內容: The food crisis and food security are becoming increasingly dire, with the expansion of traditional agriculture and animal husbandry proving unsustainable. Edible insects, rich in protein, fats, minerals, and other nutrients, offer a viable solution to diversify diets and enhance food security. To promote the application and development of edible insects, it is essential to address food safety concerns, including allergic reactions and heavy metal contamination, while also working to improve consumer acceptance. This paper explores the nutritional value of edible insects and delves into the prospects of their development, considering benefits, applications, safety, and consumer acceptance. It serves as a valuable reference for advancing food and feed practices.

內容: Fermented sausages, processed through microbial fermentation, have a long history and cultural significance. The fermentation process not only extends shelf life but also enhances flavor, texture, and nutritional value, making them integral to many global food cultures. These products can be classified into two categories based on fermentation methods, microorganisms used, and flavor: Western and Eastern. Western industrially produced sausages (e.g., salami, chorizo, longaniza, and pepperoni) commonly utilize exogenous starter cultures during initial fermentation to ensure product consistency, which create complex flavors like acid, fruity, and smoky. In contrast, Eastern traditional fermented sausages (e.g., Sichuan-style Chinese sausages, Nham, and kimichi sausages) predominantly rely on spontaneous fermentation, with their ingredient formulations and processing techniques profoundly reflecting regional artisanal characteristics. This review explores the production processes, microbial community succession, and their effects on flavor, comparing Western and Eastern fermented sausages in terms of microbial species, fermentation processes, and flavor mechanisms. The findings show that Western products tend to have more concentrated microbial roles and more complex flavors. The characteristic flavor profiles of Eastern fermented sausages primarily derive from region-specific ingredients (e.g., Sichuan pepper, glutinous rice, and kimchi), while their low standardization in production processes results in remarkable regional variations. As globalization advances, the international production and consumption of fermented sausages increase, and optimizing microbial selection and fermentation environments will be crucial to enhancing flavor, nutritional value, and food safety to meet the diverse needs of consumers worldwide.

內容: Milk is rich in high-quality protein, calcium, and various vitamins and minerals, which are crucial for bone health, immune regulation, and metabolic functions. In the food industry, milk is not only the basic raw material for liquid dairy products but also, through advanced processing techniques, has led to the development of more valuable new products such as infant formula and functional dairy products. However, during harvesting, processing, storage, and transportation, milk can become contaminated by microorganisms, which can significantly affect its quality and shelf life. Effective sterilization is crucial for maintaining the nutritional quality and extending the shelf life of milk. While traditional heat treatments are effective at inactivating harmful microorganisms, they often result in nutrient loss due to high temperatures. As a result, emerging technologies, including both thermal and non-thermal methods, have been developed to address these challenges. Emerging thermal processing technologies can achieve rapid and uniform heating, significantly reducing processing time. Non-thermal processing technologies, on the other hand, directly act on microorganisms through physical fields, enabling efficient sterilization without the need for high temperatures. Both methods better preserve the nutritional components and natural flavors of milk and are particularly suitable for sterilizing high-viscosity, particulate-containing, or heat-sensitive foods. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of traditional heat-based sterilization methods, newer thermal processing technologies, and non-thermal methods. It also discusses the impact of different processing technologies on milk’s nutritional content and offers an outlook on future developments, with the aim of providing valuable insights for the improvement of milk sterilization technologies.

內容: Off-odors in aquatic products represent a critical quality concern for the aquatic food industry, severely compromising sensory attributes, consumer preference, and food safety due to potential health hazards. These undesirable odors result from a combination of mechanisms, including biochemical reactions and industrial processing, which collectively determine the final product quality. This comprehensive review methodically investigates four critical dimensions: 1) development mechanisms of off-odors, 2) compounds contributing to off-odors, 3) generation of off-odors, and 4) advanced deodorization methodologies. Special emphasis is placed on elucidating molecular-level interactions between off-odor compounds and proteins, as well as the characteristic biosynthesis patterns of off-odors observed across different tissue types in various aquatic species. Through a comprehensive analysis of the sources of off-odors and mitigation technologies, this review proposes a technical framework for the targeted reduction of off-odors in aquatic products, offering valuable insights for quality optimization in industrial applications.

內容: Milk, as the highest quality food resource, plays an important role in improving human nutrition and health. With the improvement of residents’ living standards, consumers have put forward higher requirements for the quality of dairy products. Fermented dairy products have become an important part of the daily diet for all age groups around the world, as they are rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, sugar, and minerals, and have health benefits such as regulating intestinal balance, improving lactose intolerance, reducing inflammation in the body, protecting heart health, and unique flavors that are loved by consumers. Flavor not only affects the quality of fermented milk, but is also a key indicator for consumers in product selection. This article reviews the composition and formation pathways of flavor compounds in fermented milks and the effects of exogenous fermentation conditions on the production of aromatic compounds. In addition, it describes the research progress and future development directions on flavor improvement of fermented milk, aiming to provide theoretical basis and new ideas for the flavor, quality, and nutritional functions of fermented milk.

內容: The growing global demand for protein, driven by population expansion, has highlighted the need for sustainable and nutritionally rich alternatives. Insect protein presents a promising solution, offering a high-quality, environmentally sustainable source of nutrition. However, allergenic risks associated with insect proteins pose a significant barrier to their widespread use in food and animal feed. In this review, we review cross-reactive allergens from insect proteins, and detection and characterisation methods for these allergens as well as effects of food processing approaches to degrade these allergens in products. It also discusses interactions between digestive tracts and insect allergens within food matrix to discuss the safety threshold and policy. The need for establishing safety thresholds and labelling policies for insect-based food and feed should be considered, particularly in relation to cross-reactivity with seafood allergens. While significant progress has been made in allergen detection and risk assessment frameworks, there remains a lack of standardized guidelines for insect protein products. Future research is critical to better understand the allergenic potential of insect proteins, the effects of food processing on their allergenicity, and the development of effective allergen thresholds and regulatory policies to ensure consumer safety. Collaborative efforts and consents from research, industry, government, and consumers will be essential to safely integrate insect proteins into the global food and feed supply.

內容: Eggs contain various bioactive proteins that influence bone health. This study investigated the effects of three water-soluble egg yolk fractions (FA, FB, and FC) and subfractions of FC (FC1 (< 3 kDa) and FC2 (> 3 kDa)) on osteoclastogenesis. FC and its subfractions showed promising osteoclastogenesis inhibitory effects by suppressing osteoclast differentiation in receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, they inhibited RANKL-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway mediators and production of key osteoclastogenic markers in a dose-dependent manner. At 1 000 μg/mL, the FC1 and FC2 fractions resulted in (53.33 ± 9.73)% and (84.00 ± 5.11)% tartrate resistant acid phosphatase-positive osteoclasts, respectively, indicating that the FC1 fraction exhibited stronger inhibitory activity on osteoclastogenesis than the FC2 fraction. Furthermore, the FC1 fraction induced the apoptosis of mature osteoclasts, significantly increasing the proportion of cells in early apoptosis at 10, 100, and 1 000 μg/mL doses ((21.50 ± 1.93)%, (29.17 ± 2.04)%, and (40.40 ± 1.91)%, respectively) and late apoptosis at 1 000 μg/mL ((5.80 ± 1.10)%) compared to the control ((6.37 ± 1.79)% early apoptosis, (0.33 ± 0.58)% late apoptosis). While this study demonstrated the involvement of the MAPK pathway, further investigation is required to confirm their activity in vivo and to identify the components responsible for these effects. The findings of this study may contribute to the development of nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients for improving bone health by using egg yolk-derived fractions.

內容: This study aimed to investigate the effects of several common phenolic compounds on protein oxidation of myofibrillar protein after in vitro metal-catalyzed oxidation. Suspensions of pig myofibrillar proteins containing one of the three phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid (CA), gallic acid (GA), or epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were oxidized for 24 h using a Fenton oxidation system. Suspensions with butylated hydroxytoluene and a group with no phenolic compounds were considered as control. Various markers for protein oxidation were measured, including total carbonyl, total sulfhydryl and free sulfhydryl, total free amino group, and particularly, two specific markers for protein carbonylation, namely, α-amino adipic semialdehyde (AAS) and lysinonorleucine (LNL) were also determined. Meanwhile, protein solubility, circular dichroism spectrum, and tryptophan fluorescence were also analyzed for the consequences of protein oxidation. Results showed that all three plant polyphenols exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on carbonyl formation. Concurrently, these plant polyphenols engaged in addition reactions with myofibrillar proteins, leading to a reduction in the levels of total sulfhydryl and free amino groups. This reduction further influences the alterations in the secondary and tertiary structures of the proteins. Consequently, the levels of carbonyls and AAS content in proteins may serve as more precise indicators of the antioxidant capacity of polyphenols in meat products in comparison to sulfhydryl content. It’s worth stating that EGCG exhibits a unique ability to promote the formation of AAS, distinguishing it from other plant polyphenols.

內容: This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant potential of bovine casein hydrolysate and a pure peptide screened from it. The casein hydrolysate obtained by pepsin digestion exhibited obvious antioxidant activity in vitro, including potent Fe2+ chelating and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging activities. A novel tetrapeptide, VRYL, was predicted and successfully characterized using in silico techniques and showed excellent ABTS cation radical scavenging ability, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration of 0.36 mg/mL, which is significantly lower than that of the original hydrolysate. Moreover, at the cellular level, VRYL effectively protected against H2O2-induced oxidative stress damage in HepG2 cells and significantly reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species levels. The peptide VRYL not only exhibited excellent antioxidant capacity in vitro but also demonstrated its ability to mitigate oxidative stress damage in a cellular model. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the development of casein hydrolysates and their derived peptides in functional foods.

內容: This experiment aimed to explore the effects of nutritional intervention on the composition and content of routine nutrients, amino acids, and fatty acids in the colostrum of lactating yaks. Twenty yaks in the late pregnancy stage with the same parity and similar body conditions were selected as and randomly divided into two groups (n = 10). The control group were allowed to graze freely from 8:00 to 18:00, and treatment (TR) group, yaks were supplemented with 3.0 kg of oat hay and 1.0 kg of concentrate feed per day. The experimental period lasted for 28 days, including 21 days before parturition and 7 days after parturition. From 1–7 days after parturition, colostrum was collected daily to determine the routine nutrients, amino acids, and fatty acids profile of colostrum. The results showed that the colostrum protein, non-fat colostrum solids, and lactose contents were extremely significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the TR group. The lysine content in the TR group increased significantly (P < 0.05), additionally the prolongation of lactation time, the ratio of essential to non-essential amino acids increased significantly (P < 0.05) higher in colostrum of lactating yaks. The C18:1 n-9t, C18:3 n-3, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) contents extremely significantly increased (P < 0.01) with supplementation in the TR group. Compared to day 1, the contents of C6:0 and C10:0 increased extremely significantly on day 7 (P < 0.01). In contrast, the contents of C14:1, C18:2 n-6c, and PUFA decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the content of C16:1 decreased extremely significantly (P < 0.01). Colostrum protein content was significantly positively correlated with methionine content (P < 0.05), and lactose content was significantly negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with C4:0 and C18:0 contents. The non-fat colostrum solids content was extremely significantly negatively correlated with C4:0 and C18:0 contents (P < 0.01), while colostrum fat content was significantly positively correlated (P < 0.05) with C18:0 content, additionally the colostrum fat content was extremely significantly positively correlated (P < 0.01) with histidine content. Perinatal supplementation with oat hay and concentrate significantly improved yak colostrum quality by increasing protein, non-fat colostrum solids, lactose, lysine, and beneficial fatty acids (C18:1 n-9t, C18:3 n-3, PUFA) contents. Key correlations (protein-methionine, fat-C18:0/histidine) suggest nutrient interventions regulate fatty acid and amino acid metabolism to enhance colostrum synthesis. This study demonstrates the importance of targeted perinatal nutrition for optimizing neonatal yak health and livestock productivity in high-altitude pastoral systems, and offering a sustainable strategy to address nutritional challenges in grazing-based management.