NPJ Science of Food最新文献

{"title":"Identifying environmental factors associated with tetrodotoxin contamination in bivalve mollusks using eXplainable AI.","authors":"M C Schoppema, B H M van der Velden, A Hürriyetoğlu, M D Klijnstra, E J Faassen, A Gerssen, H J van der Fels-Klerx","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00848-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00848-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since 2012, tetrodotoxin (TTX) has been found in seafoods such as bivalve mollusks in temperate European waters. TTX contamination leads to food safety risks and economic losses, making early prediction of TTX contamination vital to the food industry and competent authorities. Recent studies have pointed to shallow habitats and water temperature as main drivers to TTX contamination in bivalve mollusks. However, the temporal relationships between abiotic factors, biotic factors, and TTX contamination remain unexplored. We have developed an explainable, deep learning-based model to predict TTX contamination in the Dutch Zeeland estuary. Inputs for the model were meteorological and hydrological features; output was the presence or absence of TTX contamination. Results showed that the time of sunrise, time of sunset, global radiation, water temperature, and chloride concentration contributed most to TTX contamination detection. Thus, the photoperiod (time of sunset/sunrise) and solar irradiance (global radiation), were identified as potential drivers for tetrodotoxin contamination in bivalve mollusks. To conclude, our explainable deep learning model identified environmental factors to be associated with TTX contamination in bivalve mollusks, supporting its suspected exogenous origin. These findings make our approach a valuable tool to mitigate marine toxin risks for food industry and competent authorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kombucha inoculated fermentation reshapes microbial ecology and flavour metabolism in Yunnan Arabica coffee.","authors":"Shengjie Duan, Jinya Dong, Yuanfeng Chen, Lihui Yu, Shan Liu, Rongxian Yu, Zezhu Du, Yan Shen, Xiuli Lu, Jianyang Fu, Ruijuan Yang, Chongye Fang","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00852-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00852-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluates the flavor-enhancing effects of kombucha-inoculated fermentation on Coffea arabica L. and uncovers regulatory mechanisms across microbial succession, physicochemical shifts, amino acid remodeling, and volatile formation. Controlled fermentations using kombucha symbiotic consortium for 144 h was comparedwith spontaneous fermentation. At endpoint, bacterial richness in the KT group was 34% higher compared to the CK group. The KT group exhibited a significantly lower pH (4.21) than the CK group (4.95). Komagataeibacter and Zygosaccharomyces were enriched 2-6 fold, while Enterobacter and Aspergillus were suppressed. Kombucha coffee showed lower pH, titratable acidity increased by 64%, and reducing sugars decreased by 43%. Sweet-taste FAAs increased and bitter FAAs decreased, correlating with floral-fruity esters (r ≥ 0.74). Volatiles such as phenylethyl alcohol (42%), phenethyl acetate (200%), and ethyl isovalerate (89%), while off-flavor acids and smoky phenols decreased. Sensory scores improved in floral, fruity, and sweet attributes. Multi-omics linked dominant taxa to upregulated pathways (ester biosynthesis, aromatic amino acid degradation, Maillard products) and key functional genes. These results establish kombucha Inoculated Fermentation as a reproducible, mechanism-based strategy for targeted flavor optimization in speciality coffee and other high-value agricultural products.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends, challenges, and opportunities for the United States alternative meat and seafood sector: stakeholder-informed perspectives.","authors":"Amanda Wood, Katherine Consavage Stanley, Jack Daly, Khara Grieger, William R Aimutis, Rohan A Shirwaiker, Norbert L W Wilson","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00841-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-026-00841-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Growing global protein demand has fueled innovation and investment in alternative protein (AP) products, including plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultivated products. Through interviews with AP stakeholders in the United States (U.S.), we explored the sector's evolution, challenges, opportunities, and trends. Interviewees described a boom from 2009 to 2021 followed by a decline, which the sector is now working to reverse. Achieving taste and price parity, attracting a broad consumer base, producing at scale, and navigating a charged policy environment remain key sector challenges. Looking forward, stakeholders were optimistic, noting opportunities including collaborations within and across sectors; workforce development; innovative financing, scalability models, and products; and increased policy engagement. Findings indicate that the U.S. AP sector is at a critical inflection point. This study points to future research, financing, and innovation that could help AP products become a mainstay in the food system.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13090389/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Postbiotics and paraprobiotics in food biochemistry mechanisms stability and nutritional applications.","authors":"Said Dahmouni, Djilali Benabdelmoumene, Zineb Bengharbi, Mustapha Kamel Fodil, Kabir Mustapha Umar, Wasim S M Qadi, Farial Krache, Muhammad Waqar, Xiaohui Tong, Rongchun Han, Zulzikry Hafiz Abu Bakar, Murni Nazira Sarian, Ahmed Mediani, Faidruz Azura Jam, Hamizah Shahirah Hamezah","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00838-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00838-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Postbiotics, defined as preparations of inanimate microorganisms and their components that confer health benefits, are emerging as stable and safe alternatives to probiotics. This review summarizes recent advances in the biochemical composition, mechanisms of action, and applications of postbiotics and paraprobiotics in human and animal nutrition. It also highlights innovations in omics technologies, artificial intelligence, and sustainable production strategies that are shaping next-generation microbiome-based functional foods and therapeutic interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147691279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Germinated legumes for improving nutritional and technological quality of fortified cakes, with further enhancement using phospholipase and SSL.","authors":"Shymaa M Ata, Ahmed M S Hussein, Sayed Mostafa","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00819-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-026-00819-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bakery products represent a promising platform for functional food development. In this study, cakes were fortified with germinated chickpea flour (GCP) and germinated white kidney bean flour (GWKB) as partial substitutes for wheat flour (10, 20, and 30%), while phospholipase and sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) were applied to improve technological quality. The effects of germination on proximate composition, minerals, phenolic compounds, functional properties, protein digestibility, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated, in addition to pasting behavior, texture, and color attributes. Germination significantly enhanced water and oil absorption capacities, emulsifying and foaming properties, and increased protein digestibility, reaching 75.13% in GCP compared to 64.33% in raw chickpea. Post-storage crumb firmness was significantly reduced by phospholipase and SSL, with optimal freshness achieved at 75.45 ppm phospholipase and 0.6% SSL (R² = 95.74%). In conclusion, this study demonstrates a novel dual-enhancement strategy that integrates legume germination with combined enzymatic treatment and RSM-based optimization to simultaneously improve nutritional value and post-storage technological performance of fortified cakes, providing a practical model for the development of high-quality functional bakery products.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13087259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147691309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AHP-based multidimensional quality evaluation and optimization of postharvest processing and storage for Cornus officinalis: microbial-metabolite interactions and stability mechanisms.","authors":"Xiaobo Yu, Jingxuan Liu, Ke Gao, Meng Wang, Yujing Wang, Yanan Sun, Yani Wang, Xiaolin Yang, Dou Niu, Xiaochang Xue, Jiefang Kang","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00849-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00849-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. (CF), a dual-purpose medicinal and edible herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine, requires stringent quality control to ensure therapeutic efficacy and safety. This study developed a comprehensive multi-criteria evaluation system integrating Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with 4 main criteria (appearance characteristics, quality parameters, characteristic components, and pharmacological activities), which are further subdivided into 18 measurable indicators. Through single-factor experiments and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), optimal processing parameters were established, achieving a comprehensive quality score of 54.143 (on a normalized 0-100 scale with only 0.70% validation error. To further elucidate the biological mechanisms of quality deterioration during storage, ITS sequencing analysis elucidated microbial community succession under varying storage conditions (4-36 °C, 35-75% RH), demonstrating that low-temperature/low-humidity storage (4 °C, 35% RH) significantly suppressed fungal proliferation while maintaining >95% retention of morroniside and loganin, whereas only ≈78% retention of morroniside under high-temperature/high-humidity conditions (36 °C, 75% RH). This work establishes a potential methodological framework and offers practical technical insights toward the standardization of processing, storage, and quality assessment of CF.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147691255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Of bees and buzz: towards validated NGS-based methods in honey authentication.","authors":"Clement Pellegrin, Thomas P J Linsinger, Lourdes Alvarellos","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00839-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-026-00839-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13077029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147675119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial biopriming and germination cooperatively remodel brown lentil seeds (Lens culinaris L.) metabolome and antidiabetic functionality.","authors":"Dina S Ghallab, Doaa A Ghareeb, Ehab E Shawer, Amal A Othman, Mariam M Elattar","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00824-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00824-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lentil seeds are packed with essential nutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals, yet the dual effect of biopriming and germination on their chemical and functional properties is not fully resolved. Thus, the current study investigates the impact of bacterial biopriming (B. pomilus and E. hormaechei) followed by germination on reshaping the chemical and biological attributes of lentil seeds using UPLC-MS metabolomics and chemometrics approaches. Sixty-nine metabolites spanning amino acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, gibberellins, and fatty acids were annotated. OPLS-DA analysis exhibited an obvious separation pattern among the samples reflecting their chemical heterogeneity, where the compounds mainly gallocatechin, phloretin, α-tocotrienol, and eicosapentanoic acid were significantly augmented in sprouted (unprimed) samples, while the sprouted samples bioprimed with B. pomilus witnessed a striking accumulation of carboxyvanillic acid, resveratrol, isorhamnetin, gibberellic acid, and gibberellin A4. Further, E. hormaechei biopriming significantly fortified rosmarinic acid, syringic acid, quercetin, apigenin, and linolenic acid. Functionally, bioprimed sprouts displayed superior α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition and enhanced glucose uptake relative to raw and unprimed germinated seeds, aligning with higher levels of sinapic acid, apigenin, isorhamnetin, and linolenic acid. These findings position microbe-assisted germination as a sustainable strategy to fortify the functional attributes of lentil seeds for nutraceutical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147675159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unraveling the impact of heat stress on meat quality: integrating physiology, epigenetics, and postmortem biochemistry.","authors":"Jong Ho Lee, Xue Cheng Jin, Won Seob Kim, Hong Gu Lee, Yuan H Brad Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00840-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00840-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heat stress (HS) compromises meat quality through species-specific physiological and epigenetic mechanisms during the growth period. This review investigates how antemortem disruption in energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and proteolysis caused by HS drives diverse postmortem outcomes in poultry, ruminants, and swine. Therefore, these biochemical shifts induced by HS affect consumer preferences for meat, and the direction of change varies across livestock species.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147675154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-resolved insights into the ecology, metabolic potential, salt-stress adaptation, and safety of Staphylococcus in traditional Korean soybean fermentation.","authors":"Ju Hye Baek, Dong Min Han, Dae Gyu Choi, Jae Kyeong Lee, Che Ok Jeon","doi":"10.1038/s41538-026-00835-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00835-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Staphylococcus species are frequently detected during traditional Korean soybean fermentations, yet their ecological roles, metabolic functions, and safety characteristics remain poorly defined. In this study, we conducted an integrated genome-resolved and phenotypic analysis of Staphylococcus strains associated with traditional Korean soybean fermentation to clarify their functional significance and safety relevance. Using 23 controlled fermentation batches prepared with region-specific raw materials, we isolated 66 Staphylococcus strains and generated 47 non-redundant representative genomes. Species-level community analysis identified eight Staphylococcus species, with S. xylosus, S. shinii, S. equorum, and S. nepalensis representing the major taxa during fermentation. Genome-based metabolic reconstruction, enzymatic assays, and carbohydrate utilization tests revealed pronounced species- and strain-level heterogeneity. Although protease and amylase activities were generally limited, lipase and β-glucosidase activities were relatively high and highly variable, indicating potential functional roles in soybean fermentation. The strains encoded diverse carbon metabolic pathways and conserved biosynthetic and transport systems for the compatible solutes glycine betaine and proline, supporting adaptation to high-salinity fermentation environments. Safety assessment integrating antimicrobial susceptibility testing with genome-based analyses showed that most strains were coagulase-negative, non-hemolytic, and susceptible to clinically important antibiotics. However, the identification of S. saprophyticus, a known pathogen, harboring mobile resistance elements, including SCCmec-associated genes, underscores the need for strain-level safety evaluation despite overall low phenotypic resistance rates. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive genome-resolved and strain-level evaluation of Staphylococcus associated with traditional Korean soybean fermentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147662885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}