Search Results (1,094)

The effects of low (4 °C) versus ambient (25 °C) temperature on cell wall turnover, and redox homeostasis in ‘Jin’Aofen’ figs were investigated. Compared with 25 °C, storage at 4 °C reduced decay and respiration rates, delayed firmness loss and color deterioration. It also suppressed PG, PME and CEL activities, maintained higher contents of protopectin and cellulose; and slowed soluble pectin accumulation. Storage at 4 °C maintained higher activities of SOD, CAT, POD, APX and GR. It also preserved the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants, including TPC, TFC, ASA GSH. Meanwhile, it reduced H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ production and inhibited MDA. In addition, storage at 4 °C suppressed PPO, thereby alleviating enzymatic browning. Overall, storage at 4 °C maintained postharvest quality of figs by coordinately inhibiting cell wall degradation and regulating antioxidant metabolism. Full article

Aronia melanocarpa puree is rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, but its pronounced tannin-derived astringency limits product acceptance. This study developed a non-removal astringency-modulation strategy using food-grade L-proline and evaluated its molecular basis, processing window, and quality effects. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analyses suggested that L-proline altered the local microenvironment of procyanidin B2 (PC-B2) through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic association, and molecular packing rearrangement, without evident disruption of the PC-B2 aromatic skeleton. In a PC-B2–bovine serum albumin model, an appropriate L-proline level reduced the protein precipitation rate from 45.3% to 31.2% and increased soluble phenolic retention, suggesting weakened polyphenol–protein precipitation. The strategy was then optimized in puree using machine learning-assisted multi-response analysis and Box–Behnken validation. The recommended condition was 150 mg/100 mL L-proline at 40 °C for 60 min, yielding a deastringency rate of 36.13%, with anthocyanin and vitamin C retention rates of 88.80% and 55.56%, respectively. The optimized treatment maintained red color, colloidal dispersion, and shear-thinning behavior; increased the anthocyanin digestion retention index from 50.0% to 87.4%; and improved overall sensory acceptance from 4.17 to 8.17. These findings support L-proline-mediated microenvironmental modulation as a mild processing approach for high-tannin cloudy berry products. Full article

The valorization of agro-industrial fruit by-products as sources of natural antioxidants represents a sustainable strategy to replace synthetic additives in food preservation. This study systematically evaluated the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of extracts from thirteen underutilized Colombian fruit by-products (peels, seeds, and calyxes) and assessed their protective effect against lipid oxidation in an edible vegetable oil (EVO) model system over 15 days at 60 °C. Total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 23.1 to 2553.2 mg GAE/100 g. Orange peel (OP) and pineapple peel (PP) exhibited the highest TPC and strongest antioxidant activity, effectively inhibiting the formation of lipid hydroperoxides, hexanal, nonanal, and TBARS, and outperforming synthetic antioxidants (BHA, BHT, TBHQ) in several parameters. Multivariate analyses classified the extracts into high-efficacy, moderate-to-low efficacy, and pro-oxidant groups. HPLC-ESI-MS/MS characterization of OP and PP revealed diverse phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, ferulic, p-coumaric, vanillic, sinapic) and flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, catechin, C-glycosylated derivatives), which are related to the antioxidant properties observed. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between TPC and oxidation inhibition (r = 0.89–0.94). These findings demonstrate that Colombian fruit by-products, particularly OP and PP, are promising sustainable sources of natural antioxidants for enhancing the oxidative stability of edible vegetable oils within a circular bioeconomy framework. Full article

Agronomic practices and interannual climate variability significantly modulate the bioactive composition of agricultural by-products. This study evaluated the effects of farming systems (organic vs. conventional) and geographic locality across two harvest seasons (2022–2023) on the fatty acid (FA) profiles of peel and seeds from the “Mollar de Elche” pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Gas chromatography (GC-FID) analyses demonstrated that the harvest year, characterized by significantly reduced extreme temperature days in 2023, exerted a dominant, overriding effect on lipid biosynthesis compared to agronomic management. In the seeds, punicic acid was the unequivocal predominant FA, increasing dramatically from an average of ~75,700 mg/kg dry matter (DM) under severe heat stress (2022) to ~150,000 mg/kg DM under milder conditions (2023) (p < 0.001). In the peel, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) accumulation was strictly dependent on the interaction between localized geographic micro-conditions and climate, rendering the farming system a secondary factor. Crucially, the milder 2023 season significantly enhanced the unsaturated-to-saturated (U/S) ratio in both tissues and markedly improved cardiovascular lipid quality, lowering both the Atherogenic (AI) and Thrombogenic (TI) indices. These findings demonstrate that while organic farming can optimize lipid unsaturation under favorable climatic conditions, severe environmental stress nullifies these agronomic benefits, highlighting the need for climate-resilient strategies to valorize pomegranate by-products. Full article

Matcha tea (Camellia sinensis) contains high levels of catechins but has a near-neutral pH (6.2–6.3), which limits the stability of its bioactive compounds. Blending matcha with acidic berries may enhance phenolic stabilization, antioxidant capacity, and sensory properties. This study evaluated pure matcha (MT) and a matcha beverage blended with 7.5% strawberry and 7.5% blackberry powder (Mix), extracted at 5 °C, 70 °C, and 100 °C. Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale (n = 50) identified 15% berry substitution (Mix) as optimal, with overall acceptability scores ranging from 8.28 to 8.32 across all extraction temperatures. Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale (n = 50) identified 15% berry substitution (Mix) as optimal. Total phenolics (Folin–Ciocalteu), flavonoids (AlCl₃), anthocyanins (pH differential), vitamin C (HPLC), and individual phenolic compounds were analyzed. Antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS) and anti-inflammatory activity (egg albumin denaturation) were assessed, and color parameters (L*, a*, b*, chroma, hue, browning index, ΔE) were measured. Results and Discussion: The Mix exhibited significantly higher total phenolics (24.4% increase at 100 °C) and flavonoids (31.6% increase at 100 °C) compared to MT. Anthocyanins, absent in MT, reached 52.35 mg/100 g at 5 °C, and vitamin C content was 2.6-fold higher than MT under cold extraction. HPLC profiling showed increased levels of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, and rutin in the Mix. The Mix demonstrated superior antioxidant activity with DPPH inhibition of 84.08% at 100 °C (IC₅₀ = 165.0 µg/mL) and ABTS inhibition of 83.67% at 100 °C (IC₅₀ = 105.1 µg/mL). Anti-inflammatory activity was highest at 70 °C (IC₅₀ = 72.2 µg/mL), representing a 3.5-fold improvement over MT. Color parameters were similar to MT at 5 °C and 70 °C but darkened at 100 °C. The acidic pH (~3.7) of the Mix remained stable, contributing to catechin stabilization. Conclusion: The 15% strawberry-blackberry matcha blend shows potential as a functionally enhanced beverage with improved phenolic content, vitamin C, anthocyanins, and bioactivities. Temperature selection allows customization: 100 °C for maximal antioxidant activity, 70 °C for anti-inflammatory benefits, and 5 °C for nutrient preservation and vibrant color. Full article

Citrus aurantium L. is a citrus-derived functional food rich in various phenolic compounds, including flavonoids. However, the bioavailability of its phytochemicals and sensory quality remain limited. This study investigated the effects of ultrasound-assisted fermentation by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on microbial growth, phytochemical transformation, antioxidant activity, and metabolic profiles of C. aurantium. Ultrasound treatments were applied at different fermentation stages and power levels, among which treatment at 100 W during the exponential growth phase (ULP4) exhibited the best overall performance. Compared with conventional fermentation by L. plantarum (LP), ULP4 significantly promoted microbial growth, accelerated acidification, enhanced carbohydrate utilization, and stimulated β-glucosidase activity compared with conventional fermentation. Consequently, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacities were markedly improved. Untargeted full-MS/MS metabolomic analysis revealed extensive metabolic alterations following ultrasound treatment, with 335 metabolites significantly altered between LP and ULP4. Differential metabolites were mainly associated with flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. These metabolic changes were closely associated with improved antioxidant properties and functional quality. Overall, ultrasound treatment during the exponential growth phase effectively enhanced microbial metabolism and phytochemical transformation, offering a promising strategy to improve the functional value of fermented C. aurantium products. Full article

The increasing global demand for dietary protein has intensified the search for functional and sustainable plant-based ingredients. Chickpea flour is a promising candidate owing to its high nutritional quality and rich bioactive content. This study evaluated the use of microfluidization as a non-thermal strategy to enhance the physicochemical and functional properties of chickpea flour. Microfluidization induced particle fragmentation and led to protein denaturation, producing more irregular and porous surface morphologies. These structural modifications increased surface hydrophobicity, enhancing emulsifying and foaming capacities. Enhanced surface hydrophobicity also led to marked improvements in oil-holding capacity (up to 210% increase over control, after microfluidization at 200 MPa for three passes), likely due to stronger interactions with non-polar solvents. In parallel, microfluidization facilitated greater protein-water interactions, resulting in a 210% increase in protein solubility and 40% improvement in water-holding capacity after microfluidization at 200 MPa for one pass, compared to control. Increased surface area additionally contributed to higher in vitro protein digestibility (about 45% higher than control for all microfluidized samples) and the formation of a stronger network. Overall, these results demonstrate that microfluidization is an effective approach for improving the functional performance of whole chickpea flour, supporting its potential application in plant-based food systems. Full article

Peach (Prunus persica) fruit pigmentation is largely associated with anthocyanin accumulation, whereas colorless flavonols such as kaempferol glycosides may reflect alternative use of shared flavonoid precursors. To examine the relationship between anthocyanin and selected kaempferol glycoside accumulation, we analyzed 15 peach accessions classified by red, white, or yellow flesh pigmentation. Skin color was quantified using the a*/b* ratio, where a* represents redness/greenness and b* represents yellowness/blueness. Red-fleshed accessions showed higher skin a*/b* values and accumulated higher levels of total anthocyanins, particularly cyanidin-3-glucoside, than white and yellow accessions. In contrast, kaempferol-3-rhamnoside preferentially accumulated in white-fleshed accessions. Expression analysis of flavonoid pathway genes showed that dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (PpDFR) was more highly expressed in red accessions, whereas flavonol synthase (PpFLS) was more highly expressed in white accessions; chalcone synthase (PpCHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (PpF3H), flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (PpF3′H), and anthocyanidin synthase (PpANS) showed no significant differences among color groups. Heterologous overexpression of PpF3′H in Arabidopsis thaliana, a well-characterized model plant for flavonoid biosynthesis, was associated with increased seed anthocyanin accumulation and a lower kaempferol-to-quercetin ratio, supporting its catalytic capacity to influence flavonoid composition in an exogenous system. Overall, these results indicate that differential anthocyanin and selected kaempferol glycoside accumulation in peach is associated with the relative expression patterns of branch-related flavonoid genes, particularly PpDFR and PpFLS. This study provides targeted metabolic and transcriptional evidence for understanding peach flesh and skin pigmentation and provides mechanistic insight into flavonoid branch competition linking gene expression patterns with metabolite allocation, and identifies candidate genes for improving fruit color and flavonoid-related nutritional quality. Full article

Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí), a palm fruit native to the Amazon basin, has attracted growing global scientific interest over the past decade owing to its distinctive phytochemical richness and broad functional potential. This narrative review synthesizes research published between 2015 and 2025 on açaí’s nutritional composition, biological activities, food technological applications, processing innovations, by-product valorization, and sustainability challenges. Açaí pulp contains a distinctive nutrient matrix—including anthocyanins (particularly cyanidin-3-glucoside), polyphenols, oleic and linoleic fatty acids, and dietary fiber—underpinning antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and antiobesity effects demonstrated primarily in in vitro and animal models, with human clinical evidence still limited. Processing strategies such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, nanoencapsulation, freeze-drying, and supercritical CO₂ extraction have advanced bioactive stability and bioaccessibility, enabling açaí’s incorporation into dairy products, functional beverages, biodegradable packaging, reformulated meat products, and edible films. Processing residues—seeds and pomace—are increasingly repurposed into nutraceuticals, biosorbents, and bio-based polymers, reinforcing the species’ circular bioeconomy potential. Food safety risks, particularly Trypanosoma cruzi contamination in minimally processed products, require standardized mitigation protocols. Key remaining challenges include the absence of validated bioaccessibility methodologies, the scarcity of human clinical trials, and the need for scalable processing technologies suitable for smallholder production contexts. Overall, açaí emerges as a model bioresource at the convergence of nutrition science, food technology, and environmental sustainability. Full article

Apple pomace is a widely available food processing by-product that has attracted increasing attention in circular and resource-efficient food systems for its potential in value-added food applications. The use of apple pomace in ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat analogs represents a promising pathway. Unlike plant-based meats intended for cooking, RTE systems impose stricter constraints on structural stability, water retention, flavor integrity, and safety under cold chain conditions. Within this framework, apple pomace represents a compositionally complex material with both opportunities and constraints. This review examines how apple pomace and its derived ingredients can be utilized in RTE plant-based meat analogs, with particular attention to the distinct structural and functional requirements of minced-type and whole-cut products. Current evidence indicates that direct incorporation is more feasible for minced systems, where apple pomace fiber and pectin can support water retention, binding, and refrigerated slice stability when particle size, hydration, and sensory limits are controlled. By contrast, whole-cut applications are more likely to require fractionation, selective extraction, or additional structuring because particulate heterogeneity may disrupt continuous phase integrity and anisotropic structure formation. The review further identifies the main barriers to industrial translation, including water management under refrigerated conditions, flavor and color deviations, challenges in raw material standardization, and techno-economic constraints related to dewatering, processing intensity, and quality control. Overall, this review indicates that apple pomace can function as a technically relevant ingredient in RTE plant-based meat analogs. Its successful implementation depends on converting compositional complexity into predictable functionality through raw material standardization, controlled fraction use, food safety verification, and economically viable processing. In this way, sustainability-driven valorization can be better aligned with the practical requirements of industrial food production. Full article

Baijiu distillers’ grains (BDG), a major fermented cereal by-product of baijiu production, represent an underutilized source of structurally modified dietary fiber with potential value for functional food development. Here, we found that BDG-derived dietary fiber (BDG-DF), mainly composed of mannose (34.83 ± 0.38%) and xylose (35.14 ± 0.25%), promoted short-chain fatty acid production during in vitro fermentation, and its fermentation supernatants reduced IL-1β and TNF-α levels and modestly decreased IL-6 production in a Caco-2/HepG2 co-culture model. In T2D mice, BDG-DF improved glucose tolerance, with high-dose BDG-DF reducing the OGTT area under the curve by 12.4% compared with the T2D group, and alleviated hepatic steatosis. These effects were accompanied by enrichment of Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium and remodeling of bile acid profiles. High-dose BDG-DF was also associated with elevated CA and CDCA levels, altered TGR5/GLP-1 signaling, increased hepatic FXR expression, and reduced CYP7A1 expression. Integrated hepatic proteomics and metabolomics further indicated that BDG-DF was associated with changes in unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and PPAR-γ-related metabolic signaling. Overall, these findings suggest that BDG-DF may improve glucose–lipid homeostasis in association with gut microbiota and bile acid remodeling and hepatic PPAR-γ-related metabolic signaling. Full article

The quality of fresh blueberries is determined by physicochemical properties and sugar–acid composition, which exhibit significant variations across different cultivars and ripening stages. This study investigated two rabbiteye blueberry cultivars (‘Brightwell’, ‘Homebell’) and three highbush blueberry cultivars (‘Bluegold’, ‘Emerald’, ‘Legacy’), measuring basic physicochemical indices, soluble sugar and organic acid profiles at six ripening stages. HPLC analysis revealed that soluble sugars in blueberries are primarily composed of fructose and glucose. The organic acids in highbush blueberries are dominated by malic and citric acids, while rabbiteye blueberries contain higher levels of quinic acid in addition to malic and citric acids. Correlation analysis demonstrated that glucose and fructose contents were significantly positively correlated (p ≤ 0.01) with average fruit weight, soluble pectin to total pectin ratio (SP/TP), and total soluble solids to titratable acidity ratio (TSS/TA), but showed a highly significant negative correlation with malic acid. In contrast, malic acid exhibited a significant positive correlation (p ≤ 0.05) with firmness and moisture content. Cluster analysis divided the measured parameters into two groups: Class 1 includes average fruit weight, SP/TP, TSS/TA, and soluble sugars. Class 2 comprises fruit shape index, firmness, moisture content, and organic acids. Quality variation patterns among blueberry cultivars clustered according to cultivated type (rabbiteye and highbush), with differences within the same type being smaller than those between the two types. Rabbiteye blueberries exhibited a higher TSS/TA and a sweeter taste, whereas highbush varieties displayed softer texture, higher moisture content, and a balanced sweet–sour juiciness. This study clarified the dynamics of sugar and acid metabolism during blueberry ripening, providing a theoretical basis for quality evaluation, harvest timing, and breeding. Full article

Salmonella primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract, causing local and systemic symptoms. Fucoidan exhibits therapeutic potential against Salmonella-induced pathology; however, the influence of its molecular weight on efficacy remains poorly understood. In this study, low-molecular-weight fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida (LUPF) was prepared and characterized, and its protective effects against Salmonella infection were evaluated in a mouse model. LUPF effectively mitigated Salmonella-induced multiple organ damage by preserving mucin secretion and tight junction protein expression. Metabolomics analysis further demonstrated that LUPF normalized Salmonella-induced metabolic disturbances, thereby reducing systemic dysfunction. Mechanistically, LUPF suppressed inflammation by inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways, while alleviating oxidative stress through activation of the Nrf2 pathway. In addition, LUPF restored gut microbiota homeostasis by reducing Proteobacteria levels, improving the Bacteroidota/Firmicutes ratio, enriching beneficial taxa, and enhancing short-chain fatty acid production. In vitro experiments further revealed that LUPF attenuated Salmonella-induced inflammation by modulating macrophage polarization. Collectively, these results suggest that LUPF has promising potential as a prebiotic candidate for reducing the risk of Salmonella-associated diseases. Full article

To investigate how spreading conditions affect green tea taste and aroma and to develop a generalizable prediction model from small data for process optimization, this study integrated SEM, non-targeted dual-omics, and TabPFN to systematically analyze Echa No. 10 spreading. A central composite design was used. Dehydration-induced mechanical stress altered cell membrane permeability, driving non-volatile taste compound transformation and volatile aroma release. Two chemical-sensory proxies, relative polyphenol-to-amino acid ratio (R-PAR) and floral intensity index (FII), were established using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). A prediction model was built with these indicators and TabPFN. Multi-objective optimization yielded optimum conditions: initial moisture 76.8%, temperature 26.2 °C, relative humidity 61.5%, air speed 0.85 m/s, achieving R-PAR 0.465 and FII 125.70. Compared with response surface methodology (RSM), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and support vector regression (SVR), TabPFN showed prediction R² of 0.81 and 0.77, showing favorable applicability and predictive capability on small-sample data. This study validates TabPFN’s suitability for small-sample tea processing modeling, quantifies the mapping between spreading and key taste/aroma metabolism, and provides a methodological foundation for digital precision and intelligent optimization in green tea production. Full article

In this study, a methodology that combines ultrasound-enhanced extraction with the use of hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and three-phase partitioning (TPP) was presented for the green isolation of polysaccharides from longan shells (LSP). The extraction system was a DES composed of an equal molar ratio of dodecanoic acid and octanoic acid, which was used as the separation medium. Generally, the main phase separation mechanisms involved in the purification of the polysaccharide were investigated. The ideal operational parameters were found through systematic optimization by the single-variable experiment with the response surface methodology, i.e., the extraction temperature of 63.8 °C, the phase volume ratio of 1:1.04 (v/v), and the ammonium sulfate concentration of 26.3%. The extraction efficiency is 2.42 ± 0.03% for LSP when the above operational parameters are used. The structural characterization showed that the isolated LSP is an acidic heteropolysaccharide rich in galacturonic acid and arabinose. It was also shown that the molecular architecture of LSP includes both types of glycosidic bonds, which are also of importance for its physicochemical properties. The polysaccharide exhibits an open fibrous network structure. Notably, the DES maintained stable performance over five successive reuses without significant degradation. Concerning the antioxidant capacity, LSP at 0.4 mg/mL showed 96.6 ± 2.0% inhibition of ABTS radical, and showed an iron-reducing capacity of 68.67 ± 2.02 micromol Trolox per gram (concentration-dependent effect). These results are present a new method for the sustainable extraction of bioactive macromolecules. Full article