Food and Bioprocess Technology最新文献

L-Asparaginase is widely used as an antineoplastic agent and as a biocatalyst to reduce acrylamide formation in thermally processed foods. Acrylamide is mainly generated through the Maillard reaction in carbohydrate-rich matrices, such as fried potatoes, and is considered a potential carcinogen. Although enzymatic pretreatment with L-asparaginase is the most effective mitigation strategy, its large-scale application remains limited by the high production costs associated with conventional enzymatic sources. This study assessed the production of L-asparaginase by the coculture of Rhizopus microsporus var. oligosporus and Penicillium camemberti in solid-state fermentation (SSF). The simplex-centroid design identified the optimal substrate formulation, equal proportions of cocoa bean shell, coffee parchment, and ora-pro-nobis leaves which increased enzyme production by 66%, yielding 8.69 U/g. Subsequent optimization using a Box–Behnken design improved the fermentation conditions (135 h at 26 °C and 68% initial moisture), resulting in an activity of 11.0 U/g. The crude enzymatic extract (CEE) exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.0, retained stability up to pH 9.0, and showed maximal thermal stability at 40 °C, maintaining 64% activity even at 70 °C. Enzyme activity was enhanced by Na⁺, Cu²⁺, and Mn²⁺ with increases of up to 182%, while Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ demonstrated inhibitory effects. The enzyme also displayed halotolerance, with optimal performance at 2 M NaCl, and was stimulated by ethanol, reaching 135% activity at 30%. Pretreatment of French fries with the CEE reduced acrylamide formation by up to 75%. These results demonstrate that L-asparaginase obtained via solid-state fermentation represents a cost-effective and practical biotechnological strategy for acrylamide mitigation, eliminating the need for purification steps.

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Microbial degradation is the most common and serious cause of fish spoilage. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have excellent antibacterial activity and are generally recognized as safe for use in food preservatives. In this study, the antimicrobial properties and application in grass carp preservation of six indigenous LAB strains isolated from fermented fish were determined and evaluated using an integrated Criteria Importance Through Inter Criteria Correlation (CRITIC), Entropy Weight method (EW), and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed these strains belonged to Leuconostoc mesenteroides (n = 3), Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (n = 2), and Enterococcus durans (n = 1). Antimicrobial results demonstrated that all LAB strains had acceptable inhibitory effects against eight Gram-negative bacteria, three Gram-positive bacteria, and two yeasts and one mold strain (10–34 mm inhibition zone). Meanwhile, these strains also showed strong antibiofilm on Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (38.12–67.06%) and Gram-positive Bacillus cereus (12.72–61.37%), antispore (36.19–63.28%) and antiquorum sensing (27.16–71.40%) activities. Hemolysis and antibiotic resistance assays indicated that they were safe to use. Thereafter, a multi-index comprehensive evaluation model based on the CRITIC-EW-TOPSIS method was constructed to objectively assign weights of each antimicrobial indicator and obtain the final ranking of LAB strains. Among them, E. durans Z2 exhibited the best antibacterial performance. Finally, preservation assays showed that E. durans Z2 significantly inhibited the increase of specific spoilage organisms, total viable counts (TVC), total volatile basal nitrogen (TVB-N), and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of grass carp meat. This study provides new insights into the development of antibacterial agents for fish meat.

The growing demand for functional foods and the need to reduce food waste have increased interest in valorizing fruit and vegetable processing by-products as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds. These agri-food co-products contain valuable phytochemicals, including polyphenols, dietary fibres, vitamins, and antioxidants, which can be recovered and converted into bioactive-rich powders for food applications. This review provides a quantitative and application-oriented overview of strategies for converting fruit and vegetable waste and by-products into bioactive-rich powders for functional food applications. It critically examines conventional and emerging extraction technologies, including ultrasound-, microwave-, and pulsed electric field-assisted methods, and evaluates their influence on compound recovery, stability, and powder functionality. The incorporation of these powders into bakery, dairy, and beverage products demonstrates improvements in nutritional value and technological performance, while potential applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries further expand their utilization. Overall, the findings confirm that valorization of these by-products represents a promising pathway for producing high-value products, supporting sustainable agriculture, stimulating local economies, and fostering innovation and export opportunities. However, challenges remain in process optimization, product stability, and large-scale industrial implementation. Future research should therefore focus on standardized processing approaches, economic feasibility, and long-term product quality to enable sustainable commercialization of waste-derived functional ingredients and strengthen their role in circular bioeconomy systems.

To achieve intelligent on-demand release of antimicrobial agents for food preservation, this study prepares pH- and amylase-responsive controlled-release microcapsules (TP@CS/DAS) using chitosan (CS) and dialdehyde starch (DAS) as wall materials and tea polyphenols (TP) as the core. The amine groups of CS react with the aldehyde groups of DAS to form Schiff base bonds, creating a stable crosslinked network. When the CS: DAS mass ratio is 1:3, the microcapsules show the highest encapsulation efficiency (68.15%) and the smallest particle size (12.36 μm). The microcapsules display strong stimulus responsiveness, releasing up to 89.92% of TP after 100 h under acidic (pH 4.5) and amylase (2.0 mg/mL) conditions. Antimicrobial and antioxidant performance tests showed that under the above stimulus conditions, the microcapsules achieved 100% inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and exhibited a DPPH radical scavenging rate exceeding 99%. The coating prepared using the microcapsules effectively delayed the decay and deterioration of Shine Muscat grapes during storage. This study successfully developed an efficient and safe dual-responsive microcapsule, providing a promising strategy for achieving intelligent food preservation.

The current study aims to develop an antimicrobial bio-based packaging material using cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) isolated from recycled industrial paper pulp while evaluating its safety as food contact material for dry or fatty food packaging. CNFs were produced through TEMPO-mediated oxidation followed by ball milling defibrillation and physical–chemical characterization. CNF suspensions were used to prepare emulsions with oregano essential oil (OEO) for the coating of a cellulose food contact material. The resulting active film exhibited antimicrobial activity, with films coated with 4% OEO completely inhibiting the growth of foodborne bacteria and molds , except Pseudomonas putida. In terms of mechanical performance, CNF coatings increased the tensile strength of the cellulosic film from 34.8 to 79.3, while CNF-OEO coatings showed a tensile strength of 45.4 MPa. Additionally, CNF-OEO coatings also improved the elongation at break from 22.6 to 45.5%. Finally, migration studies of CNF-OEO-coated films indicated that the overall migration, as well as the migration values obtained for each migrant, were lower than their respective migration limits or toxicological threshold values. The results obtained have demonstrated that a sustainable and available as recycled paper pulp, can be used as a source of cellulose nanofibers for the development and improvement of antimicrobial active packaging.

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High-pressure homogenization (HPH) is a widely used technology for reducing particle size and improving functional properties of food-dispersed systems. Unlike well-known droplet breakup in emulsions, particle breakup in plant-based dispersions containing particles of markedly different natures and sizes remains insufficiently understood. This work is a systematic study conducted to determine the effect of operating conditions of HPH, particularly pressure drop (ΔP), on the particle breakup of non-fractionated lupin flour dispersions. The proposed methodology addresses particle disruption phenomena during processing (mechanical stresses and hydrodynamic effects), as well as the mechanisms of particle breakage (fragmentation and erosion). For these purposes, aqueous dispersions of non-fractionated lupin flour (5% w/w) were processed in a laboratory-scale HPH at varying pressure drops between 10 and 100 MPa. A theoretical framework was used to derive the scaling of the maximum particle size surviving HPH with respect to the ΔP for the proposed disruption phenomena: physical interaction, laminar viscous, turbulent viscous, and turbulent inertial. The experimentally obtained relationship between the maximum particle sizes and the ΔP (D_v90 ∝ ΔP^−0.45, R² = 0.96) was compared to theoretical scaling exponents, hierarchizing the disruption phenomena taking place for a dispersion containing particles of very different natures and sizes. Particle breakage mechanisms (fragmentation and erosion) were characterized by deconvolution of multimodal particle size distributions, identifying five particle populations, and tracking the evolution of each population.

Ultrasonic intervention (UI) was applied to Lactobacillus plantarum CICC 20022 (L. plantarum) to optimize fermentation parameters and evaluate the phytochemical profiles of fermented jujube juice. Optimal conditions were set at 324 W for 20 min with a 1 s on/4 s off pulse. Compared to the control group (CK), UI increased viable counts (3.80%), DPPH and ABTS scavenging rates (20.14% and 10.02%), total flavonoid (14.29%), and titratable acid content (14.29%) of fermented jujube juice. Phenolic acids such as gallic, ferulic acids and cinnamic acid significantly increased, while protocatechuic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids significantly decreased. Color analysis revealed significant enhancements in lightness (L*) and redness (+ a*) by 4.30% and 52.10%, respectively, whereas yellowness (+ b*) remained stable. E-nose and GC–MS analyses indicated that UI promoted the formation of alcohols, terpenoids, and aromatic compounds. Of the 49 detected substances, 10 were identified as key differential volatiles. Specifically, the UI group resulted in the formation of novel compounds, namely 2H-pyran-2-one-6-carboxylic acid (5), benzyl alcohol (22), and E-3-acetate hexenyl ester (32). Furthermore, the levels of methyl octanoate (31), benzyl acetate (34), benzaldehyde (36), and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (45) increased significantly. These substances imparted a more intense floral and fruity aroma to the fermented jujube juice, indicating that the nutritional quality and flavor characteristics were improved under the influence of UI.

The present study investigates the emulsification and emulsion stabilization properties of hydrolyzed canola proteins (HCPs). The HCPs were extracted from canola meal using subcritical water by varying extraction temperature (200–250 °C), time (20–30 min), and feed concentration (5–20 wt%), yielding eight different hydrolyzates with 2–14% degrees of hydrolysis (DH) and 4–12 mN/m interfacial tension (IFT). The HCPs (0.5 wt%) were used to develop 1 wt% oil-in-water emulsions using a high-pressure homogenizer. HCPs with lower IFT and higher DH exhibited the best emulsification characteristics, including the formation and retention of smaller oil droplets with reduced accelerated creaming velocities. However, all the emulsions prepared with HCPs showed significant destabilization within a week. To enhance stability, HCP-stabilized oil droplets were coated with a secondary layer of oppositely charged chitosan. The resulting bilayer emulsions prepared at pH 4–6 exhibited superior stability, characterized by retention of small droplets over 30-day storage, lower accelerated creaming velocity, and improved interfacial viscoelasticity. These enhancements were attributed to strong electrostatic interactions between HCP and chitosan, promoting robust interfacial film formation. In contrast, bilayer emulsions prepared at pH 7 destabilized rapidly due to weak electrostatic interactions between HCP and chitosan. These findings highlight the importance of a secondary layer to improve the stability of hydrolyzed protein-based emulsions and the critical role of pH in modulating the biopolymer interactions at the oil droplet interface. The HCPs can therefore be used as a plant-based emulsifier in conjunction with a suitable biopolymer in various foods, beverages, and related applications.

The osmotic dehydration (OD) of blueberries is often limited by their waxy skin and low permeability, resulting in slow mass transfer, variable texture, and quality loss. Pretreatments such as organic acids and process conditions (temperature and solution ratio) have been proposed to overcome these barriers, yet their combined effects on frozen wild blueberries remain insufficiently understood. This study therefore investigated how citric and ascorbic acids alone and in combination, temperature, and fruit:osmotic solution influence OD performance in 60°Brix sucrose. Key responses included mass transfer (water loss, solid gain, and total soluble solids), color, texture, phytochemicals, and microstructure. A significant interaction among temperature, ratio, and pretreatment (p < 0.01) was observed for several parameters, notably texture. The greatest decline in solution total soluble solids occurred within the first 1–2 h, highlighting rapid early diffusion. Combined citric + ascorbic acid at 1:4 produced the highest dehydration efficiency, whereas higher ratios (1:7 and 1:10) and non-pretreated samples showed reduced mass transfer. Texture peaked in non-pretreated berries at 60 °C/1:10 (31.3 N mm⁻¹), while citric acid alone yielded the lowest stiffness. Color retention was superior with citric acid at room temperature (ΔE < 4), and pigment degradation intensified at 70 °C. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed epidermal disruption and pore formation after acid pretreatment, consistent with improved permeability. Overall, citric acid, alone or combined with ascorbic acid, optimized OD by enhancing mass transfer and maintaining visual quality. Among predictive models, Support Vector Regression (SVR) gave the best individual accuracy (R² = 0.73 for WL; 0.69 for WR), while the ensemble model achieved the highest overall performance (R² = 0.93, RMSE = 1.20, MBE =  − 0.01).

Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal technology for decontaminating food and water. This study examined how discharge frequency (500–2500 Hz), treatment time (0–300 s), and treatment method (direct vs. indirect) affect Salmonella inactivation and the formation of key reactive species. Direct treatment of a three-strain Salmonella cocktail in a micropulse bubble-spark reactor produced continuous reductions up to 6.3 log CFU/mL. Inactivation correlated with a decreased pH (approximately 3.5) and increased conductivity (170 µS/cm) and rising concentrations of ozone (0.63 mg/L), hydrogen peroxide (4.8 mg/L), nitrite (7.4 mg/L), and nitrate (94 mg/L). Higher frequency (2500 Hz) accelerated inactivation, achieving a 5-log reduction in 1 min with 17.1 kWh/m³ energy consumption, significantly faster and more efficient than the 5 min required at 500 Hz (22.6 kWh/m³). Indirect treatment (mixing inoculum into pre-activated water) achieved only a 1.3-log reduction, with ozone rapidly depleted, likely due to reactive species, such as hydroxyl radicals, atomic oxygen, and peroxynitrite, not replenished. A revised Chick–Watson model, utilising dissolved ozone as a measurable proxy for reactive species accurately described Salmonella inactivation during direct treatment (R² > 0.94, RMSE < 0.83 log CFU/mL), demonstrating that increased discharge frequencies enhance the microbial inactivation rate, presumably due to short-lived species attaining elevated dynamic balance concentrations at higher frequencies.