Foods最新文献

Wolffia globosa (W. globosa), an edible aquatic plant of the Lemnaceae family, has gained increasing attention as a potential alternative protein and functional food ingredient due to its rapid biomass production, favorable amino acid profile, and micronutrient content. This review critically evaluates the current evidence on the nutritional composition, protein quality, reported bioactive properties, safety considerations, and regulatory status of W. globosa, focusing on its suitability for food applications. Literature data indicate that W. globosa biomass can contain substantial protein levels on a dry-weight basis, with reported protein quality metrics approaching those of some conventional plant proteins under specific processing conditions. In addition, studies have explored the high antioxidant, antihypertensive, and metabolism-related bioactivities of W. globosa, primarily based on in vitro and animal studies. However, human clinical evidence remains limited, and reported functional effects should be interpreted with caution. Regulatory assessments, including novel food authorization in certain jurisdictions, support its use as a food ingredient under defined conditions but do not substantiate health claims. Overall, W. globosa represents a promising plant-based food resource; nevertheless, further standardized compositional analyses, bioavailability studies, and well-designed human trials are required to substantiate its functional and nutritional properties.

As the raw material for tea making, the quality of fresh tea leaves directly affects the quality of finished tea. Traditional manual sorting and machine sorting struggle to meet the requirements for high-quality tea processing. Based on machine vision and deep learning, intelligent grading technology has been applied to the automated sorting of fresh tea leaves. However, when faced with machine-picked tea leaves, the characteristics of complex morphology, small target recognition size, and dense spatial distribution can interfere with accurate category recognition, which in turn limits classification accuracy and consistency. Therefore, we propose an enhanced YOLOv12 detection framework that integrates three key modules-C3k2_EMA, A2C2f_DYT, and RFAConv-to strengthen the model's ability to capture delicate tea bud features, thereby improving detection accuracy and robustness. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves precision, recall, and mAP@0.5 of 81.2%, 90.6%, and 92.7% in premium tea recognition, effectively supporting intelligent and efficient tea harvesting and sorting operations. This study addresses the challenges of subtle fine-grained differences, small object sizes, variable morphology, and complex background interference in premium tea bud images. The proposed model not only achieves high accuracy and robustness in fine-grained tea bud detection but also provides technical feasibility for intelligent fresh tea leaves classification and production monitoring.

A non-targeted metabolomics technique was employed to investigate the dynamic metabolite changes of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) adductor muscle (SAM) and scallop mantle (SM) during the early (E), middle (M), and late (L) harvest period from June to July. Many more metabolites were identified from SM (831) than from SAM (231), and 24 and 12 significantly differential metabolites were screened, respectively. Organic acids and derivatives, lipids and lipid-like molecules, and organoheterocyclic compounds were the primary metabolite classes in both SAM and SM. In SAM, the levels of most altered metabolites, such as butyryl carnitine, (±)8-HEPE, 14(S)-HDHA, l-Kynurenine, and l-(-)-Methionine), decreased with the extended harvest time, whereas pipecolic acid and oleamide increased. Conversely, in SM, linoleamide, oleamide, dimethyl citrate, kynurenine, and pipecolic acid declined, while 5,6-Dihydrothymidine, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, and 13(S)-HOTrE increased with a longer harvest time. Pipecolic acid, exhibiting an obvious up-regulated response during the whole harvest period, was found to be the sole differential metabolite shared by SAM and SM. Annotation analysis showed that five metabolites were respectively identified in SAM and SM, and these metabolites were separately related to five metabolic pathways with slight differences among the two tissues. Amino acid metabolism/degradation and fatty acid metabolism were the primary pathways. These findings could provide new insights into the dynamic quality changes of scallops during the harvest period and may play a potential guiding role in the aquaculture and harvest of scallops.

A novel optimized bioactive lipid (OBL) rich in long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) was synthesized through enzymatic acidolysis using concentrated belly oil from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (CB) and tocopherols obtained from cold-pressed maqui seed oil (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) (MSO) under supercritical CO₂ conditions. The reaction was catalyzed by Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) and optimized using a 3² response surface design with 12 experimental runs and three central points, considering pressure (100-300 bar) and temperature (50-80 °C) as independent variables. The response variables included the concentrations of EPA, DHA, α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols, as well as β- and γ-tocotrienols. MSO contained 10.63, 25.62, and 53.55 g·100 g^-1 total fatty acids (TFAs) of α-linolenic, oleic, and linoleic acids, respectively, together with 280.95 mg α-tocopherol·kg^-1 and 89.75 mg β-tocotrienol·kg^-1. The CB contained 49.57 g EPA + DHA·100 g^-1 TFAs. Optimal conditions (72.7 °C and 248.9 bar), experimentally validated at the RSM-predicted point, yielded an OBL containing 41.28 g EPA + DHA·100 g^-1 TFAs, 0.39 mg α-tocopherol·kg^-1, 3.54 mg β-tocopherol·kg^-1, 18.48 mg β-tocotrienol·kg^-1, 6.92 mg γ-tocopherol·kg^-1, and 16.36 mg γ-tocotrienol·kg^-1. Oil quality evaluation using official AOCS methods showed that the OBL exhibited an acceptable oxidative status within international regulatory limits while retaining a measurable phenolic content and intermediate antioxidant capacity derived from MSO. This study demonstrates the successful synthesis of a stable OBL from agro-industrial by-products as a sustainable source of functional ingredients for food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications.

The concept of functional nutrition has garnered mounting attention, primarily due to growing evidence that specific dietary components have the capacity to provide health benefits that extend beyond the mere supply of basic nutrients. In this context, glucosinolate-rich species of the Brassicales order are of importance as a source of bioactive compounds, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective properties. The review identifies which Brassicales species may be considered as functional foods or functional ingredients. It does so by starting from their glucosinolate profile, summarizing their potential applications in disease prevention, and highlighting current strategies aimed at enhancing glucosinolate levels through agronomic practices and processing approaches. The potential applications of the main species of the Brassicales order in the prevention of cardiovascular, obesity-related and degenerative diseases, as well as in the development of functional foods, are highlighted. These species are considered both as ready-to-use functional foods and as functional ingredients that can be obtained through extraction or fermentation processes, including the valorization of agricultural waste.

Zanthoxylum plants are a perennial economic crop which have garnered significant attention owing to their distinctive smell and taste. Their main flavor characteristics include a numbing sensation, bitterness, and aroma, which are mostly contributed by secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenes. As an important spice and a natural food additive, Zanthoxylum has broad application prospects and economic value in the production of food, medicine, animal feed, and raw chemical materials. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the economic uses and main flavor metabolites of Zanthoxylum. Furthermore, molecular biology research into the plant was summarized in detail. This will provide a reference for the future development and utilization of Zanthoxylum, and reveal the molecular mechanisms involving the biosynthesis of its flavor metabolites.

Non-starch polysaccharides, the primary structural component of dietary fiber, play critical roles in metabolic and digestive health through multiple physiological mechanisms, yet their composition in Mediterranean aromatic plants remains poorly characterized, limiting the development of novel functional food ingredients. This study provides the first comprehensive NSP profiling of 22 populations across three Tunisian Satureja species (S. nervosa, S. graeca, and endemic S. barceloi), using enzymatic analysis, gas chromatography, and multivariate statistics. Total non-starch polysaccharides reached exceptional levels (21.5 ± 3.0 g/100 g dry weight (DW)), with several populations exhibiting unprecedented soluble fiber proportions exceeding 50%, including population SG4 achieving 79.7%. Monosaccharide analysis revealed uronic acid dominance (42.9-52.5% of total NSP), indicating pectin-rich cell walls with distinct functional properties. Principal component analysis (explaining 61.5-84.9% of variance) demonstrated that populations cluster by fiber chemotype rather than taxonomic classification. Hierarchical and K-means clustering identified three distinct clusters in the soluble and total fiber fractions, with uronic acid-dominated populations (SG4, SB, SG18, SN8) and arabinose-xylose enriched populations (SN13, SN12, SN22, SG21) as extreme chemotypes. Intraspecific variation (coefficient of variation, CV: 14.0-50.0%) substantially exceeded interspecific differences. These findings establish Tunisian Satureja as an exceptional functional fiber source and demonstrate that population-level chemical screening outperforms taxonomic classification for developing nutraceuticals targeting cholesterol reduction, glycemic control, and gut microbiome modulation.

Fermentation can enhance the technological properties and nutritional value of legumes. This study aimed to develop an innovative chickpea-based fermented beverage with yeast in combination with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Autochthonous cultures isolated from chickpea soaking water, along with LAB strains from previous studies, were used to produce fermented chickpea beverages. Hydrolyzed chickpea flour was inoculated with LAB (Lactiplantibacillus, Lacticaseibacillus, Lentilactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, and Weissella) and 2 yeast (Metschnikowia and Saccharomyces) strains. Growth performance, phytic acid content, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated. In a second phase, four fermented beverages were produced by co-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the four best-performing LAB strains. Microbial growth and pH were monitored throughout fermentation, and beverages were analyzed for TAC and Total Polyphenol Content (TPC) before and after in vitro digestion. The beverages exhibited high microbial viability and increased TAC and TPC compared to controls. Although both parameters decreased after in vitro digestion, their values remained higher than those of the controls. The combination Saccharomyces cerevisiae LN7/Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 95 proved to be the most effective. Results highlight the importance of the strains selection in enhancing the antioxidant properties and polyphenol content of plant-based fermented beverages and provide insight into the effects of digestion on their functional properties.

Hydrophobic bioactive compounds such as lutein exhibit poor water solubility and are prone to degradation. Liposomal delivery systems can enhance the solubility and physicochemical stability of lutein (LUT). Liposomes are primarily composed of phospholipids and cholesterol. Since phytosterol ester can reduce cholesterol levels and improve the performance of liposomes, this study used phytosterol oleate ester (POE) as a cholesterol substitute in the preparation of liposomes for delivering LUT (LUT-P-Lip). The physicochemical properties, microstructure, storage stability, antioxidant characteristics, and intermolecular interactions of the liposomes at different LUT concentrations were investigated. The results demonstrated that LUT-P-Lip had a size range of 50-100 nm, with intact morphology and uniform distribution. In vitro studies showed that LUT-P-Lip significantly enhanced the storage stability and antioxidant activity of LUT. The analysis of intermolecular interactions revealed that the enhanced stability was mediated by an increased number of hydrogen bonds and modulation of membrane fluidity. In conclusion, replacing cholesterol with POE during liposome formation enhances both the stability and antioxidant activity of the resulting liposomes.

Coffee proteins are key precursors of roasting flavor. However, heat-driven changes in the bean proteome remain underexplored. This work aimed to investigate these changes and study proteomic markers of the coffee bean. The green and roasted coffee beans were quantified for their total soluble protein and compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) proteomics. The protein profiles identified by LC-MS were processed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) modeling to identify possible roast-sensitive protein markers. The alkaline-aided aqueous extract protein concentration was reduced from 14-23 g to 3-10 g/100 g dry weight (DW). SDS-PAGE showed dominant 17-26, 34-43, and 55-72 kDa bands weakened after roasting, while high molecular peaks (>180 kDa) were present only in roasted samples. In-solution tryptic digestion yielded nine protein groups. PCA scores revealed partial separation of green and roasted groups, while PLS-DA delivered unambiguous classification (Q² > 0.90 by cross-validation). The variable importance in projection scores highlighted that structural proteins in common plant beans are markedly down-regulated after roasting, indicating heat-induced structural disruption. The identified protein groups represent candidate markers associated with severe thermal treatment and provide possible molecular targets for investigating flavor precursor development.