Hazelnut skin as a major by-product of the hazelnut industry is a valuable source of phenolic antioxidants with potential applications in the food sector. In this study, the extraction system of phenolic compounds from hazelnut skin was optimized using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in combination with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). 12 DES systems with several ingredients (citric acid, glycerol, ethylimidazole, methylimidazole, ethylene glycol, lactic acid, urea and d-sorbitol) were evaluated for their extraction efficiencies based on the one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) test. Citric acid/ethylene glycol (molar ratio, 2/1) showed the best performance. A Box-Behnken experimental design was applied to assess the effects of solid mass (2–4 g), water addition (30–50
Natural biopolymers capable of coordinating metal ions provide promising platforms for constructing functional biointerfaces with improved stability and biological performance. In this study, a calcium-coordinated polysaccharide network was prepared from Stropharia rugosoannulata polysaccharide (SR-A), and its structural characteristics, stability, and antioxidant properties were systematically investigated. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that calcium ions interacted with hydroxyl-containing groups of the polysaccharide through multidentate coordination, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional network structure. The coordination process induced significant changes in molecular conformation and surface morphology. Compared with the native polysaccharide, the SR-A–Ca network exhibited enhanced thermal stability and resistance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Furthermore, improved radical scavenging activity and reducing power were observed, indicating synergistic interactions between calcium ions and the polysaccharide matrix. The high calcium retention during simulated digestion suggests potential for sustained mineral release. These findings demonstrate that the polysaccharide–calcium system can serve as a functional biopolymer network with potential applications in biointerface materials and controlled calcium release potential.
This study investigated the production and multifunctional characterization of a postbiotic derived from probiotic candidate strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Jb21-11 and its application as a natural bioactive ingredient in reduced-sugar persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) gummy candies. The strain was cultured in various media and subjected to heat treatments to obtain non-viable cells while preserving bioactivity. Complete inactivation was achieved in deMan, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) broth at 80 °C after only 5 min. The lyophilized postbiotic exhibited low antibacterial activity at high concentrations (≥ 32,000 µg/mL). It showed notable antioxidant potential (median inhibitory concentration IC50 = 1849.35 µg/mL for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 875.95 µg/mL for 2,2’-azinobis (ABTS)), alongside an α-amylase inhibitory effect surpassing acarbose in vitro (IC50 = 2590.83 µg/mL) and a marked anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 355.20 µg/mL). Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed that the postbiotic contains predominantly polysaccharides with protein/peptide components, and that its incorporation into the gummy matrix indicates strengthened structural interactions. Furthermore, when incorporated into gummies, the resulting formulation maintained physicochemical stability, color uniformity, and complete microbial safety throughout 36 days of storage, in contrast to the control samples. These findings indicate that mild thermal inactivation effectively preserves the bioactivities of Lpb. plantarum Jb21-11 postbiotic, supporting its potential use as a health-promoting and preservative ingredient in functional foods. Additional processing steps and comprehensive identification of the postbiotic’s components will be required to further optimize the preservation of its bioactivity, along with in vivo validation and studies on its interactions within food matrices.
Black rice (Oryza sativa L. indica), a nutrient‑dense and underutilized grain of Southeast Asian origin, was explored for formulating a composite flour suitable for functional 3D‑printed food. The present study investigates the effect of fermentation on physicochemical, techno-functional, rheology and 3D printability of black rice flour (BRF) blended with red lentil flour (RLF) and buckwheat flour (BWF). The procedure involved fermenting individual flours with a 3
Geographical traceability of Rubus chingii Hu (RcH) is essential to combat origin adulteration and protect geographical indication value. This study integrated near‑infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with untargeted metabolomics within a back‑propagation neural network (BPNN) framework for Dexing RcH discrimination, and further bridged both modalities via regularized canonical correlation analysis (RCCA) and SHAP to achieve chemical interpretability. Two‑dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D‑COS) revealed strong correlations between NIR (4000–5900 cm− 1) and MIR (400–1400 cm− 1) regions, assigned to phenolic hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbohydrate and amino acid vibrations. Among preprocessing and variable‑selection strategies, LASSO combined with second‑derivative (2nd D) preprocessing yielded the best NIR‑BPNN model, achieving perfect training and test accuracy (1.000) with only 3 hidden nodes. Metabolomics identified 180 secondary metabolites; 43 differential metabolites between Dexing and non‑Dexing origins were screened. BPNN using these 43 metabolites plus LASSO (5 nodes) achieved test accuracy of 0.900 and AUC of 1.000. RCCA and SHAP revealed strong linear correlations (cross‑validated canonical correlations > 0.88) between key NIR regions (e.g., 1875–1980 nm, 2258–2276 nm) and differential markers such as 3,4‑dihydroxybenzoic acid and rutin, establishing a “spectral bands – functional groups – metabolites” interpretive bridge. This work offered an integrated NIR‑metabolomics BPNN strategy for RcH traceability, combining rapid non‑destructive screening with chemical validation, while demystifying the “black box” of NIR through interpretable correlations – providing a scientifically defensible and cost‑effective tool for geographical indication protection. External validation with larger multi‑year cohorts is warranted.
Tiger nut cake, the primary by-product of oil pressing, contains abundant sugars (e.g., sucrose) that remain underutilized. Natural solid beverages were prepared from tiger nut cake (U: unroasted; R: roasted) using a simple process involving mechanical-assisted aqueous extraction followed by drying (FD: freeze-drying; OD: oven-drying; SD: spray-drying), yielding six samples: RFD, ROD, RSD, UFD, UOD, and USD. ROD (28.5
This study developed chitosan-Maillard reaction products (CS-MRPs) composite films via hydrothermal synthesis at different reaction times (0–4 h), and their physicochemical properties were systematically evaluated. Compared with chitosan (CS) films, the CS-MRPs films exhibited decreased water vapor transmission rate, and selective blue-light transmittance, along with the enhanced oxygen permeability, superior CO2 barrier performance. Owing to these improved barrier properties, the CS-MRPs films can be effectively employed as coatings on blueberries. These functional films reduced weight loss and decay rate during 28 days storage, while further maintaining fruit texture and nutritional quality. Among the treatments, CS-MRPs-2 h and CS-MRPs-3 h exhibited the most pronounced protective effects Collectively, these findings demonstrate that CS-MRPs composite films represent a promising and environmentally friendly preservation material for extending the postharvest shelf life of blueberries.
Orally disintegrating films (ODFs) have become one of the most promising platforms for the delivery of bioactive compounds, with consolidated technological maturity in the pharmaceutical sector, where they have reached Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL 9). However, the food sector still underutilizes this technology, remaining largely restricted to the production of conventional edible films. Current reviews focus on production techniques and physicochemical properties, highlighting the need for an analysis directed toward real application in food systems. This review integrates formulation and processing aspects with critical dimensions for the food sector: sensory evaluation, disintegration time, release kinetics, encapsulation efficiency, biocompound stability, and consumer acceptance. The impact of natural and semisynthetic polymers (such as pullulan, carboxymethyl cellulose, maltodextrin, alginate, and gelatin) is discussed in comparison with synthetic ones (such as polyvinyl alcohol), emphasizing biocompatibility and solubility. Regarding production methods, the work covers traditional solvent casting as well as emerging technologies such as electrospinning, centrifugal spinning, and 2D/3D printing, evaluating their potential for precision nutrition. The main characterization techniques (contact angle, mechanical properties, thermal analysis, morphology, surface pH, and disintegration) are also correlated with the functional performance of ODFs. It is concluded that an integrated understanding of formulation, processing, and sensory acceptance provides the scientific foundation needed to overcome current industrial limitations, thereby guiding the development of convenient, safe, and personalized functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Mental health disorders affect almost one in eight individuals worldwide, underscoring the need for accessible, nutrition-based approaches capable of influencing the gut–brain axis. Psychobiotics have gained increasing attention for their ability to affect microbial and neurochemical pathways, and in parallel, sea buckthorn (SB) is recognized as a rich source of polyphenols with strong antioxidant potential. This study investigated the synergistic integration of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299 V with SB (fresh or freeze-dried) in oat-based cereal bars to enhance bioactive stability and support the development of a stable delivery system. A lipid-rich chocolate coating was applied to improve the protection and retention of bioactive compounds during storage. SB incorporation enhanced antioxidant activity, with the freeze-dried coated formulation maintaining 70
In this study, CoSn(OH)₆ nanocubes were used as adsorbent in a simple dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure to preconcentrate cadmium and achieve a low limit of quantification. Preconcentrated cadmium samples were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). During the optimization phase, prominent parameters were adjusted to maximize the extraction yield. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 1.0–30.7 µg/kg, with a coefficient of determination value of 0.9993. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were calculated as 0.40 and 1.32 µg/kg, respectively. The enhancement factor (EF) was calculated as 63-fold based on comparison of the LODs of the FAAS and dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (DSPE)-FAAS systems, and 72-fold based on comparison of the calibration slopes of the two systems. Two different commercially available blackberry teas were used as matrices to evaluate the method’s applicability to real samples under optimal conditions. Recovery tests using five-point calibration curves confirmed the method’s reliability, with percent recoveries in the range of 105–109
Under stress conditions such as ultrasonic treatment and L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) addition, the accumulation level of polyphenols in germinated seeds increased significantly, and this process was influenced by variety characteristics. In this study, through variety screening and the Box-Behnken response surface method, the oat varieties suitable for polyphenol accumulation were screened, and the optimal culture conditions for polyphenol accumulation in germinated oat were further optimized. This study compared the growth characteristics and free polyphenol content of different naked oat varieties under the combined treatment of ultrasound and L-Phe. It was found that the Dingyou 10 variety exhibited excellent performance in terms of germination rate, germination vigor, sprout length, and the increase in free polyphenol content. Taking the total polyphenol content as the index, the germination conditions of Dingyou 10 variety were optimized by using the Box-Behnken response surface method. The results showed that ultrasonic power, ultrasonic time, L-Phe concentration and germination time all had significant effects on the polyphenol content of oat. The order of the influence degree of these factors was ultrasonic power > L-Phe concentration > germination time > ultrasonic time. Under the conditions of 6 days of germination, an L-Phe concentration of 4 mmol/L, an ultrasonic time of 21 min, and an ultrasonic power of 280 W, the actually measured total polyphenol content was 5.98 ± 0.053 mg/g, which was highly consistent with the model’s expected value. This verified the reliability and stability of the optimized process parameters obtained from the model. Germinated naked oats were found to be good material for polyphenol-rich food. Both cultivar and processing conditions had significant effects on its polyphenol content.
The present study investigated the time-dependent influence of hydrothermal (HT) treatment (10–40 min) on the physical, nutritional, functional, pasting, and rheological properties of proso millet flour. Longer treatment durations significantly altered the particle size distribution, resulting in a greater proportion of coarse particles. These changes were accompanied by improved density and flow characteristics, while the flour’s lightness gradually decreased, with a 6
Conventional assessment of ham storage condition often relies on sensory evaluation or physicochemical measurements, which may be subjective, time-consuming or destructive. This study developed FF-RTDETR, a lightweight object detector that jointly localizes individual ham regions and assigns object-level storage-stage labels in images containing one or more ham objects. The framework incorporates FDPN for cross-scale feature integration and FCM for reducing model complexity. A dataset of 1,673 original images covering six storage stages was divided into training, validation and test subsets before augmentation, which was applied only to the training subset. Across three training runs with prespecified random seeds, FF-RTDETR achieved a precision of 0.908 ± 0.011, recall of 0.894 ± 0.025, mAP@0.5 of 0.940 ± 0.014 and mAP@0.5:0.95 of 0.735 ± 0.050, reported as the mean ± sample standard deviation. In the descriptive single-run comparison, FF-RTDETR produced competitive point estimates relative to the evaluated lightweight detectors. Because the comparison models were not repeatedly trained, the between-model differences were not subjected to inferential statistical testing and should not be interpreted as evidence of superiority. The results support object-level recognition of storage-stage-associated surface patterns under the present dataset and acquisition conditions. External validation and direct association with physicochemical quality indicators remain necessary before industrial or food-quality applications can be established.
This study aimed to evaluate the improvement effects of native Staphylococcus simulans HZ01 and S. equorum SL05 on the physicochemical features, microbial parameters, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microbial diversity of the fermented sausages. The results demonstrated that individual inoculation of the two strains, as well as combined inoculation, significantly improved the color and inhibited lipid and protein oxidation of the fermented sausages. There were no significant differences among the three inoculating groups. The combined inoculation group significantly increased the nitrite content, compared with the individual inoculated groups. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis results showed that inoculation groups significantly increased the amount of total Staphylococcus, while having no effect on the amount of total bacteria. A total of 46 VOCs were identified in the fermented sausages, and the inoculation groups significantly increased the combined proportions of aldehydes and alcohols to more than 53
This study examined the removal of beany odor and the retention of desirable flavor in soy whey (SW) processed by micropressure steaming alone or in combination with β-cyclodextrin. Sensory evaluation, GC–IMS, odor activity values (OAVs) and multivariate statistical analysis were used to characterize aroma attributes and to identify key flavor constituents in fresh SW, micropressure-steamed SW and SW treated with different β-cyclodextrin levels. Fresh SW was dominated by soy aroma and beany odor, and the lowest beany odor intensity was achieved after micropressure steaming with 0.75
Babassu coconut is predominantly found in Brazil and primarily exploited for the high-value kernel oil. This industry generates large amount of babassu mesocarp (23
Lactococcus lactis is widely used in fermented foods, but its functional and probiotic properties are strain-dependent and highly variable. This study evaluated the probiotic potential, organic acid profiling, functional activities, and safety-related characteristics of L. lactis HBM-IAUF-8, isolated from traditional yogurt. A comprehensive set of in vitro assays was conducted, including stress tolerance, simulated gastrointestinal survival, cell-surface properties, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, modulation of virulence gene expression, antioxidant capacity, organic acid profiling, cholesterol assimilation, MTT cell-line bioactivity, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. The strain exhibited considerable tolerance to acidic and bile conditions, with survival rates of 57.5 ± 2.7
The use of bioactive compounds in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, among other commercial sectors, highlights the need for an appropriate, standardized process for extracting these active substances from various sources. Polyphenols, polysaccharides, and a wide range of various phytochemicals, including colors, are among the beneficial elements found in fruit waste. It is assumed that the current review article will extract bioactive components from waste products, including cotton, tobacco, winery, and fruit and vegetable waste, using a variety of extraction techniques. High-value chemicals have been recovered from winery-processed tobacco waste, a by-product usually discarded due to its nicotine content, with only a small percentage recycled using both traditional and non-conventional methods. Large volumes of garbage are produced during the treatment of crops and fruits, with discarded peels accounting for 90 – 92
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds are commonly discarded during fruit processing, regardless of their rich antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. In addition, the high lipid content and rigid cell-wall structure of papaya seeds limit the efficiency of conventional aqueous extraction methods. This study investigated the physicochemical and functional characterization of papaya seed extracts obtained via immobilized enzyme-assisted extraction using pectinase and cellulase at different ratios (100:0, 50:50, and 0:100) and immobilized bead masses (3–12 g) to enhance bioactive compound recovery. Enzymatic treatment significantly affected physicochemical properties, increasing oil recovery up to 25.51
A spice oleoresin blend was developed by combining individual spice oleoresins in optimized proportions as a stable liquid alternative to conventional curry powder blends, and its physicochemical and microbiological stability was evaluated over 18 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the formulation and comprehensive long-term storage stability of a multi-spice oleoresin blend developed as a liquid alternative to a traditional Indian curry powder blend. Sambar was considered as a representative culinary application, although the findings are broadly applicable to other spice oleoresin-based liquid formulations. The formulated oleoresin was stored under ambient (25–30 °C, 35–85
