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Monomethyl-branched chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) are prevalent in diverse food sources, garnering significant interest owing to their distinctive branched structure and biological activity. However, the conventional analytical methods suffer from the time consumption and lower accuracy. In this study, we developed a method named Auto-mmBCFAs integrated GC-MS and algorithms for rapid and accurate measuring mmBCFAs. This method utilizes a multivariate matching approach, significantly enhancing detection efficiency. Compared to NIST database, Auto-mmBCFAs exhibits higher detection rates and accuracy. The developed method was validated in terms of precision, sensitivity, and linearity, and further evaluated mmBCFAs profile in sheep milk from different regions and breeds. Our results demonstrated that Auto-mmBCFAs methods is a rapid and reliable method for the determination of mmBCFAs in complex biological matrices.

A batch of all beef tallow (BT)-based model shortening (divided into six rectangular block samples) was stored under temperature fluctuation cycles of 5−20 °C until granular crystals were observed. The lipid composition, thermal properties, and polymorphism of the granular crystals and their surrounding materials were evaluated. Furthermore, the isothermal crystallization behavior of two parts noted above was also examined by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (pNMR), rheology, and polarized light microscopy (PLM). The changes of nanostructure including the aggregation of high-melting triacylglycerols (TAGs) and transformation into the most stable β polymorph occurred in granular crystals compared with surrounding materials. Concomitantly, a slower crystallization rate with a simultaneous increase in crystal growth led to the formation of large crystals and further aggregated to larger granular crystals when the size ultimately exceeded the sensory threshold.

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFSs) were synthesized by lipozyme RM IM-catalyzed acidolysis of chemically interesterified palm stearin (mp = 58 °C) with mixed FAs from rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, palm kernel oil, stearic acid, and myristic acid in a solvent-free system. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to model and optimize the reactions, and the factors chosen were reaction time, temperature, substrate molar ratio, and enzyme load. The optimal conditions generated from the models were as follows: reaction time, 3.4 h; temperature, 57 °C; substrate molar ratio, 14.6 mol/mol; and enzyme load, 10.7 wt % (by the weight of total substrates). Under these conditions, the contents of palmitic acid (PA) and PA at sn-2 position (sn-2 PA) were 29.7 and 62.8%, respectively, and other observed FAs were all within the range of FAs of HMF. The product was evaluated by the cited model, and a high score (85.8) was obtained, which indicated a high degree of similarity of the product to HMF.

The intestine is an important digestive organ of the human body, and its barrier is the guardian of the body from the external environment. The impairment of the intestinal barrier is believed to be an important determinant in various foodborne diseases. Food hazards can lead to the occurrence of many foodborne diseases represented by inflammation. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the impact of the food hazards on intestinal barriers is essential for promoting human health. This review examined the relationship between food hazards and the intestinal barrier in three aspects: apoptosis, imbalance of gut microbiota, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism of dysfunctional gut microbiota caused by food hazards was also discussed. This review discusses the interaction among food hazards, intestinal barrier, and foodborne diseases and, thus, offers a new thought to deal with foodborne disease.

Oxidized triglyceride monomers are the main cytotoxic products of deep-frying oil. However, its impact on the intestinal barrier, the first health guardian, remains unknown. In this study, HPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the epoxy group is the main oxidation product, indicating that it may be the main cytotoxic factor. Therefore, 1-9,10-epoxystearic ester, 2,3-dioleic acid (EGT) and glycerol trioleate (GT) were used to reveal the effect of the epoxy group on the intestinal barrier of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Characteristics analysis showed that EGT could aggravate intestinal damage. The relative mRNA expression analysis suggested that EGT could activate Caspase-1/NLRP3/GSDMD, thereby inducing pyroptosis. The proinflammatory cytokines activated by pyroptosis and the cGAS-STING pathway were released through the pores, thus inducing the disintegration of the tight junction between the intestinal epithelial cells and enhancing intestinal permeability. Metabonomics further confirmed that EGT can change the composition and content of phospholipids on the cell membrane, indicating the morphological changes of the intestinal epithelial cell membrane. In conclusion, this study highlights that EGT induced intestinal dysfunction via Caspase-1/NLRP3/GSDMD and cGAS-STING pathways.

In this study, novel solid–solid phase change materials (PCM) composed of polyacrylonitrile, binary of fatty acids ((blending of stearic acid (SA) and lauric acid (LA)) and zeolite molecular sieve (ZMS) were prepared by solution blending process. The structure and properties of the PCM were characterized using flourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG), respectively. DSC analysis indicated that the crystallization latent heat of the PCM was 125.22 J/g and its phase transition temperature was about 17 °C. The temperature curve for step cooling of the PCM showed that it’s holding time achieved 1 480 s, which explains that the PCM had excellent heat-insulating properties. Based on all results it can be concluded that the novel PCM can be considered as potential PCM for thermal energy storage.

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