Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture最新文献

Background: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a chronic disease caused by abnormal purine metabolism with high prevalence. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural flavonoid that is abundant in plants, such as vine tea, grapes and bayberry. DMY has been shown to possess multiple biological properties, but its anti-HUA effect remains underexplored. In the present study, the regulatory effects of DMY on HUA and its complications and mechanism were investigated.

Results: DMY (10 and 20 μmol L^-1) treatment significantly reduced xanthine oxidase (XOD) expression and uric acid (UA) synthesis in normal human liver cell strain cells, and intraperitoneal administration of DMY (100 mg kg^-1) also significantly reduced serum UA and the expression of hepatic XOD in HUA mice. After DMY treatment for 12 consecutive days, the uricosuric protein, ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2, was upregulated, and reabsorption proteins, including urate transporter 1 and glucose transporter 9, were downregulated, which was consistent with the results of monosodium urate-induced HUA in human renal tubular epithelial cell line and human colon adenocarcinoma cell line cell models. In addition, DMY significantly ameliorated HUA-induced renal injury, and foot edema induced by monosodium urate. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was activated in HUA mice as evidenced by upregulation of NLRP3, caspase-1, ACS, TNF-α and IL-1β in the kidney and foot, which was significantly suppressed by DMY treatment.

Conclusion: Collectively, these findings suggested that DMY may play important roles in experimental HUA. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Palm kernel cake (PKC), a non-conventional feed resource, contains a large amount of crude fibre (CF), mainly manna-polysaccharides, which are key limiting factors in regard to monogastric animal production. In this study, we have developed a synergistic bacteria-enzyme co-fermentation system to enhance the nutritional profile of PKC and evaluated its digestion dynamics using a physiologically relevant porcine in vitro gastrointestinal model.

Results: Sequential fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum LY19 and Bacillus natto ND1 (48 h, 37 °C) degraded 3.0% crude fiber, yielding 9.30 g kg^-1 reducing sugars. Enzymatic treatment (β-mannanase 45 U g^-1 + cellulase 160 U g^-1 + acid protease 125 U g^-1) synergistically enhanced nutrient release: soluble protein increased 214% (0.72% to 2.26%), reducing sugars surged 13.8-fold (4.45 to 61.21 g kg^-1), with 55.3% fibre reduction (15.40% to 6.88%). In vitro digestion demonstrated an improvement in regard to dry matter (7.1% increase) and protein digestibility (17.0% increase), whereas colonic fermentation showed decreased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids and gases production during 48 h. 16S ribosomal RNA analysis revealed increased beneficial Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 alongside decreased pathogens (i.e. Escherichia-Shigella) and fibre-degrading taxa (i.e. Christensenellaceae R-7, UCG-005).

Conclusion: The integrated bacterial-enzymatic co-fermentation process significantly enhanced the nutritional profile of PKC through fibre reduction, protein solubilisation, and sugar release. This pretreatment improved in vitro small intestinal digestibility and modulated colonic fermentation patterns, as evidenced by favourable microbial community shifts. These findings demonstrate the potential of this bioprocessing strategy to expand PKC utilisation in swine nutrition. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Biological control agents are promising alternatives to conventional fungicides for managing postharvest diseases but their practical use is hindered by variable effectiveness and by application challenges. One promising yet underexplored approach involves utilizing bacteria that produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with antifungal properties.

Results: In this study, Bacillus velezensis BF01, a strain with significant antifungal activity, was identified and isolated. Volatile organic compounds produced by this strain inhibited the growth and conidial germination of Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified 90 VOCs, with ketones, esters, nitrogen compounds, aldehydes, and alcohols as the dominant components, many of which exhibited antifungal or plant resistance-inducing properties. To enhance practical application, B. velezensis BF01 was incorporated into a kaolin-based composite, which maintained long-term viability under refrigerated conditions and inhibited fungal growth through the controlled release of volatile organic compounds. This composite significantly extended the shelf life of strawberries by reducing postharvest decay.

Conclusion: The development of a kaolin-based B. velezensis BF01 composite provides an effective and sustainable biocontrol strategy for postharvest disease management. By improving bacterial stability and facilitating the controlled release of antifungal volatile organic compounds, this approach offers a practical alternative to chemical fungicides, highlighting its potential in extending fruit shelf life and improving food safety. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: As the agro-industry produces considerable amounts of by-products globally, it is acknowledged that there is a need to address the environmental issues related to their disposal and the resource competition between food for humans and feed for animals. The aim of this study was to explore, in vitro, the effects of various by-products from the agro-industry on rumen fermentation and methane emission. Samples were collected from various food processing industries, including red and green apple pomace (RAP, GAP), hempseed cake (HC), coffee hulls (CH), coffee grounds (CG), spent mushroom compost (SMC) and distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In doses of 100, 200 and 300 g kg^-1, the tested by-products were incubated in rumen fluid, where the by-products replaced equal amounts of substrates.

Results: Gas production (GP) and dry matter digestibility (DMD) decreased linearly for most of the tested by-products with the growth of doses (P < 0.001), while NH₃-N concentration increased linearly. Linear decreases were observed in CH₄ production with increasing doses of all by-products (P < 0.05). The reduction of CH₄ production ranged from 21.4% to 33.6% at doses of 100-300 g kg^-1, but reductions were only observed at a dose of 100 g kg^-1 when CH₄ productions were corrected by digested dry matter (P < 0.05). RAP, GAP and HC were higher than CH, CG and SMC for the comparison of key parameters including DMD, GP and volatile fatty acids. Better methane-mitigating effects were observed for RAP, GAP and HC than for the control group and CH, CG and SMC.

Conclusion: Most of the by-products tested were found to be a potential option for replacing conventional feed ingredients but should not exceed a dose at 200 g kg^-1. © 2025 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: Lily bulbs are used as food and herbal medicine in the Chinese market. These are often sulfur-fumigated during postharvest processing for bleaching and preservation. This study aimed to compare the volatile compounds in non-fumigation and sulfur-fumigation lily bulbs by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection and multivariate statistical analysis.

Results: The results showed that sulfur fumigation led to the chemical transformation of certain original components and significantly changed the chemical characteristics of lily bulbs. A total of 56 volatile compounds were identified in the 12 samples, including one non-fumigated and 11 sulfur-fumigated lily bulbs. Based on multivariate statistical analysis, 13 most characteristic chemical markers were selected to distinguish non-fumigated and sulfur-fumigated lily bulbs. Moreover, the transformation mechanism of the four sulfur compounds and several chemical markers was inferred, which showed that an addition reaction and rearrangement reaction most occurred in the process of sulfur fumigation.

Conclusion: This newly proposed approach can be applied to ensure consistent quality associated with sulfur fumigation for lily bulbs and other food products. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: The impact of cassava starch (CS), carboxymethyl starch (CMS), and hydroxypropyl starch (HS) on the protein structure and physicochemical properties of extruded products was investigated with soybean protein-wheat gluten as the primary raw material. The quality improvement effect of starch addition on the extruded products was elucidated.

Results: The quality of extruded products was controlled by the type and content of starch. It was shown that the secondary structure of the protein changed to the ordered β-sheet structure, which was conducive to the increase of the hardness and chewiness of the extruded products by adding 2-6% starch, by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. However, protein aggregation and crosslinking were destroyed by adding 10% starch, and the internal cavity of extruded products became larger, resulting in poor formability and quality of extruded products, with the increase of starch content. The extruded products showed the largest energy storage modulus and could form more hydrogen bonds to maintain protein structure stability with 6% CMS. The addition of 6% HS led to an enhancement of hydrophobic interaction and an increase in energy storage modulus. This promoted protein molecule aggregation, significantly improving the extruded product's quality.

Conclusion: Modified starch (CMS and HS) was appropriately added at 2-6%, and the extruded products were formed into a uniform laminar flow. The quality of the extruded products was significantly improved compared with the addition of CS. This study has provided useful information for improving the quality of extrusion products by adding natural starch and modified starch. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Global warming, extreme weather, and crop rotation disruptions often lead to delayed sowing of winter wheat, impacting yields. Management strategies like fertilization and increased planting density may mitigate these effects, but their efficacy is not well understood. We conducted a meta-analysis using data from 95 studies to assess the impact of late sowing and management practices on winter wheat yield and components in China.

Result: Our findings indicate that late sowing shortened the winter wheat growth period by about 16 days, decreasing dry matter accumulation and, thus, winter wheat yield (by 9.77%). Notably, late sowing had the most substantial impact on spike number (SN), decreasing it by 9.33%, whereas grain number per spike (GN) showed no significant effect, and thousand-grain weight (TGW) decreased by 1.17%. Increasing planting density can compensate for the decrease in SN, and additional nitrogen fertilizer can offset the reduction in GN. Combining increased planting density with irrigation or increased nitrogen application can result in comparable late-sown and normal-sown wheat yields. Moreover, using plastic film mulch after delayed sowing can even surpass the yield of normal sowing in some aspects, achieving comparable SN and TGW and surpassing normal sowing in GN.

Conclusion: Our study underscores that late sowing of winter wheat results in reduced yields, but appropriate cultivation management practices can effectively alleviate these adverse effects. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Polyphenols have attracted widespread attention owing to their excellent biological activities. However, their low solubility and poor stability limit their bio-accessibility. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the complexation of polysaccharides with polyphenols represents an efficacious strategy to overcome these limitations. Nonetheless, there remains little research exploring the binding effects and underlying mechanisms between exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria and polyphenols. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the structural and functional properties of different complexes prepared using Lactobacillus helveticus MB2-1 exopolysaccharides (LHP) with six kinds of polyphenols.

Results: Six LHP-polyphenol complexes were prepared by non-covalent interactions of LHP with catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), quercetin (QU), chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid (FA) and caffeic acid (CAA), and their corresponding binding ratios were 215.80, 223.96, 233.89, 220.35, 198.74 and 214.90 g kg^-1, respectively. Obvious differences were shown in Fourier transform infrared spectra of LHP, polyphenols and their complexes, which confirmed the existence of interactions between them. Moreover, the binding of LHP with polyphenols resulted in obvious changes in molecular weight distribution and aggregation behavior of LHP, significantly enhanced antioxidant activities compared to LHP alone and significantly increased the bio-accessibility of polyphenols as well. Notably, QU and EGCG both have an inhibitory stimulatory effect in the case of LHP binding or forming a mixture, whereas CAA and FA have bidirectional regulation of NO production in macrophages, that is, immunosuppression and immune activation.

Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that the non-covalent complexation of LHP with polyphenols presented fine potentiality in improving the structure and function of food products. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Zinc (Zn) is a vital micronutrient required for optimal plant growth and soil fertility. Its use in the form of nanoparticles (NPs) has gained significant attention in agricultural applications. Green synthesized Zn-based NPs offer an eco-friendly solution to several conventional problems in agriculture. Several plants, bacteria, fungi and yeast have shown significant potential in fabricating Zn NPs that can provide environmentally friendly solutions in agriculture and the approach is aligned with sustainable agricultural practices, reducing the dependency on harmful agrochemicals. Zn-based NPs act as plant growth promoters, enhance crop yield, promote resilience to abiotic stressors and are efficient crop protection agents. Their role as a smart delivery system, enabling targeted and controlled release of agrochemicals, further signifies their potential use in agriculture. Because agriculture requires repeated applications hence, the toxicological aspects of Zn NPs cannot be ignored. Zn NPs are reported to cause phytotoxicity, including root damage, physiological and biochemical disturbances, and genotoxic effects. Furthermore, exposure to Zn NPs poses risks to soil microbiota, and aquatic and terrestrial organisms potentially impacting the ecosystem. The green synthesis of Zn-based NPs has a promising aspect for advancing sustainable agriculture by reducing agrochemical use and improving crop productivity. Their diverse applications as plant growth promoters, crop protectants and smart delivery systems emphasize their potential. However, the toxicological aspects are essential to ensure the standardization of doses for their safe and effective use. Further research would help address such concerns and help in developing viable and eco-friendly solutions for modern agriculture. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Ozone (O₃), a widespread air pollutant, significantly impairs crop growth and development, with wheat, the second largest crop by planting area of the world, being especially vulnerable. This study, conducted under Free Air Concentration Enrichment (FACE) conditions, focused on four wheat cultivars from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, investigating the effects of elevated O₃ on wheat growth, physiology and quality.

Results: Elevated O₃ levels impaired assimilate accumulation and mobilization in wheat grains, reducing pre-anthesis nitrogen accumulation and causing an 8.21% decline in post-anthesis nitrogen translocation amount (NT), while increasing post-anthesis nitrogen translocation efficiency (NTE) by 3.83% and nitrogen harvest index (NHI) by 3.43%. Over 2 years, elevated O₃ raised grain protein content by 6.6-6.7% but significantly reduced protein accumulation by 10.4-10.7%, driven by declines in gliadin and glutenin. Total free amino acids and key nitrogen metabolizing enzymes also decreased. Among the four cultivars, YN19 was the most sensitive, showing the largest protein accumulation reductions.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that elevated O₃ disrupts wheat nitrogen accumulation and protein synthesis by reducing pre-anthesis nitrogen accumulation, accelerating post-anthesis senescence, and suppressing nitrogen translocation due to rapid leaf area index (LAI) decline. The decline in nitrogen accumulation and nitrogen metabolizing enzyme activity is a critical factor contributing to reduced grain protein accumulation. Notably, YN19 exhibited the highest O₃ sensitivity, underscoring the need to develop O₃-resilient wheat cultivars to sustain grain quality under rising O₃ levels. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.