Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Food Chem. 2024 Oct 16;464(Pt 1):141671. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141671. Online ahead of print. Unraveling the key cooked off-flavor compounds in thermally sterilized green tea beverages, and masking effect of tea raw material baking. Tao M(1), Guo W(2), Liang J(3), Liu Z(4). Author information: (1)Institute of Sericulture and Tea, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, PR China. (2)State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea & Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China. (3)State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea & Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jianghuai Agricultural Product Fine Processing and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Anhui Engineering Research Center for High Value Utilization of Characteristic Agricultural Products, College of Tea & Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China. (4)Institute of Sericulture and Tea, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea & Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China. Electronic address: liuzq0312@163.com. The occurrence of the cooked off-flavor during the thermal sterilization of green tea beverages negatively impacts their quality. This study aimed to identify the key cooked off-flavor compounds by molecular sensory science. The increase of 12 compounds, including malty (e.g., 3-methylbutanal), floral (e.g., linalool), sweet (e.g., methional), and smoky (2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol) compounds, contributed to the development of the cooked off-flavor. Additionally, the loss of five aroma compounds-dimethyl sulfide, (E)-β-ionone, 2-methylbutanal, 1-penten-3-one, and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal-also caused the emergence this undesirable flavor. One potential solution to reduce the cooked off-flavor was the baking of tea raw materials. While baking did not significantly reduce the concentration of off-flavor compounds, it led to an increase in eight roasty aroma compounds, such as pyrazines and pyrroles, which helped partially mask the cooked off-flavor in green tea beverages. Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141671 PMID: 39423534 Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 2. Food Chem X. 2024 Aug 12;23:101733. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101733. eCollection 2024 Oct 30. Effect of freeze-thaw treatment on the yield and quality of tiger nut oil. Zhang Z(1), Xie X(1), Jia H(1), Le W(1), Xiang P(1). Author information: (1)College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China. To investigate the effect of freeze-thaw (FT) process on the yield and quality of tiger nut oil, tiger nuts were subjected to 0-12 cycles of FT treatment. Results indicated that FT treatment ruptured the cell structure of tiger nut, resulting in an increase in oil yield. Acid value (2.09-2.42 mg KOH/g) and peroxide value (0.40-0.42 mmol/kg) increased with the number of FT cycles, but the increments were small. Likewise, slight differences in fatty acid composition and thermal properties between control and FT-treated samples were observed. FT treatment remarkably increased the bioactive components (e.g., vitamin E, sterols, chlorophyll and carotenoids) in the oil and extended the oxidation induction time from 1.2 to 5.57 h. FT treatment altered the volatile composition of tiger nut oil, increasing the relative content of heterocycles and pyrazines such as 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, trimethylpyrazine and tetramethylpyrazine. It was suggested that FT treatment prior to oil extraction was beneficial to improve the oil yield and quality. © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101733 PMCID: PMC11377135 PMID: 39246691 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 3. Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15;463(Pt 1):141029. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141029. Epub 2024 Aug 31. Decoding of the enhancement of saltiness perception by aroma-active compounds during Hunan Larou (smoke-cured bacon) oral processing. Pu D(1), Cao B(1), Xu Z(1), Zhang L(1), Meng R(1), Chen J(1), Sun B(2), Zhang Y(3). Author information: (1)China Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100048, China; Key Laboratory of Flavor Science of China General Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Technology and Business University, 100048, China; Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Beijing Technology and Business University, 100048, China. (2)China Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100048, China; Key Laboratory of Flavor Science of China General Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Technology and Business University, 100048, China. (3)China Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100048, China; Key Laboratory of Flavor Science of China General Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Technology and Business University, 100048, China; Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, Beijing Technology and Business University, 100048, China. Electronic address: zhangyuyu@btbu.edu.cn. The enhancement of saltiness induced by odrants perceived from the retronasal cavity during Larou oral processing was analyzed. During the oral processing of Xiangtan Larou, the smoky attribute was the dominant when chewing 0-15 times, followed by the savory (15-24 times) and meaty (24-42 times). Partial least squares analysis predicted 33 aroma compounds from the retronasal cavity significantly (p < 0.05) contributing to the aroma perception. A total of 12 aroma compounds with saltiness-enhancement ability were confirmed by odorant-NaCl mixture model experiments. Results revealed that 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (1.00-1000.00 μg/L) had the strongest enhancing effect on saltiness at NaCl (2969.85 mg/L), followed by diallyl sulfide (0.156-2.50 μg/L), 2,5-dimethylthiophene (0.156-50.00 μg/L), 2,6-dimethylphenol (1.00-100.00 μg/L), 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (0.391-50.00 μg/L), and 2,3-butanedione (0.50-100.0 μg/L). The sulfur-containing, nitrogen-containing, and phenolic odorants with savory, roasty, sulfide, meaty or smoky, attributes showed the better ability in saltiness enhancement. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141029 PMID: 39241428 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 4. Food Res Int. 2024 Oct;194:114882. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114882. Epub 2024 Aug 8. Dynamic changes in volatile profiles and bacterial communities during natural fermentation of Mei yu, traditional Chinese fermented fish pieces. Yin H(1), Hong Q(1), Yu X(1), Wang H(2), Shi X(3), Liu W(4), Yuan T(1), Tu Z(5). Author information: (1)School of Health, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330022, China. (2)College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524088, China. (3)School of Health, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330022, China. Electronic address: xdshi0906@163.com. (4)Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Clean Conversion and High Value Utilization of Biomass Resources, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yili Normal University, Yining, Xinjiang 835000, China. (5)School of Health, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330022, China; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330047, China. Electronic address: Tuzc_mail@aliyun.com. Microbial metabolism is important for the unique flavor formation of Mei yu, a kind of traditional Chinese fermented fish pieces. However, the interactive relationship between microorganisms and flavor components during fermentation is still unclear. In this study, electronic nose and headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were performed to identify flavor components in Mei yu during the fermentation, and the absolute microbial quantification was conducted to identify the diversity and succession of microbial communities. During fermentation, there was an increase in the types of volatile compounds. Alcohols, aldehydes, aromatics and esters were the main flavor compounds and significantly increased in Mei yu, while hydrocarbon and aldehydes significantly decreased. The absolute abundances of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Weissella increased significantly after 3 days' fermentation, which were closely associated with the productions of 1-nonanol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, guaiacol, ethyl palmitate and ethyl caprylate that might though pathways related to fatty acid biosynthesis and amino acid metabolism. However, these genera were negatively correlated with the production of indole. Additionally, the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) levels of Mei yu fermented during 3 days were within the limits of 25 mg TVB-N/100 g fish, with the contents of free amino acids and lipoxygenase activities were significant lower than that of 4 days' fermentation. In view of food safety and flavor, it suggested that the natural fermented Mei yu at room temperature should be controlled within 3 days. This study highlights the application of absolute quantification to microbiome analysis in traditional fermented Mei yu and provides new insights into the roles of microorganisms in flavor formation during fermentation. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114882 PMID: 39232519 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 5. Plant Environ Interact. 2024 Aug 20;5(4):e70006. doi: 10.1002/pei3.70006. eCollection 2024 Aug. Characterization of finger millet extracts and evaluation of their nematicidal efficacy and plant growth promotion potential. Chrisantus KM(1), Sarah C(2), Dorcas L(1), Ramkat RC(1), Oduori COA(3), Pili NN(1). Author information: (1)Department of Biological Sciences Moi University Eldoret Kenya. (2)Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Moi University Eldoret Kenya. (3)Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Kisumu Kenya. Plant-parasitic nematodes pose a significant threat to finger millet crops, potentially causing yield reduction of up to 70%. Extracts derived from finger millet varieties contain potent bioactive compounds that can mitigate nematode damage and promote plant growth. This study aimed at isolating and characterizing bioactive compounds from the finger millet varieties Ikhulule, Okhale-1, and U-15; evaluating the impact of Ikhulule and U-15 extracts on the mortality of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus vandenbergae; assessing the growth promotion effects of Ikhulule and U-15 extracts on the finger millet variety Okhale-1; and determining the efficacy of these extracts in managing plant-parasitic nematodes under greenhouse conditions. Extracts were obtained from both leaves and roots and tested in vitro for nematode mortality and in vivo for growth promotion and nematode control. The results showed that finger millet extracts exhibited strong nematicidal properties in vitro, achieving a mortality rate of up to 98% against P. vandenbergae nematodes. Applying these extracts to finger millet shoots significantly reduced nematode populations in both soil and roots and decreased the reproductive factor to below one (1), indicating an effective nematode control. The study attributes the enhanced nematicidal effects of finger millet extracts to their bioactive compounds, particularly dodecanoic acid, phytol, 1,1,4a-trimethyl-6-decahydro naphthalene, 2,3-dihydro-benzofuran, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol and ethyl ester, and hexadecanoic acid. These findings suggest that finger millet-derived extracts offer a natural solution for nematode management and broader agronomic benefits, ultimately contributing to overall plant health and productivity. © 2024 The Author(s). Plant‐Environment Interactions published by New Phytologist Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/pei3.70006 PMCID: PMC11334166 PMID: 39165797 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.