Metabolomic analysis reveals the effect of ultrasonic-microwave pretreatment on flavonoids in tribute Citrus powder.

In this study, the ultrasonic-microwave pretreatment was defined as a processing technology in the production of tribute citrus powder, and it could increase the flavonoid compounds in the processing fruit powder. A total of 183 upregulated metabolites and 280 downregulated metabolites were obtained by non-targeted metabolomics, and the differential metabolites was mainly involved in the pathways of flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. A total of 8 flavonoid differential metabolites were obtained including 5 upregulated metabolites (6"-O-acetylglycitin, scutellarin, isosakuranin, rutin, and robinin), and 3 downregulated metabolites (astragalin, luteolin, and (-)-catechin gallate) by flavonoids-targeted metabolomics. The 8 flavonoid differential metabolites participated in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways, and isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathways. The results provide a reference for further understanding the relationship between food processing and food components, and also lay a basis for the development of food targeted-processing technologies.

Effects of dietary Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula extracts on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status, and intestinal health in broilers.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of dietary Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) consisting of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge (AMT) and Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf (CPO) extracts on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status, and intestinal health of broiler chickens. Two groups were formed, each consisting of six replicates of 12 one-day-old healthy male 817 white feather broilers. Broilers were fed either a basal diet (CON group) or a basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg CHM. The trial lasted 50 days. The results showed that CHM supplementation resulted in enhanced feed efficiency and antioxidant capacity in both the serum and liver, while it reduced uric acid and endotoxin levels, as well as diamine oxidase activity (p < 0.05). Additionally, CHM treatment increased the height of jejunum villi and upregulated Claudin-1 expression in the jejunal mucosa accompanied by an increase in the mRNA levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interferon-ß (IFN-ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) (p < 0.05). The presence of dietary CHM caused an increase in the proportions of Bacteroidetes and unclassified Bacteroidales but led to a decrease in those of Firmicutes and Alistipes (p < 0.05). The composition of the jejunal mucosa microbiota was correlated with the feed conversion ratio, serum metabolites, and gene expression based on Spearman correlation analysis. The findings indicated that the consumption of dietary CHM improved the utilization of feed, increased the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the jejunal mucosa, and decreased the endotoxin level and activities of diamine oxidase and lactate dehydrogenase in the serum, which could potentially be linked to changes in the gut microbiota of broiler chickens.

Effects of a combination of lauric acid monoglyceride and cinnamaldehyde on growth performance, gut morphology, and gut microbiota of yellow-feathered broilers.

A total of 480 one-day-old male yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates of 20 chicks per replicate. A basal diet was administered to the control group (CON), whereas CML350, CML500, and CML1000 groups were fed with basal diet supplemented with 350, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg of lauric acid monoglyceride and cinnamaldehyde complex, respectively. However, adding 500 mg/kg of lauric acid monoglyceride and cinnamaldehyde complex improved weight gain (P < 0.01), enhanced intestinal morphology, increased serum total protein and albumin content, and total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01), and significantly increased the Chao1 and Ace indices (P < 0.01), indicating an increase in the richness of the gut microbiota. At the phylum level, CML500 group reduced the abundance of Fusobacteriota at 21 d and Proteobacteria at 42 d (P < 0.01). At the genus level, CML500 group increased the abundance of Faecalibacterium and Alistipes at 42 d (P < 0.01) and decreased the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella (P < 0.01). At the species level, CML500 group reduced the abundance of Escherichia coli at 42 d (P < 0.01) and increased the abundance of Alistipes_sp_CHKCI003 at 42 d (P < 0.01). According to these results, adding 500 mg/kg of lauric acid monoglyceride and cinnamaldehyde complex in feed can improve the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiota of yellow-feathered broilers.

Phenolamide extract of apricot bee pollen alleviates glucolipid metabolic disorders and modulates the gut microbiota and metabolites in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Obesity is a serious health problem, and it is important to discover natural active ingredients for alleviating it. In this study, we investigated the effect of phenolamide extract (PAE) from apricot bee pollen on obese mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The main compounds in PAE were identified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, and HFD-fed mice were treated with PAE for 12 weeks. The results demonstrated that the content of phenolamides in PAE was 87.75 ± 5.37%, with tri-p-coumaroyl spermidine as the dominant compound. PAE intervention in HFD-fed mice effectively reduced weight gain and lipid accumulation in the liver and epididymal fat, increased glucose tolerance, reduced insulin resistance and improved lipid metabolism. In terms of the gut microbiota, PAE could reverse the increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in HFD-fed mice. In addition, PAE could increase beneficial bacteria such as Muribaculaceae and Parabacteroides, and reduce harmful bacteria such as Peptostreptococcaceae and Romboutsia. Metabolomic analysis revealed that PAE could regulate the levels of metabolites, including bile acids, phosphatidyl choline (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (lysoPE) and tyrosine. This is the first study finding that PAE can regulate glucolipid metabolism and modulate the gut microbiota and metabolites in HFD-induced obese mice, and the results indicate that PAE can be used as a functional dietary supplement to alleviate HFD-induced obesity.

Involvement of branched RG-I pectin with hemicellulose in cell-cell adhesion of tomato during fruit softening.

Cell adhesion of four cultivars of tomato fruit, "Micro Tom (MT)", "Heinz 1706 (H1706)", "Money Maker (MM)", "Ailsa Craig (AC)" were evaluated and cell walls were analyzed in order to assess the possible contribution of pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharides to the softening and altered cell adhesion at two different stages of ripeness. Cell wall material (CWM) and solubilised fractions of green and red ripe fruit were analyzed by chemical, enzymatic techniques. In comparison with the four cultivars of tomato fruits, H1706 and MM are harder than MT and AC at both green and red ripe stage. The ripening-associated solubilisation of rhamnogalacturonan-riched pectic polysaccharides was reduced in H1706 and MM, and the content of side -chain sugars from RG-I reduced by more than 50% in MT and AC. In addition to recognized pectic modifying enzymes, RGase had a good effect on cell separation of H1706 and MM fruit at red ripe stage. The higher RG-I content and branching degree have been associated with increased cell adhesion and reduced cell wall porosity, thus maintained fruit firmness.

Fast and sensitive UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of typical α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes and malondialdehyde in various vegetable oils and oil-based foods.

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a method for simultaneously analyzing malondialdehyde (MDA) and two typical toxic α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes, 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE), and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). The method possessed widely linear range (10-1000 ng/mL). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of MDA, HHE, and HNE were 2.0 and 5.0 ng/g, 2.0 and 5.0 ng/g, and 0.1 and 0.3 ng/g, respectively; the recovery rates all fall into 95.56-104.22 %. The method was sufficiently precise (<5%), and not affected by the analysis matrix. Application to 17 food products revealed total MDA, HHE, and HNE contents were 0.11-3.56, 0.05-3.32, and 0.09-3.70 µg/g, respectively. It will be useful in future research on the influence of food composition and main substrate structure on the generation and distribution of these three aldehydes and the implementation of corresponding control methods.

Effect of replacing inorganic minerals with small peptide chelated minerals on production performance, some biochemical parameters and antioxidant status in broiler chickens.

Due to the low bio-availability of inorganic trace minerals, its application in poultry production has been causing many problems such as environment pollution and waste of resources. The current study was designed to evaluate if replacing inorganic trace minerals (ITM) with small peptide chelate trace minerals (SPM) affects production performance, some biochemical parameters and antioxidant status, tibia mineral deposition, and fecal mineral content in 817 white-feathered broilers. A total of 432 broilers (21-day-old) were randomly divided into four groups with six replicates of 18 chicks each. The four groups included inorganic trace minerals group (addition of 1,000 mg/kg ITM; common practice by commercial poultry farms), three organic trace minerals groups with supplementation of 150, 300, and 500 mg/kg SPM, respectively. The experiment lasted for 30 days. The results showed that there was no significant difference in growth performance and slaughter performance among the four groups (p > 0.05). Total cholesterol in the SPM group was significantly lower than those in the ITM groups (p < 0.01). Compared with the ITM group, the serum urea nitrogen in 150 and 300 mg/kg SPM groups decreased significantly (p < 0.01). Among all SPM treatments, 300 mg/kg SPM groups had the highest serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (p < 0.01). The activity of copper and zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) of liver in ITM group was the lowest among the four groups (p < 0.01). The catalase (CAT) activity of liver in the 150 mg/kg SPM group was significantly higher than the ITM group and 300 mg/kg SPM group (p < 0.05). Compared to the ITM group, the iron content of the tibia was significantly increased in 300 mg/kg SPM group (p < 0.05) and 500 mg/kg SPM group (p < 0.01). Compared to the ITM group, dietary supplementation with SPM significantly reduced fecal content of zinc and manganese (p < 0.01). The 150 mg/kg SPM and 300 mg/kg SPM group had significantly reduced content of iron (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that replacing inorganic minerals with low doses of SPM (300 and 500 mg/kg) did not negatively affect growth and slaughter performance, as well as the antioxidant status of broiler chickens. In addition, SPM can also promote mineral content in the tibia and reduce mineral content in the feces.

Comparison of free and bound phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of leaves from different mulberry varieties.

Mulberry leaves are used in traditional Chinese medicine and contain numerous active substances that are known to be beneficial for human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of the leaves from 23 mulberry cultivars. Qualitative LC-ESI-QTOF analysis revealed the presence of 11 phenolic compounds in the free phenolic extracts and 10 phenolic compounds in the bound fractions. Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were the major components in the free and bound fractions, respectively. The results revealed that the changguosang cultivar from Taiwan contained the greatest content of phenolic compounds as well as the highest antioxidant activity among the 23 cultivars examined, as determined using three separate antioxidant assays. The isoquercitrin, chlorogenic acid, and rutin contents of the free phenolic extracts displayed significant correlations with the antioxidant activities, while syringic acid and rutin were the main contributors to the antioxidant activities of the bound phenolic fractions. The obtained results demonstrate that mulberry leaves contain a variety of beneficial phenolic substances and may be suitable for further development as a herbal medicine.

Formation of volatiles in response to tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda) herbivory in tea plants: a multi-omics study.

KEY MESSAGE: Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis of fresh leaf infestation by tea green leafhoppers (Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda) suggests roles for alternative pre-mRNA splicing and mRNAs in the regulation of aroma formation in tea plants. Oriental Beauty is a high-grade, oolong tea with a pronounced honey-like aroma and rich ripe fruit flavor that develops primarily as a result of the infestation of the fresh leaves by tea green leafhoppers (Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda). Here, we used PacBio Iso-Seq and RNA-seq analyses to determine the full-length transcripts and gene expression profiles of fresh tea leaves in response to E. (M.) onukii herbivory. We investigated the relationship between RNA-seq, tea metabolites, and aroma response mechanisms in leaves infested by leafhoppers. We found 3644 differentially expressed genes, of which 2552 were up- and 1092 were down-regulated. A total of 49,913 alternative splicing events were predicted, including 324 differential AS events. Moreover, 3105 differentially expressed transcripts were also identified, of which 2295 were up- and 810 were down-regulated. The characterization of expression patterns of the key gene transcript isoforms involved in the aroma formation pathways identified 130 differentially expressed metabolites, 97 of which were up- and 33 were down-regulated. Two key aroma compounds (phenylacetaldehyde and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde) were highly correlated with genes of the aroma formation pathways. Our results revealed that pre-mRNA AS plays a crucial role in the metabolic regulation surrounding aroma formation under leafhopper herbivory in tea plants.

Lemon essential oil/vermiculite encapsulated in electrospun konjac glucomannan-grafted-poly (acrylic acid)/polyvinyl alcohol bacteriostatic pad: Sustained control release and its application in food preservation.

Lemon essential oils (LEO), as natural bacteriostatic agents, show significant loss in the preparation processes of food packaging materials, therefore, an effective encapsulation of LEO is urgent for realizing the protection. In this study, LEO was absorbed by thermally stable and porous vermiculite (VML) to form LEO/VML complex, which is further coupled with konjac glucomannan-grafted-poly (acrylic acid)/polyvinyl alcohol (KGM-g-PAA/PVA) composite. KGM-g-PAA/PVA bacteriostatic water-absorbing pad was prepared via electrospinning technique, which can minimize the loss of LEO. The VML (1 g) can significantly reduce LEO loss and achieve sustained control LEO release from the pad, which follows the predominant mechanism of Fick diffusion law. The sustained control LEO release from the pad can effectively inhibit the growth of E. coli during storage, thus prolonging shelf life of chilled pork for 3 day. This study suggests that KGM-g-PAA/PVA pad may have a great potential in the field of intelligent packaging.

Natamycin treatment reduces the quality changes of postharvest mulberry fruit during storage.

This study investigated the effect of natamycin (NA) treatment on the quality of mulberry fruit throughout the storage at 8°C and 90% relative humidity. The results of this study showed that NA treatment reduced the decay rate of mulberry fruit, inhibited respiration, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, decreased phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO) activity, and maintained sucrose levels, total soluble solids (TSS), and total acids (TA) contents in the fruits throughout storage. NA treatment maintained the surface color and firmness of fruits throughout storage and suppressed the production of fructose, glucose, total phenolics, and the contents of anthocyanin. NA treatment maintained the quality of mulberry fruit throughout storage by enhancing the enzymatic activity of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers: catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) and inhibiting the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ). Treatment of mulberries with increasing concentrations of NA could significantly inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens in mulberry fruits and improve their quality. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The results from our previous study showed that NA was a safe preservative which could effectively inhibit the growth of molds and yeasts in mulberry fruits and improve their quality throughout the postharvest storage. Compared with other treatments for mulberry fruit, NA treatment has the advantages of low cost, simple operation, good application, and extension. The results in this study further prove that application of NA treatment has potential in the food industry to maintain the postharvest quality and extend the shelf life of mulberry fruits throughout storage.

Effect of High Pressure Homogenization and Dimethyl Dicarbonate (DMDC) on Microbial and Physicochemical Qualities of Mulberry Juice.

In this study, the effect of high pressure homogenization (HPH) and dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) on microbial and nutrient qualities of mulberry juice was evaluated. Results showed that repeated HPH passes at 200 MPa or adding DMDC at 250 mg/L significantly inactivated the indigenous microorganisms in mulberry juice (P < 0.05), whereas some surviving microorganisms recovered to grow during storage of 4 °C. The combined treatment with 3 passes of HPH and 250 mg/L of DMDC (HPH-DMDC) decreased the population of surviving indigenous microorganisms to the level attained by heat treatment at 95 °C for 1 min (HT) with no significant increase (P > 0.05) in the population of microorganisms during subsequent storage at 4 °C. Moreover, no significant changes (P > 0.05) in the physical attributes, including pH, TSS ((o) Brix), L*, a*, and b* values were observed in the samples treated by the HPH-DMDC or by HT. Compared with HT, HPH-DMDC treatment resulted in a higher degree of retention in total phenolics, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, although the treatment led to higher losses in cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and antioxidant capacity. Overall, HPH-DMDC treatment can be a useful alternative to conventional thermal pasteurization of mulberry juice, considering its ability to inactive, and inhibit indigenous microorganisms.

Comparison of different drying methods on Chinese ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): Changes in volatiles, chemical profile, antioxidant properties, and microstructure.

Nowadays, food industry is facing challenges in preserving better quality of fruit and vegetable products after processing. Recently, many attentions have been drawn to ginger rhizome processing due to its numerous health promoting properties. In our study, ginger rhizome slices were subjected to air-drying (AD), freeze drying (FD), infrared drying (IR), microwave drying (MD) and intermittent microwave & convective drying (IM&CD). Quality attributes of the dried samples were compared in terms of volatile compounds, 6, 8, 10-gingerols, 6-shogaol, antioxidant activities and microstructure. Results showed that AD and IR were good drying methods to preserve volatiles. FD, IR and IM&CD led to higher retention of gingerols, TPC, TFC and better antioxidant activities. However, FD and IR had relative high energy consumption and drying time. Therefore, considering about the quality retention and energy consumption, IM&CD would be very promising for thermo sensitive material.

Effect of second cooling on the chemical components of essential oils from orange peel (Citrus sinensis).

A second cooling was added to the oil collectors of an improved Clevenger-type apparatus (ICT) to investigate the thermal reaction of essential oils from orange peel compared to a traditional Clevenger-type apparatus (CT). The results demonstrated the yield rate of essential oil from ICT was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that from CT. The major components of the essential oils consisted of monoterpenes, such as d-limonene, ß-myrcene, ß-pinene, γ-terpinene, α-pinene. Interestingly, ICT prevented the thermal reaction-the transformation of ß-myrcene to ß-thujene-and reduced the oxidation on α-pinene and ß-pinene of the essential oil in comparison to CT. In addition, the yield rate of γ-terpinene can also be improved via ICT compared to CT. Thus, ICT is an effective improvement to traditional CT.

Effects of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) on the fermentation of litchi juice by Lactobacillus casei as an alternative of heat treatment.

UNLABELLED: This study investigated the effects of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) on the fermentation of litchi juice by Lactobacillus casei as an alternative of heat treatment that may have undesirable effect on the juice. Quality attributes and products stability of both the fermented heat- and DMDC-treated litchi juice by L. casei were compared. It was found that residual indigenous microorganisms in both the heat- and DMDC-treated litchi juice cannot grow into dominant bacteria during further fermentation of litchi juice by L. casei. Compared with fermented heat-treated litchi juice, fermented DMDC-treated litchi juice showed a better color, flavor, and overall acceptance, and also retained more total phenolics and antioxidant capacity. The viability counts of L. casei in both the heat- and DMDC-treated litchi juice were more 8.0 lg CFU/mL after 4 wk of storage at 4 °C. Also, some quality attributes in both the fermented heat- and DMDC-treated litchi juices, including pH, total phenolics, ascorbic acid, antioxidant capacity, and so on, showed the tendency to slow decrease during storage at 4 °C, but the scores of overall acceptance showed no reduction after the storage of 4 wk at 4 °C. On the whole, the application of DMDC treatment could be an ideal alternative of heat treatment to ensure the microbial safety, consistent sensory, and nutritional quality of fermented litchi juice prior to fermentation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The pasteurization treatment is often recommended prior to fermentation of fruit juice by probiotics, as it would lead to a rapid inactivation and inhibition of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria, and ensure the fermented products with consistent sensory and nutritional quality. Dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) is a powerful antimicrobial agent, which was approved for use as a microbial control agent in juice beverages by FDA. This study provides a scientific basis for the application of DMDC prior to fermentation of litchi juice.

A new xanthone from the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana.

A new prenylxanthone, garcimangostanol (1), was isolated from the EtOAc-soluble partition of the ethanol extract of the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana L., along with three known compounds, namely 8-deoxygartanin (2), 1-isomangostin (3), and garcinone C (4). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of its 1D, 2D NMR and MS data. Compounds 1-4 exhibited either significant o r moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7, A549, Hep-G2 and CNEhuman cancer cell lines in vitro with IC50 values from 4.0 +/- 0.3 to 23.6+/- 1.5 microM by MTT colorimetric assay.

[Advance in studies on antibacterial effect of flavonoids].

As antibiotic drug resistance has become one of the most serious threats to global public health, there is a pressing need to look for new effective therapeutic drugs. Flavonoids are a large class of chemicals widely exist in plants, and have such effects as direct antibiotics, synergistic antibiotics and inhibition of bacterial activity. In this article, we made a summary for the advance in studies on the antibacterial effects of flavonoids and their mechanism.