"The children of the Sun and Moon are the gardens"-How people, plants, and a living Sun shape life on Tanna, Vanuatu.

Based on original ethnographic and ethnobotanical research, we share how in the cosmology of Tanna, an island in Vanuatu's southernmost province of Tafea, the Sun is viewed as a living, interactive being. Our initial interviews explored knowledge and beliefs concerning individual plant species, then subsequent follow-up interviews further explored topics that emerged therefrom. The results of these interviews are a series of oral narratives of the mytho-historical past involving the Sun, and the description of contemporary practices which are influenced by the Sun.

Identification of volatile and flavor metabolites in three varieties of broccoli sprouts.

Broccoli sprouts are promising functional food sources and their taste and flavor play a pivotal role in the acceptance of consumers. In this study, the flavor profiles of three varieties of broccoli sprouts, namely Bi Lv, You Xiu, and Lv Hua, were comprehensively characterized using HS-SPME-GC/MS analysis. A total of 364 volatile and flavor components across 15 chemical classes were successfully identified.

Comparison of Protective Effects of Polyphenol-Enriched Extracts from Thinned Immature Kiwifruits and Mature Kiwifruits against Alcoholic Liver Disease in Mice.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is regarded as one of the main global health problems. Accumulated evidence indicates that fruit-derived polyphenols can lower the risk of ALD, this attributed to their strong antioxidant capacities. Thinned immature kiwifruits (TIK) are the major agro-byproducts in the production of kiwifruits, which have abundantly valuable polyphenols.

Comparative analysis of phenolic compounds in different thinned unripe kiwifruits and their biological functions.

Thinned unripe kiwifruits (TUK) are considered the major agro by-products in kiwifruit production. To promote their potential applications, polyphenols and biological effects of unripe fruits from nine commercial kiwifruit cultivars were compared. Our findings showed that TUK were rich in bioactive polyphenols, which varied greatly by different cultivars.

Caribbean medicinal plant Argemone mexicana L.: Metabolomic analysis and in vitro effect on the vaginal microbiota.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Medicinal plants are frequently used in Caribbean traditional medicine as low-cost, culturally relevant treatments for women's health concerns, such as gynecological infections. These plants are typically applied topically, potentially affecting both pathogenic bacteria (e.g.

Insights into "wheat aroma": Analysis of volatile components in wheat grains cultivated in saline-alkali soil.

The wheat grains that are cultivated in saline-alkali soil exhibit a richer "wheat aroma" compared to their counterparts. This study characterized the composition and content of volatiles in five wheat kernel varieties, harvested from two fields with varying pH levels and total salt content in the soil. The wheat grown in soil with high pH and total salt content had significantly lower levels (p < 0.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis of non-volatile metabolites and dynamic changes of antioxidant capacity in Douchi with edible mushroom by-products.

This study investigated the non-volatile metabolites and antioxidant activity of Douchi, an edible mushroom by-product. A total of 695 non-volatile metabolites were detected using UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics analysis, and the greatest impact on metabolite composition was observed during Koji-making and the first 5 days of post-fermentation. Throughout the fermentation process, 366 differential metabolites were identified, with flavonoids being the most prominent followed by amino acids and their derivatives, which were found to be important for the quality of edible mushroom by-product Douchi (EMD).

Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Thinned Young Kiwifruits and Their Beneficial Effects.

Fruit thinning is a common practice employed to enhance the quality and yield of kiwifruits during the growing period, and about 30-50% of unripe kiwifruits will be thinned and discarded. In fact, these unripe kiwifruits are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, the applications of thinned young kiwifruits and related bioactive compounds in the food and functional food industry are still limited.

Quality evaluation of citrus varieties based on phytochemical profiles and nutritional properties.

Introduction: China is one of the major producers and exporters of various kinds of citrus fruits. As one of China's major citrus planting bases, Sichuan has a citrus planting area that exceeds 400,000 hectares. Meanwhile, citrus cultivation has become one of the important agricultural pillar industries in the region.

Effects of Light Shading, Fertilization, and Cultivar Type on the Stable Isotope Distribution of Hybrid Rice.

The effect of fertilizer supply and light intensity on the distribution of elemental contents (%C and %N) and light stable isotopes (C, N, H, and O) in different rice fractions (rice husk, brown rice, and polished rice) of two hybrid rice cultivars (maintainer lines You-1B and Zhong-9B) were investigated. Significant variations were observed for C (-31.3 to -28.

Suppression of the Arabidopsis cinnamoyl-CoA reductase 1-6 intronic T-DNA mutation by epigenetic modification.

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transfer DNA (T-DNA) insertion collections are popular resources for fundamental plant research. Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase 1 (CCR1) catalyzes an essential step in the biosynthesis of the cell wall polymer lignin. Accordingly, the intronic T-DNA insertion mutant ccr1-6 has reduced lignin levels and shows a stunted growth phenotype.

A review of recent compound-specific isotope analysis studies applied to food authentication.

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of food products is a relatively new and novel technique used to authenticate food and detect adulteration. This paper provides a review of recent on-line and off-line CSIA applications of plant and animal origin foods, essential oils and plant extracts. Different food discrimination techniques, applications, scope, and recent studies are discussed.

Theabrownin inhibits obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice via serotonin-related signaling pathways and gut-liver axis.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with obesity seriously threats public health. Our previous studies showed that dark tea had more potential on regulating lipid metabolism than other teas, and theabrownin (TB) was considered to be a main contributor to the bioactivity of dark tea.

Objectives: This in vivo study aims to reveal the effects and molecular mechanisms of TB on NAFLD and obesity, and the role of the gut-liver axis is explored.

Antioxidant capacity, phytochemical profiles, and phenolic metabolomics of selected edible seeds and their sprouts.

Sprouts are recognized as nutritional and functional vegetables. In this study, 17 selected seeds were germinated simultaneously. The antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) were determined for seeds and sprouts of all species.

Green extraction, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity of theabrownins from Kangzhuan dark tea.

Theabrownins (TBs) in dark tea have received increasing attention for their multiple health benefits. In this study, ultrasound assisted extraction with deep eutectic solvent (UAE-DES) was developed for the extraction of TBs from Kangzhuan dark tea (KZDT). The highest yield (12.

Pressurized hot water extraction, structural properties, biological effects, and in vitro microbial fermentation characteristics of sweet tea polysaccharide.

Although sweet tea is rich in bioactive polysaccharides, the knowledge regarding their structures, bioactivities, and gut microbial metabolism is still limited. Therefore, in order to promote the application of sweet tea polysaccharide (STP) in the food industry, the pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) of STP was optimized, and its structural properties and biological effects as well as microbial fermentation characteristics were investigated. The maximum extraction yield (4.

Health Benefits and Side Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids.

The gut microbiota and their metabolites could play an important role in health and diseases of human beings. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are mainly produced by gut microbiome fermentation of dietary fiber and could also be produced by bacteria of the skin and vagina. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate are three major SCFAs, and their bioactivities have been widely studied.

Bioactive Compounds, Health Benefits and Food Applications of Grape.

Grape ( L.) is one of the most popular fruits worldwide. It contains various bioactive compounds, such as proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonols, phenolic acids and stilbenes, the contents of which could vary considerably in grape skin, pulp and seed.

Antioxidant Capacities and Polyphenol Contents of Kombucha Beverages Based on Vine Tea and Sweet Tea.

Kombucha beverage is commonly prepared by black tea infusion fermentation without tea residues, and possesses various health benefits. In this paper, kombucha beverages of two non- teas, including vine tea () and sweet tea (), were studied for the first time. The antioxidant activities and polyphenol contents of kombucha beverages were evaluated by ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay, and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively.

supplementation improves cardiometabolic indicators in population with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: from the family has medicinal properties. Previous studies have reported promising findings showing that may benefit cardiometabolic health; however, current evidence on its cardiometabolic effects on those with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is still unclear. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of on cardiometabolic parameters in population with prediabetes and T2DM.