Diabetic nephropathy, primarily caused by advanced glycation end products (AGEs), is a serious complication resulting from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Reportedly, theaflavins (TFs) can improve diabetic nephropathy; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully clear. In this study, T2DM mice were treated with different concentrations of TFs by gavage for 10 weeks to investigate the effect of TFs on diabetic nephropathy and their potential molecular mechanism of action. Biochemical and pathological analysis showed that the TFs effectively improved blood glucose, insulin resistance, kidney function, and other symptoms in diabetic mice. The mechanism studies indicated that TFs inhibited the formation of AGEs, thereby inhibiting the activation of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, our study suggested that TFs improved diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting the formation of AGEs.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of starch extraction methods (alkali, wet-milling, and enzymatic) on the multi-scale structures and functional properties of quinoa starch. When the enzymatic method was compared with alkali and wet-milling, it showed higher protein content (2.4%), larger mean size of aggregated granules (44.1 μm), higher relative crystallinity (29.0%), scattering intensity (17.8 α.u.), absorbance ratio of 1047/1022 (0.9), single and double helical content (8.2% and 23.1%), FWHM ratio (1.5), and average molecular weight and radius of gyration (1.58 × 10⁷ g/mol and 106.8 nm), respectively. Similarly, quinoa starch by enzymatic extraction had a higher onset (82.1 °C), peak (83.8 °C), and conclusion (86.3 °C) temperatures, as well as an enthalpy change (6.8 J/g). It further showed maximum hardness (238.8 N), gumminess (105.6 N), chewiness (80.2 N), SDS content (7.5% of raw and 4.8% of cooked), and RS content (15.4% of raw and 13.9% of cooked), whereas it contained minimum RDS content (77.1% of raw and 81.9% of cooked). The results suggest that extraction of starch by the enzymatic method could be a viable approach to retain the native structure of starch and may eventually improve the glycemic response.

Texture and aroma are two important attributes for the eating quality of cooked rice, but their mutual relations are not clear. Cooked rice with a desirable texture might suffer from a deteriorated aroma property. To better understand the relations between texture and aroma, six different rice varieties with desirable eating qualities have been selected, with their texture and aroma profile characterized by a texture analyzer and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, respectively. A large variance of textural attributes and a total number of 39 major volatile organic components were observed for these cooked rice varieties. Pearson correlation showed that the hardness of cooked rice was positively correlated with the content of E-2-hexenal, 2-hexanol-monomer, 1-propanol, and E-2-pentenal, while stickiness was positively correlated with 5-methyl-2-furanmethanol and dimethyl trisulfide. Possible underneath mechanisms were discussed for these relations. These results could help the rice industry to develop rice products with both desirable texture and aroma property.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the compounds resulting from the non-enzymatic glycosylation between reducing sugars and proteins, are derived from food or produced de novo. Over time, more and more endogenous and exogenous AGEs accumulate in various organs such as the liver, kidneys, muscle, and bone, threatening human health. Among these organs, bone is most widely reported. AGEs accumulating in bone reduce bone strength by participating in bone structure formation and breaking bone homeostasis by binding their receptors to alter the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cells involved in bone remodeling. In this review, we summarize the research about the effects of AGEs on bone health and highlight their associations with bone health in diabetes patients to provide some clues toward the discovery of new treatment and prevention strategies for bone-related diseases caused by AGEs.

This study examined the effects of varying microwave treatment durations (0–120 s) on the structural and functional properties of glycosylated soybean 7S protein. The results indicated that microwaving for 60 s significantly altered the structure of 7S, resulting in a more ordered protein configuration. The treated protein exhibited the largest particle size (152.3 nm), lowest polydispersity index (0.248), highest α-helix content (47.86%), and lowest β-sheet, β-turn, and random coil contents (12.33%, 16.07%, and 22.41%, respectively). It also showed the lowest endogenous fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity, and the highest thermal denaturation temperature (76.8 °C). Additionally, microwaving for ≤90 s led to increased peptide modifications, with carbamylation and deamidation being the most prevalent. A microwave treatment time of 60 s also notably enhanced the functional properties of glycosylated soybean 7S protein, optimizing water-holding capacity (6.060 g/g), emulsification activity, and stability (45.191 m²/g and 33.63 min). The foaming capacity was second only to the 120 s treatment (32% at 60 s versus 34% at 120 s), though the oil-holding capacity (22.73 g/g) and foaming stability (33.42%) were significantly lower than those of the controls. Microwave treatment durations exceeding or below 60 s led to the structural disintegration of the protein, diminishing most of its functional properties. This study explores the mechanism of how microwave processing time affects the structure and functional properties of glycosylated soybean 7S protein and identifies 60 s as the optimal microwave processing time. It meets the demands for healthy and delicious food in home cooking, providing scientific evidence for using microwave processing technology to enhance the nutritional value and quality of food.