The rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes highlights the need for effective dietary strategies to manage postprandial glycaemia (1). Plant-based compounds such as plant proteins and polyphenol-rich berries are gaining increasing attention for their potential to modulate glucose metabolism. Blueberries, rich in anthocyanins, have been shown to reduce postprandial glucose spikes by delaying starch digestion. This effect is largely attributed to their ability to inhibit carbohydrate digestive enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and glucose transporters (2). It is hypothesised that the presence of undigested starch in the lower gastrointestinal tract can stimulate the secretion of gut hormones thereby promoting satiety and regulating glucose homeostasis (2). Pea protein, on the other hand, has independently been shown to reduce postprandial glucose levels, modulate insulin response, and stimulate gut hormone release (3). A targeted combination of both, protein and anthocyanin-rich blueberries could therefore provide a more efficient intervention.

In a randomised, controlled, double blinded crossover study, 10 healthy participants consumed one of four test beverages accompanied by 50 g of available carbohydrate from white bread: flavoured water (CHO), blueberries (BB), pea protein (PP), and a combination of pea protein and blueberries (BBPP). Postprandial responses were assessed over 180 minutes using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for glucose levels and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ratings for satiety, both recorded at 30-minute intervals.

The effect of the interventions on peak postprandial glucose responses and satiety levels were evaluated using a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA. All statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism with a statistical difference of p < 0.05 considered as significant.

All test drinks resulted in lower postprandial glucose levels compared to the control (CHO), with the greatest reduction observed in the BBPP group. Peak glucose levels were significantly lower in the BBPP group (0.9 mmol/L, p<0.05) compared to CHO (1.5 mmol/L), BB (1.3 mmol/L), and PP (1.1 mmol/L). Additionally, the BBPP group exhibited the lowest incremental area under the curve (iAUC = 88.58 mmol·min/L, p < 0.05), while the other groups had similar iAUC values around 130 mmol·min/L. Both the PP and BBPP groups showed delayed times to peak glucose (Tmax = 90 min) compared to the CHO and BB groups (Tmax = 75 min), indicating a slower and more gradual glucose response. In terms of satiety, both the PP and BBPP interventions significantly increased subjective satiety ratings (80–90%) compared to the CHO and BB groups (50–60%) 60min post meal, although the difference between BBPP and PP was not statistically significant.

Combining Pea protein with blueberry polyphenols synergistic benefits in reducing postprandial glucose excursions. These findings provide promising evidence to support the development of functional foods aimed at improving glucose management and metabolic health.

In biology, cells undergo deformations under the action of flow caused by the fluid surrounding them. These flows lead to shape changes and instabilities that have been explored in detail for single component vesicles. However, cell membranes are often multicomponent in nature, made up of multiple phospholipids and cholesterol mixtures that give rise to interesting thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Our work analyses shear flow around a multicomponent vesicle using a small-deformation theory based on vector and scalar spherical harmonics. We set up the problem by laying out the governing momentum equations and the traction balance arising from the phase separation and bending. These equations are solved along with a Cahn–Hilliard equation that governs the coarsening dynamics of the phospholipid–cholesterol mixture. We provide a detailed analysis of the vesicle dynamics (e.g. tumbling, breathing, tank-treading and swinging/phase-treading) in two regimes – when flow is faster than coarsening dynamics (Péclet number ${\textit{Pe}} \gg 1$) and when the two time scales are comparable ($\textit{Pe} \sim O(1)$) – and provide a discussion on when these behaviours occur. The analysis aims to provide an experimentalist with important insights pertaining to the phase separation dynamics and their effect on the deformation dynamics of a vesicle.

African dryland farming systems integrate crop and livestock production. In these systems, cropland and livestock productivities are intricately connected to support livelihoods of pastoral and agropastoral communities inhabiting African drylands. However, achieving sustainable increases in crop and livestock production under the prevailing conditions of low external inputs, soil degradation and climate variability and vulnerability to climate change, remains a great challenge in African drylands. Thus, to address these inherent challenges and achieve food security in the region, there is a need to adopt sustainable agricultural systems and practices. Pasture cropping, a no-tillage system where annual cereal crops are sown into perennial pastures during their dormant stage, has great potential to diversify African dryland farming systems and enhance overall cropland productivity. This can be linked to its contribution to increased perennial vegetation cover that protects the soil from agents of erosion, improving soil structure and soil hydrological properties, accumulation of organic matter, reducing N leaching, promoting C sequestration and weed control. Despite its great potential, pasture cropping in African drylands is still at its infancy stage. This review examines the potential of pasture cropping as a sustainable agricultural production system in African drylands. Specifically, we describe its salient features, benefits and challenges and explore its applicability to the environmental and socio-economic conditions of African drylands. Pasture cropping shows promise for improving agricultural productivity and sustainability in the African drylands. However, to achieve its full potential, significant adaptations are needed to tailor the system to match prevailing local socio-economic and environmental conditions, including climate and local adaptation, species selection, socio-economic constraints and economic viability among farming communities.