Search Results (254)

Aquaponics combines aquaculture and hydroponics, offering an integrated and sustainable food production system. This study investigated the probiotic properties, plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity, and nitrifying capacity of twelve lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from an aquaculture farm environment on the Ivory Coast for their potential application in aquaponic systems. All isolates demonstrated antagonistic activity against key pathogenic indicator strains, except Vibrio cholerae, and displayed varying levels of surface hydrophobicity (5.50 ± 0.70% to 22.83 ± 1.17%) and auto-aggregation (32.50 ± 0.08% to 52.89 ± 0.39%) after 24 h. Antioxidant activity was significantly higher in cell-free supernatants (~71–79%) than in intact cells (~30–33%). Bile salt tolerance (0.3%, 4 h) ranged from 2.13 ± 0.76% to 40.87 ± 2.12%, and survival under pH 1.5 with pepsin for 3 h varied from 4.84 ± 0.26% to 53.98 ± 13.28%. All isolates produced lactic, acetic, citric, malic, and propionic acid and exhibited amylase and cellulase activity; none showed hemolytic activity. Only LAB 11 produced indole-3-acetic acid (17.72 ± 0.06 μg/mL), siderophores, and phosphate-solubilization activity for PGP traits, and this group significantly enhanced maize seed germination (86.66 ± 5.77%) and radicle length (7.00 ± 0.52 mm) compared to the control (63.33 ± 32.14% and 4.94 ± 1.52 mm), respectively. LAB 1 and LAB 10 demonstrated the highest ammonia-oxidizing capacity in vitro and in trout pond water. LAB 1, LAB 10, and LAB 11 were confirmed by whole genome sequencing analysis to be Enterococcus faecalis strains with a favorable-safety genomic profile and probiotic characteristics. These three strains therefore represent promising candidates for consortium-based applications in aquaponics systems. Full article

Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, are rich sources of α-tocopherol (α-T), a lipid-soluble antioxidant, but may contribute little to α-T status due to low intake and limited bioavailability. This study investigated whether egg co-consumption enhances α-T bioavailability from spinach and whether effects differ by egg dose, food matrix, or timing of intake. In a crossover study, healthy adults consumed deuterium-labeled (d_x)-spinach (containing 5 mg d_x-α-T) alone; or with 1, 2, or 3 hard-boiled eggs; 2 egg whites; or vegetable oil (9.6 g). Two exploratory trials evaluated delayed egg consumption 3 h after spinach intake. Compared with spinach alone, d_x-α-T AUC_0–72h (µmol/L × h) was 1.5–1.8-times higher when spinach was co-consumed with 1, 2, and 3 eggs (p ≤ 0.05), respectively, with no egg dose-dependent differences (p > 0.05). Co-ingestion of spinach with egg whites or vegetable oil increased d_x-α-T AUC_0–72h similar to whole eggs (p > 0.05). Delayed egg intake did not affect d_x-α-T AUC_0–72h relative to spinach alone (p > 0.05). Plant-derived α-T bioavailability can be improved through co-ingestion with other foods but is independent of egg dose and food matrix. Effective absorption requires concurrent intake, indicating that timing and associated digestive processes are key determinants and support food-pairing strategies to improve vitamin E bioavailability and its antioxidant contribution to plant-based diets. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04287816). Full article

Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. (chayote), a neglected and underutilized Cucurbitaceae crop widely cultivated across tropical and subtropical regions, has drawn growing interest as a source of health-promoting food components. This review critically synthesizes studies published between 2000 and 2026 on its botanical features, genome characterization, nutritional value, phytochemistry, bioactivities, safety, and food-industry applications, based on literature retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library. Different plant parts (fruits, leaves, seeds, tuberous roots, and peels) contain diverse bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, cucurbitacins, pectin polysaccharides, and carotenoids. Reported bioactivities include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, cardioprotective, antiproliferative, and geroprotective effects, mediated in part through Nrf2-mediated antioxidant signaling and sirtuin (SIRT1/3/5/6) upregulation. Notably, a systematic meta-analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in serum glucose (MD = −20.56; 95% CI: −29.35 to −11.77) and HbA1c following three months of chayote intake in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Industrially, chayote has been developed into fermented products, starch- and peel-derived bioactive films, ultrasound-extracted pectin, α-amylase inhibitory seed protein isolates, and probiotic encapsulation systems. Recent genomic work has further revealed a chromosome-level genome assembly, whole-genome duplication events, and a domestication history tracing to Mexico’s Oaxaca region. Collectively, this evidence positions chayote as a promising underutilized resource for food, nutraceutical, and biomedical use, while highlighting key gaps: the need for standardized clinical trials, bioavailability studies, and comprehensive safety evaluation. Full article

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 589 million adults in 2024, with projections rising to 853 million by 2050. Dietary modification is a cornerstone of both T2D prevention and management. Among the various dietary approaches, plant-based dietary patterns have gained increasing attention; however, uncertainty remains regarding the optimal dietary composition and the contribution of specific food groups. Methods: This narrative review summarizes the current evidence on plant-based dietary patterns and their association with T2D prevention and metabolic control, with a particular focus on legumes, dietary fiber, and red and processed meat. Evidence from prospective cohort studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses was evaluated. Results: Higher adherence to healthy plant-based dietary patterns was consistently associated with up to a 30% lower risk of developing T2D, improved insulin sensitivity, and approximately a 0.30–0.47 percentage-point reduction in glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c). Greater consumption of legumes and dietary fiber was linked to improved glycemic control, enhanced but heterogeneous modulation of gut microbiota composition, reduced low-grade inflammation, and beneficial effects on body weight and lipid metabolism. In contrast, higher intake of processed meat and unprocessed red meat was consistently associated with an increased risk of T2D. Importantly, unhealthy plant-based diets characterized by refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods provided little metabolic benefit and may even increase diabetes risk by up to 13%. The interpretation of the available evidence is limited by the predominance of observational studies, heterogeneous definitions of plant-based dietary patterns, self-reported dietary assessments, and the limited availability of long-term randomized controlled trials. Conclusions: Current evidence supports healthy plant-based dietary patterns as an effective strategy for the prevention and management of T2D. Dietary patterns emphasizing whole plant foods, including legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while limiting processed and excessive red meat intake, are associated with improved metabolic health. Future high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized dietary definitions are needed to further define the optimal composition of plant-based diets for diabetes prevention and treatment. Full article

Background/Objectives: There is continuing debate regarding the association between added sugars (AS) consumption and overall diet quality, which remains a research gap within the Canadian population. This study aimed to assess the association between intakes of added sugars and the Healthy Eating Food Index (HEFI) 2019 that measures adherence to Canada’s Food Guide as an indicator of diet quality. Methods: The first 24 h dietary recalls of Canadians 2 years and older (n = 19,532) from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey—Nutrition were used. Added sugars intakes were calculated based on a systematic 10-step algorithm. Descriptive statistics were obtained for total HEFI and component scores across different AS intake categories. The association between AS categories and HEFI scores was tested using a generalized linear model adjusted for age, sex, education level, type of smoker, and misreporting status. Results: The association between continuous AS intake and HEFI scores was non-linear. In the categorical model, AS intake categories were inversely associated with HEFI scores among Canadians (R² = 0.32, p < 0.001). Large overlaps in HEFI scores were observed among individuals with similar AS intakes for the whole population and each age group. Among high AS consumers (>15% EI), lower HEFI scores were largely due to higher proportions of sweetened beverages (i.e., low beverage scores) and lower intakes of vegetables and fruit and plant-based proteins. Scores for protein food and whole grains were low across all AS intake categories. Conclusions: Large variations in overall HEFI scores were observed amongst those with similar AS intakes, suggesting that added sugars alone may not fully capture overall diet quality or adherence to Canada’s Food Guide. Full article

Acorns (Quercus spp.) have re-emerged as a sustainable, underutilized food resource, and their lipid fraction has attracted growing scientific interest because of its distinctive composition and technological potential. Acorn lipids typically represent 5–12% of acorn dry weight, ranging from 0.75% (Q. vulcanica) to over 17% (Q. rubra), and are dominated by unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid (up to ~70% of total fatty acids) and, to a lesser extent, linoleic acid, alongside minor bioactive compounds such as tocopherols (31.60–1486 mg/kg oil), phytosterols (2449–8797.92 mg/kg oil), carotenoids (β-carotene: 473–1421 mg/kg DM), and long-chain aliphatic alcohols (2198.81–2248.87 mg/kg oil) associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, and cardioprotective effects. Despite their high degree of unsaturation, acorn oils maintain good oxidative stability during up to 180 days of storage under dark conditions at room temperature, partly due to these endogenous antioxidants, and their lipids participate in starch–lipid interactions that influence starch digestibility, glycemic response, and the functional properties of acorn-based foods, including bakery, gluten-free, and pasta products. Based on a comprehensive literature search of the Web of Science database through June 2026, this review provides a comprehensive synthesis of acorn lipids. Critical analysis shows that most evidence derives from whole acorn flour rather than isolated lipids, that reporting units remain inconsistent across studies, and that dedicated intervention trials using acorn oil are lacking—gaps that should guide future research. This review serves as a critical bridge between botanical lipidomics and food engineering, providing a framework for the standardized valorization of Quercus species in the global transition to sustainable, plant-based functional ingredients. Full article

Chronic noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cancer, constitute leading causes of global mortality, with suboptimal diet identified as a primary modifiable risk factor. Plant-based dietary patterns (PBDPs) can be conceptualized along a continuum of quality, with whole-food PBDPs consistently linked to lower risks of CVD, T2D, and all-cause mortality, though much of this evidence derives from studies of vegan or healthy plant-based dietary index patterns rather than whole-plant-food diets directly. Evidence further indicates that minimizing or eliminating added salt, oil, and sugar (SOS) within whole-food PBDPs may provide additional cardiometabolic benefits, primarily by favorably modifying three graded intermediate biomarkers: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), blood pressure (BP), and adiposity. Dietary sodium increases BP in a linear, dose-dependent manner and enhances food palatability, potentially promoting passive overconsumption and increased adiposity. Although added oil is preferable to saturated fat for LDL-C reduction, preliminary evidence suggests that adding olive oil to an already oil-restricted whole-food PBDP may reduce its LDL-C and body-weight benefits; these findings are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger, longer-term trials. Whole-food fat sources such as nuts and seeds may offer cardiovascular benefits at least equivalent to those of oils, without this attenuating effect. Added sugar promotes excess caloric intake, contributing to increased adiposity, and may impair insulin sensitivity; these effects are most clearly and consistently established for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), whereas the evidence for solid added sugars is weaker and may depend more on excess energy intake and broader dietary context. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from systematic reviews, meta-analyses, Mendelian randomization studies, and key clinical trials to evaluate whether whole-food PBDPs minimizing or eliminating SOS may provide incremental benefit for chronic disease risk reduction and management compared to whole-food PBDPs that include these additives. Direct long-term randomized evidence comparing SOS-restricted to SOS-inclusive whole-food PBDPs remains limited, and the possible incremental benefit of SOS restriction within an already health-promoting dietary pattern warrants further investigation. Complete SOS elimination has not yet been shown to provide incremental benefit beyond a high-quality PBDP, and any benefit is likely greatest in individuals with hypertension, obesity, elevated cardiometabolic risk, or high baseline SOS intake. Full article

Uncaria rhynchophylla is an important medicinal plant widely used for treating neurological and cardiovascular diseases. However, current utilization primarily focuses on its hooked stems (Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis), while its by-products remain underutilized. A systematic understanding of its cultivation and whole-plant utilization is lacking, limiting its industrial and ecological potential. We comprehensively evaluated the cultivation, processing, by-product utilization, and ecological value of U. rhynchophylla within an industrial crop framework. This review synthesizes recent advances in agronomic practices, phytochemical composition, environmental influences, and product development strategies by integrating findings from experimental and applied studies. The hooked stems are rich in alkaloids such as rhynchophylline, while other plant parts contain valuable active compounds suitable for bio-based products, including functional foods and medicinal materials. Environmental factors (light, soil, altitude) and cultivation strategies significantly influence yield and active compound accumulation. Whole-plant utilization and by-product valorization can enhance resource-use efficiency and economic returns. U. rhynchophylla has significant potential as an industrial medicinal crop. Integrating optimized cultivation, processing technologies, and by-product utilization strategies supports sustainable production and rural development. However, limitations include standardization and limited large-scale validation. Future research should focus on mechanistic studies, industrial-scale processing, and development of high-value products to promote a circular bioeconomy. Full article

Humanity faces not isolated problems but a PolyCrisis, which is a set of 26 tightly interwoven existential crises spanning ecological collapse, planetary overheating, chronic disease epidemics, institutional fragility and social breakdown. Each crisis amplifies the others through cascading feedback loops, and 16 of these crises possess independently the capacity to cause human extinction or civilizational collapse. We are not entering an emergency, but we are already in a state of emergency. Multiple planetary boundaries have been transgressed, and climate tipping points are being crossed now. Extinction rates match historical great mass extinction events, while our food systems, primarily responsible for over half these crises, simultaneously drive hunger, obesity and chronic diseases. We argue that this PolyCrisis is not the result of isolated failures, but is best understood as the predictable, systemic outcome of Planet A, the prevailing Operating System of our mainstream civilization, characterized by economics of unbounded extraction and hoarding, violence-based and profit-based food systems, short-term thinking, and unlimited growth imperatives on a finite planet. Planet B is our proposed PolySolution framework, a complete alternative Operating System grounded in empirical reality and proven solutions. It integrates animal-free food systems releasing up to 5 billion hectares for rewilding, regenerative economics measuring non-violence and biocapacity, circular economy minimizing waste, technological restraint with democratic governance, seven-generation thinking, and PolyCommunity coordination, collaboration and co-creation of the PolySolution. It calls for the immediate emergency implementation of two planetary-scale MegaSolutions: (a) “Together Around Food”, implementing universal, free access to gourmet whole-food, plant-based vegan meals worldwide, eliminating hunger and accelerating food and health systems transformation, and (b) Cool, halting planetary overheating through agricultural emissions elimination, massive rewilding for carbon sequestration, and comprehensive stabilization of the life-support systems of our planet. Full article

Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwaves, making extreme heat a recurrent public health challenge with important nutritional implications. High ambient temperatures affect human health through thermoregulatory strain, sweating, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, cardiovascular and renal stress, impaired cognitive and physical performance, and exacerbation of chronic diseases. Diet and hydration may therefore represent modifiable, although still underinvestigated, components of heat-health prevention. This narrative review synthesizes evidence on hydration, electrolyte balance, meal composition, dietary quality, vulnerable populations, Mediterranean dietary patterns, seasonality, environmental sustainability, and public health strategies for reducing heat-related health risks. Evidence from climate-health research, physiology, nutrition science, occupational and sports medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, and public health guidance was integrated. Particular attention was given to distinguishing direct heat-health evidence from recommendations based on indirect evidence, physiological plausibility, or expert consensus. Regular water intake, water-rich foods, avoidance of alcohol, moderation of sugar-sweetened beverages, and individualized electrolyte replacement during prolonged or intense sweating are supported by physiological rationale and public health guidance, although direct heatwave-specific intervention studies remain limited. Dietary recommendations should prioritize smaller, digestible, nutrient-dense meals that preserve nutritional adequacy while reducing unnecessary digestive and metabolic burden. However, evidence on meal size, macronutrient composition, and heat-related outcomes remains largely indirect. Vulnerable groups, including older adults, children, pregnant women, individuals with chronic diseases, outdoor workers, athletes, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, require tailored strategies. The Mediterranean diet may provide a useful regional model because it emphasizes seasonal plant foods, fruits and vegetables with high water content, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, culinary simplicity, and environmental sustainability; however, its specific role in heat adaptation requires further study. Integrating nutrition and hydration into heat-health action plans may improve preparedness and support climate-resilient food systems. Future studies should evaluate hydration protocols, meal patterns, Mediterranean diet adherence, biomarkers of nutritional heat resilience, and nutrition-sensitive interventions in real-world heat exposure settings. Full article

Germinated Andean lupin whole flour (GAL) is rich in protein, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, and bioactive compounds, representing a promising alternative for the development of sustainable plant-based foods. This study investigated the feasibility of partially replacing soy protein isolate (SPI) with GAL in high-moisture extruded meat analogues. A central composite design was applied to evaluate the effects of the GAL ratio (0:100–50:50) and feed moisture content (50–70%) on the technological properties of the extrudates. The Response Surface Methodology was used to model and optimize the process. The incorporation of GAL significantly affected the (p < 0.10) water solubility index (WSI), oil absorption capacity (OAC), cooking loss (CL), yellowness (b*), cohesiveness, and adhesiveness, generating predictive models with satisfactory goodness-of-fit (R² > 0.75). Increasing GAL levels increased the WSI from 6.21 to 18.79% and cooking loss from 1.01 to 3.84%, while reducing OAC from 239.42 to 166.57%, indicating substantial modifications in matrix organization and hydration behavior. Numerical optimization identified an optimal formulation containing 12% GAL, 88% SPI, and 65.5% feed moisture, with a desirability of 77.82%. Model validation showed relative deviations lower than 10% between predicted and experimental values. The optimized meat analogue exhibited high protein content (84.44%), favorable techno-functional properties, and improved nutritional quality, with higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (17.34 g·100 g⁻¹ protein), essential amino acids (33.32 g·100 g⁻¹ protein), and in vitro protein digestibility (90.1%) compared with the control formulation. Multivariate analyses confirmed that phenylalanine, histidine, methionine, and leucine were the main variables that discriminated between the protein sources and the extruded products. Overall, GAL demonstrated strong potential as a sustainable functional ingredient to produce nutritionally enhanced high-moisture meat analogues. Full article

Medicinal and edible plants are promising resources for low-toxicity therapeutics and precision nutrition. Lycium barbarum L. (goji berry), a quintessential medicine–food homologous herb with 2000 years of ethnopharmacological use, has attracted global attention. However, existing studies are limited by fruit-centric bias, lack of correlation between processing methods, component properties and bioactivities, and incomplete antitumor mechanistic understanding. This systematic review establishes a holistic research paradigm that integrates whole-plant resource utilization, processing–property–bioactivity associations, multi-target pharmacology, and clinical translation. We delineate tissue-specific distributions of core bioactives (polysaccharides, phenolics, carotenoids, alkaloids) and their synergistic networks underlying antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory effects. Critically, we systematically summarize preclinical evidence for the antitumor potential of goji berries, identifying four proposed non-overlapping cell death pathways (apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, ferroptosis, autophagy) and proposed unique roles in reversing multi-drug resistance, alleviating chemoradiotherapy toxicity, and serving as biocompatible nanocarriers, all of which remain predominantly at the preclinical stage. We further propose a three-stage evidence-based roadmap to address key translational bottlenecks. This review bridges the gap between traditional ethnopharmacology and modern precision nutrition, providing a scientific foundation for the sustainable development of the global goji berry industry. Full article

Cancer development arises from dynamic interactions between inherited susceptibility and modifiable environmental exposures, among which diet plays a central role. Carotenoids, lipophilic plant-derived pigments including lycopene, α-carotene, and β-carotene, and retinoids, the vitamin A derivatives that regulate gene transcription via retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), have been extensively investigated for their chemopreventive and therapeutic potential. This review aims to provide an integrated, mechanism-based synthesis of the roles of lycopene, α- and β-carotene, and retinoids in cancer chemoprevention and to clarify the conditions under which they are most likely to be effective. Beyond summarizing established antioxidant and nuclear-receptor mechanisms, we highlight as a novel emphasis the epigenetic actions of these compounds, including effects on DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA regulation, and we integrate these with the well-recognized divergence between dietary and high-dose supplement outcomes. Experimental evidence demonstrates that carotenoids modulate oxidative stress, inflammation, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis through pathways such as Nrf2/ARE, NF-κB, STAT3, Akt/mTOR, MAPK, and Wnt/β-catenin. Lycopene, in particular, exhibits strong antioxidant capacity and multi-target signaling effects, while provitamin A carotenoids additionally influence retinoid-mediated transcriptional programs. Retinoids exert broader differentiation-inducing and antiproliferative effects through direct nuclear receptor signaling and represent one of the few successful differentiation therapies in oncology, most notably in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Epidemiologic studies generally associate higher dietary carotenoid intake with reduced risk of several malignancies, including prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, and gastric cancers. However, randomized trials of isolated high-dose supplementation, particularly β-carotene in smokers, have demonstrated null or harmful effects, highlighting a critical divergence between whole-food dietary patterns and pharmacologic supplementation. In conclusion, carotenoids and retinoids possess biologically plausible anticancer properties, yet their clinical utility remains context dependent. Future research should prioritize biomarker-guided, precision-based strategies, standardized formulations, and whole-food dietary approaches to clarify their role in cancer prevention and treatment. Full article

The global transition toward plant-based diets has driven the inclusion and legumes as primary sources of proteins and micronutrients. However, the raw whole seed hosts complex matrices of antinutritional factors and crystalline starch arrangements that limit proteolytic digestibility, chelate essential minerals, and induce accelerated postprandial glycemic responses. Conventional culinary and thermal treatments applied in isolation are frequently insufficient to disrupt the physicochemical matrix of the seeds, leaving critical gaps regarding how to sustainably optimize mineral bioaccessibility and convert water-soluble starches into stable slowly digestible fractions. This scoping review synthesizes analytical evidence demonstrating that targeted fermentative bioprocessing acts as a microstructural modulator. However, these biochemical outcomes are not unidirectional; the expansion of nutritional value is strictly governed by a complex interplay of substrate properties, process moisture, pH adjustments, and thermal pretreatments in plant defense frameworks and spatially reorganizing starch polymers. Microbial organic acid production and the mechanical penetration of fungal hyphae promote a 90–100% degradation and elimination of phytates and condensed tannins, eliminating non-digestible galacto-oligosaccharides and inactivating trypsin inhibitors. These mechanisms optimize phytate-to-mineral molar ratios, doubling the bioaccessibility of iron, zinc, and calcium in the digestive aqueous phases, while microbial beta-glucosidase expression bioconverts conjugated glycosides into free aglycones with high antioxidant activity. Simultaneously, the induction of molecular retrogradation drives continuous increases in the resistant starch fraction, inducing significant reductions in the hydrolysis index and lowering the predictive glycemic index to low thresholds. These findings consolidate controlled fermentation as a viable biotechnological intervention, providing structural guidelines for the rational design of functional foods, biofortified baked goods, and vegan beverages with high digestive tolerance. Full article

The development of functional yogurt products enriched with plant-derived ingredients and biologically active compounds represents a promising strategy to improve the nutritional, probiotic, and antioxidant properties of fermented dairy foods. The aim of this study was to evaluate how plant-derived ingredients (whole-meal flour from sprouted wheat grain and a protein-rich functional ingredient derived from hemp press cake), used individually or in combination with curcumin- or ergosterol-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae biomass, influence the physicochemical, structural-mechanical, probiotic, antioxidant, and sensory characteristics of yogurt products. Two forms of yeast biomass were used as enrichment agents: one containing encapsulated curcumin and the other with a high ergosterol content. Milk mixtures were supplemented with yeast biomass containing 34.0 mg/g encapsulated curcumin or 10.55 mg/g ergosterol. Additionally, whole-meal flour from sprouted wheat grain or the hemp-derived protein ingredient was incorporated into the yogurt products at concentrations of 2–3%. These ingredients were tested both individually and in combination to identify optimal formulations that would confer novel properties to the final products. Based on the conducted studies, it was found that the addition of enriched yeast biomass and the protein ingredient resulted in a denser and more uniform structure in the yogurt products compared to those of the control. The titratable acidity of the experimental formulations ranged from 80.2 to 91.8 °T, while pH values ranged from 3.79 to 4.04. Compared with the control sample, these changes indicate enhanced lactic acid fermentation activity. The number of probiotic microorganisms in the experimental samples reached 1.6 × 10⁷–6.4 × 10⁷ MPN/g, exceeding those of the control by an order of magnitude. The type of plant ingredient used significantly determined the technological properties of the finished product. Compared with the control sample, yogurt products supplemented with the hemp press cake-derived protein ingredient exhibited higher protein content (33–34% on a dry matter basis), increased viscosity (2.5–2.6 Pa·s), and reduced syneresis (values of 16.1 mL). The whole-meal flour from sprouted wheat grain exhibited a more pronounced stimulating effect on the growth of probiotic microflora. Enrichment of yogurt products with yeast biomass also increased antioxidant activity: the AOA (DPPH) value increased to 69–84% compared to ~62% in the control. Biotesting using Paramecium caudatum, a sensitive protozoan model widely used for rapid assessment of biological compatibility, toxicity, and the relative biological value of food systems, demonstrated a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in protozoan growth to 104–106% compared with the control sample, suggesting the absence of toxic effects and the potential bioavailability of yogurt matrix components. This data confirm the potential of using enriched yeast biomass in combination with plant ingredients for creating probiotic yogurt products with improved structural and functional properties. Full article