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BACKGROUND: Walnut protein (WP) is recognized as a valuable plant protein. However, the poor solubility and functional properties limit its application in the food industry. It is a great requirement to improve the physicochemical properties of WP. RESULTS: Following a 90 min restricted enzymatic hydrolysis period, the solubility of WP significantly increased from 3.24% to 54.54%, with the majority of WP hydrolysates (WPHs) possessing a molecular weight exceeding 50 kDa. Circular dichroism spectra showed that post‐hydrolysis, the structure of the protein became more flexible, while the hydrolysis time did not significantly alter the protein's secondary structure. After hydrolysis, WP's surface hydrophobicity significantly increased from 2279 to 6100. Furthermore, WPHs exhibited a strong capacity for icariin loading and micelle formation with critical micelle concentration values of 0.71, 0.99 and 1.09 mg mL−1, respectively. Moreover, similar immuno‐enhancement activities were observed in WPHs. After exposure to WPHs, the pinocytosis of RAW264.7 macrophages was significantly improved. WPH treatment also increased the production of nitric oxide, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in macrophages. Up‐regulation of mRNA expressions of IL‐6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF‐α was observed in a dose‐dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The enhancement of functionality and bioactivity in WP can be achieved through the application of limited enzyme digestion with trypsin. This process effectively augments the nutritional value and utility of the protein, making it a valuable component in various dietary applications. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytic acid, a naturally occurring compound predominantly found in cereals and legumes, is the focus of this review. This review investigates its distribution across various food sources, elucidating its dual roles in foods. It also provides new insights into the change in phytic acid level during food storage and the evolving trends in phytic acid management. Although phytic acid can function as a potent color stabilizer, flavor enhancer, and preservative, its antinutritional effects in foods restrict its applications. In terms of management strategies, numerous treatments for degrading phytic acid have been reported, each with varying degradation efficacies and distinct mechanisms of action. These treatments encompass traditional methods, biological approaches, and emerging technologies. Traditional processing techniques such as soaking, milling, dehulling, heating, and germination appear to effectively reduce phytic acid levels in processed foods. Additionally, fermentation and phytase hydrolysis demonstrated significant potential for managing phytic acid in food processing. In the future, genetic modification, due to its high efficiency and minimal environmental impact, should be prioritized to downregulate the biosynthesis of phytic acid. The review also delves into the biosynthesis and metabolism of phytic acid and elaborates on the mitigation mechanism of phytic acid using biotechnology. The challenges in the application of phytic acid in the food industry were also discussed. This study contributes to a better understanding of the roles phytic acid plays in food and the sustainability and safety of the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pea proteins has been widely used in food industry due to its functionality and health benefits. Pea peptides derived from pea proteins are considered as promising source of novel functional food. However, the chemical structure of pea peptides with immunomodulatory activity remains unclear. In this work, 46 pea peptides with molecular weight from 533.28 to 1462.78 were identified from pea protein hydrolysates. The hydrolysates could significantly increase the immunomodulatory activity of the macrophages by elevation of phagocytic activity, promoting the production of nitric oxide and pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α and IL‐6) at the doses of 0.25–1.0 mg mL−1. Moreover, upregulation of iNOS, TNF‐α and IL‐6 were related to the activity of pea protein hydrolysates. Fourteen peptides with activity scores > 0.3 showed good affinity with TLR4/MD‐2 by molecular docking. TLR4 activation was involved in the immunomodulatory activity of bioactive pea peptides through a hydrogen bond, Pi‐cation, Pi‐Sigma, Pi‐Pi stacked and/or Pi‐Pi T‐shaped interactions respectively. The above results indicated that pea peptides could be used as healthy food with immunomodulatory function, promoting the development of pea proteins in the functional food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenylated stilbenoids possess a range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, neuroprotective and vasorelaxant properties. However, their potential is limited by the scarcity of these compounds in nature. In this study, we present an eco-friendly biosynthetic method for producing prenylated resveratrol in Escherichia coli. By co-expressing the MVA pathway for DMAPP synthesis with a prenyltransferase, we successfully achieved in vivo prenylation of resveratrol. We then reconstructed a novel biosynthetic pathway for 2-C-prenyl resveratrol by integrating the resveratrol pathway. Through careful metabolic flux engineering to accumulate acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, we created a high-yield strain that produced 2-C-prenyl resveratrol, achieving a significant titer of 68.4 mg L−1 in flask cultures. This research marks the first microbial production of prenylated stilbenoids, providing a foundation for sustainable green production of these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional foods play an important role in health care and chronic diseases prevention, particularly cancer. Prenylated flavonoids are presented in many food resources. They are recognized as neutraceuticals due to their diverse health benefits. Up to now, more than 1000 prenylated flavonoids have been identified in plants. Their food resources are reviewed in this paper. Due to the good safety and cancer prevention effect of prenylated flavonoids, this paper reviews the cancer prevention activities and mechanisms reported in last decade. The structure-activity relationship is discussed. Due to the limited availability in nature, the heterologously biosynthetic technique of prenylated flavonoids is discussed in this review. Inclusion of dietary prenylated flavonoids into human diet is highly desirable. This paper combines the up-to-date information and give a clear image regarding prenylated flavonoids as neutraceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]