内容: Poor stability and low solubility of flavonoids extremely limited their efficient application in functional foods. Hydrogel delivery systems have good stabilizing and enhancing effects on flavonoids. Apigenin has a variety of biological activities and can be used to treat various inflammatory conditions. However, its low water solubility significantly hinders its widespread applications. As an amphoteric electrolyte, collagen can form a hydrogel delivery system with varying loading ability under different concentrations and pH values. Therefore, five different collagen concentrations and five different pH values were selected to investigate the optimal conditions for incorporating apigenin. Results found that when the collagen concentration was 5 mg/mL and the pH was 9, the collagen hydrogels had a good encapsulation effect for apigenin. The interaction between apigenin and collagen was primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The binding of apigenin altered the conformation and microenvironment of collagen. Molecular docking analysis suggested that apigenin maintained binding stability in the hydrophobic pocket of proteins by interacting with several key residues. The experiments of in vitro digestion revealed the apigenin within that collagen hydrogels had good digestion stability. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the application of apigenin in the collagen delivery system.

内容: The color and quality of edible and medical honeysuckle will be affected by the environment condition such as light, temperature, and humidity during storage. In this study, taking temperature and humidity as an example, the changes of color and quality of honeysuckle at 25 °C and 75% relative humidity conditions were clarified through accelerated tests, and the change mechanism was explored. The results showed that after 18 days of storage, the color changed from green-white to brown, and the color parameter showed that a* value increased by 2.10 times, and L* and h* value decreased by 4.34% and 10.14%, respectively. The contents of chlorophyll a and carotenoid decreased by 33.92% and 34.87%, respectively. Total phenol content decreased by 39.85% while total flavonoid content increased by 10.54%. The antioxidant activities of the three methods decreased by 47.85%, 7.84% and 68.02%, respectively. The peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities after 18 days were higher than those before storage. Chlorogenic acid content significantly decreased, suggesting a gradual deterioration in quality. According to untargeted metabolomics analysis, 74 differential metabolites related to these changes were screened and identified, including chlorophyllide a for chlorophyll degradation and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural for Maillard reaction. Combined with KEGG pathway analysis, it was found that the browning and quality decrease were caused by the enzymatic reaction induced by PPO and POD and the non-enzymatic Maillard reaction. In summary, this systematically explains the Chinese Pharmacopoeia describes the character of honeysuckle as “gradually darkening on keeping”.

内容: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a liver disorder causes people who drink little or no alcohol to accumulate extra fat in their livers. It’s getting prevalent in those who are obese. This study was aimed to investigate effects of the consumption of bread fortified with lupin seeds (LS) and psyllium husk (PSH) on NAFLD. Forty-two male rats were divided into 6 groups of 7 animals including 2 groups served as negative controls were given a basal diet and another a basal diet supplemented with unfortified bread. While, the rest of rats (n = 28) were administration with 25% fructose dissolved in water for 8 weeks to induce NAFLD. Then reclassify into 4 subgroups, only one fed on basal diet containing unfortified bread served as positive control group and three subgroups fed on bread fortified with 10% of (LS or PSH or their mixture) powder/kg diet respectively, for 28 days. The results observed an improvement in the nutritious qualities of bread with addition of (LS or PSH), especially in terms of proteins, fiber, total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant (AA). Bread with 10% LS showed highest (TPC and AA), which recorded (2.96 mg GAE/g and 78.15%), while the flavonoids showed highest value in 10% (LS + PHS) bread. Biological results all treated rat groups revealed improve in body weight, lipid profile and glycemic indices. Similarly, bread fortified with LS and PSH reduced liver (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase) and kidney function (uric acid, urea, creatinine). Interestingly, LS and PSH effectively prevented the increase thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value, but increased levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase. Also effectively protected liver from histological changes. Conclusion, LS or PSH is excellent resources of natural antioxidants that might be added to functional foods an important agent for the protection from NAFLD.

内容: Freeze drying can generate high quality food products characterized by good sensory and maximizing the nutritional retention. To mark clear the characteristic compositions of freeze-dried jujubes as affected by varieties, characteristic amino acids, fatty acids, phenolics and their derivatives of 10 varieties of freeze-dried jujube slices were analyzed based on metabolomics. Results showed a total of 55 characteristic amino acids and their derivatives, 34 characteristic fatty acids and their derivatives and 22 characteristic phenolics and their derivatives were identified in 10 varieties of freeze-dried jujube slices. D-Proline (7 146–11 433 mg/100 g), asparagine (1 124–3 609 mg/100 g), suberic (59.41–562.60 mg/100 g), dodecanedioic acid (45.44–304.60 mg/100 g), catechin (6.70–170.10 mg/100 g) and quercetin (11.51–293.90 mg/100 g) were common, and significant (P < 0.05) differences of them were presented in 10 varieties of freeze-dried jujube slices. The differences and characteristic compositions of varieties of freeze-dried jujube slices could be well distinguished by principal component analysis. In conclusion, duing to the highest total content of amino acid, fatty acid, phenolic, respectively GTZ (22 560 mg/100 g), NYDZ (4 106 mg/100 g) and JXSZ (3 582 mg/100 g) were potential varieties for freeze-dried jujube slices. Moreover, the acceptable jujube variety for freeze drying could also be selected based on the characteristic individual composition of amino acid, fatty acid, phenolic and their derivatives, respectively.

内容: Fruit senescence profoundly affects the postharvest quality of papaya, which is linked to oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation during storage. In this study, we analysed the effect and physiological mechanism of ozonised water (2 mg/L) dipping for 5 min on the antioxidant defence system and oxidative membrane damage in extending the shelf life of papaya fruit under cold storage. Ozonised water treatment inhibited respiratory metabolism and ethylene evolution, delayed the ripening and color indices, reduced peel browning and the loss of titratable acidity, and lowered disease severity. Additionally, ozonised water led to substantial elevations in total phenol, flavonoid, radical scavenging activity and antioxidant enzyme activities while mitigating oxidative breakdown by lowering the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content. Principal component analysis and Pearson correlation (multivariate analysis) further confirmed the effectiveness of ozonised water (2 mg/L) treatment in delaying the senescence of papaya by eliciting antioxidant defence system.

内容: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is accompanied by insulin resistance in liver and peripheral tissue. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 produces lipopeptide surfactin, which has a wide range of biological activities. However, the effects of surfactin on insulin resistance in any mouse model have not been reported. Our previous research demonstrated that dietary supplementation with surfactin can alleviate high fat diet (HFD)/ streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T2DM in mice by regulating intestinal microbiota. This study aims to explore the detailed mechanism of the effect of surfactin on liver and peripheral tissue. The results indicated that surfactin inhibited hepatic gluconeogenesis and promoted hepatic glycogen synthesis by activating the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signalling pathways. Similarly, surfactin also significantly increased muscle glycogen synthesis by activating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. The glucose transporter 4 levels of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, which are insulin-mediated vital organs, was noticeably increased after surfactin treatment. In addition, our results indicate that decreased hepatic fat accumulation and suppressed inflammation and oxidative stress in liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue also play critical roles in ameliorating insulin resistance. These findings demonstrate that surfactin not only ameliorates liver dysfunction but also enhances insulin sensitivity in HFD/STZ-induced T2DM mice. Finally, using fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test, we show that early surfactin intervention can mitigate T2DM in mice. The study results warrant future functional food studies which will provide insight into diet-host interactions.

内容: Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) leaves are widely processed as a healthy tea (GT) in China for their multiple biological activities. In this study, different polar segments from GT ethanolic extract were obtained using the liquid-liquid fractionation method. n-Butanol fraction (GN) had the highest antioxidant activity while ethyl acetate fraction (GE) showed the highest inhibitory effect on the α-glucosidase enzyme. The anti-diabetic effect of GE was further investigated in type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) mice. The oral administration of GE (300 or 600 mg/kg) reduced fasting blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance ability, and ameliorated insulin resistance in T2DM mice. GE intervention could enhance the cholesterol transportation in the serum in coincidence with decreased total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and non-esterified fatty acid. Transcriptomic, immunofluorescence and Western blotting analysis revealed that GE significantly up-regulated insulin receptor substrate 1, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, protein kinase B, glycogen synthesis, and glucose transporter 4. AMP-activated protein kinases mediate gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase 1 and glucose-6-phosphatase in the liver and kidney tissues of GE groups were decreased. Thus, GE alleviated the liver, kidney, and pancreatic tissue damage. The phytoconstituents of GE were characterized, and rutin, neochlorogenic acid, and its acylated derivatives have hypoglycemic effects. Furthermore, these findings suggested that GT might be used as a promising hypoglycemic candidate.

内容: In order to establish a comprehensive food quality evaluation method, 2 mathematical modeling evaluation methods were applied (grey system and entropy weight method). The experimental material was Flammulina velutipes feet (FVF). The by-product of F. velutipes was divided into 3 equal portions for frying, and the resulting fried FVF (FFVF) were evaluated. Based on the ranking of 50 people’s food attribute preferences, grey relational analysis (grey system) was used for subjective evaluation. The results showed that people’s preference ranking for the 3 parts was: lower > middle > upper. The entropy weight method was then used to verify the results based on the FFVF nutritional indexes (total sugars, protein and dietary fiber) and flavor indexes (flavor amino acids, flavor 5’-nucleotides and electronic tongue flavor score). The validation results were lower > middle > upper, which was consistent with the subjective evaluation results, suggesting the lower part of FVF was more suitable for the frying process. In conclusion, values of different parts of FFVF were rated, which provided a new processing method for the utilization of F. velutipes by-products. It also provided a novel means for the evaluation of processed products in food engineering.

内容: While foxtail millet boasts high nutritional value, its use is still not fully realized. Various fermentation agents were used on millet dough to enhance the flavor and quality of staple foods based on millet. The study investigates the effects of fermentation on the gelatinization properties, rheological behavior, water distribution, microstructure, and flavor profile of foxtail millet steamed bread. Results showed an increase in the viscosity of sourdough millet dough (SD) and lactic acid bacteria millet dough (LABD) compared to the yeast millet dough, indicating enhanced stability of the products when multiple microbial strains were added. In the LABD, lactic acid bacteria metabolism reduced hydrogen atom levels, shortened peak time, and improved water retention. The tanδ initially decreased and then stabilized as angular frequency increased, demonstrating higher viscoelasticity and better maintenance of the gluten network. Microstructural analysis revealed that natural fermentation enhanced the gluten network in the dough through enzymatic modification of protein structures. SD and LABD fermentation significantly improved the texture of the steamed bread and enhanced the aroma of volatile compounds, particularly esters and aldehydes. Ethyl lactate and ethyl nonanoate were identified as potential contributors to the natural and fresh aroma of the bread. These findings indicate that multi-strain natural fermentation is valuable in practical applications and may inspire future innovations in millet-based staple food production.

内容: Atemoya fruit, prized for their flavor and nutritional value, are susceptible to rapid postharvest deterioration, particularly peel browning, limiting their marketability. This browning process, often linked to oxidative stress and cell wall degradation, remains poorly understood at the molecular level. This study investigated the impact of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on atemoya peel browning during cold storage using integrated biochemical, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses. Results demonstrated that MAP effectively reduced browning index and extended shelf-life by 12 days. Multi-omics analysis revealed that MAP elevated antioxidant enzyme activities and ascorbic acid accumulation while delaying cell wall degradation. Notably, pectinesterase-encoding genes showed strong correlation with ascorbate and phenylpropanoid metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of MAP-mediated browning reduction in atemoya and suggest potential targets for postharvest quality improvement.