Food and Bioprocess Technology最新文献

Sprouting and glycoside alkaloid induction usually occur in potato tubers, which are the main challenges in potato tuber storage. Essential oils bear the potential to inhibit potato sprouting, but their high volatility and instability limit their application. In this study, citronella essential oil (CEO) hydrogels were prepared by the ionic gelation method to enhance the sprout inhibition effect. The optimal conditions for the preparation of CEO hydrogels were sodium alginate (SA) concentration of 1.56%, CaCl₂ concentration of 2.26%, core-to-wall ratio of 2.02:1, and Tween-80 concentration of 0.15%. The SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and DSC images demonstrated that the CEO had been successfully encapsulated in hydrogels with improved thermal stability. CEO hydrogel slowly releases CEO within 1 week for sustained sprout inhibition. At 16 days of storage at 25 °C, the sprouting rate of the CEO hydrogel-treated potatoes was 42.06%, while that of the control check (CK) group was 100.00%, and at 180 days of storage at 3 °C, the sprouting rate was 10.83% in the treated potato tubers, while that of the CK group was 58.33%. The potato tubers treated with CEO hydrogel at either 3 or 25 °C maintained better quality. This indicated that CEO hydrogel can be used as a new potential potato sprout inhibitor in potato tubers.

In this study, the effect of pulsed UV light (PUV) (emission wavelength: 200–1100 nm) treatment parameters (flow rate, 14.3–74.9 L/h; pulse frequency, 1–5 Hz; reactor configuration, annular (AT) and coiled tube (CT)) on microbial susceptibility in model liquids with different optical properties (water, water + red dye, water + green dye, skim milk) inoculated with test microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua, Clostridium sporogenes) was studied. Total delivered fluence during each treatment was computed using an innovative computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method and correlated with the analytical microbial inactivation kinetics data. D-value of microorganisms and corresponding reduction equivalent fluence in tested liquids were determined by collimated beam experiment. Total delivered fluence calculated using CFD were 5.45, 4.67, 4.47, and 4.46 J/cm² in AT reactor and 17.05, 25.83, 21.14, and 22.47 J/cm² for CT reactor in water, water + red dye, water + green dye, and skim milk, respectively. Microbial inactivation was a function of optical properties of the liquids (inactivation in water > water + red dye > water + green dye > skim milk) and reactor configuration (inactivation in CT reactor was significantly higher than AT reactor, p < 0.05). Reduction of > 7 log₁₀ for all the microorganisms was achieved for water and water + added dyes in CT reactor, whereas > 3.5 log₁₀ reduction was achieved for all the microorganisms in skim milk. Microorganisms D-value was significantly varied (p < 0.05) among the microorganisms (E. coli > L. innocua > C. sporogenes). Overall, these results demonstrate the applications of PUV for treatment of liquid food with different optical properties and shall serve as a benchmark for commercialization of PUV reactors for juices, and beverages.

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Apples are susceptible to various types of damage during the production process. Such damage not only affects the appearance and edibility of the apples but also can result in the infection of healthy apples, leading to secondary economic losses. Therefore, it is crucial to properly handle damaged apples and re-sort them to enhance their utilization value and optimize resource use. To quickly and accurately identify apple damage and perform sorting in real time, addressing the resource limitations of mobile devices and the difficulty of extracting deep network image features, this study proposes a lightweight real-time apple damage classification network, Fast Fourier Transform Channel Attention (FFTCA)-YOLOv8n-cls. The FFTCA module focuses on the frequency domain feature information of images in deep networks, enhancing the network’s feature extraction capabilities. Additionally, it integrates Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) and Distribution Shifting Convolution to capture channel and spatial information of images in shallow networks and accelerate network inference. Finally, FFTCA-YOLOv8n-cls is compared with typical lightweight classification networks. Experimental results show that this network has better classification accuracy and faster inference speed. Specifically, the FFTCA-YOLOv8n-cls network is only 0.601 MB in size, achieving a classification accuracy of 96.03%, a recall of 96.08%, and an F1-score of 96.05%, demonstrating its feasibility in real-time apple damage sorting. Moreover, this study applies the network to sorting robots, completing backend inference on servers and real-time inference on embedded devices to adapt to different working environments, achieving real-time sorting of damaged apples and validating the network’s application effectiveness.

The composited hydrogels derived from natural materials are getting attention in the field of cultured meat due to their advantages of biocompatibility and degradability as cell scaffolds. In this work, two edible cross-linking agents, transglutaminase (TGase) and/or calcium ions, were successfully used to cross-link soy protein isolated (SPI) and soy dietary fiber (SDF) to fabricate different scaffolds. The prepared scaffolds were characterized by structural, hydration, rheological, and mechanical analysis. The double cross-linked scaffolds exhibited the highest compressive moduli compared to the single cross-linked scaffolds and had an excellent liquid absorbing ability of up to 309.45%, while its porosity was as high as 72.66%. In addition, NIH 3T3 cells were used to evaluate the biocompatibility of the scaffolds in vitro. The double cross-linked scaffolds could promote the expression of differentiation-related genes and were beneficial for cell adhesion and proliferation. In conclusion, the present research provides a new approach to prepare cell scaffolds using soybean resources, which could be used in cultured meat applications.

Nowadays, lupin seeds have emerged as a novel and valuable source of proteins representing a sustainable alternative to current raw materials of plant-based proteins, such as soybean. In this regard, lupin demonstrates superior adaptation to the Mediterranean climate with improved tolerance to water stress. However, its suitability for human consumption is limited due to the presence of anti-nutritional and anti-technological factors, including alkaloids, polyphenols, tannins, and lipids, which can have adverse nutritional consequences and/or impact on the purity and yield of protein extraction. In this study, the Lupinus luteus seeds were germinated for 1, 2, 3, and 6 days and the effect of germination on the anti-nutritional and anti-technological factors of flours and derived protein isolates was analyzed. Additionally, changes on techno-functional properties of lupin protein isolates were also studied. Results showed that prolonged germination decreased fat content whereas antioxidant activity, polyphenols, saponin, and alkaloid content of flours increased. However, alkaloids were completely removed during protein extraction. Furthermore, protein isolates derived from germinated seeds exhibited higher water and oil absorption capacities, as well as improved foaming and emulsifying capabilities in comparison to isolates from non-germinated seeds. Nevertheless, prolonged germination periods were associated with diminished foam and emulsion stability. Therefore, germination of lupin seeds for no longer than 3 days should be recommended in order to minimize the levels of anti-nutritional and anti-technological factors, while enhancing techno-functional properties of the isolate.

Carvacrol essential oil has broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, but the essential oil is volatile and unstable for long-term storage and use. In order to improve the relevant properties of carvacrol, in the present study, carvacrol was encapsulated with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) using the saturated aqueous solution method, and response surface analysis was carried out, which gave a high encapsulation rate (63.58 ± 3.74%). The success encapsulation of carvacrol was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The release performance of the encapsulants was also tested at different temperature and humidity levels. In addition, polyethylene glycol (PEG) composite carvacrol-inclusive preservation paper prepared by these anhydrous conditions showed high antibacterial activity against Streptomyces fructus Monilinia fructicola, the main pathogen of peaches. Also, PEG was used to form the film in the anhydrous condition with the inclusion compound and ethylene inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to obtain the film coated paper, and its effect on postharvest preservation quality of peach was studied. The results showed that PEG + Carvacrol-β-CD + 1-MCP-α-CD inclusion complexes (ICs) effectively prolonged the storage time and improved the fruit quality and enzyme activity of peach. This study provides a solution for the preparation of controlled-release coated paper with essential oils and 1-MCP bioactives to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

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In this work, an innovative three-layer sensor was developed in a fully sustainable design. For that purpose, pectin and anthocyanins from Morus nigra and Prosopis alba were used. Furthermore, mixtures of beeswax and colophony as hydrophobic layers were used to prevent the moisture from affecting the sensor work. The ratio of beeswax/colophony (B/C) was studied to optimize the moisture barrier. The response of colorimetric sensors pectin-Morus nigra (PMN) and pectin-Prosopis alba (PPA) in vapors of simulant solutions was recorded. Furthermore, physicochemical and microbiological tests on fresh bovine meat were carried out, and volatile compound content (VC) was correlated with color changes in PMN and PPA sensors. The results depicted that the optimal ratio in the waterproof layer was B/C: 70/30 (BC3) showing the highest water contact angle of 112° and minimal water vapor absorption value of 2.4%. In addition, the light transmittance of the BC3 layer allows to perceive the color of the sensor without alteration. The outcomes of the simulation test showed differences in color values of 26 and 31 to PMN and PPA, respectively, highlighting the ability of both sensors to allow the detection of quality changes in packaged bovine meat. This research paves the way for the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly colorimetric sensors with diverse applications.

The aim of our investigation is to elucidate the impact of ultrasonic treated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (B. amyloliquefaciens) on production of peptides during solid-state fermentation of soybean meal and its mechanisms. There was a substantial enhancement in levels of peptides, biomass, and protease activity within fermented soybean meal by 14.61%, 65.96%, and 16.58%, respectively, relative to control group (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, omics analysis and qRT-PCR verification declared that ultrasonic treatment did not bring the growing of B. amyloliquefaciens or the protease production in single cell, but accelerate the germination of spores. Genes encoding spo0A, spo0B, spo0F, spo0J were all substantially down-regulated ranged from − 0.25 to − 1.75 (p < 0.05). Concurrently, the gene encoding sleB displayed a remarkable up-regulation with log₂-fold change of + 3.07 (p < 0.05). Besides, their respective proteins performed the same change tendency. Moreover, after ultrasonic treatment, spores germination rate and DPA content significantly increased by 3.29 and 12.14 times, respectively. Meanwhile, OD₆₀₀ of spores suspension obviously decreased by 37.81% (p < 0.05). Most importantly, Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that peptides yield in fermented products was strongly correlated with spores germination (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.839, p < 0.01). In brief, ultrasonic treatment promoted the germination of spores in the inoculum, which resulted in microbial proliferation and protease activity raising in fermented products, and consequently improving peptides yield. The improvement of spore germination rate after ultrasonic treatment might be achieved by reducing bacterial aggregation and lowering viscosity.

Tiger nut horchata solid residue (HSR) has high starch content (about 23%, dry basis) that can be recovered to valorise this waste, together with other valuable components, such as oil, fibres, or phenolic compounds. In this study, a chemical-free, sustainable process was proposed to obtain starch with good yield and purity. This consists of a high-speed homogenisation step with distilled water, followed by filtration and phase separation by density in the slurry to obtain a starch-rich sediment that can be isolated by decantation. Five minutes of homogenisation at 10,200 rpm allows for obtaining 14.5 g of starch powder per 100 g of dried HSR, with a purity of about 85% and WI of 94.97. Applying 1 washing cycle to the filtering residue increased the starch powder yield up to 17 g/100 dried HSR, without notable losses in starch purity, whereas centrifugation at 15,000 g for 1 h in the phase separation step highly reduced separation time, increasing starch purity up to 92%. Thus, it was possible to recover up to 70% of the starch present in the HSR. The obtained starch had similar morphological characteristics, crystallinity degree, and gelatinisation behaviour to that present in the tiger nut tubers, exhibiting similar thermal stability to that reported for other native starches. Therefore, HSR can be used as a starch source for different uses.

This study investigates the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of coffee beans at different roasting stages, namely green coffee, filter-roasted coffee, and espresso-roasted coffee. Using a Golden Roaster machine, specific roasting profiles were developed to achieve distinct flavor characteristics: an intense flavor and balanced acidity for espresso, and a balanced, complex taste for filter coffee. Results indicate that filter-roasted coffee exhibits the highest radical scavenging activity, as evidenced by its lowest IC₅₀ value for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition. Green coffee demonstrates superior iron chelation activity, while filter-roasted coffee contains the highest flavonol content and espresso-roasted coffee has the highest flavonoid content. Bacterial sensitivity tests show that both filter-roasted and espresso-roasted coffee are effective against certain strains, including Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis identifies key compounds such as caffeine and 4,4-dimethyl-3-(3-methylbut-3-enylidene)-2-methylenebicyclo [4.1.0] heptane in filter-roasted coffee, and 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl) buta-1,3-diene in espresso-roasted coffee. Molecular docking and in silico molecule’s absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME) studies suggest potential pharmaceutical applications for coffee compounds. These findings provide valuable insights into coffee’s complex chemistry and its health-related properties. Additionally, the importance of coffee profiling in bioprocesses is highlighted by the need to carefully analyze the profiling process to optimize the biological effects and health benefits of these compounds. Coffee profiling not only enhances consumer taste experiences but also contributes to a better understanding of coffee’s potential health benefits by effectively identifying biomolecules and nutrients for use in bioprocesses.

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