Dietary compounds are crucial in maintaining human physiological functions and preventing diseases, but they can give full play to their functional activities only after being effectively absorbed and utilized by the human body. In vitro intestinal cell models have become an effective means to study the absorption and utilization mechanism of dietary compounds. Selecting the appropriate intestinal cell model and improving the existing intestinal cell models are of great significance to effectively simulate the absorption and utilization of dietary compounds in human body. In this paper, the structure and function of human intestinal epithelial cells are introduced, and recent progress in research on in vitro intestinal cell models is systematically reviewed. The intestinal absorption and transport mechanism of carotenoids is expounded, and the focus of this review is on the application of the Caco-2 single cell model and the Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-culture cell model in research on the absorption and utilization of carotenoids, so as to provide a reference for better simulation of absorption and utilization of dietary compounds in human body by using the in vitro intestinal cell absorption models.

Healthy foods are foods that have additional health benefits when compared with ordinary foods. In recent years, with the vigorous development of the healthy food industry, healthy foods have gradually entered the public eye and become a hot spot. Natural products are a class of bioactive compounds that play an important role in healthy foods, and the processing is a vital part of the development of the healthy food industry. The development of healthy foods is inseparable from the ever-changing food processing technology. Based on this, this article summarizes the high-tech processing technologies for healthy foods, comprehensively compares and analyzes the high and new technologies applied in the processing steps such as natural product production, active ingredient protection, component modification, preservation, sterilization, and product design, and provides an outlook on the future development of healthy foods by using high and new technologies.

This study investigated the effects of adding different amounts of sesame oleosomes on the properties of polysaccharide edible films, and explored the application of the film incorporated with sesame oleosomes in strawberry preservation in terms of sensory evaluation and physicochemical indexes. The results showed that the extracted sesame oleosomes contained 72.3% fat, which could maintain good oxidative stability for 8 days. Adding an appropriate amount of sesame oleosomes to edible films could effectively improve the softness, water vapor barrier, solubility and elongation. However, adding excess sesame oleosomes (≥ 5.6%) decreased the mechanical properties and transparency. Taken together, the optimal proportion of oleosome addition was 1.2%. Compared with the blank and oleosome-free control groups, the oleosomeincorporated film effectively delayed the rotting and softening of strawberry fruits as well as the decrease in moisture, soluble solids and titratable acids, and extended the shelf life by at least 1 day. This study showed that a certain amount of oleosomes can be used as lipid derivatives in lipid-based edible films to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

The oil body is an organelle that stores oil in oil crop seeds. The presence of a phospholipid-protein membrane on its surface allows for the dispersion of oil bodies in water, resulting in the formation of a stable water-in-oil emulsion. Oil bodies hold immense potential in the food industry due to its exceptional physicochemical stability and emulsifying properties. The extraction and stability of oil bodies has always been a research hotspot, driven by the need for enhanced extraction efficiency and applicability. There are diverse extraction methods and conditions for plant oil bodies, which can be generally classified into three categories: water extraction, solution extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction. The choice of extraction methods depends on plant sources and applications. The stability of oil bodies is assessed from physical, chemical, and biological aspects. This comprehensive review summarizes the commonly employed evaluation methods with the aim of encouraging further research and application of oil bodies.

Jam, as a common processed fruit product, has a long history of consumption and is widely loved by consumers due to its diverse products and rich nutrition. The texture of traditional jam can only be formed under high sugar (55%–75%) and highly acidic (pH 2.0–3.5) conditions, which is a challenge for the production of low-sugar jam. In addition, the texture of jam is vulnerable to damage during transport and storage, leading to jam quality deterioration. Food thickeners, food additives that increase the viscosity, consistency and gel strength of liquid foods, are widely used for promoting the formation of the texture of low-sugar jam and maintaining its stability during transport and storage. In this article, the deterioration phenomenon and formation theory of jam texture are reviewed. The thickening or gelling mechanism of food thickeners (e.g., pectin) and their application in jam are described with a focus on the effects of food thickeners on the sensory attributes, texture, rheological properties, and microstructure of jam. Moreover, several possible future research directions are proposed, aiming to provide ideas for the development and application of thickeners in jam.

With the exacerbation of relevant issues such as population growth and environmental deterioration, the adverse impact of traditional livestock farming is gradually becoming prominent, while the market for plant-based meat products is expanding. Numerous studies have focused on improving the quality of plant-based meat products in terms of appearance, texture, taste and flavor to make them more similar to real meat. However, plant-based meat products on the market generally contain high sodium levels, which contradicts the concept of healthy diet and seriously affects the nutritional value and promotion of plant-based meat products. Therefore, this article starts with an overview of the development of plant-based meat products, analyzes the current status and causes of high sodium levels in related products, and focuses on the salt and sodium reduction strategies used in the production of plant-based meat in the three aspects of texture and flavor shaping, fiber structure construction and raw material preparation, with a view to reducing the sodium content without affecting the sensory quality of plant-based meat products in order to produce and promote healthier low-sodium plant-based meat products.