NPJ Science of Food最新文献

The physical structure of pulse cotyledon cells modulates gut microbiota by controlling starch and protein availability for colonic fermentation, yet the mechanisms governing the interplay between saccharolytic and proteolytic fermentation remain unclear. Here, enzymatically treated white kidney bean cotyledon cells with weakened cell walls (CWs) underwent in vitro fecal fermentations and shotgun sequencing. Impaired CWs enhanced fermentation, increased acetate and propionate production, and reduced branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and ammonia. Damaged CWs upregulated CAZymes encoding genes GH4, GH15, GH126, CBM20, and CBM26, which are associated with amylase, α-glucosidases, and amyloglucosidase activities involved in starch degradation. Furthermore, amino acid pathway enrichment revealed that IhgO and csiD, involved in lysine degradation, as well as astA-E, PRODH, putA and E1.2.1.88, involved in the conversion of arginine and proline to glutamate, were upregulated. Instead, isolated protein showed the highest ammonia and BCFAs production, accompanied by elevated glutamate dehydrogenase (gudB, GLUD1_2, and E1.4.1.4), soxA and soxB, involved in serine metabolism, and DBT, involved in branched-chain amino acid degradation. These findings provide metagenomic insights into how pulse CW integrity regulates saccharolytic and proteolytic fermentation, deepening our understanding of whole pulse foods in supporting gut health.

Identifying reliable surrogates for Listeria monocytogenes is critical to safely model its behavior in dairy environments. Many dairy-related listeriosis outbreaks are linked to unpasteurized milk products enriched in hypervirulent L. monocytogenes from lineage I. We used an outbreak-associated lineage I strain to evaluate Listeria innocua, Listeria valentina, and Listeria ivanovii as potential surrogates in UHT and raw milk at 4 °C. We also assessed how overexpression of key virulence factors, including LIPI-3 and the PrfA regulon, influenced growth. While LIPI-3 overexpression had no significant impact, PrfA overexpression reduced fitness in both matrices. None of the other Listeria species tested accurately replicated the L. monocytogenes wild type strain growth patterns. Additionally, the native raw milk microbiota remained largely unaffected by the presence of any Listeria strain. Our findings emphasize the limitations of commonly used surrogates and underline the importance of selecting appropriate models for food challenge studies, especially in complex dairy matrices.

Oolong tea flavor is shaped by metabolite variations induced by season, processing, and cultivar. This study investigated the metabolic basis of sensory characteristics in Yongchun Foshou (YCFS) tea by integrating HS-SPME/GC-MS, HPLC, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), and chemometrics. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) pinpointed key differential compounds between spring (YCFS-S) and autumn (YCFS-A) teas. Two-way ANOVA with effect size analysis confirmed that season was the dominant factor influencing most metabolites, although grade was the primary driver for free amino acids. YCFS-S contained significantly higher levels of taste-related phytochemical compounds, whereas YCFS-A exhibited elevated tea polyphenols. Statistical sensory analysis further identified a subset of key aroma compounds as drivers of seasonal and grade-based aroma differences. Correlation network analysis pinpointed 27 key sensory drivers: 12 aroma compounds defining a complex aroma profile dominated by floral and herbal notes, and 15 phytochemical compounds responsible for the umami, overall richness, and balanced bitterness. These findings were synthesized to construct the first dedicated flavor wheel for YCFS, elucidating how seasonality and grade collectively shape its flavor profile and providing a scientific basis for quality control and standardized production.

Milk fat stands out for its superior quality, due to its bioactive lipids and rich flavor, unlike other plant and animal fats. The current study presents a novel approach to detect pork fat adulteration in buffalo and bovine ghee via fatty acid profiling, volatile compound analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. Pure ghee samples were mixed with different levels (1, 2, 4, 8, 10, and 15%) of pork fat. By spiking ghee samples with pork fat at levels as low as 1%, we demonstrate that key indicators, such as butyric acid depletion, shifts in lipid quality indices, and distinctive FTIR spectral characteristics, can reliably signal adulteration. In addition, the principal component analysis revealed clear clustering patterns that differentiate pure and adulterated samples, highlighting the discriminatory power of the combined analytical methods. The findings of this study could offer a robust framework to ensure ghee authenticity and protect consumer trust in high-value dairy products.

Cultivated meat production involves the ex vivo growth of animal cells without slaughter. However, classical muscle tissue engineering depends on animal-derived components, raising ethical, economic, and sustainability concerns. This review analyzes the roles, challenges, and alternatives of these components, examining available data from published protocols, scientific literature, and commercial manuals. Synthetic and plant-based materials, as non-animal-derived substitutes, are explored for media components, enzymes, antibodies, and scaffolds to minimize reliance on animal sources. Although growth factors and synthetic materials with structural or biochemical functions remain costly, advances such as precision fermentation and cell-free protein synthesis offer promising routes for cost reduction and alignment with animal welfare goals. Innovative culture media formulations and input alternatives are crucial to overcoming ethical and environmental challenges. Current strategies like media input reuse and growth factor immobilization on scaffolds further optimize the cultivated meat production chain. Current and future sustainable technological advancements will pave the way for a viable and ethical future in cell-based food systems.

Searching for natural scaffolds with structural and nutritional properties favorable for cell adhesion and growth is a challenge for piscine cell culture. In this study, myoblasts and preadipocytes from Larimichthys crocea were cultured on uncoated rice grains, and the cell confluence reached over 80% after two days of cultivation. The physical and chemical properties of different rice grains showed that the hardness had a relatively significant regulatory effect on the growth of cells, and 6.45 to 7.28 N was beneficial for the growth of cells. Finally, the nutritional composition and flavor of rice grains were evaluated, revealing that myotubes-organized rice grains were rich in protein, adipocytes-organized rice grains were high in fat. All rice grain samples displayed enhanced flavor profiles. These findings suggest that specific rice varieties can serve as effective scaffolds for the in vitro proliferation and differentiation of piscine stem cells. The resulting rice-meat composite food emerges as a promising innovative food product.

Infant rice cereal (IRC), presents an increasing risk of allergic reactions upon initial exposure, effective assessment models remain underdeveloped. This study established an intestinal allergy model in female Wistar rats using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an adjuvant to simulate first-time IRC exposure. Clinical symptoms, physiological indicators, and immunological analyses results demonstrated that LPS triggered intestinal allergic responses and elevated serum levels of immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgA, IgD, IgM), mast cell markers (mMCP-1 and MCT), and plasma histamine (HIS). Intestinal tissue analysis revealed significant increases in IgE, secretory IgA, HIS, and complement (C3, C4) in the jejunum and ileum, confirming these regions as key mucosal immune activation sites. Furthermore, LPS-induced responses were localized to the intestines and did not alter spleen or thymus cytokines. The proposed model effectively simulates IgE-mediated intestinal allergy to IRC, thereby offers a reliable platform for evaluating IRC allergenic variations and supporting safer infant complementary food development.

Summer-autumn steamed green tea flakes have attracted attention as a cost-effective extended product of traditional spring shaded Tencha, but their metabolic and sensory transformations during processing remain unexplored. This study employed non-targeted metabolomics and sensomics approaches, including quantitative descriptive analysis, electronic tongue evaluation, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis-to systematically investigate the dynamic non-volatile metabolic transformations and their associations with sensory attributes. A total of 228 metabolites were significantly correlated with sensory traits. Results showed a decline in green characteristics, while seaweed-like notes, umami intensity, and overall preference were enhanced, particularly during the second oven-drying stage. Flavonoid glycosides underwent selective degradation under moist-heat conditions, and the concurrent decrease in tea polyphenols-particularly EGCG-collectively contributed to the reduction in astringency, while the accumulation of trehalose, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and 17α,20α-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one potentially enhanced flavor balance and seaweed-like characteristics. These findings provide a biochemical basis for optimizing Tencha production using summer-autumn tea materials.

Amid growing global concerns over obesity, the identification of novel lipid resources with potential health benefits has become a key focus in food science. Artemisia argyi, a traditional edible plant, is valued for its bioactive volatile oils, yet the effects of Artemisia argyi oil (AAO) on lipid metabolism and energy balance remain largely unexplored. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), which facilitates energy dissipation via non-shivering thermogenesis, is a key target for dietary strategies to combat obesity. Here, we demonstrate that AAO combats obesity by promoting BAT thermogenesis, resulting in significant reductions in weight gain, body fat, and improved insulin sensitivity. Mechanistically, AAO promotes Ucp1 transcription by directly activating ZFP516 expression and enhancing its interaction with LSD1. These findings identify AAO as a natural dietary component with potential to improve metabolic health through BAT activation, offering insights for its use in functional foods aimed at energy balance and weight management.

Cultured meat is considered a sustainable protein alternative. To produce chicken meat in a controlled environment, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) was used to provide structure similar to traditional chicken meat. BNC was synthesized as a hydrogel from Novacetimonas hansenii in vitro culture. Chicken mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from pathogen-free eggs were cultivated in both 2D (monolayers) and 3D (spheroids) forms and introduced into BNC. Results showed that the shape, viability, and stemness of 3D spheroids and 2D monolayers were maintained. Notably, 3D platforms better replicate natural cellular environments, enhancing differentiation potential. Differentiated spheroids and monolayers were successfully cultured on both modified and unmodified BNC hydrogels, with tissue-like organization observed mainly in modified BNC. The cultured chicken prototype using nanocellulose proved promising for developing cultured meat products with co-cultivation of 2D and 3D cells. Visual analyses revealed significant similarities between cultured and farmed chicken.