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Summary: HA composite films were prepared using hyaluronic acid (HA) as a substrate with the addition of curcumin and cellulose nanofibre (CNF), and the application was evaluated by egg preservation tests at 25 °C and 70% humidity. The composite additives increased the thickness of both films. Compared to single HA film, 0.025% curcumin conferred the best antimicrobial properties, while CNF mainly controlled the viscosity, permeability and mechanical properties of the films. A 56‐day egg preservation test showed that the composite film with 0.5% HA addition, 0.025% each of curcumin and CNF, and a coating time of 2 min had the lowest weight loss of 13.88%. The final Haugh unit was 52.08, respectively, which exceeded the corresponding control values around Day 35 and extended the shelf life by at least 14 days. This indicates that the composite film at this concentration has the most significant effect on egg preservation and is important for postharvest food preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pelletized straw returning is an innovative approach to enhance nutrient cycling in soil-crop systems. However, its impact on the macro- and micronutrients of both soil and grain, along with grain amino acids remains uncertainty. A three-year field experiment was conducted in Northeast China with spring maize monoculture under pelletized straw returning annually with 75 Mg ha−1 (PS75), comparing with chopped straw with 75 Mg ha−1 (CS75) and 15 Mg ha−1 (CS15), as well as no straw returning (CK). Our results indicated that PS75 increased the contents of soil Ca, Mn, Ni, Cu, and Zn by 19 %, 14 %, 9 %, 7 %, and 4 % respectively, compared to CS75. Additionally, PS75 enhanced grain Fe, Mn, and Mg by 35 %, 12 % and 6 % than CS75, respectively. The increases in soil fertility and grain mineral elements benefited grain amino acids. Compared with CS75, PS75 increased the grain and total amino acid yields by 7 % and 29 %, respectively. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that pelletized straw returning is a promising practice for improving soil mineral element contents and enhancing grain nutrients level, which is benefit for producing nutrient-rich food through innovating straw returning strategies in regions with low temperature and precipitation. [Display omitted] • Additional advantages in soil Ca, Zn, Ni, Mn, and Cu were for pelletized than chopped straw. • Pelletized straw increased grain Fe, Mn and Mg, as well as amino acids compared to chopped straw. • Grain Mg and Ca associated with soil property, while others related to soil element. • Pelletized straw burying benefited grain quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small farms are the mainstay of maize production in China. Its productivity is relatively low despite large farm inputs and the associated environmental footprints. Here, we studied public–private partnership (PPP) model for sustainable intensification of maize production to achieve co‐benefits of food security and environmental sustainability. The PPP model enabled the development of an effective partnership by bringing complementary skills, knowledge, proprietary products and technologies, and resources of public research community and private enterprises to create a new, operational maize farming system in China. We conducted on‐farm research with farmer participation in four major maize‐growing regions spanning temperate to sub‐tropical zones in China for 2 years. The PPP model achieved 78.7% of maize yield potential compared with 61.8% realized in smallholder farm (SHF) (11.0 Mg ha−1 vs. 8.6 Mg ha−1). Overall, environmental externalities of PPP were up to 32.7% lower than that of SHF, depending on the region studied. PPP significantly reduced reactive nitrogen losses by 31.3%–35.5% compared with SHF in both years. There was no significant difference between PPP and SHF for greenhouse gas emission in 2018, but it was significantly lower in PPP (19%) compared to SHF in 2019. Similarly, PPP significantly reduced soil acidification potential (by 10.1%–42.2%) and eutrophication of waterbodies (21.5%) in comparison to SHF. Overall, the net ecosystem economic budget increased 277 USD ha−1 with PPP. The PPP model provides new insights into improving food security and ecosystem and economic budget. As a logical progression to our research, future work should focus on (a) the reasons for the persistence of inter‐regional yield gap in PPP model and (b) to gain a better understanding of socioeconomic drivers critical for successful PPP in different maize‐growing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) polysaccharide (SMP), an important immunomodulatory substance, is usually hard to be absorbed by the intestinal tract, because of its macromolecule characteristics. The objective of this study was to develop the water-in-oil (W/O) nanoemulsion to improve its absorption efficiency and the biological activity. Based on the results of pseudoternary phase diagram, the formulation of nanoemulsion were optimized as IPM/polysaccharide/Tween80-Span85/anhydrous ethanol = 39/16/33.75/11.25 (v/v/v/v), used as the oil, aqueous phase, surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively. Under this condition, the droplet size of a W/O SMP nanoemulsion was 144.5 nm, with the polydispersity of 0.128 and the great stability. Moreover, the anti-tumor activity of SMP was notably improved after nano-emulsification. The results demonstrated that SMP nanoemulsion has great potential for applying in health food and pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize production is facing multiple challenges toward increasing crop productivity, enhancing resource utilization, and mitigating climate change nowadays. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an emerging concept, which pursues the synthesis of higher crop productivity, lower carbon emissions, and improved soil resilience to the climate change. However, few studies have been done to evaluate the productivity and environmental consequences following the CSA of maize production. Herein, the effects of CSA practice on maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency (partial factor productivity, PFP N), soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, and carbon footprint (CF) were evaluated based on a nine-year in-situ field experiment in northeastern China. The experiment followed a randomized block design with three treatments including in traditional farmers' practices (FM), optimized agronomic practices (OPT, aiming to high grain yield and PFP N), and climate-smart agriculture practices (CSA, aiming to higher grain yield, PFP N , SOC stock, while lower CF). Compared with FM, OPT and CSA practices significantly increased grain yield and PFP N by 25.0%− 30.1% and 92.2%− 100.2% on average of experimental duration, respectively. CSA practice had significant higher global warming potential (GWP) but equivalent global warming potential intensity (GWPI) than these of FM and OPT practices during 2016 and 2017. Meanwhile, CSA practice also achieved the highest SOC sequestration in 0–40 cm soil depth compared to other treatments. Consequently, CF per hectare (CF a) of CSA significantly decreased by 41.4% on average than that of FM mainly due to higher SOC sequestration. Concerning the profit of cropping system, CSA had the highest net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) of 2090.62 $ ha−1 among the treatments. Overall, CSA practice showed advantages in promoting maize yield while reducing carbon footprint by integrated agronomic management (e.g. dense planting, subsoiling tillage, manure amendments, nitrogen fertilizer optimization, and so on), which could be regarded as a promising practice towards food security and carbon emission mitigation. [Display omitted] • An integrated agronomic practice was setup aiming to climate-smart agriculture (CSA). • CSA practice increased maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency compared to business as usual management. • CSA practice reduced carbon footprint by enhancing soil organic carbon stock and reducing indirect greenhouse gas emission. • It was demonstrated that CSA practice achieves the synergy of sustainable maize productivity and lower environmental costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]