Yanfang Li

Food-derived natural products contain a broad range of bioactive constituents, including polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, peptides, and other secondary metabolites

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) products have become widely available in diverse commercial formulations, raising increasing analytical and regulatory interest due to the presence of potent alkaloids such as mitragynine (MG), 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGP). The accurate identification of these compounds is analytically challenging because kratom matrices contain numerous structurally related alkaloids and isomeric species that produce similar mass spectral features. In this study, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS) workflow was developed to characterize kratom alkaloids in authentic leaf materials and 38 commercial kratom products representing multiple formulations. Chromatographic separation combined with accurate mass measurement and diagnostic MS/MS fragmentation enabled reliable differentiation of MG, 7-OH, MGP, and related isomers. Multiple overlapping chromatographic peaks were observed at m/z 415.2227, demonstrating that reliance solely on accurate mass or commonly monitored transitions such as m/z 415 → 190 can lead to false-positive identification of 7-OH in complex botanical matrices. Application of the multicriteria confirmation strategy revealed substantial variability in alkaloid composition across commercial products, including the presence of 7-OH and MGP in several tablet and capsule formulations. Untargeted metabolomic profiling further distinguished kratom plant extracts, including the authentic leaf materials, from processed products enriched in specific alkaloids. These results highlight the importance of integrating chromatographic resolution with orthogonal MS/MS criteria for reliable identification of kratom alkaloids and provide an analytical framework for the characterization of complex botanical products.

Food-derived natural products offer more than just essential nutrients like vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and so on

Light intensity is a crucial factor impacting the cost-efficiency of controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Broccoli microgreens were cultivated under different photosynthetic photon flux densities: 50, 100, and 150 μmol•m^-2•s^-1 with white light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and an additional far-red (FR) light supplement (20% of total photon flux density) at the 50 μmol•m^-2•s^-1 intensity. This study examines how low light intensity influences the chemical profile and glucosinolate accumulation in broccoli microgreens through both nontargeted and targeted metabolomics with molecular networking analysis. The analysis identified 28 glucosinolates and 23 phenolic compounds with targeted quantification of 12 glucosinolates. The results showed that FR light supplementation significantly increased the total glucosinolate content compared to white light-only treatments, while similar glucosinolate levels were found across the different white light intensities. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing LED light intensity to enhance glucosinolate accumulation in broccoli microgreens, thus promoting more efficient energy use in CEA.

Glucosinolates, a crucial group of secondary metabolites in Brassica vegetables, present significant chromatographic separation challenges due to their anionic form, structure diversities, and co‐existence of other phenolic compounds. This study comparatively investigated the retention and separation of seven glucosinolates using a mixed‐mode reversed‐phase/weak anion‐exchange column and a conventional reversed‐phase C18 column. Separation factors for each glucosinolate with its adjacent peaks were over 1.0 on the mixed‐mode column, while co‐eluting was observed on the C18 column. The effects of mobile phase additives and pH on the separation and retention of glucosinolates were also investigated. Results showed that glucosinolate retention was inversely related to both buffer concentration and pH. The optimized method for the mix‐mode column was applied to the complex Brassica vegetable samples. In addition to the 17 well‐resolved glucosinolate peaks, 34 peaks for phenolic compounds were identified in broccoli microgreen, suggesting the successful application scenarios for qualitative analysis in comparison with the single mode reverse phase C18 column. This study demonstrates that the mixed‐mode reversed‐phase/weak anion‐exchange column can be used as a promising separation tool for organic anions in a complex sample matrix.

This study evaluated the fruits of Forsythia suspensa (Lianqiao), an important economic crop, for the chemical components of its water and ethanol extracts, inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein binding to ACE2, inhibition of ACE2 activity, and capacity to scavenge free radicals. A total of 42 compounds were tentatively identified in the extracts via HPLC-MS/MS analysis. The water extract showed a greater ACE2 inhibition but a weaker inhibition on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to ACE2 than the ethanol extract on a per-botanical-weight-concentration basis. The phenolic content was found to be greater in the water extract at 45.19 mg GAE/g dry botanical weight than in the ethanol extract (6.89 mg GAE/g dry botanical). Furthermore, the water extract had greater scavenging capacities against HO^●, DPPH^●, and ABTS^●+ at 448.48, 66.36, and 121.29 µmol TE/g dry botanical, respectively, as compared to that of the ethanol extract (154.04, 3.55, and 33.83 µmol TE/g dry botanical, respectively). These results warrant further research into, and the development of, the potential COVID-19-preventive applications of Lianqiao and its extracts.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a perennial tuberous plant from the genus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) and has been widely used in foods for thousands of years. The present study examined the ethanol extract of turmeric for its chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and free radical scavenging properties. UHPLC-MS/MS analysis tentatively identified eight compounds in the turmeric extract. Potential antimicrobial effects of 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg turmeric equivalents (TE)/mL were evaluated in vitro against a variety of Gram-negative bacteria (i.e., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas sp.) and Gram-positive bacteria (i.e., Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus). Concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg TE/mL inhibited the growth of S. aureus and significantly suppressed that of Pseudomonas sp., E. faecalis, and L. innocua. The growth of all strains, including E. coli, was inhibited by 10 mg TE/mL. Moreover, free radical scavenging capacities were determined using HO^●, ABTS^●+, and DPPH^● (HOSC, ABTS, and RDSC, respectively) radicals. The turmeric ethanol extract had a TPC value of 27.12 mg GAE/g, together with HOSC, RDSC, and ABTS values of 1524.59, 56.38, and 1.70 μmol TE/g, respectively. Our results suggest that turmeric extract has potential applications for use in functional foods to reduce microbial burdens and oxidative stress-related health problems.

Far-red (FR) light influences plant development significantly through shade avoidance response and photosynthetic modulation, but there is limited knowledge on how FR treatments influence the growth and nutrition of vegetables at different maturity stages in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Here, we comprehensively investigated the impacts of FR on the yield, morphology, and phytonutrients of ruby streaks mustard (RS) at microgreen, baby leaf, and flowering stages. Treatments including white control, white with supplementary FR, white followed by singularly applied FR, and enhanced white (WE) matching the extended daily light integral (eDLI) of FR were designed for separating the effects of light intensity and quality. Results showed that singular and supplemental FR affected plant development and nutrition similarly throughout the growth cycle, with light intensity and quality playing varying roles at different stages. Specifically, FR did not affect the fresh and dry weight of microgreens but increased those values for baby leaves, although not as effectively as WE. Meanwhile, FR caused significant morphological change and accelerated the development of leaves, flowers, and seedpods more dramatically than WE. With regard to phytonutrients, light treatments affected the metabolomic profiles for baby leaves more dramatically than microgreens and flowers. FR decreased the glucosinolate and anthocyanin contents in microgreens and baby leaves, while WE increased the contents of those compounds in baby leaves. This study illustrates the complex impacts of FR on RS and provides valuable information for selecting optimal lighting conditions in CEA.