International Journal of Food Science最新文献

Galactomannans (GMs) have promising food packaging applications as edible films and coatings. These natural polysaccharides offer an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional nonbiodegradable and nonedible plastic materials. By forming biopolymeric matrices with desirable mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties, GM not only enhances the preservation and quality of food products but also addresses growing concerns about plastic waste and environmental pollution. The versatility and compatibility of GM with other biopolymers and bioactive compounds further expand their applicability, positioning GM-based films and coatings as a promising solution for advancing sustainable packaging technologies in the food industry. Given the increasing demand for sustainable food packaging, this review is aimed at consolidating and presenting the current research on the use of GMs in food packaging applications. Despite the potential of GM-based materials, studies on this topic remain limited. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of existing research while highlighting knowledge gaps and unexplored opportunities. By addressing these limitations, this work offers a novel perspective on the application of GM in sustainable packaging, contributing to the advancement of innovative and environmentally friendly solutions.

A sweet potato-based complementary food was formulated to enhance the use of locally available ingredients to address micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin A deficiency in Ghana. Five complementary food blends were formulated using orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), Bambara groundnut, and brown rice flours with the possibility to meet the nutritional requirements of infants aged 6-23 months in alignment with the CAC standards. A sensory evaluation was conducted, consisting of breastfeeding and nonbreastfeeding mothers, to identify the most suitable blend, after which the nutritional profile and functional properties of the preferred blend were analyzed. The most preferred formulation was Formula 5 (60% OFSP, 30% Bambara groundnut, and 10% brown rice flours). It exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of protein (14.24%), fiber (4.50%), ash (2.77%), carbohydrate (73.78%), and β-carotene (541.4 mg/100 g) compared to the commercial complementary food (CCF), which contained 13.27%, 1.33%, 1.65%, 62.88%, and 0.21 mg/100 g, respectively. In addition, it had a higher concentration of calcium (185.3 mg/100 g), iron (5.84 mg/100 g), potassium (261.33 mg/100 g), and magnesium (204.75 mg/100 g) than the CCF (1.05, 0.99, 38.67, and 179.41 mg/100 g, respectively). The blend exhibited optimal functionality, including a water absorption capacity (WAC) of 140.95%, a swelling power of 9.25 g/g, a solubility index of 14.01%, and a bulk density of 0.64 g/mL. The formulated sweet potato-based complementary food demonstrated a favorable nutritional and functional profile that supports the basic dietary needs of infants aged 6-23 months. It provides adequate levels of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, essential minerals, and β-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. These attributes align with the CAC standards for infant nutrition and have the potential to help address common micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin A deficiency.

Bananas are a widely cultivated fruit with significant nutritional and economic value; however, postharvest losses remain a major concern. This study is aimed at developing an optimized process for enzymatic extraction to produce banana syrup. This requires an assessment of the influence exerted by different concentrations of pectinase and cellulase, as well as the effects of incubation time and temperature. To optimize the conditions, a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used, while juice yield and soluble solids recovery were modeled using response surface methodology (RSM). The results indicate that a combination of 0.39% pectinase, 0.46% cellulase, 49.8°C incubation temperature, and 129.6 min of incubation time maximized juice yield (71.4%) and soluble solids recovery (22.3%). The quality of syrup was maintained through the use of vacuum evaporation at 40°C and 100 kPa, ensuring the preservation of viscosity and clarity while minimizing browning. The results imply that both enzymatic extraction and vacuum evaporation offer potential for application within the food sector as a means to enhance production, cut wastage, and promote greater efficiency.

This study validates the performance of a pilot-scale ohmic heating plant for vitamin C retention and Escherichia coli surrogate inactivation in strawberry nectar, based on thermal kinetics determined using a thermoresistometer. Initial experiments with the thermoresistometer established the thermal kinetics of vitamin C degradation and E. coli ATCC 8739 inactivation in surrogate media and strawberry nectar. The use of the thermoresistometer was selected due to its rapid heating mechanism, which closely matches the heating rates of ohmic heating. The D values for the microorganism ranged from 19.8 to 123.6 s, and the activation energy for vitamin C was 25.83 ± 0.48 kJ/mol for the surrogate media and 31.00 ± 2.62 kJ/mol for the nectar. Based on these results, treatments in the pilot-scale ohmic heating system were designed to achieve a 5-log microbial reduction and minimal vitamin C loss. The pilot trial on strawberry nectar demonstrated effective microbial inactivation and a reduction in vitamin C of 17%, which was higher than the calculated 2.7% from thermoresistometer data, likely due to differences in processing conditions. This research confirms that ohmic heating can achieve comparable microbial safety and nutrient preservation to conventional pasteurization, while offering potential advantages in energy efficiency.

Seed-borne pathogens significantly threaten crop health and food safety, negatively affecting plant growth and triggering public health risks. Traditional seed treatments with chemical fungicides have limitations, including environmental toxicity and pathogen resistance. Seed nanopriming, an advanced nanobiotechnology approach, offers a sustainable alternative. This research introduces two innovative copper-silver hybrid nanoparticles for sunflower seed nanopriming applications. The nanoparticles were synthesized via a photoreduction approach using methyl aminolevulinate (MALA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as dual-function agents, biocompatible stabilizers, and growth enhancers. These amino acid derivatives were selected for their established roles in plant stress response and unique photodynamic properties. Structural characterization revealed crystalline AgCu composites with AgCl phases, displaying spherical morphology with narrow size distributions (22 and 31 nm diameter) and exceptional colloidal stability. Antimicrobial testing showed remarkable efficacy, with 10% nanoparticle solutions achieving > 84% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus while eliminating Escherichia coli and Candida albicans populations. In seed priming trials, GABA-functionalized nanoparticles (GABAAgCu) demonstrated superior performance, increasing seed vigor by 133% and significantly boosting antioxidant defenses compared to controls. This treatment consistently improved germination parameters and early seedling development. The MALA-conjugated nanoparticles (MALAAgCu) exhibited a more complex interaction, enhancing seed vigor by 50% but inducing oxidative stress that compromised germination rates, potentially due to observed seed coat microstructural alterations. FLIM analysis indicated that both nanoparticle types enhanced chlorophyll fluorescence lifetimes, suggesting improved Photosystem II efficiency. These results highlight the potential of amino acid-tailored bimetallic nanoparticles as multifunctional agricultural tools, offering simultaneous pathogen control and physiological enhancement while addressing sustainability challenges in modern crop production.

This study focuses on developing and characterizing polyphenol-rich particulate systems from blends of guava, beetroot, orange, and mint juices in varying proportions. The resulting particles had high yields exceeding 90%. Physical properties showed bulk densities of 0.69-0.76 g/cm³ and good flowability as indicated by favorable Carr indices (CIs) and Hausner ratios (HRs). The powders demonstrated low moisture content (2.9%-3.15%) and water activity (0.35-0.36), alongside solubility (88.08%-89.74%), wettability (112.33-123.67 s), dispersibility (87.19%-93.50%), and hygroscopicity (30.65%-34.46%). Thermal properties such as diffusivity, conductivity, and volumetric heat capacity were recorded at 0.124-0.138 mm²/s, 0.13-0.14 W/mK, and 0.80-1.18 MJ/m³K, respectively. The powders retained substantial bioactive compounds, with total phenolic content ranging from 101.81 to 160.11 mg GAE/100 g and DPPH radical scavenging activity from 46.91% to 59.33%. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of phenolics, proteins, and sugars. Sensory evaluation highlighted significant differences in consumer acceptability, with one formulation achieving top scores for appearance (8.3), texture (7.4), and overall acceptability (8.5). This study underscores the potential of fruit-vegetable-herb blends in creating functional, nutrient-dense powders with broad applications and strong consumer appeal.

This study is aimed at investigating the impact of physical treatments (hydropriming, alkaline-priming with 0.5% NaOH, and sprouting) as pretreatments to improve the quality of Moringa oleifera (MO) seed flour for potential use in food products. An in vitro procedure was conducted with steeping medium and sprouting as the experimental factors. Nutrient composition, antinutrients, functional and antioxidative characteristics, sensory attributes, and microbiological quality of the treated seed flour were determined according to standard protocols. Hydropriming (9 h) and sprouting (4 days) increased the protein and fat content by 9% and significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the phytic acid, oxalate, and alkaloid content by 42%, 39.9%, and 33%, respectively, compared to untreated MO seeds. Conversely, there was a 7.8% increase in tannin content (p < 0.05) for hydroprimed and sprouted seeds, while an 18%-25% increase was reported for alkaline-primed and sprouted seed flour. Sprouting treatments resulted in significant variations (p < 0.05) in the functional, total phenolic, and antioxidative properties of the resultant flour. In addition, sprouting increased the anaerobic plate count (APC) by 1-2 log CFU/g while other safety indicators were within the safety limits for sprouted seeds. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 84.91% of the total variability in the sensory attributes of the samples. Sweet and nutty flavors were developed in the flour when priming was combined with sprouting. Hydropriming MO seeds and sprouting can be used as a sustainable method to produce protein-rich flour with reduced antinutritional factors and bitterness, which can potentially be used as an ingredient for food fortification.

Food safety is crucial for life and health, as unsafe food causes a range of diseases from diarrhea to cancer. Poor food handling can lead to disease and malnutrition, affecting infants, young children, the elderly, and the sick. Meat and milk products are particularly susceptible, and poor hygiene conditions and lack of personal hygiene contribute to contamination. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess hygienic milk and meat handling practices and their associated risk factors along the value chain handlers in the study area. A cross-sectional study survey was taking place from January to August 2024. A structured pretested questionnaire data collection tool was used to collect the data. A total of 186 respondents, found in the Ambo and Guder towns along the milk and meat value chain, were involved in the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS software Version 27. The study revealed that the hygienic milk and meat handling practices level of milkers, milk sellers, butchers, and meat sellers were 52.8%, 43.3%, 50%, and 54.3%, respectively. Respondent's age and experience year were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) and showed good milk and meat handling practices. In conclusion, this study indicated that nearly half of the respondents had poor practices of milk and meat handling. This implies that the meat and milk products in the area may have public health risks. Therefore, creating and raising awareness about hygienic milk and meat handling practices in the study area is needed.

The growth and proliferation of Bacillus cereus in the processing environment are important reasons why the cell number in the final glutinous rice product exceeds the risk threshold. This study investigated the growth kinetics of B. cereus vegetable cells and their spores in glutinous rice dough at constant temperatures ranging from 11°C to 37°C. The results indicated that the Baranyi, modified Gompertz, and Huang models all successfully described the growth curves of the B. cereus vegetative cells and spores in glutinous rice dough, whereas the modified Gompertz model showed the best fitting accuracy in the majority of cases. The secondary Huang square root model successfully described the effects of temperature on the growth parameters of B. cereus vegetative cells and spores. This study revealed that, compared with spores, vegetative B. cereus cells had faster growth rates, shorter lag times, and higher concentrations (≥ 0.7 log CFU/g) than spores did. However, as the environmental temperature increased, the difference in the growth kinetics between the vegetative cells and spores gradually decreased, indicating that the residual spores in food at relatively high temperatures also have a considerable effect on food safety. Finally, an exponential model was regressed to fit the time required for B. cereus in glutinous rice dough to reach the critical threshold of food safety risk of 5 log CFU/g. The modeling of B. cereus growth in glutinous rice dough provides a theoretical basis for optimizing processing procedures to prevent exceeding the threshold before quick freezing of glutinous rice foods.

The consumption of selenium-enriched rice represents an effective approach for human selenium intake. However, the potential effects of selenium on rice texture after cooking and the physicochemical properties of rice starch remain insufficiently understood. In this study, four selenium-enriched rice varieties and one conventional rice variety were selected to compare their nutritional components and eating quality and to investigate the microstructure and physicochemical properties of their starches. The results showed that selenium content in selenium-enriched rice was significantly higher than that in conventional rice (p < 0.01). Selenium enrichment had a positive effect on selenium accumulation, thereby promoting protein synthesis, with protein content increased by 3.01%-9.4%. However, it should be noted that the eating quality of selenium-enriched rice was inferior to that of conventional rice, as indicated by lower taste values. Compared to conventional rice, the resistant starch content of selenium-enriched rice increased by 13.41%-19.95%, the crystallinity increased by 4.89%-9.14%, the ordered double-helical structure of starch granules was enhanced, and the gelatinization temperature increased. This study provides a theoretical reference for the processing, product development, and quality improvement of selenium-enriched rice.