Current Research in Food Science最新文献

This paper investigates the role of anisotropy in the deformation of meat during cooking, and how it influences transport properties such as diffusion and thermal conductivity. To address this multiphysics problem a Finite Element model was developed, coupling mass transfer of water with thermal energy transport and large-strain solid mechanics. To account for fiber directionality, an anisotropic constitutive model with swelling-driven deformation is implemented. Particular emphasis is given to the definition of the reference configuration. Numerical simulations reveal that fiber orientation significantly influences the local stretch and overall shape evolution during pan frying. The magnitude and anisotropy of the deformation are sensitive to the swelling parameters and the fiber stiffness. These findings offer insights into the physical origin of cooking-induced texture transformations in meat and provide a framework for modeling fibrous biological materials undergoing thermal and fluid-driven processes.

Pyrazines impart a pronounced burnt flavour and are essential components in many processed foods. While certain microorganisms, notably bacteria within the genera Bacillus and Corynebacterium, as well as some fungi, can synthesize pyrazines. Their biosynthetic pathways remain poorly elucidated, and synthesis efficiency is notoriously low. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current knowledge on microbial pyrazines biosynthesis. We critically analyze the putative pathways and detail the functional roles of key enzymes, such as L-threonine dehydratases and aminotransferases. Furthermore, we evaluate scenario-based strategies for utilizing cheap carbon sources, to enhance the economic feasibility of bioproduction. The significant barriers of low product yield and inherent microbial toxicity are also systematically examined. Finally, we discuss the potential of emerging candidate strains and cell-free metabolic engineering systems for pyrazines synthesis, aiming to establish a foundational roadmap for future research and development in this field.

Antioxidant packaging films (APFs) have emerged as a transformative result in food preservation, offering biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to incorporate bioactive compounds. These films mitigate food spoilage by preventing oxidation and inhibiting enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning, while naturally derived antioxidants enhance their functionality with low toxicity, high nutritional value, and effective antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Recent advances demonstrate that integrating natural antioxidants, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, significantly improves total phenolic content, free radical scavenging, and overall antioxidant activity of APFs. These films also exhibit great light and moisture barrier properties, mechanical strength, and compatibility with intelligent/active packaging systems. This review investigated novel raw materials, advanced manufacturing techniques, and innovative encapsulation methods for incorporating antioxidants into APFs, highlighting their diverse applications in extending shelf life and ensuring food safety across the food industry, while uniquely addressing critical gaps in scalable, eco-friendly food packaging through cutting-edge developments in sustainable raw materials and enhanced antioxidant delivery for improved film performance.

Kluyveromyces marxianus (K. marxianus) has emerged as a prominent microbial platform owing to its exceptional intrinsic properties, demonstrating significant potential for biomanufacturing. A literature search with the keyword 'Kluyveromyces marxianus' in title in the PubMed database indicated that the yeast has been developed as a microbial cell factory for lignocellulosic biomass valorization, heterologous protein production, flavor and fragrance molecule synthesis during the past 10 years. However, the most recent review of K. marxianus application in food industry was 5 years ago. The relatively slow progression is partially due to the paucity of molecular tools and the lagging advancements in process optimization strategies. This review summarizes the physiological characteristics of K. marxianus and its potential industrial applications. Addressing the requirements of industrial-scale production, key limiting factors in high-cell-density fermentation, including carbon source utilization efficiency, dissolved oxygen regulation, and inhibition by metabolic byproducts were analyzed. An integrated approach combining dynamic feeding, metabolic pathway engineering, and fermentation parameter optimization was proposed. Considering the previous reviews, the present work updated the application of K. marxianus in the food industry, including the production of enzymes, sugars, aromatic compounds, single-cell protein, and transformation of food waste, as well as the treatment of wastewater during food processing, and aims to make a comprehensive discussion. Through the systematic construction of the research paradigm from molecular constraints to process hurdles, the work may help the transition of K. marxianus for efficient manufacturing and processing in the food industry.

Biopolymeric films (BFs) offer sustainable packaging alternatives but face limitations in mechanical strength and moisture resistance. This review explores dynamic covalent chemistry via Schiff base reactions (SBRs) as a transformative strategy to enhance BFs. Crosslinking amino-rich biopolymers (e.g., chitosan, gelatin) with aldehyde donors (e.g., dialdehyde polysaccharides, plant aldehydes) improves film stability, barrier properties, and stimuli-responsive behavior. Plant aldehydes serve dual roles as crosslinkers and antimicrobial agents, enabling pH-triggered release to combat spoilage. Advances in polysaccharide/protein-based films demonstrate efficacy in preserving fruits, vegetables, and meats. Innovations like pH-sensitive indicators and respiration-triggered release underscore SBR-engineered films' versatility for active packaging. Challenges in scalability, safety, and industrial integration remain. This work provides a roadmap for next-generation packaging balancing performance, sustainability, and precision preservation.

This study shows that red light conditions enhance several quality attributes of Chinese cabbage during short-term shelf life. By promoting photosynthesis-as indicated by increased chlorophyll content and ELIP1 expression-red light helps preserve chlorophyll and maintain tissue structure, reflected in greater firmness, resilience, and chewiness. These textural improvements are likely associated with lower oxidative stress, evidenced by reduced H₂O₂ levels, and with attenuated enzymatic degradation. In parallel, red light facilitates the accumulation of diverse volatile flavor compounds (VFCs), improving the flavor profile, and contributes to better nutritional quality through greater nitrogen retention and higher foliar humidity. A reduction in leaf temperature under red light further helps limit heat stress and respiration rates, thereby delaying senescence. However, the observed increase in chlorophyll degradation over time suggests that red light may be more suitable for short-term preservation, whereas green light may better support long-term chlorophyll maintenance. Therefore, red light serves as a multifunctional approach for short-term quality preservation by supporting flavor, texture, chlorophyll stability, and nutrient content. Sequential adjustment of light spectra-such as switching to green light-may further extend postharvest longevity. This study emphasizes the regulatory role of red light in modulating physiological, biochemical, and sensory characteristics to maintain postharvest quality.

Animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions. Plant-based meats offer a sustainable alternative to animal meat; yet, people are reluctant to switch their diets and spending habits, in large part due to the taste and texture of plant-based meats. Deli meat is a convenient form of protein commonly used in sandwiches, yet little is known about its material or sensory properties. Here we performed biaxial testing with multiple different stretch ratios of four plant-based and four animal deli meats, fit the neo Hooke and Mooney Rivlin models to the resulting stress-stretch data, and discovered the best constitutive models for all eight products. Strikingly, the plant-based products, turkey, ham, deli, and prosciutto, with stiffnesses of 378 ± 15 kPa, 343 ± 62 kPa, 213 ± 25 kPa, and 113 ± 56 kPa, were more than twice as stiff as their animal counterparts, turkey, chicken, ham, and prosciutto, with 134 ± 46 kPa, 117 ± 17 kPa, 117 ± 21 kPa, and 49 ± 21 kPa. In a complementary sensory texture survey, n = 18 participants were able to correlate the physical stiffness with the sensory brittleness, with Spearman's correlation coefficient of $\rho =0.857$ and $p=0.011$ , but not with the sensory softness or hardness. Notably, the participants perceived all four plant-based products as less fibrous, less moist, and less meaty than the four animal products. Our study confirms the common belief that plant-based products struggle to meet the physical and sensory signature of animal deli meats. We anticipate that integrating rigorous mechanical testing, physics-based modeling, and sensory texture surveys could shape the path towards designing delicious, nutritious, and environmentally friendly meats that mimic the texture and mouthfeel of animal products and are healthy for people and for the planet. Data and code are freely available at https://github.com/LivingMatterLab/CANN.

In the era of biodegradable packaging, protein-based biopolymers have emerged as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymers due to their unique properties. Despite significant advances in this field, a comprehensive analysis of recent technological innovations with commercial viability assessments remains lacking. This review addressed this gap by systematically examining recent lab development in plant protein-based packaging, including sources, fabrication methods, real-time applications, commercial challenges, and their relationship to food packaging applications. Through analysis of recent studies, 2020-2025, we identify recent research trends that have focused on enhancing the properties of biodegradable polymers by incorporating antimicrobial, insecticidal, and antifungal agents, thereby creating active systems to prolong the shelf life of foods. Furthermore, our critical evaluation of advancements in fabrication techniques such as 3D printing, electrospinning, co-polymerization, casting, molding, extrusion, and coating has enabled the production of protein-based packaging with diverse shapes and properties. This review uniquely bridges the gap between laboratory innovations and commercial applications by examining current trends in sources, functions, applications, and future commercial challenges associated with plant protein-based packaging. By understanding the potential of these biopolymers, we can contribute to the development of sustainable and innovative packaging solutions within the food industries, offering a roadmap for both researchers and industry stakeholders.

The concordance between subjective and facial hedonic responses while eating is informative, both practically and theoretically. Recent psychophysiological studies reported that hedonic ratings during the consumption of gel-type food were negatively associated with facial electromyography (EMG) signals recorded from the corrugator supercilii and positively associated with those from chewing-related muscles. However, the relationships were tested in a static manner, and the dynamic subjective-facial concordance remains untested. Therefore, we investigated this by assessing participants' dynamic valence ratings and recording their facial EMG from the corrugator supercilii, zygomatic major, masseter, and suprahyoid muscles while they chewed and swallowed gel-type food stimuli of various flavors. Cross-correlations with dynamic valence ratings were negative for corrugator supercilii EMG signals and positive for zygomatic major, masseter, and suprahyoid EMG signals during both chewing and swallowing. These findings indicate that subjective hedonic experiences and facial EMG signals are dynamically coupled during the consumption of food.

The processing methods of coffee cherries after harvesting can significantly affect the lipid composition of green coffee beans, thereby influencing their in-cup properties. This study utilized ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) technology to investigate the impact of natural, washed, and honey processing methods on the lipid composition of green coffee beans, accompanied by sensory evaluations. A total of 510 lipids, covering 27 subclasses, were detected. Of these, 150 lipids showed significant differences before and after processing, and 37 lipids were identified as potential biomarkers for distinguishing the three processing methods. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway analysis revealed that glycerophospholipid metabolism was the key pathway for the formation of differential lipids among the various processing methods. Significant correlations were observed between lipid composition and the flavor diversity associated with different processing methods. The findings provide a crucial basis for understanding the lipid transformation of coffee during different processing methods and its impact on flavor quality characteristics.