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The present work aimed at establishing an efficient degradation and energy recovery system form sugarcane bagasse (SCB) through hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) pretreatment, thermophilic hydrogen production and mesophilic methane production. The degradation ratio of HPAC pretreated SCB (HPAC-SCB, 2%, w/v) exceeded 90% under the biological hydrolysis of C. thermocellum without enzyme addition. The hydrogen yield in the co-culture fermentation of T. thermosaccharolyticum and C. thermocellum from HPAC-SCB (2%, w/v) reached 226 mL/g substrate. The long-term hydrogen fermentation was successfully established with 1.59 L/(L·d), 0.159 L/g substrate for average hydrogen productivity and yield, respectively. Methane production of 0.341 L/g COD (chemical oxygen demand)added was recovered by semi-continuous methane fermentation from hydrogen-producing effluent at 12 days of hydraulic retention time (HRT). Average energy recovery of 8.79 MJ/kg SCB was obtained under the optimal conditions. The present work indicated the promising application of the established process in valorization of lignocellulosic bio-waste.

In this study, we proposed a simple and effective sodium perborate (SPB) pretreatment method to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of rice straw (RS). The lignin removal rate reached 45.76% under the optimum pretreatment conditions of 8% SPB and 80 °C for 4 h, and the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated RS was 84% at a cellulase loading of 20 FPU/g RS. Through simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SScF) of the pretreated RS solid with Saccharomyces cerevisiae SHY07-1, the maximum ethanol concentration was 15.29 g/L at 72 h, with a fermentation efficiency as high as 91.96%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses revealed that the RS structure was destroyed by SPB pretreatment, and lignin was effectively removed. The overall data of this study indicate that SPB pretreatment is a promising method to improve enzymatic hydrolysis and bioethanol production from RS by inoculating Saccharomyces cerevisiae SHY07-1.

A two-stage thermophilic hydrogen fermentation and mesophilic methane production from paper sludge was successfully explored. The maximum hydrogen and methane potential were 0.165 L/g VS and 0.376 L/g CODeffluent, respectively with Clostridium thermocellum augmentation. 63 L of hydrogen and 122 L of methane were recovered from 1 kg Paper sludge (PS, dry weight) with an energy yield of 4.5 MJ/kg PS, 50% higher compared to the single-stage anaerobic digestion (94 L CH4, 3.0 MJ/kg PS). The bacterial community of second-stage process was dominated by genus Propionispira, Mesotoga and Aminobecterium with stability, whereas the bacterial structure in single-stage process presented dynamic changes where genus Acetivibrio and Fibrobacter played an indispensable role. However, Genus Methanosaeta, Methanosarcina, Methanobacterium and Methanospirillum existed stably and predominantly in the archaeal community of single-stage and second-stage processes. The present study suggests the potential application of the established two-stage process in valorization of low-value waste biomass.

The hysteresis effect and switchable photovoltaic phenomena in organo-metal halide perovskite have been observed in perovskite solar cells with certain structures and under certain measure conditio...

This study is focused on employing a potential process technology for enhancing hemoglobin peptides production from chicken blood. Effects of surfactants on chicken blood biodegradation and hemoglobin polypeptide accumulation were evaluated and the bioconversion conditions were optimized. Results suggested that surfactants exhibited the positive effect on hemoglobin peptides production during chicken blood bioconversion by Aspergillus niger. Dodecyl glucopyranoside was selected as the optimal surfactant and added at the 48th hour of the fermentation process (64 H) at the concentration of 6.0 g/L. Under the optimized conditions, 104.5 mg·N/mL amino nitrogen, 638.3 mg·N/mL nonprotein nitrogen, and 766.3 mg·N/mL soluble nitrogen were detected, which increased by approximately 0.7-, 3.7-, and 3.8-fold, respectively, compared with the control. Furthermore, the acid protease stability was remarkably intensified and the accumulated peptides were mainly distributed at 500-2,000 Da. Results from this work corroborate the potential of applying dodecyl glucopyranoside in hemoglobin polypeptide production from chicken blood.

Microencapsulation is a promising technique for improving the stability of bioactive compounds. This study is to evaluate the effect of mulberry polyphenols microcapsules (MPM) as a partial substitute of mulberry polyphenol (MP) in mitigating of polyphenols degradation and oxidation of dried minced pork slice. Results presented that stability of MP is remarkable enhanced when it was microencapsulated using gum Arabic and the optimum core/wall ratio was 1/90. Partial replacement of MP by MPM as antioxidant in slices can effectively enhance polyphenols stability while exhibit synergistic inhibitory effect on protein and lipid oxidation. After 20 days storage, about 50.63% phenolic, 37.95% flavonoid and 51.32% anthocyanin were recovered in slices made with both MPM and MP, and the slices showed the best oxidation stability among all tests and good color stability. All these results demonstrated that mulberry polyphenol may be substituted for chemical antioxidants for meat products by microencapsulation technology.

The influence of biochar (BC) on anerobic digestion (AD) of organic wastes have been widely studied. However, the effect of BC on rate-limiting step during AD of lignocellulosic waste, i.e. the hydrolysis and acidogenesis step, is rarely studied and the underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. In this study, the benefits of BC with respect to dark fermentative hydrogen production were explored in a fermentation system by a heat-shocked consortium from sewage sludge (SS) with pretreated sugarcane bagasse (PSCB) as carbon source. The results showed that biochar boosted biohydrogen production by 317.1% through stimulating bacterial growth, improving critical enzymatic activities, manipulating the ratio of NADH/NAD

In this study, Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum MJ2 and biochar were used to enhance thermophilic hydrogen production from sugarcane bagasse. MJ2 bioaugmentation notably increased the hydrogen production by 95.31%, which was further significantly improved by 158.10% by adding biochar. The addition of biochar promoted the degradation of substrate, improved the activities of hydrogenase and electron transfer system, and stimulated microbial growth and metabolism. Microbial community analysis showed that the relative abundance of Thermoanaerobacterium was significantly increased by bioaugmentation and further enriched by biochar. PICRUSt analysis showed that MJ2 combined with biochar promoted metabolic pathways related to substrate degradation and microbial metabolism. This study provides a novel enhancement method for hydrogen production of the cellulolytic microbial consortium by exogenous hydrogen-producing microorganism combined with biochar and deepens the understanding of its functional mechanism.

Adding functional ingredients is an important method to develop functional dairy products. Mulberry pomace (MPo), a byproduct of mulberry fruit processing, is rich in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins and can be served as the functional ingredient in functional dairy products. The aim of this work was to prepare a functional flavored yogurt by incorporating MPo into stirred yogurt and to investigate the effects of MPo on the physicochemical and textural properties of the product during cold storage. We supplemented MPo powder up to 3% (wt/wt) in fermented milk, and the changes in color, pH, titratable acidity (TA), total phenol content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), water-holding capacity, rheological behavior, texture, and microstructure of the functional flavored yogurt were monitored during storage under 4°C for 28 d. The MPo powder brought a pink to dark red color to the yogurt, decreased the lightness (L*) and yellow-blue color (b*) values, increased the red-green color (a*) values, decreased the pH value, and increased the contents of TA, TPC, and TAC in a dose-dependent manner. The addition of MPo at 1%, 2%, and 3% (wt/wt) significantly increased water-holding capacity, consistency, viscosity, and viscosity index, and reduced firmness of yogurt samples. Supplementation of MPo significantly reduced the pore spaces and channels inside the samples and improved microstructure of the functional yogurt. During the 28 d of cold storage, MPo-fortified yogurt samples kept relatively constant color, although their L*, a*, and b* showed a decreasing tendency. The pH of all yogurt samples gradually decreased with increasing of TA. Interestingly, TPC and TAC contents and the texture parameters of MPo-fortified yogurt increased gradually and continuously during the 28 d of cold storage. Mulberry pomace is beneficial to improve the physicochemical and textural properties of yogurt and has the potential as a natural stabilizer to be used in functional yogurt rich in phytochemicals.

The effects of mulberry polyphenols and malondialdehyde (MDA) on the emulsifying and gel properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) were studied. Emulsibility and gel properties of MP were compared in range of mulberry polyphenol/MDA concentrations by particle size, Zeta potential, antioxidant capacity, gel strength, water-holding capacity (WHC), rheological properties and microstructure. Mulberry polyphenols enhanced the inoxidizability of MP emulsion but decreased its emulsifying property. MDA at intermediate concentrations (5–20 mM) improved the elasticity, strength, and WHC of polyphenols-modified MP emulsion gel, while at high concentration (40 mM) it destroyed the emulsion gel, resulting in “oil leakage”. Polyphenol is not conducive to the gelation but weaken the oxidative damage of MDA to protein. The gel structure of MP emulsion collapsed after high dose of polyphenols or MDA treated. Thus, to maintain uniform textural and antioxidant activity of meat product, both polyphenols addition and oxidation intensity should be controlled simultaneously.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the main phenolic compounds and in vitro antioxidant activity of functional flavored yogurt supplemented with mulberry pomace (MP) during cold storage. Three anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside) and six non-anthocyanin monomeric phenolics (resveratrol, catechol, catechin, rutin, quercitrin and quercetin) were identified in the MP. The MP powder addition significantly and dose-dependently increased the contents of total phenol (TPC), total anthocyanin (TAC) and individual phenolics and DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity of the products. During the cold storage, TPC, TAC and contents of individual phenolics and antioxidant activity of MP-fortified yogurts gradually and significantly increased. Antioxidant activity of MP-fortified yogurts is highly related to TPC/TAC. MP-fortified yogurts exhibited the highest antioxidant activity on the 21st day of storage. The results showed that MP can be used as a natural antioxidant, providing a promising natural ingredient for the production of functional dairy products with improved nutritional value and biological activity.

Flavor is one of the most important characteristics of meat products and it could eventually affect the consumer's acceptance and purchasing habits. This research evaluated the effect of endogenous enzyme from straw mushroom (EESM) as a flavor modifier on Cantonese sausages. Four treatments were prepared: control without EESM, and three treatments with 50, 100 or 200 mL EESM, respectively. The proximate composition, color, texture, lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, free fatty acids, free amino acids and volatile compounds of sausages were analyzed. EESM improved the generation of tasted amino acids and related volatile compounds by moderately and simultaneously facilitated proteolysis, lipolysis and lipid oxidation of Cantonese sausages. Moreover, the moisture content, texture (springiness, hardness and chewiness) and redness properties were increased by EESM addition. These findings showed that EESM could be a good strategy to enhance the taste and volatile flavor, texture and color properties of Cantonese sausages.

Functional foods have been of increasing demand due to the growing consumer awareness of the relationship between diet and health. Addition of healthy ingredients to meat products is an important method for development of functional meat products. In this contribution, functional dried-minced pork slices incorporated with concentrated mulberry juice (CMJ) were developed and stability of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity during product preparation and storage were evaluated. The CMJ contained high amounts of total phenolics, anthocyanin and flavonoids (19.13 ± 0.64 mg GAE/g d.m., 4.91 ± 0.18 C3GE mg/g d.m. and 18.39 ± 1.21 mg CE/g d.m., respectively) and showed excellent antioxidant activities in all assays used. CMJ incorporation drastically minimized lipid and protein oxidation of dried-minced pork slices by decreasing thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) value and carbonyls content during processing and storage. Thermal treatment significantly destroyed the main antioxidant ingredients including anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolics in dried-minced pork slices with added CMJ; however, this deterioration could be effectively counteracted by using β-cyclodextrin. The redness increased but lightness decreased with CMJ added, and color of the product remained stable during storage. Therefore, CMJ rich in phenolic compounds could be used as a natural antioxidant and pigment in dried-minced pork slices with suitable protective strategy.

The influence of biochar (BC) on anerobic digestion (AD) of organic wastes have been widely studied. However, the effect of BC on rate-limiting step during AD of lignocellulosic waste, i.e. the hydrolysis and acidogenesis step, is rarely studied and the underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. In this study, the benefits of BC with respect to dark fermentative hydrogen production were explored in a fermentation system by a heat-shocked consortium from sewage sludge (SS) with pretreated sugarcane bagasse (PSCB) as carbon source. The results showed that biochar boosted biohydrogen production by 317.1% through stimulating bacterial growth, improving critical enzymatic activities, manipulating the ratio of NADH/NAD+ and enhancing electron transfer efficiency of fermentation system. Furthermore, cellulolytic Lachnospiraceae was efficiently enriched and electroactive bacteria were selectively colonized and the ecological niche was formed on the surface of biochar. Synergistic effect between functional bacteria and extracellular electron transfer (EET) in electroactive bacteria were assumed to be established and maintained by biochar amendment. This study shed light on the underlying mechanisms of improved performance of biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic waste during mesophilic dark fermentation by BC supplementation.

The functionality and structural properties of pig skin hydrolysates with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH, 10% and 20%) and microfluidisation (120MPa), prepared by pepsin and Alcalase® have been investigated in this study. Extensive hydrolysis can significantly improve the absolute value of the zeta potential and surface hydrophobicity. The particle distribution of hydrolysates decreased with increasing DH. The numbers of free sulfhydryl (SH) and disulfide bonds (SS) were significantly increased with increasing DH (p

This experiment was designed to evaluate the influence of mulberry polyphenols (MP) on oxidation stability of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins in dried minced pork slice during processing and storage. Composition, amino acid side chain modification, average particle size, hydrophobicity and solubility of proteins in the slices were investigated. MP displayed protective effects on oxidation stability of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins in slices, considering carbonyl formation and transformation from SH group to S S group were remarkably retarded by MP. Proteins in MP-treated slices possessed larger average particle size but lower aggregation during processing and storage. Meanwhile, the strengthened ionic bonds and weakened hydrogen, hydrophobic and disulfide bond could be responsible for the improved protein stability of slice with MP. All these results suggested that mulberry polyphenol could improve protein oxidation stability in meat products.

The effects of fresh and dried Flammulina velutipes (FFV and DFV) on quality and sensory characteristics of Cantonese sausages were investigated. Sausage samples were prepared by adding 0% (control), 2.5% FFV, 2.5% and 5.0% DFV, respectively, and their nutritional compositions, free amino acid profiles, lipid and protein oxidation, color and texture properties were determined. Addition of F. velutipes significantly decreased fat content while increased free amino acid contents of Cantonese sausages. Total free amino acid contents of 2.5% FFV, 2.5% DFV and 5.0% DFV incorporation were 2.8-, 2.4- and 3.5-fold as compared to control, respectively. Lipid and protein oxidation of Cantonese sausages were effectively inhibited by the addition of F. velutipes. Both FFV and DFV addition decreased hardness and chewiness while showed different effect on yellowness of samples. DFV added at 2.5% exhibited the best overall sensory acceptance. Therefore, appropriate addition of F. velutipes may be an effective way to improve meat product quality and function.

The effects of rutin, quercetin, and caffeic acid on protein oxidation in Cantonese sausage during 60 days of storage at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C) were investigated. The results showed that the three phenolic compounds played different roles in inhibiting the oxidation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar protein. All of them inhibited sarcoplasmic protein oxidation by retarding carbonylation, the conversion of SH to S-S groups, and the formation of dimeric tyrosine and Schiff bases, of which rutin is the most effective. For myofibrillar protein, all of them suppressed the conversion of SH to S-S groups, only caffeic acid inhibited the accumulation of Schiff bases instead of carbonyls while both quercetin and caffeic acid inhibited the formation of dimeric tyrosine. In addition, quercetin had an inverse dosage effect on the oxidation regulation of MP, 0.16 g/kg quercetin had better inhibit effect on protein oxidation than 0.32 g/kg quercetin.

The effects of four edible mushrooms, Volvariella volvacea (Vv), Hypsizygus marmoreus (Hm), Pleurotus ostreatus (Po) and Agaricus bisporus (Ab), on beef paste quality were investigated. In this experiment, 50 g/kg dried mushroom powders were added to the beef paste, separately. The results showed that Vv and Po could reduce the hardness, chewiness, and gumminess of beef paste. Both free amino acid and volatile compound contents of the samples exhibited remarkable changes after mushroom powders were added. Compared with the control, the total free amino acid contents increased 1.31-, 1.10-, 1.67- and 1.14-fold and the essential amino acid contents increased 2.51-, 3.31-, 4.41-, and 1.69-fold in the beef samples treated with 5% Vv, Hm, Po and Ab, respectively. Up to 35 volatile compounds were identified in beef paste with 5% Vv, while only 14 volatile compounds were detected in the control. The mechanism was ascribed to the flavoring substances and the enzymes in the edible mushrooms. The above results indicated that edible mushrooms not only supply flavor components but also promote the formation of flavor substances in meat products.

In consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), the difference in optimum temperature between saccharification and fermentation poses a significant technical challenge to producing bioenergy efficiently with lignocellulose. The thermophilic anaerobic strain of Clostridium thermocellum has the potential to overcome this challenge if hydrolysis and fermentation is performed at an elevated temperature. However, this strain is sensitive to structure and components of lignocellulosic materials. To understand biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic materials, C. thermocellum was examined for biohydrogen production as well as bioconversion from different cellulosic materials (Avicel, filter paper and sugarcane bagasse (SCB)). We investigated hydrolysis-inhibitory effects of the cellulosic material types on the substrate degradation and biohydrogen production of C. thermocellum 27405. Within 168 h, the substrate degradation ratios of Avicel, filter paper, and SCB were 83.01, 51.78, and 42.19%, respectively. The substrate utilization and biohydrogen production of SCB reached 81 and 89.77% those of filter paper, respectively, indicating that SCB is a feasible substrate for biohydrogen production. Additionally, optimizing fermentation conditions can improve biohydrogen production, with the optimal conditions being an inoculum size of 7%, substrate concentration of 2%, particle size of 0.074 mm, and yeast extract concentration of 1%. This research provides important clues in relation to the low-cost conversion of renewable biomass to biohydrogen.

A novel mesophilic anaerobic digestion process with detoxification-treated coconut shell pyroligneous was established, exhibiting an effective advantage in biogas production. The pyroligneous collected contained 166.2 g l(-1) acetic acid, indicating great potential for biogas production. Detoxification was an effective way of simultaneously enriching biodegradable ingredients and removing inhibitors (mainly as phenols and organic acids) for digestion process. The digestion process lasted 96 h and fermentation characteristics (chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal ratio, volatile fatty acid (VFA) consumptions, pH, total gas, methane yield, and phenol removal efficiency) were measured. The experiments successfully explored the optimum detoxification parameters, oxidized with 10 % H2O2 followed by overliming, and demonstrated 89.3 % COD removal, 91.4 % methane content, 0.305 LCH4/g COD removed CH4 yield, and 88.81 % phenol removal ratio. This study provided clues to overcome the negative effects of inhibitors in pyroligneous on biogas production. The findings could contribute to significant process in detoxified pretreatment of pyroligneous and develop an economically feasible technology for treating pyroligneous after producing charcoal.

Polyphenols are potential food additives due to their antioxidant and pigment property, although their large-scale utilization in hot processed food is not available yet due to the poor processing stability. The present study investigated the effect of microencapsulation strategy on the processing stability of mulberry polyphenols (MP). The optimal preparation parameters for MP-β-cyclodextrin microcapsule (MPM) were treated by ultrasound at 450 W, 25 °C for 1.5 h with a core/wall ratio of 1:6. The MPM formed was verified by the UV absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and derivative thermogravimetry (TG) via the shifts and intensity of the peaks. Under the optimized condition, the encapsulation efficiencies of the active ingredients including total polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins in the MPM were above 97%; the processing stability including light, thermal and storage stability of the MP were remarkably improved. The above results suggest that encapsulation could be a potential strategy for improving the processing stability of plant polyphenols, probably leading to a more efficient application of plant polyphenols in hot processed food area.

Pretreatment process plays a key role in biofuel production from lignocellulosic feedstocks. A study on dilute NaOH pretreatment supplemented with H2O2 under mild condition was conducted to overcome the recalcitrance of grass waste (GW). The optimized process could selectively increase lignin removal (73.2%), resulting in high overall recovery of holocellulose (73.8%) as well as high enzymolysis efficiency (83.5%) compared to H2O2 or NaOH pretreatment. The analyses by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that supplementary H2O2 disrupted the structure of GW to facilitate the removal of lignin by NaOH, and exhibited synergistic effect on lignin removal and enzymolysis with dilute NaOH. Moreover, high titer of ethanol (100.7 g/L) was achieved by SSCF on 30% (w/v) pretreated GW loading. The present study suggests that the established synergistic pretreatment is a simple, efficient, and promising process for GW biorefinery.

This paper investigated the conformational and functional properties of myofibrillar protein modified by five phenolic compounds, including cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, caffeic acid, quercetin and rutin, dominantly presented in mulberry polyphenols-enriched sausage. These phenolic compounds significantly affected the structure of myofibrillar protein as indicated by the remarkable losses of carbonyl and e-NH2 and the obviously fluorescence quenching effect (P

Mulberry polyphenol (MP), enriched with antioxidant ingredients, presents enormous potential as a natural antioxidant in meat products. This study investigated the effect of MP on physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity and bio-safety of Cantonese sausages during storage at room temperature (approximately 25 °C) for 28 days. Sausages were prepared with the addition of MP (0.5 or 1.0 g/kg), sodium nitrite (0.1 g/kg, positive control) and no antioxidant (negative control), respectively. The results showed that MP had little negative effect on the sausage physicochemical properties though it decreased the lightness and redness of the sample. MP exhibited a protective effect against lipid and protein oxidation-induced damage in sausage as sample incorporated with 1.0 g/kg MP showed rather lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (0.60 mg MDA/kg sausage dw.) and carbonyl contents (5.88 nmol/mg protein), and higher sulfhydryl value (42.99 nmol/mg protein) than the negative control. Besides, MP could effectively control the increment of the volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) value and microbial stability in sausage during storage. These results indicate that MP could be valorized as promising natural antioxidant to reduce oxidation and improve safety in Cantonese sausages.

To explore strategies for improving polyphenols retention in hot processed food, the effects of heat treatment time-temperature combinations and β-cyclodextrin addition on the extractable polyphenols in mulberry juice-enriched dried minced pork slices were studied. The results indicated that phenolic compounds underwent the greatest losses with processing conditions of drying at high temperature × short time followed by baking at low temperature × long time. A procedure of drying for 10 h at 40 °C followed by baking for 3 min at 150 °C was recommended for slice preparation on the basis of the highest retention rates of phenols (54.84% polyphenols, 39.1% flavonoids, and 59.62% anthocyanins). The total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content, total anthocyanin content, ABTS▪+ scavenging ability, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and oxygen radical-absorbance capacity of the product could be further enhanced by adding 1% β-cyclodextrin. Four phenolic acids, three flavonoids, and two anthocyanins were detected in the products. Most phenols remained stable during storage except for cryptochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and quercetin; β-cyclodextrin did not effectively prevent the degradation of the latter two. Overall, the results suggest that optimizing the heat treatment process as well as adding β-cyclodextrin may be promising strategies for improving the stability of mulberry polyphenols.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality and sensory properties of Cantonese sausages incorporated with dried straw mushrooms. Five types of sausage with the addition of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% straw mushrooms were prepared, and their physicochemical traits and sensory acceptance were investigated. The results showed that incorporation of straw mushrooms improved the physical properties, significantly decreased peroxide value, increased the amount of amino acids and volatile compounds, and introduced new volatiles (aldehyde and ester compounds) to Cantonese sausages. Compared to sausages without addition of straw mushrooms, the amount of essential amino acids increased 8-fold, the P/S ratio of fatty acid increased to 0.46 similar to the recommended nutritional value, and the lipid peroxide value reduced 10-fold in Cantonese sausages with addition of 4% straw mushrooms. These results indicate that incorporation of straw mushrooms could be an efficient way to obtain nutritional and healthy Cantonese sausages.

Solid-state white light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) based on ionic transition metal complexes are capable of generating efficient white electroluminescence (EL). Recently, blue-emitting LECs combined with embedded red color conversion layers (CCLs), which were inserted between indium tin oxide (ITO) and a glass substrate, have been reported to offer an external quantum efficiency (EQE) >12%. However, the output spectrum of EL from such white LECs changed with time due to the altered microcavity effect when the recombination zone was moving. Furthermore, the device efficiency should be further improved to realize practical applications. In this work, TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) of two sizes are incorporated into red CCLs to improve device performance. Large NPs (250 nm) can scatter and redirect the light passing through red CCLs and further enhance the extracted light. Small NPs (25 nm) increase the refractive index of red CCLs and raise the amount of light intensity in the evanescent tail of the waveguide mode near the ITO layer. Therefore, more trapped light in the evanescent tail of the waveguide mode can be recycled to the external mode by scattering. The peak EQE and power efficiency of white LECs employing scattering red CCLs reach 20.0% and 39.5 lm W−1, respectively. Furthermore, with scattering NPs to average the EL in different directions, white EL is almost invariant with time. These results show that blue-emitting LECs combined with scattering red CCLs would be effective to provide efficient and stable white EL.

Solid-state white light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) have received intense scientific attention owing to their potential applications in display and lighting. Although device efficiencies of white LECs have been significantly improved in recent years, further improvements are still required for their practical applications. In this work, we demonstrate the enhancement of device efficiencies of white LECs by employing waveguide coupling. Two transparent photoresist (TPR) layers doped with TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) are inserted between the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer and the glass substrate. By tuning the doping concentration of 25 nm TiO2 NPs in the upper TPR layer to adjust the refractive index, effective waveguide coupling between the ITO layer and the lower TPR layer can be achieved. Since the lower TPR layer contains 250 nm TiO2 NPs, electroluminescence (EL) outcoupled from the ITO layer can be scattered and redirected into the forward direction. Furthermore, the EL trapped in the glass substrate can also transmit into the lower TPR layer and then is scattered to the forward direction. When the EL trapped in the ITO layer and the glass substrate can be effectively recycled into the forward direction, the peak external quantum efficiency and power efficiency obtained in white LECs employing waveguide coupling are up to 19.4% and 34.1 lm W−1, respectively. These efficiencies are among the highest reported for white LECs and thus confirm that waveguide coupling would be useful for realizing highly efficient white LECs. In addition to the enhanced device efficiencies, improved color migration of EL spectra, which is desired for lighting applications, can be obtained in white LECs with scattering waveguide layers since EL of different angles can be mixed in the forward direction.

The experiment was conducted to assess the protective effects of Momordica grosvenori extract (MGE) against lipid and protein oxidation-induced damage in vacuum-packed dried minced pork slices stored at room temperature for 21days. Antioxidant activity of MGE was evaluated by measuring its radical scavenging activities and reducing power with progressive concentrations from 40 to 200g/L. MGE was added to the dried minced pork slices at 7, 10 or 15g/100g. Results showed that inclusion of MGE in dried minced pork slice significantly delayed the formation of hexanal, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and carbonyls and reduced the sulfhydryl loss in a dose-dependent manner (P

This paper investigated chemical composition and antioxidant activities of umezu, pickling liquid of Prunus mume, from different factories in South and East China. The organic acid and phenolic acid profiles were also analyzed. Results showed that umezu was rich in organic acids and extremely sour as P. mume fruit in addition to its high NaCl level (≥20%). Total acid in umezu was more than 43.78 g/L in which main organic acids were citric acid and malic acid. Umezu contained more than 250.54 mg GAE/L total phenolic in which dominant phenolic acids were hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. Umezu exhibited powerful antioxidant activities in ORAC, ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Reducing sugar, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities of umezu were affected by sample origins and fruit cultivars. Given its rich flavor components and high antioxidant activity, umezu could serve as a new dietary supplement or a natural preservative in food industry.

Statistically based experimental designs were applied to optimize the fermentation medium and cultural conditions for the maximization of neutral protease using three agroindustrial residues (cassava pulp, soybean meal, and wheat bran) and Bacillus subtilis DES-59. The Plackett-Burman design was used to evaluate the effects of variables such as the concentration of substrates, initial pH, shaker's rotating speed, temperature, inoculum size, and incubation time. Among the eight parameters, three significant variables (cassava pulp, soybean meal, and inoculum size) were selected for the optimization study, in which a central composite design was used to optimize the concentrations of cassava pulp and soybean meal and inoculum size and investigate the interactive effects of the three variables. The optimal parameters obtained from response surface methodology are 37.78 g/L of cassava pulp, 15 g/L of soybean meal, and 6.5% (v/v) of inoculum size, respectively, resulting in a maximum neutral protease activity of 4107 ± 122 U/mL.

L. plantarum, P. pentosaceus, and D. hansenii isolated from Cantonese sausage were investigated for their potential as a mixed starter culture with the capability to improve sausage quality. Results unveiled that Cantonese sausage produced with the mixed starter culture exhibited low nitrite residue and low‐fat content advantages over fermented sausage without starter culture. Different fermentation time possessed different influence on physicochemical parameters, free amino acids (FAAs) composition and textural characteristics of Cantonese fermented sausage. Within 24 hrs fermentation, Cantonese sausage fermented by the mixed starter culture enjoyed soft texture with relatively high titratable acidity (6.98 ± 0.02 g/kg), FAAs contents (1,893.2 mg/100 g dry basis) and low nitrite residue (33.3 ± 0.15 mg/kg). These findings indicated that the combination of those strains could be used as a mixed starter culture for Cantonese fermented sausage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Cantonese sausage is one of the most popular Chinese‐style cured meat products. However, ripening process of traditional sausages belongs to fermentation without starter culture, which hardly guarantees product quality and safety. This study provides a novel mixed starter culture for sausage production and results verified its priority over improving sausage quality.

This study was designed to evaluate mulberry anthocyanins bioconversion traits for intestinal probiotics. Five intestinal beneficial bacteria were incubated with mulberry anthocyanins under anaerobic conditions at 37°C, and bacterial β-glucosidase activity and anthocyanin level were determined. Results demonstrated that all strains could convert mulberry anthocyanins to some extent. With high β-glucosidase production capacity, Streptococcus thermophiles GIM 1.321 and Lactobacillus plantarum GIM 1.35 degraded mulberry anthocyanins by 46.17% and 43.62%, respectively. Mulberry anthocyanins were mainly biotransformed to chlorogenic acid, crypto-chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid during the anaerobic process. Non-enzymatic deglycosylation of anthocyanins also occurred and approximately 19.42% of the anthocyanins were degraded within 48h by this method.

The traditional anaerobic digestion process of straw to biogas faces bottlenecks of long anaerobic digestion time, low digestion rate, less gas production, etc., while straw hydrolysate has the potential to overcome these drawbacks. In this study, the dilute sulphuric acid–treated hydrolysate of rice straw (DSARSH) containing high sulfate was firstly proved to be a feasible substrate for methane production under mesophilic digestion by granular sludge within a short digestion time. Batch anaerobic digestion process was operated under different initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) values at temperature of 37 °C with the pH of 8.5. Among the initial COD values ranging from 3000 to 11,000 mg/L, 5000 mg/L was proved to be the most appropriate considering high COD removal efficiency (94.17 ± 1.67 %), CH4 content (65.52 ± 3.12 %), and CH4 yield (0.346 ± 0.008 LCH4/g COD removed) within 120 h. Furthermore, when the studied system operated at the initial COD of 5000 mg/L, the sulfate removal ratio could reach 56.28 %.

The electrical and magnetic transport properties have been studied in a series of samples Nd0.7(Ca,Sr,Ba)0.3MnO3 with a fixed average A-site cation radius 〈rA〉 = 1.21 A. The residual resistivity increases dramatically and the metal-transition and Curie temperatures decrease systematically with increasing A-site cation disorder. It has been observed that the ferromagnetic-insulator-like state can occur within the measured temperature range when the amount of A-site cation disorder is enhanced even in Nd0.7(Ca,Sr,Ba)0.3MnO3. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A-site cation disorder effects on the structural, electrical transport and magnetic properties have been studied in the Nd0.7(Ca,Sr,Ba)0.3MnO3 series with a fixed A-site mean radius A by resistivity, dc susceptibility, infrared spectra and thermopower measurements. The disparity of transition temperature obtained from resistivity, magnetization and thermopower increases with increasing amounts of A-site cation disorder quantified by the size variance σ2. The insulator-like ferromagnetic behaviour and the sign change of thermopower induced by σ2 have been observed below the Curie temperature TC. As σ2 increases, the size of the ferromagnetic domains decreases, and the carriers seem to be trapped strongly in the interfaces between ferromagnetic domains; such behaviours may help to understand the insulator-like ferromagnetic state induced by σ2 below TC.

The main monomer compounds from spoiled Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idellus) were analyzed and deduced using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Forty-six kinds of monomer compounds were determined in spoiled Grass carp, including 3 kinds of non-nitrogenous compounds and 43 nitrogenous compounds. Forty-three nitrogenous compounds including 6 kinds of amino acids (2 kinds of α-amino acids), 10 kinds of amines, 12 kinds of amide compounds, 2 kinds of nitro compounds, 12 kinds of heterocyclic nitrogenous compounds, and 1 kind of nitriles compound. The results indicated that the quantity and chemical structure of main monomer compounds of Grass carp were significantly changed during the spoiled process. Practical applications Structure of monomer compounds in fresh and perishable materials can be inferred and identificated by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS. They can be used to increase efficiency in identification and analysis of chemical component. It will be benefit for identification, evolution, and deduction of active ingredients and new compounds of fresh material in preservation.

Statistically based experimental designs were applied to optimize the fermentation medium and cultural conditions for the maximization of neutral protease using three agroindustrial residues (cassava pulp, soybean meal, and wheat bran) and Bacillus subtilis DES-59. The Plackett-Burman design was used to evaluate the effects of variables such as the concentration of substrates, initial pH, shaker's rotating speed, temperature, inoculum size, and incubation time. Among the eight parameters, three significant variables (cassava pulp, soybean meal, and inoculum size) were selected for the optimization study, in which a central composite design was used to optimize the concentrations of cassava pulp and soybean meal and inoculum size and investigate the interactive effects of the three variables. The optimal parameters obtained from response surface methodology are 37.78 g/L of cassava pulp, 15 g/L of soybean meal, and 6.5% (v/v) of inoculum size, respectively, resulting in a maximum neutral protease activity of 4107 ± 122 U/mL.