Edible plant derived exosome-like nanoparticles (ELNs) have been shown to have multiple nutraceutical functions. However, the diversity of plant materials makes the plant derived ELN study challenging. More efforts are still needed to explore the feasible isolation methods of edible plant derived ELNs and the possible roles of food-derived ELNs in improving human health. In this study, a size exclusion chromatography based method was compared with the traditional ultracentrifugation method to isolate blueberry derived ELNs (B-ELNs), and the miRNA profile of B-ELNs was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. A total of 36 miRNAs were found to be enriched in B-ELNs compared with berry tissue, and their potential cross-kingdom human gene targets were further predicted. Results showed that size exclusion chromatography was effective for B-ELN isolation. The most abundant miRNAs in B-ELNs mainly belonged to the miR166 family and miR396 family. Target gene prediction indicated that B-ELNs could potentially regulate pathways related to the human digestive system, immune system and infectious diseases.

Plant extracellular vesicles (P-EVs) are considered promising functional food ingredients due to their various health benefits. In this study, blueberry extracellular vesicles (B-EVs) were collected and purified by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The chemical compounds in B-EV extracts were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. In addition, the stability of B-EVs was evaluated during short- and long-term storage, heating, and in vitro digestion. The results showed that the B-EVs had a desirable particle size (88.2 ± 7.7 nm). Protein and total RNA concentrations were 582 ± 11.2 μg/mL and 15.4 μg/mL, respectively. The optimal storage temperatures for B-EVs were 4 °C and −80 °C for short- and long-term storage, respectively. Fluorescent labeling and qRT-PCR tests showed that B-EVs could be specifically internalized by Caco-2 cells, whereas virtually no cytotoxic or growth-inhibitory effects were observed. B-EVs down-regulated the expression levels of IL-1β and IL-8 and up-regulated the expression levels of NF-κβ and TLR5 in Caco-2 cells. Overall, the results proved that the intact structure of B-EVs could be preserved during food storage and processing conditions. B-EVs had the ability to reach the human intestine through oral delivery. Moreover, they could be absorbed by intestinal cells and affect human intestinal function.

The cage-free system has gained a lot of interest in recent years because it can offer chickens more freedom and is easier to manage compared with free-range rearing systems, but few studies have focused on the effect of the cage-free rearing system on meat quality and flavor. In this study, 44 Jianghan chickens were reared in caged or cage-free systems to explore the effect of different rearing systems on meat-eating quality. Sensory evaluation of cooked muscles showed that the leg muscle aroma, juiciness, and flavor intensity significantly improved by the cage-free rearing. The cage-free hens had significantly lower body weight, abdominal fat percentage, and meat fat content, but higher meat moisture content. The cage-free group had brighter breast muscle and redder leg muscle color 24 h after slaughter. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profile analysis of the leg muscle samples showed that the cage-free rearing changed biosynthesis pathways associated with glycogen metabolism, lipid and fatty acid biosynthesis and transport, muscle cellular type, and cellular components, which were related to raw meat quality. Different rearing systems also resulted in differences in glycolipid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and altered levels of intramuscular fat content and other flavor precursors. Pathways such as glycerolipid metabolism, adipocytokine signaling, and metabonomic pathways such as linoleic acid, glycerophospholipid, arginine, proline, and β-alanine metabolism may be responsible for the meat quality and flavor change.