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The escalating global population and the environmentally inefficient nature of livestock-based protein production are intensifying demand for sustainable and scalable protein alternatives. Microbial biosynthesis, employing engineered cell factories, represents a pivotal strategy for producing functional proteins with a reduced ecological footprint. This review comprehensively examines the biosynthesis of alternative proteins (APs) via microbial precision fermentation, encompassing diverse categories including coloring proteins, flavoring and taste proteins, structuring and texturizing proteins, nutritional and functional proteins, food processing and enabling proteins, and special functional proteins. Enabling technologies, from fermentation feedstock and microbial host selection to genome/metabolic engineering, bioprocess optimization via response surface methodology/artificial neural networks, and downstream purification, are critically analyzed. Emerging strategies demonstrate substantial progress in enhancing microbial titers, achieving functional mimicry, and advancing regulatory readiness. However, persistent challenges include precise flavor replication, nutritional completeness, and food safety concerns such as allergenicity and process contaminants. Potential solutions, including advanced metabolic engineering, refined protein extraction, biocontainment strategies, and transparent regulatory frameworks, are discussed. By integrating technological innovation with targeted application mapping and regulatory foresight, this review outlines a roadmap toward scalable, safe, and functionally robust microbial AP platforms, thereby contributing to the transition toward a sustainable food system.

Despite national and international commitments to food systems transformation and an increasing adoption of common indicators, no comprehensive targets have been established against which progress can be measured. Here, building on the Food Systems Countdown Initiative framework, we identify existing targets-based on internationally agreed commitments and normative goals-and establish benchmarks-based on empirically derived peer performance reference values at the global, regional and income group levels-for 44 Food Systems Countdown Initiative indicators. We also assess countries' historical progress and the rate of change required to achieve targets and benchmarks over two different timescales. We show that current progress is insufficient to meet 2030 targets and benchmarks at global level. Comparing countries' status to regional and income benchmarks, which are generally less ambitious, yields better performance across indicators and regions, although gaps remain. Achieving most targets and benchmarks by 2050 is possible if countries correct course and accelerate progress, but certain indicators will require considerable investment and intervention.

Since the early 1960s, nanotechnology has been a critical area of science, allowing for the development of sophisticated nanomaterials. Nanofibers, one of the most widely used nanotechnological drug delivery systems, have emerged as a highly versatile platform within modern pharmaceutical sciences. By combining various polymers with active herbal ingredients, these systems mimic the natural extracellular matrix and provide improved functions such as a high surface area-to-volume ratio, drug targeting, and controlled drug release. Preclinical studies demonstrate that phytochemical-containing nanofibers have improved therapeutic profiles, including higher anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antineoplastic effects. In various biomedical applications, such as promoting tissue engineering (such as bone and nerve regeneration), limiting tumor growth, and accelerating wound closure, it was shown that nanofibers may overcome the physicochemical limitations of herbal drugs such as low solubility and bioavailability. Despite promising preclinical study results, there are significant obstacles in the way of the commercialization of herbal drug-loaded nanofibers. The difficult standardization of multi-component herbal extracts, stabilization drawbacks, and the absence of scalable industrial manufacturing equipment that can maintain repeatable characterization of nanofibers are some of the major obstacles, in addition to a lack of clinical trials. To navigate the clinical translation of nanofibers, interdisciplinary collaboration regarding quality control, safety, and regulatory pathways is strictly necessary due to the case-by-case review approach utilized by regulatory bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). This review offers a comprehensive overview of research on herbal drug-loaded nanofibers and contributes a novel perspective with regulatory and clinical translational insights. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Discovery of NRF2 in 1994 was once assumed simplistic and classical but the following years witnessed phenomenal breakthroughs that led to a rapid increase in the components of complex molecular web. Emerging evidence has enabled us to develop a better understanding of the spatio-temporally placed molecular machinery both upstream and downstream to the NRF2 in different contexts and diseases. The exciting voyage to unravel the multifaceted roles of NRF2 in human diseases has catalyzed innovations in therapeutic approaches, inspiring the design of compounds for pharmacological modulation of NRF2 in disease prevention and intervention. In this review, we have set the spotlight on sketching a detailed landscape both upstream and downstream to the central signaling node of NRF2. Identification of the natural products having unique ability to pharmacologically target NRF2-associated networks. Later, we expand our discussion about ongoing and completed clinical trials related to multifaceted roles of NRF2 as an oncogene and a tumor suppressor. We argue that a holistic view of NRF2-driven upstream and downstream signaling is necessary for the identification of preventive or therapeutic opportunities.

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Predator-prey interactions are key to regulating lower trophic levels and stabilizing ecosystem processes. Therefore, understanding prey selection and prey composition of predators is essential, yet especially the small size and diverse diets of predatory arthropods present a significant challenge to conventional field methods. Here, we employed DNA metabarcoding on gut contents of over 1500 arboreal spiders in a subtropical forest in China to construct a high-resolution spider-prey interaction network. Subsequently, we compared prey diversity, composition, starvation rates, and network metrics (predator niche overlap, generality, and prey vulnerability) across different spider hunting guilds and families. Our results revealed an exceptionally broad diet for these spiders, with spiders themselves constituting a significant proportion of prey (i.e. spider on spider predation), besides a wide range of insects, particularly flies and moths. Although, prey composition was broadly similar at high taxonomic levels and functional groups, distinct dietary partitioning was evident at lower (MOTU) taxonomic level. Interaction networks revealed a broader and more generalized diet spectrum of active-hunters compared to web-builders, which resulted in higher diet overlap within the hunting guild (high prey vulnerability and niche overlap). However, network metrics for active hunters were lower than null expectations, suggesting a structuring role of intraspecific competition, while web-builders displayed greater random associations, possibly reflective of the passive mode of prey capture. Collectively, our study offers a high-resolution overview of the dietary niches of subtropical arboreal spiders, revealing how hunting mode shapes their ecological impact and providing significant implications for leveraging these predators in biological control strategies.

As the first and dominant life forms on the planet, microorganisms underpin all ecological and organismal systems that drive planetary functioning, ecosystem health, and human wellbeing. Microbial communities are affected by anthropogenic pressures, and some microbial ecosystems may be at risk of permanent disruption, but microbiology remains conspicuously underrepresented in global conservation frameworks. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, including its goals, operational framework, and broader relevance. The MCSG provides the first formal global structure dedicated to the assessment, monitoring, and protection of microbial life across ecosystems. We outline its core mission, strategic framework, and planned activities to integrate microbial conservation into international biodiversity agendas, One Health/planetary policies, and ecological restoration initiatives. We also make a call for all key stakeholders to get involved in this initiative; the microbial world is vast, and we need "all experts on deck" to drive effective solutions.

Fluorine-free foam (F3) alternatives that lack per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are rapidly being adopted for firefighting operations and will be entering ecosystems. Despite this, little is known about their impact on freshwater communities. This knowledge gap is concerning for zooplankton, which are highly sensitive to F3 exposure and serve a keystone role as phytoplankton grazers and prey items for fish and invertebrates. Additionally, it is unknown how resource availability, which widely fluctuates in nature, influences the toxicity of F3s to zooplankton. Using varying algae feeding levels, we investigated how exposure to two F3s, National Foam Avio F3 Green KHC 3% (Avio) and Bio-Ex ECOPOL A 3% FFF (ECOPOL), impacts life history tradeoffs in a freshwater zooplankton, Daphnia magna. At high food levels, sublethal exposure to F3s caused earlier onset of reproduction and increased growth with no apparent tradeoffs, consistent with cases of fecundity compensation or hormesis. In contrast, when no food was provided, individuals exposed to Avio starved earlier, indicating an energetic cost of toxic exposure. This work shows F3s can substantially alter the life history of D. magna, possibly leading to altered freshwater community dynamics and trophic cascades. Additionally, this work highlights that toxic responses, and therefore ecological consequences, can vary based on food availability.

The migration of photoinitiators (PIs) from plastic packaging materials, leading to food contamination, has garnered increasing attention. However, discrepancies among previous studies regarding PI migration have been reported, primarily due to the neglect of the impact of PI volatilization on migration. In this study, the migration of PIs with different volatilities from plastic packaging into milk powder was investigated. The migration behavior of more volatile PIs (4-MBP, PI-184, and EDB) and less volatile PIs (EHA and PI-907), were investigated under different conditions, such as migration time, temperature, concentration, humidity, as well as the thickness and type of the migration medium. Concurrently, a model founded on Fick's second law was utilized to simulate the migration behavior of less volatile PIs, successfully deriving diffusion coefficients and partition coefficients with a high degree of fitting accuracy. Furthermore, a Weibull model was applied to forecast the migration behavior of more volatile PIs, providing insights that may inform the selection of PIs for food packaging printing applications. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of how photoinitiator volatility influences migration into milk powder and establishes predictive models to support food packaging safety assessment.

BackgroundMen live shorter lives and suffer more often from preventable diseases than women. This health pattern is associated with masculine norms that incentivize health-risk behavior. Masculinity threats represent a potential mechanism by which masculinity norms causally impact men's health behavior. In this scoping review, we map experimental evidence for health effects and moderators of masculinity threat.MethodsFollowing PRISMA-ScR guidance, we conducted a scoping review of experimentally manipulated masculinity threat and men's health across PsycNet, CINAHL, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science. Searches were supplemented using Consensus AI, Google Scholar and web searches. We included experimental studies with male participants manipulating masculinity threat and measuring health-related outcomes.ResultsA total of k = 38 experiments across 25 papers were included, covering food and beverage intake (k = 16), emotional well-being and physiological stress (k = 9), body image and fitness (k = 6), risk-taking behaviors (k = 5), and interpersonal relationships (k = 2). Masculinity threat was consistently associated with a preference for stereotypically masculine foods, particularly meat. Effects in other domains were mixed or limited. We found that endorsement of masculinity-related traits, and beliefs about the precarious nature of manhood, most consistently shaped when, and for whom, masculinity threats motivated compensatory reactions or disengagement.ConclusionFindings may inform public health messaging by showing that challenges to men's masculine status can lead to health risk behavior. This review aims to guide future research to clarify existing patterns and explore new health domains and moderators related to masculinity threat.

Carbon storage and biodiversity are heavily impacted by food systems. Here we map and trace long-term carbon storage and biodiversity loss from land use in global agricultural supply chains at a high spatial and product resolution. We show that while the Northern Hemisphere experiences greater carbon loss and the Southern Hemisphere higher biodiversity loss, areas with high carbon and biodiversity losses are often co-located, with two-thirds of total losses occurring within one-third of the total area. Food consumption drives 83% of losses, of which animal-sourced foods drive 59% of carbon and 71% of biodiversity losses. Bovine meat and milk account for 29% of carbon and 41% of biodiversity losses. Brazil is the largest net exporter for both losses, and China is the largest net importer, with animal products as dominant flows in both cases. Supply and demand interventions focusing on high-impact regions and products provide opportunities for joint efforts in climate and biodiversity policy.

Addressing sustainability within food systems is challenging due to their multifaceted nature. Here, we evaluate crop-restructuring pathways for Indian agricultural system by integrating nutrient, water, greenhouse gas, economic, and interstate trade-network accounting. We show that the nitrogen-focused crop restructuring strategy reduces nitrogen surplus by 13.4% and water use by 18.6%. This approach maintains baseline calorie production, narrows the benchmarked cereal net-return deficit, and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by 8.7%. Relative to water-focused restructuring, the nitrogen-focused strategy delivers larger reciprocal co-benefits by about 4.6-fold, resulting in a decrease in socio-environmental costs associated with nitrogen pollution of around $1.19 billion USD. The resulting agricultural restructuring substantially expands alternative-cereal trade in the interstate trade network. Overall, our analysis shows that integrating nutrient management into crop-restructuring strategies can support food-system sustainability in India and other resource-constrained agricultural systems.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) poses a significant food safety risk in wheat-based products. The detection of these pathogens in complex food matrices is challenging due to the labor-intensive nature of conventional methodologies and the variability in definitions across different countries. This study investigated whole cell digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) to detect the co-occurrence of critical STEC genetic markers in inoculated and naturally contaminated wheat flour. We optimized the ddPCR protocol for the detection and colocalization of critical STEC genetic markers, namely stx1, stx2, eae, and the Top 7 serogroups. Furthermore, we developed a novel quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to serve as a generic marker for E. coli, specifically targeting the yecE gene, for which we demonstrated inclusivity for E. coli and exclusivity against non-target species, both in silico and in vivo. This assay was used in the ddPCR colocalization tests performed throughout the study. Both qPCR and ddPCR analytical workflows were shown to have a similar LOD50 around 0.9 CFU/g in wheat flour under the tested conditions. Our colocalization analysis was successful in wheat flour inoculated with single strains or a pool of two strains with different genetic make-ups at different inoculation levels. Furthermore, we were able to show detection and genetic association patterns by ddPCR across naturally contaminated retail flour samples. This flexible whole cell ddPCR approach addresses significant limitations of existing STEC detection methods and provides a useful data set to support the development of a more sophisticated molecular analytical method which can be applied to wheat flour to detect and characterize STEC strains.

In this review, we emphasize on ternary deep eutectic solvents (TDESs) utilized in environmental and analytical chemistry for separation and sensing purposes in contrast to their binary counterparts, known as simple deep eutectic solvents (DESs). To ensure food security, high water quality, and environmental protection from the current industrialized era of the twenty-first century, it is of utmost importance to determine and separate effluents, pollutants, or any undesired materials in our related day-to-day utilities, foods, or nature using a more efficient and green separating media or sensor. For this reason, there is no better choice for an analytical chemist to design and use hybrid and natural ternary deep eutectic solvents, with enhanced physicochemical properties. Since the discovery of simple binary DESs, they have been applied in sensing and separation sciences, but the invention of ternary deep eutectic solvents has made them a more interesting and suitable candidate for the development of separation or sensor methodologies based on TDESs. Furthermore, we explore TDES structure-property relationships, showing how the choice of components dictates macroscopic properties. This molecular-level understanding facilitates the rational design of tailored solvents for analytical applications. This review consolidates recent advances in TDES-based sensing and separation to support future research.

Pollinators are important to humans and nature due to their role in ecosystem functioning and services. Research on the effects of pollinator management in protected areas is insufficient compared with that on farmlands and urban areas, potentially hindering appropriate policy implementation. We addressed this knowledge gap by conducting a data-based synthesis on measures to promote pollinators (especially bees, butterflies, and flies) across European protected areas. To compare the effects of management practices that enhance pollinators (pollinator-friendly; treatment) and those not focused on pollinators (conventional; control) in protected areas, we used vegetation, floral resource, and pollinator datasets. Our synthesis involved 10 countries, 34 datasets, and 639 sampling sites with different management activities (land abandonment, mowing, grazing, mulching, flower sowing, gap creation, and uprooting and girdling trees) and habitats (grasslands, forests, reed beds, and sandpits). Pooled analysis indicated that pollinator-friendly management had mainly neutral effects on floral resources and pollinators, with some positive effects but no negative effects. Dataset-level details revealed mostly neutral effects from pollinator-friendly management with some positive (15%) and fewer negative (3%) effects. Management slightly improved pollinator overall abundance and species richness, particularly for butterflies and wild bees (excluding bumblebees). Comparing our synthesis with previous studies suggests that implementing management practices for pollinators in protected areas is more challenging than in farmlands and cities, possibly because protected areas already host higher quality habitats. Alternatively, pollinator-friendly approaches commonly implemented in protected areas may be insufficient. Although the Nature Restoration Regulation provides new opportunities for pollinator conservation, implementation will require careful planning for target areas, as effective management, including pollinator requirements, requires more focused and context-specific measures than those applied in cities and farmlands. Although focused on Europe, our synthesis provides broadly applicable lessons for pollinator conservation in other highly modified landscapes but with adaptation to local ecological and socioeconomic conditions. Síntesis de las prácticas de gestión favorables a los polinizadores en áreas protegidas europeas Resumen Los polinizadores son importantes para los seres humanos y la naturaleza debido a su papel en el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y los servicios ecosistémicos. La investigación sobre los efectos de la gestión de los polinizadores en las áreas protegidas es insuficiente en comparación con la realizada en tierras de cultivo y zonas urbanas, lo que podría dificultar la aplicación de políticas adecuadas. Abordamos esta laguna de conocimiento realizando una síntesis basada en datos sobre las medidas para fomentar la presencia de polinizadores (especialmente abejas, mariposas y moscas) en las áreas protegidas europeas. Para comparar los efectos de las prácticas de gestión que favorecen a los polinizadores (favorables a los polinizadores; tratamiento) y aquellas que no se centran en ellos (convencionales; control) en las áreas protegidas, utilizamos conjuntos de datos sobre vegetación, recursos florales y polinizadores. Nuestra síntesis abarcó 10 países, 34 conjuntos de datos y 639 puntos de muestreo con diferentes actividades de gestión (abandono de tierras, siega, pastoreo, acolchado, siembra de flores, creación de claros y arranque y anillado de árboles) y hábitats (praderas, bosques, cañaverales y canteras de arena). El análisis conjunto indicó que la gestión favorable a los polinizadores tuvo efectos principalmente neutros sobre los recursos florales y los polinizadores, con algunos efectos positivos, pero sin efectos negativos. Los detalles a nivel de los conjuntos de datos revelaron que la gestión favorable a los polinizadores tuvo efectos mayoritariamente neutros, con algunos efectos positivos (15 %) y un número menor de efectos negativos (3 %). La gestión mejoró ligeramente la abundancia general de los polinizadores y la riqueza de especies, especialmente en el caso de las mariposas y las abejas silvestres (excluidos los abejorros). La comparación de nuestra síntesis con estudios anteriores sugiere que la aplicación de prácticas de gestión en favor de los polinizadores en las áreas protegidas resulta más compleja que en las tierras de cultivo y las ciudades, posiblemente porque las áreas protegidas ya albergan hábitats de mayor calidad. Por otra parte, es posible que los enfoques favorables a los polinizadores que se aplican habitualmente en las áreas protegidas resulten insuficientes. Aunque el Reglamento sobre la restauración de la naturaleza ofrece nuevas oportunidades para la conservación de los polinizadores, su aplicación requerirá una planificación cuidadosa de las zonas objetivo, ya que una gestión eficaz —que tenga en cuenta las necesidades de los polinizadores— exige medidas más específicas y adaptadas al contexto que las que se aplican en las ciudades y las tierras de cultivo. Aunque se centra en Europa, nuestra síntesis ofrece lecciones de amplia aplicabilidad para la conservación de los polinizadores en otros paisajes altamente modificados, siempre que se adapten a las condiciones ecológicas y socioeconómicas locales.

Biodiversity science is increasingly data-rich and computationally sophisticated, yet humans are still often treated as absent, implicit or overly simplified drivers of ecological and evolutionary change. This limits how well models represent the real-world processes that generate biodiversity and practical impact at a time when human activities are rapidly reshaping biodiversity worldwide. Here, we describe ethnobiodiversity informatics as a necessary expansion of biodiversity informatics - the mobilization, integration and analysis of digital biodiversity data - that represents the human systems shaping biodiversity outcomes, from behavior, trade and governance and migration history to cultural knowledge, infrastructure, ownership and management intensity, as explicit components of biodiversity analysis. Drawing on examples from food systems, human resource provisioning, medicinal plant biogeography, corporate accountability and biodiversity-health linkages, we demonstrate that ethnobiodiversity informatics is already emerging across multiple scholarly domains. We argue that ethnobiodiversity informatics offers three major benefits: more accurate biodiversity models, stronger inference about human processes that most directly shape nature and more informed decision-making. As biodiversity loss intensifies, conservation ambitions expand and large-scale data infrastructures mature, explicitly integrating human systems into biodiversity science has become both necessary and feasible.