Effects on the crystallite growth behavior of LaPO4 nanopowders and its mechanical properties

The effects of pH of the reaction solution and the concentration of phosphoric acid on the crystal growth behavior of LaPO₄ crystallites were investigated and the mechanical properties of rare-earth phosphates were compared. As a result, the concentration of phosphoric acid of 10% was beneficial to the crystal growth of LaPO₄ nanocrystalline. When the pH value of the reaction solution was 2, the size of LaPO₄ crystallites increased gradually with the increasing reaction temperature, and the smallest crystallite size of 43.27 nm was obtained after heat-treatment at 1000 °C. Simultaneously, the activation energy for crystal growth of LaPO₄ nanocrystalline was relatively lower (26.82 kJ mol⁻¹). With the decreasing radii of rare-earth ions, the hardness, Young's modulus and fracture toughness of the bulk rare-earth phosphates exhibited a reduced tendency, resulted from the increase of porosity under the same preparation process.     

Removal of hexavalent chromium in aquatic solutions by pomelo peel

This study investigated the removal of hexavalent chromium(Cr(VI)) in aqueous solutions using pomelo peel(PP) and FeCl_3-modified pomelo peel(FPP) as novel biomass adsorbents.Batch adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of pH,time,temperature,initial concentration,and adsorbent dose on Cr(VI) removal by PP and FPP.The results show that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI)was 21.55 mg/g for FPP and 0.57 mg/g for PP at a pH of 2.0 and a temperature of 40℃.The surface shape,microstructure,and chemical composition of FPP were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),and compared with those of PP.The results show that the adsorption performance of FPP was much better than that of PP,indicating that FPP can be an alternative high-efficiency adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal.     

Emerging functional nanomaterials for the detection of food contaminants

Along with the progress in nanoscience, a variety of advanced functional nanomaterials were constructed to develop effective and innovative analytical techniques for food safety surveillance. In this review, we summarized the advanced analytical methods that have been developed based upon advanced functional nanomaterials, including plasmonic nanomaterial-based colorimetric methods, fluorescent nanomaterial-based fluorescent methods, advanced functional material-based molecular imprinting technology, advanced functional material-based chromatographic methods, plasmonic nanomaterial-based surface enhanced Raman scattering technology, and advanced functional material-based electrochemical methods. This review provides a progressive roadmap for further development of portable, rapid, and in situ detection technology to promote food safety surveillance from bench to market and eventually reduce the gap between research in the laboratory and industrial applications.     

Hydrogen storage properties of Mg98.5Gd1Zn0.5 and Mg98.5Gd0.5Y0.5Zn0.5 alloys containing LPSO phases

In this work, the as-cast Mg-rich Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 and Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5 alloys are prepared by the semi-continuous casting method, and their hydrogen storage performance and catalytic mechanisms are investigated by experimental and first-principles calculations approaches. The results show that the LPSO phases decompose and in-situ form the RE(Gd/Y)H_x(x = 2,3) nano-hydrides upon hydrogenation. These nano-hydrides not only serve as the in-situ catalysts to promote the hydrogen ab/desorption of Mg matrix, but also present the pinning effect to inhibit the growth of Mg/MgH₂ grains during hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. Comparatively, the two alloys exhibit the similar hydrogen absorption kinetics, while the hydrogen desorption kinetics of Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 is superior to that of Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5. The first-principles calculations reveal that the GdH₂ and YH₂ hydrides exhibit different catalytic effects on weakening the bond strength of H–H within H₂ and Mg–H within MgH₂, which interprets well the differences in the hydrogen ab/desorption kinetics between Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 and Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5 alloys.     

Keto acid decarboxylase and keto acid dehydrogenase activity detected during the biosynthesis of flavor compound 3-methylbutanal by the nondairy adjunct culture Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis F9

3-Methylbutanal is one of the primary substances that contribute to the nutty flavor in cheese. Lactococcus strains have been shown to have higher aminotransferase and α-keto acid decarboxylase activities compared with other microbes, indicating that they might form a higher amount of 3-methylbutanal by decarboxylation. Several dairy lactococcal strains have been successfully applied as adjunct cultures to increase the 3-methylbutanal content of cheese. Moreover, compared with dairy cultures, the nondairy lactococci are generally metabolically more diverse with more active AA-converting enzymes. Therefore, it might be appropriate to use nondairy lactococcal strains as adjunct cultures to enrich the 3-methylbutanal content of cheese. This study thereby aimed to select a nondairy Lactococcus strain that is highly productive of 3-methylbutanal, identify its biosynthetic pathway, and apply it to cheese manufacture. Twenty wild nondairy lactococci isolated from 5 kinds of Chinese traditional fermented products were identified using 16S rRNA sequence analysis and were found to belong to Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. The nondairy strains were then screened in vitro for their production of 3-methylbutanal and whether they met the criteria to become an adjunct culture for cheese. The L. lactis ssp. lactis F9, isolated from sour bamboo shoot, was selected because of its higher 3-methylbutanal production, suitable autolysis rate, and lower acid production. The enzymes involved in the catabolic pathway of leucine were then evaluated. Both α-keto acid decarboxylase (6.96 μmol/g per minute) and α-keto acid dehydrogenase (30.06 μmol/g per minute) activities were detected in nondairy L. lactis F9. Cheddar cheeses made with different F9 levels were ripened at 13°C and analyzed after 90 d by a combination of instrumental and sensory methods. The results showed that adding nondairy L. lactis F9 significantly increased 3-methylbutanal content and enhanced the nutty flavor of the cheese without impairing its textural properties. Thus, nondairy L. lactis F9 efficiently enhanced the biosynthesis of 3-methylbutanal in vitro and in manufactured cheese.     

无麸质大米面包研究进展

开发大米面包不但可以丰富中国大米类产品的花色品种,还能解决麸质过敏人群对饮食多样化的需求。由于无麸质大米面包中不含面筋蛋白,在制作过程中存在面团难以形成有效的网络结构、不易成型、品质差(持水性、持气性、弹性和内聚性)、老化速率快等缺点。近年来,研究人员通过改进工艺条件、添加品质改良剂等方法,对无麸质大米面包品质进行改善,文章简述了无麸质食品的相关标准和大米面包使用的原料,并介绍了其工艺和品质改良研究进展,以期为无麸质大米面包的产业化开发提供参考。     

不同热处理对籼米及其半干粉品质的影响

为考察不同热处理对籼米籽粒及其半干粉品质的影响,采用不同条件热处理籼米籽粒,分析米粒表观裂缝增加程度与其内部水分的关系,并进行半干法制粉(含水率为30%),测定不同热处理对大米粉微生物、破损淀粉及白度的影响。结果表明,热处理后的米粒,表观裂缝开始明显增加时米粒内部水分均小于8%;3种热处理(60℃90 min,120℃15min及180℃1min)后的大米调制粉微生物被有效抑制,且超高温短时(120℃15min,180℃1min)抑菌效果优于低温长时(60℃90min),破损淀粉、白度及糊化特性与干磨粉差异显著(P0.05),更接近湿磨粉。通过测定米粒内部水分可判断米粒表观裂缝增加的程度,且热处理大米籽粒进行半干法制粉其粉质特性与湿磨粉相当。     

近红外光谱技术结合支持向量机对食用醋品牌溯源的研究

研究近红外光谱技术对食用醋品牌进行快速无损溯源。收集市场上保宁、东湖、恒顺、镇江4个品种共152份具有代表性的食用醋样品,采集它们的近红外光谱数据,对原始光谱数据进行多元散射校正(multip,licative scatter corrertion,MSC)预处理,对预处理后的光谱数据利用主成分分析法(principal component analysis,PCA)进行聚类分析,根据主成分的累计贡献率选取主成分数,然后用支持向量机(support vector machine,SVM)建立预测模型,选取合适的SVM核函数,并利用粒子群优化算法(particle swarm optimization,PSO)优化模型参数。结果表明,近红外光谱技术结合支持向量机对食用醋品牌分类正确率可达100%。     

三种不同改性方法对甘薯渣不溶性膳食纤维改性效果的研究

该研究采用胶体磨湿法粉碎法、超声波辅助酸法、纤维素酶法3种方法处理甘薯渣不溶性膳食纤维(insoluble dietary fiber,IDF),比较改性前后IDF粒径分布、微观形态,并测定分析其理化性质。结果表明,与未改性甘薯渣IDF相比,3种改性方法改性之后,甘薯渣IDF的粒径、分散指数显著降低(P<0.01),持油力、持水力存在显著差异(P<0.01),吸附亚硝酸盐及胆固醇能力都有不同程度的提升。整体而言,这3种改性方法对甘薯渣IDF改性都有效果,并且胶体磨湿法粉碎法改性对甘薯渣IDF的持油力、持水力、吸附亚硝酸盐及胆固醇能力效果最好。甘薯渣改性的IDF可作为功能性成分应用于多种食品。