ACS food science & technology最新文献

The influence of structural characteristics on taste perception of glucooligosaccharides (GlcOS) remains poorly understood. This study examined the role of α-1,6 glycosidic linkages in GlcOS taste perception by evaluating two sugar-free α-1,6 linkage-containing GlcOS: maltosyl-isomaltooligosaccharides (MIMO) and isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO). Both target samples were fractionated via graded ethanol precipitation to remove mono- and disaccharides. Structural characterization confirmed average degree of polymerizations of 6 and 5 for the MIMO and IMO preparations, respectively. NMR analyses showed α-1,6 linkage proportions of ~75% in MIMO and ~50% in IMO, with the latter also containing branched maltooligosaccharides. In sensory tests, participants (N=28) were able to discriminate 150 mM samples from water (p<0.05) and described them as "slightly sweet" in the absence of lactisole, a sweet taste inhibitor. In the presence of lactisole, the samples were not detectable (p>0.05). Both samples were also detectable at 75 mM (N=25; p<0.05) with similar detectability to equimolar glucose and maltose. These results demonstrate that α-1,6 linked GlcOS elicit sweet taste and that MIMO and IMO preparations exhibit comparable detection rates.

The objective of this study was to create coatings using gelatin (GEL+MY), pectin (PEC+MY), and sodium alginate (SA+MY) added with microencapsulated yeast (MY) (1 × 10⁸ cells/mL), assess their viability and release kinetics, and analyze their physical, physicochemical, morphological, and thermal properties. These coatings were applied to control fungi in postharvest jackfruit. All formulations exhibited yeast viability above 85% and yeast release rates with concentrations of up to 8 Log/mL at 12 h. Films containing yeasts show better results than those without. The SA+MY treatment demonstrated reductions in the incidence of up to 50% and in the severity of up to 88% against Rhizopus stolonifer and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The three best formulations were characterized, including thickness assessment, water vapor permeability, tensile strength, water solubility, and thermal properties using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and FTIR. Thermal analysis confirmed proper yeast coating and thermal protection by the biopolymers. The SA+MY formulation was most effective compared to GEL+MY and PEC+MY, providing a viable strategy for pathogen control and extending the shelf life of jackfruit by at least 8 days at room temperature.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of shade cloth and preharvest foliar treatments on aroma profiles and fruit quality of two blackberry (Rubus spp.) cultivars in Virginia across two growing seasons. Two newly developed thornless primocane cultivars, Prime-Ark Traveler and Prime-Ark Freedom blackberry, were randomly assigned to treatments, including 30% light-reducing shade cloth, calcium and salicylic acid foliar applications, and grower standard control. Aroma characterization was performed using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC–MS-O), and 14 key aroma-active compounds were identified. Prime-Ark Freedom is characterized as more “fruity” and “floral”, while Prime-Ark Traveler features more “green” and “fresh” notes. This study revealed the aroma profiles of the above two Virginia-adapted cultivars for the first time. Seasonal aroma variation indicated that environmental factors played a greater role than agronomic treatments; therefore, regional berry growers should be cautious about adopting foliar and shade applications.

Starches were extracted from 12 sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) genotypes, and their physicochemical and functional properties were evaluated. The starches were shown to have moisture contents of 5.4–9.9%, ash contents of 0.1–0.78%, and amylose contents from 11.9% to 26.13%. The water and oil absorption capacities ranged from 0.78 to 1.15 g/g and 0.57 to 0.72 g/g, respectively. The swelling power and solubility index varied from 9.44% to 13.5% and 4.63% to 12.4%, respectively. All samples exhibited A-type crystallinity, with relative crystallinity from 25.2% to 31.0%. Granules were smooth and round to polygonal in shape, with average sizes from 12.1 to 16.3 μm. Gelatinization temperatures ranged from 55.6 to 85.0 °C, and enthalpy varied from 8.33 to 62.7 J/g. Rheological tests of starch-water mixture at a concentration of 0.5% indicated typical non-Newtonian fluid behavior with shear-thinning properties, and dominant elastic moduli. These results highlight the variability and potential of sweetpotato starches for food, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications.

Mass transfer operations, such as extraction and drying, are often associated with high energy consumption, extensive use of solvents, and long processing times. Advanced cell permeabilization technologies, such as pulsed electric field (PEF) and high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS), are known for enhancing these processes through mass transfer intensification. Furthermore, the combined application of these techniques has recently been explored due to the synergy between their effects, which allows for improved yields and energy savings in processing. This review presents the combination of PEF and HIUS technologies as an alternative to improve industrial solid–liquid extractions and drying operations for food and byproducts. The fundamentals of each technology, the physical phenomena behind electroporation and acoustic cavitation, and how these mechanisms enhance mass transfer are discussed. Additionally, recent research advancements involving the combined method are summarized and compared to conventional methods or the isolated application of each technology. In general, the application of PEF as a pretreatment, followed by HIUS-assisted processes, shows great potential for synergistically improving mass transfer operations. The combined method resulted in a higher recovery of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols and other antioxidants. Moreover, this technology combination significantly reduced drying time, leading to energy savings while maintaining the visual appearance and nutritional quality of the dried products. The synergy between the two techniques is attributed to the additional alteration of the cell microstructure, further reducing mass transfer resistance. However, determining optimal treatment parameters is crucial to maximize benefits and avoid potential negative effects associated with these innovative technologies.

The quality of Chinese wolfberry is closely associated with its geographical origin, rendering precise categorization significant for efficacy. However, the morphological similarity of wolfberries from different origins adds difficulty. To address this issue, a combination of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms is proposed. Chinese wolfberries from the Ningxia, Gansu, and Xinjiang Provinces were selected and examined by THz spectroscopy. Four preprocessing methods were applied to the THz absorption spectra. Among them, the classification accuracy of Savitzky-Golay and moving average was comparable to that of raw data. Min-max normalization was considered to be the most effective method, and the prediction accuracy is higher than 90%. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to reduce the data dimensionality. Four machine learning algorithms, including least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM), random forest (RF), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and extreme learning machine (ELM), were further implemented to achieve high-accuracy classification. By using the PLS-DA model based on raw data, binary classification achieved accuracies of 90.96 and 97.61% in distinguishing Ningxia wolfberries from Gansu and Xinjiang origins, respectively. With respect to ternary classification, the optimal combination of LSSVM with min-max normalization preprocessing achieved 99.17% accuracy and a 0.990 Kappa coefficient, significantly outperforming other combinations. This approach provides a high-precision solution for geographical origin classification, which demonstrates the feasibility for ensuring the pharmaceutical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine by THz spectroscopy.

Roller milling (RM) and stone milling (SM) are the two most common methods used in the food industry. Although these techniques have been extensively explored individually, comparative data on wholegrain wheat products produced from the same wheat sample are limited. Since SM and RM can generate different forces and temperatures during processing, these conditions could affect the technological quality of the flour, and consequently, the properties of the dough and the bread. In this study, these effects were investigated by comparing flour particle size, ash content, damaged starch, falling number and alkylresorcinol content, dough farinograph and alveograph parameters, and bread physical properties. Wholegrain flours were produced from a single-variety wheat commercial lot by a group of roller and stone mills, and used to produce breads using home bread-making machines. Overall, the type of milling had little effect on the properties of flours, bread doughs, and breads. Nevertheless, flours from SM had fewer fine fractions (<125 μm) and higher alkylresorcinol content. Regardless of milling type, significant differences among individual mills were found for all properties except flour baking strength, gluten index, and alkylresorcinol content, indicating that inherent mill characteristics contribute to observed variability.

This study investigated the antidiabetic potential of ultrafiltered, low-molecular-weight (<3 kDa) camel milk protein hydrolysates (CMPHs) derived from casein and whey proteins. Hydrolysates were generated using gastrointestinal enzymes─pepsin (P), trypsin (T), and chymotrypsin (C)─both individually and in combinations (P, T, C, PT, PC, TC, and PTC) and screened for dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory activity and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion. Casein hydrolysates produced with PC and whey hydrolysates with PTC showed the highest bioactivity. These were further fractionated into >10 kDa, 3–10 kDa, and <3 kDa, with the <3 kDa fractions of D-CN-PC and D-WP-PTC showing the highest DPP-IV inhibition (55.38% and 80.67 ± 2.18%) and GLP-1 secretion (2.67 and 2.68 ng/mL), surpassing intact proteins. The most effective fractions were evaluated in streptozotocin (STZ) and nicotinamide-induced type-2 diabetic male Wistar rats. Six-week oral administration of the hydrolysates significantly improved hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, lipid profile, and reproductive function, with D-WP-PTC < 3 kDa being most effective─reducing blood glucose by 66.03% and OGTT to 148.44 mg/dL. Histology confirmed restoration of disturbed pancreatic and testicular architecture, while gene expression studies revealed favorable modulation of hepatic glucose metabolism genes, i.e., Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK), Glucose-6-Phosphatase (G6 Pase), Glucose Transporter Type 2 (GLUT2), and Gluco Kinase (GK). These findings suggest that both CMPHs, particularly D-WP-PTC < 3 kDa, possess strong therapeutic potential for managing diabetes and its complications by enhancing insulin secretion, improving antioxidant defense, regulating metabolism, and restoring reproductive health in diabetic rats.

The extensive diversity of tea, resulting from varietal traits and manufacturing processes, presents challenges for classification. This study systematically investigated the effects of tea varieties and processing methods on phytochemical profiles. Results revealed substantial variability in caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) profiles within raw and bitter raw Pu’er teas, both of which were characterized by distinct enrichment of 4-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA) or 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA), reflecting their diverse chemical signatures. Notably, the differential stability of teaghrelins (TGs) and strictinin (ST) during processing stages underscores their potential as analytical markers and highlights the metabolic divergence driven by fermentation processes. Furthermore, the model robustness and discriminative performance were validated through external prediction, demonstrating the reliable classification of tea extracts. This study provides a comprehensive framework that integrates metabolite profiling with multivariate classification modeling to assess chemical diversity and offer insights applicable to the tea industry.

Solanum lycocarpum fruit is abundant in Brazilian Cerrado, and its starch has demonstrated potential for use as edible coatings. This study aimed to optimize the starch extraction process of S. lycocarpum using a 2²-factorial design with three central points. Sifting and its interaction with the decantation time were the most significant variables in achieving a higher starch yield. It was possible to obtain 10.4% starch from the fruits with a moisture content of 5.11%, resulting in a clear, thin, and odorless starch powder. It also presented a solubility index of 6% at 70 °C and a swelling power of 11.5 g g^–1 at the same temperature. Edible coatings based on starch from S. lycocarpum were applied to ready-to-eat, minimally processed carrots. Carrots coated with S. lycocarpum starch presented better physicochemical and microbiological characteristics. Starch-coated carrots preserved their orange color longer than the control. Regarding microbiological analysis, all coated carrots were suitable for consumption until the 15th day of storage.