Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common disease of the digestive system and probiotics have been reported to be effective in the treatment of functional gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the beverage containing Lactobacillus paracasei LC-37 (LC-37) and its ability to relieve symptoms of FD by a randomized clinical trial. Due to the mechanistic complexity underlying FD, intestinal microbiota and stool metabolomes were also evaluated. The results showed that FD was relieved in participants after treatment with the beverage containing LC-37 for 14 and 28 d. The clinical symptom scores were significantly decreased after these times (abdominal pain and belching were significantly decreased after 14 d and almost absent after 28 d of treatment). Probiotics, such as those containing the Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Weissella, significantly increased, and the abundance of harmful bacteria such as Lachnocliostridium significantly decreased. Furthermore, relevant beneficial intestinal metabolites such as pelargonic acid, benzoic acid, and short-chain fatty acids increased, and harmful intestinal metabolites such as hippuric acid decreased. Taken together, these findings suggested that the beverages containing LC-37 can increase the abundance of probiotics and decrease pathogenic bacteria, and thereby improve beneficial intestinal metabolites. Therefore, the beverages containing LC-37 may provide a natural alternative to combat FD.

Streptococcus thermophilus MN-BM-A02 was originally isolated from a traditional fermented dairy product in China. The characteristics of this bacterium are its high acid-producing rate and low post-acidification. This study presents the genome sequence of MN-BM-A02. Its complete genome comprises 2,025 genes and 1,850,434 nucleotides with an average G+C content of 39%.

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a nutrient-dense legume whose nutritional indicators influence its functional qualities. Traditional methods to identify these components and examine the relationships between their contents could be more laborious, hindering the quality assessment of the varieties of peas. This study conducted a statistical analysis of data about the sensory and physicochemical nutritional attributes of peas acquired using traditional techniques. Additionally, 90 sets of spectral data were obtained using a portable near-infrared spectrometer, which were then integrated with chemical values to create a near-infrared model for the basic ingredient content of peas. The correlation analysis revealed significant findings: pea starch displayed a substantial negative correlation with moisture, crude fiber, and crude protein, while showing a highly significant positive correlation with pea seed thickness. Furthermore, pea protein exhibited a significant positive correlation with crude fiber and crude fat. Cluster analysis classified all pea varieties into three distinct groups, successfully distinguishing those with elevated protein content, high starch content, and low-fat content. The combined contribution of PC1 and PC2 in the principal component analysis (PCA) was 51.2%. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and other spectral preprocessing methods improved the predictive model, which performed well with an external dataset, with calibration coefficients of 0.89–0.99 and prediction coefficients of 0.71–0.88. This method enables growers and processors to efficiently analyze the composition of peas and evaluate crop quality, thereby enhancing food industry development.

Commercial sterility does not guarantee the sustained stability of ultrahigh temperature (UHT) milk over six months shelf life. We explore the microbiota presented in normal (SZ) and quality deteriorated UHT milk (QY and WY) products from the same brand. Based on high-throughput sequencing research results, 11 phyla and 54 genera were identified as dominant microbiota. Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, and Acinetobacter as core functional microbiota significantly influenced the UHT milk quality properties. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate analyses were used to examine the quality characteristics, including 11 physicochemical parameters, 10 fatty acids, and 2 enzyme contents, in normal and quality deteriorated UHT milk. We found that the abundance of Pseudomonas increased in quality deteriorated milk (WY) and showed a significant positive correlation with heat-resistant protease content. Acinetobacter in quality deteriorated milk (QY) also considerably contributed to the content of heat-resistant lipase, which resulted in spoilage deterioration of UHT milk.

Influence of pH values on physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activities of whey protein isolate (WPI)-safflower yellow (SY) complexes were investigated at 25 degrees C under the aerobic condition for 0, 3 and 6 d. Compared with WPI, WPI-SY had a less particle size at pH 3.5, 6.5, 7.5 and 8.5 from 0 to 6 days. Fluorescence intensity of WPI-SY complexes was appreciably less than WPI, which indicated that the partial tyrosine or tryptophan residues of whey protein had undergone certain changes. Compared with WPI and SY, thermal stability and emulsifying activity of WPI-SY complexes remarkably increased at different pH values. Meanwhile, antioxidant activities of WPI-SY complexes were higher than that of WPI or SY at pH ranged 4.5 to 9.5, kept for 3 and 6 d. Therefore, the interaction of WPI and SY at different pH values, could improve emulsifying activity of WPI and enhance antioxidant activity of SY.