Salmonella enterica biofilm is capable of VBNC state formation and virulence gene expression during low temperature food storage.

Convergent microbial succession during storage of solid-state fermented foods: Insights from Chinese baijiu Daqu

Transcriptional and functional dissection of cytochrome P450 and ABC transporters underlying tobacco tolerance in Lasioderma serricorne.

The issues of how microorganisms survive very long periods of desiccation and how they react during both drying and rehydration phases have long been topics of interest in a range of relevant fields, including desert ecosystem microbiomics, food storage, ancient microbe studies, and even astrobiology. The recently published study by Carini et al., who used a combination of transcriptomics and metabolomics to investigate steady-state gene expression and cellular metabolite profiles at different states of bacterial cellular desiccation, during both drying and rewetting phases, adds some valuable insights into how members of bacterial communities can survive in the driest habitats on earth (P. Carini, A. Gomez-Buckley, C. R. Guerrero, M. R. Kridler, et al., mSystems 11:e00493-25, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00493-25).

The incorporation of probiotic dairy and non-dairy foods is often limited by the loss of bioactivity caused by stresses to which microorganisms are subjected during processing, storage, and digestion. This frequently results in probiotic counts below the minimum level required to exert their probiotic function (10⁷ CFU/g) at the time of consumption. Maintaining cell viability remains a challenge for probiotic food manufacturers. The omics technologies have enabled the identification of stress response pathways in microorganisms; however, their application to the design of reproducible and scalable processes remains limited. This review integrates microbial stress physiology with bioprocesses and food matrix engineering to support the design of robust probiotic products. Biological mechanisms underlying increased tolerance to environmental stresses are analyzed and preadaptation strategies based on sublethal exposure to heat, acid and bile, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields, and high-pressure processing are discussed. Encapsulation systems are considered protective structures that reduce stress during food processing, storage, and digestion. To enhance the bioactivity of probiotics, a robustness-by-design approach is proposed. This begins with selecting the probiotic strain and the food. After selecting the probiotic strain, it is subjected to sublethal stress treatments to induce adaptive responses. The conditioned probiotic is incorporated into the food. The proposed scheme integrates survival kinetics and biomarkers to support process design. Biosafety aspects associated with sublethal stress are considered critical for the development of stable and safe probiotic foods on an industrial scale.

Reducing exposure to non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their impact on human health: Evidence from dietary, behavioral, and residential interventions.

Retail food environments are unevenly distributed in communities, often leading to structural inequities. Understanding these inequities is critical for designing effective, equity-focused interventions, especially in understudied smaller metropolitan areas. The consumer nutrition environment, which include in-store factors and community nutrition environments, covering neighborhood-level access both influence food purchasing behaviors. Measuring these environments provides a comprehensive view of factors shaping food choices, essential for targeted improvements in healthy food access and equity. This study examined the healthiness of food available in Logan, a growing small metropolitan area with a distinctive "main street food corridor". A comprehensive food store audit was conducted using existing validated food audit tool across various store types and categories. Kernel density analysis in ArcGIS Pro was used to assess the location, type, and healthfulness of different food retail outlets throughout Logan based on Consumer Nutrition Environment Scores (CNES). Key findings show that Logan's foodscape is dominated by fast-food and full-service restaurants, making up over half of all stores. Our study revealed significant variability in CNES across different store types and categories with supermarkets and healthy specialty stores scoring highest, an indication of a better consumer nutrition environment, while convenience stores with gas stations scoring lowest, reflecting poorer support for healthy choices. Healthy specialty stores had superior CNES at the store-category level. While disparities exist in the availability of healthy food options across store types in Logan, the dominance of fast-food and full-service restaurants presents both challenges and opportunities to promote healthier options through partnerships and interventions.

A healthy diet may contribute to improved disease activity in JIA. In Canada, access to healthy food is variable. This study examined the relationship between food accessibility, disease activity measures, and weight in children with JIA. Clinical data from children newly diagnosed with JIA (2017-2021) collected in the CAPRI registry were linked to neighborhood-level food accessibility measures using postal codes. Data were analyzed at enrollment and at 1-year follow-up. Associations were assessed using Spearman's rho correlations, Mann-Whitney U test (p < 0.05) and mixed effects linear regression. Among 641 JIA patients, 21.9% were overweight or obese (BMI >85th percentile) and lived in areas with less access to chain grocery stores (p = 0.02) compared with those with underweight or healthy BMI. At baseline, healthy-weight (p = 0.02) and overweight (p = 0.04) patients had lower disease activity (cJADAS10) than those with obesity; this association was not observed at 1-year follow-up. At baseline, a greater proportion of fast-food restaurants in the neighborhood was linked to fewer active joints (rs = -0.09, p = 0.04). At 1-year, higher densities of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores were associated with lower disease activity (rs = -0.14, p = 0.02). Obesity was linked to higher disease activity and reduced access to healthy food in chain grocery stores. However, greater access to both healthy and unhealthy food was associated with lower disease activity, relationships that may reflect general benefits of urban living.

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) can be effective and relatively safe for the treatment of food allergies, especially when started early in life. Grocery store foods used in OIT protocols are often heterogeneous in allergen potency and display product-to-product, lot-to-lot, and unit-to-unit variations, due to raw material variability and processing. This variability complicates dosing and poses a potential risk of anaphylaxis and/or subtherapeutic efficacy for patients. To improve practice, a 'gradient of standardization' framework is proposed, comprising four product categories: products assumed to contain the allergens of interest, products known to contain the allergens but in unknown amounts, partially quantified products, and fully standardized preparations. Based on verified allergen content rather than protein amount, this classification would help clinicians weigh safety and efficacy against feasibility and move toward greater conformity and standardization, supporting evidence-based dosing and probably improving patient outcomes. Ideally, foods as medicines for OIT should be well-described, minimally processed, and, preferably, with defined allergen content. Precise dosing, consistent procedures, neutral vehicles, and validated allergen quantification tools could potentially ensure reproducibility, reduce risk, strengthen clinical effectiveness, and facilitate meaningful comparisons across clinical trials and research studies. We suggest that standardized "pharmaceutical grade" products, while not always a practical option, should be preferred when available.

Anemia remains a significant public health concern among women of reproductive age (WRA) in Ghana, contributing to adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes. Despite national nutrition and malaria control interventions, progress has been modest with persistent regional disparities. This study assessed national and regional trends in anemia prevalence among WRA from 2000 to 2019, quantified regional inequalities, and forecasted national prevalence to 2030 to measure progress toward global reduction targets. Population-representative estimates of anemia among WRA were obtained from the WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) database. National and regional prevalence were analyzed using four inequality measures: difference (D), ratio (R), population attributable risk (PAR), and population attributable fraction (PAF). Time-series forecasting was conducted using an ARIMA (1, 1, 0) model to project prevalence from 2020 to 2030. Anemia prevalence among WRA declined modestly from 47.8% in 2000 to 44.3% in 2019, a 3.5%-point reduction. The Ashanti region recorded the greatest decline (43.3% to 37.3%), while the Upper West region observed the highest increase (41.0% to 45.2%). Regional inequalities widened from 2000 to 2019 across several measures: D (18.1 to 22.2), R (1.5 to 1.6), and PAF (- 16.2 to - 18.4). ARIMA forecasting suggests a plateauing effect, with national prevalence projected to reach 43.6% (95% CI: 40.4-46.9) by 2030. The modest decline in prevalence, coupled with widening regional inequalities and a projected plateau through 2030, indicates that current progress is insufficient to achieve WHO global targets. Addressing these gaps requires geographically targeted, multi-sectoral interventions, such as improving food storage infrastructure and integrating malaria control with nutritional counseling, to accelerate progress and ensure equitable health outcomes for WRA across all regions of Ghana.

Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face increasing vulnerability to climate variability, yet their adaptive responses remain uneven and poorly understood across different agroecological zones. This study investigates rural farmers' perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate risks, along with their determinants, in the Migori River watershed, Kenya. Data from 318 randomly sampled households were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to examine the factors influencing climate change perceptions, coping mechanisms, and adaptation strategies. Results indicate that over 90% of farmers observed rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns-perceptions that align with long-term climate trends over the past six decades (1964-2024). Perceived climate impacts varied spatially, with 89.6% of downstream households reporting more floods and 94.3% more droughts and experiencing the most severe agricultural impacts. Smallholder farmers primarily coped with climate-induced shocks through casual labor, remittances, and reliance on stored food or savings, reflecting short-term, survival-oriented responses. Logistic regression reveals that access to climate information, education, income, and farm size significantly influence both risk perception and adaptation decisions. For instance, farmers with tertiary education were over twice as likely to adopt improved seeds, fertilizers, and conservation agriculture. Despite widespread adoption of drought-tolerant crops and conservation agriculture, adaptation in the area remained constrained primarily by unaffordable inputs, limited extension services, and restricted access to credit and climate information, all of which varied significantly across zones. These insights highlight the need for designing targeted interventions that account for spatially differentiated vulnerabilities and strengthen the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers.

Humidity sensors are widely employed in diverse fields such as healthcare, agriculture, construction, and the storage of food and pharmaceuticals. In these areas, accurate and reliable humidity monitoring is essential to ensure appropriate environmental conditions and prevent material degradation or device malfunction. Recently, organic–inorganic hybrid materials have emerged as promising platforms for humidity sensing, as they integrate the complementary properties of both organic and inorganic components. Notably, hybrid materials with three-dimensional architectures have received growing attention owing to their large specific surface area, which affords enhanced reactivity and improved sensing performance. In this review, recent progress in humidity sensors based on organic–inorganic hybrid materials is summarized, with particular emphasis on three-dimensional hybrid architectures. The analysis suggests that 3D hybrid architectures can enhance sensing performance by improving water adsorption and charge transport pathways. Overall, the potential and significance of organic–inorganic hybrid architectures for the development of high-performance humidity sensors are critically discussed.

TMC proteins regulate crop size and contraction dynamics during feeding in Drosophila.

Bitterness in food exhibits a dual nature. It functions as a distinctive flavor attribute but also triggers consumer aversion, despite the health benefits of certain bitter compounds. This constitutes a "sensory-health paradox" that complicates their commercial value. Conventional strategies for mitigating bitterness often rely on isolated techniques. However, they lack an integrated framework that considers bitterness through thecontinuum of "compound formation-perception-regulation." This article systematically reviews the mechanisms underlying bitterness formation and mitigation from two primary perspectives. These include metabolite-habitat coupling (interactions between bitter compounds and environmental factors) and material interactions (interactions between bitter compounds and other components). It provides a comprehensive overview of bitter compound accumulation during food growth, storage, and processing. Furthermore, it critically examines factors influencing bitterness perception, including saliva, bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs), cortical processing, and cross-modal integration. Recent advances in bitterness mitigation strategies are highlighted alongside promising directions for future research. A comprehensive approach that regulates internal metabolism (e.g., breeding, feeding) and external factors (e.g., environment, processing) can effectively reduce bitter compounds in organisms. Moreover, the bitterness perception mechanism has been clarified by integrating bitter compound binding to TAS2Rs, specific recognition processes, and neural signaling pathways. Small-molecule bitter taste inhibitors (BTIs) alleviate bitterness by blocking receptor activation or signaling. Macromolecular BTIs prevent TAS2R activation by interacting with bitter compounds. Future research should combine targeted debittering and bitterness inhibition strategies, promoting the creation of healthy, palatable foods.

Hyper-palatable foods (HPF) have strong reinforcing properties, and their presence in food stores may skew purchasing toward HPF, even when healthier foods are available. However, the availability of HPF in US food stores is unknown. The study aims were to 1) quantify the prevalence of HPF in US stores; 2) characterize US household expenditures on HPF per shopping occasion; and 3) examine demographic and health characteristics associated with HPF purchasing. Proprietary scanner data representing 1) foods available and sold in US food stores, and 2) foods purchased during US household shopping occasions, were analyzed across four years (2015-2018). n/a. US food stores (>34900 per year) provided weekly data on all foods/beverages available and sold. Samples of US households (>45000 per year) used scanners to report all food/beverage purchases during their shopping occasions. Across years, HPF comprised over two-thirds of foods available per store (M=67.1%; SD = 6.9) and of weekly sales (M= 70.4%; SD = 9.0). HPF comprised the majority of foods purchased by households (M=59.4%; SD = 34.6) and on average accounted 60.3% of household food expenditures (SD= 35.7) per shopping occasion. Health risk characteristics including self-reported type 2 diabetes diagnosis and self-reported obesity diagnosis were associated with significantly higher proportionate expenditures on HPF, relative to those without such diagnoses (beta values = 1.412 to 1.584; p values < .0001). HPF comprised >65% of available foods in US food outlets. Household purchasing of HPF during shopping occasions closely paralleled HPF availability in stores.

Urban informal settlements often face challenges related to food insecurity and poor nutritional adequacy. This study examines food preferences and dietary diversity among households in informal settlements in Tshwane (Pretoria), Gauteng, South Africa. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 367 households. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) was used to measure the diversity of foods consumed over a 24-h recall period. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to identify major dietary patterns based on the consumption of different food groups. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) indicated increased food group consumption across dietary diversity quintiles (based on the number of food groups consumed), with 78.4% of households in the highest quintile consuming six or more food groups. Informal dwelling residents consumed more diverse diets than those living in brick houses. The most commonly consumed food groups included grains, vegetables, and fruits, though protein intake was generally inadequate. with less than half of households consuming eggs (44.4%) or fish (33.8%) during the recall period PCA identified three dietary patterns: (1) a protein- and staple-rich diet, with high factor loadings for cereals (0.584), fruits (0.652), processed meats (0.836), eggs (0.814), fish (0.480), and legumes (0.570); (2) a high-fat, high-sugar diet; characterised by high loadings for oils and fats, spreads, sugar, sugar confections, milk products, and sweetened beverages; and (3) a fibre-rich, vegetable-based diet, with high loadings for bread (0.546), pumpkin (0.761), tubers (0.615), and leafy greens (0.710). While dietary diversity appears relatively high in these informal settlements, the low protein intake raises nutritional concerns. Strategies to improve household nutrition should include promoting urban agriculture, increasing access to fortified foods, regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods, and strengthening informal food markets. Community-based initiatives such as food storage systems, cooperatives, community kitchens, and gardens are also essential to improving dietary quality and food security in urban low-income contexts. Based on the observed dominance of starch-based diets and inadequate protein consumption, policy responses should prioritise improved access to affordable protein-rich foods, support informal food markets, and promote community-based food production initiatives.

Food systems in arid and semi-arid lands face challenges that hinder them from meeting the food needs of communities and sustaining environmental resources. Using a collaborative approach between multiple societal stakeholders and academic actors, we applied the Food Sustainability Assessment Framework (FOODSAF) and a gender-differentiated participatory process in three workshops in Kenya involving women and men farmers, and social actors from the government, civil society, and private sector. The objectives of the study were to; a) assess the food sustainability of the Makueni agro-pastoralfood system, b) assess the extent to which policies and practices of government, private sector, and civil society actors provide for an enabling or dis-enabling environment for farmers to achieve food sustainability, c) evaluate stakeholders perspectives of food sustainability indicators and identify areas in the food system that require intervention. The data were collected using workshops with farmers, policy implementers, private sector, and civil society actors, and analysed using descriptive analysis. The results show disparity in assessment of indicators by different stakeholders reflecting their perspectives, interests, experiences, and knowledge about each food system indicator. The performance of the value chain, the capacity of the food system to process and store food, and social self-organisation received the lowest scores and hence formed the basis for further reflection and collective action. This study shows that collective action supported by empirical evidence and collaborative considerations with stakeholders can contribute to the transformation of food systems and the associated farmer livelihoods. More collective actions are required to solve structural problems that smallholder farmers are incapable of negotiating individually.

Aim: Chemical insecticides have been reported to cause health hazards; such as cancer, bioaccumulation, discomfort and allergy when applied on stored food produce. These has led to the search for a safer alternatives in the control of insect pests. Hence, this research was evaluated for the toxicity of four spices; Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens, Curcuma longa, and Piper nigrum against bean and maize weevil. Study Design: Conventional bioassay. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Lagos State University, Nigeria between January and July 2023, and all the spices and grains used were collected from within the State. Methodology: Adults of both insect pests were introduced into disposable cups containing the treated grains of various concentrations and control. Probit software was used to analyze the results and determine lethal concentrations of 50% mortality. Results: The results showed that the four spices were all effective against both test insect pests, and the powder being more effective than the whole form. The most lethal test spice on C. maculatus at 48hrs were the powder and essential oil of C. annuum fruits with LC50 values of 36.61g/kg and 0.44µl respectively. While C. annuum fruits was the most toxic to S. zeamais with LC50 value of 176.40g/kg. The least lethal test spice on C. maculatus at 48hrs was the whole form of P. nigrum seeds and the essential oil of C. longa rhizomes with LC50 values of 481.86g/kg and 1.89µl respectively. The least lethal test spice on S. zeamais was the whole form of C. frutescens fruit which was barely toxic to the maize weevils. Mortality also increased with increased exposure time and concentration. Conclusion: This study showed that the four test spices are effective in the control of both insect pests. It is recommended that C. annuum should be used as a substitutes to chemical insecticides for the control of insect pests.

Understanding how pollinators adjust their behavior to maximize reproductive success in resource-limited desert ecosystems is a fundamental ecological question. In this study, we investigated X. mongolicus using a combination of field behavioral observations, pollen identification, nutritional analysis, and morphometric measurements to systematically examine interannual variations in its flower visitation spectrum, foraging behavior, bee bread composition, and offspring body size. Our findings reveal a striking contrast: although this species exhibits polyphagy in flower visitation, it shows dietary specialization in larval nutrition-over 92% of the pollen in its bee bread originates from just two leguminous species, A. mongolicus and O. bicolor. Foraging duration increased with rising temperature and humidity, and bees adapted to strong winds by flying close to the ground. Compared with 2024, the bee bread in 2025 had lower fresh weight but higher crude protein content, and offspring body size was larger-likely due to more abundant spring rainfall in 2025, which improved the flowering performance of A. mongolicus. Collectively, these results indicate that this bee species copes with resource uncertainty in desert habitats through flexible foraging range and highly specialized food storage, with its reproductive success closely tied to the nutritional supply of key plants and precipitation patterns. This study highlights the role of precipitation timing in shaping the nutritional foundation of plant-pollinator interactions, providing a scientific basis for the conservation and management of desert pollinators.

Protein oxidation is a major contributor to food quality deterioration and has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Dityrosine, as a potentially toxic protein oxidation product, is readily formed during the processing and storage of high-protein foods. Following ingestion, dityrosine can induce oxidative stress and may contribute to the onset and progression of multiple diseases. To investigate the effects of different free radicals on the generation of foodborne dityrosine, this study compared the differences in side chain modification, cross-linking aggregation, structural changes, and oxidation sites of oxidized proteins induced by hydroxyl radical oxidation system (HOS) and peroxyalkyl radical oxidation system (POS) and attempted to discuss potential mechanisms. Overall, POS can markedly promote dityrosine formation, consistent with greater oxidative damage to myofibrillar protein (MP), as evidenced by the generation of more carbonyl compounds. POS also substantially disrupted the tertiary structure of MP, exposing internal hydrophobic groups and thereby increasing the diversity of oxidative modifications. Under POS conditions, MP underwent irreversible covalent cross-linking and formed high-molecular weight aggregates. In contrast, HOS exhibited weaker effects on side-chain modification, cross-linking and aggregation, and structural disruption. However, HOS more strongly promoted the decay of thiol groups, which likely facilitated the disulfide-mediated covalent cross-linking of MP. Collectively, these comparations identify an appropriate simulated oxidation system for investigating dityrosine generation during food processing. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study identifies POS as a suitable model for inducing dityrosine formation in meat protein systems. POS can be applied in meat protein antioxidation research to evaluate the inhibitory effects of different antioxidants on the formation of the toxic oxidative product dityrosine. These findings provide a practical basis for selecting appropriate oxidation systems when studying protein oxidation in high-protein food products during processing and storage.