Traditional water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions are widely used as probiotic encapsulation templates due to their simple structure, but their practical application is limited by inherent drawbacks including fragile interfacial films, inadequate protection, and poor storage stability. This study proposes a novel strategy to reinforce the W/O interface through molecular synergy between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and citrus pectin (CP). Structural characterization confirmed the formation of composite nanoparticles (β-CDPNP, 296.67 nm) driven by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Compared to the individual components, β-CDPNP exhibited a higher absolute zeta potential (-35.57 mV) and an optimal three-phase contact angle (100.11°), indicating enhanced interfacial adsorption and anchoring capability. In the system, β-CD partially encapsulates hydrophobic regions of pectin chains, while the long-chain pectin acts as a scaffold anchoring multiple β-CD molecules to form an extended network. The resulting emulsion stabilized by β-CDPNP showed a nanoscale droplet size (427.43 nm) and excellent kinetic stability. Microscopy and rheology confirmed that β-CDPNP accumulated at the interface, forming a dense layer and inducing an elastic-dominated gel network. The encapsulation system achieved an encapsulation efficiency of over 80% for Bifidobacterium longum, protected the probiotics during simulated digestion (with a final viability >83%), and maintained stable viability above 74% over 28 days of storage. This work provides an effective and straightforward strategy for developing robust probiotic encapsulation emulsions with significant industrial potential.

Pectin-based biodegradable packaging materials are widely used in food packaging as sustainable alternatives to traditional petrochemical plastics. However, pure pectin films are constrained by poor mechanical properties, limited barrier performance, and a lack of antimicrobial functionality. Current modification approaches often fail to simultaneously enhance all these properties. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were coated with a polydopamine (PDA) layer via dopamine self-polymerization to obtain TiO2@PDA composites (∼400 nm), which were incorporated into a pectin polymer to prepare composite films. The TiO2@PDA exhibits excellent compatibility with the pectin polymer, dispersing uniformly and filling the free volume to form a dense network structure. Consequently, the composite film shows enhanced tensile strength (28.64 MPa), elongation at break (13.41%), water contact angle (79.30°), and water vapor barrier property (1.40 × 10-12 g·cm-1·s-1·Pa-1). The PDA surface modification endows TiO2 with a narrower bandgap (2.71 eV), extending its photodynamic antibacterial spectral response from the ultraviolet to the visible light region. As a result, the composite film simultaneously exhibits excellent UV shielding and visible-light-responsive antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the film is biocompatible and demonstrates potential in extending the post-harvest shelf life and maintaining the quality of packaged fruits. In summary, TiO2@PDA effectively enhances the mechanical, barrier, and antibacterial properties of pectin films simultaneously, providing new insights for developing smart, responsive pectin-based packaging materials.

Emerging contaminants pose novel food safety challenges, necessitating highly selective and sensitive detection methods. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been employed extensively in food safety assays due to their predetermined architecture, specific recognition capabilities, practicality, and stability. This review systematically evaluates the structural and performance advantages of MIP-based sensors in targeting foodborne pollutants, emphasizing their role in enhancing analytical selectivity and sensitivity. The article further highlights recent breakthroughs in MIP applications across four critical EC categories: persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutical and personal-care products, and antibiotic residues. Finally, the current challenges impeding rapid development are identified and future prospects are outlined. Furthermore, the multifaceted technical, economic, and regulatory obstacles to transitioning MIP-based technologies from laboratory prototypes to practical monitoring tools are explored. This systematic review advances the establishment of innovative MIPs-driven emerging contaminants monitoring systems, thereby strengthening food safety protocols and public health safeguards.

Pectin-based films hold promising prospects for food preservation but have limitations e.g. poor mechanical strength, high brittleness, and low antibacterial activity. There are ongoing efforts to resolve the trade-offs among the physical performance variables, antibacterial capacity, and greener manufacturing approach during the development of pectin films. Herein, a phenolic-rich pectin polysaccharide (PRPP) was extracted from cherry pomace via a mild non-thermal acid-assisted ultrasonic-mediated process to produce an edible film for fruit preservation. PRPP is a low-methoxyl pectin rich in phenolics (17.3 mg GAE/g) and arabinose/galactose side chains ((Ara + Gal)/Rha: 5.16 mol%). During film formation, intermolecular/intramolecular cross-links occurred between the pectin backbone and side chains, while the phenolics attached to pectin's side chains provided additional sites for hydrogen bonding, thereby increasing the entanglements and cross-links among pectin molecules. The resulting PRPP films exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical strength (increased by 28.5 %), elongation at break (increased by 322 %), water vapor barrier property (increased by 14.7 %), along with excellent UV-blocking, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. The PRPP films could significantly prolong the shelf life of strawberries and greatly maintained fruit quality during storage. Interestingly, this PRPP film prepared from cherry pomace's pectin underwent color changes at different pHs, indicating its potential for the development of pH-responsive functional films. This research demonstrates an effective and greener strategy for converting cherry pomace into value-added active fresh-keeping edible films. This innovative approach can be applied to other pectin-rich fruit wastes for value-added utilization.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of sonication (20/60 kHz, 320 W, and 20 min) and/or localized proteolysis (using Alcalase for 10-40 min) in modifying cottonseed protein (CPI). The results illustrated that sonication-aided Alcalase hydrolysis, particularly after 40 min, substantially increased the alpha-helix (16-23%) and beta-turn (30-40%) content while decreasing the beta-sheet content (42-24%) of CPI, indicating partial denaturation of its secondary structure. Furthermore, SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a remarkable reduction in the molecular weight of CPI hydrolysates (CPIHs) compared to the native protein, confirming the breakdown of protein macromolecules into smaller peptides (<15 kDa) through proteolysis. X-ray diffractometry and DSC thermograms indicated that CPI modified by the sequential process exhibited lower crystallinity and thermal stability (evidenced by decreases in denaturation temperature and enthalpy) than samples treated with sonication or proteolysis alone. Notably, the sequential application of sonication followed by 30-min proteolysis was the most effective approach, significantly (p < 0.05) enhancing the solubility (from 34.28% to 80.51%) and dispersibility (from 47.81% to 91.58%) of CPI, while also shortening the hydration time (from 26.08 min to 5.10 min). These improvements were further supported by particle size distribution data, which showed a reduction from 817.61 nm to 153.07 nm. Moreover, Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis, and radar plots demonstrated that sequential treatment was strongly associated with enhanced dissolution-related functionality and increased unfolding of CPI. These findings provide a foundation for a deeper understanding of sonication-aided proteolysis and support the development of industrial processing standards for cottonseed protein products.

Probiotics are vital to human health, yet their viability is susceptible to adverse conditions during food processing, storage, and the digestive process. Currently, spray-dried emulsified microencapsulation technology is widely employed for the preservation of probiotics and the development of related products. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including low encapsulation efficiency, premature release, and low probiotic survival rates. Herein, a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) Pickering emulsion (PE-ZPe) stabilized by pectin-zein complex nanoparticles (PEC-ZNP) was developed as a template for encapsulating Bifidobacterium longum, thereby achieving high survival rates and targeted release. Results from FTIR, XRD, CLSM, and LF-NMR indicated that PEC and ZNP form a more stable outer aqueous interface layer through electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The prepared PE-ZPe exhibited excellent storage stability and tolerance to the gastrointestinal environment. The shear-thinning properties of the emulsion enabled it to pass smoothly through the nozzle during spray drying, effectively preventing blockages. Following spray drying, the PE-ZPe microcapsules exhibited a low moisture content, significantly reduced sticking or clumping. Their stable bilayer core-shell structure effectively minimised the logarithmic reduction in Bifidobacterium longum. Results from storage and simulated gastrointestinal experiments indicate that the viable count of Bifidobacterium longum within the microcapsules remained consistently above 1 × 106 CFU/g at 4 °C for 28 days, confirming their targeted release in the intestinal environment. In summary, this study has successfully addressed the key challenges associated with traditional spray-drying methods for probiotic microencapsulation, including poor stability, these findings provide valuable insights for the development and scalable production of probiotic products.

The physicochemical, functional, rheological, conformational, and thermal attributes of cottonseed meal protein (CMP) prepared by pH-shifting and/or ultrasonication were investigated. CMP isolates were altered using acidic (pH 1.5, 3.5) or alkaline (pH 9.5, 11.5) treatments followed by ultrasonication before neutralization. Traditionally extracted CMP was used as native protein (control). Sequential pH 11.5-shifting and cavitation was the most effective treatment in decreasing particle size, turbidity, and wetting time of CMP, while increasing protein dispersibility and emulsion stability index. Synergistic treatments (i.e., pH-shifting/sonication) substantially impaired viscosity and viscoelastic characteristics compared to control and pH-shifting counterparts, illustrating the collapse of polymeric chains and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds in CMP. SDS-PAGE revealed that, relative to control or alkaline treatments, pH 1.5 and 3.5-treated CMP isolates showed lighter-intensity subunits at lower molecular weights (12-19 kDa), suggesting the development of large aggregates under acidic conditions. Moreover, intrinsic fluorescence, X-ray diffraction spectra, and DSC thermograms showed that CMP isolates modified with sonication-aided alkaline pHs-treatment had a more flexible tertiary conformation, along with lower crystallinity, rigidity, and thermostability than control or other samples. The current outcomes offer an effective strategy to modify the functionality and rheological characteristics of CMP isolate for application as a building-block in food formulations.

Starch-based active packaging films with slow-release essential oils face significant challenges due to poor release kinetics, making the development of controlled-release systems imperative. In the process of improving the controlled-release system, the simultaneous enhancement of various performance indicators of starch films is still emphasized, especially the trade-offing between good physical properties and long-lasting bioactivity. Here, a pectin-nanolignin-stabilized citrus essential oil (CEO) Pickering emulsion (PLCPE) was prepared and used to activate starch matrix, aiming to develop a composite film with long-lasting slow-release and humidity-response release of CEO. PLCPE has good compatibility with starch film, which can be evenly dispersed in starch matrix and fill the gaps between starch molecules, and enhance the cross-linking and entanglement between molecules through hydrogen bonds. PLCPE activates starch film to provide CEO long-lasting slow-release, antioxidant, antibacterial, and UV resistance, while enhancing their mechanical properties, water contact angle, and water vapor/oxygen barrier, achieving a trade-off between good physical properties and long-lasting bioactivity. Interestingly, elevated humidity can weaken the pectin intermolecular chain interactions of the PLCPE continuous phase and begin to break, so it can be used as a humidity-responsive switch to modulate the release of CEO in the film through humidity changes. They significantly extend the shelf life of perishable fruits when used as packaging materials and are also reliably biosafe and naturally degradable without burdening the human body or the environment. This research is expected to further advance the development of starch-based intelligent active packaging, providing new opportunities to reduce food waste and protect the environment.

Documentary is an art form based on real life that integrates various social semiotic resources. A Bite of China has been well-received for its perfect combination of local Chinese cuisines with related stories. This research selects this documentary as the research object and the attitude system of Systemic Functional Linguistics as the theoretical framework, and from the perspective of interpersonal meaning, it investigates the meme construction in A Bite of China through the analysis of semiotic resources of affect, judgement, and appreciation, the three subsystems of the attitude system. The study adopts a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, focusing on the semiotic and meme construction of the documentary series. The theoretical framework provided by the attitude system theory, coupled with the utilization of the analysis tool UAM 6.2 for data annotation and statistics, facilitates a detailed exploration of the configuration of semiotic resources. Results show: Firstly, in the affect subsystem, the un/happiness resources are the highest among the four types of affect resources. Through the selection of affect resources, the documentary producer portrays the complex emotions of ease and unease that people experience because of food. Secondly, in the judgement subsystem, the quantity of social sanction resources is much less than that of social esteem resources. From the choice of judgment resources, the documentary presents the qualities of Chinese people in the context of food culture, such as wisdom, resourcefulness, cleverness, diligence, resilience, honesty, generosity, and responsibility. Thirdly, in the appreciation subsystem, reaction resources account for more percentage than composition and social-valuation resources. With the retrieval of appreciation resources, the producer depicts the characteristics of Chinese food culture and outlines the intimate and harmonious relationship between people, food, life, and nature. Research indicates that this documentary reveals the three core memes: the culture of Chinese food, the emotion of home, and the cultural heritage. Theoretically, this study supports Systemic Functional Linguistics as an applicable linguistics. Practically, it offers a new perspective for interpreting cultural memes depicted in documentaries.

The development of biodegradable antimicrobial bioplastics for food packaging holds great promise for solving the pollution and safety problems caused by petrochemical plastics and spoiled food. Herein, a natural active-bioplastic synthesized from citrus peel biomass is presented for perishable fruit preservation. These plastics are characterized by the nanoscale entanglement and recombinant hydrogen bonding between the endogenous pectin, polyphenols and cellulose micro/nanofibrils. They have attractive flexibility, tensile strength, gas barrier properties and antimicrobial activities, and can effectively extend the shelf life of perishable fruits such as banana and mango when used as food packaging. Cytotoxicity, degradability tests and life-cycle assessment show that these plastics had excellent nontoxicity and can be safely degraded or easily recycled. This work demonstrates a sustainable strategy for converting peel waste into eco-friendly bioplastics, providing a unique and novel insight into radically reducing the pollution and life-health threats posed by petrochemical plastics and spoiled food.

Pectin(P)/chaste berry oil (CBO) nanoemulsions (NEs) and nanofibers (NFs) were generated and characterized in this study. First, processing conditions of CBO NEs were optimised employing ultrasonication process by using aqueous pectin solutions. An ultrasonication time of 5 min in the absence of a surfactant, i.e., Tween 80, delivered the smallest droplet sizes of 329±10 nm. Electrospinning solutions containing P/CBO NEs were prepared with the addition of polyethylene oxide (PEO), dimethyl oxide (DMSO), and Triton X-100. Electrospinning processing conditions were optimised to obtain stable and homogeneous fibrous membranes of P/CBO NEs. Neat pectin nanofibers exhibited a fiber diameter of ca. 400 nm. Addition of CBO increased the fiber diameters (ca. 500 nm) and pore sizes generally.

The potential of polysaccharide film as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics is being closely watched. To solve the defects of poor water resistance, poor flexibility and no bioactivity of polysaccharide-based films, polydopamine-coated lignin nanoparticles (LNP@PDA) were prepared and loaded on polysaccharide matrix to obtain composite films. LNP@PDA has good biocompatibility and can be dispersed homogeneously in polysaccharide matrix. The tight entanglement and hydrogen bonding between LNP@PDA and pectin promoted the formation of dense structure in film, and allowed the films to exhibit a nano-scale rough surface (7.61-20.90 nm). Composite films have higher mechanical strength (35.76 MPa) and water contact angle (92.42 degrees), and exhibit unique antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Even without the addition of any plasticizers, the composite film exhibits attractive flexibility that is not present in polysaccharide-based films. When LNP@PDA loading exceeded 5%, composite films almost completely blocked the UVA (400-320 nm), UVB (320-275 nm) and UVC (275-200 nm) spectra and remained so after 24 h of UV irradiation, which demonstrated their excellent UV resistance and photostability. Furthermore, the universality results verify that LNP@PDA is also suitable for other different polysaccharide-based (such as starch, sodium alginate, agar, carrageenan, carob gum) films. Interestingly, the shear-thinning property of the film-forming fluid allows it to be sprayed through a sprayer bottle onto the surface of fruit or food packaging. These results suggest that LNP@PDA can be loaded into polysaccharide-based films as plasticizers, mechanical property enhancers, anti-UV agents, antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. This provides a brand-new strategy for producing high-performance polysaccharide-based food active packaging/coating.

Polysaccharide films such as pectin are gaining attention as potential packaging materials that can replace petrochemical plastics. However, pectin has high brittleness and not biologically active, while current films used to address these issues often struggle to strike a balance between these properties. Herein, water-insoluble tea polyphenol nanoparticles (WI-TPN) were prepared by amino acid-induced Mannich condensation reaction to activate pectin films. WI-TPN has good compatibility and can be uniformly and stably dispersed in pectin filmforming solutions, thus facilitating hydrogen bonding interactions between them and the pectin matrix. WI-TPN can be used both as a nanofiller to enhance the mechanical properties of films and as a bioactive agent to impart unique bioactivity to the films. Compared to pure pectin films, pectin-WI-TPN composite films have higher tensile strength (22.36 MPa), hydrophobicity (78.28o), thermal stability. More importantly, WI-TPN gives pectin films unique UV-blocking properties (almost completely block the UVC (200-275 nm), UVB (275-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm) spectra), antioxidant (DPPH free radical scavenging capacity and T-AOC were maximized by 9.91 times and 10.58 times, respectively) and antibacterial activity (bacterial growth curve was slow), which allows it to significantly extend the shelf life of strawberries when used for packing them. In conclusion, this work provides a new idea for balancing the multiple properties of pectin-based films, and the preparation of stabilized high-performance films have great potential for application in food packaging, especially perishable food packaging.

The high brittleness, susceptibility to moisture absorption and low biological activity of pectin films limit their development. To address these limitations, carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals-stabilized oregano essential oil Pickering emulsion (COPE) was prepared to activate pectin films. COPE has good compatibility, and it can be uniformly dispersed in pectin matrix, which promotes the stable formation of composite films characterized by tight entanglement and hydrogen bonding between COPE and pectin molecules. Compared with pure pectin film, pectin-COPE composite film shows higher tensile strength (16.03 MPa), elongation at break (25.27%), water contact angle (88.02°) and lower water vapor permeability (1.40 × 10−10 g/m·s·Pa). Importantly, COPE endows pectin film with unique anti-ultraviolet (composite film almost completely blocks light in the UVC (275-200 nm) and UVB (320-275 nm) regions, as well as most light in the UVA (400-320 nm) region), antioxidation (DPPH radical scavenging capacity and T-AOC were maximized by 4.53% and 2.72%, respectively) and antibacterial properties (a clear ring of inhibition appears around the composite film), allowing it to significantly extend the shelf life and maintain the quality of cherries when used for packaging. In conclusion, COPE offers novel strategies to enhance the bioactive, mechanical and hydrophobic properties of pectin-based films, and the pectin-based composite films activated by COPE can provide more opportunities for food preservation/packaging as potential petrochemical plastic substitutes.

Sustainable innovation seeks more energy-efficient processes for producing highly demanded products from industrial by-products. This study follows this endeavor. Comparisons were made on two processes for producing pectins from citrus peel as well as the two derived pectin products: a high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) pretreatment of citrus peel powder followed by a milder acidic extraction (pH 2, heating at 70 degrees C for 1 h; pectin termed HIPEF-CP), and a conventional direct hot-acid extraction (pH 2, heating at 90 degrees C for 2 h; pectin termed CP). HIPEF-assisted extraction significantly improved pectin yield (by 8.48%) and production efficiency (by 100.23%) while reducing energy consumption. Both were low-methoxyl pectins with similar branching degrees and contents of rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I), protein, phenolic compounds, total alkaloids and vitamin C. Compared with CP, HIPEF-CP contained higher homogalacturonan content, higher galactose content, higher galacturonic acid content, lower arabinose content, lower xylose content, slightly lower degree of methyl esterification, higher linearity, lower side chain size, higher molecular weight, and wider molecular weight distribution. The antioxidant, emulsifying and emulsion-stabilizing abilities of HIPEF-CP were superior to those of CP, though both pectins were satisfactory emulsifiers, exhibiting good antioxidant activities and emulsifying capacities at pectin concentrations not lower than 1.0%. The HIPEF pretreatment of citrus peel made the subsequent acidic pectin extraction feasible under milder conditions, to produce pectin with desired antioxidant and emulsifying capacities.

Polysaccharide-based films have received increasing attention as promising candidates for petrochemical plastics. However, they are highly brittle, poorly hydrophobic and without antibacterial activity, while current films used to address these issues often struggle to manage the balance between these properties. To achieve a balance of several performance indices of the films, functionalized dialdehyde cellulose nanocrystals (DCNCs) were prepared to activate pectin-based films. Structural characterization including dynamic light scattering techniques (DLS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometer and x-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that DCNCs were homogeneously dispersed in the pectin polysaccharide matrix and tightly cross-linked through hydrogen bonding interactions, which promoted the stable formation of high-performance composite films. Compared to pure pectin film, the composite film has better tensile strength (23.09 MPa), water contact angle (WCA, 91.23°), water vapor permeability (WVP, 1.02 × 10-12 g/cm·s·Pa), and exhibit excellent UV-resistance, DPPH radical scavenging capacity (27.04 %) and antibacterial activity that significantly extended the shelf life of strawberries (5 d). Furthermore, DCNCs can be used to enhance the mechanical strength (4.15-23.46 MPa), WVP (1.55-5.21 × 10-12 g/cm·s·Pa) and WCA (59.46°-61.03°) of various polysaccharide-based films, which validates their universality. This work effectively improves and balances the several properties of polysaccharide-based films, creating more opportunities for the wide application of polysaccharide-based films, such as food preservation packaging.

Three pectin fractions (water-soluble fraction (WSF), chelator-soluble fraction (CSF), and sodium carbonate-soluble fraction (NSF)) were obtained from Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) fruits. All of them were branched low methoxylated pectins with an amorphous or partially nanocrystalline nature and eight neutral monosaccharides (arabinose and galactose were most abundant). WSF, CSF and NSF had a degree of methylation (DM) of 35.82 %, 14.85 % and 7.13 %, uronic acid (UA) content of 76.02 %, 83.71 % and 69.01 %, and total protein content of 2.4 %, 2.1 % and 8.8 %, respectively. Their molecular weights were 340.31, 330.16 and 141.31 kg/mol, respectively (analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC)). WSF, CSF and NSF exhibited good rheological, thermal, emulsifying, emulsion-stabilizing, water-adsorbing, oil-binding, cholesterol-binding and antioxidant properties. NSF had the highest emulsifying, emulsion stabilizing, water-/oil-/cholesterol-binding and antioxidant capacities, followed by CSF. NSF had the highest viscosity (406.77 mPa·s), flowability, and resistance to heat-induced changes/damage, which may be related to its lowest polydispersity index, DM and UA content and highest protein content. The three pectin fractions with desirable characteristics can be used as food additives/ingredients and dietary supplements.

In this work, pectin-lignin nanoparticle (LNP) composite films were prepared, the physical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the films systematically evaluated. The LNP were compatible with the pectin matrix, and the tensile strength (TS) and water contact angle (WCA) of the pectin-based films were enhanced by 164% and 56% at the optimum LNP loading of 3.0% (w/w). The results of dynamic WCA demonstrate the hydrophobic stability of pectin-LNP composite films. Even trace amounts of LNP (1.0%, w/w) were found to significantly improve the mechanical properties (TS improved 67.33%), hydrophobicity (WCA improved 48.83), and water barrier properties (the water vapor permeability decreased by 25.30%) of the pectin-based films. The tight entanglement and strong positive interaction between pectin and LNP promote the formation of dense structures, which is beneficial to the film properties. In addition, all pectin-LNP composite films almost completely shield the UVB (320-275 nm) and UVC (275-200 nm) spectrum, along with most of the UVA (400-320 nm) spectrum, which demonstrates their strong anti-ultraviolet performance. In terms of bioactivity, the addition of LNP significantly enhanced the DPPH radical scavenging ability (maximum boost is 6.33 times) and antibacterial ability (maximum inhibition rate was 78.79 for S.aureus and 47.80% for E.coli) of the pectin film. These results suggest that the pectin-LNP composite film are promising active packaging materials for food preservation/ packaging applications.

Organophosphorus pesticide (OP) residues pose a serious threat to human health, motivating the search for novel adsorbents and detection methods. Herein, defective copper-based metal organic frameworks (Cu-MOFs) were synthesized by the reaction of Cu2+ ions and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate linkers in the presence of acetic acid. As the amount of acetic acid increased, the crystallization kinetics and morphology of the Cu-MOFs changed, leading to mesoporous Cu-MOFs with many large surface pores (defects). Adsorption studies of OPs revealed the defective Cu-MOFs showed faster pesticide adsorption kinetics and higher pesticide adsorption capacities. Density functional theory calculations showed that pesticide adsorption in the Cu-MOFs was mainly electrostatic. A dispersive solid phase extraction method was developed based on a defective Cu-MOF-6 for rapidly extracting pesticides from food samples. The method allowed pesticide detection over a wide linear concentration range, low limits of detection (0.0067-0.0164 mu g L-1) and good recoveries in pesticide-spiked samples (81.03-109.55%).

RG-I enriched pectins exhibit distinct biological functions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and regulating the intestinal flora environment. Understanding their processing properties helps realize their applications in food and pharmaceuticals. In this study, pectin was extracted from Prunus cerasus pomace (RPC) and Prunus avium pomace (RPA) by mild acid extracting method. RPC and RPA were low-methoxylated branched semicrystalline polymers, with high contents of RG-I and HG (47.7 and 40.5 mol% for RPC; 51.2 and 36.2 mol% for RPA). They had comparable protein contents (1.6-1.9%), phenolic contents (1.2-2.0%), Mw (>2000 kDa), branching de-grees, and monosaccharide compositions. RPA had a lower GalA contentand bigger side chains attached to RG-I ((Ara + Gal)/Rha: 11.7 for RPA and 9.5 for RPC). Both were rheology modifiers and emulsifiers with similar and good thermal stability. RPA is a more effective emulsifier, whilst RPC suits more gel formation. For aqueous solutions at 1% and 2%, RPA had higher viscosity. At 4%, RPA solution showed liquid-like character whilst RPC solution behaved like elastic solid-like material. Overall, cherries are a novel source of RG-I enriched pectin, which can potentially be used as natural emulsifiers and rheology modifiers in the food industry or cosmetics.