positive binomial correlations with WSP concentration, and upwards binomial correlations with the branching degree of RG-I. Results highlighted the potential of HPH combined with pectinase treatment to regulate the BAC of mango juice by modifying the concentration and structure of WSP.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) were applied to mango juice to explore their effects on gastric retention rate (G-CRR), bioaccessibility (BAC) of total and individual carotenoids, and the corresponding mechanisms from macroscopic to microscopic scales. Compared to the control, both HHP and HPH at 50 MPa had no significant effect on BAC and G-CRR, whereas HPH at 100 MPa significantly increased BAC by 44.33% and G-CRR by 11.84%. Further HHP treatments (particularly at 400 MPa) on the 100 MPa-HPH-pretreated samples significantly increased BAC by 71.37% and G-CRR by 24.24%. Violaxanthins/esters were less stable than carotenes in the stomach, resulting in lower bioaccessibility of violaxanthins/esters. G-CRR and BAC were negatively correlated with the viscosity and particle size of juice, whereas they were positively correlated with the solubility/dispersibility of carotenoids. In addition, pectin-carotenoid interactions may also be an important factor affecting the digestive fate of carotenoids in juice.Industrial relevance: High pressure processing (High hydrostatic pressure, HHP, and high pressure homogeniza-tion, HPH) is a non-thermal technique and its effect on the bioaccessibility of carotenoids in fruits and vegetables have attracted attention from researchers. Our research found that HPH and HHP combined treatment could decrease the particle size of mango juice, and increase the viscosity and turbidity as well as the bioaccessibility of carotenoids therein. This technology can be used to preserve the physical stability of mango juice and improve the nutritional value.

The ACE inhibitory peptides have been characterized from the enzymatic digestion product of bighead carp protein and bioconjugated with graphene oxide (GO) to enhance its activity. The results showed that aspartic acid and glutamic acid had the highest levels in ultrafiltration fractions (<5 kDa), where eight potential ACE inhibitory peptides were also identified (ADSNHKAF, KLWHHTF, LLRLHF, PPSEPTKL, VEKFPLF, YLRLHF, YYKLKPLL, YYKLKPML). Among the eight peptides, YLRLHF showed the best ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 = 121.90 mu M) and was a competitive inhibitor. Molecular docking experiments showed that YLRLHF formed four hydrogen bond interactions in the ACE protein pocket, coordination bonding with Zn2+, and 7C-7C conjugation interactions to His421. GO elevated the ACE inhibitory activity of YLRLHF (at 0.1 mg/mL) from 43.36% to 51.72%. The structural characterization results obtained from FI-IR, XPS, SEM, and TEM demonstrated the successful combination of GO and YLRLHF. Additionally, biocouples of ACE inhibitory peptides from bighead carp proteins with GO might be potential candidates for future functional foods and antihypertensive drugs.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (300/400/500 MPa for 5 min) and high pressure homogenization (HPH) (50/ 100 MPa for 1 pass) were applied to mango beverage to explore their effects on water soluble pectin (WSP) and bioaccessibility of total carotenoids (BAC), and the relationship between BAC and modified WSP. Compared to untreated sample, HPH at 50 and 100 MPa combined with/without HHP pronouncedly increased the WSP and galacturonic acid (GalA) concentrations in mango beverage and the molecular weight (Mw) of WSP, decreased the degree of methylesterification (DM) of WSP, and affected other structural indicators of WSP to various extent, while alone HHP slightly increased the GalA concentration in mango beverage and the Mw of WSP. These changes induced by high pressure processing were mainly due to mechanical release and solubilization of the pectin embedded in cell wall with higher Mw, shorter/fewer side chains, and lower DM. HPH had more pro-nounced effects on WSP than HHP due to stronger mechanical force. Compared to untreated sample, HPH at 50 MPa and HHP had no significant effect on BAC, while HPH at 100 MPa significantly increased the BAC by 32.22% and HPH (100 MPa) +HHP increased the BAC by 38.65%-76.32%. The BAC showed positive binomial correlations with GalA and WSP, and upwards binomial correlations with the Mw of WSP and viscosity of mango beverage. Moreover, a statistical negative correlation was found between the BAC and DM. Results highlighted the potential of high pressure processing to regulate the BAC by modifying WSP and affecting WSP-carotenoids interactions.

Cell wall material was isolated from selected non-aged and aged Red haricot bean cotyledons using a texture -based classification approach. Pectin-depleted residual cell wall fractions were obtained by sequential pectin extraction and were characterized to investigate in situ cell wall related molecular changes upon ageing during adverse storage of the beans. Particularly, involvement of phenolic compounds in cell wall strengthening during the ageing process, resulting in the hard-to-cook defect, was evaluated. Results show that ageing induces sub-stantial changes at a cell-wall-structural level in the Aged sample compared to the Non-aged sample, with mainly vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde covalently bound with sugar side-chains of pectin and/or involved in lignification-like mechanisms. FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis reveals that lignin-like phenolic-cell wall polymers, which are known to reinforce cell wall structure, are present in the cell wall polysaccharide network of the Aged sample, and are therefore contributing factors to the hard-to-cook development during Red haricot bean ageing.

To extend the applications of glutinous rice bran, a by-product of the glutinous rice processing industry, soluble dietary fibers (SDF) isolated from Chinese white (WSDF) and black (BSDF) glutinous rice bran were compared for their structures, physicochemical properties, and hypoglycemic activities in this study. Results showed that BSDF had higher glucose content while lower rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, and mannose contents, similar molecular weight, and a particular presence of anthocyanin compared to WSDF. Owing to the smaller particle size, higher viscosity, and more abundant network structures, BSDF had higher glucose adsorption capacity and retarding glucose diffusion ability than WSDF. The evaluations in vitro kinetics showed that addition of BSDF in starch led to a smaller glucose absorption rate constant and expected glucose index than WSDF, although BSDF showed lower α-amylase inhibitory ability. Interactions between the SDF and α-amylase, which were mediated by van der Waals force and hydrogen bond (WSDF-α-amylase) and hydrophobic interaction (BSDF-α-amylase), induced partial transformation of α-amylase from α-helix and β-sheet to β-turn and random coil. In summary, both WSDF and BSDF could be used as natural food additives for the reduction of postprandial blood glucose level and the enhancement of antioxidant activity in food products, while BSDF may show better efficacy.

The impacts of four treatments ultra-high hydrostatic pressure (UHP), high pressure homogenization (HPH), combined UHP + HPH (U-H), and HPH +UHP (H-U) on bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) myofibrillar protein (BMP) structure, functional hydrolysis property to pepsin, and antioxidant activity of hydrolysates were investigated. All treatments led to increase in low-molecular-weight BMP, the BMP stability, and hydrophobic group exposure, but decrease in total sulfhydryl content and BMP particle size, thus resulting in increased hydrolysis and antioxidant capacity of enzymatic hydrolysates. U-H treated BMP exhibited the highest surface hydrophobicity (924.5±1.0), zeta potential absolute value (18.88±0.11 mV), hydrolysis degree (54.5±1.6%), and antioxidant activity, but the lowest α-helix (21.84±2.61%), intrinsic fluorescence spectrum intensity, total sulfhydryl (7.24±0.07 μmol/g), and mean particle size (182.57±2.23 nm). Therefore, U-H might be a promising pretreatment to prepare bioactive peptide.

Natto is a famous traditional fermented food, but the influence of the fermentation process on the content and composition of soybean isoflavones and nutritional value is still unclear. In the present study, the variation in soybean isoflavones during fermentation by Bacillus subtilis natto was revealed by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS (Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry) analysis. After 24 h of fermentation, the total isoflavone content in natto increased by 1.62 times compared with fresh soybean, and the content of aglycones was 3.07 times that of raw beans. More importantly, among 14 isoflavone isomers identified in natto, the isomers of daidzin, genistin, and succinyl genistin were detected for the first time, which might be due to the result of isomerase and succinylase and other corresponding enzymes' action in Bacillus subtilis. In addition, natto isoflavones performed great antioxidant activity than its monomer components (glycosides daidzin and genistin, aglycones genistein and daidzein), except for genistein. Moreover, natto isoflavone and its aglycones (especially genistein) performed great inhibitory activity against AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) in three in vitro models. The mechanism test showed that genistein could form adducts (UPLC-Q-TOF-ESI-MS/MS analysis) with methylglyoxal. These findings demonstrated that soybean fermented with Bacillus subtilis natto had a significant influence on the isoflavone profiles and its bioactivity.

This study evaluated the effect of mild high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, 20-80 MPa/10 min) on the quality of the whole fresh mango during postharvest storage. HHP promoted the capacity of cell wall macromolecules binding water and prevented structural damage of mango tissues during postharvest storage. It reduced the respiration rate and the consumption of sugars and acids, and in most cases increased bioactive substances (vitamin C, total phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids) and antioxidant activities. Moreover, HHP significantly increased carotenoid biosynthesis at the transcriptional level. The expressions of carotenogenic genes including geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (4.7 fold), phytoene synthase (4.66 fold), phytoene desaturase (3.53 fold), zeta-carotene desaturase (2.79 fold) and beta-Ring hydroxylase (2.17 fold) were increased after HHP treatment, while zeaxanthin epoxidase (0.78 fold) transcripts were reduced. As a result, there was the increase of carotenes (1.56-2.00 fold), beta-cryptoxanthin (1.38-2.73 fold) and zeaxanthin (1.42-1.67 fold) and the reduction of antheraxanthin (0.64-0.85 fold) and violaxanthin (0.88-0.90 fold) in HHP-treated samples. HHP is likely a potential technology for modulating physiology and nutritional components (especially carotenoids) of the postharvest fruit.

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) is capable of accumulating a large amount of fluorine (F) in leaves without showing toxicity symptoms and thus offers a good model for exploring F tolerance mechanisms. Here, gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF–MS) was used to investigate metabolic changes in leaves of tea seedlings under control (0 mM), low F (0.2 mM) and high F (0.8 mM) conditions. Differentially changed metabolites such as galacturonic acid, lactose, fructose, malic acid, alanine were identified by the comparison among the three F treatment groups. A pathway map depicted based on the KEGG database reflected the involvement of pectin biosynthesis metabolism in F stress response. The gene expression and enzyme activity of key enzymes involved in pectin biosynthesis pathway and the content of pectic polysaccharides were increased by exogenous F treatments, indicating the promotion effect of F on the pectin biosynthesis. Pectin was also immunochemically stained in vivo using monoclonal antibody (2F4), which confirmed the increment. The increased pectin might contribute to combining the exogenous F in tea leaves. This research provided some novel insights into further research on F detoxification of plants.

Consumer demand for safe and nutritious fruit juices has led to the development of a number of food processing techniques. To compare the effect of two processing technologies, thermo-sonication (TS) and ultra-high pressure (UHP), on the quality of mango juice, fresh mango juice was treated with TS at 25, 45, 65 and 95 °C for 10 min and UHP at 400 MPa for 10 min. The phenolic profile of mango was also analyzed using the newly developed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-HRMSn) and, based on this result, the effect of TS and UHP on the phenolics of mango juice was evaluated. Both treatments had minimal effects on the oBrix, pH, and titratable acidity of mango juice. The residual activities of three enzymes (polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and pectin methylesterase), antioxidant compounds (vitamin C, Total phenolics, mangiferin derivatives, gallotannins, and quercetin derivatives) and antioxidant activity sharply decreased with the increase in the temperature of the TS treatment. Nevertheless, the UHP treatment retained antioxidants and antioxidant activity at a high level. The UHP process is likely superior to TS in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity preservation. Therefore, the mango juice products obtained by ultra-high-pressure processing might be more beneficial to health.

以芒果汁为主,加入少量的牛奶,接种乳酸菌强化发酵,制备益生菌发酵芒果饮料,考察益生菌发酵芒果饮料的加工及发酵过程中的理化性质变化规律.结果显示,在最佳工艺条件下,发酵后芒果汁中的活菌数为2.13×107 cfu/mL,POD酶、PPO酶和PME酶失活;芒果汁经过发酵后,抗氧化性总体增高,营养成分含量均增加,其中蛋白质含量增加92.97％、总糖含量增加47.32％、水分含量增加1.66％、维生素C含量增加27.37％、可溶性膳食纤维含量增加13.24％、可滴定酸增加1倍,但还原糖含量降低10.84％;发酵芒果汁中的总酚含量较新鲜芒果汁增加13.24％;超高效液相色谱(UPLC)检测发现,没食子酸、对羟基苯甲酸和芒果苷经过发酵后含量减少,槲皮素及其衍生物和没食子酸糖苷类物质含量明显增加.发酵后芒果汁的糖酸比值为62.91±0.72,酸甜可口,口感和谐,品质较高;发酵后果汁颜色更加柔和、颗粒度增大,但分散更加均匀,状态更加稳定.

以台农芒果为材料,采用20 MPa高压分别处理1、5、10、15、20 min,对照组不做任何处理.将处理组和对照组在13℃环境下贮存7d,测定采后芒果处理前后的色泽,失重率,硬度,可滴定酸,可溶性固形物,维生素C(Vc),类胡萝卜素,总酚,抗氧化能力的变化.结果 表明,采后芒果在20 MPa下处理不同时间对其均有一定影响,其中处理20 min对芒果即食和即用最佳,不仅明显改善了芒果在采后作为即食和即用过程中营养成分的下降趋势,而且显著增加了芒果中抗氧化成分的含量,特别是类胡萝卜素含量的增加更为明显,最大可提高2倍,因此大大提高了抗氧化能力.实验证明,适当的高压处理不失为新鲜芒果采后即食和加工的一种好方法.

Menaquinone (MK) has an important role in human metabolism as an essential vitamin (VK2), which is mainly produced through the fermentation of microorganisms. MK8(H2) was identified to be the main menaquinone from Rhodococcus sp. B7740, a bacterium isolated from the arctic ocean. In this work, MK8(H2) (purity: 99.75%) was collected through a convenient and economic extraction process followed by high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) purification. Additionally, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was performed for further identification and the hydrogenation position of MK8(H2) (terminal unit) was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the first time. MK8(H2) showed a superior antioxidant effect and antiglycation capacity compared with ubiquinone Q10 and MK4. High-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS) and molecular docking showed the fine interaction between MK8(H2) with methylglyoxal (MGO) and bull serum albumin (BSA), respectively. These properties make MK8(H2) a promising natural active ingredient with future food and medicine applications.