High Potential Benefits Research Articles

Hydroxycinnamate decarboxylase in Metschnikowia pulcherrima promotes the formation of vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins to enhance the color stability of blueberry wine

Blueberry wine is popular among consumers due to its high nutritional value, appealing color, and potential health benefits. However, the instability of its color during the brewing process poses challenges for storage and the overall growth of the blueberry wine industry. This study found that vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins in blueberry wine provide a more stable color than their anthocyanin precursors. The presence of yeast with hydroxycinnamic acid decarboxylase (HCDC) enhances the formation of vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins. Metschnikowia pulcherrima Y4, isolated from decayed blueberry peels, promotes the production of six specific vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins in blueberry wine: malvidin-4-vinylcatechol, delphinidin-3-arabinoside-4-vinylcatechol, cyanidin-3-galactoside/glucoside (C3G)-4-vinylcatechol, cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside-4-vinylcatechol, malvidin-3-O-glucoside/galactoside-4-vinylcatechol, and C3G-4-vinylphenol. Blueberry wine fermented solely with M. pulcherrima Y4 exhibits a 25% increase in light stability under direct outdoor light conditions and a 19% increase in temperature stability at 60 °C compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae K1. Furthermore, the use of M. pulcherrima Y4 in fermenting blueberry wine significantly decreases the time required to form vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins to eight days. Hence, M. pulcherrima Y4 is highly effective in accelerating the synthesis of these compounds, providing a valuable approach for improving the stability and color of blueberry wine.

Daily koumiss has positive regulatory effects on blood lipids and immune system: A metabolomics study

Koumiss, a traditional Mongolian beverage, is believed to possess high nutritional value and potential medical benefits. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on its potential impact on the human body. Metabolomics, as a sensitive approach in systems biology, offers a new avenue for studying the overall effects of koumiss. In this work, metabolomics was utilized to identify potential biomarkers and pathways associated with koumiss using UPLC-MS detection, pattern recognition analysis, pathway enrichment, network pharmacology. The findings indicated that koumiss exerts a beneficial regulatory influence on lipid metabolism, neurotransmitters, hormones, phospholipids and arachidonic acid metabolism, besides up regulating the content of nutrients. It could reduce the risks of dyslipidemia and inflammatory responses. This study confirmed the benign regulatory effect of koumiss on normal organism from the perspective of endogenous metabolites, and provided objective support for the promotion and application of this ethnic food.

Korean Offshore Wind Electrical Power Generation: Current Status and Prospects

Offshore wind power generation is recognized as an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy source, rapidly advancing with governmental support in many countries such as Denmark, China, Germany, and across Europe due to its high energy stability, potential, and economic benefits. South Korea has set a target of 17.7GW for wind power generation through its Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, aiming to supply 12GW of offshore wind power by 2030. However, Korea faces slower development compared to overseas counterparts due to various obstacles including lack of community acceptance, low business feasibility, complex approval processes, and insufficient supply chain. This study identifies fundamental reasons behind Korea's sluggish growth in offshore wind power generation and proposes the following solutions through comparison with leading international cases. 1) Strengthening positive communication with residents by clearly articulating the value and benefits of offshore wind power projects to address community acceptance issues. 2) Resolving low business feasibility issues through the establishment of government-led incentive programs and support measures. 3) Streamlining approval processes to mitigate delays and cancellations in project implementation. 4) Expanding domestic market size and enhancing efficient power interconnection to address supply chain deficiencies.

Incorporating Tumor Genomic Profiling and Circulating Tumor Cell-derived Organoids into Clinical Practice for Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Precision medicine aims to revolutionize healthcare by tailoring treatment regimens. This study aimed to integrate comprehensive tumor genomic profiling (CTGP) by targeted-gene panel sequencing and drug screening by circulating tumor cell-derived organoids (CTOs) into clinical practice for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Nine patients with various GI cancers underwent CTGP and CTO drug sensitivity testing. CTGP results guided targeted therapy and immunotherapy, while CTO drug sensitivity predicted response to chemotherapy and targeted agents. The drug recommendations from two platforms were correlated with the treatment response to the suggested medications retrospectively. Five patients received therapies aligned with CTGP, including HER2-targeted treatment, immunotherapy, and BRAF/MEK dual inhibition, showing positive responses. CTO drug sensitivity predicted progression under regorafenib (low potential benefit) and good response to chemotherapy with high potential benefit. The combination of CTGP and CTO drug sensitivity may exhibit significant correlation with clinical outcomes during treatment with candidate drugs, demonstrating a sensitivity of 79% and an accuracy of 75%. This encompasses various treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. The present investigation elucidated the integration of CTGP and CTO drug sensitivity screening into clinical practice in a complementary manner, showcasing a significant correlation between treatment response and testing outcomes. Additional prospective evaluation of these two testing modalities in a large cohort is warranted to confirm whether the inclusion of CTO drug sensitivity screening confers enhanced survival benefits compared to utilizing CTGP alone.

Spinal muscular atrophy genetic epidemiology and the case for premarital genomic screening in Arab populations

BackgroundSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a fatal autosomal recessive disorder for which several treatment options, including a gene therapy, have become available. SMA incidence has not been well-characterized in most Arab countries where rates of consanguinity are high. Understanding SMA disease epidemiology has important implications for screening, prevention, and treatment in those populations.MethodsWe perform SMA diagnostic testing in a clinical multi-national patient cohort (N = 171) referred for hypotonia and/or muscle weakness. In addition, we carry out genetic newborn screening for SMA on 1502 healthy Emirati newborns to estimate the carrier frequency and incidence of the disease in the United Arab Emirates.ResultsPatients referred for SMA genetic testing are mostly Arabs (82%) representing 18 countries. The overall diagnostic yield is 33.9%, which is higher (>50%) for certain nationalities. Most patients (71%) has two SMN2 copies and earlier disease onset. For the first time, we estimate SMA carrier frequency (1.3%) and incidence of the disease (1 in 7122 live births) in the United Arab Emirates. Using birth and marriage rates in two Arab populations (United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia), as well as disease incidence in both countries, we show that, besides preventing new cases, premarital genetic screening could potentially result in around $8 to $324 million annual cost savings, respectively, relative to postnatal treatment.ConclusionsThe SMA carrier frequency and incidence we document suggests high potential benefit for universal implementation of premarital genomic screening for a wide range of recessive disorders in Arab populations.

Genome-wide identification, characterization and functional prediction of the SRS gene family in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an ancient oilseed crop of the Pedaliaceae family with high oil content and potential health benefits. SHI RELATED SEQUENCE (SRS) proteins are the transcription factors (TFs) specific to plants that contain RING-like zinc finger domain and are associated with the regulation of several physiological and biochemical processes. They also play vital roles in plant growth and development such as root formation, leaf development, floral development, hormone biosynthesis, signal transduction, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. Nevertheless, the SRS gene family was not reported in sesame yet. In this study, identification, molecular characterization, phylogenetic relationship, cis-acting regulatory elements, protein-protein interaction, syntenic relationship, duplication events and expression pattern of SRS genes were analyzed in S. indicum. We identified total six SiSRS genes on seven different linkage groups in the S. indicum genome by comparing with the other species, including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The SiSRS genes showed variation in their structure like 2–5 exons and 1–4 introns. Like other species, SiSRS proteins also contained ‘RING-like zinc finger’ and ‘LRP1’ domains. Then, the SiSRS genes were clustered into subclasses via phylogenetic analysis with proteins of S. indicum, A. thaliana, and some other plant species. The cis-acting regulatory elements analysis revealed that the promoter region of SiSRS4 (SIN_1011561) showed the highest 13 and 16 elements for light- and phytohormone-responses whereas, SiSRS1 (SIN_1015187) showed the highest 15 elements for stress-response. The ABREs, or ABA-responsive elements, were found in a maximum of 8 copies in the SiSRS3 (SIN 1009100). Moreover, the available RNA-seq based expression of SiSRS genes revealed variation in expression patterns between stress-treated and non-treated samples, especially in drought and salinity conditions in. S. indicum. Two SiSRS genes like SiSRS1 (SIN_1015187) and SiSRS5 (SIN_1021065), also exhibited variable expression patterns between control vs PEG-treated sesame root samples and three SiSRS genes, including SiSRS1 (SIN_1015187), SiSRS2 (SIN_1003328) and SiSRS5 (SIN_1021065) were responsive to salinity treatments. The present outcomes will encourage more research into the gene expression and functionality analysis of SiSRS genes in S. indicum and other related species.

Supramolecular Handshakes: Characterization of Urea-Carboxylate Interactions Within Calixarene Frameworks.

The research of molecular capsules offers high application potential and numerous benefits in various fields. With the aim of forming supramolecular capsules which can be reversibly assembled and dissociated by simple external stimuli, we studied interactions between calixarenes containing urea and carboxylate moieties. To this end two ureido-derivatives of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene comprising phenylureido-moieties and diacetate-calix[4]arenes were prepared. The binding of acetate by ureido-derivatives of calixarene in acetonitrile was characterized, revealing high affinity of ureido-calixarenes for carboxylates. This suggested high potential for uniting the complementary calix[4]arenes via H-bonds between carboxylic groups and urea moieties. The assembly of calixarenes was examined in detail by means of UV, 1H NMR, ITC, DOSY, MS, and conductometry providing insight in the structure-stability relationship. The tetraureido-calixarene derivative formed the most stable heterodimers with diacetate-calix[4]arenes featuring practically quantitative association upon mixing the two calixarene counterparts. The possibility of controlling the formation of the heterodimer by protonating the carboxylates, thereby hindering the interactions critical for capsule assembly, was investigated. Indeed, the reversibility of breaking and re-forming the heterodimer by addition of an acid and base to the solution containing urea- and carboxylate-derivative calix[4]arene was demonstrated using NMR spectroscopy.

Implications of unobservable promotion on distribution channel strategies in a retail platform

Besides distribution services, retail platforms are beginning to provide unobservable promotion services to enhance traffic and demand. Thus, suppliers are incentive to consider the impact of platform promotion on distribution channel strategies. Hence, considering a retail platform supply chain in which the supplier uses an outcome-based contract to incentivize the retail platform’s hidden promotion effort, this paper investigates the implications of unobservable platform promotion on the supplier’s distribution channel strategies. We develop a Stackelberg game model to examine the equilibrium outcomes of reselling and agency selling under unobservable promotion action and find that the retail platform may volunteer to promote in both channels when the market potential difference is large. Interestingly, voluntary promotion may motivate the supplier to increase the wholesale price. Furthermore, we derive conditions under which the supplier prefers reselling and agency selling. When the market potential difference is small, the distribution channel strategy is a threshold policy of the commission rate, below which agency selling is preferred, and reselling is preferred otherwise. It is counterintuitive that when the market potential difference is large, the commission rate will not influence the preference of channel selection and the reselling channel is always preferred by the supplier. Interestingly, the impact of platform promotion on the threshold of distribution channel strategies is non-monotonic in the increment probability of high market potential and market potential difference. Specifically, platform promotion induces the upstream supplier to select the reselling channel suppose the increment probability of high market potential is moderate, while induces the supplier to select the agency selling (reselling) channel when the market potential difference is moderate (large) suppose the increment probability of high market potential is high. Moreover, we find that enhancing the increment probability of high market potential benefits the supplier more, but only moderate increment probability of high market potential makes the retail platform better off.

Assessment of Six Blackberry Cultivars Using a Combination of Metabolomics, Biological Activity, and Network Pharmacology Approaches.

Blackberries have gained considerable attention due to their high antioxidant content and potential health benefits. This study compared the metabolite profiles of six blackberry cultivars and investigated their biological activities. The metabolites extracted from blackberries were analyzed using metabolomics, and their biological activities and mechanisms were confirmed using in vitro models and network pharmacology. Among the cultivars examined, "Kiowa" ripe berries exhibited the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. These effects were primarily attributed to the accumulation of flavonoids (quercitrin and luteolin) and anthocyanin (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside) in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Furthermore, our research identified 13 blackberry metabolites that interacted with 31 genes, including AKT1, CASP3, JUN, MAPK8, NOS3, NQO1, and HMOX1 which play roles in reducing oxidative stress, protecting cells from damage, and suppressing inflammation. These findings suggest that blackberry metabolites, such as quercitrin, luteolin, and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, may exert therapeutic effects by modulating specific genes and pathways associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. This research is promising not only for plant breeders but also for those interested in harnessing the health-promoting properties of blackberries.

Mitochondrial replacement techniques for treating infertility

Mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) usually aim to prevent the genetic transmission of maternally inherited mitochondrial diseases. Until now, only the UK and Australia have implemented specific legal regulations of MRTs....

Seaweed as a functional ingredient and emulsifier in dairy processing

In response to customer demand for a balanced and healthful diet, there is a growing trend in manufacturing innovative dairy products enhanced with plant ingredients with particular pharmacological qualities. Yoghurt is a dairy product that is becoming increasingly popular among consumers since it is a great way to absorb functional food elements like probiotics, prebiotics, and antioxidants. It’s critical to increase public awareness of the health hazards associated with yoghurt use in addition to adding affordable, nutrient-dense functional additives to Yoghurt. Due to their high nutritional content and potential health benefits, algae have long been utilized as a food source. However, rising interest is in using them as enrichment components in manufacturing new foods. Consequently, this paper draws attention to the potential of Seaweed in manufacturing yoghurt, as shown in current scientific literature. However, more research needs to be done on adding seaweed components to Yoghurt, which is considered safe for human ingestion and has undergone clinical testing. We hope this study will raise awareness about the need for more research to address the growing demand for Yoghurt.

Models and algorithms for the preventive maintenance optimization of railway vehicles

The motivation of this paper follows strictly from industrial needs to improve competitiveness in railway companies by the efficient rolling stock utilization affected by the obligatory preventive maintenances of vehicles, which cause their temporary unavailability. Nevertheless, it is economically essential to minimize the total time on maintenances of vehicles, which can be achieved in a certain range by the scheduling of transport tasks taking into account maintenance policies of the vehicles, their mileage and date since the last maintenance, and the workload related to the tasks. Therefore, to face the problem, we model the consider issue as the job scheduling problem to maximize the availability of railway vehicles under preventive maintenances. We prove that the problem is strongly NP-hard and we propose efficient heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms that are characterized by a low computational complexity and they are able to find solutions satisfying from the perspective of industrial practice. The simulations based on real-life data reveal that our approach can provide schedules, which significantly improve availability of locomotives resulting in high potential financial benefits for railway companies.

Bioactive potential of ripened white cheeses manufactured in different geographical regions of Turkey.

This study investigated the potential bioactive properties of white cheeses produced in different regions of Turkey, including their potential antioxidant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities. The cheese samples were analyzed both before and after in vitro digestion. The study found that all cheese samples exhibited significant angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition activity both before (45.5%-70.1% for 0.03gcheese/mL) and after in vitro digestion (25.5%-63.5% for 0.0167g cheese/mL), whereas α-amylase inhibition activity was present in all samples (in the range of 5.1%-50.0% for 3.0×10-5 gcheese/mL) but disappeared after digestion, and α-glucosidase inhibition activity was only detected after in vitro digestion (from 20.5% to 60.4% for 5.6×10-5 gcheese/mL), indicating potential antidiabetic properties. However, antimicrobial and anticancer activities were not observed in any of the samples. The results also suggest that the bioactivity potential of white cheese may vary depending on the region of production, as cheeses from the Marmara region exhibited high α-glucosidase inhibition activity after digestion. In conclusion, while white cheese is a valuable addition to the diet due to its high nutritional value and potential health benefits. This study revealed the bioactive potential of ripened white cheese and in vivo investigations of the cheese components would better show their possible benefits. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Although the bioactivity potentials varied among the ripened white cheese samples produced in different regions of Turkey, a consistent trend was observed in terms of their presence or absence. Our research revealed that all ripened cheese samples demonstrated significant potential antioxidant and antihypertensive activities, as well as potential antidiabetic properties. Moreover, it can be interpreted that ripened white cheese has the potential to reduce the digestion of carbohydrates when consumed with carbohydrate-rich foods. Although the present results provide limited practical findings directly applicable to the industry, if the data and information obtained from this study are further explored and further studies delving into specific mechanisms of bioactive components could emerge.

Sulfate-radicals Advanced Oxidation Processes by Biochar-based Catalysts and Applications in the Degradation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Wastewater: A Review

Increasing input of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been increasing rapidly nowadays. Various wastewater treatment technologies have been studied to remove EDCs in water and wastewater. Due to its high oxidation potential and other benefits over other tertiary wastewater treatments, the establishment of advanced oxidation processes based on sulfate radicals (SR-AOP) has been of attention in recent years. There are numerous activation methods to produce sulfate radicals from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and peroxydisulfate (PDS) such as ultrasound, transition metals, and the use of carbon catalysts. This review manuscript focuses to provide the latest overview of different methods of PDS and PMS activation and different utilization of this technology focusing on water and wastewater treatment. Besides that, this article also focused on the utilization of carbon-based catalysts as a substitute for metal catalysts as an activator in the SR-AOP process. This review also aims to discuss the perspectives for the biochar-based catalyst application and expand their potential for removing organic pollutants.

Predicting mortality risk after a fall in older adults using health care spending patterns: a population-based cohort study.

To develop a prognostic model of 1-year mortality for individuals aged 65+ presenting at the emergency department (ED) with a fall based on health care spending patterns to guide clinical decision-making. Population-based cohort study (n = 35,997) included with a fall in 2013 and followed 1 year. Health care spending indicators (dynamical indicators of resilience, DIORs) 2 years before admission were evaluated as potential predictors, along with age, sex and other clinical and sociodemographic covariates. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed and internally validated (10-fold cross-validation). Performance was assessed via discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, AUC), Brier scores, calibration and decision curve analysis. The AUC of age and sex for mortality was 72.5% [95% confidence interval 71.8 to 73.2]. The best model included age, sex, number of medications and health care spending DIORs. It exhibited high discrimination (AUC: 81.1 [80.5 to 81.6]), good calibration and potential clinical benefit for various threshold probabilities. Overall, health care spending patterns improved predictive accuracy the most while also exhibiting superior performance and clinical benefit. Patterns of health care spending have the potential to significantly improve assessments on who is at high risk of dying following admission to the ED with a fall. The proposed methodology can assist in predicting the prognosis of fallers, emphasising the added predictive value of longitudinal health-related information next to clinical and sociodemographic predictors.

EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS FOR THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF LEARNING DISABILITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Introduction. Learning disabilities are a common developmental disorder that affects a significant number of preschool children. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical to improving the academic performance and quality of life of children with learning disabilities. However, modern diagnostic methods can be subjective, time-consuming, and costly. Machine learning algorithms can remove these limitations and provide a more accurate and efficient method for early diagnosis of learning disabilities in preschool children.
 Method and methodology of the work. The research is based on methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization, and pedagogical experiment. Application of numerical methods for model training. The preschool children data set consisted of children with and without learning disabilities. The data sets were used in four machine-learning algorithms. The following metrics Accuracy, Precision, Recall, and F1 score were used to evaluate the effectiveness of each algorithm.
 Results. These results show that machine learning algorithms can be a powerful tool for early diagnosis of learning disabilities in preschool children. The logistic regression algorithm showed the highest results.
 Conclusion. In conclusion, the use of machine learning algorithms for early diagnosis of learning disabilities in preschool children has high potential benefits, including early achievement, increased accuracy, cost-effectiveness, time savings, objective analysis, and accessibility to diagnosis. The authors plan to conduct additional studies to test their safety and use these algorithms.

Differentiation of the Organoleptic Volatile Organic Compound Profile of Three Edible Seaweeds.

The inclusion of seaweeds in daily-consumption food is a worthy-of-attention challenge due to their high nutritional value and potential health benefits. In this way, their composition, organoleptic profile, and toxicity must be assessed. This work focuses on studying the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by three edible seaweeds, Grateloupia turuturu, Codium tomentosum, and Bifurcaria bifurcata, with the aim of deepening the knowledge regarding their organoleptic profiles. Nine samples of each seaweed were prepared in glass vials, and the emitted headspace was analyzed, for the first time, with a gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry device, a highly sensitive technology. By statistically processing the collected data through PCA, it was possible to accurately differentiate the characteristic patterns of the three seaweeds with a total explained variance of 98%. If the data were pre-processed through PLS Regression, the total explained variance increased to 99.36%. The identification of 13 VOCs was accomplished through a developed database of compounds. These outstanding values in addition to the identification of the main emissions of VOCs and the utilization of a never-before-used technology prove the capacity of GC-IMS to differentiate edible seaweeds based solely on their volatile emissions, increase the knowledge regarding their organoleptic profiles, and provide an important step forward in the inclusion of these highly nutritional ingredients in the human diet.

Adapting a mobile app to support patients with anorexia nervosa following post-acute care: perspectives from eating disorder treatment center stakeholders.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a harmful, life-threatening illness. Patients with severe AN often receive acute treatment but, upon discharge, experience high relapse rates. Evidence-based, outpatient treatment following acute care is critical to preventing relapse; however, numerous barriers (e.g., location, financial limitations, low availability of providers) preclude individuals from accessing treatment. mHealth technologies may help to address these barriers, but research on such digital approaches for those with AN is limited. Further, such technologies should be developed with all relevant stakeholder input considered from the outset. As such, the present study aimed to garner feedback from eating disorder (ED) treatment center providers on (1) the process of discharging patients to outpatient services, (2) their experiences with technology as a treatment tool, and (3) how future mHealth technologies may be harnessed to offer the most benefit to patients in the post-acute period. Participants (N = 11, from 7 ED treatment centers across the United States) were interviewed. To analyze the data for this study, each interview was manually transcribed and analyzed using components of Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Participants indicated proactively securing outpatient care for their patients, but mentioned several barriers their patients face in accessing evidence-based ED treatment. All participants had some experience using various technologies for treatment (e.g., teletherapy, self-monitoring apps), and mentioned a high level of interest in the development of a new app to be used by patients recently discharged from acute treatment for AN. Participants also offered suggestions of effective and relevant content for a potential app and adjunctive social networking component for post-acute care of AN. Overall, participants expressed positive attitudes toward the integration of an app into the care flow, suggesting the high potential benefit of harnessing technology to support individuals recovering from AN.

Complex methodology for optimizing local energy supply and overall resilience of rural areas: A case study of Agrovoltaic system with Miscanthus x giganteus plantation within the energy community in the Czech Republic

The article presents a proposal for a comprehensive methodology designed to increase the energy self-sufficiency and overall resilience of rural areas. The methodology aims to maximize the synergy and economic benefit of the agrovoltaic system with the cultivation of the energy crop Miscanthus x giganteus and its use for energy production in CHP sources within the local energy community. Primary data from Miscanthus × giganteus cultivation from long-term field trials and commercial plantations and initial agrovoltaic experiments were used. The analysed data show the high resistance and adaptability of Miscanthus × giganteus to climate change and confirm its expected long-term high yields of around 15 t DM ha−1 y−1 with a Higher Heating Value of 17–19 GJ t−1. The application of the methodology to a case study in the Czech Republic shows a reduction in electricity consumption by more than 40% (2 GWh) and a reduction in thermal energy consumption by more than 15% (4 GWh). The technical-economic analysis shows the high potential, financial and non-financial benefits of local production of energy fuels from biomass as part of subsequent production and energy distribution in the agrovoltaic field.

Characterization of Physicochemical, Biological, and Chemical Changes Associated with Coconut Milk Fermentation and Correlation Revealed by 1H NMR-Based Metabolomics.

Fermentation of milk enhances its nutritional and biological activity through the improvement of the bioavailability of nutrients and the production of bioactive compounds. Coconut milk was fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ngue16. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fermentation and cold storage for 28 days on physicochemical characteristics, shelf life, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of coconut milk as well as its proximate and chemical compositions. The pH of fermented milk decreased from 4.26 to 3.92 on the 28th day during cold storage. The viable cell count of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented coconut milk was significantly increased during fermentation and cold storage period (1 to 14 days), reaching 6.4 × 108 CFU/mL, and then decreased significantly after 14 days to 1.6 × 108 CFU/mL at 28 days. Yeast and molds in fermented coconut milk were only detected on the 21st and 28th days of cold storage, which ranged from 1.7 × 102 to 1.2 × 104 CFU/mL, respectively. However, the growth of coliforms and E. coli was observed on the 14th until the 28th day of cold storage. The fermented coconut milk demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Cronobacter sakazakii, Bacillus cereus, and Salmonella typhimurium compared to fresh coconut milk. Fermented coconut milk had the greatest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values, with 67.1% and 61.961 mmol/g at day 14 of cold storage, respectively. Forty metabolites were detected in fermented and pasteurized coconut milk by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomics. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed clear difference between the fermented and pasteurized coconut milk as well as the studied cold storage days. The metabolites responsible for this variation were ethanol, valine, GABA, arginine, lactic acid, acetoin, alanine, phenylalanine, acetic acid, methionine, acetone, pyruvate, succinic acid, malic acid, tryptophan, uridine, uracil, and cytosin, which were higher in fermented coconut milk. However, sugars and other identified compounds were higher in fresh coconut milk. The findings of this study show that fermentation of coconut milk with L. plantarum ngue16 had high potential benefits to extending its shelf life and improved biological activities as well as other beneficial nutrients.