Malolactic fermentation (MLF) is the decarboxylation of L-malic acid to L-lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). For the majority of wine production, secondary fermentation is crucial. MLF significantly impacts the quality of most red and some white wine. The outcomes of the spontaneously initiated and finished MLF are frequently unpredictable and can even cause the wine to deteriorate. As a result, individuals typically favour inoculating superior starter cultures when performing MLF. The MLF method for wine has, however, faced new difficulties because of the altered wine fermentation substrate environment brought on by global climate change, the growing demands of winemakers for production efficiency, and the rising demand for high-quality wine. To serve as a reference for the study of wine production and MLF in the current situation, this review primarily updates and summarises the research findings on increasing the effectiveness and dependability of MLF in recent years.

In this study, we aimed to detect the physicochemical properties of distilled products (residue and distillate) obtained from anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and its dry fractionation products (liquid and solid fractions at 25°C (25 L and 25 S)). The results showed that the saturated fatty acids and low- and medium-molecular-weight triglycerides were easily accumulated in the distillate, and the percentage of unsaturated fatty acid and high-molecular-weight triglycerides in the residue were higher, and these components in 25 S and 25 L were influenced more significantly than those in the AMF. In addition, the distillate had larger melting ranges in comparison with the distilled substrate, while the melting ranges of residue was smaller. The triglycerides were presented as the mixture crystal forms (α, β', and β crystal) in 25 S, AMF, and their distilling products, and it was transformed gradually to a single form as the increasing of distilling temperature. Moreover, the accumulated pattern of triglycerides was double chain length in 25 S, AMF, and their distilling products. These results provide a new approach to obtain the MF fractions with different properties, and the findings of this study enrich the theoretical basis of MF separation in practical production.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with gut microbiota imbalance, and probiotics may restore gut flora and improve intestinal health. Sea buckthorn, which is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, may enhance these effects when combined with probiotics. In this study, we incorporated our screened strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YHG-87 (L. plantarum YHG-87) into sea buckthorn fermented milk to examine its additional benefits in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mouse model. Five groups (n = 6) were included: healthy control, DSS-induced colitis, regular fermented milk, sea buckthorn fermented milk, and sea buckthorn probiotic fermented milk (SC group). Results indicated that SC group significantly alleviated UC symptoms, such as weight loss, bloody stools, and colon shortening (p < 0.05), and these improvements were more pronounced than those observed in the sea buckthorn fermented milk group. Moreover, the SC group exhibited stronger anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, including reduced IL-6, increased IL-4 and IL-10, elevated glutathione, and reduced myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde (p < 0.05). Additionally, the SC intervention led to notable shifts in gut microbial community composition. In conclusion, the addition of L. plantarum YHG-87 to sea buckthorn fermented milk provided enhanced protective effects against UC, suggesting that the combination of bioactive plant components with selected probiotics offers promising potential for UC prevention and therapy.

In this study, metagenomics was used to analyze microbial succession and predict changes in raw milk during 6 days of storage at 4 ºC, aimed at determining how microorganisms drive the deterioration of refrigerated raw milk. The microbial community in raw milk changed significantly with an extension of refrigeration time (P < 0.01). The dominant bacterial genera gradually evolved from Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, and Anaplasma to Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Lactococcus. KEGG annotation results indicated that the main role of the bacterial community included amino acid biosynthesis, carbon metabolism, and functioning as an ABC transporter. Additionally, lipid, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways were significantly expressed at the beginning, middle, and end of refrigeration, respectively. Refrigeration time is an important factor affecting the composition of the microbial flora in raw milk. The results of this study illustrate the role of microorganisms in the deterioration of refrigerated raw milk.