Foods最新文献

In this study, the effects of ozone treatment (O₃), heat shock treatment (HS), and microwave treatment (MW) on sensory quality, physicochemical properties, and oxidation levels of sweet corn were systematically investigated during storage. The results demonstrated that three treatments prolonged the postharvest quality of sweet corn to varying degrees. Specifically, the O₃ group demonstrated the best sensory and appearance characteristics, with its sensory score being 1.18 and 1.38 folds higher than the HS group and MW group, respectively, and significant retardation of color deterioration. In addition, the O₃ group effectively maintained the stability and hardness of the starch structure. The weight loss rate of the HS group decreased 0.78-fold compared to the CT group after storage. Moreover, both HS and MW treatments maintained the antioxidant properties of sweet corn, but MW had the limitations of local scalding damage and accelerated deterioration in later quality. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the optimization and application of postharvest preservation techniques for sweet corn.

The environmental impact of conventional plastics has driven a shift toward biobased food packaging, shaped by consumer expectations, market trends, and regulatory policies within the European Union (EU). Despite extensive research on biopolymers such as starch, cellulose, chitosan, and polylactic acid (PLA), their use in commercial food packaging remains limited. A major challenge identified in the literature is the evaluation of biopolymer performance, in which environmental benefits are often considered independently of mechanical, barrier, and economic factors. This review addresses this gap by critically exploring the functional performance of biopolymers regarding their chemical structure and processing methods, with particular emphasis on the role of bioactive compounds in enhancing these materials' properties. Although several biopolymers can achieve tensile strength values comparable to conventional petroleum-based plastics, their higher water vapor transmission rates remain an unsolved barrier to scalability. These limitations, together with challenges related to mechanical performance and production costs, are discussed to clarify their impact on industrial feasibility and to identify priorities for future research supporting scalable, cost-effective, and regulatory-compliant food packaging solutions.

Tulathromycin (TULA) is primarily used for treating respiratory diseases in livestock. However, its misuse may lead to bacterial resistance and poses potential health risks such as chronic toxicity and allergic reactions through the food chain. Therefore, it is essential to develop rapid and accurate detection methods. In this study, two quantum dot-based fluorescent immunosorbent assays-direct competitive FLISA (dc-FLISA) and indirect competitive FLISA (ic-FLISA)-were established for detecting TULA residues in milk. The dc-FLISA exhibited a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.99 ng·mL^-1, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.018 ng·mL^-1, and a detection range of 0.058-69.18 ng·mL^-1. The ic-FLISA showed an IC₅₀ of 0.89 ng·mL^-1, an LOD of 0.005 ng·mL^-1, and a detection range of 0.019-42.65 ng·mL^-1. Spiked recovery tests in milk demonstrated recovery rates ranging from 97.41% to 101.02% for dc-FLISA and from 97.48% to 100.65% for ic-FLISA, with coefficients of variation below 10%. In summary, two simple, effective, rapid, and sensitive methods were successfully developed for detecting TULA residues in milk.

This study investigates the effects of roasting pre-treatment on Lupinus angustifolius protein isolate (LPI) and the resulting structure-function relationships relevant to food applications. Lupin seeds were roasted for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min prior to protein extraction, and the resulting LPI was characterized using circular dichroism (CD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, and SDS-PAGE. Unroasted LPI exhibited compact native conglutin structures with low solubility (58.64%), surface hydrophobicity (43.34 μg BPB), emulsifying activity (30.71 m²/g), and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD, 82.84%). Roasting pre-treatment induced a biphasic structural response. Partial conformational changes increased solubility (up to 97.84%), exposed hydrophobic sites (peak 55.79 μg BPB), enhanced emulsifying activity (45.37 m²/g), doubled foaming capacity (210%), and improved IVPD (90.85%), likely due to structural changes that facilitated digestion. CD analysis showed a modest increase in α-helical content (3.43 → 6.74%) with minor fluctuations in β-sheet content, while fluorescence quenching indicated conformational loosening and partial reorganization. SDS-PAGE revealed the formation of soluble oligomers and high-molecular-weight aggregates, consistent with heat-induced association. Prolonged roasting reduced emulsion and foam stability because of aggregation, but maximized antioxidant capacity, likely associated with Maillard reaction products despite the observed depletion of amino acids. Overall, controlled roasting pre-treatment systematically modulates lupin protein structure and functionality, highlighting LPI as a competitive high-performance plant protein ingredient for food applications.

Radish leaves are a nutrient-rich yet underutilized byproduct containing abundant fiber, minerals, and phytochemicals; however, their quality is highly affected by drying methods. This study systematically investigated the effects of three drying methods-hot-air drying (HD), microwave drying (MD), and freeze-vacuum drying (FD)-on the nutritional components, bioactive substances, and volatile compounds of radish leaves. A comparative analysis was conducted on their proximate composition, amino acid profiles, mineral contents, antioxidant capacities, glucosinolate profiles, and volatile profiles. Among the three methods, FD exhibited superior preservation of proteins, lipids, minerals (K, Mg, P, Fe, Zn, and Mn), and bioactive components, including polyphenols, flavonoids, glucosinolates, and vitamin C. In contrast, HD and MD led to significant reductions in these nutrients and bioactive compounds. A total of 33 glucosinolates and 779 volatile compounds, including 164 odor-active compounds, were identified collectively across the three treatments. The FD-treated samples exhibited distinct glucosinolate and volatile profiles, whereas HD- and MD-treated samples showed greater similarity. Multivariate analysis further revealed 12 key differential glucosinolates and 27 differential odor-active compounds among the three groups. This study provides a scientific basis for optimizing drying strategies to improve the nutritional quality and flavor characteristics of processed radish leaves.

Heat stress-induced systemic metabolic disorder serves as the core pathological basis of organismal damage. Although mung bean polyphenols (MBPs) had been preliminarily validated in cellular heat-stress models for their intestinal tissue-protective potential, whether they can alleviate heat-stress injury in vivo by remodeling the metabolic crosstalk network between the gut and systemic circulation remains mechanistically unclear. In this study, we innovatively employed an integrated multi-omics approach combining physiological phenotype, gut metabolome, and serum metabolome analyses based on a Balb/c heat stress (41 °C) mouse model, systematically constructing the metabolic phenotype regulatory network of MBPs. The results demonstrated that MBPs not only significantly improved oxidative stress (elevating GSH-Px and T-AOC, reducing MDA), immune-inflammation (down-regulating IL-1β and TNF-α), and stress hormone (lowering cortisol) phenotypes, but also specifically reversed the disturbances in intestinal and serum metabolic profiles induced by heat stress, particularly restoring key pro-inflammatory mediators such as Leukotriene E4 and 5-HETE. Arachidonic acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, histidine metabolism, and Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway constituted the core network of heat-stress metabolic disorder and MBP regulation. Furthermore, the study revealed that alterations in hub metabolites-Indolelactic Acid, Trans-Cinnamic Acid, Leukotriene E4, 5-HETE, and N(omega)-Hydroxyarginine-were significantly correlated with phenotypic improvements. This confirms that mung bean polyphenols dynamically dismantle the "pro-inflammatory-oxidative stress" pathological coupling by constructing a novel protective axis centered on the indole metabolism-melatonin-endogenous antioxidant system and successfully established a novel protective axis driven by gut-derived beneficial metabolites that promotes systemic antioxidant function, thereby elucidating the systemic mechanism underlying the alleviation of heat-stress injury at the metabolic network level.

Against the backdrop of China's booming edible fungi industry, shortages and price hikes of traditional cultivation substrates have emerged as critical bottlenecks. Meanwhile, the disposal of a large amount of ginger straw produced during the ginger cultivation process is also a major challenge. To address these issues, this study explored ginger straw as an alternative substrate for Pleurotus geesteranus and Hericium erinaceus, focusing on the optimization of substrate formulas and their effects on the nutritional quality of the fungi. Superior strains were first screened, after which the addition ratios of ginger straw (10-40%) were optimized. Commercial characteristics, nutritional components, and safety indicators of the fruiting bodies were determined, and a comprehensive quality evaluation was conducted using the membership function method. Results indicated that excellent strains of both fungi were selected: the optimal ginger straw addition ratio was 15-30% for P. geesteranus and 15% for H. erinaceus. Compared with the conventional cottonseed hull substrate, the optimized formulas significantly increased the biological efficiency (BE) by 9.08-27.1% for P. geesteranus and 9.16% for H. erinaceus. They also improved the contents of key nutrients (e.g., proteins and amino acids), enhanced total antioxidant capacity, and optimized the composition of flavor-contributing amino acids. This study offers a novel approach for the efficient utilization of ginger straw, provides technical and theoretical support for the low-cost and high-quality cultivation of edible fungi, and contributes positively to the development of ecological circular agriculture.

The pre-prepared meal industry is a vital engine for food sector upgrading in China. This study investigates the key drivers of consumer purchasing decisions and identifies strategic pathways to support high-quality industry development. Grounded in behavioral decision theory and the stimulus-organism-response framework, we propose two central research questions: (1) What are the dominant determinants of consumer purchase intention for pre-prepared meals? and (2) How do these determinants interact in nonlinear and asymmetric ways to shape final decisions? To address these questions, we analyzed 805 valid questionnaires collected in Jilin Province using an integrated machine learning framework. Data quality and validity were ensured through baseline balance tests, and sample imbalance was corrected using the SMOTE-Tomek algorithm. Six models, including Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost, were optimized via Gaussian process-based Bayesian optimization. The RF model achieved optimal performance on the test set, with an F1 score of 0.907, an AUC of 0.928, and a prediction accuracy of 0.876. To enhance model interpretability, Mean Decrease Impurity (MDI) was integrated with the SHAP framework. Our findings reveal that: (1) purchase decisions are predominantly willingness-driven, with behavioral tendency-especially recommendation willingness-accounting for over 72% of predictive importance; (2) rational considerations, such as convenience and channel accessibility, serve as foundational enablers; and (3) recommendation willingness exhibits a significant S-shaped nonlinear threshold, where a shift to "relatively willing" marks a critical marketing intervention window. SHAP force plot analysis further uncovers an asymmetric decision logic: high willingness can compensate for perceived product shortcomings, whereas the absence of core intention functions as a non-compensatory barrier. Theoretically, these findings synthesize machine learning outputs with classical behavioral models (e.g., the Theory of Planned Behavior and Prospect Theory) by empirically quantifying bounded rationality and nonlinear activation mechanisms. These findings suggest that enterprises should transition from traffic-centric to retention-oriented strategies by leveraging word-of-mouth and proximity-based channels. Moreover, establishing a collaborative governance system is essential to mitigate risk perception and ensure long-term industry prosperity.