Fresh walnuts (Juglans regia L.) are challenging to store due to their high water content and delicate green appearance. It has been reported that sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a nitric oxide donor) can promote stress tolerance. However, whether SNP affects the postharvest quality of fresh walnuts remains unknown. This research showed that appropriate SNP treatment contributed to walnut preservation; in particular, 0.5 mmol/L SNP treatment resulted in a better appearance and less decay (59.7%). Compared with the control, this treatment not only increased the levels of proteases related to fresh walnut disease (chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase) but also increased the overall antioxidant level and reduced oxidant damage. Moreover, respiratory metabolism and ethylene release were greatly suppressed (9.5%), and the overall sensory evaluation did not reveal any adverse effects associated with a lower acid or peroxide content. Thus, it was inferred that the optimal SNP dose activated disease-related enzymes, mediated the physiological metabolism rate, regulated the ROS-redox balance and therefore reduced decay and maintained the walnut quality. This is the first report of SNP (NO) application for the preservation of fresh walnuts and may provide information to facilitate practical application of this potential innovation.

Carotenoids are colored bioactive substances increasingly used due to their antioxidant properties, vitamin A precursor role, and ability to function as a natural food color. Knowledge of carotenoid behavior during high-heat processing and subsequent storage in emulsified food matrix is essential to expand their application natural food colors and neutraceuticals. Firstly, the physical, thermal, and colloidal stability of emulsions constructed from octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch (OSA starch)-chitosan multilayered interfaces were investigated. Results of charge reversal from −32.4 ± 1.9 mV to +38.0 ± 0.8 mV indicate that multilayered interfaces were formed in emulsions. As measured by Z-average size, the emulsions were stable after the thermal treatment at 121 °C for 60 min, thus demonstrating a novel heat-stable multilayered emulsion. Subsequently, a select multilayered emulsion was loaded with β-carotene, and its storage stability was assessed. The degradation of β-carotene in an oil-in-water emulsion was better described with zeroth order kinetics; β-carotene dissolved in bulk oil was better described using a second-order kinetic equation. The presence of an encapsulating material around the oil droplets loaded with β-carotene enhanced its stability, which makes it instrumental in extending shelf-life and maintaining a consistent appearance. The results can be used to predict the availability of β-carotene during storage.

In this study, three representative pears ('Yali' Pear, 'Huangguan' Pear, and 'Xuehua' Pear) peel/flesh polyphenol extracts were characterized by their antioxidant activity, polyphenol composition, and in vitro cholesterol/cholates binding capacity. 'Yali' Pear polyphenol extracts were selected to further investigate the mechanism of in vitro cholesterol/cholates lowering capacity. Lagergren adsorption kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models confirmed the occurrence of this combination. Turbidity, average particle size, transmission electron microscopy, and zeta potential combined confirmed the existence of some interaction between polyphenols and cholesterol/cholates. Cholesterol/cholates quenched the exogenous fluorescence of polyphenols by static mechanism. The thermodynamic interaction results revealed that the interaction between polyphenols and cholesterol is a spontaneous process, primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Overall, this study aimed to investigate the confirmation of the binding removal properties of pear polyphenols on cholesterol/cholates to mitigate the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet.

In this study, static and dynamic desorption methods, infrared spectroscopy and, in vitro antioxidant modeling were used to isolate, purify, and investigate the bioactivity of melanoidins extracted from hypoheat-induced Lycium barbarum L. The results showed that melanoidin fractions with molecular weight in the range of 3−10 kDa were the dominant and most valuable fractions. In the purification phase, the optimal purification conditions were: a loading concentration of 4 mg·mL−1, elution volume of 6 BV, and an elution flow rate of 1 mL·min−1. Purified dominant melanoidin fractions (UF3) exhibited typical Maillard reaction (MR) characteristics in FTIR. The storage stability showed that sunlight and heat treatment exacerbated the instability of the purified UF3. At the same time it was relatively stable under dark conditions and incandescent light, with a retention rate of about 90%. After in vitro digestion, the purified UF3 still exhibited good antioxidant activity, and the DPPH scavenging activity and hydroxyl free radical scavenging ability reached more than 60%.

The colonic mucosal barrier is an important component of the intestinal barrier, and its integrity is crucial for maintaining digestive tract homeostasis and normal metabolism in the body. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which malvidin-3-O-galactoside (M3G) might ameliorate colonic mucosal barrier function, from the perspective of physical barrier function and immune barrier function. Male C57BL/6J mice were given dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to establish a mice model for colitis and then administrated with or without M3G for one week. The results showed that M3G supplementation significantly improved the disease activity index (DAI) score and colon tissue injury in mice with DSS-induced colitis. M3G improved the colonic physical barrier function by modulating the expression of mucin2 (MUC2), claudin-1, occludin, zona occludens 1 (ZO-1), and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) in the colonic mucosa. Additionally, M3G also relieved the colonic immune barrier of mice by increasing the level of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in colon tissue and the percentages of CD4+T (CD3+CD4+) and CD8+T (CD3+CD8+) cells in colon lamina propria monocytes in mice. Furthermore, M3G down-regulated Notch signaling pathway-related proteins such as Notch1, notch intracellular domain (NICD), delta-like ligand 4 (DLL4), delta-like ligand 1 (DLL1), and hairy/enhancer of split 1 (Hes1) of colon tissue. The present results demonstrated that M3G can improve colonic mucosal barrier function by inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway.

The promising future of natural colors in the food industry aligns with the shift in consumer preference toward healthier food options. These naturally derived ingredients gradually replace their artificial counterparts and find applications in a wide range of food categories, and aquatic products have emerged as one of them. In this work, we introduced the characteristics and extraction of several main types of natural pigments and also explored the positive outcomes of integrating the pigments, such as carotenoids, curcumin, anthocyanins, and betalains, in aquatic product processing and preservation. Their outstanding antioxidant and dyeing properties contribute to the production and storage of various aquatic products. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of natural pigment applications in aquatic products and to provide inspiration for future research and industry practices.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the earliest domesticated fungus, researched deeply and widely used fungus. When used in food fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has an important influence on the quality, flavor, and aroma of products. Future developments will focus on enhancing flavor diversity, increasing production efficiency, sustainability, and product consistency, as well as improving the fermentation characteristics by using advanced technologies. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal substrate for synthetic biology research, usually used in the production of lactic acid, terpenes, steroids, vaccines, etc., which helps to reduce production cost, shorten the production cycle, improve production capacity, and has a very broad application prospect. In addition, in the field of environmental protection, biofuel ethanol is one of the promising and popular fuels with potential for energy and environmental security. However, there are major challenges for Saccharomyces cerevisiae that use lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock to produce biofuel ethanol.

Soy milk, rich in vitamin D and calcium, is a common alternative to dairy milk. However, its distinct 'beany off-flavor' has limited its acceptance, particularly in Western countries. A new technique employing preformed 'empty' V-type starch has been introduced to scavenge this off-flavor, aiming to promote soy milk consumption. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of consumers' purchase intention of 'empty' V-type starch deodorized soy milk, particularly among college students. In this cross-sectional study, 105 college students were surveyed by a validated survey instrument that measures their perceptions of sensory quality, healthiness, price, environmental friendliness, food safety, and purchase intention of a novel product – 'empty' V-type starch deodorized soy milk. Additionally, demographic data were gathered to understand any correlations between these factors and the students' willingness-to-purchase of the deodorized soy milk. From the results, more than 80% of the participants expressed a positive attitude toward the 'empty' V-type starch-deodorized soy milk. The two dominant drivers behind their purchasing decision were Sensory Quality and Environmental Concern. Accordingly, it is crucial to highlight the improved sensory profile and the environmental friendliness of this soy milk product in order to achieve marketing success.

Changes in the quality of blue honeysuckle fruit following exposure to air or controlled atmospheres (CA1: 20% O2 and 20% CO2; CA2: 5% O2 and 20% CO2; CA3: 5% O2 and 10% CO2) were investigated. The 'Lanjingling’ blue honeysuckle was stored at a temperature of −1 °C for a duration of 28 d. An elevated concentration of CO2 led to a reduction in fruit weight loss, ethanol content, and respiration rate, while simultaneously increasing the epicuticular wax coverage index, firmness, TSS, ascorbic acid, polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity. Notably, treatment with high levels of carbon dioxide (20% CO2) led to an approximately 150% increase in total anthocyanin content compared to control conditions. Additionally, it was observed that reducing the oxygen content from 20% to 5% had a detrimental effect on the antioxidant capacity of blue honeysuckle during storage. Specifically, there were decreases of 10.4%, 16.8%, and 6.7% in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP, respectively. The respiration rate is increased by treatment with 5% O2 and 5% CO2, which may result in accelerated senescence of blue honeysuckle. After 28 d, the treatment resulted in a respiration rate that was 1.49 times higher than the control. Hence, it can be deduced that maintaining a controlled atmosphere containing 20% O2 and 20% CO2 can be deemed an effective method of blue honeysuckle for prolonging storage life and safeguarding its bioactive components.

In this work, the gastrointestinal digestive outcome of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide (TFP) was examined using in vitro simulated experiments, together with its effect on the intestinal microbiota. TFP did not significantly alter during the stage of oral digestion, according to an in vitro digestion investigation. Nevertheless, glycosidic connections of TFP were broken throughout the intestinal and stomach digesting phases, which resulted in the dissociation of macromolecular aggregates, a marked rise in decreasing sugar content (CR), as well as a drop in molecular weight (Mw). Additionally, microbial community analysis following fecal fermentation in vitro indicated that TFP might control the alpha and beta diversity of gut microbiota and change the genus- and phylum-level community composition. It increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria including Megasphaera, Phascolarctobacterium, and Bacteroides, and suppressed the growth of harmful bacteria like Escherichia-shigella and Fusobacterium, thus contributing to maintaining gut homeostasis. These results suggested that TFP could have a positive impact on health through enhancing the gut microbiota environment, giving a theoretical basis for its use as a prebiotic.