Foxtail millet has relatively low starch digestibility and moderate glycemic index compared to other grains. Since there are still no clinical researches regarding its long-term effect on blood glucose, this self-controlled study was conducted to investigate the glucose-lowering effect of foxtail millet in free-living subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Fifty g/day of foxtail millet was provided to enrolled subjects throughout 12 weeks and the related clinical parameters were investigated at week 0, 6 and 12, respectively. After 12 weeks of foxtail millet intervention, the mean fasting blood glucose of the subjects decreased from 5.7 ± 0.9 mmol/L to 5.3 ± 0.7 mmol/L (p < 0.001) and the mean 2 h-glucose decreased from 10.2 ± 2.6 mmol/L to 9.4 ± 2.3 mmol/L (p = 0.003). The intake of foxtail millet caused a significant increase of serum leptin (p = 0.012), decrease of insulin resistance (p = 0.007), and marginal reduction of inflammation. Furthermore, a sex-dependent difference in glucose-lowering effect of foxtail millet was observed in this study. Foxtail millet could improve the glycemic control in free-living subjects with IGT, suggesting that increasing the consumption of foxtail millet might be beneficial to individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The current study was aimed to investigate the effect of glucosinolate degradation on the flavor precursors and pungent odors in raw and microwaved rapeseeds. Five isothiocyanates and six sulfur compounds were identified using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC× GC-TOF/MS). Comprehensive analysis with headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) with altering split ratio showed that 1-isothiocyanato butane, allyl isothiocyanate and 4-isothiocyanato-1-butene were responsible for the sulfur, pungent and green odors in rapeseed oils, due to their high flavor dilution factor. Dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl trisulfide and dimethyl sulfoxide, might be derived from methionine or isothiocyanate rearrangement reactions imparted onion-like, cabbage-like, garlic-like, and sulfurous-pungent odors. Rapeseed samples were heated in a microwave for seven minutes, and the total glucosinolate content decreased from 28.2 ± 0.8 μmol/g to 14.5 ± 0.6 μmol/g in Brassica napus, from 101.2±3.0 μmol/g to 42.2 ± 5.4 μmol/g in Brassica campestris, and from 132.02 ± 9.31 μmol/g to 52.50 ± 6.50 μmol/g in Brassica juncea, compared to untreated ones. Differences in the concentrations of six main odorants and the glucosinolate precursors from genetic types were responsible for the intensity of the pungent odors in raw and microwaved rapeseeds. The result can assist to determine the flavor of the commercial rapeseed oils.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a natural phenolic compound, is an important bioactive compound, and its antibacterial activity has been widely concerned, but its antibacterial mechanism remains largely unknown. Protein leakage and the solution exosmosis conductivity of Bacillus subtilis 24434 (B. subtilis) reportedly display no noticeable differences before and after CGA treatment. The bacterial cells treated with CGA displayed a consistently smooth surface under the electron microscope, indicating that CGA cannot directly disrupt bacterial membranes. However, CGA induced a significant decrease in the intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, possibly by affecting the material and energy metabolism or cell-signaling transduction. Furthermore, metabolomic results indicated that CGA stress had a bacteriostatic effect by inducing the intracellular metabolic imbalance of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and glycolysis, leading to metabolic disorder and death of B. subtilis. These findings improve the understanding of the complex action mechanisms of CGA antimicrobial activity and provide theoretical support for the application of CGA as a natural antibacterial agent.