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Edible insects, characterized by their eco-friendly nature and high nutrient value, are promising protein sources. Therefore, we aimed to assess the suitability of insects as source ingredients for surimi, a widely-used, intermediate food material. Mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor L.) and two-spotted cricket ( Gryllus bimaculatus L.) surimi were prepared, and their physicochemical and rheological properties were examined. Myofibrillar protein-rich fractions were obtained using the washing and pH shift methods. For the pH shift method, the myofibrillar proteins were extracted at acid (pH 2) or alkaline (pH 11) conditions, and surimi gel was prepared by heating myofibrillar protein-rich fractions. The pH shift method resulted in a higher surimi yield from edible insects than the washing method, whereas the washing method resulted in a higher surimi yield from tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) and chicken breast ( Gallus gallus domesticus ). After acid treatment, lipid oxidation increased in all samples; however, edible insect surimi exhibited lower oxidation levels than tilapia and chicken breast surimi. Insect proteins, except for acid-treated mealworm proteins, successfully formed gel structures upon heating, resulting in softer gels than those obtained from tilapia and chicken breast. Consequently, the pH shift method resulted in elevated insect surimi yield, and the alkaline treatment was more appropriate for producing fine-quality edible insect surimi. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of edible insects as surimi ingredients, particularly for soft-gel food production. These findings emphasize the innovative application of edible insects in the food industry, suggesting the possibility of expanding their use as alternative protein food ingredients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The growing interest in healthy diets has driven the demand for food ingredients with enhanced health benefits. In this study, we aimed to explore a method to enhance the bioactivity of kale using a home vertical farming appliance. Specifically, we investigated the effects of treating kale with a green tea water extract (GTE; 0.1-0.5 g/L in nutrient solution) for two weeks before harvest during five weeks of kale cultivation. GTE treatment did not negatively affect the key quality attributes, such as yield, semblance, or sensory properties. However, it led to the accumulation of bioactive compounds, epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which are typically absent in kale. In the control group, no catechins were detected, whereas in the GTE-treated group, the concentration of EC and EGCG were as high as 252.11 and 173.26 μg/g, respectively. These findings indicate the successful incorporation of catechins, known for their unique health-promoting properties, into kale. Additionally, GTE treatment enhanced the biosynthesis of glucosinolates, which are key secondary metabolites of kale. The total glucosinolate content increased from 9.56 μmol/g in the control group to 16.81 μmol/g in the GTE-treated group (treated with 0.5 g/L GTE). These findings showed that GTE treatment not only enriched kale with catechins, the primary bioactive compounds in green tea but also increased the levels of glucosinolates. This study, conducted using a home vertical farming appliance, suggests that bioactivity-enhanced kale can be grown domestically, providing consumers with a nutrient-fortified food source., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: The relationship between fat distribution and lymph node metastasis has not been well studied. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of visceral obesity on lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer., Materials and Methods: Metastatic lymph node ratio (MLR) was defined as the number of involved nodes by tumor divided by the total number of resected lymph nodes. Visceral (VFA) and subcutaneous fat areas (SFA) were determined by measuring abdominal fat volume distribution via CT scan, and visceral obesity was defined as a VFA to total fat area ratio (V/T) >0.29., Results: With lymph node metastasis as a dependent variable, the following factors were significant in multivariate analysis among 495 patients: pathologic T stage (P < 0.001), lympho-vascular invasion (P < 0.001), and V/T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.455, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.263-0.786, P = 0.005). Similarly, when MLR was the dependent variable in multivariate analysis, MLR was significantly associated with lympho-vascular invasion (HR = 2.222, 95 % CI = 1.149-4.296, P = 0.018), and V/T (HR = 0.247, 95 % CI = 0.133-0.458, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Visceral obesity defined by higher visceral to total fat area ratio was significantly associated with decreased MLR.