{"title":"Spatiotemporal Monitoring and Coupled Heat-Generation Modeling of Baijiu Solid-State Fermentation","authors":"Zhihua Li, Aocheng Zhang, Jian Li, Ling Zhao, Suyi Zhang, Zonghua Ao, 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><sup>2</sup> > 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":"148942437","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}
Food frontiersPub Date : 2026-09-02DOI: 10.1002/fft2.70326
Sebastiano Alfio Torrisi, Federica Martina Di Domenico, Gian Marco Leggio, Giuseppe Caruso, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Nohora Milena Martínez López, Agnieszka Micek, Marialaura Bonaccio, Justyna Godos, Giuseppe Grosso
{"title":"Synthetic Food Colorants and Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies","authors":"Sebastiano Alfio Torrisi, Federica Martina Di Domenico, Gian Marco Leggio, Giuseppe Caruso, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Nohora Milena Martínez López, Agnieszka Micek, Marialaura Bonaccio, Justyna Godos, Giuseppe Grosso","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70326","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Growing evidence suggests that industrial food processing, including the excess consumption of food additives, might have a negative impact on human health. Despite regulatory safety evaluations, their impact on gut microbiota remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to systematically review current evidence on food additives and gut microbiota in preclinical models. A systematic research identified 47 studies evaluating E110 (sunset yellow FCF), E129 (Allura Red AC), E171 (titanium dioxide), E173 (aluminum), E174 (silver), and E175 (gold) on gut microbiota-related outcomes in murines. Both acute and chronic exposure to specific food colorants induced <i>β</i>-diversity shifts, compositional dysbiosis, and impaired intestinal barrier integrity. Histopathological alterations included epithelial disorganization. Functional consequences encompassed microbiota-driven metabolic dysregulation, intestinal and hepatic toxicity, and altered enteric neuronal activity. Colitis was the most frequent phenotype, accompanied by systemic effects, including impaired glucose metabolism, chronic inflammation, and obesity. Collectively, these mechanistic findings suggest that synthetic food colorants may disrupt gut microbiota and host physiology, highlighting the importance of continued evaluation of their use in food products within the context of emerging evidence on gut health and broader physiological outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70326","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942208","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}
Food frontiersPub Date : 2026-09-02DOI: 10.1002/fft2.70326
Sebastiano Alfio Torrisi, Federica Martina Di Domenico, Gian Marco Leggio, Giuseppe Caruso, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Nohora Milena Martínez López, Agnieszka Micek, Marialaura Bonaccio, Justyna Godos, Giuseppe Grosso
{"title":"Synthetic Food Colorants and Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies","authors":"Sebastiano Alfio Torrisi, Federica Martina Di Domenico, Gian Marco Leggio, Giuseppe Caruso, Evelyn Frias-Toral, Nohora Milena Martínez López, Agnieszka Micek, Marialaura Bonaccio, Justyna Godos, Giuseppe Grosso","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70326","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Growing evidence suggests that industrial food processing, including the excess consumption of food additives, might have a negative impact on human health. Despite regulatory safety evaluations, their impact on gut microbiota remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to systematically review current evidence on food additives and gut microbiota in preclinical models. A systematic research identified 47 studies evaluating E110 (sunset yellow FCF), E129 (Allura Red AC), E171 (titanium dioxide), E173 (aluminum), E174 (silver), and E175 (gold) on gut microbiota-related outcomes in murines. Both acute and chronic exposure to specific food colorants induced <i>β</i>-diversity shifts, compositional dysbiosis, and impaired intestinal barrier integrity. Histopathological alterations included epithelial disorganization. Functional consequences encompassed microbiota-driven metabolic dysregulation, intestinal and hepatic toxicity, and altered enteric neuronal activity. Colitis was the most frequent phenotype, accompanied by systemic effects, including impaired glucose metabolism, chronic inflammation, and obesity. Collectively, these mechanistic findings suggest that synthetic food colorants may disrupt gut microbiota and host physiology, highlighting the importance of continued evaluation of their use in food products within the context of emerging evidence on gut health and broader physiological outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70326","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942214","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":"Targeted Metabolomics Reveals Tissue-Specific Accumulation and Translocation of Bioactive Compounds in Ginger During Growth","authors":"Yinfeng Zhao, Qin Wang, Jiguang Zhang, Xiuhua Liu, Yixuan Jiang, Qingzhi Li, Chunhua Shang, Min Lin, Rui Weng, Jing Qiu, Yongzhong Qian","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70360","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70360","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ginger exhibits plenty of biological activities and boasts a long history of use both as a spice and in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the accumulation and translocation patterns of bioactive compounds across various ginger tissues during growth remain poorly understood. Therefore, targeted metabolomics methods were developed to evaluate the changes of gingerols, shogaols, zingerones, curcuminoids, and amino acids in ginger leaves, stems, and rhizomes. The tissue-specific accumulation patterns of 32 bioactive compounds and their associated metabolic pathways not only highlight distinct regulatory mechanisms but also reveal the potential of different ginger tissues as functional food ingredients or high-value resources. The aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway was consistently enriched across ginger tissues and played crucial roles in the translocation of substances across various tissues. New insights into the distribution and translocation of key compounds during ginger growth can provide valuable guidance for optimal harvesting strategies and product development.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70360","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942216","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":"Targeted Metabolomics Reveals Tissue-Specific Accumulation and Translocation of Bioactive Compounds in Ginger During Growth","authors":"Yinfeng Zhao, Qin Wang, Jiguang Zhang, Xiuhua Liu, Yixuan Jiang, Qingzhi Li, Chunhua Shang, Min Lin, Rui Weng, Jing Qiu, Yongzhong Qian","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70360","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70360","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ginger exhibits plenty of biological activities and boasts a long history of use both as a spice and in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the accumulation and translocation patterns of bioactive compounds across various ginger tissues during growth remain poorly understood. Therefore, targeted metabolomics methods were developed to evaluate the changes of gingerols, shogaols, zingerones, curcuminoids, and amino acids in ginger leaves, stems, and rhizomes. The tissue-specific accumulation patterns of 32 bioactive compounds and their associated metabolic pathways not only highlight distinct regulatory mechanisms but also reveal the potential of different ginger tissues as functional food ingredients or high-value resources. The aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway was consistently enriched across ginger tissues and played crucial roles in the translocation of substances across various tissues. New insights into the distribution and translocation of key compounds during ginger growth can provide valuable guidance for optimal harvesting strategies and product development.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70360","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942215","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}
Food frontiersPub Date : 2026-08-31DOI: 10.1002/fft2.70348
Yiming Li, Nan Wang, Li Zhou, Weibin Cheng, Jiamin Song, Yanan Sun
{"title":"Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Meat Quality and Characteristic Flavor Compounds of Pacific White Shrimp","authors":"Yiming Li, Nan Wang, Li Zhou, Weibin Cheng, Jiamin Song, Yanan Sun","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70348","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Drying is widely used to extend the shelf life of Pacific white shrimp, yet different drying routes can shift meat quality and flavor formation in distinct ways. This study compared fresh shrimp (Ctrl), vacuum freeze-dried shrimp (VFD), heat-assisted vacuum freeze-drying shrimp (HAFD), hot-air-dried shrimp (HAD), and air-frying-assisted dried shrimp (AFD) by analyzing proximate composition, color, texture, free amino acids (FAAs), 5′-nucleotides, organic acids, electronic sensory fingerprints, and volatile compounds. Drying concentrated protein, fat, and ash also changed color and texture. VFD produced the lightest samples and the largest color difference, whereas HAD and AFD caused stronger hardness and adhesiveness. HAFD showed the most favorable non-volatile umami profile, with the highest total FAAs, umami FAAs, guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP), and equivalent umami concentration (51.35 g monosodium glutamate (MSG)/100 g). VFD retained the highest total 5′-nucleotides, whereas HAD generated the highest succinic acid and the strongest organic-acid-derived taste activity. Electronic nose and tongue analyses separated Ctrl/VFD from HAD/AFD along the main axis of principal component analysis (PCA), indicating that heat involvement reshaped aroma and taste fingerprints. Headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME–GC–MS) identified 51 volatile compounds. HAD showed the highest total pyrazines, esters, alcohols, and ketones, whereas AFD showed the highest aldehyde abundance. Overall, HAFD balanced quality retention and umami enhancement better, whereas HAD and AFD promoted stronger roasted-aroma formation. These findings provide guidance for selecting drying strategies according to target dried-shrimp flavor profiles and desired balances between mild umami and intense roasted aroma.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70348","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148943577","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":"Effects of Early Light-Quality Pretreatment During Withering on the Taste and Aroma Quality of Autumn White Tea","authors":"Hujing Cao, Jing Sun, Yixin Song, Haoyu Huang, Yan Zhu, Xujun Zhu, Yue Wang, Jingjing Tian","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70356","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study establishes early light-quality pretreatment as an effective strategy to enhance the flavor of autumn white tea. A multi-platform framework integrating sensory evaluation, electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) was employed to correlate sensory perception with chemical composition. Blue-light pretreatment markedly improved sweetness, umami, and a more coordinated aroma profile characterized by sweet/caramel-like and roasted notes, while reducing bitterness, astringent aftertaste, and green-note-related characteristics. Compared with red- and yellow-light pretreatments, blue light showed lower instrumental bitterness, and it also reduced residual aftertaste-related responses and green-note-related volatile characteristics. These changes were associated with increased total free amino acids and soluble sugars, altered catechin composition, and reduced green-note volatiles. Yellow light preferentially enhanced floral- and fruity-related volatile profiles, whereas red light showed limited overall benefits. Multivariate and Mantel analyses supported significant associations between chemical profiles and sensor responses, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)–astringency and epicatechin gallate (ECG)–aftertaste-B. Collectively, blue-light pretreatment may improve autumn white tea flavor through coordinated changes in taste-active compounds and volatile metabolites, providing a practical basis for precision control of white tea quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70356","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148943576","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":"Effects of Early Light-Quality Pretreatment During Withering on the Taste and Aroma Quality of Autumn White Tea","authors":"Hujing Cao, Jing Sun, Yixin Song, Haoyu Huang, Yan Zhu, Xujun Zhu, Yue Wang, Jingjing Tian","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70356","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study establishes early light-quality pretreatment as an effective strategy to enhance the flavor of autumn white tea. A multi-platform framework integrating sensory evaluation, electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry, and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) was employed to correlate sensory perception with chemical composition. Blue-light pretreatment markedly improved sweetness, umami, and a more coordinated aroma profile characterized by sweet/caramel-like and roasted notes, while reducing bitterness, astringent aftertaste, and green-note-related characteristics. Compared with red- and yellow-light pretreatments, blue light showed lower instrumental bitterness, and it also reduced residual aftertaste-related responses and green-note-related volatile characteristics. These changes were associated with increased total free amino acids and soluble sugars, altered catechin composition, and reduced green-note volatiles. Yellow light preferentially enhanced floral- and fruity-related volatile profiles, whereas red light showed limited overall benefits. Multivariate and Mantel analyses supported significant associations between chemical profiles and sensor responses, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)–astringency and epicatechin gallate (ECG)–aftertaste-B. Collectively, blue-light pretreatment may improve autumn white tea flavor through coordinated changes in taste-active compounds and volatile metabolites, providing a practical basis for precision control of white tea quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70356","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148943661","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}
Food frontiersPub Date : 2026-08-31DOI: 10.1002/fft2.70348
Yiming Li, Nan Wang, Li Zhou, Weibin Cheng, Jiamin Song, Yanan Sun
{"title":"Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Meat Quality and Characteristic Flavor Compounds of Pacific White Shrimp","authors":"Yiming Li, Nan Wang, Li Zhou, Weibin Cheng, Jiamin Song, Yanan Sun","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70348","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Drying is widely used to extend the shelf life of Pacific white shrimp, yet different drying routes can shift meat quality and flavor formation in distinct ways. This study compared fresh shrimp (Ctrl), vacuum freeze-dried shrimp (VFD), heat-assisted vacuum freeze-drying shrimp (HAFD), hot-air-dried shrimp (HAD), and air-frying-assisted dried shrimp (AFD) by analyzing proximate composition, color, texture, free amino acids (FAAs), 5′-nucleotides, organic acids, electronic sensory fingerprints, and volatile compounds. Drying concentrated protein, fat, and ash also changed color and texture. VFD produced the lightest samples and the largest color difference, whereas HAD and AFD caused stronger hardness and adhesiveness. HAFD showed the most favorable non-volatile umami profile, with the highest total FAAs, umami FAAs, guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP), and equivalent umami concentration (51.35 g monosodium glutamate (MSG)/100 g). VFD retained the highest total 5′-nucleotides, whereas HAD generated the highest succinic acid and the strongest organic-acid-derived taste activity. Electronic nose and tongue analyses separated Ctrl/VFD from HAD/AFD along the main axis of principal component analysis (PCA), indicating that heat involvement reshaped aroma and taste fingerprints. Headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME–GC–MS) identified 51 volatile compounds. HAD showed the highest total pyrazines, esters, alcohols, and ketones, whereas AFD showed the highest aldehyde abundance. Overall, HAFD balanced quality retention and umami enhancement better, whereas HAD and AFD promoted stronger roasted-aroma formation. These findings provide guidance for selecting drying strategies according to target dried-shrimp flavor profiles and desired balances between mild umami and intense roasted aroma.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70348","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148943662","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}
Food frontiersPub Date : 2026-08-27DOI: 10.1002/fft2.70364
Yilin Bian, Bin Wang, Sha Liu, Huaxue Huang, Wenjun Xiao
{"title":"Comparative Effects of Different Sugar Substitutes in a Mice Model of Type 2 Diabetes Induced Renal Injury","authors":"Yilin Bian, Bin Wang, Sha Liu, Huaxue Huang, Wenjun Xiao","doi":"10.1002/fft2.70364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fft2.70364","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The global incidence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) due to type 2 diabetes is rising and is becoming one of the most threatening complications. Excessive sugar intake accelerates DKD progression, highlighting safe, low-calorie sugar substitutes as potential intervention. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of different sugar substitutes on DKD and explore their underlying mechanisms. We established a mouse model of DKD using a high-fat diet and streptozotocin and systematically compared the effects of Mogroside V (MOG), stevioside (ST), sucralose (TGS), erythritol (ERT), and sucrose (SUC). DKD mice exhibited typical renal injury characteristics along with increased renal oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. MOG and ST interventions significantly improved insulin levels; reduced blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and urinary microalbumin levels; restored renal tissue structure; and alleviated oxidative-inflammatory damage in DKD mice. ERT and TGS also mitigated oxidative-inflammatory damage but had weaker effects, whereas SUC failed to improve DKD. Combined metabolomics, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analyses indicated that different sugar substitutes exert comprehensive metabolic protection by regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, AMPK, MAPK signaling pathways, and FcεRI signaling pathways. Specifically, MOG significantly alleviated oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in DKD mouse kidneys by suppressing the mRNA expression of <i>Alox5</i>, <i>Pla2g4</i>, <i>Raf1</i>, <i>Hras</i>, <i>Ma2pk1</i>, <i>Mapk1</i>, and <i>Cysltr1</i>, as well as p-ERK and 5-lipoxygenase protein expression. These findings provide scientific evidence supporting the nutritional value of sugar substitutes in DKD.</p>","PeriodicalId":73042,"journal":{"name":"Food frontiers","volume":"7 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fft2.70364","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848962","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}