Search Results (1,269)

Background/Objectives: Stevia rebaudiosides represent a class of compounds extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant or produced via yeast fermentation, which provide a sweet taste with little to no calories. These compounds are commercially referred to as stevia and are used in the food industry to reduce sugar in foods and beverages. Stevia is a non-nutritive sweetener (NNS), which is a class of ingredients which represent both artificial and plant-based sweeteners. NNSs are widely used and have been well studied. However, their effects on efficacy for weight management as a sugar reduction tool and overall metabolic effects are inconsistent. Of the approved NNSs for use, stevia is relatively new and one of the least studied. However, recent human clinical research has provided insights into stevia’s metabolic effects, effects on the gut microbiome and effects on weight management when used to replace sugar. The objective of this narrative review of human clinical studies is to provide an overview of the effects of stevia rebaudiosides (largely rebaudioside A) on glucoregulatory and cardiometabolic functions, as well as their effects on gut microbiome and weight management. These studies were typically short term (acute to three months) and heterogeneous by design, and they contained stevia rebaudiosides as lone sweeteners and as part of a binary blend with other NNSs. The majority of metabolic studies on stevia rebaudiosides have evaluated the effects on glucose homeostasis and, to a lesser extent, the effects on cardiometabolic function, the gut microbiome, and weight management. These studies suggest that stevia rebaudiosides have no statistically significant effects on glycemia, insulinemia, blood lipids, appetite hormones, or the gut microbiome. Limited studies suggest that, particularly when compared to sucrose, stevia produces very modest body weight and BMI changes, while studies on subjective appetite and food intake have had inconsistent results. Conclusions: longer-term studies are needed, with more consistent and rigorous design protocols across various populations. However, current human clinical studies suggest that stevia rebaudiosides have a limited impact on metabolic functions, and the observed effects on gut microbiome and changes in body weight, particularly when used to replace sugar, warrant further study. Full article

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects 25–30% of adults globally. Dietary sugar reduction is one of the key therapeutic targets, but elimination of sugar-sweetened foods may compromise adherence to calorie-restricted diets. Brazzein, a natural sweet protein that is 500–2000 times sweeter than sucrose, offers a promising substitute, yet clinical data in patients with MASLD are lacking. In a double-blind, randomized, two-period crossover trial, 103 adults with MASLD tasted iso-sweet vanilla ice cream sweetened with either brazzein or sucrose on two consecutive days. Overall impression and sensory attributes (appearance, color, aroma, taste, and texture) were rated on 5-point hedonic scales, and the percentage of the 100 g portion consumed was recorded. Brazzein-sweetened ice cream met the prespecified criteria for both non-inferiority and equivalence versus sucrose for overall impression. Top-2 box acceptance (ratings ≥ 4) was extremely high and nearly identical (96.1% for brazzein and 98.1% for sucrose). Mean consumption exceeded 98% of the portion for both products, with no significant difference between sweeteners. Secondary sensory ratings were closely similar, and multivariate analyses indicated highly overlapping sensory profiles. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested consistent findings across most demographic and clinical characteristics, although participants with advanced liver fibrosis (LSM ≥ 9.6 kPa) showed numerically higher ratings for sucrose. In exploratory analyses, liver stiffness was associated with slightly lower intake at higher stiffness values. This study provides the first evidence that brazzein-sweetened ice cream maintains short-term sensory acceptability comparable to a conventional sucrose-sweetened product in adults with MASLD. These findings support further development and evaluation of brazzein-containing sugar-reduced foods, including repeated-exposure sensory studies and separate metabolic investigations. Full article

Thinopyrum ponticum, a salt-tolerant grass widely used in the restoration of saline–alkali lands, was the focus of this study. Two accessions with contrasting salt tolerance—‘4–6’ (salt tolerant) and ‘5–22’ (salt sensitive)—were watered with 500 mM NaCl solution for 14 days, and seedling growth and physiological responses were assessed. Salt stress significantly inhibited the growth of both accessions, but ‘4–6’ was less impacted. Morphologically, ‘4–6’ adapted to stress by increasing the root-to-shoot ratio, increasing leaf length, and decreasing leaf width. In contrast, the growth of ‘5–22’ was comprehensively inhibited, with significant reductions in fresh weight, dry weight, leaf length, and leaf area. Physiologically, the contents of malondialdehyde and proline increased in both accessions, but ‘4–6’ exhibited stronger antioxidant capacity and more flexible regulation of sugar metabolism (with sucrose decreasing while fructose and glucose increased) to maintain osmotic balance. In comparison, ‘5–22’ showed dysregulated sugar metabolism, characterized by sucrose accumulation and a decrease in fructose, which exacerbated salt damage. Regarding hormones under salt stress, IAA content increased in leaves of ‘4–6’ but decreased in ‘5–22’. Jasmonate-related hormones decreased in both accessions; however, ‘4–6’ maintained higher basal levels and smaller reductions, indicating stronger hormonal regulation capacity. Correlation analysis confirmed that IAA- and JA-related hormones play important roles in salt tolerance of Thinopyrum ponticum. In terms of ion balance, ‘4–6’ maintained higher K⁺/Na⁺ and Ca²⁺/Na⁺ ratios, promoted beneficial cation transport to shoots, and restricted Cl⁻ accumulation. In contrast, ‘5–22’ suffered from disrupted ion balance and excessive Cl⁻ accumulation, resulting in severe growth inhibition. In addition, the key indicators screened by RDA provide an important reference for revealing the salt tolerance mechanism of Thinopyrum ponticum and for constructing a corresponding evaluation system. This study elucidates the mechanisms underlying differential salt tolerance among Thinopyrum ponticum accessions, highlighting the coordinated role of hormonal reprogramming and ion homeostasis. These findings offer both theoretical insights and practical guidance for breeding new salt-tolerant varieties of Thinopyrum ponticum and for the amelioration of saline–alkali lands. Full article

In complex mountainous environments, the asynchronous development between external color turning and internal sugar accumulation (often termed “false maturity”) in coffee cherries poses a severe challenge to post-harvest quality sorting and the consistency of final coffee products. To overcome the limitations of single-phenotype detection in raw material screening, this study proposed a multimodal quality discrimination framework integrating fruit hyperspectral imaging, micro-topography, and plant physiological characteristics. Taking typical mountain-grown fresh coffee cherries as the research object, and after comparing various spectral preprocessing and feature dimensionality reduction algorithms, the multimodal fusion efficacy of nine machine learning classifiers was systematically evaluated. The results demonstrated that: (1) Full-spectrum difference analysis quantitatively confirmed the limitations of visual harvesting; spectral reflectance differences between high- and low-sugar fruits were highly concentrated in the red and red-edge regions, with the maximum difference precisely located at 676 nm. (2) Compared to the single-spectrum model (mean accuracy of 75.93%), the fully fused Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) network effectively mitigated background noise induced by heterogeneous environments, improving the mean classification accuracy to 77.22% with a mean Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.827. (3) Correlation analysis clarified the quantitative association between topography and quality; micro-topographic slope (r = 0.346) was identified as the key environmental driver of spatial differentiation in fruit sugar content, while plant chlorophyll A content (r = 0.183) exhibited a corresponding physiological response trend. This study not only explains the root cause of visual assessment failure from a physical optics perspective but also reveals the spatial variation laws of quality driven by micro-topography, providing preliminary data support for the intelligent sorting of raw materials and ensuring post-harvest quality consistency of mountainous crops. Full article

Studies aimed at identifying genotypes tolerant to water deficit are essential for the development of superior plant materials adapted to regions with limited water availability, such as the Brazilian Semi-Arid. This study evaluated the physiological, biochemical, and enzymatic responses of Stylosanthes spp. subjected to different levels of water availability (60%, 40%, and 20% of pot capacity). The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design using a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, comparing the accession BGF 11-001 and the cultivar BRS-Bela (cv. Bela). Physiological traits, biochemical variables, and antioxidant enzyme activity were analyzed. The accession BGF 11-001 showed resilience under water deficit, maintaining high chlorophyll content even under severe stress. This response was associated with increased accumulation of amino acids such as proline, as well as enhanced antioxidant activity, indicating a tolerance mechanism based on osmotic adjustment and cellular protection. In contrast, cv. Bela exhibited higher sensitivity to water stress, with a pronounced reduction in photosynthetic pigments and greater accumulation of compatible solutes, including total soluble proteins, reducing sugars, amino acids, and proline, without significant activation of antioxidant enzymes. Overall, the results demonstrate that the genotypes adopt distinct strategies to cope with water stress, with BGF 11-001 being more efficient in activating defense mechanisms. Therefore, BGF 11-001 has agronomic potential for cultivation in drought-prone regions and is a promising genetic resource for forage breeding programs aimed at improving drought tolerance. Full article

The maritime sector accounts for approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and faces binding decarbonization obligations under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net-Zero Framework and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. Conventional marine fuels, including very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and liquefied natural gas (LNG), are insufficient to meet long-term regulatory intensity targets on a well-to-wake (WtW) lifecycle basis, creating an urgent need for credible fuel alternatives. This study investigates ethanol as a primary fuel for marine dual-fuel propulsion systems, assessed across four distinct production pathways, sugar beet, corn, sugarcane, and wheat straw, to determine its full decarbonization potential relative to VLSFO and LNG benchmarks. A simulation-based multi-dimensional evaluation framework is developed and applied, integrating dynamic operational simulation, energy analysis, environmental lifecycle modelling, and regulatory compliance assessment. The framework is calibrated against a high-resolution dataset from an active container ship, with scenario-specific engine data. While ethanol requires 39.1% more fuel mass than VLSFO due to its lower energy density, all four ethanol pathways deliver substantially superior WtW GHG reductions: from 50.2% (corn) to 76.9% (wheat straw), compared with 20.6% for LNG. All ethanol scenarios satisfy FuelEU compliance limits across the 2026–2045 horizon, with wheat straw ethanol achieving a GFI of 22.52 gCO₂e/MJ, compliant marginally with the 2040 IMO target. These findings demonstrate that bio-based ethanol, particularly from lignocellulosic feedstocks, is a technically viable and regulatorily superior alternative to LNG for maritime decarbonization, warranting accelerated research into production scale-up and bunkering infrastructure development. Full article

The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is increasingly exposed to environmental stressors that affect redox homeostasis, leading to imbalances in cellular functions. Natural bioactive compound-based nutritional strategies show promise in reducing oxidative stress while preserving redox signaling. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition, cytotoxicity, and redox-modulating effects of an aqueous extract of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus on the AmE-711 honey bee cell line. High-resolution Orbitrap LC–MS analysis revealed a chemically diverse extract comprising polyols, organic acids, amino acids, phosphorylated sugars, nucleotide derivatives, phenolic, and lipid-related compounds. Among the identified metabolites were mannitol, malic acid, citric acid, glutamic acid, and uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine, providing a biochemical basis for potential metabolic and redox-related activity. Cell viability assays demonstrated that A. bisporus extract exhibited no significant cytotoxicity under the experimental conditions. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with the TEMPONE spin probe showed that untreated cells exhibited only minimal signal reduction (4.20%), while treatment with the extract alone caused a moderate decrease (12.08%), indicating the absence of reductive stress. Oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide resulted in a pronounced TEMPONE signal reduction (37.88%), whereas co-treatment with the A. bisporus extract substantially attenuated this effect, lowering the signal reduction to 15.34%. These findings suggest that the aqueous A. bisporus extract may help preserve basal redox activity while attenuating peroxide-induced oxidative stress in AmE-711 honey bee cells. Rather than acting as a potent radical scavenger, the extract appears to function as a mild redox modulator or stabilizer under the tested conditions, which may be beneficial for honey bee cellular redox balance. These results support further investigation of physiologically appropriate A. bisporus-based dietary supplements for mitigating oxidative stress in apicultural systems. 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

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts (NSY) are increasingly investigated as biotechnological tools to diversify wine profiles and modulate fermentation outcomes. This study evaluated the enological behavior of two Chilean isolates, Starmerella bacillaris (SB) and Hanseniaspora uvarum (HU), in Sauvignon Blanc must from the Casablanca Valley under monoculture and sequential inoculation (NSY → Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at laboratory (500 mL) and microvinification (10 L) scales. In synthetic medium (150 g/L sugars), SB and HU showed incomplete sugar consumption, producing 4.25% and 8.50% v/v ethanol, respectively, compared with 9.16% v/v for S. cerevisiae. In laboratory-scale fermentation in real must, both strains completed fermentation in monoculture, with moderate reductions in ethanol production relative to the control. At the microvinification scale, monocultures yielded lower ethanol concentrations (11.90–12.50% v/v) than S. cerevisiae (13.50% v/v), whereas sequential fermentations converged toward control values. NSY treatments showed higher relative abundances of medium-chain ethyl esters associated with fruity and floral sensory attributes while maintaining acetic acid concentrations ≤ 0.50 g/L. These findings indicate that the effects of SB and HU depended primarily on fermentation strategy and process scale under the evaluated conditions. Full article

Commercial determinants of health (CDoHs) describe how corporate practices influence population health. This scoping review aimed to characterize the extant evidence base regarding how CDoH in the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) industry affects health and health-related outcomes among Latinx populations in the United States of America (USA). The present study was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Overall, 1236 references were identified and imported for screening. After duplicate removal, screening, and full-text eligibility assessment, 33 studies met all inclusion criteria. SSB marketing and advertising was the most frequently examined CDoH (61%), including advertising exposure, messaging strategies, and warning label interventions. SSB taxation studies projected reductions in consumption and obesity prevalence. Outcomes associated with health focused primarily on perceptions of marketing and purchasing intentions (94%). Additional studies examined the impact on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (e.g., purchasing and consumption of SSBs) (66%), while a few studies included chronic disease (27%) or healthcare outcomes (6%). Evidence highlights several gaps in CDoH research associated with SSBs, with 94% of the included studies focused on understanding marketing exposure, signaling a need to examine other domains of CDoH, SSB industry practices, and impacts on health disparities. Findings suggest that structural policy interventions such as taxation and stronger regulation of commercial practices are necessary to address higher exposure to marketing and consumption of SSBs among Latinx populations in the USA. Full article

Variations in sweetness and bitterness among Madhuca longifolia flowers strongly influence their processing value and market acceptance, yet the chemo-diversity underlying these traits remains poorly characterized. This study aimed to unravel accession- and stage-specific differences by integrating physico-biochemical, elemental, and metabolic profiling across thirteen accessions (BM-1 to BM-13) from BUAT, Banda. Sensory and textural evaluations revealed wide diversity, with BM-5 displaying superior sweetness and aroma, whereas BM-6, BM-7, and BM-10 were differentiated by firmness, elasticity, and gumminess. Biochemical analyses across flower development showed that BM-5 consistently maintained higher sugars and β-carotene, while BM-1 exhibited marked reductions in sugars and total phenolics content; meanwhile, antioxidant activity increased with maturity, with BM-5 remaining the most stable. ICP-MS elemental analysis confirmed BM-5 as mineral-rich compared with lower-performing accessions. GC-MS metabolomic profiling of contrasting accessions (BM-1 and BM-5) across stages identified 303 volatile and semi-volatile metabolites, and multivariate analyses (PCA, VIP, volcano plots, pathway enrichment) revealed distinct stage- and accession-dependent patterns. Mature BM-5 was enriched in fermentation- and aroma-related metabolites such as melibiose, furfural, 5-HMF, and furaneol, whereas BM-1 accumulated defense-linked compounds including catechol, benzyl nitrile, and maltol. Overall, the integrated chemo-diversity landscape identifies BM-5 as a superior accession with high processing potential and value-addition prospects. Full article

The coexistence of microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals (Cd, Pb) in agricultural soils has become a global environmental and ecological risk. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of polyethylene (PE) microplastics and combined Cd/Pb contamination on the growth and development, heavy metal accumulation, and antioxidant system of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Yunyan 87). The results showed that low-dose PE and low concentrations of heavy metals had minor impacts on tobacco growth and the antioxidant system; in contrast, high-dose PE and elevated heavy metal treatments markedly induced increases in malondialdehyde content (MDA) and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD). Under co-contaminated conditions, the addition of low-dose PE reduced the translocation capacity of heavy metals, alleviated heavy metal-induced oxidative stress responses, and promoted tobacco growth. Conversely, high-dose PE promoted the translocation of Cd into tobacco plants and increased Cd contents in tobacco leaves, leading to marked decreases in soluble protein and soluble sugar contents, and causing severe reductions in plant height, number of functional leaves, and biomass. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that the direct effect of PE on tobacco growth was not significant; instead, it primarily acted as a regulatory factor, exerting either promotional or inhibitory effects on tobacco growth at different doses. The impact of Cd/Pb on tobacco growth appeared to involve two potential pathways. On the one hand, Cd/Pb induced direct toxicity through their accumulation within tobacco tissues. On the other hand, they exerted indirect regulation primarily by modulating the activities of the tobacco antioxidant system. Full article

Background: Aging is characterized by metabolic dysfunction and neuromuscular decline, and obesogenic diets may exacerbate these processes. High-fat, high-sugar diets (HFHSD) promote adiposity, systemic metabolic dysregulation, and skeletal muscle impairments, yet their impact on motor unit integrity and neuromuscular vulnerability during aging remains unclear. Methods: In a controlled preclinical experiment, late-middle-aged (15-mo-old) female F344 rats were randomized to HFHSD (n = 6) or regular chow (n = 6) for 10 weeks. Longitudinal assessments were conducted at baseline, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks and included body composition, motor unit number estimation (MUNE), forelimb and hindlimb grip strength, gastrocnemius tetanic contractile torque, and post-intervention electrical impedance myography (EIM). Data were analyzed using a two-way mixed-effects ANOVA to assess the effects of diet and time, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: HFHSD led to significant increases in body mass and adiposity measures (e.g., abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness). Compared with controls, HFHSD rats exhibited significant reductions in hindlimb MUNE (diet effect, p = 0.007) and decreased tetanic contractile torque in both absolute and body mass-normalized values (p ≤ 0.002). Absolute forelimb grip strength increased over time (p = 0.027), though this effect did not persist after normalization to body mass, and hindlimb grip strength did not differ between groups. EIM at 50 kHz revealed elevated resistance in HFHSD rats (p = 0.0497), whereas reactance and phase angle did not differ significantly. Conclusions: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that an HFHSD, initiated during late middle age, may accelerate neuromuscular decline in female F344 rats prior to the typical onset of age-associated motor unit loss. A 10-week HFHSD intervention was associated with reductions in estimated motor unit numbers, impairments in muscle contractility, and a dissociation between absolute and normalized forelimb grip strength outcomes, indicating a potential early vulnerability of the neuromuscular system to obesogenic dietary exposure. These findings should be interpreted within the context of a modest sample size but collectively support the concept that diet-induced metabolic dysfunction may contribute to early neuromuscular impairment during aging. Full article

This review evaluates pretreatment strategies for blending the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) with agricultural residues to recover fermentable sugars. Three mechanistic benefits have been hypothesized for such blends: ash-mineral pH buffering, endogenous protein reduction of non-productive cellulase–lignin binding, and inhibitor dilution. These mechanisms are inferred from analogous lignocellulosic systems rather than measured directly in OFMSW–agricultural residue combinations, and their translation into saccharification gains remains substrate- and pretreatment-specific. A synergy index framework with a four-tier classification (true synergy, additive, substitution, and process complementarity) is applied to reclassify the available evidence, alongside an assessment of pretreatment chemistry, enzymatic hydrolysis outcomes, and techno-economic feasibility. Integrated sequential pretreatment, particularly acid-catalyzed steam explosion and deacetylation with mechanical refining, proved most robust for heterogeneous feeds. The strongest Tier I synergy is found for SO₂-catalyzed steam explosion of hybrid poplar–wheat straw (SI 1.29–1.33; 22% monomeric sugar gain). OFMSW combined with organosolv beechwood cellulose at 35–45% OFMSW reached 58–68% saccharification (44–46 g sugar L⁻¹), a Tier III–IV outcome. Matched-control saccharification data for OFMSW–agricultural residue blends specifically have not been reported. Co-processing corn stover with wet organic waste reduced CO₂ mitigation cost from $236 to $67 per ton CO₂-eq under bio-CNG upgrading. Formal synergy quantification, blend-specific inhibitor profiling, and high-solids process intensification are the central prerequisites for commercial translation. Full article

Molybdenum (Mo) is considered an essential element for plants, whose functions are related to nitrogen metabolism. Compared with other trace elements, the agronomic characteristics of Mo application in cherry radish production have not been described. In this study, we investigated the effects of different Mo concentrations on the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, growth and quality of cherry radish, as well as photosynthesis-related parameters. Cherry radish seedlings were transplanted and exposed to Mo concentrations of 10, 20, 30 and 40 μg·L⁻¹ as (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄·4H₂O, with no added Mo serving as CK in hydroponics. The impacts of Mo on plant growth, photosynthesis-related parameters, nitrate content, and other quality parameters were analyzed. The results showed that the Mo application significantly improved the growth and most quality parameters of cherry radish. Notably, when Mo was applied at 30 μg L⁻¹ (M3), most measured parameters of cherry radish were significantly increased, including fresh weight, maximum leaf area, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, soluble sugar and soluble protein content. Additionally, the Mo application effectively reduced the nitrate content in cherry radish. Under the M3 condition, nitrate accumulation in leaves and fruits was minimized, with reductions of 42.12% and 37.35%, respectively, compared with the CK. Furthermore, we found that the fresh weight and most quality parameters of cherry radish showed significant correlations with the applied Mo. These results suggest that the application of Mo could increase the yield and quality of cherry radish and reduce the accumulation of nitrate in leaves and fruits of cherry radish, which could bring agricultural, environmental and economic benefits. Full article