The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of cooking water on the taste characteristics of hand-grasped mutton. Hand-grasped mutton was made from mutton chops from Ningxia Yanchi Tan sheep with domestic water in Yanchi County, Ningxia; domestic water in Fengtai District, Beijing; or superpure water. The results showed that cooking water had a significant effect on the taste characteristics of hand-grasped mutton. The index of protein degradation and the contents of glutamic acid and 5’-inosinic acid in hand-grasped mutton made with superpure water were remarkably higher than those in the other two samples, while the contents of alanine and glycine in hand-grasped mutton made with Yanchi domestic water were markedly higher than in the other two samples. The umami intensity of hand-grasped mutton made with superpure water was the highest, while that of hand-grasped mutton made with Fengtai domestic water was the lowest. Collectively, the results of electronic tongue and sensory analysis indicated that there were significant differences in taste characteristics between the three samples of hand-grasped mutton, which was related to the types and contents of trace metal elements in cooking water.

Excessive alcohol consumption (≥15 drinks per week) causes chronic diseases and multiple other health conditions. Nevertheless, alcohol beverages have been used as a vital medicine ingredient in various cultures since ancient times. A wealth of epidemiological and experimental research has shown that light-moderate alcohol consumption, regardless of beverage type, is associated with reducing cardiovascular incidence and mortality rate. Due to the disparities in raw materials, fermentation techniques, production environment, etc., alcoholic beverages tend to possess different non-ethanol component profiles, thus resulting in varying degrees of health effects. Furthermore, bioactive compounds in alcohol are continuously discovered as well as the mechanisms underlying their cardioprotective contributions at a molecular level. This article elucidates the epidemiology of moderate alcohol consumption and various cardiovascular conditions, along with the limitations and controversies of current studies. In addition, protective effects and putative mechanisms of both ethanol and non-ethanol components of wine, beer, and Chinese Baijiu, the three most representative alcoholic beverages worldwide, are to be evaluated within the context of a rational drinking pattern.

Diacylglycerol (DAG)-based edible oils have attracted increasing research interest owing to their health-promoting properties. Recent animal and human studies showed that an increased 1,2-DAG content in the liver and skeletal muscle may cause insulin resistance. However, earlier studies using animal models or humans reported that dietary DAGs with a 1,2-DAGs to 1,3-DAGs ratio of approximately 3:7 could improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. This conflict raises the question of whether there is a link between the ingested DAGs and endogenous DAGs during their metabolism. To make a contribution to this field, this review provides an overview of the metabolic pathways of ingested DAGs and biological roles of DAGs (ingested and endogenous) in the change of insulin sensitivity. Accordingly, strategies for further investigations on the metabolism of DAGs are proposed.