Double emulsion (W/O/W) gel stabilised by polyglycerol polyricinoleate and calcium caseinate as mangiferin carrier: insights on formulation and stability properties

Mangiferin (MGF) is a phenolic compound isolated from mango, but its poor solubility significantly limits its use. In this study, MGF was embedded into the inner aqueous phase of W₁/O/W₂ emulsions. Firstly, the dissolution method of MGF was determined. MGF remained stable in solution with pH 13 at 30 min, and its solubility reached 10 mg mL⁻¹. When the pH of MGF solutions was adjusted from pH 13 to pH 6, MGF did not immediately crystallise, providing sufficient time to construct the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions. Subsequently, the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions were constructed using polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and calcium caseinate (CAS). The formation and stability of the W₁/O/W₂ emulsions were investigated. The MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised with 1% PGPR and 1% – 3% CAS exhibited a low viscosity, limited loading capacity, and poor stability. Conversely, the MGF-loaded W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised by 3%PGPR–3%CAS exhibited optimal loading capacity (encapsulation efficiency = 95.31% and loading efficiency = 0.91%) and stability, which was attributed to the fact that high viscosity and gel state retarded the migration of inner aqueous phase. These results indicated that the W₁/O/W₂ emulsions stabilised by PGPR and CAS may be a potential alternative for encapsulating mangiferin.     

Impact of voltage and pulse delivery mode on the efficacy of pulsed light for the inactivation of Listeria

Listeria innocua inactivation by pulsed light (PL) was evaluated at different settings and voltages, to establish the best treatment conditions and post-treatment handling for further implementation of PL in the food industry. Fluences up to 0.2 J/cm² were applied to superficially inoculated TSA agar plates (4.5–5 log cfu/cm²). Inactivation was calculated, and log-linear and Weibull models were applied. A fluence of 0.2 J/cm² applied in a single pulse inactivated 3.8 log cfu/cm², while sequential application of this fluence yielded an inactivation between 1.5 and 2.5 log cfu/cm² depending on the delivery mode (consecutive flashing or with 5 min-holding times under ambient light or in the dark). Data from consecutive PL treatment were fitted with the Weibull model. No photoreactivation following PL was observed after 120-min exposure to ambient light in any of the conditions assayed. This study showed that flashing with a single pulse at higher voltage would offer the highest inactivation of Listeria.Industrial relevanceThis study offered information of practical interest to establish pulsed light processing and post-processing conditions for the control of Listeria spp. in the food industry, for instance in ready-to-eat (RTE) products. The use of higher voltages provided higher inactivation and allowed to minimise the number of flashes. If sequential treatments are to be applied, the treatment is more effective if short holding times are kept between pulses. The post-processing illumination conditions do not influence the efficacy of PL treatment.     

Isolation and identification of Lactobacillus and yeast species and their effect on the quality of fermented rice cakes

In this study, microbes were isolated from the rice slurry of a fermented rice cake to obtain lactic acid bacteria and yeast species. These species were identified using microbial physiology and gene sequence analyses. As the growth of the lactic acid bacterial strain R-2b and the yeast J-3a strains were found to be the best, a composite starter comprising these microbes was used for the preparation of fermented rice cakes. Based on single factor and orthogonal experiments, when the proportion of Lactobacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Candida humilis was 1:3:6, the optimal fermentation conditions were addition of sugar and starter amounts of 20% and 6%, respectively, a fermentation temperature of 32 °C, and fermentation time of 8 h. The fermented rice cake with this optimum ratio had the most abundant volatile components and qualified physicochemical and microbial indexes. Additionally, the overall quality was better than that of commercially available products.     

Synergistic effect of high-intensity ultrasound and β-cyclodextrin treatments on browning control in apple juice

This work evaluated the synergistic effects of combined high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) treatments on inhibiting browning of apple juice and explored the mechanism through simulation system. The combined treatment of 300 W HIU with 0.006 g mL⁻¹ β-CD had a synergistic impact on maintaining juice colour, resulting in a 39.06% reduction in browning degree, only a 36.64% decrease in total phenolic content, and a 17.82% reduction in PPO activity. The inhibition of enzymatic browning in simulated system revealed that HIU suppressed the enzyme (Polyphenol oxidase, PPO) and β-CD inhibited enzyme (PPO) and embedded substrate (polyphenol). The results of spectroscopic analysis showed that the particle-size distribution of PPO narrowed, the content of α-helix in the secondary structure increased, the fluorescence intensity increased, and the maximum wavelength was red-shifted after HIU and β-CD treatment. Changes in structure could further result in PPO activity loss. Hence, the combined treatment could synthetically alleviate the browning of apple juice.     

Update on the Roles of Rice MAPK Cascades

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades have been validated playing critical roles in diverse aspects of plant biology, from growth and developmental regulation, biotic and abiotic stress responses, to phytohormone signal transduction or responses. A classical MAPK cascade consists of a MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK), a MAPK kinase (MAPKK), and a MAPK. From the 75 MAPKKKs, eight MAPKKs, and 15 MAPKs of rice, a number of them have been functionally deciphered. Here, we update recent advances in knowledge of the roles of rice MAPK cascades, including their components and complicated action modes, their diversified functions controlling rice growth and developmental responses, coordinating resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, and conducting phytohormone signal transduction. Moreover, we summarize several complete MAPK cascades that harbor OsMAPKKK-OsMAPKK-OsMAPK, their interaction with different upstream components and their phosphorylation of diverse downstream substrates to fulfill their multiple roles. Furthermore, we state a comparison of networks of rice MAPK cascades from signal transduction crosstalk to the precise selection of downstream substrates. Additionally, we discuss putative concerns for elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms and molecular functions of rice MAPK cascades in the future.     

冷链条件下气调包装酱卤鸭肉制品货架期预测模型的建立

目的 以气调包装酱卤鸭肉制品为研究对象,在冷链温度范围内建立一套准确、高效的货架期预测模型。方法 利用选择性培养基测定不同温度下产品各微生物数量,确定4~25℃条件下产品优势腐败菌。对乳酸菌数量与感官评定值进行了回归分析确定最小腐败量Ns。分别采用修正的Gompertz方程和平方根方程建立一、二级模型,并通过预测值与实测值对比验证模型的可靠性。结果 确定了4~25℃条件下产品优势腐败菌为乳酸菌,最小腐败量Ns=6.14(lg(cfu /g))。一、二级模型拟合度均良好,三种温度下模型预测值与实际值间的差异均在30％左右,波动幅度在10%以内。结论 实现了对4~25℃内任何时间点产品剩余货架期的预测,为冷链条件下气调包装酱卤鸭肉制品品质的变化提供了理论指导。     

Effect of thermal treatment on the antioxidant activity of egg white hydrolysate and the preparation of novel antioxidant peptides

Heat treatment will affect the nutritional properties and potential bioactivity of food materials. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different thermal treatment (4, 56, 65 and 100 ℃) and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the antioxidant activity of egg white hydrolysate. The results demonstrated that egg white hydrolysate treated at 65 ℃ exhibited the highest antioxidant. Remarkably, the simulated digestion significantly increased antioxidant activity of egg white hydrolysate. Furthermore, we identified twenty-four potential antioxidant peptides by performing mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analysis. Six peptides were selected based on the activity prediction score of the online tool. The results showed that P6 (ACPECPK) possessed the most outstanding antioxidant properties and had low cytotoxicity and allergenicity. Bioinformatics technology combined with biochemical assays may offer a way for discovering novel antioxidant peptides from different kinds of food under various heat treatment conditions.     

红色红曲菌组蛋白去乙酰化酶MrSir2的原核表达及活性分析

根据基因组序列信息,利用cDNA末端快速扩增技术(rapid-amplification of cDNA ends,RACE)得到了红色红曲菌中组蛋白去乙酰化酶mrsir2基因的完整cDNA序列,其编码序列(coding sequence,CDS)为1539 bp,编码512个氨基酸,含有一个SIR2蛋白保守结构域。根据大肠杆菌的密码子的偏好性对mrsir2序列进行优化,优化后的序列与p ET-28b载体连接后转入宿主菌E.coli BL21中进行IPTG诱导表达,并优化表达条件。实验结果表明:在16℃条件下用终浓度为0.25 mM的IPTG诱导培养16 h后,目的蛋白Mr Sir2可溶性表达效果良好。Ni2+柱亲和层析纯化后的Mr Sir2重组蛋白在SDS-PAGE上显示为一条约75 ku大小的条带,蛋白定量浓度达1.97 mg/mL,经Western blot鉴定为目的蛋白,测定酶活为78.5(OD/min/mg),780μM的二氢香豆素(dihydrocoumarin,DHC)对Mr Sir2蛋白的酶活抑制率为47%。Mr Sir2蛋白的可溶性表达为全面了解其酶学特征提供了材料,也为体外分析蛋白相互作用奠定了基础。     

One-step synthesis of CuCo2O4-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 nanofibers as high performance composite cathodes of intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

One-dimensional nanostructured CuCo₂O₄-Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 (SDC) nanofibers are prepared by the electrospinning method and one step sintering as a cathode with low polarization resistance for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC). The CuCo₂O₄-SDC nanofibers cathodes form a porous network structure and have large triple-phase boundaries. Correspondingly, the electrochemical performance of the CuCo₂O₄-SDC nanofibers composite cathodes shows significantly improve, achieving the polarization resistance of 0.061 Ω cm² and the maximum power densities of 976 mW·cm⁻² at 750 °C. Thus, these results suggest that CuCo₂O₄-SDC nanofiber could be a highly active cathode material for IT-SOFCs.