Food Bioengineering最新文献

The food industry is adapting to evolving consumer demands for “healthy” and premium quality food by reducing the adverse effects of food packaging through innovative advancements in active and intelligent packaging technologies. These smart innovations offer diverse and creative ways to enhance food product quality and safety while extending shelf life. Emerging techniques are also improving the passive aspects of food packaging systems, such as thermal stability, barrier effectiveness, and mechanical strength. Notably, the use of plants, biodegradable materials, and nanomaterials in sustainable food packaging helps mitigate its negative environmental impact. By integrating intelligent, environmentally friendly, and active packaging technologies, a multipurpose food packaging system can be developed that maintains the integrity of all its components, representing the pinnacle of technological advancement in food packaging. This article reviews the fundamentals of food packaging systems, recent advancements in various packaging techniques, commercialized patents, future research trends, and the challenges that need to be addressed in food packaging.

Investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of bioactive components present in cold-pressed rapeseed oil through the use of network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. The components of cold-pressed rapeseed oil were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We then conducted Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis using bioinformatics databases on overlapping targets affected by active components and inflammation. Finally, molecular docking was used to predict the interactions between core components and key targets. Analysis identified 13 phenols, four steroids, and one retinoid in cold-pressed rapeseed oil, with 143 overlapping targets related to inflammation. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that 25-Hydroxycholesterol, Rosmarinic acid, 9-cis-Retinoic acid, Soyasapogenol B and α-Tocopherol in cold-pressed rapeseed oil could play a positive role in treating inflammation. They achieved this by regulating key targets (MMP9, EGFR, AKT1, ESR1, and PTGS2) involved in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway and other related pathways. The molecular docking binding energy of the core components and the key targets were less than −5.0 kcal/mol, indicating that the components and the targets can be stably bound. This result indicated that the active components found in cold-pressed rapeseed oil may exert an anti-inflammatory effect through a synergistic mechanism involving multicomponent, multitarget and multipathway interactions.

Nucleotides, such as uridine 5′-monophosphate (5′-UMP) and cytidine 5′-monophosphate (5′-CMP), are heavily demanded as food additives, dietary supplements, and medicinal intermediates. Although enzymatic phosphorylation is an effective approach to producing these nucleosides, its practical application is challenging due to the need for the expensive enzymes and coenzyme guanosine-5′-triphosphate (GTP). Here we prepared biocompatible calcium-based nanoflowers incorporated with cascade enzymes, uridine-cytidine kinase (UCK) and acetate kinase (ACK), for the production of nucleotides. The spatial distribution of these enzymes was optimized to maximize their catalytic performances. The most active nanoflowers (Ca₃(PO₄)₂& ACK)& UCK that display the rate-limiting enzyme UCK on the outer layer were used in a packed-bed reactor for continuous synthesis of 5′-UMP and 5′-CMP. The catalytic performance of the catalyst retained over 80% within 10 h, showing good operational stability.

2′,4′-Dihydroxy-6′-methoxy-3′,5′-dimethylchalcone (DMC) is a typical and abundant chalcone compound from the buds of Cleistocalyx operculatus, which is well-known for its edible and medicinal qualities. In this study, DMC showed effective cell cycle arrest at G₂/M on MDA-MB-231 cells, though dual impacts, including the inhibition of microtubule polymerization through binding to β-tubulin and the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by inhibiting catalase activity. The increased ROS level inhibited PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and further suppressed the expression level of Cdc2, Cdc25C, and Cyclin B1, alongside stimulated the expression level of p21 and p27. Above 29.5% MDA-MB-231 cells were arrested at G₂/M phase, subsequently undergoing apoptosis due to heightened levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and caspase 3. In summary, this study demonstrated that DMC concomitantly plays dual roles in apoptotic inducing by inhibiting the ROS consumption and microtubules formation in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Octacosanol is a plant natural product with the potential to ameliorate alcoholic liver injury. However, its poor solubility limits its application in the food industry. This study first verified that octacosanol has a favorable effect on acute and subchronic alcoholic liver injury in mice by protecting the gastric mucosa and ameliorating disease levels. Additionally, octacosanol microcapsules were prepared under the optimal drying conditions of the feed flow rate of 400 mL/h and drying temperature of 180°C to improve the ameliorative effects of octacosanol, with moisture content, water activity, dispersibility, and solubility of 1.53%, 0.16%, 89.84%, and 95.30%, respectively. The microcapsules had a spherical structure, and the droplet sizes after redissolution ranged from 0.061 to 4.63 µm. Instrumental measurements and simulated digestion experiments have shown that microencapsulation enhanced the solubility and thermal stability of octacosanol, with 90.88% of the octacosanol being continuously released. As expected, microencapsulation significantly enhanced the effect of octacosanol in ameliorating alcoholic liver injury by determining the disease index in the mice model. This study demonstrated the beneficial effects of octacosanol on alcoholic liver injury and explored a viable method to improve its solubility and bioaccessibility, thereby enhancing its therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of alcoholic liver injury.

As society advances, the demand for innovative and sustainable food processing techniques and materials has grown significantly. The food industry, especially the food packaging sector, faces the challenge of developing cost-effective and sustainable packaging materials to meet consumers' increasing demands. One promising solution for this is the use of biodegradable polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), but standalone PVA cannot meet the required properties of packaging materials. The use of nanocellulose (NC) as fillers has been intensively studied recently. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of existing studies focusing on the preparation of PVA/NC composite films for packaging applications. The effects of NC loading on the physico-mechanical properties of these films, including tensile strength, elongation, water absorption/swelling behavior, barrier properties, and optical properties, have been thoroughly examined. Overall, the general findings suggest that the reinforcement of NC in the PVA polymer matrix leads to improvements in the films' properties. Specifically, the addition of NC enhances tensile strength, reduces O₂, CO₂, and water vapor transmission rates, and decreases the films' propensity to absorb moisture or swell under wet conditions. However, it is important to note that the presence of NC compromises the optical properties of the films by reducing transparency, and the NC content beyond threshold level reduces the feasibility of the composite film. By synthesizing these findings, this review underscores the potential of PVA/NC composite films as promising materials for packaging applications. Moving forward, further research efforts are warranted to optimize the formulation and processing of these composite films to strike a balance between mechanical strength and optical clarity, thus advancing their practical utility in the packaging industry.

Red rice is a kind of whole grain with health benefits. Probiotic fermentation is widely applied to promote nutrient release from cereals and improve bioactivity. The study aims to investigate the impact of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) dy-1 fermentation on the bioactivities, bioaccessibility, and lipid-lowering activities of red rice. Results indicated that fermentation significantly increased the protein and total phenolic content by 1.7 and 1.4 times of red rice, as well as the content of essential and nonessential amino acids. Fermentation remarkably increased the bioaccessibility of phenolics and the antioxidant capacity of red rice during in vitro digestion. Additionally, Caenorhabditis elegans study revealed that fermented red rice extract reduced the triglyceride content, alleviated fat deposition, and regulated lipid metabolism by altering the genes in the fatty acid oxidation and synthesis, such as daf-16, mdt-15, nhr-49, fat-5, fat-7, and hosl-1. Therefore, L. plantarum dy-1 fermentation was beneficial for improving bioaccessibility and lipid-lowering activities of red rice, which will provide a reference for utilization of red rice as a functional food.

To address the issues of probiotic activity loss during storage and feeding, as well as the limited efficacy of single probiotics, a solution was devised by embedding a mixture of Bacillus coagulans SN-8 (SN-8) and Saccharomyces boulardii SN-6 (SN-6) in a gel. The initial step involved screening the probiotic microcapsules' preparation method and wall material. Using sodium alginate and β-cyclodextrin as composite wall material and chitosan as the outer coating material allowed for an embedding rate of 82.11% in composite probiotic microcapsules prepared by the air atomization method. Next, in vitro, simulated digestion experiments were conducted to determine the number of viable bacteria and the release rate of the microcapsules. The results showed that compared to the free strain, the mixed probiotic microcapsules retained a survival rate of 67.5% after 3 h of simulated gastric juice exposure and 70.56% after 42 days of storage at 4°C. This demonstrated higher survival rates and storage stability. The prepared probiotic microcapsules were then administered to dairy cows. 16S rDNA gene sequencing showed that consumption of the microcapsules reduced the number of harmful bacteria, such as Paeniclostridium, in the intestinal tract of dairy cows while accelerating the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium. In particular, this resulted in a significant improvement in the lactation performance of the cows, with a 4.5% increase in milk fat content, a 92.5% increase in milk protein content, and a 3.5% increase in milk urea nitrogen content (6.75 mL/dL). In conclusion, probiotic microcapsules can effectively regulate intestinal flora, improving milk production, and quality in dairy cows.

The establishment of a healthy microbiota, particularly during infancy, profoundly influences psychological health and neurological function through the gut-brain axis. This review delves into the intricate connections between probiotics, gut microbiome development, and their impact on neurological disorders. Biotics, live microorganisms with proven health benefits, have emerged as a promising intervention, particularly during critical developmental stages. Administering specific probiotic strains (Lactobacillus species and Bifidobacterium) in infancy has shown promise in preventing and alleviating gut disorders, with implications for psychological well-being. The bidirectional communication along the gut-brain axis underscores the potential of probiotics in influencing neurological outcomes, ranging from anxiety to neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, this review explores emerging food engineering techniques (microencapsulation, genome editing, fermentation, protein engineering, immobilization, etc.) employed in preparing probiotic-based foods, ensuring the viability and targeted release of probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract.

This study aimed to assess the effects of spouted bed (SB) drying and freeze-drying (FD) on the properties of probiotic umbu-cajá pulp. The strain Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis was employed to obtain this pulp. Initially, the study was conducted with two separate experimental designs, one for SB and another for FD, encompassing variables such as inlet temperature and concentrations of drying adjuvants (maltodextrin and inulin). This approach aimed to identify the most favorable conditions in terms of yield and cell viability. Both drying methods proved effective in preserving probiotic cells, with comparable viable cell counts (12 Log CFU g⁻¹) and process yield of up to 30.68%. Additionally, FD exhibited advantages in preserving and increasing levels of bioactive compounds, including phenolics and carotenoids, in the final product. In contrast, SB drying stood out for retaining carotenoids and exhibiting lower degradation of ascorbic acid. In summary, this study demonstrated that both SB drying and FD are promising approaches in producing powders from probiotic umbu-cajá pulp. However, the selection between the methods should be guided by specific production goals, considering the desired characteristics of the final product.