The fruit of the jujube tree is high in nutrients and has various health benefits. China is a major producer of jujube, and it is now cultivated all around the world. Numerous studies have demonstrated the nutritional value and potential health advantages of bioactive compounds found in the jujube tree. Furthermore, the jujube tree has a remarkable 7000-year agricultural history. The jujube plant has developed a rich gene pool, making it a valuable resource for germplasm. Different studies have focused on the developmental stages of jujube fruits to identify the optimal time for harvest and to assess the changes in their bioactive natural compounds or products during the process of development but the molecular mechanism underlying the production of bioactive natural products in Z. jujuba is still poorly understood. Moreover, the potential differential expressed genes (DEGs) identified as responsible for the synthesis of these compounds should be further functionally verified. It has been noticed that the contents of total flavonoids, total phenolic, and vitamin C increase significantly during the ripening process, while the contents of soluble sugars and organic acids decrease gradually. In this review, we have also scrutinized the challenges that hinder the utilization of jujube fruit resources and suggested potential areas for further research. As such, our review serves as a valuable resource for the future development of jujube-based nutritional compounds and the incorporation of their nutritional elements into the functional foods industry.

Antioxidants agents play an essential role in the food industry for improving the oxidative stability of food products. In the last years, the search for new natural antioxidants has increased due to the potential high toxicity of chemical additives. Therefore, the synthesis and evaluation of the antioxidant activity in peptides is a field of current research. In this study, we performed a Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship analysis (QSAR) of cysteine-containing 19 dipeptides and 19 tripeptides. The main objective is to bring information on the relationship between the structure of peptides and their antioxidant activity. For this purpose, 1D and 2D molecular descriptors were calculated using the PaDEL software, which provides information about the structure, shape, size, charge, polarity, solubility and other aspects of the compounds. Different QSAR model for di- and tripeptides were developed. The statistic parameters for di-peptides model (R2train = 0.947 and R2test = 0.804) and for tripeptide models (R2train = 0.923 and R2test = 0.847) indicate that the generated models have high predictive capacity. Then, the influence of the cysteine position was analyzed predicting the antioxidant activity for new di- and tripeptides, and comparing them with glutathione. In dipeptides, excepting SC, TC and VC, the activity increases when cysteine is at the N-terminal position. For tripeptides, we observed a notable increase in activity when cysteine is placed in the N-terminal position.

Given the high antioxidant capacity of gallic acid (GA), there is a great deal of interest in the development of rapid, selective, simple, and easily accessible analytical methods for its determination from complex samples. Consequently, the present study aimed to develop an ultrasonic assisted magnetic ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid microextraction (UA-MIL-DLLME) method for the extraction of GA from various samples prior to its spectrophotometric detection. The method\'s key variables were optimized through statistical analysis. Four magnetic liquids (MILs) were prepared and tested to extract the GA-Se complex formed in aqueous solution. Both experimental studies and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the most suitable MIL for the phase separation of the relevant complex is [P6,6,6,14][Mn(hfacac)3]. The developed UA-MIL-DLLME method exhibited a wide linear range (5-400 ng mL-1), a remarkable enhancement factor (133), and a low limit of detection (1.6 ng mL-1). Additionally, high extraction recovery (97 ± 1%) with a low relative standard deviation (1.9%) was achieved. The extraction time for the UA-MIL-DLLME method was 8 min. The precision of the method was evaluated through repeatability and reproducibility studies. Finally, the UA-MIL-DLLME method was successfully applied to the extraction of the GA from complex samples using a reference method.

The ninhydrin reaction is commonly used for the detection of amino acids. However, in the literature, different conditions with respect to the buffer system, its pH and concentration, type of organic solvent, incubation time, and temperature, as well as the concentrations of the reagents, are described. To identify the most suitable conditions, colour development with reagents of varying compositions and different reaction temperatures and times were investigated using asparagine as a model amino acid. Asparagine was selected since it is one of the most abundant free amino acids in many types of samples. The optimal reaction mixture consisted of 0.8 mol L-1 potassium acetate, 1.6 mol L-1 acetic acid, 20 mg mL-1 ninhydrin and 0.8 mg mL-1 hydrindantin in DMSO/acetate buffer 40/60 (v/v) (final concentrations). The best reaction condition was heating the samples in 1.5 mL reaction tubes to 90 °C for 45 min. Afterwards, the samples were diluted with 2-propanol/water 50/50 (v/v) and the absorbance was measured at 570 nm. The proteinogenic amino acids showed a similar response except for cysteine and proline. The method was highly sensitive and showed excellent linearity as well as intra-day and inter-day reproducibility.

UNASSIGNED: There have been large geographical differences in the infection and death rates of COVID-19. Foods and beverages containing high amounts of phytochemicals with bioactive properties were suggested to prevent contracting and to facilitate recovery from COVID-19. The goal of our study was to determine the correlation of the type of foods/beverages people consumed and the risk reduction of contracting COVID-19 and the recovery from COVID-19.
UNASSIGNED: We developed an online survey that asked the participants whether they contracted COVID-19, their symptoms, time to recover, and their frequency of eating various types of foods/beverages. The survey was developed in 10 different languages.
UNASSIGNED: The participants who did not contract COVID-19 consumed vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages significantly more than the participants who contracted COVID-19. Among the six countries (India/Iran/Italy/Japan/Russia/Spain) with over 100 participants and high correspondence between the location of the participants and the language of the survey, in India and Japan the people who contracted COVID-19 showed significantly shorter recovery time, and greater daily intake of vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages was associated with faster recovery.
UNASSIGNED: Our results suggest that phytochemical compounds included in the vegetables may have contributed in not only preventing contraction of COVID-19, but also accelerating their recovery.

Perchlorate, an aqueous-soluble compound resistant to degradation, is mainly used in the synthesis of pyrotechnics, herbicides, and other products. It serves as a pivotal component in the production of fireworks, rocket fuel, and explosives. Perchlorate was recognized as a pollutant owing to the potential toxic risk to thyroid function, which could pose a potential threat to the nervous system of infants and pregnant women. Some study had found that perchlorate existed in food, water and air. This study aimed to investigate the levels of perchlorate in six types of foods (n = 570) from South China, and evaluate potential exposure risks for residents. Vegetables were found to have the highest median levels of foods, attributed to elevated water content in leafy vegetables and facile solubility of perchlorate in water. The relatively low levels of perchlorate in food compared to other studies could attribute to the fact that the period of food we purchased in this study was during the wet season while the contaminants, such as perchlorate, were diluted. The maximum hazard quotient (HQ) values for all residents consuming different foods and water were all higher than 1 This suggested that there is a potential health risk of perchlorate to residents in South China. Those may be attributed to the high levels of perchlorate in some individual samples of meat and eggs. However, the 95th percentile of HQ values in all residents was less than 1, indicating that there is no potential health risk of perchlorate to most residents in South China.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have consistently demonstrated associations between ultra-processed food and drink (UPFD) consumption and non-communicable diseases. However, there is a lack of data investigating relationships between UPFD intake and intermediate cardiometabolic disease markers. In this study we explored UPFD associations with lipoprotein subclasses.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 1986 middle-to older-aged men and women randomly selected from a large primary care centre. The percentage contribution of UPFDs to total energy intake was calculated for each participant using the NOVA classification. Lipoprotein particle subclass concentrations and size were determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Correlation and multivariate-adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to examine UPFD intake relationships with lipoprotein subclasses.
RESULTS: In fully adjusted regression models, higher UPFD consumption was associated with reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations (β = -0.024, p = 0.001), large low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (β = -18.645, p = 0.002), total and medium HDL concentrations (β = -0.328, p = 0.012; β = -0.510, p < 0.001), smaller LDL and HDL size (β = -0.026, p = 0.023; β = -0.023, p = 0.024), and increased medium very low-density lipoprotein levels (β = 0.053, p = 0.022), small LDL and HDL concentrations (β = 20.358, p = 0.02; β = 0.336, p = 0.011), and higher lipoprotein insulin resistance scores (β = 0.048, p = 0.012), reflecting greater lipoprotein-related insulin resistance.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this research suggest that increased intake of UPFDs is associated with a more pro-atherogenic, insulin-resistant metabolic profile in middle-to older-aged adults which may be a potential mechanism underlying reported associations between UPFD consumption and chronic disease risk and mortality.

Processed plant-based foods, particularly high carbohydrate-containing foods, are among the greatest contributors to dietary acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, uptake. Between 2009 and 2020, five surveys were conducted to determine acrylamide in high carbohydrate-containing foods in Canada. These surveys included sampling of potato and sweet potato chips, French fries, and frozen potato/sweet potato products, as a follow-up to our earlier surveys from 2002 - 2008. Samples were analyzed using isotope dilution (13C3-acrylamide) with LC-MS/MS. The highest mean acrylamide levels were found in sweet potato chips. Among potato chips (57 to 4660 ng g-1), one brand consistently showed the highest concentrations with wide variability. Acrylamide concentrations decreased over time in ready-to-eat French fries (from 480 to 358 ng g-1), and one brand showed a clear reduction temporally. Wide variations were observed among brands, among lots/outlets of same brands, and among different food chains. Acrylamide levels in potato chips decreased between 2009 and 2016 (504.3 ng g-1) relative to the period 2002 - 2008 (1096.9 ng g-1). The acrylamide trends observed in the products measured in the latest study indicate that food producers may have adopted mitigation strategies.

BACKGROUND: Older adults are at greater risk of eating rotten fruits and of getting food poisoning because cognitive function declines as they age, making it difficult to distinguish rotten fruits. To address this problem, researchers have developed and evaluated various tools to detect rotten food items in various ways. Nevertheless, little is known about how to create an app to detect rotten food items to support older adults at a risk of health problems from eating rotten food items.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (1) create a smartphone app that enables older adults to take a picture of food items with a camera and classifies the fruit as rotten or not rotten for older adults and (2) evaluate the usability of the app and the perceptions of older adults about the app.
METHODS: We developed a smartphone app that supports older adults in determining whether the 3 fruits selected for this study (apple, banana, and orange) were fresh enough to eat. We used several residual deep networks to check whether the fruit photos collected were of fresh fruit. We recruited healthy older adults aged over 65 years (n=15, 57.7%, males and n=11, 42.3%, females) as participants. We evaluated the usability of the app and the participants\' perceptions about the app through surveys and interviews. We analyzed the survey responses, including an after-scenario questionnaire, as evaluation indicators of the usability of the app and collected qualitative data from the interviewees for in-depth analysis of the survey responses.
RESULTS: The participants were satisfied with using an app to determine whether a fruit is fresh by taking a picture of the fruit but are reluctant to use the paid version of the app. The survey results revealed that the participants tended to use the app efficiently to take pictures of fruits and determine their freshness. The qualitative data analysis on app usability and participants\' perceptions about the app revealed that they found the app simple and easy to use, they had no difficulty taking pictures, and they found the app interface visually satisfactory.
CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the possibility of developing an app that supports older adults in identifying rotten food items effectively and efficiently. Future work to make the app distinguish the freshness of various food items other than the 3 fruits selected still remains.

Listeria monocytogenes, along with various other pathogenic bacteria, may show resistance against a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Evaluating the extent of resistance in harmful microorganisms like Listeria monocytogenes holds significant importance in crafting novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate or combat the rise of infections stemming from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The present work aims to investigate the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance among Listeria monocytogenes strains in meat products (n = 173), seafood (n = 54), dairy products (n = 19), sauces (n = 2), confectionary products (n = 1), ready-to-eat rice dishes (n = 1), and food-processing environments (n = 19). A total of 269 Listeria monocytogenes strains belonging to eight different serovars were tested against 10 antimicrobials. In the classes of antibiotics, most of the strains were resistant antibiotics belonging to the family of β-lactams (92.94%). High proportions of L. monocytogenes isolates were resistant to oxacillin (88.48%), followed by fosfomycin (85.87%) and flumenique (78.44%). The lowest level of resistance was observed against gentamycin (1.49%). A total of 235 strains (n = 87.36%) showed a profile of multidrug resistance. In conclusion, a high occurrence of resistant and multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes was observed among the examined serotypes isolated from different food sources. This understanding enables the adoption of suitable measures to avert contamination and the spread of resistant bacteria via food.