Search Results (1,854)

Bioactive polysaccharide-based edible coatings are promising strategies for maintaining postharvest fruit quality. This study aimed to extract and characterize crude polysaccharides from Brazilian Hovenia dulcis (HDPs-BR) and evaluate their potential as edible coatings, alone or combined with sodium alginate (SA) and eugenol (Eug), for strawberry preservation. HDPs-BR showed an extraction yield of 5.31 ± 0.19%, with 62.68 ± 1.90% total sugars, 24.95 ± 0.39% uronic acids, and 5.33 ± 0.23% proteins. They also contained phenolic compounds and exhibited antioxidant activity. Coating performance depended on formulation and storage period. After 15 days, HDPs-BR 0.5% provided the highest firmness, whereas HDPs-BR 1% favored phenolic and anthocyanin retention and red color. SA-containing formulations showed attribute-dependent benefits: HDPs-BR 0.5% + SA 0.5% promoted high phenolic content, while its combination with Eug 0.1% improved luminosity and antioxidant activity at specific storage periods. HDPs-BR 1% + Eug 0.1% maintained a red color and showed high anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. Overall, HDPs-BR demonstrated potential as a bioactive edible coating matrix, with formulations containing SA and Eug providing additional benefits depending on the quality attribute evaluated. Full article

The muscat aroma of grape is largely determined by terpenoid volatiles. However, its genetic basis in ‘Muscat Hamburg’ remains unclear. We performed comparative volatile metabolomics between ‘Muscat Hamburg’ and ‘Red Globe’ across berry development, identifying 127 differentially abundant metabolites, with upregulated ones enriched in the monoterpenoid pathway. Using an F1 segregating population (264 progeny), we quantified four key monoterpenoids (α-terpineol, linalool, geraniol, and cis-linalool oxide) over two consecutive years. Using a high-density genetic map with 7872 SNP markers generated via SLAF-seq, we detected stable major QTLs for α-terpineol, linalool, and geraniol on LG5, and a novel QTL for cis-linalool oxide on LG14. Expression analysis revealed that the transcript levels of VvDXS and VvGGPPS1 were significantly higher in ‘Muscat Hamburg’ than in ‘Red Globe’ at ripening. Heterologous overexpression in tomato enhanced terpenoid aroma accumulation without affecting fruit development. These results indicate that VvDXS and VvGGPPS1 play a crucial role in the formation of the aroma in the ‘Muscat Hamburg’ variety. Full article

Fruit color and phytochemical quality are essential commercial traits that determine the market value and consumer preference of plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) fruits. Flavonoids are major bioactive phytochemicals closely associated with plum pigmentation and phytochemical properties; however, the metabolic mechanisms linking flavonoid variation to fruit color divergence remain unclear. Here, unbiased, widely targeted UHPLC MS/MS metabolomics was employed to comprehensively characterize tissue-specific (peel and flesh) and cultivar-dependent metabolic differences in three plum cultivars with distinct green, yellow, and red peel phenotypes. A total of 981 metabolites were successfully identified. Flavonoid biosynthesis was confirmed as the core pathway regulating tissue- and cultivar-specific metabolic divergence in plums. Reprogrammed flavonoid metabolic flux caused distinct accumulation of characteristic bioactive components, forming two distinct metabolite-based chemotypes: butein-dominant red plums and luteolin 7-glucoside-enriched yellow plums. Spatial metabolite profiling further confirmed the plum peel as the predominant tissue for flavonoid synthesis and accumulation, largely shaping phenotypic color differentiation and phytochemical variation. These findings clarify the intrinsic correlation between flavonoid profiles, visual appearance, and phytochemical characteristics of plum fruit, providing reliable metabolomic evidence for plum germplasm screening, quality evaluation, and resource utilization in the food industry. Full article

Capillary wick irrigation offers a passive means of gradual water delivery, but field evidence comparing wick configurations with conventional drip irrigation remains limited. This study compared annular capillary wick irrigation (AI), straight capillary wick irrigation (SI), drip irrigation (DI), and a non-irrigated rainfall-only control (NI) in a Red Globe grapevine field experiment in Ningxia, northwest China. Each irrigated experimental unit consisted of one reservoir supplying three grapevines and received four 90 L irrigation events, corresponding to a seasonal applied irrigation amount of 360 L per experimental unit. The local soil moisture at a monitored 10 cm depth, vegetative growth, berry development, yield, fruit quality traits, physiological indicators, and irrigation water productivity were evaluated. The capillary wick treatments generally showed a more persistent local soil moisture response than the more rapid post-irrigation response under DI. AI had the highest-recorded treatment mean yield (11.97 kg experimental unit⁻¹), irrigation water productivity among the irrigated treatments (0.033 kg L⁻¹), final 100-berry weight (864.49 g), and soluble solids content (18.77%). A 13-indicator AHP–Entropy Weight evaluation ranked AI first (0.8765), followed by SI (0.5129), DI (0.4860), and NI (0.3502); the same treatment order was retained in a sensitivity analysis using mean SPAD readings. Because the archived dataset did not permit consistent reconstruction of experimental unit identity for all response variables, the treatment differences are interpreted descriptively rather than as inferential statistical effects. These results provide preliminary field evidence that annular capillary wick irrigation warrants further engineering evaluation as a delivery configuration, while direct measurements of hydraulic discharge, spatial wetting patterns, and long-term operational reliability are required before its broader application. Full article

Background: Saudi Arabia maintains official statistics on its food security, in addition to conducting surveys on health parameters and performing national health assessments. Also, several academic papers on dietary patterns are published every year. Many published documents analyze data on food availability, self-reported eating habits, and biomarker-based health risks. However, individually, they represent distinct aspects of nutrition. Hence, this study was undertaken to examine publicly accessible nutrition-related evidence in Saudi Arabia and assess whether existing public food and nutrition datasets consistently align with the biological indicators of nutritional risk. Methods: Searches were conducted using defined criteria in publicly available Saudi and international sources published or updated between 2005 and 2025. These were identified through official reports, global food databases, WHO-aligned surveys, and peer-reviewed articles, with searches conducted and updated during June–July 2026. Sources were classified by representativeness, recency, measurement validity, accessibility, and analytical role. The primary outcome was the completeness and interpretability of public evidence streams rather than a pooled prevalence estimate. Results: SHIS 2013 remains the top public national dietary intake dataset, which shows that only 5.2% and 7.5% of people met their fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, respectively. GASTAT Health Determinants Statistics 2024 indicated that only 10.2% of people aged 15 years and above ate five or more portions of fruits and vegetables daily, yet GASTAT Food Security Statistics 2024 indicated significant per capita availability of rice, milk, poultry, eggs, red meat, onions, tomatoes, and dates. High levels of biological risk were evident in WHS 2019 biomarkers; for example, 42.6% of people had hypercholesterolemia and 50% had low hemoglobin according to the WHS 2019 indicator definition. Recent studies provided additional data on beverages, sugars, dietary habits of adolescents, and diet quality but lacked national food-wide intake data. Conclusions: Public Saudi nutrition data provide complementary but non-equivalent information; indicators show low dietary adequacy and high biomarker-defined risk, supporting the need for integrated individual-level nutrition surveillance. In the future, Saudi national nutrition surveillance must focus on individual-level intake data and biomarker-based measurements. Full article

Background: Disturbances in mineral and bone metabolism are common in hemodialysis (HD) patients, increasing the risk of hyperphosphatemia. Dietary phosphorus restriction remains a cornerstone of management, often leading to stringent dietary recommendations. This study aimed to explore whether adopting a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern (Med-LDP), compared to a Western-like dietary pattern (West-LDP) was associated with serum phosphorus levels. Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study included 564 HD patients from 37 dialysis centers. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis based on 22 food groups. Associations between dietary patterns, phosphorus intake, and serum phosphorus levels were evaluated using correlations tests and linear regression analyses adjusted for demographic, clinical, nutritional, and dialysis-related factors. Results: Two different dietary patterns were identified: a “Mediterranean-like” pattern characterized by a higher intake of vegetables, legumes, fruit, starchy products, fish, olive oil, eggs, bakery products, and alcohol; and a “Western-like” characterized by a higher intake of soft drinks, red meat, fried and salted foods, fast food, and caffeine. Despite significantly higher intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrates, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber, patients following the Med-LDP exhibited lower serum phosphorus levels, calcium–phosphorus product, and PTHi concentrations. No differences were observed in serum potassium levels. The correlation between phosphorus intake and serum phosphorus was weak and not statistically significant. The West-LDP was positively associated with serum phosphorus levels and remained an independent predictor after adjustment for potential confounders. However, after further adjustment for the prescribed dosages of phosphate binders, vitamin D supplementation and analogs, as well as calcimimetics, the association was no longer statistically significant. Conclusions: HD patients following a Med-LDP exhibited lower serum phosphorus levels despite a higher phosphorus intake. These findings suggest that the overall dietary pattern may be a more important determinant of phosphorus homeostasis than total phosphorus intake alone. Full article

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the reduction of aldehydes to alcohols, key precursor substrates for volatile ester biosynthesis, which determines the characteristic aroma of apple fruit. However, a comprehensive genome-wide investigation of the ADH gene family in apple has been lacking. In this study, we systematically identified ADH genes in the apple genome using integrated bioinformatics approaches, including phylogenetic analysis, synteny evaluation, promoter cis-element prediction, codon usage bias assessment, and protein interaction network modeling. Expression patterns were examined through transcriptomic data and validated by RT-qPCR analysis across different organs and among ‘Red Delicious’ and its four bud mutant lines. We identified 44 ADH genes, with 12 forming a prominent cluster on chromosome 1. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that MdADH20 was dramatically upregulated in the ‘Red Chief’ mutant (relative expression of 59.38), suggesting its pivotal role. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close evolutionary relationship with wild strawberry. The encoded proteins were generally stable and predominantly localized to the cytoplasm. Promoter analysis showed enrichment of growth/development-related and ARE elements, while codon usage analysis identified AGA, GCU, GUU, and CUU as preferred codons. Protein interaction prediction suggested MdADH19 and MdADH20 as hub proteins. Expression profiling and RT-qPCR further identified MdADH20 as a core candidate gene, characterized by its stable and high expression, particularly in the ‘Red Delicious’ mutant. Its central position in the predicted protein–protein interaction network suggests a potential regulatory role in the aroma biosynthesis pathway of apple fruit. This study provides the first systematic genome-wide characterization of the apple ADH gene family, establishing a theoretical groundwork for deciphering aroma biosynthesis mechanisms and offering potential target genes for flavor improvement through bud mutation breeding strategies. Full article

Multi-tier hydroponic systems improve land use efficiency in protected strawberry production; however, shading in the lower cultivation tier can substantially limit plant growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality. This study evaluated whether supplemental LED lighting with different spectral compositions could compensate for lower-tier light deficiency in the strawberry ‘Seolhyang’. Plants were grown under an upper-tier control (UT-C), a lower-tier control (LT-C), and four lower-tier supplemental lighting treatments: blue (LT-B), red (LT-R), red + white (LT-RW), and red + white + far-red (LT-RWF). The lower tier received 6–8 mol·m⁻²·d⁻¹ less daily light integral (DLI) than the upper tier, whereas supplemental lighting increased DLI by approximately 6.5 mol·m⁻²·d⁻¹. Among the tested spectra, LT-RW consistently produced the greatest improvements in vegetative growth, reproductive performance, fruit quality, and total yield. LT-RW increased total yield from 102.4 g·plant⁻¹ in LT-C to 359.1 g·plant⁻¹, corresponding to 65.6% of the UT-C yield, and achieved an estimated gross margin equivalent to 48.0% of the UT-C level, compared with 18.5% for LT-C. LT-RW also maintained a higher soluble solids content, SSC/TA ratio, fruit weight, and firmness than the other lower-tier treatments. LT-B showed the highest total sugar concentration on a dry-weight basis and the highest ellagic acid content, but these biochemical responses were not accompanied by comparable improvements in overall productivity or fresh fruit quality. LT-RWF showed intermediate performance, whereas LT-R provided only partial improvement. Principal component analysis further suggested that LT-RW produced the overall plant response most similar to that of UT-C. These findings demonstrate that red + white supplemental lighting is an effective strategy for improving lower-tier productivity, fruit quality, and estimated economic performance in multi-tier hydroponic strawberry production. Full article

Replacing synthetic colorants with natural alternatives requires source-specific extraction strategies because pigment classes differ in polarity, pH response and thermal stability. This first-pass screening focused on six plant and agro-food matrices: red cabbage, Iris germanica petals, dragon fruit, orange peel, spent coffee grounds and pine bark. Each matrix was subjected to twelve extraction treatments combining water, ethanol, acetone 30%, acid/base modifiers, boiling water, freezing and ultrasound assistance. Extracts were evaluated by visible transmittance spectroscopy from 360 to 740 nm, operationally transformed to apparent optical attenuation according to Aapp (λ) = −log10 [%T (λ)/100] only where measured %T exceeded 0.01; this signal may include both absorption and light scattering, and converted to CIELAB coordinates under D65/10° conditions. The combined spectral and colorimetric approach separated the extracts into red-purple and yellow-brown groups. Red cabbage and Iris showed anthocyanin-like behaviour, dragon fruit showed a betalain-compatible magenta response, orange peel showed carotenoid-compatible short-wavelength attenuation, and coffee grounds and pine bark generated broad brown-yellow profiles. Pigment-family assignments remain putative because chromatographic identification was not performed. This study is explicitly intended as a proof-of-concept descriptive mapping step rather than as a statistically validated extraction optimisation. Because every matrix–treatment combination was prepared once, all comparisons in this article describe the observed screening preparations only; they do not estimate reproducible treatment effects, confidence intervals or statistical significance. The previous equal-weight low-L*/high-C*ab intensity score has been removed from the revised analysis. No extraction yield, recovery percentage, mass balance, purity, pigment concentration or application performance was measured; accordingly, this study describes the optical appearance of the obtained extracts and does not quantify colorant recovery. Visible transmittance, apparent optical attenuation and CIELAB coordinates support only literature-informed class-level hypotheses and cannot identify a pigment family or individual compound. Full article

This study evaluated changes in physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds, in vitro antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity during four ripening stages (M0%, M50%, M80%, and M100%) of ‘Castilla’ blackberry, ‘Buckingham Tayberry’ raspberry, ‘Heritage’ raspberry, blueberry, and ‘Mortiño’. Bioactive compounds were quantified using rapid-resolution liquid chromatography, antioxidant activity was determined using the ABTS and DPPH assays, and antimicrobial activity was evaluated through minimum inhibitory concentration assays against 13 bacteria and 7 fungal strains. Ripening effects were fruit- and compound-dependent. Soluble solids generally increased, and titratable acidity decreased during ripening. Early stages were characterised by higher concentrations of several organic and phenolic acids and, in some fruits, greater radical scavenging and antimicrobial responses. Advanced ripening favoured the accumulation of carotenoids and anthocyanins, particularly in blueberry and ‘Mortiño’. Antimicrobial activity also varies according to fruit type, ripening stage, and microorganism. ‘Mortiño’ showed the lowest MIC against Enterococcus faecalis, whereas the other fruits displayed selective inhibition against different bacterial and fungal strains. Overall, no single ripening stage maximised all compositional and biological variables, demonstrating that harvest stage selection should be fruit- and purpose-specific. Full article

Background: Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is characterised by progressive pulmonary vascular remodelling and increased pulmonary vascular resistance, leading to right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and failure. Red araça (Psidium cattleianum) extract is derived from native Brazilian fruit rich in phenolic compounds with recognised antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the preventive effects of red araça extract administration on RV remodelling and pulmonary arteriole alterations in rats with MCT-induced PAH. Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control, monocrotaline (MCT), and MCT + red araça extract. PAH was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of MCT (60 mg/kg), and the treated group received red araça extract (5 mL/kg/day) by gavage for 21 days. Echocardiographic, hemodynamic, morphometric, molecular, and histological analyses were subsequently performed. Results: The MCT group exhibited increased pulmonary vascular resistance and RV hypertrophy, impaired RV function, elevated TLR4 and xanthine oxidative (XO) protein expression, elevated Akt activation, and marked increase in pulmonary arteriole wall thickness. Treatment with red araça extract prevented RV hypertrophy, reduced total pulmonary vascular resistance, preserved Akt activation similar to control, and decreased TLR4 and XO protein expression in the RV. In addition, administration of red araça extract prevented the increase in pulmonary arteriolar wall thickness. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings suggest that red araça extract attenuates cardiopulmonary alterations associated with experimental PAH, possibly involving modulation of the expression of proteins related to cardiac hypertrophy and inflammation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Carotenoids are dietary bioactive compounds found primarily in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are increasingly known to be relevant for sleep health. Hence, this narrative review aims to summarize current evidence on the relation between carotenoids and sleep. Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched for observational and intervention studies in adults and in vivo preclinical studies examining carotenoid exposure in relation to sleep-related outcomes. Eligible studies were screened using predefined criteria, and findings were synthesized narratively. Results: Of the 1042 studies screened, 29 met the inclusion criteria, including 14 observational, 11 intervention, and 4 preclinical studies. Across observational studies, higher dietary intake or serum carotenoid concentrations were generally associated with more favorable sleep outcomes, including sleep quality, duration, and sleep-related symptoms, although heterogeneous sleep-outcome definitions limited cross-study comparison. Nine intervention studies (81.8%) reported improvement in at least one sleep-related outcome following carotenoid supplementation. However, improvement was not consistently significant compared with placebo. Preclinical studies provided preliminary evidence that selected carotenoids improved sleep–wake parameters, including dose-dependent increases in total sleep and non-REM sleep duration, as well as reductions in wakefulness. Conclusions: Emerging evidence suggests that carotenoids may contribute to sleep health. However, current evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. Additional research is needed to determine the effects of specific carotenoids, optimal doses, and underlying biological mechanisms to better inform evidence-based clinical practice recommendations. Full article

Rootstocks that reduce tree vigor are in demand for all fruit species, including peach. The study evaluated the suitability of four rootstocks (Prunus besseyi Bailey, Hui-Hun-Tao, Rakoniewicka, and Minnesota) and two peach cultivars (‘RedHaven’ and ‘Harnaś’) for the production of maiden peach trees in a nursery. The percentage of successful budding, tree height, stem diameter, branching characteristics, and root system development were evaluated according to rootstock and cultivar. In addition, the accumulation of macronutrients in the leaves was determined. The highest percentage of successful maiden trees was obtained on the Hui-Hun-Tao rootstock (89.7%), whereas the lowest percentages were recorded for the Rakoniewicka (81.1%) and Minnesota seedling (80.4%). The cultivar ‘Harnaś’ showed significantly higher budding success (86.0%) than ‘RedHaven’ (82.7%). The Minnesota seedling and Prunus besseyi rootstocks significantly reduced tree height and stem diameter compared with those of the Hui-Hun-Tao and Rakoniewicka rootstocks. The two cultivars did not differ significantly in tree growth. Better-branched maiden trees were produced on the Rakoniewicka and Hui-Hun-Tao rootstocks. Trees budded onto the Rakoniewicka rootstock had the greatest fresh weight. The highest number of roots was recorded for young trees on the Prunus besseyi rootstock (13.4), whereas the Minnesota seedling produced the fewest roots (8.7). Leaves of trees budded onto the Rakoniewicka and Prunus besseyi rootstocks contained higher accumulations of phosphorus and magnesium. Potassium levels were highest in leaves from trees produced on the Rakoniewicka rootstock. Leaves of trees on the Minnesota seedling contained significantly lower calcium content than those on the other rootstocks, which was associated with the seedling’s lower vigor and less-developed root system. Compared with the Rakoniewicka rootstock, the Minnesota seedling reduced maiden tree height by 18%, while Prunus besseyi reduced it by 17%. In addition, the Minnesota seedling reduced the number of lateral shoots by 29% and their total length by 32%, whereas the corresponding reductions for Prunus besseyi were 41% and 35%, respectively. Despite its dwarfing effect, Prunus besseyi produced a root system comparable in size to that of the well-rooted Hui-Hun-Tao rootstock. The Minnesota seedling and Prunus besseyi rootstocks appear to be suitable for the production of maiden peach trees with reduced growth in the nursery. Full article

The development of functional frozen dairy products enriched with natural bioactive ingredients has attracted increasing interest. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is an anthocyanin-rich fruit with potential as a natural functional and coloring ingredient in dairy products. This study investigated the effects of incorporating 3%, 6%, and 9% elderberry pulp into kefir ice cream on its physicochemical, antioxidant, thermal, microstructural, volatile, and sensory properties. The study provides an integrated evaluation of elderberry-enriched kefir ice cream by combining physicochemical and antioxidant characterization with DSC, SEM, HS-SPME-GC/MS, and sensory analyses. Elderberry supplementation significantly decreased pH, increased redness, and enhanced total phenolic content and ferric reducing antioxidant power, which reached 694.16 mg GAE/100 g DM and 49.70 µmol TE/100 g DM, respectively, in EP9 (p < 0.05). Formulations containing elderberry pulp also showed significant differences in overrun, density, melting behaviour, and thermal properties (p < 0.05). Differential scanning calorimetry indicated lower melting enthalpy values in the elderberry-containing formulations, while scanning electron microscopy revealed modifications in porous microstructure. HS-SPME-GC/MS analysis tentatively identified 25 volatile compounds, with ketones representing the predominant volatile group and elderberry supplementation modifying the relative abundance of selected volatile compounds. Sensory evaluation showed improved appearance, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability compared with the kefir control (p < 0.05). Overall, formulations containing 6% and 9% elderberry pulp provided a favorable balance between technological quality, functional potential, and sensory acceptability, suggesting a practical formulation range for the development of naturally colored, functional kefir-based frozen dairy products. Full article

The Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) gene family plays vital roles in plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. Previous work has demonstrated that tomato SlBAG9, a group II BAG member, negatively regulates plant thermotolerance. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing SlBAG9 expression remain poorly understood. In this study, we isolated and characterized the authentic 1486 bp full-length promoter (P1) of SlBAG9 from the tomato genome. Building upon our previous transcript-level observations, we provide here a detailed functional characterization of this promoter at the cellular and tissue level. In silico analysis identified several key cis-acting regulatory elements, including abscisic acid-responsive elements (ABRE), anaerobic response elements (ARE), and a heat shock element (HSE1). We used stable transgenic tomato plants carrying SlBAG9pro::GUS to verify that the full-length promoter was capable of driving the expression of β-glucuronidase reporter gene (GUS) in transgenic tomato plants, showing GUS staining was detectable in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds, with the highest activity in red-ripe fruits. Notably, GUS activity was significantly upregulated by high temperature (HT) but not by PEG, NaCl, ABA, or cold treatments. To further dissect the HT-responsive regulatory module, we generated three 5′-terminal deletion fragments (−386 bp, P2; −239 bp, P3; and −113 bp, P4) and fused them to GUS. Under HT stress, the smallest deletion P4 showed negligible GUS activity, whereas P1, P2, and P3 retained significant activity. Furthermore, site-directed deletion of the HSE1 element in the full-length context (MU-P1) abolished HT inducibility, confirming that HSE1 serves as a critical positive HT-responsive element. Collectively, these findings confirm and extend our observations that SlBAG9 is a stress-responsive gene, and the characterized HSE1-dependent promoter module represents a promising candidate for genetic engineering aimed at enhancing thermotolerance in crops. Full article