Journal of Food Engineering最新文献

This study introduces a novel approach by using puffed rice (PR) as a sustainable and innovative ink for 3D food printing. Due to gelatinization and dextrinization, PR saw notable water absorption and solubility gains, with a modest viscosity uptick from 39.2 to 49.9 RVU, sharply contrasting Native rice (NR)'s jump from 128.9 to 167.8 RVU, emphasizing PR's minimal retrogradation. Gelatinized rice (GR) demonstrates similar stability in viscosity changes as PR, yet it requires more water and extended processing times for gelatinization. Conversely, PR's puffing process, which eliminates the need for water, offers quicker preparation and notable environmental benefits. Rheological analysis at 25% PR concentration reveals an optimal balance of viscosity (η, 897.4 Pa s), yield stress (τ_y, 2471.3 Pa), and flow stress (τ_f, 1509.2 Pa), demonstrating superior viscoelastic properties that facilitate enhanced printability and shape fidelity. Texture Profile Analysis outcomes reveals that PR significantly enhances key textural properties including hardness, adhesiveness, and springiness at this specific concentration. These findings highlight PR's potential as an eco-friendly and efficient ink choice for 3D-printed food products, providing enhanced performance and sustainability compared to GR and NR.

The role of nanoparticles in the stabilizing interface is very important in the preparation of stable Pickering emulsions. In this study, ternary composite nanoparticles (ZQ-HC) were synthesized by complexing zein-quercetin covalent complex (ZQ) with quaternary ammonium chitosan (HTCC) and subsequently stabilized Pickering emulsions (ZQ-HC) with antibacterial activity. Results revealed that HTCC covers the surface of ZQ nanoparticles successfully, which designates an effective improvement in the surface wettability of ZQ effectively. Among them, ZQ-HC_2:1 possesses the closest three-phase contact angle of 90° and the highest emulsification activity and emulsion stability. The results of ultra-high resolution microscopy showed that ZQ-HC nanoparticles were adsorbed at the oil-water interface to prevent droplet aggregation and improved the pH, ionic strength, and storage stability of the prepared Pickering emulsions. ZQ-HC nanoparticles construct an antioxidant barrier at the oil-water interface, improving the lipid oxidation stability of the emulsion. The ZQ-HC_2:1 stabilized Pickering emulsion exhibits the most superior stability and strongest antibacterial activity against other emulsions. The ZQ-HC stabilized Pickering emulsions prepared in this study exhibit potential for use as carriers of bioactive ingredients in food applications.

Lauric acid-rich diacylglycerols (DAG) prepared from coconut oil (CO) and palm kernel stearin (PKST) were applied as lipid materials for ice cream. The influences of emulsifiers: glycerin monostearate (MSG), sucrose esters (S1170 and S1670) on the CO/PKST–DAG crystallization and properties of emulsions were evaluated. The CO/PKST–DAGs showed broad peaks with increased crystallization onsets, and the heterogeneous nucleation sites led to the formation of large crystals. DAG–emulsions presented higher partial coalescence degree but improved physical stability without guar gum addition. The emulsions showed strengthened network and good anti-melting properties with large droplet clusters around air bubbles. Lipophilic MSG promoted interfacial nucleation and increased the partial coalescence degree and emulsion rigidity, whereas S1670 reduced the partial coalescence and accelerated the melting process. CO/PKST-DAG formed fat crystallization network with >1.4 fold higher hardness than those of CO/PKST emulsion. Therefore, the CO/PKST-DAGs are promising lipid materials for fabricating melt-resistance ice creams. The rigidity and melting behavior can be further tailored by different emulsifiers.

Seaweed is a promising raw material for food emulsion stabilizers due to its abundance, low cost, and rich content of various natural biological macromolecules. This study explores the potential of using Ulva lactuca (UL) to stabilize emulsions by employing high-pressure homogenization (HPH) to release its interfacial active components. The results demonstrate that UL extract (ULE) with emulsifying activity was gradually extracted as the HPH pressure increased from 100 to 800 MPa. Concentrating the macromolecular components, specifically polysaccharides and proteins, in the ULE via membrane filtration resulted in a concentrated fraction, referred to as ULER, which exhibited enhanced emulsification performance. By optimizing the oil volume fraction (φ) and pH, it was found that high internal phase emulsions (φ = 0.7–0.8) showed superior viscoelasticity and stability at pH 3–7. In terms of stability, it was observed that the emulsions stabilized by ULER maintained their structure over extended periods without significant phase separation. The strong interaction between exogenous Ca²⁺ and ULER increased the apparent viscosity and viscoelasticity of the emulsion. However, the addition of Ca²⁺ did not significantly enhance the stability of the ULER-stabilized emulsions and, in some cases, even led to a decrease in emulsion stability. This effect may be probably due to the specific interactions between the Ca²⁺ ions and the polysaccharides and proteins in the ULER, which can affect the network structure of the emulsion. Overall, this study highlights the potential of HPH treatment in processing UL to transform it into an effective emulsion stabilizer for applications in the food industry.

The objective of this article is to investigate the mechanism of the ice nucleation process theoretically by assaying the thermodynamics of the ice nucleus as a small system, and experimentally verified by studying the effect of the static electric field on the ice nucleation process. Using the thermodynamic of small system related to Hill, we predicted that the equilibrium temperature of water and ice nucleus decreases with the reduction of nucleus size. By applying an electrostatic field, the Gibbs free energy of nucleus formation decreases due to this fact that the electrostatic work on the ice nucleus is lower than that for bulk water which it causes a decrease in the critical size of the ice nucleus. The experimental results showed that the nucleation temperature of water increases by applying the electric field with the voltage of 4.5 kV (internal strength of 2.2 × 10⁴ V/m) while the size of ice crystals decreases in the frozen agar gel at the presence of electric field.

To address subjective, time-consuming, and labor-intensive manual methods for monitoring and classifying fermenting dough, an automated and non-destructive method is proposed. Deep learning model YOLOv8s and extracted features including dough surface area, contrast, and homogeneity from RGB color images were employed to monitor fermenting dough. The features were input to a stacked ensemble model (SEM) with base models SVM, AdaBoost, KNN, and RF, with AdaBoost as meta-learner to classify fermenting dough into under-fermented, fermented, and over-fermented. SEM demonstrated a high dough classification rate of 83%, with specific rates of 75% for under-fermented, 71% for fermented, and 90% for over-fermented dough. Results reviewed that combining dough surface area and texture features is effective for monitoring dough, and can be used in adjusting chamber conditions. Furthermore, SEM showed great ability in classifying fermenting dough. The proposed method offers a promising solution for improved bread quality and consistency in bread-making.

Walnuts are renowned for their rich oil content and nutritional value, imparting significant health benefits. Walnut oleosomes, naturally present in a pre-emulsified state, can be effectively extracted through aqueous methods. Mechanical processes, such as twin-crew pressing or blending, are commonly employed to disrupt cell walls and extract oleosomes. Our study focused on investigating these two methods under varying soaking pH for walnut oleosomes extraction to develop an efficient extraction process for large-scale production or specific applications. Results showed that the oil content of extracted oleosomes ranged from 84.5% to 89.5%, with no substantial differences noted. Twin-screw pressing significantly achieved higher extraction yields (53.3–57.8%) compared to blending (35.7–36.4%), while blending produced walnut oleosomes with higher zeta potential, viscosity, storage modulus, and smaller particle size, improving physical stability compared to blended samples. The soaking pH levels minimally impacted extraction efficiency and physicochemical attributes of the oleosomes. Overall, blending offered oleosomes with relatively better physical stability, while twin-screw pressing was more advantageous for higher yields, making it more commercially viable for large-scale production. This study underscored the efficiency of sustainable approach in harnessing walnut oleosomes for various industrial applications.

Currently, aquatic products are mainly transported through cold chain logistics, which has been proven to significantly reduce the deterioration of quality and freshness. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of quality deterioration in large yellow croaker fillets under different cold chain conditions, specifically focusing on temperature fluctuations. Quality changes in the fillets were assessed through microbiological indicators and physicochemical properties. High-throughput sequencing was used to identify the microbial community structure, and LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics identified the distinctive metabolites in the fillets under cold chain conditions. Notably, the group experiencing the greatest temperature fluctuations exhibited the highest pH value (7.15), trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble peptides content (10.57 μmol tyrosine/g), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content (34.91 mg N/100 g), and hypoxanthine (Hx) content (4.70 μmol/g), along with the lowest hypoxanthine ribonucleoside (HxR) content (1.67 μmol/g) and water holding capacity (WHC) value (79.22%). High-throughput sequencing results showed that the relative abundance of Aeromonas reached 54.01–56.95% in the temperature fluctuation groups on day 7.5. Additionally, the sharpest decrease in the relative abundance of Shewanella in temperature fluctuations groups was 70.16% lower than in the constant temperature group. Bioinformatics analyses further confirmed that amino acid metabolism was the most affected metabolic pathway due to temperature fluctuations in cold chain logistics. This study provides new insights that can improve the practical implementation of cold chain storage and preservation of fish.

The use of biodegradable polymer films for packaging materials as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics is limited by their water sensitivity and poor gas barrier properties. This study developed a multifunctional supplemental packaging system using poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) blend film incorporated with 3% and 5% zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The system targets the triple-active packaging displayed antimicrobial activity with water absorption and CO₂ emission properties. ZnO incorporation effectively reduced water solubility of the PBAT/TPS film (from 16% to 7%), and exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (>99% reduction). Well-dispersed ZnO, verified by scanning electron microscopy, decreased water vapor and CO₂ gas permeation. A PBAT/TPS-ZnO sachet was fabricated, comprising carboxymethyl cellulose as the absorbent function and CO₂ precursors (sodium bicarbonate and citric acid). The 3% ZnO loading achieved optimal performance, balancing water absorption (2.48 g weight gain after 144 h) and CO₂ emission (35% in headspace at equilibrium). Kinetic studies suggested diffusion as the dominant mechanism for CO₂ release, driven by concentration differences between the sachet and headspace. This system showed potential as active modified atmosphere packaging to extend product shelf life.