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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Lonicera japonica</jats:italic> Thunb. (<jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic>) is known for its valuable medicinal properties that highlight its potential application in the pharmaceutical and health food industry. We predict that <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> polyphenols by network pharmacology may be involved in immunomodulation, and the study of <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> polyphenols regulating immunity is still insufficient; therefore, we experimentally found that <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> enhances immunity by promoting the proliferation and phagocytic activity of RAW246.7 cells. A model of an immunosuppressed mouse was constructed using cyclophosphamide‐induced, and <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> was extracted for the intervention. We found that <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> restored immune homeostasis in immune deficiency mice by inhibiting the abnormal apoptosis in lymphocytes, enhancing natural killer cell cytotoxicity, promoting T lymphocyte proliferation, and increasing the CD4<jats:sup>+</jats:sup> and CD8<jats:sup>+</jats:sup> T lymphocytes in quantity. Moreover, <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> treatment modulates immunity by significantly downregulating lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammation and oxidative stress levels. We verified the immunomodulatory function of <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> through both cell and animal experiments. The combination of potential‐protein interactions and molecular docking later revealed that <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> polyphenols were associated with immunomodulatory effects on MAPK1; together, <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> intervention significantly modulates the immune, with the activation of MAPK1 as the underlying mechanism of action, which provided evidence for the utilization of <jats:italic>LJT</jats:italic> as a nutraceutical in immune function.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The present work investigated the structure‐function relationship of dry fractionated oat flour (DFOF) as a techno‐functional ingredient using bread as a model system. Mechanically, DFOF fractions (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic>), that is, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>1: &lt;224 µm, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>2: 250–280 µm, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>3: 280–500 µm, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>4: 500–600 µm, and whole oat flour (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic>5) were blended with white wheat flour at 10%, 30%, and 50% substitution levels for bread making. The blended flours, doughs, and bread samples were assessed for their techno‐functional, nutritional, and structural characteristics. The results of Mixolab and the Rapid Visco Analyzer show that the 50% substituted <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>3 fraction exhibits the highest water absorption properties (69.53%), whereas the 50% <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>1 fraction exhibits the highest peak viscosity of the past slurry. Analysis of bread samples revealed a lower particle size of DFOF fractions and higher supplementation levels, increased β‐glucan levels (0.13–1.29 g/100 bread (db), reduced fermentable monosaccharides, that is, glucose (1.44–0.33 g/100 g), and fructose (1.06–0.28 g/100 g). The effect of particle size surpassed the substitution level effect on bread volume reduction. The lowest hardness value for <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>1 is 10%, and the highest value for <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>2 is 50%. The total number of cells in the bread slice decreased from the control to the <jats:italic>F</jats:italic>4 fraction (50%). Multi‐criteria analysis indicated that DFOF fractions produced breads with similar structure and higher nutritional value developed from white wheat flour.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>The use of mechanically fractionated oat flours fractions in white wheat flour breads can improve the nutritional profile without affecting the physical properties of the bread product. Based on the oat flour fractions, bakers and food processing companies can tailor the bread formulations for high β‐glucan, high fiber, and low reduced sugar claims.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study aims to investigate the impact of four key factors, namely, temperature, water source, metal ion, and pH, on the stability of molecular chirality of dihydromyricetin (DMY) and proposed effective strategies for configuration protection. The findings reveal that temperatures exceeding 80°C could accelerate the racemization process of DMY, with a significant increase in racemization observed at 100°C. In addition, DMY exhibited heightened stability in ultrapure water as compared to various water sources, including pure water‐1, pure water‐2, mineral water, and running water. Notably, the presence of Fe<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> displayed an inhibitory effect on the racemization of DMY, whereas Mg<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>, Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup>, and Mn<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> showed a substantial promotional effect. Additionally, acidic conditions (pH &lt; 5.0) were found to be protective for maintaining the stability of DMY, whereas alkaline conditions (pH &gt; 9.0) were observed to be detrimental. Meanwhile, we first identified the presence of another pair of DMY isomers in this work.</jats:p>

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Heracleum dissectum</jats:italic> is rich in nutrients, but there is little research on its soluble dietary fiber (SDF). In this study, SDF from <jats:italic>H. dissectum</jats:italic> was extracted by enzyme extraction (E‐SDF), enzyme chemical extraction (EC‐SDF), and fermentation extraction (F‐SDF). The composition, molecular weight (Mw), structural characterization, and antioxidant activity of SDF extracted by the three methods were compared. This study showed that different extraction methods lead to differences in their structure. The Mw results showed that F‐SDF had the largest Mw, the structure of SDF could be destroyed by enzymatic hydrolysis, and large molecules could be converted into small molecules. The monosaccharide composition analysis showed that the main sugars of E‐SDF, EC‐SDF, and F‐SDF were galacturonic acid and galactose, and the main components of the three SDF samples were hemicellulose hydrolyzed pectin and soluble polysaccharide. Notably, E‐SDF had the greatest antioxidant effect at the same concentration. In summary, different extraction methods can affect the structure and antioxidant capacity of <jats:italic>H. dissectum</jats:italic> SDF, among which E‐SDF has potential as a functional food ingredient.</jats:p>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>α‐Dicarbonyls and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the heat‐induced potential toxicants commonly found in thermally processed foods due to the Maillard reaction. Research has shown that both α‐dicarbonyls and AGEs can cause oxidative stress and inflammation and have a positive link with several chronic diseases, such as diabetes. This study found that commonly consumed berry fruits exhibited excellent methylglyoxal (MGO)‐trapping and antiglycative activities, positively associated with their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Blackcurrant exhibited the strongest MGO‐trapping and antiglycative activities among the tested berry fruits. In addition, we demonstrated that fortification with blackcurrant significantly reduced α‐dicarbonyls and AGEs formation in the chocolate cookies and marinated ground pork. Delphinidin and cyanidin glycosides were identified as the primary bioactive compounds of blackcurrant that trapped MGO to form the corresponding mono‐ and di‐MGO adducts. This study suggested that blackcurrant anthocyanins might serve as a novel additive to reduce the consumption of dietary reactive carbonyl species and AGEs from both animal‐ and plant‐derived processed foods.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>The levels of α‐dicarbonyls and advanced glycation end products in ground pork and cookies were significantly reduced when fortified with blackcurrant. The blackcurrant anthocyanins might be a novel agent inhibiting α‐dicarbonyls and dietary advanced glycation end products formation in thermally processed foods.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The increasing concerns about health have led to a growing demand for high‐quality fried foods. The potential uses of <jats:italic>Ligustrum robustum</jats:italic> (Rxob.) Blume, a traditional tea in China, as natural additives to enhance the quality of starchy food during frying was studied. Results indicated that <jats:italic>L. robustum</jats:italic> polyphenols extract (LREs) could improve the quality of fried starchy food, according to the tests of color, moisture content, oil content, texture property, and volatile flavor. The in vitro digestion results demonstrated that LRE reduced the final glucose content from 11.35 ± 0.17 to 10.80 ± 0.70 mmol/L and increased the phenolic content of fried starch foods from 1.23 ± 0.04 to 3.76 ± 0.14 mg/g. The appearance and polarizing microscopy results showed that LRE promoted large starch bulges on the surface of fried starchy foods. Meanwhile, X‐ray diffraction results showed that LRE increased the intensity of characteristic diffraction peak of fried starch with a range of 21.8%–28%, and Fourier transform infrared results showed that LRE reduced the damage to short‐range order structure of starch caused by the frying process. In addition, LRE increased the aggregation of starch granules according to the SEM observation and decreased the enthalpy of starch gelatinization based on the differential scanning calorimetry results. The present results suggest that LREs have the potential to be utilized as a natural additive for regulating the quality of fried starchy food in food industries.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>The enhancement of <jats:italic>L. robustum</jats:italic> polyphenols on the quality of starchy food during frying was found, and its mechanisms were also explored. This work indicated that <jats:italic>L. robustum</jats:italic> might be used as a novel economic natural additive for producing high‐quality fried foods.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>To enhance the flavor characteristics of milk coffee, steam distillation was applied to roasted ground coffee to obtain extracts that were then added to the hot water extract of the residue. The effects of different condensation temperatures for steam distillation on the volatile compounds of condensates and the flavor characteristics of the milk coffees prepared with each condensate were investigated. The volatile compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the mean peak areas of the volatiles that showed significant differences between the samples. The five types of milk coffees prepared with/without condensates were evaluated by consumer panelists using the check‐all‐that‐apply question combined with the milk coffee flavor lexicon. The results showed that the concentration of volatile compounds tended to be higher in response to decreasing condensation temperature in steam distillation. The volatile compounds were grouped into four patterns based on their concentration in the condensates, which was affected by the volatility of the compounds and the duration of the condensation process in steam distillation. PCA clarified the characteristic volatile compounds that contribute to differences between the three condensates. The check‐all‐that‐apply results indicated that the samples prepared with the condensates enhanced some specific coffee flavors, although acceptances for them were not enhanced. Implementing a steam distillation step in the milk coffee production process could lead to enhancing the coffee flavor strength of milk coffee products, and changing the condensation temperature for steam distillation was effective for providing different flavor characteristics of milk coffee.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>Changing the condensation temperature for steam distillation is effective in differentiating the flavor characteristics of milk coffee. Increasing the condensation temperature resulted in decreased concentrations of volatile compounds, which enhanced the milk and rich flavor. Decreasing the condensation temperature resulted in increased concentrations of volatile compounds, which provided a stronger coffee flavor to the milk coffee, possibly leading to a reduction in the use of coffee for milk coffee production. The check‐all‐that‐apply question combined with the milk coffee flavor lexicon could effectively evaluate consumers’ perceptions of the milk coffee flavor characteristics and their acceptances in a single survey.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The effects of the storage process on the quality characteristics of a hemp‐enriched “tsoureki” (a rich‐dough baked Greek product, rich‐dough baked product [RDBP]) were investigated. The wheat flour was substituted with defatted hemp flour at selected ratios (0%–50% hemp:wheat flour). The baked products were stored at 25°C and at specific time intervals (0, 1, 4, 7, 10, and 14 days), and their properties were determined, including moisture content, water activity, structure, texture, color, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity. Moreover, analyses of phenolic compounds were performed using quadrupole time of flight liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy, identifying 14 compounds. Both the first‐order kinetic model and modified Avrami equation, including the hemp‐to‐wheat ratio effect in the rate constant, well described the changes in the quality characteristics. The results showed that storage time and hemp incorporation significantly affected the quality of the product. Water activity decreased from 0.901 to 0.859, whereas moisture content decreased from 30.52%–32.33% (0 days) to 26.97%–27.02% w.b. (14 days) with storage time for all hemp additions. Hardness was greatly affected by hemp flour addition and approached 14.72 and 17.85 N after 14 days of storage for 30% and 50% substitutions, respectively. Springiness and cohesiveness decreased with hemp addition and storage time. The color difference of the hemp‐enriched products compared to the control sample increased during storage. TPC increased due to the addition of hemp flour, whereas 14 compounds were identified. Based on property correlation, the hemp‐enriched RDBP‐tsoureki held its high‐quality characteristics for 7 days of storage and contained a significant amount of bioactive compounds.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>Industrially produced, defatted hemp is a promising byproduct that can be used to nutritionally enhance baked goods. Modeling results can be used for the prediction of the properties that define product storage ability and also that the hemp‐enriched, rich dough‐baked Greek “tsoureki” could be produced while maintaining total phenolic content and antioxidant activity during 7 days of storage. These findings are expected to be used in the future in baked goods industry applications to produce goods with an improved nutritional profile.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>A better understanding of how emulsifier type could differently influence the behavior of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) under the gastrointestinal digestion process, as well as at the cellular level, is of utmost importance for the NLC‐based formulations’ optimization and risk assessment in the food field. In this study, NLC composed by fully hydrogenated soybean and high‐oleic sunflower oils were prepared using soy lecithin (NLC L<jats:sub>β</jats:sub>) or Tween 80 (NLC T<jats:sub>β</jats:sub>) as an emulsifier. β‐Carotene was entrapped within NLC developed as a promising strategy to overcome β‐carotene's low bioavailability and stability. The effect of emulsifier type on the digestibility of β‐carotene‐loaded NLC was evaluated using an in vitro dynamic digestion model mimicking peristalsis motion. The influence of β‐carotene‐loaded NLC on cell viability was assessed using Caco‐2 cells in vitro. NLC T<jats:sub>β</jats:sub> remained stable in the gastric compartment, presenting particle size (PS) similar to the initial NLC (PS: 245.68 and 218.18 nm, respectively), while NLC L<jats:sub>β</jats:sub> showed lower stability (PS &gt; 1000 nm) in stomach and duodenum phases. NLC T<jats:sub>β</jats:sub> also provided high β‐carotene protection and delivery capacity (i.e., β‐carotene bioaccessibility increased 10‐fold). Based on the results of digestion studies, NLC T<jats:sub>β</jats:sub> has shown better physical stability during the passage through the in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal system than NLC L<jats:sub>β</jats:sub>. Moreover, the developed NLC did not compromise cell viability up to 25 µg/mL of β‐carotene. Thus, the NLC developed proved to be a biocompatible structure and able to incorporate and protect β‐carotene for further food applications.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>The findings of this study hold significant implications for industrial applications in terms of developing nanostructured lipid carriers from natural raw materials widely available and used to produce other lipid‐based products in the food industry, as an alternative to synthetic ones. In this respect, the β‐carotene‐loaded NLC developed in this study would find a great industrial application in the food industry, which is in constant search to develop functional foods capable of increasing the bioavailability of bioactive compounds.</jats:p></jats:sec>

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The stems of <jats:italic>Cynomorium songaricum</jats:italic> are used in traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic and also used locally as a food material and livestock feed. It is known that some of the falvan‐3‐ol monomers and dimers that entered the milk of dairy sheep fed with <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems are biotransformation products of the original flavan‐3‐ol polymers in <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems. This study was performed to investigate the biotransformation process of the flavan‐3‐ols in dairy sheep and to evaluate the bioactivities. The results showed that procyanidin A2 and epicatechin could be released from the polymeric flavan‐3‐ols of <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> through rumen microbial metabolism. On traumatic and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced inflammation models of Tg (mpx: EGFP) zebrafish larvae and LPS‐induced liver injury models of Tg (fabp10a: DsRed) zebrafish larvae, the milk from sheep fed with <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems showed stronger anti‐inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities compared to blank milk. The absorbed chemical constituents of <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems and the metabolites also exhibited anti‐inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities, with the dimeric flavan‐3‐ols being more effective than the monomers. The milk, the absorbed chemical constituents of <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems, and the metabolites alleviated the increased level of reactive oxygen species induced by LPS in zebrafish larvae.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Practical Application</jats:title><jats:p>This study found that <jats:italic>C. songaricum</jats:italic> stems as livestock feed could produce milk that has a beneficial impact on consumer and livestock health in terms of anti‐inflammation and hepatoprotection.</jats:p></jats:sec>