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Summary: Peanuts produce millions of tons of high‐protein peanut meal (after oil extraction) annually that can be used for food. Peanut protein, as a plant‐based protein, is a great alternative to animal protein to address protein deficiencies and rising health problems in the world. It has a high nutritional value, while the globular structure results in poor functional properties, limiting its application. Better functional properties can be obtained through processing and modification. This paper elaborates the nutritional and functional properties of peanut protein and highlights the application of peanut protein in food industry in recent years. Applications for peanut protein include meat and milk substitutes, edible films, nanoparticles, and some new technologies such as electrostatic spinning and three‐dimensional (3D) printing in recent years. This paper could improve people's understanding of the molecular structure of peanut protein and the physicochemical properties associated with the structure changes during processing. It could also contribute to better utilisation of peanut protein, providing more varieties of peanut protein products for the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Vitamin D deficiency was associated with obesity. However, the causal relationship remains controversial. We hypothesized that there would be family-based associations in both vitamin D deficient families and obese families for the SNPs associated with vitamin D deficiency, if vitamin D deficiency was a causal factor of obesity. We aimed to investigate the family-based association of SNPs in CYP27B1 with both vitamin D deficiency and obesity. Methods Four hundred and nineteen pedigrees containing 1505 rural individuals aged from 18 to 79 years in Henan Province of China were included in this study. Family-based associations of rs10877012 and rs4646536 in CYP27B1 with vitamin D deficiency and obesity were investigated. Serum 25(OH)D3 concentration Results It was shown that vitamin D deficiency was a risk factor of obesity (adjusted OR: 1.332, 95% CI: 1.042-1.703, P = 0.022). Furthermore, there were family-based associations for allele T of rs10877012 and allele T of rs4646536 in both vitamin D deficient families and obese families (P < 0.05). Both rs10877012 and rs4646536 were associated with serum 25(OH)D3 levels between siblings (P < 0.05), but not BMI (P > 0.05). In addition, there is linkage disequilibrium between rs10877012 and rs4646536 (D' = 1.0, r.sup.2 = 0.992). Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency may be a causal factor of obesity. Maintaining sufficient vitamin D is beneficial to obesity prevention. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with obesity. But their causal relationship is still controversial. CYP27B1 plays a direct role in circulating the concentration of 25(OH)D, which can be used to investigate causal relationships. In this study, allele T of rs10877012 and allele T of rs4646536 in CYP27B1 were family-based linked with both vitamin D deficiency and obesity. In addition, both rs10877012 and rs4646536 were associated with serum 25(OH)D.sub.3 levels between siblings but not BMI. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency may be a causal factor of obesity. Maintaining sufficient vitamin D is beneficial to obesity prevention., Author(s): Songcheng Yu [sup.1], Yinhua Feng [sup.1], Chenling Qu [sup.2], Wenqian Huo [sup.1], Zhenxing Mao [sup.1], Chongjian Wang [sup.1], Wenjie Li [sup.1], Xing Li [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) College of [...]

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A magnetic beads (MBs)–assisted fluorescence aptasensing approach based on dual DNA tweezers and magnetic separation was established for the detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisin B1 (FB1). A dual DNA tweezers structure with four ends linked with fluorophores (FAM, ROX) and quenchers (BHQ1, BHQ2) was designed, and produced the high initial fluorescence signals because of the long spatial distance between FAM and BHQ1, ROX, and BHQ2. Bio-aptamer/anti-aptamer of OTA and bio-aptamer/anti-aptamer of FB1 were respectively annealed to form dsDNA, and immobilized to MBs coated with streptavidin (SA). With the existence of OTA and FB1, OTA and FB1 preferentially bound with their respective bio-aptamers, which made anti-aptamers dissociate from dsDNA coupled on MBs. After magnetic separation, the dissociated anti-aptamers reacted with dual DNA tweezers, respectively, which made DNA tweezers close and the fluorescence was quenched. The linear ranges of approach for OTA and FB1 detection were 0.05–20 ng/mL and 0.1–40 ng/mL, respectively. The limit of detection for OTA and FB1 was 0.029 ng/mL and 0.061 ng/mL. The prepared MBs-assisted fluorescence aptasensing approach was applied to detect OTA and FB1 in spiked red wine and corn samples, which showed good recoveries between 92 and 106%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ginsenosides, the bioactive components of ginseng, can be divided into two major groups, namely 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (e.g. Re, Rg1, Rg2, and Rb3) and 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (e.g. Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd). Biological and environmental factors may affect the content of ginsenosides in different parts of ginseng plant. Evidence from pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies of Re demonstrated that (1) the absorption of Re is fast in gastrointestinal tract; (2) Re may be metabolized mainly to Rh1 and F1 by intestinal microflora before absorption into blood; and (3) Re is quickly cleared from the body.

Aspergillus flavus is a common contaminant in grain, oil and their products. Its metabolite aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been proved to be highly carcinogenic. Therefore, it is of great importance to find possible antifungal substances to inhibit the growth and toxin production of Aspergillus flavus. Carvacrol (CV) was reported as a potent antifungal monoterpene derived from plants. In this paper, the antifungal effects and mechanism of CV on Aspergillus flavus were investigated. CV was shown good inhibition on the growth of Aspergillus flavus and the production of AFB1. CV used in concentrations ranging from 0, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL inhibited the germination of spores, mycelia growth and AFB1 production dose-dependently. To explore the antifungal mechanism of CV on Aspergillus flavus, we also detected the ergosterol content of Aspergillus flavus mycelia, employed Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to observe mycelia morphology and utilized Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) to explore the lipidome profiles of Aspergillus flavus. The results showed that the production of ergosterol of mycelia was reduced as the CV treatment concentration increased. SEM photographs demonstrated a rough surface and a reduction in the thickness of hyphae in Aspergillus flavus treated with CV (200 µg/mL). In positive ion mode, 21 lipids of Aspergillus flavus mycelium were downregulated, and 11 lipids were upregulated after treatment with 200-µg/mL CV. In negative ion mode, nine lipids of Aspergillus flavus mycelium were downregulated, and seven lipids upregulated after treatment with 200-µg/mL CV. In addition, the analysis of different lipid metabolic pathways between the control and 200-µg/mL CV-treated groups demonstrated that glycerophospholipid metabolism was the most enriched pathway related to CV treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though the degradation of ginsenosides has been thoroughly studied in animals and in vitro using acids, enzymes, and intestinal bacteria, a new degradation method is established for obtaining the ginsenosides Rg(3), Rh(2) and their aglycon 20(S)-protopanaxadiol. This method is based on the microwave irradiation degradation of the major ginsenosides from the Panax quinquefolium L. coupled with foam floatation. The results indicated that ginsenosides Rg(3), Rh(2) and aglycon are not naturally present in Panax quinquefolium L., but are the products obtained simultaneously in the microwave irradiation degradation process. The yield of Rg(3) is 7.69 mg/g and 250 times as high as that obtained from red ginseng, and the transformation rate of total ginsenosides to aglycon is 78.11%. It is important to stress that a new degradation medium, N,N-dimethylformamide, was discovered and, when the medium was used, the transformation rate of total ginsenosides to aglycon was 20.20%. The proposed method is simple, efficient, time saving and a noteworthy improvement on the traditional degradation methods such as acidic hydrolysis, alkaline degradation, enzymatic conversion or microbial degradation.