Food Research International最新文献

{"title":"Biopreservation technology of sourdough co-fermented with Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii: Effects and mechanisms for enhancing bread quality and extending shelf life","authors":"Yuqing Wu ,&nbsp;Tingting Wang ,&nbsp;Yamei Jin ,&nbsp;Yanyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Dan Xu ,&nbsp;Xueming Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a biopreservation method using sourdough co-fermented with <em>Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis</em> and <em>Propionibacterium freudenreichii</em>, optimizing conditions to 220 hydration and 24 h fermentation. The composite sourdough bread quality was evaluated through physicochemical, storage, sensory, and microbial tests, with mechanisms analyzed based on microstructure, rheology, and dough structure. Results showed that: first, the composite sourdough enhanced bread physicochemical properties, increasing volume, height-to-diameter ratio, elasticity, and resilience, while reducing baking loss, hardness, chewiness, and adhesiveness. Second, it improved bread storage performance by increasing moisture content, reducing moisture loss, hardness, aging rate and retrogradation enthalpy. Third, it improved bread color by enhancing Maillard reaction browning, reducing ΔE, and maintaining color stability during storage, while improving sensory attributes such as mouthfeel, texture and flavor. Fourth, the composite sourdough inhibited mold and bacterial growth, extending shelf life to the ninth day. Mechanistic analysis revealed that at the micro level, it increased colony counts of <em>Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis</em> and <em>Propionibacterium freudenreichii</em>, enhanced organic acid content (lactic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid), and lowered pH to inhibit harmful microbes. At the macro level, it optimized fermentation rheology by improving expansion height, gas retention, and reducing collapse, while improving dynamic rheology, lowering G' and G\", and increasing tanδ, enhancing viscoelasticity and softness. Additionally, it improved dough structure by enhancing free thiol groups, amino groups, and free amino acids, optimizing secondary structure. This study shows that the composite strain improves bread quality and shelf life by optimizing sourdough microbial properties, rheology, and dough structure, providing a promising biopreservation method.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 117001"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604847","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":"Gastrointestinal stability and DPP-IV inhibitory activity of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) viscera hydrolysate-derived novel peptides LPCL and TPFLPDE, with LPCL-modulated GLP-1 and PepT1 expression in STC-1 cells","authors":"Rhessa Grace Guanga Ortizo ,&nbsp;Ching-Shu Lai ,&nbsp;Choirul Anwar ,&nbsp;Vishal Sharma ,&nbsp;Pei-Pei Sun ,&nbsp;Chiu-Wen Chen ,&nbsp;Cheng-Di Dong ,&nbsp;Mei-Ling Tsai","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dipeptidyl-peptidase (DPP)-IV inhibition by penultimate N-terminus Pro-containing peptides is a promising strategy for Type 2 diabetes (T2D) management, as it prevents the degradation of incretin hormones (DPP-IV substrates) like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), thereby prolonging their half-life. However, the stability and bio-accessibility of these peptides are crucial to their efficacy in orally administered therapeutics. We previously identified LPCL and TPFLPDE peptides from tilapia viscera by-products hydrolysates, which exhibited significant DPP-IV inhibition <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in situ</em> while effectively preserving active GLP-1 levels after 2 h treatment in STC-1 cells under basal glucose conditions. In this study, we assessed the gastrointestinal (GI) stability of these peptides using a static <em>in vitro</em> GI digestion model and evaluated their DPP-IV inhibition capacity after post-GI digestion and post-DPP-IV pre-incubation. Our findings revealed that both peptides retained their DPP-IV inhibition capacity after GI digestion, with RP-HPLC and mass spectrometry confirming their intact forms. At post-DPP-IV pre-incubation, peptides exhibited decreased DPP-IV inhibition potency, indicating a substrate-type inhibition mechanism, forming N-terminal dipeptide fragments. Furthermore, we extended our previous findings by demonstrating that LPCL not only inhibits DPP-IV activity but also modulates GLP-1 expression and increases PepT1 protein levels in STC-1 cells. Unlike glycyl sarcosine, a known PepT1 substrate, LPCL effectively activates the PepT1 extracellular domain (ECD), leading to increased receptor expression and receptor-ligand interactions, as confirmed by molecular docking analysis. These results provide novel insights into the functional roles of LPCL in modulating DPP-IV activity and GLP-1 expression, potentially <em>via</em> PepT1 ECD conformational stabilization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116986"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604846","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":"From water-ice regulation to polysaccharides-protein assembly: Molecular mechanism of polysaccharides to improve the cryostability of gluten proteins","authors":"Mengyuan Li,&nbsp;Sen Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116996","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116996","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The formation and recrystallization of ice crystals during freezing causes irreversible structural damage to the dough matrix, which is characterized by the cold denaturation of the gluten protein structure and the degradation of the gluten network structure. Polysaccharides are widely used to improve the quality of frozen dough owing to their excellent water-holding and viscosity. Current research has shown that polysaccharides mitigate the physical damage of ice crystals on the gluten protein structure mainly by modifying the water status of frozen dough to inhibit the ice crystallization process. However, recent evidence suggests that polysaccharide-regulated changes in water-ice dynamics are not the only mechanism underlying their cryoprotective effects, the self-assembly behavior of polysaccharides and gluten proteins driven by noncovalent forces also contributes to maintaining the stability of gluten protein structures. Therefore, starting from the deterioration mechanism of frozen dough, this review highlights the regulatory mechanisms of polysaccharides on the distribution and migration of water as well as ice crystal growth, and the formation mechanism of polysaccharide-gluten protein complexes based on polysaccharide-water interactions and polysaccharide-gluten protein interactions. Combined with the changes in the multiscale structure and aggregation properties of gluten proteins, we elucidated the cross-scale molecular mechanism of polysaccharides to improve the cryostability of gluten proteins through the dual pathway of “regulating water-ice dynamics to inhibit ice-crystal damage and promoting the molecular self-assembly behaviors to strengthen the structure of gluten proteins”, which will provide theoretical guidance for promoting of the quality improvement and industrialized production of frozen dough.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116996"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604356","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":"Assessment of source and storage conditions on bacterial composition of mineral packaged water using amplicon sequencing1","authors":"Beatriz S. Silva ,&nbsp;Francesca De Filippis ,&nbsp;Manolo Laiola ,&nbsp;Marianna M. Furtado ,&nbsp;Dionisio P. Amorim-Neto ,&nbsp;Danilo Ercolini ,&nbsp;Anderson S. Sant'Ana","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116903","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116903","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The consumption of water of low microbiological quality can be detrimental and may cause significant health issues. Thus, amplicon sequencing can be an advantageous method to observe bacterial diversity in water. This study aimed to understand the complex bacterial communities present in natural mineral water packaged in 20 L returnable containers through amplicon sequencing. A high bacterial diversity was found in natural mineral water. Forty-eight bacterial genera were most abundant in the natural mineral water of different brands analyzed. These genera included <em>Blastomonas</em>, <em>Brevundimonas</em>, <em>Gemmata</em>, <em>Methylobacterium</em>, <em>Mycobacterium</em>, <em>Nevskia</em>, <em>Nocardioides</em>, <em>Phenylobacterium</em>, <em>Pimelobacter</em>, <em>Ramlibacter</em>, <em>Rhodobacter</em>, <em>Sphingomonas</em>, and <em>Xenophilus</em>. Also, a high bacterial diversity was found between the mineral waters brands tested in this study. Storage conditions were also shown to affect bacterial composition. Several genera known to contain pathogenic and opportunistic pathogenic species that may impact consumers' health were detected in the water samples examined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116903"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604357","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":"Dissecting the microbial, physicochemical, and flavor dynamics of core and peel layers in Houhuo Daqu: Insights into quality regulation","authors":"Zhendong Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhuang Guo ,&nbsp;Lubo Cao ,&nbsp;Qiangchuan Hou ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Liu ,&nbsp;Ji'an Zhong ,&nbsp;Nanshan Liu ,&nbsp;Xin Mei ,&nbsp;Yurong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Houhuo <em>Daqu</em> (HHD) exhibits significant heterogeneity between its core and peel layers, yet their differences remain underexplored. This study integrates metagenomic sequencing and electronic sensory technologies to compare the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and flavor profiles of HHD's core and peel. Results reveal distinct microbial communities and diversity between the layers. Both are dominated by bacteria (&gt;90 % relative abundance). The core shows significantly higher relative abundance of <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em>, <em>Bacillus haynesii</em>, and <em>Bacillus paralicheniformis</em>, while the peel has elevated levels of <em>Streptomyces</em> sp. NHF165, <em>Pantoea agglomerans</em>, and <em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em>. <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em> is linked to acetic acid biosynthesis. Flavor analysis indicates both layers are rich in pyrazines, contributing to HHD's distinctive aroma. Enzyme activities differed markedly between the core and peel. Structural equation modeling, regression, and ENVFIT analyses show that amino acid nitrogen directly influences enzymatic activity and indirectly affects it by shaping microbial community and diversity. Additionally, amino acid nitrogen significantly impacts HHD's taste and aroma, modulated by starch and ash content. These findings highlight amino acid nitrogen as a key factor for controlling HHD quality in future production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116992"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604843","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":"Combining bioinformatics techniques to study the anti-inflammatory activity of two novel peptides from yak milk cheese","authors":"Wen Wang,&nbsp;Qi Liang,&nbsp;Baotang Zhao,&nbsp;Xuemei Song","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><strong>Background:</strong> Yak milk casein peptides exhibit promising anti-inflammatory activity, but there is a gap in the study of their anti-inflammatory mechanisms and specific molecular targets. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of two novel yak casein-derived peptides, QEPVLGPVRGPFP (QP13) and VYPFPGPIPN (VN10), previously identified via bioinformatics screening. <strong>Methods:</strong> An LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model was employed, and peptides were evaluated at concentrations of 187.5–1500 μg/mL, with indomethacin as a positive control. Molecular docking and 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations analyzed interactions with key inflammatory targets: inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). <strong>Results:</strong> At 1500 μg/mL, VN10 and QP13 were non-toxic to macrophages and exerted maximal inhibition on nitric oxide (NO) production (90.44 ± 0.88 % and 87.58 ± 0.88 %, respectively), TNF-α (67.56 ± 3.94 % and 60.32 ± 1.72 %), and IL-6 (80.87 ± 0.52 % and 67.02 ± 1.38 %). Both peptides surpassed indomethacin in suppressing NO. Molecular docking revealed hydrogen bonding interactions with critical residues (Trp-366, Thr-77, Asn-61, Leu-62) of iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the peptide-target protein complexes. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> This study establishes a molecular mechanistic basis for the anti-inflammatory actions of yak milk-derived peptides QP13 and VN10, promoting the application of dairy-derived anti-inflammatory peptides in functional foods and human nutrition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116995"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579608","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":"Enhanced preservation of Domiati cheese using edible nanocoating's of carboxymethyl chitosan loaded with pomegranate peel extract","authors":"Eman S. El-Ashaal ,&nbsp;Hisham A. Elshoky ,&nbsp;Nayera M. El-Sayed ,&nbsp;Nahed A.A. Elwahash","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116993","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Domiati cheese, one of the most popular soft white cheeses, is particularly susceptible to microbial deterioration due to its high moisture content and low salt concentration. This study assesses the effectiveness of a new edible coating made from carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles loaded with pomegranate peel extract (CCS LP) in increasing the shelf life of Domiati cheese. The study compares CCS LP's performance to pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (CCS NPs) alone. CCS-LP showed the highest antioxidant activity (88.36 % DPPH, 92.04 % ABTS inhibition) compared to PPE and CCS NPs. In antimicrobial testing, CCS LP demonstrated superior activity against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, reducing bacterial growth by 66.17 % at 800 μg/mL, compared to PPE (40.48 %) and CCS NPs. Furthermore, Domiati cheese coated with CCS LP retained 61.02 % moisture content after 28 days of refrigerated storage, while the uncoated Domiati cheese control decreased significantly to 53.89 %. CCS LP coatings also preserved the cheese's chemical and textural properties, minimizing protein and fat content fluctuations. The microbial load in CCS LP-coated cheese was significantly reduced, with total bacterial counts and yeast/mold counts at 5.44 log CFU/g and 3.77 log CFU/g, respectively, compared to 7.44 log CFU/g and 5.07 log CFU/g in the uncoated cheese. These findings highlight the potential of CCS LP as an effective edible coating for enhancing the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of Domiati cheese while maintaining its sensory qualities and shelf life. This study presents CCS LP as a promising biopolymer-based food preservation strategy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116993"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604359","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":"Impact of tempering conditions on special spoilage, off-odor and the formation of volatile compounds in bulgur","authors":"Betül Bay Yılmaz ,&nbsp;Mustafa Bayram ,&nbsp;Nüzhet Türker","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116988","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116988","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spoilage of bulgur, characterized by a distinctive off-odor, poses a significant challenge to the bulgur industry, resulting in an annual production loss of 10 %. The tempering process plays a critical role to prevent this problem. This study investigated spoilage under high-moisture tempering conditions (15–27 % moisture, 25, 35 and 45 °C, 0–12 h), focusing on off-odor formation, volatile compounds and microbial activity. Extended tempering at elevated moisture contents and temperatures significantly (<em>p</em> ≤ 0.05) impacted product quality, causing off-odor, rancidity and microbial spoilage. Volatile compounds, including 2,3-butanediol, pentanal, hexanal, 4-vinyl-guaiacol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, were linked to off-odors. High moisture levels (25–27 %) accelerated microbial growth, with <em>Aspergillus niger</em>, <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> and <em>Cronobacter sakazakii</em> detected in deteriorated samples. Thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances data indicated that lipid oxidation contributed to off-odor formation, highlighting the roles of lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage under these tempering conditions. These findings emphasize the importance of controlling tempering parameters to preserve bulgur quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116988"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604844","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":"Enhanced freeze-drying efficiency in restructured peach: Multiscale insights into heat and mass transfer mechanisms from experiments and computational simulations","authors":"Yitong Xie ,&nbsp;Xin Jin ,&nbsp;Jinfeng Bi","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116989","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116989","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While restructuring agricultural products enhances heat and mass transfer during freeze-drying, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study employed a multiscale approach, combining freezing dynamics, sublimation drying kinetics, X-ray tomography, gas permeability assessments, thermodynamic parameters analysis, and mathematical modeling to systematically investigate the differences in transfer properties between natural and restructured peaches across the freezing and sublimation drying processes. Key results demonstrated that restructuring decreased the freezing time by 21.30 min–26.70 min and the sublimation time by 24 h–32 h, achieving an overall time reduction of 25.27 %–33.73 % compared to natural peaches. Microstructural analysis showed that restructuring significantly modified pore architecture, resulting in increased average pore size, overall porosity, open porosity, pore connectivity, specific surface area, and gas permeability, while simultaneously reducing closed porosity and relative apparent density. Thermodynamic characterization further revealed that restructuring not only reduced the heat capacity but also enhanced the thermal conductivity of peaches across the freezing and sublimation drying stages. The developed model successfully predicted experimental parameters and provided visualizations of the temporal evolution of the solidification and sublimation fronts, along with vapor velocity, temperature, and pressure distributions. Particularly noteworthy was the observation that restructured peaches exhibited lower pressure at the interface and accelerated movement of the sublimation front during the sublimation stage. These findings collectively demonstrate that restructuring significantly improved the heat and mass transfer characteristics of peaches during freezing and sublimation, enabling a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly freeze-drying process with promising industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116989"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579672","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 alkaloid diversity and pharmacological potential of Ocimum: Integrated UPLC-MS/MS, network pharmacology, and transcriptomic insights for functional food and drug discovery","authors":"Jingtian Yang ,&nbsp;Jing Yuan ,&nbsp;Mengling Yu ,&nbsp;Yanping Mao ,&nbsp;Mei Liu ,&nbsp;Lingliang Guan ,&nbsp;Lei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116985","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116985","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a dual-purpose medicinal and edible plant, <em>Ocimum</em> species offer significant pharmacological potential through their alkaloid metabolites. This study comprehensively analyzed alkaloid profiles in 10 <em>Ocimum</em> accessions using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), integrated with network pharmacology, molecular docking, and transcriptome sequencing to elucidate key pharmacological targets, therapeutic potentials, and biosynthetic pathways. We identified 191 alkaloids categorized into eight classes, with phenolamine and plumerane alkaloids predominating. Differential metabolite analysis revealed pronounced genetic diversity in alkaloid composition across accessions. Network pharmacology identified 14 pharmacologically active alkaloids linked to 160 potential targets, where core targets were enriched in cancer and neurological disease pathways. Molecular docking validated the strongest binding affinities of N-p-coumaroyltyramine and N-cis-feruloyltyramine to key targets, associating them with Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disorders. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted the pivotal role of the <em>4-coumarate-CoA ligase</em> (<em>4CL</em>) genes in regulating alkaloid biosynthesis. This work systematically deciphers the biosynthetic network and pharmacological mechanisms of <em>Ocimum</em> alkaloids for the first time, proposing two accessions G085 and G134 as prioritized resources for targeted drug development. These findings provide both theoretical and practical foundations for advancing <em>Ocimum</em> resource utilization, deepening molecular insights into alkaloid biosynthesis while demonstrating their potential as novel drug candidates to address global health challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":323,"journal":{"name":"Food Research International","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 116985"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572768","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}