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Steviol glycosides (SGs) have been widely used as a natural non-calorie sweetener and a sugar substitute in food and beverage industry. Recent studies have demonstrated that SGs have notable interfacial activity and can be used as a new type of food-grade biosurfactants. The unique combination of high-intensity sweetness, biological activity and interfacial properties makes SGs have great potential as multifunctional ingredients for novel applications in food processing. Herein, we will first introduce the biological benefits of SGs and the strategies to improve their organoleptic properties. The micellar self-assembly of SGs in aqueous solutions and their interfacial behaviors are then discussed. The recent novel applications of SGs in active encapsulation and the stabilization of plant-based multiphase food systems are reported.

Natural surfactants with remarkable interfacial properties like saponins are particularly attractive in fabricating multiphase food systems. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), a food-grade saponin, has a supramolecular self-assembly behavior in water and can form ultrafine semiflexible nanofibrils with excellent gelation ability and interfacial activity. The controllable assembly of GA nanofibrils at the liquid interfaces and in the continuous phase makes them highly suitable as building blocks for preparing multiphase colloidal systems with high stability, stimulability, and processability. Herein, we mainly introduce the chiral amphiphilic structure of GA molecules and their fibrillar self-assembly in aqueous solutions, as well as the behavior of GA nanofibrils at the interfaces. The recent novel applications of GA and GA nanofibrils in various multiphase food systems are discussed.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 FAs) are essential nutrients and are considered effective in improving human health. Recent studies highlight the importance of the combination of n-3 FAs and polyphenols for limiting the oxidation of n-3 FAs and exhibiting synergistic beneficial effects. Herein, we developed a novel formulation technology to prepare oleogels that could be used for the codelivery of n-3 FAs and polyphenols with high loading efficacy and oxidative stability. These oleogels are made from algal oil with polyphenol-enriched whey protein microgel (WPM) particles as gelling agents via simple and scalable ball milling technology. The oxidative status, fatty acid composition, and volatiles of protein oleogels during accelerated storage were systematically assessed by stoichiometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These results showed that protein oleogels could overcome several challenges associated with the formulation of n-3 oils, including long-term oxidative stability and improved sensory and textural properties. The protein oleogel system could provide an excellent convenience for formulating multiple nutrients and nutraceuticals with integrating health effects, which are expected to be used in the care of highly vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and patients.

Hypothesis Natural saponin glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and GA nanofibrils (GNFs) are effective foaming agents for formulation of aqueous food-grade foams. Through the synergistic combination of soft semiflexible GNFs with rigid nanofiller cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), it should be possible to create advanced composite foams with a more complex structure and diverse properties including high stability and stimuli responsiveness. Experiments Foams containing mixtures of GNFs and CNCs were prepared, and their formation and stability were investigated. A range of microscopy techniques and small deformation oscillatory shear were adopted to examine the microstructure and viscoelasticity of foams, and a stabilization mechanism for highly stable foams was then established. Further, the temperature-responsive destabilization of foams was evaluated. Findings CNCs are homogeneously distributed in the architecture and mechanically reinforce the GNF fibrillar network, leading to a highly viscoelastic composite network in the continuous phase of foams, which is the key factor responsible for their high stability. Such ultra-stable gel foams display tunable thermo-responsive behavior and a rapid on-demand destabilization upon heating by inducing a phase transition of the bulk composite network. Our work opens up new scenarios on the use of a novel combination of all-natural, sustainable nanoscale building blocks to develop aqueous “superfoams” which are highly stable, stimulable and processable.

The adsorption and foaming properties of an edible colloidal nanoparticle (EYPNs), self-assembled from the food-derived, amphiphilic egg yolk peptides, were investigated, with the aim of evaluating their potential as efficient particulate stabilizers for development of aqueous food foams. The influence of particle aggregation induced by the changes of environmental conditions (mainly the pH) on these properties of EYPN systems was determined. Our results showed that the EYPNs are a highly pH-responsive system, showing the pH-dependent particle aggregation behavior, which is found to strongly affect the interfacial adsorption and macroscopic foaming behaviors of systems. Compared to high pH (6.0–9.0), the EYPNs at low pH (2.0–5.0) showed higher surface activity with a lower equilibrated surface tension as well as a higher packing density of particles and particle aggregates at the interface, probably due to the reduced electrostatic adsorption barrier. Accordingly, the EYPNs at these low pH values exhibited significantly higher foamability and foam stability. The presence of large particle clusters and/or aggregates formed at low pH in the continuous phase may contribute to the foam stability of EYPNs. These results indicate that our edible peptide-based nanoparticle EYPNs can be used as a new class of Pickering-type foam stabilizer for the design of food foams with controlled material properties, which may have sustainable applications in foods, cosmetics, and personal care products., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Edible nanoparticle EYPNs are efficient particulate stabilizers for making food foams. • EYPNs have a pH-dependent particle aggregation behavior in aqueous solutions. • The particle aggregation strongly affects the adsorption and foaming properties. • The presence of particle aggregates contributes to the foam stability of EYPNs. • The particle aggregates show higher surface activity and interfacial packing density.

Hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology was employed to improve water dispersibility of phytosterol (P) using glycerol (G), lecithin (L), and gum arabic (A) as emulsifiers and stabilizers. The structural properties and water dispersibility of HME products were investigated. In contrast to physical mixtures, better water dispersibility and storage stability were observed for HME products, especially P:L:G:A extrudate. These improvements may be mainly associated with decreased crystallinity of phytosterol due to the occurrence of co-crystallization of phytosterol with glycerol during HME process, as confirmed by DSC and XRD data. In addition, HME-induced lecithin-arabic gum reaction products effectively stabilize phytosterol microparticle in aqueous dispersion by providing a steric hindrance. These results suggest that HME could be an effectively and potentially solvent-free technique to produce water-dispersible phytosterol on a large scale.

The high intake of sodium and low intake of dietary fiber are two major dietary risk factors for preventable deaths worldwide, highlighting the need and implementations for developing health foods with low-salt/high-dietary fibers. Bread as a staple food contributes about 25% to the daily intake of sodium in many countries, and salt reduction in bread still remains a great technical challenge. In this study, we developed a simple method to reformulate the white bread in terms of reducing salt contents via dietary fiber fortification, while maintaining the taste and texture qualities. Low molecular weight water-extractable arabinoxylans (LMW-WEAX) as a soluble dietary fiber was first hydrated in salt water before dough mixing, leading to an inhomogeneous spatial distribution of sodium in bread and accelerating the release of sodium ions from crumbs, allowing 20% salt reduction in bread without impacting the salt perception. Data from the moisture content, crumb structure, water distribution, dough rheology and bread texture properties suggest that the pre-hydrated incorporation of LMW-WEAX mitigates the detrimental effect of dietary fiber on the dough and bread quality. The modulation of Ca2+ on the permeability of Na+ through the mucus layer and implication in salt enhancement of the bread were investigated. Results show that the pre-hydrated incorporation of WEAX containing Na+ and Ca2+ (1.0%) makes it possible to reduce 30% salt content in breads, which have implications in the large-scale production of low-salt/high-dietary fiber bread.

Background: The role of of neoadjuvant chemoradiation for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is controversial. We tried to compare the efficacy and safety between neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus surgery and upfront surgery for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer Methods: We performed the relevant literature search from Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Wanfang and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases up to February 2022.We collected the related data of primary outcomes (R0-resection, negative lymph node, local recurrence, distant metastasis, grade ≥3 postoperative morbidity and mortality) and secondary outcomes (disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)) for the analysis.Results: Four studies with 400 patients were included, while 197(49.3%) patients were in neoadjuvant chemoradiation group (neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus surgery) and 203(50.7%) patients were in upfront surgery group. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation group had better R0 resection rate (OR: 4.03, 95% CI: 2.37 to 6.86, P2=1.23, P=0.75, I2=0%, Fig 2a) and negative lymph node (OR: 6.26, 95% CI: 3.64 to 10.76, P2=2.30, P=0.51, I2=0%, Fig 2b) than upfront surgery group in the fixed-effects model with little heterogeneity. The other primary outcomes and secondary outcomes were similar in the two groups.Conclusion: In the treatment of resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, neoadjuvant chemoradiation group could bring more R0 resection rates and negative lymph nodes than upfront surgery group. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy did not increase the incidence of postoperative adverse reactions and mortality. We speculated that neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus surgery could be a recommended treatment modality for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer.

Assembly of amphiphiles at the interface of two immiscible fluids is of great scientific and technological interest in offering efficient routes to smart vehicles for functional deliveries. Natural Quillaja saponin (QS) has gathered widespread interest within the scientific community as a result of its unique interfacial properties. Herein, spontaneously interface-driven self-assembly (SIDSA) of QS at the oil-water interface was systematically studied by morphology and spectroscopy. It was found to self-assemble into a micrometer-scale network in helical fibers by combined intermolecular π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding among saponins at the liquid-liquid interface. From SIDSA, multilayer films on the surfaces of dispersed droplets were formed and enhanced emulsion stability. Interfacial QS-based films on droplet surfaces were also shown to confine interfacial diffusion processes by serving as transport barriers. Furthermore, they can be exploited to control the release of volatiles from the dispersed liquid phase by regulating the interface film, which is shown by molecular dynamics to occur through a hydrogen-bonded mechanism. These results provide new insight into the interfacial assembly structure that can enable unique controllable release in a broad range of applications in food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Here, a simple food-grade Pickering emulsion system is prepared and adopted for biphasic biocatalytic reactions. The chitosan nanogels were prepared with strong dispersion of chitosan aggregates approaching neutral pH and then used as the particle emulsifiers to produce oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. The chitosan nanogel exhibited high affinity to negatively charged lipase. As a result of increasing the biphasic interfacial area and loading amount on the oil-water interface, the catalysis activity of lipase and recycling and pH stability were highly enhanced through colorimetric determination of p-nitrophenol (the hydrolysis product of p-nitrophenyl palmitate). A general strategy was proposed to obtain stimulus-responsive Pickering emulsions that can undergo phase inversion. The in situ modification of the wettability of chitosan nanogel could be attributed to the interaction between nanogel and free fatty acids, which was triggered by lipase hydrolysis. This would permit a rapid and controlled release of hydrophobic active components in response to enzymatic triggers.

Bismuth-contained therapies are effective in treating gastric ulcer and eliminating Helicobacter pylori (Hp). Anion polysaccharides ligand could reduce the intake of bismuth, and enhance drug efficacy of bismuth compounds. In this study, pectin-bismuth (PB) was prepared and the changes of PB structure in acidic environment were reported for the first time. The structure of PB was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and TGA, which suggested that combined with bismuth could alter the crystal structure of pectin. XPS confirmed the ionic binding of Bi3+ with carboxyl groups of pectin. The aggregating of PB with different pH level were also investigated, and the influence of pH on PB structure were observed by SEM. Results showed that PB has much larger volume of flocculation in acidic environment compared with bismuth nitrate. Additionally, apparent shear stress (τa) of PB suspension was evaluated. These results revealed the structural characteristics and acid-induced aggregation of pectin-bismuth, and bismuth could aggregate in acidic solution with the gelation of pectin.

The purpose of this study was to test the ability of DNA barcoding to identify the herbal raw trade of Tibetan medicine Dida in China. A reference database for plant-material DNA barcodes was successfully constructed and used to identify 36 commercially samples of Dida collected from Southwest China. The ITS sequence was amplified from these samples and the efficiency of the PCR amplification of ITS was 100%. The DNA sequencing results revealed that 3 samples (8.3%) were authenticated as Swertia chirayita, 2 sequences (5.6%) were authenticated as Swertia mussotii, 3 sequences (8.3%) were authenticated as Swertia ciliata, as recorded in the Tibetan Pharmacopeia. The other samples were authenticated as adulterants and all of them originated from common plants belonging to Saxifraga, Swertia and Halenia. This result indicates Dida pieces that are available in the market have complex origins and may indicate a potential safety issue and DNA barcoding is a convenient tool for market supervision.

The pursuit of sustainable high-performance nanocomposite materials requires the development of nanoscale building blocks based on natural renewable resources and efficient facile production method...

pH-responsive emulsions are one of the simplest and most readily implementable stimuli-responsive systems. However, their practical uses have been greatly hindered by cyclability. Here, we report a robust pH-responsive emulsion prepared by utilizing pure sodium caseinate (NaCas) as the sole emulsifier. We demonstrate that the emulsification/demulsification of the obtained NaCas-stabilized emulsion can be triggered by simply changing the pH value over 100 cycles, which has never been observed in any protein-stabilized emulsion system. The NaCas-stabilized emulsion maintains its pH-responsive properties even in a saturated salt solution (NaCl ∼ 6.1 M) or seawater. We illustrate how NaCas functions in pH-responsive emulsions and show that when conventional nanoparticles such as zein protein or bare SiO2 particles were coated with a layer of NaCas, the resulting formulated emulsions could be switched on and off over 10 cycles. The unique properties of NaCas thus enable the engineering of conventional Pickering emulsions to pH-responsive Pickering emulsions. Finally, we have integrated catalytically active gold (Au) nanoclusters (NCs) into the NaCas protein and then utilized them to produce emulsions. Remarkably, these NaCas–Au NCs assembled at the oil–water interface exhibited excellent catalytic activity and cyclability, not only in aqueous solution, but also in complicated seawater environments., An unprecedented pH-responsive emulsion is shaped by utilizing pure sodium caseinate (NaCas) as the sole emulsifier for recyclable interfacial catalysis. This emulsion could be reversibly switched on and off over 100 cycles.

Single treatment often faces the problem that it cannot completely eradicate tumor and inhibit the tumor metastasis. In order to overcome this shortcoming, multi-modal tumor treatment has attracted widespread attention. In the present article, based on ascorbyl palmitate (PA) and l-arginine (l-Arg), a multifunctional nanocarrier is designed for synergetic treatment of tumor with photothermal and nitric oxide (NO) gas therapy. Firstly, PA and l-Arg were self-assembled to form novel functional micelles, PL, with high biosafety using electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The functional micelles could self-catalyze to produce NO at the tumor site. Then, Ag

A gelling strategy for HP was proposed in this study, ammonium sulfate (AS) as a co-solute could induce the gelling of HP in acidic environment. The solubility and Zeta potential of HP dramatically decreased in AS solution, which indicated AS could promote the aggregation of HP. The rheological results confirmed the gelling of HP (G' G″) with AS: 25-30 wt% and pH ≤ 3.0, and the gel strength is mainly depended on HP rather than AS concentration. Smaller AS crystals (SEM) and reduced T

The naturally occurring saponins exhibit remarkable interfacial activity and also possess many biological activities linking to human health benefits, which make them particularly attractive as bifunctional building blocks for formulation of colloidal multiphase food systems. This review focuses on two commonly used food-grade saponins, Quillaja saponins (QS) and glycyrrhizic acid (GA), with the aim of clarifying the relationship between the structural features of saponin molecules and their subsequent self-assembly and interfacial properties. The recent applications of these two saponins in various colloidal multiphase systems, including liquid emulsions, gel emulsions, aqueous foams and complex emulsion foams, are then discussed. A particular emphasis is on the unique use of GA and GA nanofibrils as sole stabilizers for fabricating various multiphase food systems with many advanced qualities including simplicity, ultrastability, stimulability, structural viscoelasticity and processability. These natural saponin and saponin-based colloids are expected to be used as sustainable, plant-based ingredients for designing future foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Wheat protein is the most consumed plant protein in our diet, and there is an increased prevalence of wheat/gluten intolerance and adherence to a gluten-free diet in many countries. Despite the known immunodominant effect of undigested gliadin peptides responsible for gluten-related intolerance, it remains unclear if and how gliadin peptides self-assemble into ordered nanostructures during gastrointestinal digestion, as well as their biological impact on the mucus barrier function. In this study, we purified undigestible gliadin peptide nanoparticles (UGPNs) by ultracentrifugation and characterized their structural and physiochemical properties. The results demonstrate that the UGPNs are self-assembled nanostructures generated by cationic amino acids (Lys and Arg)-capped surfactant-like peptides (SLPs), mainly derived from γ-gliadin and α-gliadin. SLPs trigger the concentration-dependent self-assembly driven by β-sheet conformational transitions above their critical aggregation concentration (cac, ∼0.1 mg/mL). UGPNs can easily penetrate the mucus layer in Caco-2/HT29-MTX cocultures with a high Papp value (∼5.7 × 10-6 cm/s) and reduce the production and thickness of the mucus layer driven by intestinal epithelial cell damage. Isothermal titration calorimetry and Langmuir monolayer studies indicate that the self-assembled state of UGPNs significantly affects their binding to DPPC/DOPE lipid membrane models. These results highlight the relevance of the self-assembly of gliadin peptides as a trigger of mucosal inflammation-related wheat/gluten intolerance.

Pickering High Internal Phase Emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by food-grade particles have received considerable attention. In this work, we first demonstrated the use of chitosan-caseinophosphopeptides (CS-CPP) nanocomplexes as particulate emulsifiers to stabilize the interface of natural oils and water. For this purpose, we developed the CS-CPP nanocomplexes through electrostatic interactions and demonstrated their application in the formation of stable Pickering HIPEs. The microstructures, e.g., interfacial frameworks, of the CS-CPP nanocomplexes partition between the continuous phase and interfacial region, and the states of the droplets of Pickering HIPEs were visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and an optical microscope. The compressed droplets in Pickering HIPEs formed a percolating 3D-network framework that endowed emulsions with viscoelastic, self-supporting, and ideal thixotropic features. In addition, the gelatinous state of Pickering HIPEs combined with robust and compact CS-CPP nanocomplexes formed an interfacial layer around the droplets, thus depressing the oxidation of linseed oil. The contents of primary and secondary oxidation products in HIPEs were lower than that in bulk oil and emulsions stabilized by surfactants. An in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) model was constructed to characterize the lipid oxidation, lipid digestion and curcumin bioaccessibility of Pickering HIPEs. Interestingly, this route enhanced the bioaccessibility of curcumin from 20.49% (bulk oil) to 49.21% (Pickering HIPEs). This work offers a facile method to develop Pickering HIPEs by food-grade particles, which help to fill the gap between the performance of CS-CPP nanocomplexes-stabilized Pickering HIPEs and potential applications as oral delivery systems of nutraceuticals.

γ-zein peptides (VHLPPP)n present great potential as efficient molecule carriers across the cell membrane. To further understand the binding behavior of peptides with cell membrane, simplified models consisting of peptides and mono/bi-layer membranes (Langmuir monolayer and liposome) were used to studied the resulting response in the structure of peptide and cell membrane in the present work. The results showed that (VHLPPP)n=1,3 bound to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes and was induced to self-assemble into polyproline II (PP II) structure. The incorporation of (VHLPPP)n=1,3 in the DPPC Langmuir monolayers resulted in an increase in the surface pressure and a decrease in the collapse pressure, suggesting the increase of lipid monolayer fluidity. Fluorescence images further confirmed that the presence of (VHLPPP)n=1,3 promoted the formation of liquid-expanded (LE, dis-ordered) phases in lipid monolayers. Atomic force microscopy images found that (VHLPPP)n=1,3 preferred to penetrate in LE phase domains. In addition, (VHLPPP)3 possesses higher binding affinity with DPPC membrane models compared to (VHLPPP)1.

Buckwheat constitutes a good source of bioactive components. A dry fractionation of surface abrasion for polyphenol-enriched protein combined with hydrothermal treatment was evaluated as an alternative to conventional wet extraction from tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench). The protein contents and the total polyphenol contents of both free and bound polyphenol gradually decreased in the order from the outer to the inner fractions. Polyphenol-enriched buckwheat protein flour was successfully enrichment with a maximum polyphenol content of 55 mg/g. Moreover, starch digestibility and polyphenols bioaccessibility of the buckwheat protein were increased with hydrothermal treatment time, while protein digestibility decreased slightly. Besides, most of the aroma compounds increased during the hydrothermal treatment. The assessment results demonstrate that the sustainability dry surface abrasion process in combination with hydrothermal treatment should be encouraged in processing functional protein fractions and improving both qualities of end use products and health benefits.

Zein and gliadin are both cereal proteins, indicating that they are highly compatible. In this study, gliadin was firstly added to zein to achieve different zein/gliadin ratios in aqueous ethanol solution, then we synthesized zein-gliadin complex particles (ZGCP) via an antisolvent approach and investigated their efficiency as stabilizers to fabricate Pickering emulsions. The addition of gliadin affected the self-assembly, aggregation and wettability of ZGCP. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that spherical zein particles were transformed into aggregation of nano-sized ZGCP, and FTIR results indicated that weak flocculation behavior of ZGCP involved in intermolecular β-sheet interactions. Furthermore, relatively hydrophilic gliadin was used to modify the hydrophobic property of zein, resulting in formation of near-neutral wettability of ZGCP. Compared with zein or gliadin, ZGCP tend to form a dense interfacial layer around droplet and smaller emulsion droplet size, endowing ZGCP-stabilized emulsions with higher viscoelastic attributes and much better stability against coalescence. This finding may develop theoretical and technical supports for the utilization of the whole cereal protein-based Pickering emulsions as novel natural ingredients in food industry.

In the present work, we studied the influence of particle size and charge density on the structure formation and rheological property of high internal phase emulsion gels (HIPE-gels) stabilized with zein/tannic acid complex particles (ZTPs). The size (68 and 108 nm) and charge density (+38, +20, and +1 mV) of ZTPs were controlled by adjusting the pH during the preparation of the particles and in the respective particle suspensions. Extensive centrifugation of the emulsions stabilized by those ZTPs resulted in stable HIPE-gels with an oil content ranging between 72 and 87% (w/w) and a particle concentration of 0.7–1.4% (w/w) only. Microscopy showed that even at these high oil volume fractions, limited coalescence between the oil droplets occurred. A decrease in the particle size resulted in a decrease in the oil content in the HIPE-gels, due to a more efficient particle network in the continuous phase. This increased the storage modulus of the HIPE gels, indicating that this particle network plays an important role for the gel strength. When increasing the interactions between the particles (by lowering the charge density), the gel strength increased even further. It was noted that the gel strength was independent of the oil content, suggesting that the oil droplets do not contribute a lot to the gel strength. These HIPE-gels with tunable rheological property may have various applications in industry.

Pickering high internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) and porous materials derived from the Pickering HIPEs have received increased attention in various research fields. Nevertheless, nondegradable inorganic and synthetic stabilizers present toxicity risks, thus greatly limiting their wider applications. In this work, we successfully developed nontoxic porous materials through the Pickering HIPE-templating process without chemical reactions. The obtained porous materials exhibited appreciable absorption capacity to corn oil and reached the state of saturated absorption within 3 min. The Pickering HIPE templates were stabilized by gliadin-chitosan complex particles (GCCPs), in which the volume fraction of the dispersed phase (90%) was the highest of all reported food-grade-particle-stabilized Pickering HIPEs so far, further contributing to the interconnected pore structure and high porosity (>90%) of porous materials. The interfacial particle barrier (Pickering mechanism) and three-dimensional network formed by the GCCPs in the continuous phase play crucial roles in stabilization of HIPEs with viscoelastic and self-supporting attributes and also facilitate the development of porous materials with designed pore structure. These materials, with favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability, possess excellent application prospects in foods, pharmaceuticals, materials, environmental applications, and so on.

In this work, the interaction of the soybean Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) with stevioside (STE) was studied by stopped-flow-fluorescence and molecular docking. STE's inactivation of protease-inhibitor activities in soymilk and the influence of STE addition on the sensory character of soymilk were also evaluated. The results indicate that STE binds BBI with a binding constant ( Ka) of 3.38 × 105 L mol-1 to form a 1:1 complex. The docking study reveals that two hydrogen bonds are formed between the side-chain of Lys16 (reactive site 1) of BBI and the glucose-ring hydroxyl groups of STE, which may block BBI from contacting trypsin and thus deactivate the trypsin-inhibitor activity (TIA) of BBI. Moreover, the residual TIA in soymilk could also be inactivated by STE. A mixture of 159 mg/L STE and 60 g/L sucrose could be used for sweetening soymilk without affecting the sensory characteristics when compared to a reference product sweetened with 9% sucrose.

A new facile route was reported to use the natural triterpene Quillaja saponin (QS)-stabilized orange emulsions as a template for the development of flavor oil powders and oleogels achieved by the tunable oil fraction and drying mode. A fibrosis network interfacial film from self-assembly of QS at the oil-water interface possibility contributed to the fabrication of stable emulsion precursors and subsequent oil powder and oleogels by packing oil droplets in the network structure. An oil powder containing as high as 93 wt % orange oil was obtained by spray drying, showing excellent stability, flowability, and reconstitution ability. Upon the medium water removal rate of freeze drying, porous structured solid products followed by oleogels by a simple shearing can be formed. Upon oven drying, a translucent oleogel with high oil loading of 98.2 wt % was obtained from the high internal phase emulsion template. The resulting oleogels showed tunable rheological and texture properties, thixotropic recovery by modulating the oil fraction and water evaporation rate, and reversibility to reconstituted emulsions. Structuring liquid oil into solid materials by simply drying the continuous water from solely QS-based emulsions is very encouraging and provides new insights into various functional applications in the fields of foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture.

Soy protein isolate (SPI, 1–4 wt%) was heated by conventional heat treatment (90 °C) and subcritical water treatment (SW, 120 °C). The aggregation degree, surface hydrophobicity, interfacial adsorption behaviors, foaming and emulsifying properties were characterized to evaluate the effects of aggregation degree on the foaming and emulsifying properties of proteins. SW treatment induced the formation of larger soluble aggregates dominated by intermolecular hydrophobic interactions. Compared to native SPI and SPI heated at 90 °C (SPI90), SW-treated SPI showed a higher surface activity at the air-water and oil-water interface due to lower aggregation degree and more flexible conformation. Obvious improvements of foam capacity and stability may be attributed to the formation of an interfacial layer with higher macromolecule interactions. Moreover, SW treatment effectively improved storage and freeze-thaw stability against emulsion coalescence due to the formation of a thicker multilayer, although higher flocculation degree was observed. These results suggest that SW treatment could be an effective technique to modify structural and functional properties of soy protein for stable foam and emulsion foods.

Background During the last decade buckwheat was reported to have positive health effects. The present study investigated a high-polyphenol buckwheat protein (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) prepared by enzyme-assisted processing, together with its physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, and antioxidant activity. Results Buckwheat protein prepared from the synergistic enzymatic action of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase (E-BWP) had much higher polyphenol content than buckwheat protein prepared by isoelectric precipitation (I-BWP) or salt extraction (S-BWP). Rutin degraded during the process, giving quercetin. The protein constituents and amino acid composition of E-BWP were very similar to those of native buckwheat and were able to meet the WHO/FAO requirements for both children and adults. During in vitro digestion, E-BWP showed anti-digestive behavior with a nitrogen release that was lower than that of I-BWP or S-BWP. The positive effect of the polyphenol content of E-BWP resulted in a higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) content and greater reducing activity. Conclusion Buckwheat protein with high polyphenol content was successfully developed by enzyme-assisted processing. It had a well-balanced amino acid profile, antidigestive behavior, and high antioxidant activities. The results suggest that enzyme-assisted processing is promising in the production of polyphenol-enriched cereal protein, contributing higher functionality with good nutritional and antioxidant properties. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Salt reduction in liquid/semi-solid processed foods remains a significant challenge as these foods contribute mostly to the high dietary sodium intake in our daily life. From the results of a taste contrast and quantitative saltiness analysis with trained panels, we found that the addition of high amounts of gum arabic could enhance the saltiness perception of standard NaCl solution and enable a 30% reduction of salt in yogurt drink and mayonnaise without impacting the saltiness perception. Via in vitro sodium retention experiments conducted using ex vivo porcine tongue, simulated tongue and Transwell methods, we suggested that the enhanced saltiness and sodium retention on the mucosa were possibly due to the mucopenetration ability of gum arabic. This finding would be useful for the design of low-salt liquid/semi-solid foods and has implications for novel food formulations to enhance flavor and nutrient delivery.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of oil type and solvent quality on the structure formation and rheological properties of zein-stabilized oil-in-glycerol emulsion gels. To change the interactions within the system, four types of oil (medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, sunflower oil, extra virgin olive (EVO) oil, and castor oil) with different polarity were used, and the solvent quality was modified by temperature and water addition. In all cases, emulsion gels were obtained with G' > G''. At each protein concentration and oil content, the gel strength and crossover strain γco increased with an increase in oil polarity, indicating the formation of a stronger gel structure and higher stability against structure breakdown. These results are related to the fact that a higher oil polarity decreases the oil-protein hydrophobic interactions and thereby increasing the interactions between the proteins to form a strong network in the continuous phase. In addition, water addition to the continuous phase enhanced the gel strength and the resistance against structure breakdown for more apolar MCT oil, while the opposite results were observed for the more polar castor oil. The zein-based emulsion gels showed a thermo-responsive behavior, and different responses in structure collapse and rearrangements during heating and cooling were found for different oils. These simple approaches form an interesting route to tune the rheological properties of zein-based emulsion gels.

Chemo-enzymatic cascade processes are invaluable due to their ability to rapidly construct high-value products from available feedstock chemicals in a one-pot relay manner. However, they have proven to be challenging because of the mutual inactivation of both catalysts. A conceptually novel strategy based on Pickering interfacial catalysis (PIC) is proposed here to address this challenge. This study aimed to construct a protein-stabilized Pickering system for biphasic cascade catalysis, enabled by phosphorylated zein nanoparticles (ZCPOPs) immobilized in gold nanoparticles (Au NCs). Ultra-small Au NCs, 1–2 nm in diameter, were integrated into ZCPOPs at room temperature. Then, the as-synthesized ZCPOPs–Au NCs were used to stabilize the oil-in-water (o/w) Pickering emulsion. Besides their excellent catalytic activity and recycling ability in a variety of oil phases, ZCPOPs–Au NCs possess unpredictable catalytic activity and exhibit mimicking properties of horseradish peroxidase. Particularly, the cascade reaction is well achieved using a metal catalyst and a biocatalyst at the oil–water interface. The result showed that such a combination of chemo- and biocatalysis improved the catalytic yield more than two times compared with that of sole metal catalysis. This study opened a new avenue to design nanomaterials using the combination of chemo- and biocatalysis in a Pickering emulsion system for multistep syntheses., A robust chemo- and biocatalytic cascade PIC with a recovery catalyst and a separation product was developed. The results groundbreakingly highlighted the preliminary applications of artificial enzymes and bio-enzymes in a one-pot cascade PIC.

Phytosterols oleogel-based flavor emulsions were successfully fabricated for the first time using natural tea saponin as emulsifier and one-pot ultrasonic technique. The effects of ultrasonic time and power, surfactant concentration, and type of flavor oils (e.g., orange, lemon and peppermint) on the emulsion droplet size were investigated. Submicron emulsions with a dispersed phase made by flavor oil (20 wt%) + phytosterol (4 wt%) were stabilized with 3 wt% saponin were obtained by applying an ultrasonic time of 5 min and ultrasonic power of 280 W. The natural tea saponin emulsions exhibited a superior stability and encapsulation efficiency of phytosterol, compared to traditional emulsifiers. Flavor oil-phytosterol enriched powders were prepared by spray-drying and characterized by SEM, XRD and repose angle. The natural saponin encapsulated oil + phytosterol powders had excellent fluidity, redispersion behavior and low phytosterol crystallinity. It was demonstrated that ultrasound is an effective and suitable technique for fabricating fortified flavor emulsions and microcapsules, which may be used for developing functional lipids-based applications in the food, beverage and cosmetic industries.