Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture最新文献

Background: The excessive and sole use of chemical fertilizers has been found to deteriorate tea quality components. Therefore, to explore the effects of rational application of combined organic and chemical fertilizers on tea growth and quality, a pot experiment was conducted with six treatments of rational and combined organic fertilizer (OF) and chemical fertilizer (CF) which were as follows: control (no fertilizer was applied), 0OF/CF100 (only CF was applied), 25OF/75CF (25% OF + 75% CF), 50CF/50OF (50% OF + 50% CF), 75OF/25CF (75% OF + 25% CF), and 100OF/0CF (only OF was applied). The biomass of tea plant, net photosynthetic rate, chloroplast ultrastructure, and tea quality components including tea polyphenols (TPs), flavonoids, sugars, catechins, caffeine, total amino acids (TAAs), chlorophyll pigments and TP/TAA were measured.

Results: Compared to control, all fertilization treatments significantly improved tea growth, biomass, and quality components including soluble sugars, TAAs, catechins, caffeine, polyphenols and flavonoids in tea leaves. Among all fertilization treatments, 75OF/25CF and 50OF/50CF treatments had higher plant shoot biomass; 75OF/25CF and 100OF/0CF treatments significantly improved chloroplast ultrastructure and increased net photosynthetic rate, and had higher TAAs, polyphenols, catechins and caffeine contents; while 75OF/25CF treatment had higher sugar content and lowest TP/TAA. The principal component analysis (PCA) further explored that 75OF/25CF and 100OF/0CF treatments improved quality components in tea leaves in comparison to the application of only chemical fertilizers.

Conclusion: The 75OF/25CF and 100OF/0CF treatments enhanced both tea growth and quality, which indicate that rational and combination of organic and chemical fertilization or organic management had high potential to improve tea growth and the production of high-yield and better-quality tea leaves. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: This study investigated the effects of supplementing maize and wheat with a combination of xylanase and cellulase on porcine in vitro digestibility, nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) solubilization, and matrix structure. The latter was assessed using synchrotron-based micro-computed tomography (SR-μCT) and Fourier transform mid-infrared (FTMIR) spectroscopy after porcine in vitro degradation. Cereal grains were subjected to porcine in vitro digestion with or without enzyme supplementation (20 000 U kg^-1 of each enzyme) in a 2 × 2 factorial design.

Results: In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDDM) was lower for maize than for wheat (P < 0.05), and enzyme supplementation had no effect on IVDDM. Supplemental enzymes reduced arabinoxylan content in the undigested residue of wheat (53 vs 46 g kg^-1, P < 0.05) but not maize (42 vs 44 g kg⁻¹; P > 0.05). Synchrotron-based micro-computed tomography imaging revealed aleurone cells with intact content in the undigested residue of both maize and wheat, regardless of enzyme supplementation. Some endosperm cells in undigested maize residue retained their content, whereas nearly all endosperm cells in undigested enzyme-unsupplemented wheat residue were empty. No endosperm cells were detected in undigested enzyme-supplemented wheat residue. Fourier transform mid-infrared imaging indicated a higher presence of phenolic compounds in maize cell walls than in wheat.

Conclusion: Supplemental enzymes did not affect IVDDM for wheat, as they primarily degraded endosperm cell walls, the content of which was already released by pepsin and pancreatin digestion. Similarly, IVDDM for maize remained unaffected, which was probably due to the high phenolic content of its cell walls. © 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: Gallic acid (GA) is recognized for its significant antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. The processing and consumption of GA-rich foods influence the interaction with cell wall polysaccharides, thereby impacting the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of GA. This study aimed to develop a biomimetic dietary fiber (BDF) model composed of bacterial cellulose, pectin, and GA to investigate the interactions, digestive behavior, and antioxidant synergism between polysaccharides and GA within the BDF.

Results: The microstructural, compositional, and crystalline characteristics of the synthesized BDF were found to be comparable to those of natural dietary fibers. During simulated digestion in the stomach and small intestine, a total of 38.02% of GA was released from the BDF, while 61.98% remained in a polysaccharide-GA conjugated form post-digestion. In free radical scavenging assays, the GA bound within the BDF exhibited a greater antioxidant capacity than free GA.

Conclusion: The interactions between polysaccharides and GA are mediated by hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, van der Waals forces, and other non-covalent interactions. The release mechanism of GA involves its escape and diffusion from the BDF network structure, the disintegration of the BDF, and the dissolution of pectin. Polysaccharides provide a protective effect on the bioactivity of GA and enhance its synergistic role in antioxidative stress, thereby improving its bioaccessibility. These findings lay the groundwork for further exploration of the interaction mechanisms between polysaccharides and GA in dietary fibers and hold significant implications for the development of dietary intervention strategies aimed at mitigating oxidative damage. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: As a traditional Chinese medicine, Sinomenii Caulis (SC) has not only attracted much attention for its medicinal value, but also its volatile organic compounds have shown potential application in the agriculture and food fields. This study combined chain modeling (fingerprinting, machine learning, network pharmacology, metabolic analysis, spectroscopic experiments, and physical simulations) with the aim of interdisciplinarity exploring the potential applications of SC, at the interface of agriculture and food, especially in the area of food additives and active ingredient pharmacology.

Results: Palmitic acid (PA), linoleic acid (LA), and isomenthone (IM), which are closely related to depression, were shown to have good biocompatibility and stability, allowing them to cross the blood-brain barrier and exert their therapeutic effects on depression. Through metabolic analysis, these ingredients can be effectively metabolized in the human body, thus ensuring their safety in food. Through spectral analysis and physical simulation, it was verified that PA/LA/IM can interact with transporter proteins for in vivo transport.

Conclusion: The volatile organic compounds of SC can be used for the treatment of depression and as food additives, which can be fully transported in vivo to perform their roles, which is beneficial for the development of medicines and flavored foods. This study provides a feasible guide for the development of food products with pharmacological activities. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: The nutritional compositions of abalones (Haliotis discus hannai) vary with geographical origins and environmental factors. Traceability is an important part of food safety, and the heavy metals in the aquatic environment pose a threat to living organisms. Therefore, we present a comparative analysis of the nutrient and heavy metal content in abalones from three different sea areas in China: the Bohai Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea. This study uniquely addresses the correlation between nutrient composition and heavy metal accumulation. By employing weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we reveal the biological implications of heavy metal exposure, specifically focusing on chromium, copper (Cu), manganese, zinc, arsenic (As), cadmium, and lead.

Results: Betaine, glycine, and glycogen appeared in three comparisons. The abalone in the East China Sea had the highest content of betaine, and the abalone in the South China Sea had the highest contents of glycine and glycogen. Among the measured metals, the heavy metals accumulated in the viscera were significantly higher than that in the muscle, except Cu, and As showed a high target hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk.

Conclusion: Betaine, glycine, and glycogen might be important indicators for origin traceability of abalone. Abalones from the South China Sea provide higher nutritional value. Cu had different accumulation patterns and As showed high health risks, and heavy metals brought oxidative stress to abalone. Our findings not only contribute to the understanding of abalone safety and quality but also provide a novel approach to assessing impact of heavy metals on marine food sources. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline and memory loss, with oxidative stress and neuroinflammation playing crucial roles in its progression. Current treatments, such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, offer limited symptomatic relief and can have side effects. With growing interest in functional foods that have fewer side effects, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has gained attention because of its rich antioxidant content. The present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of four pomegranate cultivars: 'Wonderful', 'Phoenicia', 'Azadi' and 'Eversweet'. Additionally, it investigates their metabolite profiles and predicts potential bioactive compounds that could help prevent AD.

Results: The 'Wonderful' cultivar demonstrated the highest levels of total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total anthocyanin content and radical scavenging activities. The AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition rates were highest in 'Phoenicia' and 'Wonderful' cultivars, suggesting potential neuroprotective effects. PC12 cell assays indicated that these cultivars significantly improved cell viability, reduced reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde levels, and also enhanced catalase activity. Metabolomics analysis identified 141 metabolites, with the 'Wonderful' cultivar showing the highest metabolite abundance. Molecular docking studies indicated that some metabolites, such as taxifolin, demonstrated strong binding affinities for AChE and BuChE, suggesting potential for AD treatment.

Conclusion: The 'Wonderful' and 'Phoenicia' cultivars demonstrated the most promising antioxidant and neuroprotective effects among the evaluated pomegranates, likely because of their high taxifolin content. These findings suggest that these cultivars could be valuable for developing functional foods aimed at AD prevention and treatment. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Edible fungi seasoning not only enhances umami flavor but also improves nutritional value in the production of traditional Chinese cuisine. Volvariella volvacea is a typical tropical and subtropical tasty edible fungus, with an annual production in China reaching 330, 000 tons, accounting for 80% of the global yield. Therefore, the high-value utilization of V. volvacea has become one of the current research hotspots. This study aimed to determine the optimal reaction conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysate and Maillard reaction (MR) products of V. volvacea and to identify the odor compounds in the enzymatic hydrolysate and MR products of V. volvacea to enhance the umami taste of V. volvacea.

Results: The optimal conditions for enzymatic hydrolysate were a solid/liquid ratio of 1:10, pH 5.5, enzyme concentration of 4000 U g^-1 (cellulase:Protamex™ = 1:1), a cellulase hydrolysis time of 90 min, followed by Protamex^TM hydrolysis for 120 min, resulting in optimal umami. An MR was performed to further release umami compounds in V. volvacea. The optimal conditions for the MR were determined to be 3% xylose, 5% cysteine, 110 °C, 80 min, and pH 6.0. Finally, odor compounds before and after the MR of V. volvacea were analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry. The results revealed that chicoric ketone (sweet) was the most abundant (125.78 ± 11.71 μg kg^-1), followed by furfural (bread; 107.21 ± 2.83 μg kg^-1) and 2-methylfuran (chocolate; 90.27 ± 2.66 μg kg^-1).

Conclusion: This study provides more information for further studies on the umami compounds of V. volvacea and a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of V. volvacea. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Fermented katsuobushi, a traditional Japanese seasoning, is produced from skipjack tuna through smoking, drying and fermentation by xerophilic Aspergillus molds, primarily Aspergillus chevalieri and Aspergillus pseudoglaucus. In this study, we characterized lipolytic enzymes (cLip_1 to cLip_5 and pLip_1 to pLip_3) to clarify their roles in lipid hydrolysis during katsuobushi production under low water activity.

Results: The enzymes showed significant diversity in their activity, stability and substrate specificity, and in the hydrolysis profiles of their reactions with fish oil. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that cLip_5 showed a high identity with pLip_2 (94%) and these enzymes formed a phylogenetic cluster with filamentous fungal lipases. Purified recombinant enzymes (rcLip_1, rcLip_2, rcLip_4 and rcLip_5) and wild-type enzymes (cLip_3 and pLip_3) showed varying substrate preferences toward p-nitrophenyl esters. The addition of glycerol to reduce the water activity in the reaction mixture led to increased activities of rcLip_1 and rcLip_4, but it did not affect the activity of the other three enzymes. Among the tested six enzymes, cLip_5 showed the highest hydrolytic activity toward fish oil. The cLip_5 and pLip_2 gene transcript levels were moderately high in strains MK86 and MK88, respectively.

Conclusion: cLip_5 and its homolog pLip_2 were identified as the most promising enzymes for katsuobushi fermentation, because of their high hydrolytic activities toward fish oil and adaptability to low water activity conditions. These findings support the selection of optimal Aspergillus strains as starter cultures to potentially shorten the fermentation time and improve the quality and shelf life of katsuobushi. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Microbial exopolysaccharides represent a significant source of polysaccharides, with their production unconstrained by temporal or spatial limitations. Penicillium, a filamentous fungus widely recognized for its medicinal food applications, is known to produce exopolysaccharides that exhibit cancer-inhibitory properties.

Results: In the present study, exopolysaccharides from Penicillium EF-2 (EPS) were extracted and structurally characterized using ion chromatograph, infrared spectroscopy and NMR. The in vitro antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities were also investigated. EPS has a molecular weight of 111.47 kDa, is primarily composed of mannose, glucose and galactose, possesses a crystalline region, and exhibits excellent thermal properties. In free radical scavenging assays, EPS demonstrated robust in vitro antioxidant activity. Furthermore, EPS activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, enhancing the immunomodulatory capacity of macrophages.

Conclusion: EPS has excellent antioxidant and biological activities. The present study provides a theoretical basis for the utilization of EPS and offers new ideas for active sources of Penicillium fermented foods. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Sleep is essential for overall health and wellbeing. This study investigated the sleep-promoting effects of fermented pea protein hydrolysate (PPF) with increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content produced by Lactobacillus brevis SYLB 0016. The effects of PPF on sleep duration and structure were assessed in pentobarbital-induced ICR mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats using electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis.

Results: Hydrolysis of pea protein with Alcalase, Protana Prime, and Protana UBoost increased the amino nitrogen content, degree of hydrolysis and glutamate content to 160.51 mmol L^-1. Fermentation by Lactobacillus brevis SYLB 0016 increased the GABA content from 3.16 to 90.35 mmol L^-1. PPF significantly increased sleep duration (56.3 min) compared to the normal control (30.6 min) in pentobarbital-induced sleep tests. Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time increased with a significant rise in δ-waves activity following administration of 150 mg kg^-1 of PPF. In caffeine-induced insomnia, both low- and high-dose PPF significantly increased sleep duration. Three weeks of oral PPF administration elevated GABA_A and GABA_B receptor expression, with GABA_A receptor protein levels showing a significant change. Co-administration of flumazenil with PPF reduced sleep time, indicating the involvement of the GABA_A receptor benzodiazepine site in PPF's sleep-enhancing effects.

Conclusion: In conclusion, PPF with enhanced GABA content improves NREM sleep by increasing δ waves activity. As a hypoallergenic compound, PPF holds potential as a supplement to ameliorate sleep disorders. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.