Improved aqueous solubility,bioaccessibility and cellular uptake of quercetin following pH-driven encapsulation in whey protein isolate

The purpose of this study was to increase the water solubility and potential bioavailability of quercetin by encapsulation in whey protein isolate (WPI) based on a green, efficient pH-driven method. According to the results, the water solubility of quercetin increased by 346.9: times after loading into WPI nanoparticles. When the initial quercetin concentration was 0.25 mg mL⁻¹ and WPI was 2% w/v, the encapsulation efficiency reached 94.1%, the Z-average diameter was 36.63 nm, and the zeta potential was −36.4 mV at pH 7.0. The fluorescence spectroscopy assay suggested the molecular complexation of quercetin and WPI at pH 12.0. X-ray diffraction assay indicated the enclosure of amorphous quercetin in WPI. Correspondingly, the bioaccessibility increased from 2.76% to 31.23% and the Caco-2 cell monolayer uptake increased from 0% to 2.12% after nanoencapsulation. This work confirmed that the pH-driven method is an effective approach to prepare WPI–quercetin nanocapsules to improve physical and potentially biological properties of quercetin.     

Optimization and regularization of complex task decomposition for blind removal of multi-factor degradation

Most existing image restoration methods based on deep neural networks are developed for images which only degraded by a single degradation mode and imaging under an ideal condition. They cannot be directly used to restore the images degraded by multi-factor coupling. A complex task decomposition regularization optimization strategy (TDROS) is proposed to solve the problem. The restoration of images degraded by multi-factor coupling is a complex task that can be solved by separating these multiple factors, that is, breaking the complex task into numbers of simpler tasks to make the entire complex problem be overcome more easily. Motivated by this idea, the TDROS decomposes the complex task of image restoration into two sub-task: the potential task constrained by regularization and the main task for reconstructing high-definition images. In TDROS, the front of the neural network is focused on the restoration of images degraded by additive noise, while the other part of the network is focused mainly on the restoration of images degraded by blur. We applied the TDROS to an 11-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) and compared it with initial CNNs from the aspects of restoration accuracy and generalization ability. Based on these results, we used TDROS to design a novel network model for the restoration of atmospheric turbulence-degraded images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed TDROS can improve the generalization ability of the existing network more effectively than current popular methods, offering a better solution for the problem of severely degraded image restoration. Moreover, the TDROS concept provides a flexible framework for low-level visual complex tasks and can be easily incorporated into existing CNNs.     

Pulsed electric field processing of a pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fermented beverage

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) (11.7 or 18 kV/cm) and pasteurization (batch or slow (VAT) and high-temperature-short time (HTST)) on the microbial, physicochemical, bioactive and sensory characteristics of a pomegranate (Punica granatum) fermented beverage (PFB) through storage at 4 °C. Bioactive compounds (antioxidant capacity, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins content) and color were measured. The microbiological counts (initial mesophilic aerobic bacteria (MAB) of 9.77 × 10³ CFU/mL and initial molds plus yeasts (MY) of 2.04 × 10³ CFU/mL) showed that applying 6 ms of bipolar PEFs at 18 kV/cm with 200 Hz repetition frequency reduced the microbial loads in approximately 4-log cycles, remaining <10 CFU/mL of both types of microorganisms in the PFB. PEF barely affected the total soluble solids, pH, ethanol, total acidity and color. All PEF-treated and pasteurization samples showed a slight reduction in bioactive compounds during storage. In sensory acceptability, the lowest score was given to the VAT pasteurized sample; however, still acceptable (between like slightly and like moderately).Industrial relevanceThis research provides essential information on the microbiological, physicochemical, bioactive and sensory characteristics of a pomegranate fermented beverage processed with pulsed electric fields. The pulsed electric field processing of fermented beverages may provide criteria to the processing industry to use this novel technology as a processing method for delivering a microbiological safe beverage with good sensory and antioxidant characteristics to consumers.     

改进的CAGAN在虚拟试衣中的应用

针对CAGAN（Conditional Analogy GAN）换衣后效果模糊，在目标衣服与原始衣服长短不一致时效果一般，相对目标衣服保留过少的细节等问题做了相关研究并对CAGAN进行了改进，提出了新的虚拟试衣方式。经过改进的CAGAN生成一个粗糙的结果，由该结果得到目标衣服穿在模特身上改变形状后的mask，接下来利用mask对目标衣服进行变形，综合变形的衣服和第一步的结果便得到最终的试衣图像。实验结果表明，该方法解决了前面存在的问题，而且取得了非常好的效果。     

菌酶协同改善花生粕的饲用品质

花生粕是重要的蛋白饲料原料，但由于其氨基酸不平衡，特别是精氨酸与赖氨酸比例严重失衡（精氨酸与赖氨酸含量比值在3~4，理想的精氨酸与赖氨酸含量比值为1.0），限制了其在动物养殖中的应用。研究了复合酶预处理结合乳酸菌发酵花生粕对其品质的改善。结果表明：经菌酶协同处理后，花生粕粗蛋白质含量由46.4%提高至506%，大分子蛋白明显降解为小分子蛋白，酸溶蛋白质含量由2.3%提高至17.8%，多肽含量由1.6%提高至15.7%，蛋氨酸和赖氨酸含量分别提高了77.1%和42.0%，精氨酸降解率为18.7%，精氨酸与赖氨酸含量比值从3.7降低至2.1，总酸含量由06%提高到4.7%，其中乳酸含量由0.64 mg/g提高至14.63 mg/g。菌酶协同处理后的花生粕抗氧化性明显增强，其中每克菌酶协同处理后的花生粕对羟自由基的清除能力与171.6 mg VC相当，比花生粕（与47.6 mg VC相当）提高了2.6倍。     

Novel electromagnetic separation technology for the production of pea protein concentrate

Use of plant protein is of growing interest to address consumer demands and sustainability of future food supply. In this study, Lorentz force-assisted charge carrier separation enhancement strategy was employed to separate pea protein (Pisum sativum L.). The magnetic field is generated by parallel magnets, 20 cm long, 10 cm wide and 10 cm apart, and perpendicular to the electric field formed between parallel electrodes. The charged particles would cut the magnetic induction lines during the movement and were subjected to a Lorentz force towards the negative electrode, which improves the highest purity and yield of the protein concentrate by 3.6% (db) and 1.8% respectively, over exclusively triboelectric separation. After the ultrafine milling, air pre-classification and optimized electromagnetic separation, the purity of the resulting pea protein concentrate was increased from 27.8 ± 0.6% to 72.1 ± 0.8% (db) with a yield of 9.2 ± 1.2%. This study pointed out the value of magnetic field used as an auxiliary means in the electrostatic separation.     

Metaproteomic analysis of enzymatic composition in Baobaoqu fermentation starter for Wuliangye baijiu

Wuliangye is one of the most famous brands of baijiu in China. The typical flavours of Wuliangye baijiu are mainly formed by the multifarious enzymes in fermentation starter (Baobaoqu, BBQ). As the enzymes remained poorly understood, the detailed enzymatic composition of BBQ was analysed by metaproteomics for the first time. It is worth noting that the enzymes from plant, animals and micro-organisms were detected together and oxidoreductases were the dominant enzymes. Next, the analysis of function showed that the enzymes were mainly involved in carbon metabolism and the biosynthesis of amino acids. Additionally, the relationship between differential abundant enzymes and formation of typical flavour substances in premium and normal BBQ was established. Furthermore, the activities of classic enzymes in BBQ were examined to verify the reliability of metaproteomic results. This study will provide clues to further improve the manufacturing technology for Wuliangye baijiu.     

Effects of ultrasound-assisted resting on the qualities of whole wheat dough sheets and noodles

The effects of resting under ultrasonic treatment on the properties of whole wheat dough sheets and noodles were investigated. Compared with the control group, the resting time to reach the maximum breaking force and extensibility of whole wheat dough sheets treated with ultrasound was shortened by 20 min. The proportion of strongly bound water (T₂₁) decreased, while the proportion of weakly bound water (T₂₂) increased during resting, and the ultrasonic treatment could accelerate this moisture redistribution in the dough. The extent of the increase in gluten macropolymer and the decrease in –SH content of ultrasound-treated wheat dough was higher than that of the control one during the initial 5–15 min resting, which could be related to the improvement of whole wheat dough extensibility. Whole wheat noodles showed a better breaking distance for 10 min of ultrasonic-assisted resting. Ultrasonic treatment could be used to reduce the resting time of whole wheat dough sheets and improve the texture properties of noodles.     

The peptides in oat and malt extracts that are preferentially absorbed by Lactobacillus plantarum and stimulates its proliferation in milk

Lactobacillus plantarum proliferates inefficiently in milk, mainly because of its lack of cell envelope proteases and its inability to hydrolyse proteins in milk. Our previous study showed that this strain could grow well in milk with the addition of oat and malt extracts. To investigate the usage and preference for polypeptides and oligopeptides for this strain, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), plate counting and other methods were used in this study. The results showed that proteins in fermented milk cannot be absorbed and utilised by L. plantarum, whereas polypeptides and oligopeptides provide available nitrogen sources for their growth. Short-chain peptides were more conducive to absorption and utilisation than long-chain peptides. In particular, peptides with molecular weights in the range of 200–1400 Da in the oat extract and 100–700 Da in the malt extract were preferentially absorbed and utilised.