The substantial discrepancy between the strong effects of functional foods and various drugs, especially traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), and the poor bioavailability of these substances remains a perplexing problem. Understanding the gut microbiota, which acts as an effective bioreactor in the human intestinal tract, provides an opportunity for the redefinition of bioavailability. Here, we discuss four different pathways associated with the role of the gut microbiota in the transformation of parent compounds to beneficial or detrimental small molecules, which can enter the body’s circulatory system and be available to target cells, tissues, and organs.

Raw fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and aquatic products are highly perishable owing to microbial spoilage, chemical, and biochemical reactions after harvest. Pulse electric field (PEF) assisted preservation is a non-thermal technology that exhibits considerable potential to extend the shelf-life of food and provide safe and higher quality products because of its low temperature and short treatment time. This review presents the recent progresses in PEF technology for preserving raw fresh food. The change of cell microstructure, biochemical, and physicochemical properties in raw fresh food induced by PEF is discussed. The application of PEF on raw fresh food regarding inactivating microorganisms, drying, extracting bioactive compounds, and maintaining high quality is summarized. These findings indicate that PEF can be used in food preservation as an alternative or complement to conventional methods. However, the current studies on the effect of PEF on meat and aquatic products were limited. Therefore, more researches about the effect of PEF on protein-based food are needed to facilitate industrial applications.

In vitro simulated digestion, in vitro intestinal absorption, and in vivo experiments demonstrated that β-glucan extracted from Rhizobium pusense can reduce intestinal fat digestion and absorption via interference in triglyceride hydrolysis.