Publications

Abstract Polyphenols are the most important phytochemicals in our diets and have received great attention due to their broad benefits for human health by suppressing oxidative stress and playing a protective role in preventing different pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. The stability of polyphenols depends on their environments of processing and storage, such as pH and temperature. A wide range of technologies has been developed to stabilize polyphenols during processing. This review will provide an overview of the stability of polyphenols in relation to their structure, the factors impacting the stability of polyphenols, the new products deriving from unstable polyphenols, and the effect of a series of technologies for the stabilization of polyphenols, such as chemical modification, nanotechnology, lyophilization, encapsulation, cold plasma treatment, polyphenol–protein interaction, and emulsion as a means of improving stability. Finally, the effects of cooking and storage on the stability of polyphenols were discussed.

The intertidal zone is a transitional area between land and sea, characterized by both marine and terrestrial features, with rich resources in mudflats. Accurately mapping the intertidal topography and understanding its dynamic characteristics are of great significance. In this study, Sentinel-2 imagery was used, combined with tidal data and ICESat‐2 data, respectively. Four methods–the waterline method, the inundation frequency method, random forest regression, and the long short-term memory (LSTM) model–were applied to extract intertidal topography in the large radial sand ridges along the Jiangsu coast. When validated with ICESat‐2 data and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data, the root mean square error (RMSE) values of all four methods combined with ICESat‐2 data were lower than those combined with tidal data. Using ICESat‐2 data for validation, the waterline method combined with ICESat‐2 data achieved the lowest RMSE of 0.218 m. When validated with UAV data, the inundation frequency method combined with ICESat‐2 data yielded the lowest RMSE of 0.864 m. From 2020 to 2024, the intertidal zone in this region was initially dominated by erosion, followed by deposition, ultimately reaching a dynamic equilibrium. This study achieved two objectives: (1) under identical area conditions using the same image data and two elevation data, four different methods were validated to compare their topographic extraction performance and identify the optimal approach; and (2) the optimal method was applied to generate multi-temporal topographic results of a local intertidal zone along the Jiangsu coast, analyzing terrain change in the region.

Abstract Two rocky shore ecotypes of Littorina saxatilis from north‐west Spain live at different shore levels and habitats and have developed an incomplete reproductive isolation through size assortative mating. The system is regarded as an example of sympatric ecological speciation. Several experiments have indicated that different evolutionary forces (migration, assortative mating and habitat‐dependent selection) play a role in maintaining the polymorphism. However, an assessment of the combined contributions of these forces supporting the observed pattern in the wild is absent. A model selection procedure using computer simulations was used to investigate the contribution of the different evolutionary forces towards the maintenance of the polymorphism. The agreement between alternative models and experimental estimates for a number of parameters was quantified by a least square method. The results of the analysis show that the fittest evolutionary model for the observed polymorphism is characterized by a high gene flow, intermediate‐high reproductive isolation between ecotypes, and a moderate to strong selection against the nonresident ecotypes on each shore level. In addition, a substantial number of additive loci contributing to the selected trait and a narrow hybrid definition with respect to the phenotype are scenarios that better explain the polymorphism, whereas the ecotype fitnesses at the mid‐shore, the level of phenotypic plasticity, and environmental effects are not key parameters.

The application of natural colorants is increasing in the food industry because they are considered safer and healthier than some synthetic pigments. Natural colorants can improve the organoleptic properties of foodstuffs, provide additional benefits such as enhance their nutritional value and/or extend shelf-life. Plants, fungi, bacteria or algae naturally produce different natural colorants, including carotenoids. These compounds are classified into two main groups: pure hydrocarbon carotenes (α- and β-carotenes, lycopene) and oxygenated derivatives of xanthophylls (lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, cryptoxanthin, etc.). Carotenoids have been related with beneficial properties like antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor or antimicrobial, so they are a natural and healthy alternative to the use of synthetic colorants. Thus, it is critical to optimize their extraction, by utilizing novel and green techniques, and their stability through encapsulation processes. This chapter aims to review natural sources of carotenoids, strategies to efficiently extract and produce them and their potential application as food colorants.

Our study provides new insights into the genetic basis of oil biosynthesis in T. grandis and demonstrates that integrating RNA sequencing and TRAS is a powerful strategy to perform association study independent of a reference genome for dissecting important traits in T. grandis.

Abstract We present Crykey, a computational tool for rapidly identifying cryptic mutations of SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we identify co-occurring single nucleotide mutations on the same sequencing read, called linked-read mutations, that are rare or entirely missing in existing databases, and have the potential to represent novel cryptic lineages found in wastewater. While previous approaches exist for identifying cryptic linked-read mutations from specific regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, there is a need for computational tools capable of efficiently tracking cryptic mutations across the entire genome and for tens of thousands of samples and with increased scrutiny, given their potential to represent either artifacts or hidden SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Crykey fills this gap by identifying rare linked-read mutations that pass stringent computational filters to limit the potential for artifacts. We evaluate the utility of Crykey on >3,000 wastewater and >22,000 clinical samples; our findings are three-fold: i) we identify hundreds of cryptic mutations that cover the entire SARS-CoV-2 genome, ii) we track the presence of these cryptic mutations across multiple wastewater treatment plants and over a three years of sampling in Houston, and iii) we find a handful of cryptic mutations in wastewater mirror cryptic mutations in clinical samples and investigate their potential to represent real cryptic lineages. In summary, Crykey enables large-scale detection of cryptic mutations representing potential cryptic lineages in wastewater.

Verbascum sinuatum (V. sinuatum) is a plant belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family that has been used as an ingredient in traditional medicine infusions for the treatment of many diseases. The aerial part of this plant is a source of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols and iridoids. Moreover, antioxidant activity studies have shown that V. sinuatum phenolic and flavonoid composition is higher than those in other plants of the same genus. V. sinuatum bioactive compound composition could vary according to the harvesting location, growing conditions of the plants, sample preparation methods, type and concentration of the extraction solvent, and the extraction methods. The obtention of these compounds can be achieved by different extraction techniques, most commonly, maceration, heat assisted extraction, and infusion. Nevertheless, since conventional extraction techniques have several drawbacks such as long times of extraction or use of large amounts of solvents, the use of green extraction techniques is suggested, without affecting the efficiency of the extraction. Moreover, V. sinuatum bioactive compounds have several biological activities, such as antioxidant, anticancer, cardiovascular, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective activities, that may be increased by encapsulation. Since the bioactive compounds extracted from V. sinuatum present good potential as functional food ingredients and in the development of drugs or cosmetics, this review gives an approach of the possible incorporation of these compounds in the food and pharmacological industries.

Abstract Kale has been reported to have potential alleviating effects on colitis. However, the functional activities of kale dietary fibers and kale flavonoids (KF), as well as the effects of their combined use, were currently unknown. In this study, the efficacy of whole kale, kale soluble dietary fiber (KSDF), kale insoluble dietary fiber (KIDF), KF, mixture of KSDF and KF, and mixture of KIDF and KF on dextran sulfate sodium‐induced colitis mice was assessed to dissect which component(s) play the key role in alleviating colitis. The study demonstrated that administration of KSDF, KIDF, or KF resulted in various degrees of beneficial effects, including reduction of weight loss, colonic shortening, disease activity index score, and mRNA levels of inflammatory factors (TNF‐α, IL‐6, IL‐1β, and IL‐33), increase of mucin expression and suppression of intestinal g_Sutterella , g_Parabacteroides , f_Enterobacteriaceae relative abundance. However, 20% mouse mortality was found in group of KSDF combined with KF. Further analysis found that the combination antagonized the alleviating effects of both agents alone on colitis in mice. It is the first to report that there is antagonism between KSDF and KF in colitis, and the regulation of intestinal flora may be the mechanism. In addition, this study also showed that KSDF, KIDF, and KF alone had excellent effects to alleviate colitis. This study provides a new perspective and evidence to explore the effect of interaction among different food nutrients on intestinal inflammation.

This study reports the effects of seasonal variation on the total polyphenol and flavonoid content and the in vitro antioxidant activity of Secondatia floribunda A. DC. The extracts were prepared from the inner bark and heartwood of samples harvested in the 2015 to 2016. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was determined by specific qualitative tests. The in vitro antioxidant capacity was analyzed using the following tests: 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzenothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS⁺), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and iron (Fe²⁺) chelating activity. The total polyphenol and total flavonoid content varied over the harvest period. The DPPH and ABTS tests revealed that in the dry season had the most potent in vitro antioxidant activity, although the extracts obtained during the rainy season presented the higher Fe²⁺ chelating and Ferric reducing activities. In conclusion, the phenolic content and in vitro antioxidant activity are correlated, and both are influenced by seasonality.

Abstract The adaptive potential of a population depends on the amount of additive genetic variance for quantitative traits of evolutionary importance. This variance is a direct function of the expected frequency of heterozygotes for the loci which affect the trait ( QTL ). It has been argued, but not demonstrated experimentally, that long‐term response to selection is more dependent on QTL allelic diversity than on QTL heterozygosity. Conservation programmes, aimed at preserving this variation, usually rely on neutral markers rather than on quantitative traits for making decisions on management. Here, we address, both through simulation analyses and experimental studies with Drosophila melanogaster , the question of whether allelic diversity for neutral markers is a better indicator of a high adaptive potential than expected heterozygosity. In both experimental and simulation studies, we established synthetic populations for which either heterozygosity or allelic diversity was maximized using information from QTL (simulations) or unlinked neutral markers (simulations and experiment). The synthetic populations were selected for the quantitative trait to evaluate the evolutionary potential provided by the two optimization methods. Our results show that maximizing the number of alleles of a low number of markers implies higher responses to selection than maximizing their heterozygosity.