Henan University of Technology

Ginsenosides, the principal bioactive constituents of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), require precise monitoring during column chromatography to ensure product quality. Conventional assays are time-consuming and unsuited for real-time process control, particularly for low-abundance compounds. Here, we present a rapid, non-destructive near-infrared (NIR) optical sensing system coupled with an Evolutionary Attention-based Long Short-Term Memory (EA-LSTM) model to predict ginsenoside concentrations dynamically. The approach exploits the high-speed acquisition and reproducibility of NIR spectra while leveraging EA-LSTM's temporal feature extraction and adaptive attention to focus on chemically informative elution segments. Offline spectra from eight elution batches, referenced by UPLC, enabled model training and validation, with high-frequency sampling simulated to mimic industrial deployment. The system demonstrated high accuracy (R² = 0.9841, RPD = 7.94) and robustness under dynamic conditions (R² = 0.9694, RPD = 5.72, response time = 0.34 ms), highlighting its potential for real-time, non-destructive monitoring and intelligent control in natural product purification.

Berberine (BBR) is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid with poor water solubility and chemical instability, which limits its application in functional foods. Here, food-grade bilayer nanoparticles based on gliadin hydrolysates (GLH) and chitosan (CS) were constructed via a green encapsulation strategy to improve BBR delivery. The resulting GLH-BBR-CS nanoparticles (GLH-BBR-CS NPs) exhibited high encapsulation efficiency, good storage stability, and controlled BBR release under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. FT-IR and XRD analyses suggested that BBR was stabilised within the nanoparticles through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. In vitro, GLH-BBR-CS NPs enhanced the antioxidant activity of BBR and inhibited pancreatic lipase in a dose-dependent manner, indicating potential for modulating lipid digestion. In vivo, oral administration of GLH-BBR-CS NPs improved antioxidant status and reduced fat absorption in rats. These findings highlight a scalable approach for designing food-compatible BBR delivery systems and support the development of BBR-enriched functional foods.

Broussonetia papyrifera (BP) contains various bioactive compounds that may benefit animals when silaged. Intestinal problems, such as inflammation, barrier impairment, and microbial dysbiosis in aged laying hens, in aged laying hens induce an decrease in egg production This study examined the effects of dietary silaged Broussonetia papyrifera (SBP) on production and intestinal health. A total of 240 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (65 weeks old, similar laying rates and body weights) were allocated to two groups (8 replicates of 15 hens each): a control group fed a basal diet and an SBP group fed the basal diet supplemented with 4% SBP. Compared with the control, the SBP group showed higher laying rates, lower dirty egg rates, and greater egg weight, yolk color, eggshell strength, and eggshell weight at d 56, though Haugh units and yolk ratios were lower. SBP supplementation was associated with greater villus height, lesser crypt depth, stronger epithelial maturation, and modulated tight junction protein mRNA expression (ZO-1, ZO-2, claudin-2) across intestinal segments, along with higher TLR4 in the duodenum and jejunum and IL-6 in the ileum. Serum metabolomics identified 159 differentially abundant metabolites (101 upregulated, 58 downregulated), enriched in steroid hormone biosynthesis, purine metabolism, and unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis pathways. Integrated microbiota-metabolome analysis indicated SBP shifted gut microbiota composition, increasing beneficial genera such as Bacteroides and Verrucomicrobiota. Ten metabolites, including Gly-Tyr-Ala, tomatidine, ingenol-3-angelate, and pyrithioxin, correlated strongly with microbiota, laying performance, and eggshell quality. Overall, SBP supported laying performance in aged hens by affecting intestinal morphology, barrier function, microbiota composition, and serum metabolite profiles, indicating its potential as a feed additive to extend productive life.