Synergistic enhancement of anthocyanin stability and techno-functionality of colored wheat during the steamed bread processing by selectively hydrolyzed soy protein.

To improve the stability of anthocyanins and techno-functionality of purple and blue wheat, the selectively hydrolyzed soy protein (reduced glycinin, RG) and ß-conglycinin (7S) were prepared and their enhanced effects were comparatively investigated. The anthocyanins in purple wheat showed higher stability compared to that of the blue wheat during breadmaking. The cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutincoside in purple wheat and delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside in blue wheat were better preserved by RG. Addition of RG and 7S enhanced the quality of steamed bread made from colored and common wheat, with RG exhibited a more prominent effect. RG and 7S suppressed the gelatinization of starch and improved the thermal stability. Both RG and 7S promoted the unfolding process of gluten proteins and facilitated the subsequent crosslinking of glutenins and gliadins by disulfide bonds. Polymerization of α- and γ-gliadin into glutenin were more evidently promoted by RG, which contributed to the improved steamed bread quality.

Insights into the heavy metal adsorption and immobilization mechanisms of CaFe-layered double hydroxide corn straw biochar: Synthesis and application in a combined heavy metal-contaminated environment.

Biochar is an emerging eco-friendly and high-efficiency heavy metal (HM) adsorbent that exhibits satisfactory HM remediation effects in both water and soil environments. However, few studies have investigated the mechanisms and application of biochar in the remediation of combined HM-contaminated environments. Therefore, in the present study, a novel corn straw biochar-loaded calcium-iron layered double hydroxide composite (CaFe-LDH@CSB) was synthesized via the coprecipitation method and applied as a remediation adsorbent to remove HMs in both water and soil environments. The results indicated that the HM adsorption mechanism of CaFe-LDH@CSB in the aquatic phase involved a chemical endothermic adsorption process of functional group-complexed monolayers, dominated by precipitation, ion exchange, complexation and π bond interactions. The maximum adsorption capacity for Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) in the aqueous phase reached 24.58, 240.96, 57.57 and 39.35 mg g-1, respectively. In addition, application of CaFe-LDH@CSB in the combined HM-contaminated soil treatment helped to increase the soil pH, which increased by 5.1-17.9% in low-contamination (LC) soil and by 7.0-13.9% in high-contamination (HC) soil. Moreover, application of CaFe-LDH@CSB effectively decreased the acid-soluble fraction of HMs and increased the HM residual fraction. The immobilization mechanism of CaFe-LDH@CSB in the soil was concluded to involve pore filling, functional group action and electrostatic interactions. Overall, this study provided a novel LDH biochar composite that can be effectively applied in the remediation of combined HM-contaminated water and soil environments.