Search Results (2,533)

Colored rice is a type of functional cereal rich in bioactive substances such as anthocyanins. This article systematically reviews its molecular formation, nutritional quality, health effects, and industrial applications. At the molecular level, the biosynthesis of pigments such as anthocyanins is regulated by transcription factors including MYB and bHLH, and is influenced by environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and fertilization. Nutritional analysis shows that, compared to white rice, colored rice contains higher levels of resistant starch, high-quality protein, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. In addition, it is rich in various phenolic compounds and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). These bioactive components have functional food applications in chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer through multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, and modulation of the gut microbiota. Despite the advancements in molecular breeding and precision cultivation technologies that have driven variety improvement and diversified product development, the industry still faces challenges such as the contradiction between nutrient retention and processing palatability, as well as insufficient market recognition. In the future, it is necessary to integrate multidisciplinary technologies to promote the development of colored rice. This may contribute to modulating risk factors associated with chronic diseases based on precision nutrition evidence. Full article

Triticale (×Triticosecale) is an important cereal crop in Poland, valued for its high yield potential and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; however, fungal diseases remain a major constraint to production. This study aimed to assess the resistance and yield performance of selected winter triticale cultivars under varying levels of chemical crop protection across diverse environmental conditions. Field experiments were conducted during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 growing seasons at 16 locations in Poland within the framework of Post-Registration Variety Testing (PRVT). Three cultivars (Medalion, Fanfaro, and SU Atletus) were evaluated under two agrotechnical levels differing in fertilization and protection intensity. Disease severity for powdery mildew, brown rust, and septoria leaf blotch was assessed using a 9-point scale, and yield data were analyzed using four-way ANOVA and multivariate methods. The results demonstrated significant effects of management intensity, cultivar, growing season, environment as well as interactions: management intensity × environment, cultivar × environment, growing season × environment, management intensity × growing season × environment and cultivar× growing season × environment were significant for all four traits of the study. Management intensity × cultivar as well as management intensity × cultivar × environment interactions were significant for powdery mildew, brown rust and septoria leaf blotch. Management intensity × growing season interaction was significant for powdery mildew and septoria leaf blotch. Management intensity × cultivar × growing season × environment interaction was significant for powdery mildew and brown rust. The cultivar × growing season interaction was significant only for brown rust and management intensity × cultivar × growing season interaction for septoria leaf blotch. Increased protection intensity generally reduced disease severity and improved yield. Medalion exhibited the highest yield stability, whereas SU Atletus achieved the highest yields under favorable conditions but with greater variability. Fanfaro showed intermediate performance. The findings highlight the importance of cultivar selection and management intensity in optimizing triticale production and support the role of PRVT in guiding agricultural practice under variable climatic conditions. Full article

Brewing generates several by-products with high potential for conversion into food in-gredients, including brewer’s spent grain, brewer’s spent yeast, spent hops, and hot trub. These streams contain dietary fibre, proteins, β-glucans, phenolics, minerals, and others with nutritional and technological value. This review evaluates their suitability for food applications by linking composition, processing routes, techno-functional behaviour, safety, sensory quality, and industrial readiness. A structured literature search covering publications from 2015 to 2026 was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar to support a critical narrative synthesis of food-relevant applications of brewing by-products. The review shows that brewer’s spent grain is the most suitable by-product for wider food use, mainly in bakery, snacks, pasta, and cereal-based products, due to its high availability and fibre-rich composition. Brewer’s spent yeast is more appropriate for fraction-based applications involving proteins, peptides, β-glucans, and mannoproteins, especially in dairy products, savoury foods, beverages, and encapsula-tion systems. Spent hops and hot trub are less suitable for direct incorporation, but they may be used for selective recovery of phenolic-rich, antioxidant, flavour-active, or pro-tein-containing fractions. The conversion of these materials into food ingredients depends strongly on stabilization, drying, milling, extraction, fermentation, enzymatic treatment, debittering, and fractionation. Main limitations include high moisture content, short shelf-life, microbial spoilage, compositional variability, bitterness, dark colour, high nucleic acid content in yeast-derived fractions, regulatory uncertainty, and limited pilot-scale validation. Overall, brewing by-products can support the development of up-cycled ingredients when processing, safety, sensory quality, and product compatibility are controlled. Future progress requires standardized recovery protocols, stronger quality control, sensory validation, legal assessment, and scale-up studies to support their use in commercial food production. Full article

Climate change is intensifying soil salinization, posing a major threat to crop establishment and productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), one of the most salt-tolerant cereals, offers valuable genetic resources for improving salinity resilience at early growth stages. This study exploited the genetic diversity of the Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population Halle Exotic Barley-25 (HEB-25) to dissect salinity tolerance during germination and seedling developmental stages. First, the HEB-25 parental lines (25 wild barley genotypes and cv. Barke) were evaluated under salinity treatment to identify contrasting responses. Based on this screening, four HEB families (01, 04, 09, and 22) were selected out of 25 HEB families for detailed phenotypic and genomic analysis. Seeds of the selected HEB families were subjected to 40% seawater salinity stress and control treatments to assess germination percentage and seedling traits, including shoot length, root length, fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), DW/FW ratio, root–shoot ratio, and salt tolerance index (STI). Substantial variation was observed among families for all measured traits under salinity stress. STI values enabled clear differentiation among families: Family 01 exhibited the most consistent overall tolerance profile, Family 22 showed the strongest sensitivity in biomass traits, and Family 04 displayed a trait-specific response with sensitivity at the family-mean level but exceptional within-family diversity, harboring some of the highest individual TI values across the population. A genome-wide association study was conducted using 32,995 SNP markers. A total of 27 significant SNPs were identified, corresponding to 20 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Of these, 12 QTLs were detected under control conditions, 16 under seawater treatment, and 21 based on tolerance indices, indicating both constitutive and stress-responsive genetic effects. Gene annotation within these regions revealed approximately 23 candidate genes associated with abiotic stress tolerance, including genes involved in ion transport, osmotic adjustment, kinases and stress signaling pathways. HEB_22_003, HEB_04_087, and HEB_01_013 represent the most promising genotypes for salinity breeding. These findings highlight the effectiveness of combining precise phenotyping with high-resolution genomic analysis in the HEB-25 population to uncover the genetic architecture of salinity tolerance at early developmental stages. We identified 20 salinity-responsive QTLs, including five major-effect loci on chromosomes 2H, 4H, 5H, and 7H that consistently explained the largest share of phenotypic variation. These loci co-localized with candidate genes linked to ion homeostasis, Ca²⁺-mediated signaling, protein glycosylation, epigenetic regulation, and root system plasticity, revealing key mechanisms underlying early-stage salt adaptation in barley. The strong and contrasting responses of Family 01 and Family 04 provide an excellent genetic framework for functional validation of tolerance alleles. Collectively, these genomic resources establish a robust foundation for QTL pyramiding, marker-assisted breeding, and the development of climate-resilient barley cultivars for saline agroecosystems. Full article

The agrifood industry generates substantial amounts of waste to meet the increasing global food demand, raising environmental concerns. Valorization of these residues through the recovery of high-added-value compounds and renewable energy production, such as biogas via Anaerobic Digestion (AD), offers a sustainable solution. In this study, the potential of Olive Pomace (OP), Brewers’ Spent Grain (BSG), and Cereal Wheat Bran (BR) as substrates for AD was investigated. Lignin was removed from these biomasses using an Ionic Liquid (IL) composed of triethylamine and sulphuric acid ([Et₃N][HSO₄]), and the delignified residues, called Olive Pomace Pulp (OPP), Brewers’ Spent Grain Pulp (BSGP), and Cereal Wheat Bran Pulp (BRP), were evaluated for their biogas and biomethane production potential through the volumetric method, coupled with an alkaline trap for biogas upgrading. An analysis was performed, considering biogas and biomethane yields, AD duration, and energy requirements. Raw biomasses provided different biomethane concentrations, with OP reaching 53.73%, BSG 76.59%, and BR 77.36%. After IL treatment, the methane content was 55.6% for OPP, 60.0% for BSGP, and 54.6% for BRP. Owing to their similar composition, BSG and BR displayed comparable biomethane production profiles. The analysis highlighted BSG and BR as the most efficient substrates for AD following lignin removal. Overall, this approach demonstrates the potential of agro-industrial waste valorization to produce bioenergy and support the transition toward a circular economy. 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

This paper analyzes the role of cereal products in the diet of individuals with disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, with particular emphasis on their impact on postprandial glycemia and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). Cereal products, as the main source of dietary carbohydrates, also provide dietary fiber, minerals, B vitamins, and key bioactive compounds such as β-glucans, arabinoxylans, resistant starch (RS), and polyphenols. These components may reduce the rate of starch digestion and glucose absorption in the small intestine by increasing the viscosity of intestinal contents or by directly inhibiting digestive enzymes such as α-glucosidase. It has been shown that fermentation of these compounds by the gut microbiota leads to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which improve insulin sensitivity and stimulate the secretion of incretin hormones such as GLP-1. A literature review confirms that regular consumption of whole-grain products is associated with a reduced risk of T2D, whereas refining processes and excessive grain fragmentation lead to an increased glycemic index of products. Based on clinical guidelines and a narrative synthesis of the available literature, minimally processed whole-grain products were identified as a fundamental component of dietary therapy for diabetes, which is illustrated by the cereal product pyramid presented in the paper. This review involved a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using relevant keywords. Peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and meta-analyses (mainly 2000–2025) were included based on their relevance. Full article

Maize, as a major cereal crop in China, is vital for national food security, and appropriate nitrogen fertilization is essential for its growth and yield. Avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilizer application while maintaining productivity remains a critical challenge for sustainable agriculture. Although straw returning is widely adopted to reduce chemical fertilizer inputs, its effectiveness is often regionally constrained. In the West Liaohe Plain, low temperature and spring drought limit straw decomposition and nutrient release, making it difficult to reduce nitrogen fertilizer input and improve fertilizer use efficiency. Therefore, this study examined the effects of different nitrogen management modes on straw decomposition, nutrient release, mineral fertilizer substitution potential, soil available nutrients, and maize yield under shallow buried drip irrigation with integrated water and fertilizer management. A field experiment was conducted with five nitrogen (N) fertilizer management treatments: a conventional fertilization treatment (CK), in which 15% of total N was applied as starter fertilizer; two increased starter N treatments, in which 30% (30%N) and 45% (45%N) of total N were applied as starter fertilizer; and two organic substitution treatments, in which 30% (30%ON) and 45% (45%ON) of mineral N fertilizer were substituted with decomposed sheep manure based on equivalent total N input. Straw decomposition and nutrient release were measured using the nylon mesh bag method and fitted with an exponential decay model. The mineral fertilizer substitution potential was estimated based on straw nutrient release, while soil available nutrient dynamics in the 0–40 cm soil layer were analyzed, and the Mantel test and PCA were used to assess their relationships. Organic substitution promoted straw decomposition. The 30%ON treatment showed the highest rate at 70.91%, which was 19.2% higher than that of CK, and it exhibited a higher theoretical maximum decomposition rate (a), higher decomposition rate constant (k), and a shorter half-life. All treatments increased nutrient release and soil available nutrients, and organic substitution demonstrated stronger temporal persistence and more uniform vertical distribution among soil layers. The 30%ON treatment increased straw nutrient release by 4.8% to 18.2% and enhanced mineral fertilizer substitution potential. Although the 30%ON treatment did not increase yield in the first experimental year, it showed a significant yield advantage in the second year, which coincided with greater straw nutrient release and higher soil available nutrient levels under this treatment. Substituting 30% of mineral N fertilizer with organic fertilizer under shallow buried drip irrigation (300 kg N ha⁻¹) optimized the C/N balance of the input system and facilitated straw decomposition and nutrient release. The continuous accumulation of soil available nutrients under this treatment, together with sustained straw nutrient release, was associated with a significant yield advantage in the second experimental year. Therefore, the 30%ON treatment may represent an appropriate management strategy for coordinating straw resource utilization, soil fertility maintenance, and stable maize production in the West Liaohe Plain. Full article

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is a fundamental agronomic practice that governs crop productivity, yet its effects on the molecular composition and chemical stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) remain poorly understood, especially in cereal–legume intercropping systems. Traditional studies have focused on total SOC stocks rather than molecular-level changes, and the mechanistic pathway linking N addition to SOC functional group transformation remains unclear. This study addressed these critical gaps by investigating how graded N addition (0, 180, 270, and 360 kg N ha⁻¹) reshapes SOC chemistry in a subtropical soybean–maize intercropping system. Soil physicochemical properties, inorganic N pools, N-transformation enzyme activities (urease, nitrate reductase, and glutaminase), microbial biomass indices, labile organic carbon fractions (particulate, mineral-associated, and dissolved organic carbon), and SOC functional groups characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were quantified across a two-year field experiment (2024–2025). Results showed that increasing N rates significantly elevated nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) accumulation while depressing soil pH. Nitrogen-transformation enzymes, especially nitrate reductase and glutaminase, responded strongly and positively to the N gradient. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) increased with moderate N input but exhibited saturation or decline at 360 kg N ha⁻¹, accompanied by reduced microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) and a lower MBC/MBN ratio. Among labile carbon fractions, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was the most responsive pool, increasing markedly with N addition and correlating strongly with NO₃⁻-N. FTIR analysis revealed that N addition shifted SOC functional group composition toward chemically recalcitrant structures: the relative abundances of aromatic C=C and carbonyl C=O groups increased significantly, whereas labile C–O groups declined. Random forest modelling identified C=C, NO₃⁻-N, and DOC as the three most influential predictors of SOC chemical composition. Structural equation modelling (SEM) demonstrated a sequential mechanistic pathway: N fertilization increased NO₃⁻-N, which stimulated glutaminase activity and enhanced DOC, ultimately promoting C=C/C=O stabilization and explaining 91.3% of the variance in SOC aromaticity. These findings reveal that N addition does not merely augment SOC quantity but fundamentally transforms its molecular architecture toward greater chemical stability through a nitrate-mediated, enzyme–labile carbon coupling mechanism. This study provides a novel spectroscopic–mechanistic framework for understanding carbon–nitrogen interactions in intercropping agroecosystems and informs precision N management strategies aimed at simultaneous crop production and long-term soil carbon sequestration. Full article

As global trends continue to embrace environmentally friendly, plant-based diets, food systems that are nutrient-dense, climate-resilient, and economically viable in addressing protein–energy malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and food insecurity have increased. Although cereal–legume combinations are widely recognised to be highly nutritious, most studies have focused primarily on enhancing compositional efficiency and have overlooked their interactions with the food matrix and the processing-mediated transformations they undergo. This review combines recent findings examining cereal–legume food matrices as functional systems, with particular emphasis on nutritional complementarity, bioactive interactions, processing-induced modifications, and sensory acceptability. Studies indicate that cereals and legumes provide complementary amino acid profiles, dietary fibre, essential micronutrients, and phytochemicals within these composite matrices that influence digestibility, bioavailability, antioxidant activity, and glycaemic response. Processing methods, including fermentation, germination, roasting, and extrusion, modulate these interactions by releasing bound phenolics, reducing antinutritional factors, and altering starch–protein–phenolic complexes, thereby affecting health functionality and sensory quality. However, inadequately optimised processing can affect nutrient retention and consumer acceptability. Overall, this review emphasises the relevance of integrating food matrix science and processing optimisation for the production of functional, acceptable, and sustainable cereal–legume foods that promote product innovation, public health improvement, and the utilisation of underutilised crops for sustainable food systems. Full article

Climate change has intensified the occurrence of combined abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, and waterlogging, thereby threatening cereal productivity and global food security. Root systems play a central role in plant adaptation to these interacting stresses by regulating water uptake, ion balance, nutrient acquisition, and stress signaling. However, many previous studies have primarily focused on individual stress factors rather than integrated stress environments. This review synthesizes current knowledge regarding root-mediated adaptive mechanisms in cereal crops under combined abiotic stresses, with emphasis on barley (Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and oats (Avena sativa). The review highlights how root system architecture, including root depth, branching density, and aerenchyma formation, contributes to stress resilience under interacting environmental conditions. Physiological and molecular mechanisms involving ion transporters, aquaporins, transcription factors, and auxin-regulated root plasticity are also discussed. In barley, deeper and steeper root systems improve water acquisition under combined drought and heat stress, while wheat genotypes carrying the HKT1;5 allele exhibit enhanced sodium exclusion under drought–salinity interactions. Oats respond to waterlogging and salinity through adventitious root formation and enhanced oxygen transport. Overall, this review emphasizes the importance of root-targeted approaches for improving cereal adaptation under increasingly complex multi-stress environments. Full article

Agroecosystems are perpetually subjected to environmental factors. Driven by a shifting global climate, soil moisture deficits represent an increasingly frequent threat to crop productivity. In farming, however, these abiotic stressors seldom occur in isolation, as fields are invariably compounded by biotic weed pressure. Consequently, investigating plant responses to such combinatorial, multi-faceted stress is paramount to evaluating the realistic efficacy of modern agrotechnical interventions. A 2-year, three-factor pot experiment was conducted at the Research and Education Station in Swojczyce, belonging to the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The aim of the study was to examine the response of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Agil) to drought stress during the period when cereal plants were at the 51–65 BBCH developmental stages. Additionally, in some pots with winter wheat, Apera spica-venti (L.) Beauv. was sown as a weed to evaluate the effects of biotic stress. To observe the mitigation of stressors, three different types of biostimulants were used—a silicon-based preparation and two seaweed-based preparations derived from Ecklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss and Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, respectively, representing structural, morphological, and biochemical defense strategies. Drought stress significantly and negatively affected the length of the wheat main stem, lateral tillers, and lateral spikes, as well as the weight of the main wheat spike. The simultaneous occurrence of drought stress and A. spica-venti competition resulted in the greatest cumulative reduction in main spike weight. Furthermore, drought stress was associated with an increase in nitrogen/protein content and potassium content in wheat straw. The presence of A. spica-venti significantly reduced both the weight of the main wheat spike and the number of non-productive tillers. The limited effectiveness of biostimulants may be associated with the severity and timing of stress exposure during reproductive development. Full article

This review aims to critically examine food industry by-products as potential sources of natural preservatives and to discuss how this evidence can be translated into adolescent food literacy, label interpretation, and critical food choices. Adolescents are increasingly exposed to food labels and claims about “natural,” “clean-label,” “upcycled,” “sustainable,” and “circular” foods, which may not always be transparent or supported by sufficient evidence regarding their safety, efficacy, sensory quality, consumer acceptance, or environmental benefit. Therefore, they need more than nutritional information; they need to interpret labels, question sustainability claims, and understand how food innovations are produced, tested, communicated, and regulated. Food by-products such as fruit and vegetable pomaces, peels, seeds, skins, olive and wine residues, cereal by-products, coffee silverskin, and cocoa residues are promising resources for clean-label preservation and circular food systems because they may contain phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins, essential oils, pectin, dietary fibers, and other compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, coloring, stabilizing, and texturizing properties. However, the bioactive potential alone does not guarantee that a by-product-derived ingredient is safe, effective, acceptable, scalable, or sustainable. Its use requires extraction, stabilization, real-food validation, safety assessment, sensory optimization, regulatory compliance, and sustainability evaluation. The review concludes that by-product-derived natural preservatives are both technological resources and educational tools. Future research and education should connect food preservation, label interpretation, food safety, sensory quality, sustainability evidence, and consumer decision-making to empower adolescents as critical consumers and informed agents of change in sustainable food systems. Full article

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic metabolite produced by fungi, that can be present on various food products, cereals and plant-derived (raw) feed (materials). It was demonstrated that OTA has toxic effects after consumption by both animals and humans. Therefore, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that contribution to human exposure of OTA from (processed) meats should not be ignored. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of OTA; thus, data on OTA in cured meats were collected. An in-house validated analytical method using methanol extraction, clean-up with an immunoaffinity columns and LC-MS/MS detection was applied. Quantification was done through the external calibration of standards in solvent using ¹³C₂₀ OTA internal standard, with a reporting limit of 0.2 µg/kg and LOQ of 0.04 µg/kg. A total of 50 cured meat products were obtained from Dutch supermarkets. OTA was detected at or above the reporting limit in four samples of cured ham (range 0.30 µg/kg to 79.8 µg/kg) and two samples of sausages (0.2 µg/kg and 0.41 µg/kg). Overall, OTA was detected in twenty samples, and it was concluded that OTA occurred above the LOQ in 40% of cured meats analyzed. Full article

Background: Childhood obesity is a complex public health issue in which parental perceptions and family dietary behaviors are pivotal. This study assessed the feasibility of the Smart Family lifestyle counseling intervention in Greek primary care. It explored changes in children’s dietary behaviors relative to parental weight perception and Mediterranean diet adherence. Methods: A single-arm pretest–posttest pilot study was conducted in Patras, Greece, from Health4EUKids Joint Action. The intervention consisted of four monthly face-to-face counseling sessions using the Smart Family methodology. In total, 49 parent–child dyads (aged 2–12 years) completed the program. Data collection included child anthropometric measurements, validated food frequency questionnaires, parental perception of child weight status, and parental Mediterranean diet adherence. Results: Parents who underestimated their child’s weight status had significantly higher Mediterranean diet scores than those who overestimated (p = 0.032); those with low adherence tended to overestimate and those with moderate adherence to underestimate. The largest reduction was observed for sweets and desserts (median −2.35 servings/week), with significant reductions in sugar-sweetened beverages, grains and cereals, whole wheat products, and dairy. Fish and vegetable intake increased significantly, but fruit intake did not change. Changes in fast food and red meat differed significantly across Mediterranean diet score tertiles, with larger decreases in the lower tertiles. Conclusions: Smart Family counseling was feasible to deliver through trained healthcare professionals in Greek primary care over four months, with reductions in selected discretionary foods observed alongside the intervention. Parental weight perception and Mediterranean diet adherence emerged as potential barriers to change although the findings are exploratory and require confirmation in a future controlled trial. Full article