Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), as bioactive compounds extracted from L. barbarum L. fruit, have been widely explored for their potential health properties. The extraction and structural characterization methods of LBPs were reviewed to accurately understand the extraction method and structural and biological functions of LBPs. An overview of the biological functions of LBPs, such as antioxidant function, antitumor activity, neuroprotective effects, immune regulating function, and other functions, were summarized. This review provides an overview of LBPs and a theoretical basis for further studying and extending the applications of LBPs in the fields of medicine and food.

Lactobacillus brevis CD0817, a strain isolated from a healthy adult gut, was currently the most efficient lactic acid bacterial cell factory for gamma-aminobutyric acid. In this study, the complete genome sequence of CD0817 was determined and compared with some related L. brevis genomes. The CD0817 genome consists of one 2,990,570-bp chromosome and four plasmids. The comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis revealed that L. brevis CD0817 was not very conserved with low GABA-producing L. brevis strains. A significant divergence was that CD0817 harbors only the gadCA operon whereas the low GABA-producing L. brevis strains contain the operon and gadB. The gadB seemed to only marginally contribute to the accumulation of GABA. The high GABA production ability of CD0817 may be associated with its extraordinary genome.

Peptides derived from food proteins have exhibited significant antihypertensive effects without side effects. In this study, the cottonseed protein was hydrolyzed by papain for preparing peptide with angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The influence of hydrolysis temperature (33°C, 40°C, and 47°C), pH (6.5, 7.0, and 7.5), and enzyme to substrate (E/S) ratio (0.9%, 1.2%, and 1.5%) on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) and ACE-inhibitory activity were analyzed. The hydrolysis conditions were further optimized by central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM). The DH of cottonseed protein and ACE inhibitory rate of hydrolysates reached 25.7% and 88.2%, respectively, under the optimal hydrolysis conditions (hydrolysis temperature 39°C, pH 7.5, and E/S ratio 1.04%). We further separated the cottonseed protein hydrolysates (CPH) using a combined strategy of ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor system, sephadex G-25 gel filtration chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). An ACE inhibitory peptide, named as FII-2-P, with ACE inhibitory IC₅₀ value of 46.7 μg/mL, was obtained. MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the molecular weight of FII-2-P was 763.4 Da and its amino acids sequence was Phe-Pro-Ala-Ile-Gly-Met-Lys. These results demonstrated that the cottonseed protein is a potential source of ACE inhibitory ingredients to be used in the development of functional foods.

Plastic pollution has placed a significant emphasis on the need for synthesising bioplastics, such as polybutylene succinate (PBS), which is derived from succinic acid. Furthermore, environmental concerns and the depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels have initiated an interest in exploring the biotechnological route of succinic acid production via fermentation. Consequently, oil palm biomass might be a prospective substitute for the costlier pure carbon source, which is more sustainable and cost-effective due to its abundance and high lignocellulosic content. The current review focuses on the potential of oil palm biomass utilisation to synthesise succinic acid and its associated bioplastics. The pretreatment and hydrolysis of various oil palm biomass and studies on bioplastics generation from oil palm biomass are also discussed. This review also identified the challenges of manufacturing succinic acid from oil palm biomass and included several recommendations.

Due to the lack of basic information on Chinese ghee and the increasing demand of consumers for natural oils, this study aims to explore and distinguish the quality characteristics of ghee in different regions of China. Ghee samples from 16 regions of Qinghai Province, Gansu Province, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and Tibet Autonomous Region were selected and their physicochemical properties, fatty acids, texture, antioxidant and antibacterial activities were determined. The results showed that: (1) The physicochemical properties of ghee were different from different regions, but the freshness and fat content are generally high. The results of iodine value and saponification value suggest that the fatty acid composition is good; (2) The unsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid content of ghee in Tibet and Xinjiang ranges from 63.05% to 79.13%, which is better than that in other regions; (3) Gansu Diebu ghee has the highest hardness (40.69 N); (4) Ghee from different regions has good antioxidant activity, DPPH free radical scavenging activity is 30.45% to 58.06%, ABTS free radical scavenging activity is 41.14% to 65.53%, and has varying degrees of inhibition on gram-positive bacteria. In addition, yak ghee, cattle-yak ghee and cow ghee have better fatty acid composition and antibacterial ability than scalper ghee. The results of this study distinguish the differences in the quality characteristics of yak ghee in different geographical regions. Therefore, it can provide a theoretical basis for the origin tracing and quality-oriented improvement of yak ghee.