Solid fats, including saturated and trans fats, provide desirable functionality, texture, and palatability to foods; however, they are associated with adverse health effects. Food industry is actively seeking alternative ingredients to replace solid fats while preserving the sensory and texture attributes crucial for consumer acceptance. The emulsion-template approach for gelling vegetable oils is a novel strategy to replace solid fats, offering advantages such as the use of safe and plentiful raw materials, mild processing conditions, a healthier fatty acid profile, controllable viscoelasticity, and enhanced capacity for nutrient or flavor encapsulation. However, achieving sufficient interfacial stability and robust network formation remains a technical challenge. To address this, physical and chemical methods are employed to modify the emulsifier, thereby optimizing the interface and the three-dimensional network of the oleogels and enhancing their rheological and textural properties. Processing characteristics such as oil-holding capacity, thermal stability, and rheological properties are important indicators for evaluating the applicability of prepared oleogels in food applications. Therefore, based on these indices, this review summarizes the performance enhancement mechanisms of emulsion-template oleogels and evaluates their texture and sensory impacts in meat products, baked goods, dairy products, and frozen foods as fat replacers. Finally, an outlook on the challenges and future prospects of emulsion-template oleogels was presented.

In this study, high-quality oleogels based on pea protein isolate and high-methoxyl pectin were prepared using an emulsion-templated approach. The role of high-methoxyl pectin in oleogel formation under different pH (6 and 7) and concentrations (0-1.5%) was investigated by analyzing emulsion stability and the resulting oleogel structure. Furthermore, their feasibility as butter substitutes in sponge cakes was evaluated. The results showed that pectin interacted with pea protein through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, inducing slight conformational rearrangements, which in turn led to the strengthening of the interfacial film and reinforcement of the continuous-phase network. Consequently, emulsions showed smaller (10.91 μm) and more uniform droplets, lower zeta potential (-42.78 mV), higher contact angle (72.53°), and greater viscosity. Oleogels obtained at 1.5% pectin and pH 7 displayed the strongest solid-like structure with highest oil-binding capacity (99.49%), hardness (8.71 N) and gel strength (G' > 105 Pa). When fully replacing butter, oleogels produced sponge cakes showed no significant difference in specific volume (4.02 vs. 4.17 mL/g) and hardness (0.72 vs. 0.58 N) compared to the butter group (p > 0.05), highlighting their potential as saturated fat-free fat substitutes.

A novel strain of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Jlus66 was isolated from a traditional fermented dairy product known as "Nai Geda", and its role in hyperuricemia remains unclear. We constructed a mouse model using potassium oxonate (OXO) and a high-purine diet to examine the impacts of Jlus66 supplementation on hyperuricemia in vivo. The results revealed that Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Jlus66 intervention substantially lowered blood uric acid (UA) concentrations through suppressing xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity in the liver to reduce UA synthesis and modulating UA transport to enhance its renal excretion. Furthermore, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Jlus66 supplementation increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in cecal samples, which might account for the reduced secretion of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Jlus66 enhanced intestinal barrier function through upregulating tight junction proteins and reinstating gut microbiota homeostasis. In conclusion, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Jlus66 may be a potential probiotic for the management of hyperuricemia through modulating gut microbiota, promoting UA excretion, and inhibiting UA synthesis.

Quinoa protein-based emulsion gels, filled with four types of oil phase loading of curcumin, were successfully fabricated using an acid-induced method, and their gel properties, digestive behavior and curcumin bioaccessibility were investigated. CLSM images revealed that emulsion gels prepared from LCT oil (corn oil and olive oil) exhibited compact structures with smaller oil droplets distributed in the gel matrix than those prepared from MCT and SCT. The rheological and textural analysis showed that the gel properties including apparent viscosity, firmness, hardness, and water holding capacity reduced as the sequence of LCT > MCT > SCT, which may be attributed to their gel microstructures. All the gels exhibited a good loading ability for curcumin, but the LCT oil droplet filled gels provided the best protection effect on curcumin against ultraviolet light. The initial digestion rate showed a decreasing trend as SCT > MCT > LCT, while final digestion extent reduced in a sequence of MCT > SCT > LCT, indicating a controlled released properties of LCT oil droplets filled gels. The bioaccessibility of curcumin followed a decreasing trend of MCT > LCT > SCT, suggesting that MCT and LCT may be more suitable for curcumin delivery. Our findings revealed the potentials of using adaptive oil to fabricate quinoa protein emulsion gels in protecting and delivering lipophilic bioactive components for improving their bioaccessibility in food products.

Protein-stabilized high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPE) as edible 3-dimensional (3D) food printing materials have various applications within the food industry. Herein, whey protein-based nanoparticles with curcumin (Cur) and different amounts of proanthocyanins (PC) incorporated exerted reduced surface tension, enhanced particle size, Cur loading efficiency, 3-phase contact angle, interfacial protein adsorption, and surface load with increasing PC content, making them excellent Pickering stabilizers for HIPPE. The formed HIPPE also exhibited relatively uniform oil droplets distribution, increased centrifugation stability, enhanced oxidation stability, improved viscoelasticity, and good 3D printing performance (high resolution and shape fidelity). Moreover, the nanoparticle as an interfacial antioxidant reservoir showed a controlled-release behavior for Cur at oil-water interface and then migrated into the oil phase, which was modulated by PC content. This result provided new possibilities for producing whey protein-based HIPPE as 3D printing inks for nutrient delivery and future food manufacturing.

Mycotoxins contribute considerably to food losses and pose serious health risks to humans and animals. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying the elimination of mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) by a yeast strain, Rhodotorula dairenensis ZDY342B, which was isolated from the feces of ZEN-treated mice. Isotope-labeled 13C18-ZEN was employed for accurately tracking the degradation products of ZEN, and the chemical composition of the yeast cells was characterized before and after ZEN elimination. The results of these analyses confirmed that strain ZDY342B removes ZEN via a combination of degradation and adsorption. Subsequently, the degradation product of ZEN was identified as zearalenol using high-performance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as opposed to simply inferring the product structure based on the molecular weight of the degradation product. The characterization of the cell structure revealed the role of functional groups such as O-H, N-H, C═O, and C-O in the biosorption of ZEN by yeast ZDY342B. Additionally, an evaluation of the safety of strain ZDY342B revealed it to be a safe and harmless microorganism. Furthermore, the reduced toxicity of the products obtained upon the degradation of ZEN by ZDY342B was ascertained using in vitro and in vivo experiments. In summary, this study demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of ZDY342B, a yeast strain that shows the potential for mitigating ZEN contamination in food and animal feed.

The development of a suitable mimetic scaffolds for maintaining high activity and stability of co-immobilized multi-enzymes is a key challenge in biotechnology. Herein, we achieved the regular distribution of cascade enzymes through spatially controlled hierarchical loading into protein-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers using a mild biomineralization technique. The comprehensive understanding of sequential regulation in constructing controlled nanoarchitecture enables to combine a continuous reaction and achieve tailoring catalysis for biomimetic application. The ordered-assembled cascade enzymes showed stronger bioactivity in comparison with the disordered format or inappropriate loading format. The stability of the enzyme is incrementally improved by an efficient dual-enhanced mode of immobilizing the free enzyme into hybrid nanoflowers and encapsulating it in a hydrogel system, addressing the inherent fragility of natural enzymes. Benefiting from the structural integration, a protein-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers-embedded hydrogel sensor is constructed for on-site detecting NO2- with a detection limit of 5.08 mu M. This work showcases a convenient approach for the efficient design of the ideal cascade biocatalysts, and supports the development of portable devices for practical application.

Lactoferrin (LF) possesses diverse bioactivities, but its application in food systems is limited due to environmental sensitivity and heat-induced denaturation. To improve its thermal stability, electrostatic complexes of LF with low-methoxyl pectin (LMP) were prepared, and their heat resistance was systematically investigated. Based on titration curves, soluble LF-LMP complexes at various mass ratios of 6:1, 4:1, and 2:1 (pH 6 and 7) were created. These complexes showed improved thermal stability when heated at 70°C or 95°C for 10 min, with protection efficacy varying by pH and mass ratio. Samples at pH 6 exhibited greater thermal stability compared with those maintained at pH 7, as evidenced by attenuated turbidity increases, smaller particle size variations, and suppressed fluorescence intensity shifts in general. Higher LMP ratios (2:1) conferred more effective thermal protection. Circular dichroism and Fourier-transform infrared analyses indicated that LF-LMP complexes at 2:1 maintained a relatively small structural changes following heat treatment. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed increased peak temperatures for LF-LMP complexes compared with LF alone, with further enhancement at higher LMP ratios and lower pH. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE demonstrated higher LF retention in complexes post-heating. Data suggest that LF-LMP complexation may be a promising strategy to improve the thermal stability of LF, facilitating its application in heat-processed functional foods.

Food spoilage waste accelerated the development of bio-based active food packaging. Sustained-release composite films based on oxidized corn starch/pullulan were prepared by incorporating cinnamon essential oil (CEO) nanoemulsion. The SEM, ATR-FTIR and XRD results showed that CEO was successfully encapsulated in film matrixes. The composite films exhibited the increase of thermal stability, UV-shielding, flexibility and water vapor resistance properties. The films containing CEO nanoemulsion (>= 10%) showed excellent antimicrobial activities against S. aureus, E. coli and B. cinerea (the maximum inhibition zones achieving 27.23 +/- 2.31 mm). The release kinetics results showed sustained release of CEO from the films with high content of CEO nanoemulsion, and the dominant release mechanism was Fickian diffusion. The composite films effectively maintained cell structure, weight, firmness and total soluble solids content of fruits during storage. Therefore, the sustained-release composite films could be a prospective packaging material for fruits preservation.

Given the potential dangers of organophosphorus pesticides to food safety and human health, the development of a reliable and precise detection platform for pesticides is essential. In this study, we present a novel 'armor-plating' laccase-mimetic catalyst (DNA-Cu@MOFs)-based colorimetric platform, which enables stable and selective pesticide detection. The DNA-Cu@MOFs enhance catalytic stability and overcome pH limitations, enabling effective catalysis under neutral and alkaline physiological conditions, making them well-suited for practical applications in biosensor development. By combining the catalytic properties of DNA-Cu@MOFs with a high-affinity biorecognition element (acetylcholinesterase), the platform achieves a linear detection range of 3.0-90 ng mL-1 for chlorpyrifos, with a detection limit of 0.75 ng mL-1. Notably, this platform demonstrates significant stability in chlorpyrifos detection even in the presence of environmental interferents. This robust colorimetric platform offers new possibilities for pesticide detection and provides a solid foundation for the development of comprehensive and accurate pesticide monitoring systems.

The construction of a nanozyme-enzyme hybrid cascade system is an effective protocol to optimize the performance of biosensors. Yet, the integration has limitations due to the lack of harmonious collaboration between nanozyme and enzyme. Herein, we have constructed an efficient enzymatic cascade system by utilizing the base complementary pairing and the targeting capability of DNA tweezers to combine DNA-regulated copper nanoflowers (CuNFs) with acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The DNA tweezers were immobilized onto the CuNFs undergo regular base complementary pairing, and subsequently employed as aptamer to capture AChE gently, forming CuNFs-Apt-AChE cascade system. This system not only enhanced the spatial proximity of CuNFs and AChE to increase cascade catalytic activity, but also demonstrated excellent stability under harsh conditions. Harnessing the nanoarchitecture and characteristics, the CuNFs-Apt-AChE composites were embedded into the hydrogel to fabricate a sensitive biosensor for on-site detecting carbamate pesticides with a detection limit of 0.19 ng mL-1. The hydrogel sensor exhibited high specificity for carbamate pesticides and had been successfully applied in water and juice samples for pesticide detection with strong anti-interference ability. This method holds great potential for the on-site detection of pesticides, offering a new strategy for constructing nanozyme-enzyme cascade hybrid systems with accuracy and sensitivity.

Zearalenone contaminates food and poses a threat to human health. It is vital to develop cost-effective and environmentally-friendly adsorbents for its removal. By screening Sporobolomyces pararoseus (SZ4) and modified yam starch (adsorption capacity (qe) of 1.33 and 0.94 mg/g, respectively), this study prepared a novel composite aerogel adsorbent (P-YSA@SZ410). The compressive strength of P-YSA@SZ410 was 1.35-fold higher than unloaded yeast. It contained several functional groups and three-dimensional interconnected channels, achieving a 0° contact angle within 0.18 s, thereby demonstrating excellent water-absorbent properties. With a qe of 2.96 mg/g at 308 K, the adsorption process of P-YSA@SZ410 was spontaneous, endothermic, and matched pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The composite adsorbed zearalenone via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, maintaining a qe of 2.24 mg/g after five cycles. P-YSA@SZ410 was found to remove zearalenone effectively under various conditions and could be applied to corn silk tea, indicating its great potential as an adsorbent material.

Fermentation can transform bioactive compounds in food and improve their biological activity. This study aims to explore the transformation of polyphenols in mulberry juice and the improvement of its anti-aging effect. The results demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum SC-5 transformed anthocyanin in mulberry juice into more phenolic acids, especially improved 2-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid from 4.16 +/- 0.06 to 10.07 +/- 0.03. In the D-gal-induced mouse model, fermented mulberry juice significantly raised the abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae (303.7 %) and Lactobacillaceae (237.2 %) and Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in intestine, further reducing the level of oxidative stress (12.3 %). Meanwhile, the expression of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and Brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased, which protected the integrity of hippocampal tissue. Morris water maze results approved that fermented mulberry juice improved cognitive ability in aging mice (30.3 %). This study provides theoretical support for the view that fermentation is an effective means of developing functional foods.

Dongbei Suaicai (DBSC) has a complicated microbial ecosystem in which the composition and metabolism of microbial communities during the process have not been well explored. Here, combined metagenomic and metaproteomic technology was used to reveal the taxonomic and metabolic profiles of DBSC. The results showed that firmicutes and proteobacteria were the prevalent bacteria in phylum and Pseudomonas, while Weissella, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc were the prevalent genus. The vital metabolic pathways were involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis [path: ko00010], as well as pyruvate metabolism [path: ko00620], fructose and mannose metabolism [path: Ko00051], glycine, and serine and threonine metabolism [path: Ko00260]. Moreover, the key proteins (dps, fliC, tsf, fusA, atpD, metQ, pgi, tpiA, eno, alaS, bglA, tktA, gor, pdhD, aceE, and gnd) in related metabolized pathways were enriched during fermentation. This study will aid in facilitating the understanding of the fermentation mechanisms of DBSC.

Forest frog's oviduct oil (FFOO) is highly susceptible to microbial spoilage during storage, which causes serious safety concerns and economic losses. However, little information is available regarding the preservation of it up to now. The aim of this research is to understand the dominant microbial community of FFOO spoilage, and based on this, develop a kind of edible nanoemulsion coating for preserving FFOO. Microbial metagenomic analysis indicated that the Aspergillus genus increased significantly during storage. In the present study, gum arabic and whey protein isolate were chosen as the coating matrix, the natural compounds sanguinarine and glabridin were selected as antimicrobial agents to prepare double-layer nanoemulsion edible coating. When the ratio of sanguinarine and glabridin in the nanoemulsion was 1:3, it exhibited strongest storage stability and antifungal activity. The mycelial inhibition rate of 1:3 nanoemulsion against dominant microbial community (Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus glaucus) reached 88.89 ± 1.37 % and 89.68 ± 1.37 %, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the edible nanoemulsion coating not only had outstanding antifungal activity, but also had excellent fresh-keeping effect on FFOO. This nanoemulsion coating could be a promising and potential candidate for food preservation.

The genus Hanseniaspora is a non-Saccharomyces yeast frequently isolated from wine-associated environments and has been recognized to play a key role in winemaking. However, most of the research on Hanseniaspora focused on its role in fermentation or its coordination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but the genome data of Hanseniaspora is very scarce, which is not conducive to better utilization and development of this yeast. Therefore, in this study, the genome data of two Hanseniaspora vineae strains CC-P5 and CC-ZZ6 with flocculation and antimicrobial abilities were sequenced and bioinformatics analyses were performed. The results showed that the genomes of the two strains have a high degree of homology with an average nucleotide identity of 97.7 %. Both H. vineae CC-P5 and CC-ZZ6 have corresponding genes for adaptability to osmotic stress, sulfur dioxide stress, ethanol toxicity and other stresses, as well as various genes involved in the biosynthesis of ethyl esters, volatile organic acids, aromatic amino acid, benzyl alcohol/ benzaldehyde and terpenoid, which are useful for modulating wine flavor and aroma. These results shed light on why H. vineae has the biotechnology to make wine. In addition, the number of publicly available H. vineae genome databases have increased. This has laid the foundation for further research on Hanseniaspora.

BACKGROUND:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a class of ligand-activated nuclear transcription factors, members of the type nuclear receptor superfamily, with three subtypes, namely PPARα, PPARβ/δ, and PPARγ, which play a key role in the metabolic syndrome. In the past decades, a large number of studies have shown that natural products can act by regulating metabolic pathways mediated by PPARs. PURPOSE:This work summarizes the physiological importance and clinical significance of PPARs and reviews the experimental evidence that natural products mediate metabolic syndrome via PPARs. METHODS:This study reviews relevant literature on clinical trials, epidemiology, animals, and cell cultures published in NCBI PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and other databases from 2001 to October 2022. Search keywords were "natural product" OR "botanical" OR "phytochemical" AND "PPAR" as well as free text words. RESULTS:The modulatory involvement of PPARs in the metabolic syndrome has been supported by prior research. It has been observed that many natural products can treat metabolic syndrome by altering PPARs. The majority of currently described natural compounds are mild PPAR-selective agonists with therapeutic effects that are equivalent to synthetic medicines but less harmful adverse effects. CONCLUSION:PPAR agonists can be combined with natural products to treat and prevent metabolic syndrome. Further human investigations are required because it is unknown how natural products cause harm and how they might have negative impacts.

Background: Obesity, induced by long-term excessive energy accumulation, has been the principal global public health concern. The consumption of high-calorie foods is the uppermost cause of obesity. So, obesity can be prevented by adjusting dietary habits. Fermented plant-based foods offer an effective strategy to prevent antiobesity due to the numerous bioactive compounds produced during fermentation. Scope and approach: In this review, the significance and potential of fermented plant-based foods are described. The study focuses on the biotransformation of anti-obesogenic bioactive compounds in plant-based foods (mainly including vegetables, fruits, cereals and legumes) during fermentation and systematically summarized the possible underpinning mechanisms of anti-obesogenic effects. Key findings and conclusions: The anti-obesity effect of fermented plant-based foods mainly depend on the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation, such as organic acids, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides and proteases. The possible mechanisms of anti-obesogenic effects exerted by these compounds are summarized as controlling appetite by modulating leptin sensitivity, regulating lipid metabolism, promoting adipocytes conversion, relieving inflammation, improving glucose metabolism and modulating gut microbiota by promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Hence, the development of plant-based fermented food is a promising approach to managing obesity and its complications.

“新工科”和工程教育专业认证对高等学校工科专业的实践教学提出了非常高的要求，食品质量与安全专业具体多学科交叉的特色，其中大部分学校授予工学学位，因此，该专业在人才培养方面需要适应国家对“新工科”的需求，而工程教育专业认证则是为相关工程技术人才进入工业界从业提供预备教育质量保证，专业根据“新工科”和工程教育专业认证对实践教学的需求，培养出的专业人才将更好满足工业行业的要求。因此，本文首先分析了“新工科”和工程教育专业认证对食品质量与安全专业实践教学体系的要求，在此基础上进一步分析了目前专业在实践教学上存在的问题，探索可行的实践教学体系改革举措，为食品质量与安全专业实践教学体系的建设提供一定参考。