Food Science & Nutrition最新文献

This study aims to evaluate the effect of stearic acid (SA) and palm oil (PO) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid composition in pork of growing-finishing pigs. A total of 150 pigs were assigned to three dietary treatments for 12 weeks: control (CON; basal diet), SA (CON + 0.50% SA), and PO (CON + 2% PO), with 10 replicates of 5 pigs/pen. Growth performance, backfat thickness, carcass weight, and meat quality were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments (p > 0.05). However, fatty acid (FA) analysis revealed that pigs fed the SA diet led to a consistent increase in SA (C18:0) content across pork belly fat, belly lean, and loin lean tissues (p < 0.05), resulting in significantly higher total saturated fatty acid levels and lower total unsaturated fatty acid concentrations. In contrast, the PO group showed increased monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), particularly oleic acid (C18:1c), and improved the MUFA/SFA ratio (p < 0.05) in all samples. Although polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content and the ω-6:ω-3 ratio were not significantly affected by treatments (p > 0.05), the PUFA/SFA ratio tended to be higher in the PO group, especially in pork loin lean (p = 0.085). The iodine value was significantly reduced in the SA group across all tissue types, confirming a more saturated lipid profile (p < 0.05). In summary, the SA and PO treated groups had no impact on growth performance or meat quality traits, but they markedly altered the fatty acid composition of pork. SA promoted a firmer, more saturated fat profile, potentially beneficial for processing traits but less favorable nutritionally. Palm oil (PO), on the other hand, supported a more unsaturated fat profile with improved nutritional attributes. These findings provide practical insights into swine diet formulation aimed at optimizing pork quality based on specific processing or health-oriented goals.

Hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial cell (EC) injury is the main pathologic mechanism for the development of vascular diseases, such as venous thrombosis, heart disease, and cerebral obstruction. Curcumin, the main active component in the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The aim of the study was to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of curcumin's protective effects on endothelial cells. Cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) was used to induce hypoxia in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro, followed by treatment with curcumin. We found that curcumin can enhance cell proliferation, promote cell cycle progression, decrease MMP1 and MMP13 expression, and increase TIMP-1 expression in CoCl₂-induced HUVECs. Meanwhile, curcumin inhibits CoCl₂-induced apoptosis, ferroptosis, and mitochondrial damage in HUVECs. Further studies revealed that curcumin exerted endothelial cell protective effects by down-regulating HSPA6 expression. Curcumin exerts a vascular endothelial protective effect on hypoxia-induced apoptosis and mitochondrial damage in HUVECs. Thus, curcumin is very effective for the clinical treatment of hypoxia-induced vascular diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, venous thrombosis, and so on.

Food safety in the catering sector is an essential public health issue, as foodborne diseases (FBDs) continue to pose significant threats worldwide. This review explores the challenges in food safety and hygiene in catering businesses, focusing on shortcomings in personal hygiene, waste management, equipment sanitation, water supply, and temperature regulation. Although regulatory frameworks and food safety guidelines are in place, implementation gaps remain due to insufficient training, inadequate infrastructure, and poor adherence to rules. The review presents global statistics on FBDs, highlighting their significant prevalence in Asia, Africa, and even developed countries, primarily due to poor food safety practices and regulatory gaps. Primary concerns include cross-contamination, improper handwashing, and inadequate waste disposal, further aggravated by limited resources and lack of awareness. Strategies aimed at improvement include promoting a food safety culture, using artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring, enhancing staff training, and investing in high-quality equipment. Tackling these issues requires collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including policymakers, food handlers, and regulatory agencies, to ensure compliance and reduce the incidence of FBDs. This review emphasizes the critical need for comprehensive interventions to protect public health and improve food safety standards in catering operations worldwide. This review emphasizes South Asia and Africa, where foodborne diseases remain most severe, with special relevance in some developed countries.

Micronutrient deficiencies affect over 2 billion people worldwide, with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies prevalent in Senegal. These deficiencies result from the low Fe and Zn contents in food crop products. This study examined the effects of micronutrient-rich organic waste products (OWPs), in combination with local beneficial microorganisms and mycorrhizal fungi, on Fe and Zn concentrations in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grains and haulms. Cowpea trials were conducted over two contrasting consecutive seasons (wet and dry). A factorial block design with four replications was used. The main results showed significant increases in cowpea yield (up to 2.4-fold for grains and 3.2-fold for haulms), Fe concentrations (up to +48% in grains and +259% in haulms), and Zn concentrations (up to +28% in grains and +265% in haulms) with the application of OWP combined with microbial inocula (MIs), compared with those in the control. In addition, the observed effects on the yield and Fe and Zn concentrations depended on the type of OWPs and MIs used. These results validate our initial hypothesis regarding the significant increase in Fe and Zn content in cowpea grains and haulms with the combined application of OWPs, which supply micronutrients, and MIs that facilitate the solubilization and transfer of these micronutrients to the plant. Our findings provide novel insights into the agro-biofortification of cowpeas and can be further developed to guide the selection of OWPs and MIs for use in agroecological biofortification systems.

This study investigates the effects of sinapine on glycogen synthesis and lipid metabolism in insulin-resistant HepG2 cell models and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice. Network pharmacology analysis integrated 288 potential sinapine targets and 920 insulin resistance-related targets, yielding 72 overlapping genes. KEGG enrichment of these genes identified one significantly enriched insulin resistance pathway, with target mapping concentrated on the IRS1–PI3K–AKT–GSK3β–GS axis, suggesting a key role in promoting hepatic glycogen synthesis. Molecular docking identified these key targets on this signaling pathway, with sinapine showing strong binding affinity to its nuclear proteins (below −4.0 kcal/mol). In vitro, sinapine treatment improved glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, while reducing lipogenesis, lipid accumulation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses confirmed that sinapine increases glycogen synthase activity. In T2DM mice, sinapine improved glucose and lipid metabolism, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and reduced blood glucose levels. Additionally, sinapine attenuated weight loss, improved liver index and histology, and regulated serum lipid profiles. Overall, this study reveals the molecular mechanism of sinapine in mitigating insulin resistance via modulation of the IRS1–PI3K–AKT–GSK3β–GS pathway, offering theoretical support for its potential application as a nutritional intervention to improve carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.

Chitin, the natural biopolymer of the world next to cellulose, is a modified biodegradable polysaccharide. Chitosan, as the major derivative of chitin, is the product of N-deacetylated chitin. Chitosan is an important biopolymer in nature and the only positively charged (cationic) polysaccharide. Chitosan has many utilizations in sustainable agriculture and food systems, in particular, improving plant resistance to environmental stresses like water deficit, salt, high temperature, cold, heavy metal, etc., as well as biotic stresses such as pest and plant pathogens. In addition, this natural biopolymer is used in different industries such as paper, food (processing, packaging, and preservation), pharmaceuticals, biodiesel, and other uses like wastewater treatment and environmental protection. Chitosan gained significant interest for its safety, antifungal, antibacterial, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and antioxidant activities due to its rich amino and hydroxyl groups. The commercial value of chitosan is due to the valuable properties of its soluble derivatives, which are suitable in food processing, cosmetics, nano and biotechnology, environmental, and textile production. In this review, we will consider the effectiveness of chitosan in the performance of agriculture, herbal products, nutraceuticals, and food systems, like improving biologically active compounds in herbal plants as elicitor; the characteristics of chitosan and chitosan-based biopolymers have been mentioned.

Calcium delivery systems based on food-derived peptides and polysaccharides offer a promising strategy for improving calcium bioavailability while preserving peptide bioactivity. In this study, a fructooligosaccharide-Larimichthys crocea peptide (FOS-LCP) copolymer was fabricated by wet-heating and evaluated as a multifunctional calcium carrier. FOS-LCP showed improved calcium-binding capacity, digestive stability, and resistance to dietary inhibitors, thus increasing Ca²⁺ uptake and transport in intestinal models in vitro. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells isolated from calcium–deficient mice were used to assess bone-lipid regulation in vitro. In the presence of Ca²⁺, FOS-LCP promoted osteogenic differentiation and osteogenic marker expression, suppressed adipogenic differentiation, activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, inhibited PPARγ/C/EBPα-driven lipogenesis, reduced adipokine secretion, and enhanced lipolytic gene expression. These findings indicate that FOS-LCP coordinately enhances calcium absorption and rebalances bone-lipid metabolism at the cellular level, supporting wet-heating-derived peptide-polysaccharide copolymers as promising functional calcium delivery systems.

This study aimed to examine the physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) profile, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral properties of sesame oils extracted from ANKSE3 and UMA cultivars of Sri Lanka. Cold press extraction of the raw seed yielded good quality oil and edible grade defatted residues. Proximate compositional analysis showed that fat was the main constituent of the raw seeds regardless of the cultivar, while protein was the predominant constituent of the defatted residues. The color intensity of the oil of the UMA cultivar was stronger than that of ANKSE3. High iodine values and lower saponification values were observed in the oils of both cultivars. Both oils contained approximately 85% unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs), and 15% saturated fatty acids (SFAs), with oleic and linoleic acids being the most abundant. The existence of triacylglycerols (TAGs) of varying melting temperatures was clearly exhibited by distinct exothermic and endothermic peaks of the DSC curves. The occurrence of organic functional groups like alkanes, alkenes, fatty esters, etc. was clearly demonstrated by FTIR spectra of sesame oils. The findings highlighted the superiority of sesame oils of ANKSE3 and UMA as nutritious oils due to their high content of USFAs, and defatted residues of sesame as a good source of alternative vegetable protein for value-added product formulations.

A lack of vegetables or other folate-rich foods in the diet leads to folate insufficiency. The most significant cause of this malformation may be a lack of folic acid. Folic acid deficiency, a critical maternal health component, can result in megaloblastic anemia, neural tube anomalies, cardiovascular complications, cancer, and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) imbalance. Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is one of the most widely consumed vegetables worldwide. Red beets have attracted more attention because of their rich source of bioactive substances, including betalain, indolent nitrates, polyphenols, and folates, as well as minerals and vitamins found within the tuberous root. Red beets show strong potential for usage as functional ingredients in the food and healthcare industries due to their numerous health-promoting qualities. The plant has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties that may be useful in the treatment of a variety of disorders.

Difficulties falling and/or staying asleep affect over one quarter of adults in the United States. Current management strategies include prescription sleep aids. However, long-term use is associated with serious adverse effects. Therefore, natural alternative sleep aids that may provide safer and more effective relief of sleep disturbances are needed. In this randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 80 healthy adults (n = 40 per group) with difficulties falling and/or staying asleep were supplemented with a standardized corn leaf extract (CLE) or placebo for 28 days. Objective (actigraphy with electroencephalogram) and subjective (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) sleep measures, serum serotonin, plasma melatonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid were assessed at baseline (Day 0), Day 14, and Day 28, and safety was assessed at screening and Day 28. Compared to placebo, participants supplemented with CLE demonstrated statistically significant increases in total sleep time (TST) and light sleep at Day 28 and improvements in REM sleep at both Days 14 and 28. Further, participants supplemented with CLE had significantly fewer sleep interruptions and shorter sleep onset latency at Day 14 with shorter wake after sleep onset (WASO) and higher sleep efficiency at Days 14 and 28. Post hoc analysis supported these findings with a significant increase of 35.7 min in non-REM sleep at Day 28 for participants supplemented with CLE compared to a decrease of 10.6 min for those on placebo. Supplementation with CLE was safe and well tolerated. Findings suggest CLE supplementation may improve sleep parameters in a healthy population with sleep difficulties.