Advancements in enhancing resistant starch type 3 (RS3) content in starchy food and its impact on gut microbiota: A review.

Resistant starch type 3 (RS3), often found in cooked starchy food, has various health benefits due to its indigestible properties and physiological functions such as promoting the abundance of gut beneficial microbial flora and inhibiting the growth of intestinal pathogenic bacteria. However, it is challenging to develop starchy food with high RS3 content. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of current advancements to enhance RS3 content in starchy food and its effects of RS3 on gut microbiota. These approaches include breeding high-amylose cereals through gene editing techniques, processing, enzyme treatments, storage, formation of RS3 nanoparticles, and the incorporation of bioactive compounds. The mechanisms, specific conditions, advantages, and disadvantages associated with each approach and the potential effects of RS3 prepared by different methods on gut microbiota are summarized. In conclusion, this review contains important information that aims to provide guidelines for developing an efficient RS3 preparation process and promote the consumption of RS3-enriched starchy foods to improve overall health outcomes.

Variation in placentophagy in golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) reflects nutritional constraints.

Golden snub-nosed monkeys show inconsistent frequency of placentophagy between wild and captive populations, with almost all births in the wild but around half of the births in captivity accompanied by the female's consumption of placenta. This aligns with nutritional demands-driven placentophagy, as captive populations are generally under less nutritional constraints for breeding females than the wild population. Placentophagy is probably adaptive in the wild and under positive selection due to nutritional benefits to both mothers and infants.

Integrative spatial analysis reveals a multi-layered organization of glioblastoma.

Glioma contains malignant cells in diverse states. Here, we combine spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, and computational approaches to define glioma cellular states and uncover their organization. We find three prominent modes of organization. First, gliomas are composed of small local environments, each typically enriched with one major cellular state. Second, specific pairs of states preferentially reside in proximity across multiple scales. This pairing of states is consistent across tumors. Third, these pairwise interactions collectively define a global architecture composed of five layers. Hypoxia appears to drive the layers, as it is associated with a long-range organization that includes all cancer cell states. Accordingly, tumor regions distant from any hypoxic/necrotic foci and tumors that lack hypoxia such as low-grade IDH-mutant glioma are less organized. In summary, we provide a conceptual framework for the organization of cellular states in glioma, highlighting hypoxia as a long-range tissue organizer.

Maternal dietary fat during lactation shapes single nucleus transcriptomic profile of postnatal offspring hypothalamus in a sexually dimorphic manner in mice.

Maternal overnutrition during lactation predisposes offspring to develop metabolic diseases and exacerbates the relevant syndromes in males more than females in later life. The hypothalamus is a heterogenous brain region that regulates energy balance. Here we combined metabolic trait quantification of mother and offspring mice under low and high fat diet (HFD) feeding during lactation, with single nucleus transcriptomic profiling of their offspring hypothalamus at peak lacation to understand the cellular and molecular alterations in response to maternal dietary pertubation. We found significant expansion in neuronal subpopulations including histaminergic (Hdc), arginine vasopressin/retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor ß (Avp/Rorb) and agouti-related peptide/neuropeptide Y (AgRP/Npy) in male offspring when their mothers were fed HFD, and increased Npy-astrocyte interactions in offspring responding to maternal overnutrition. Our study provides a comprehensive offspring hypothalamus map at the peak lactation and reveals how the cellular subpopulations respond to maternal dietary fat in a sex-specific manner during development.

The hedonic overdrive model best explains high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6 mice.

OBJECTIVE: High-fat diets cause obesity in male mice; however, the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Here, three contrasting ideas were assessed: hedonic overdrive, reverse causality, and passive overconsumption models. METHODS: A total of 12 groups of 20 individually housed 12-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were exposed to 12 high-fat diets with varying fat content from 40% to 80% (by calories), protein content from 5% to 30%, and carbohydrate content from 8.4% to 40%. Body weight and food intake were monitored for 30 days after 7 days at baseline on a standard low-fat diet. RESULTS: After exposure to the diets, energy intake increased first, and body weight followed later. Intake then declined. The peak energy intake was dependent on both dietary protein and carbohydrate, but not the dietary fat and energy density, whereas the rate of decrease in intake was only related to dietary protein. On high-fat diets, the weight of food intake declined, but despite this average reduction of 14.4 g in food intake, they consumed, on average, 357 kJ more energy than at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The hedonic overdrive model fit the data best. The other two models were not supported.

Mass spectrometry imaging-based metabolomics highlights spatial metabolic alterations in three types of liver injuries.

Liver's distinctive function renders it highly susceptible to diverse damage sources. Characterizing the metabolic profiles and spatial signatures in different liver injuries is imperative for early diagnosis and etiology-oriented treatment. In this comparative study, we conducted whole-body spatial metabolomics on zebrafish with liver injury induced by ethanol (EtOH), acetaminophen (APAP), and thioacetamide (TAA). The two specific levels, the whole-body and liver-specific metabolic profiles, as well as their regional distributions, were systematically mapped in situ by mass spectrometry imaging, which is distinct from conventional LC-MS and GC-MS methods. We found that liver injury regions exhibited more pronounced metabolic reprogramming than the entire organism, leading to significant alterations in eight fatty acids, three phospholipids, and four low-molecular-weight metabolites. More importantly, fatty acids as well as small molecule metabolites including glutamine, glutamate, taurine and malic acid displayed contrasting changes between alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In addition, phospholipids, including Lyso PC (16:0) and Lyso PE (18:0), demonstrated notable down-regulation in all damaged liver, whereas PC (34:1) underwent upregulation. This study not only deepens insights into distinct potential biomarkers for liver injuries, but also underscores spatial metabolomics as a powerful tool to elucidate possible pathogenic mechanisms in other metabolic diseases.

Unveiling the potential of novel recyclable deep eutectic solvent pretreatment: Effective separation of lignin from poplar hydrolyzed residue.

To effectively convert the fermentable sugars present in lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels and additional value-added products, it is crucial to remove lignin from the biomass. With the intention of expeditiously remove lignin from poplar wood and improve cellulose saccharification, an innovative ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) benzyl triethyl ammonium chloride-ethylene glycol-FeCl3 (T-EG-F) was studied for the pretreatment of poplar hydrolyzed residue (PHR). The results revealed that following T-EG-F DES pretreatment at 130 °C for 4 h, the lignin removal rate reached 91.88 %. The effect of DES on PHR and regenerated lignin was comprehensively investigated using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Thermogravimetric (TG) and other characterization methods, providing valuable insights into the mechanism of this innovative biomass pretreatment. Moreover, there was a significant improvement in the enzyme digestibility of the DES pretreatment residue. At 48 h, the enzyme load of 30 FPU/g cellulose achieved a remarkable enzyme digestibility of 97.31 %, and this value exhibited a notable increase of 6.56 times compared to the untreated poplar sample. In addition, the T-EG-F could be recycled and reused. This study demonstrates that the potential of T-EG-F DES pretreatment as a green and efficient method for lignin dissociation from lignocellulosic biomass, offering a promising approach for biomass component separation.

Accumulation of livestock manure-derived heavy metals in the Hexi Corridor oasis agricultural alkaline soil and bioavailability to Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.) after 4-year continuous application.

Hexi Corridor is one of the most important base of vegetable producing areas in China. Livestock manure (LM) applied to agricultural field could lead to soil heavy metal (HM) pollution. Previous studies have focused on HM pollution following LM application in acidic polluted soils; however, fewer studies have been conducted in alkaline unpolluted soils. A 4-year field vegetable production experiment was conducted using pig manure (PM) and chicken manure (CM) at five application rates (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 t ha-1) to elucidate potential risks of HMs in an alkaline unpolluted soil in the Hexi Corridor oasis agricultural area and HM uptake by Chinese cabbage. The results showed that LM application caused a significant build-up of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Ni content in topsoil by 30.6-99.7%, 11.4-51.7%, 1.4-31.3%, 5.6-44.9%, 14%-40.8%, respectively. The Cd, Cu, Zn could potentially exceed the soil threshold in next 8-65 years after 15-60 t ha-1 LM application. Under LM treatment, the soil DTPA-extractable Cu, Zn, Fe, the acid-extractable fraction of Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Ni, and the Oxidable fraction of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cd, Ni significantly increased, but the DTPA-extractable Pb, Cd, the acid-extractable fraction of Pb, and the reducible fraction of Cd significantly decreased. Cu and Zn could migrate to the deeper soil and relatively increase in DTPA-extracted Cu, Zn were found in 20-40 cm soil depth after LM application. The pH and SOM could influence the bioavailability of HMs in soil. The bioaccumulation factor and transfer factor (TF) values were <1 except Mn (TF > 1). HMs in leaf did not approach the threshold for HM toxicity due to the "dilution effect". Recommend the type of manure was the PM and the annual PM application rate was 30 t ha-1 to ensure a 20-year period of clean production in alkaline unpolluted Fluvo-aqiuc vegetable soils.

E2-Loaded Microcapsules and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Injectable Scaffolds for Endometrial Regeneration Application.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been recognized as new candidates for the treatment of serious endometrial injuries. However, owing to the local microenvironment of damaged endometrium, transplantation of BMSCs yielded disappointing results. In this study, Pectin-Pluronic® F-127 hydrogel as scaffolds were fabricated to provide three-dimensional architecture for the attachment, growth, and migration of BMSCs. E2 was encapsulated into the W/O/W microspheres to construct pectin-based E2-loaded microcapsules (E2 MPs), which has the potential to serve as a long-term reliable source of E2 for endometrial regeneration. Then, the BMSCs/E2 MPs/scaffolds system was injected into the uterine cavity of mouse endometrial injury model for treatment. At 4 weeks after transplantation, the system increased proliferative abilities of uterine endometrial cells, facilitated microvasculature regeneration, and restored the ability of endometrium to receive an embryo, suggesting that the BMSCs/E2 MPs/scaffolds system is a promising treatment option for endometrial regeneration. Furthermore, the mechanism of E2 in promoting the repair of endometrial injury was also investigated. Exosomes are critical paracrine mediators that act as biochemical cues to direct stem cell differentiation. In this study, it was found that the expression of endometrial epithelial cell (EEC) markers was upregulated in BMSCs treated by exosomes secreted from endometrial stromal cells (ESCs-Exos). Exosomes derived from E2-stimulated ESCs further promoted the expression level of EECs markers in BMSCs, suggesting exosomes released from ESCs by E2 stimulation could enhance the differentiation efficiency of BMSCs. Therefore, exosomes derived from ESCs play paracrine roles in endometrial regeneration stimulated by E2 and provide optimal estrogenic response.

Time-resolved single-cell transcriptomics defines immune trajectories in glioblastoma.

Deciphering the cell-state transitions underlying immune adaptation across time is fundamental for advancing biology. Empirical in vivo genomic technologies that capture cellular dynamics are currently lacking. We present Zman-seq, a single-cell technology recording transcriptomic dynamics across time by introducing time stamps into circulating immune cells, tracking them in tissues for days. Applying Zman-seq resolved cell-state and molecular trajectories of the dysfunctional immune microenvironment in glioblastoma. Within 24 hours of tumor infiltration, cytotoxic natural killer cells transitioned to a dysfunctional program regulated by TGFB1 signaling. Infiltrating monocytes differentiated into immunosuppressive macrophages, characterized by the upregulation of suppressive myeloid checkpoints Trem2, Il18bp, and Arg1, over 36 to 48 hours. Treatment with an antagonistic anti-TREM2 antibody reshaped the tumor microenvironment by redirecting the monocyte trajectory toward pro-inflammatory macrophages. Zman-seq is a broadly applicable technology, enabling empirical measurements of differentiation trajectories, which can enhance the development of more efficacious immunotherapies.

Dynamic foraging strategy adaptation to heterogeneous environments contributes to social aggregation in snub-nosed monkeys.

The dynamics of animal social structures are heavily influenced by environmental patterns of competition and cooperation. In folivorous colobine primates, prevailing theories suggest that larger group sizes should be favored in rainforests with a year-round abundance of food, thereby reducing feeding competition. Yet, paradoxically, larger groups are frequently found in high-altitude or high-latitude montane ecosystems characterized by a seasonal scarcity of leaves. This contradiction is posited to arise from cooperative benefits in heterogeneous environments. To investigate this hypothesis, we carried out a six-year field study on two neighboring groups of golden snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus roxellana), a species representing the northernmost distribution of colobine primates. Results showed that the groups adjusted their movement and habitat selection in response to fluctuating climates and spatiotemporal variability of resources, indicative of a dynamic foraging strategy. Notably, during the cold, resource-scarce conditions in winter, the large group occupied food-rich habitats but did not exhibit significantly longer daily travel distances than the smaller neighboring group. Subsequently, we compiled an eco-behavioral dataset of 52 colobine species to explore their evolutionary trajectories. Analysis of this dataset suggested that the increase in group size may have evolved via home range expansion in response to the cold and heterogeneous climates found at higher altitudes or latitudes. Hence, we developed a multi-benefits framework to interpret the formation of larger groups by integrating environmental heterogeneity. In cold and diverse environments, even smaller groups require larger home ranges to meet their dynamic survival needs. The spatiotemporal distribution of high-quality resources within these expanded home ranges facilitates more frequent interactions between groups, thereby encouraging social aggregation into larger groups. This process enhances the benefits of collaborative actions and reproductive opportunities, while simultaneously optimizing travel costs through a dynamic foraging strategy.

Spatial and Temporal Mapping of Breast Cancer Lung Metastases Identify TREM2 Macrophages as Regulators of the Metastatic Boundary.

Cancer mortality primarily stems from metastatic recurrence, emphasizing the urgent need for developing effective metastasis-targeted immunotherapies. To better understand the cellular and molecular events shaping metastatic niches, we used a spontaneous breast cancer lung metastasis model to create a single-cell atlas spanning different metastatic stages and regions. We found that premetastatic lungs are infiltrated by inflammatory neutrophils and monocytes, followed by the accumulation of suppressive macrophages with the emergence of metastases. Spatial profiling revealed that metastasis-associated immune cells were present in the metastasis core, with the exception of TREM2+ regulatory macrophages uniquely enriched at the metastatic invasive margin, consistent across both murine models and human patient samples. These regulatory macrophages (Mreg) contribute to the formation of an immune-suppressive niche, cloaking tumor cells from immune surveillance. Our study provides a compendium of immune cell dynamics across metastatic stages and niches, informing the development of metastasis-targeting immunotherapies. SIGNIFICANCE: Temporal and spatial single-cell analysis of metastasis stages revealed new players in modulating immune surveillance and suppression. Our study highlights distinct populations of TREM2 macrophages as modulators of the microenvironment in metastasis, and as the key immune determinant defining metastatic niches, pointing to myeloid checkpoints to improve therapeutic strategies. This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 2489.

Structural complexity biases vegetation greenness measures.

Vegetation 'greenness' characterized by spectral vegetation indices (VIs) is an integrative measure of vegetation leaf abundance, biochemical properties and pigment composition. Surprisingly, satellite observations reveal that several major VIs over the US Corn Belt are higher than those over the Amazon rainforest, despite the forests having a greater leaf area. This contradicting pattern underscores the pressing need to understand the underlying drivers and their impacts to prevent misinterpretations. Here we show that macroscale shadows cast by complex forest structures result in lower greenness measures compared with those cast by structurally simple and homogeneous crops. The shadow-induced contradictory pattern of VIs is inevitable because most Earth-observing satellites do not view the Earth in the solar direction and thus view shadows due to the sun-sensor geometry. The shadow impacts have important implications for the interpretation of VIs and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence as measures of global vegetation changes. For instance, a land-conversion process from forests to crops over the Amazon shows notable increases in VIs despite a decrease in leaf area. Our findings highlight the importance of considering shadow impacts to accurately interpret remotely sensed VIs and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence for assessing global vegetation and its changes.

The Importance of Using Realistic 3D Canopy Models to Calculate Light Interception in the Field.

Quantifying canopy light interception provides insight into the effects of plant spacing, canopy structure, and leaf orientation on radiation distribution. This is essential for increasing crop yield and improving product quality. Canopy light interception can be quantified using 3-dimensional (3D) plant models and optical simulations. However, virtual 3D canopy models (VCMs) have often been used to quantify canopy light interception because realistic 3D canopy models (RCMs) are difficult to obtain in the field. This study aims to compare the differences in light interception between VCMs and RCM. A realistic 3D maize canopy model (RCM) was reconstructed over a large area of the field using an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle cross-circling oblique (CCO) route and the structure from motion-multi-view stereo method. Three types of VCMs (VCM-1, VCM-4, and VCM-8) were then created by replicating 1, 4, and 8 individual realistic plants constructed by CCO in the center of the corresponding RCM. The daily light interception per unit area (DLI), as computed for the 3 VCMs, exhibited marked deviation from the RCM, as evinced by the relative root mean square error (rRMSE) values of 20.22%, 17.38%, and 15.48%, respectively. Although this difference decreased as the number of plants used to replicate the virtual canopy increased, rRMSE of DLI for VCM-8 and RCM still reached 15.48%. It was also found that the difference in light interception between RCMs and VCMs was substantially smaller in the early stage (48 days after sowing [DAS]) than in the late stage (70 DAS). This study highlights the importance of using RCM when calculating light interception in the field, especially in the later growth stages of plants.

Leopard predation on wild Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys.

Predation is widely recognized as a powerful selective pressure on primate behavior and ecology, although knowledge of predator-prey relationships remains limited partly due to the rarity of directly observed attacks on primates. Here, we describe four confirmed or suspected instances of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on free-ranging Sichuan (golden) snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), a highly endangered colobine species endemic to China. We recorded predation events and the reactions of monkey group members. We suggest that the evolution of a multilevel society may be an adaptive response by Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys to the risk from leopards as well as other potential predators, one that balances the pressures of predation and intra-species competition and conflict.

Ancient DNA reveals genetic admixture in China during tiger evolution.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a charismatic megafauna species that originated and diversified in Asia and probably experienced population contraction and expansion during the Pleistocene, resulting in low genetic diversity of modern tigers. However, little is known about patterns of genomic diversity in ancient populations. Here we generated whole-genome sequences from ancient or historical (100-10,000 yr old) specimens collected across mainland Asia, including a 10,600-yr-old Russian Far East specimen (RUSA21, 8× coverage) plus six ancient mitogenomes, 14 South China tigers (0.1-12×) and three Caspian tigers (4-8×). Admixture analysis showed that RUSA21 clustered within modern Northeast Asian phylogroups and partially derived from an extinct Late Pleistocene lineage. While some of the 8,000-10,000-yr-old Russian Far East mitogenomes are basal to all tigers, one 2,000-yr-old specimen resembles present Amur tigers. Phylogenomic analyses suggested that the Caspian tiger probably dispersed from an ancestral Northeast Asian population and experienced gene flow from southern Bengal tigers. Lastly, genome-wide monophyly supported the South China tiger as a distinct subspecies, albeit with mitochondrial paraphyly, hence resolving its longstanding taxonomic controversy. The distribution of mitochondrial haplogroups corroborated by biogeographical modelling suggested that Southwest China was a Late Pleistocene refugium for a relic basal lineage. As suitable habitat returned, admixture between divergent lineages of South China tigers took place in Eastern China, promoting the evolution of other northern subspecies. Altogether, our analysis of ancient genomes sheds light on the evolutionary history of tigers and supports the existence of nine modern subspecies.

Comparison of Depth-Specific Prediction of Soil Properties: MIR vs. Vis-NIR Spectroscopy.

The prediction of soil properties at different depths is an important research topic for promoting the conservation of black soils and the development of precision agriculture. Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR, 2500-25000 nm) has shown great potential in predicting soil properties. This study aimed to explore the ability of MIR to predict soil organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (TN) at five different depths with the calibration from the whole depth (0-100 cm) or the shallow layers (0-40 cm) and compare its performance with visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (vis-NIR, 350-2500 nm). A total of 90 soil samples containing 450 subsamples (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm, 40-70 cm, and 70-100 cm depths) and their corresponding MIR and vis-NIR spectra were collected from a field of black soil in Northeast China. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) were used to build prediction models. The results showed that prediction models based on MIR (OM: RMSEp = 1.07-3.82 g/kg, RPD = 1.10-5.80; TN: RMSEp = 0.11-0.15 g/kg, RPD = 1.70-4.39) outperformed those based on vis-NIR (OM: RMSEp = 1.75-8.95 g/kg, RPD = 0.50-3.61; TN: RMSEp = 0.12-0.27 g/kg; RPD = 1.00-3.11) because of the higher number of characteristic bands. Prediction models based on the whole depth calibration (OM: RMSEp = 1.09-2.97 g/kg, RPD = 2.13-5.80; TN: RMSEp = 0.08-0.19 g/kg, RPD = 1.86-4.39) outperformed those based on the shallow layers (OM: RMSEp = 1.07-8.95 g/kg, RPD = 0.50-3.93; TN: RMSEp = 0.11-0.27 g/kg, RPD = 1.00-2.24) because the soil sample data of the whole depth had a larger and more representative sample size and a wider distribution. However, prediction models based on the whole depth calibration might provide lower accuracy in some shallow layers. Accordingly, it is suggested that the methods pertaining to soil property prediction based on the spectral library should be considered in future studies for an optimal approach to predicting soil properties at specific depths. This study verified the superiority of MIR for soil property prediction at specific depths and confirmed the advantage of modeling with the whole depth calibration, pointing out a possible optimal approach and providing a reference for predicting soil properties at specific depths.

Assessment of the sustainability of groundwater utilization and crop production under optimized irrigation strategies in the North China Plain under future climate change.

Over-exploitation of groundwater due to intensive irrigation and anticipated climate change pose severe threats to the water and food security worldwide, particularly in the North China Plain (NCP). Limited irrigation has been recognized as an effective way to improve crop water productivity and slow the rapid decline of groundwater levels. Whether optimized limited irrigation strategies could achieve a balance between groundwater pumping and grain production in the NCP under future climate change deserves further study. In this study, an improved Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate climate change impacts on shallow groundwater levels and crop production under limited irrigation strategies to suggest optimal irrigation management practices under future climate conditions in the NCP. The simulations of eleven limited irrigation strategies for winter wheat with targeted irrigations at different growth stages and with irrigated or rainfed summer maize were compared with future business-as-usual management. Climate change impacts showed that mean wheat (maize) yield under adequate irrigation was expected to increase by 13.2% (4.9%) during the middle time period (2041-2070) and by 11.2% (4.6%) during the late time period (2071-2100) under three SSPs compared to the historical period (1971-2000). Mean decline rate of shallow groundwater level slowed by approximately 1 m a-1 during the entire future period (2041-2100) under three SSPs with a greater reduction for SSP5-8.5. The average contribution rate of future climate toward the balance of shallow groundwater pumping and replenishment was 62.9%. Based on the simulated crop yields and decline rate of shallow groundwater level under the future climate, the most appropriate limited irrigation was achieved by applying irrigation during the jointing stage of wheat with rainfed maize, which could achieve the groundwater recovery and sustainable food production.

Effect of Preliminary Treatment by Pulsed Electric Fields and Blanching on the Quality of Fried Sweet Potato Chips.

The effects of pulsed electric fields (PEF) and blanching pretreatments on frying kinetics, oil content, color, texture, acrylamide (AA) content, and microstructure have been investigated in this paper. The total PEF pretreatment duration was tPEF = 0.2 s with an intensity of E = 1 kV/cm; blanching was studied at 85 °C for 5 min. The results demonstrated that pretreatment significantly reduced the moisture ratio and oil content by 25% and 40.33%, respectively. The total color change ΔE value of the pretreated samples was lower than that of the untreated samples. In addition, pretreatment increased the hardness of the sample after frying, and the AA content in the fried samples pretreated with PEF + blanching was reduced by approximately 46.10% (638 µg/kg). Finally, fried sweet potato chips obtained by the combined pretreatment exhibited a smoother and flatter cross-sectional microstructure.