Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture最新文献

{"title":"Metabolomic and structural signatures of pigmented and non-pigmented Himalayan rice landraces.","authors":"Sonal Aggarwal, Arun Kumar, Mohar Singh, Narpinder Singh","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70819","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70819","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study investigated the anti-oxidant properties, starch composition, pasting behavior, structural properties, textural properties and non-targeted metabolomic profiles of pigmented and non-pigmented rice landraces as potential next-generation functional food ingredients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Pigmented rice demonstrated 1.34 times more anti-oxidant activity as compared to non-pigmented rice. Pigmented landraces showcased superior nutritional and functional attributes, including higher total dietary fiber and starch content. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed distinct molecular signatures with enhanced peak transmittance, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated greater crystallinity ranging from 36-44.3% in pigmented rice compared with 30-40% in non-pigmented rice, suggesting improved digestibility and processing versatility. Pigmented rice recorded less amylose content hence tended to possess increased adhesiveness values whereas non-pigmented rice revealed greater amylose content hence was coupled with greater hardness values. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images revealed that pigmented rice had densely packed and polygonal starch granules whereas non-pigmented rice had loosely packed starch granules with intergranular voids. Untargeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling identified 84 metabolites, including unique compounds such as 3,3-dimethylbutanol and ethanoic acid, along with shared metabolites such as sucrose and linoleic acid, highlighting notable biochemical diversity. Multivariate statistical analyses using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway mapping further differentiated the metabolomic landscapes, with variable importance in the projection (VIP) scores identifying key bioactive contributors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Pigmented rice landraces exhibited significant functional and nutritional advantages, making them promising candidates for functional food development and nutritional improvement programs. These findings support their potential role in advancing sustainable and health-oriented food systems. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8019-8035"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148295373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Punicalagin-enriched edible coatings from revalorized pomegranate peels for quality enhancement of fresh-cut celery.","authors":"Lorena Martínez-Zamora, Rosa Zapata, Marina Cano-Lamadrid, Francisco Artés-Hernández","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70843","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70843","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pomegranate peel is a rich source of phenolics, particularly punicalagin, but its valorization for fresh produce preservation requires stabilization. This study aimed to develop and evaluate freeze-dried encapsulates of pomegranate peel extracts as ingredients in edible coatings for fresh-cut celery. Pomegranate peels were extracted with ethanol and encapsulated using maltodextrin, inulin, or pectin at wall-to-core ratios of 1:1 and 0.5:1. Extracts and encapsulates were characterized for color, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, and punicalagin (Pn). Edible coatings containing the encapsulates were applied to minimally processed celery sticks by dipping, and quality was monitored over 13 days at 4 °C for physicochemical and nutritional quality.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ethanolic extraction concentrated phenolics (TPC 246.8 mg kg^-1; Pn 85.3 g kg^-1), and encapsulation with inulin at a 0.5:1 ratio yielded the highest phytochemical retention (TPC 120.8 mg kg^-1; Pn 43.4 g kg^-1). Coated celery showed reduced discoloration (color change (ΔE) approximately 8 vs approximately 13 in an uncoated control (CTRL)) and weight loss (~0.5% vs ~2% in CTRL). Enriched coatings preserved TPC (~0.12 mg GAE kg^-1 vs ~0.08 mg GAE kg^-1 in CTRL) and increased celery Pn content, which peaked at ~1.8 g kg^-1 on day 9.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Encapsulated pomegranate peel extracts provided bioactive fortification and helped to maintain the physicochemical quality of fresh-cut celery during refrigerated storage, offering a sustainable valorization strategy for agro-industrial by-products. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8226-8236"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenotypic, physicochemical, sensory, and functional attributes of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) from Brazilian Amazonian floodplain and upland ecosystems.","authors":"Danielle Amaral E Silva, Consuelo Lúcia Sousa de Lima, Giulia Victória Silva Lima, Angela Maria Miranda Silva, Neirivaldo Cavalcante da Silva, Hervé Louis Ghislain Rogez, Jesus Nazareno Silva de Souza","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70793","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) from the Brazilian Amazon plays an important role in national production. While most cocoa is cultivated in upland systems, floodplain ecosystems represent a traditional and distinct production environment that may influence bean composition and quality. This study characterizes floodplain cocoa (FC) and compares it with upland cocoa (UC) from the eastern Amazon.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>FC fruits had an oval shape and thick husks, with smaller beans than UC, both well fermented. FC beans had higher fiber content (17.70 ± 0.7 g/100 g dry matter (DM)) and total polyphenols (27.04 ± 0.69 mg CE/g DM), but lower protein content (14.99 g/100 g DM) and antioxidant capacity (627.45 ± 30.99 μmol TE/g DM) compared to UC beans (fiber: 14.57 ± 0.40 g/100 g DM; protein: 16.44 g/100 g DM; polyphenols: 14.19 ± 4.19 mg CE/g DM; antioxidant capacity: 1112.58 ± 56.47 μmol TE/g DM). FC beans showed higher levels of caffeine and theophylline, and a theobromine/caffeine ratio typical of Criollo cocoa. Chocolates from both exhibited favorable attributes, including fine-flavor notes, and were similarly accepted by consumers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>FC and UC beans exhibited distinct physicochemical profiles, both showing adequate fermentation and similar consumer acceptance, highlighting the potential of Amazonian cocoa for product differentiation and valorization of regionally distinct systems. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"7775-7783"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148218298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microstructure-driven modulation of polyphenol stability and antidiabetic activity in alginate microspheres loaded with pomegranate and tomato by-products.","authors":"Laleh Mozafari, Karolina Tkacz, Lorena Martínez-Zamora, Marina Cano-Lamadrid, Igor Piotr Turkiewicz, Paulina Nowicka, Francisco Artés-Hernández, Aneta Wojdyło","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70844","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70844","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Plant-derived by-products are a valuable source of polyphenols with well-documented antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. However, their limited stability restricts their application in functional food systems. This study investigated alginate-based encapsulation by ionotropic gelation as a strategy to improve polyphenol retention and bioactivity, using pomegranate peel and tomato pomace as contrasting plant matrices. Attention was given to the effects of processing parameters, including nozzle diameter, on encapsulation efficiency and functional properties.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Plant matrix and processing conditions both significantly affected polyphenol retention, antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)), and antidiabetic activity (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and α-amylase inhibition), confirming strong matrix-dependent behavior. Microspheres prepared from pomegranate peel showed greater retention of key phenolic compounds, including gallic acid (29.7 mg kg^-1 FW), ellagic acid (5.0 mg kg^-1 FW), flavonols (18.0 mg kg^-1 FW), and polymeric procyanidins (1337.6 mg kg^-1 FW), and enhanced biological activity. In contrast, tomato pomace showed lower stability, with the highest flavonol retention (45.6 mg kg^-1 FW) observed under less restrictive encapsulation conditions. Increasing nozzle diameter (750-1000 μm) improved microsphere morphology, surface integrity, and extract distribution, while reducing structural instability. Correlation analysis indicated that flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, and punicalagin were the principal contributors to antioxidant and antidiabetic effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Alginate-based encapsulation efficiency was influenced strongly by plant matrix and process parameters, particularly nozzle diameter. Optimization of these factors enables improved retention of bioactive compounds and enhanced biological activity. The developed system shows potential for the design of stable, functional microspheres applicable in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and controlled-release delivery systems. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"7907-7919"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-destructive assessment of soluble solids content and firmness in tomatoes using dual-mode hyperspectral imaging technology.","authors":"Hongwei Zhang, Yijia Yang, Quancheng Liu, Didi Ma, Shuxiang Fan, Pinjie Sha, Jialin Xi, Lei Yan, Jianqiang Hao","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70828","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70828","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Non-destructive assessment of tomato internal quality, including soluble solids content (SSC) and firmness, is important for grading and postharvest management. However, the varying capabilities of reflectance and transmittance hyperspectral imaging for predicting biochemical and mechanical quality attributes have not been sufficiently compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, a dual-mode hyperspectral imaging system covering 500-950 nm was developed to evaluate SSC and firmness in 160 'Yuan Wei No. 1' tomatoes. Four preprocessing methods, including Savitzky-Golay smoothing (SG), standard normal variate (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), and orthogonal signal correction (OSC), and three feature-wavelength selection strategies, including uninformative variable elimination (UVE), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and UVE-CARS, were compared using partial least squares regression. Transmittance spectra outperformed reflectance spectra for SSC prediction. The CARS filtered transmittance model achieved the best performance, with R _p = 0.9256 and residual predictive deviation (RPD) = 2.4208. Firmness prediction was less accurate; the best model was obtained using reflectance spectra combined with SG-SNV preprocessing and UVE-CARS feature selection, yielding R _p = 0.8008 and RPD = 1.6696.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Dual-mode hyperspectral imaging is effective for non-destructive SSC prediction in tomatoes, whereas firmness prediction remains limited because mechanical quality attributes are less directly represented by visible-near-infrared spectral information. The results provide a basis for tomato quality assessment and suggest that future firmness prediction may benefit from multi-modal data fusion. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8062-8072"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148330173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal self-attention network ST-GranNet for granary temperature prediction.","authors":"Changtian Li, Zelong Zhou, Hongfu Liu, Zhikang Chen, Han Gu, Jun Ma, Bin Chen","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70849","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70849","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Food storage temperature prediction is critical for ensuring the safety of the food supply chain and reducing food waste. Traditional physical modeling and statistical methods heavily depend on prior data and struggle to capture complex nonlinear features. Existing deep learning models for granary temperature prediction still face challenges in effectively extracting spatiotemporal features. With traditional adjacency-matrix-based methods it is difficult to capture the complex relationships among sensors, most existing algorithms merely performing simple concatenation or sequential input of spatiotemporal features, lacking sufficient interaction. In addition, they fall short in incorporating external feature variables. To address these limitations, this study proposes ST-GranNet, an innovative spatiotemporal attention framework based on the self-attention mechanism. ST-GranNet employs channel embedding and point embedding to capture spatial correlations among sensors and long-term dependencies in temperature sequences, respectively, followed by a novel fusion approach to integrate these spatiotemporal features. The model is validated on a real corn storage dataset from Sinograin Chongqing Depot Co. Ltd.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Experimental results demonstrate that ST-GranNet outperforms conventional time series prediction models (LSTM and GRU) in terms of mean absolute error and mean squared error. It also exhibits noticeable enhancements compared with recently emerging self-attention-based models. We optimize the model performance via hyperparameter experiments. Ablation studies further confirm the effectiveness of the coordinated spatiotemporal feature extraction in enhancing prediction accuracy. Visualization experiments additionally illustrate the internal mechanism of the self-attention in ST-GranNet.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This work provides a high-precision temperature prediction tool for intelligent grain storage management, enabling real-time monitoring and risk warning, with significant potential to reduce grain loss and optimize storage conditions. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8210-8225"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148368956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Loss of zinc from zinc-biofortified rice and conventional rice varieties due to various cooking techniques practiced in rural Bangladesh.","authors":"Prasenjit Mondal, Melaku Engidaw, Habibul Bari Shozib, Md Mariful Islam, Abdullah Al Mahim, Hai N Phung, Sabuktagin Rahman, Malay Kanti Mridha, Faruk Ahmed","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70842","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Zinc-biofortified rice has the potential to provide a sustainable solution for zinc deficiency, particularly in Asian countries where rice is the primary staple food. However, cooking of raw rice is associated with some loss of micronutrients, including zinc. The literature suggests that the amount of water used during cooking can influence the extent of micronutrient loss in both fortified and conventional rice varieties. This study aimed to estimate the cooking loss of zinc, iron, and phytate, as an important inhibitor of zinc, in zinc-biofortified and conventional rice varieties and to assess the effects of the amount of water used for cooking on the loss of these micronutrients. The secondary objective was to assess the impact on iron.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant differences in zinc content were observed between the biofortified and conventional raw rice varieties. The median zinc content (interquartile range) was 19.7 (19.3, 20.2) mg kg⁻¹ in the biofortified variety and 18.7 (18.3, 18.7) mg kg⁻¹ in the conventional variety (P = 0.012). Cooking resulted in a significant reduction in zinc, iron, and phytate content with higher losses observed when cooking with 'excess' water (39% for zinc and 29% for iron) than when cooking with 'adequate' quantities of water (19% for zinc and 22% for iron).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This is the first study to estimate the cooking loss of zinc in zinc-biofortified rice in the Bangladeshi context and to estimate the effect of the amount of water used on this loss. Cooking resulted in a significant decrease in zinc and iron content, and there was a dose-response relationship between the amount of water used and the reduction in zinc and iron content. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8202-8209"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148302230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of microwave treatment on the physicochemical properties, structure, and in vitro digestibility of sweet potato starch-lipid complexes with different fatty acid chain lengths.","authors":"Renbing Qin, Mengmeng Zhou, Jiaming Zhu, Jinfeng Hua, Ruiqiang Luo, Haiyan Gao, Jie Zeng, Fengjuan Xiang","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70822","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70822","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sweet potato starch (SPS) is an abundant and cost-effective agricultural resource with broad application prospects, but its poor thermal stability and high digestibility restrict industrial utilization. The formation of starch-lipid complexes is a green physical modification method to improve starch functionality, and microwave irradiation with rapid volumetric heating is an efficient alternative to conventional hydrothermal processing. However, the chain-length-dependent mechanism by which microwave treatment regulates the structure and digestive properties of SPS-fatty acid (FA) complexes remains unclear, hindering the rational design of low-glycemic ingredients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Longer chain FAs formed complexes with higher thermal stability and resistant starch (RS) content. Microwave treatment reduced complex quantity but enhanced structural order and crystallinity, forming more perfect V-type crystals. This structural refinement reduced digestibility significantly, with the microwave-treated stearic acid complex (SA-M) showing the highest RS content (46.8%) and lowest estimated glycemic index (eGI) (68.3).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Microwave treatment acts as a chain-length-dependent structural refinement process, optimizing starch-lipid complexes towards more ordered and digestion-resistant forms, providing a strategy for developing low-glycemic-index starchy foods. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"7895-7906"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148295378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photosynthetic resilience of dry-farmed 'Pedro Ximénez' grapevines under organic versus conventional management in a warm Mediterranean vineyard.","authors":"Saray Gutiérrez-Gordillo, Juan Manuel Pérez-González, Pau Sancho-Galán, Antonio Amores-Arrocha, Ana Jiménez-Cantizano","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70825","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Organic viticulture is expanding across Mediterranean wine regions, driven by EU sustainability policies and increasing consumer demand. However, comparative studies assessing both physiological performance and productivity of grapevines under organic and conventional management while maintaining similar soil and climatic conditions remain limited, particularly in dry-farmed warm Mediterranean environments. This study evaluated the physiological and agronomic responses of the grapevine cultivar 'Pedro Ximénez' over two consecutive seasons (2022-2023) in a commercial dry-farmed vineyard in south-western Spain managed under certified organic and conventional management systems.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Leaf gas-exchange parameters including net photosynthetic rate (A _N), stomatal conductance (g _s), intrinsic water-use efficiency (_iWUE), and the stomatal stress integral (SI _gs) were monitored alongside agronomic parameters such as bunch number, bunch weight, and pruning weight. Across both seasons, organically managed vines showed lower cumulative stomatal stress (SI _gs reduced by 37% in 2022 and 14% in 2023) while maintaining similar seasonal iWUE values. During high vapor pressure deficit episodes, electron transport rate (ETR) remained comparable between management systems whereas A _N declined, indicating that photosynthetic reductions were mainly associated with CO₂ diffusional or biochemical limitations rather than photochemical impairment. Yield components were comparable between systems, although organic vines produced more clusters per plant in 2023 (17 ± 0.9 vs 15 ± 0.8; Tukey test, P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Under the conditions of this commercial, warm Mediterranean vineyard, organic management was associated with reduced seasonal stomatal stress while maintaining comparable productivity, suggesting that organic viticulture may represent a viable strategy for dry-farmed vineyards in warm Mediterranean regions. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"7935-7944"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148308784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pomegranate seed oil attenuates palmitic acid-induced hepatic injury through modulation of oxidative stress: insights from GC-Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics.","authors":"Xueping Ma, Feng Cheng, Reyanggu Abula, Xiuxiang Lu, Tao Wu, Mahinur Bakri, Maitinuer Maiwulanjiang","doi":"10.1002/jsfa.70838","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jsfa.70838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, with oxidative stress and lipid dysregulation as central pathogenic drivers. Pomegranate seed oil (PSO), rich in the conjugated fatty acid punicic acid, has demonstrated potential antioxidant and lipid-modulating properties, yet its hepatoprotective mechanisms remain incompletely characterized at the metabolic level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of the fatty acid composition of supercritical CO₂-extracted PSO revealed that punicic acid was the predominant fatty acid, comprising 74.47% of the total identified fatty acids, which collectively accounted for approximately 95% of the fatty acid profile. In palmitic acid (PA)-challenged C57BL/6 mice, PA administration significantly increased serum and hepatic lipid levels, liver function markers, oxidative stress indicators, and inflammatory cytokines. PSO intervention dose-dependently ameliorated several of these abnormalities and markedly reduced hepatic lipid accumulation. Gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based serum metabolomics revealed that PSO markedly reversed PA-induced metabolic disturbances, identifying 27 key differential metabolites predominantly associated with amino acid and lipid metabolism. Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted oxidative stress-related pathways, including glutamate, taurine, and fatty acid metabolism. PSO significantly upregulated antioxidant metabolites (cysteine, glutamate, hypotaurine, α-tocopherol) while downregulating oxidative markers (uric acid, xanthine). Complementary in vitro experiments in PA-treated L02 human hepatocytes further demonstrated that PSO alleviated lipotoxicity by attenuating reactive oxygen species generation and preserving membrane integrity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings demonstrate that PSO exerts hepatoprotective effects through multi-target, multi-pathway synergistic mechanisms, particularly via enhancing endogenous antioxidant defense systems, providing scientific evidence for PSO as a promising nutritional intervention strategy for NAFLD prevention and treatment. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":17725,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":"8004-8018"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148330458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}