This study aimed to optimize the spray-drying (SD) process for aquafaba and compare the physical and techno-functional properties of the resulting powder with those of its freeze-dried (FD) counterpart. A Box–Behnken design was employed to evaluate the effects of inlet air temperature (150–190 °C), air speed (3.5–4.3 m/s), and feed flow rate (0.3–0.5 L/h) on 14 quality responses. The optimized SD conditions were determined to be an inlet air temperature of 189 °C, an air speed of 4.2 m/s, and a feed flow rate of 0.3 L/h. Validation experiments demonstrated that the developed models had high predictive capacity, with only a small discrepancy (0.56–5.88%) between the predicted and experimental values. Comparative analysis showed that the optimized SD powder had significantly lower moisture content (2.47%) and water activity (0.18) than the FD powder (3.51% and 0.34, respectively), indicating superior storage stability. In addition, the SD powder exhibited greater whiteness (82.37), higher water solubility (88.44%), and substantially greater foaming capacity (266.67%) than the FD sample (243.33%). Although the FD powder demonstrated better wettability and water absorption capacity because of its porous structure, FTIR spectroscopy and protein secondary structure analysis confirmed that SD preserved the functional integrity of aquafaba. Specifically, SD induced a transition from disordered random-coil structures to more ordered β-sheet and β-turn configurations, thereby improving foaming performance. Overall, these findings indicate that optimized spray-drying is a highly efficient and industrially scalable alternative to freeze-drying for producing functional aquafaba powder for use as a plant-based egg substitute.

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Driven by increasing consumer demand for nutrient‐dense and more sustainable food options, ancient wheat species present a promising opportunity due to their environmental adaptability and perceived health benefits. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the starch and protein characteristics of ancient wheat species, einkorn, emmer, and spelt, in comparison to common hexaploid wheat, providing insights into their functionality for potential food applications. Findings Thermal behavior revealed that spelt exhibited the highest thermal stability with high transition temperatures. At the same time, emmer required less energy for gelatinization. Amylose% and amylopectin% showed no significant differences among these wheat species. Protein composition analysis indicated significant variations, mainly in gliadin and glutenin fractions, among common wheat and ancient wheat species. The SDS unextractable glutenin levels were significantly lower in ancient wheat compared to common wheat, suggesting that processing modifications may be required to optimize the use of ancient wheat in bakery applications. Conclusions Specific physicochemical properties and functional characteristics of ancient grains need further studies and improvements to make such grains functional in bakery applications. Significance and Novelty The study evaluates the starch and proteins of ancient grains, which demonstrate significant differences compared to hexaploid bread wheat.

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are major non-starch polysaccharides found in cereals, attracting significant interest among cereal chemists, nutritionists, and food technologists for their technological and nutritional importance. Cereal-extracted arabinoxylans (CEAXs) exhibit a wide range of characteristics and yields, which vary based on the cereal source and the specific extraction or modification methods employed. Additionally, AXs are a family of biopolymers with useful industrial applications and functional properties like solubility, viscosity, gelling, and hydration. Notably, their complex fiber structure is associated with various health benefits, including prebiotic, antioxidant, and antidiabetic properties, making AXs particularly valuable in the medicinal and nutraceutical industries. AXs play a key role in supporting short-chain fatty acid production, regulating blood glucose, promoting beneficial microbiota, and enhancing antioxidant capacity. The current review elucidated extraction and modification strategies for obtaining arabinoxylans from cereals and by-products, and discussed the effects these strategies can have on yield, biochemical composition, molecular characteristics, and antioxidant activity. In this critical review, a significant gap in rational AXs ingredient design is addressed by synthesizing how extraction and modification strategies shape the structural features of cereal arabinoxylans and how these changes govern their functional and nutritional properties.

Hemp seed, historically considered a byproduct of the hemp fiber industry, has gained increasing attention for its nutritional and functional properties. Recent advances in hemp seed research have elucidated its benefits for gut health; however, its impact on colitis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that hemp seed consumption reduced colonic inflammation and mitigated tissue injury in an experimental colitis mouse model. Notably, hemp seed reduced macrophage infiltration and promoted a phenotypic shift from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. It also enhanced intestinal barrier function by restoring goblet cells, upregulating tight junction proteins, and reducing systemic lipopolysaccharide translocation. Furthermore, hemp seed optimized gut microbiota composition by enriching beneficial taxa, particularly Bifidobacterium, while suppressing colitis-associated genera. Collectively, these findings indicate that hemp seed, as a whole-food dietary approach, confers protection against colitis by modulating immune responses, preserving barrier integrity, and reshaping gut microbiome. These results underscore the potential of hemp seed as a sustainable nutritional strategy for promoting gut health.

The global transition towards sustainable food systems has intensified the search for alternative protein sources that can meet human nutritional demands with reduced environmental impacts. Although microalgae are rich in protein, their applications in food remain limited due to thick cell walls and intense green color. The aim of this study is to modify Chlorella vulgaris by high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and decolorization to improve its processability for extrusion-based 3D printing. Microalgal biomass was pretreated by HPH at different pressures (10,000, 15,000, 20,000 psi) for one to three passes, followed by pigment removal using ethanol of different concentrations (70, 85, 100%). Microscopic imaging shows that HPH effectively disrupted microalgal cell walls and caused cell disintegration, resulting in increased foaming stability (22-28%) but lower solubility (up to 24%), with other functional properties largely preserved. Ethanol treatments markedly decolored microalgae and increased their water-holding capacity (10-45%) and solubility (6-11%). The formulation of HPH-treated decolorized microalgae with soy protein isolate and xanthan gum increased the viscosity (66-179%) and elasticity (78-235%) of printing inks. The resulting 3D prints show higher hardness (47-128%), springiness (up to 155%) and chewiness (47-408%). The information obtained from this study provides guidance for modifying the functional and rheological properties of microalgae and contributes to advancing the formulation and manufacturing of microalgae-based foods.

GlutoPeak gluten aggregation testing offers a rapid alternative to conventional farinograph and baking assays; however, its utility for multi-trait prediction in Hard Red Spring (HRS) wheat remains underexplored. In this study, we developed Partial Least Squares (PLS), Random Forest Regression (RFR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) models to simultaneously predict wet gluten, farinograph traits (water absorption, dough development time, and stability), baking absorption, and loaf volume. The dataset comprised 846 HRS wheat samples, representing 70 cultivars grown across five locations over two years. Grain protein content and GlutoPeak indices were used as predictors. Wet gluten and farinograph water absorption were predicted with the highest accuracy in independent test validation. For wet gluten, the ensemble tree-based models RFR and XGBoost provided high accuracy (R2 = 0.89, RPD = 3.05-3.08). For farinograph absorption XGBoost performed the best (R2 = 0.81, RPD = 2.27). While both the dough development time (DDT) (R2 = 0.49, RPD =1.41) and stability showed limited accuracy (R2 = 0.40, RPD =1.29) that could be useful for preliminary ranking or screening. XGB yielded the best predictions for baking absorption (R2 = 0.59, RPD =1.56) and loaf volume (R2 = 0.51, RPD = 1.44). Overall, GlutoPeak-based prediction models can predict wet gluten and absorption-related traits with relatively good accuracy, while providing screening-level estimates for DDT, dough stability, and loaf volume. Developed models would be useful for early-stage screening, thereby reducing the number of materials that will require time consuming conventional testing. The framework will support accelerating the development and release of HRS wheat varieties with superior end-use performance.

In this study, ferulated arabinoxylans (FAXs) were extracted from maize bran by optimizing al-kaline extraction method and explored their purification, identification and antioxidant potential. The current results showed that FAXs yield ranged from 14.7 to 18.9 % from maize bran. It was found that the FAXs were mainly composed neutral sugars including xylose (21–44%), arabinose (12–30%), galactose (2.7-7.4%) and glucose (4.6–9.4%), with an A/X ratio of 0.68–0.74. In addition, FAXs extracts showed significantly (p < 0.05) high content of ferulic acid in bound form as com-pared to free form. Furthermore, biopolymers FAXs possess powerful radical scavenging prop-erties due to their polyphenolic content and structural characteristics. FTIR spectra of maize bran extracted FAXs exhibited the presence of polysaccharide compounds. The corresponding bands were related to glycosidic linkage, which is assigned to the C-OH bend vibration in FAX. In functional characteristics, FAXs showed high water holding capacity, emulsion properties and emulsion stability in all treatments. In current research, FAXs have been comprehensively char-acterized, and several promising applications across the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries can be explored based on these findings.

Maize bran is an abundant cereal byproduct and a promising source of ferulated arabinoxylan biopolymers (FAXs). In this study, alkaline hydrolysis was optimized for FAX extraction from maize bran using a design-of-experiments approach evaluating alkali concentration, extraction time, and temperature. Purified FAXs were characterized for their chemical composition, phenolic and ferulic acid content, antioxidant activity, microstructure, and functional properties using GC-MS, HPLC, FT-IR, SEM, and standard antioxidant and functional assays. The FAX yields ranged from 14.7 to 18.9%, producing arabinose- and xylose-rich polymers (A/X ratio 0.68-0.74) with a high proportion of bound ferulic acid. Antioxidant assays (FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH) showed that alkaline-extracted and bound phenolic fractions exhibited substantially higher antioxidant capacity (p ≤ 0.05) than free phenolics, highlighting the importance of phenolic association with the arabinoxylan backbone. The FAX 3 extract also showed high activity in both the alkaline-extracted phenolic compounds (905.0 μg/g TE) and fraction II (286.5 μg/g TE), indicating that specific structural features may contribute to its bioactivity. In addition, FAXs demonstrated high water-holding capacity and favorable emulsifying properties. These results support the recovery of maize bran-derived FAXs as functional, antioxidant-active ingredients for food and related applications.

Soybean (Glycine max) meal and oil are important agricultural products, with soybean oil accounting for 55

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is increasingly valued as a climate-resilient crop due to its nutritional quality and adaptability; however, there is limited information on the nutritional composition of heat-tolerant genotypes grown in tropical environments or the potential of quinoa leaves as an additional nutrient source. This study assessed the nutritional composition of leaves and grains from three heat-tolerant quinoa genotypes (Ames 13746 (Pison), Ames 13748 (Copacabana), and Ames 13745 (Kaslae)) to support their use as multipurpose crops in warm regions. Crude protein, amino acid, dietary fiber fraction, total fat, total starch, and mineral (Ca, Mg, P, K, Fe, and Zn) concentrations were quantified using AOAC, AACCI, and AOCS standardized methods. The grains exhibited a balanced essential amino acid profile, with lysine concentrations exceeding those of most staple cereals. The protein contents in the leaves and grains did not differ among genotypes (p > 0.05), although combustion analysis yielded consistently higher values than the Kjeldahl method. The leaves differed significantly in insoluble and total dietary fiber (p < 0.05), with Kaslae presenting the highest levels. In grains, the dietary fiber, total fat, total starch, and mineral contents did not vary among genotypes. The leaf mineral composition differed in terms of Ca and P, while Mg, Fe, K, and Zn levels remained similar across genotypes. These findings underscore quinoa's potential as a nutrient-dense, multipurpose crop for food production in tropical environments.

An emerging paradigm in public health focuses on enhancing nutrition in existing food staples to reduce chronic disease at the population scale, rather than relying on individuals to change their behavior. This paradigm leverages plant and animal breeding, production practices, and processing to enhance nutrition, whereby foods consumed by millions can be improved at low incremental cost. This article supports and operationalizes this paradigm, illustrating the potential to improve diets through a case study that increases the arabinoxylan fiber content of commodity wheat through classical plant breeding (a non-GMO technology). The approach described in this article proposes to link agricultural and food science with health system implementation to deliver equitable access, improved healthcare outcomes and cost savings, and improved community health. Based on published dose-response relationships, comparative risk modeling indicates that modest fiber increases achieved by the commodity wheat breeding led to reduced population-level risks of 1-3% for cardiovascular disease, 3-4.5% for type 2 diabetes, and 1-3.5% for colorectal cancer, translating into substantial healthcare cost savings when implemented at a national scale. This article outlines possible low-risk pathways for implementing these nutrition increases at the population scale through commodity supply chains and community-level nutrition improvement efforts and evaluates the ranges of potential population-level impacts.

Studies have shown that dietary fibers have many health benefits. Soluble dietary fibers (SDF) extracted from wheat, corn, rice, or several herbaceous plants have been shown to have either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects depending on the mode of preparation of the fibers, the fibers’ structures and the biological or cellular context. However, much less is known regarding the immunomodulatory properties of dry bean-derived SDF. The goal of this study was to fill this gap in knowledge. Using RAW 264.7 macrophages, we show that dry bean-derived SDF stimulated the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6. We show that these changes were partly dependent on toll-like receptor TLR-4 signaling. More importantly, we observed that the levels of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower when the SDF were extracted from heat-processed bean flour. Overall, our results demonstrate that dry bean-derived SDF-rich fractions modulate macrophage activation in vitro, promoting a pro-inflammatory response that is partially mediated by TLR-4 signaling.

Optimizing wheat flour-protein based dough formulations requires balancing processing performance and cost efficiency. This study evaluated the effects of 14 ingredients - bread flour, eight dietary proteins from both plant and animal sources, three lipids, water, and salt - on wheat flour-protein tortilla dough mechanical properties using Spearman correlation, Random Forest, Elastic Net regularization, Extra Trees regressor-based sensitivity analysis, and cosine similarity analysis. In this study, bread flour was found to be the primary determinant of dough mechanical properties, with greater influence on textural than rheological properties, likely due to the dominant role of starch-water interactions in texture development. Proteins, by contrast, contributed more substantially to rheological than textural properties, either by directly modifying the gluten network or by competitively absorbing water during mixing, thereby limiting gluten hydration and development. Among dietary proteins, plant-based proteins - particularly soy, pea, and pea-quinoa - exhibited substantial impacts, whereas animal-based proteins showed comparatively limited influence. Furthermore, cosine similarity analysis revealed that whey and egg white proteins exhibited comparable mechanical effects, as did soy and pea proteins, supporting whey protein as a functionally equivalent and more economical substitute for egg white protein, and soy protein as a viable alternative to pea protein. Notably, whey and egg white proteins displayed opposing functional directions relative to soy and pea proteins, enabling strategic co-incorporation in plant protein-enriched formulations to enhance nutritional value while maintaining mechanical properties. These findings provide a framework for functionality-informed cost reduction and targeted formulation design in wheat flour-protein dough systems.

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), cultivated for its low THC content (<0.3%), is increasingly valued for its nutrient-rich seeds and broad applications in human nutrition. This review offers a holistic analysis of hemp seed utilization, covering agronomic, nutritional, processing, and economic aspects. Agronomic practices and environmental factors considerably influence the seed's nutritional profile, which includes high levels of complete proteins, essential fatty acids with an optimal ω-6 to ω-3 ratio, dietary fiber, and micronutrients. Hemp seeds also contain bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties providing further health benefits and economic value. Advancements in processing methods, such as germination, fermentation, and cold pressing have enhanced nutrient bioavailability and reduced antinutritional factors, supporting the development of functional foods. Economically, the hemp seed market shows strong growth potential, driven by consumer demand for plant-based, sustainable food sources. However, challenges persist in scaling production and standardizing quality across supply chains. Hemp seeds represent a sustainable, nutrient-dense food ingredient with momentous potential to support health and diversify agricultural economies. Continued interdisciplinary research and supportive policy frameworks are essential to unlock their full value in the human diet.

Sesame protein isolate (SPI) is emerging as a valuable plant-based protein with promising nutritional and functional properties. This study examined the influence of three drying techniques-hot air drying (OD), spray drying (SD), and freeze-drying (FD)-on the physicochemical, structural, thermal, techno-functional, rheological properties, and in vitro digestibility of SPI. While proximate composition remained unchanged, notable variations were observed in particle size, zeta potential, FTIR spectra, free sulfhydryl (-SH) groups, and surface hydrophobicity (H₀), reflecting conformational modifications. OD-PI exhibited the highest denaturation temperature (81.83 °C) and lowest enthalpy (28.86 J/g). SD-PI demonstrated superior functional traits, including emulsion capacity (29.91 %), stability (64.83 min), foaming capacity (127.78 %), stability (47.78 %), water-holding capacity (1.81 %), and rheology, attributed to its small particle size (4.51 μm) and high solubility (72.62 %). FD-PI showed the greatest -SH and H₀ values. Importantly, SD-PI displayed enhanced digestibility, establishing spray drying as the most effective method for producing high-quality SPI for food applications.

Dietary hemp seed has recently surged in popularity as a functional food due to its nutritional profile and potential health benefits. Advances in hemp seed research shed light on its positive impact on gut function and health, which are vital for nutrient absorption and pathogen defense. This review aims to provide current insights into the functional roles of hemp seed in promoting gut health. We summarize the beneficial effects of hemp seed in enhancing intestinal barrier function, reducing inflammation, and maintaining healthy gut microbiota. Additionally, we discuss the emerging mechanisms through which hemp seed influences gut health, including the regulation of various cellular signaling pathways and the modulation of fatty acid profiles. Further exploration of the interplay between hemp seed and gut health may unveil innovative strategies for improving well-being through dietary interventions involving hemp seed consumption.

Arabinoxylan (AX) substantially impacts wheat dough and bread quality; however, the behavior of waterunextractable AX (WU-AX) during breadmaking is not fully understood. This study investigates WU-AX changes during breadmaking by treating it with various sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations to produce alkali-solubilized AX (AS-AX). Higher NaOH concentrations (up to 2.0 M) increase the AS-AX ratio, reaching over 80 %. The release of ferulic acid also increases with NaOH concentration but plateaus at 0.5 M NaOH. Analysis with 50 mM NaOH revealed the AS-AX ratio decreased from 46.0 % in wheat flour to 30.5 % at the proof stage, indicating WU-AX conversion to water-extractable AX (WE-AX) through the cleavage of ferulic acid-mediated bonds. High and low molecular weight AS-AX exhibit different solubilization patterns; low molecular weight AX with weaker bonds solubilizes more readily and converts preferentially to WE-AX. Understanding these dynamic changes can enhance dough properties and bread quality through targeted WU-AX.

Protein glutaminase (PG)-assisted extraction has been demonstrated to increase plant protein recovery yield and protein solubility. However, the combined influence of extraction pH and PG inclusion during extraction on the structure, functionality and in-vitro digestibility of extracted plant proteins remains largely unknown. This study compared PG-500-assisted extraction of pea proteins (D-PP) with traditional alkaline extraction (PP) at pH 7, 8, and 9. D-PP showed similar to 26 %, 6 %, and 5 % increment on protein recovery yield extracted at pH 7, pH 8, and pH 9, respectively. D-PP extracted at pH 7 and pH 8 showed higher negative surface charge under neutral to alkaline conditions compared to PP, while no significant difference was observed when extracted at pH 9. Surface hydrophobicity and sulfhydryl group content of D-PP were consistently lower than those of PP, regardless of extraction pH. SDS-PAGE showed similar protein bands between D-PP and PP samples, indicating PG-500 did not induce proteolysis. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed D-PP extracted at pH 7 had higher onset (T-O) and denaturation temperature (T-P), but lower enthalpy (Delta H) compared to PP, with no difference observed at pH 8 and pH 9. Gelation dynamics showed a comparable or higher storage modulus (G') for D-PP extracted at pH 7 and pH 8, but a reduced G' extracted at pH 9 compared to PP. Emulsification and foaming capacity were improved only for D-PP extracted at pH 7, water-holding and oil-binding capacity decreased. In-vitro digestion showed no significant differences in apparent protein digestibility between D-PP and PP across all extraction pHs.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) (0, 25, 50, 100, and 150 MPa) pretreatment on the structural, rheological, and gelling properties of alkaline-extracted hazelnut protein isolate gels induced by glucono-δ-lactone (GDL). Homogenization pretreatment shortened the time required to obtain the maximum G′ value (12.65 Pa) from 32 to 28 min in the control sample. The particle size of protein isolates decreased with increasing pressure, resulting in lower particle size aggregates after gelation and in a denser gel structure with increasing gel hardness (from 1.52 g to 2.06 g) and WHC (from 31.95% to 48.36%). FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that HPH pretreatment and gelling time changed the secondary structure of the protein, promoting the formation of hazelnut protein gels. Hazelnut gel pretreated at 150 MPa exhibited the highest apparent viscosity and G′ value, indicating a more elastic and stronger gel network structure. The gel intermolecular force results showed that the contribution of hydrophobic interactions to gel formation was significant, and the chemical bond content of the gels increased with the increase in pressure up to 100 MPa. The physical stability of the gels was also improved by HPH pretreatment. Although the best WHC and physical stability were observed in the 100 MPa-pretreated gel sample, the hazelnut protein isolate pretreated at 150 MPa exhibited the best gel performance. Overall, HPH pretreatment has the potential to enhance hazelnut protein gel properties for industrial food applications.