Evaluate how steaming and sulfur fumigation change the microstructure, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of Gastrodia elata Bl. starch

The sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) generated by sulfur burning can improve the appearance quality of food and enhance the storage time. However, excessive sulfur dioxide will pollute the environment and cause deterioration of food quality, and even the high residual levels can increase the risk of cancer. As Gastrodia elata Blume is prone to corruption during processing, sulfur fumigation is often used for preservation. In this study, spectral analysis and Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) were used to investigate the effects of traditional sulfur fumigation processing on the morphology quality, edible quality and structural characteristics of G. elata. The results showed that compared with direct drying, the pH decreased by 0.399 of the sulfur fumigated after steamed treatment G. elata, and the morphology quality, pasting ability and gel edible quality of the starch were significantly improved. In addition, it was suggested that sulfur fumigation after steaming could promote the release of molecular chains from starch granules and thus enhance the cross-linking between molecules, which explained the reason for the improve of starch edible quality. This study can provide technical and theoretical support for improving the quality of starch rich foods, replacing sulfur fumigation and reducing potential environmental hazards

Ammonia mitigation campaign with smallholder farmers improves air quality while ensuring high cereal production

Reducing cropland ammonia (NH3) emissions while improving air quality and food supply is a challenge, particularly in China with millions of smallholder farmers. We tested the effectiveness of a tailored nitrogen (N) management strategy applied to wheat-maize cropping systems in “Demonstration Squares” across Quzhou county in North China Plain. The N management techniques included optimal N rates, deep fertilizer placement and application of urease inhibitors, implemented through cooperation between government, researchers, businesses and smallholders. Compared with conventional local smallholder practice, our NH3 mitigation campaign reduced NH3 volatilization from wheat and maize by 49% and 39%, and increased N use efficiency by 28% and 40% and farmers’ profitability by 25% and 19%, respectively, with no detriment to crop yields. County-wide atmospheric NH3 and PM2.5 concentrations decreased by 40% and 8%, respectively. County-wide net benefits were estimated at $7.0 million. Our “Demonstration Square” approach demonstrates that cropland NH3 mitigation and improved air quality and farm profitability can be achieved simultaneously by coordinated actions at county level

Isolation, characterization, and genomic analysis of a novel bacteriophage MA9V-1 infecting Chryseobacterium indologenes: a pathogen of Panax notoginseng root rot

Chryseobacterium indologenes is one of the primary causative agents of root rot of Panax notoginseng, which significantly affected plant growth and caused economic losses. With the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial phytopathogens, phage therapy has been garnered renewed attention in treating pathogenic bacteria. However, the therapeutic potential of phage therapy on root rot of P. notoginseng has not been evaluated. In this study, we isolated a novel lytic phage MA9V-1 infecting C. indologenes MA9 from sewage and monitored the formation of clear and round plaques with a diameter of approximately 0.5–1.5 mm. Phage MA9V-1 exhibited rapid absorption (>75% in 8 min), a latency period of 20 min, and a burst size of 10 particles per cell. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the phage MA9V-1 is a new myovirus hosting C. indologenes MA9. Sequencing of phage genomes revealed that phage MA9V-1 contained a linear double-stranded DNA genome of 213,507 bp with 263 predicted open reading frames, including phage structure, host lysing, and DNA polymerase/helicase but no genes of tRNA, virulence, and antibiotic resistance. Our proteomic tree and genomic analysis revealed that phage MA9V-1 shares identity with Sphingomonas phage PAU and Tenacibaculum phage PTm1; however, they also showed apparent differences. Further systemic evaluation using phage therapy experiments on P. notoginseng suggested that phage MA9V-1 can be a potential candidate for effectively controlling C. indologenes MA9 infection. Thus, we have presented a novel approach to solving root rot in P. notoginseng

Uncovering Active Constituents Responsible for Different Activities of Raw and Steamed Panax notoginseng Roots

Although Panax notoginseng (PN) roots in raw and steamed forms were historically supposed to be different in the efficacies, the raw materials and steamed ones were often undifferentiated in the use and market circulation, which might bring unstable curative effects or even adverse reactions. To uncover chemical constituents responsible to different activities of raw and steamed PN, chemometrics analyses including partial least squares regression (PLSR) and multi-linear regression analysis (MLRA) were used to establish the relationships between the chromatographic fingerprints and activities of PN samples. Chemical fingerprints of PN were determined by HPLC. Anticoagulant and antioxidant activities were evaluated by the thromboplastin inhibiting test and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay, respectively. Results showed that there was a significant difference in the chemical composition between raw and steamed PN, which could be discriminated by principle component analysis according to different steaming temperatures. Compared with the steamed PN, raw PN exhibited stronger anticoagulation and weaker antioxidation. By chemometrics analyses, notoginsenoside R1, ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1, and Rd were found to be the major active constituents of raw PN, whereas ginsenosides Rh1, Rk3, Rh4, and 20(R)-Rg3 had the key role in the activities of steamed PN, which could be used as new markers for the quality control (QC) of steamed PN

Production of Minor Ginenosides from Panax notoginseng by Microwave Processing Method and Evaluation of Their Blood-Enriching and Hemostatic Activity

A green solvent extraction technology involving a microwave processing method was used to increase the content of minor ginsenosides from Panax notoginseng. This article aims to investigate the optimization of preparation of the minor ginsenosides by this microwave processing method using single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (RSM), and discuss the blood-enriching activity and hemostatic activity of the extract of microwave processed P. notoginseng (EMPN) The RSM for production of the minor ginsenosides was based on a three-factor and three-level Box-Behnken design. When the optimum conditions of microwave power, temperature and time were 495.03 W, 150.68 °C and 20.32 min, respectively, results predicted that the yield of total minor ginsenosides (Y9) would be 93.13%. The actual value of Y9 was very similar to the predicted value. In addition, the pharmacological results of EMPN in vivo showed that EMPN had the effect of enriching blood in N-acetylphenylhydrazine (APH) and cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced blood deficient mice because of the increasing content of white blood cells (WBCs) and hemoglobin (HGB) in blood. Hemostatic activity in vitro of EMPN showed that it had significantly shortened the clotting time in PT testing (p < 0.05). The hemostatic effect of EMPN was mainly caused by its components of Rh4, 20(S)-Rg3 and 20(R)-Rg3. This microwave processing method is simple and suitable to mass-produce the minor ginsenosides from P. notoginseng