Apricot kernels are known for being a rich source of oil, protein, and bioactive compounds. This study focused on enhancing the bioactivities of apricot kernels through fermentation. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between polyphenols, amino acids, antioxidant activities, and total phenolic content (TPC). The findings indicated that apricot kernels fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum exhibited increased antioxidant activity, as assessed by the FRAP and CUPRAC methods, and an increased TPC compared to naturally fermented samples. The CUPRAC activity increased significantly from 1.03 to 1.82 mg of ascorbic acid per gram of sample on day 7, and the FRAP activity increased from 4.9 to 12.2 mg of ascorbic acid per gram of sample on day 3 of fermentation. Moreover, the TPC significantly increased from 1.67 to 7.58 mg of gallic acid per gram of sample on day 9 of fermentation. The results further demonstrated that, during the fermentation process, the concentration of hydroxybenzoic acid increased from 0.52 µg/g on day 0 to 5.3 µg/g on day 9. The DL-3-phenyllactic acid content demonstrated a significant increase from 0.42 µg/g on day 0 to 99.62 µg/g on day 5, while the benzoic acid content exhibited a notable increase from 45.33 µg/g to 138.13 µg/g over the fermentation period, with peak levels being observed on day 5. Similarly, most amino acids demonstrated a rise in concentration as the fermentation progressed, peaking on the ninth day. This study further employed random forest regression as a form of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to explore the relationships between phenolic compounds, amino acids, and antioxidant activities. Amino acids like L-cystine and L-anserine were found to positively impact FRAP values, while L-histidine and 1-methyl-L-histidine contributed to the CUPRAC antioxidant activity. Notably, hydroxybenzoic acid emerged as a key contributor to both the FRAP value and TPC, highlighting its significance in improving the overall antioxidant capacity of apricot kernels. These findings indicate that, under optimised fermentation conditions, apricot kernels hold promise as functional food ingredients due to the beneficial antioxidant properties observed in this study.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its vascular complications remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Endothelial dysfunction is a common pathological denominator underlying diabetic microvascular and macrovascular disease. Major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein 2A (MFSD2A) is a lysophosphatidylcholine transporter essential for blood–brain barrier integrity that also functions in the retina, liver, placenta, and kidney, participating in lipid homeostasis, inflammation resolution, and barrier maintenance. Emerging evidence links MFSD2A to diabetic complications. Its expression is reduced in the retina and kidney yet upregulated in the fatty liver, while its role in the vascular endothelium under diabetic conditions remains unexplored. In parallel, ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, is implicated in diabetic vascular disease. This hypothesis-oriented narrative review examines MFSD2A structure, transport mechanisms, and tissue-specific functions, synthesises current evidence linking MFSD2A to diabetic complications, critically evaluates whether MFSD2A-mediated lipid transport modulates endothelial ferroptosis sensitivity, and identifies key knowledge gaps and therapeutic opportunities. This review identifies that MFSD2A is dysregulated in a tissue-specific pattern in diabetes and finds that the interplay between MFSD2A-mediated DHA transport and endothelial ferroptosis sensitivity represents a critical knowledge gap that is tractable through the tissue-specific, conditionally testable framework developed in this review.

The broader application of Lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum) in functional foods is fundamentally restricted by its intense, triterpenoid-driven bitterness. This study investigated the biochemical changes in Lingzhi mushroom mycelium (LMM) over a 10-day controlled fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. To evaluate bioactivity enhancement, a dual predictive modelling strategy (Partial Least Squares Regression [PLSR] and elastic-net) was applied to the non-volatile metabolite matrix, identifying model-supported candidate contributors to TPC and FRAP antioxidant responses. Concurrently, fermentation significantly transformed the matrix, yielding an estimated 24-fold increase in synergistic umami intensity, with Equivalent Umami Concentration (EUC) increasing from 0.27 to 6.49 g MSG/100 g fermented LMM by Day 10. This increase was primarily driven by the accumulation of glutamic acid (Taste Activity Value [TAV] = 1.27) and its potent synergy with 5′-GMP (TAV = 2.82). Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of GC-MS volatile data revealed a distinct temporal transition from lipid-derived aldehydes to microbially generated ‘mushroom’ alcohols and mid-fermentation esters, suggesting enhanced aromatic complexity. These findings indicate that targeted L. plantarum fermentation can convert raw LMM into a bioactive ingredient with enhanced umami and antioxidant capacity suggesting potential for improved palatability that warrants sensory confirmation.