Food Chemistry: X最新文献

To overcome the subjectivity of traditional bacon authentication, this study developed an objective discrimination framework integrating LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics with machine learning. Metabolomic profiling of bacon samples from pork belly (LRW) and pork rump (LRT) identified 100 differential metabolites common to both groups. The Kruskal-Wallis H test (p < 0.05) identified 75 significant features, which were further reduced to 22 key metabolites through random forest-based feature selection and low-variance filtering. Subsequently, a multidimensional evaluation of these 22 key metabolites (VIF < 75, label correlation >85%, and information gain = 1) highlighted four candidate discriminatory metabolites, including 6-hydroxyoctanoylcarnitine characterizing LRT, and dimethylethanolamine, xanthine, and ethyl hydrogen fumarate associated with LRW. Bidirectional validation using RF, KNN, SVM, and FNN models demonstrated robust discriminatory performance. This framework provides a basis for optimizing bacon production and offers a generalizable paradigm for data-driven biomarker discovery in meat products.

Plant-based milk analogues are suitable substitutes for animal milk, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable. The microbiological stability, quality, anti-nutritional elements, and techno-functional properties of plant analogues and their proteins need to be considered. The type and concentration of reactive plasma species are influenced by parameters such as frequency, voltage, electrode spacing, treatment time, and gas composition. These factors regulate the efficacy of cold plasma in microbial disinfection and enzyme inactivation. The results indicate that cold plasma enhances the solubility, emulsifying properties, hydrophilicity, and foaming characteristics of plant-based analogues and proteins. In this study, the most potential sources of cold plasma and their impact on the functional characteristics of plant milk and proteins are thoroughly discussed. The work presents current insights into cold plasma for plant-based milk analogues and highlights their prospective applications, recent research, and developments in the field.

As a high-value legume crop, the chemical basis underlying flavor and nutritional quality differences among cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp., Vu) varieties remains poorly understood, limiting targeted quality improvement. This study integrated headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to comprehensively analyze metabolites in 14 Chinese cowpea varieties. A total of 174 volatile organic compounds were identified, with esters, heterocyclic compounds, and ketones accounting for 51.15% of the total. Principal component analysis and fingerprint clustering revealed variety-specific distribution patterns of volatile components, with the Vu-1 variety showing significant enrichment in β-pinene and 3-pentanol. Metabolomic analysis further identified 392 differentially expressed metabolites, revealing that amino acid metabolism and flavonoid metabolism are the core pathways determining varietal differences. This study systematically elucidates the chemical characteristics of cowpea varieties from a metabolomic perspective, providing important evidence for quality improvement and high-value utilization of legume crops.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.103383.].