Search

Tomato is the vegetable with the largest greenhouse area in China, and low temperature is one of the main factors affecting tomato growth, yield, and quality. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in regulating plant chilling tolerance, but its downstream cascade reaction and mechanism remain unclear. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK/MPKs) are closely related to a variety of signaling substances in stress signal transmission. However, whether H2S is related to the MPK cascade pathway in response to low-temperature stress is rarely reported. In this study, NaHS treatment significantly decreased the electrolyte leakage (EL), superoxide anion (O2−) production rate, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content of seedlings at low temperatures. In addition, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were obviously increased; and the photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) was enhanced with treatment with NaHS, indicating that NaHS improved the seedlings' cold tolerance by alleviating the degree of membrane lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage. However, H2S scavenger hypotaurine (HT) treatment showed the opposite effect. We found that H2S content, L-cysteine desulfhydrase (LCD) activity, and mRNA expression were increased by chilling stress but reduced by MPK inhibitor PD98059; PD98059 reversed the alleviating effect of H2S via increasing the EL and H2O2 contents. The expression levels of MPK1–MPK7 at low temperatures showed that SlMPK4 was significantly induced by exogenous NaHS and showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, while the expression level of SlMPK4 in HT-treated seedlings was lower than that of the control. After SlMPK4 was silenced by virus-induced gene silencing, the H2S-induced upregulation of C-repeat-Binding Factor (CBF1), inducer of CBF expression 1 (ICE1), respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOH1, RBOH2) at low temperatures disappeared, and tomato cold tolerance decreased. In conclusion, H2S improves the cold tolerance of tomato plants by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and membrane lipid peroxidation. MPK4 may act as a downstream signaling molecule in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The production of artificially farmed bullfrogs in China is limited by the low metamorphosis rate of tadpoles. This study investigated the effects of different doses (0 g/kg, 1.5 g/kg, 3 g/kg, 4.5 g/kg, and 6 g/kg) of thyroid powder added to the diets on the metamorphosis and growth of bullfrog tadpoles. The results showed that 4.5 g/kg of thyroid powder could significantly increase the metamorphosis rate and weight gain rate of tadpoles, while adding 6 g/kg of thyroid powder could increase the average weight of tadpoles during metamorphosis. In addition, both doses of thyroid powder could promote the fat breakdown metabolism of tadpoles and alter the intestinal microbiota composition (increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, especially Akkermansia). In summary, appropriate doses of thyroid powder could promote the metamorphosis and growth of tadpoles, and might be used to solve the problem of the low metamorphosis rate of bullfrogs. A low metamorphosis rate of amphibian larvae, commonly known as tadpoles, limits the farming production of bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeiana). This study aimed to examine the effects of processed thyroid powder as a feed additive on tadpole metamorphosis, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota. Five groups of tadpoles were fed with diets containing 0 g/kg (TH0), 1.5 g/kg (TH1.5), 3 g/kg (TH3), 4.5 g/kg (TH4.5), and 6 g/kg (TH6) thyroid powder for 70 days. The results showed that TH increased the average weight of tadpoles during metamorphosis, with the TH6 group having the highest values. The TH4.5 group had the highest metamorphosis rate (p < 0.05). Biochemical tests and Oil Red O staining showed that the lipid (triglyceride) content in the liver decreased after TH supplementation, especially at doses higher than 1.5 g/kg. RT-qPCR revealed that TH at doses higher than 4.5 g/kg significantly up-regulated the transcriptional expression of the pparα, accb, fas, fadd6, acadl, and lcat genes, which are related to lipid metabolism (p < 0.05). These results showed that TH seems to simultaneously promote the synthesis and decomposition of lipid and fatty acids, but ultimately show a decrease in lipids. As for the gut microbiota, it is noteworthy that Verrucomicrobia increased significantly in the TH4.5 and TH6 groups, and the Akkermansia (classified as Verrucomicrobia) was the corresponding genus, which is related to lipid metabolism. Specifically, the metabolic pathways of the gut microbiota were mainly enriched in metabolic-related functions (such as lipid metabolism), and there were significant differences in metabolic and immune pathways between the TH4.5 and TH0 groups (p < 0.05). In summary, TH may enhance lipid metabolism by modulating the gut microbiota (especially Akkermansia), thereby promoting the growth of tadpoles. Consequently, a supplementation of 4.5 g/kg or 6 g/kg of TH is recommended for promoting the metamorphosis and growth of tadpoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the use of biopolymers as food packaging materials due to their important characteristics and properties. These include non-toxicity, ease of availability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, indicating their potential as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging that has long been under environmental scrutiny. Given the current focus on sustainable development, it is imperative to develop studies on biopolymers as eco-friendly and sustainable food packaging materials. Therefore, the aim of this review is to explore trends and characteristics of biopolymer-based biodegradable films for food packaging, analyze the contribution of various journals and cooperation between countries, highlight the most influential authors and articles, and provide an overview of the social, environmental, and economic aspects of biodegradable films for food packaging. To achieve this goal, a bibliometric analysis and systematic review based on the PRISMA method were conducted. Relevant articles were carefully selected from the Scopus database. A bibliometric analysis was also conducted to discuss holistically, comprehensively, and objectively biodegradable films for food packaging. An increasing interest was found in this study, especially in the last 3 years with Brazil and China leading the number of papers on biodegradable films for food packaging, which were responsible for 20.4% and 12.5% of the published papers, respectively. The results of the keyword analysis based on the period revealed that the addition of bioactive compounds into packaging films is very promising because it can increase the quality and safety of packaged food. These results reveal that biodegradable films demonstrate a positive and promising trend as food packaging materials that are environmentally friendly and promote sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing soybean production and ensuring greater access to soybean protein and lipids is critical for global food security and human health. Seed size (i.e., seed weight) is one of the most important agronomic traits of soybean, which not only determines the seed yield, but can also affect the yield of protein and lipids. In China, farmers favor soybean cultivars with large seeds, which they believe produce more protein and lipids; however, experimental evidence supporting this belief is lacking. Therefore, we conducted field experiments from 2017 to 2020 at 35 locations across the Huang-Huai-Hai region (HHH) of China with 64 soybean cultivars. The seed yield, seed protein content, and seed lipids content of soybean, and their relationship with seed size were investigated. The highest seed yield (i.e., seed weight per unit area) was 2996.5 kg ha−1 in the north of HHH. However, the highest seed protein content was found in the south of HHH (42.5%) for the higher temperature, which was significantly higher than that of the middle (41.7%) and north of HHH (40.2%). In contrast, the highest seed lipids content was 20.7% in the north of HHH. Temperature, which had a path coefficient on seed yield of 0.519, can promote soybean seed yield. The correlation analysis indicated that the selection of the large seed size cultivar did not increase seed yield, and even led to a reduction of seed yield under high-yield environmental conditions. The seed protein content of soybean was not increased in the cultivars with large seed sizes. In addition, under different levels of seed lipids content (<20.30% or >20.30%), a significantly negative relationship was found between seed lipids content and hundred seed weight. Therefore, it is recommended that farmers choose to plant cultivars with smaller soybean seed sizes, so as to ensure high and stable soybean seed yield and obtain more vegetable protein and lipids per unit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is an essential tropical fruit in China. To make more rational use of its processing, byproducts and fruit seeds, and the type, composition, and relative content of lipids in pitaya seed oil were analyzed by UPLC-TOF-MS/MS. The results showed that the main fatty acids in pitaya seed oil were linoleic acid 42.78%, oleic acid 27.29%, and palmitic acid 16.66%. The ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids was close to 1:1.32:1.75. The mass spectrum behavior and fracture mechanism of four lipid components, TG 54:5|TG 18:1_18:2_18:2, were analyzed. In addition, lipids are an essential indicator for evaluating the quality of oils and fats, and 152 lipids were isolated and identified from pitaya seed oil for the first time, including 136 glycerides and 16 phospholipids. The main components of glyceride and phospholipids were triglycerides and phosphatidyl ethanol, providing essential data support for pitaya seed processing and functional product development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to examine the associations between cord blood lipids and childhood adiposity and to investigate whether these associations vary across birth weight categories (small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and large for gestational age (LGA)) in 1306 infants in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study, China. Adiposity outcomes at the age of three years included z-scores of weight-for-length/height (WFLZ), body mass index (BMIZ), subscapular (SSTZ) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSTZ), and the sum of skinfold thicknesses (SSFTZ). Cord blood triglycerides (TG) levels were negatively associated with WFLZ and BMIZ, whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were positively associated with WFLZ, BMIZ, TSTZ and SSFTZ. These associations were attenuated after adjustment for birth weight. Stratified analyses revealed that total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were positively associated with childhood adiposity indicators among AGA infants but tended to be negatively associated with the adiposity indicators among LGA infants (p values for interaction <0.05). Furthermore, TG levels appeared to be positively associated with adiposity indicators among SGA infants but negatively associated with the outcomes among LGA infants (p values for interaction <0.05). Cord blood lipids levels might be associated with childhood adiposity, and these associations appear to differ across different birth weight categories. If confirmed in future studies, our findings suggest that individualized management plans might be warranted in preventing obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion explosion of ordinary diesel is a global environmental problem. Green microalgae, which do not cause eutrophication, are a raw material that can be used to clean biodiesel. To increase lipid productivity, this study used a nitrogen deficient & mixotrophic (+Glucose) culture of lipid-producing microalgae Parachlorella kessleri TY from Shanxi Province, China. To examine the growth of P. kessleri TY, we measured dry weight, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence intensity under different culture conditions, in addition to the contents of neutral lipids, total lipids, and fatty acids, to examine its lipid accumulation ability. Cells were cultured in autotrophic, nitrogen deficient, mixotrophic (+Glucose), and nitrogen deficient & mixotrophic (+Glucose) conditions for 7 days. We found the growth of P. kessleri TY under nitrogen deficient & mixotrophic conditions was higher than that under the autotrophic and nitrogen deficient conditions, but lower than that under the mixotrophic (+Glucose) conditions. However, its lipid accumulation ability was significantly higher than that of control cultures. In conclusion, P. kessleri TY cultured under nitrogen-deficient and mixotrophic (+Glucose) conditions has significant lipid production capacity. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the use of microalgae as a raw material in the production of biodiesel, and promote the application of P. kessleri TY in large-scale production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]