Solanum aculeatissimum and Solanum torvum chloroplast genome sequences: a comparative analysis with other Solanum chloroplast genomes.

BACKGROUND: Solanum aculeatissimum and Solanum torvum belong to the Solanum species, and they are essential plants known for their high resistance to diseases and adverse conditions. They are frequently used as rootstocks for grafting and are often crossbred with other Solanum species to leverage their resistance traits. However, the phylogenetic relationship between S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum within the Solanum genus remains unclear. Therefore, this paper aims to sequence the complete chloroplast genomes of S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum and analyze them in comparison with 29 other previously published chloroplast genomes of Solanum species. RESULTS: We observed that the chloroplast genomes of S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum possess typical tetrameric structures, consisting of one Large Single Copy (LSC) region, two reverse-symmetric Inverted Repeats (IRs), and one Small Single Copy (SSC) region. The total length of these chloroplast genomes ranged from 154,942 to 156,004 bp, with minimal variation. The highest GC content was found in the IR region, while the lowest was in the SSC region. Regarding gene content, the total number of chloroplast genes and CDS genes remained relatively consistent, ranging from 128 to 134 and 83 to 91, respectively. Nevertheless, there was notable variability in the number of tRNA genes and rRNAs. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis revealed that both S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum preferred codons that utilized A and U bases. Analysis of the IR boundary regions indicated that contraction and expansion primarily occurred at the junction between SSC and IR regions. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis and structural variation analysis demonstrated that chloroplast variation in Solanum species mainly occurred in the LSC and SSC regions. Repeat sequence analysis revealed that A/T was the most frequent base pair in simple repeat sequences (SSR), while Palindromic and Forward repeats were more common in long sequence repeats (LSR), with Reverse and Complement repeats being less frequent. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum belonged to the same meristem and were more closely related to Cultivated Eggplant. CONCLUSION: These findings enhance our comprehension of chloroplast genomes within the Solanum genus, offering valuable insights for plant classification, evolutionary studies, and potential molecular markers for species identification.

Soy protein isolate-guar gum-goose liver oil O/W Pickering emulsions that remain stable under accelerated oxidation at high temperatures.

BACKGROUND: Goose liver oil (GLO) is a solid-liquid mixture, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and high in nutritional value, but poor in fluidity and easily oxidized. Therefore, oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions of three polysaccharides and soy protein isolate (SPI) with GLO were prepared to improve the stability of it. RESULTS: Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and zeta potential revealed that the SPI and complexes with konjac glucomannan, pectin, and guar gum (GG) ranged from 17 to 75 kDa, with the site of action being the -OH stretch and the amide group, and bound by hydrogen bonding. Adding konjac glucomannan and GG significantly increased the water contact angle of the SPI to 74.1° and 59.0°, respectively. Therefore, the protein-polysaccharide complexes could enhance the emulsion stability. In addition, the O/W Pickering emulsions with GLO had near-Newtonian fluid rheological properties with a significant increase in apparent viscosity and viscoelasticity, forming a dual network structure consisting of a ductile and flexible protein network and a rigid and brittle polysaccharide network. The microstructure observation indicated that the O/W emulsions were spherical and homogeneous. The highest emulsification activity was observed for the SPI-GG-GLO emulsions, without significant delamination or flocculation and high oxidative stability after 7 days in storage. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the construction of SPI-GG-GLO O/W Pickering emulsions can stabilize GLO even at high temperatures that promote oxidation. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Recent developments in off-odor formation mechanism and the potential regulation by starter cultures in dry-cured ham.

Foul-smelling odors are main quality defects of dry-cured ham, which are connected with the excessive degradation of the structural proteins and excessive oxidation of lipids caused by the abnormal growth of spoilage microorganisms, threatening the development of dry-cured ham industry. Characterizing the key microorganisms and metabolites resulted in the spoilage of dry-cured ham, and discussing the relationship between spoilage microorganisms and metabolites are the key aspects to deeply understand the formation mechanism of off-odor in dry-cured ham. Until now, there is no detailed discussion or critical review on the role of spoilage microorganisms in developing the off-odor of dry-cured ham, and the regulation of off-odor and spoilage microorganisms by starter cultures has been not discussed. This review shows the recent achievement in the off-odor formation mechanism of dry-cured ham, and outlines the potential regulation of off-odor defects in dry-cured ham by starter cultures. Results from current research show that the abnormal growth of Lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Yeasts and Molds plays a key role in developing the off-odor defects of dry-cured ham, while the key spoilage microorganisms of different type hams are discrepant. High profile of aldehydes, acids, sulfur compounds and biogenic amines are responsible for off-odor development in spoiled dry-cured ham. Several starter cultures derived from these species of Staphylococcus, Penicillium, Debaryomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus show a great potential to prevent microbiological hazards and improve flavor quality of dry-cured ham, whereas, the ecology, function and compatibility of these starter cultures with the processing parameters of dry-cured ham need to be further evaluated in the future.

A Comparative Study of Binding Interactions between Proteins and Flavonoids in Angelica Keiskei: Stability, α-Glucosidase Inhibition and Interaction Mechanisms.

Flavonoids are easily destroyed and their activity lost during gastrointestinal digestion. Protein-based nanocomplexes, a delivery system that promotes nutrient stability and bioactivity, have received increasing attention in recent years. This study investigated the stability, inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and interaction mechanisms of protein-based nanocomplexes combining whey protein isolate (WPI), soybean protein isolate (SPI) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with flavonoids (F) from A. keiskei using spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectra and molecular docking approaches. The results show that the flavonoid content of WPI-F (23.17 ± 0.86 mg/g) was higher than those of SPI-F (19.41 ± 0.56 mg/g) and BSA-F (20.15 ± 0.62 mg/g) after simulated digestion in vitro. Furthermore, the inhibition rate of WPI-F (23.63 ± 0.02%) against α-glucosidase was also better than those of SPI-F (18.56 ± 0.02%) and BSA-F (21.62 ± 0.02%). The inhibition rate of WPI-F increased to nearly double that of F alone (12.43 ± 0.02%) (p < 0.05). Molecular docking results indicated that the protein-flavonoids (P-F) binding occurs primarily through hydrophobic forces, hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds. Thermodynamic analysis (ΔH > 0, ΔS > 0) indicated that the P-F interactions are predominantly hydrophobic forces. In addition, the absolute value of ΔG for WPI-F is greater (-30.22 ± 2.69 kJ mol-1), indicating that WPI-F releases more heat energy when synthesized and is more conducive to combination. This paper serves as a valuable reference for the stability and bioactivity of flavonoids from A. keiskei.

Genome-Wide Exploration and Expression Analysis of the CNGC Gene Family in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under Cold Stress, with Functional Characterization of SmCNGC1a.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important economic crop, and to date, there has been no genome-wide identification and analysis of the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (CNGC) gene family in eggplant. In this study, we identified the CNGC gene family in eggplant, and the results showed that 29 SmCNGC genes were classified into five groups, unevenly distributed across the 12 chromosomes of eggplant. The gene structure and motif analysis indicated that the SmCNGC family proteins may exhibit apparent preferences during evolution. Furthermore, our study revealed the presence of numerous light-responsive elements, hormone-responsive elements, and transcription factor binding sites in the promoter regions of SmCNGC genes, suggesting their significant role in environmental adaptability regulation. Finally, we analyzed the expression patterns of all SmCNGC genes under cold stress and found that SmCNGC1a was significantly upregulated under cold stress. Subcellular localization experiments indicated that this gene is located on the plasma membrane. Subsequently, its importance in the low-temperature response of eggplant was validated through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), and its protein interactome was predicted. In summary, our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the function and regulatory mechanisms of the CNGC gene family in eggplant, laying an important foundation for further research on cold adaptation in eggplant.

Effect of lentinan on gelling properties and structural changes of goose myofibrillar protein under oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: The reduction of protein oxidation is important for maintaining the product quality of reconstituted meat. In this study, the dose-dependent effects of lentinan (LNT) on gelling properties and chemical changes in oxidatively stressed goose myofibrillar protein were investigated. RESULTS: Myofibrillar protein (MP) with 200 µmol g-1 protein LNT increased gel strength by 87.90 ± 9.26% in comparison with LNT-free myofibrillar protein after oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the gel network containing LNT was compact, with small pores and uniform distribution. The absolute value of the zeta potential reduced significantly following oxidation of LNT with 200 µmol g-1 protein at 4 °C for 12 h compared with the zeta potential without LNT, according to the laser particle size analyzer. The incorporation of LNT increased protein solubility and -SH content, inhibited carbonyl formation, enhanced α-helix content and tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence intensity, and reduced exposure of hydrophobic groups and protein aggregation. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that adding LNT to myofibrillar protein could improve gel. This is related to its protective effect on conformational changes in the oxidation system. Lentinan is therefore recommended for oxidatively stressed goose meat processing to enhance the MP gelling potential. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Rapid screening based on machine learning and molecular docking of umami peptides from porcine bone.

BACKGROUND: The traditional screening method for umami peptide, extracted from porcine bone, was labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this study, the rapid screening method and molecular mechanism of umami peptide was investigated. RESULTS: This article showed that a more precisely rapid screening method with composite machine learning and molecular docking was used to screen the potential umami peptide from porcine bone. As reference, 24 reported umami peptides were predicated by composite machine learning, with the accuracy of 86.7%. In this study, potential umami peptide sequences from porcine bone were screened by UMPred-FRL, Umami-MRNN Demo, and molecular docking was used to provide further screening. Finally, nine peptides were screened and verified as umami peptides by this method: LREY, HEAL, LAKVH, FQKVVA, HVKELE, AEVKKAP, EAVEKPQS, KALSEEL and KKMFETES. The hydrogen bonding was deemed to be the main interaction force with receptor T1R3, and domain binding sites were Ser146, His121 and Glu277. The result demonstrated the feasibility of machine learning assisted T1R1/T1R3 receptor for rapid screening umami peptides. The screening method would not only adapt to screen umami peptides from porcine bone but possibly applied for other sources. It also provided a reference for rapid screening of umami peptides. CONCLUSION: The manuscript lays a rapid screening method in screening umami peptide, and nine umami peptides from porcine bone were screened and identified. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Inhibition of biofilm formation and exopolysaccharide synthesis of Enterococcus faecalis by phenyllactic acid.

This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory activity of phenyllactic acid (PLA) against the biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis and to explore its potential molecular mechanism. The MIC value of PLA that inhibited the growth of E. faecalis R612-Z1 in BHI broth was 5 mg/mL. PLAs at subinhibitory concentrations of 1.25 and 2.50 mg/mL were found to inhibit biofilm formation by a crystal violet staining assay. The cell swimming and swarming motilities of E. faecalis were reduced in the presence of PLA. An apparent decrease in the thickness of PLA-treated biofilms was observed through confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis. The exopolysaccharide production in E. faecalis biofilms was inhibited by EPS quantification assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). qRT-PCR analyses showed that PLA down-regulated the transcription of Ebp pili genes (ebpABC) and Epa polysaccharide genes (epaABE). PLA inhibited the biofilm formation by interfering with cell mobility and EPS production of E. faecalis. In addition, PLA at concentrations of 10.0 mg/mL can effectively control the bacterial cells in a three-day-old mature biofilm of E. faecalis grown on 24-well flat-bottom polystyrene plates and stainless-steel surfaces. Thus, PLA is potentially an effective agent to control E. faecalis biofilms.

Inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis Growth and Cell Membrane Integrity by Perilla frutescens Essential Oil.

Some plant essential oils were reported to have antimicrobial activity and have the potential to replace chemical preservatives in food industry. In this study, the antibacterial activity and possible mechanism of Perilla frutescens essential oil (PEO) were evaluated using Enterococcus faecalis R612-Z1 as the target strain. The minimum inhibition concentration of PEO against E. faecalis was 0.5 µL/mL. The PEO solutions at the concentrations higher than minimum inhibition concentration had varying degrees of bactericidal effects against E. faecalis. With the addition of PEO, the cell membrane integrity was destroyed, the cell membrane potential was decreased, and the intracellular adenosine triphosphate loss was increased. By testing the bacterial counts and total volatile basic nitrogen contents in chicken breast meat, PEO can significantly inhibit the growth of E. faecalis. The results showed that PEO can be used as an effective natural food preservative during food storage.

Antimicrobial Activity of Phenyllactic Acid Against Enterococcus faecalis and Its Effect on Cell Membrane.

3-Phenyllactic acid (PLA) was reported to have an effective antimicrobial activity. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of PLA against foodborne Enterococcus faecalis and its effect on cell membrane. The minimum concentration of PLA to inactivate E. faecalis in brain heart infusion broth was 5 mg/mL. PLA solutions of 5 and 10 mg/mL can inactivate E. faecalis population ≥6 log CFU/mL within 60 and 30 min, respectively. The cell membranes of most E. faecalis cells were damaged after PLA treatment according to the images of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The differences in the regions of cell membrane protein, fatty acid, and polysaccharide were revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which further indicated cell membrane damages. The cell membrane permeability was increased when the concentration of PLA treatment was increased in the membrane permeability assays. Finally, almost all bacterial cells were damaged after treatment with 10 mg/mL PLA for 30 min, further confirmed by flow cytometry analysis. This study concluded that PLA is effective in inactivating E. faecalis cells through the leakage of intracellular components caused by cell membrane damage.

Characterization of Enterococcus durans 152 bacteriocins and their inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes in ham.

Listeria monocytogenes is a nonfastidious, widely occurring foodborne pathogen that is a major challenge to the food industry. Enterococcus durans 152, a confirmed L. monocytogenes-control microorganism, was isolated from floor drain samples from a food processing facility. In this study, the two bacteriocins produced by E. durans 152 were characterized and identified as Dur 152A (an enterocin L50A derivative with two amino acid substitutions of I→M) and enterocin L50B. The bacteriocins were then partially purified and evaluated for inhibitory activity to L. monocytogenes in deli ham. Results revealed that at 400 AU/ml, the bacteriocins prevented growth of listeria in deli ham for at least 10 weeks at 8 °C and at least 30 days at 15 °C. For comparison, 500 ppm Nisin controlled listeria growth for up to 6 weeks at 8 °C and up to 18 days at 15 °C. These findings reveal the potential for the bacteriocins of E. durans 152 to serve as anti-listerial agents in deli meat.

Production of Bacterial Ghosts from Gram-Positive Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

INTRODUCTION: The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous intracellular pathogen, which has been implicated within the past decade as the causative organism in several outbreaks of foodborne disease. Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are nonliving and vacant cell envelopes of bacteria generated by releasing the bacterial cytoplasm through a channel in the cell envelope. This study attempted to produce Gram-positive pathogenic L. monocytogenes ghosts (LMGs) with simple chemicals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The generation of LMGs was based on minimum inhibition concentrations of 1.10 mg/mL NaOH, 0.0675 mg/mL SDS, and 0.035% (v/v) H2O2. The potential efficacy of LMGs as vaccines and their ability to induce protective immune responses against virulent L. monocytogenes challenge through multipoint subcutaneous injection were also evaluated. RESULTS: The detected activity and viability of LMGs showed that nonliving LMGs could be induced. The detected LMG DNA and protein, as well as its morphological features, indicated that the produced LMGs were empty cells with the correct morphological structure. The subcutaneous vaccination of LMGs through multipoint injection conferred effective protection, with an antibody titer that reached 104 U. CONCLUSIONS: These findings strongly suggested that this chemical method can be used to produce LMGs and could be useful in future vaccine development against this foodborne pathogen.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Alterations of Durancin GL-Resistant Enterococcus durans Strains.

The emergence and spread of bacteriocin-resistant bacteria threaten the efficiency of bacteriocin usage as food preservatives. In this experiment, 19 selected Enterococcus durans strains acquired resistance after exposure to durancin GL, and the mutants had similar intermediate levels of resistance. One wild-type E. durans KLDS 6.0603 and its two resistant mutants, E. durans KLDS 6.0603-2 and E. durans KLDS 6.0603-3, were used to characterize phenotypic and genotypic differences. Approximately 100 µg/mL of durancin GL can penetrate the cytoplasmic membrane of E. durans KLDS 6.0603, causing damage to bacterial cells, but cannot penetrate E. durans KLDS 6.0603-2 and KLDS 6.0603-3 membranes. Unsaturated fatty acid content in resistant strains was significantly increased compared with wild-type strains, indicating that the former has more fluidity of cell membrane than the latter. Decreased mannose phosphotransferase system gene expression (mptD) was observed in the two resistant strains. Results showed that the factors, including the increased unsaturated fatty acid and decreased mptD expression, could contribute to durancin GL resistance.

Living alone increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on longitudinal studies.

BACKGROUND: Living alone is a prevalent psychological issue that has been found to have significant implications for lifestyle and health status. While considerable research has been conducted to explore the relationship between living alone and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the majority of studies have been cross-sectional, leaving direct correlations elusive. Therefore, this study aims to analyze data from longitudinal studies to determine whether living alone increases the risk of T2DM. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases to identify studies examining the association between living alone and T2DM risk. The search encompassed studies published until September 2023. Pooled analysis utilized the random-effects model with inverse variance and included adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The meta-analysis comprised a total of 8 studies, which consisted of 5 prospective cohort studies and 3 retrospective cohort studies. The total population under consideration included 11,686,677 individuals without T2DM, of whom 54.3% were female. Among this population, 396,368 individuals developed T2DM. To account for heterogeneity, a random-effects model was employed. Overall, the pooled data demonstrated a significant association between living alone and an increased risk of T2DM when compared to living with others (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.06-1.46). Subgroup analysis revealed that this risk was not statistically significant for either males (HR 1.28, 95% CI 0.93-1.76) or females (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.84-1.33), nor in prospective cohort studies (HR 1.26, 95% CI 0.91-1.74) or retrospective cohort studies (HR 1.26, 95% CI 0.91-1.74). CONCLUSION: Individuals living alone faced a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those who did not live alone. However, no significant difference in this risk was observed between genders and study types. Further high-quality studies are necessary in the future to elucidate this causal association.

Goose liver protein emulsion with enhanced interfacial stabilization by facile core-shell curcumin complexation.

The role of facile curcumin dispersion and its hydrophobic complexation onto GLP, in the form of shell (GLPC-E), core (GLPE-C) and with synergy (GLP-ECE), on the protein interfacial and emulsion stabilization was investigated. Turbiscan instability index, microrheological elasticity, viscosity and solid-liquid balance values showed that the O/W emulsion stability was in the order of GLP-E < GLPC-E < GLPE-C < GLP-ECE. GLP-ECE also gave the most reduced D [4, 3] (8.11 ± 0.14 µm) with lowest indexes of flocculation (2.80 ± 0.05 %) and coalescence (2.83 ± 0.10 %) at day 5. Interfacial shear rheology suggested the GLP-curcumin complexation fortified the GLP interfacial gelling and then the efficiency as steric stabilizer, especially of core-shell complexation (14.2 mN/m) that showed the most sufficient in-plane protein interaction against strain. Dilatational elasticity and desorption observation revealed the synergistic curcumin complexation facilitated GLP unfolding and macromolecular association at O/W interface, as was also verified from SEM image and surface hydrophobicity (from 36.23 to 76.04). Overall, this study firstly reported the facile curcumin bi-physic dispersion and GLP complexation in improving the emulsion stabilizing efficiency of the protein by advancing its interfacial stabilization.

Novel aptasensor based on polyaniline functionalized carboxylated dobby carbon nanotubes and molybdenum disulfide for endotoxin detection.

Endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are present within the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria and are released upon cellular death, which can pose a significant risk to human and animal health. Due to the minimal amount of endotoxin required to trigger an inflammatory response in human body, the demand for sensitive methods with low endotoxin detection limits is essential necessary. This paper presents a straightforward aptamer sensor which can enhance the conductivity and specific surface area of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by incorporating carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) and polyaniline (PANI). Doping with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) improves biocompatibility and sensitivity while providing binding sites for thiolated endotoxin-binding aptamers (LBA). This biosensor achieved a remarkable detection limit as low as 0.5 fg mL-1, enabling trace-level identification of LPS. It also exhibits excellent repeatability, selectivity, and stability, facilitating rapid and accurate LPS detection. Moreover, this method demonstrates high recovery rates and specificity for LPS analysis in food samples, showcasing its promising application prospects in trace-level LPS detection within the food industry.

Insights into the mechanism of extracellular proteases from Penicillium on myofibrillar protein hydrolysis and volatile compound evolutions.

To investigate the mechanism of Penicillium proteases on the hydrolysis of myofibrillar protein (MP) and volatile compound evolutions, enzymatic characteristics of Penicillium proteases, hydrolysis capacities for MP, interactions between Penicillium proteases and MP, and profile changes of volatile compounds were investigated. P. aethiopicum (PA) and P. chrysogenum (PC) proteases showed the largest hydrolysis activities at pH 9.0 and 7.0, and were identified as alkaline serine protease and serine protease by LC-MS/MS, respectively. The proteases of PA and PC significantly degraded myosin and actin, and PA protease showed higher hydrolysis capacity for myosin than that of PC protease, which was confirmed by higher proteolysis index (56.06 %) and lower roughness (3.99 nm) of MP after PA treatment. Molecular docking revealed that hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction were the major interaction forces of Penicillium proteases with myosin and actin, and PA protease showed more binding sites with myosin compared with PC protease. The total content of free amino acids increased to 6.02-fold for PA treatment and to 5.51-fold for PC treatment after 4 h hydrolysis of MP, respectively. GC-MS showed that aromatic aldehydes and pyrazines in PA showed the largest increase compared with the control and PC during the hydrolysis of MP. Correlation analysis demonstrated that Phe, Leu and Ile were positively related with the accumulation of benzaldehyde, benzeneacetaldehyde, 2,4-dimethyl benzaldehyde and 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine.

Characterization of the Effects of Low-Sodium Salt Substitution on Sensory Quality, Protein Oxidation, and Hydrolysis of Air-Dried Chicken Meat and Its Molecular Mechanisms Based on Tandem Mass Tagging-Labeled Quantitative Proteomics.

The effects of low-sodium salt mixture substitution on the sensory quality, protein oxidation, and hydrolysis of air-dried chicken and its molecular mechanisms were investigated based on tandem mass tagging (TMT) quantitative proteomics. The composite salt formulated with 1.6% KCl, 0.8% MgCl2, and 5.6% NaCl was found to improve the freshness and texture quality scores. Low-sodium salt mixture substitution significantly decreased the carbonyl content (1.52 nmol/mg), surface hydrophobicity (102.58 µg), and dimeric tyrosine content (2.69 A.U.), and significantly increased the sulfhydryl content (74.46 nmol/mg) and tryptophan fluorescence intensity, suggesting that protein oxidation was inhibited. Furthermore, low-sodium salt mixture substitution significantly increased the protein hydrolysis index (0.067), and cathepsin B and L activities (102.13 U/g and 349.25 U/g), suggesting that protein hydrolysis was facilitated. The correlation results showed that changes in the degree of protein hydrolysis and protein oxidation were closely related to sensory quality. TMT quantitative proteomics indicated that the degradation of myosin and titin as well as changes in the activities of the enzymes, CNDP2, DPP7, ABHD12B, FADH2A, and AASS, were responsible for the changes in the taste quality. In addition, CNDP2, ALDH1A1, and NMNAT1 are key enzymes that reduce protein oxidation. Overall, KCl and MgCl2 composite salt substitution is an effective method for producing low-sodium air-dried chicken.

Binary probiotic fermentation promotes signal (cyclic AMP) exchange to increases the number of viable probiotics, anthocyanins and polyphenol content, and the odor scores of wolfberry fermented beverages.

The effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of binary probiotics (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum CGMCC 1.5953 and Lacticaseibacillus casei CGMCC 1.5956) on the quality of wolfberry fermented beverages (WFB) were investigated. The results indicated that binary probiotics increased the number of probiotics, anthocyanin (89.92 ± 1.64 mg/L), polyphenol content (283.04 ± 3.81 µg/mL), and odor score (24.19) in WFB. Metabolomics found that they could enhance signal exchange (cyclic AMP) between binary probiotics and improve the utilization of citrulline, d-proline, d-glucose, and d-galactose through galactose metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis pathway to promote probiotics growth. Furthermore, HS-SPME-GC-MS and GS-IMS revealed that the improvement in flavor was mainly due to an increase in the content of the aromatic flavor substances 3-heptanol, glutaraldehyde, and 2-heptanone, and a decrease in the content of the off-flavor substances methyl isobutyl ketone-D and 2-undecanone. This is strategically important for the development of WFB with high probiotic content and unique flavor.

Unlocking the molecular modifications of plasma-activated water-induced oxidation through redox proteomics: In the case of duck myofibrillar protein (Anas platyrhynchos).

Plasma-activated water (PAW) contains multiple active species that alter the structure of myofibrillar protein (MP) to enhance their gel properties. This work investigated the impact of PAW on the oxidation of cysteine in MP by label-free quantitative proteomics. PAW treatment caused the oxidation of 8241 cysteine sites on 2815 proteins, and structural proteins such as nebulin, myosin XVIIIB, myosin XVIIIA, and myosin heavy chain were susceptible to oxidation by PAW. Bioinformatics analysis, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, subcellular localization, and STRING analysis, indicated that these proteins with differential oxidation sites were mainly derived from the cytoplasm and membrane, and were involved in multiple GO terms and KEGG pathways. This is one of the first reports of the redox proteomic changes induced by PAW treatment, and the results are useful for understanding the possible mechanism of PAW-induced oxidation of MP.