Menghui Lin

Sea buckthorn juice (SBJ) is nutritionally valuable, but its high malic acid content contributes to excessive sourness that limits consumer acceptance. In this study, the deacidification phenotypes of two lactic acid bacterial isolates, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum S4 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei YJ2, were compared using fermentation phenotyping, sensory evaluation, enzyme assays, untargeted metabolomics, transcriptomics, and molecular docking. After 96 h of fermentation, S4 degraded 91.98% of malic acid, compared with 69.50% for YJ2, and exhibited higher viable-cell counts and overall sensory acceptability under the tested conditions. S4 also showed higher crude-extract malate-conversion activity under MLE-favoring conditions. Molecular docking predicted more favorable interactions of malate with S4-derived MleP and MleS than with the corresponding YJ2 proteins; however, these analyses did not directly measure MleP-mediated transport or MleS-specific catalytic flux. Metabolomic profiling showed lower abundance of malic acid and several other organic acids in S4-fermented SBJ, together with increased abundance of succinic acid, 2-oxoglutaric acid, phenyllactic acid-related metabolites, D-octopine, and N-lactoyl-phenylalanine. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differences between S4 and YJ2 in carbohydrate metabolism, glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, energy generation, and late-stage cellular maintenance. Integration of these datasets supports a working model in which malate-associated conversion, central-carbon redistribution, organic-acid remodeling, and acid-stress adaptation may contribute to the greater malate-removal phenotype of S4. Because only one isolate of each species was examined, the observed differences should be interpreted as differences between S4 and YJ2 rather than as species-level effects.

Sea buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a medicinal and edible plant rich in polyphenols, vitamins, fatty acids, carotenoids, and polysaccharides. These constituents are associated with antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, hepatoprotective, gut microbiota‐modulating, antibacterial, and other health‐related activities, supporting its potential use in functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. However, its composition and bioactivity vary with plant part, extract type, and processing method, which complicates comparison across studies. This review evaluates sea buckthorn as a food‐derived functional resource by integrating evidence on its bioactive compounds, biological mechanisms, processing technologies, safety considerations, and food applications. Unlike reviews mainly summarizing phytochemical profiles or individual bioactivities, this review adopts a component–matrix–function perspective, emphasizing plant‐part specificity, extract‐dependent compositional variation, and translational relevance. Current evidence suggests promising application potential, although standardized preparations, quality markers, and clinically relevant studies are still needed to support evidence‐based utilization.

This study investigated the dose-dependent effects of dietary glycerol monolaurate (GML) supplementation on the growth performance, bile acid metabolism, and intestinal health of Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus). A total of 225 healthy eels with an initial body weight of 25.0 ± 2.0 g were randomly divided into three groups and fed a basal diet (control), 0.5 g/kg GML, or 1.0 g/kg GML for 60 days, respectively. The results showed that dietary GML supplementation increased the weight gain rate by 8.75% and decreased the feed conversion ratio by 8.16% in the GML1 group compared with the control. Dietary GML significantly reduced the contents of TP and ALB (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the MDA content in the GML0.5 and GML1 groups decreased significantly by 24.80% and 38.15%, respectively. The contents of total bile acids and secondary bile acids were significantly elevated in the GML1 group (p < 0.05). In addition, GML supplementation optimized the intestinal microbial community and significantly reduced the relative abundance of potentially harmful bacteria such as Nocardia and Stenotrophomonas (p < 0.05). In conclusion, under the conditions of this study, dietary GML could effectively the improve growth performance, bile acid metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal health of M. albus. Among the tested concentrations, 1.0 g/kg GML showed the optimal beneficial effects.

With the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, the development of natural and effective α-glucosidase inhibitors is of great significance for dietary intervention and health care. In this study, peptidomics integrated with computational simulation was applied to discover novel α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides from Xinjiang Bactrian camel serum. A total of 503 peptides were identified via peptidomic analysis. After bioactivity prediction using PeptideRanker, toxicity evaluation by ToxinPred, and water solubility screening with Innovagen, 36 potential bioactive peptides were obtained. According to the binding energy scores from molecular docking, four peptides (YFKI, DPPTMEL, DKPFGPDL, and SEPSGTAFG) were selected as candidate inhibitors. In vitro inhibition assays demonstrated that all four peptides exhibited significant inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase, with apparent half-maximal inhibitory concentration (apparent IC50) values ranging from 1.632 to 4.984 mmol/L (YFKI showed the highest inhibitory activity, superior to the other three peptides in this study). Molecular docking confirmed that these peptides can bind to the active pocket of α-glucosidase mainly through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, with binding energies ranging from −9.1 to −9.4 kcal/mol. A 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation further verified the structural stability of peptide–enzyme complexes during the dynamic simulation. Collectively, this study identified novel α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides from Bactrian camel serum, providing a theoretical basis and promising candidate molecules for the development of natural hypoglycemic functional foods.

This study investigated microbial community dynamics and their links to fermentation traits in solid-state fermentation of walnut -based soy sauce (WSS) using walnut meal-soybean meal mixtures. Via 16S rRNA sequencing and molecular docking, it analyzed the effects of three distinct starter culture treatments—Aspergillus oryzae (AO), Aspergillus niger (AN), and mixed starter culture (A. oryzae + A. niger, ON)—as well as fermentation duration on microbial diversity and physicochemical properties, aiming to clarify microbial-driven quality mechanisms. Physicochemical analysis demonstrated superior fermentation performance in the AO group, showing significantly higher amino nitrogen (NH₃-N) accumulation (0.23 g/100 mL) and protease activity (30.5 U/mL) compared to the AN group, with the mixed inoculation group (ON) exhibiting intermediate results, indicating A. oryzae’s dominant role in mixed fermentation. Via PCA and Shannon index, microbial diversity analyses revealed starter cultures shaped microbial community structure: Enterococcus and Staphylococcaceae were enriched by AO starter, and Klebsiella dominated in AN group. Additionally, temporal succession of the microbiota occurred during post-fermentation of WSS, with Lactobacillales, Staphylococcus, and special flavor-producing functional flora dominating early, middle, and later stages, respectively. Staphylococcus positively correlated with protease activity and amino nitrogen, critical for quality. Molecular docking showed major walnut polyphenols significantly affected protease activity, aiding process optimization. This research provides theoretical foundations for improving WSS production and enriches understanding of solid-state fermentation microbial ecology.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is identified to be an efficacious bioactive polyphenol in propolis for ameliorating glucose and lipid metabolism disorders and inflammation. In this study, an alcohol-induced zebrafish inflammation model was established. CAPE treatments at different concentrations (0.04, 0.2, and 1.0 μg/mL) were administered to alcohol-exposed zebrafish to investigate the underlying mechanisms of alleviating alcohol-induced liver inflammation using transcriptomic analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. The results indicated that CAPE decreased the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β and significantly increased the expression of IL-10 (p < 0.0001). Based on the KEGG enrichment analysis of transcriptomic sequencing, CAPE effectively alleviated the inflammation in zebrafish mainly through pancreatic secretion, complement and coagulation cascades, and protein digestion and absorption. Molecular docking supported the potential of CAPE in targeting cholecystokinin (CCK) A Receptor (CCKAR) and mediating the regulation of pancreatic secretion and related inflammation pathways. Moreover, intestinal microbiota analysis demonstrated that CAPE could improve the alcohol-induced microbiota disorder. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between the key genes related to lipid and sterol metabolism among the KEGG-enriched pathways and the specific intestinal microbial communities in zebrafish. Flavobacterium from Bacteroidota was significantly positively correlated with CEL1, CEL2, and LPIN (p < 0.01), which suggested that the anti-inflammatory function of CAPE was closely associated with the intestinal microbiota improvement. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that CAPE could ameliorate liver inflammation in alcohol-induced zebrafish, which was mainly associated with the regulation of pancreatic secretion and intestinal microbiota disorder. This study emphasized the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of CAPE based on targeting the pancreatic secretion pathway, which will broaden the application of natural antioxidants in improving metabolic and inflammatory problems.