Improvement Of Nutritional Quality Research Articles

Comparison of nutritional value, bioactivity, and volatile compounds of soybean meal-corn bran mixed substrates fermented by different microorganisms.

To evaluate the impact of fermentation with different microorganisms on the nutritional quality and bioactivity of soybean meal-corn bran mixed substrates (MS), five lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, two Bacillus, and two yeast strains with excellent probiotics were selected for solid-state fermentation of soybean meal and corn bran MS. The fermented mixed substrate (FMS) inoculated with Lacticaseibacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus presents lower risk of infection with pathogenic bacteria, probably due to their low pH and high lactate content. Compared to the FMS with LAB and yeast, Bacillus subtilis and B. pumilus showed significant improvements in nutritional quality and bioactivity, including TCA-SP, small peptide, free amino acids, total phenol, and protein digestibility. More than 300 volatile compounds were identified in FMS, including alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, acids, ethers, furans, pyrazines, benzene, phenols, amines, alkanes, and others. FMS with Bacillus was characterized as containing a greater number of compounds such as ketones, aldehydes, and pyrazines. This study showed that microbial fermented feeds differed with various microorganism, and fermentation was an effective way to improve the quality of soybean meal-corn bran mixed feeds. This study might be the basis for excellent strains screening for multi-microbial combined fermentation in the future.

Combined widely targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis reveals differentially accumulated metabolites and the underlying molecular bases in fleshy taproots of distinct radish genotypes

Radish is an important taproot crop with medicinal and edible uses that is cultivated worldwide. However, the differences in metabolites and the underlying molecular bases among different radish types remain largely unknown. In the present study, a combined analysis of liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) and RNA-Seq data was conducted to uncover important differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) among radish accessions with green, white and red taproot flesh colours. A total of 657 metabolites were identified and 138 DAMs were commonly present in red vs. green and red vs. white accessions. Red accessions were rich in phenolic compounds, while green and white accessions had more amino acids. Additionally, 41 metabolites and 98 genes encoding 37 enzymes were enriched in the shikimate and phenolic biosynthesis pathways. CHS is the rate-limiting enzyme determining flavonoid differences among accessions. A total of 119 candidate genes might contribute to red accession-specific accumulated metabolites. Specifically, one gene cluster consisting of 16 genes, including one RsMYB1, RsMYBL2, RsTT8, RsDFR, RsANS, Rs4CL3, RsSCPL10, Rs3AT1 and RsSAP2 gene, two RsTT19 and RsWRKY44 genes and three RsUGT genes, might be involved in anthocyanin accumulation in red radish fleshy taproots. More importantly, an InDel marker was developed based on an RsMYB1 promoter mutation, and the accuracy reached 95.9% when it was used to select red-fleshed radishes. This study provides comprehensive insights into the metabolite differences and underlying molecular mechanisms in fleshy taproots among different radish genotypes and will be beneficial for the genetic improvement of radish nutritional quality.

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Crops and Nutritional Quality: Identification of Gene Resources to Improve Crop Nutritional Quality through Gene Editing Technology.

Food security and hidden hunger are two worldwide serious and complex challenges nowadays. As one of the newly emerged technologies, gene editing technology and its application to crop improvement offers the possibility to relieve the pressure of food security and nutrient needs. In this paper, we analyzed the research status of quality improvement based on gene editing using four major crops, including rice, soybean, maize, and wheat, through a bibliometric analysis. The research hotspots now focus on the regulatory network of related traits, quite different from the technical improvements to gene editing in the early stage, while the trends in deregulation in gene-edited crops have accelerated related research. Then, we mined quality-related genes that can be edited to develop functional crops, including 16 genes related to starch, 15 to lipids, 14 to proteins, and 15 to other functional components. These findings will provide useful reference information and gene resources for the improvement of functional crops and nutritional quality based on gene editing technology.

Improvement of stilbene constituents and nutritional quality of peanut sprouts using abiotic elicitation and germination

Improvement of stilbene constituents and nutritional quality of peanut sprouts using abiotic elicitation and germination

Differences in Cost-Effectiveness of Adherence to Nutritional Recommendations: Why, Where, and What?

Cost-effectiveness analysis of diets may comprise an important tool to promote food security; however, studies show divergent evidence regarding the relationship between diet quality and cost in diverse populations. Thus, this study assesses differences in cost-effectiveness ratios regarding adherence to nutritional recommendations using data representative of the population level in Sao Paulo municipality, Brazil. Information from adolescents and adult individuals (n = 1742) was used to estimate diet quality and cost in 2015. Differences in cost-effectiveness ratios were investigated through application of two diet quality indexes and exploration of individuals' personal and contextual characteristics. Results indicated that higher diet cost was associated with higher adherence to nutritional recommendations at the national level and inversely associated with adherence to international recommendations. Purchasing foods in street markets was linked to healthier diets at lower costs, and protein consumption was associated with higher diet cost regardless of diet quality; however, diet quality was linked to type of protein consumed by individuals. Differences in cost-effectiveness ratios were attributable to methodological choices in measuring dietary quality (why); individuals' personal and contextual characteristics, in particular, access to retail equipment (where); and certain food choices (what). Therefore, cost-effectiveness analyses should be tailored to policy goals and local environments to ensure proper assessment of nutrition programs and to foster improvements in nutritional diet quality at lower cost.

Anaerobic solid-state fermentation with Bacillus subtilis for digesting free gossypol and improving nutritional quality in cottonseed meal.

Microbial fermentation is an effective method to degrade free-gossypol, which is a toxic substance restricting the utilization of cottonseed meal in animal husbandry. However, there are few researches on the nutritional effect and the change of bacterial community on cottonseed meal fermented with anaerobic solid-state fermentation. This study evaluated the effects of fermentation with Bacillus sp. on gossypol degradation and nutritional quality improvement in cottonseed meal (CM), as well as the changes of bacterial community structure during fermentation. The strains with high activity for digesting free gossypol were screened from high protease-producing strains preserved in the laboratory. Then the strains which had both the gossypol degradation activity and protease producing activity were selected to degrade macromolecular protein and free gossypol in CM. The unsterilized SSF medium was inoculated with 109 CFU/kg Bacillus culture and fermented at room temperature for 14 days. Each group had three parallels. And the effects of anaerobic solid-state fermentation on unsterilized CM was evaluated. Results showed that for the seven strains with high activity for digesting free gossypol and producing protease that were screened, free gossypol content in fermented cottonseed meal (FCM) decreased and acid-soluble protein (ASP) contents increased. Among them, strain M-15 had the best fermentation effect, with the free gossypol degradation rate of 93.46% and acid soluble protein content of 13.26%. M-15 was identified as Bacillus subtilis. During fermentation with M-15, the bacterial diversity in CM was reduced, but not significant and the community structure was simpler significantly. The strain M-15 selected in this experiment reduced the free gossypol content and improved the nutritional quality of CM through anaerobic solid-state fermentation, which can be used for industrial large-scale production.

Improving production and fruit quality of tomato under abiotic stress: Genes for the future of tomato breeding for a sustainable agriculture

Climate change and a rising world population make generation of crops with enhanced abiotic stress tolerance and higher nutritive value a priority objective in agriculture. In this review we have summarized recent advances on tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), the most important horticultural species regarding production and nutritional quality. Firstly, the different and complex processes evolved in abiotic stress tolerance are summarized, with special attention on responses to osmotic, oxidative and ionic and nutritional stress, as well as the anatomical changes involved in plant adaptation to abiotic stress. In order to avoid or reduce production loss and improve fruit quality under abiotic stress, it is of utmost importance the identification of tomato key genes involved in abiotic stress long-term tolerance, that is, genes which simple variation determines a significant change not only in vegetative but also in reproductive growth. The functions of the tomato genes known to date affecting fruit yield under abiotic stress are described, including those involved in signal sensing, perception and transduction of abiotic stress, transcription factors and abiotic stress responsive genes. Together with production, fruit quality is crucial in tomato given its so high worldwide consumption per capita . Nutritional compounds as carotenoids and vitamin E are well known antioxidants and abiotic stress induces a secondary oxidative stress to which plants have to react. Although the increased metabolites production under abiotic stress may be due to physiological adaptation processes, advances in this field will go in parallel to the identification of genes improving fruit quality when the plant is grown subjected to stressful conditions. The key genes involved in improvement of nutritional quality of tomato fruit under abiotic stress are reviewed, in particular the main ones involved in accumulation of crucial metabolites in this aspect, such as carotenoids and tocopherols. One of the main bottlenecks in breeding programs nowadays is the strong reduction of phenotypic and genetic diversity in modern germplasm. Therefore, searching of new genetic resources for improvement of abiotic stress tolerance and fruit quality is critical, including sources of natural variation, like wild relatives and traditional varieties or landraces, as well as spontaneous and induced mutants with beneficial effects on these traits. All of them will expand our knowledge on the processes involved in abiotic stress tolerance and fruit quality in tomato. • Adaptation strategies essential to uphold growth through plant life cycle in stress • Long-term stress tolerance genes are critical to reduce yield losses • Increasing fruit quality when growing tomato plants under abiotic stress conditions • Finding new genetic resources for improvement of tomato fruit yield and quality

Improvement in nutritional quality of traditional unleavened flat bread using Quality Protein Maize.

Maize grains are consumed majorly in the form of unleavened flat bread (chapatti) in the South East Asian region. The landraces are better accepted for their chapatti-making attributes such as grain color and good organoleptic properties. However, these cultivars are low in essential amino acids, particularly lysine and tryptophan content. Hence, an investigation was performed to identify maize genotypes with high nutritional value coupled with good chapatti-making qualities. Seven genotypes, comprising two Quality Protein Maize (QPM) hybrids, two normal maize hybrids, and three normal white maize landraces were assessed for their physical characteristics, proximate composition, and chapatti-making quality. Landrace 593 showed the highest protein and ash content. Flours obtained from different genotypes were significantly different (p ≤ 0.001) in terms of protein content, color value, textural, as well as mineral content. PMH 10 and IQMH 203 exhibited the highest and lowest hydration index, respectively. Two QPM hybrids showed significantly higher lysine and tryptophan content as compared to other genotypes. QPM hybrids were identified as the promising material with improved nutritional quality with respect to chapatti making. In combination with mustard greens, maize chapatti constitutes an important traditional delicacy in north India. The enhanced nutritional quality of QPM chapattis is an added advantage. We show the differentiation of chapattis made from QPM and normal maize using a rapid protocol developed previously. This is expected to enable the development and quality control of commercial enterprises based on high protein quality QPM.

Mechanical scarification can reduce competitive traits of boreal ericaceous shrubs and improve nutritional site quality

Abstract Ericaceous shrubs often interfere with the growth of black spruce seedlings on regenerating forest sites in Eastern Canada. Mechanical site preparation such as scarification may improve this situation, but it is uncertain whether this is solely due to a reduction in direct competition from the shrubs, or also from a sustained improvement in nutritional site quality. We sampled experimental plots in two boreal climate regions (i.e. warmer-drier Abitibi vs. cooler-wetter Côte-Nord) where scarification, performed 18 years earlier, had increased the growth of black spruce relative to non-scarified plots. Trees of scarified plots had closed the canopy more than trees of non-scarified plots in Côte-Nord, but not in Abitibi. Total ground cover of ericaceous shrubs was lower in scarified plots at both sites, the main species being Kalmia angustifolia (i.e. Kalmia) in Abitibi and Rhododendron groenlandicum (i.e. Labrador tea) in Côte-Nord. Scarified plots at both sites had significantly shorter current-year ericaceous rhizomes than non-scarified plots, but the difference between treatments was significantly greater in Côte-Nord than in Abitibi. In Côte-Nord, ericaceous shrubs on scarified plots had a lower specific rhizome mass, higher specific leaf area, lower tannin and higher N concentrations in leaves and litter, and lower N use efficiency than on non-scarified plots. By comparison, scarification in Abitibi affected only one foliar property, namely a reduction in the C:N ratio of Kalmia leaf litter. Forest floor N mineralization rates and black spruce needle N concentrations were higher in scarified than non-scarified plots across both sites. Taken collectively, results suggest that mechanical scarification on ericaceous shrub-dominated cutovers can reduce competitive traits of boreal ericaceous shrubs and improve nutritional site quality, especially in cooler-wetter climates.Highlights

Germination of White and Red Quinoa Seeds: Improvement of Nutritional and Functional Quality of Flours.

Quinoa is an Andean grain, classified as pseudocereal and the exploitation of its nutritional profile is of great interest for the cereal-based industry. The germination of quinoa seeds (white and red royal) was tested at 20 °C for different times (0, 18, 24 and 48 h) to select the best conditions for improving the nutritional quality of their flours. Changes in proximal composition, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, mineral content, unsaturated fatty acids and essential amino acids profiles of germinated quinoa seeds were determined. In addition, changes in structure and thermal properties of the starch and proteins as consequence of germination process were analyzed. In white quinoa, germination produced an increase in the content of lipids and total dietary fiber, at 48 h, the levels of linoleic and α-linolenic acids and antioxidant activity increase, while in red quinoa, the component that was mostly increased was total dietary fiber and, at 24 h, increased the levels of oleic and α-linolenic acids, essential amino acids (Lys, His and Met) and phenolic compounds; in addition, a decrease in the amount of sodium was detected. On the basis of the best nutritional composition, 48 h and 24 h of germination were selected for white and red quinoa seeds, respectively. Two protein bands were mostly observed at 66 kDa and 58 kDa, being in higher proportion in the sprouts. Changes in macrocomponents conformation and thermal properties were observed after germination. Germination was more positive in nutritional improvement of white quinoa, while the macromolecules (proteins and starch) of red quinoa presented greater structural changes. Therefore, germination of both quinoa seeds (48 h-white quinoa and 24 h-red quinoa) improves the nutritional value of flours producing the structural changes of proteins and starch necessary for obtaining high quality breads.

Reprint of: Development and Evaluation of a Global Malnutrition Composite Score.

Reprint of: Development and Evaluation of a Global Malnutrition Composite Score.

Nutrition-Focused Care for Community-Living Adults: Healthcare Utilization and Economic Benefits

ObjectivesWe assessed the impact of a recently reported nutritional quality improvement program (QIP) on healthcare resource utilization and costs for older, community-living adults in Bogotá, Colombia. MethodsThe study included 618 community-dwelling, older adults (> 60 years) who were at risk or malnourished and receiving outpatient clinical care. The intervention was a QIP that emphasized nutritional screening, dietary education, lifestyle counseling, 60-day consumption of oral nutritional supplements, and 90-day follow-up. For economic modeling, we performed 90-day budget impact and cost-effectiveness analyses from a Colombian third-party payer perspective. The base-case analysis quantified mean healthcare resource use in the QIP study population. Analysis was based on mean input values (deterministic) and distributions of input parameters (probabilistic). As the deterministic analysis provided a simple point estimate, the cost-effectiveness analysis focused on the probabilistic results informed by 1000 iterations of a Monte-Carlo simulation. ResultsResults showed that the total use of healthcare resources over 90 days was significantly reduced by > 40% (hospitalizations were reduced by approximately 80%, emergency department visits by > 60%, and outpatient clinical visits by nearly 40%; P < .001). Based on economic modeling, total cost savings of $129 740 or per-patient cost savings of $210 over 90 days could be attributed to the use of nutritional QIP strategies. Total cost savings equated to nearly twice the initial investment for QIP intervention; that is, the per-dollar return on investment was $1.82. ConclusionsFor older adults living in the community in Colombia, the use of our nutritional QIP improved health outcomes while lowering costs of healthcare and was thus cost-effective.

Optimization using response surface methodology of amylolytic capacity of maize Atp-Y and coca-sr varieties: In vitro digestibility capacity, physico-chemical and functional properties of optimal sample

The use of sprouted cereals for the development of flavor, improvement of biochemical, physicochemical and techno-functional properties in beer production, improvement of nutritional quality and viscosity of supplementary foods is widespread in Africa. The objective of the current work was to evaluate the effect of malting conditions and variety on the amylolytic capacity, protein structures, physicochemical and functional properties of maize ( Atp-Y and Coca-sr varieties). The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using the central composite design (CCD) was applied to 5 independent factors, namely soaking time (18–42 h), vegetable salt concentration (0.5–1.2%), soaking temperature (25–41 °C), germination time (80–195 h) and maturation time (17.5–42 h). The optimal flours obtained were then subjected to physicochemical, digestibility, functional and antioxidant analysis. The analysis of the mathematical regression model showed that the linear and quadratic effects of all independent variables showed significant effects ( p<0.05 ) on the amylolytic activity of the Atp-Y variety. The optimal malting conditions were 25.12 h soaking in the presence of 0.52% vegetable salt at a temperature of 25.54 °C followed by 144.37 h germination and 37.65 h maturation for Atp-Y . Coca-sr , on the other hand, required 1.608 h soaking in the presence of 1.11% vegetable salt at a temperature of 36.63 °C followed by 144.37 h germination and 27.07 h maturation. The production of optimal samples using above optimal conditions reduced the anti-nutrients, pH, mass density, water holding capacity and swelling rate; improved the availability of minerals (Ca and Mg), bioactive compounds and the antioxidant properties. The FTIR spectra revealed similar peaks and different intensities for the beta-sheets as the major secondary structure of the proteins. Therefore, the application of these malting conditions would improve the enzymatic activity of these two maize varieties for their application in malting, beer production and digestibility of resistant starches. • The effect of malting conditions has been demonstrated. • The Coca-sr variety showed the highest amylolytic activity. • The nutrient content was increased in the optimal flours of both varieties. • Antinutrients were reduced in both varieties but antioxidant properties were high in Coca-sr. • The Coca-sr variety showed the highest starch digestibility capacity.

The Musa troglodytarum L. genome provides insights into the mechanism of non-climacteric behaviour and enrichment of carotenoids

BackgroundKarat (Musa troglodytarum L.) is an autotriploid Fe’i banana of the Australimusa section. Karat was domesticated independently in the Pacific region, and karat fruit are characterized by a pink sap, a deep yellow-orange flesh colour, and an abundance of β-carotene. Karat fruit showed non-climacteric behaviour, with an approximately 215-day bunch filling time. These features make karat a valuable genetic resource for studying the mechanisms underlying fruit development and ripening and carotenoid biosynthesis.ResultsHere, we report the genome of M. troglodytarum, which has a total length of 603 Mb and contains 37,577 predicted protein-coding genes. After divergence from the most recent common ancestors, M. troglodytarum (T genome) has experienced fusion of ancestral chromosomes 8 and 9 and multiple translocations and inversions, unlike the high synteny with few rearrangements found among M. schizocarpa (S genome), M. acuminata (A genome) and M. balbisiana (B genome). Genome microsynteny analysis showed that the triplication of MtSSUIIs due to chromosome rearrangement may lead to the accumulation of carotenoids and ABA in the fruit. The expression of duplicated MtCCD4s is repressed during ripening, leading to the accumulation of α-carotene, β-carotene and phytoene. Due to a long terminal repeat (LTR)-like fragment insertion upstream of MtERF11, karat cannot produce large amounts of ethylene but can produce ABA during ripening. These lead to non-climacteric behaviour and prolonged shelf-life, which contributes to an enrichment of carotenoids and riboflavin.ConclusionsThe high-quality genome of M. troglodytarum revealed the genomic basis of non-climacteric behaviour and enrichment of carotenoids, riboflavin, flavonoids and free galactose and provides valuable resources for further research on banana domestication and breeding and the improvement of nutritional and bioactive qualities.

Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Addition on Agronomic Characters, Photosynthetic Performance and Anatomical Structure of Alfalfa in Northern Xinjiang, China

The productivity of alfalfa is associated with a large amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); the addition of exogenous N and P fertilizers can fully exploit the growth potential of alfalfa. However, there is uncertainty about the relationship between changes in alfalfa productivity and photosynthetic physiology and anatomy. We conducted field fertilization experiments on alfalfa in the second and third years under drip irrigation, as well as measurement of the photosynthetic physiology, anatomical structure and agronomic traits of alfalfa at different levels of N (0, 120 kg·ha−1) and different levels of P2O5 (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg·ha−1). The results showed that the dry matter yield (DMY), crude protein (CP), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and specific leaf weight (SLW) were increased by 2.10~11.82%, 4.95~11.93%, 4.71~7.59% and 2.02~7.12% in the N application treatment compared with the non-N application treatment, while the DMY, CP, Pn and SLW were increased by 3.19~17.46%, 1.99~8.42%, 6.15~24.95% and 2.16~11.90% in the P application treatment compared with the non-P application treatment. N and P increase the thickness of the spongy tissue (ST) of alfalfa, which will facilitate the entry and exit of gas and water, and will further affect the photosynthetic indexes, such as stomatal conductance (Gs) and transpiration rate (Tr), of alfalfa leaves. Increased palisade tissue (PT) thickness will also enhance the adaptability of plant leaves to strong sunlight, thereby increasing the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and light saturation point (LSP). Fertilization treatment showed the highest utilization efficiency for low light and better adaptation to strong light, but the Rd decreased. The comprehensive scores of principal component analysis for anatomical structure, photosynthetic performance and agronomic traits were N1P2 &gt; N0P2 &gt; N1P3 &gt; N1P1 &gt; N0P3 &gt; N0P1 &gt; N1P0 &gt; N0P0. Therefore, the application of N and P fertilizers contributed to the adaptive changes in alfalfa leaf anatomy and the improvement of photosynthetic capacity, which were beneficial to the improvement of alfalfa dry matter yield, growth traits and nutritional quality, with the most obvious improvement effect obtained with the application of 120 kg·ha−1 of N and 100 kg·ha−1 of P2O5.

A nutritionally focused program for community-living older adults resulted in improved health and well-being

Among older adults, malnutrition is common and is associated with increased risk for impaired health and functionality, conditions further associated with poorer quality of life. In this study of community-living older adults, our objective was to quantify outcome changes following identification and treatment of malnutrition or its risk. Our intervention was a nutritional quality improvement program (QIP). The nutritional QIP included: (i) education of participants about the importance of complete and balanced macro- and micronutrient intake plus physical exercise, (ii) nutritional intervention with dietary counseling; and (iii) provision of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for daily intake over 60 days. Follow-up measurements took place 30 days after ONS treatment ended, i.e., 90 days after start of intervention. We recruited 618 transitional-care, chronically ill, older adults (>60 years) with malnutrition/risk (per Mini Nutrition Assessment-Short Form, MNA-SF) from the outpatient clinic of Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, in Bogotá, Colombia. For pre-post comparisons, we examined cognition (Mini-Mental State Exam, MMSE), physical abilities (Barthel Activities of Daily Living, ADL; Short Physical Performance Battery, SPPB), affective disorder status (Global Depression Scale, GDS), and quality of life (QoL; EuroQoL-5D-3L, EQ-5D-3L; EuroQoL-Visual Analog Scale, EQ-VAS). Participants were mean age 74.1±8.7y, female majority (69.4%), and had an average of 2.6 comorbidities with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases predominant (28.5%). QIP-based nutritional intervention led to significant improvements in cognitive (MMSE) and physical functions (ADL and SPPB), affective disorder status (GDS), and health-related quality of life (EQ-VAS); all differences (P<0.001). Self-reported QoL (EQ-5D-3L) also improved. Over 90 days, the nutritional QIP led to improvements in all measured outcomes, thus highlighting the importance of addressing malnutrition or its risk among community-living older adults. From a patient's perspective, maintaining mental and physical function are important and further linked with quality of life. For older, community-living adults, nutrition care can improve health and well-being outcomes. Care includes screening for malnutrition risk, dietary and exercise counseling, and daily nutritional supplements when needed. NCT04042987.

Children with functional abdominal pain disorders successfully decrease FODMAP food intake on a low FODMAP diet with modest improvements in nutritional intake and diet quality.

We sought to determine how a low fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide, and polyol (FODMAP) diet (LFD) affected high FODMAP food intake, nutrient intake, and diet quality in children with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD). Children (ages 7-13years) with Rome IV FAPD began a dietitian-guided LFD. Three-day food records were captured at baseline and 2-3weeks into the LFD. Intake of high FODMAP foods, energy, macronutrients, micronutrients, food groups, and ultra-processed foods were determined. Median age of participants was 11years, and 19/31 (61%) were female. Twenty-eight (90%) decreased high FODMAP food intake on the LFD: overall median (25-75%) high FODMAP foods/day decreased from 5.7 (3.6-7.3) to 2 (0.3-3.7) (p<0.001). A more adherent subset (n=22/71%) of participants consumed on average ≤3 high FODMAP foods per day during the LFD. Baseline nutritional intake and quality were generally poor with several micronutrient deficiencies identified. Diet quality improved on the LFD with increased servings of vegetables and protein and decreased consumption of ultra-processed foods, trans-fatty acids, and added sugars. On the LFD, there were significant decreases in total carbohydrates and thiamin (remained within recommended intake) and significant increases in vitamin B6 (p=0.029), vitamin C (p=0.019), and vitamin E (p=0.009). Children more adherent to the LFD further increased vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, and fat servings. The majority of children with FAPD on a dietitian-led LFD successfully decreased high FODMAP food intake. Children with FAPD on the LFD (vs. baseline) modestly improved micronutrient intake and diet quality.

Breeding bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) for simultaneous improvement in yield, nutritional quality and downy mildew disease tolerance

Six phenotypically diverse bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) parents were crossed in a full-diallel mating design to determine the extent of heterobeltiosis, mode of gene action and combining ability effects for 17 quantitative traits. Field experiments were carried out at C Block Farm, Kalyani, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal in two consecutive seasons in 2019. The predictability ratio indicated the preponderance of non-additive gene action for most of the traits. Based on general combining ability and mean performance, two genitors BCBG-1 and BCBG-11 were identified as potential parents. Based on mean performance, heterosis, and specific combining ability effects, the crosses BCBG-10 × BCBG-14 and BCBG-3 × BCBG-10 were identified as most promising. This investigation also suggested that bitter gourd breeders to include reciprocal crosses in hybridization programs as significant effect was noticed in the present study. Promising hybrids could also be exploited in segregating generations to identify pure lines with desirable traits. Commercially exploitable bitter gourd hybrids tolerant to downy mildew disease could be developed with involvement of a single parent tolerant to this disease. The results also suggested that commercial production of bitter gourd hybrids is a possible way to enhance the productivity, fruit quality and tolerance to downy mildew disease in bitter gourd.

Effect of Oversowing and Fertilization on Species Composition, Yield and Nutritional Quality of Forages on a Permanent Wet Meadow

The improvement of forage production and nutrition quality on native grasslands through plant species oversowing and fertilization (legumes in particular, coupled with phosphorus fertilization) is known to have been widely adopted worldwide. Less is known about this practice on the wet grasslands of the French Atlantic littoral marshes. The purpose of this study, conducted over a 3-year period (2012-2014) on the Saint Laurent de la Pr&amp;eacute;e research farm, was to investigate the effects on the yield and nutritional quality of forage hay on a permanent wet meadow, of oversowing with different plant species and fertilization. We found that the success of oversowing was influenced by species or mixtures, and depended on their ability to develop and persist in the cover. In general, oversowing tended to provide benefits in terms of the total annual forage yield in 2013, with a slight increase in forage quality in 2012 and 2013. Fertilization provided no real benefit in terms of forage quality. There was no persistence of introduced species in the sward, as in 2014 almost all of them disappeared. In the conditions of this study, the benefits of oversowing and fertilizer applications were limited and short-lived. These results are discussed in relation to the conservation value of these wet grasslands and the need to pursue research on agroecology for their biodiversity-oriented management.

Deciphering Haplotypic Variation and Gene Expression Dynamics Associated with Nutritional and Cooking Quality in Rice

Nutritional quality improvement of rice is the key to ensure global food security. Consequently, enormous efforts have been made to develop genomics and transcriptomics resources for rice. The available omics resources along with the molecular understanding of trait development can be utilized for efficient exploration of genetic resources for breeding programs. In the present study, 80 genes known to regulate the nutritional and cooking quality of rice were extensively studied to understand the haplotypic variability and gene expression dynamics. The haplotypic variability of selected genes were defined using whole-genome re-sequencing data of ~4700 diverse genotypes. The analytical workflow identified 133 deleterious single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which are predicted to affect the gene function. Furthermore, 788 haplotype groups were defined for 80 genes, and the distribution and evolution of these haplotype groups in rice were described. The nucleotide diversity for the selected genes was significantly reduced in cultivated rice as compared with that in wild rice. The utility of the approach was successfully demonstrated by revealing the haplotypic association of chalk5 gene with the varying degree of grain chalkiness. The gene expression atlas was developed for these genes by analyzing RNA-Seq transcriptome profiling data from 102 independent sequence libraries. Subsequently, weighted gene co-expression meta-analyses of 11,726 publicly available RNAseq libraries identified 19 genes as the hub of interactions. The comprehensive analyses of genetic polymorphisms, allelic distribution, and gene expression profiling of key quality traits will help in exploring the most desired haplotype for grain quality improvement. Similarly, the information provided here will be helpful to understand the molecular mechanism involved in the development of nutritional and cooking quality traits in rice.