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Abstract An innovative Chardonnay wine flavored with black tea was prepared under optimal ultrasound conditions at 450.0 W for 22.6 min, and its physicochemical features, antioxidant power, total phenolic content, and volatile composition were systematically examined. A total of 165 phenolic and non-phenolic substances were characterized, including 27 newly formed phenolic substances and 10 non-phenolic substances that were not found in both black tea and Chardonnay wine. Catechin was found to be the phenolic compound with the largest amount detected, which was responsible for the potentiated antioxidant activities. The wine exhibited a profile of 44 volatile compounds, with 13 volatiles as odor-active compounds. Black tea infusion resulted in a decline in fruity, fermented and spicy aromas, but an increase in green and citrus odors, while ultrasound processing further intensified these odors. This study anticipated that ultrasound technology could hold promise for crafting flavored wines with heightened functionalities and appealing flavor profiles. Graphical Abstract Ultrasound-assisted infusion of black tea potentiated the antioxidant activity and enriched the volatile and phenolic profiles of Chardonnay wine.

Abstract Vegetation growth may adapt to climate warming by adjusting the relationship between photosynthetic capacity and temperature. However, changes in the optimal temperature for ecosystem productivity during recent decades of warming remain uncertain. Here we provide empirical evidence that global optimal temperature increased at a rate of 0.017 ± 0.002 °C y−1 from 1982 to 2016, using multiple datasets of satellite-derived productivity and climate variables. Model simulations show that the optimal temperature will increase by 0.027 ± 0.001 °C y−1 until the end of 21st century. The global increasing optimal temperature is consistent with increasing mean air temperatures and model simulations further confirm the key role of temperature in regulating changes in optimal temperature, while being co-regulated by other factors, such as CO2 and precipitation. These results suggest that vegetation is acclimating to warming and that the negative impacts of climate change on ecosystem productivity may be less severe than previously thought.

Melanin naturally exists in organisms and is synthetized by tyrosinase (TYR); however, its over-production may lead to aberrant pigmentation and skin conditions. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.) flowers contain a variety of bioactive compounds, while studies on their suppressive capabilities against melanin synthesis are limited. Loquat flower isolate product (LFP) was obtained by ethanol extraction and resin purification, and its inhibitory efficiency against TYR activity was investigated by enzyme kinetics and multiple spectroscopy analyses. In addition, the impact of LFP on melanin synthesis-related proteins’ expression in mouse melanoma B16 cells was analyzed using Western blotting. HPLC-MS/MS analysis indicated that LFP was composed of 137 compounds, of which 12 compounds, including flavonoids (quercetin, isorhamnoin, p-coumaric acid, etc.) and cinnamic acid and its derivatives, as well as benzene and its derivatives, might have TYR inhibitory activities. LFP inhibited TYR activity in a concentration-dependent manner with its IC50 value being 2.8 mg/mL. The inhibition was an anti-competitive one through altering the enzyme’s conformation rather than chelating copper ions at the active center. LFP reduced the expression of TYR, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP) 1, and TRP2 in melanoma B16 cells, hence inhibiting the synthesis of melanin. The research suggested that LFP had the potential to reduce the risks of hyperpigmentation caused by tyrosinase and provided a foundation for the utilization of loquat flower as a natural resource in the development of beauty and aging-related functional products.

Plant protein-based foods have become dietary preferences worldwide, and the quality of this food group is highly associated with the ingredients used. This study investigated the effects of incorporating caramel, tomato powder, and carrot powder on the product quality of soy protein-based meat patties (SPMPs). The color, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, lipid oxidation, and texture profile of uncooked and cooked soy protein meat patties were analyzed. Among the cooked SPMPs, caramel SPMPs exhibited the lowest color difference (ΔE) values, and the ΔE value of tomato SPMPs was lower than that of carrot SPMPs, indicating that caramel has the best color stability, and the tomato experienced less color change than the carrot during cooking. Notably, carrot SPMPs exhibited lower color stability during refrigeration storage than the others. Both carrot and tomato powders increased the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant stability and inhibited lipid oxidation in SPMPs during cooking. However, tomato SPMPs exhibited higher TPC values and greater antioxidant stability compared to carrot SPMPs. The addition of caramel and carrot powders decreased the hardness of raw SPMPs, but tomato powder increased the hardness. The texture profile of tomato SPMPs was more affected by the cooking process compared to caramel and carrot SPMPs. This study showed that incorporating both carrot and tomato powders positively influenced the quality characteristics of SPMPs compared to caramel powder, however, tomato powder exhibited superior efficacy.

Naturally existing polyphenols in virgin olive oil possess significative biological activities and are potential nutraceutical therapeutic for breast cancer. In the present study, we investigated the anti-breast cancer activity of oleuropein and its hydrolysates, and further explored their molecular mechanisms. A similar cellular viability was observed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells both treated with oleocanthal (3 μg/mL), hydroxytyrosol (30 μg/mL) and oleuropein (200 μg/mL) showed the same cellular viability, indicating oleocanthal structure may be the main structural component part of the physiological activity of oleuropein. Results showed that olive polyphenols produced reactive oxygen species and suppressed breast cancer cells. For flow cytometry analysis, the three polyphenols impacted the MCF-7 cell and MDA-MB-231 cycle, stagnated in the G1 phase and S phase, respectively, via reducing Cyclin D protein expression and promoting cell apoptosis. The pro-apoptosis, anti-proliferation capacity and delaying cell cycle of the three olive oil polyphenols could be achieved through the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, mainly inhibited phosphorylation of AKT, PI3K protein.

With the changes of lifestyles and rapid growth of prepared food industry, prepared fried rice that meets the consumption patterns of contemporary young people has become popular in China. Although prepared fried rice is convenient and nutritious, it has the following concerns in the supply chain: (1) susceptible to contamination by microorganisms; (2) rich in starch and prone to stall; and (3) vegetables in the ingredients have the issues of water loss and discoloration, and meat substances are vulnerable to oxidation and deterioration. As different ingredients are used in prepared fried rice, their food processing and quality monitoring techniques are also different. This paper reviews the key factors that cause changes in the quality of prepared fried rice, and the advantages and limitations of technologies in the processing and monitoring processes. The processing technologies for prepared fried rice include irradiation, high-voltage electric field, microwave, radio frequency, and ohmic heating, while the quality monitoring technologies include Raman spectral imaging, near-infrared spectral imaging, and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance technology. These technologies will serve as the foundation for enhancing the quality and safety of prepared fried rice and are essential to the further development of prepared fried rice in the emerging market.

This study evaluated the viability of encapsulated Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in chocolate during storage and in-vitro gastrointestinal transit. Flavonoid contents and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production during gastrointestinal transit were also assessed. Encapsulated L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus survived well in chocolates >7 logs both after 120 days of storage at 4 °C and 25 °C, and during in-vitro gastrointestinal transit. The release of SCFAs through in-vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation revealed that probiotic-chocolates could be an excellent source of nutrients for the gut microbiota. Encapsulated probiotic in chocolates with 70% cocoa produced significantly (P

The effects of incorporation of hempseed meal on the quality attributes of chicken sausage was explored. Hempseed meal was hydrated and added to chicken sausage in the proportion of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, respectively, and the changes of the product quality attributes were analyzed. Results showed that with the increment of hempseed meal, moisture, protein, and lipid content of chicken sausage were significantly decreased, while ash and total dietary fiber content increased. The emulsion stability of the sausage was improved, and the cooking loss decreased. The addition of hempseed meal also increased the total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity; however, it promoted lipid oxidation (p

Background: Anxiety is one of the psychiatric disorders that disturbs routine life including moods and motivation. Excessive anxiety causes mental illnesses or anxiety disorders, which are commonly treated by synthetic medicines. Recently, there is a substantial increase in the studies of phytochemicals as alternatives to first-line conventional anxiolytic drugs. Yet there is insufficient information about the mechanisms of how these bioactive constitutes from plants manage anxiety disorders. This systematic review aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Which plant extracts and phytochemicals have anxiolytic effect? what is the mechanism of action? (2) Have human trials been conducted to confirm their anxiolytic effect? (3) If not, which plants/phytochemicals are recommended for further human trials? Methodology: To define and summarize such information, this systematic review consolidated in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies that examine the anti-anxiety activity of plant extracts via oral administration, conducted through three scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar following the PRISMA protocol. Results and conclusion: Similar to synthetic drugs, most bioactive phytochemical compounds modulate anxiolytic activity through six main neurotransmitter pathways including acetylcholine (ACh), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and norepinephrine (NE). These bioactive compounds mainly belong to phenolics, alkaloids, and terpenoids, and they demonstrated effective therapeutic benefits against anxiety symptoms. Four plants, including Aloysia polystachya, Lavandula angustifolia, Matricaria chamomilla L. and Humulus lupulus, have been evaluated in human trials. However, studies on majority plants were performed using animal models, and among them, Tanacetum parthenium L. Schultz-Bip (Asreraceae), demethoxysudachitin, Albizzia julibrissin, Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. leaves, Zizyphi spinosi semen seed extract, obovatol, Mangifera indica stem barks, Nectandra grandiflora Ness and Lavandula angustifolia, Bupleurum yinchowense roots, Citrus aurantium L. and Foeniculum vulgare exhibited the most significant anxiolytic effect at dosage of 30 mg/kg/day or lower. Further human trials are recommended to validate the efficacy and safety of these plants/plant extracts/phytochemicals in managing psychiatric disorders.

Abstract Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is of great importance to control the land‐atmosphere exchange of water and CO2. Here we use in situ observations to assess the performance of monthly VPD calculated from state‐of‐the‐art data sets including CRU, ERA5, and Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA2). We investigate trends in VPD at global scale and for different climatic zones for 1981–2020 and future trends (2021–2100) from Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) outputs. The results show that monthly VPD estimated from CRU, ERA5, and MERRA2 correlated well against in situ estimates from 15,531 World Meteorological Organization stations, with R2 ranging between 0.92 and 0.96. Moreover, robust correlations were also found across in situ stations and when analyzing different months separately. During 1981–2020, VPD increased in all climatic zones, with the strongest increase in the arid zone, followed by tropical, temperate, cold and polar zones. CMIP6 simulations show a continuously increasing trend in VPD (0.028 hPa year−1), with the largest increase in the arid zone (0.063 hPa year−1). The magnitudes of trends are found to increase following the magnitude of CO2 increases in the future emission scenarios. We highlight that atmospheric aridification will continue under global warming, which may pose an increasing threat to terrestrial ecosystems and particularly dryland agricultural systems.

This study investigated the health-promoting effects and prebiotic functions of mango peel powder (MPP) both as a plain individual ingredient and when incorporated in yoghurt during simulated digestion and fermentation. The treatments included plain MPP, plain yoghurt (YA), yoghurt fortified with MPP (YB), and yoghurt fortified with MPP and lactic acid bacteria (YC), along with a blank (BL). The identification of polyphenols in the extracts of insoluble digesta and phenolic metabolites after the in vitro colonic fermentation were performed employing LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2. These extracts were also subjected to pH, microbial count, production of SCFA, and 16S rRNA analyses. The characterisation of phenolic profiles identified 62 phenolic compounds. Among these compounds, phenolic acids were the major compounds that underwent biotransformation via catabolic pathways such as ring fission, decarboxylation, and dehydroxylation. Changes in pH indicated that YC and MPP reduced the media pH from 6.27 and 6.33 to 4.50 and 4.53, respectively. This decline in pH was associated with significant increases in the LAB counts of these samples. The Bifidobacteria counts were 8.11 ± 0.89 and 8.02 ± 1.01 log CFU/g in YC and MPP, respectively, after 72 h of colonic fermentation. Results also showed that the presence of MPP imparted significant variations in the contents and profiles of individual short chain fatty acids (SCFA) with more predominant production of most SCFA in the MPP and YC treatments. The 16s rRNA sequencing data indicated a highly distinctive microbial population associated with YC in terms of relative abundance. These findings suggested MPP as a promising ingredient for utilisation in functional food formulations aiming to enhance gut health.

Freeze-dried apple peel powder (Fd-APP) was subjected to in vitro digestion and colonic fermentation to evaluate the variations in its phenolic composition, bioactivities (antioxidant activity, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibition), and fecal metabolic outputs. A total of 88 phenolics were tentatively identified, of which 51 phenolic compounds were quantitated in Fd-APP sample extracts before digestion, and 34 were released during subsequent phases of digestion. Among these, phenolic acids showed the highest bio accessibility index (BI) of 68%, followed by flavonoids (63%) and anthocyanins (52%). The inhibitory functions of Fd-APP extract against α-amylase and α-glucosidase pre- and post-digestion were moderate and ranged from 41.88 to 44.08% and 35.23 to 41.13%, respectively. Additionally, the antioxidant activities revealed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decline during the in vitro digestion. However, the colonic fermentation stage presented different products where the intact parent phenolic compounds present in Fd-APP were utilized by gut microbes and produced various phenolic metabolites such as 3- hydroxyphenyl acetic acid (3-HPAA), ferulic acid (FA), 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (3,4 HPPA) and 4- hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA). Furthermore, colonic fermentation of Fd-APP accelerated the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), with acetic acid being the most prevalent (97.53 ± 9.09 mM). The decrease in pH of fermentation media to 4.3 significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced counts of Bifidobacterium (10.27 log CFU/mL), which demonstrated the potential prebiotic effects of Fd-APP. These findings indicated that the consumption of apple peel as a constituent of novel functional foods may support and protect the intestinal microbiota and consequently promote human health.

Lycium ruthenicum is a therapeutic plant and its fruits (black goji) are commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine. This review comprehensively discusses the recent research developments of black goji anthocyanins (BGAs), including chemical compositions, biosynthesis, color properties and health benefits. Among the 39 identified BGAs, most are 3,5-diglycoside derivatives of petunidin (>95%) with an individual anthocyanin [petunidin 3-O-rutinoside (trans-p-coumaroyl)-5-O-glucoside], accounting for 80% of the total BGAs. Due to their unique anthocyanin profile, BGAs possess various health benefits, including antioxidant activities, α-glucosidase inhibiting activity, alleviating insulin resistance, improving mitochondrial function, anti-inflammatory effects, etc., and therefore have the potential to treat a range of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, memory disorders, stroke, colitis, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In addition, BGAs exhibit a pH-dependent “red-purple-blue” pattern of color change and thus could be used as natural colorants and to prepare smart food packaging materials. This review is valuable for broad applications of BGAs as promising natural colorants, functional foods and potential herbal medicines.

The application of processing waste by-products along with probiotics is an interesting choice to confer potential functional aspects to food products. This study was designed to investigate the nutritional capacity of freeze-dried mango peel powder (MPP) and banana peel powder (BPP) in the presence of a mixture of three probiotic species (1% of each of three probiotics (Lacticaseibacillus casei (431®), Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (LGG®) and Bifidobacterium subsp. Lactis (Bb-12®)) as sources of additional nutrients and prebiotics in fresh and rehydrated freeze-dried (RFD) yogurts for 28 days of refrigerated storage. The net count of probiotics in yogurt fortified with MPP and BPP increased by at least 1 log CFU/g after 4 weeks of refrigerated storage. Adding fruit peel powder (FPP) significantly (p < 0.05) increased fat, ash, and protein contents in both fresh and RFD yogurts in comparison with the control yogurt. Similarly, the total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AOA) was enhanced significantly (p < 0.05). The TPC reached 2.27 ± 0.18 and 2.73 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g in RFD enriched with BPP and MPP compared to a TPC of 0.31 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g in the control. Additionally, yogurt samples enriched with BPP (Y-5) and MPP (Y-6) demonstrated 12% more sugar contents than non-fortified yogurts (Y-1). Higher titratable acidity and lower pH values were also recorded in the RFD yogurt. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the color parameters were detected in both fresh and RFD yogurts with reduced brightness (L*) and increased redness (a*) of the product. These findings demonstrated the suitability of MPP and BPP in yogurt formulations to optimize the advantages of such synbiotic products with higher availability of phenolic compounds.

The composition of anthocyanins in cultivated Lycium ruthenicum Murray (CLM) before and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion was determined using an HPLC system coupled with an electrospray ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition of the anthocyanins before and after digestion were also studied. The results showed that most of the anthocyanins in CLM were found in glycosylated form, containing glycoside ligands. After digestion, the glycosylated anthocyanins were transformed to anthocyanidins (without glycol-ligands) which exhibited higher antioxidant activity comparatively. Interestingly, although the inhibitory activity of anthocyanins against α-glucosidase was increased by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, as suggested by IC50 value, the binding affinity of the anthocyanidins to α-glucosidase remained stable, as demonstrated by fluorescence quenching constant. This suggested that the anthocyanidins might have formed the anthocyanidin-α-glucosidase-substrate tertiary complex. Conclusively, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion may enhance the biological activities of CLM anthocyanins, regarding the antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition.

This study evaluated the interaction between probiotics and polyphenols in chocolates (45% and 70% cocoa) fortified with encapsulated probiotics. Cocoa powder was used as the main encapsulation component in a Na-alginate plus fructooligosaccharides formulation. Probiotic-chocolates (PCh) were produced by adding 1% encapsulated probiotics to the final mixture. The chocolate samples were subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. The data revealed that the most bioaccessible polyphenols in both formulations of PCh containing 45% and 70% cocoa were released in the gastric digested supernatant. The bioaccessible polyphenols from PCh with 70% cocoa reached 83.22–92.33% and 8.08–15.14% during gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation, respectively. Furthermore, the polyphenols with higher bioaccessibility during colonic fermentation of both PChs developed with the CA1 formulation (cocoa powder 10%, Na-alginate 1% and fructooligosaccharides 2%) were detected in the presence of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. The results showed that PCh with specific probiotics favored the bioconversion of a specific polyphenol. For example, chocolate fortified with Lacticaseibacillus casei released larger quantities of epicatechin and procyanidin B1, while Lactiplantibacillus plantarum released more catechin and procyanidin B1 for Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LGG. Overall, the study findings concluded that chocolate polyphenols could be utilized by probiotics for their metabolism and modulating the gut, which improved the chocolates’ functionality.

This review provides a comprehensive summary of phenolic compounds in Lycium berry, focusing on their composition, functionalities, potential health benefits, industrial applications and their incorporation into different food products. This review summarizes 186 phenolic compounds in the Lycium berry, featuring the most abundant classes of flavonoids, phenolic acids and their derivatives. According to in vivo and in vitro studies, these phenolic compounds display potent antioxidant activities, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-cancer effects and gut microbiota modulating effect. In the food industry, dried Lycium berry is the most common commodity, where different pretreatments and drying methods are implemented to preserve the fruit, in the meantime, play an important role to modify the phenolics composition and product quality. Recent industrial advances include incorporating Lycium berry into other food products, which could enhance the nutritional value, improve the sensory properties and attract consumers by meeting their health and organoleptic demands.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) grain is a rich source of bioactive phenolic compounds and understanding the phenolic profile of different sorghum genotypes is an important step towards the selection of the most appropriate genotype for industrial applications. The free and bound phenolic compounds of sorghum bran and kernel fractions from five Australian-grown sorghum genotypes (1 white, 2 red, 1 brown and 1 black coloured grain) were identified/tentatively identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and quantified/semi-quantified by HPLC-DAD. Firstly, MS chromatograms of sorghum samples and standards and the MS/MS spectra of individual detected compounds and standards are presented. Then quantification data of these compounds is provided. This dataset is supplementary to the research paper “Comprehensive profiling of phenolic compounds by HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS to reveal their location and form of presence in different sorghum grain genotypes” [1].

Hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) cake is a by-product after cold-pressing of oil from the hempseed, which is rich in protein and fiber. This study investigated the effect of hempseed cake incorporation on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of reconstructed potato chips. Varying levels of hempseed cake (0, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were added, and the results showed that the addition of hempseed cake at 20% level significantly increased the protein and total dietary fiber content from 2.74 ± 0.62 g/100 g to 9.66 ± 0.28 g/100 g and from 2.76 ± 0.31 g/100 g to 13.57 ± 0.42 g/100 g, respectively. In addition, a 20% reduction in lipid content was observed in the 20% hempseed cake addition group. Furthermore, lightness value (L*) was significantly reduced from 72.23 ± 1.22 to 46.40 ± 1.76, while the hardness was enhanced with a higher level of hempseed cake supplementation in the potato chips sample. Compared with the control (no hempseed cake), the supplement of 20% cake increased the total phenolic content from 0.19 ± 0.01 to 0.26 ± 0.01 mg GAE/g. The ABTS radical scavenging rate was also significantly enhanced with the increased levels of hemp cake. However, the peroxide value and TBARS results showed that the addition of hempseed cake accelerated the lipid oxidation in the sample, possibly due to the highly unsaturated fatty acid residues in the hempseed cake. The results suggested that more research is needed for the incorporation of hempseed cake in potato chips.

Among the waste by-products generated by the fruit industry (peels, seeds, and skins), fruit peel constitutes the major component. It is estimated that fruit peel accounts for at least 20% of the fresh fruit weight. Fruit peels are considered as major sources of dietary fiber and anticipated to be successfully utilized as prebiotics. This study examined the chemical composition, functional properties and the prebiotic effects of three major tropical fruit peels (apple, banana and mango). The prebiotic effect was tested using three commercial probiotic strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, L. casei and Bifidobacterium lactis) individually and in combination. Each probiotic culture was fortified with different concentration (0%, 2% and 4%) of selected fruit peel powder (FPP). Results revealed that all tested FPP significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the probiotics viable counts, which reached >10 logs after 24 h of incubation. However, the concentration of 2% and 4% FPP showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) on the probiotic viable counts. Additionally, the prebiotic effects of FPP were the same when applied to individual and mixed cultures. This investigation demonstrated that small amount (2%) of apple, banana and mango peel powder could be successfully utilized as prebiotics to enhance the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Additionally, the studied physical and chemical characteristics of FPP demonstrated their potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries as functional ingredients.

Diabetes is a global health challenge. Currently, an effective treatment for diabetes is to reduce the postprandial hyperglycaemia by inhibiting the carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes in the digestive system. In this study, we investigated the in vitro α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory effects of free and bound phenolic extracts, from the bran and kernel fractions of five sorghum grain genotypes. The results showed that the inhibitory effect of sorghum phenolic extracts depended on the phenolic concentration and composition. Sorghum with higher phenolic contents generally had higher inhibitory activity. Among the tested extracts, the brown sorghum (IS131C)-bran-free extract (BR-bran-free, half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 18 ± 11 mg sorghum/mL) showed the strongest inhibition against α-glucosidase which was comparable to that of acarbose (IC50 = 1.39 ± 0.23 mg acarbose/mL). The red sorghum (Mr-Buster)-kernel-bound extract (RM-kernel-bound, IC50 = 160 ± 12 mg sorghum/mL) was the most potent in inhibiting α-amylase but was much weaker compared to acarbose (IC50 = 0.50 ± 0.03 mg acarbose/mL).

In this present study, the thermodynamic and thermal properties of glycerol and nisin-incorporated gum ghatti (GG, Anogeissus latifolia)-based films were determined. The films exhibited type III isotherm behaviors. Moisture content (MC) of films was increased with increasing water activity (aw) and decreased with higher temperature. The incorporation of glycerol and nisin increased the sorption ability of GG films. The net isosteric heat of adsorption (qst) and differential entropy (Sd) were decreased with increasing MC, showing an exponential negative correlation between them. Spreading pressure (φ) was increased with increasing aw, but decreased with higher temperature. This incorporation of glycerol and nisin increased the qst, Sd and φ of the GG films. The sorption behaviors were enthalpy-driven and non-spontaneous processes. The glass transition temperature (Tg), critical MC and aw of the films were decreased, and increased respectively with the incorporation of glycerol and nisin. This work provides a theoretical basis for the application of edible films in fresh food preservation.

This study investigated the phenolic compounds of 15 Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat cv. ‘Hangbaiju’, including 6 ‘Duoju’ and 9 ‘Taiju’, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activities of these ‘Hangbaiju’ were estimated by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. Results show that a total of 14 phenolic compounds were detected in these flowers, including 3 mono-caffeoylquinic acids, 3 di-caffeoylquinic acids, 1 phenolic acid and 7 flavonoids. ‘Duoju’ and ‘Taiju’ possess different concentrations of phenolic compounds, and ‘Taiju’ exhibits higher caffeoylquinic acids and stronger antioxidant activities than ‘Duoju’. Caffeoylquinic acids show a strong correlation with the antioxidant activities of the samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) reveals an obvious separation between ‘Duoju’ and ‘Taiju’, using phenolic compounds as variables. Apigenin-7-O-glucoside, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, luteolin and acacetin were found to be the key phenolic compounds to differentiate ‘Duoju’ from ‘Taiju’.

BACKGROUND:It has been predicted that the global temperature will rise in the future, which means crops including sorghum will likely be grown under higher temperatures, and consequently may affect the nutritional properties. METHODS:The effects of two growth temperatures (OT, day/night 32/21°C; HT 38/21°C) on tannin, phytate, mineral, and in vitro iron availability of raw and cooked grains (as porridge) of six sorghum genotypes were investigated. RESULTS:Tannin content significantly decreased across all sorghum genotypes under high growth temperature (P ≤0.05), while the phytate and mineral contents maintained the same level, increased or decreased significantly, depending on the genotype. The in vitro iron availability in most sorghum genotypes was also significantly reduced under high temperature, except for Ai4, which showed a pronounced increase (P ≤0.05). The cooking process significantly reduced tannin content in all sorghum genotypes (P ≤0.05), while the phytate content and in vitro iron availability were not significantly affected. CONCLUSIONS:This research provides some new information on sorghum grain nutritional properties when grown under predicted future higher temperatures, which could be important for humans where sorghum grains are consumed as staple food.

Kafirin microparticles have been proposed as an oral nutraceutical and drug delivery system. This study investigates microparticles formed with kafirin extracted from white and raw versus cooked red sorghum grains as an oral delivery system. Targeted delivery to the colon would be beneficial for medication such as prednisolone, which is used in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, prednisolone was loaded into microparticles of kafirin from the different sources using phase separation. Differences were observed in the protein content, in vitro protein digestibility, and protein electrophoretic profile of the various sources of sorghum grains, kafirin extracts, and kafirin microparticles. For all of the formulations, the majority of the loaded prednisolone was not released in in vitro conditions simulating the upper gastrointestinal tract, indicating that most of the encapsulated drug could reach the target area of the lower gastrointestinal tract. This suggests that these kafirin microparticles may have potential as a colon-targeted nutraceutical and drug delivery system.

To elucidate the structure–antioxidant activity relationships of chitosan gallate (CG), a series of CG derivatives with different degrees of substitution (DS’s) and molecular weights (MWs) were synthesized from chitosan (CS) and gallic acid (GA) via a free radical graft reaction. A higher MW led to a lower DS of CG. The structures of CG were characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR, and results showed that GA was mainly conjugated to the C-2 and C-6 positions of the CS chain. The antioxidant activity (the DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power) were enhanced with an increased DS and a decreased MW of CG. A correlation between antioxidant activities and the DS and MW of CG was also established. In addition, a suitable concentration (0~250 μg/mL) of CG with different MWs (32.78~489.32 kDa) and DS’s (0~92.89 mg·GAE/g CG) has no cytotoxicity. These results should provide a guideline to the application of CG derivatives in food or pharmacology industries.

Freezing is a good method of preserving the sensory and nutritional quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, big ice crystals always form in a common freezing process which causes mechanical damage to the fruit and vegetable cells and results in low-quality products. The external magnetic field can interfere with the state of the internal water, thus changing the ice crystal formation process accordingly. It was suggested that suitable magnetic field treatments can affect the biological characteristics of fruits and vegetables and improve the quality of the frozen products. In this experiment, Korla fragrant pear was freezing processed at the different static magnetic field (SMF) strengths (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mT), and the pear quality was evaluated by juice loss, color, texture, total soluble solid content and total acid content, water state, and distribution. The results showed that the utilization of SMF in freezing reduced the loss of juice and soluble solids, and maintained the titratable acidity. However, SMFs performed poorly in color and texture protection. This research suggested that magnetic field-assisted freezing had some positive effects on the quality of frozen Korla fragrant pear, but more works need to be done to further improve the product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel probiotic encapsulation approaches in snacks have not been thoroughly investigated. This study examined the viability of encapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG using chocolate as a carrier. Various encapsulants, including cocoa powder, Na-alginate, fructooligosaccharides, whey protein concentrate, hi-maize starch and skim milk powder were tested using a freeze-drying technique. The encapsulation efficiency of L. rhamnosus reached 91.82% using cocoa powder and Na-alginate formulations. The encapsulated probiotic survived at thermal exposure maintaining more than 9 logs at 60°C. Chocolate was proven as a good carrier for encapsulated probiotic maintained viability above the therapeutic level (107 log) up to 180 and 120 days stored at 4°C and 25°C, respectively. Additionally, encapsulated L. rhamnosus in chocolate showed higher survival number (8.47 log cfu/g) at the end of gastrointestinal digestion. Hence, cocoa powder with Na-alginate as an encapsulation agent has potential applications in the development of healthy probiotic chocolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central composite design combined with response surface methodology was utilized to optimise microwave-assisted extraction of flavonoids from young barley leaves. The results showed that using water as solvent, the optimum conditions of microwave-assisted extraction were extracted twice at 1.27 W g-1 microwave power and liquid-solid ratio 34.02 ml g-1 for 11.12 min. The maximum extraction yield of flavonoids (rutin equivalents) was 80.78±0.52%. Compared with conventional extraction method, the microwave-assisted extraction was more efficient as the extraction time was only 6.18% of conventional extraction, but the extraction yield of flavonoids was increased by 5.47%. The main flavonoid components from the young barley leaf extract were probably 33.36% of isoorientin-7-O-glueoside and 54.17% of isovitexin-7-O-glucoside, based on the HPLC-MS analysis. The barley leaf extract exhibited strong reducing power as well as the DPPH radical scavenging capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hickory (Carya cathayensis), a woody plant with high nutritional and economic value, is widely planted in China. Due to its long juvenile phase, grafting is a useful technique for large-scale cultivation of hickory. To reveal the molecular mechanism during the graft process, we sequenced the transcriptomes of graft union in hickory. Results: In our study, six RNA-seq libraries yielded a total of 83,676,860 clean short reads comprising 4.19 Gb of sequence data. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at three time points during the graft process were identified. In detail, 777 DEGs in the 7 d vs 0 d (day after grafting) comparison were classified into 11 enriched Gene Ontology (GO) categories, and 262 DEGs in the 14 d vs 0 d comparison were classified into 15 enriched GO categories. Furthermore, an overview of the PPI network was constructed by these DEGs. In addition, 20 genes related to the auxin-and cytokinin-signaling pathways were identified, and some were validated by qRTPCR analysis. Conclusions: Our comprehensive analysis provides basic information on the candidate genes and hormone signaling pathways involved in the graft process in hickory and other woody plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities of bayberry juices from 14 cultivars were investigated. HPLC–DAD and Folin-Ciocalteu methods were used for the analysis of the phenolic compounds. Biqi had the highest content of total flavonols (56.75±4.68mg/l), Wuzi had the highest content of phenolic acids (30.1±0.05mg/l), and Lizhizhong had the highest content of anthocyanins (514±46.1mg/l) and total phenolics (1055±9.32mgGAE/l). The FRAP and ABTS·+ assay indicated that bayberry juices possessed considerable antioxidant activities, and all the analysed phenolic components contributed to the antioxidant capacities. The results also showed that bayberry juices from red coloured cultivars possessed higher contents of phenolic compounds than those from white coloured cultivars. The higher antioxidant capacities of red bayberry juices implied that they might be potential resources for the development of functional drinks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To conserve water in the mandarin orange canning industry, a water reclamation system was designed for a production scale of 50 kL/h. The discharged water from mandarin transportation using a conveyor belt was collected in a pool, chlorinated, filtered by active carbon, and then UV-sterilized. This water was then reused for the processes of segmenting, transportation, and washing after alkaline solution treatment. The water quality had been monitored during the water reclamation. The results showed that the reused water quality was improved by the system and the main physicochemical properties and sensory index were conformed to the requirements of Chinese National Standard GB5749 except the index of chemical oxygen demand. The reused water contained about 0.4ppm of chlorine and 10 µg/mL of pectin. The total bacterial count was ≤ 10 CFU/mL and no Escherichia coli was detected. The seasonal production monitoring results showed that the quality of disposed water from this system remained stable. This technology might be useful for water reclamation in other fruit processing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

French fries were prepared by a combined method of pre-frying and pulsed-spouted microwave vacuum drying (PSMVD). The impact of pre-frying and PSMVD on the quality (oil content, color, texture, microstructure and shrinkage in volume) of French fries was studied and the sample was compared with that of only vacuum fried ones. The results indicated that the French fries prepared by the combined method had lower oil content (25%, db) than that of vacuum-fried sample (40%). Other property analysis also showed that the combined technique processed samples exhibited comparable food texture and color to that of vacuum fried samples, and had a porous microstructure with relatively smaller pore size. It was concluded that the combined method of pre-frying and PSMVD could be an alternative method to produce high quality French fries with low oil content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic characteristics of gas-particle spout fluidized bed in a pulsed spouted microwave-vacuum drying system (PSMVD) were investigated. The spout fluidization process in a pseudo-2-D spout fluidized bed was simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using the inviscid two-fluid theory method (TFM) based on the kinetic theory of granular flow. The dynamic characteristics of the spout fluidized bed and the effect of spout elevation on the particle movement were revealed, which could be used to improve the uniformity of particle mixing and microwave heating. The mathematical model demonstrated that the spout fluidization process includes isolated, merged and transitional jets and the fluidization at a specific spout gas velocity has a start-up stage and a quasi-steady fluidization stage. The spout velocity was an important factor controlling particle status in the spout fluidized bed and a critical velocity was identified for effect transition of the flow pattern. There was an approximately linear correlation between the jet penetration depth and the spout velocity. When the spout gas velocity increased up to the critical velocity region, the pressure drop tended to convert from negative pressure to positive pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency (RF) heating has the potential to be developed as a sterilization method to control microbes of food products. In the present work, the effects of RF heating on the sterilization and product quality of vacuum packaged Caixin (Brassica campestris L.) were investigated. With the addition of salts and other food additives, the dielectric constant (ϵ') and loss factor (ϵ") of Caixin were increased, which was helpful to increase the temperature during RF heating. The results indicated that, coupled with a hot air drying of 60 °C, RF heating at 6 kW, 27.12 MHz and 20 mm/20 min might be the most appropriate conditions to improve the microbial safety of Caixin whereas the physico-chemical and sensory qualities were not compromised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]