https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/717 2026-04-12T21:08:59Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/14070 Towards Automated Recipe Reconstruction Schmidt, Svetlana; Klasen, Linda; Nöthlings, Ute; Sifa, Rafet Accurate and scalable collection of dietary data is vital for advancing nutritional epidemiology and understanding links between diet, public health, and environmental sustainability. A key challenge is the collection of the detailed nutrition data on the product level which currently largely relies on manual recipe reconstruction. <br/> We propose computational approaches to optimize this workflow. First, an information retrieval (IR)–based recommender system integrates food-category prediction with retrieval over product text, ingredients, and nutrient profiles to streamline food item matching and reduce redundancy across the database. Second, we outline a roadmap for automated recipe reconstruction that combines large language models (LLMs) for ingredient parsing with nutrient-constrained mathematical optimization for recipes reconstruction. <br/> By integrating machine learning, generative modeling, and optimization, our work enhances the efficiency, transparency, and scalability of nutrition data collection, laying a foundation for sustainable practices in nutritional epidemiology and research on interactions of the diet, health and environment. 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/13676 Long-read 16S amplicon analyses and improved cultivation techniques as joined approach for the identification of viable bacterial populations in silage Flegler, Wanda Antonia; Behrens, Freya; Sturmhöfel, Anne Theresa; Sonntag, Miriam; Schmitt, Lisa; Rang, Kristin; Deeken, Hauke Ferdinand; Sun, Yurui; Maack, Gerd-Christian; Büscher, Wolfgang; Baer, Mareike; Lipski, André <strong>Aims:</strong> Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are crucial for the quality and preservation of silage. Exploration and isolation of the key microbiome are important for improving fermentation processes. While cultivation-dependent methods enable the isolation of LAB, they often overlook organisms with challenging cultivation requirements. Next-generation sequencing provides cultivation-independent microbiome insights. In contrast to commonly used methods, long-read sequencing platforms like the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) single-molecule real-time (SMRT) platform offer species-level resolution. This study aims to investigate the benefits of a combined cultivation-dependent and -independent approach for silage microbiome analyses.<br /> <strong>Methods and results: </strong>The common isolation medium for LAB was supplemented with sterile pressed juice from plant material improving the cultivation conditions. PacBio amplicon sequencing provided an almost complete and cultivation-independent picture of the bacterial community. The use of mock communities and a live/dead discriminating treatment of the samples revealed that the analysis can be misleading if appropriate controls are not performed.<br /> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Growth of plant-associated microorganisms can be supported by a plant juice containing isolation medium, allowing isolation of the dominant LAB from silage. Microbial dynamics can be represented using long-read sequencing. However, the use of controls such as a live/dead discrimination and mock communities is essential for the reliability of the data. 2025-06-14T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/13558 Circular genomes of two bacterial strains capable of growing in a CO₂-containing atmosphere Heidler von Heilborn, David; Bartholomäus, Alexander; Lipski, André The bacterial strains <em>Brochothrix thermosphacta</em> DH-B18 and <em>Rathayibacter sp.</em> DH-RSZ4 were isolated from raw sausage and escalope samples and grown in a CO₂-rich modified atmosphere. Here, we present both circular genomes obtained by nanopore sequencing. 2023-11-29T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11811/12829 A Systematic Review of the Impact of Fat Quantity and Fatty Acid Composition on Postprandial Vascular Function in Healthy Adults and Patients at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Kienēs, Hannah F.; Egert, Sarah Atherosclerosis is a key risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which reflects vascular reactivity, as well as pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx), both markers of arterial stiffness, have emerged as noninvasive, subclinical atherosclerotic markers for the early stages of altered vascular function. In addition to the long-term effects of diet, postprandial processes have been identified as important determinants of CVD risk, and evidence suggests an acute effect of fat quantity and fatty acid (FA) composition on vascular function. However, robust analyses of this association are lacking, especially concerning parameters of arterial stiffness. Therefore, we carried out a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library to investigate the impact of fat quantity and FA composition of meals on postprandial vascular function. Postprandial studies measuring FMD, PWV, and/or AIx in healthy adults and subjects with increased CVD risk (e.g., those with hypercholesterolemia or metabolic syndrome) were analyzed. In total, 24 articles were included; 9 studies focused on the effect of high-fat meals compared with control; and 15 studies investigated the effects of different fat sources. We found that consumption of a high-fat meal causes a reduction in FMD (decrease in vasodilation) and AIx (decrease in arterial stiffness). For eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (from fish oil), postprandial assessment (FMD and AIx) indicates a beneficial effect on vascular function. There is limited evidence of an influence of CVD risk on the vascular response to meals with varying fat doses or FA composition. However, meaningful conclusions were difficult to draw because of the large heterogeneity of the studies. Inconsistent results regarding both the impact of fat dose and FA composition on postprandial vascular function should be noted. We propose standardized methods for postprandial protocols to improve data quality in future studies. 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z