Journal of Food Science最新文献

Apples are susceptible to postharvest bruises, leading to a shortened shelf life and significant waste. Therefore, accurate detection of apple bruises is crucial to mitigate food waste. This study proposed an improved lightweight network based on MobileViT for detecting early-stage bruises in apples, utilizing hyperspectral imaging technology from 397.66 to 1003.81 nm. After acquiring hyperspectral images, the Otsu threshold algorithm was employed for mask extraction, and principal component analysis was used for feature image extraction. Subsequently, the improved MobileViT network (iM-ViT) was implemented and compared with traditional algorithms, utilizing depthwise separable convolutions for parameter reduction and integrating local and global features to enhance bruise detection capability. The results demonstrated the superior performance of iM-ViT in accurately detecting apple bruises, showing significant improvements. The F1 score and test accuracy for detecting apple bruises using iM-ViT reached 0.99 and 99.07%, respectively. The fivefold cross-validation strategy was used to assess the stability and robustness of iM-ViT, and ablation experiments were performed to explore the effects of depthwise separable convolutions and local features on parameter reduction and classification accuracy improvement for early-stage bruise detection in apples. The results demonstrated that iM-ViT effectively reduced parameters and improved the ability to detect early bruises in apples. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study proposed an improved lightweight network to detect early bruises in apples, providing a reference for quick detection of bruises caused in the production process. Potential insights into the nondestructive detection of apple bruises using lightweight networks have been presented, which might be applied to mobile or online devices.

Bee pollen is a nutrient-rich super food, but its rigid dual-layered structure limits nutrient release and absorption. The outer exine, composed of stress-resistant sporopollenin, and the inner intine, consisting of cellulose and pectin, form a barrier to digestive breakdown. This study investigates the potential of green techniques, specifically supercritical fluid extraction and ultrasonication, to disaggregate pollen cell walls, enhancing its bioavailability and maximizing nutrient utilization. Ultrasonication treated pollen (USTP) and supercritical fluid extraction-treated pollen (STP) demonstrated disruption, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy imaging. In relation to scanning electron microscopy, techno-functional, antioxidant, and compositional analysis displayed a positive outcome, with crude lipid, protein, antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl activity and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid assay) and total phenolic content increased by 34.80%, 32.58%, 10.80%, 11.37%, and 83.94%, respectively. Based on the above properties, USTP for 4 h and STP at 400 bar for 40 min were identified as the optimal conditions for disintegration. Furthermore, optimized samples analyzed for amino acid and mineral release revealed a notable increase in composition of essential amino acid and minerals (Ca, Cu, Fe, etc.) by ∼1.5 and 1.2 times, respectively. Along with significant changes in composition, fractured pollen exhibited 1.4 folds increase in protein digestibility with minor differences in thermal stability, and crystallinity as established by differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The study confirms that nutrient release and absorption remain restricted without pre-treatment, highlighting the necessity of specific treatment to disintegrate bee pollen before its use as a functional food ingredient. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Bee pollen is a rich source of all the essential nutrients required by the humans and recognised as a complete food. However, its tough cellular structure restricts its utilisation in numerous food applications. Therefore, to disintegrate bee pollen and release its nutrients, ultrasonication and super critical fluid extraction processes were employed to improve its utilization for human purposes. Both the treatment techniques, enhanced bee pollen's bioavailability and functional properties, making it more suitable for use in nutraceuticals and functional foods.These treatments proved to increase the antioxidant capacity, digestibility, and create high-value ingredient for supplements, beverages, and fortified foods.

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in food waste recovery by both consumers and companies. Food waste of plant origin is a source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, phytosterols, carotenoids, and tocopherols, with well-known antioxidant, anti-glycemic, and antimicrobial properties. The use of green and sustainable technologies to recover bioactive compounds from food waste is a possible solution to valorize waste following the principles of green chemistry. Furthermore, today's consumers are more attracted, informed, and aware of the benefits associated with the consumption of functional foods, and with this in mind, the use of extracts rich in beneficial compounds obtained by green technologies from food waste can be a valid alternative to prepare functional foods. In this review, the recovery of polyphenols and fibers with green technologies from food waste for the formulation of functional foods was presented.

Peptides in black bean protein hydrolysates (BPHs) exert antioxidant capacity. However, peptides are prone to degradation during processing and digestion. Chitosan (Ch) can protect them and provide a delayed release. This work develops and compares two drying methods producing porous structured Ch microparticles (MPs) as carriers for antioxidant BPH. Ch gels were obtained by ionic gelation and dried by supercritical CO₂ solvent displacement or fast-freeze-drying methods. The resulting aerogels and fast-freeze-dried MPs were structurally characterized, and their swelling and release profiles were obtained at pH 1.2 and 7.4. The antioxidant capacity of systems was determined by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethyl-benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and superoxide radical assays. The results showed BPH-Ch best complexation conditions occurring at a pH of 4.5 and a 4:1 BPH/Ch ratio. The particle size of the complex was 1047.6 nm, and the entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were 28.2% and 54.3%, respectively. At pH 1.2 and 7.4, the release rate of BPH was lower in aerogel than in fast-freeze-dried MPs. Besides, entrapment BPH in Ch significantly reduced the ABTS antioxidant activity IC₅₀ from 35.1 µM Trolox equivalents (TE)/mg to 250.7 and 406.2 µM TE/mg for Ch fast-freeze-dried and aerogels, respectively. Superoxide radical inhibition IC₅₀ ranged from 74.6 to 92.9 mM ascorbic acid equivalents/mg in the different samples. BPH-loaded aerogels presented lower specific surface area (94.7 vs. 138.6 m²/g, p < 0.05) and higher average pore size (26.4 vs. 19.8 nm) than Ch aerogels. Ch aerogel is a promising carrier for delaying the release of common bean antioxidant peptides useful for developing functional foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This novel system could act as an ingredient to incorporate antioxidant compounds in different formats to develop delayed-release nutraceuticals and functional foods, such as bakery, dairy products, or beverages. Along, antioxidant peptide-loaded aerogels could be used as a slow-release system for compounds acting as natural preserving antioxidants for food applications such as raw meat products or high-fat foods.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the waste byproducts of coffee brewing. While SCG can be valorized to produce functional biopolymers due to their valuable structural components, the lignocellulosic structure of SCG is resistant to degradation because of the tightly bound lignin. Therefore, a pretreatment step is required before pulping with peracetic acid (PAA), an eco-friendlier alternative to traditional pulping methods, to facilitate the extraction of these desired cellulosic materials. Formic acid:acetic acid:deionized water (FA:AA:W = 30:50:20) or 60% (v/v) ethanol pretreatments were applied to SCG to compare the characteristics of the resulting cellulosic materials after PAA pulping. Lignocellulose analysis showed that the lignin content (7.06%) of ethanol pretreated SCG was significantly lower (p < 0.05), and the cellulose content (29.52%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the untreated SCG (15.50% and 11.50%, respectively), indicating that an adequate amount of lignin was removed to obtain the cellulosic materials after the pretreatment process. Morphological and structural changes in the lignin and hemicellulose were observed in all the pretreated SCG, which further confirmed that these components were degraded with pretreatments and pulping. Ethanol pretreated SCG showed the most optimal results based on the greatest lignin decrease seen from its lignocellulose composition, appearance, and structure. This study exemplified a conversion process to extract cellulosic materials from SCG more efficiently to utilize for cellulose-based products and verify its potential to be valorized as a waste byproduct. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Coffee companies can provide the spent coffee grounds (SCG) they produce to develop cellulose-based materials to make biodegradable packaging products rather than throwing them out or burning them. Using SCG for producing cellulose-based materials can help promote sustainability and reduce food waste worldwide. SCG can be utilized as an alternative source based on their abundance and desired biopolymeric properties, providing innovative solutions to industries and increasing consumer awareness of this cause.

Plant genotypes and processing technologies affect health properties of foods. How thermal processes with different sterilization values influence polyphenols in soymilk manufactured from different genotypes, particularly black soybean has not been well characterized. This study's aims were to investigate how one- and two-phase ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing technologies, with wide differences of lethality (F₀ 158.5 and 6.35, respectively), affected anti-prostate cancer DU145-cell properties of black soymilk compared to light-yellow-Proto soymilk. Phenolics were extracted from soymilk and used for chemical, cell cycle and apoptosis analyses. Total isoflavones and genistein in black soymilk were significantly higher than Proto soymilk by either processing methods. Compared to one-phase processing, two-phase produced higher gallic acid in both soybeans, and higher oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in black soymilk. Soymilk processed from both genotypes by both UHT methods inhibited DU145 cells. Two-phase-UHT processed black soymilk was more effective than one-phase UHT-processed soymilk. IC₅₀ values (mg/mL) of black and yellow soy extracts against prostate cancer cells differed only by 11%-25%, which were lower than the differences of total isoflavone (29%-33%) or genistein (>50% between two beans). The mechanism by which soymilk inhibited DU145 cell proliferation was through apoptosis as evidenced by cell cycle analyses and expressions of caspase-3, Bcl-2, and PARP-1 proteins. Antioxidant properties, isoflavones, and phenolic acids were negatively correlated with prostate-cancer-cell inhibition IC₅₀ (p < 0.05) with ORAC having the highest coefficient (r = -0.98). Overall, two-phase-UHT processing of soybean would produce soymilk products with a higher health benefit than a one-phase UHT method. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study characterized the potential prostate cancer prevention effect of soymilk's phenolic extract in black soybean and compared with yellow soybean. The crude extract can be prepared much less costly than purified isoflavones and has potential to be developed into a dietary supplement. This study shows differences of soymilks made by continuous high-temperature processing of two soybean types and can serve as a scientific foundation for future clinical research and commercialization.

In this study, albumin, globulin, and glutelin were extracted from white finger millet, and their amino acid content, functional and structural properties were investigated. The protein concentration of albumin, globulin, and glutelin were 76.01%, 74.32%, and 69.55%, respectively. The results showed that all the fractions had a significant amount of essential amino acids. Aqueous protein dispersions (10%, w/v) were treated for 12 min at different ultrasound power levels (100, 200, and 300 W). The solubility, emulsifying, and foaming properties of albumin and glutelin were significantly (p < 0.05) improved after ultrasound treatment (20 kHz) which indicates that ultrasound could unfold protein aggregates. A decrease in particle size, increase in surface hydrophobicity, and zeta potential correlated with improved functional properties. Ultrasound treatment reduced the size of all proteins except for fractions at 300 W and also sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a significant change in the molecular weight of albumin and glutelin at 300 W. Scanning electron microscopy of treated protein fraction showed distinctive microstructure with irregular structure compared to untreated protein fraction. Although Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra of proteins were similar after ultrasonication, a partial increase in the intensity of the Amide A band was observed. In conclusion, the ultrasound-treated protein fraction can be used as a high-value plant-based emulsifier.

Edible mushroom proteins hold great potential for food applications, but those extracted using the alkaline extraction-acid precipitation method typically exhibit poor solubility in neutral water, with the structural changes during acid precipitation remaining unclear. In this study, Pleurotus geesteranus protein isolate (PGPI) with high water solubility was prepared with alkaline extraction, followed by dialysis and freeze-drying, and the effects of pH on the structural and functional properties of PGPI were systematically investigated. PGPI was enriched in essential and aromatic amino acids, and the molecular weight of bands in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile was mainly distributed below 45 kDa. The zeta potential of PGPI changed from +16.84 to 17.58 mV when the pH increased from 2 to 9, with a pI of 4.3. At pH 7, PGPI showed a size of 232.7 nm. Away from pH 7, the particle size of PGPI increased. When the pH decreased from 7 to 2, PGPI exhibited a lower α-helix structure content and a higher β-sheet content and a gradual decrease in fluorescence intensity. In addition, as the pH approached 4, H₀ and the content of SS group increased to a peak. These results indicated that lowering the pH induced the development of more ordered protein structure, which could be the primary reason for the poor water solubility of P. geesteranus protein obtained through alkaline extraction and acid precipitation. Additionally, these structural changes result in alterations to its functional properties, including water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, foaming capacity, foaming stability, emulsion activity index, and emulsion stability index.

Eating mussels contaminated with cadmium (Cd) can seriously harm health. In this study, a non-destructive and rapid detection method for Cd-contaminated mussels based on near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy was studied. The spectral data of Cd-contaminated and non-contaminated mussels were collected in the range of 950-1700 nm. The model based on a robust energy-based least squares twin support vector machine (RELS-TSVM) was established to detect Cd-contaminated mussels. The influence of parameters on the RELS-TSVM model was analyzed, and the most suitable parameters were determined. The average accuracy of the proposed RELS-TSVM model in detecting Cd-contaminated mussels reached 99.92%, which was better than other twin support vector machine-derived models. For test datasets with different kinds of spectral noises (Gaussian noise, baseline shift, stray light, and wavelength shift), the RELS-TSVM model had a high robustness for noise disturbance. The results show that near-infrared spectroscopy combined with the RELS-TSVM model can realize the detection of Cd-contaminated mussels, which can provide technical support for the monitoring of heavy metals in shellfish. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The method of detecting Cd-contaminated mussels by the NIRS has important practical significance for ensuring the safety of consumers. It provides a new way for the quality assessment and safety detection of shellfish and provides a technical basis for the marine environment assessment and management.

The lipoxygenase (LOX) activity of major tropical fish used for surimi production, including threadfin bream (TB), lizardfish (LZ), and goatfish (GF), was measured in the gills, skin, and muscle. The highest LOX activity was observed in the LZ samples (p < 0.05), with the gills exhibiting the greatest activity at 376.56 U/mg (p < 0.05). The highest peroxide value was detected in the TB samples, particularly in the gills (p < 0.05). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were the main polyunsaturated fatty acids in all the tissues and surimi. The total lipid and DHA contents of washed mince reduced considerably after the screw press process. Although LOX activity decreased during surimi production, a residual activity of 21.33 U/g was observed in the finished surimi. LOX was partially purified and characterized from LZ gills. The purification was conducted using two successive chromatographic steps, Sephacryl S-200 and diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-sepharose, resulting in a 3.52% yield and a 22.43-fold increase in purity. The optimum activity was found at 25°C and pH 7.5, with pH stability between 6.0 and 8.5. The relatively high thermal stability at 4°C-10°C suggested that LOX might contribute to fish lipid oxidation during cold storage. The enzyme was thermally inactivated at 60°C. The preferred substrate was EPA. LOX from the LZ gills was inhibited by 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and activated by 1 mM Fe²⁺, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Elucidating lipoxygenase activity and lipid oxidation in various tropical fish tissues, as well as understanding the characteristics of LOX, can help take appropriate postharvest actions to afford high-quality surimi.