To investigate the effects of the combination of sodium alginate and chitosan on glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in mice subjected to a high-fat diet.

The 6-week-old SPF-grade mice were divided into 5 groups. All mice, except for those in the control group, were fed a high-fat diet and administered sodium alginate and chitosan via gavage. Throughout the feeding period, body weight, fasting blood glucose levels,results from glucose tolerance tests and insulin tolerance tests were recorded. Mice were euthanised after 16 weeks and blood and tissue samples were collected, followed by sequential testing of relevant indicators.

Compared to the high-fat model group, the weight gain rates in the chitosan group, sodium alginate group and combined treatment group were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Additionally, blood glucose levels showed a significant decrease, while serum levels of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also significantly lower. Conversely, the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased; however, this change was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Furthermore, the content of malondialdehyde in the liver decreased significantly, whereas superoxide dismutase levels exhibited a significant increase. The content of catalase and total antioxidant capacity also increased to varying extents; nonetheless, these differences did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). Both sodium alginate and chitosan demonstrated a notable ability to inhibit hepatic fat accumulation, with sodium alginate exhibiting superior efficacy compared to chitosan.

The impact of sodium alginate on the regulation of glycolipid metabolism disorders in mice subjected to a high-fat diet is more pronounced than that of chitosan. Furthermore, the combined effect of both agents surpasses their individual effects.

To investigate the effects of different braising times on the quality of beef.

In this study, beef was marinated for 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes. The beef obtained at each braising time was analyzed for color difference (L^*, a^*, b^*), cooking loss, texture, sensory evaluation and volatile flavor compounds.

The L^*, a^*, b^*all increased first and then decreased with the increase of braising time. The texture characteristics of elasticity,hardness and chewiness also showed an initial increase followed by a decrease as the braising time increased. The cooking loss rate of braised beef decreased first and then increased with the extension of time. With the increase of time, the sensory evaluation scores for the color and aroma of braised beef increased sharply at first and then leveled off. The sensory evaluation scores for the taste and texture of braised beef increased sharply at first and then slightly decreased. Overall, the sensory evaluation results were the best for beef marinated for 50 minutes. The detection of volatile flavor compounds revealed that alcohols, aldehydes and ethers were present in high amounts in beef marinated for all 4 kinds of times. Among them, ethers had the highest proportion and were the main flavor compounds of braised beef.

With the increase of braising time, the color difference, texture, cooking loss rate, sensory evaluation and volatile flavor substance indicators of braised beef all show different changing patterns. This provides a preliminary foundation for establishing a quality identification model of beef obtained under different braising times, offers a complete and scientific analysis method and theoretical basis for the selection of processing techniques and condition optimization of braised beef, and also helps the catering industry and consumers to produce more delicious and healthy braised beef products.

To investigate the enrichment characteristics and dietary health risks of 8 kinds of heavy metals(Pb, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Sn, Sb, Tl) in various crops under rotational planting in the same field.

From 2023 to 2025, a total of 38 kinds of rotationally planted crop samples were systematically collected from the field. The heavy metal content was measured, and their enrichment characteristics and differences were analyzed. The monitoring results were evaluated based on the limits specified in the GB 2762—2022 National food safety standards-Limits of contaminants in food and the exposure risks for adults and preschool children were assessed using the estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient(THQ) and total carcinogenic risk (TCR) models.

The enrichment capacity of heavy metals in crops exhibited significant category- and element-specific characteristics. Pb and Cd showed stronger enrichment in leafy vegetables (e.g.,lettuce, youmai cabbage, etc); Ni was relatively highly enriched in legumes (e.g., broad beans, peas); Sn was relatively highly enriched in leafy vegetables (e.g., yellow sprout cabbage, youdong cabbage) and some brassica vegetables; As and Cr also demonstrated certain enrichment capabilities in leafy vegetables, though overall pollution levels were low; no significant accumulation of Sb or Tl was observed. Risk assessment indicated that multiple crops (e.g., lettuce, spinach, eggplant, youmai cabbage, celery) showed potential carcinogenic risks for Cd (TCR>10^–4). Pb and Cd in lettuce pose potential non carcinogenic risks to children (THQ>1). The exposure risk of Ni from legumes was relatively higher than that from other crops. In particular, broad beans posed a potential non-carcinogenic risk to both children and adults.

This study indicates that there are significant differences in the enrichment characteristics and health risks of heavy metals among different crops in crop rotation on the same plot. To ensure the safety of agricultural products and a healthy diet, it is recommended to implement a crop based graded control strategy at the source of farmland avoid and restrict high accumulation varieties of heavy metals, and promote the cultivation of low-accumulation crop varieties; and guide public consumption, especially for children, through dietary guidelines. This approach will help establish a full-chain health protection system from planting to consumption.

To explore differentiated quality control strategies that are characteristic of Hunan’s region.

Through a combination of online questionnaires and offline field research and sampling inspections, a systematic investigation and analysis were conducted on the raw material sources, process parameters,production processes, and other aspects of 138 sweet wine production entities in Hunan Province; 26 batches of raw-juice sweet wine samples from different production areas in Hunan were randomly selected and tested for their alcohol content, solid content and total acid value.

There are differences between sweet wine producers and small workshops in terms of raw material selection, process standards, and quality and safety control. Product testing revealed that the alcohol content of sweet wine mainly ranged from 0.5%vol to 5.0%vol, the solid content was all greater than 30.0 g/100 g, and the total acid value was within 1.5 g/kg. Some enterprises, due to insufficient technological accumulation or the need for cost control, lacked systematic management of the sources of raw and auxiliary materials, resulting in quality fluctuations. However, some small workshops, due to the lack of standardized equipment and relying solely on experience, were prone to microbial contamination or loss of control over fermentation.

This study reveals the differentiated characteristics and risk hazards of the regionalized production pattern of Hunan’s sweet wine industry. Based on the regional characteristics of Hunan and the concept of standardized production, proposes systematic prevention and control strategies from 3 aspects: Raw material selection, standardization of processing techniques and improvement of policy support systems, aiming to provide reference basis for the development and innovation of Hunan sweet wine products.

To establish a method for identification of gluten allergens in food by DNA barcoding technology.

The 4 kinds of molecular markers (psbA-trnH, trnl, rbcl and ITS2) were used to identify 5 gluten allergen species, including wheat, barley, oat, rye and buckwheat. The 4 kinds of gene sequences of each species were obtained from GenBank, and sequence alignment, genetic distance calculation and phylogenetic tree construction were performed using MEGA 11 software.

Among the 4 kinds of gene sequences, only the minimum interspecific genetic distance of the trnl sequence was greater than the maximum intraspecific genetic distance, showing a significant barcoding gap. The analysis results of the phylogenetic trees constructed by the neighbor joining method showed that the phylogenetic trees constructed based on trnl and rbcl sequences had clear branching structures, and different species could be accurately clustered. Therefore, the trnl sequence was the optimal DNA barcode for identification of the 5 gluten allergen species. Combining the trnl barcoding detection and high-throughput sequencing technology for the detection of 7 actual samples allows for simultaneous detection of multiple allergen components.

The trnl sequence, as a DNA barcode, can accurately identify gluten allergen components in food.

To comprehensively analyze the quality and safety parameters of Inner Mongolia’s local characteristic milk skin.

The local characteristic milk skin in Inner Mongolia (a total of 286 samples from 2021 to 2024) was used as the test sample, and 6 quality and safety parameters including nutritional components, pollutants and microorganisms were comprehensively analyzed by using the national food safety standard.

The moisture content of fresh milk skin, dried milk skin, milk skin (traditional basic form) and fancy milk skin were determined to be(42.37±7.40), (12.56±7.19), (28.28±10.87) and (31.85±12.92) g/100 g respectively, and their fat content was measured as (42.11±10.11), (51.58±12.15), (53.14±9.97) and (33.81±14.48) g/100 g respectively. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the moisture and fat content of all 216 samples of milk skin in the traditional basic form (defined as the core category in this study) by different years. The average moisture content of (24.62±9.37), (31.86±10.03), (27.73±10.62) and(23.55±12.04) g/100 g, and an average fat content of (50.23±9.30), (54.79±9.79), (52.04±10.10) and (53.66±10.49) g/100 g;lead 5/241 pieces, Staphylococcus aureus not detected in 161 pieces, Salmonella not detected in 161 pieces, and mold 90/161 pieces detected.

There are significant differences in moisture and fat content among the 4 kinds of milk skin. Only dried milk skin and traditional basic-form milk skin satisfy the current local standard DB S15/001.2—2016 Mongolian traditional dairy products—Part 2: Milk skin. For the core product (traditional basic-form milk skin), the 4-year average content of moisture and fat meets the standard limits requirements specified in DB S15/001.2—2016, but non-qualified samples occurred annually. Levels of lead, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella comply with national food safety standards, showing good safety, while mold contamination risk existed,possibly related to the production environment. It is suggested to revise the current standard by setting differentiated limits for moisture, fat, protein and other core indexes based on production processes and product categories, and strengthen microbial control in production to support the standardized, safe and high-quality development of the milk skin industry in Inner Mongolia. This research provides quantitative data for the revision of local standards, further solidifying the scientificity and applicability of standards, and boost the standardized and branded development of local characteristic dairy products.

To establish a rapid method for identifying the authenticity of medicinal and edible plant Mentha authenticity by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Based on TaqMan probe technology (TaqMan), upstream and downstream primers, and a TaqMan probe were designed targeting the conserved region within the intron of the chloroplast DNA-encoded ribosomal protein L16 (rpl16) gene to specifically recognize 3 independent regions on the target sequence. A TaqMan reaction system was established to achieve rapid and accurate identification of Mentha and its homologous species.

The method demonstrated good specificity showing amplification exclusively in Mentha samples, and no amplification was observed in common adulterants. In terms of sensitivity, the cycle threshold (Ct) values exhibited a linear relationship with the logarithm of template concentration over a broad range (0.01–10000.00 fg/μL) (r²=0.9999). The absolute limit of detection for Mentha plasmid DNA was 0.01 fg/μL, and the limit of detection for Mentha in real samples reached 0.1% (quality score). Stability testing results showed that all negative controls remained stable without non-specific amplification.

This method exhibits high specificity, sensitivity and stability, enabling effective differentiation between Mentha and its adulterants.