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ABSTRACTFennel essential oil was encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin to prepare microcapsules (β-CD-FEO). Single-factor experiments and model fitting were used to optimise the microcapsules. When the optimal core/wall material ratio was 10:0.6, encapsulation time set as 90 min, and encapsulation temperature controlled at 60°C, an optimal encapsulation efficiency of 77.05 ± 0.14% can be obtained. Using β-CD-FEO blended with low acyl gellan gum (LA-GG) as main constituents, three-component coating solutions containing sodium alginate (SA), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na), and konjac glucomannan (KGM) were investigated to evaluate their effect on the preservation of blueberries. Compared with the noncoated sample, coated blueberries showed excellent storage properties, especially KGM/LA-GG/β-CDs-FEO group had the highest sensory evaluation score under 25°C for 8 days. Therefore, KGM/LA-GG/β-CDs-FEO has potential application value in maintaining the quality of blueberries.

As a perishable fruit, the quality of blueberries is rapidly decayed after harvesting due to their weight loss, softening of tissues, color changes and microbial proliferation. In order to mimic the waxy layer of the blueberry epidermis, the waxy layer of wax gourd epidermis were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, the magnolol-loaded shellac/zein nanoparticles were fabricated using coaxial electrospraying method. The average particle size of the optimal nanoparticles was 2.84 ± 0.03 nm, and the encapsulation rate of magnolol was 79.18% ± 0.61%. Finally, the optimized nanoparticles and wax gourd epidermis were dispersed in an arabic gum solution to obtain a coating and sprayed on the surface of postharvested blueberries. The shellac/zein/magnolol nanoparticles exhibited potential thermal stability, excellent DPPH radical scavenging, antifungal activities against four different types of molds including Penicillium, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternariaand Pestalotiopsis. Overall, the shellac/zein/magnolol nanoparticles are suitable coating to retain the freshness and quality of blueberries during the storage.

In this study, the protein profiles in the livers of Shannan Yorkshire pigs (SNY), Linzhi Yorkshire pigs (LZY), and Jiuzhaigou Yorkshire pigs (JZY) were comparatively analyzed using quantitative proteomics. A total of 6804 proteins were identified, of which 6471 were quantified and 774 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened. The higher level of energy metabolism in LZY livers was in response to the critical altitude environment compared to that in JZY, while the high-altitude environment suppressed energy output in SNY livers. Several key antioxidant enzymes were locally regulated in Yorkshire pig liver to balance antioxidant levels in a high-altitude, low-oxygen environment. In addition, ribosomal proteins were differentially expressed in Yorkshire pig livers in response to different altitudinal environments. These findings provide clues to the adaptation of the Yorkshire pig liver to the three altitudinal environments and the molecular links that exist between them.