Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation on the Physicochemical Properties of Rice Flour and Rice Starch and on the Anti-Staling of Rice Bread.

In this study, Lactococcus lactis lactis subspecies 1.2472, Streptococcus thermophilus 1.2718, and thermostable Lactobacillus rhamnosus HCUL 1.1901-1912 were used to ferment rice flour for preparing rice bread. The characteristics of fermented rice bread were studied to elucidate the mechanism by which fermentation improves the anti-staling ability of rice bread. The amylose content of rice flour increased after fermentation. The peak viscosity, attenuation value, final viscosity, recovery value, and gelatinization temperature decreased. Amylopectin was partially hydrolyzed, and the amylose content decreased. The crystallinity of starch decreased, and the minimum crystallinity of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis fermented rice starch (LRS) was 11.64%. The thermal characteristics of fermented rice starch, including To, Tp, Tc, and ΔH, were lower than RS (rice starch), and the △H of LRS was the lowest. Meanwhile, LRS exhibited the best anti-staling ability, and with a staling degree of 43.22%. The T22 of the LRF rice flour dough was lower, and its moisture fluidity was the weakest, indicating that moisture was more closely combined with other components. The texture characteristics of fermented rice bread were improved; among these, LRF was the best: the hardness change value was 1.421 times, the elasticity decrease was 2.35%, and the chewability change was 47.07%. There, it provides a theoretical basis for improving the shelf life of bread.

Five NUCLEAR FACTOR-Y subunit B genes in rapeseed (Brassica napus) promote flowering and root elongation in Arabidopsis.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Heterologous expression of BnNF-YB2, BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB4, BnNF-YB5, or BnNF-YB6 from rapeseed promotes the floral process and also affects root development in Arabidopsis. The transcriptional regulator NUCLEAR FACTOR-Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric complex composed of NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC proteins and is ubiquitous in yeast, animal, and plant systems. In this study, we found that five NF-YB proteins from rapeseed (Brassica napus), including BnNF-YB2, BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB4, BnNF-YB5, and BnNF-YB6 (BnNF-YB2/3/4/5/6), all function in photoperiodic flowering and root elongation. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that BnNF-YB2/3 and BnNF-YB4/5/6 were clustered with Arabidopsis AtNF-YB2 and AtNF-YB3, respectively, implying that these NF-YBs are evolutionarily and functionally conserved. In support of this hypothesis, the heterologous expression of individual BnNF-YB2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 in Arabidopsis promoted early flowering under a long-day photoperiod. Further analysis suggested that BnNF-YB 2/3/4/5/6 elevated the expression of key downstream flowering time genes including CO, FT, LFY and SOC1. Promoter-GUS fusion analysis showed that the five BnNF-YBs were expressed in a variety of tissues at various developmental stages and GFP fusion analysis revealed that all BnNF-YBs were localized to the nucleus. In addition, we demonstrated that the heterologous expression of individual BnNF-YB2/3/4/5/6 in Arabidopsis promoted root elongation and increased the number of root tips formed under both normal and treatment with simulators of abiotic stress conditions.

Frontiers of Robotic Gastroscopy: A Comprehensive Review of Robotic Gastroscopes and Technologies.

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract pathology is common worldwide. With recent advancements in robotics, innovative diagnostic and treatment devices have been developed and several translational attempts made. This review paper aims to provide a highly pictorial critical review of robotic gastroscopes, so that clinicians and researchers can obtain a swift and comprehensive overview of key technologies and challenges. Therefore, the paper presents robotic gastroscopes, either commercial or at a progressed technology readiness level. Among them, we show tethered and wireless gastroscopes, as well as devices aimed for UGI surgery. The technological features of these instruments, as well as their clinical adoption and performance, are described and compared. Although the existing endoscopic devices have thus far provided substantial improvements in the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment, there are certain aspects that represent unwavering predicaments of the current gastroenterology practice. A detailed list includes difficulties and risks, such as transmission of communicable diseases (e.g., COVID-19) due to the doctor-patient proximity, unchanged learning curves, variable detection rates, procedure-related adverse events, endoscopists' and nurses' burnouts, limited human and/or material resources, and patients' preferences to choose non-invasive options that further interfere with the successful implementation and adoption of routine screening. The combination of robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as remote telehealth endoscopy services, are also discussed, as viable solutions to improve existing platforms for diagnosis and treatment are emerging.

Characterization of Fructan Metabolism During Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) Germination.

The inulin-type fructans in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers exhibit different degrees of polymerization and are critical for germination. We aimed to characterize the sugar metabolism dynamics in the tubers without bud eyes or shoots (T) and BE/S of indoor- and field-grown Jerusalem artichokes during germination. Ht1-FEH II and Ht1-FEH III (1-fructan exohydrolases II and III, inulin-degrading enzymes) expression increased 5 days after planting indoors, whereas Ht1-FEH II expression increased 72 days after planting in the field in T and BE/S. Ht1-SST (sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyl transferase, inulin synthesis initiator), and Ht1-FFT (fructan:fructan 1-fructosyl transferase, inulin elongator) expression generally decreased in indoor-grown T. The enzyme activities of 1-FEH and 1-FFT were unchanged during germination in both indoor- and field-grown T and BE/S, whereas 1-SST activity decreased in indoor-grown T, while 1-FEH and 1-FFT activities increased as a function of germination time in BE/S of both indoor- and field-grown tubers. The total soluble sugar content gradually decreased in T after germination indoors or in the field, while at the end of germination, the sucrose and fructan contents decreased, and fructose content increased in the field. The enzyme activities of soluble vacuolar (VI) or neutral invertase (NI) did not change significantly, except at the late germination stage. Sucrose synthase (SS) and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) activities were not significantly changed in T and BE/S in indoor-grown artichokes, while SS activity gradually increased, and SPS activity gradually decreased in field-grown artichokes, alongside sucrose degradation. Compared to T, BE/S generally had higher enzyme activities of 1-FEH and 1-FFT, promoting inulin hydrolysis. This work shows that the process of tuber germination is similar indoors and in the field, and germination studies can therefore be conducted in either environment.