The volatile compounds in Jinhua ham samples after different aging times were characterized using solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and needle trap (NT) extraction methods combined with gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF/MS). Hundreds of aroma compounds were identified, including aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, furans, esters, acids, pyrazines, and sulfides. The results showed that NT extracted the greatest number of volatile compounds, whereas the extraction efficiency of SPME headspace adsorption was highest among the three sample preparation methods. Principal component analysis of SPME effectively distinguished the variation in the aroma of the Jinhua hams specific to aging time. Butyrolactone, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, phenylacetaldehyde, and acetic acid were considered as the main volatile compounds in the Jinhua ham samples at three years of aging. The results showed that SPME–GC–TOF/MS effectively discriminated among samples by age. By comparing the three extraction methods, this study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of extraction methods of volatile aroma compounds in Jinhua ham. Full article

To provide a strategy for improving the stability of rice bran protein emulsion (RBPE), rice bran proteins (RBPs) with different oxidation extents were prepared from fresh rice bran (RB) stored for different times (0, 1, 3, 5, 10 d), and RBPE was prepared with ultrasonic treatment. The ultrasonic conditions were optimized according to the results of the RBPE’s stability (when RB stored for 0, 1, 3, 5, 10 d, the optimal ultrasonic treatment conditions of RBPE were 500 w and 50 min, 400 w and 30 min, 400 w and 30 min, 300 w and 20 min, 500 w and 50 min, respectively). Additionally, the structural characteristics and the flexibility of RBPE interface protein were characterized, and the results showed that compared with native protein and excessive oxidized protein, the unfolded structure content and flexibility of interface protein of RBPE prepared by moderate oxidized protein under optimal ultrasonic intensity was higher. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the RBPE stability was significantly correlated with the structural characteristics and flexibility of the RBPE interface protein (p < 0.05). In summary, ultrasonic treatment affected the interface protein’s structural characteristics and flexibility, improving the stability of RBPE prepared from oxidized RBP. Full article

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an important substance thought to improve depression. It has been shown that Lactobacillus can promote the secretion of 5-HTP in the body and thus ameliorate depression-like behavior in mice. However, the mechanism by which Lactobacillus promotes the secretion of 5-HTP is unclear. In this study, we investigated the promoting effect and mechanism of Lactobacillus, isolated from Chinese fermented foods, on the secretion of 5-HTP. The results showed that Lactobacillus (L.) pentosus LPQ1 exhibited the strongest 5-HTP secretion-promoting effect ((9.44 ± 0.69)-fold), which was dependent on the mixture of compounds secreted by L. pentosus LPQ1 (termed SLPQ1). In addition, the results of the RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses indicated that SLPQ1 alters the TNF and oxidative phosphorylation signaling pathways. Moreover, the SLPQ1 ultrafiltration fraction (>10 kDa) showed a similar 5-HTP promoting effect as SLPQ1. Furthermore, reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS/MS) identified 29 compounds of >10 kDa in SLPQ1, including DUF488 domain-containing protein, BspA family leucine-rich repeat surface protein, and 30S ribosomal protein S5, which together accounted for up to 62.51%. This study reports new findings on the mechanism by which L. pentosus LPQ1 promotes 5-HTP production in some cell lines in vitro. Full article

An innovative and sensitive approach using high-performance liquid chromatography-photo diode array detection (HPLC-PDAD) was developed and optimized for the simultaneous determination of abamectin (ABM), ivermectin (IVM), albendazole (ABZ) and three metabolites in eggs. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile (MeCN)/water (90:10, v/v), and the extracts containing the targets were cleaned up and concentrated by a series of liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) steps. A reversed-phase C18 column and a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) aqueous solution and methanol (MeOH) were utilized to perform optimal chromatographic separation. The developed method was validated on the basis of international guidelines. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) were 2.1–10.5 µg/kg and 7.8–28.4 µg/kg, respectively. Satisfactory linear relationships were observed for the targets in their corresponding concentration ranges. The mean recoveries ranged from 85.7% to 97.21% at 4 addition levels, with intraday and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the ranges of 1.68–4.77% and 1.74–5.31%, respectively. The presented protocol was demonstrated to be applicable and reliable by being applied for the detection of target residues in locally sourced egg samples. Full article

The maternal diet during pregnancy affects neonatal health status. The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of the maternal diet, and its contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in pregnant women living in two areas of the Czech Republic with different levels of air pollution, and subsequently to assess the relationship of these two factors with birth weight and neonatal oxidative stress. To determine the level of oxidative stress, 8-isoprostane concentrations in umbilical cord plasma were measured. The overall nutritional quality of the maternal diet was not optimal. Of the nutritional factors, protein intake proved to be the most significant showing a positive relationship with birth weight, and a negative relationship with the oxidative stress of newborns. Dietary contamination by persistent organic pollutants was low and showed no statistically significant relationship with birth weight. Only one of the 67 analyzed POPs, namely the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), showed a statistically significant positive relationship with the level of neonatal oxidative stress. Full article

The consumption of raw yam tuber through grated yam “tororo” is a major and popular diet in Japan. However, few studies have been undertaken to evaluate the digestive characteristics of raw yam tubers. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the changes in the protein profile, protein and starch digestibility, antioxidant capacity and microstructure of two typical yam tubers (Nagaimo N-10 and Nebaristar) in the Japanese diet, applying a simulated in vitro digestion method. Results showed that both samples contained a considerable protein content of about 11% (dry basis) and a protein digestibility of 43–49%. The electrophoretic patterns confirmed that dioscorin was the main protein of the yam tuber, and it could be digested into peptides and free amino acids with low molecular weight during in vitro digestion. The starch hydrolysis results suggested that eating raw yam tuber cannot induce a fast glycemic increase for consumers due to a low starch digestibility of 4.4–6.1%. In addition, Nebaristar showed a higher bioaccessibility in some key amino acids and total phenolic content than the Nagaimo N-10. This study provides some essential nutritional information and simulated digestion behaviours of the raw yam tubers, which could be useful for consumers and industries when buying and processing yam tubers from the perspective of changes in the nutritional profile during digestion. Full article

Nuts are widely consumed worldwide, mainly due to their characteristic flavor and texture, ease of consumption, and their functional properties. In addition, consumers increasingly demand natural or slightly processed foods with high quality. Consequently, non-thermal treatments are a viable alternative to thermal treatments used to guarantee safety and long shelf life, which produce undesirable changes that affect the sensory quality of nuts. Non-thermal treatments can achieve results similar to those of the traditional (thermal) ones in terms of food safety, while ensuring minimal loss of bioactive compounds and sensory properties, thus obtaining a product as similar as possible to the fresh one. This article focuses on a review of the main non-thermal treatments currently available for nuts (cold plasma, high pressure, irradiation, pulsed electric field, pulsed light, ultrasound and ultraviolet light) in relation to their effects on the quality and safety of nuts. All the treatments studied have shown promise with regard to the inhibition of the main microorganisms affecting nuts (e.g., Aspergillus, Salmonella, and E. coli). Furthermore, by optimizing the treatment, it is possible to maintain the organoleptic and functional properties of these products. Full article

Used Random forest algorithm to construct a prediction model of aroma components based on the hybrid offspring of ‘Honeycrisp’ × ‘Maodi’, and different preprocessing methods were tried (Standardization (SS), First-order Derivative (D1) and Standard normal variate (SNV)). The aroma composition and content were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the main aroma components of apples were classified according to compound categories, including ester, aldehyde, ketone, alcohol. Taking the chemical groups as the research objects, the characteristic wavelengths were selected by grid search algorithm, and the characteristic wavelength-aroma chemical group model was established, and the same method was used to construct the model for single aroma components. The results show: SNV has the best noise removal effect among the five preprocessing methods. Under the SNV treatment, aroma chemical groups of apples showed a good correlation with the spectrum. The number of characteristic spectra of ester are 413, 493, 512, 551, 592, 600, 721, 727, 729, 733 nm, all in the visible light range. The determination coefficient ($R^2$), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the ratio of the standard deviation values (RPD) of validation were 0.90, 4936.16 and 1.13. The characteristic spectrum of alcohols is 519, 562, 570, 571, 660, 676, 737, 738 nm, the range is close to that of ester. The $R^2$ and RMSE of alcohol validation are 0.92 and 83.21, and RPD is 1.30. The number of characteristic spectra of aldehyde is 20, and the most important band is 1000 nm, which is outside the visible light range. The number of characteristic spectra of ketone is 15, and also has some distribution outside the visible light range. The $R^2$ of aldehyde and ketone validation are 0.84 and 0.86. Except for cyclooctanol, the $R^2$ of single aroma compound prediction model performed poorly. Based on the models, we tried to visualize alcohol, which can roughly represent their distribution on apple. Their distributions all show significant differences in the center and edge of apple, but the results are still rough due to the accuracy of models. In conclusion, the study can preliminarily prove that hyperspectral imaging technology (HSI) can perform non-destructive detection of aroma in apple hybrid offspring. Full article

The aqueous extract of kava (Piper methysticum) root is known as a traditional beverage for daily intake in the Western Pacific Islands, such as Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu, to induce relaxation and health-beneficial effects. In this study, the antioxidant, anti-hyperuricemia, and antibacterial properties of kava root were investigated through the isolation and purification of bioactive compounds in ten fractions separated by column chromatography (CC). They included six flavonoids, 5-hydroxy-4′,7-dimethoxyflavanone (C1), matteucinol (C2), isosakuranetin (C3), 5,7- dimethoxyflavanone (C4), 2′,4′-dihydroxy-6′-methoxydihydrochalcone (in MC5) and alpinetin (C10), and seven kavalactones, 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK) (in MC5 and C6), kavain (in MC7), yangonin (in MC7 and C8), dihydro-5,6-dehydrokavain (DDK) (in MC9), 7,8-dihydromethysticin (in MC9), dihydromethysticin (in MC9), methysticin (in MC9). The chemical structures of the compounds were illustrated by the analyses of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (ESI–MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H and ¹³C-NMR), and X-ray diffraction. The evaluation of the free radical scavenging activity of the isolated substances via the DPPH and ABTS assays revealed that C3 (IC₅₀: ABTS = 76.5; DPPH = 74.8 µg/mL) possessed the strongest antioxidant property. In terms of anti-hyperuricemia activity evaluated via the xanthine oxidase inhibitory in vitro assay, the compound C10 was the most promising inhibitor, revealing an IC₅₀ of 134.52 µg/mL. The two kavalactone mixtures in MC5 and a pure compound C6 inhibited the growth of bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, while MC7 can constrain the development of Klebsiella pneumoniae. This is the first study to isolate, purify, and identify the flavonoids isosakuranetin, 2′,4′-dihydroxy-6′-methoxydihydrochalcone and alpinetin in kava root and report their pharmaceutical potential. The identified bioactive compounds showed potent antioxidant, anti-hyperuricemia, and antibacterial activity and thus can enhance the value of beverages and foods derived from kava root. Full article

Peanut (also called groundnut, Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds are used for producing edible oils and functional foods, and offer a rich source of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. However, the location of these metabolites has not yet been firmly established. In the present study, the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-MSI) technique was applied to investigate spatial distribution of lipids and other key components in seeds of three peanut cultivars (ZH9, KQBH, HP). A total of 103 metabolites, including 34 lipid compounds, were putatively identified by MALDI-MSI. The abundance and spatial distribution of glycerolipids (GLs) and glycerophospholipids (GPs) were compared among the three peanut cultivars. All the identified lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were distributed mainly in the inner part of seeds. The visualization of phosphatidic acids (PAs) and triacylglycerols (TGs) revealed a dramatic metabolic heterogeneity between the different tissues making up the seed. The non-homogeneous spatial distribution of metabolites appeared to be related to the different functions of particular tissue regions. These results indicated that MALDI-MSI could be useful for investigating the lipids of foodstuffs from a spatial perspective. The present study may contribute to the development of oil crops with higher oil yields, and to improvement of food processing. Full article

Salmonella is a type of common foodborne pathogen of global concern, seriously endangering human health. In molecular biological detection of Salmonella, the method of amplifying DNA often faces the problem of aerosol pollution. In this study, a microfluidic chip was developed to integrate loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas12a system to detect Salmonella. The LAMP reaction solution was initially injected into the chamber to amplify at 65 °C for 20 min; the CRISPR/Cas12a reaction solution was subsequently injected to mix with the amplicons for fluorescent signal production at 43 °C for 30 min. Then, the results can be confirmed by naked eyes under 495 nm light or by a fluorescence immunochromatographic reader. The detection limit of this method for Salmonella DNA was 118 pg/μL. The sensitivity and specificity of this method was 100%. Furthermore, this method was used to detect Salmonella after enrichment for 4 h in salmon and chicken samples spiked with 30 CFU/25 g, and was verified to have a stable detection capability in real samples. The microfluidic chip integrated with the LAMP and CRISPR/Cas12a system not only provides a possibility of highly sensitive endpoint fluorescent visual detection of a foodborne pathogen, but also greatly eliminates the risk of aerosol contamination. Full article

Semi-smoked sausages were made with 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% replacement of horsemeat by emulsion gel made with offal broth (stomach, kidney, liver, heart, brain, and a miscellaneous trimmings of a horse), pumpkin flour, and egg yolk in a ratio of 5:4:1. The technological, nutritional, oxidative, and rheological (G′ and G″) properties were studied. Sausage water holding capacity (WHC) rose after being incorporated with pumpkin-based emulsion gel (PEG). There was a statistically significant (p < 0.01) improvement in sausage emulsion stability. Lipid oxidation in all samples, especially 5% and 15% addition of emulsion gel samples, was below the rancidity criterion, which is TBARS > 2.0–2.5 mg MDA/kg sample. This really is encouraging because unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in horsemeat, are easily oxidized. Use of the emulsion gel did not noticeably alter the sausages’ pH. Using emulsion gel considerably reduced the cooking loss (p < 0.05) of sausages and significantly improved texture (p < 0.05). Partial replacement of mixed horsemeat with emulsion gel improved the physicochemical characteristics of semi-smoked sausages. The elasticity modulus (G′) showed that PEG15 (15% of emulsion gel) was the most resilient gel. The least powerful gels (p < 0.05) were PEG20 and PEG25. According to this study, adding a pumpkin-based emulsion gel to the meat matrix could improve the quality of the emulsified meat system and provide important data for related research and companies as strategies to market a healthier and more nutritious product with the necessary quality characteristics. Full article

Lactobacillus helveticus is one of the commonly used starter cultures for manufacturing various fermented dairy products. However, only a few studies have explored the cleavage region preference of L. helveticus with different cell envelope proteinase (CEP) genes. In the present study, we profiled the peptide composition of milk samples fermented by three different L. helveticus strains by means of peptidomics to illustrate their different proteolysis patterns. The result revealed that the differences in peptide profiles of milk samples fermented by different L. helveticus strains were mainly a result of variations in the peptide patterns of the casein fractions, which were correlated with CEP genotypes. This was mainly reflected in the extensiveness of the hydrolysis region of αS1-casein and the degree of β-casein hydrolysis. Bioactive peptides were mostly derived from the hydrolysis region common to the three L. helveticus strains, and DQHXN-Q32M42 fermentation resulted in the highest diversity and abundance of bioactive peptides and a significant antihypertensive effect in spontaneous hypertension rats. Full article

Beans are widely consumed throughout the world, rich in non-nutrient phenolic compounds and other bioactive constituents, including alkaloids, lectins, and others. However, research about in vitro digestion impacts on the changes of bioactive compounds’ release and related antioxidant potential in different Vigna beans is limited. This research aimed to assess the modifications that occur in the content and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in four Vigna samples (adzuki bean, black urid whole, black eye bean, and mung bean), their antioxidant properties, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production through static in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. Adzuki bean exhibited relatively higher total phenolic content (TPC; 4.76 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activities after in vitro digestion. The black eye beans’ total flavonoid content (0.74 mg QE/g) and total condensed tannins (10.43 mg CE/g) displayed higher tendencies. For colonic fermentation, the greatest TPC value of entire samples was detected through a 2-h reaction. In most selected beans, phenolic compounds were comparably more bioaccessible during the oral phase. Acetic acid showed the highest level through SCFAs production, and the total SCFAs in adzuki beans was the greatest (0.021 mmol/L) after 16-h fermentation. Adzuki beans may be more beneficial to gut health and possess a stronger antioxidant potential after consumption. Full article

Protein corona (PC) adsorbed on the surface of nanoparticles brings new research perspectives on the interaction between nanoparticles and fermentative microorganisms. Herein, the proteolysis of wheat PC adsorbed on a nano-Se surface using cell-free protease extract from S. cerevisiae was conducted. The proteolysis caused monotonic changes of ζ-potentials and surface hydrophobicity of PC. Notably, the innermost PC layer was difficult to be proteolyzed. Furthermore, when S. cerevisiae was stimulated by ultrasound + 0.1 mg/mL nano-Se@PC, the proportion of lethal and sublethal injured cells increased as a function of the proteolysis time of PC. The transcriptomics analysis revealed that 34 differentially expressed genes which varied monotonically were related to the plasma membrane, fatty acid metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, etc. Significant declines in the membrane potential and proton motive force disruption of membrane were found with the prolonged proteolysis time; meanwhile, higher membrane permeability, membrane oxidative stress levels, membrane lipid fluidity, and micro-viscosity were triggered. Full article