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Interest in plant-based meat alternatives (PMBAs) has been rapidly growing in both the food research community and the food industry due to higher consumer demands in recent years. However, scientific data regarding the health and aroma aspects of PBMA are rare. In this study, the fatty acids (FAs) and volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) were profiled in four types of plant-based burgers (PBs) and compared to beef burger (BB). Over 40 FAs and 64 VFCs were detected and quantified in the samples. Nonsignificant differences (α = 0.05) were observed in the percentages of most FAs between uncooked and cooked PBs. PBs contained lower percentages of saturated FAs and trans-FAs, higher percentages of unsaturated FAs, and lower ratio of n-6 to n-3 FAs comparing to the BB. The FA profiles in PBs are mainly determined by their ingredients. The VFC profile of cooked PBs was different from that of the uncooked ones. The ingredients, thermally induced Maillard reaction, and lipid oxidation had contributed to the formation of the flavor. For uncooked samples, the VFC profiles of PB 3 and PB 4 were similar to that of BB. While for cooked samples, PB 1 had similar VFC profile as BB. This illustrated the importance of the cooking process for aroma formation; however, ingredients, such as spices, remain an important source of VFCs in these burger samples. Ingredient optimization could be an effective strategy to enhance the flavor of PBs to resemble BB. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides the knowledge of health and aroma-related components in both raw and cooked PBs, including FA and VFC profiles. It also explains the source of those components. This will not only help consumer's decision making in choosing plant-based meat alternatives, but also help the related industry to choose proper ingredients to optimize the final products.

The effects of acid soaking as a pre-treatment on the glycoalkaloid and acrylamide levels in raw and cooked potatoes (French fries) were examined. Soaking raw potato cuts in 1.0%, 2.5% or 5.0% acetic acid solutions for at least 8 hours resulted in90% reduction of α-solanine and α-chaconine in potato samples. Processing of pre-acid soaked potato cuts into French fries resulted in an additional50% decrease in the glycoalkaloid contents in the samples. Soaking time was found to be a more important factor in reducing glycoalkaloid levels compared to the acid solution concentrations. Over a 95% reduction in acrylamide was also observed in potato cuts pre-soaked in acetic acid before cooking. The reduction in acrylamide formation in the pre-soaked French fry samples was attributed to the lowered pH and the removal of reducing sugars and asparagine in the raw samples prior to cooking. Findings in this study demonstrate that pre-treatment using acid soaking provides a simple and effective way to mitigate glycoalkaloid and acrylamide levels in potatoes.

A method to detect volatile nitrosamines in meat samples was developed using headspace sampling by solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), with analysis by GC-MS. A 50/30 µm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fused silica fibre was selected to extract a total of nine volatile nitrosamines: N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine, N-nitrosomorpholine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosopiperidine, N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine, and N-nitrosodiphenylamine. Extraction at 65°C for 45 min with 36% (w/v) NaCl were the optimal conditions determined for the extraction of nine nitrosamines. Excellent linearity was obtained for all analytes with determination coefficients greater than 0.997. Recovery rates were between 92 and 113%. The relative standard deviation ranged from 0.81 to 8.0% for six of the nine compounds, and from 16 to 32% for the other three. For seven out of nine nitrosamines, limits of detection were below 3.6 µg kg

Furan, which has been identified as a carcinogenic risk for humans, can be induced in different foods by UV-C light. In this study, we hypothesized that furan was produced by a UV light-induced free radical mechanism and antioxidants could suppress its formation. Our results demonstrated that, by adding antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxyl toluene, ascorbic acid or gallic acid, to simulated juice or apple cider during UV-C treatment, amounts of furan were significantly reduced. For example, the concentration of furan produced in apple cider by UV-C at 9.0 J/cm2 was 636 ppb but was less than 20 ppb with 0.25 ppm butylated hydroxyl toluene present, less than 3 ppb with 0.5% (w/v) ascorbic acid, and less than 1.0 ppb with 0.5% (w/v) gallic acid. These findings confirmed that antioxidants can be used as a safe and simple mitigation measure to control furan production in fruit drinks exposed to UV-light.

A headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure followed by gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) analysis was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of furan, 2-methylfuran and 2-pentylfuran from juice samples. Extraction at 32 °C for 20 min with stirring at 600 rpm and NaCl concentration 15% (W/V) was the optimal HS-SPME condition for all the three compounds by using a carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fused silica fibre (75 μm). The extracted compounds were base line separated on a SPB-1 GC column within 12 min. The relative standard deviations of all analytes were less than 6.7%. The recovery rates were between 90.2% and 110.1%. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were 0.056-0.23 ng/mL and 0.14-0.76 ng/mL, respectively. The results showed that the developed method was sensitive, precise, accurate and robust for the determination of furan, 2-methylfuran and 2-pentylfuran in complex matrices without interferences from other components.

Mycotoxins, the secondary metabolites of mycotoxigenic fungi, have been found in almost all agricultural commodities worldwide, causing enormous economic losses in livestock production and severe human health problems. Compared to traditional physical adsorption and chemical reactions, interest in biological detoxification methods that are environmentally sound, safe and highly efficient has seen a significant increase in recent years. However, researchers in this field have been facing tremendous unexpected challenges and are eager to find solutions. This review summarizes and assesses the research strategies and methodologies in each phase of the development of microbiological solutions for mycotoxin mitigation. These include screening of functional microbial consortia from natural samples, isolation and identification of single colonies with biotransformation activity, investigation of the physiological characteristics of isolated strains, identification and assessment of the toxicities of biotransformation products, purification of functional enzymes and the application of mycotoxin decontamination to feed/food production. A full understanding and appropriate application of this tool box should be helpful towards the development of novel microbiological solutions on mycotoxin detoxification.

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a wide range of molds involved in fruit spoilage, most commonly by Penicillium expansum and is a health concern for both consumers and manufacturers. The current study evaluated feasibility of monochromatic ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 253.7 nm as a possible commercial application for the reduction of patulin in fresh apple cider and juice. The R-52G MINERALIGHT® UV bench top lamp was used for patulin destruction. It was shown that 56.5%, 87.5%, 94.8% and 98.6% reduction of patulin can be achieved, respectively, in the model solution, apple cider, apple juice without ascorbic acid addition and apple juice with ascorbic acid addition in 2-mm thickness sample initially spiked by 1 mg·L−1 of patulin after UV exposure for 40 min at UV irradiance of 3.00 mW·cm−2. A mathematic model to compare the degradation rate and effective UV dose was developed. The effective UV doses that were directly absorbed by patulin for photochemical reaction were 430, 674, 724 and 763 mJ·cm−3, respectively. The fluence-based decimal reduction time was estimated to 309.3, 31.3, 28.9 and 5.1 mW·cm−2·min, respectively, in four media mentioned above. The degradation of patulin followed the first-order reaction model. The time-based and fluence-based reaction rate constants were determined to predict patulin degradation. The time-based reaction rate constant of samples treated in dynamic regime with constant stirring (model solution: 2.95E-4 s−1, juice: 4.31E-4 s−1) were significantly higher than samples treated in static regime (model solution: 2.79E-4 s−1, juice: 3.49E-4 s−1, p

There are mainly two protocols in isoflavone analysis, one that involves hydrolysis prior to HPLC analysis and the other direct HPLC analysis. In this study, three different hydrolysis methods were systematically re-evaluated, and compared with direct HPLC analysis. Acidic hydrolysis (1.2–3 M HCl in ethanol at 80 °C) showed a maximum conversion of ca. 92% from glucosides to aglycones in 2 h; however, longer reaction caused degradation of genistein. Alkaline hydrolysis using 2 M NaOH converted acetylglucosides and malonylglucosides to their respective glucosides within 10 min. Glucuronidase from H. pomatia effectively converted isoflavone glucosides and acetylglucosides to aglycones. Quantification of the total isoflavones in various soy food products showed no significant difference among direct injection and the three hydrolysis methods ( P

Soybean seeds with three different levels (low, intermediate and high) of isoflavones were processed to soy flour and soy protein isolates (SPIs) and developed into functional soy breads. The effect of factors involved in all steps of the process was investigated by tracking the composition and concentration of native forms of isoflavones. The total isoflavone contents were 8033.3, 10570.1 and 15169.0 nmol/g DM (dry matter) in the three soybeans; 13201.5, 20034.4 and 26014.3 nmol/g DM in defatted soy flours; 9113.2, 13274.6 and 17918.3 nmol/g DM in the SPI; 2782.7, 4081.4 and 5590.3 nmol/g DM in soy breads, respectively. The bread making processes did not affect the total isoflavone content, but changed glucosides/acetylglucosides to aglycones. Malonylglucosides were stable prior to baking but degraded to acetylglucosides and further to glucosides during baking. Our results provide critical information for the production of functional soy breads that contain varying amounts of soy isoflavones.

Seeds of different cultivars of Glycine max (L.) Merr. (soybean) have strikingly different rates of water imbibition. Seeds that readily imbibe water are termed 'soft', while those that remain non-permeable, even after several days in water, are referred to as 'hard', 'stone', or 'impermeable' seeds. What prevents soybean hard seeds from taking up water? Previous work established that the initial imbibition of soft soybean seeds correlates with the presence of small cracks in the outermost cuticle that covers the seed coat, prompting a detailed analysis of soybean seed coat cutin. In this paper, it is shown that the outermost cuticle of the seed coat has an unusual chemical composition, lacking typical mid-chain-hydroxylated fatty acids but being relatively rich in other types of hydroxylated fatty acids. The cuticle of the impermeable cultivar studied contained a disproportionately high amount of hydroxylated fatty acids relative to that of the permeable ones. Moreover, a brief treatment with hot alkali released the omega-hydroxy fatty acid component of the outermost cuticle and created holes in it that caused the seeds to become permeable. This demonstrates that the outermost cuticle of the seed is the critical structure that prevents water uptake by hard seeds.

For the first time, the bioactive compound tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) was isolated and identified from the culture of Pleurotus geesteranus Singer. Its identification was confirmed unambiguously by identical retention time and mass spectrum to those of a TMP standard. The TMP content in P. geesteranus from solid culture was up to 8.04 g.kg−1ds. This finding provides a novel natural way to produce TMP and will lead to new value added mushroom products with nutraceutical functions.

Effects of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0kJ/m(2)) and cold storage on ergosterol and vitamin D2 content in different parts of white and brown button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were investigated. UV-C treatment did not significantly affect ergosterol content in the caps and stems of the two mushrooms, but ergosterol content increased significantly during 14days cold storage. Vitamin D2 content in the caps and stems of two mushrooms significantly increased as UV-C dose increased, and 2.0kJ/m(2) UV-C showed the best result. During cold storage, vitamin D2 content in the caps of the two mushrooms decreased from day 1 to day 7, and then kept stable until day 14, but vitamin D2 content in the stems of brown mushrooms kept increasing for the whole 14days period. UV-C could increase vitamin D2 contents in both caps and stems of white and brown mushrooms without significantly affecting ergosterol content.

Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis) is a North American plant species in the legume family and some of this plant is fatally poisonous to livestock. The poisoning is attributed to the natural occurrence of notrotoxins, i.e., 3-nitropropanoic acid and 3-nitropropanol, present as aglycones and conjugated forms in the plant. Those compounds cause nitrite oxidization of hemoglobin and inhibition of cellular metabolism. To determine the toxicity of the plant, it is very important to develop an analytical method for the contents of the compounds in the plant. In this study, we have successfully developed an extraction procedure followed by HPLC-UV analysis to simultaneously analyze notrotoxins. The aglycones could be released from its conjugated forms in the freeze dried plant and extracted by water at room temperature. An HPLC-UV method using a Phenomenex Kinetex 2.6 μ F5 100 Å 100 × 4.6 mm column with pH 3.5 phosphonate buffer as mobile phase have been developed and validated for the detection of the two compounds at 210 nm. This developed procedure for the analysis of 3-nitropropanoic acid and 3-nitropropanol has proven simple and efficient and it has been successfully applied for batch sample analysis.

A comparative metabolomic analysis was conducted on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with and without patulin treatment using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based approach. A total of 72 metabolites were detected and compared, including 16 amino acids, 29 organic acids and alcohols, 19 sugars and sugar alcohols, 2 nucleotides, and 6 miscellaneous compounds. Principle component analysis showed a clear separation of metabolome between the cells with and without patulin treatment, and most of the identified metabolites contributed to the separation. A close examination of the identified metabolites showed an increased level of most of the free amino acids, an increased level of the intermediates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, a higher amount of glycerol, a changed fatty acid composition, and a decreased level of cysteine and glutathione in the cells with patulin treatment. This finding indicated a slower protein synthesis rate and induced oxidative stress in the cells with patulin treatment, and provided new insights into the effect of toxic chemicals on the metabolism of organisms.

Secondary metabolites produced by plants constitute a major source of bioactive substances. In this article, antimicrobials from plants are reviewed based on their chemical structural features. The chemistry, antimicrobial activities, and mechanisms of action of terpenoids, aromatic compounds (phenolics and flavonoids), antimicrobial peptides, alkaloids, sulfur-containing compounds, and other naturally occurring compounds were reviewed, and their current and potential applications in the preservation and shelf-life extension of foods are discussed.

This article investigated the mycochemical profiles and the antioxidant activities of the lipophilic extracts of the white and brown button mushrooms. We found that only free ergosterols were present in both mushrooms at 2.04-4.82 mg/g dry matter (DM). Ergosterol concentration was higher in early growth stages but decreased as the mushrooms grew, and it distributed evenly between the caps and stems during early developmental stages but accumulated more in the caps after maturation. The photochemiluminescence (PCL) values of the two mushrooms were 5.49-10.48 nmol trolox equivalent/mg DM, and the EC50 values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay ranged 20.19-41.49 mg DM/μg DPPH. The ergosterol content positively correlated with the antioxidant activities (r2>0.89). The total fatty acid content was 8.7 mg/g DM in the white and 5.1 mg/g DM in the brown button mushroom and contained mainly linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Our data provide guidance for optimized harvesting time of mushrooms and maximized health benefits.