Effect of Phenol and Alkylamide Interaction on α-Glucosidase Inhibition and Cellular Antioxidant Activity during In Vitro Digestion: Using Szechuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum genus) as a Model.

Although recent evidence indicated significant phenol and alkylamide interaction in aqueous solutions, the gastrointestinal digestion influence of the combination remains unclear. This study aims to investigate phenol and alkylamide interaction during in vitro digestion, focusing on bioaccessibility and bioactivity, including α-glucosidase inhibition and cellular antioxidant activity. Additionally, the structural mechanism of phenol and alkylamide interaction during in vitro digestion was explored. The results indicated that the presence of phenols and alkylamides significantly increased or decreased their respective bioaccessibility, depending on the Zanthoxylum varieties. Furthermore, although antagonistic phenol/alkylamide interaction was evident during α-glucosidase inhibition, cellular oxidative stress alleviation, and antioxidant gene transcription upregulation, this effect weakened gradually as digestion progressed. Glycoside bond cleavage and the methylation of phenols as well as alkylamide isomerization and addition were observed during digestion, modifying the hydrogen bonding sites and interaction behavior. This study provided insights into the phenol/alkylamide interaction in the gastrointestinal tract.

Incorporation of Lactococcus lactis and Chia Mucilage for Improving the Physical and Biological Properties of Gelatin-Based Coating: Application for Strawberry Preservation.

In this work, a gelatin/chia mucilage (GN/CM) composite coating material doped with Lactococcus lactis (LS) was developed for strawberry preservation applications. The results of the scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy stated that the enhanced molecular interaction between the CM and GN matrix strengthened the density and compactness of the GN film. Antifungal results indicated that the addition of LS significantly (p < 0.05) improved the ability of the GN coating to inhibit the growth of Botrytis cinerea (inhibition percentage = 62.0 ± 4.6%). Adding CM significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the water vapour permeability and oxygen permeability of the GN coating by 32.7 ± 4.0% and 15.76 ± 1.89%, respectively. In addition, the incorporated CM also significantly (p < 0.05) improved the LS viability and elongation at break of the film by 13.11 ± 2.05% and 42.58 ± 1.21%, respectively. The GN/CM/LS composite coating material also exhibited an excellent washability. The results of this study indicated that the developed GN/CM/LS coating could be used as a novel active material for strawberry preservation.

Response of Grassland Soil Quality to Shallow Plowing and Nutrient Addition.

Due to differences in the soil environment and grassland management measures, the change characteristics of soil microbial entropy and soil comprehensive quality in different types of grassland may vary significantly. In this study, the spatial variation characteristics of grassland soil microbial entropy under shallow plowing and nutrient addition measures were studied using a networking experimental platform established in a temperate meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe in northern China. The grassland soil quality was comprehensively evaluated to provide a theoretical basis for the scientific and reasonable management of grasslands under global climate change. The results show that in the meadow steppe, shallow plowing and nutrient addition significantly decreased the soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial entropy in the region, resulting in a decrease in the comprehensive score of soil quality. In the typical steppe, due to the influence of shallow tillage measures, the microbial biomass of the grassland soil in the region was higher than that of the control group and its two treatments, and the comprehensive score of soil quality was ranked first among the four treatments. In the desert steppe, the interaction of shallow plowing and nutrient addition significantly increased the soil microbial entropy in the region. Under the nutrient addition measures, the soil microbial entropy of the desert steppe showed a downward trend. In addition, the soil C/N ratio of the desert grassland under nutrient addition measures increased significantly, and the comprehensive score of soil quality ranked first among the four treatments as the microbial entropy decreased significantly.

Cooking-Induced Oxidation and Structural Changes in Chicken Protein: Their Impact on In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion and Intestinal Flora Fermentation Characteristics.

Meat digestion and intestinal flora fermentation characteristics are closely related to human dietary health. The present study investigated the effect of different cooking treatments, including boiling, roasting, microwaving, stir-frying, and deep-frying, on the oxidation of chicken protein as well as its structural and digestion characteristics. The results revealed that deep-fried and roasted chicken exhibited a relatively higher degree of protein oxidation, while that of boiled chicken was the lowest (p < 0.05). Both stir-frying and deep-frying led to a greater conversion of the α-helix structure of chicken protein into a ß-sheet structure and resulted in lower protein gastrointestinal digestibility (p < 0.05), whereas roasted chicken exhibited moderate digestibility. Further, the impact of residual undigested chicken protein on the intestinal flora fermentation was assessed. During the fermentation process, roasted chicken generated the highest number of new intestinal flora species (49 species), exhibiting the highest Chao 1 index (356.20) and a relatively low Simpson index (0.88). Its relative abundance of Fusobacterium was the highest (33.33%), while the total production of six short-chain fatty acids was the lowest (50.76 mM). Although stir-fried and deep-fried chicken exhibited lower digestibility, their adverse impact on intestinal flora was not greater than that of roasted chicken. Therefore, roasting is the least recommended method for the daily cooking of chicken. The present work provides practical advice for choosing cooking methods for chicken in daily life, which is useful for human dietary health.

Influence of a three-dimensional photonic crystal on the plasmonic properties of gold nanorods.

The influence of a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal (PC) on the plasmonic properties of gold nanorods (GNRs), which are placed on the surface of the PC, was investigated both numerically and experimentally. The 3D PC formed by closely packed polystyrene spheres was fabricated by using a pressure controlled isothermal heating vertical deposition technique. For a GNR whose longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is located at the bandgap edges of the PC, a dramatic narrowing of the absorption spectrum as well as an enhancement in electric field and thus the absorption was observed. It was suggested that the small group velocities at the bandgap edges of the PC are responsible for the slow decay of the plasmonic mode in the GNR. To confirm the enhancement in the absorption of the GNRs induced by the nearby PC, we examined the two-photon-induced luminescence (TPL) of an assembly of GNRs dispersed on the surface of the PC. Under the excitation of femtosecond laser pulses which was resonant with the LSPR of GNRs, it was found that the excitation intensity necessary for melting GNRs placed on the surface of the PC was nearly one order of magnitude smaller than that for GNRs placed on the surface of a glass slide, in good agreement with the results predicted by the numerical simulations. Our findings indicate the possibility of using PCs to modify the plasmonic and optical properties of GNRs which are quite useful for the practical applications of GNRs such as nanoscale sensors and optical data storage.