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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Forward feed multilayered perception and central composite rotatable design were used to model the nonthermal plasma (NTP) experimental data in artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface methodology, respectively. The ANN was found to be more accurate in modeling the experimental dataset. The NTP process parameters (voltage and time) were optimized for pineapple juice within the range of 25–45 kV and 120–900 s using an ANN coupled with the genetic algorithm (ANN‐GA). After 176 generations of GA, the ANN‐GA approach produced the optimal condition, 38 kV and 631 s, and caused the inactivation of peroxidase (POD) and bromelain by 87.24% and 51.04%, respectively. However, 100.32% of the overall antioxidant capacity and 89.96% of the ascorbic acid were maintained in the optimized sample with a total color change (Δ<jats:italic>E</jats:italic>) of less than 1.97 at all plasma treatment conditions. Based on optimal conditions, NTP provides a sufficient level of POD inactivation combined with excellent phenolic component extractability and high antioxidant retention. Furthermore, plasma treatment had an insignificant effect (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &gt; 0.05) on the physicochemical attributes (pH, total soluble solid, and titratable acidity) of juice samples. From the intensity peak of the Fourier‑transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, it was found that the sugar components and phenolic compounds of plasma‐treated juice were effectively preserved compared to the thermal‐treated juice.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Cucurbita moschata</jats:italic>, commonly known as squash or pumpkin, is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family originating from Central America. This species is regarded as heat tolerant and disease resistant and is commonly used in breeding programs. Calabaza (wintersquash) is an emerging market type of <jats:italic>C. moschata</jats:italic> with increasing popularity in the United States; however, limited research has been conducted to understand how sensory qualities influence consumers’ acceptability and willingness to pay (price). This study compared the sensory perception of <jats:italic>C. moschata</jats:italic> accessions grown in the continental southeastern United States with their physical and chemical properties using squash prepared from fresh and frozen states. The eight accessions investigated included five hybrids of calabaza from the University of Florida (University of Florida Tropical Pumpkin #), two commercial cultivars of calabaza (La Estrella and Soler), and one butternut squash cultivar (Waltham). The evaluation of fresh calabaza revealed significant differences in consumer preference among cultivars in addition to correlations with sensory attributes. UFTP8 and UFTP24 received the highest ratings, whereas UFTP38 and ‘La Estrella’ were rated lowest. Interestingly, the evaluation of frozen calabaza revealed UFTP8 and ‘Waltham’ Butternut squash as the highest in ranking, while UFTP38 and ‘La Estrella’ retained the lowest ranking. Consumer ratings of fresh samples revealed positive correlations between overall liking, sweetness liking, and texture liking with willingness to pay and soluble solids content (SSC). For calabaza intended for the frozen market, the color, hardness, and SSC were identified as the most significant parameters impacting willingness to pay. These results show how quality attributes can play a crucial role in consumers perception of quality and significantly influence their reported willingness to pay.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>Producers and breeders can use positively correlated attributes as indicators of overall liking and to determine pricing for <jats:italic>C. moschata</jats:italic> products.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The fruits of <jats:italic>Tamarindus indica</jats:italic> L. are consumed worldwide, with various parts of the plant being used for medicinal purposes. The residues (pericarp and seeds) generated during cellulose processing are of significant value as they contain bioactive compounds with diverse biological activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate fraction as possible substitutes for synthetic compounds with biological properties using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high‐resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐HRMS/MS) analysis and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP], 2,2'‐azino‐bis‐3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid [ABTS], and 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and antimicrobial activity of the hydroalcoholic extract and tamarind seed fractions were also performed. The chemical investigation of the acetate fraction using UHPLC‐HRMS/MS resulted in the putative identification of 14 compounds, including flavonoids, (+)‐catechin/(−)‐epicatechin, procyanidin B2, procyanidin C2, isoquercetin, quercetin, luteolin, rutin, taxifolin, eriodictyol, kaempferide, hydroxybenzoic acid, protocathecuic acid, and protocathecuic acid methyl and ethyl esters derivatives. The crude hydroalcoholic extract exhibited the best results in terms of TPC: 883.87 gallic acid equivalent (GAE; mg/g) and antioxidant activity: FRAP: 183.29 GAE (mg/g), ABTS: 39.67%, and DPPH: 91.08%. The extract exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against gram‐positive bacteria, specifically <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus</jats:italic> minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC; 62.5/125 g/mL) and <jats:italic>Bacillus cereus</jats:italic> MIC/MBC (125/250 g/mL), and gram‐negative bacteria, specifically <jats:italic>Aeromonas hydrophila</jats:italic> MIC/MBC (125/250 µg/mL) and <jats:italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</jats:italic> MIC/MBC (250/500 g/mL). Morphological damage to cells was observed using flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy. Tamarind seeds contain unique bioactive compounds that should be explored for their use as novel food preservatives.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>Original data were obtained regarding the <jats:italic>Tamarindus indica</jats:italic> L. seed extract and the ethyl acetate and hexane fractions. This research aimed to investigate the potential of these for food preservation and as alternatives to additives and synthetic compounds added to cattle feed. This paper reports novel findings regarding the chemical composition of the extract and its antioxidant activity, along with its antimicrobial activity against bacteria (gram‐positive: <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Bacillus cereus</jats:italic>, and gram‐negative: <jats:italic>Salmonella enterica</jats:italic> serovar Enteritidis, <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Aeromonas hydrophila</jats:italic>) and yeasts (<jats:italic>Candida albicans</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</jats:italic>).</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study explores the influence of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on fresh lamb meat quality with respect to gas concentration, rigor state, and post‐mortem aging time. A comparison was done for the quality characteristics of lamb <jats:italic>Longissimus thoracis lumborum</jats:italic> chops that had been packaged separately in air, 75%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 25%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP or 50%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 50%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP at 1, 6, and 24 h post‐mortem and then stored for 6, 12, 24, 72, and 144 h post‐mortem, and the quality of lamb chops had been evaluated at each post‐mortem period separately. Chops packaged at 1 and 6 h post‐mortem in MAP had reduced pH decline, less purge loss, and enhanced redness at early post‐mortem storage times. Lamb color stability was evidently greater in 75%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 25%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP than in 50%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 50%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP during the early storage period when <jats:italic>a*</jats:italic> and R630/R580 were taken into account. Shear force values were lowest in lambs packaged at 1 h post‐mortem with 75%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 25%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP at 12 h post‐mortem and then increased until 72 h post‐mortem, suggesting that rigor has been delayed by such a high O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP. Thus, fresh lamb quality was maintained most effectively when packaged at 1 h post‐mortem in 75%O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> + 25%CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> MAP for consumption at 12 h post‐mortem. The exact mechanisms and optimization of MAP based on Chinese retail conditions should be considered in future studies.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>In this study, three slaughter patterns in the meat industry involving boning immediately after dressing (hot‐boning) and chilling for a short period (warm‐boning) or overnight (cold‐boning) are considered, as well as the behavior of non‐immediate consumption after purchase. Modified atmosphere packaging provides an effective preservation of early post‐mortem muscles with enhanced color stability, water holding capacity, and texture during refrigerated storage. This could provide new insights into how to process lamb muscles in the early post‐mortem period to improve and stabilize lamb quality.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Food, not nutrients, is the fundamental unit in nutrition. Nutrient requirement values and recommended daily intakes have long been determined and organized in tables by several regulators. These figures, however, overlook the complexity of mixing different foods in a diet and the mediation by human gut microbiota on digestion, metabolism, and health. The microbiome molecular mechanisms and its potential influence on nutrient requirements are far from clear. Guidelines should depend on the sort of intake, along with the dietary habits, rather than focusing on single nutrients. Despite many decades of attempts to investigate the proximate nutrient composition of foods consumed by different world populations, there are still neither standardization of food composition databases nor harmonized dietary intake methods of assessment of nutrients. No all‐inclusive attempt was yet made to emphasize the requirements of the various micronutrients, phytonutrients, and non‐nutrients on gut microbiota and vice versa, and thereafter reflected into dietary guidelines. New multifaceted methods have been advanced to reevaluate the way nutrients and nutrient requirements are assessed within the intricate biological systems. Our main goal here was to enhance the fact that existing food guidelines hold inherent strengths and limitations but fail, in many aspects, namely, in not taking into account essential geographical, ethnic and cultural differences, and the different stages of life, infant nutrition, and the microbiota impact on several micronutrient requirements. Vitamin D is given as an illustration on present inaccuracy of its requirements. Defining dietary reference intakes is therefore an ongoing process specific for each population.</jats:p>

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The development of new production lines of extruded ready‐to‐eat (RTE) snacks often results in high losses of edible food due to the trial‐and‐error approach in industry. Being able to predict extrudate characteristics of new formulations before having to run trials on industrial scale would be beneficial for reducing waste and having a more efficient development process. With this study, the correlation between pasting properties of seven blends of flours/starches and extrudate characteristics was investigated (100% corn grits, 25% and 50% replacement of corn grits with high amylose starch, potato starch, and rice flour). The predictive power of pasting characteristics on extrudate's moisture content, water absorption and solubility index, sectional expansion index (SEI) and hardness was studied. Results indicated the potential of predicting SEI, water solubility index (WSI), and water absorption index (WAI) of RTE‐snacks. WSI and WAI were, respectively, negatively correlated with peak temperature (<jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.897), and positively with peak temperature and positively with trough viscosity (<jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.855). One can conclude that the rheometer can be a useful tool to gain insight into the characteristics of the extrudate, although further research with enlargement of the dataset is necessary to make the rheometer effectively deployable for potentially other extrudate characteristics.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Histamine (HIS) is primarily formed from decarboxylated histidine by certain bacteria with histidine decarboxylase (hdc) activity and is the most toxic biogenic amine. Hdc, which is encoded by the hdc gene, serves as a key enzyme that controls HIS production in bacteria. In this paper, we characterized the changes in microbial and biogenic amines content of traditional Sichuan‐style sausage before and after storage and demonstrated that Enterobacteriaceae play an important role in the formation of HIS. To screen for Enterobacteriaceae with high levels of HIS production, we isolated strain RH3 which has a HIS production of 2.27 mg/mL from sausages stored at 37°C for 180 days, using selective media and high‐performance liquid chromatography. The strain RH3 can produce a high level of HIS after 28 h of fermentation with a significant hysteresis. Analysis of the physicochemical factors revealed that RH3 still retained its ability to partially produce HIS in extreme environments with pH 3.5 and 10.0. In addition, RH3 exhibited excellent salt tolerance (6.0% NaCl and 1.0% NaNO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>). Subsequently, RH3 was confirmed as <jats:italic>Enterobacter hormaechei</jats:italic> with hdc gene deletion by PCR, western blot, and whole‐genome sequencing analysis. Furthermore, RH3 exhibited pathogenicity rate of 75.60% toward the organism, indicating that it was not a food‐grade safe strain, and demonstrated a high level of conservation in intraspecific evolution. The results of this experiment provide a new reference for studying the mechanism of HIS formation in microorganisms.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>This study provides a new direction for investigating the mechanism of histamine (HIS) formation by microorganisms and provides new insights for further controlling HIS levels in meat products. Further research can control the key enzymes that form HIS to control HIS levels in food.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The vacuum impregnation (VI) process parameters (vacuum pressure = 20–60 kPa; VI temperature = 35–55°C; concentration of the sucrose solution = 40–60 °Brix; and vacuum process time = 8–24 min) for pineapple rings were optimized based on the moisture content (MC), water loss (WL), solids gain (SG), yellowness index (YI), and total soluble solids (TSS) content of pineapple rings using response surface methodology (RSM). A relationship was developed between the process and response variables using RSM and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques. The effectiveness of VI was evaluated by comparing it with the osmotic dehydration (OD) technique. The optimum condition was found to be 31.782 kPa vacuum pressure, 50.441°C solution temperature, and 60 °Brix sucrose concentration for 20.068 min to attain maximum TSS, YI, SG, and WL, and minimum MC of pineapple rings. The <jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> values of RSM models for all variables varied between 0.70 and 0.91, whereas mean square error values varied between 0.76 and 71.58 and for ANN models varied between 0.87–0.93 and 0.53–193.78, respectively.</jats:p><jats:p>Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) revealed that parenchymal cell rupture was less in VI than in OD. The VI pineapple rings exhibited more pores and high SG, as compared to OD, due to the pressure impregnation. Spectroscopic analysis affirmed that the stretching vibrations of intermolecular and intramolecular interactions were significant in VI as against OD. The VI reduced the drying time by 35% compared to OD, with the highest overall acceptability score and lower microbial load during storage.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>Pineapple is a perishable fruit, which necessitates processing for extended shelf life. This study highlights the potential of the vacuum impregnation process as a promising alternative to conventional preservation methods such as osmotic dehydration for pineapples.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Cronobacter sakazakii</jats:italic>, an important Gram‐negative foodborne pathogen, can cause neonatal meningitis and sepsis with high rates of infection and death. Gene <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> encodes a sugar transporter protein, which is not only essential for osmotic pressure maintenance during bacterial growth and reproduction but also associated with their desiccation tolerance, motility, and biofilm formation. Here, a mutant strain of <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>ΔESA_RS15745</jats:italic>) and the complementation strain (<jats:italic>cpESA_RS15745</jats:italic>) were constructed using a suicide vector knockout and gene complementation. <jats:italic>ΔESA_RS15745</jats:italic> was found to have a decrease in its ability to transport maltose and trehalose and resist desiccation, whereas an increase in the ability of motility and biofilm formation, implying that <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> may positively regulate sugar transport and desiccation tolerance and negatively regulate motility and biofilm formation. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of related genes, RNA‐seq was performed to explore the differentially expressed genes in the mutants. RNA‐seq results showed the upregulation of 114 genes (mainly including those regulating chemotaxis and flagellar motility) and the downregulation of 22 genes (mainly including those regulating sugar transport). qRT‐PCR analysis supported the RNA‐seq results and showed that <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> may influence the dehydration tolerance though decreasing the intracellular trehalose content and negatively regulate the motility though the chemotactic signaling pathway. In addition, the biofilm formation of <jats:italic>C. sakazakii</jats:italic> should also be speculated to negatively regulate by <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> by consuming the extracellular carbohydrates concentration and then downregulating the intracellular cyclic diguanosine monophosphate. This study offers a reference for comprehending the molecular mechanism of gene <jats:italic>ESA_RS15745</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>C. sakazakii</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The use of ultrasonic (US) treatment of egg white prior to enzymatic hydrolysis to produce hydrolysate with antioxidant activity was investigated. The state of egg white (raw vs. cooked form) along with two levels of Alcalase (1% and 10% (w/w) protein) was applied. Hydrolysis and antioxidant activity of hydrolysate increased by US pretreatment at intensity of 41.53 W/cm<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>. The hydrolysate prepared from US treatment on raw egg white hydrolyzed by 1% Alcalase (US‐R1%) showed the lowest degree of hydrolysis (DH); however, its 2,2′‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power activities were the highest. In contrast, the highest cytoprotective effect and intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging activity were more notable in the hydrolysate prepared from US treatment of boiled egg white hydrolyzed by 10% Alcalase (US‐B10%), which also exhibited the highest DH and metal chelation ability. The hydrolysate possessing cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) showed the highest proportion of small molecular weight peptides (&lt;200 Da). Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy revealed an increase of N‐ and C‐terminal ends at 1500 and 1400 cm<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, respectively, in concomitant with a decrease of amide I. Principal component analysis showed clear differentiation of spectra from different levels of enzyme according to their DH, C‐terminal ends, and antioxidant activity. Our findings suggested that cooked egg white followed by US pretreatment was beneficial to produce hydrolysate containing high CAA.</jats:p></jats:sec>