As a medicinal-edible resource, Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds are susceptible to lipid rancidity due to high unsaturated fatty acid content, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study employed lipidomics to explore the mechanism driving lipid rancidity in Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds during three years of storage at 4 degrees C. Results indicate that with prolonged storage duration, key oxidation indicators (peroxide value, acid value, and malondialdehyde, etc.) and bitter amino acid content of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds significantly increased, while umami and sweet amino acid content, along with the oleic-to-linoleic acid ratio, decreased. This confirms a sustained deterioration in quality. Hexanal, pentanal, and 1-pentanol were identified as potential biomarkers for assessing rancidity. Lipidomics identified 670 lipid species, with multivariate analysis revealing significant alterations between fresh seeds and those stored for 3 years. Pathway enrichment analysis pinpointed glycerophospholipid, glycerolipid, and linoleic acid metabolism as the central pathways involved. This research provides foundational data for regulating the storage stability of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds.

Histidine deficiency has been associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic diseases, compared with insecure use of a single amino acid supplement; histidine-rich proteins are secure and can make up for the deficiency. Due to the low abundance of these proteins in food sources, there is a need for novel methodologies to effectively isolate histidine-rich proteins. Camellia oleifera fruit shell is discarded as the waste, here used as raw material to make the oxidized cellulose (COC) with modification by aminothioureas (ATU), which further prepare a COC nanoparticle material with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) combined with NiCoMnO4 nanoparticles by a directional freeze-casting technique for the selective separation and purification of histidine-rich proteins. The crystal structure, surface morphology, mechanical properties, and wettability were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, compressive performance test, and contact angle test. The COC nanoparticles were used as a novel affinity material to investigate its adsorption properties for hemoglobin (BHb) and bovine serum albumin (BSA); the maximum adsorption capacity for BHb was determined to be 1970 mg/g, whereas the adsorption capacity for BSA was significantly lower, indicating that the material has selective adsorption for BHb. Moreover, the material demonstrated the ability to efficiently adsorb histidine-rich proteins from different foods, and remain 90.2% of their initial adsorption capacity after 5 cycles, which is expected to be used in the enrichment of histidine-rich proteins. This provides a new way for utilization of C. oleifera fruit shell and enrichment of histidine-rich proteins as food nutrient fortifiers.

Traditional pile fermentation of Liupao tea relies primarily on endogenous tea constituents as nutrient sources for microbial activity. This study investigated the application of a saccharified Polygonatum solution as an additional fermentable matrix during pile fermentation in order to examine its association with microbial succession and with the formation of colour-, taste- and flavour-related metabolites. Microbiome profiling revealed that Polygonatum fortification was associated with earlier microbial reorganisation, accompanied by earlier shifts in notable genera such as Staphylococcus and Thermomyces. Under the same piling conditions, the fortified piles showed earlier moderation of bitterness, an earlier transition to a characteristic bright-red infusion, and distinct treatment-related trajectories in volatile compounds. Non-volatile profiling further showed earlier increases in theabrownins and a higher final level in the fortified piles, together with shifts in catechin-derived pigment transformation. Taken together, these results indicate that the introduction of saccharified Polygonatum was associated with coordinated microbial and chemical changes during Liupao tea pile fermentation, providing a useful basis for further investigation of Polygonatum-associated dark-tea fermentation under practical piling conditions.

This study selected three structurally similar polyphenols with varying numbers of hydroxyl groups (p-Coumaric acid [pCA], Caffeic acid [CA], and Chlorogenic acid [CGA]) for free radical grafting modification with whey protein isolate (WPI), to investigate the influence of hydroxyl numbers in polyphenols on grafting efficacy with WPI and to explore their reaction mechanisms. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and LC-MS/MS results indicate that WPI and polyphenols form WPI-polyphenols conjugates through covalent bonding, with the binding extent being WPI-CGA (58.08 mg/g) > WPI-CA (35.31 mg/g) > WPI-pCA (32.64 mg/g). Meanwhile, compared to WPI-pCA and WPI-CA, WPI-CGA exhibits higher flexibility, antioxidant capacity, and emulsifying activity, along with more pronounced structural changes. Notably, WPI-CGA demonstrated lower surface hydrophobicity than native WPI, whereas WPI-pCA and WPI-CA showed opposite trends. Based on these findings, it is indicating that polyphenols with different numbers of hydroxyl groups exhibit distinct covalent bonding sites on WPI, with more hydroxyl groups resulting in higher reactivity and binding affinity. These findings provide new insights into the radical grafting mechanism of WPI with polyphenols and the controlled preparation of WPI-polyphenol conjugates.

The stems and leaves of Polygonatum sibiricum Red. are underused food byproducts whose polysaccharides and bioactivities remain poorly characterized. In this study, a novel homogeneous polysaccharide, PSLP-1 (4.287 kDa), was isolated and identified as a fructan-rich fraction with a →1)-β-d-Fruf-(2→ backbone and C6 side-chain substitution. In a chronic restraint stress mouse model, PSLP-1 showed clear antidepressant-like activity by reducing immobility time in both the forced swim and tail suspension tests. PSLP-1 was also associated with restoration of tryptophan metabolism, characterized by suppression of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1-mediated kynurenine pathway and promotion of tryptophan hydroxylase-related 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis. These effects were accompanied by gut microbiota remodeling, including increased Akkermansia and decreased Lactobacillus and Alistipes. These findings support P. sibiricum stems and leaves as a promising source of bioactive polysaccharides.

The poor mechanical strength and singular therapeutic function of conventional hydrogel dressings have significantly constrained their clinical applicability for treating infected wounds. Consequently, the development of intelligent non-antibiotic dressings that exhibit both high mechanical strength and multiple synergistic therapeutic mechanisms represents a significant challenge. To address this, a "double polymerity-wide crosslinking" strategy was proposed in this work. This strategy successfully constructed a robust bidirectional polymeric hydrogel wound dressing reinforced with litchi husk cellulose nanofibrils. Specifically, the bidirectional polymerization of acrylamide was synergistically regulated by incorporating litchi shell extract and shell-derived cellulose microspheres, while also integrating the natural drug molecule epicatechin. Notably, the AgNPs encapsulated within the litchi shell extract endowed the dressing with remarkable antibacterial properties. Furthermore, the interpenetration of cellulose microspheres within the hydrogel network resulted in a structure exhibiting superior tensile strength, moderate viscosity, and commendable self-healing properties. Concurrently, interactions with the drug molecules facilitated a sequential controlled-release mechanism, enabling initial bacterial eradication followed by inflammation reduction. Molecular docking simulations effectively and sequencing of genes demonstrated stepwise drug delivery and mechanism of action. Moreover, in vivo wound healing experiments conducted on mice with epidermal infections confirmed the material's significant therapeutic efficacy.

The effect of partial gelatinization (PG) treatment on the structural, gelatinization, and retrogradation characteristics of maize starch (MS)-dietary fiber (pectin, PE; konjac glucomannan, KG) complex was conducted. The result suggests that PG treatment shows an obvious effect in improving thermal stability, decreasing the viscoelastic, inhibiting starch gelatinization and retrogradation of the MS-PE/KG complex. The decreased breakdown viscosity, storage modulus, apparent viscosity, setback value, and hardness value could confirm these results. Furthermore, PG treatment had a better effect on inhibiting the gelatinization and retrogradation of the MS-0.3 %PE complex than other complexes. This result was proved by reduced setback value (by 78.96 %) and hardness value (by 54.46 % and 44.00 % during cold storage at 1 and 14 days, respectively). 0.3 %PE interacts with starch molecules through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces during PG treatment forming a strong starch granule structure to impede starch gelatinization and retrogradation. Moreover, the lighter iodine staining, the obvious coating thin layer, and the thicker fluorescence layer have appeared in the MS-PE/KG complex. The relative crystallinity and the short-range order degree of the MS-PE/KG complex were significantly decreased. The current findings provide the theoretical basis for MS modification to improve the quality and prolong the shelf-life of starch-based foods.

In this study, four polyphenols (protocatechuic acid [PCA], vanillic acid [VA], gallic acid [GA], and syringic acid [SA]) with different types and numbers of substituents were selected for cross-linking with Inca peanut albumin (IPA) to investigate the effect of polyphenol structure on the enzyme-promoted cross-linking ability. The results showed that the enzymatic cross-linking reaction was based on the formation of quinone and hydrogen bond, and the catalytic oxidation efficiencies by laccase(L) were L-GA > L-SA > L-PCA > L-VA, with GA having the highest binding energy of -4.51 kcal/mol. Covalent binding of all four polyphenols to IPA resulted in increased surface hydrophobicity and emulsification capacity. Among them, the IPA-GA conjugates had a better stabilization ability for high oil phase emulsions. The results demonstrated that the polyhydroxy-substituted GA had a better modification effect on IPA. Therefore, the conjugates formed between polyphenols with a greater number of hydroxyl substituents (such as GA) and IPA under laccase catalysis have great potential as emulsifiers to stabilize high oil phase emulsions.

Herein, we investigated the effects of different pH conditions (pH 2-10) on the formation, structure, and properties of heat-induced composite gels composed of Inca peanut albumin (IPA) and Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP). Results indicated that under acidic conditions (pH 2 and 4), the gelation process of IPA-DOP gels were slow (2530 s) and the resulting composite gels exhibited a rough, porous structure dominated by hydrophobic interactions. By contrast, at pH 6 and 8, the composite gels formed a denser network structure with higher β-sheet content (26.8 % and 26.0 %) and the dominant intermolecular forces were hydrogen bonds. At pH 6, the optimal hardness and water-holding capacity were observed to be 84.608 g force (gf) and 85.92 %, respectively. These findings indicate that the combination of DOP along with pH modulation can effectively influence the structural and functional characteristics of IPA gel, offering a promising strategy to enhance its performance.

The defatted seeds of Camellia oleifera are an underutilized resource that leads to poor economy. Saponins extracted from these seeds exhibit anti-breast cancer effects. To augment their anticancer efficacy, the saponins were structurally modified by the incorporation of a thiosemicarbazone moiety to yield the Camellia sapogenin thiosemicarbazone (CST). CST was subsequently complexed with zinc to form Zn-CST. This zinc complex demonstrated markedly enhanced antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in ER+ / PR+ MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ = 3.21 ± 0.44 μM) and HER2- T47D cells (IC₅₀ = 9.80 ± 1.31 μM), demonstrating greater potency than erlotinib. In MCF-7 cells, Zn-CST induced cell cycle arrest at the G₀ / G₁ phase and resulted in a 27-fold increase in apoptosis. Additionally, Zn-CST exhibited more potent inhibitory activity against EGFR kinase, with an IC₅₀ value of 0.25 ± 0.02 μM, compared to erlotinib. Molecular docking analysis confirmed Zn-CST's superior binding affinity for EGFR with a binding energy of -102.7 kcal/mol, predominantly due to a strong electrostatic interaction with Asp831. Collectively, these findings suggest that Zn-CST could be developed as anti ER+ / PR+ breast cancer candidate.

As a green method, enzyme crosslinking can catalyze chitosan (CS) to improve further the structural, interfacial, and functional properties of Inca peanut albumin (IPA)-polyphenols. However, the structural impact of laccasecatalyzed CS on different IPA-polyphenol conjugates has not been reported. Results revealed that enzymatic cross-linking of IPA-gallic acid (GA) and IPA- (- )-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) with CS resulted in a decrease in alpha-helices, an increase in beta-helices, and a more ordered structure. The contact angles of IPA-GA-CS and IPA-EGCG-CS decreased from 99.4 degrees and 101.2 degrees to 89.9 degrees and 95.4 degrees, respectively, indicating reduced hydrophobicity and enhanced interfacial adsorption. Furthermore, using copolymers as emulsifiers significantly improved the emulsification and antioxidant properties of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs). In particular, the apparent viscosity and viscoelasticity of HIPEs constructed with IPA-GA-CS notably improved, and the EGCG-induced copolymers exhibited superior lipid antioxidation. The method of laccase-mediated crosslinking for the preparation of protein-polyphenol-polysaccharide polymers enhances the functional properties and anti-pH sensitivity of IPA, representing a novel protein modification strategy.

The short: and long-term retrogradation properties in normal maize starch (N-S) by critical melting treatment (CMT; including TO (onset temperature) melting (OM), TP (peak temperature) melting (PM), and TC (conclusion temperature) melting (CM)) were studied. Results indicated that CMT promoted short-term (1 day) and longterm (7 days) retrogradation of N-S in the following order: PM > CM > OM. After storage for 7 days, following the PM treatment, the gel hardness, the retrogradation degree, and relative crystallinity increased to 4.67 N, 13.191%, 8.58% from 2.87 N, 9.972%, and 6.20%, respectively. PM treatment resulted in harder starch granules, promoting the rearrangement of the starch crystalline structure during cold storage. This was confirmed by the increased storage modulus, decreased iodine blue value, reduced gap in the gel network, and compact aggregate formation. Results indicated that CMT can promote the retrogradation properties of N-S.

Plant-based yoghurt is on the rise, addressing both sustainability and innovation in food production. The macro-molecular changes driven by bacterial strains during fermentation of plant-based yoghurt leading to diverse nutritional functionality, however, is overlooked. Here, the lupin-oat milk yoghurt was developed using three distinctive commercial starter cultures composed of Lactobacillus delbrueckii sub bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus for yoghurt 1 (Y1), Lactobacillus delbrueckii sub bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus paracasei for yoghurt 2 (Y2), Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium sps for yoghurt 3 (Y3). The post-acidification, proteolytic activity, amino acid composition, cell viability, peptide profile and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity were investigated during seven days of refrigeration at 4 °C. Gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) of yoghurts, showed substantial degradation of proteins into low molecular weight protein fractions (45, 55 and 75 kDa) which are complemented by an increase in small polypeptides with a molecular weight of <20 kDa. The bacteria did not fully utilize the released peptides, leading to significant accumulations in the medium. This observation indicates the potential presence of bioactive compounds with beneficial effects. The SEC peak fraction containing a smaller peptide size ranging from 0.059 to 0.87 kDa showed better ACE inhibitory activity. A comprehensive analysis of peptide profiling of the yoghurts was done using Nano UPLC-MS/MS which showed co-cultures promoted the formation of peptides. After undergoing bacterial fermentation, the number and types of peptides followed the Y3>Y1>Y2 sequence. This study emphasizes the potential of lupin-oat yoghurts peptides as a functional component.

Tungstoborate heteropolyacid catalysts have good catalytic degradation performance, especially for selective cleavage of C–C bonds in biomass. In this paper, the product yield and component distribution of tungstoborate heteropolyacid (BW12)-catalyzed lignin liquefaction were investigated at different parameters, including temperatures (120, 140, 160, 180, and 200 °C), catalyst amount (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 wt. %), and reaction time (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min). It was found that a higher conversion (72.16 wt. %) and bio-oil yield (68.41 wt. %) could be obtained under suitable reaction conditions (180 °C, 60 min, 5 wt. %). Bio-oil analysis showed that the BW12 catalyst had a significant effect on the distribution of bio-oil fractions, in which mono-aromatic components increased from 32.96% to 47.56% compared to those without the catalyst. In particular, carbonyl substances in the mono-aromatic components increased from 18.66% to 26.97%. Spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR) found that the absorption peaks of C–O and C–C bonds in the liquefied residue catalyzed by BW12 decreased compared to the raw lignin. Moreover, the mechanism of BW12-catalyzed lignin depolymerization was investigated by DFT simulations. The simulation results demonstrated that the shortening of Cα–O bond, the breaking of Cβ–Cγ and Cα–Cβ bonds in lignin promoted the formation of vanillin and benzaldehyde, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy. Finally, based on the experimental data and simulation results, a possible reaction pathway for the BW12-catalyzed liquefaction of lignin into mono-aromatic substances was proposed.

Starch retrogradation is of great importance to the quality of starch -based food. This study investigated the effect of partial gelatinization (PG) synergizing with polyphenol (epicatechin, EC; epigallocatechin gallate, EGCG) on the multi -scale structure and short/long-term retrogradation of corn starch (CS). The PG synergizing with EC/ EGCG substantially suppressed the short/long-term retrogradation properties of CS. These could be confirmed by the decreased storage modulus and viscosity, the relative crystallinity (1.54%, 3.56%), and the retrogradation degree (9.99%, 20.18%) of CS during storage for 1, 14 days after PG synergizing with EGCG and EC, respectively. This is because PG treatment promoted the hydrogen bond interaction between disordered starch molecules and EC/EGCG. These were proven by the larger aggregation, more and brighter fluorescents, and the reduced long/ short-range order structures in CS after PG synergizing with EC/EGCG. This study is helpful for the development of foods with enhanced nutrition and low -retrogradation.

BACKGROUNDNutritional and functional qualities and applications of structured lipids (SL) depend on the composition and molecular structure of fatty acids in the glycerol backbone of triacylglycerol (TAG). However, the relationship between the substrate composition and physicochemical qualities of SL has not been revealed. The investigation aims to disclose the effect of substrate composition on the physicochemical properties of medium-long-medium structured lipids (MLM-SLs) by enzymatic interesterification of Lipozyme TLIM/RMIM.RESULTSThe medium-long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) yield could reach 70.32%, including 28.98% CaLCa (1,3-dioctonyl-2-linoleoyl glyceride) and 24.34% CaOCa (1,3-didecanoyl-2-oleoyl glyceride). The sn-2 unsaturated fatty acid composition mainly depended on long-chain triacylglycerol (LCT) in the substrate. The increased carbon chain length and double bond in triacylglycerol decreased its melting and crystallization temperature. The balanced substrate composition of MCT/LCT increased the size and finer crystals. Molecular docking simulation revealed that the MLCT molecule mainly interacted with the catalytic triplets of Lipozyme TLIM (Arg81-Ser83-Arg84) and the Lipozyme RMIM (Tyr183-Thr226-Arg262) by O-H bond. The oxygen atom of the ester on the MLCT molecule was primarily bound to the hydrogen of hydroxyl and amino groups on the binding sites of Lipozyme TLIM/RMIM. The intermolecular interplay between MLCT and Lipozyme RMIM is more stable than Lipozyme TLIM due to the formation of lower binding affinity energy.CONCLUSIONThis research clarifies the interaction mechanism between MLCT molecules and lipases, and provides an in-depth understanding of the relationship between substrate composition, molecular structure and physicochemical property of MLM-SLs. (c) 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

In this paper, the effects of different concentration (0.05-0.5 M) of metal ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Al3+) on the gel properties and microstructure of Inca peanut albumin (IPA) were investigated. Results showed that the formation of IPA gel network was mainly in the cooling stage. The hardness, water holding capacity (WHC) and energy storage modulus of the gels increase when the NaCl and KCl concentration are lower than 0.1 M. With the increase of CaCl2 concentration, the hardness and energy storage modulus of the gels first increased and then decreased, but the WHC did not change significantly. Moreover, 0.1 M AlCl3 increased the WHC, surface hydrophobicity and Zeta potential of the gels, but the average particle size decreased. The above results indicate that different metal ions have different effects on the properties of IPA gels. Metal ions induced the interconversion of the IPA secondary structure, in which the increase in the content of beta-sheet structure might be one of the reasons for the enhanced gel properties. NaCl, KCl and CaCl2 induced the gels to form a tighter and more homogeneous fine-chain structure, whereas AlCl3 induced the IPA gel network to form a "sheet-like" structure. In conclusion, the gels' microstructure and properties were improved by the low concentration of NaCl and KCl (<0.1 M), and the gels' distinctive lamellar structure created by 0.1 M Al3+ was better suited to improving their WHC. These results will provide a valuable basis for the application of IPA gels in food colloids.

This paper focuses on the performance of Molybdenum-vanadium-phosphorus heteropolyacids (PMo12-xVx) with different V-doped amounts in catalyzing the conversion of lignin to bio-oil, and the distribution of liquefied products. Molybdenum-vanadium-phosphorus heteropolyacids (PMo11V1, PMo10V2, PMo9V3) with different amount (0, 2.5, 5, 10 wt%) were used to catalyze lignin liquefaction. The experimental results showed that PMo(12-x)V(x )could effectively catalyze the depolymerization of lignin to bio-oil, and the doping amount of the V atom in PMo12-xVx affects the distribution of lignin depolymerization products. The highest bio-oil yield (53.62wt%) and conversion (57.83wt%) could be obtained from lignin liquefaction at 2.5 wt% PMo9V3. With the increase of PMo12-xVx V-atom doped amount, the content of aliphatic hydrocarbons increased from 3.14% to 40.58%, the content of vanillin increased from none to 8.9%. Based on the analysis of bio-oil, FT-IR data, and DFT simulation results, it was found that the selective cleavage of the C alpha-C beta bond and the ring-opening of the carbon at the methyl end of lignin were the main reasons for the high yield of vanillin and aliphatic hydrocarbons during the depolymerization of lignin catalyzed by PMo12-xVx. Finally, a possible reaction pathway for the PMo12-xVx-catalyzed depolymerization of lignin to vanillin and aliphatic hydrocarbons was proposed.