NPJ Science of Food最新文献

{"title":"Characterization of spring and durum wheat using non-destructive synchrotron phase contrast X-ray microtomography during storage","authors":"Navanth S. Indore, Chithra Karunakaran, Digvir S. Jayas, Jarvis Stobbs, Miranda Vu, Kaiyang Tu, Omar Marinos","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00271-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00271-0","url":null,"abstract":"Post-harvest losses during cereal grain storage are a big concern in both developing and developed countries, where spring and durum wheat are staple food grains. Varieties under these classes behave differently under storage, which affects their end storage life. High resolution imaging data of dry as well as spoiled seed are not available for any class of wheat; therefore, an attempt was made to generate 3D data for better understanding of seed structure and changes due to spoilage. Six wheat varieties (3 varieties for each class of wheat) were stored for 5 week at 17% moisture content (wb) before scanning. Seeds were also stored in a freezer (-18 °C) for further scanning to determine if any changes occur in the structure of seeds due to freezing. Spring varieties of wheat performed better than durum varieties and freezing did not affect seed structure. Data could also help plant breeders to develop varieties that do not easily spoil, adjust grain processing techniques, and develop post-harvest recommendations for other wheat varieties.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00271-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140958662","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":"First principles modelling of the ion binding capacity of finger millet","authors":"Wei Cong Matthew Yong, Apramita Devi, Tsair-Fuh Lin, Helen F. Chappell","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00270-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00270-1","url":null,"abstract":"Finger millet, a cereal grain widely consumed in India and Africa, has gained more attention in recent years due to its high dietary fibre (arabinoxylan) and trace mineral content, and its climate resilience. The aim of this study was to understand the interactions between potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+) and zinc (Zn2+) ions and the arabinoxylan structure and determine its ion-binding capacity. Three variations of a proposed model of the arabinoxylan structure were constructed and first principles Density Functional Theory calculations were carried out to determine the cation-binding capacity of the arabinoxylan complexes. Zn2+-arabinoxylan complexes were highly unstable and thermodynamically unfavourable in all three models. Ca2+ and K+ ions, however, form thermodynamically stable complexes, particularly involving two glucuronic acid residues as a binding pocket. Glucuronic acid residues are found to play a key role in stabilising the cation-arabinoxylan complex, and steric effects are more important to the stability than charge density. Our results highlight the most important structural features of the millet fibre regarding ion-storage capacity, and provide valuable preliminary data for confirmatory experimental studies and for the planning of clinical trials where the bioavailability of bound ions following digestion may be tested.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00270-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140919380","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 community structure of plant-based meat alternatives","authors":"Franz-Ferdinand Roch, Monika Dzieciol, Narciso M. Quijada, Lauren V. Alteio, Patrick-Julian Mester, Evelyne Selberherr","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00269-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00269-8","url":null,"abstract":"A reduction in animal-based diets has driven market demand for alternative meat products, currently raising a new generation of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs). It remains unclear whether these substitutes are a short-lived trend or become established in the long term. Over the last few years, the trend of increasing sales and diversifying product range has continued, but publication activities in this field are currently limited mainly to market research and food technology topics. As their popularity increases, questions emerge about the safety and nutritional risks of these novel products. Even though all the examined products must be heated before consumption, consumers lack experience with this type of product and thus further research into product safety, is desirable. To consider these issues, we examined 32 PBMAs from Austrian supermarkets. Based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the majority of the products were dominated by lactic acid bacteria (either Leuconostoc or Latilactobacillus), and generally had low alpha diversity. Pseudomonadota (like Pseudomonas and Shewanella) dominated the other part of the products. In addition to LABs, a high diversity of different Bacillus, but also some Enterobacteriaceae and potentially pathogenic species were isolated with the culturing approach. We assume that especially the dominance of heterofermentative LABs has high relevance for the product stability and quality with the potential to increase shelf life of the products. The number of isolated Enterobacteriaceae and potential pathogens were low, but they still demonstrated that these products are suitable for their presence.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00269-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140916968","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":"Author Correction: Precision nutrition to reset virus-induced human metabolic reprogramming and dysregulation (HMRD) in long-COVID","authors":"A. Satyanarayan Naidu, Chin-Kun Wang, Pingfan Rao, Fabrizio Mancini, Roger A. Clemens, Aman Wirakartakusumah, Hui-Fang Chiu, Chi-Hua Yen, Sebastiano Porretta, Issac Mathai, Sreus A. G. Naidu","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00267-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00267-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-1"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00267-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140842586","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":"Decellularised plant scaffolds facilitate porcine skeletal muscle tissue engineering for cultivated meat biomanufacturing","authors":"Priyatharshini Murugan, Wee Swan Yap, Hariharan Ezhilarasu, Ratima Suntornnond, Quang Bach Le, Satnam Singh, Jasmine Si Han Seah, Pei Leng Tan, Weibiao Zhou, Lay Poh Tan, Deepak Choudhury","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00262-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00262-1","url":null,"abstract":"Cultivated meat (CM) offers a sustainable and ethical alternative to conventional animal agriculture, involving cell maturation in a controlled environment. To emulate the structural complexity of traditional meat, the development of animal-free and edible scaffolds is crucial, providing vital physical and biological support during tissue development. The aligned vascular bundles of the decellularised asparagus scaffold were selected to facilitate the attachment and alignment of murine myoblasts (C2C12) and porcine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (pADMSCs). Muscle differentiation was assessed through immunofluorescence staining with muscle markers, including Myosin heavy chain (MHC), Myogenin (MYOG), and Desmin. The metabolic activity of Creatine Kinase in C2C12 differentiated cells significantly increased compared to proliferated cells. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed a significant increase in Myosin Heavy Polypeptide 1 (MYH1) and MYOG expression compared to Day 0. These results highlight the application of decellularised plant scaffold (DPS) as a promising, edible material conducive to cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation into muscle tissue. To create a CM prototype with biological mimicry, pADMSC-derived muscle and fat cells were also co-cultured on the same scaffold. The co-culture was confirmed through immunofluorescence staining of muscle markers and LipidTOX staining, revealing distinct muscle fibres and adipocytes containing lipid droplets respectively. Texture profile analysis conducted on uncooked CM prototypes and pork loin showed no significant differences in textural values. However, the pan-fried CM prototype differed significantly in hardness and chewiness compared to pork loin. Understanding the scaffolds’ textural profile enhances our insight into the potential sensory attributes of CM products. DPS shows potential for advancing CM biomanufacturing.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00262-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140820764","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":"An innovative molecular approach towards the cost-effective entomological authentication of honey","authors":"Guozhi Zhang, Yanzheng Zhang, Bin Yuan, Ruth Tiang En, Shanshan Li, Huoqing Zheng, Fuliang Hu","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00268-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00268-9","url":null,"abstract":"Honey authentication and traceability are crucial not only for economic purposes but also for ensuring safety. However, the widespread adoption of cutting-edge technologies in practical applications has been hampered by complex, time-consuming sample pre-treatment processes, the need for skilled personnel, and substantial associated expenses. This study aimed to develop a simple and cost-effective molecular technique to verify the entomological source of honey. By utilizing newly designed primers, we successfully amplified the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of honey bees from honey, confirming the high quality of the extracted DNA. Employing RFLP analysis with AseI endonuclease, species-specific restriction patterns were generated for honey derived from six closely related honey bees of the Apis genus. Remarkably, this method was proven equally effective in identifying heat-treated and aged honey by presenting the same RFLP profiles as raw honey. As far as we know, this is the initial research of the simultaneous differentiation of honey from closely related honey bee species using the restriction endonuclease AseI and mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragments. As a result, it holds tremendous potential as a standardized guideline for regulatory agencies to ascertain the insect origins of honey and achieve comprehensive traceability.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00268-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140820770","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":"Edible mycelium as proliferation and differentiation support for anchorage-dependent animal cells in cultivated meat production","authors":"Minami Ogawa, Alex S. Kermani, Mayrene J. Huynh, Keith Baar, J. Kent Leach, David E. Block","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00263-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00263-0","url":null,"abstract":"Cultivated meat production requires bioprocess optimization to achieve cell densities that are multiple orders of magnitude higher compared to conventional cell culture techniques. These processes must maximize resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness by attaining high cell growth productivity per unit of medium. Microcarriers, or carriers, are compatible with large-scale bioreactor use, and offer a large surface-area-to-volume ratio for the adhesion and proliferation of anchorage-dependent animal cells. An ongoing challenge persists in the efficient retrieval of cells from the carriers, with conflicting reports on the effectiveness of trypsinization and the need for additional optimization measures such as carrier sieving. To surmount this issue, edible carriers have been proposed, offering the advantage of integration into the final food product while providing opportunities for texture, flavor, and nutritional incorporation. Recently, a proof of concept (POC) utilizing inactivated mycelium biomass derived from edible filamentous fungus demonstrated its potential as a support structure for myoblasts. However, this POC relied on a model mammalian cell line combination with a single mycelium species, limiting realistic applicability to cultivated meat production. This study aims to advance the POC. We found that the species of fungi composing the carriers impacts C2C12 myoblast cell attachment—with carriers derived from Aspergillus oryzae promoting the best proliferation. C2C12 myoblasts effectively differentiated on mycelium carriers when induced in myogenic differentiation media. Mycelium carriers also supported proliferation and differentiation of bovine satellite cells. These findings demonstrate the potential of edible mycelium carrier technology to be readily adapted in product development within the cultivated meat industry.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00263-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140817297","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":"Distinguishable short-term effects of tea and water drinking on human saliva redox","authors":"Xiangyu Meng, Pik Han Chong, Lijing Ke, Pengwei Zhang, Li Li, Binbin Song, Zhaoshuo Yu, Pingfan Rao","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00266-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00266-x","url":null,"abstract":"Food consumption can alter the biochemistry and redox status of human saliva, and the serving temperature of food may also play a role. The study aimed to explore the immediate (3 min) and delayed (30 min) effects of hot tea (57 ± 0.5 °C) ingestion and cold tea (8 ± 0.5 °C) ingestion on the salivary flow rate and salivary redox-relevant attributes. The saliva was collected from 20 healthy adults before, 3-min after and 30-min after the tea ingestion. The hot or cold deionised water at the same temperatures were used as control. The salivary flow rate and redox markers in hot tea (HBT), cold tea (CBT), hot water (HW) and cold water (CW) group were analysed and compared. The results demonstrated that neither the black tea nor the water altered the salivary flow rate; the black tea immediately increased the salivary thiol (SH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content while reduced salivary uric acid (UA) significantly. The tea ingestion showed a tendency to elevate the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in saliva, although not significantly. The water ingestion decreased the MDA content immediately and increased the UA level significantly. Cold water was found to induce a greater delayed increase in total salivary total protein (TPC) than the hot water. In conclusion, the black tea ingestion affects the redox attributes of human saliva acutely and significantly, while the temperature of drink makes the secondary contribution.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00266-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140675411","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":"Monitoring Indian “Superfood” Moringa oleifera Lam. – species-specific PCR-fingerprint-based authentication for more consumer safety","authors":"Sascha Wetters, Vaidurya Sahi, Lena Brosche, Annette Häser, Peter Nick","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00264-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00264-z","url":null,"abstract":"Moringa oleifera Lam. has become one of the major new superfoods commonly available in the aisles of bio-shops and health-food sections in supermarkets of North America and Europe. While most of these products appear under the generic and scientifically inconclusive term “Moringa”, the European Union, so far, has allowed commercialisation for the use in food and feed for M. oleifera only. M. oleifera is indigenous to India and South Asia, but large-scale cultivation of this species has spread to the tropical regions on all continents, with a strong focus on Africa, leading to a high risk of admixture with species like M. stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. that is native to Africa. In the present study, we have characterised six species of Moringa in order to develop a simple and robust authentication method for commercial products. While the plants can be discriminated based on the pinnation of the leaves, this does not work for processed samples. As alternative, we use the plastidic markers psbA-trnH igs and ycf1b to discern different species of Moringa and develop a diagnostic duplex-PCR that clearly differentiates M. oleifera from other Moringa species. This DNA-based diagnostic assay that does not rely on sequencing was validated with commercial products of “Moringa” (including teas, powders, or capsules). Our method provides a robust assay to detect adulterations, which are economically profitable for costly superfood products such as “Moringa”.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00264-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140550253","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":"Gamma-aminobutyric acid as a potential postbiotic mediator in the gut–brain axis","authors":"Jason D. Braga, Masubon Thongngam, Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee","doi":"10.1038/s41538-024-00253-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41538-024-00253-2","url":null,"abstract":"Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays a crucial role in the central nervous system as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Imbalances of this neurotransmitter are associated with neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, and stress. Since GABA has long been believed to not cross the blood–brain barrier, the effects of circulating GABA on the brain are neglected. However, emerging evidence has demonstrated that changes in both circulating and brain levels of GABA are associated with changes in gut microbiota composition and that changes in GABA levels and microbiota composition play a role in modulating mental health. This recent research has raised the possibility that GABA may be a potent mediator of the gut–brain axis. This review article will cover up-to-date information about GABA-producing microorganisms isolated from human gut and food sources, explanation why those microorganisms produce GABA, food factors inducing gut–GABA production, evidence suggesting GABA as a mediator linking between gut microbiota and mental health, including anxiety, depression, stress, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and novel information regarding homocarnosine-a predominant brain peptide that is a putative downstream mediator of GABA in regulating brain functions. This review will help us to understand how the gut microbiota and GABA-homocarnosine metabolism play a significant role in brain functions. Nonetheless, it could support further research on the use of GABA production-inducing microorganisms and food factors as agents to treat neurological and psychological disorders.","PeriodicalId":19367,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Science of Food","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00253-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140340517","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}