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Fruit and vegetable fermented beverages, a functional non-dairy fermented product, are popular worldwide due to their health-promoting attributes. It is reported that a variety of nutrients and chemical composition are found in fruit and vegetable fermented beverages, and health-promoting effects also have been reported. In addition, the quality and consumer acceptance of products is largely affected by probiotics starter, fermentation process, juice sterilization process and beverage enhancements. Considering the extensive reports on fruit and vegetable fermented beverages, the summary of these aspects is rare and not comprehensive enough. In view of this, we realized that it is necessary to update influencing factors of the quality and consumer acceptance of fruit and vegetable fermented beverages and some of the technologies involved, as well as nutrients, chemical properties and health benefits. Based on recent developments, it can be anticipated that fruit and vegetable fermented beverages will continue to be an important part of the functional food market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential trace element, iron is a necessary micronutrient for most organisms. Conyza blinii (C. blinii) is a traditional Chinese medicine grown in Sichuan, China. We chose C. blinii as material to explore the way plants respond to iron. Our results showed that iron increased the content of endogenous auxin, glandular trichomes (GTs) density and the content of blinin, the characteristic diterpene in C. blinii. Most of the key enzymes in the blinin synthesis pathway (MEP) were upregulated under iron by RNA sequencing. CbHO-1 (Heme oxygenase gene) was upregulated under exogenous IAA treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that C. blinii respond to iron through auxin- terpenoids metabolism, and this process may be related to CbHO-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus oryzae is an ideal host for expressing heterologous and homologous genes. Due to the risk of antibiotics to food safety, it is banned for use in resistance screening with food-grade expression system. Therefore there merit and value in exploring the use of Aspergillus oryzae food-grade expression system based on auxotrophic markers. In this study uridine/uracil auxotrophic strains A. oryzae RIB40ΔpyrG were generated by ultraviolet mutagenesis of pyrG gene deletion which would then be used as a host for further transformation analysis and applications. Meanwhile, a novel and efficient expression vector pBC-hygro.4 was constructed, which included the pyrG cassette gene, His-Tag, amyB promoter and terminator, and green fluorescent protein GFP marker. pBC-hygro.4 was successfully transferred to A. oryzae RIB40ΔpyrG via the PEG-CaCl2-mediated transformation method, and the stability of pBC-hygro.4 was evaluated by detecting the expression of the GFP reporter gene. Through phenotyping and sequencing verification, a uridine/uracil auxotrophic strains A. oryzae RIB40ΔpyrG were successfully generated. In addition, the developed vectors were fully functional for heterologous expression of the GFP fluorescent proteins in A. oryzae RIB40ΔpyrG and the recombinant A. oryzae RIB40ΔpyrG cultures indicated pronounced green fluorescence in the mycelia. Based on auxotrophic/nutritional markers, this study provides an effective method that can be applied to develop similar fungal transformation systems in other filamentous fungi, which will be beneficial for food-grade applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring compounds polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants, comprised several categories, namely, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans and stilbenes. The biological aging process is driven by a series of interrelated mechanisms, including oxidative stress, inflammation status, and autophagy function, through diverse signaling pathways. Moreover, the crucial role of gut microbiota in regulating aging and health status was widely demonstrated. In recent years, the potential anti-aging benefits of polyphenols have been gaining increasing scientific interest due to their capability to modulate oxidative damage, inflammation, autophagy, and gut microbiota. This review highlights the influence of polyphenols in preventing aging disorders and augmenting lifespan based on the influence of oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and gut microbiota, and encourages research on novel polyphenol-based strategies and clinical trials to develop a nutrition-oriented holistic anti-aging therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]