Production of Kudzu Starch Gels with Superior Mechanical and Rheological Properties through Submerged Ethanol Exposure and Implications for In Vitro Digestion.

Producing starch gels with superior mechanical attributes remains a challenging pursuit. This research sought to develop a simple method using ethanol exposure to produce robust starch gels. The gels' mechanical properties, rheology, structural characteristics, and digestion were assessed through textural, rheological, structural, and in vitro digestion analyses. Our investigation revealed an improvement in the gel's strength from 62.22 to178.82 g. The thermal transitions were accelerated when ethanol was elevated. The exposure to ethanol resulted in a reduction in syneresis from 11% to 9.5% over a period of 6 h, with noticeable changes in size and color. Rheologically, the dominating storage modulus and tan delta (<0.55) emphasized the gel's improved elasticity. X-ray analysis showed stable B- and V-type patterns after ethanol exposure, with relative crystallinity increasing to 7.9%. Digestibility revealed an ethanol-induced resistance, with resistant starch increasing from 1.87 to 8.73%. In general, the exposure to ethanol played a crucial role in enhancing the mechanical characteristics of kudzu starch gels while simultaneously preserving higher levels of resistant starch fractions. These findings have wide-ranging implications in the fields of confectioneries, desserts, beverages, and pharmaceuticals, underscoring the extensive academic and industrial importance of this study.

Advanced visual sensing techniques for on-site detection of pesticide residue in water environments.

Pesticide usage has increased to fulfil agricultural demand. Pesticides such as organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are ubiquitous in world food production. Their widespread usage has unavoidable detrimental consequences for humans, wildlife, water, and soil environments. Hence, the development of more convenient and efficient pesticide residue (PR) detection methods is of paramount importance. Visual detecting approaches have acquired a lot of interest among different sensing systems due to inherent advantages in terms of simplicity, speed, sensitivity, and eco-friendliness. Furthermore, various detections have been proven to enable real-life PR surveillance in environment water. Fluorometric (FL), colourimetric (CL), and enzyme-inhibition (EI) techniques have emerged as viable options. These sensing technologies do not need complex operating processes or specialist equipment, and the simple colour change allows for visual monitoring of the sensing result. Visual sensing techniques for on-site detection of PR in water environments are discussed in this paper. This paper further reviews prior research on the integration of CL, FL, and EI-based techniques with nanoparticles (NPs), quantum dots (QDs), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Smartphone detection technologies for PRs are also reviewed. Finally, conventional methods and nanoparticle (NPs) based strategies for the detection of PRs are compared.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction of bioactive chlorogenic acid from heilong48 soybean variety: Parametric optimization and evaluation of physicochemical and bioactive properties.

Chlorogenic acid (CA), especially that found in soybeans, is a rich bioactive compound but has received very little attention in research settings in past decades. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) could be an efficient method to increase CA release from soybeans. Hence, this study aimed to optimize UAE parameters for CA extraction from heilong48 soybean (HS) variety and evaluate the physicochemical and bioactive properties of the soybean. Optimization of ultrasound parameters with a Box-Behnken design found a frequency of 20.0 kHz, a power density of 30.0 W/L), a temperature of 37.9°C, and a time of 28.0 min to be the best conditions, which gave a CA yield of 5.007 ± 0.033 mg/g and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of 93.197 ± 0.213 µmol of AA eq/g dry sample; these were higher than those of a non-ultrasound-treated (raw) HS sample (CA yield of 1.627 ± 0.528 mg/g and DPPH radical scavenging activity of 10.760 ± 0.207 µmol of AA eq/g dry sample). A satisfactory model was obtained. Scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the structural changes of the HS variety caused by the optimized UAE parameters. High total polyphenol contents (TPCs; 4.726 ± 0.002 mg GAE/g) and total phenolic acids (1.883 ± 0.005 mg GAE/g) and low total flavonoid contents (0.040 ± 0.008 mg RE/g) were obtained. A positive linear correlation between antioxidant activity and TPC was established. A protein-phenolic interaction in the HS variety was observed. The results established that polyphenols should be considered a significant component of the HS variety. Likewise, the HS variety could be used for CA extraction.

Single-frequency ultrasonic extraction of bioactive chlorogenic acid from heilong48 soybean variety: Parametric optimization and comprehensive evaluation of physicochemical and bioactive properties.

Chlorogenic acid (CA), especially that found in soybean, is a rich bioactive compound but has received very little attention in research settings in past decades. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) could be an efficient method to increase CA release from soybean. Hence, this study aimed to optimize UAE parameters for CA extraction from heilong48 soybean (HS) variety with comprehensive physicochemical and bioactive properties evaluation. Optimization of ultrasound parameters with Box-Behnken design (BBD) found frequency (20.0 kHz), power density (30.0 W/L), temperature (37.9℃), and time (28.0 min) as the significant optimized parameters, which gave CA yield of 5.007 ± 0.033 mg/g and DPPH of 93.197 ± 0.213 µmol AA eq/g dry sample and were higher than that of nonultrasound-treated (raw) HS sample (CA yield, 1.627 ± 0.528 mg/g, and DPPH, 10.760 ± 0.207 µmol AA eq/g dry sample). A satisfactory model was obtained. SEM results confirmed the structural alterations of HS variety caused by the optimized UAE parameters. High TPC (4.726 ± 0.002 mg GAE/g), TPA (1.883 ± 0.005 mg GAE/g), and low TFC (0.040 ± 0.008 mg RE/g) were obtained. A positive linear correlation between antioxidant activity and TPC was established. Protein-phenolic interaction in HS variety was observed. The results proposed that polyphenols should be considered as a significant component of HS variety. Likewise, HS variety could be utilized for CA extraction.

Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Genes in the Diamondback Moth.

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play essential roles in regulating eukaryotic developmental and physiological processes such as neuron generation, myocyte formation, intestinal tissue development, and response to environmental stress. In this study, the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), genome was found to encode 52 bHLH genes. All 52 P. xylostella bHLH (PxbHLH) genes were classified into correspondent bHLH families according to their orthology with bHLHs from fruit fly and other insect species. Among these 52 PxbHLH genes, 19 have been annotated consistently with our classification in GenBank database. The remaining 33 PxbHLH genes are either annotated as general bHLH genes or as hypothetical genes. Therefore, our data provide useful information for updating annotations to PxbHLH genes. P. xylostella has four stem cell leukemia (SCL) genes (one of them has three copies), two Dys genes, two copies of MyoR, Mitf, and Sima genes, and three copies of Sage genes. Further studies may be conducted to elucidate functions of these specific bHLH genes in regulating P. xylostella growth and development.