Journal of Food Biochemistry最新文献

Cornelian cherry (Cornus officinalis) fruits have long been used as a high-value food source with various biological effects. However, their biological potential to mitigate cholestatic liver injury, as well as their underlying molecular mechanisms, remains poorly understood. This work aimed to evaluate their biological effect against DDC-induced cholestatic liver injury in mice. Results showed that the main phytochemicals in C. officinalis fruit (ECOF) were iridoid glycosides, with morroniside (about 19.85 μg/g) and loganin (about 16.17 μg/g) as the predominant components. Treatment with ECOF, especially at high doses (600 mg/kg body weight), significantly reduced plasma levels of AST, ALT, and ALP, as well as liver MDA, hydroxyproline, and inflammatory cytokine levels (p < 0.05), whereas SOD, CAT, and GSH notably increased (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that ECOF upregulated Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 proteins to mitigate oxidative stress and suppressed the IκBα/NF-κB signaling cascade to reduce hepatic inflammation. ECOF treatment significantly increased hepatic BSEP and MRP2 protein levels, which may facilitate bile acid efflux and contribute to the attenuation of cholestasis. This study demonstrated that ECOF (600 mg/kg) effectively mitigated DDC-induced cholestatic liver injury in mice through the modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and bile acid transport, which may provide new insights and scientific evidence for using the fruits to produce functional foods to alleviate cholestatic liver injury.

Human caseins (α-S1, β, and κ-casein) represent a potential source of bioactive peptides with possible therapeutic applications, particularly for neonates. Due to the relevance of obtaining bioactive peptides, an in silico simulation of enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin (pH > 2) was performed on these proteins using the PeptideCutter tool from Expasy. The resulting fragments were evaluated in silico using various bioinformatics platforms to predict biological activities such as toxicity (ToxinPred 3.0), antimicrobial (CAMP_R4), anticancer (AntiCP 2.0), anti-inflammatory (PreAIP), and antioxidant (AnOxPePred 1.0) properties, as well as their overall bioactivity probability (PeptideRanker) and comparison against the BIOPEP-UWM database. A total of 117 peptide fragments were generated: 40 from α-S1-casein, 48 from β-casein, and 29 from κ-casein. Of these, 26 peptides showed scores above 0.5 in PeptideRanker, suggesting potential bioactivity, and 17 were predicted to possess antimicrobial properties, primarily derived from α-S1-casein. Twelve peptides were identified as potentially toxic, with none originating from κ-casein. Additionally, 18 peptides (16 dipeptides and 2 tripeptides) exhibited exact sequence matches with experimentally reported peptides in the BIOPEP-UWM database. The results obtained in this study were compared with previous research, highlighting both similarities and differences in the generated sequences depending on the hydrolysis tool used. Although the results obtained through in silico analysis are encouraging, we emphasize the importance of experimentally confirming the bioactivity of these peptides. This study contributes to the understanding of the bioactive potential of peptides derived from human caseins and underscores their possible role in supporting neonatal health.

The adulteration of mutton is a food safety issue that has received widespread attention because it undermines consumers’ fundamental rights. To safeguard the consumers’ rights and interests, and preserve market integrity, it is important to develop a straightforward and rapid visualization method for the detection of adulterated components in mutton and its processed products. In this study, we employed a bioinformatics approach to identify the specific sequences of goat, pig, chicken, and duck and then designed primers and probes for the four species. Subsequently, we combined recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) to establish a rapid visual detection method for adulterants in mutton products. The established RPA–LFD method exhibited high specificity and high sensitivity, with a limit of detection (LOD) of each species as low as 20 copies. Application of this method to the detection of mutton products revealed the presence of porcine-derived ingredients in three mutton products. The RPA–LFD method allowed the visual detection of adulterants in mutton products without relying on expensive and sophisticated instruments, which meet the needs of the market for visualization. Therefore, it could provide powerful technical support for market supervision and has potential application prospect.

The growing demand for low-alcohol beverages has renewed interest in mead, an ancient honey-based alcoholic drink, as a potential carrier of health-promoting bioactive compounds. This study investigated the effects of cranberry fruit (CF) supplementation and fermentation duration on the bioactive, antioxidant capacity, volatile and sensory profiles of mead. Using standardized honey syrup and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two variants were produced, control mead (CM) and cranberry-supplemented mead (CBM). Cranberry addition significantly (p < 0.05) slowed fermentation kinetics and improved the bioactive profile of CBM, which showed higher total phenolic (111.3 mg GAE/L) and flavonoid (59.86 mg QE/L) contents compared to CM. Antioxidant activity was also high in CBM, with DPPH and hydrogen peroxide scavenging reaching 50.7% and 58.6%, respectively. CBM exhibited a lower alcohol content (3.1% alcohol by volume) with better sensory attributes, including color, mouthfeel, and flavor complexity than CM. These findings highlight cranberry-enriched mead as a promising, health-oriented beverage for the drink market.

Synthetic food dyes are commonly used to enhance food appearance, yet their potential health risks remain a concern. Green leaf color (GLC), a synthetic dye widely employed in diverse applications such as fashion, product design, and branding, is predominantly used in foods in Bangladesh, where its toxicity has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aimed to investigate the toxicological effects of GLC on growth performance, hematological and biochemical parameters, tissue architecture, and molecular markers in Swiss albino mice. Forty mice were divided into four groups: one control and three treatment groups, receiving oral doses of GLC at 125 (low), 250 (medium), and 500 (high) mg/kg body weight daily for 13 weeks. GLC exposure significantly impaired growth in treated mice and reduced feed efficiency in a dose-dependent manner compared to the controls. Hematological analysis revealed marked reductions in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and MCH, with significant increases in WBC, platelets, and monocyte counts. Biochemical examination showed elevated levels of ALP, ALT, AST, bilirubin, urea, and creatinine. Histological evaluation demonstrated multiorgan damage, including central vein congestion, hepatocellular vacuolization, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver; glomerular atrophy, tubular injury, and interstitial edema in the kidney; and villi destruction, epithelial shedding, and mucosal damage in the intestine. At the molecular level, mRNA expression analysis revealed significant upregulation of BCL-2and Beclin-1 genes in the liver, kidney, and intestine, whereas BAX was markedly downregulated in the liver and kidney, and NF-κB expression was suppressed in the intestine, indicating GLC-induced dysregulation of apoptosis and autophagy pathways. This study provides the first comprehensive evaluation of GLC toxicity in mice, integrating biochemical, histological, and molecular evidence. The overall findings demonstrate that GLC induces multilevel toxic effects with potential genotoxic properties. Therefore, strict regulation and preventive measures should be taken to minimize the use of GLC in food products.

The quality and flavor development of fermented koumiss are intricately connected to metabolic processes in microbial communities. This study utilized a combination of macrogenome sequencing technology and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to explore variations in bacterial and fungal communities, flavor compounds, and environmental factors and mine their associated functional genes in traditional Kazakh fermented koumiss from Altay, Tacheng, and Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang. A total of 87 volatile flavor compounds were successfully identified. Flavor compounds exhibited a close correlation with Lactobacillus, which was identified as a potential core functional microbial group in koumiss fermentation on the basis of its abundance and hypothesized flavor contributions. The analysis of environmental factors revealed the significant influence of geographical location on the distribution of microbial communities. The microbial flavor network highlighted the significance of Lactobacillus and Kluyveromyces as pivotal microbial groups with crucial contributions to the formation of flavor-active substances. Kluyveromyces and Acetobacter followed these genera in importance. Moreover, the types and concentrations of acids, esters, and alcohols had a substantial effect on the formation of koumiss flavor. Furthermore, metagenomic data were annotated and analyzed by using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and evolutionary genealogy of genes: Nonsupervised Orthologous Groups databases. Microorganisms in koumiss possessed prominent functions in carbohydrate and amino acid degradation pathways. Annotation with the Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes Database revealed that glycoside hydrolases constituted the highest proportion. The enzymatic features corresponding to genes in bacteria with high abundance were also characterized. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for screening and applying aroma-producing microorganisms in fermented koumiss. They facilitate the targeted isolation of functional microbes, which are ideally suited for koumiss fermentation processes.

R. Cao, J. Yang, Z. Meng, et al., “Linking Microbial Communities and Organic Matter Dynamics in Longjing and Fuding Tea Ecosystems,” Journal of Food Biochemistry 2025 (2025): 9981444, https://doi.org/10.1155/jfbc/9981444.

In the article titled “Linking Microbial Communities and Organic Matter Dynamics in Longjing and Fuding Tea Ecosystems,” information was omitted in the Funding section. The corrected section appears below.

Funding

This study was funded by the Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Project ([2023] General 085 and [2022] General 144), Postgraduate Research Fund of Guizhou Province (2024YJSKYJJ051) and Guizhou University Talent Introduction Research Project (No. 11 [2022]).

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Black chokeberry, scientifically known as Aronia melanocarpa, is native to the eastern part of North America and belongs to the Rosaceae family, specifically falling within the Maloideae subfamily. A sour taste makes fresh chokeberries difficult to eat raw, but they are widely used in the food sector to make wines, fruit teas, juices, jams, jellies, and dietary supplements. Black chokeberries are a rich source of several bioactive compounds. It has been discovered that the fruits of A. melanocarpa exhibit a variety of bioactivities that may be advantageous to human health, such as antioxidant, antiobesity, anti-infective, antidiabetic, and liver- and heart-protective properties. However, to determine the therapeutic capacity, safety, and underlying mechanisms of action of black chokeberries, a comprehensive examination similar to other natural plants and medical items is required. This review provides a comprehensive overview of Aronia plants, covering aspects such as botany, cultivation, bioactive chemical composition, and therapeutic activities to explore their potential health benefits. The findings are expected to significantly influence future research, particularly in the development of functional food products centered around chokeberries.

Research has demonstrated that certain microRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in governing milk protein synthesis in mice and dairy cows. However, there remains a limited understanding of specific miRNAs that regulate milk protein synthesis in buffalo. While our previous transcriptome data identified miR-29c and miR-106b as potential regulators influencing buffalo milk protein synthesis, the precise mechanism by which they modulate this process remains elusive. To address this gap, we conducted overexpression and knockdown experiments in this study. Our findings reveal that miR-29c and miR-106b exhibit inhibitory effects on the mRNA levels of CSN2 and CSN3 genes, along with diminishing β-casein production, within buffalo mammary epithelial cells (BuMECs). Furthermore, these miRNAs exert regulatory effects on the transcription and phosphorylation states of pivotal components within the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and JAK2–STAT5 signaling pathways. Employing the luciferase reporter system and qPCR, we confirmed the PTHLH gene as a shared target of miR-29c and miR-106b. Notably, they collaboratively regulate PTHLH gene expression. Our previous investigation highlighted the role of the PTHLH gene in augmenting milk protein production within BuMECs, achieved via stimulation of the mTOR and JAK2–STAT5 signaling cascades. Consequently, the inhibitory effect of miR-29c and miR-106b on buffalo milk protein synthesis is attributed to their coregulation of PTHLH. These findings emphasize the significance of miR-29c and miR-106b as essential regulators of milk protein synthesis, shedding light on the underlying mechanism governing milk production in buffalo.