Food Biophysics最新文献

This study investigated the effects of hydrothermal treatment (10, 20, 30, and 40 min) on the physical, milling, thermal, and microstructural properties of proso millet grains. Hydrothermal treatment modified key engineering properties, including porosity, bulk density, and flow behaviour, coefficient of friction, and energy consumption. The grain hardness increased from 19.33 to 35.56 N, resulting in reduced grain fragmentation during milling and an increase in mean particle size from 134.7 to 449.2 μm. Consequently, specific grinding energy also increased from 420 to 700 kJ/kg, indicating higher energy requirements during milling of the hydrothermally treated grains. The treatment resulted in a 5.2% decrease in bulk density and a 9.2% decrease in tap density from the control to 40-min treatment, while porosity increased. Hydrothermal Treatment markedly altered the grain microstructure, which was accompanied by changes in its thermal and engineering properties. Scanning electron microscopy revealed loss of starch granule integrity, increased surface roughness, granule fusion following hydrothermal treatment. These structural modifications were accompanied by changes in the FTIR spectral characteristics and increases in the onset, peak and end gelatinisation temperatures In contrast, gelatinization enthalpy decreased in the hydrothermally treated samples compared with the control. Overall, hydrothermal treatment modified the engineering, thermal and microstructural properties of proso millet and the functionality of its flour.

Pigeon pea starch was modified by annealing (AP), ultrasonication (US) and dual modification [annealing and ultrasonication (AUS); ultrasonication and annealing (USA)] and characterized for its physicochemical, rheological and digestibility characteristics. Modification significantly influenced starch functionality, with amylose content increasing to a maximum of 33.48% in AUS (p < 0.05). Annealing decreased swelling power and solubility, whereas ultrasonication enhanced these properties, with the dual treatments exhibiting sequence-dependent responses. In comparison to native starch, AP and AUS exhibited reduced peak (1113 and 1080 mPa·s) and final viscosities (1878 and 1812 mPa·s), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed relatively intact granules after annealing, whereas ultrasonication induced surface fissures and cavities; the AUS treatment produced the most pronounced surface disruption. Particle size analysis showed treatment-dependent changes in particle size distribution. All starch pastes showed a dominance of elastic behaviour (G’ > G’’). In vitro digestion revealed altered starch digestibility following modification. The highest peak blood glucose concentrations were observed at 30 min for NP (165 mg/dL) and US (152 mg/dL); however, for USA and AP, the peak blood glucose concentrations at 60 min were 149 and 142 mg/dL, respectively. All modified starches exhibited lower glycaemic responses than NP. Among all treatments, ultrasonication (USA) starch exhibited the lowest glycaemic index (GI), with values decreasing in the order of Glucose (100) > NP (60.4) > US (52.2) > AP (51) > AUS (47.6) > USA (43.9). Overall, physical modification effectively modulated the structural, functional, digestibility, and glycaemic properties of pigeon pea starch.

Graphical Abstract

Pickering emulsions stabilized by edible or natural particles have broad applications in food and pharmaceutical fields, yet suitable stabilizers for water-in-oil (W/O) systems remain far less abundant than those for oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Asiatic acid (AA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with diverse physiological activities and amphiphilic characteristics; however, its interfacial properties remain poorly understood. In this study, AA was modified through antisolvent precipitation (Anti-AA) to generate self-stabilized W/O emulsions. The antisolvent treatment effectively reduced particle size, induced rod-like morphology, and enhanced surface wettability. Increasing Anti-AA concentration (c = 0.5–3 wt%) significantly improved emulsion stability. Anti-AA demonstrated superior storage, thermal, and freeze-thaw stability compared to native AA even at low concentrations. AA-stabilized Pickering emulsions exhibited high fluidity with dominant viscous behavior, and their viscoelastic properties were enhanced with the increasing AA concentration. Notably, AA substantially inhibited lipid oxidation. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) analysis revealed that AA crystals formed an interfacial physical barrier, effectively suppressing droplet coalescence. This research demonstrates an effective strategy for developing stable natural W/O emulsions while expanding bioactive applications in functional foods and pharmaceutical formulations.

Graphical Abstract

Taste perception is a fundamental sensory ability that plays a central role in regulating food intake and overall energy metabolism. Among the different taste qualities, bitterness serves as an important signal for detecting potentially harmful substances and strongly influences individual food preferences. The compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is widely used as a marker to assess bitter taste sensitivity. Individual responses to PROP vary considerably, allowing individuals to be classified into three categories according to their perceived intensity: supertasters (ST), medium-tasters (MT), and non-tasters (NT). These differences are influenced by genetic variation in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor, as well as by other physiological factors, and may contribute to interindividual variation in bitter taste perception. In the present study, we specifically focused on the two extreme groups, supertasters and non-tasters, corresponding to the PAV/PAV and AVI/AVI genotypes, respectively. Heterozygous PAV/AVI individuals were not considered in the comparative analysis in order to obtain more homogeneous groups. A probabilistic dual-layer statistical physics model was employed to characterize the adsorption behavior of PROP at effective TAS2R38 interaction sites and to estimate relevant physicochemical parameters. This approach provides a quantitative framework for investigating differences in PROP taste responses between the two extreme genotype groups at the receptor-interaction level. The three complexes formed between PROP and the bitter receptor sites (TAS2R38, PAV, and AVI) have been analyzed using molecular docking and the molecular dynamics simulations.

Pre-consumer food-processing side streams are heterogeneous solids in which wetting, release, internal and external mass transfer, and chemical change can overlap. This structured critical review examines when machine learning (ML) adds predictive value beyond empirical response-surface and physics-based kinetic models, and when apparent accuracy is insufficient for mechanistic or scale-up claims. A focused evidence appraisal identified 11 primary ML studies in the quantitative set: ten addressed extraction and one addressed enzymatic hydrolysis. None directly learned concurrent extraction-degradation kinetics or externally validated an integrated physics-informed neural network. Most studies used 15–90 designed or compiled cases, internal case-level splits, and no independent source-batch test. All 11 studies reported at least one favorable ML prediction or optimization result; however, the small, heterogeneous, predominantly within-design evidence base precluded pooled effect estimation and is compatible with publication and selective-reporting bias. The biophysical framework therefore separates phase-specific solid and liquid quantities, defines initial and boundary conditions, introduces mass-transfer Biot, Fourier, and degradation Damkohler numbers, and distinguishes prediction from parameter identification. Modern deep-learning architectures are positioned according to data structure rather than assumed superiority, while hybrid models are treated as testable parameter-learning or residual-correction strategies. A fully specified simulated example illustrates the local nature of a marginal stopping rule and propagates parameter uncertainty to the decision. Current evidence supports ML mainly as a within-domain surrogate and optimization aid; independent batch validation, calibrated uncertainty, chemically specific endpoints, and pilot-scale testing are needed before mechanistic inference or industrial transfer can be substantiated.

Rapeseed oil is a widely used edible oil due to its nutritional benefits. Recently, microwave pretreatment has gained attention in improving oil quality. This study investigated the effects of microwave pretreatment at 700 W for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 min on the physicochemical quality, antioxidant properties, and volatile profile of cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Among the tested durations, the 6 min treatment achieved the highest total phenolic content of 85.04 mg GAE/100 g and canolol content of 182.83 µg/g, together with the strongest ABTS scavenging activity with a 484% increase. The DPPH scavenging activity reached its maximum at 8 min with a 185% increase. TPC was strongly positively correlated with DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. The overall fatty acid profile was largely preserved, but erucic acid content decreased to 20.82% (p < 0.05). Electronic nose and HS-SPME-GC-MS analyses revealed that 6 min serves as the threshold for flavor transition. Although microwave pretreatment reduced the increases in acid value and peroxide value compared with wet/dry heating (p < 0.05), these oxidation indices increased with prolonged microwave duration. Overall, microwave pretreatment improved antioxidant indices and enriched bioactive compounds in cold-pressed rapeseed oil under the tested conditions.

In this work, pineapple pulp, acerola pulp, or a mixture of these were dried by conventional freeze-drying (FD) or near-infrared freeze-drying (NIRFD). The physicochemical aspects of the dehydrated and rehydrated pulps; the rheological behaviors; the contents of phenolic compounds, vitamin C, and the antioxidant capacities were investigated. The temperature histories of the samples during freezing, FD and NIRFD were obtained and the records of the gradual increase in the samples’ temperatures allowed the identification of the primary and secondary drying phases and drying time. The pulp composed solely of pineapple showed the lowest freezing onset temperature and the mixture composed of 50% pineapple and acerola pulp exhibited the highest cooling rate due to the different soluble solids content. The freeze-dried pulps showed low water activity values (below 0.441) and attractive yellow or reddish-orange coloration. The fresh and rehydrated pulps exhibited non-Newtonian shear thinning (flow indexes, n < 1) and samples containing higher proportions of acerola pulp resulted in higher apparent viscosities. The results showed that the NIRFD maintained and, in some cases, enhanced the nutritional potential of the products, such as the levels of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacities, and vitamin C content of the freeze-dried pulps. NIRFD produced higher releases of natural antioxidant compounds, probably due to the breakdown of structures. The samples were positively affected by NIRFD yielding porous microstructures that influence rehydration. The study demonstrated the potential of NIRFD for the development of food ingredients with higher nutritional value, stability, and energy efficiency.

To enhance the stability of chitosan-gum Arabic particle-stabilized emulsions, aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes were crosslinked in situ. The contribution of aldehyde structure was systematically evaluated. Aldehyde-crosslinked emulsions exhibited substantially smaller droplet sizes and reduced creaming compared to the aldehyde-free control. Among the aldehydes tested, cinnamaldehyde (aromatic) and leaf aldehyde (trans-2-hexenal, aliphatic) were the most effective stabilizers, whereas p-anisaldehyde (aromatic) and trans-2-decenal (aliphatic) showed limited stabilization. Both cinnamaldehyde (with an extended conjugated system involving the imine bond, the C = C double bond, and the benzene ring) and leaf aldehyde (with a short unsaturated alkyl chain that confers limited steric hindrance) were associated with high reactivity, potentially through Schiff base formation. Despite their structural differences, both were associated with thick interfacial layers and extensive particle adsorption, with cinnamaldehyde showing high elastic modulus and mechanically strong film behavior. In contrast, trans-2-decenal (long hydrophobic chain) and p-anisaldehyde (electron-donating methoxy group) showed limited reactivity, poor particle adsorption, and low interfacial elastic moduli. Furthermore, the interfacial films generated in the presence of cinnamaldehyde crosslinking also enhanced curcumin retention and sustained its release in ethanol-based simulants. This work suggests that aldehyde structure critically governs emulsion stability and highlights the potential of these systems for bioactive delivery in lipophilic food matrices.

Flaxseed oil is the richest source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid, but it is highly prone to oxidation and therefore has limited application in food. Hence, the aim of the present study was to enrich ALA from flaxseed oil using alkaline hydrolysis and urea complexation, and to compare the interaction of the obtained omega-3-rich fraction and native flaxseed oil with β-CD using kneading and co-precipitation methods. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. (GC-MS) analysis showed that ALA in the initial flaxseed oil was 46.19%, which increased to 89.92% in the omega-3-rich fraction upon urea complexation. The native flaxseed oil and omega-3-rich fraction were complexed with β-CD by kneading and co-precipitation, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Transition enthalpy decreased the most among the prepared complexes, from − 202.02 Jg − 1 for pure β-CD to − 70.76 Jg − 1, about 65%, along with changes in morphology and FT-IR characteristic bands. Co-precipitated complexes demonstrated a higher degree of morphological changes, while kneaded complexes presented altered and aggregated morphology with residual β-CD-like features. CF also demonstrated a decrease in transition enthalpy (− 80.50 Jg − 1), suggesting a change in the thermal behaviour of β-CD. Combined FT-IR, DSC and SEM results indicate that co-precipitation resulted in increased interaction between the omega-3-rich fraction and β-CD relative to native triglyceride-rich flaxseed oil. These findings provide a useful basis for further research into functional food applications in foods, including encapsulation efficiency, oxidative stability, release behaviour and food-matrix performance.