Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is primarily caused by long-term excessive alcohol consumption. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) is a widely occurring natural anthocyanin with multiple biological activities. This study aims to investigate the effects of C3G isolated from black rice on ALD and explore the potential mechanism. C57BL/6J mice (male) were fed with standard diet (CON) and Lieber-DeCarli liquid-fed (Eth) or supplemented with a 100 mg/kg/d C3G Diet (Eth-C3G), respectively. Our results showed that C3G could effectively ameliorate the pathological structure and liver function, and also inhibited the accumulation of liver lipids. C3G supplementation could partially alleviate the injury of intestinal barrier in the alcohol-induced mice. C3G supplementation could increase the abundance of Norank_f_Muribaculaceae, meanwhile, the abundances of Bacteroides, Blautia, Collinsella, Escherichia-Shigella, Enterococcus, Prevotella, [Ruminococcus]_gnavus_group, Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, Romboutsia, Streptococcus, Bilophila, were decreased. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that 12 distinct genera were correlated with blood lipid levels. Non-targeted metabolic analyses of cecal contents showed that C3G supplementation could affect the composition of intestinal metabolites, particularly bile acids. In conclusion, C3G can attenuate alcohol-induced liver injury by modulating the gut microbiota and metabolites, suggesting its potential as a functional food ingredient against alcoholic liver disease.

Germination is an effective strategy for enhancing functional and processing characteristics of whole grains. This research aimed to explore the changes of nutritional components, physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, and microstructural characteristics of black rice flour (BRF) during 0–48 h germination. The results showed that germination significantly induced α-amylase activation of BRF, from 1.02 U/g to 4.46 U/g, leading to a 3.2-fold increase in reducing sugar content through starch hydrolysis. The content of apparent amylose was down-regulated during germination. The contents of free amino acids and minerals were markedly augmented in BRF. Specially, the GABA content was remarkedly enhanced, from 40.73 mg/kg to 258.35 mg/kg. Compared with BRF, the ratio of rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and resistant starch (RS) of germinated black rice flour (GBRF) increased by 12.04% and 0.43%, respectively, while the ratio of slowly digestible starch (SDS) decreased by 12.47% at 48 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis observed a more porous and loose surface structure in GBRF. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis illustrated that the relative crystallinity of GBRF was reduced with the prolonging of germination time. The dissociation of starch granules in GBRF ultimately led to a decrease in characteristic viscosity parameters, including peak, trough, final, and setback viscosity. In conclusion, germination improved the nutritional value and digestive characteristics of BRF, and altered its structure and physicochemical properties, which provides a reference for the development of whole grain-based products.

Stress-resistant rice varieties are valuable for sustainable production and rice-based food development. Six rice varieties selected for salt alkali tolerance or low cadmium accumulation were characterized for starch composition, multiscale structure, physicochemical properties, rheological behavior, and in vitro digestibility. Rice flours contained 78.11% to 83.51% starch, 12.67% to 18.12% amylose, and 5.23% to 7.50% protein. All starches exhibited A-type crystallinity but showed varietal differences in granule morphology, particle size, molecular organization, thermal behavior, pasting properties, freeze–thaw stability, paste clarity, and rheological characteristics. Rapidly digestible starch ranged from 60.44% to 72.79%, slowly digestible starch ranged from 22.40% to 33.75%, and resistant starch ranged from 4.46% to 10.59%. Jingliangyou 3261 exhibited the highest resistant starch content, whereas Xinjiang aromatic rice combined the highest slowly digestible starch content with the lowest rapidly digestible starch content and the highest paste clarity. Ningjing 48 and Xinjiang aromatic rice also showed favorable freeze–thaw stability, highlighting distinct varietal profiles for targeted rice food applications. These findings provide preliminary information for further evaluation of these varieties under practical cooking and food-processing conditions.