Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture最新文献

Background: Phenolic extracts are recognized for their health-promoting properties, although some physicochemical characteristics limit their food applications. The present study aimed to valorize orange juice by-products through enzymatic and hydroalcoholic extraction to obtain flavonoid ingredients and to evaluate their application in pectin-based jelly candies as a functional delivery system.

Results: Hydroalcoholic extraction yielded higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, with flavonoids, particularly hesperidin, as the predominant compound. Enzymatic extraction favored the recovery of aglycone forms, especially hesperetin. The incorporation of both extracts (0.1 and 0.2 g kg^-1) into jelly candies preserved key techno-functional properties, including moisture (15.34-16.91%) and water activity (0.7285-0.7375), with extract-specific effects on texture (hardness, adhesiveness and stickiness) and color attributes. HPLC analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of characteristic flavonoids into the candy matrix. Despite differences in phenolic content among extracts, the extract type did not significantly affect phenolic bioaccessibility after in vitro simulated digestion. All formulations exhibited controlled release and high phenolic bioaccessibility (> 90%), indicating effective protection and delivery of bioactive compounds within the pectin matrix.

Conclusion: Orange by-products can be upcycled into flavonoid extracts suitable for incorporation into pectin-based jelly candies without compromising technological quality. The high phenolic bioaccessibility highlights the potential of these candies as functional confectionery products. It supports the use of pectin gels as effective bioactive delivery systems within a circular economy framework. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major global food crop, and understanding its maternal lineage and genetic diversity is essential for breeding, authentication, and evolutionary studies. Chloroplast genomes provide valuable markers for phylogenetic inference and cultivar discrimination; however, conventional plant DNA barcodes often lack sufficient resolution within the genus Triticum. This study aimed to characterize the complete chloroplast genome of the Korean wheat cultivar 'Keumkang' and to develop effective chloroplast-based barcode markers for improved identification of Triticum species and cultivars.

Results: The complete chloroplast genome of T. aestivum cv. Keumkang was assembled using PacBio HiFi reads and determined to be 135 909 bp in length, exhibiting a typical quadripartite structure. Comparative analyses of 44 Triticum and related Aegilops chloroplast genomes revealed that Keumkang shared an identical chloroplast genome structure with several Korean cultivars, indicating a common maternal origin. Phylogenomic analysis placed T. aestivum in close association with T. turgidum subsp. durum, supporting its maternal derivation from the AABB genome lineage. Nucleotide diversity analysis identified six coding sequences and 11 intergenic regions with relatively high polymorphism. Based on these regions, 17 chloroplast-specific barcode markers were developed and experimentally validated. While conventional barcodes (matK, rbcL, trnL-F) achieved only approximately 18% cultivar discrimination, the combined use of the 17 newly developed markers improved identification accuracy to 50% among the examined accessions.

Conclusion: The complete chloroplast genome of T. aestivum cv. Keumkang provides new insights into the maternal lineage and chloroplast diversity of wheat. The newly developed set of 17 chloroplast barcode markers substantially enhances cultivar-level discrimination within the genus Triticum and represents a useful molecular tool for wheat breeding, germplasm authentication, and evolutionary studies. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The aim of this review is to examine various aspects of flour fortification. Modern industrialization and lifestyle changes have led to a reliance on a limited variety of foods, reducing micronutrient intake and potentially affecting health. Fortification offers a cost-effective approach to address these micronutrient deficiencies and their associated health impacts. Flour, as one of the most widely consumed foods, serves a strategic role in this context. Common fortificants include water- and fat-soluble vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium. Inhibitors can affect the bioavailability of minerals and nutrients, so selecting an appropriate dietary vehicle for fortification is important. Factors such as fiber, phosphates, oxalates, and phytates can reduce fortificant absorption and limit micronutrient uptake. Further research is therefore needed on the bioavailability of fortificants in specific dietary vehicles. Optimizing the compatibility of fortificants with food vehicles is also essential to enhance absorption. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Recently, concerns about people's health and the environment have led to an increased tendency to consume organic and functional foods that contain health-beneficial compounds and protect the ecosystem. This research was conducted to examine the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, health awareness, and obsession with healthy eating, as well as consumers' preferences for organic and functional foods.

Method: A total of 1022 volunteers aged 19-65 years participated in the study. General information, demographics, health information, anthropometric measurements, an organic and functional nutrition questionnaire, the Orthorexia-15 Scale (ORTO-15), and the Health Awareness Scale were applied to the participants.

Results: A total of 59.9% of the individuals were male, 60.7% were married, and 71.8% were university graduates. A slight majority of the individuals (55.5%) had a healthy body weight. The organic and functional food consumption scores of women were significantly higher than those of men (P = 0.005, P = 0.046, respectively). The organic food consumption score and health awareness score of individuals aged 31 years and above were significantly higher than those of individuals aged 19-30 years (P = 0.002, P < 0.001, respectively). Participants aged 19-30 years had higher functional food consumption than those aged 31 years or older, single participants had higher functional food consumption than married participants, and university graduates had higher functional food consumption than primary school graduates. In addition, there was correlation between health awareness and orthorexia nervosa (ON) (r = -0.229, P < 0.001), organic food consumption and ON (r = -0.080, P = 0.011), organic food consumption and health awareness (r = 0.153, P < 0.001). There was correlation between functional food consumption and ON (r = -0.125, P < 0.001), functional food consumption and health awareness (r = 0.124, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Health-oriented attitudes of individuals are effective in their dietary behaviours. However, it was determined that orthorexic tendencies predicted both organic and functional food consumption, while health awareness was a significant predictor only of organic food consumption. Policies aimed at improving health awareness are expected to increase demand for organic and functional foods. Comprehensive and extended-duration studies are necessary to determine the factors that influence the consumption of these foods. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: In order to investigate the primary factors influencing the germination of Euryale ferox seed, two varieties of E. ferox seed, thorny and thornless, were selected as test materials. After an accelerated germination test, the physicochemical components, enzyme activities, microstructure, and functional properties of the germinate and non-germinate seed kernels were analyzed and compared.

Results: The results indicated that the starch content from germinate seed kernels significantly decreased, whereas the α-amylase activity, protease activity, glucose content, soluble protein content, free amino acid content, and total phenol content all significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with non-germinate samples, a greater proportion of spherical aggregates in germinate seed kernels exhibited damage, presumably due to the hydrolytic action of endogenous enzymes. Rapid viscosity analysis demonstrated that germination significantly decreased the peak viscosity, final viscosity, and thermal stability of the seed kernels. In comparison with non-germinate seeds, germinate seed kernels exhibited a substantial enhancement in both solubility and swelling power. Additionally, the proportions of α-helix and β-turn decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in proteins from germinate seed kernels, while the proportions of antiparallel β-sheet, parallel β-sheet, and random coil significantly increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the short-range order of starch molecules in germinate seed kernels was reduced.

Conclusion: In summary, the activation and elevated activity of endogenous enzymes, particularly α-amylase and protease, are pivotal drivers of E. ferox seed germination. The process entails extensive component transformation and structural remodeling within the seed kernel, primarily mediated through enzymatic hydrolysis, which collectively determines germination potential. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Replacing conventional feed ingredients with cost-effective and readily available alternatives is a viable strategy for reducing feed costs and enhancing production efficiency. Walnut meal (WM) may serve as a more economical protein source compared to soybean meal. In this study, the effects of incorporating 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10% WM into Ross 308 broiler diets on growth performance, selected slaughter and carcass characteristics, and the fatty acid and amino acid compositions of thigh meat were examined.

Results: Adding 10% WM negatively affected (P < 0.05) body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and carcass weight, while feed intake and some slaughter traits were unaffected. WM increased (P < 0.001) monounsaturated, USFA, n-3 PUFA, and n-6 PUFA levels, while controls had higher (P < 0.001) n-3 PUFA/n-6 PUFA and SFA/USFA ratios. Fatty acid indices indicated health benefits in WM groups. The inclusion of WM in the compound feeds did not affect the amino acid profile of thigh meat. CONCLUSİON: Results showed that including WM at up to 7.5% in broiler diets did not adversely affect growth, carcass traits, or thigh meat fatty acid composition. Dose-response analysis indicated the most favorable outcomes at 2.5% WM. However, when deciding on WM inclusion in broiler (meat-type) diets, the balance between performance and fatty acid composition should be taken into account. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Tegillarca granosa is prone to spoilage and deterioration during storage due to the action of microorganisms and enzymes. The traditional shelf-life prediction methods have problems such as strong destructiveness, long time consumption, complex operation and strict requirements for personnel. This study model constructed an intelligent prediction model of T. granosa based on a multilayer perceptron (MLP).

Results: Under different storage temperatures (25, 4, -18 °C), the physicochemical indicators total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total viable bacteria count (TVC), and sensory characteristics (color, electronic nose) of T. granosa all showed a deteriorating trend over time. Shelf-life prediction model outputs the shelf life by inputting multidimensional variables such as TVB-N, TBARS, color, electronic nose and TVC. The quality prediction models include three types: predicting the TVB-N values and TBARS values by inputting storage temperature and days; predicting the TVB-N value by inputting the response value of the electronic nose sensor. All the prediction models performed outstandingly, with the coefficient of determination (R²) remaining above 0.98, the mean absolute error controlled within 0.50, and the mean square error within 0.4.

Conclusion: The above results fully verified that the models have good prediction accuracy and stability. By applying machine learning technology, the shelf life and quality dynamic change patterns of aquatic products have been predicted rapidly, accurately, and non-destructively, which has significant practical value for the quality control of aquatic products and the reduction of economic losses. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in algal oil are prone to oxidation, which leads to the formation of a fishy odor and may reduce product quality significantly. This study investigated the changes in the fishy odor during the oxidation of algal oil.

Results: The results show that the oxidation rate of oil accelerated significantly after 4 days, resulting in the intensification of the fishy odor. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed to identify the off-odor substances and 103 compounds were identified. Among these, (E, E)-2,4-hexadienal had the highest content (216.65 μg g^-1) and a variable importance in projection (VIP) of 5.39, playing a crucial role in the characterization of odor. Combined with odor activity value (OAV) analysis, hexanal, (E)-2-heptenal, (E, E)-2,4-hexadienal, (E, E)-2,4-heptadienal, 1-hepten-3-one, and 1-octen-3-ol were identified as the characteristic components of the fishy odor. Further research revealed that these odor constituents exhibited significant correlations with fatty acid composition. These compounds are derived primarily from the secondary metabolites generated during oxidation of long-chain UFAs in algal oil.

Conclusion: This study clarified the key substances and sources of fishy odor in algal oil. It provides an important basis for the development of odorless algal oil products. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) persists as a global public health burden, urging the development of high-efficacy iron supplements with improved bioavailability and stability. Egg yolk phosphopeptides (EYPPs) possess excellent metal-chelating potential due to their abundant functional groups, making them ideal carriers for iron fortification.

Results: This study synthesized and characterized an egg yolk phosphopeptide-ferrous (EYPP-Fe) chelate, optimizing reaction conditions as follows: 7.5% peptide concentration, 3:1 peptide-to-iron salt mass ratio, 55 °C reaction temperature, pH 7, and 40 min reaction time. Structural analyses via ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed chelate formation, with ferrous ions coordinating with EYPP's amino, carboxyl, and phosphate groups. In vitro assays demonstrated EYPP-Fe's robust stability against heat, salt, acid, and gastrointestinal digestion. In a zebrafish model of phenylhydrazine-induced anemia, EYPP-Fe significantly ameliorated anemia (P < 0.05), increasing cardiac erythrocyte staining intensity by 78.57% compared to the model group - outperforming ferrous pyrophosphate.

Conclusion: These findings validate EYPP-Fe as a promising iron supplement candidate with enhanced stability and bioavailability, offering a viable solution for IDA mitigation. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: In winter wheat, low nitrogen (N) and zinc efficiency limits production. Although combined application boosts yield and grain zinc, the underlying mechanisms and optimal rates remain unclear. This study aims to uncover these mechanisms and identify the best management strategy.

Results: Applying N at 240 kg ha^-1 significantly enhanced post-anthesis glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activities in flag leaves compared to 180 kg ha^-1, promoting pre-anthesis N translocation and post-anthesis N accumulation. This extended the grain-filling period by 0.8-1.44 days, increased the maximum grain-filling rate by 3.11-12.30% and boosted yield by 6-8% through improvements in spike number, grains per spike and thousand-kernel weight. Grain Zn concentration and Zn use efficiency increased by 12-21% and 35%, respectively, but N uptake and utilization efficiency declined. Foliar Zn application at anthesis (2.4 kg ha^-1) further enhanced GS and GOGAT activities during grain filling, increased post-anthesis N accumulation and improved the grain-filling rate by 0.63-9.96%. This raised thousand-kernel weight by 0.70-10.97% and yield by 0.71-5.78%. Grain Zn concentration reached 40.59-41.12 mg kg^-1, whereas N uptake efficiency and partial factor productivity of N increased by 1.94-11.61% and 0.71-5.78%. Correlation analysis indicated strong associations of yield with grain N accumulation, post-anthesis GS/GOGAT activities and N partial factor productivity, whereas grain Zn concentration correlated with Zn use efficiency and post-anthesis N metabolism.

Conclusion: The combination of N at 240 kg ha^-1 and foliar Zn at 2.4 kg ha^-1 during anthesis optimized post-anthesis N metabolism, prolonged grain filling and synergistically improved yield, grain Zn content and NZn efficiency. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.