A novel method of shrimp blanching by CO2 heat pump: Quality,energy, and economy analysis

To reduce the energy consumption of the shrimp blanching process and improve the economic value of the blanched product, a transcritical CO₂ heat pump blanching system (THPB system) was designed in this paper. The trends of astaxanthin were investigated at atmospheric pressure near boiling temperature, combined with the color and structural properties of shrimp samples, and the optimal blanching times of 270 s and 240 s were obtained at 90°C and 95°C, respectively. In contrast to the fuel blanching system (FB system) at 100°C, the annual standard coal consumption of the THPB system with 90°C blanching is decreased by 79%, and the annual operating cost can be saved by CNY 63,800, with a payback period of about 3.13 years.Industrial relevanceBlanching is one of the effective ways to prolong the shelf life of shrimp. However, the research on the blanching time and temperature of shrimp is not comprehensive. In addition, the traditional fuel blanching process has high energy consumption and pollution, and can no longer meet the quality requirements of the modern food processing industry. Heat pump has been shown to have better performance in food drying, but it is less used in blanching. The information presented in this study may provide other insights into food processing.     

Effect of microwave heating time on the gel properties of chicken myofibrillar proteins and their formation mechanism

The present work was conducted to illustrate the mechanism of gel formation of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) under different microwave heating times. The results showed that the denaturation enthalpy (ΔH) of the MPs significantly decreased when the heating time increased from 3 to 9 s and then completely disappeared as the heating time progressed, indicating that the MPs gradually denatured and subsequently aggregated with increasing heating time, which was further verified by the changes in the secondary structure, electrophoretic bands, and gel properties (e.g., water holding capacity and textural profiles) of the MPs. Microstructural images indicated that the MP gel formed under 12 s had the most compact network, indicating that extended microwave heating time could induce quality deterioration of MP gels. Moreover, the hydrophobic forces, electrostatic forces, and disulphide bonds of the MPs gradually intensified with increasing microwave heating time, suggesting that both non-covalent and covalent bonds could promote molecular denaturation and subsequent aggregation of MPs. In addition, correlation analysis revealed that the changes in the molecular conformation of MPs induced by different microwave heating times could effectively regulate the formation of MP gels and their related properties.     

Nutrient enrichment of dairy curd by incorporation of whole and ruptured microalgal cells (Nannochloropsis salina)

This work investigated incorporation of Nannochloropsis salina into renneted dairy gels and curd. Whole and ruptured microalgal cells did not impair κ-casein macropeptide cleavage by the rennet enzyme. However, insoluble components of ruptured cells impeded gelation, presumably by hindering interactions between renneted casein micelles. Confocal imaging showed that whole cells were retained and homogenously distributed within the protein network of the gels and cooked curd, whereas ruptured algae formed large aggregates that altered the protein matrix. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the whole microalgal cells was incorporated within the curds, with considerably less EPA retained for ruptured cells. Soluble algal debris did not impair gelation, however EPA wasn't retained in the curd. The study demonstrates that nutrient enrichment of renneted dairy products is possible by incorporating whole microalgal cells to displace milk fat with protein and the beneficial long-chain omega-3 fatty acid EPA. Future research into the optimisation of product organoleptic properties is required.     

Germination improves the functional properties of soybean and enhances soymilk quality

The effects of soybean variety and germination time on structural changes, antinutritional factor content, antioxidant activity of germinated soybean, and on the functional properties of soymilk were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that the antioxidant activity increased with increasing germination time. The content of antinutritional factors decreased with increasing germination time. Soybean varieties with the lowest tannin and trypsin inhibitor content were DN690 and HJ1. Lipoxygenase activity and phytic acid content showed no significant differences among soybean varieties. The content of α-helices and β-turns in soybean protein decreased with increasing germination time, while the content of β-sheets was increased. Soybean protein was progressively broken down into smaller molecular peptides during the germination process. The digestion and content of soluble protein in soymilk increased with germination. In summary, we show that germination is an effective, cheap, and green method that improves the functional properties of soybean and soymilk.     

The effect of charge on the dihydrogen storage capacity of Sc2–C6H6

The effect of charge on the dihydrogen storage capacity of Sc₂–C₆H₆ has been investigated at B3LYP-D3/6-311G(d,p) level. The neutral system Sc₂–C₆H₆ can store 8H₂ with gravimetric density of 8.76 wt %, and one H₂ dissociates and bonds atomically on the scandium atom. The adsorption of 8H₂ on Sc₂–C₆H₆ is energetically favorable below 155 K. The atom-centered density matrix propagation (ADMP) molecular dynamics simulations show that Sc₂–C₆H₆ can adsorb 3H₂ within 1000 fs at 300K. Compared with Sc₂–C₆H₆, the charged systems can adsorb more hydrogen molecules with higher gravimetric density, and all the H₂ are adsorbed in the molecular form. The gravimetric densities of Sc₂–C₆H₆⁺ and Sc₂–C₆H₆²⁺ are 9.75 and 10.71 wt%. Moreover, the maximum adsorption of charged systems are favorable in wider temperature range. Most importantly, the ADMP-MD simulations indicate that Sc₂–C₆H₆²⁺ can adsorb 6 hydrogen molecules within 1000 fs at 300K. It can be found that the gravimetric density (6.72 wt%) of Sc₂–C₆H₆²⁺ still exceeds the target of US Department of Energy (DOE) under ambient conditions.     

淀粉预糊化温度对肉粉肠品质特性的影响和机制研究

绿豆淀粉的预糊化是肉粉肠区别于其他熏煮香肠的关键加工工艺，因此，预糊化淀粉的温度对产品的品质至关重要。本研究将绿豆淀粉分别用75、85、95 ℃的热水进行预糊化后制备肉粉肠，探讨不同的预糊化温度对产品品质和淀粉糊化度（Degree of Starch Gelatinization，DSG）的影响。实验结果表明，随着预糊化淀粉温度的升高，肉粉肠的DSG和乳化稳定性显著增加（P<0.05），蒸煮损失显著降低（P<0.05），且大量自由水向不易流动水转变。同时，随预糊化淀粉温度的增加，肉粉肠的硬度、回复性、弹性、脆性、咀嚼性、致密性和亮度值（Lightness，L*）均显著增加（P<0.05），促进产品最终品质的形成。总体可接受评分在95 ℃的预糊化温度时达到最高（P<0.05）。此外，聚类分析（Hierarchical Cluster Analysis，HCA）结果表明，95 ℃的预糊化温度对肉粉肠的品质特性有上调的影响。综上所述，95 ℃是提高肉粉肠品质的最佳预糊化淀粉温度。     

Artistic Augmentation of Photographs with Droplets

Journal of Computer Science and Technology - Artistic augmentation of photographs with water droplets aims at generating aesthetic yet realistic images, and thus differs from traditional augmented...     

实用类蛋白反应的作用机制及其对海洋源蛋白修饰的研究进展

类蛋白反应作为一种可以修饰生物活性肽的新方法,已经成为蛋白质食品研究的热点。海洋生物含有丰富的生物活性成分,其含有的蛋白肽具有多种人体代谢和生理调节功能。然而蛋白肽存在生物利用度有限、酶解液味苦等问题。本文在阐述类蛋白反应过程和机制的基础上,对类蛋白反应修饰提高海洋源活性蛋白肽的生物活性、改善蛋白的加工特性及减少蛋白酶解液苦味等研究进展进行了详细的介绍,以期为海洋源蛋白的深度利用以及高值化研究提供理论参考。     

Combination of high-pressure homogenization and ultrasound improves physiochemical,interfacial and gelation properties of whey protein isolate

The main purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of high-pressure homogenization (HPH, 60, 90, and 120 MPa, three cycles) combined with ultrasound (US, 120, 360, and 600 W, 30 min) on the physiochemical, interfacial, and gelation properties of whey protein isolate (WPI). Compared with an individual application of HPH or US, a combined HPH-US treatment can further reduce average particle size (D_4,3) and turbidity of WPI, while significantly ameliorating its surface hydrophobicity, fluorescence intensity, and free sulfhydryl content. Compared with that of an untreated WPI, the emulsifying ability index (EAI) of WPI was increased by 8.54% after a 120 MPa HPH and by 7.63% after a 600 W US, whereas it increased by 13.97% after a combined treatment of 120 MPa and 600 W HPH-US. Accordingly, the foaming ability (FA) and the foaming stability (FS) were enhanced by 26.10% and 118.18% at 120 MPa and 600 W, respectively. The hardness of WPI gel was also increased by 170.45% at 120 MPa and 600 W compared to the untreated WPI. Therefore, the combination of HPH and US could make a remarkable improvement in the physicochemical functional characteristics of WPI, providing basic data support for the food industry to obtain excellent novel WPI ingredients.