Important Food Research Articles

Nature Prescriptions and Indigenous Peoples: A Qualitative Inquiry in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Nature prescription programs have become more common within healthcare settings. Despite the health benefits of being in nature, nature prescriptions within the context of Indigenous Peoples have received little attention. We therefore sought to answer the following question: What are circumpolar-based physicians' and Indigenous Elders' views on nature prescribing in the Northwest Territories, Canada? We carried out thirteen semi-structured interviews with physicians between May 2022 and March 2023, and one sharing circle with Indigenous Elders in February 2023. Separate reflexive thematic analysis was carried out to generate key themes through inductive coding of the data. The main themes identified from the physician interviews included the importance of cultural context; barriers with nature prescriptions in the region; and the potential for nature prescriptions in the North. Reflections shared by the Elders included the need for things to be done in the right way; the sentiment that the Land is not just an experience but a way of life; and the importance of traditional food as a connection with Nature. With expanding nature prescription programs, key considerations are needed when serving Indigenous communities. Further investigation is warranted to ensure that nature prescriptions are appropriate within a given context, are inclusive of supporting Land-based approaches to health and wellbeing, and are considered within the context of Indigenous self-determination.

Synergistic effects of silicon and goethite co-application in alleviating cadmium stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.): Insights into plant growth and iron plaque formation mechanisms

Rice is one of the most important staple food crops; however, it is prone to cadmium (Cd) accumulation, which has negative health effects. Therefore, methods to reduce Cd uptake by rice are necessary. At present, there is limited research on the effects of co-application of silicon (Si) and goethite in mitigating Cd stress in rice. Furthermore, the specific mechanisms underlying the effects of their combined application on iron plaque formation in rice roots remain unclear. Therefore, this study analyzed the effects of the combined application of Si and goethite on the biomass, physiological stress indicators, Cd concentration, and iron plaques of rice using hydroponic experiments. The results revealed that co-treatment with both Si and goethite increased the plant height and dry weight, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, photosynthetic pigment concentration, and root activity. Moreover, this treatment decreased the malondialdehyde concentration, repaired epidermal cells, reduced the Cd concentration in the roots by 57.2 %, and increased the number of iron plaques and Cd concentration by 150.9 % and 266.2 % in the amorphous and crystalline fractions, respectively. The Cd/Fe ratio in amorphous iron plaques also increased. Our findings suggest that goethite serves as a raw material for iron plaque formation, while Si enhances the oxidation capacity of rice roots. The application of a combination of Si and goethite increases the quantity and quality of iron plaques, enhancing its Cd fixation capacity. This study provides theoretical evidence for the effective inhibition of Cd uptake by iron plaques in rice, providing insights into methods for the remediation of Cd contamination.

Mycotoxin contamination in moldy slices of bread is mostly limited to the immediate vicinity of the visible infestation

Bread is an important staple food that is susceptible to spoilage, making it one of the most wasted foods. To determine the safety of partially moldy bread, five types of bread were inoculated with common mold species. After incubation, the metabolite profile was determined in and under the inoculation spot, as well as at a lateral distance of 3 cm from the moldy spot. The result showed that the metabolites were exclusively concentrated in the inoculation area and directly below the inoculation area. The only exception was citrinin, a mycotoxin produced by Penicillia such as Penicillium citrinum, which was detected in almost all tested bread areas when inoculated with the corresponding strains. The results of our study suggest that the removal of moldy parts may be a solution to reduce food waste if the remaining bread is to be used, for example for insect farming to produce animal feed.

One shot-proteomic profiling, allergenicity assessment and varietal discrimination of lentils seeds by discovery high resolution tandem mass spectrometry

Lentils (Lens culinaris) represent important food staple replacing meat products in human diet with various applications of foods and feeds due to the high protein content. This work reported on the comparative proteomic profiling of four lentils commercial varieties Crimson, Eston, Laird and Black, providing novel knowledge on the differential expression of specific protein accessions with specific focus placed on the major protein families also investigating their allergenicity risk. The electrophoretic profile of lentil extracts confirmed that most of the proteomic profile was conserved across the investigated varieties, with only few differences highlighted for convicillin, vicilin and legumin subunits. A more in-depth analysis was carried out by one-shot discovery proteomics and provided the unequivocal identification and label-free quantification of 365 protein entries ranked into the main protein families. Statistically significant differences were disclosed for most of these protein groups and/or subgroups, cupins being the major contributors to the protein profile for all lentil samples. Noteworthy, the 7 S/11 S ratio describing seed nutritional quality highlighted clear differences among the four varieties with highest values reported for Eston and Laird samples. However, such higher nutritional quality was offset by a higher risk of allergenicity for sensitized individuals; indeed, the in-silico allergenicity prediction reported that most of the identified proteins presented either strong or weak evidence of immunogenicity with highest abundance in the Eston and Laird lentil samples. In perspective, the differential expression of specific protein accessions suggested the possibility to identify protein markers for varietal discrimination: a preliminary multivariate statistical analysis was accomplished to this aim.

Preparation and Immobilization Mechanism on a Novel Composite Carrier PDA-CF/PUF to Improve Cells Immobilization and Xylitol Production.

The preparation of a novel composite carrier of polydopamine-modified carbon fiber/polyurethane foam (PDA-CF/PUF) was proposed to improve cell immobilization and the fermentation of xylitol, which is an important food sweetener and multifunctional food additive. Candida tropicalis was immobilized on the composite carrier by adsorption and covalent binding. The properties and immobilization mechanism of the composite carrier and its effect on immobilized cells were investigated. It showed that the modification of PDA enhanced the loading of CF on the PUF surface and the adhesion of cells on the composite carrier surface. Also, the biocompatibility of carriers to cells was improved. In addition, the introduction of PDA increased the active groups on the surface of the carrier, enhanced the hydrophilicity, promoted the cells immobilization, and increased the xylitol yield. It was also found that expression of the related gene XYL1 in cells was significantly increased after the immobilization of the PDA-CF/PUF composite carrier during the fermentation. The PDA-CF/PUF was an immobilized carrier with the excellent biocompatibility and immobilization performance, which has great development potential in the industrial production of xylitol.

Phytoplankton-chytrid-zooplankton dynamics via a reaction-diffusion-advection mycoloop model.

Mycoloop is an important aquatic food web composed of phytoplankton, chytrids (one dominant group of parasites in aquatic ecosystems), and zooplankton. Chytrids infect phytoplankton and fragment them for easy consumption by zooplankton. The free-living chytrid zoospores are also a food resource for zooplankton. A dynamic reaction-diffusion-advection mycoloop model is proposed to describe the Phytoplankton-chytrid-zooplankton interactions in a poorly mixed aquatic environment. We analyze the dynamics of the mycoloop model to obtain dissipativity, steady state solutions, and persistence. We rigorously derive several critical thresholds for phytoplankton or zooplankton invasion and chytrid transmission among phytoplankton. Numerical diagrams show that varying ecological factors affect the formation and breakup of the mycoloop, and zooplankton can inhibit chytrid transmission among phytoplankton. Furthermore, this study suggests that mycoloop may either control or cause phytoplankton blooms.

Contribution of Gamma-Aminobutyric Amino Acid and Free Amino Acids to Low-Salt Whole-Wheat Bread through the Addition of Spice Extracts-An Approach Based on Taste Quality.

Given the link between excessive salt consumption and hypertension, reducing salt levels in bread, an important staple food in Japan, is essential. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) has a salty taste-enhancing effect in vivo, and its production is influenced by the type of spice extract in vitro. However, the effects of spices on GABA levels, total free amino acid composition, and taste quality in whole-wheat bread remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the addition of spice extracts, which do not affect bread flavor and taste, can increase the GABA level in low-salt whole-wheat bread and whether free amino acid content affects the taste quality of bread using an automatic home bread maker. Through free amino acid composition analysis and sensory testing, we evaluated the influence of six spice extracts on the composition of free amino acids, including GABA, in whole-wheat bread. We found that cumin and anise extracts were effective in increasing the GABA level to approximately twice that in whole-wheat bread. Moreover, both the preference and saltiness of the bread were favorable, indicating that these extracts are useful for reducing the salt content of whole-wheat bread. This study provides a theoretical basis for guiding industrial production.

Isotopic evidence for the dietary difference between Rhizostomeae Nemopilema nomurai and Semaeostomeae Cyanea nozakii

Blooms of the Rhizostomeae Nemopilema nomurai and the Semaeostomeae Cyanea nozakii have become more prominent in the coastal waters of China since the end of the 20th century. However, the trophic ecology of these jellyfish species remain incompletely understood. In this study, the trophic characterizations of N. nomurai and C. nozakii populations were assessed using stable isotope analysis (SIA), with a focus on the important bloom area offshore of the Yangtze Estuary. Our results indicated obvious trophic differences between two scyphomedusae. The higher trophic position of the C. nozakii population in the coastal planktonic food web was reflected by its relatively large δ15N value compared to that of N. nomurai. The MixSIAR model indicated that small copepods (<1000 μm) and seston were important food sources for N. nomurai, and showed a stable dietary, irrespective of N. nomurai size. Conversely, C. nozakii exhibited a more diverse diet composition, and gelatinous organisms also were an important part of the diet of C. nozakii. Moreover, a pronounced ontogenetic shift in the diet of C. nozakii was observed, consisting of an increase in the proportion of zooplanktonic prey (excluding seston) in the C. nozakii diet with diameter. This study provides isotopic evidence of the substantial difference in trophic ecology between N. nomurai and C. nozakii, which resulted from the variations in SI values and diet compositions. Inconsistent size-based variation patterns were observed in trophic ontogenetic shifts within the N. nomurai and C. nozakii groups, highlighting a need for further investigation. These results will give insights into the characteristics of trophic ecology and functional roles of Rhizostomeae and Semaeostomeae, and indicate the need for a more careful consideration of the representations of Rhizostomeae and Semaeostomeae in coastal ecosystems, so as not to underestimate the knowledge of taxon-specific ecological effects on energy flow.

Deciphering the wheat seed core mycobiome of two Egyptian cultivars (Giza 171 and Sids 14) by using high throughput amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 region

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important food crop throughout the world. The seed mycobiome is the primary inoculum affecting the overall health and productivity of wheat plants. Seed-borne fungi can have an impact on the production of wheat and cause health complications upon consumption. Therefore, for durable and sustainable wheat production, it is imperative to characterise the wheat mycobiome. The rationale of this study was to investigate the wheat seed mycobiome of two Egyptian wheat cultivars (Sids 14 and Giza 171) using a culture-independent technique. The fungal community in 6 wheat seed samples was identified by high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 region using the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 162 genera, 111 families, 55 orders and 25 classes have been identified. The fungal communities detected varied between seed samples, with a higher abundance of Ascomycota followed by Basidiomycota. Potential beneficial and pathogenic genera could be detected. Interestingly, a higher abundance of Vishniacozyma, Epicoccum, Cladosporium, Blumeria, Stymphylium, Fusarium, Filobasidium, and Alternaria was observed in the samples. Both Anthracocystis and Nigrospora were detected exclusively in T. aestivum cv. Giza 171. These results open new avenues for further investigation on the role of the mycobiome in Egyptian wheat cultivars. Ultimately, precise identification of both beneficial and pathogenic fungal genera could be accomplished.

Metagenomic approach revealed the mobility and co-occurrence of antibiotic resistomes between non-intensive aquaculture environment and human

BackgroundAquaculture is an important food source worldwide. The extensive use of antibiotics in intensive large-scale farms has resulted in resistance development. Non-intensive aquaculture is another aquatic feeding model that is conducive to ecological protection and closely related to the natural environment. However, the transmission of resistomes in non-intensive aquaculture has not been well characterized. Moreover, the influence of aquaculture resistomes on human health needs to be further understood. Here, metagenomic approach was employed to identify the mobility of aquaculture resistomes and estimate the potential risks to human health.ResultsThe results demonstrated that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were widely present in non-intensive aquaculture systems and the multidrug type was most abundant accounting for 34%. ARGs of non-intensive aquaculture environments were mainly shaped by microbial communities accounting for 51%. Seventy-seven genera and 36 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were significantly associated with 23 ARG types (p < 0.05) according to network analysis. Six ARGs were defined as core ARGs (top 3% most abundant with occurrence frequency > 80%) which occupied 40% of ARG abundance in fish gut samples. Seventy-one ARG-carrying contigs were identified and 75% of them carried MGEs simultaneously. The qacEdelta1 and sul1 formed a stable combination and were detected simultaneously in aquaculture environments and humans. Additionally, 475 high-quality metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAGs) were recovered and 81 MAGs carried ARGs. The multidrug and bacitracin resistance genes were the most abundant ARG types carried by MAGs. Strikingly, Fusobacterium_A (opportunistic human pathogen) carrying ARGs and MGEs were identified in both the aquaculture system and human guts, which indicated the potential risks of ARG transfer.ConclusionsThe mobility and pathogenicity of aquaculture resistomes were explored by a metagenomic approach. Given the observed co-occurrence of resistomes between the aquaculture environment and human, more stringent regulation of resistomes in non-intensive aquaculture systems may be required.4-S8N7kaEyTj6WBvQ6hX9pVideo

The effector-triggered immunity landscape of tomato against Pseudomonas syringae

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the world’s most important food crops, and as such, its production needs to be protected from infectious diseases that can significantly reduce yield and quality. Here, we survey the effector-triggered immunity (ETI) landscape of tomato against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. We perform comprehensive ETI screens in five cultivated tomato varieties and two wild relatives, as well as an immunodiversity screen on a collection of 149 tomato varieties that includes both wild and cultivated varieties. The screens reveal a tomato ETI landscape that is more limited than what was previously found in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We also demonstrate that ETI eliciting effectors can protect tomato against P. syringae infection when the effector is delivered by a non-virulent strain either prior to or simultaneously with a virulent strain. Overall, our findings provide a snapshot of the ETI landscape of tomatoes and demonstrate that ETI can be used as a biocontrol treatment to protect crop plants.

Characterizing the multisectoral impacts of future global hydrologic variability

There is significant uncertainty in how global water supply will evolve in the future, due to uncertain climate, socioeconomic, and land use change drivers and variability of hydrologic processes. It is critical to characterize the potential impacts of uncertainty in future water supply given its importance for food and energy production. In this work, we introduce a framework that integrates stochastic hydrology and human-environmental systems to characterize uncertainty in future water supply and its multisector impacts. We develop a global stochastic watershed model and demonstrate that this model can generate a large ensemble of realizations of basin-scale runoff with global coverage that preserves the mean, variance, and spatial correlation of a historical benchmark. We couple this model with a well-known human-environmental systems model to explore the impacts of runoff variability on the water and agricultural sectors across spatial scales. We find that the impacts of future hydrologic variability vary across sectors and regions. Impacts are felt most strongly in the water and agricultural sectors for basins that are expected to have unsustainable water use in the future, such as the Indus River basin. For this basin, we find that the variability in future irrigation water withdrawals and irrigated cropland increase over time due to uncertainty in renewable water supply. We also use the Indus basin to show how our stochastic ensemble can be leveraged to explore the global multisector consequences of local extreme runoff conditions. This work introduces a novel technique to explore the propagation of future hydrologic variability across human and natural systems and spatial scales.

Cloning and overexpression of the DREB30 gene enhances drought and osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic potato

ABSTRACT Potato is an extremely important food crop due to its high nutritional and economic value; however, this crop suffers losses due to water-deficient conditions. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression profiles of the StDREB30 gene and to study the enzymatic antioxidant system of transgenic potatoes under water-deficient situations. The results depicted that following drought and 20% polyethylene glycol 6000 stresses, transgenic plants showed vigorous growth, increased antioxidant activities, low malondialdehyde, and enhanced differential expression of StDREB30 in transgenics compared to control plants. Results suggest that StDREB30 overexpression mitigated the negative effects of water-deficit treatments by reducing oxidative damage in plants. Hence, the StDREB30 gene retains extensive potential for crop bioengineering to generate highly tolerant crop plants.

Local food systems as a resilient strategy to ensure sustainable food security in crisis: Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and perspectives for the post-pandemic world

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected food supply chains and threatened global food security. The nations excessively relying on the import of food were severely affected. The food shortages in various countries worldwide were due to multiple reasons, such as unavailability of land, infertility of the available land, and excessive reliance on the import of foods. The excessive dependence on a few mainstream crops increases the vulnerabilities of the communities. However, several plants, known as traditional or indigenous food plants, are consumed by local populations and form the basis of robust local food systems. They are not cultivated at a large scale in a large area, but local communities have access to the locally available plants that grow near their settlements. Local foods are particularly vital during situations similar to pandemics and wars when the global supply chains are disrupted. This article emphasises the potential of local food system supply chains as a resilient strategy for food security in emergencies such as COVID-19. It further attempts to provide important insights into the vulnerabilities associated with mainstream foods, their impact on food insecurity, and the forthcoming roles of alternative local food systems based on local indigenous plants.

LC-QTOF/MS-Based Profiling of the Phytochemicals in Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) and Their Bioactivities.

Recent assessments of the correlations between food and medicine underscore the importance of functional foods in disease prevention and management. Functional foods offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition, with fresh fruits and vegetables being particularly prominent because of their rich polyphenol content. In this study, we elucidated the phytochemicals in ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum), a globally consumed vegetable, using an LC-QTOF/MS-based untargeted detection method. The phytochemicals were clustered based on their structural similarity using molecular networking and annotated using the in silico tool for network annotation propagation. To identify the bioactive compounds, eight compounds were isolated from ice plant extracts. These compounds were identified using extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Additionally, we evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of all the isolates. Among the tested compounds, three showed antioxidant activity and all eight showed anti-inflammatory activity, demonstrating the potential of ice plant as a functional food.

The Effect of Product Quality, Service Quality on Customer Loyalty Mediated Satisfaction for Grabfood Customers in Jabodetabek

Customer loyalty is a crucial factor in an organization's growth and financial performance. This study aims to investigate how Product Quality influences customer loyalty, service quality, and customer happiness among Grab Food’s customers while making purchases. The population for this study consists of all online Grab food consumers in Indonesia, with a sample size of 173 online Grab food clients. The research used Structural Equation Models (SEM) for data analysis.). Research shows that both product quality and service quality have a significant influence on Grab Food’s customer loyalty in the Jabodetabek area. This shows that aspects such as food taste, ease of ordering, and speed of delivery contribute significantly to customers' decisions to continue using Grab Food services repeatedly. Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction: The research results also highlight the important role of customer satisfaction as a mediator between product quality/service and customer loyalty. Important managerial implications for Grab Food. highlighting the importance of Grab Food’s focus on improving their Product Quality and services. Companies can carry out a thorough evaluation of the production process and service provision to ensure that the products and services provided meet customer expectations.

The effects of diet, salinity and temperature on HUFA accumulation in Artemia

Artemia nauplii is an important live food item for marine fish and crustaceans. However, the HUFA content of Artemia from different origins varies greatly and is generally low. Compared with other species or strains, Artemia cysts in Tibet salt lakes have very high HUFA content, which may be related to their unique living conditions. This study determined the effects of dietary HUFA (P. tricornutum and C. zofingiensis), salinity (4%, 8%, and 12%), and temperature (14 °C, 19 °C, and 24 °C) on the HUFA accumulation of Lagkor Co Artemia tibetiana after 14-day culture, in comparison with Great Salt Lake Artemia franciscana. The results showed that the HUFA profile of Artemia was closely related to the dietary HUFA level, and the low temperature and low salinity could significantly increase the ARA, EPA, and DHA content. PCA results showed that the fatty acid distribution patterns of the two Artemia species were mostly affected by dietary fatty acids, which were greater than those of temperature, salinity, and Artemia species. RNA-seq analysis and qRT-PCR verification revealed that low temperature and low salinity could promote the gene expression of fatty acid binding protein gene, long chain fatty acid elongase, and desaturase, suggesting these genes may be involved in the process of HUFA accumulation in A. franciscana. In conclusion, diet is a key factor affecting HUFA accumulation in Artemia, while low temperature and low salinity led to higher HUFA retention. The findings of this study provide a reference for revealing the mechanism of HUFA synthesis and metabolism of Artemia, and to develop the Artemia products with high HUFA content through manipulation of culture conditions.

Do firms hedge against political tensions? Evidence from Chinese food importers of Norwegian salmon

AbstractPolitical and economic tensions, which often jeopardise trade, are rising among the world's major powers, and countries like China are more frequently using food‐related trade actions to deal with deteriorating political relations. Using an event study approach, this paper investigates how importers respond to lasting political tensions by examining China's seafood importers' responses to the 6‐year Norway–China political tensions after Norway awarded Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese political dissident, a Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Our results reveal firm‐level responses at both the intensive and extensive margins. At the intensive margin, firms that imported Norwegian fresh salmon before the sanction saw a 20% persistent decline in their fresh salmon import value and an 80% decrease in the import share of Norwegian fresh salmon products over our study period. At the extensive margin, we find a trade diversion effect that firms imported fresh salmon from Norway to other countries and regions, but also a consistent ‘political hedging’ effect 3 years after sanction with a 20% decline in the maximum import share from any particular country or region, even if not Norway.

The effect of different sowing depth on the yield and yield-forming elements of maize

On a global scale, maize is an important food, feed and industrial crop, with an increasing production area (Nagy, 2007 and 2021). Among the environmental impacts, extreme weathering factors caused by climate change are causing serious problems for crop stability, and maize is no exception. Precision farming is today's most innovative agrotechnical approach, which can greatly increase crop safety and reduce costs by exploiting the genetic potential of our soils and the hybrids we use (Torres, 2012). Sowing is one of the most important agrotechnical elements, and with good seeding we can ensure that we have all the requirements of a high yielding, high growing crop (Pepó, 2019). In the case of sowing, it is important to place the seed in moist soil to provide the optimum environmental conditions for the crop to ensure uniform emergence (Széles et al., 2020; Shrestha et al., 2018). Precision planting is the market leading technology in precision planters in the United States, and when cooperating with them we looked for methods to optimise the depth of sowing and to monitor the effect on yield by studying the initial development of the plants. The seeder was equipped with the company's SmartFirmer soil scanner integrated into the seed drill. Automatic seed depth adjustment based on soil moisture is an exceptional solution for uniform emergence and drought protection.

Germinated VD20 rice – a local rice variety in Vietnam: Effect of process conditions

Rice is one of important staple foods, which mainly consumed by human in daily life. One of the methods which could enhance the nutritional profile as well as functional of rice is germination process. VD20 rice, a local rice from Tien Giang province (Vietnam), was used in this study. This investigation was aimed to study the effect of ratio of rice to soaking solution (1:1-1:3), pH of soaking solution (distilled water, pH = 3-5), and time of soaking (3-6 hours) on the germination rate, moisture content of grain and total polyphenol content of germinated rice. Besides that, the impact of germination conditions, including incubation time (16-22 hours) and temperature (31-37oC), on the quality of germinated rice was also elucidated. The obtained results showed the ratio of soaking water to rice is 2.5:1 for the highest polyphenol content and germination rate. The longer the soaking time, the polyphenol content gradually decreases but the germination rate gradually increases over time. Soaking solutions with a pH of 4 for 6 hours were the most apporiate conditions for soaking VD20 rice. During the germination process, temperature and incubation time significant affected the polyphenol content and germination rate. At a temperature of 37℃ for 20 hours, the polyphenol content was highest (33.85 mgGAE/100 g) and gradually decreases with incubation time, but the germination rate gradually increases. Germination process of VD20 enhance the nutrional quality of rice, which could be seen in the increasing of phenolic compounds content. However, it also affected by various factors, as know as, soaking conditions and incubation conditions, which could further study to ultilize and optimize. The obtained product also have the promising application as the nutraceutical food.