This study employed a high-energy fluidic microfluidizer (HEFM) coupling with alkali-driven treatment to prepare a 5 % (w/w) rice-soy composite protein. It revealed that the incorporation of SPI effectively enhanced the functional properties of the complexes. When the two components were non-covalently co-assembled in an equal ratio, the water solubility of the composite protein reached 91.50 %, significantly higher than that of samples prepared solely by alkali-driven treatment (70.84 %). The mechanical action of HEFM induced the cleavage of disulfide bonds within the individual components, further reducing the composite protein aggregates from 26.53 mu m (D[4,3]) to 1.05 mu m. This process led to the exposure of hydrophobic groups and alterations in molecular conformation and aggregation state, which facilitated the prevention of excessive aggregation during acid-induced processing. Microscopy results visually revealed that the original irregular and dense individual protein changed to uniformly sized spherical aggregates. Molecular weight analysis indicated that larger insoluble aggregates were converted into water-soluble particles within the composite system. Furthermore, the composite protein prepared by combined processing demonstrated lower interfacial tension and superior emulsifying capacity. The emulsions prepared from this protein remained stable without flocculation even after 28 days, with an average particle size increase of only 1.79 %. In conclusion, HEFM-alkali-driven treatment showed great potential for the industrial-scale production of composite plant proteins, providing a viable new approach for the commercialization of composite plant protein products.

This work examined the performance of an innovative industry-scale microfluidizer system (ISMS) at various pressures (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 MPa) on processing chicken powder (CP). Results indicated that ISMS considerably destroyed the tissue structure of sample. With the treatment intensity of ISMS increased from 0 to 120 MPa, the particle size (D90) of CP significantly decreased from 153.00 to 50.21 mu m, which was much lower than those of commercial samples (124.00 and 99.70 mu m). Increasing the ISMS pressure also greatly improved the quality of CP, such as the bulk density, tapped density, and brightness values increased. ISMS treatment well preserved the nutrients, the contents and in vitro digestibility of protein were significantly higher than those of commercial samples. Moreover, the content of main flavor components increased after ISMS treatment. Therefore, the ISMS would be a potential technique to process CP with high quality and efficiency. (c) 2026 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

This study developed a novel continuous-flow UV-C system for liquid foods sterilization, employing spiral, 8shaped, and parallel-loop configurations that combine Dean flow-enhanced mixing with UV-C irradiation for uniform microbial inactivation. The sterilization effects were investigated by passing milk through the three configurations at varying flow rates. The results demonstrated that the 8-shaped configuration consistently achieved the highest sterilization efficacy across all flow rates (50-300 mL/min), with a peak flow rate of 150 mL/min. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations revealed distinct flow patterns in the 8-shaped tube compared to spiral and parallel-loop, attributing the superior efficacy of the 8-shaped configuration to the frequent alteration of Dean flow direction. The Weibull model provided a good fit to the dose-response relationship between UV-C dose and microbial log reduction, displaying robust predictive capabilities. The UV-C doses required for achieving 5-log10 reduction of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Bacillus cereus spores were determined as 34.0, 48.8, 75.7, and 111.6 J/mL, respectively. These doses corresponded to milk samples passing through the 8-shaped configuration at a flow rate of 150 mL/min for 1.3, 1.8, 2.8, and 4.0 passes. The electrical energy per order (EEO) revealed that a reduction in sterilization energy consumption with increasing flow rate. Furthermore, UV-C treatment of milk with different viscosities showed that only when the milk viscosity exceeded a certain threshold did it have a significant negative impact on the sterilization efficacy. This study offers a novel approach for milk sterilization.

Oxidized pea protein isolate (OPPI) exhibits reduced solubility and impaired functional properties, limiting its application in food systems. This study aimed to modify the physicochemical and structural characteristics of OPPI using either pH-shifting alone or pH-shifting combined with sonication for enhancing its gelation properties. These treatments significantly promoted protein unfolding, reducing the aggregate size (from 1303 to 178 nm) and increasing protein solubility (from 5.8 to 23.2 %), surface hydrophobicity (1.8-fold), and free sulfhydryl content (from 0.62 to 1.09 mu mol/g). Only OPPI treated with both pH-shifting and sonication formed transglutaminase-induced gels. The gelation properties were pH-dependent, with higher pH values yielding stronger gels, as evidenced by increased modulus and hardness. This enhancement may result from greater exposure of active sites on protein surfaces at elevated pH, which promotes intermolecular interactions and enzymatic cross-linking. Thus, combining pH-shifting and ultrasonication methods is an effective strategy for enhancing the gelation properties of OPPI.

Flavonoids possess both nutritional and functional regulatory capabilities through non-covalent interactions with proteins, and research on the interaction mechanisms between glycosylated flavonoids in different positions and dietary proteins is still relatively limited. The effect of flavonoid glycosylation positions on the functional properties and binding mechanisms of pea protein (PP) was investigated through multi-spectral analysis combined with molecular docking. The findings demonstrated that the selected flavonoids significantly reduced the intrinsic fluorescence of PP. Compared with aglycone genistein (GENE), the introduction of glycosylation groups reduced the affinity of genistin (GEN) and sophoricoside (SOPH) to PP, with the binding affinity ranked as PP-GENE (172.4 x 10(3) M-1) > PP-SOPH (39.57 x 10(3) M-1) > PP-GEN (26.86 x 10(3) M-1). The primary binding forces of GENE and GEN with PP were hydrophobic interactions, which differed from those in PP-SOPH that were primarily mediated by hydrogen bonding. This conclusion was consistent with the molecular docking visualization. Furthermore, the flavonoid binding was found to diminish the surface hydrophobicity of PP alongside inducing the circular dichroism alterations of PP, implying the structural relaxation of PP through flavonoid interaction. This conformational change subsequently reduced the surface tension of PP, leading to the regulation of the foaming and emulsification properties of PP. This study revealed the influence of structural differences of flavonoids on their interactions with PP, providing theoretical guidance for the rational design of functional foods based on proteins.

The black bone syndrome (BBS) in deep-fried chicken legs, characterized by abnormal browning of bones and adjacent tissues, significantly impacts flavor and consumer acceptance. This study investigated the formation mechanism of BBS in deep-frying process and proposed an industrial solution to mitigate the issue. The results showed that the main cause of BBS lying in the marrow leakage and darkening during deep-frying process. The severity of BBS quantified by the rate of deep extravasation (DEB) increased with the increase of deep-frying temperature (120-180°C) and time (12-18 min), ranging from 0.12% to 16.91%. NMR&MRI analysis indicated that the marrow leakage driven by the thermal expansion of gas micropores and water evaporation. CT and SEM revealed that decreased bone density (0.4565 to 0.3987) and microstructure damage provided channels for the marrow migration. XPS revealed the iron ion-mediated thermal denaturation of hemoglobin led to darkening of marrow. Therefore, the precise marrow separation equipment was designed to remove marrow by drilling and negative pressure extraction. This solution effectively solved the BBS issue without changing the key flavor of deep-fried chicken legs. This work provided important insights into the impact of hot processing on chicken legs and established a new strategy for quality control in chicken processing.

In order to investigate the modification effect of high-energy fluidic microfluidizer (HEFM) treatment on plant protein after and clarify its solubilization mechanism, a 5% (m/m) aqueous suspension of soybean protein was treated using a HEFM under different pressures (30, 60, 90 and 120 MPa), obtaining modified soybean protein. The physicochemical and structural changes of soybean protein after the treatment were characterized by solubility measurement, particle size analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy and electrophoresis. The results showed that the solubility of treated soybean protein increased significantly with increasing pressure, reaching 76.97% at 120 MPa. Changes in microstructure and protein size showed that HEFM promoted the disintegration of large aggregates of soybean protein. As the pressure increased from 0 to 120 MPa, the particle size D[4,3] decreased from 94.90 to 3.65 μm, the absolute value of the zeta potential increased from 18.40 to 28.03 mV, the surface hydrophobicity increased from 1 559.60 to 7 199.28, the content of free sulfhydryl increased from 18.87 to 22.18 μmol/g, and the secondary structure shifted from β-sheet to α-helix. This study showed that HEFM technology can effectively modify the structure of soybean protein leading to improved solubility, which provides theoretical support for the industrial solubility modification of plant protein.

Flavonoids offer various health benefits due to their chemical properties and non-covalent interactions with food nutrients. Despite extensive research on flavonoid-protein interactions, the effects of flavonoid glycosides on pea protein (PP) remained unclear. This study explored the non-covalent interactions of luteolin (Lu), isoorientin (Iso), and cynaroside (Cyn) with PP using molecular docking and multi-spectral techniques. Results showed that Lu interacted with PP mainly through hydrophobic forces, while Iso and Cyn interacted predominantly via hydrogen bonding. At 298 K, the binding affinity of flavonoids to PP was ranked as Lu (16.98 x 10(4) M-1) > Iso (7.41 x 10(4) M-1) > Cyn (6.31 x 10(4) M-1). Circular dichroism analysis showed that flavonoid glycosides loosened the protein structure by inducing a change in the secondary structure of PP from an alpha-helix to a random coil. This resulted in improved foaming, emulsification, and antioxidant properties of PP. This study provided insights into flavonoid-protein interactions and their potential applications in functional protein foods.

The global oat harvest area occupied by China has been increasing annually. In this study, the fatty acid and triacylglycerol compositions, lipid concomitants, and antioxidant capacities of 16 oat oil cultivars in China were compared. All oat oils were found to be rich in unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), particularly oleic acid and linoleic acid. The main triacylglycerols in oat oil were first reported, including 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-oleyl-glycerol (PLO, 16.50–18.69%), 1,3-dioleoyl-2-linoleoyl-glycerol (OLO, 14.97–18.44%), and 1-palmitoyl-2,3-dioleoyl-glycerol (POO, 11.00–13.45%). Significant variations were observed among the cultivars in lipid concomitants, including tocochromanols (0–124.83 mg/kg), phytosterols (3380.94–5735.96 mg/kg), squalene (17.39–59.33 mg/kg), and polyphenols (255.47–513.99 mg GAE/kg). The antioxidant capacities of the different cultivars varied for DPPH (154.34–189.80 μmol VE/kg), ABTS (124.40–343.97 μmol VE/kg), and FRAP (834.32–2746.09 μmol VE/kg). Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between antioxidant capacity and the contents of polyphenols, squalene, and campesterol. Hierarchical cluster analysis classified the oat oils into distinct groups based on their phytosterol, polyphenol, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), triacylglycerol, squalene, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and tocochromanol contents. This study confirms that oat oil has potential as a functional oil and dietary supplement, and sheds light on the relationship between its nutritional quality and functionality, which may aid in the screening of beneficial oat oil cultivars.

The effects of protein-free Nicandra physaloides (Linn.) Gaertn seeds pectin (NP) with different degrees esterification (DE) on emulsifying properties were investigated. Natural NP with 48% esterification was bined chemically with enzymatic treatment to obtain NP with 66%, 53%, 40%, and 33% esterification. results showed that NPs with higher DE (66%, 53%, and 48%) had better emulsifying properties than those lower DE (40% and 33%). The high DE of NPs could greatly reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water, forming a tight, thick, and elastic interfacial layer to prevent oil droplets from gathering. Correlation analysis showed that methyl ester groups, acetyl groups, and homogalacturonan (HG) are critical for the stability of emulsions. It was further speculated that the methyl ester groups formed a hydrophobic water zone, the acetyl groups formed anchor points, and the HG formed a hydration layer to stabilize emulsions. Therefore, emulsion stability could be modulated by the molecular design of protein-free pectin through the DE. This provided a new perspective on modeling pectin emulsification and was expected to broaden the application protein-free pectin.

In recent years, plant proteins have become highly sought-after ingredients in health foods due to their wide range of sources, high nutritional value, low cost, and minimal environmental pollution. Bamboo shoot protein is abundant in resources and features a well-balanced amino acid composition. It possesses good solubility, oil-holding capacity, foaming ability, antioxidant activity, and anti-tumor activity, playing a significant role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other illnesses. However, under the conventional processing model from harvesting to final product, a large quantity of inedible by-products is discarded, and the complex high-fiber structure of bamboo shoots severely hinders protein extraction. This article reviews the research progress on the extraction methods, physiological activities, and applications of bamboo shoot protein, with a focus on summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of existing extraction techniques, and points out the future research challenges in this field.

This study systematically compared the effects of cold pressing and solvent extraction on the physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of camellia oil during physical refining process, including washing-degumming, decolorization, and deodorization stages. The results showed that the cold-pressed oil exhibited a significant lower initial acid value (1.13 mg KOH/g) than solvent-extracted oil (4.45 mg KOH/g). However, during washing-degumming and decolorization, the acid value of cold-pressed oil showed a slight increase due to its higher moisture content, whereas the solvent-extracted oil exhibited a significant decrease. Oxidative stability analysis revealed a higher peroxide value in cold-pressed crude oil (0.173 meq/kg) than in solvent-extracted oil (0.076 meq/kg), but after deodorization, cold-pressed oil exhibited better oxidative stability. The tocopherol content of cold-pressed crude oil increased from 32.55 mg/kg to 92.24 mg/kg after refining, whereas refined solvent-extracted oil attained 148.89 mg/kg. Squalene was better preserved in cold-pressed oil (105.04 mg/kg) than in solvent-extracted oil. Fatty acid analysis showed solvent extraction favored linoleic acid enrichment, but high-temperature deodorization slightly increased trans fatty acids contents. These findings reveal the superior retention of tocopherols, sterols, and linoleic acid in solvent-extracted camellia oil, thereby providing critical guidance for optimizing refining protocols.

Rice protein has attracted attention as a functional ingredient in foods and beverages due to its high abundance, low cost, hypoallergenicity, and good nutritional profile, but its large-scale commercial application is currently limited due to its poor solubility. In this study, a combination of industry-scale microfluidizer system and pH (ISMS-pH) cycling to improve the water dispersibility of rice protein was investigated. This process was found to increase the dispersibility of a commercial rice protein ingredient from around 1.4 to 78.3%. Morphological analysis showed that the microfluidization-alkaline treatment reduced the particle size of the rice protein aggregates. In addition, the molecular weight and disulfide bond content of the proteins decreased after processing, while the intrinsic fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity increased. Secondary structure analysis showed that some of the beta- sheet structure was converted into alpha-helix structure by processing. The ISMS-pH cycling process also enhanced the functional attributes of the rice proteins, including their emulsification and foaming properties. In summary, we have shown that rice protein ingredients with high water dispersibility can be produced on an industrial scale and have provided valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying their improved functionality. This research may therefore lead to new approaches for creating functional rice protein ingredients for commercial applications in the food and other industries.

Heat pump drying (HPD) has garnered significant attention in the food industry due to its unique energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and exceptional product quality. However, HPD still faces several challenges in practical applications, including quality loss during food drying, a narrow drying temperature range, slow heat and mass transfer during drying, and limited applicability in cold regions. These issues impact the performance, drying efficiency, and product quality of HPD. This review aims to comprehensively analyze the structure and optimization schemes of HPD systems and their applications in the food industry, with a focus on single and hybrid HPD systems. The environmental impact on the drying system can be minimized by modifying the air circuit mode of HPD systems. The optimization of single HPD systems involves the use of appropriate air circulation media, refrigerants, multi-stage, and cascade systems, which can enhance system performance and expand the drying range of HPD. Optimization of hybrid HPD systems includes advanced technologies (infrared, ultrasonic, microwave, etc.) and clean energy sources (solar, biomass, geothermal, etc.) to assist the HPD, which helps increase drying rates during the later stages of HPD drying and conserve energy. In the improvement of HPD systems, balancing the drying characteristics of different types of food, the performance and simplicity of the system, and economic efficiency remains a huge challenge. This review fills the gap in previous reviews on optimization strategies for HPD in the food drying industry and provides guidance on expanding applications of HPD in food drying through advanced technological updates.

Molecular docking simulations and multispectral approaches were used to study the non-covalent interactions between (3lactoglobulin ((3-LG) and chosen luteolin (Lu), isoorientin (Iso), and cynaroside (Cyn). The fluorescence quenching results demonstrated that Lu, Iso, and Cyn spontaneously formed stable complexes with (3-LG through static quenching. Thermodynamic parameters and molecular docking simulations demonstrated that hydrogen bonds were the primary forces driving the interactions between the protein and flavonoids. The binding constants followed the order: (3LG-Lu (2.87 x 10 degrees L/mol) > (3LG-Iso (1.83 x 10 degrees L/mol) > (3LG-Cyn (1.52 x 10 degrees L/mol). Additionally, the C-glycosylated flavonoid (Iso) showed a higher propensity to form hydrogen bonds with (3-LG compared to the O-glycosylated flavonoid (Cyn). The results of circular dichroism indicated that the (3-LG structure became looser with the introduction of Lu, Iso, and Cyn. Furthermore, the assembly of (3LG-flavonoid complexes decreased the surface hydrophobicity and oil-water interfacial tension of (3LG, improved its foaming and emulsifying capabilities, and protected the antioxidant properties of the flavonoids to a certain extent. This study investigated the interaction mechanisms between flavonoids with different glycosyl types and (3LG, providing insights for the incorporation of suitable flavonoids into dairy products, and offering theoretical perspectives on preserving the antioxidant properties of flavonoids.

Active films have gained significant attention as an emerging technology, yet research on Pickering emulsion films with environment-responsive release performance remains limited. Bacterial cellulose (BC) was modified to obtain two solid particles (BC-COOH and BC-PEI), which were subsequently used to prepare corresponding emulsions (PE-COOH and PE-PEI). Characterization revealed differences between the emulsions: PE-COOH showed larger droplets (6.46 mu m) with zeta potential of-45.16 mV, whereas PE-PEI exhibited smaller droplets (320.56 nm) with zeta potential of +54.96 mV. Two emulsion types with distinct droplet sizes were incorporated into sodium alginate (SA), prepared composite films (EC and EP). The influence of emulsion concentration (5-15 % v/v) and droplet size on film morphology and properties was investigated. SEM images showed that EP3 showed non-porous morphology, and the surface had good compatibility with SA. The EP3 films exhibited excellent UV-vis blocking efficiency (92.4 % at 280 nm), thermal stability and significant antioxidant properties. However, there were limitations in mechanical properties, with tensile strength and elongation at break decreasing by 15.72 % and 57.90 %, respectively. Based on the comprehensive performance evaluation, EP3 was selected for pH responsiveness testing. The cumulative release of EP3 film was 0.175 mu L/mg at pH 7.2. When the pH increased to 8.5 and 10.0, the cumulative release increased by 53.14 % and 76.0 %, respectively. Under alkaline environment (pH 10), the particle size of PE-PEI increased to 6663.33 nm and the zeta potential changed to 37.43 mV, which further confirmed the pH-responsive property of the films loaded with emulsion.

Enhancing the solubility of plant proteins after drying is crucial for their commercial applications. This study investigates the improvement of pea protein isolate (PPI) powder solubility through media milling coupled with mild alkaline pH 10 shifting and heat treatment (100°C, 1 h). Compared to neutral milling at pH7, the combined treatment increased PPI solubility from 26.68% to 95.57%, significantly mitigating irreversible aggregation during drying. After re-dispersion, the PPI retained a submicron particle size distribution, indicating good dispersibility. The results of FTIR and DSC revealed that the combined treatment did not alter PPI's functional groups but increased its denaturation temperature from 94.53°C to 100.29°C, thereby enhancing thermal stability. To clarify the structural basis of solubility improvement, the structure of the protein before drying were investigated. The treatment reduced PPI particle size and transformed its morphology from dense spherical aggregates to a loose, irregular structure. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated a shift from α-helix to β-sheet conformations, facilitating protein unfolding, which was supported by small-angle X-ray scattering analysis. Additionally, surface hydrophobicity and free sulfhydryl content decreased, likely minimizing irreversible aggregation, while SDS-PAGE indicated subunit rearrangement. Overall, this study presents a novel and efficient strategy for producing highly soluble PPI powders, offering significant potential for broader industrial applications.

This study delved into the impacts of five color fixatives (β-cyclodextrin, citric acid, calcium chloride, phytic acid, and ascorbic acid) on the color and flavor attributes (taste and volatile compounds) of whole mango juice (WMJ) subjected to high temperature sterilization (HTS). To uncover the underlying mechanism, the changes in 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, reducing sugars, free amino acids, carotenoids and total phenols were analyzed compared with the untreated and HTS-treated groups with no added color fixative. The results showed that all five color fixatives could reduce the color deterioration of WMJ during the HTS process, with ascorbic acid having the most pronounced effect. Ascorbic acid slowed down the Maillard reaction and reduced the degradation of carotenoids and phenolics, increasing the contents of carotenoids and total phenolics by 26.85% and 39.68% relative to the non-color fixative addition, HTS-treated group, respectively. The addition of citric acid or calcium chloride also slowed down the Maillard reaction, while β-cyclodextrin inhibited the degradation of carotenoids. After HTS, the sour taste of WMJ weakened, the umami and salty taste increased, and a bitter taste appeared. The addition of each color fixative enhanced the sour taste of WMJ, and reduced the bitter and umami taste. Notably, calcium chloride increased the taste richness of WMJ. HTS led to a loss of the volatile aroma of WMJ, which could be reduced by the use of β-cyclodextrin and ascorbic acid. This study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of color fixatives in the production of whole mango juice.

Recently, combining two or more proteins to create a novel protein blend with a higher nutritional value and better functional properties than the individual proteins has become popular. In this study, oat-soy protein (OSP) and oat-pea protein (OPP) blends were prepared by combining oat protein isolate (OPI) with either soy protein isolate (SPI) or pea protein (PP) using an alkaline-thermal treatment. This treatment involving incubating the protein mixtures at pH 12 and 55 degrees C for 1.5 h, followed by cooling to ambient temperature and neutralization to pH 7. The water-solubility of the resulting OSP (95.2 %) and OPP (96.2 %) blends was relatively high. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that no new subunits were formed in the protein blends. Circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the proteins in the blends had a more flexible structure than the original proteins and had undergone some protein-protein interactions. The mean diameters of the particles in the OSP and OPP dispersions were 283 and 612 nm, while their zeta-potentials were -34 and -38 mV, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the proteins in the blends were uniformly dispersed throughout the dispersions. The analysis of the chemical showed that the formed of composite proteins during alkaline-thermal treatment was driven by hydrophobic reactions in main role. Compared to the individual proteins, the protein blends exhibited better thermal stability, lower interfacial tension, higher surface hydrophobicity, stronger emulsification ability, and more low molecular weight fraction. Taken together, the results showed that a simple alkalinethermal treatment can be used to improve the solubility and functionality of protein blends.