The world is still undergoing a global pandemic. COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus strain that began spreading in people in December 2019 or earlier. The COVID-19 virus is different compared to the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. For more information, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html As I write this morning, May 24, 2020, there are 5,311,089 confirmed cases worldwide and 1,657,212 in the U.S. with 97,426 fatal cases. Most U.S. states have now moved to at least partial “reopening” orders in which social distancing is still in place and large indoor gatherings of people are prohibited. However, the virus is putting stress on farmers, food processors, and distributors worldwide. But to add to this stress in the food supply chain, there are many countries in the world that are also facing famine because of desert locust, drought, currency devaluation, and missed planting seasons. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is seeking $350 million to scale up hunger-fighting and livelihoods-boosting activities in food crisis contexts where COVID-19's impact could be devastating. (For more, see http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1276081/icode/) According to the FAO, even before the pandemic, some 135 million were experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity, out of which 27 million people in “emergency” levels of acute food insecurity – on the brink of famine. Somalia is currently experiencing multiple shocks, including Desert Locust, flooding, and COVID-19. The FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) warned in May that some 3.5 million Somalis are in “crisis” level of acute food insecurity and above through September 2020 – a three-fold increase compared to early 2020, over 100 percent greater than hunger figures in an average year, and worse than in 2017, when there was a high risk of famine. In Afghanistan, more than one in three Afghans—some 10.3 million people—are projected to be acutely food insecure between June and November. In Bangladesh, breakdowns in transportation systems are leading to the dumping of perishable food products and dramatic price reductions at the farm-gate, affecting producers' food security. In Southeast Asia, COVID-19 is overlapping with a subregional drought. In Syria, since mid-March, there have been price increases of 40 to 50% in staple foods. For many high-risk countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the period between April and June coincides with the planting season for main crops. Net food importing countries (e.g. Caribbean countries, Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela) are particularly vulnerable due to currency devaluation and trade constraints. In East Africa and the Near East, where 42 million people are facing acute food insecurity, curving the desert locust outbreak is critical to safeguarding livelihoods and food security. According to the FAO, while there is a high potential for a significant rise in acute food insecurity at crisis level and above in the coming months, aid and action means that this is not inevitable. This month's highlights in the Journal include: Pine bark herbal extract is said to have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These researchers evaluated the influence of pine bark extract on organs, the cytochrome-P450 activities in liver and estrogenic effects in normal and ovariectomized female mice. The extract did not affect organ weights and liver-function indexes at doses; 0.04%, 0.4%, and 2.0% pine bark extract in the mouse diet. These results indicated that the dose of pine bark extract at the recommended human intake had no toxic and estrogenic effects in normal female and ovariectomized mice, however, it may need attention to use the excess intake of PBE with some drugs in postmenopausal women. P 1956–1962 These researchers studied the influence of different fluidized-bed drying temperatures (20, 60, and 100°C) on the cooking properties, starch digestibility, and bioaccessibility of black rice. The results indicated that the formation of fissures in the grains dried at or above 60°C reduced the physical integrity of the grains after cooking, increasing the starch digestion and the rehydration ratio, and reduced the cooking time, hardness, and adhesiveness. Due to the higher digestibility of grains dried at higher temperatures, an increase in the bioaccessibility of ferulic acid, which was previously associated with the polysaccharides, was observed. The results provide information to the food industry about the effects of different fluidized-bed drying temperatures on the rice structure after cooking and that, consequently, affect the availability of bioactive compounds after digestion and the glycemic index of black rice. P 1717–1724 Riceberry is a registered rice variety created by the Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University, Thailand. It is a deep purple rice with enhanced nutritional properties, anthocyanin stability, and physical and cooking properties. These researchers explored the “berry note” in Riceberry aroma with gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Odor activity values and aroma extract dilution analysis revealed the high potency of this ketone, vanillin, and guaiacol found within the purple rice. They also evaluated the ultrapasteurization (UP), high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization, and ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) sterilization effects on rice beverage aroma of Riceberry. They found that UP retains Riceberry aroma characteristic in beverages and requires minimal modifications beyond conventional pasteurization. UP beverages also surpass those of high-temperature short-time and ultrahigh-temperature by extending shelf life with no noticeable off-odors. P 1764–1771 These researchers synthesized different chain lengths diacylglycerols (DAG) (long- and medium-chain) from peanut and coconut oils and the effects of DAG with different chain lengths on body fat, blood lipids, and lipid metabolism-related enzymes in the liver and adipose tissue of mice were investigated. Compared to peanut and coconut oils containing triacylglycerol, DAG-rich oils can significantly reduce the body weight, kidney weight, serum triglyceride content, hepatic fatty acid synthase, and Acetyl-CoA carboxylase enzyme levels in mice. Therefore, the effect of coconut oil DAG on improving body fat metabolism was probably due to the impact of DAG. The researchers found that the oil containing DAG synthesized decreased the body weight and lipid accumulation in mice. Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, while peanut oil mainly consists of long-chain fatty acids. Due to the different contents of fatty acids, the synthesized structural lipids have different effects on lipid metabolism. Medium-chain triglycerides were considered as agents to alleviate obesity. P 1907–1914 Polysaccharides have various health-promoting functions. However, dietary polysaccharides cannot be digested by the human alimentary tract, thus the gut is the most important location where polysaccharides play their role. The effect of polysaccharides from tea flower (TFPS) on intestinal health was investigated in the present study. TFPS with the molecular weight of 1,316.29 kDa was prepared, and twenty 6-week-old BALB/c male mice were randomly allotted to a chow diet (normal control group, NC group) or with 200 mg/kg (body weight)/day of TFPS for 13 weeks (n = 10 each). The contents of short-chain fatty acids after TFPS supplementation, both in cecal contents and feces, were significantly higher than those of the control group. TFPS significantly increased IgA production. These results suggest that TFPS is beneficial to intestinal health and can improve intestinal adaptive immune tolerance. Dietary polysaccharides improve human intestinal health. Understanding the effect of TFPS, safe and healthy food components, on gut health increases the likelihood that TFPS will be developed as a functional food. P 1948–1955 These researchers investigated the effects of different mucor strains (Mucor racemosus, Actinomucor, and Mucor wutungkiao) on aroma and taste profiles based on proteolysis, lipolysis, and their catabolism in oil furu. Sufu or furu is a fermented soybean product originating in China. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and relative odor activity were used to monitor the changes of key volatile compounds and the differences in the characteristic aroma contents of oil furu. Using principal component analysis, the different fermentation strains had an effect on aroma profiles. The volatile compounds from metabolism of protein and fatty acid contributed to the aroma of oil furu from the different strains, presumably due to their different enzymes. The electronic tongue and free amino acid profiles also showed strain differences of taste. Based on these results, optimization of the amount of each of the different mucor strains during co-fermentation might achieve better flavor. P 1642–1650 James Giese, jhgiese@gmail.com