Current Research in Food Science最新文献

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.

Fenitrothion and methyl parathion residues pose significant public health risks. Efficiently extracting and real-time detecting pesticide residues in complex matrices remains challenging. This study presents an ultrafast enrichment and SERS detection approach, achieving rapid analysis of fenitrothion and methyl parathion in vegetable and fruit juices using a dual-functionalized microneedle. A point-of-use SERS-active microneedle was developed with rough silver covered with an Au layer for ultrafast electro-enhanced microextraction (EEM) and sensitive SERS response toward real-time monitoring. Applying a negative electric potential to the dual-functionalized microneedle, pesticide enrichment was accelerated, achieving a tenfold increase in efficiency over traditional static strategy. The EEM-SERS process can be completed in 5 min, with strong correlations noted between SERS intensity and pesticide concentrations (r ²  = 0.940-0.976). The detection limits for fenitrothion and methyl parathion were 1.08-1.88 ppb in celery and orange juice, demonstrating the method's effectiveness for quick in situ pesticide residue detection.

The emergence of food safety risks can be influenced by various causes, also known as drivers of change. Understanding the characteristics related to the manageability of these drivers and the health impact of their associated hazards is critical for effective food safety management and resource allocation. This study aims to categorize drivers of change for known food safety hazards based on their impact on human health and their manageability. Identified drivers were categorized and ranked through an expert survey and a PROMETHEE multi-criteria analysis. The weighted performance criteria are controllability and volatility of the driver, and likelihood and severity of the associated hazards. Results show that the severity of associated hazards is the most important criterion, while volatility of the driver is considered least important by experts. All drivers of change were ranked based on their potential impact on food safety and categorized in a driver matrix with four categories. Categorization is based on the combined effect of expected negative health impact (low or high) and manageability (difficult or easy). The four categories are: "monitor and adapt" (low, difficult), "analyze and optimize" (low, easy), "leverage and innovate" (high, easy), and finally "strategize and endure" (high, difficult). Two drivers-environmental contamination and geopolitical conflict-are categorized as difficult to manage and associated with highly likely and severe health consequences. These drivers represent critical challenges requiring long-term strategic efforts. Six drivers are highly manageable (low health impact: legislation, policies and governance, technologies in food production, food processing technologies; high impact: management of natural resources, bioprocesses, supply chain) and could be leveraged to influence food safety hazards. The results are shown to be robust against changes in criteria weighting. These findings can support decision makers in shifting focus toward manageable drivers and tailoring strategies by driver category. For effective action, it is essential to understand the specific risks and benefits of each driver and the burden of their associated hazards. Future work should explore the top-ranked drivers and integrate these insights into holistic food safety management strategies.

The present study offers a mathematical model to optimize the frying process of potato slices by considering interactions between oil temperature (150, 170, 190 °C), oil type (canola, sunflower, and soybean), and frying load (potato/oil ratio: 1/10, 1/15, and 1/20) on the distribution of velocity, temperature, moisture loss, and oil absorption. The moving boundary problem was considered in the current model, and the boundary between the crust and core of potatoes was differentiated. Moreover, heating on/off cycling of the fryer element was included in modeling as a function of time. The results demonstrated that the highest oil velocity was observed for soybean oil at 170 °C and the 1/10 frying load. The interaction of oil temperature and frying load significantly affected moisture loss and oil absorption of the fried product, with the highest oil uptake recorded at the highest and lowest oil temperature. The developed model effectively showed the protective role of water vapor and crust formation in reducing oil uptake. Furthermore, the results highlighted the crucial impact of fryer element's heating on/off cycling on the distribution of oil velocity and temperature. Due to a physics-based modeling approach, the developed model may be employed in other food processes involving similar transport phenomena.

In this study, the effect of Gougunao tea polysaccharide (GTP40) on lipid metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic mice and its core structure were investigated. GTP40 effectively reversed the increase in weights of the liver and adipose tissues induced by HFD. The oxidative stress of the liver was also significantly alleviated following GTP40 intervention. According to the results of Real-Time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), the genes associated with lipolysis were upregulated after GTP40 treatment, while lipogenesis-related genes were downregulated. Additionally, a homogeneous polysaccharide (GTP40-5P, obtained by degrading GTP40 for 5 h) with a molecular weight of 27858 Da was fractionated from GTP40 by the partial acid hydrolysis method. GTP40-5P was mainly composed of 62.30 ± 0.70 % neutral sugar, 54.82 ± 0.51 % uronic acid and 2.52 ± 0.74 % protein. The results of methylation and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis indicated that the backbone of GTP40-5P was consisted of →4)-α-D-GalpA-(1 → 4)-β-D-Galp-(1→ units, with the terminal residue β-D-Galp-(1→ linked to →3,4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→ at the O-3 site, suggesting that it should be classified as homogalacturonan (HG)-type pectin with partial methyl esterification. These findings indicate that GTP40 alleviates lipid metabolism disorders in hyperlipidemic mice primarily via the AMPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, the elucidation of the primary structure of Gougunao tea polysaccharide enhances the understanding of the structure-activity relationship.

Molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane and sugar beet processing, is widely utilized in the food, fermentation, and animal feed industries. However, authenticating its botanical origin remains challenging, often relying on costly, time-consuming, chemically intensive, and environmentally unsustainable methods. In response to increasing demands for sustainable analytical alternatives, this study aimed to develop and compare infrared spectroscopic methods to classify cane and beet molasses, focusing on sustainability of techniques while maintaining analytical performance. Data of portable and benchtop Fourier Transform Near-Infrared (FT-NIR) and Fourier Transform Mid-Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometers were evaluated using chemometric approaches, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and classification models like Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN). The Analytical GREEnness (AGREE) metric was employed to assess the sustainability of each technique, while analytical accuracy was evaluated using figures of merit derived from confusion matrices. FT-IR spectroscopy achieved the highest classification accuracy (0 % error) and revealed that beet molasses exhibiting higher protein content, whereas cane molasses contained more fructose. However, FT-IR scored the lowest in terms of greenness due to higher energy demands and sample handling in comparison with the other techniques. In contrast, portable FT-NIR was the most sustainable technique (AGREE score = 0.86, scale from 0 to 1), albeit with a slightly higher classification error (8.3 %). These findings demonstrate the potential of infrared spectroscopy as a reliable and sustainable solution for molasses authentication and show that sustainability-accuracy trade-offs can be quantitatively assessed to support informed decision-making in the analytical process of sugar industry.

Preserving food freshness is fundamental for minimizing waste. Intelligent packaging offers valuable information, enhances safety, and improves food quality during storage and transit. This study aimed to develop biodegradable, intelligent food packaging for shrimp using curcumin (Cur), gelatin (Gel), sodium alginate (SA), and nanoclay (NC) to enhance food safety and extend shelf life. The films with 1 % NC-Cur exhibited a 3.46-fold increase in UV barrier properties compared to the control, although Cur reduced transparency. Mechanical testing showed that films containing 0.5 % NC-Cur achieved optimal tensile strength (38.6 ± 30.9 MPa). The water contact angle (WCA) increased to 84.12 ± 3.14°, indicating enhanced hydrophobicity, while solubility decreased significantly. The films demonstrated pH-responsive color changes (yellow to brick red) and improved antioxidant activity, with 1 % NC-Cur scavenging 35.55 % radicals compared to 15.10 % in the control. Biodegradation studies confirmed complete degradation within 30 days, although films with higher NC levels showed slower curcumin migration. After six days, shrimp stored at 4 °C exhibited a yellow-to-orange color change due to microbial growth and pH fluctuations. Packaging with NC-Cur extended shrimp shelf life by two days. These findings demonstrate the potential of NC, Cur, Gel, and SA-based films for intelligent, eco-friendly packaging that enhances food quality, delays spoilage, and reduces environmental impact.

Phenolic compounds in honey can serve as markers of authenticity for both botanical and geographical origins. Leatherwood (Eucryphia lucidia) honey is a uniquely aromatic honey, only produced in Tasmania, Australia. This premium honey contains a distinctive array of phenolic markers useful for chemical fingerprinting. Thirty-two leatherwood honeys were analysed by HPLC-DAD, with samples collected over eight consecutive years and pooled on an annual basis. This study identified the presence of 28 phenolic compounds in leatherwood honey, with 14 compounds classified as potential markers for authentication. Most notably, this study identified, for the first time, 4-methoxymandelic acid using HPLC-Q-TOF/MS as the major phenolic substance in leatherwood honey. Further analysis revealed the presence of 4-methoxymandelic acid in E. lucidia nectar and thus a marker for the authentication of leatherwood honey.

In response to the growing need for functional beverages, this study aimed to harness yeast metabolism to optimize elderberry juice fermentation, targeting sugar reduction and enrichment of bioactive compounds with enhanced functional properties. Initially, ten yeast strains were screened in synthetic medium and elderberry juice for sugar consumption and ethanol production. Five yeasts with distinct metabolic profiles were selected to generate seven binary cultures (pairing high-with low-to-intermediate-performing strains) for juice fermentation at 30 °C for 36 h. Monocultures and binary cultures were comparatively evaluated for sugar utilization, ethanol production, and the modulation of bioactive compounds. The co-culture of Hanseniaspora uvarum and Metschnikowia pulcherrima with Hanseniaspora opuntiae, resulted in a more balanced metabolic profile, achieving high sugar reduction (80-88 %) and modulating ethanol levels (1.4-1.6 %). The same cultures significantly released phenolics (including chlorogenic acid, quercetin, hyperoside, and isoquercetin) with biological activity. Most binary cultures displayed synergistic proteolytic activity, increasing free amino acids and promoting the release of bioactive amino acid derivatives such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, especially when H. opuntiae was paired with H. uvarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with H. uvarum. The shaping of volatile organic compounds by S. cerevisiae favoring alcohol and acids production or non-Saccharomyces strains enhancing ester synthesis, further diversified the sensory profile when combined, contributing to aromatic complexity. In conclusion, binary yeast cultures offer an effective way to enrich low-sugar elderberry beverage with bioactive metabolites and appealing flavor. Future research should focus on in vivo validation of bioactivities, product stability, and consumer acceptability to support industrial application.

Oregano is frequently adulterated as demonstrated in a recent control plan organised by the European Commission. In this work, the elemental profiles of 282 oregano samples analysed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence were used in combination with multivariate analyses to detect adulteration, in particular with olive leaves. The analyses were carried out in the frame of the coordinated control plan on the authenticity of herbs and spices organised by the European Commission. Partial Least Square Discriminant Analyses, allowed the detection of adulterated samples with a sensitivity of 81 %, and a specificity of 92 %; among the adulterated samples PLS-DA allowed the detection of samples that contained olive leaves with a sensitivity of 94 % and a specificity of 92 %. Copper mass fraction is of relevance because it is significantly higher in samples adulterated with olive leaves. The ratio Cu/Zn allowed the identification of adulterated samples with a sensitivity and specificity of 85 % without the need to use modelling techniques. The elemental profile of oregano obtained by EDXRF was also used to authenticate the geographical origin declared in the labels.