Food frontiers最新文献

{"title":"Aflatoxin B1 Exacerbates Ketogenic Diet-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Stress and Glucose and Lipid Metabolic Disturbances in Mice","authors":"Xueyuan Hu,&nbsp;Zhenjun Sun,&nbsp;Xiaojing Wang,&nbsp;Shaochun Liu,&nbsp;ZhenBang Ye,&nbsp;Xueshu Han,&nbsp;Yang Ni,&nbsp;Linlin Hou,&nbsp;Yongping Chen,&nbsp;Huanqi Liu","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70379","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a widespread mycotoxin with severe hepatotoxicity. While the ketogenic diet (KD) is increasingly adopted, long-term KD feeding can induce hepatic metabolic disturbances. However, the effects of AFB1 exposure under KD conditions remain unclear. We hypothesized that long-term KD-induced metabolic stress increases hepatic susceptibility to AFB1 toxicity, thereby aggravating liver injury. In this study, we investigated the effects of AFB1 on liver injury in mice fed a KD for 10 weeks. The results suggested that compared with the AFB1 and KD groups, co-exposure with KD+AFB1 significantly increased serum ALT levels by 108.21% and 29.85%, (all <i>p </i>&lt; 0.01), and AST levels by 35.57% (<i>p </i>&lt; 0.01) and 25.31% (<i>p </i>&lt; 0.05), respectively. Co-exposure also aggravated hepatic lipid accumulation, with increased TG, T-CHO, LDLC, and NEFA levels (all <i>p </i>&lt; 0.01) and decreased HDLC levels (<i>p </i>&lt; 0.01). Oil Red O staining and TEM further confirmed pronounced hepatic lipid accumulation and ultrastructural damage. Co-exposure also increased oxidative stress, as indicated by elevated ROS (by 34.23% and 24.77%, respectively) and MDA levels (by 14.96% and 2.14%, respectively), and enhanced hepatic inflammation, with increased TNF-α, IL-6, and COX-2 and decreased IL-10 levels. Untargeted metabolomics revealed marked hepatic metabolic disturbances, particularly in glycerophospholipid, fatty acid, glutathione, and TCA cycle metabolism. Protein expression analysis further supported these metabolic alterations, showing suppressed p-AMPK, increased mTOR phosphorylation, and upregulated PPAR-γ expression following KD+AFB1 co-exposure. In conclusion, AFB1 aggravates long-term KD-associated hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation, and glucose and lipid metabolic disturbances. These findings highlight dietary safety during long-term KD-induced metabolic disturbances.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70379","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine Learning–Assisted Fluorescent Eu@ZnMOF for the Enoxacin and Glyphosate Detection in Food by Suppressing Sensitization and Ligand–Metal Charge Transfer","authors":"Ze Li,&nbsp;Yan Man,&nbsp;Qingju Liu,&nbsp;Jilong Han,&nbsp;Zhikun Zhang","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70377","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The antibiotics and pesticides in the ecosystem environment, owing to their extensive application in veterinary medicine and insecticides, present a significant hazard to public health. Herein, we developed a novel bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) as a ratiometric fluorescent sensor for the simultaneous monitoring of enoxacin (ENX) and glyphosate (GLY). To fabricate a dual-responsive probe, we synthesized the ZnMOF by reacting Zn²⁺ ions with the ligands (2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and 2-aminoterephthalic acid). Subsequently, the bimetallic Eu@ZnMOF was synthesized by loading europium (Eu³⁺) ions into the ZnMOF based on the coordination with the 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid sites. The Eu@ZnMOF-based detection system exhibits a distinct green emission due to the suppression of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer in 8-hydroxyquinoline by Zn²⁺ ions. In the detection system, ENX enhances the red emission of Eu@ZnMOF by sensitizing Eu³⁺ ions. Accordingly, the ENX fluorescent sensing system was fabricated. Moreover, ENX-modified Eu@ZnMOF was fabricated. Upon the addition of GLY, suppression of sensitization and ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) occurs, which quenches the red emission of Eu³⁺ and boosts the blue emission, resulting in a distinct color transition from red to blue. The ratiometric fluorescent sensor allows detection limits of 0.05 and 0.10 mg/L for ENX and GLY, respectively. Moreover, we integrated this material into a microfluidic chip. By combining this platform with smartphone imaging and machine learning algorithms, we constructed a rapid detection protocol capable of simultaneous multi-sample analysis. These results demonstrate the promising application potential of Eu@ZnMOF for advanced environmental and food-safety testing.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70377","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel Microparticulation of Pea Protein: Structural Transformation, Enhanced Gelation, Dispersion Stability, and Off-Taste Masking","authors":"Bandita Bagchi Banerjee,&nbsp;Osama Maklad,&nbsp;Parag Acharya","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70380","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70380","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pea protein isolate (PPI) suffers from poor solubility, weak gel-forming ability, and undesirable sensory attributes that limit its wider adoption in plant-based food products. This study reports a novel three-stage process for producing plant protein microparticulate by combining pH shift, high-pressure homogenization, and heat treatment. The microparticulated pea protein isolate (MPPI) demonstrated substantially improved functional properties relative to native PPI. Microparticulation reduced the volume-weighted median particle diameter (<i>d</i>₅₀) approximately 10-fold (from ∼61.8 to ∼6.2 µm) and apparent particle density by ∼1.9-fold (from 1.07 to 0.57 g/cm³). The taste profiling further revealed that microparticulation altered the taste profile of PPI, with notable shifts in off-taste like astringency and bitterness. Dispersion analysis of 15% (w/w/) solution of MPPI using LUMiSizer showed an 85.5% reduction in sedimentation velocity and a 99.6% reduction in sediment height relative to PPI, reflecting markedly improved colloidal stability. Structural characterization revealed a significant reduction in surface hydrophobicity and intrinsic fluorescence intensity of MPPI compared to PPI, while free sulfhydryl content increased markedly (from 320.26 to 1571.20 nmol/mg), confirming extensive structural destabilization of MPPI due to protein unfolding and subsequent hydrophobic-core burial as well as thiol exposure. Rheological analysis demonstrated that MPPI exhibited approximately one order of magnitude higher storage modulus (<i>G</i>′) and consistency index (<i>K</i>) than native PPI, with superior structural resilience under oscillatory deformation. In situ gelation experiments showed that MPPI formed denser, mechanically stronger elastic gels upon heating and cooling, with substantially higher final <i>G</i>′ values. These findings therefore confirm microparticulation as an effective strategy for unlocking the structural and functional potential of PPI for wider plant-based food applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70380","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149146426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dual-Spectrum Fluorescence Quenching of Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoparticles for Dual-Signal Lateral Flow Immunoassay of Danofloxacin in Meat Samples","authors":"Meng Jia,&nbsp;Sha Li,&nbsp;Chao Chang,&nbsp;Jine Wu,&nbsp;Bolong Fang,&nbsp;Xin Liu,&nbsp;Weihua Lai","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70378","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The conventional gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassay (AuNPs-LFIA) is hampered by single colorimetric signal readout and insufficient sensitivity, restricting its broad application in trace detection for food safety. Herein, an AuNPs-triggered dual-spectrum fluorescence quenching LFIA (DSFQ-LFIA) was constructed for colorimetric and fluorescent detection of danofloxacin (DAN) in meat samples. Aggregation-induced emission nanoparticles (AIENPs) were synthesized using tetramethyl 4′,4‴,4‴″,4‴″″-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetrakis([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-carbomethoxy) (TCBPE) as an AIE luminogen (AIEgen). The engineered TCBPE molecules with a low highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap were featured for the notable AIE effect, conferring AIENPs with a high quantum yield (67.2%). AuNPs acted as an efficient fluorescence quencher owing to the substantial dual-spectrum overlap between the absorption band of AuNPs and excitation/emission spectra of AIENPs. In the absence of DAN, antibody-labeled AuNPs (AuNPs-Ab) were bound to the test (T) line, causing the notable fluorescence quenching of AIENPs. Conversely, the presence of DAN left AIENPs largely unquenched. The limits of detection (LODs) of DSFQ-LFIA were 0.012 ng mL⁻¹ (fluorescence mode) and 0.032 ng mL⁻¹ (colorimetric mode). It presents a rapid and sensitive approach for detecting trace contaminants in food matrices.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70378","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149146271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fermented Noni Juice Supplementation Attenuates Heart Failure Development in Mice: Involvement of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway","authors":"Min Zhang,&nbsp;Xia Guan,&nbsp;Ruize Lu,&nbsp;Zhangxin Yu,&nbsp;Xuanjia Chen,&nbsp;Jingyao Xu,&nbsp;Guangying Chen,&nbsp;Haiying Zhang,&nbsp;Yan Liu","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70367","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Morinda citrifolia</i> L., commonly known as Noni, is a traditional medicinal plant that has long been utilized in various cultures for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Heart failure (HF) is a significant and growing public health concern worldwide that is characterized by substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. However, the relationship between Noni and HF is unknown. In this study, we employed a well-established preclinical HF model to comprehensively evaluate the cardioprotective effects of Noni. We found that fermented Noni juice administration significantly prevented cardiac diastolic dysfunction, hypertrophy, and fibrosis, and markedly reduced inflammation and oxidative stress in HF. Mechanistically, fermented Noni juice was associated with increased accumulation of pentose phosphate pathway intermediates and enhanced NADPH production. This metabolic shift effectively boosts the cellular antioxidant defense system, leading to a robust antioxidant stress response that ultimately mitigates key drivers of HF progression. Collectively, these findings suggest that the cardioprotective effects of fermented Noni juice may involve modulation of the pentose phosphate pathway.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70367","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149145909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beneficial Role of Natural Polyphenols Against Epilepsy: Greasing the Wheels of Pharmacotherapy Research for Epilepsy","authors":"Janakiraman Pillai Udaiyappan,&nbsp;Rengasamy Balakrishnan,&nbsp;Manivasagam Muthukumaran Tamilarasan,&nbsp;Subasri Pandian","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70376","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Epilepsy is the most disabling neurological disease that affects all economic classes, age groups, regions, and races. Although many antiseizure drugs are approved for epilepsy treatment, they fail to work in about 30%–40% of patients. Thus, there is a great need to identify better pharmacological agents to treat epilepsy. Phytochemicals, including alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and terpenes, may be a promising option, as they have shown remarkable efficacy in alleviating neurological diseases in cellular, preclinical, and clinical studies. Polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, and stilbenes, are abundant in several vegetables, beverages, fruits, and other plant-derived products, and are gaining importance in the treatment of epilepsy. Polyphenols, alone or in synergy with other medicines, are used to treat epilepsy due to their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their metal-ion chelating activities. This review article details the therapeutic potential of plant polyphenols in various preclinical models of epilepsy and epileptogenesis. In this review, we highlight the role of various polyphenols, including curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, naringenin, quercetin, hesperidin, ellagic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, proanthocyanidins, and apigenin, that inhibit neuronal damage and the progression of epilepsy. The neuroprotective and antioxidant roles of these natural polyphenols show promise for managing acute seizures and preventing epileptogenesis, as they can modulate signaling molecules of various pathways involved in the pathology of epilepsy. As mixed results were obtained regarding the antiepileptic or antiseizure potential of these molecules, additional mechanism-based animal studies are required to determine, with greater certainty, the practical use of natural polyphenols in combating epilepsy.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70376","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149145878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fungal β-1,3-Glucanases: Characterization and Immobilization for Continuous Application in Winemaking","authors":"Nafisat Yakubu,&nbsp;Ilaria Benucci,&nbsp;Claudio Lombardelli,&nbsp;Jessica Pidalà,&nbsp;Marco Esti","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70374","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This work presents an innovative continuous biocatalytic system based on immobilized β-1,3-glucanase for white wine clarification. First, two β-glucanases from fungal sources <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i> were comparatively characterized for optimal temperature and pH. The highest catalytic activity was at 50°C and pH 6.0 for both enzymes. Afterwards, the <i>Trichoderma</i>-derived β-glucanase was selected for covalent immobilization due to its higher catalytic efficiency and substrate affinity at low temperature and acidic pH. The immobilized enzyme exhibited enhanced tolerance to temperature and pH variations and retained operational stability over repeated use cycles. The immobilized biocatalyst was then applied in a fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) for the treatment of model white wine, and the maximum product release rate was achieved at a flow rate of 560 mL/min (corresponding to a τ of 0.54 min and a Sv of 1.87 min⁻¹) using 5 g of immobilized biocatalyst. Under these optimal conditions, the continuous treatment of real white wine in FBR resulted in the effective degradation of β-glucans achieving up to ∼75%–80% decrease within 24–48 h. Thus, demonstrating the use of the immobilized food-grade <i>Trichoderma</i>-derived β-glucanase in the FBR is a very promising method for continuous enzymatic clarification of wine.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70374","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Baicalin Alleviates Lactational Heat-Stress-Induced Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction via Sirt3-Dependent Deacetylation of NDUFS1","authors":"Jingzheng Li,&nbsp;Honglin Jiang,&nbsp;Jianwen He,&nbsp;Wen Yao","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70370","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lactation represents one of the most metabolically demanding physiological states in mammals, characterized by heightened bioenergetic flux that increases electron transport chain (ETC) activity. This metabolic feature renders the maternal liver highly susceptible to mitochondrial redox imbalance under heat stress (HS). Baicalin (BAI), a nature food-derived flavonoid from <i>Scutellaria baicalensis</i>, is known for its antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties, but its mechanism in lactational HS has not been fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that BAI exerts its hepatoprotective effects by targeting the Sirt3–NDUFS1 axis to preserve mitochondrial complex I redox homeostasis in lactating mammals. Using a lactational HS mouse model and AML-12 hepatocytes, we demonstrate that BAI attenuates HS-induced hepatic injury, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mechanistically, BAI restored the expression of the mitochondrial deacetylase Sirt3, which was suppressed by HS. This led to deacetylation of the complex I core subunit NDUFS1, thereby rescuing complex I activity and limiting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) overproduction. BAI also attenuated secondary excessive Pink/PARKIN-dependent mitophagy triggered by mitochondrial respiratory failure, revealing coordinated recovery of electron transport function and downstream mitochondrial quality control. Pharmacological inhibition of Sirt3 abolished the protective effects of BAI on mitochondrial respiration and redox balance, confirming Sirt3 dependence. These findings reveal a BAI–Sirt3–NDUFS1 axis maintaining mitochondrial complex I redox homeostasis, thereby enhancing maternal hepatic resilience to HS. Distinct from previous Sirt3 research in nonreproductive disease models, this work establishes a natural nutritional target strategy specialized for HS lactating subjects, with great potential for maternal nutritional intervention and functional food development.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70370","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant-Derived Probiotics From Fermented Foods: Current Evidence on Antiviral Mechanisms and Gut–Lung Axis Modulation","authors":"Yinghao Xing,&nbsp;Yaoyuan Hu,&nbsp;Yingying Ma,&nbsp;Peng Yao,&nbsp;Jingjing Jiang,&nbsp;Jiao Guo,&nbsp;Shuangmei Liu","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70336","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70336","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Respiratory viral infections represent a major global public health threat, causing widespread morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic disruption, while probiotics have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing host immunity and combating infectious diseases. Plant-derived probiotics, mainly sourced from fermented plant foods, exhibit potent antiviral effects against respiratory viruses by modulating innate and adaptive immunity, secreting antiviral metabolites, and regulating gut–lung axis crosstalk. This review comprehensively summarizes the antiviral mechanisms of plant-derived probiotics against respiratory viruses and their advantages over dairy-derived counterparts while discussing the current status and future development trends of these probiotics. Plant-fermented foods are the main natural sources of these probiotics. Their processing requires optimized fermentation, stability and sensory quality, while translation depends on standardized strains, defined mechanisms, advanced delivery, and large-scale clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70336","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal Monitoring and Coupled Heat-Generation Modeling of Baijiu Solid-State Fermentation","authors":"Zhihua Li,&nbsp;Aocheng Zhang,&nbsp;Jian Li,&nbsp;Ling Zhao,&nbsp;Suyi Zhang,&nbsp;Zonghua Ao,&nbsp;Chuan Song","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70352","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is central to Luzhou-flavor Baijiu production, yet the temperature evolution inside pits and its coupling with substrate conversion remain poorly understood. We combined in situ temperature sensing, offline physicochemical sampling, and mechanism-based modeling to analyze production-scale pits. A multi-point system (36 sensors) was deployed in one winter pit and two summer pits. Samples from the center, middle, and bottom layers were collected every 5 days and analyzed for starch, reducing sugar, moisture, acidity, and ethanol. Cross-season results showed a reproducible rise-then-fall temperature trajectory and a parabolic spatial profile (center high, edges low; <i>R</i>² &gt; 0.90, reaching a maximum of 0.996). In winter, the core temperature rose from 20°C to 30°C, with a 5°C difference between the bottom and middle layers. In summer, the two pits reached maximum central temperatures of 37°C and 34°C, with maximum spatial temperature differences of 15°C and 12°C. Physicochemical indices revealed rapid starch consumption, transient accumulation then depletion of reducing sugar, a moisture increase of about 6%, acidity rising from 2.2 to 5.0 mmol/10 g, and ethanol accumulation to about 35 µg/g. Mechanistic analysis indicated that starch hydrolysis provides sugars, which drive microbial heat generation; temperature promotes growth before the thermal maximum, while acidity accumulation causes irreversible inhibition later. Governing equations were formulated: The heat production rate is linearly driven by available reducing sugar, modulated by an inverted parabolic temperature function, and subjected to cumulative acidity inhibition. This work offers a quantitative basis for online monitoring, early warning, and bioreactor modeling of Baijiu SSF.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70352","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}