Food frontiers最新文献

Salmonella Enteritidis is a foodborne enteric pathogen that infects humans and animals, and bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) have been found to play critical roles in the virulence of Salmonella. However, the specific mechanism by which sRNAs contribute to the host–pathogen interaction in the intestine remains unclear. In this study, a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic analysis was used to investigate the effect of a particular sRNA known as Salmonella adhesive-associated sRNA (SaaS) on the intestinal damage induced by Salmonella. The results revealed that SaaS sRNA could suppress the host's inflammatory response through various gene sets, mainly including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α signaling via NF-κB, IL-6 JAK-STAT3 signaling, and interferon gamma responses. This suppressive effect was further confirmed by ELISA analysis, which showed the lowest levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Meanwhile, the work has identified several crucial factors, peptidoglycan recognition protein short, transferrin receptor protein 1, and corticosteroid 11-beta-dehydrogenase isozyme 2, that are specifically targeted by SaaS to regulate inflammatory response, neutrophils activity, and diseases. Furthermore, combining hematologic analysis and correlation analysis, this study demonstrated that SaaS led to a decrease in the percentage of neutrophils and revealed a strong correlation between the three crucial factors and various markers of inflammation and intestinal barrier function. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how SaaS sRNA modulates Salmonella invasion in the animal intestine and further present a strategy on controlling foodborne Salmonella based on the new targets, sRNAs.

Kumquat pomace non-extractable polyphenols (KNEP), which contains celobiotics and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, are one of the main components in kumquats. We aimed to determine the preventive and inhibitory effects of KNEP on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The disease activity index (DAI) score, H&E staining, high-throughput sequencing technology, quantitative analysis, ELISA, and western blotting were used to explore the effect of KNEP in an IBD mouse model. The DAI score and H&E staining results showed that compared with the DSS treatment group, the DAI and pathological status of IBD in the DSS + 3% KNEP (low-dose) and DSS + 6% KNEP (high-dose) intervention groups were significantly improved. High-throughput sequencing showed that the composition of the intestinal flora was restored under KNEP, and the abundance of pathogenic bacteria decreased and that of beneficial bacteria increased. Quantitative analysis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) showed that the SCFAs content in the cecum of IBD mice increased in a dose-dependent manner. ELISA results showed that KNEP at different doses could inhibit the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and other inflammatory factors, and that 6% KNEP had the most potent inhibitory effect. Western blotting results showed that KNEP inhibited the expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and NLRP3 in the colon of mice with DSS-induced colitis in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that KNEP can significantly improve DSS-induced acute colitis in mice, and the higher the KNEP content, the more pronounced the improvement in IBD.

Sweet corn rapidly loses its sweetness, along with other nutrients, once it is harvested, which reduces its economic value. The present study was conducted to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms by which a rapid cooling slurry ice (SI) treatment followed by storage at 0 ± 0.5°C extends the postharvest quality of sweet corn relative to slower direct cooling at 0 ± 0.5°C. In this study, we found that SI treatment can maintain the appearance quality of sweet corn and inhibit grain shrinkage, respiration, and ethylene release. SI treatment delayed the aging of corn by regulating the expression levels of genes and the levels of metabolites. SI treatment also maintains its carbohydrate content, which is mainly related to starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis, citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, and cutin biosynthesis. The results provide a possible target for improving the postharvest quality of sweet corn.

The discovery of new natural sources has brought increased attention to the development of functional foods. The hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.) fruit is an underutilized fruit due to its benefits for human health and good taste. It contains a variety of bioactive ingredients, contributing to its multiple beneficial functions and applications. This review summarized and discussed the main bioactive ingredients, beneficial functions based on in vitro, in vivo, and human studies, and different applications of the hawthorn fruit according to the updated literature in the past 3 years. Hawthorn berries contain phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, pectin, and many other bioactive components, which have a variety of beneficial functions, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiabetic, intestinal protection, cardiovascular protection, hepatoprotection, anti-cancer, and neuroprotection. Its potential molecular mechanism and different food-related applications such as hawthorn wine and antioxidant drink are discussed in detail in this review. Additionally, hawthorn berries are shown to be safe when consumed within the proper dosage. Collectively, this updated review indicates that the hawthorn fruit can be a new dietary source of bioactive ingredients with multiple beneficial functions and can be affordably developed into functional and medicinal foods for the prevention and management of certain chronic diseases.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of tea green leafhopper damage on the sensory quality and metabolite composition of Oriental Beauty by using tea leaves from different varieties of tea plants and processing factories. The results indicated that tea green leafhopper damage could reduce bitterness and increase the level of fruity aroma, which was related to the content changes of catechin components and alcohol substances. Furthermore, the tea green leafhopper salivary treatment experiment revealed that the decrease of catechin content and increase of theaflavin content were mainly influenced by the action of saliva and mechanical injury, and changes in volatile components such as linalool oxidation were responsible for the alteration in aroma. These findings provide a theoretical reference for the aroma formation and quality improvement of Oriental Beauty.

Pu'er crude tea (PCT), the initial raw material for making Pu'er tea, is favored because of unique flavor and health effects. Emotional response is helpful to explain consumers’ choice of different flavors of tea. This study aims to clarify the key floral volatiles of PCT and their emotional impact on people. Twenty-nine compounds were identified as the key volatiles from 237 volatiles, which formed the flowery aroma of PCT. Linalool, geraniol, nonanal, and methyl salicylate were more abundant in the PCT, they evoked the top five emotions (mild, wild, aggressive, tame, bored). Methyl salicylate contributed most to the wild emotion in the two mixed samples (B10 and B14), and it may contribute positively to the health effects of tea, such as refreshing and anti-inflammatory. This study provided a preliminary research idea for exploring the relationship between tea aroma and human emotions and its potential role in human health.

Cocoa powder is an important dietary source of flavanols that modulate elevated blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of cocoa beverage co-consumption with a high-fat-high-salt meal (HFHSM) on postprandial systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate in older adults living with uncontrolled hypertension. The study was a randomized crossover trial and involved older adults (aged 52.50 ± 9.36 years) (n = 28) living with hypertension. Participants, following an overnight fast, consumed either an HFHSM and cocoa beverage comprising 15 g cocoa powder in 250 mL water (HFHSM + CB; intervention) or HFHSM and 250 mL water (HFHSM + W; control). Resting SBP, DBP, and the heart rate of participants were measured at baseline (−5 min and 0 min) and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min following the consumption of either HFHSM + CB or HFHSM + W using an automated BP monitor. Repeated measures linear mixed model was used to compare the effect of cocoa beverage and water on postprandial outcomes over a 2-h period. A significant reduction (−3.8 ± 0.6 mmHg, p < .05) in resting SBP was observed postprandially following the intake of the HFHSM + CB over the 120-min period compared to the HFHSM + W. The effect was more prominent during the 90- and 120-min time points of the trial duration. No significant change in the DBP and heart rate following the consumption of HFHSM + CB compared to the HFHSM + W was observed. Cocoa beverage co-consumption with HFHSM improved postprandial SBP in older adults living with hypertension.

Ulcerative colitis is intricately linked to intestinal oxidative stress and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Lonicera japonica Thunb. (LJ) is a traditional edible and medical flower in China, and chlorogenic acid (CGA) is one of its characteristic components. However, it remains unclear whether gut microbiota plays a role in the therapeutic effects of LJ and GCA on colitis. Here, we first observed that oral administration of LJ and CGA for 3 weeks dramatically promoted the growth of Lactobacillus and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production in healthy mice. Subsequently, the alleviating effects of LJ and CGA on colitis were explored with a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice model. The intervention of LJ and CGA notably alleviated inflammation, intestinal barrier impairment, and oxidative stress in colitis and led to a significant elevation in Lactobacillus and fecal SCFAs. Eventually, the key role of gut microbiota and their metabolites on the therapeutic effects was validated by performing fecal microbiota transplantation and sterile fecal suspensions transplantation from LJ and CGA-treated healthy mice to colitis mice. Our findings demonstrated that consumption of LJ and CGA could benefit the host both in healthy condition and colitis. The beneficial effects were attributed to the improvement of the endogenous antioxidant system and promotion of the probiotic Lactobacillus and SCFAs production. Our study highlighted the great potential of LJ and CGA to be consumed as functional foods and provided novel mechanisms by which they alleviated colitis.

Increasing evidence shows that food has significance beyond traditional perception (providing nutrition and energy) in maintaining normal life activities. It is indicated that the sense of taste plays a crucial part in regulating human life activities. Taste is one of the basic physiological sensations in mammals, and it is the fundamental guarantee for them to perceive, select, and ingest nutrients in order to survive. With the advances in electrophysiology, molecular biology, and structural biology, studies on the intracellular and extracellular transduction mechanisms of taste have made great progress and gradually revealed the indispensable role of taste receptors in the regulation and maintenance of normal physiological activities. Up to now, how food regulates life activities through the taste pathway remains unclear. Thus, this review comprehensively and systematically summarizes the current study about the sense of taste, the function of taste receptors, the taste–structure relationship of gustatory molecules, the cross-talking between distinctive tastes, and the role of the gut–organ axis in the realization of taste. Moreover, we also provide forward-looking perspectives on taste research to afford a scientific basis for revealing the scientific connotation of taste receptors regulating body health.

This study explores the differentiation of sugar and molasses produced from sugar beet and cane, which are susceptible to fraudulent labeling due to differing production costs. The research aimed to authenticate these products by botanical origin using novel analytical techniques. Utilizing ethanol isotopic measurement–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) for non-exchangeable hydrogen stable isotopes alongside carbon stable isotopes analysis through elemental analyzer–IRMS, the study accurately identified the origin of various sugar and molasses samples, pinpointed mislabeled goods, and determined the source of products with previously unknown provenance. These methods were also effective in revealing sugar and molasses adulteration and quantifying the extent of such fraud. The combined isotope analyses demonstrated their potential as robust tools for combating misrepresentation and adulteration in the sugar industry.