Low-temperature plasma (LTP) is a promising green, non-thermal technology for food safety, addressing limitations of conventional methods that often compromise food quality. This review summarizes recent advancements in LTP applications, including microbial inactivation, mycotoxin degradation, pesticide residue reduction, and allergen mitigation. It also evaluates LTP’s impact on food quality attributes such as color, texture, and nutrients, highlighting its potential benefits for consumer health. LTP-generated reactive species efficiently inactivate microorganisms, degrade toxins, and modify allergenic proteins. Compared to conventional techniques, LTP offers advantages of high efficiency, low temperature, and non-toxicity. The review discusses challenges and strategies for standardizing and scaling LTP technology, bridging research with industrial applications to promote sustainable green food processing for enhanced food safety.

The traditional thermal processing techniques have many drawbacks that may affect food quality and cause nutrient loss. Cold plasma (CP) is an emerging non-thermal processing technology that can enhance food functionality, reduce anti-nutritional factors, and preserve color, flavor, and nutrients. The key to the action of CP technology lies in the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) it generates, but the complex interactions between these substances and food components still pose significant challenges. This review introduces various plasma discharge devices, summarizes the composition and generation mechanism of RONS during CP treatment, and clarifies its effects and mechanisms on various food components. It highlights the effects of RONS on proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. The RONS generated during CP play a significant role in promoting protein structure modification, amino acid oxidation and ring-opening reactions, and peptide chain breakage. Lipids treated with RONS undergo oxidation and cleavage into small molecular flavor compounds, promoting the formation of food flavors. RONS can attack the glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates, causing the molecular chains to break and degrade, and also introducing hydrophilic groups on the surface. Additionally, it discusses the limitations of CP applications and explores prospects, offering new pathways for sustainable development within the food industry.

As edible insects become increasingly important in addressing growing global protein demand, cicada pupae are gaining attention for their high nutritional value and potential health benefits. However, the widespread consumption of cicada pupae has increased the number of allergies. This study aimed to first identify potential novel biomarkers of CPA and elucidate its pathogenesis mechanism. The immunologic profiles of 12 subjects we recruited were characterized and divided into CPA and healthy control (HC) groups based on clinical diagnosis results. By multi-omics analysis, the key genes, specific biomarkers and pathways associated with CPA symptoms were identified. The expression profiling of key genes and the levels of key proteins were validated using RT-qPCR and Elisa, respectively. A correlation analysis was performed to elucidate the pathogenesis of CPA. The results showed that the lymphocyte percentage and eosinophil percentage in CPA group were significantly higher than those in the HC group. Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and JAK-STAT signaling pathway were observed to contribute to pruritus and 9 genes associated with different CPA symptoms were identified. NOD-like receptor signaling pathway was the key mediator of CPA responses. Sphingolipid metabolism was the most significant perturbed pathway between CPA and HC groups. Notably, TYK2, sphingosine-1P, and dihydrosphingosine-1P were identified as potential biomarkers for CPA diagnosis. Multi-omics analysis revealed that the significant regulation of dihydrosphingosine-1P and COL4A2 gene is involved in the CPA response. These findings identified reliable diagnostic biomarkers and revealed potential therapeutic targets, providing novel insights into the diagnosis and treatment of CPA.

This paper aims to analyze the differences in the contents of free amino acids, minerals, and vitamins in major autumn honey sources—hypothesized to be predominantly derived from Chinese gallnut based on field observations—within Guizhou Province, as well as the correlations between these substances and climatic factors and altitude. We selected honey samples from 10 regions in Guizhou Province and measured their free amino acid, vitamin, and mineral contents. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare differences among regions, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between bioactive compound levels and environmental factors. The total amino acid content ranged from 507.01 ± 3.98 μg/g (Bijiang) to 3056.94 ± 32.88 μg/g (Xifeng); the total vitamin content ranged from 21.94 ± 0.39 μg/g (Xifeng) to 403.67 ± 2.49 μg/g (Zheng’an). The total mineral content ranged from 42.44 ± 0.37 μg/g (Xifeng) to 98.09 ± 1.51 μg/g (Bijiang). Vitamin K1, vitamin B1, vitamin D3, and selenium were not detected in any of the honey samples. Mean precipitation showed a significant positive correlation with total free amino acid content and total mineral content (p < 0.05); the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was positively correlated with total vitamin content (p < 0.05); and temperature was positively correlated with total mineral content (p < 0.05). The study suggests that multiple factors, including climatic and geographical factors, collectively influence the bioactive substance profiles of honey, providing insights into the origin authentication and quality trends of this regional product.

Drying is required to prolong the shelf life of yellow mealworms, but hot air drying methods expose them to oxygen, which affects their quality. Therefore, further studies on the mechanism of oxygen's effect on the drying process of yellow mealworms are necessary. In this study, yellow mealworms were dried using two methods: hot air drying with oxygen and vacuum drying without oxygen, at three different temperatures. After the drying process, we analyzed the drying kinetics, color, products of the Maillard reaction, and browning-related qualities of the dried yellow mealworms. Compared to hot air-dried yellow mealworms, vacuum-dried yellow mealworms increased the soluble protein content by 54.05% - 69.29% and decreased the malondialdehyde content by 42.30% - 63.61%. Hot air drying caused severe browning under all conditions, leading to a decrease in chromaticity. Both drying methods caused a decrease in free amino acid content to varying degrees, which was more severe at 55 degrees C and 65 degrees C. With the exception of glyoxal, all Maillard reaction products were higher in hot airdried yellow mealworms. The results indicate that vacuum drying promotes the drying rate of yellow mealworms at low temperatures through the puffing effect and pressure difference. We also found that during aerobic drying, increasing the temperature reduces the content of alpha-dicarbonyl compounds, thereby attenuating the overall Maillard reaction. Compared with vacuum drying, oxygen promotes protein denaturation and lipid oxidation, thereby facilitating the Maillard reaction. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the dry processing of yellow mealworms and the development of high value insect protein products.

Cicada pupae are a traditional and promising food source, and it is crucial to evaluate the associated allergenic risks. In this study, 13 potential allergens were identified based on proteomics combined with immunoinformatics tools in cicada pupae. These allergens were produced as recombinant proteins, and their allergenicity was investigated. Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and pyruvate kinase (PK) were finally identified as new allergens via immunoblot experiments. The secondary structures of the two new allergens predominantly consist of α-helices and β-sheets. Five IgE-binding epitopes of MDH and four of PK were identified. AA13-32, AA 297-306 in MDH, and AA124-132, 206-221 in PK exhibited strong IgE reactivity and were identified as the primary linear IgE-binding sites. The epitopes of MDH contain mainly α-helix and loop structures, whereas those of PK consist primarily of an α-helix. These findings provide a reference for developing diagnostic and immunotherapeutic strategies of cicada pupae allergy.

Tenebrio molitor protein (TMP) is a highly promising alternative protein resource. However, hydrogels formed from TMP alone typically exhibit fragility and brittleness, limiting their development and application. This study investigated the effects of varying chitosan (CS) concentrations on the mechanical properties of TMP hydrogels. We found that CS concentrations between 0.5 and 1.5 % greatly improved the mechanical properties, water-holding capacity (WHC), and rheological properties of the TMP/CS composite gels. Specifically, the incorporation of 1.5 % CS improved the storage modulus of the gel, enhanced the interaction between water and proteins, and yielded a WHC of 53.32 %. Furthermore, the addition of 1.5 % CS altered the secondary structure and spatial conformation of the protein, with a β-folding content of 43.27 %, leading to a significant enhancement of hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding in the composite gel system and the formation of a dense and stable gel network structure. However, the addition of excessive CS (2.0 % ~ 3.0 %) led to phase separation of the gel system, which decreased gel strength and increased the viscosity of composite gels. In conclusion, optimized CS incorporation offers a viable theoretical basis for the development of new TMP-based food formulations.

Ultrasound is an efficient and eco-friendly friendly non-thermal technology for enhancing the extraction of bioactive ingredients from food. This study explored the impact of ultrasound on the microstructure and antioxidant properties of camellia bee pollen. Additionally, the impact of key contributors to antioxidant activity was examined through non-targeted metabolomics analysis. The results showed that ultrasonic exposure progressively degraded the cell walls of bee pollen, resulting in severe collapse of the intine. Notably, this degradation concurrently facilitated the release of polyphenols and flavonoids. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity reached the highest after 40 and 60 min of ultrasonic treatment. After 40 min of ultrasonic treatment, the MDA content in camellia bee pollen exhibited a significant rise of 33.47 % compared to the control group, while it further escalated by 57.07 % after 60 min of ultrasonic treatment. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis identified a total of 7 differential metabolites that serve as potential biomarkers for ultrasonic-treated camellia bee pollen. Further analysis of the purine and nucleotide metabolism pathway indicated that the antioxidant defense systems within camellia bee pollen were activated by ultrasonic treatment, leading to a significant enhancement in its antioxidant capacity. These findings establish a solid foundation for the advancement of ultrasound treatment as a novel and green technology to improve the biological activities and qualities of bee pollen.

This study explored high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) as a pretreatment to enhance edible crickets' drying efficiency and quality. HHAIB at 120 °C for 3 min reduced drying time by 56 % compared to conventional hot air drying. Scanning electron microscopy showed HHAIB facilitated cuticular wax layer shedding and accelerated dehydration; low-field nuclear magnetic resonance indicated improved water mobility in crickets' tissues post-treatment. After HHAIB at 120 °C for 3 min, the degree of browning and lipid oxidation in crickets was mitigated due to the shortened drying time, with ΔE and Malondialdehyde significantly reduced to 6.13 and 19.15 nmol/g DW. However, the free amino acid and soluble protein contents reduced to 26.26 mg/g DW and 5.71 g/100 g DW due to thermal phenomena. These findings confirm HHAIB as a promising pretreatment for enhancing cricket drying efficiency and quality, providing insights for sustainable insect-food processing development.

The morphology of nanoparticles significantly impacts their ability to stabilize Pickering emulsions; however, the effect of rod-shaped nanoparticles based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) requires further investigation. Aminated sugar beet pectin (SBP-NH2) has unique advantages because of its amino groups, which has positive charge and good emulsifying activity. Herein, SBP-NH2 and CNC were used to fabricate rod-like nanocomplexes (SBP-NH2/CNC NCs), and then conjugated with cinnamaldehyde (CA) to enhance interfacial activity for forming 3D printable high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), and their in vitro digestion properties were evaluated. The electrostatic interaction between SBP-NH2 and CNC formed the rod-like complexes with a mean diameter of 542.9 nm and the favorable surface wettability (88.1 ± 1.4°) under optimal conditions. SBP-NH2/CNC NCs as a stabilizer exhibited superior performance in terms of emulsification and inhibition of droplet coalescence. Additionally, introducing CA into the oil phase further reinforced interfacial layers through interfacial conjugation regulation. This endowed the CA-mediated HIPEs with higher viscoelasticity and improved 3D printing performance. Interestingly, CA-mediation delayed lipid digestion while improved fucoxanthin bioaccessibility in the HIPEs, which have huge prospects for developing functional food formulations. Overall, this work reveals a strategy for fabricating HIPEs based on rod-like electrostatic complex and interfacial conjugation.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of jujubes, but there is still much room for improvement in the drying efficiency and quality of its dried products. The aim of this study is to identify optimal pretreatment methods to improve the drying rate of red jujubes and explore their impact on the quality of red dates. Therefore, this study applied five pretreatment methods, microwave (MW), high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB), ethanol soaking (CH₃CH₂OH), ultrasonic (US), and sodium carbonate soaking (Na2CO3), to investigate their effects on the drying characteristics, microstructure, and quality attributes of red jujube slices. The results showed that all pretreatments enhanced drying efficiency through structural modification or dehydration. CH₃CH₂OH pretreatment achieves the highest drying rate, reducing drying time by 46% compare to CK, and completely inactivates polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase, while US pretreatment has the smallest color difference (ΔE = 0.93±0.36) and the highest elastic force for 0.32±0.06. Compare to CK, these two pretreatments reduced total phenolic content for 42.40% and 20.99%. In contrast, HHAIB and MW have higher soluble solids content and total phenolic content, thus exhibiting excellent antioxidant activity, with ABTS free radical scavenging rates of 95.38±0.34% and 93.78±0.54%, respectively. Na2CO3 pretreatment not only exhibits the highest browning index (0.157±0.000) but also leads to significant loss of nutrient, so it is not suitable for the pretreatment of red jujubes. These findings provide targeted guidance for industrial jujube processing: CH₃CH₂OH for high-efficiency drying, MW/HHAIB for nutrient preservation, and US for color/texture optimization—resolving the trade-off between drying efficiency and product quality, and laying a foundation for high-value jujube product development.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to identify genes linked to phenotypic traits in Apis cerana cerana through a genome-wide association study. Methods: Genomic data was collected from 116 workers across 12 regions in Guizhou Province, China, and 15 morphological traits were measured, including proboscis length, femur length, tibia length, tarsus length, tarsus width, tergite III and IV length, sternite III length, wax mirror length on sternite III, wax mirror slanted length on sternite III, wax mirror interval on sternite III, sternite VI length, sternite VI width, forewing length, forewing width, and cubital index. Then, a genome-wide association study was performed on these traits. Results: The analysis identified 12 SNPs significantly associated with tergite III and IV length, along with 2 SNPs linked to wax mirror length on sternite III, and 7 SNPs related to the wax mirror interval on sternite III. Eleven candidate genes for tergite III and IV length, two genes for wax mirror length on sternite III, and seven genes for wax mirror interval on sternite III were identified. These genes encode proteins involved in Longitudinals, Zinc, Lamin, BTB/POZ, Dyneins, and Phospholipases. Conclusions: The discovered SNPs and their corresponding genes may regulate the lateral and longitudinal development of the tergum and sternum in the A. c. cerana. Continued in-depth research on these aspects will help clarify how these SNPs regulate the tergum and sternum, thereby enhancing economic returns for beekeepers and promoting the conservation of germplasm resources in the native Apis cerana cerana.

The morphological features and interactions among the assembly units of nanoparticles (NPs) significantly influence their ability to stabilize Pickering emulsions. In this study, the quinone group of oxidized tannic acid (OTA) was covalently cross-linked with the amino groups in aminated sugar beet pectin (SBP-NH2) to form covalent composite nanonetworks (SBP-NH2/OTA NNs). These NNs were subsequently conjugated with cinnamaldehyde (CA) to enhance interfacial activity, enabling the formation of 3D printable high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). The SBP-NH2/OTA NNs exhibited good surface wettability (86.83 ± 1.31°) under optimal conditions and superior performance in emulsification and inhibition of droplet coalescence. Furthermore, the introduction of CA into the oil phase reinforced interfacial layers through interfacial conjugation regulation, endowing the CA-mediated HIPEs with enhanced viscoelasticity and improved 3D printing performance. Notably, CA-mediated HIPEs exhibited excellent oxidative stability and antimicrobial efficacy, offering significant potential for the development of functional food formulations.

The effect of superheated steam (SHS) treatment on the quality characteristics of rape bee pollen were studied, and the efficiency of inactivation and inhibition of lipid oxidation were analyzed to investigate the differences between SHS and cobalt-60 isotope (60Co) radiation treatment. The number of total plate count (TPC) and mold colonies (MC) remained within the limits of the standards after SHS treatment at 140 ℃ for 2 min. Neither TPC nor MC were detected after 60Co irradiation. Peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities significantly decreased with increasing temperature and duration of SHS, while 60Co radiation completely inactivated PPO. Compared to 60Co radiation, SHS treatment inhibited the deterioration of rape bee pollen by avoiding hydroperoxide production and lipid oxidation due to lack of oxygen. These results suggested SHS under 140 ℃ for 2 min was the most suitable to inactivate the microorganisms and enzymes in rape bee pollen with minimal lipid oxidation.

A novel technique was proposed for processing silkworm pupae by combining plasma- activated water (PAW) with ultrasound (US). The microbial diversity and quality characteristics of the silkworm pupae were also evaluated. The results of the microbial diversity analysis indicated that PAW combined with US treatment significantly reduced the relative abundance of Streptococcaceae, Leuconostocaceae, and Acetobacteraceae from 32%, 18% and 16% to 27%, 11% and 11%, respectively. Microstructural analysis demonstrated that the collapse of the internal structure of chitin in silkworm pupae facilitated the release of nutrients and flavour compounds including fatty acids, water-soluble proteins (WSP), amino acids, phenolics, and volatile compounds. Furthermore, the increase in antioxidant capacity and the decrease in catalase activity and malondialdehyde content confirmed the mechanism of quality change. These findings provide new insights into the possible mechanism of PAW combined with US to improve the quality of edible insects.

Background: Animal-based foods are important for meeting the protein needs of the growing global population. However, the prevalence of allergies to such foods poses a significant global health challenge. Currently, the primary strategies for preventing food allergies involve identifying major allergens and strictly avoiding them. The surge in food allergies is largely attributed to dietary factors, underscoring the need for innovative and efficient allergen detection and modification methods to prevent animal-based food allergies. Scope and approach: This review outlines allergens present in animal-based foods and assesses their allergenicity risk. Furthermore, the influence of dietary factors on allergies is discussed. The discussion culminates in an exploration of the latest advancements in effective allergen detection methods and innovative approaches to allergen processing modification. Key findings and conclusions: Early exposure to a diverse range of microorganisms and allergenic foods contributes to allergy prevention. Changing diet, such as reducing high fat/sugar intake and increasing high-fiber foods consumption can balance Th17 cell to Treg cell ratios and mitigate pro-inflammatory factor production. The integration of bioinformatics with diverse allergen detection methods holds immense promise for advancing allergen genomics research. The combination of multiple methods exhibits a better efficacy in reducing allergenicity than single processing technologies, but it is also constrained by the limitation of the various technologies involved. Future endeavors should focus on exploring new potential of dietary factors in preventing the development of food allergy as well as developing novel powerful detection methods and personalized allergen modification approaches in animal-based foods to ensure consumer health.

This study was aimed to analyze the effect of procyanidin B2 (PC) and tannin acid (TA) on the activities of cholesterol esterase (CEase) and the inhibitory mechanisms of enzymatic activity. The interaction mechanisms were investigated by enzymatic kinetics, multi-spectroscopy methods, thermodynamics analysis, molecular docking, and dynamic simulations. PC and TA could bind with CEase and inhibit the activity of enzyme in a mixed-competitive manner and non-competitive manner, which was verified by molecular docking simulations and dynamics simulations. Also, PC and TA showed the synergistic inhibition with orlistat. Fluorescence, UV-vis and the thermodynamic analysis revealed that the complexes were formed from CEase and inhibitors by noncovalent interaction. As revealed by the circular dichroism results, both PC and TA decreased enzymatic activities by altering the conformations of CEase. The inhibition of PC and TA on CEase might be one mechanism for its cholesterol-lowering effect.

Nano-embedding has appeared as a feasible technology to improve the high-quality utilization of royal jelly (RJ). Therefore, the ionic gelation method was proposed to prepared chitosan nanoparticles loaded with royal jelly (RJNPs) and the characterization and biological activity of RJNPs were evaluated in this study. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction results showed that the methyl and methylene groups of royal jelly combine with the amino groups of chitosan (CS) to become an amorphous polymer. In addition, the 48.68 % encapsulation efficiency and 31.90 % loading capacity were obtained under the optimal ratio of 1:1 RJ to CS, and the average particle size was <500 nm. The antioxidant activity of RJNPs gradually increased with the increase of the RJ proportion. Interestingly, the antibacterial activity on gram-positive bacteria was better than gram-negative bacteria. Most important, RJNPs exhibited better stability and digestibility rather than single RJ. Overall, these findings indicated that RJ can be embedded in chitosan, and RJNPs exhibited good thermal stability, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activities and bioavailability, which was important for the development and application of the high-quality utilization of RJ.

High pressure processing is a safe and green novel non-thermal processing technique for modulating food protein aggregation behavior. However, the systematic relationship between high pressure processing conditions and protein deaggregation has not been sufficiently investigated. Major royal jelly proteins, which are naturally highly fibrillar aggregates, and it was found that the pressure level and exposure time could significantly promote protein deaggregation. The 100 - 200 MPa treatment favoured the deaggregation of proteins with a significant decrease in the sulfhydryl group content. Contrarily, at higher pressure levels ( >400 MPa), the exposure time promoted the formation of disordered agglomerates. Notably, the inter-conversion of alpha-helix and beta -strands in major royal jelly proteins after high pressure processing eliminates the solvent-free cavities inside the aggregates, which exerts a ' collapsing ' effect on the fibrillar aggregates. Furthermore, the first machine learning model of the high pressure processing conditions and the protein deaggregation behaviour was developed, which provided digital guidance for protein aggregation regulation.