Food Science & Nutrition最新文献

Time-restricted intermittent fasting (TRIF) has gained popularity as an intervention for addressing overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. It may influence the composition of the gut microbiome, potentially affecting various microbiome-mediated functions in humans. However, limited studies have been conducted involving TRIF and microbiome on developing and underdeveloped populations. Here, we investigated the impact of TRIF/Ramadan fasting (16:8) on the changes of gut microbiome and functional profiling of microbial communities during and after the month of Ramadan in Pakistani Expats living in China. We observed substantial change in alpha diversity during TRIF; the changes in gut microbial structure by the end of TRIF were higher vis-a-vis in the beginning. Significant differences were observed among individuals; several bacteria (Clostridium perfringens, Coprococcus comes, and Lactococcus lactis, among others) were changed significantly (p < 0.05). Additionally, amino acid, carbohydrate, and energy metabolism; glycan biosynthesis; and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins were significantly affected by TRIF. Pyridoxamine, glutamate, citrulline, arachidonic acid, and short-chain fatty acids showed substantial differences at different time points based on the predicted metabolic pathways. The preliminary results from this study demonstrate significant potential for elucidating the mechanisms underlying gut microbiome stability and enhancing the effectiveness of microbiome-tailored interventions among the Pakistani populace to ameliorate metabolic disorders.

Infants' and young children's health and development rely on optimal feeding techniques. Malnutrition is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in infants and early childhood. This impact is mostly significant in low- and middle-income countries, where childhood illness and mortality rates have risen considerably. To explore the barriers to child feeding practices in the rural Gamo zone, south Ethiopia, from primary caregivers and different key individuals' perspectives. A phenomenological qualitative study approach with a purposive sampling technique was carried out to explore the barriers and facilitators of child feeding practices in the study area from August 14 to September 10, 2023. Data was collected from fathers, health extension workers, the health development army, religious leaders, and community elders who reside in rural communities of the Gamo zone. Three focus group discussions, including 8–10 participants per group with females and three with males until data saturation. A total of 51 discussants and 12 key informants participated in the study. The following barriers were identified from the study. Limited income and employment opportunities, lack of property ownership, limited maternal and husband education, and lack of knowledge about proper child feeding practices are among the factors leading to inadequate nutrition for children. Large family sizes, marriage-related factors like polygamy, early marriage, limited freedom of partner choice, and gender inequalities can affect necessary support for appropriate child feeding practices and negatively impact children's nutrition. Moreover, cultural norms, religious beliefs, lack of awareness regarding the husband's income, and lack of support from family members or communities were identified as barriers that influence child feeding practices. The study unveiled three key themes that impede the adoption of appropriate child feeding practices: economic status, demographic conditions, and sociocultural aspects that affect the feeding practices of children. Effective interventions to improve child feeding practices must consider and address these identified barriers.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potential antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative damage. However, EGCG is less studied in oxidative stress-induced inflammation in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the protective effects of EGCG on hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, and related mechanisms involved in BMECs using the H₂O₂-induced BMECs as an in vitro cell model of oxidative stress and inflammation response. The BMECs were treated with H₂O₂ (600 μM) and EGCG (5 μM), respectively, while the cells without any treatment were regarded as the controls. The protective effects of EGCG were investigated by quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR, western blot, ELISA, CCK-8, and so forth. The results showed that the treatment of BMECs with H₂O₂ significantly decreased the anti-oxidation ability of the cells, increased the expression of inflammation-related factors, and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the functional recovery test showed that EGCG significantly improved the resistance to oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in H₂O₂-induced BMECs. The study of the protective mechanisms of EGCG in BMECs showed that EGCG could enter the nucleus by activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and exert the effects of anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation upon treatment with BMECs alone. The Nrf2 knockdown assay (siNrf2) showed that siNrf2 upregulated the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors and apoptosis-related genes in BMECs, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial damage, and downregulated mRNA expression of antioxidant genes. Similarly, EGCG reduced ROS production in BMECs by inhibiting p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) phosphorylation, thereby reducing the mRNA expression of related genes in the NF-κB/caspase-3 pathway when p38MAPK was inhibited with the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580. Overall, the experimental results showed that EGCG could improve the antioxidant function of BMECs by activating the Nrf2 and inhibiting the p38MAPK pathways, reducing inflammation and mitochondrial damage. This study provides a theoretical basis for further study of exogenous EGCG to prevent mastitis in dairy cows.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of using sourdough containing Lactobacillus sakei (L. sakei) and germinated brown rice on chemical composition, functional characteristics, and sensory properties of leavened bread. In this context, three types of germinated brown rice sourdoughs containing L. sakei, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis (L. sanfranciscensis) and the mixture of L. sakei + L. sanfranciscensis were prepared and used for bread production. According to the results, a significant decrease in the pH and protein values and a significant increase in the moisture and free amino acid contents were observed in the breads prepared using different sourdoughs compared to control bread (p ≤ 0.05). The use of sourdough containing L. sakei resulted in a bread with the highest amounts of bound and total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The results also indicated a significant increase in gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) content in breads prepared by L. sakei + L. sanfranciscensis and L. sakei fermented sourdoughs, respectively. The L. sakei + L. sanfranciscensis and L. sanfranciscensis containing sourdough breads gained the highest overall acceptability from sensory panelists point of view (p > 0.05). Overall, L. sakei showed a remarkable potential for use in the production of functional breads.

As a valuable medicine and food homology plant suitable for people of all ages, Codonopsis pilosula has been used for dietary nourishment and medicinal purposes with high acceptance for a long history. Interest in the potential anticancer functions of C. pilosula has increased due to its numerous chemical constituents with diverse structures and extensive pharmacological activities. With the growing interest, C. pilosula-based antitumor traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulations are also considered as vital intervention strategy for cancer, which exhibit prospective antitumor potential with multiple targets, multiple signaling pathways, and less side effects in both experimental and epidemiological studies. However, the prospective molecular mechanisms and newly emerging research methods in cancer auxiliary regulation require further elaboration. Consequently, this review systematically presents the latest research progress and future prospect of C. pilosula and highlights current gaps in knowledge, which facilitate the great rejuvenation of C. pilosula for the long-term therapy use of tumor. Remarkably, with the gathering of the findings of biological evaluation, combinations with network computing approaches, such as network pharmacology, molecular docking, and quantum-chemical calculations, this review is expected to provide theoretical support and open further research perspectives on C. pilosula in biological function and potential clinical efficacy.

This study focuses on the potential role of vitamin D in the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and evaluates causation using Mendelian randomization (MR). This cross-sectional study collected clinical information from 3728 respondents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles of 2005–2010 and 2015–2018. To determine the link between serum vitamin D levels and the risk of IDA, we established a robust nomogram. Calibration and net clinical benefits were examined through calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were utilized to explore the relationship between the two. In addition, the data of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) related to vitamin D and IDA were obtained from open biological databases. The main analytical method for the MR analysis was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. A series of sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate pleiotropy. Our cross-sectional study showed that, after extensive adjustments, serum vitamin D levels remained an independent risk factor for predicting the development of IDA. The risk of developing IDA was significantly lower for participants in the highest quartile subgroup with vitamin D levels ≥ 78.1 nmol/L compared to those in the lowest quartile with vitamin D levels ≤ 42.8 nmol/L (p < 0.001). In terms of gender, serum vitamin D primarily exhibited a protective effect against IDA in females (OR:0.98, 95% CI: 0.98–0.99, p < 0.001). A non-linear relationship between the two was found (p < 0.001 for non-linear relationship). Meanwhile, using the IVW method in MR analysis, we identified a bidirectional causal relationship. The results of our cross-sectional analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between serum vitamin D levels and IDA. Additionally, genetic evidence from the MR analysis supported an association between serum vitamin D levels and IDA.

Kaempferol (Kae), as a homologous flavonoid, plays a pivotal role in human nutrition and disease treatment. This study endeavors to elucidate the in vivo metabolism of Kae and its potential to modulate the interplay between bile acids (BAs) and gut microbiota (GM). After Kae administration, we analyzed pharmacokinetics, BA levels, and drug metabolic enzymes (DMEs) amount using LC–MS/MS. Subsequently, we checked the gene and protein expression with qRT-PCR and western blot and studied the changes in GM using 16S rRNA sequencing, accompanying in-depth data analysis. Finally, molecular docking was employed to explore Kae's interaction with the Farnesoid X receptor (FXR). Kae enhances its own absorption and metabolic circulation in vivo by upregulating the UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) expression. Furthermore, Kae significantly suppressed the expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) while concurrently elevating the sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) expression, by activating the liver FXR, a nuclear transcription factor involved in the regulation of CYPs and UGTs enzymes. For BA analysis, Kae induced the upregulation of tauro-BAs by attenuating the activity of bile salt hydrolases (BSH), which correlated with shifts in the GM composition. Specifically, Kae increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides acidifaciens and Bifidobacterium choerinum, while reduced populations of species associated with BSH deconjugation. The study indicates that Kae may serve as a prebiotic, modulating the BA-GM interaction to confer nutritional and therapeutic advantages.

In this research work, a mixture design was applied to optimize the encapsulation of capsaicin in oil–water-nanoemulsion using almond gum, pea protein isolate, and citrus pectin as independent variables. Therefore, results indicated that the cubic, special cubic, and quartic models were the most adequate to describe the variation of responses as a function of independent variables. Therefore, the pea protein isolate showed the highest effect on mean droplet size, polydispersity index, ξ-potential, and antioxidant activities. However, the almond gum was the most significant component in whiteness and plastic viscosity (p < 0.05). Moreover, the rheological properties of the nanoemulsions demonstrated that are non-Newtonian fluids with pseudoplastic (shear thinning) behavior and are well-fitted by the Casson model. Remarkably, all the nanoemulsions exhibited antioxidant activities, in which the almond gum and pea protein isolate combination indicated the highest activities (IC₅₀). Also, the formulated nanoemulsions exhibited more sensitivity to the Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus). Thus, the statistical data revealed that the mixture of almond gum (16.13%), pea protein isolate (73.45%), and citrus pectin (10.42%) was proven to be the optimum condition. Besides, these findings indicated that there are no significant differences between optimal conditions and those obtained in practice (p > 0.05). Under these conditions, the experimental values of mean droplet size, polydispersity index, ξ -potential, whiteness index, plastic viscosity, creaming index, encapsulation yield, and the inhibitory concentration at 50% were 3.58 nm, 12.13%, −30.53 mV, 78.65, 0.12 Pa·s, 1.96%, 94.06%, and 23.01 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, encapsulated capsaicin was used to Merguez preservation and the results revealed that pH, color parameters, TVB-N, TBARS amounts, textural properties, and their shelf life were improved over a storage time of 30 days at 4°C. Hence, the findings are encouraging and allow considering the use of capsaicin nanoemulsions based on almond gum for the enrichment of food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products.

The WOX (WUSCHEL-related homebox) gene family is critical for plant growth, development, and the regulation of stress responses; however, the function of Dendrobium huoshanense WOX has not been extensively studied. Nine WOX genes have been identified in the D. huoshanense genome. These WOX genes were unequally distributed on five chromosomes, with four WOX genes occupying chr1. A phylogenetic tree of D. huoshanense and five other species was built based on the maximum likelihood method, suggesting that these WOX proteins could be grouped into three classical clades. Structural variation analysis of the three Dendrobium relatives revealed that D. huoshanense had more translocations and inversions with D. nobile than D. chrysotoxum. Intraspecific collinearity analysis of D. huoshanense based on the MCScanX revealed no large-scale WGD and segmental duplications between these WOX genes. The Ka/Ks ratio and calculated timeline (MYA), indicate that all DhWOX genes were subject to purifying selection. Interspecies microsynteny analysis revealed that D. huoshanense shares more gene pairs with two closely related species, consistent with their genetic relationships. Gene structure analysis showed that DhWOX1, DhWOX2, DhWOX6, and DhWOX8 contained 3′ or 5’ UTR. Conserved motif analysis revealed that these WOX contain conserved homeodomain domains and similar components. Multiple sequence alignments showed that the homeodomain near the C-terminus has a typical helix–turn–helix structure and amino acid composition, while DhWOX3 uniquely contains WUS-box motif. Protein–protein interaction analysis showed that DhWOX5 may be co-expressed with DhWOX6 and DhWOX9. A large number of cis-acting elements in the promoter regions associated with hormone signaling, vegetation development stages, and stress responses. Differential gene expression was analyzed after MeJA treatment. DhWOX4 showed high expression at 2 and 4 h, whereas DhWOX6 and DhWOX7 showed dynamic fluctuations. DhWOX8 showed consistently low expression, whereas DhWOX9 expression was highest at 2 and 4 h. DhWOX1 and DhWOX3 showed no detectable expression levels. The subcellular localization results indicated that DhWOX2 and DhWOX6 genes were expressed in the nucleus. These findings contribute to our understanding of the roles of these genes in D. huoshanense.

Aflatoxin contamination in peanut oil poses significant health, agricultural, and environmental risks. This study assesses the effectiveness of advanced technologies and One Health strategies in mitigating these risks. Through systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluate the effectiveness of integrated approaches. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (September 2010–September 2024) on aflatoxin mitigation in peanut oil. We included studies involving agricultural, health, and environmental interventions, focusing on Aflasafe, ozonation, and One Health strategies. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate pooled effect sizes. Our review of 30 studies, including five meta-analyses, highlights that advanced mitigation methods like Aflasafe (90%, 95% CI: 85%–95%), Ozonation (85%, 95% CI: 70%–95%), and Biological Control (80%, 95% CI: 70%–90%) significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination in peanut oil. However, reduced efficacy was observed, with dexification found to be 58% (95% CI: 52%–64%) and a pooled effect size of 77% (95% CI: 67%–87%). One Health strategies also show substantial impact, with the highest effect size of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.81–1.00) through Aflasafe training, followed by integrated agricultural, environmental, and health education (0.70, 95% CI: 0.58–0.82) and health-sector risk awareness (0.68, 95% CI: 0.57–0.79), yielding a pooled effect size of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.70–0.80). This review highlights the effectiveness of advanced technologies and One Health strategies in reducing aflatoxin contamination in peanut oil. Combining Aflasafe, ozonation, and One Health approaches offers a promising strategy for both immediate control and sustainable management. Future research should prioritize cost-effective technologies and community-based interventions to enhance impact and scalability, especially in resource-limited settings.