To evaluate the impacts of different extraction methods on the properties of ginger essential oil, this study investigated the yield, physicochemical properties, thermodynamic characteristics, and functional group composition of ginger essential oil extracted by four techniques: steam distillation (SD), ultrasound-assisted steam distillation, enzymatic hydrolysis combined with steam distillation and ultrasound-enzyme synergistic assisted steam distillation (UEASD). In addition, the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the extracted oils were evaluated. The results indicated that UEASD significantly increased the yield of ginger essential oil compared with the other methods (P < 0.05) and improved the physicochemical and thermodynamic properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that ginger essential oil mainly contained terpenes, alcohols, ketones and aldehydes. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) identified 85 compounds, with the essential oil extracted by UEASD being rich in terpenes (48.16%), ketones (13.16%), and aldehydes (2.63%). Moreover, the UEASD-extracted oil exhibited strong scavenging capacity against 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, and hydroxyl radical, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.84, 1.20, and 2.26 mg/mL, respectively, which was higher than that of the positive control VE. The essential oil was effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Penicillium citrinum. This study provides a scientific basis and technical support for the development of high-quality, value-added ginger essential oil products.

In this study, Zizania latifolia shell extract (Zlse) was obtained by ethanol extraction and silica gel chromatography, and its effect on ulcerative colitis in mice was evaluated. The underlying mechanism was analyzed by network pharmacology. Six groups of mice were established: normal control (NC), model control (MC), positive control (PC), low-dose Zlse (Zlse-L), medium-dose Zlse (Zlse-M) and high-dose Zlse (Zlse-H). Ulcerative colitis was induced by intragastric administration of 3.5% sodium dextran sulfate solution in the MC, PC and Zlse groups. The PC and Zlse groups were intragastrically administrated with mesalazine and Zlse, respectively. The NC and MC groups were intragastrically administrated with 0.5% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) solution. The health status of mice was recorded daily, and the disease activity index (DAI) score was calculated. The percentage body mass change, DAI score, colon length, hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained colonic sections, colonic histopathology score, serum inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α) levels, and the activities of colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were compared between the six groups. Based on the key targets and the important Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways obtained from the GeneCards, OMIM, TTD and DAVID databases, a ‘active ingredient-target-KEGG pathway’ network diagram was constructed. The results showed that compared with the MC group, the trend of body mass loss in the Zlse treatment groups was significantly slowed down (P < 0.05), the colon length was restored, and the colon injury was reduced. In addition, the levels of serum proinflammatory factors in the Zlse groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05); colonic MPO activity was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while SOD activity was increased (P < 0.05). Eight active components, 77 intersection targets and 119 KEGG pathways were obtained by network pharmacology analysis. The key active components were tricin and tricin-4’-O-syringyl alcohol, and the important pathways included the P13K/Akt signaling pathway, receptor activation and reactive oxygen species accumulation, which were confirmed by animal experiments. The results showed that Zlse can concentration-dependently prevent DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice by inhibiting the release of proinflammatory factors and regulating the antioxidant defense capacity of the colon.

In order to determine the maturation period of lotus seeds suitable for fresh consumption and to evaluate their quality, the physicochemical and sensory quality of lotus seeds at the milky, waxy, complete and dead ripeness stages were evaluated. The relationship between physicochemical and sensory quality was determined through principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis and regression analysis, and the quality characteristics of fresh lotus seeds were quantified. The results showed that the hardness, fullness, starch content, reducing sugar content and soluble protein content of lotus seeds increased gradually with maturity, while the water content decreased; the brittleness, chewability and viscosity increased firstly and then decreased, while the opposite trend was recorded for the contents of soluble solids and soluble sugar. The taste of lotus seeds at the milky ripeness stage was the most popular, whereas the appearance and color of lotus seeds at the waxy ripeness stage were the most satisfactory, and the overall acceptance was the highest. Lotus seeds suitable for fresh consumption were characterized by yellowish-green and shiny peels, high moisture content, low contents of reducing sugar and soluble protein, and low hardness. A model for the prediction of overall acceptance (Y) as a function of hardness (X) was determined as follows: $\hat{Y}$= 9.766 - 0.537X, which simplifies the process of determining the suitability of lotus seeds for fresh eating.

Comprehensive evaluation of the free amino acid composition of 28 different varieties of lotus rhizomes was carried out by correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Results showed that a total of 17 free amino acids were identified. The average contents of essential amino acids, non-essential amino acid and total free amino acids were 2.05, 12.27 and 14.33 mg/g, respectively. PCA showed that the first three principal components accounted for 80.16% of the total variance, really reflecting comprehensive information on free amino acids in lotus rhizomes. The top five varieties with the highest comprehensive scores were ‘Jinhuawuziou’, ‘Xibo’, ‘E’lian 5’, ‘Wuyibaimushiyong’ou’ and ‘Jinhuahonglian’. Cluster analysis showed the 28 cultivars were divided into three groups, which was consistent with the results of PCA. This study can provide a theoretical basis for further lotus breeding, quality improvement, processing and storage.

In this study, Fusarium graminearum was identified as the pathogen causing the decay of ginger from Jiangshan, Zhejiang Province during postharvest storage by tissue separation, morphological characterization, ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (rDNA-ITS) sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree construction. By using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the changes of volatile flavor in fresh ginger during infection with F. graminearum postharvest were studied through the determination of volatile flavor compounds in healthy tissues, the junction between healthy and diseased tissues, and diseased tissues of fresh ginger. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the flavor quality of fresh ginger during postharvest disease development. The results showed that a total of 58 volatile flavor substances were detected in ginger, of which 40 substances were detected in healthy tissues, 35 substances in the junction of diseased and healthy tissues, and 39 substances in diseased tissues. These volatile flavor substances mainly included olefins, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and ketones. Olefin compounds were the major components contributing to fresh ginger flavor, accounting for more than 80% of all flavor compounds. During disease development, the content of olefin flavor compounds increased significantly (P < 0.05), and the sesquiterpene components zingiberene and β-sesquiterpene were detected in different parts of fresh ginger and their contents continued to increase, which could be used as the indexes for determining whether or not fresh ginger is infected with F. graminearum after harvest. This may be due to the activation of the resistance mechanism of pathogen infected fresh ginger and consequent release of sesquiterpene components in large quantities.

This study was performed to explore the differences in the composition of astringent substances in different tissues of fresh lotus seeds and the expression of key enzyme genes involved in the synthesis of astringent compounds. The contents of soluble tannins, insoluble tannins and proanthocyanidins in lotus seed coat, lotus seed pulp without coat and lotus seed plumule were determined. Meanwhile, the activity and gene expression of key enzymes in the tannin synthesis pathway were detected. Sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis were performed on lotus seed samples. The data obtained was analyzed by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and correlation analysis. Results showed that the major substance contributing to the astringency of lotus seeds was soluble tannins. Tannins had a positive effect on its excellent flavor at the waxy ripeness stage. Anthocyanin reductase was a key enzyme affecting the astringency intensity of lotus seeds. SnANR9 played a role in regulating the astringency of different tissues of lotus seeds.