Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Impact of fermented liquid feed supplementation on grower-fattening pigs production: Insights into growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and metabolite profiles","authors":"Aoran Zhang ,&nbsp;Yunfan Zheng ,&nbsp;Wang Yin ,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Pu ,&nbsp;Aibing Yu ,&nbsp;Hongmei Wang ,&nbsp;Bing Yu ,&nbsp;Jianping Li ,&nbsp;Wenli Chen ,&nbsp;Yunxiang Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the effects of supplementing grower-fattening pig diets with fermented liquid feed (FLF) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality attributes, and metabolite profiles. Seventy-five crossbred gilts were randomly allocated to groups receiving dry pellet feed (control) or liquid feed with 15 % or 30 % FLF supplementation. FLF supplementation significantly increased final body weight, while decreasing crude protein and ash content in pork. Notably, FLF elevated intramuscular fat and ether extract levels, promoting muscle fat metabolism and resulting in increased backfat thickness and tenderness without compromising storage stability. Metabolomics analysis revealed significant alterations in amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways associated with FLF. Gene expression analysis highlighted changes in key lipid metabolism regulators, providing mechanistic insights into the improved meat quality. Overall, this study underscores FLF as a promising dietary strategy with implications for sustainable and consumer-centric pork production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100268"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced catalytic activity of a novel trypsin by semi-rational design with mechanistic insights from molecular simulations","authors":"Jia Chen ,&nbsp;Guangyang Jiang ,&nbsp;Yongqiang Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Trypsin is widely used in the food industry for meat processing, dairy production and seafood treatment. However, the industrial application of trypsin is constrained by the pathogenic risks associated with animal-derived trypsin and the low enzymatic activity of microbial-derived trypsin. This study aimed to enhance the catalytic activity of a novel trypsin heterologously expressed in <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> SCK6. Given the catalytic specificity of trypsin, numerous lysine and arginine residues within the trypsin are susceptible to autolytic cleavage, which may compromise the integrity and stability of its tertiary structure, thereby affecting its catalytic efficiency. To address this, a semi-rational design strategy was employed to introduce mutations at lysine and arginine residues. As a result, a trypsin variant with a 2.2-fold increase in enzymatic activity was obtained, reaching 93.9 U/ml. Further optimization of the fermentation process elevated the enzymatic activity to 132.8 U/ml. Additionally, this study pioneered molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations in trypsin engineering, revealing that the introduced mutations stabilize the catalytic pocket and enhance enzyme activity. These findings demonstrate that structure-guided mutagenesis of autolysis-prone lysine and arginine residues can significantly improve the catalytic performance of microbial trypsin. This strategy provides a rational framework for the targeted engineering of trypsin variants and offers a practical approach for developing safer, high-activity preparations suitable for industrial food processing applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100275"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144685586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elucidating VOC dynamics and molecular mechanisms in nonanal-treated postharvest tomatoes infected with Botrytis cinerea","authors":"Hongdou Gao ,&nbsp;Jinnian Li ,&nbsp;Chengxin Wu ,&nbsp;Huilan Ye ,&nbsp;Qi Jia ,&nbsp;Yang Xu ,&nbsp;Youliang Jin ,&nbsp;Shuang Liu ,&nbsp;Miaohong Ruan ,&nbsp;Weiqun Huang ,&nbsp;Jie Pang ,&nbsp;Fenglin Zhong","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, an 0.054 mol·L⁻¹ nonanal treatment decreased the incidence rate of gray mold on tomato and enhanced the defense capacity by altering the activities of the main defense-related enzymes, including NADPH-cytochrome <em>c</em> reductase, aminopyrine-<em>n</em>-demethylase, aniline-4-hydroxylase, and erythromycin <em>N</em>-demethylase. Defense mechanisms are associated with cell degradation. PUFAs are closely related to the maintenance of cell integrity. The enzymes related to PUFAs showed weak activities until 36 h after the 0.054 mol·L⁻¹ nonanal treatment, afterwards, their activities increased. The 0.054 mol·L⁻¹ nonanal treatment decreased the energy wasted by decreasing NAD⁺, NADH, and ATP levels. These changes may respond to nonanal application, further regulating the defense capacity of tomato. The nonanal treatment also decreased the contents of key substances required for the synthesis of PUFAs [volatile aldehydes and alcohols (VAAs)]. The most important substances for disease resistance (hexanal, 2-hexanal, and citral) also significantly decreased after the 0.054 mol·L⁻¹ nonanal treatment. The transcriptome data revealed <em>FAD2</em>, <em>OPRs</em>, <em>Alpha-DOX1</em>, and <em>KCS</em> related to PUFAs, Of these, 14 were down-regulated and 5 were up-regulated after the 0.054 mol·L⁻¹ nonanal treatment compared with the control. and the genes in the plant–pathogen interaction pathway were up-regulated in the control group. This indicated that the nonanal treatment increased the postharvest tomato plant's resistance capability and helped maintain cell integrity, which meant that less genes and substances were required to fight the <em>Botrytis cinerea</em> infection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100328"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145568755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oyster-derived polysaccharide modulates lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans via distinct mechanisms from glucose","authors":"Gengxin Hao ,&nbsp;Yanwen Ma ,&nbsp;Ya Liu ,&nbsp;Peng Ye ,&nbsp;Xujian Qiu ,&nbsp;Baozhi Liu ,&nbsp;Shuting Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The physiological impact of dietary carbohydrates is intrinsically linked to their structural complexity. This study investigated how the macromolecular architecture of oyster-derived polysaccharides (OPS) elicits metabolic responses distinct from its monosaccharide building block, glucose. We hypothesized that OPS, unlike glucose, mitigates lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in <em>Caenorhabditis elegans</em> via conserved metabolic and antioxidant pathways. <em>C. elegans</em> were exposed to a range of OPS or glucose concentrations. Phenotypes assessed included lipid accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations, and lifespan. Mechanistic insights were derived from qRT-PCR analysis of key genes (including daf-2, daf-16, aak-2) and global untargeted metabolomics. In contrast to glucose, which exacerbated fat storage and oxidative stress, OPS reduced triglyceride content (by 16.9 % at 50 μg/mL, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) and enhanced antioxidant defenses (increased SOD activity by 28.6 %, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). OPS treatment upregulated genes involved in fatty acid desaturation (fat-6, fat-7) and energy sensing (aak-2), and downregulated the insulin/IGF-1 receptor homolog daf-2. Metabolomics further demonstrated that OPS remodels metabolism toward increased unsaturated fatty acids and enhanced glutathione metabolism. This work confirms that OPS, by virtue of its complex structure, alleviates metabolic dysregulation through mechanisms divergent from glucose, primarily involving the daf-2/daf-16 and AMPK pathways. Our findings provide novel molecular insights into nutrient-specific signaling and position OPS as a promising functional ingredient for metabolic health management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100330"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic-inhibitor profiling links phenotype and transcriptome of Lachancea thermotolerans to wine fermentation chemistry","authors":"Samuel Jimena-López ,&nbsp;Javier Vicente ,&nbsp;Santiago Benito ,&nbsp;Domingo Marquina ,&nbsp;Antonio Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We applied targeted metabolic inhibitors to 145 <em>Lachancea thermotolerans</em> strains to uncover fermentation traits with direct relevance to wine quality. Oxamate, a lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor, reduced lactic acid and total titratable acidity by 21% and 26%, respectively, while increasing succinic acid and pH without affecting ethanol levels, offering a promising strategy to fine-tune wine freshness and balance. Notably, industrial grape-associated strains (clusters C4–C6) maintained robust growth under oxamate stress, unlike wild strains, positioning oxamate resistance as a practical marker for selecting high-performing, acidifying yeasts for winemaking. Additional inhibitors such as metformin shifted redox metabolism, significantly enhancing glycerol (+25%) and acetic acid (+319%) production. Transcriptomic analyses showed that OXA alone, and even more so the DSF + OXA combination, repressed <em>LDH2</em> and upregulated <em>GPD1</em> and oxidative phosphorylation genes, whereas MET caused only moderate changes. This integrated phenomic-transcriptomic approach not only provides valuable tools for yeast screening but also defines a roadmap for optimizing wine composition through the precision selection of <em>L. thermotolerans</em> strains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100301"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of AcCdc42-overexpressing strain individual inoculation on volatile profile in fermentation of liquid-state malt yeast agar and dark tea soup","authors":"Jie Wang ,&nbsp;Zhenglin Fei ,&nbsp;Changfa Yang ,&nbsp;Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Junren Xu ,&nbsp;Yaya Yuan ,&nbsp;Caiyan Tang ,&nbsp;Qilan Hu ,&nbsp;Zhonghua Liu ,&nbsp;Mingzhi Zhu ,&nbsp;Yongyi Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sexual developmental process of <em>Aspergillus cristatus</em> contributes to the unique “arohid flavor” of Fu brick tea. We hypothesize that the <em>AcCdc42</em> involved in sexual development is functionally associated with the biosynthesis of volatile compounds during dark tea broth fermentation. Overexpression of the <em>AcCdc42</em> resulted in the darker color of colony, larger of cleistothecium and more of ascospores in <em>Aspergillus cristatus</em>. Liquid MYA (Malt Yeast Agar) and dark tea soup were inoculated separately with OE::<em>AcCdc42</em> and wild-type (WT) strains. Volatile profiles were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and chemometrics. 41 and 31 different volatile metabolites were tentatively identified in the MYA and dark tea soup fermentation broths, respectively. In the context of relative changes, the total profile of differential volatile metabolites in the MYA fermentation broth of OE::<em>AcCdc42</em> was 0.23 times higher than that of WT; and the largest changes in profile were Alcohol and Aromatic compoud, which increased by 6.05 times and decreased by 4.67 times than that of WT, respectively. The total profile of differential volatile metabolites in the dark tea soup fermentation broth of OE::<em>AcCdc42</em> was 3.20 times higher than that of WT; and the largest changes in profile were Phenols and Terpene, which increased by 137.34 times and decreased by 2.38 times than that of WT, respectively. This study allows clarification the function of <em>AcCdc42</em> in the process of sexual reproduction and its influence on volatile profile in liquid fermented MYA and dark tea soup.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100262"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving enzymatic properties of BlTDH from Bacillus licheniformis through site-directed mutagenesis","authors":"Xun Liu ,&nbsp;Hongyi Gu ,&nbsp;Han Li ,&nbsp;Shuanglian Chen ,&nbsp;Zhen Tang ,&nbsp;Wenli Quan","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>L-threonine dehydrogenase (TDH) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis pathway of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which are widely used food additives. However, natural TDH enzymes suffer from low catalytic activity and poor environmental adaptability, limiting their industrial applications. This study hypothesized that strategic site-directed mutagenesis of conserved amino acid residues within the substrate-binding pocket and catalytic domain could affect both enzymatic activity and environmental stability of TDH. To test this hypothesis, BlTDH from <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em> was selected as the target enzyme, and structure-oriented alanine substitution mutagenesis was systematically applied to five conserved residues (T94, H95, N157, T293, and G294). The results showed that among the five mutants (T94A, H95A, N157A, T293A and G294A), N157A mutant had a specific enzyme activity of 120.47 ± 1.88 mU/mg, which was 2.1 times higher than that of the wild-type. In addition, the N157A mutant showed better temperature stability and pH adaptability. Structural analysis revealed that the side chain volume of N157A mutant decreased, thereby expanding substrate binding space and reducing steric hindrance, which was conducive to the catalytic reaction. These findings validated the original hypothesis, demonstrating that rational amino acid substitutions can significantly affect the catalytic performance of TDH. The superior N157A mutant presented immediate commercial viability for industrial-scale production of food-grade pyrazine additives. Meanwhile, the established structure-activity relationship provides an engineering framework for optimizing the application of relevant NAD⁺-dependent dehydrogenases in biotechnology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100272"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic dynamics of litchi pericarp and pulp during browning: Unraveling differential profiles through temporal clustering and untargeted metabolomics","authors":"Hanhan Luo ,&nbsp;Jing Tang ,&nbsp;Zhaoxiang Zeng ,&nbsp;Jinlin Xu ,&nbsp;Bixuan Chen ,&nbsp;Xin Huang ,&nbsp;Haijun Yang ,&nbsp;Rongzeng Huang ,&nbsp;Cheng Chen ,&nbsp;Chengwu Song ,&nbsp;Shuna Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Litchi, valued for its vibrant appearance and nutritional content, undergoes rapid browning of the pericarp (PE), reducing its market value. However, the browning mechanism and the impact of browning on the pulp (PU) are not fully understood. This study, litchi fruits were considered at five browning stages. Untargeted LC–MS metabolomics and cluster analysis revealed more pronounced browning-related metabolic changes in the PE than in the PU, as shown by greater separation in PE via principal component analysis. Overall, 53 differential metabolites in PE and 24 in PU were characterized, including flavonoids and lipids. The correlation analysis results revealed that the metabolites strongly associated with the browning process in the PE were primarily lipid compounds. Pathway analysis indicated that PE browning was associated with flavonoid pathway and lipid metabolism. These findings offered insights into litchi browning metabolism and a basis for improving PE browning delay and post-harvest preservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100277"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined microbiome and metabolome analysis of Dacha and Ercha fermented grains of Fen-flavor Baijiu","authors":"Dingwu Qu ,&nbsp;Yurong Wang ,&nbsp;Lubo Cao ,&nbsp;Qiangchuan Hou ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Liu ,&nbsp;Ji'an Zhong ,&nbsp;Zhuang Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fen-flavor Baijiu is produced via two fermentation rounds (Dacha and Ercha), and quality is shaped by microbes in fermented grains. We hypothesized that the two rounds select distinct lactic acid bacteria (LAB) consortia with different metabolic potentials that associate with stage-specific metabolites and flavor compounds. We profiled 24 fermented-grain samples using shotgun metagenomics and untargeted metabolomics. Ercha showed lower alpha-diversity and a composition distinct from Dacha. <em>Lactobacillus acetotolerans</em> dominated Dacha, whereas <em>Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis</em> dominated Ercha. We detected 225 differential metabolites; 12 involved in flavonoid biosynthesis were higher in Dacha, while pyrimidine metabolism was more prominent in Ercha. Several LAB species—including L. <em>acetotolerans</em>, <em>Lentilactobacillus hilgardii</em>, <em>Lactobacillus amylovorus</em>, and <em>Lactobacillus amylolyticus</em>—showed positive correlations with these flavonoids. Genes encoding L-lactate dehydrogenase and acetate kinase were mainly carried by L. <em>acetotolerans</em> and associated with acetic acid and ethyl acetate in fermented grains. These outcomes supported our hypothesis and suggested actionable levers for production: stage-targeted monitoring of marker taxa/genes and rational starter design to steer flavor formation in Fen-flavor Baijiu.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100298"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145059963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differential regulatory effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide components in cyclophosphamide-treated immunosuppressed mice: reshaping of the gut microbiota","authors":"Xin An ,&nbsp;Yuan Chen ,&nbsp;Yufei Chu ,&nbsp;Mengjia Zhang ,&nbsp;Ye Liu ,&nbsp;Yuejuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Shan Wu ,&nbsp;Qian Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochms.2025.100305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Lycium barbarum</em> polysaccharides (LBPs) have recently attracted considerable attention for their immunomodulatory potential. However, their complex structures hinder efficient isolation and purification, making it challenging to identify the active components and establish clear structure-function relationships. We hypothesized that various LBP components exert distinct immunomodulatory effects by modulating gut microbiota composition and host metabolism. In this study, LBP fractions with distinct physicochemical properties were obtained via graded ethanol precipitation and evaluated using a cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mouse model. Immunomodulatory effects and underlying mechanisms were investigated through gut microbiota profiling, short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) quantification, and serum metabolomics analysis. The results showed that various LBP components alleviated CTX-induced weight loss, protected immune organs, enhanced the secretion of immune-related cytokines, and improved the activity of liver antioxidant enzymes to varying degrees. Various LBP components distinctly reshaped the gut microbiota composition and SCFAs production. Among them, the LBP3 component exhibited the strongest immunomodulatory activity, markedly enhanced acetic and propionic acids concentrations as well as the relative abundance of <em>Bifidobacterium</em>, <em>Lactobacillus</em>, <em>Bacteroides</em>, and <em>Akkermansia</em>. Furthermore, Serum metabolomics revealed that LBP3 intervention significantly upregulated metabolite levels, including inosine, pentadecanoic acid, propionylcarnitine, and fucoxanthin. These findings confirm our hypothesis that structurally distinct LBP components exert differential immunomodulatory effects by modulating gut microbiota and host metabolism, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the targeted development of LBP-based functional foods and natural immunomodulators.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34477,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry Molecular Sciences","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100305"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}