Журнал «Foods and Raw Materials»

Food security goes far beyond the traditional concept of food availability: it is a global challenge of intertwined geopolitics, economics, technology, and ecology. The current international and climate changes cause unpredictable fluctuations on food markets. As a result, sustainable food supply and a powerful agro-industrial complex have become a national priority. The North-South and East-West directions in traffic and logistics open up new, more cost-effective transit routes into a new geopolitical environment, which requires an active development of all related industries. Russia and China have excellent cooperation prospects in a wide range of areas, from agriculture and logistics to R&D and quality standardization. The Belt and Road Initiative creates additional infrastructural opportunities in mutual trade and Eurasian integration. In this respect, food security is a key factor of national and global stability, and it needs a robust agro-industrial complex, advanced infrastructure, active R&D investments, and international cooperation.

An effective and timely prevention of diseases in animal companions is a major task faced by the modern veterinary science. This research featured the correlation between malignant neoplasms and ophthalmological diseases in cats. The authors studied the multifactorial effect on the neoplastic proliferation and cancer-related ophthalmopathy to develop a general scheme of neoplastic proliferation in cats.
The effect of exogenous and endogenous factors on neoplastic proliferation was described based on experimental studies of numerous samples taken from 192 cats, including 67 cancer patients. The comprehensive methodological approach included anamnestic data sampling, clinical examination, examination of the pathological area, hematology, cytomorphology, and chemical-toxicological tests.
The cats with various ophthalmopathies were simultaneously diagnosed with one or more of the following cancer types: carcinoma (37.13%), squamous cell carcinoma (32.83%), lymphoma (29.85%), sarcoma (20.89%), melanoma (2.98%), and mastocytoma (1.49%).
The main factors of neoplastic proliferation included diet, care, living conditions, physical activity, stress, chronic inflammation, repeated cases, the rate of increase/decrease in clinical signs, previous therapies, etc. In most cases, the cancer-related ophthalmopathy developed as a result of tumor metabolites or as a side-effect of chemotherapy. The incidence of cancer-related ophthalmopathy increased with age.
Cancer was found to correlate with the amounts of zinc, iron, and lead in the fur. Another correlation occurred between carcinomas, especially mammary tumors, and the high copper content in the fur.

Nowadays, the worldwide market includes a wide variety of sweets with processed sugar. The food industry has been developing alternatives based on health products. This study aimed to formulate alternative, highly-nutritional date-based sweets filled with cooked pulses and sweetened with date products without using processed sugar. Different cooked pulses (red cowpea, soybean, and chickpea seeds) sweetened with date powder or date syrup (dips) were used to prepare alternative date sweets. They were exposed to physicochemical and microbiological analyses and sensory evaluation. Adding pulses to the pulse-date sweet samples significantly raised their contents of protein, fats, crude fibers, total sugars, calcium, iron, and zinc, as well as caloric values, lightness, and water activity. Compared to the control (date paste mixed with dark chocolate), the sweets with cooked pulses had lower contents of ash, carbohydrates, phenolics, and caffeine, as well as lower antioxidant activity and hardness values. Following storage for three months, the water activity and microbiological counts slightly declined. The date sweets filled with cooked pulses had high sensory acceptability. The samples containing cooked red cowpeas and chickpeas were the most acceptable, while those sweetened with date powder had maximum antioxidant activity. Our study revealed that enriching date sweets with cooked pulses increases their nutritional value without involving processed sugar in the final product.

Microalgae are a source of biologically active substances, e.g., polysaccharides. Their commercial potential attracts a lot of scientific attention. This research featured the effect of various nutrient media on the biomass of the psychrophilic microalga Skeletonema pseudocostatum and its ability to synthesize polysaccharides.
The Tamiya nutrient medium was used as the standard one. Its composition was improved to accelerate biomass cultivation. Optimization principles were based on the unconventional mathematical method for multidimensional modeling and involved the ANETR 21 software. The qualitative and quantitative assessment of microalgal polysaccharides relied on the anthrone sulfate method. The concentration of uronic acids was determined by the carbazole method while neutral sugars were studied by the resorcinol sulfate method in a microalgal suspension. The growth index of the S. pseudocostatum biomass was represented as a ratio of the maximal mass to the initial mass.
The maximal growth index was achieved by adding to the standard Tamiya medium: 10.00 g/cm³ potassium nitrate (MgSO₄×7H₂O), 2.50 g/cm³ potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 1 cm³ Fe⁺ ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and a mix of 4.29 g/cm³ boric acid and 0.9 g/cm³ manganese (II) chloride tetrahydrate (MnCl₂×4H₂O) in an amount of 1.00 cm³. The maximal polysaccharide biosynthesis was observed when the nutrient medium was modified as follows: 5.00 g/m³ potassium nitrate, 3.75 g/cm³ magnesium sulfate, 2.50 g/cm³ potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 1 mm³ solution of Fe⁺ ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and solution of 1.0 g/cm³ boric acid and 1.81 g/cm³ MnCl₂×4H₂O (1.00 mm³ each). The maximal accumulation of microalgal biomass was 2.88 ± 0.08 μg/100 mg dry solids; the maximal yield of polysaccharides was 3.16 ± 0.09 μg/100 mg dry solids. These results were obtained at 5°C.
The yield of polysaccharides by S. pseudocostatum depended on such cultivation parameters as temperature and pH. At cultivation temperatures of 0, 5, and 10°C, the yield of polysaccharides reached 2.13 ± 0.06, 3.16 ± 0.09, and 2.04 ± 0.06 μg/100 mg dry solids, respectively. The yield of exopolysaccharides represented by uronic acids and neutral sugars was 106.3 ± 3.1 mg/g and 806.6 ± 24.0 mg/g, respectively. In this research, polysaccharides synthesized by S. pseudocostatum demonstrated good prospects for the food industry and sustainable organic agriculture.

Physiological blood parameters help assess the health, feeding, immune, and reproductive status of wild animals. However, complicated sampling procedures make it difficult to establish the reference intervals for hematological parameters. Wild boar (Sus scrofa, Linnaeus 1758) is a popular game species. As a result, its population in Russia has been declining for the last decade. The wild boar is fertile and ecologically flexible; it responds well to biotechnical measures and have high population density. The research renders new data on the biology and physiology of wild boars.
The blood samples were obtained from 68 juvenile and adult wild boars in the Kirov Region in 2017–2023. The body weight varied from 30 to 211 kg. Blood from the jugular vein was collected into anticoagulant test tubes. The laboratory tests involved a veterinary version of a MicroCC-20 Plus automatic analyzer (High Technology, USA). The stained smears were examined using a MEIJI TECHNO light microscope (Japan) under an immersion system with a ×100 lens. The red blood cell parameters were measured using the Vision Bio software (Epi, Austria).
The research revealed the hematological profile of wild boars; the data were statistically processed, including, for the first time, the effect of sex and age on various hematological parameters. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile and adult females included the relative red cell distribution width by volume (standard deviation) and red blood cell thickness. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile and adult males were in hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes, and segmented neutrophils, as well as in such red blood cell parameters as total count, relative width by volume, area, perimeter, diameter, and sphericity index. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile females and males referred to hemoglobin and such parameters of red blood cells as total count, area, perimeter, and diameter. In adult males and females, it was the red blood cell thickness and platelet count. The research also yielded the lymphocytic profile of wild boar blood. The age affected such parameters as hematocrit (p = 0.02), segmented neutrophils (p = 0.00), and lymphocytes (p = 0.00). The body weight affected the hematocrit (p = 0.02) and mean red blood cell volume (p = 0.04).
The differences in Sus scrofa hematological profile depended on the physiological status, diet, minerals, age, sex, and stress. The reference intervals may help interpret the hematological profiles of other wild boar populations and optimize the game resource management.

Fermentation improves the nutritional and sensory properties of food. Despite the challenges of fermenting algae individually, incorporating it into vegetable matrices offers a great opportunity for the development of new products.
This study aimed to investigate changes in the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of Chinese, white, and red cabbages supplemented with Undaria pinnatifida throughout controlled fermentation. These values were then compared to those for the respective spontaneous process (mixed models), as well as to previously published data on cabbage fermentation without algae (simple models). Controlled fermentation was carried out in a two-step process using previously selected autochthonous starter cultures. Antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH scavenging assay and the CUPRAC assay. The total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method.
The total phenolic content varied across the different fermentation processes depending on the vegetable matrix. The antioxidant capacity was significantly higher in the controlled process than in the spontaneous one in all mixed models. Red cabbage with algae exhibited higher total phenolics and antioxidant capacity than white and Chinese cabbages with algae. Furthermore, all the mixed models showed higher or comparable total phenolics and antioxidant capacity compared to the respective simple models under similar controlled fermentation and extraction conditions, except for Chinese cabbage with Undaria under the CUPRAC method.
Controlled fermentation of the studied cabbages improved their antioxidant capacity to a greater extent than spontaneous in all mixed models. In general, the mixed models showed higher nutritional properties than the simple models.

Although the nutrient compositions of edible mushrooms are well-studied, the effect of combining different mushrooms on their anti-glycation and antioxidant activities remains unknown. This study therefore aimed to identify mushroom combinations that exhibit synergistic anti-glycation and antioxidant activities.
Five edible mushroom species, namely Agaricus bisporus, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, and Flammulina velutipes, were evaluated both individually and in pairwise combinations. Their bioactive profile (phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides), as well as antioxidant and anti-glycation activities were analyzed to determine the types of activity interaction: synergism, addition, or antagonism.
A. bisporus (7.5 mg/mL) showed the highest reducing capacity and tannin content. L. edodes demonstrated the strongest radical scavenging potential, while F. velutipes displayed the highest anti-glycation activity and phenolic content. Despite its high polysaccharide level, P. eryngii showed low antioxidant activity. Pairwise combinations revealed synergistic anti-glycation and antioxidant effects at low sample concentrations, while antagonistic anti-glycation and antioxidant effects were observed at high sample concentrations. The mushrooms’ polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids were positively correlated with their antioxidant activity (r = 0.325 to 0.825, p < 0.05). However, they showed an inverse relationship (r = –0.349 to –0.644, p < 0.05) with polysaccharides and anti-glycation activity. The principal component analysis revealed that the types of bioactive content and mushroom combinations contributed to respective 53 and 23% of total activity variances.
The best-performing mushroom combinations with synergistic anti-glycation and antioxidant activities were the mixtures of 7.5 mg/mL A. bisporus + 15 mg/mL F. velutipes, 7.5 mg/mL L. edodes + 7.5 mg/mL F. velutipes, and 7.5 mg/mL L. edodes + 15 mg/mL F. velutipes.

Native micellar casein and whey proteins can be obtained from skim milk by microfiltration. It is a popular method that yields high-quality dairy products. The article introduces an empirical approach to predicting the permeate flux value during microfiltration of skim milk. The research objective was to produce retentates with a target ratio of protein fractions in the true protein.
The physicochemical profile of skim milk was studied by standard methods. The experimental microfiltration involved a Spectrum Labs KrosFlo® Research II TFF System.
The research revealed the optimal operating modes of microfiltration and diafiltration for 0.1 μM membranes (Vladisart, Russia): operating pressure 0.2–2.5 bar, circulation rate 65–140 mL/min, temperature 50 ± 1°C. These modes made it possible to obtain a ratio of casein to whey proteins that exceeded 95:5. At the optimal ratios of pressure, circulation rate, and temperature, the amount of casein proteins grew from 2.2 to 4.0% in relation to whey proteins.
The grid search analysis confirmed a set of similar values of Y = f(X₁, X₂, X₃). Microfiltration of skim milk proved effective at different combinations of pressure, circulation rate, and temperature, depending on the production technology, target products, and target ratio of mass fractions of casein and whey proteins in the true protein.

This article describes the current state and prospects of cattle farming in remote areas of Russia with a focus on the role of the Siberian Research Institute of Animal Husbandry in developing the dairy and beef cattle breeding industries between 1930 and 2025. It highlights new approaches to cattle breeding that adapt conventional breeds to extreme environment, and lists local R&D projects aimed at increasing meat and dairy productivity. By outlining the faults and errors of animal husbandry in northern latitudes, we define the current priorities in agricultural science and practice that could improve forage production, thus leading to high-quality organic livestock products in the risk farming areas of Siberia and the Far East. We propose to develop a net of independent food supply areas that would provide the local population with essential foods and create jobs for new rural settlers.

Health and environmental problems are rising by the day due to an increasing use of synthetic plastics. However, biobased packaging from starch, with its numerous advantages, or its derivatives offers a promising solution to this problem. In this study, we aimed to explore a sustainable approach to developing a bioplastic film from carboxymethyl starch, polyvinyl alcohol, and kaolin to serve as a substitute for synthetic packaging.
The study objects included carboxymethyl starch, polyvinyl alcohol, glycerol, and kaolin. All the materials were heated in water to form viscous solutions. The solution was then cast into films using a mold and the water was evaporated through oven-drying. The cast films were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. They were analyzed for their tensile mechanical, barrier, sorption, and biodegradability properties. We also investigated the effects of polyvinyl alcohol and kaolin on the morphology and functional properties of the films.
The micro-surface morphology of the carboxymethyl starch/polyvinyl alcohol blend revealed a smooth and homogenous structure, while the film reinforced with kaolin had a more compact structure with zones of particle aggregations. The highest thermal stability was observed in the composite films containing carboxymethyl starch, polyvinyl alcohol, and kaolin. Higher contents of polyvinyl alcohol and kaolin significantly improved the films’ thermal, tensile mechanical, barrier, and sorption properties. The films also demonstrated a substantial rate of biodegradability. The best properties were observed in the films containing 40% of carboxymethyl starch, 60% of polyvinyl alcohol, and 4.5 per hundred resin (phr) of kaolin.
The composite films made from carboxymethyl starch, polyvinyl alcohol, and kaolin had good biodegradability, renewability, and improved functional material properties. Therefore, they can be considered a sustainable alternative to the traditional synthetic plastics in packaging applications.

Effective management of finite resources in precision agriculture requires efficient technologies to generate reliable data about crops, pastures, soil, water sources, climate, pests, diseases, and other variables. These data enable farmers to make informed decisions to enhance efficiency and make their production more sustainable. This review aimed to assess the technological advances in precision agriculture in terms of their benefits, constraints, and potential for sustainable farming practices.
A total of 132 scientific papers were selected, analyzed, and discussed to explore the current status and the future of precision agriculture in relation to sustainable development. This review covers technologies utilized in planting, crop monitoring, resource management, decision support systems, and automation.
The application of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies, including machine learning, computer vision, and sensor technologies, transforms traditional farming and contributes to resolving its limitations by providing farmers with real-time data and actionable insights. Ethical considerations, data security, and the digital divide are among the key challenges needing attention. Interdisciplinary collaboration is also needed to tackle complex issues associated with the sustainable implementation of advanced technologies, including AI in precision agriculture.
Precision agriculture technologies have a transformative impact on traditional farming. The integration of AI contributes to higher productivity and efficiency, as well as long-term sustainability of farming practices, ensuring food security for the growing population.

Turkey farming and meat processing are fast-developing areas of the Russian food industry. However, their development requires more advanced methods of meat storage and freezing. Traditional methods of air cooling often fail to preserve the original meat texture and nutritional value. This paper introduces a new refrigeration unit with CO₂ as a refrigerant. CO₂ snow and gas come in direct contact with turkey carcasses, thus accelerating the cooling process and improving the meat quality. CO₂ recirculation makes the refrigeration unit an economical solution to environmental issues. The refrigeration unit included a conveyor system, a vacuum chamber, and a CO₂ circulation system.
The research featured grade 1 turkey carcasses of 2.7 ± 0.1 kg frozen at different temperatures (–30, –50, and –70°C) and CO₂ flux rates (0–5 m/s). The share of CO₂ in the gas mix was ≥ 50%. The temperature and heat flux density were measured using thermocouples and heat flux probes.
As the temperature dropped from –30 to –70°C, the freezing time decreased from 48 to 33 min and to 29 min when the experiment involved enforced convection. The amount of CO₂ consumed increased from 7.5 to 13.5 kg without convection and from 6.5 to 12.0 kg with enforced convection. Compared to traditional methods, CO₂ provided uniform freezing and reduced mechanical damage to the meat structure.
The newly developed refrigeration unit with recirculated CO₂ demonstrated high efficiency in freezing turkey meat while reducing CO₂ consumption and providing uniform cooling of the carcass. It demonstrated could prospects for industrial use, which opens up new opportunities for further research and freezing process optimization.

The emergence of a new bee species, Tetragonula laeviceps, in Indonesia has attracted scientific attention that promoted further exploration. We aimed to analyze changes in the biochemical composition of T. laeviceps honey stored at different temperatures and to study the kinetics of hydroxymethylfurfural formation.
T. laeviceps honey was stored at 25, 50, and 80°C for 6 h. The pollen sources were identified using the melissopalynology method, followed by a biochemical analysis using UHPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. The kinetics of hydroxymethylfurfural formation were analyzed using the Arrhenius equation applied to zero-, first-, and second-order reactions.
T. laeviceps honey was multifloral (three or more pollen types, each with < 16% frequency), with dominant Zea mays spp. Mays (L.) (40.24%) and Vigna unguiculate sesquipedalis (L.) (22.52%). Heating at 80°C significantly (p < 0.05) increased phenolic acids, flavonoid acids, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and hydroxymethylfurfural, as well as significantly (p < 0.05) degraded diastase, invertase, glucose oxidase, and DPPH. Heating at 50°C only had a significant impact on hydroxymethylfurfural and diastase. Ferulic acid and kaempferol compounds dominated in the phenolic and flavonoid acids in all the samples. The kinetics of hydroxymethylfurfural formation followed a first-order reaction, with specific rate constants of 0.1098/h (25°C), 0.0597/h (50°C), and 0.0053/h (80°C), involving an activation energy of 69.23 KJ/mol.
This study highlights the impact of storage and heating on the chemical composition of Klanceng honey. Our findings provide practical guidance for improving honey production and storage, while enhancing the commercial value of T. laeviceps.

Despite the known impact of cooking on the food’s nutritional value, the variation in bioavailability and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds after digestion remains inadequately understood. This study aimed to compare the effect of different cooking methods on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of bioaccessible and bioavailable extracts of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.), turkey berry (Solanum torvum L.), and winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus L.).
Each vegetable was cooked by six methods using different combinations of coconut oil, coconut milk, and spices. The cooked vegetables were digested in vitro to evaluate their bioaccessible and bioavailable total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The total phenolic content was determined by the Folin Ciocalteu method. Free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, and reducing power were evaluated by the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, respectively.
All the cooking methods significantly increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the extracts compared to their raw forms. The vegetables cooked with oil, milk, and spices generally showed higher total phenolics and antioxidant activity than those cooked by the other methods. We found a strong positive correlation between the total phenolic content and various antioxidant parameters. The highest bioaccessibility index for phenolic compounds was registered in the brinjal extract cooked with oil and in the turkey berry and winged bean extracts cooked with oil, milk, and spices. Different cooking methods exhibited varying effects on the antioxidant activity of bioaccessible compounds. In bioavailable extracts, variability was observed for the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity among different cooking methods for brinjal, turkey berry, and winged bean.
The ABTS and FRAP assays showed the highest total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in all the vegetables cooked with coconut oil, milk, and spices.

Many protein-containing drugs have limited application in the prevention and treatment of diseases due to their instability in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, there is a need for complex liposomal drugs with stabilizing components that can enhance their therapeutic effect.
Our objects of study included soy lecithin, egg albumin, immunoglobulin, insulin, chitosan, amino acids, tocopherol, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, zinc sulfate, and iron (III) chloride. The concentrations of nutrients were determined by the colorimetric and titrimetric methods. We also used the peroxide value and the dynamic light scattering method.
Liposomes obtained by the injection method had a diameter of 4.7 ± 0.2 μm, which makes them suitable for oral drug administration. Protein incorporation at 98, 95, and 83% was achieved by 1.0 mg/mL insulin, 1.6 mg/mL globulin, and 30 mg/mL albumin, respectively. The most optimal concentration of albumin in liposomes was 30 mg/mL. The highest degrees of incorporation of amino acids and their mixtures were 94–98 and 90%, respectively. Stabilizing liposomes with vitamins В2 and C, as well as zinc and iron, increased the liposomal incorporation of amino acid mixtures and ensured their release in the model gastrointestinal tract.
The protein corona increased the release of target components in the small intestine and improved liposome stability during storage. Modifying the surface of liposomes with chitosan decreased the release of albumin in the oral cavity, stomach, and intestine. Complex liposomes proved to have better stability in the model gastrointestinal tract and during storage. The results obtained can be used to create complex nutriceuticals.

The edible part of the soft-shell clam contains a lot of protein and little fat, which makes it a good source of protein. We studied the chemical composition and nutritional value of the edible part of the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758) living in the waters of the Kandalaksha Bay. Capillary electrophoresis was used to analyze the amino acid profile for its protein. The protein-water ratio of 17.81% and the protein-water-fat ratio of 17.69% classify soft-shell clams as a medium-protein, low-fat raw material with a high potential for food purposes. It had limiting amino acids (methionine and cysteine totaling 75.93%) and a high content of essential amino acids (valine, histidine, leucine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and threonine, scoring over 100% each). The biological value of the protein was 72.34%, with a coefficient of difference between amino acid scores of 27.66%. The edible part of the soft-shell clam proved hygienically safe. Nitrosamines, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and salts of heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury) did not exceed the maximum allowable concentrations established for food products. The degree of protein digestibility was 46.8% for the edible part of the soft-shell clam frozen for 6 months at –18°C and slowly air-defrosted. Based on our results, soft-shell clams can be considered an excellent and safe source of highquality protein and therefore be used in functional food technologies after further studies.

Industrial whey wastes contain organic substances that cause serious harm to the environment, which makes whey recycling a relevant research objective. Whey can serve as an extractant of biologically active substances from plant raw materials. This research compared a 70% aqueous-ethanol solution and whey as extractants of bioactive components from a plant blend of Heracleum sibiricum L., Syringa vulgaris L., Arctium tomentosum Mill., Achillea millefolium L., Thymus vulgaris L., and Pulmonaria officinalis L. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography revealed catechin, chlorogenic acid, astragalin, ferulic acid, coumaric acid, and some trace amounts of other compounds. The samples subjected to water-ethanol extraction demonstrated a better quantitative and qualitative profile than those processed with whey: 637.92 vs. 380.45 mg/kg for chlorogenic acid, 93.05 vs. 2.34 mg/kg for coumaric acid, and 53.12 vs. 3.09 mg/kg for astragalin. Whey proved unable to extract catechin and ferulic acid. However, whey made it possible to obtain compounds that water-ethanol solution failed to extract, namely rutin and caffeic acid. By fractionating the extracts and isolating individual biologically active substances, we obtained chlorogenic acid (90.0%), ferulic acid (92.0%), and coumaric acid (88.0%) with water and ethanol, as well as caffeic acid (84.5%) and rutin (78.0%) with whey. Both ethanol and whey proved industrially relevant and demonstrated good prospects for commercial extraction of biologically active substances from various plant raw materials.

Healthy aging and active longevity need an integrated approach to a healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition can effectively prevent the development of chronic diseases that lead to premature aging. Therefore, food scientists are searching for new bioactive substances with geroprotective potential to be introduced into functional food products and dietary supplements. We aimed to study the bioactivity of the Thymus vulgaris L. callus culture extract and its metabolites as potential geroprotectors.
We studied a hydroalcoholic extract of the T. vulgaris callus culture (70% ethanol) and its individual bioactive substances (thymol, oleanolic and ursolic acids), with Caenorhabditis elegans used as a model organism. IR spectroscopy and highperformance liquid chromatography were employed to analyze the effect of the extract and its metabolites on the growth of C. elegans larvae, as well as on the nematodes’ lifespan and resistance to oxidative and thermal stress.
The extract of the T. vulgaris callus culture increased the length and surface area of the nematode body, producing an anabolic effect. In a 100-fold dilution, the extract enhanced the survival and stress resistance of the nematodes. Thymol, oleanolic and ursolic acids were obtained from the extract at 95% purification. Thymol completely inhibited the growth of nematode larvae, with no offspring produced from the eggs. At 10 μM, thymol increased the survival of the nematodes by a factor of 1.8 and also improved their stress resistance. In the presence of oleanolic acid (10 and 50 μM), some nematodes laid eggs; oleanolic acid increased the nematode lifespan be a factor of 1.9. Oleanolic acid (200 and 100 μM) and ursolic acid (50 and 100 μM) increased the survival of the nematodes exposed to thermal stress compared to the control.
The extract of the T. vulgaris callus culture and its metabolites (thymol, oleanolic and ursolic acids) have geroprotective potential for use in food supplementation. However, there is a need for further research.