Search Results (8,843)

Blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a cold-adapted berry rich in bioactive polyphenols. The association of phenolic compounds with the plant cell-wall matrix may limit their extractability. To promote polyphenol release and enhance antioxidant properties, a blue honeysuckle matrix was co-fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus 6224 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae W5. Process parameters were optimized using response surface methodology, with total phenolic content (TPC) as the response variable. Under the optimized conditions, TPC reached 1374.79 mg/100 g. Compared with the unfermented control, DPPH radical, ABTS radical, H₂O₂, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities increased by 4.27, 15.10, 12.89, and 12.63 percentage points, respectively. LC-MS profiling showed that co-fermentation markedly altered the phenolic profile of the blue honeysuckle matrix and increased the relative abundances of several putatively annotated phenolic compounds, including quercetin, protocatechuic acid, catechin, and caffeic acid. These findings indicate that the optimized co-fermentation process increased TPC, altered phenolic composition, and enhanced in vitro antioxidant activity, offering a potential approach to the value-added processing of blue honeysuckle. Full article

Fruit wines produced from non-grape fruits are gaining increasing attention as value-added fermented beverages due to their diverse chemical composition and content of bioactive compounds. This narrative review provides a comparative overview of fruit wines obtained from berries, drupes, pome fruits, citrus fruits, and tropical fruits, with particular emphasis on their physicochemical characteristics, phenolic composition, antioxidant properties, and technological aspects of production. Rather than considering fruit wines as a single category, the available evidence is examined across different fruit groups to identify characteristic patterns in the occurrence and relative abundance of bioactive compounds and their associated antioxidant activity. Berry wines are generally distinguished by their high phenolic and anthocyanin contents, whereas wines produced from other fruit categories exhibit distinct profiles of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other bioactive constituents. Differences in raw materials and technological conditions, including fermentation and processing strategies, contribute substantially to the variability observed in the composition and functional properties of the resulting wines. The review also considers fruit-wine pomace as a potentially valuable source of residual bioactive compounds, highlighting opportunities for its valorization within sustainable and circular production systems. However, differences in analytical methods, reporting units, sample matrices, and experimental conditions currently limit direct quantitative comparisons among studies. Overall, this review integrates compositional, technological, and antioxidant-activity data across major fruit categories, identifies current knowledge gaps, and highlights opportunities for improving fruit-wine production, analytical characterization, and the sustainable utilization of fruit-processing by-products. Full article

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play critical physiological roles in maintaining cardiovascular health, neurodevelopment, and immune regulation, with continuously growing market demand. Traditional supply chains based on fish oil and plant oils face severe challenges including resource depletion, environmental pollution, and sustainability concerns. Single cell oil production via fermentation using filamentous fungi has emerged as a sustainable and economically viable alternative. This review provides a comprehensive overview of research progress on PUFA synthesis by filamentous fungi, covering strain resources, biosynthetic pathways, regulatory mechanisms, major product development, and industrialization prospects. Filamentous fungi have formed a complete spectrum from native high-yielding strains (e.g., Mortierella alpina, Mucor circinelloides, Umbelopsis isabelline, Thamnidium elegans, Cunninghamella echinulata) to genetically tractable chassis cells (e.g., Aspergillus oryzae). In addition, the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica also plays a non-negligible role in the heterologous synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Starting from acetyl-CoA, filamentous fungi synthesize saturated fatty acids via the fatty acid synthase system and subsequently convert them to important PUFAs such as arachidonic acid (ARA), γ-linolenic acid (GLA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) through the sequential catalysis of Δ9-, Δ12-, Δ6-, and Δ5-desaturases and elongases. The SNF1 energy sensor, the nitrogen metabolism regulator AreA, and environmental factors constitute a complex multi-layer regulatory network that coordinately modulates fatty acid unsaturation and yield. The 2A peptide-based multigene co-expression platform, cofactor engineering, competitive pathway blockade, and fermentation process optimization have synergistically enabled the targeted accumulation of specific PUFAs. Nevertheless, industrialization of filamentous fungal PUFA production still faces major bottlenecks. We also provide a perspective on the industrial potential of filamentous fungi as “lipid cell factories” for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). This review aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge framework for researchers in related fields and to inform future fundamental research and industrial translation. Full article

In this study, cauliflower stems were used as an infusion medium for kombucha fermentation to produce kombucha bacterial cellulose (KBC). The obtained KBC was incorporated into reprocessed poly(lactic acid) (rPLA) films as a reinforcing filler. Cauliflower stem powder (CS) was also evaluated for comparison. Films containing 1 and 3 wt.% of each filler were characterized in terms of their mechanical, thermal, physicochemical, and morphological properties, surface wettability, water vapor barrier properties, antioxidant activity using a fatty food simulant, and disintegration under laboratory-scale composting conditions. The results showed that both fillers reduced the mechanical strength of the films without significantly affecting their thermal transitions, chemical structure, or surface wettability. rPLA-KBC-reinforced films exhibited the best overall performance for the intended use, with lower reductions in mechanical and barrier properties and providing antioxidant activity to rPLA-based systems, reaching radical scavenging activities of approximately 15% and 26% for films containing 1 and 3 wt.% of KBC, respectively. In addition, all formulations completely disintegrated under composting conditions within approximately 21 days. These findings demonstrate the potential of combining agricultural and industrial waste to develop sustainable antioxidant rPLA-based materials for food packaging applications. Full article

Temperature critically regulates fungal lignocellulose degradation, but the mechanisms underlying straw conversion by Ganoderma lucidum for ruminant feed remain unclear. This study investigated biochemical and molecular responses of G. lucidum during solid-state fermentation of wheat straw at 20, 27, and 34 °C over 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks using chemical, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. At week 6, lignin degradation reached 63.6% at 27 °C and 34 °C, exceeding 27.0% at 20 °C. Similarly, hemicellulose degradation reached 60% at 27 °C and 34 °C, exceeding 33.2% at 20 °C. In contrast, cellulose degradation showed more consistent temperature dependence, with 46.1% at 34 °C and 21.6% at 20 °C. Transcriptomics revealed temperature-dependent activation of carbohydrate-active enzymes and lignin-modifying genes, including up-regulated laccase genes, as well as temperature-specific induction of xylitol dehydrogenase at 27 °C and barwin-like endoglucanase at 34 °C. Metabolite profiles showed partial convergence between extended low-temperature and short-term high-temperature fermentation. Multi-omics integration identified a conserved negative correlation between phenylpropanoid/lignan and lipid/organic acid metabolites, alongside temperature-dependent remodeling of gene and metabolite networks. This study reveals chemical, transcriptomic, and metabolomic changes during solid-state fermentation of wheat straw by G. lucidum, providing mechanistic insights into temperature-regulated fungal biomass conversion. Full article

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG), the major by-product of the brewing industry, is an abundant lignocellulosic biomass rich in phenolic compounds, although their association with the cell wall matrix limits their recovery and functional application. This study aimed to enhance phenolic compound recovery from BSG by integrating solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Aspergillus oryzae and green extraction technologies and to stabilize the recovered compounds using nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). Fermentation was evaluated for up to 7 days. Fermented and unfermented BSG were subsequently subjected to pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) with ethanol at 50–150 °C. Phenolic recovery was assessed by reducing capacity, DPPH antioxidant activity, and targeted UHPLC–MS/MS profiling. A two-day SSF period was selected as optimal, increasing reducing capacity 5-fold and antioxidant activity 7-fold compared with unfermented BSG. PLE provided the most efficient extraction performance, particularly at 130–150 °C, while SSF further enhanced phenolic recovery, especially at intermediate extraction temperatures. Targeted analysis quantified 10 phenolic compounds and related compounds and revealed compound-specific responses to processing. Fermented BSG extracted by PLE at 150 °C showed the highest p-coumaric acid content (16.0 ± 0.07 µg/g BSG), whereas the maximum trans-ferulic acid content was reached after MAE at 130 °C (21.5 ± 0.09 µg/g BSG). Selected PLE extracts were successfully incorporated into carnauba wax-based NLCs, producing particles below 300 nm and encapsulation efficiencies of up to 35%. Bioprocessing integrated with green extraction substantially improved the recovery of bioactive compounds from BSG, while lipid-based encapsulation provided a promising strategy for their stabilization, supporting the sustainable valorization of this brewing by-product. Full article

The brewing industry generates substantial organic waste, prompting interest in sustainable valorization because these by-products retain significant residual nutritional and nutraceutical value. Based on these premises, this scoping review aims to evaluate whether DES- and NADES-mediated extractions can represent a green alternative to conventional organic solvents, assessing their capacity to yield stable, biocompatible extracts with potential nutritional relevance for athletic supplementation. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and prospectively registered on OSF, we screened PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in June 2026, including 22 primary studies. Results show that DES and NADES can effectively dismantle brewing by-products, recovering antioxidants—specifically ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and xanthohumol (up to 285.92 mg GAE/100 g dw)—protein concentrates (up to 54.7 wt% total protein) rich in essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), as well as immunomodulatory prebiotic fibers (β-glucans, arabinoxylans) and liquid phases that bio-ferment into polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Non-conventional technologies such as ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction accelerate extraction kinetics by reducing solvent viscosity. It should be emphasized that the included studies are exclusively in vitro and characterize extracted compounds without evaluating effects on human subjects or athletic performance. However, several safety and regulatory gaps remain, including the presence of gluten in barley-derived extracts, the potential co-ingestion of antinutritional factors (e.g., oxalic acid), and the lack of toxicological data on intact eutectic phases. While DES- and NADES-derived extracts show promising in vitro bioactivities, further research is needed to validate their safety, bioavailability, and efficacy before they can be considered for human consumption or sports nutrition applications. Full article

NutriCubes is a novel baked, cube-shaped snack formulated from oat-legume flour blends (70:30) incorporating lactic-fermented lentil (O-L), chickpea (O-C), or pea (O-P) flours, developed to bridge the gap between nutritional quality and convenience in the plant-based snack market. Fermentation with a mixed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starter (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus casei, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus; 10⁸ CFU/g; 30 °C; 24 h) reduced phytate by 53.3%, 45.3%, and 26.5% and tannins by 38.5%, 45.8%, and 37.5% in lentil, chickpea, and pea flours, respectively. All three NutriCubes formulations delivered 19.12–19.66 g protein/100 g fresh weight (FW) and 10.72–12.60 g dietary fibre/100 g FW. Cereal–legume complementarity was reflected in a favourable amino acid balance, with estimated Protein Efficiency Ratios ranging from 1.510 (O-C) to 1.989 (O-L). O-L showed the highest total polyphenol content (6.28 ± 0.13 mg GAE/g dry matter (DM)) and antioxidant activity (72.9 ± 1.22% DPPH inhibition). Hedonic panel evaluation (n = 107) confirmed strong acceptance across all formulations (7.48–8.12/9), with O-L scoring highest for taste (8.36 ± 0.70), colour (8.76 ± 0.44), and overall liking. The oat–lentil formulation emerged as the most nutritionally dense and sensorially preferred variant, establishing NutriCubes as a feasible snack with functional potential as an alternative. Full article

Pickled and dried mustard (PDM) is a traditional dish of the Hakka people that is well-known in many parts of the world. However, past scientific studies on PDM provide little information on the relationship between the microbiome composition of the PDM fermentation process and flavor formation, which restricts the industrialization and improved quality control of PDM. Therefore, this study investigated the microbiome composition, flavor metabolites, physicochemical properties, and the relationships among them in PDM from Shaoxing. During fermentation, the main aromas of PDM are similar to pine and orange oils, with a strong fat aroma, and are mainly contributed by dodecanal in the early and middle stages of fermentation. As the fermentation progressed, the phenolic and aldehyde contents increased markedly; the major aldehydes in PDM were dodecanal, nonanal, and phenylacetaldehyde. The microbial succession during PDM fermentation was a gradual transition from Weissella sp. and Basidiomycota to Latilactobacillus, Lactiplantibacillus, and Ascomycota. We identified candidate core microorganisms potentially related to characteristic flavor development in PDM: Debaryomyces sp., Weissella cibaria, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus, Weissella sp. NBRC 107272, Latilactobacillus sakei, Cryptococcus sp., Filobasidium magnum, Cystofilobasidium macerans, Weissella hellenica, Levilactobacillus brevis, and Weissella sp. NBRC 107245. The findings of this study will be an important guide to optimizing the production process and quality of PDM. Full article

This study examined how targeted mutations in two pyruvate-associated genes, d-ldh and budA, affected adaptive phenotypes and fermented milk quality in Companilactobacillus crustorum MN047. Premature stop codons were introduced into d-ldh and budA by CRISPR-assisted base editing and verified by Sanger sequencing. The resulting nonsense mutants, designated ΔbudA and Δd-ldh, retained growth comparable to the wild-type strain (wt) but showed contrasting phenotypes. At 24 h, auto-aggregation was 4.44-fold the wt value in Δd-ldh and 0.71-fold the wt value in ΔbudA, whereas ΔbudA showed lower aggregation and stress survival. Viable counts remained 7.2–7.7 log₁₀ CFU/mL, although titratable acidity and textural properties differed among fermented milk groups. ΔbudA produced higher firmness and consistency, whereas Δd-ldh showed lower values for both parameters. Electronic nose PCA clearly separated the three groups, while GC-MS identified strain-dependent differences in selected relative volatile compounds. These findings show that the two pyruvate-associated mutations affected bacterial robustness and fermented milk quality in distinct ways. Full article

This study aimed to optimize pigment production from Monascus purpureus TISTR3090 using Khao Klong broken rice (brown rice) as a solid substrate and to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of the resulting pigment extracts. Solid-state fermentation showed a progressive increase in red pigment production, reaching a maximum on day 8 (OD₆₈₀ = 0.10). The water extract (WAE) exhibited a higher total phenolic content (148.86 mg GAE/g) than the ethanol extract (ETE) and demonstrated stronger antioxidant activities, including DPPH radical inhibition (74.66%) and ABTS scavenging activity (65.53%). In addition, WAE showed superior anti-aging potential, with greater inhibition of tyrosinase (75.29%) and collagenase (32.88%) compared to ETE. The MP extract exhibited the presence of R-NH₂ functional groups, identified by FTIR, indicating the primary criterion for fungal red pigment. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified 25 bioactive compounds, mainly fatty acid methyl esters and aromatic derivatives, which may contribute to the observed bioactivities. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) further confirmed higher levels of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, and oroxylin A in WAE. Thus, Monascus pigments derived from broken brown rice-based fermentation represent a promising natural colorant and functional bioingredient with potential applications in nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries, warranting further studies on formulation, stability, and in vivo validation. Full article

Cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao L.) fermentation is an important postharvest process that influences the physicochemical characteristics and quality of cocoa beans. This study investigated the effects of controlled fermentation temperatures (15, 25, 35, and 45 °C) on physicochemical properties and metabolite dynamics. Beans were fermented for 8 days without turning during the first 2 days, followed by daily turning and drying at 50 °C for 3 days. Fermentation temperature significantly affected physicochemical properties, metabolite profiles, and quality-related characteristics of dried cocoa beans. Fermentation at 15 °C showed characteristics of less extensive fermentation, including the highest yield (47.17%), water activity (0.57), reducing sugar (17.84 mg/g), and total phenolic compounds (2.39 mg/g), together with the lowest total titratable acidity (0.26%). In contrast, fermentation at 45 °C resulted in the lowest yield (37.67%), total soluble solids (2.23 °Brix), moisture content (4.11%), water activity (0.46), reducing sugar (3.24 mg/g), and total phenolic compounds (0.36 mg/g), while producing the highest total titratable acidity (0.39%). Theobromine content remained unchanged (3.38–3.87 mg/g), whereas catechin increased slightly (0.03–0.10 mg/g) with increasing temperature. These findings support temperature-controlled fermentation for improving postharvest quality control and value addition in cocoa production. Full article

Culled beef cows may retain practical value for fattening after reproductive use, but the rumen and host physiological characteristics associated with this response remain incompletely characterized. This study compared culled beef cows (CBC; n = 9) with fattening bulls (CON; n = 9) using 18 healthy Simmental crossbred cattle fed the same experimental total mixed ration (TMR) under identical feedlot conditions. Growth performance, body condition score (BCS), apparent nutrient digestibility, economic outcomes, blood indices, rumen fermentation, ruminal enzyme activities, rumen metagenomes, and plasma untargeted metabolomes were assessed. Compared with CON, CBC had higher final body weight, average daily gain, feed intake, and apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber, whereas the feed-to-gain ratio did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.692). BCS increased significantly from day 0 to day 60 within both cattle categories. Because different, non-cross-calibrated BCS reference frameworks were used, no between-group comparison of BCS was made. Economic analysis indicated that the value attributable to actual live-weight gain was similar between groups when within-category prices were held constant, whereas the relative economic outcome varied with feed costs and changes in live-cattle market prices. CBC also showed more propionate-oriented fermentation, greater fibrolytic enzyme activities, distinct carbohydrate-active enzyme profiles, higher insulin and leptin, and lower non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate. Because lean and fat mass were not directly measured, the tissue basis of the greater weight gain remains unresolved. Overall, CBC exhibited a stronger fattening response accompanied by coordinated differences in rumen function and host metabolic profiles. Full article

Active dry yeast (ADY) as a feed additive has been proven to have functions such as enhancing feed digestion and utilization rates, strengthening the body’s immunity, alleviating stress and improving rumen fermentation. This experiment mainly explores the effects of a new type of ADY on the production performance, rumen fermentation and nutrient digestibility of dairy cows. A total of 100 Holstein cows with similar milk yield (46.9 ± 8.5 kg/d), days in milk (66.7 ± 5.4 d), and parity (2.5 ± 1.0) were selected and randomly allocated into four groups (25 cows per group). The treatments were as follows: (1) Control group (CON), cows fed the basal diet only; (2) ADY I group (ADY I), basal diet supplemented with 5 g/d of common ADY (RF7, 1 × 10¹⁰ CFU/g) per cow; (3) Low ADY II group (LADY II), basal diet supplemented with 5 g/d of Actisaf Sc48 (viable yeast cell concentration is 1 × 10¹⁰ CFU/g) per cow; (4) High ADY II group (HADY II), basal diet supplemented with 10 g/d of Actisaf Sc48 per cow. The 10-week experimental period consisted of a 1-week adaptation period followed by a 9-week formal experimental period. The results showed that, compared with the CON group, mean dry matter intake (DMI) increased by 3.48%, 5.35%, and 6.96% in the ADY I, LADY II, and HADY II groups, respectively (p < 0.05), with a significant treatment × time interaction (p < 0.001). Compared with the CON and ADY I groups, the HADY II group showed increases in milk yield of 5.76% and 4.76% and in apparent crude protein (CP) digestibility of 5.22% and 3.17%, respectively (p < 0.05). Milk lactose concentration was 3.43% higher in the HADY II group than in the ADY I group (p < 0.05). Additionally, milk linolelaidic acid concentration was lower in LADY II and HADY II than in CON (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON group, the LADY II and HADY II groups showed increases in ruminal total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentrations of 42.11% and 44.72% and in acetate concentrations of 45.76% and 46.71%, respectively (p < 0.05). In this trial, the group receiving ADY II at 10 g/cow/day showed the best overall performance. However, this finding does not establish 10 g/cow/day as the optimal inclusion level for this product. Future studies should compare the two products at matched doses and integrate multi-omics analyses with functional validation and economic evaluation to clarify their mechanisms of action and guide practical supplementation. Full article

Hydrothermal pretreatment is routinely judged by how much organic matter it releases into solution, yet the value of that release depends on which microbial system consumes it—a premise that is rarely tested because pretreatment is almost always evaluated against a single downstream process. Two independent maize-silage batches were subjected to the same acid-free thermohydrolysis protocol with explosive decompression under conventional and microwave heating (110, 120, and 130 °C, 20 min holding time) and were then evaluated in two conversion routes of contrasting substrate specificity: mesophilic anaerobic digestion of the whole slurry, measured as cumulative methane yield at day 14 across the full temperature matrix, and alcoholic fermentation of the clarified hydrolysate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae KKP 669, applied to the two extreme temperatures only. The two routes responded in opposite directions. Temperature raised the cumulative methane yield from 99 to 241–270 NmL CH₄ g⁻¹ volatile solids (VS), with little further gain above 120 °C, while the same protocol reduced fermentative activity by up to 61%. Heating mode had no detectable effect on methane yield: two-way analysis of variance attributed 64% of the variance to temperature (p = 0.001) and 1.7% to heating mode (p = 0.446). Since the same reactor and feedstock gave a clear microwave advantage when an acid catalyst was present, this is consistent with, though it does not by itself prove, a catalyst-dependent heating-mode effect. Microwave heating nevertheless cut the energy input almost fourfold by reaching temperature three to four times faster, bringing the incremental balance close to break-even. Furanic by-products were unlikely to account for the suppression of the yeast, remaining two to three orders of magnitude below reported inhibitory concentrations; the suppression instead tracked the titratable weak-acid load, which rose from 2.0 to 8.8 g acetic acid equivalents L⁻¹ (r = −0.984). Acetic acid is simultaneously an inhibitor of yeast and a direct precursor of methane, so one protocol plausibly released compounds acting as substrate for one route and as toxicant for the other. Solubilisation indices are therefore route-specific and unreliable as general measures of pretreatment effectiveness. Full article