European Food Research and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Effect of low-temperature fermentation on flavonoid biotransformation and in vitro colonic fermentation potential in a controlled dried citrus peel-gochujang matrix","authors":"Yicheng Chen,&nbsp;Chenyang Ma","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05260-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05260-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Dried citrus peel is rich in flavanone glycosides and polymethoxyflavones, yet their transformation in high-salt fermented sauce matrices remains insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated the effects of low-temperature fermentation on flavonoid biotransformation and in vitro colonic fermentation potential in a controlled dried citrus peel-gochujang matrix. A sterilized gochujang-based matrix containing dried citrus peel was divided into low-temperature fermentation (LT F; 10 degrees C), room-temperature fermentation (RT F; 25 degrees C), corresponding sterile controls, and an unfermented baseline. Fermentation dynamics, targeted flavonoid quantification, untargeted metabolomics, in vitro digestion, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and metabolite-function correlations were analyzed. Time-dependent changes in pH, acidity, reducing sugars, and viable counts confirmed active fermentation, with stronger acidification at 25 degrees C. At the endpoint, LT F retained more hesperidin than RT F (+ 34.73%, <i>p</i> = 0.0072), whereas hesperetin (− 32.56%, <i>p</i> = 0.000052), naringenin (− 31.55%, <i>p</i> = 0.0011), and ferulic acid (− 22.60%, <i>p</i> = 0.00075) were lower. Untargeted principal component analysis (PCA) showed only limited global separation among fermentation groups, and recomputed LT F versus RT F feature testing found no false discovery rate (FDR)-significant individual feature, supporting cautious interpretation. In vitro assays showed bioaccessibility and SCFA responses that differed between compounds and endpoints, with propionate lower in LT F than RT F. Overall, low-temperature fermentation reshaped flavonoid profiles in a controlled citrus peel-gochujang matrix without uniformly enhancing aglycone formation or colonic fermentation endpoints.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00217-026-05260-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Selecting elite cowpea lines for food applications: nutritional composition, phenolic bioaccessibility, and proof-of-concept application in a cake model","authors":"Cristina Zita de Morais Costa Dias Barbosa,&nbsp;Lorena Maria Freire Sampaio,&nbsp;Mariana Lopes dos Anjos,&nbsp;Maurisrael de Moura Rocha,&nbsp;Rafael Audino Zambelli","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05259-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05259-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cowpea is a nutrient-dense legume with strong potential for breeding and ingredient development, yet elite-line selection is often based on isolated traits rather than integrated nutritional–functional performance. This study proposes a nutrition-oriented multicriteria screening framework to rank three elite cowpea lines by integrating proximate composition (protein, total dietary fiber, starch and moisture), mineral profile, total extractable polyphenols and phenolic-related antioxidant indicators. Criteria were combined by a block-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach and ranking robustness was tested under alternative weighting scenarios. MNC04-792 F-146 showed the best overall performance and remained first in all sensitivity tests, driven mainly by its superior phenolic-related block. To add post-digestion relevance, phenolic bioaccessibility of the selected line was assessed using the INFOGEST in vitro digestion model, showing a marked reduction in the oral phase followed by near-complete intestinal recovery, with 99.14% retention of the initial total extractable phenolics. As proof of concept for food application, cakes containing 5%, 10% and 15% flour from the selected line were produced. The 5% formulation preserved specific volume and density comparable to the control while improving nutritional density, providing the best balance between enrichment and trained-panel overall quality. Overall, this framework enables robust selection of elite cowpea lines by linking plant food composition to post-digestion behavior and practical applicability in a food matrix.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00217-026-05259-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Isolated, identification and molecular docking of bioactive peptides of secondary whey of Oaxaca cheese as inhibitors of the angiotensin-I converted enzyme","authors":"Everardo Mares-Mares,&nbsp;José Fernando Muñoz-Roa,&nbsp;Ericka Denice Herrera-Cardoso,&nbsp;Santiago Gutiérrez-Vargas,&nbsp;Ma. Fabiola León-Galván","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05227-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05227-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Because high blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the world, there is currently an interest in studying natural inhibitors of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme for the treatment and/or prevention of high blood pressure. To identify new inhibitors, proteins from the primary and secondary whey of fresh, panela, and Oaxaca cheeses were evaluated. The whey proteins were hydrolyzed with digestive enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, and pepsin). Pepsin hydrolysis of primary whey of fresh cheese and the secondary whey of Oaxaca cheese showed the highest angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activities (44.8% and 53.8%, respectively), compared to the other treatments, and an IC50 of 84.8 μg/mL for peptides derived from Oaxaca cheese. Molecular docking results revealed that the IYLL peptide from Oaxaca cheese exhibited the best binding energy (− 11.1 kcal/mol) compared to the FDK peptide from fresh cheese (− 10.6 kcal/mol). However, docking scores do not directly correlate with biological activity and require experimental validation. The data show the functionality of the primary and secondary whey hydrolysates of fresh, panela and Oaxaca cheeses as antihypertensive agents.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative assessment of NaOH and NH4OH in alkaline extraction of lentil and chickpea sidestream proteins: impacts on protein quality and process sustainability","authors":"Eram Shaikh,&nbsp;Antonio Patti,&nbsp;Andrea Robinson,&nbsp;Amit Arora","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05246-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05246-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Preservation of protein quality is critical in food technology because it influences product functionality and consumer acceptance. To our knowledge, this study provides the first systematic comparison of ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) and conventional sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as alkaline extraction agents for recovering proteins from broken chickpea and lentil seeds, a pulse-processing sidestream. The extraction methods were evaluated with respect to protein recovery, structural preservation, colloidal stability, visual quality, and process sustainability. Following compositional characterisation of the biomass, extraction trials revealed that NH₄OH produced comparable protein yields (65–69%) to NaOH (62–73%). However, NH₄OH extraction significantly reduced alkali-induced browning (browning index, NH₄OH vs. NaOH: lentil, 21.9 ± 3.9 vs. 41.3 ± 4.5; chickpea, 16.7 ± 1.5 vs. 24.8 ± 4.0), protein aggregation, and the degree of hydrolysis (free amino groups, NH₄OH vs. NaOH: 41–61 mM vs. 69–75 mM glycine equivalents). Dynamic light scattering confirmed smaller aggregate sizes in NH₄OH extracts, while SDS-PAGE and FTIR demonstrated improved structural preservation. Additionally, the buffering capacity of NH₄OH yielded smoother suspensions during low-pH precipitation, resulting in lighter-coloured, more uniform dried protein concentrates. From a process sustainability perspective, literature proposes thermal NH₄OH recovery via evaporation; however, acidification during protein precipitation converts the base into non-volatile ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl), rendering recycling impractical. Nonetheless, the resulting NH₄Cl stream may present opportunities for future valorisation as a nitrogen-rich agricultural fertiliser, subject to further agronomic and techno-economic evaluation. NH₄OH-extracted proteins, with their better-preserved structure and lighter colour, may benefit applications such as pale plant-based beverages, edible films and selected food or biomaterial formulations, pending further validation and regulatory approval.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microwave–vacuum extraction and electrospinning-based stabilization of tomato pomace phenolics in citric acid-modified gelatin nanofibers","authors":"Alev Emine Ince,&nbsp;Elif Turabi Yolacaner,&nbsp;Gulum Sumnu,&nbsp;Halil Mecit Oztop","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05218-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05218-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phenolic-rich extracts were recovered from industrial tomato pomace using microwave–vacuum extraction (MVE) and incorporated into gelatin nanofibers via electrospinning. Optimal extraction conditions (1/10 w/v solid-to-solvent ratio, 4 min, 400 mmHg, 100% microwave power) yielded a total phenolic content (TPC) of 4.174 mg GA/g dry material and antioxidant activities of 0.225 mg DPPH/g and 4.417 mg GA/g (CUPRAC). Gelatin nanofibers (20% w/w) were loaded with tomato pomace extract (0.3–1.0% w/v), with and without citric acid (CA) as a cross-linker. CA markedly improved fiber morphology, producing smooth, bead-free nanofibers with average fiber diameters of 95.6 ± 7.0, 123.4 ± 7.4, and 129.0 ± 4.7 nm at 10%, 15%, and 20% gelatin concentrations, respectively. Higher extract concentrations significantly increased TPC, CUPRAC, and loading efficiency (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), with the highest loading efficiency (83.7%) and TPC (3.450 mg GA/g) achieved at 1.0% extract with CA. FTIR analysis suggested structural reorganization of the gelatin network through enhanced intermolecular interactions involving hydrogen bonding and possible esterification, which contributed to improved jet stability, fiber uniformity, and phenolic retention. These results demonstrate that CA-modified electrospun gelatin nanofibers provide an interaction-driven protein-based carrier system for stabilizing phenolic compounds recovered from tomato pomace and highlight the potential of integrating MVE with electrospinning as a sustainable food-oriented strategy for valorization of agro-industrial by-products and development of functional antioxidant delivery systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cold plasma treatment of brown rice: a review of microbial safety quality and underlying mechanisms","authors":"Xiaonan Yang,&nbsp;Lixin Ma,&nbsp;Junwen Bai,&nbsp;Ruiyun Zhou,&nbsp;Chen Wang,&nbsp;Jianrong Cai","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05244-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05244-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cold plasma has emerged as a promising non-thermal technology for improving the microbial safety, storage stability, cooking quality, and germination performance of brown rice. Previous studies have reported representative effects, including microbial reductions of more than 6 log and decreases in cooking time, hardness, and chewiness by 27.4%, 30.68%, and 40.23%, respectively. However, variations in discharge conditions, reactor configurations, gas composition, sample properties, and treatment endpoints have led to differences in reported outcomes. To address this issue, this review proposes a characterization-guided optimization strategy that links plasma discharge behavior, reactive-species profiles, and brown rice quality responses. Recent progress in cold plasma treatment of brown rice is summarized, with emphasis on microbial inactivation, enzyme inhibition, contaminant degradation, surface modification, water absorption, texture improvement, aroma regulation, and germination-related bioactive changes. Particular attention is given to how plasma characterization methods, including discharge morphology, electrical measurements, optical emission spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, can be used to interpret treatment mechanisms and guide parameter optimization. Finally, future research should strengthen the connection between plasma measurements and rice-matrix responses to improve process reproducibility, scale-up uniformity, and safety assessment in plasma-assisted brown rice processing.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative study of postharvest treatments for extending tomato shelf life: a network meta-analysis","authors":"Qing Tan,&nbsp;Jingjing Gou,&nbsp;Jieyu Li,&nbsp;Geng Liu,&nbsp;Chenlan Li,&nbsp;Hui Luo,&nbsp;Wei Xue","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05242-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05242-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To systematically evaluate the efficacy of different edible coatings in postharvest tomato preservation, we conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases for relevant randomized controlled trials and screened them against predefined eligibility criteria. Seven eligible studies (comprising 32 intervention groups) were included. We then performed a network meta-analysis to quantitatively compare the effects of various coatings on tomato fruit quality, nutritional composition, and physiological parameters during storage, ranking their relative effectiveness using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). The results indicated that immersion in 0.1% essential oil (EO) coating solution was the most effective in maintaining titratable acidity (TA). Immersion in a hydroxyapatite–gelatin (HAG)-based liposome coating solution most effectively reduced the respiration rate (RR), while immersion in an oleaster gum (OG) + 0.1% cuminaldehyde (CA) coating solution resulted in the lowest weight loss. Immersion in 20 g L⁻¹ arrowroot starch (AS) + 5 g L⁻¹ beeswax (BW) + 2.5 mL L⁻¹ clove essential oil (EO) best delayed changes in total soluble solids (TSS). Immersion in 4% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) most effectively preserved fruit lightness (L*), whereas immersion in 20 g L⁻¹ AS + 5 g L⁻¹ BW + 5 mL L⁻¹ clove EO optimally maintained fruit firmness. Immersion in a 2% bitter almond gum (BAG)–fish gelatin (FG) (2:1) conjugate coating solution significantly delayed lycopene (LYC) degradation. Immersion in nano-SiOx/chitosan complex (NSCC) solution was most effective in preserving total phenolic content (TPC) and enhancing catalase (CAT) activity. Immersion in 0.5% EO coating solution significantly maintained ascorbic acid (ASA) levels. Peroxidase (POD) activity was highest in fruit immersed in water, whereas immersion in a chitosan (Ch) solution most effectively suppressed malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Overall, these findings provide evidence-based guidance for optimizing tomato postharvest storage strategies and lay a theoretical and practical foundation for designing efficient and synergistic edible coating treatments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel peptidomic and in silico insights into taste-related and bioactive peptides from porcine liver (Sus scrofa) protein hydrolyzates","authors":"Manuel Ignacio López-Martínez,&nbsp;Fidel Toldrá,&nbsp;Leticia Mora","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05252-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05252-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Enzymatic protein hydrolysis is a promising strategy for the valorization of protein rich meat by-products such as porcine liver, allowing the production of hydrolyzates with potential bioactive and taste-enhancing properties. Previous studies on porcine liver hydrolyzates have mainly focused on free amino acids and di- and tripeptides, while the medium-size peptide fraction remains underexplored despite its potential contribution to taste and bioactivity. In this context, peptidomics combined with in-silico tools offers valuable insights for the identification and characterization of functional peptides. This study aimed to evaluate the bioactive and taste-related potential of porcine liver hydrolyzates containing peptides from 7 to 25 amino acids, obtained under different processing conditions, including ultrasound pretreatment, single and sequential hydrolysis. Peptidomic profiling revealed that enzyme selection was the main factor driving sample differentiation, followed by hydrolysis time and ultrasound probe pretreatment. According to UMPred-FRL and BERT4Bitter prediction tools, all hydrolyzate groups contained a higher proportion of predicted umami than bitter peptides. PeptideRanker tool identified novel 92 unique peptide sequences with bioactivity scores above 0.9, with Protana Prime sequential hydrolyzates showing the highest scores. The main predicted biological activities were antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and antihypertensive. After simulated in-silico gastrointestinal digestion, 47 peptides were associated to 18 distinct biological activities in the BIOPEP-UWM database, highlighting antihypertensive and antidiabetic activities. Overall, this study provides new insights into the contribution of the 7–25 amino acid peptide fraction to the taste and bioactive potential of porcine liver hydrolyzates, promoting their potential application as functional food ingredients and contributing to the valorization of meat by-products.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00217-026-05252-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Application of optimized near-infrared spectral analysis for predicting moisture content and determining the origin of robusta coffee beans","authors":"Thi Huong Nguyen,&nbsp;Dat Quoc Lai,&nbsp;Ba Thanh Nguyen,&nbsp;Le Phuong Lien Nguyen,&nbsp;László Baranyai","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05249-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05249-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Moisture content is a critical quality attribute of green coffee beans because it directly affects storage stability, microbial safety, and final beverage quality. This study evaluated the effects of spectral preprocessing and wavelength selection on moisture prediction in green Robusta coffee beans from different geographical origins. It was investigated whether moisture-related wavelengths could be used for classification of origin. The results showed that combined preprocessing techniques, particularly multiplicative scatter correction or standard normal variate followed by the second derivative, improved predictive performance. The full spectra models achieved an R²_P of 0.95 and an RPD of 4.5 in prediction. The performance of the optimized eight wavelengths was an R²_P of 0.95 and an RPD of 4.2, very close to that of the full spectra models. Furthermore, the selected wavelengths retained useful information related to geographical origin. Cluster analysis based on both the full spectrum and the optimized wavelengths found two distinct clusters of coffee-growing regions. The classification accuracy based on the optimized wavelengths was 83.5%, while the accuracy reached 92.9% without Gia Lai samples. The results suggest that the optimized wavelengths selected for moisture prediction can be used for preliminary screening of the geographical origin of green Robusta coffee beans.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of flavor-related metabolites in different tomato lines by GC×GC–TOF-MS","authors":"Li Feng,&nbsp;Li Zhang,&nbsp;Dong Hou,&nbsp;Zhifeng Hu","doi":"10.1007/s00217-026-05235-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00217-026-05235-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tomato flavor quality is primarily determined by sugars, acids, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, a red-fruited (RF) and a pink-fruited (PF) lines were compared for sugar and acid, VOCs and sensory flavor characteristics. The results showed that during the mid-to-late ripening stages, PF fruits had significantly higher soluble solids content, glucose level, and sugar-acid ratio, along with lower citric and malic acid contents compared to RF fruits. Sucrose synthase (SS) activity was lower in PF, whereas acid invertase (AI) and neutral invertase (NI) activities were higher. In addition, 698 VOCs were identified in both lines using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC–TOF-MS). Among the 40 key VOCs, 34 of them were up-regulated in PF, including 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone and ethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate. The sensory-related analysis also revealed that the key VOCs that were up-regulated in PF fruits were associated with the fruity and sweet attributes. Therefore, the PF line may shape its distinctive flavor quality different from the RF line through accumulating more sugars and fewer organic acids, as well as enriching key ester and ketone aroma substances in the middle and late stages of ripening.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":549,"journal":{"name":"European Food Research and Technology","volume":"252 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}