Food Biophysics最新文献

According to a USDA report, $161 billion worth of food products was not available for human consumption in 2010 due to food loss. One potential way to reduce food loss is to prevent damage to the food product during the freezing process. This study presents quantitative measurements of the two primary processes involved in freezing of foods: ice nucleation and ice growth. Using a newly developed micro-thermography system, we measured in-situ ice nucleation and growth rates. We found that ice nucleation rates in beef and zucchini were significantly higher than those in broccoli and potato, whereas ice growth was faster in broccoli and potato compared to beef and zucchini. Thus, ice nucleation and ice growth in the foods tested here, were found to be opposing processes. By analyzing the chemical composition of these foods, we applied established crystal growth and nucleation principles to explain the reasons causing the inverted relationship between ice nucleation and ice growth. Therefore, designing a customized freezing process for each food product will lead to improved quality of the product, thereby limiting food loss.

This purpose of the present study was to develop and characterizing edible films composed of a starch matrix incorporated with varying percentages of rice bran oil (RBO). The incorporation of oil into starch films led to changes in their physical, morphological, optical, barrier, and mechanical properties. Glycerol, serving as the plasticizer, was added in a ratio of 0.1g/g of starch, while RBO and Tween 80 as an emulsifying agent were incorporated in a 2:1 (V/V) ratio, respectively. The addition of RBO, along with Tween 80 to the starch suspension improved the films' mechanical properties. Specifically, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) observed in elongation at break (EAB) values, tensile strength, water solubility, optical properties, and moisture content of the films. The inclusion of RBO at a concentration of 1ml, reduced water vapor permeability (WVP), with values decreasing from 3.95×10gm^-1s^-1Pa^-1 (WVP) to 3.47×10gm^-1s^-1Pa^-1. The findings demonstrate that the synthesized films exhibited uniformity, homogeneity, and consistency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed morphological and functional characteristics of the films. The shifting of the peak intensity at 1640 cm^-1 and 2844 cm^-1 indicated the bond formation of RBO and starch polymer. Compact cross-section of the films, indicating strong compatibility, minimized film desiccation, and oil loss.

This study explored the extraction, characterization, and encapsulation of black cardamom oleoresin (BCO) for its potential applications in spices and other pharmaceutical industries. Solvent-extracted black cardamom with food-grade ethanol yielded concentrated oleoresin rich in bioactive compounds, viz., 1, 8-cineole (41.97%), α-terpineol (14.68%), α- terpinene ( 4.82%), and α-terpinyl acetate (4.70%), as confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC‒MS) analysis. Freeze-drying successfully preserved the stability and quality of the encapsulated powder, with analyses confirming low moisture content (2.49–3.51%) and water activity (a_w) (0.44 to 0.52). Additional evaluation, such as powder flow property and thermal analysis, is crucial for ensuring the quality and stability of the encapsulates. Color properties, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed successful encapsulation and indicated structural changes post-encapsulation. Among the encapsulating materials employed, gum arabic (GA) exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency at 64.71%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated good thermal stability and decomposition characteristics, as evidenced by a residual mass loss of 8.06%. Notably, oleoresin encapsulated with gum Arabic (GA) retained higher DPPH antioxidant activity (66.36 ± 1.02%) and phenolic content (80.27 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g) compared to other encapsulates. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted the impact of individual components on the overall quality and functionality of the encapsulated product. This work provides a valuable resource for developing encapsulated black cardamom oleoresin (BCO) with detailed studies on method of extraction and encapsulation materials to enhance the stability of oleoresin and to explore effective applications in various industries.

There is growing interest in sustainable alternatives to animal-derived foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. This study prepared hybrid protein-rich foods made from potato protein and mushrooms: Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes). Hybrid products with a total solids content of 20% (w/w) were created by combining potato protein (10% or 15% w/w) with powdered mushrooms (10% or 5% w/w) in aqueous solutions (100 mM NaCl). Zeta-potential measurements showed both proteins and mushrooms were positively charged at pH 3, negatively charged at pH 8, with zero net charges around pH 5.0 for potato protein, pH 3.8 for oyster mushroom, and pH 3.6 for shiitake mushroom. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that potato proteins underwent irreversible thermal denaturation around 66 °C, while mushroom dispersions exhibited no thermal transitions. Potato protein solubility varied with pH, being insoluble at its isoelectric point (pH 5), whereas mushroom powders were insoluble across all pH values. Heating the protein-mushroom hybrids at 90 °C for 30 min promoted denaturation and gelation of the potato proteins. Texture profile analysis showed hybrids were harder and chewier, particularly for Shiitake mushrooms, giving a more meat-like texture. Dynamic shear rheology confirmed the formation of strong, irreversible heat-set gels, and color analysis showed a browner appearance after mushroom addition. Microscopy showed a heterogeneous microstructure due to insoluble mushroom particles in the potato protein matrix. These results suggest that potato protein-mushroom hybrids could be sustainable meat substitutes, though further research is needed on their nutritional and sensory properties.

Starch from jackfruit seeds shows potential for use in food production processes with high starch content. Modification of jackfruit seed starch to increase the resistant starch content makes it a promising candidate for prebiotics in the food industry. Carboxymethylation can provide benefits for starch utilization in improving starch functional properties such as solubility, viscosity, and resistant starch content. This study chemically modified starch through carboxymethylation at different concentrations of sodium hydroxide to investigate the effect of carboxymethyl substitution on the digestible properties of the starch. Carboxymethylation exhibited a high degree of substitution from 0.28% to 0.57% as a function of the concentration of sodium hydroxide (5–10 wt%). The treatment enhanced the swelling, water solubility, and water/oil absorption. The resistant starch content increased from ~ 21 to ~ 39.67%. However, the high degree of substitution showed structural deformation of the starch granules with a decrease in crystallinity from about 35 to 1% by SEM and XRD. The degree of carboxymethyl substitution increased resistant starch content, reduced rapidly digestible starch, and had negligible impact on slowly digestible starch. Jackfruit seed starch treated with 10% by weight of NaOH was the optimal value that increased carboxymethyl substitution to 0.57% and resistant starch content to ~ 40%. This concentration was also optimal for the functional properties of starch with the highest values of swelling degree (~ 27 g/g), water solubility (~ 50%), freeze–thaw stability (~ 20% of syneresis after 4 freeze–thaw cycles), and oil and water absorption (150% of oil absorption and 180% of water absorption).

A rice dish is a complex food item with different dimensions affected by variety, cooking technique, and the presence of other ingredients and their interactions. Baldo, Osmancik, and Cammeo are the most popular rice varieties, and Salma and Pilaf techniques are two of the most common cooking methods used in the culinary applications in Türkiye. Therefore, rice dishes were prepared with these rice varieties, and cooked via Salma and Pilaf techniques in this study. Butter, olive oil, margarine, and sunflower oil were included in the formulations as different fat types. The samples prepared with Osmancik rice, Salma method, and olive oil (O-S-O); Baldo rice, Pilaf method, and olive oil (B-P-O); and Cammeo rice, Salma method, and olive oil (C-S-O) were the top three dishes in terms of overall acceptability scores. Squalene, limonene, isopropyl myristate, cyclotetradecane, acetic acid, acetol, and nonanal were detected as volatile compounds in these rice dishes. Methyl oleate, methyl palmitate, methyl linoleate, methyl stearate, methyl palmitoleate, methyl linolenate, and methyl eicosanate are the common fatty acid components in these most liked rice dishes and olive oil used. Methyl benzoate and benzaldehyde were quantified using the Salma technique in O-S-O and C-S-O but not in B-P-O cooked with Pilaf method. Complicated chemical reactions among rice components are closely associated with the development of cooked rice aromas. This study is the first to investigate volatiles and fatty acid-derived compounds in rice dishes cooked with Baldo, Osmancik, and Cammeo varieties using Salma and Pilaf procedures together with sensory evaluation.

There is more to nutrition than food composition, and the biophysics of food structures, from the nanoscale to microscale, regulates and controls the release of macro- and micro-nutrients, bioactives and phytochemicals. As diets shift from whole foods to including more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) or UPFs designed to mimic whole foods (plant-based milk, cheese and cellular meat), research must focus not only on the sensory and organoleptic appeal but also on the postprandial responses, satiety and on satiation. For example, plant-based milk and cheese are visually similar to their dairy equivalent, yet they lack highly phosphorylated casein micelle calcium nanoclusters. The coevolution of the casein micelle highlights the role structure plays in digestion as chymosin preferentially cleaves κ-casein at the 105-106 phe-met bond, which destabilizes the micelle surface and curdles milk into solid cheese, altering subsequent digestive kinetics, postprandial response and satiety. Food structures designed to slow digestion and their postprandial response are reinventing ingredient isolate, emphasizing the inclusion of intact plant cells in UPFs. With every intended trait imparted to the food, unintended consequences may alter satiety, food choice and postprandial responses and must constantly be reevaluated.

Hybrid fat blends have emerged as a promising approach to improve the properties of wax-based oleogels which can be used as healthier alternatives for saturated fat products such as butter and margarine. The application of wax-based oleogels is limited because of their sensitivity to shear and waxy mouthfeel. This research investigates the interaction between waxes and palm stearin in hybrid fat blends. For the oleogels, 150% of the critical gelling concentration of the waxes was used, specifically 6% berry wax (BEW), 1.5% candelilla wax (CLW) and 6% carnauba wax (CRW), all incorporated in rapeseed oil. The concentration of palm stearin (PS) in the reference system (30PS) and the hybrid fat blends was 30% (PS-BEW, PS-CLW, PS-CRW). It was found that the addition of PS to the wax-based oleogels largely affected the properties on the nano- to macroscale. On the nanoscale, the polymorphic transition from α to β of palm stearin was delayed when adding BEW, while it did not change with the other waxes. On microscale, the high melting CRW acted as a seeding template for the palm stearin in PS-CRW, resulting in the formation of fat crystals that were rich in CRW in the center. For PS-BEW and PS-CLW, it was hypothesized that the fat crystals were the result of co-crystallization. All three hybrid fat blends showed improved rigidity and shear sensitivity compared to the PS reference and the wax-based oleogels on a macroscale. These results demonstrate that the interaction between palm stearin and waxes can have a positive effect on the final structure.

Similar to water-in-oleogel emulsions, glycerol-in-oleogel emulsions may be of food value and can also be used as carriers for neither hydrophilic nor lipophilic substances (e.g. resveratrol, etc.). Meanwhile, it is not clear that whether the natural wax can facilitate the formation of such non-aqueous emulsions. This study approached the influence of different concentrations of rice bran wax (RBW) on the physical properties and stability of resveratrol-loaded glycerol-in-oleogel emulsions. The results displayed that the utilization of higher levels of RBW could result in the formation of emulsions with larger droplet sizes, more elastic behaviours, better thermal stabilities, and more needle-like β’ crystals formed in the outer continuous phase. Moreover, a higher retention of resveratrol and a lower oxidation rate were observed for the emulsions prepared with higher levels of RBW, indicating the emulsions containing higher quantities of RBW could possess better storage and oxidative stability. These findings allowed the better understanding of the concentration-dependent properties of oleogel-based non-aqueous emulsions, which might have great potential applications in food industry.

Nanocellulose (NC) has become a tremendous topic in recent years due to its versatility and renewability properties. Taking account of highly underutilized agro-waste, banana peel (BP) showed potential as a competent raw material for NC. NCs were synthesized through a one-pot hydrolysis system. Initially, the Taguchi orthogonal array was carried out to determine the effect of hydrolysis parameters (H₂SO₄%, reaction time, and temperature) on the properties (crystallinity, morphology, size, functional group and surface charge) of NC. In addition, to obtain the optimized hydrolysis condition to obtain the highest NC yield, minimum size and maximum surface charge. NC was successfully obtained with a crystallinity index of 21.46%, a particle size of 152.6 nm, and a zeta potential of -16.9 mV. This was achieved using 40% H2SO4 concentration, a reaction time of 106.316 min, and a temperature of 77.02 °C. The surface morphology and functional group present in the synthesized NC were comparable with the commercially available NC, thus justifying BP to be a good source for NC production.