Journal of Agriculture and Food Research最新文献

{"title":"Revealing the impact of different drying methods on the metabolites and bioactivities of Elsholtzia rugulosa based on untargeted metabolomics combined with chemometrics","authors":"Lijuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Peifeng Zhu ,&nbsp;Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Afsar Khan ,&nbsp;Huixi Su ,&nbsp;Qiong Jin ,&nbsp;Junying Huang ,&nbsp;Lu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Elsholtzia rugulosa</em> Hemsl., a plant with a long history of use as an herbal tea, a honey source, and a folk medicine, is widely distributed in Southwest China. To investigate the effect of various drying approaches on the metabolites and biological activities of <em>E. rugulosa</em>, this study applied an untargeted metabolomics approach, utilizing ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), combined with chemometric analysis of the experimental data. The results indicated that vacuum freeze drying (VFD) yielded the highest contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, and total triterpenoids. In contrast, shade drying (SD) was more effective in preserving total proteins and soluble total sugars; while hot air drying (HAD) resulted in the most abundant volatile metabolites. Dattelic acid and epigallocatechin were identified as the most significantly differential metabolites in <em>E. rugulosa</em> among the three drying methods. Additionally, comparative analysis of metabolic pathways identified flavonoid biosynthesis as the core differentially enriched pathway among various metabolites, underscoring its significance in the metabolic response to drying. Compared with SD and HAD, the VFD resulted in samples with superior inhibitory activities against <em>α</em>-glucosidase, <em>α</em>-amylase, and lipase. For <em>α</em>-glucosidase, <em>α</em>-amylase, and lipase, five differential metabolites were selected as targets for molecular docking studies, all of which exhibited high binding affinities towards their respective receptors. These findings provide a scientific basis for optimizing processing strategies to enhance the health-promoting properties of <em>E. rugulosa</em>. Furthermore, this study offers a systematic insight into the metabolic characteristics and variations in <em>E. rugulosa</em> under three different drying methods, providing a crucial scientific basis for future process-optimization and targeted exploration of bioactive constituents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102668"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"UAV-based integration of RGB, thermal, and structural features with machine learning for multi-class basal stem rot (BSR) severity detection in oil palm","authors":"N.A. Husin ,&nbsp;N.A.H.M. Baktiar ,&nbsp;V.U. Tagang ,&nbsp;S. Khairunniza–Bejo ,&nbsp;M.F.M. Yusuf","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Basal Stem Rot (BSR) caused by <em>Ganoderma boninense</em> is the foremost threat to global oil palm productivity, yet its early and scalable detection remains profoundly challenging. This study presents an integrated UAV-based framework that combines RGB and thermal imagery with top-view structural palm features - crown area, frond number, and frond angle to classify BSR severity levels (T0–T3) using machine learning. A total of 1278 field-verified oil palm trees were assessed, and the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) was applied to address substantial class imbalance. Vegetation indices (VARI, ExG, GLI), thermal pixel intensities, and canopy structural attributes were extracted and Principal Component Analysis was enabled in Machine Learning before training 30 classification models. Among these, the Ensemble Bagged Trees classifier achieved the most robust and consistent performance, recording 94.20 % accuracy for both validation and testing phases, with high per-class precision up to 98.5 % and recall up to 99.7 %. VARI demonstrated the strongest and most consistent spectral response to disease progression, while ExG and GLI exhibited unstable patterns due to canopy shadowing and radiometric variability. The findings highlight the potential of integrating multisensor UAV data with ensemble learning to develop an accurate, scalable, and cost-efficient BSR severity mapping system, supporting improved surveillance and precision disease management across commercial oil palm plantations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102660"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of tillage reversal and crop rotation on soil health and soil organic carbon fractions and stocks in wheat-based cropping systems under dryland Morocco","authors":"Massamba Diop ,&nbsp;Khalil El Mejahed ,&nbsp;Salvador Francisco Acuña-Guzman ,&nbsp;Harun Cicek ,&nbsp;Aziz Zine El Abidine ,&nbsp;Mohamed El Gharous ,&nbsp;Adnane Beniaich","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tillage and cropping systems can strongly influence soil health and soil organic carbon (SOC). We carried out an integrative study on the effects of permanent shifting from no-tillage (NT) to reduced tillage (RT) and crop rotation on soil health indicators, soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and stocks, and soil health index (SHI) in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. A rainfed field experiment including 12-year continuous NT (“NT12”) and 7-year NT converted to 5-year RT (“NT7RT5”, i.e., tillage reversal), both combined with three wheat-based diversified crop rotations (DCRs), was conducted. A 12-year continuous conventional tillage (“CT12”) system under wheat monoculture served as a reference. Soil samples were collected at 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm depths. SOC fractions included particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). Compared to continuous NT (i.e., NT12), tillage reversal from NT to RT (i.e., NT7RT5) did not affect the contents of SOC and its fractions and SOC stocks at 0–30 cm but modified the vertical distribution of SOC and its fractions, with NT7RT5 having lower contents of SOC (1.74 %) and POC (0.65 %) at 0–7.5 cm but greater contents of SOC (1.68 %) and MAOC (1.05 %) at 7.5–15 cm and higher POC content (0.70 %) at 15–30 cm; NT7RT5 lowered the available water capacity (−18 %) and increased total nitrogen (+8 %) at 0–30 cm; but SHI values at 0–30 cm were comparable between NT12 (0.5) and NT7RT5 (0.54). Under NT12 and NT7RT5, crop rotation influenced total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, bulk density, and total porosity, with “Rotation 3”, including wheat, pea, triticale, and faba bean, showing the best results. Despite having higher nutrient (N-P-K) inputs, CT12 resulted in lower SOC content (1.16 %) and stock (45.2 Mg C ha^-1) and POC content (0.31 %) at 0-30 cm compared to the cropping systems in NT12 and NT7RT5. These results: i) provide evidence on the possibility of shifting from long-term NT to RT without harming, in the short term, the overall soil health status and SOC storage in the topsoil (0-30 cm), but with the risk of reducing water retention in the soil, which may penalize crop productivity; ii) suggest that Rotation 3 could be recommended in the study region and similar Mediterranean areas for improving certain soil health attributes; and iii) confirm the soil and carbon benefits of conservation tillage (NT, RT) coupled with DCRs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102641"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crop disease surveillance through integration of machine and deep learning in the face of climate change","authors":"Avneet Kaur ,&nbsp;Gurjit S. Randhawa ,&nbsp;Aitazaz A. Farooque ,&nbsp;Mumtaz Ali ,&nbsp;Harmanpreet Singh ,&nbsp;Khalil Al-Mughrabi ,&nbsp;Dave Bell ,&nbsp;Rajandeep Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early detection of potato plant diseases is vital for agricultural productivity, plants, economy, and human health. Preventing disease spread minimizes agricultural losses and safeguard food production. Potatoes are a major food source worldwide, and reduced production could contribute to food insecurity. Precise and automatic plant disease detection represents a fundamental research topic. This study focuses on detecting potato disease risk associated with Early Blight (EB) and Gray Mold (GM) spores under the influence of dynamic climate. The aim of this study is to utilize Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies for the disease detection of infected and healthy potato plants in Atlantic Canada, for Prince Edward Island (PEI) and New Brunswick (NB); and United States (U.S.), for Maine, to mitigate agricultural losses. The novel potato dataset used in the study comprised 5630 instances, with 1482 instances from PEI, 3032 from NB, and 1116 from Maine. A hybrid Artificial Neural Network - Random Forest (ANN-RF) is implemented model for binary disease classification, where the presence of EB or GM spores is considered as a single ‘diseased’ class. The hybrid ANN-RF model yields testing accuracy of 91 % for PEI, 86.5 % for NB, 88.4 % for Atlantic Canada, 84 % for Maine, and 87.5 % for combined data, with training accuracy of 97 %, 94.7 %, 91 %, 94.5 %, and 91 %, respectively, and log loss values under 0.4. These results highlight the potential of the developed model for disease detection in potato crops based on historical spore and weather data. The research findings examine potato diseases across multiple regions, uncovering geographical dissimilarities that shape disease prevalence, patterns, and management effectiveness. The study emphasizes the effectiveness of the hybrid model for predicting the likelihood of potato disease based on pathogenic spores, demonstrating the importance of AI in enhancing agricultural productivity, pesticide inventory control, and promoting sustainable farming practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102733"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochar-amended soils enhance drought resilience in lettuce: Integrating Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) and CNN-based moisture prediction","authors":"Ruogu Tang ,&nbsp;Ashish Reddy Mulaka ,&nbsp;Wenxin Rong ,&nbsp;Xu Yuan ,&nbsp;Yin Bao ,&nbsp;Juzhong Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing frequency and severity of drought events threaten global food security by degrading soil fertility and reducing crop yields. In this study, we employed biochar as a soil amendment to improve soil water-holding capacity and support plant growth under limited irrigation. While biochar offers a practical means to enhance crop performance, its evaluation has traditionally relied on destructive, labor-intensive measurements. Although we confirmed the positive effects of biochar through experimental assessments, we recognized the need for a rapid, non-destructive method to evaluate drought resilience under reduced irrigation more efficiently. To address this demand, we integrated biochar amendments with hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and convolutional neural network (CNN) modeling into a unified agronomic-computational framework. Corn-stalk-derived biochars, produced at 350 °C, 550 °C, and 700 °C and applied at 1 %, 3 %, 5 wt%, by weight, were tested in lettuce under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. Under drought stress, highly pyrolyzed biochars (CSB550 and CSB700) at 5 wt% increased fresh biomass by 33.2 %, plant height by 29.8 %, and leaf moisture content by 5.63 % relative to the drought-stressed control without biochar amendment, while improving soil moisture retention by up to 24 %. Leveraging HSI's rich spectral signatures and CNN's ability to model complex, non-linear relationships, plant moisture content was predicted with an R² of 0.93 and RMSE of 0.28 %, closely matching destructive measurements. This integrated approach delivers both a practical soil management strategy to mitigate drought impacts and a scalable, high-throughput tool for real-time crop water monitoring, supporting precision irrigation and climate-resilient agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102711"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating sustainability transitions in China's dairy sector: Insights from a multi-dimensional driver analysis","authors":"Linshan Lin ,&nbsp;Philipp Mennig ,&nbsp;Roberto Villalba ,&nbsp;Johannes Sauer","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102723","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102723","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's demand for animal-sourced foods has risen quickly as dietary patterns shift, which has added to environmental pressure. Sustainable dairy production depends not only on natural resource endowments but also on macro-level socio-economic development, meso-level market mechanisms, and farm-level industrialization and resource investment. However, few studies have examined how these drivers interact with one another. In this study, we employ structural equation modeling (SEM) and panel data from 29 Chinese provinces (2006–2022) to build a framework of multidimensional drivers and analyze the spatiotemporal changes in milk production and its associated environmental costs. We find that growing regional gaps in milk output and environmental impacts are driven mainly by socioeconomic growth and dairy industrialization, rather than by natural endowments. Fresh milk supply also remains highly uneven: in more developed regions, demand has grown much faster than local production. For most drivers, increases in milk production are larger than the extra environmental burdens they create. Resource investment is the main exception: its pollution effect is about 1.5 times its production benefit. Although technological and managerial progress has slowed the rise in environmental costs, industrialization has not fully offset the pressure caused by more intensive use of feed and energy. These findings suggest that future policy should focus on improving feed and energy efficiency, better balancing regional supply and demand, and promoting cleaner industrialization with joint carbon–nitrogen management. Overall, the study provides evidence for more sustainable dairy development and context-specific policy design, offering insights into improving agricultural sustainability and resource efficiency in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102723"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of supplementary flaxseed on growth performance, serum parameters, and nitrogen metabolism in Tibetan sheep fattened in a feedlot","authors":"Huiying Ji ,&nbsp;Hualong Chen ,&nbsp;Lili Chen ,&nbsp;Abraham Allan Degen ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Xiuxiu Weng ,&nbsp;Yi Ma ,&nbsp;Jianwei Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditionally, Tibetan sheep grazed natural pasture without supplements, but growth performance was poor. Feedlot finishing was introduced to improve the average daily gain (ADG) rate of these sheep, but there was concern that it may compromise the nutritional value and characteristic meat flavor. Flaxseed, rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been reported to improve meat quality and flavor, but its effects on bodyweight change, serum parameters, and nitrogen (N) metabolism in fattening Tibetan sheep remain unclear. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap. Twenty castrated male Tibetan sheep (43.6 ± 2.11 kg) were assigned randomly to a control (CON) group and an 8 % flaxseed-supplemented (FS) (n = 10 per group) for 50 days. CON sheep had greater (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) dry matter intake, nitrogen (N) excretion, and N retention, tended to reduce ADG, while feed conversion rate (FCR) and N utilization efficiency did not differ between groups. FS sheep had lesser (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) serum concentrations of total protein, globulin, glucose and malondialdehyde, but a greater (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) concentration of glutathione peroxidase. Urinary purine derivatives excretion tended to be greater (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) in CON than FS sheep, whereas rumen microbial N production, microbial protein synthesis efficiency and renal urea-N reabsorption did not differ between groups. In conclusion, flaxseed tended to reduce growth performance and increase FCR but improved antioxidant capacity without affecting N utilization efficiency in feedlot Tibetan sheep.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102715"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of extraction methods on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of pomelo peel pectin","authors":"Danni Lin ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Lin ,&nbsp;Zhiqing Li ,&nbsp;Songlin Zhao ,&nbsp;Liping Wang ,&nbsp;Yanhong Ran ,&nbsp;Hosahalli S. Ramaswamy ,&nbsp;Hanying Duan ,&nbsp;Weibin Bai ,&nbsp;Chao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Four methods (acid extraction (HAE), acid–ultrasound extraction (US–HAE), alkaline extraction (BE), and alkaline–ultrasound extraction (US–BE)) were used to prepare pomelo peel pectins. The effects of these different extraction methods on the physicochemical and structural properties of pomelo peel pectins were investigated. As a result, HAE and US–HAE showed higher yields (9.93 % and 11.72 %) and higher molecular weights (M_ws 1756.33 and 1641.43 kDa), while BE and US–BE showed lower yields (5.28 % and 6.79 %) and smaller M_ws (912.61 and 806.67 kDa). The purity of US–HAE pectin was 7.62 % higher than that of HAE, and the purity of US–BE was 3.74 % higher than that of BE. Acid-extracted pectins (HAE and US–HAE) exhibited a high degree of esterification (DE), high M_w, predominantly homogalacturonan-rich structures, more linear conformations, and a loose lamellar morphology. By contrast, alkali-extracted pectins (BE and US–BE) displayed low DE, low M_w, and high branching, which were characterized by more complex rhamnogalacturonan I side chains and a rough, porous surface. The apparent viscosity, gel strength, and emulsifying properties of the acid-extracted pectins were significantly higher than those of alkali-extracted pectins (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Ultrasound-assisted extraction increased the yield and purity of pectin while reducing its DE and M_w without significantly affecting apparent viscosity or gel strength. Ultrasound treatment promoted GalA accumulation in the primary chain, enhancing linearity and increasing the degree of structural fragmentation. Overall, this study provides a theoretical basis for the high-value utilization of pomelo peel pectin and the design of function-oriented extraction processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102631"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of slightly acidic electrolyzed water on the postharvest quality of Ottelia acuminata","authors":"Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Si-Qi Wang ,&nbsp;Ming-Zhu Li ,&nbsp;Liu Yang ,&nbsp;Shi-Kang Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2026.102657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshly harvested vegetables, such as <em>Ottelia acuminata</em>, are prone to water loss, wilting, yellowing, and microbial damage owing to accelerated biochemical reactions. Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) enhances the activity of disease-resistant enzymes, improves disease resistance in vegetables during storage, and maintains postharvest freshness and nutritional quality. Although SAEW has been widely used in order to enhance the postharvest quality of various vegetables, research on its regulatory mechanisms in aquatic vegetables remains limited. In this study, physiological and biochemical indicators and metabolomic data were integrated to elucidate the differences in the preservation mechanisms of SAEW, low-temperature storage, and PE bag treatments in <em>O. acuminata</em>. Physiological and biochemical results showed that the key indicators of appearance and nutritional quality, including flavonoids, total phenols, chlorophyll, chlorophyll b, and starch content, reached their highest levels under the combined treatment of SAEW and low-temperature storage. Metabolomic analysis revealed that numerous differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) participate in key pathways, including phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings indicate that SAEW treatment allocates more resources to the accumulation of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds in secondary rather than primary metabolic pathways. DAMs were enriched in pathways related to antioxidant activity, membrane stabilization, and stress responses, suggesting their potential contribution to postharvest preservation under SAEW treatment. This study has elucidated how SAEW combined with low-temperature storage preserves the postharvest quality of <em>O. acuminata</em>, and proposes SAEW as an effective postharvest strategy to reduce spoilage and deterioration and meet consumer demand for high-quality vegetables.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102657"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptomic and functional analysis of a polysaccharide from Caulerpa lentillifera with immunostimulatory and antioxidant properties","authors":"Suphaporn Tesvichian ,&nbsp;Apaporn Rodpan ,&nbsp;Papassara Sangtanoo ,&nbsp;Tanatorn Saisavoey ,&nbsp;Anumart Buakeaw ,&nbsp;Simab Kanwal ,&nbsp;Jatupol Liangsakul ,&nbsp;Anek Sopon ,&nbsp;Aphichart Karnchanatat ,&nbsp;Piroonporn Srimongkol","doi":"10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the immunomodulatory and antioxidative potential of SGP₃₁, a sulfated polysaccharide derived from the seaweed <em>Caulerpa lentillifera</em>. Transcriptomic profiling of RAW 264.7 macrophages treated with SGP₃₁ indicated dose-dependent modulation of genes associated with immune responses and oxidative stress regulation. Key genes, including <em>Tnf, Il6, Hmox1,</em> and <em>Txnrd1</em> were differentially expressed, suggesting activation of inflammatory and antioxidant pathways. Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted signaling networks, including cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and AGE–RAGE signaling, which may contribute to the observed cellular responses. To validate these transcriptomic findings, qRT-PCR analysis was conducted on selected genes. SGP₃₁ significantly increased the expression of <em>Tnf</em> and <em>Il6</em> relative to the untreated control, although expression levels remained considerably lower than those induced by LPS, suggesting a moderate immunostimulatory effect. The antioxidant-related gene <em>Hmox1</em> was markedly upregulated at higher SGP₃₁ concentrations, whereas <em>Nqo1</em> expression decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Functional assays revealed no cytotoxicity across the tested concentrations, with cell viability remaining above 88 %. SGP₃₁ also increased nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner, consistent with its immunostimulatory potential. Collectively, these findings suggest that SGP₃₁ can influence both inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant genes in macrophages, supporting its promise as a natural bioactive compound for immune and antioxidant modulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34393,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Food Research","volume":"26 ","pages":"Article 102619"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}