Journal of Food Science最新文献

Pasteurized milk was popular for its nutrition and taste, but it needs strict temperature control to keep its quality. This study investigated the impact of cold chain interruption on the stability of pasteurized milk stored at 25–35°C for 1–12 h. Parameters measured included particle size, zeta potential, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profiles, microbial activity, peroxide levels, microstructural changes, and protease and lipase activities. The results showed that a 3 h cold chain interruption at 35°C sharply increased protease and lipase activities in pasteurized milk to 0.85 U/mL and 5.99 U/mL, with growth rates of 5.81% and 5.12%. Bacillus species grew rapidly, reaching 39.31% relative abundance and becoming the dominant microbiota. Oxidative markers, including lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reactive substances (TBARS), rose significantly to 8.58 g/100 g and 3.22 g/100 g. These results indicated a critical point within the 3 h cold chain interruption at 35°C, leading to pasteurized milk deterioration. During a 6 h interruption at 25°C, protease and lipase activities rose to 0.87 U/mL and 5.93 U/mL, while Bacillus species reached 13.18% relative abundance. Lipid hydro peroxides and TBARS increased to 8.01 and 3.26 g/100 g, indicating that a 6 h cold chain interruption at 25°C represented a critical time point for the deterioration of pasteurized milk stability. This study assessed pasteurized milk quality deterioration at 25°C and 35°C under cold chain interruption, providing a scientific basis for quality control during disruptions.

Plastic-based food packaging is widely used for food preservation and transportation because of its low density and high durability. However, it possess significant environmental and health challenges. Consequently, the synthetic polymers used in food packaging should ideally be replaced with biodegradable and cost-effective biopolymers. This study focuses on three key concepts of sustainable food packaging, namely the use of bio-based materials for film production, the development of water-soluble films, and waste valorization. A hybrid film is prepared by incorporating biomaterial-derived silica (b.SiO₂) modified with essential oil (EO) into a sodium alginate/pectin (SA/P) polymer matrix. The intermolecular interaction between the SA/P, glycerol, and chemically derived b.SiO₂ revealed excellent film-forming ability and flexibility. The SA/P-b.SiO₂-EO film revealed an increased mechanical strength (46.82 MPa), high thermal stability, controllable water vapor permeability (9.2 × 10⁻¹¹ gm⁻¹s⁻¹Pa⁻¹) and an increased water contact angle (51.4°) compared to the SA/P-only film. Furthermore, the b.SiO₂ combined with EO resulted in a polymer film demonstrating significant packaging performance, ensuring the strawberries remain safe for an extended duration (7 days). The SA/P-b.SiO₂-EO films showed considerable activity via inhibiting the bacterial (S. aureus and E. coli) growth rate. Thus, the EO-modified b.SiO₂ in SA/P films improves the functional, barrier, and antibacterial properties, which highlighting it as a viable sustainable alternative for food packaging applications.

D-tagatose is a rare sugar found in nature that contains less than one-third of sucrose's calories while maintaining 92% of its sweetness. Owing to its physiological properties, such as lowering blood sugar, preventing obesity, anti-caries, and regulation of intestinal flora, it is being used as a new kind of healthy sweetener. This paper conducts a systematic review of advances in its biosynthesis research, focusing on the catalytic mechanisms of key enzymes and the multi-substrate conversion strategies. Specifically, by analyzing L-Arabinose Isomerase (L-AI), the study compares enzymatic conversion pathways for various substrates, including monosaccharides (D-galactose, D-fructose, D-glucose, etc.), disaccharides (lactose, sucrose), and maltodextrin. This study thoroughly examines the advantages and limitations of each pathway in terms of reaction efficiency, substrate cost, and industrial adaptability. The goal of this research is to provide guidance for D-tagatose's industrial manufacturing, advancing its efficient biosynthesis and commercial application.

To diversify noodle products and explore novel ingredient applications, this study developed vitamin D₂-fortified noodles utilizing ultrafine powder of straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea), systematically investigating the effects of straw mushroom powder (SMP) addition levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) on wheat flour properties and noodle quality. Following SMP preparation via UV-B irradiation and superfine grinding, comprehensive evaluations were conducted using texture analysis, rheological testing, thermal analysis, microstructural observation, and sensory assessment. Results showed that flour blend lightness decreased with increasing SMP proportion. All samples exhibited excellent water holding capacity and thermal stability. Dough stability time and farinograph quality index decreased as SMP increased. Noodle shear and tensile characteristics did not change significantly (p > 0.05) at ≤10% SMP levels, but higher addition levels caused shear force and tensile strength to decrease due to disruption of the gluten network structure (scanning electron microscopy-confirmed), while simultaneously increasing hardness and significantly reducing elasticity, adhesiveness, chewiness, and resilience. Rheology indicated that all samples behaved as elastic-dominant solids, but SMP weakened the gel network strength. Based on sensory evaluation, noodles with 5% SMP addition achieved the optimal balance among flavor, color, and texture, resulting in the highest overall acceptability. Furthermore, the farinographic properties of the 5% SMP dough showed no significant difference compared to the control group, confirming its processing feasibility. This research provides practical reference for the exploitation and utilization of straw mushroom resources in noodle products.

Papaya seeds are agroindustrial residues rich in bioactive compounds, lipids, and proteins. Their high moisture content makes them vulnerable to chemical and microbiological deterioration. Drying is a practical process to extend shelf life. The immersion in ethanol can be used as a drying pretreatment for improving the final quality and reducing drying time. This study examined the effect of ethanol on drying kinetics, specific energy consumption, cell-wall thickness, quality parameters (water activity, color, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity), oil yield, and mass-transfer mechanisms via mathematical modeling. Seeds were immersed in ethanol for 2 min and convectively dried at 50°C or 70°C (air velocity 1 m s⁻¹). The pretreatment shortened drying time by up to 55% and reduced energy demand by 54.07% at 50°C and 31.13% at 70°C, while inducing structural thinning of the cell wall that enhanced mass transfer. Drying preserved total phenolics and ABTS antioxidant activity, although flavonoids were more susceptible to ethanol-related degradation. Lowering water activity proved effective for product stability, and drying at 50°C with ethanol offered better color retention. Mathematical modeling confirmed that ethanol altered mass-transfer behavior, yielding a mixed regime governed by both internal diffusion and external convection. Ethanol pretreatment coupled with temperature control thus optimizes papaya-seed drying, supporting their use as a sustainable ingredient for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Practical Applications

This study demonstrates that ethanol pretreatment prior to convective drying of papaya seeds is an effective strategy to reduce drying time and energy consumption while preserving functional properties such as phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The dried seeds exhibit microbiological stability and potential for use in functional foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. Moreover, the technique offers a sustainable solution for agro-industrial waste valorization, contributing to circular economy practices and adding value to the papaya supply chain.

The retrogradation properties significantly affect the quality of starch-based food products, and the modulation of this property is beneficial to enhance the gel quality. The effect of tea polyphenols (TPs) on the short-term retrogradation characteristics of sweet potato starch (SPS) has not been investigated. In this study, the anti-retrogradation effect within 24 h was explored by methods such as texture analysis, X-ray diffraction, and others. The results showed that SPS gels subjected to longer retrogradation periods exhibited higher elasticity. TPs led to a reduction in the gel's dynamic modulus. When the retrogradation time was 24 h, TPs resulted in a decrease in gel hardness from 139.47 to 89.68 g, and the relative crystallinity (RC) value decreased from 19.58 to 16.07. Additionally, considering the lower cost of tea powder (TP) in actual production, its ability to inhibit retrogradation was investigated. TP possesses the ability to inhibit the retrogradation of SPS gel; with increasing TP concentration, the setback value of SPS declined from 594.33 to 249.33 mPa·s. The addition of TP to the production of liangfen softened the texture through reduced hardness and chewiness, alongside a strengthened gel structure with increased viscosity and moduli at high TP levels. These results suggest that both TPs and TP have positive implications for the utilization of SPS gel.

Practical Applications

The inhibitory effect of tea polyphenols and tea powder on sweet potato starch retrogradation can delay the hardening of starch-based foods, which endows starch-based functional foods with better quality and taste.

Yogurt is a popular dairy product, common the world over, and usually consumed sweetened in the US market. Due to a growing interest in lower calorie dairy products, we investigated consumers’ interest in yogurt sweetened with rare sugars such as tagatose and allulose, which can be synthesized enzymatically from lactose removed from the same milk used to make the yogurt, but contain fewer digestible calories than sucrose. A series of 2 consumer sensory tests were carried out on yogurts sweetened with sucrose, sucralose (the most popular artificial sweetener in the US), stevia (the most popular natural low -calorie sweetener), and either single rare sugars or in blends typical of incomplete enzymatic conversion from lactose. Additionally, a conjoint analysis examined consumers’ implicit choices around sweetened yogurt made with such ingredients, and how these factors influenced their willingness to pay. Results showed that grams of added sugar displayed on labels were an important driver of selection, supported by a strong negative effect on purchase intent (PI) for high added sugar samples in the in person sensory test when information was provided. Rare sugars, whether in blends or alone, elicited high liking scores, which were even higher when information on their caloric and added sugar content was revealed. Results suggest that rare sugars can be used to more closely approximate the flavor profiles of sucrose-sweetened products, while retaining a natural claim.

Practical Applications

Consumers desire lower calorie food products with fewer grams of added sugars, and natural ingredients. Rare sugars offer a promising option for sucrose replacement, providing a sensory profile in yogurt more similar to that of sucrose than most popular artificial or natural low calorie sweeteners. Consumers were willing to pay more for such products and viewed them as more appealing than samples sweetened with sucralose or stevia.

The influences of potato starch (PS) paste on the stability of sweet potato starch (SPS) slurry and the quality of the SPS gel and noodles produced with the casting method were investigated. Compared with SPS slurry, the incorporation of PS paste resulted in increased apparent viscosity and reduced sedimentation index of slurry. As the concentration of PS paste increased from 0% to 3% (w/w), the storage modulus, loss modulus, hardness, and chewiness of the gel enhanced significantly (p < 0.05). However, a further increase in PS paste concentration to 4%–8% resulted in a gradual decline in these parameters. This decline may be attributed to strong electrostatic repulsion introduced by the PS paste, which likely inhibited hydrogen bond formation between starch molecules. A similar trend was observed in the cooking breakage rate of noodles: as the PS paste concentration increased from 0% to 8%, the breakage rate initially decreased and subsequently increased. The minimum breakage rate (6.4% ± 0.4%) was observed at 3% PS paste, which was lower than that of 0% (32.50% ± 0.51%) and 8% (14.55% ± 0.45%) PS paste. These findings provide insight into the functional role and underlying mechanisms of PS paste in modulating noodle quality during the casting process, offering practical implications for improving noodle quality.

Consumers expect plant-based meat alternatives to not only address the nutritional, environmental, and animal welfare shortfalls associated with conventional meat but also to provide a pleasurable sensorial experience at an acceptable price. This is particularly true for mince, which is of interest given the popularity of meat-based mince. Recent down-turn in the plant-based meat industry necessitates exploration of the sensory science for this product category, as literature is limited. Hence, a conventional descriptive sensory analysis study was conducted on 21 samples, employing a trained panel to assess 27 sensory attributes. The findings demonstrate that commercial plant-based and animal-based mince products are distinctly different. Animal-based samples were characterized as being higher in meaty flavor and aroma, as well as texture and mouth feel attributes of gristly, chewiness, firmness, and clearance. Plant-based mince products, on the other hand, were rated higher for sensory attributes of tomato paste, saltiness, bitterness, umami, sweetness, legume, seasoning, savory, caramelized, disintegrating, lingering heat, and crispiness. Color development during cooking for animal mince was significantly more pronounced than in most plant-based samples. The findings of this sensory study have numerous implications, the most pertinent of which is that insights into future research opportunities regarding consumer expectations and product development are revealed. Thorough understanding of the target market and real-world use of plant-based mince products, as well as the exploration of research directions such as the use of novel ingredients and processes, can contribute to a prosperous future for the plant-based meat industry.

Practical Applications

This paper guides the industry in refining texture, flavor and aroma for better consumer appeal based on the key differences found in meat and plant-based samples. The findings also assist in market positioning and future innovation, especially considering the current challenges companies are facing regarding meat analogues.

Previous studies have shown that enteromorpha polysaccharide (EP) can improve glucolipid metabolism disorders, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, both a high-fat diet-induced NAFLD animal model and a cellular model exposed to free fatty acids (FFAs) were used to explore the intervention effects of EP and its mechanism in glucolipid metabolism disorders. The results revealed that a high-fat diet could induce hepatic steatosis and glucolipid metabolism disorders, along with decreased expression of IRS-1 and increased levels of K18, p-K18, p-PI3K, and p-AKT (p < 0.05). In addition, the serum K18 levels in NAFLD mice were increased. Intervention with EP significantly counteracted the high-fat diet-induced disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism associated with NAFLD, downregulated the protein expression of hepatic K18, and decreased the levels of p-AKT, p-PI3K/PI3K, and p-AKT/AKT (p < 0.05). Knocking down K18 can directly regulate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Additionally, the increases in p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT induced by FFAs were partially reversed after K18 was knocked down. Consequently, our findings highlight the pivotal regulatory role of K18 in modulating the high-fat diet-induced disturbances in glucolipid metabolism associated with NAFLD. Moreover, EP partially ameliorated glucolipid metabolism disorders via the K18-mediated IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway.