内容: Mycotoxins are the toxic metabolites produced by the fungi that grow in food crops; however, the modified mycotoxins are the undetectable metabolites during testing for the parent mycotoxin. Although more than 300 mycotoxins were discovered and identified, little is known about the effects of most of them or their modified forms on child health. Aflatoxins are well known to induce liver cancer and play a significant role in the impairment of child growth. Fumonisin also are known to induce esophageal cancer and neural tube defects. However, deoxynivalenol and the other trichothecenes are well known as immunotoxic and induce gastroenteritis. In this review, the adverse health hazards in children associated with the major mycotoxins as well as the modified forms of fusarium mycotoxins were described. Additionally, the global burden of the health ghazards resulted from the exposure of children to dietary mycotoxin. The risk assessment, risk characterization and the challenges in risk characterization of multiple mycotoxins in children food were discussed.

内容: This study reviews the health benefits of white tea and the development of new products derived from white tea. The core processing procedures such as withering and drying play a pivotal role in shaping the unique characteristics of white tea. In the withering phase, water gradually diminishes, and endogenous polyphenol oxidase induces a slight oxidation of polyphenols which leads to a delicate fermentation process. This not only helps preserve the integrity of most components but also imparts an exclusive flavor and taste to white tea. Additionally, white tea stands out as a rich source of polyphenols, polysaccharides, and saponins. These bioactive components which can be extractable during brewing are conferring a myriad of health benefits. These benefits include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-radiation, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-hyperlipidemia, neuroprotection, and cardiovascular-protection properties. Innovative applications range from ready-to-drink infusions to skincare products. The review proposes white tea as a raw material for supplements, meal replacements, and confectionery. Various studies suggest its potential in enhancing gut health, supporting endurance, and contributing to photoprotection in skincare. The article concludes by highlighting white tea’s adaptability, its role as a bridge between tradition and modernity, and its potential to shape the future of functional foods and beverages. Overall, white tea emerges as a versatile resource with applications extending beyond traditional consumption, offering a holistic approach to health and wellness.

内容: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of single-stranded and non-coding endogenous RNAs with 18-25 nucleotides in length. By binding to the complementary sequences in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of protein coding genes, miRNAs regulate posttranscriptionally the mRNA expression of target genes and enzymes involved in various biological processes. The application of high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and novel detection methods has high-lighted promising roles of miRNAs as both novel biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and critical regulators involved in almost all stages of carcinogenesis including cancer initiation, promotion and progression. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most investigated active catechin in green tea, has been linked to various health-promoting benefits including chemoprevention and treatment of cancers. In this review, we first present a brief description of EGCG and its major metabolic pathway. It is followed by reviewing the roles of EGCG in the modulation of oncogenic and tumor suppressing miRNAs in some common cancers. These findings suggest that the capacity of EGCG to regulate expression of specific miRNAs provides insights of its new mechanisms of action underlying its chemopreventive and potential beneficial activities against various cancers.

内容: The number of people travelling to high-altitude areas or participating in mountain sports is increasing. For individuals visiting such terrains for the first time, the lack of adaptation to the hypobaric hypoxic environment can lead to the deterioration of gastrointestinal function and barriers. In more severe cases, this lack of acclimatisation may lead to acute high-altitude illness. At present, the prevention and treatment of these issues primarily revolve around strategies such as descending to lower altitudes, oxygen supplementation, and medication. However, the available intervention measures to prevent health problems resulting from high-altitude environments remain limited. In this review, we discuss common altitude-related illnesses, including gastrointestinal problems. Moreover, we explore the potential of commonly used medications and dietary supplements in alleviating altitude-related issues. This review can provide a basis for future research on modulating the gut microbiota for mitigating high-altitude illness.

内容: Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance of the antioxidant defense system and excessive production of free radicals, which can damage biological macromolecules such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, and can cause aging, ischemia-reperfusion injury, inflammatory injury, liver and kidney injury and other diseases. The nuclear factor erytheroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a major regulator of redox balance. The Nrf2 pathway also exerts a central function in cell apoptosis, oxidative stress damage and metabolic diseases. Bioactive peptides are small molecular peptides composed of amino acid residues. They have many biological activities and play important physiological roles in human body. Antioxidant peptide is a kind of peptide which can reduce oxidative stress damage. They are safe, non-toxic and easily absorbed. In this review, we summarized the mechanism of bioactive peptides in regulating oxidative stress, especially antioxidant peptides, through regulating the Nrf2 signaling pathway and the expressions of oxidative stress-related genes, to alleviate oxidative stress-induced damage. The paper will provide valuable reference to investigators in the antioxidant peptide field and also promote the applications of antioxidant peptides in the oxidative stress-associated diseases.

内容: With the increasing per capita demand for animal protein, there is a growing interest in the abundant abalone protein resources. Abalone proteins are known for their nutritional and functional properties that contribute to flavor and texture. We systematically constructed the relationship between abalone protein, processing, and proteomics. This paper reviews the nutritional properties of abalone proteins and evaluates the effects of different thermal processing techniques, non-thermal processing, and freezing on abalone proteins. In addition, we synthesize published abalone proteomics studies and the use of proteomics technology to better elucidate the quality changes of abalone and its products, and as a technical basis for the study of blue food marker proteins. It is important direction to clearly explain the protein composition and meat quality mechanism of abalone in the processing and storage by proteomic. During various types of thermal processing, non-thermal processing, and freezing of abalone, the various chemical forces between protein molecules are disrupted, which in turn leads to different degrees of denaturation, aggregation, and gelation, which may have an impact on the organoleptic properties, bioavailability, and digestibility of abalone muscle. Proteomics is used in abalone biology studies to understand developmental biology, physiology, disease, stress, and species identification and can also be a powerful tool to characterize processing methods on abalone quality properties.

内容: Plant pigments have a vital role in plant pollination, aesthetic appeal, and quality of the fruit. Naturally occurring major plant pigments include anthocyanins, carotenoids, and chlorophyll. In addition to their coloration, these pigments possess additional beneficial properties, which is why they are often referred to as bioactive compounds. Moreover, they exhibit strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The pigments, particularly beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), a type of carotenoid, are crucial for maintaining good vision. They can help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration and improve overall eye health. The antioxidants found in fruit pigments may improve cognitive function and reduce neurodegeneration. This review article explores the processes involved in the biosynthesis of essential pigments in fruits, emphasizing their biological significance and various applications, including effects on human health and economic value. Understanding these mechanisms can improve the color and quality of fruits, resulting in high consumer acceptance and higher market demand. The numerous benefits of plant pigments have sparked growing interest in incorporating them into our food. However, in-depth research is required to explore the biological significance of fruit pigments, as well as their role in human food and nutrition. Studies have shown that these bioactive compounds can help prevent and manage chronic degenerative diseases. Further research is necessary in both fundamental and applied areas to enhance pigment levels in fruit to a degree sufficient for disease prevention. Comprehensive research into the genetic regulation of pigment biosynthesis could illuminate pathways for enhancing pigmentation through genetic engineering or traditional breeding methods. Genome editing technologies like CRISPR could be employed to improve specific pathways related to pigment biosynthesis in fruits. Further promising opportunities for the application of these pigments beyond the food industry should be investigated, focusing on their potential contributions in cosmetics, textiles, medicine, agriculture, and other sectors.

内容: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disease afflicting women of childbearing age. It is characterized by irregular menstruation, clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenemia, and polycystic ovary morphology. As a complex endocrine-metabolic syndrome (MS), PCOS shares several endocrine-metabolic features with the MS, with insulin resistance at the core of their pathogenic mechanisms. PCOS and MS are interrelated and thus have similarities in treatment. Currently, the common treatment modalities for both are lifestyle intervention, medication, and surgery. More studies have shown that lifestyle intervention and regulation of intestinal flora are more effective and sustainable. However, progress towards treatment and cure is hampered by unclear etiology and mechanisms. This review aimed to summarize the relationship between PCOS and MS, the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders, and the current nutritional therapeutic strategies, especially lifestyle modifications and modulation of intestinal flora. Lifestyle interventions combined with the regulation of gut flora can be a new perspective for treatment. This perspective has a positive significance in the early diagnosis, adoption of personalized treatment plans, and prevention of complications in PCOS and MS. The need to prevent the occurrence of MS in patients with PCOS should be emphasized.

内容: Propionate and butyrate are proven capable of decreasing plasma cholesterol. However, their undesired odor and unpleasant smell limit their direct application as a dietary supplement. In contrast, their respective triacylglycerols tributyrin (Tb) and tripropionin (Tp) are odorless and can be directly used as healthy supplements. In view that no study has investigated the relative biological potency of Tb and Tp, the present study was designed to compare the effects of Tp and Tb on plasma cholesterol and gut microbiota using hypercholesterolemic hamsters as a model. Male golden hamsters were randomly allocated to 6 groups fed one of the following 6 diets, namely, low-cholesterol diet (LCD), high-cholesterol diet (HCD), HCD + 0.5% Tp (LTp), HCD + 1% Tp (HTp), HCD + 0.5% Tb (LTb), and HCD + 1% Tb (HTb). Results showed that Tb administration at 1% could significantly reduce plasma total cholesterol (TC), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLC), and the ratio of non-HDLC to HDLC, whereas Tp supplementation had no effect. Mechanistically, Tb but not Tp could decrease plasma cholesterol by increasing the excretion of fecal bile acids via upregulating gene expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα). In addition, Tb supplementation at 1% could increase the gut microbiota diversity, reduce the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and favorably increase the abundance of beneficial microbial genera Bifidobacterium. In conclusion, dietary Tb supplementation was more effective than Tp in mitigating hypercholesterolemia by increasing the excretion of fecal bile acids and favorably modulating gut microbiota.

内容: Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a medicinal herb with anti-aging and neuroprotective effects. The purpose of this study was to explore the enhanced neuroprotective effects of red wolfberry water extract (RW), and brown wolfberry water extract (BBW). The reduced percentage of reducing sugar in BBW was shown to be 62.8%, 64.3%, 39.8%, and 11.6% for glucose, fructose, maltose, and lactose compared to those of RW, as well as free amino acids. And the contents of total phenols and total flavonoids were increased by 62.0% and 51.0%. Melanoidins (1.00%) were first isolated from BBW. RW and BBW increased anti-stress abilities (oxidative stress: 24.2% vs. 35.7%, and heat stress: 17.78% vs. 57.57%) while decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in vivo. RW and BBW reduced the rate of paralysis and odor cognitive deficits. At the same time, RW and BBW reduced the number of fluorescent spots of Aβ::GFP. The RW and BBW activated autophagy by upregulating the gene levels (bec-1, lgg-1, lgg-2, unc-51, vps-34, atg-5, atg-18, and sqst-1). Additionally, BBW promoted the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio of DAF-16::GFP and fluorescence intensity of SOD-3::GFP by 39.4 and 1.16 fold. This study laid a new insight for exploring the Maillard reaction in improving the anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) activity of wolfberry.