A comparative analysis of nutritional quality, amino acid profile, and nutritional supplementations in plant-based products and their animal-based counterparts in the UK.

Plant-based (PB) food products have surged in popularity over the past decade. Available PB products in the UK market were extracted from NielsenIQ Brandbank and compared with animal-based (AB) counterparts in their nutrient contents and calculated Nutri-Scores. The amino acid contents of four beef products and their PB alternatives were analysed by LC-MS/MS. PB products consistently exhibited significantly higher fibre content across all food groups. Protein was significantly higher in AB products from all food groups except beef and ready meals. PB products were more likely to have higher Nutri-Scores compared to AB counterparts, albeit with greater score variability within each food group. Nutrient fortifications were primarily focused on dairy and ready meals; the most supplemented nutrient was vitamin B12 (found in 15% of all products). A higher proportion of EAAs in relation to total protein content was observed in all beef products.

Discrimination and prediction of Qingzhuan tea storage year using quantitative chemical profile combined with multivariate analysis: Advantages of MRMHR based targeted quantification metabolomics.

The duration of storage significantly influences the quality and market value of Qingzhuan tea (QZT). Herein, a high-resolution multiple reaction monitoring (MRMHR) quantitative method for markers of QZT storage year was developed. Quantitative data alongside multivariate analysis were employed to discriminate and predict the storage year of QZT. Furthermore, the content of the main biochemical ingredients, catechins and alkaloids, and free amino acids (FAA) were assessed for this purpose. The results show that targeted marker-based models exhibited superior discrimination and prediction performance among four datasets. The R2Xcum, R2Ycum and Q2cum of orthogonal projection to latent structure-discriminant analysis discrimination model were close to 1. The correlation coefficient (R2) and the root mean square error of prediction of the QZT storage year prediction model were 0.9906 and 0.63, respectively. This study provides valuable insights into tea storage quality and highlights the potential application of targeted markers in food quality evaluation.

Exploring the dynamics of bioactive metabolites changes in barley grains (Hordeum vulgare L.) during roasting: Insights from UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS analysis combined to chemometrics.

This investigation delves into the dynamic metabolic shifts within barley grains during the roasting process, employing UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS analysis. The complex spectrum of metabolites before and after roasting is revealed. The resulting data, unveils substantial transformations in chemical composition during roasting. A total of 62 chromatographic peaks spanning phenolic compounds, flavones, Millard Reaction Products, amino acids, lignans, vitamins, folates, and anthocyanins were annotated. Leveraging UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS analysis, we scrutinized the intricate metabolite profile before and after roasting where the roasting process was found to trigger dynamic changes across diverse metabolite classes particularly Millard Reaction Products, produced through the Maillard reaction, with dihydro-5-methyl-5H-cyclopentapyrazine, maltol and hydroxy maltol emerging as discerning markers of roasting progression. Amino acids and sugars showed degradation, while beta-glucan, a signature barley sugar, experienced notable decline. Folate derivatives witnessed pronounced reduction, aligning with the heat sensitivity of folates. Harnessing the power of multivariate data analysis, the consequences of roasting materialize through distinct clusters in PCA and OPLS-DA plots. Noteworthy, roasting duration governs the trajectory of metabolic divergence, culminating in the identification of roasting-specific markers. Epigallocatechin, procyanidin B, 10-HCO-H4 folate, and hordatine A emerge as pivotal discriminators. Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structure (OPLS) analysis linked anti-inflammatory activity with 30-min, 1-hour, and 1.5-hour roasted samples, with hordatine B in addition to some Millard Reaction Products being correlated with pro-inflammatory marker downregulation.. This study encapsulates the intricate metabolic metamorphosis ignited by roasting in barley grains, offering a holistic comprehension of their potential health-enhancing attributes. Key metabolites act as poignant indicators of these transformations, substantiating the complex interplay between roasting and the barley grain metabolome.

Effects of processing technology on tea quality analyzed using high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.

Fixation is a crucial step in green tea processing that can impact quality. In this study, we explored the differences in the chemical components of steamed and fried green teas made from the same batch of fresh tea leaves using different fixing methods. Results showed that concentrations of sucrose and free amino acids were significantly higher in steamed green tea. Abundances of 12 compounds including purine nucleoside, pyrimidine nucleoside derivatives, and catechins were higher in fried green tea, while 34 compounds such as amino acids and their derivatives, benzofurans and flavonoids were higher in steamed green tea. Thus, steaming retained more compounds associated with sweet and fresh tastes, such as free amino acids, while frying produced more compounds with bitter tastes, such as catechin. This might explain why steamed green tea is mellower than fried tea.

Comparative analysis of bioactive compounds in garlic owing to the cultivar and origin.

Garlic is one of the most popular vegetables worldwide, which contains many bioactive compounds. The chemical composition of garlic varies significantly depending on conditions in the growing locality and other factors. In this paper, the garlic samples were classified based on their geographical origin using principal component analysis (PCA), and significant differences in metabolite composition were found. Quantitative analysis highlighted that Polish garlics have the highest level of sulfur components, similar to Spanish garlic Egyptian garlic exhibited the lowest content of identified metabolites, while Madeira garlic was rich in carbohydrates and amino acids. Chinese garlic had low sugar content but a higher quantity of amino acids and choline. The findings highlight the association between food composition and environmental conditions and can be used to classify garlic based on its origin.

Effects of topping on rhizome, and analysis of chemical composition, antioxidant activity and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition of the aerial parts in Polygonatum cyrtonema.

Polygonatum cyrtonema is a perennial plant, and it has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for food and medicine. The medicinal part of P.cyrtonema is the rhizome; however, the aerial part has not been studied. To understand the effect of the topping of aerial parts on the yield and chemical components of rhizomes, as well as the chemical constituents, antioxidant, and in vitro hypoglycemic activities of the aerial stem, leave, and flower parts of P.cyrtonema, the present study was conducted. The results showed that compared to the control (CK) treatment, the topping of the aerial part increased rhizome weight gain coefficient (3.43) and the total saponin content (37.60 mg/g) significantly (P<0.01) than the CK treatment. The contents of total phenols and total flavonoids in PCL and PCF were significantly (P<0.01) higher than those in rhizomes; however, the polysaccharide content (10.47%) in PCR (whole rhizome) was higher than that in PCS (3.65%), PCL (5.99%), and PCF (4.76%) content. The protein and amino acid contents in PCS, PCL, and PCF were higher than those in rhizomes. The protein and amino acid contents in PCS, PCL, and PCF were higher than those in rhizomes. PCS, PCL, and PCF showed strong antioxidant activity (DPPH, ·OH, ABTS, and FRAP), which were better than traditional medicinal parts (the rhizome).In vitro hypoglycemic results showed that PCS, PCL, and PCF had certain inhibitory activities on α-amylase and α-glucosidase (66.25% and 52.81%), which were close to the hypoglycemic activity of rhizomes (67.96% and 52.22%). The leaf extracts also showed better inhibitory activity. To sum up, the topping measures can improve yield and total saponin content of the rhizomes from P.cyrtonema, which can be applied to improve production. The stems, leaves, and flowers had a much stronger antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities and higher the total polyphenols, flavonoids, proteins, and amino acid content. Therefore, stems, leaves, and flowers of Polygonatum can be fully developed according to different needs. they are typically used in animal feed, food storage and cosmetics.

[Quality evaluation of Lysimachiae Herba from different habitats based on simultaneous determination of multiple bioactive constituents combined with multivariate statistical analysis].

A method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole linear ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 41 bioactive constituents of flavonoids, organic acids, nucleosides, and amino acids in Lysimachiae Herba. The content of multiple bioactive constituents was compared among the samples from different habitats. The chromatographic separation was performed in a Waters XBridge®C_(18) column(4.6 mm×100 mm, 3.5 µm) at 30 ℃. The gradient elution was performed with 0.4% methanol(A)-formic acid water(B) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL·min~(-1), and the multiple-reaction monitoring(MRM) mode was adopted. According to the content of 41 constituents, hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), and gray relational analysis(GRA) were perfomed to comprehensively evaluate the samples from different habitats. The results showed that the 41 constituents exhibited good linear relationship within the tested concentration ranges, with the correlation coefficients(r) greater than 0.999 4. The method featured good precision, repeatability, and stability with the relative standard deviations(RSDs) less than 5.0%. The average recoveries of the 41 constituents ranged from 98.06% to 101.9%, with the RSDs of 0.62%-4.6%. HCA and OPLS-DA separated 48 batches of Lysimachiae Herba samples from different habitats into three categories: the producing areas in Sichuan and Chongqing, the producing areas in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, and the producing areas in Guizhou. The content of 41 constituents varied among the Lysimachiae Herba samples from different habitats. The GRA results revealed that the Lysimachiae Herba sample from Nanchong City, Sichuan Province had the best comprehensive quality. The method developed in this study was accurate and reliable and thus can be used for comprehensive evaluation of Lysimachiae Herba quality and provide basic information for the selection of habitats.

Different effects of dietary ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate on composition of fatty acid and free amino acid, and fatty metabolism in the different muscles of broilers.

In the study, 336 broiler chickens were selected to explore dietary effects of different ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) levels (0 (control), 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15%) on the compositions of fatty acids and free amino acids, and lipid metabolism in the different muscles of broilers. In the breast muscle, dietary HMB supplementation hardly affected the free amino acid composition (P > 0.05). Compared to the control group, dietary 0.10 and 0.15% HMB supplementation decreased the content of C18:1n9c and thus the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and dietary 0.15% HMB supplementation increased the sum of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P < 0.05). Moreover, compared to the control group, dietary 0.05 and 0.10% HMB increased the mRNA expression of proliferator activated receptor-γ and the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS), and dietary 0.10% HMB increased the acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity (P < 0.05). In the leg muscle, dietary 0.10 and 0.15% HMB increased the MUFA content and decreased the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, the PUFA to SFA ratio, the mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element binding proteins-1c, and the activities of acyl-CoA oxidase 1 and acetyl-CoA synthetase (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary 0.10% HMB decreased the activities of hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 1 and FAS in comparison to the control group (P < 0.05). Dietary 0.05% HMB decreased the contents of essential amino acids and nonessential amino acids (NEAA), and dietary 0.15% HMB decreased the NEAA content (P < 0.05). In summary, dietary 0.10% HMB supplementation had superior efficiency on lipogenesis in the breast muscle of broilers. However, dietary HMB supplementation, especially at the level of 0.05 and 0.15%, decreased meat nutritional values and the lipogenesis in leg muscles.

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on the structural and functional properties of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) seed protein.

With the steady increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, there is growing interest in sustainable diets that include more plant protein. However, little information is available regarding the structural and functional properties of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) seed protein (CSP), a by-product of the cactus seed food-processing chain. This study aimed to explore the composition and nutritional value of CSP and reveal the effects of ultrasound treatment on protein quality. Protein chemical structure analysis showed that an appropriate intensity of ultrasound treatment (450 W) could significantly increase protein solubility (96.46 ± 2.07%) and surface hydrophobicity (13.76 ± 0.85 µg), decrease the content of T-SH (50.25 ± 0.79 µmol/g) and free-SH (8.60 ± 0.30 µmol/g), and enhance emulsification characteristics. Circular dichroism analysis further confirmed that the ultrasonic treatment increased the α-helix and random coil content. Amino acid analysis also suggested that ultrasound treatment (450 W) increased the hydrophobic amino acid content. To evaluate the impact of changes in the chemical structure, its digestion behavior was studied. The results showed that ultrasound treatment increased the release rate of free amino acids. Furthermore, nutritional analysis showed that the digestive products of CSP by ultrasound treatment can significantly enhance the intestinal permeability, increase the expression of ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-1, thus repairing LPS induced intestinal barrier disfunction. Hence, CSP is a functional protein with high value, and ultrasound treatment is recommended. These findings provide new insights into the comprehensive utilization of cactus fruits.

Investigation of thermal stability characteristic in family A DNA polymerase - A theoretical study.

DNA polymerases create complementary DNA strands in living cells and are crucial to genome transmission and maintenance. These enzymes possess similar human right-handed folds which contain thumb, fingers, and palm subdomains and contribute to polymerization activities. These enzymes are classified into seven evolutionary families, A, B, C, D, X, Y, and RT, based on amino acid sequence analysis and biochemical characteristics. Family A DNA polymerases exist in an extended range of organisms including mesophilic, thermophilic, and hyper-thermophilic bacteria, participate in DNA replication and repair, and have a broad application in molecular biology and biotechnology. In this study, we attempted to detect factors that play a role in the thermostability properties of this family member despite their remarkable similarities in structure and function. For this purpose, similarities and differences in amino acid sequences, structure, and dynamics of these enzymes have been inspected. Our results demonstrated that thermophilic and hyper-thermophilic enzymes have more charged, aromatic, and polar residues than mesophilic ones and consequently show further electrostatic and cation-pi interactions. In addition, in thermophilic enzymes, aliphatic residues tend to position in buried states more than mesophilic enzymes. These residues within their aliphatic parts increase hydrophobic core packing and therefore enhance the thermostability of these enzymes. Furthermore, a decrease in thermophilic cavities volumes assists in the protein compactness enhancement. Moreover, molecular dynamic simulation results revealed that increasing temperature impacts mesophilic enzymes further than thermophilic ones that reflect on polar and aliphatic residues surface area and hydrogen bonds changes.

Flour nutritional profile, and soxhlet-extracted oil physicochemical breakdown-storage performance of white melon (Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin) seed varieties from Southeast Nigeria.

White melon (Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin), is among common and yet underutilized oil seed crop within the West African region, does not have sufficient information specific to its nutrient composition for foreign consumers. To supplement existing information, therefore, we investigated the nutritional profile of defatted and full-fat flour, alongside physicochemical breakdown and storage performance of soxhlet-extracted oil from two white melon (C. mannii) seed varieties found in Southeast Nigeria. Nutritional profile involved the determinations of proximate composition, minerals, vitamins, functional properties as well as amino acid profile. Physicochemical breakdown involved the determinations of fatty acid profile, lipid breakdown parameters, as well as associated physical attributes. Results showed defatting of flours increased the protein (69.04%), carbohydrates (16.26%), crude fiber (2.68%), ash (11.9%), mineral (Na ranging from 223.92-246.99 mg/100g), and vitamin contents (Vit B1 ranging from 0.453-0.712 mg/100g). Total amino acid differed slightly when comparing miniature (30.36 g/100g) and large (22.36 g/100g) seeds. Soxhlet-extracted oil possessed low thiobarbituric acid, acid, and peroxide values (0.030 and 0.038 mg MDA/kg, 1.08 and 1.27 mg KOH/g, and 2.95 and 3,94 mEqO2/kg, for large and miniature seeds respectively), and peak linoleic acid (5 and 6.45 mg/ml, for miniature and large seeds respectively). During storage, the thiobarbituric acid and peroxide values of soxhlet-extracted oil increased yet within acceptable limits.

Determination of d- and l-Amino Acids in Garlic Foodstuffs by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Black garlic is currently attracting interest as a health food and constituent of commercial supplements; however, no data regarding the d-amino acids within black garlic have been reported. Therefore, the amino acid compositions of methanol extracts from fresh and black garlic were compared herein. We investigated the contents of the d- and l-forms of amino acids in commercial fresh, black, and freeze-dried garlic foodstuffs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent, succinimidyl 2-(3-((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-1-methyl-5-oxoimidazolidin-4-yl) acetate. Several d-amino acids, namely, the d-forms of Asn, Ala, Ser, Thr, Glu, Asp, Pro, Arg, Phe, Orn, Lys, and Tyr, were observed in the methanol extract of black garlic, whereas only d-Ala was detected in that of fresh garlic foodstuffs. These data suggest that several d-amino acids can be produced during fermentation for preparing black garlic.

Research on Rapid and Low-Cost Spectral Device for the Estimation of the Quality Attributes of Tea Tree Leaves.

Tea polyphenols, amino acids, soluble sugars, and other ingredients in fresh tea leaves are the key parameters of tea quality. In this research, a tea leaf ingredient estimation sensor was developed based on a multi-channel spectral sensor. The experiment showed that the device could effectively acquire 700-1000 nm spectral data of tea tree leaves and could display the ingredients of leaf samples in real time through the visual interactive interface. The spectral data of Fuding white tea tree leaves acquired by the detection device were used to build an ingredient content prediction model based on the ridge regression model and random forest algorithm. As a result, the prediction model based on the random forest algorithm with better prediction performance was loaded into the ingredient detection device. Verification experiment showed that the root mean square error (RMSE) and determination coefficient (R2) in the prediction were, respectively, as follows: moisture content (1.61 and 0.35), free amino acid content (0.16 and 0.79), tea polyphenol content (1.35 and 0.28), sugar content (0.14 and 0.33), nitrogen content (1.15 and 0.91), and chlorophyll content (0.02 and 0.97). As a result, the device can predict some parameters with high accuracy (nitrogen, chlorophyll, free amino acid) but some of them with lower accuracy (moisture, polyphenol, sugar) based on the R2 values. The tea leaf ingredient estimation sensor could realize rapid non-destructive detection of key ingredients affecting tea quality, which is conducive to real-time monitoring of the current quality of tea leaves, evaluating the status during tea tree growth, and improving the quality of tea production. The application of this research will be helpful for the automatic management of tea plantations.

The potential effects of chlorophyll-deficient mutation and tree_age on the accumulation of amino acid components in tea plants.

Albino tea has been receiving growing attention on the tea market due to its attractive appearance and fresh taste, mainly caused by high amino acid contents. Here, variations in the contents of five free amino acids in relation to pigment contents and tree age in two hybrid populations'Longjin 43'(♀) × 'Baijiguan'(♂) and 'Longjin 43'(♀) ×'Huangjinya'(♂) with 334 first filial generation individuals including chlorophyll-deficient and normal tea plants were investigated. The data showed that the contents of main amino acids in all filial generation gradually decreased as plant age increased. Principal component analysis indicated that the amino acid content of individual plant tended to be stable with the growth of plants. Correlation analysis clarified that several main amino acids were significantly negatively correlated with chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid contents. Our results showed that the accumulation of amino acids in tea plant was closely related to leaf color variation and the tree age during growing period.

Effects of dietary oat supplementation on carcass traits, muscle metabolites, amino acid profiles, and its association with meat quality of Small-tail Han sheep.

Oat supplementation of the ruminant diet can improve growth performance and meat quality traits, but the role of muscle metabolites has not been evaluated. This study aimed to establish whether oat grass supplementation (OS) of Small-tail Han sheep improved growth performance and muscle tissue metabolites that are associated with better meat quality and flavor. After 90-day, OS fed sheep had higher live-weight and carcass-weight, and lower carcass fat. Muscle metabolomics analysis showed that OS fed sheep had higher levels of taurine, l-carnitine, inosine-5'-monophospgate, cholic acid, and taurocholic acid, which are primarily involved in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, purine metabolism, and bile acid biosynthesis and secretion, decreased fat accumulation and they promote functional or flavor metabolites. OS also increased muscle levels of amino acids that are attributed to better quality and flavorsome mutton. These findings provided further evidence for supplementing sheep with oat grass to improve growth performance and meat quality.

Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense keratinase liberated essential and nonessential amino acids from chicken feather degradation.

Keratinous biomass valorization for value-added products presents a high prospect in ecological management and the advancement of the bio-economy. Consequently, soil samples from the poultry dumpsite were collected. The bacteria isolated on the basal salt medium were screened for keratinolytic activity. The potent chicken feathers degrading bacteria were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Fermentation process conditions were optimized, and the amino acid compositions of the feather hydrolysate were likewise quantified. Ten (10) proteolytic bacteria evaluated on skimmed milk agar showed intact chicken feather degradation ranging from 33% (WDS-03) to 88% (FPS-09). The extracellular keratinase activity ranged from 224.52 ± 42.46 U/mL (WDS-03) to 834.55 ± 66.86 U/mL (FPS-07). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, the most potent keratinolytic isolates coded as FPS-07, FPS-09, FPS-01, and WDS-06 were identified as Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense FANN1, Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense FANN2, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ANNb, and Bacillus sp. ANNa, respectively. C aquifrigidense FANN2 maximally produced keratinase (1460.90 ± 26.99 U/mL) at 72 h of incubation under optimal process conditions of pH (6), inoculum side (5%; v/v), temperature (30°C), and chicken feather (25 g/L). The feather hydrolysate showed a protein value of 67.54%, with a relative abundance of arginine (2.84%), serine (3.14%), aspartic acid (3.33%), glutamic acid (3.73%), and glycine (2.81%). C. aquifrigidense FANN2 yielded high keratinase titre and dismembered chicken feathers into amino acids-rich hydrolysate, highlighting its significance in the beneficiation of recalcitrant keratinous wastes into dietary proteins as potential livestock feed supplements.

Dynamic change of oligopeptides and free amino acids composition in five types of tea with different fermentation degree processed from the same batch of fresh tea (Camelilia Sinensis. L.) leaves.

Our previous studies have confirmed oligopeptides could be meaningful to tea taste and biofunction. As the total content of oligopeptide among different tea types were varied. It is a natural speculation that certain tea processing step could be vital for oligopeptides enrichment. In current study, five types of traditional Chinese tea were produced from the same batch of fresh leaves. Step processing samples were acquired through which to profile the oligopeptides and free amio acids composition change during tea processed. As a result, firstly, withering was the vital step for oligopeptide enrichment, followed by fermentation, yellowing and drying. Secondly, as the enrichment of oligopeptides was often accompanied by the increase of protein amino acids, suggesting certain proteins degradation in fresh leaves could be the main source of oligopeptides. Thirdly, a total of 166 abundant oligopeptides were screened out, through which 14 high degradation protein were also located by protomic approaching.

The impact of lactating Hu sheep's dietary protein levels on lactation performance, progeny growth and rumen development.

This study aimed to investigate whether lactating Hu sheep's dietary protein levels could generate dynamic effects on the performance of their offspring. Twelve ewes with similar parity were fed iso-energy diets which contained different protein levels (P1: 9.82%, P2: 10.99%) (n = 6), and the corresponding offspring were divided into SP1 and SP2 (n = 12). At 60 days, half of the lambs were harvested for further study: the carcass weight (p = 0.043) and dressing percentage (p = 0.004) in the SP2 group were significantly higher than SP1. The acetic acid (p = 0.007), propionic acid (p = 0.003), butyric acid (p < 0.001) and volatile fatty acids (p < 0.001) in rumen fluid of SP2 were significantly lower than SP1. The expression of MCT2 (p = 0.024), ACSS1 (p = 0.039) and NHE3 (p = 0.006) in the rumen of SP2 was lower than SP1, while the HMGCS1 (p = 0.026), HMGCR (p = 0.024) and Na+/K+-ATPase (p = 0.020) was higher than SP1. The three dominant phyla in the rumen are Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The membrane transport, amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism of SP1 were relatively enhanced, the replication and repair function of SP2 was relatively enhanced. To sum up, the increase of dietary protein level significantly increased the carcass weight and dressing percentage of offspring and had significant effects on rumen volatile fatty acids, acetic acid activation and cholesterol synthesis related genes. HIGHLIGHTSIn the early feeding period, the difference in ADG of lambs was mainly caused by the sucking effect.The increase in dietary protein level of ewes significantly increased the carcass weight and dressing percentage of offspring.The dietary protein level of ewes significantly affected the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and genes related to acetic acid activation and cholesterol synthesis in the rumen of their offspring.The membrane transport, amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism of the offspring of ewes fed with a low protein diet were relatively enhanced.The replication and repair function of the offspring of ewes fed with a high protein diet was relatively strengthened.

Characterization of D-amino acids in colostral, transitional, and mature preterm human milk.

D-Amino acids are regulatory molecules that affect biological processes. Therefore, being able to accurately detect and quantify these compounds is important for understanding their impact on nutrition and health. There is a paucity of information regarding D-amino acids in human milk. We developed a fast method for simultaneous analysis of amino acid enantiomers in human milk using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The method enables the separation of 41 amino acids without chemical derivatization. Our results revealed that human milk from mothers of preterm infants contains concentrations of D-amino acids that range from 0.5 to 45% that of their L-counterparts and that levels of most D-amino acids decrease as the milk production matures. Moreover, we found that Holder pasteurization of milk does not cause racemization of L-amino acids. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe percentages of D-amino acid levels in human milk; changes in D-amino acid concentration as the milk matures; and the effect of Holder pasteurization on D- and L-amino acid concentrations in human milk.

A Review of the Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of the Fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle): A Traditional Chinese Medicinal Food.

Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey ex Lu et Z. Y. Zhang is a unique economic and medicinal plant of Cucurbitaceae in Southern China. For hundreds of years, Chinese people have used the fruit of S. grosvenorii as an excellent natural sweetener and traditional medicine for lung congestion, sore throat, and constipation. It is one of the first species in China to be classified as a medicinal food homology, which has received considerable attention as a natural product with high development potential. Various natural products, such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, and lignans, have been released from this plant by previous phytochemical studies. Phar- macological research of the fruits of S. grosvenorii has attracted extensive attention, and an increasing number of extracts and compounds have been demonstrated to have antitussive, expectorant, antiasthmatic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, immunologic, hepatoprotective, antibacte- rial, and other activities. In this review, based on a large number of previous studies, we summarized the related research progress of the chemical components and pharmacological effects of S. grosvenorii, which provides theoretical support for further investigation of its biological functions and potential clinical applications.