Foods最新文献

Mounting volumes of fruit processing by-products pose an environmental challenge, yet these wastes harbor rich polyphenol reservoirs locked within plant cell walls. Fermentation has emerged as a green biotransformation strategy to unlock these bound antioxidants without the need for chemical solvents, converting waste streams into value-added nutraceutical ingredients. This review summarizes recent advances in fermenting fruit by-products to boost their total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity, illustrating fermentation's role in both functional enhancement and sustainable waste valorization. Across diverse fruit substrates, microbial fermentation consistently increases TPC and enhances antioxidant activity, demonstrating significant functional enrichment. More importantly, unlike conventional solvent extraction, fermentation-driven valorization reduces chemical waste and allows full incorporation of the biomass into edible products, including bakery products, beverages, and fermented dairy alternatives. This sustainable approach aligns with circular economy principles by turning food waste into functional ingredients, effectively bridging nutritional enhancement with environmental responsibility. Overall, the findings highlight fermentation as an innovative pathway for waste upcycling in the food system, opening new avenues for antioxidant-rich, zero-waste products and their integration into sustainable food ingredient development, while also indicating that the main barrier to industrial translation lies not in functional efficacy but in process compatibility, reproducibility, and scalability under realistic food processing conditions.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a climate-resilient cereal with significant potential as a functional food due to its distinctive polyphenolic profile, including rare 3-deoxyanthocyanidins (3-DXAs). Broader utilisation of sorghum is limited by low protein digestibility and the presence of anti-nutritional factors, such as condensed tannins and phytates. This review consolidates current evidence on germination as a bioprocessing strategy to address these limitations and enhance the bioactivity of sorghum polyphenols. Germination activates endogenous hydrolytic enzymes, such as phytases and esterases, and upregulates the phenylpropanoid pathway through phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, which promotes the release of cell wall-bound phenolic acids and the de novo synthesis of flavonoids. A "germination paradox" is identified, in which qualitative shifts toward lower-molecular-weight, more bioaccessible aglycones enhance antioxidant and anti-inflammatory efficacy, even when total phenolic content fluctuates. The review also examines the effects of germination on digestive release, transepithelial transport, and colonic microbial transformation of phenolics. Finally, genotype- and process-dependent optimisation windows, typically 48-72 h, are delineated to balance anti-nutrient reduction with phytochemical retention, providing a basis for the development of germinated sorghum-based functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Grape pomace represents a major organic solid waste generated by the wine industry, but its application has been largely unexplored. On the other hand, so far, stable and sustainable raw materials for producing stable, edible Pickering emulsifiers suitable for the food industry have been lacking. To solve these problems, this study established a mild but effective co-extraction method to obtain protein-polysaccharide-polyphenol ternary complexes (GPTCs) from grape pomace. Subsequently, these complexes were directly developed into an edible Pickering emulsifier by a pH-controlled method. Results showed that a series of properties related to the Pickering emulsifier, such as particle size, surface charge, wettability, and interfacial adsorption behavior, could be easily controlled by adjusting the solution's pH. Consequently, the GPTC prepared at pH 7.0 exhibited optimal emulsifying performance. The resulting particles had an average particle size of approximately 111 nm, and stabilized Pickering emulsions with a volume-weighted mean oil droplet diameter (D [4,3]) of 9.49 μm, indicating high emulsion stability. Collectively, this study provided an actionable approach for the green, high-value utilization of wine byproducts by establishing a pH-responsive design framework for edible Pickering emulsifiers.

A rapid and simplified LC-MS method was developed for quantifying vitamins D3 (cholecalciferol) and K2 (menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7) in high-fat chicken meat products. Sample preparation involves a two-step solvent extraction followed by centrifugation. Efficient separation was achieved on a Gemini C18 column, and electrospray in positive mode was used for detection. Method validation confirmed good performance and reproducibility. The method was successfully applied to both fortified and unfortified chicken pâté samples. Owing to its simplicity, robustness, and sensitivity, this approach provides a practical and reliable means for quantifying fat-soluble vitamins in complex animal-derived matrices and can serve as a foundation for broader applications in high-fat food products.

Pseudomonas fluorescens is a primary spoilage bacterium in aquatic products. Due to its strong ability to adhere to surfaces and form persistent biofilm, it poses a persistent challenge to food safety. Therefore, developing strategies to effectively inhibit biofilm formation holds significant research value. Dubosiella newyorkensis, a recently identified probiotic, has gained growing attention for its distinctive physiological features and potential functional benefits. Although various probiotic-derived cell-free supernatants (CFSs) have been explored for food preservation, the application of D. newyorkensis CFS against aquatic spoilage bacteria, and particularly its specific mechanism against P. fluorescens biofilm, has not been previously reported. Increasing evidence indicates that CFS from probiotic can influence microbial behavior, including biofilm development. In this study, we investigated the ability of D. newyorkensis CFS to inhibit P. fluorescens biofilm formation. The CFS treatment impaired bacterial growth and motility, lowered surface hydrophobicity, reduced self aggregation, and consequently hindered biofilm formation. Furthermore, CFS markedly decreased bacterial adhesion to food and contact surfaces. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that key genes associated with biofilm regulation were also significantly suppressed. Taken together, these results demonstrate that D. newyorkensis CFS exerts both antibacterial and antibiofilm effects against P. fluorescens. These findings provide a sound basis for exploring its application as a natural biopreservative to enhance the microbial safety and extend the shelf life of aquatic food products.

Honey authenticity is increasingly threatened by the addition of low-cost sugar syrups and substitutes, which reduce its nutritional value and market credibility. In this study, five types of Polish honeys (honeydew, forest, multifloral, nectar-honeydew, and rapeseed) were intentionally adulterated with beet syrup, beet molasses, invert syrup and artificial honey at levels of 10% and 50% (v/v). The impact of adulteration was evaluated using elemental profiling by ICP-OES combined with physicochemical analyses (water content, sugar content and electrical conductivity) and chemometric methods (PCA and HCA). Natural honeys were characterized by high K, Mg and Ca contents and low Na levels, whereas adulterants significantly altered mineral composition, leading to a marked decrease in key authenticity ratios, particularly K/Na (decreases exceeding 90% at the 50% adulteration level, with systematic shifts already observable at 10% addition). Beet molasses caused the strongest disturbances in macroelement balance, while invert syrup induced weaker effects. Adulteration also resulted in increased water content, reduced °Brix values and pronounced changes in electrical conductivity. Chemometric analysis enabled clear discrimination between natural, adulterated and sugar-based samples. The combined use of elemental ratios, physicochemical parameters and chemometrics provides a robust and sensitive approach for detecting honey adulteration and supporting authenticity control.

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying beef quality differences is crucial for precision breeding of high-quality cattle. In this study, we first characterized the myofibrillar morphology of high-quality (H group) and low-quality (L group) beef samples using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were then conducted to reveal the molecular regulatory basis of quality variation. HE staining revealed highly significant differences in muscle fiber area and diameter between H and L groups (p < 0.01), along with significant differences in muscle fiber density (p < 0.05), but no significant differences in muscle fiber perimeter. Furthermore, by focusing on five core metabolic pathways shared across the transcriptome and metabolome datasets, 30 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 14 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified. Pearson correlation analysis revealed synergistic regulation between DEGs and DAMs: AMPD2 modulates umami flavor by regulating inosine accumulation via the purine metabolism pathway; ACOX3 promotes unsaturated fatty acid synthesis and intramuscular fat deposition through carbohydrate metabolism; genes in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway maintain post-slaughter muscle pH homeostasis, thereby influencing beef tenderness. Collectively, this study integrates morphological and molecular evidence to elucidate the multi-level basis of beef quality formation, providing key candidate genes, metabolites, and pathways for molecular breeding. These findings offer comprehensive theoretical and technical support for the sustainable development of the premium beef industry.

Botrytis cinerea poses severe postharvest losses in horticultural products, while synthetic fungicides raise food safety concerns. This study developed a GRAS-compliant antifungal strategy using vapor-phase Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (EO). GC-MS revealed citronellal (17.06%) as the dominant bioactive compound. The EO exhibited superior vapor-phase activity against B. cinerea, with EC₅₀ of 14.69 µg/mL (mycelial growth) and MIC of 7.81 µg/mL (spore germination), significantly lower than direct-contact efficacy (p < 0.05). Mechanistic analysis revealed a tripartite mode of action-rapid membrane disintegration (48% electrolyte leakage within 4 h), suppression of ROS defense enzymes (SOD/CAT/POD inhibition > 50%), and disruption of mitochondrial energetics (SDH activity reduced by 58.1%)-which induced irreversible cellular collapse. This multi-target strategy mitigates resistance development, a key limitation of single-mode fungicides. In commercial-scale trials, EO fumigation (125 µg/mL) reduced cherry tomato decay by 81.9-92.6% during 28-day storage, while maintaining firmness (15.9% higher than control) and nutritional quality (titratable acidity (TA) and total sugar content (TSC)). Notably, the vapor-phase EO also exhibited potent inhibitory activity against the spore germination of rubber tree powdery mildew (EC₅₀: 3.19 µg/mL), demonstrating its broad-spectrum antifungal potential. This finding significantly expands the application scope of C. citratus EO from postharvest preservation to preharvest crop protection. This work provides a scalable, residue-free alternative to synthetic fungicides for industrial postharvest applications.

The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatments for reducing the deoxynivalenol (DON) content in spiked white wheat flour samples containing 750 μg kg^-1 DON. The flour samples were treated with plasma generated in air for durations of 30 s, 60 s, 90 s, 120 s, 150 s, and 180 s and at four distances from the cold plasma source: 6 mm, 21 mm, 36 mm, and 51 mm. An artificial neural network (ANN) model with three layers utilizing the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) iterative algorithm was developed to predict the reduction in deoxynivalenol (DON) content, moisture content, and temperature in wheat flour samples following cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment. The model accounted for two key variables: the distance from the plasma source and the treatment duration. The ANN model exhibited excellent predictive performance, achieving coefficient of determination (r²) values of 0.999, 0.996, and 0.996 for DON reduction, moisture content, and temperature, respectively, during the training phase. The ANN model successfully identified the experimental optimal CAP conditions (51 mm distance and 150 s treatment), resulting in a 71% reduction in DON content. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) using the ANN further predicted the same level of reduction but at 168 s while maintaining acceptable moisture and temperature levels, representing the model-derived optimal treatment within the investigated design space. The study highlights the potential of ANNs to model complex relationships and optimize CAP treatment for efficient mycotoxin reduction in wheat flour.

Food policies that respond to shocks and support nutritious diets for vulnerable populations can enhance resilience, support social equity, and reduce environmental damage. Using a simulation model, we evaluated the effectiveness of two food redistribution policies-Nourish New York, a program providing funds to food rescue organizations to purchase food directly from farmers, and the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law (an organics "waste ban")-in response to a shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed policy based on recovered food and life cycle carbon and water footprints over 10 years. Both policies improved produce donations during post-shock. The waste ban increased waste at feeding organizations; diverting unavoidable food waste to composting and anaerobic digestion mitigated its carbon footprint. Enhanced coordination and partnerships within the food redistribution network were crucial for ensuring that produce reached those in need, ultimately reducing long-term environmental impacts. Implementing multiple strategies that enhance recovery from farms and retail, while strengthening the organizational capacity of the food redistribution network, can simultaneously advance food security and environmental goals.