Effect of starch and peanut oil on physicochemical and gel properties of myofibrillar protein: Amylose content and addition form.

Starch and peanut oil (PO) were widely used to improve the gel properties of surimi, however, the impact mechanism of addition forms on the denaturation and aggregation behavior of myofibrillar protein (MP) is not clear. Therefore, the effect of starch, PO, starch/PO mixture, and starch-based emulsion on the physicochemical and gel properties of MP was investigated. The results showed that amylose could accelerate the aggregation of MP, while amylopectin was conducive to the improvement of gel properties. The addition of PO, starch/PO mixture, or starch-based emulsion increased the turbidity, solubility, sulfhydryl content of MP, and improved the gel strength, whiteness, and texture of MP gel. However, compared with starch/PO mixture group, the gel strength of MP with waxy, normal and high amylose corn starch-based emulsion increased by 22.68 %, 10.27 %, and 32.89 %, respectively. The MP containing emulsion had higher storage modulus than MP with starch/PO mixture under the same amylose content. CLSM results indicated that the oil droplets aggregated in PO or starch/PO mixture group, while emulsified oil droplets filled the protein gel network more homogeneously. Therefore, the addition of starch and PO in the form of emulsion could effectively play the filling role to improve the gel properties of MP.

Synergistic effect of ultrahigh pressure and allicin on gel properties, flavor characteristics, and myosin structure of the obturator muscle of the scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis).

The synergistic effects of the combination of ultrahigh pressure (UHP) with allicin on the gel properties, flavor characteristics, and myosin structure of scallops were investigated. The results indicated that chewiness reached maximum, uniform, and dense microstructures at B-300 MPa, and scallops with favorable gel properties. In addition, the electronic nose and tongue could clearly distinguish the olfactory and gustatory properties of scallops, and the interaction of UHP and allicin increased the variety of volatile compounds in scallops, which mainly included 1-hydroxy-2-propanone, 1-hexenal, 2-butanone-D, and 1-octen-3-ol. The main performance was fruit aroma and a plantlike aroma and mushroomlike odor. UHP and allicin changed the microenvironment of tryptophan residues, and allicin formed larger aggregates by forming disulfides with myosin. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results could show that myosin had low degradation in B-300 MPa. Thus, comprehensively viewed, UHP and allicin play a role in gel formation of myosin from obturator muscle at 300 MPa, whereas allicin and myosin form disulfides as the main factor of myosin gelation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: To enhance the diversity of scallop preparation methods and improve the quality of the obtained product, UHP and allicin treatment result in scallops with satisfactory chewiness and flavor, which provides application prospects for scallop processing.

Effects of chickpea protein-stabilized Pickering emulsion on the structure and gelling properties of hairtail fish myosin gel.

The effects of different amount (0-12%) of chickpea protein-stabilized Pickering emulsion (CPE) on the gelling properties, intermolecular interactions, microstructure, and physicochemical stability of hairtail fish myosin gels were investigated. The myosin gel with 6%-9% CPE demonstrated significantly higher viscoelasticity, gel strength, hardness, water-holding capacity and whiteness, compared to the control (P < 0.05). In addition, Raman spectroscopy showed that CPE changed the microenvironment of the myosin, which promoted the changes in protein secondary structures, disulfide bond conformation and the local environments of the composite gels. The addition of 6%-9% CPE also enhanced the disulfide bond and hydrophobic interaction of myosin gels which induced more compact gel network structures. Furthermore, CPE improved the lipid oxidative stability and freeze-thaw stability of myosin gel. The results indicated that CPE could improve the gelling properties of myosin, making it a potential new additive and lipid substitute for the development of new emulsion gel products.

Identification, molecular docking, and protective effects on H2O2-induced HEK-293 cell oxidative damage of antioxidant peptides from Pacific saury (Cololabis saira).

We identified novel antioxidant peptides from Pacific saury (Cololabis saira). Enzymatic hydrolysates were isolated, purified, and identified by ultrafiltration, gel chromatography, reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Twenty putative peptides were identified from five components of HPLC, among which sixteen peptides were predicted to have good water solubility and non-toxicity by online tools. Fifteen peptides were successfully docked with myeloperoxidase, and we observed that Arg31, Arg323, and Lys505 played a key role in the antioxidant mechanism, with van der Waals forces and conventional hydrogen bonds as important interaction forces. Six identified peptides with lower CDOCKER energy values were synthesized to verify the antioxidant activity, and the results showed that the synthetic peptide QQAAGDKIMK displayed the strongest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging rate (31.05 ± 0.27%) and reducing power (0.29 ± 0.01). The synthetic peptide KDEPDQASSK at a concentration of 300 µg mL-1 exhibited the strongest protective effects on H2O2-induced oxidative damage of HEK-293 cells, with cell viability and ROS level of 0.38 ± 0.03 and 0.08 ± 0.01, respectively.

Identification, taste characteristics and molecular docking study of novel umami peptides derived from the aqueous extract of the clam meretrix meretrix Linnaeus.

To understand the delicious taste of the clam M. meretrix Linnaeus, the putative umami peptides from the aqueous extract of the cooked clam were obtained by ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The isolated peptide fraction with the most intense umami taste was screened by sensory and electronic tongue analysis. Seven novel peptides, GLLPDGTPR, RPNPFENR, STMLLESER, ANPGPVRDLR, QVAIAHRDAK, VLPTDQNFILR, and VTADESQQDVLK, were identified and synthesized to verify their taste characteristics. The taste activity prediction and the sensory evaluation of the synthetic peptides revealed that those peptides were umami and umami-enhancing peptides. Docking of the synthesized peptides with the umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3 indicated that the peptides could enter the binding pocket in the Venus flytrap domain of the T1R3 cavity, wherein Asp196 and Glu128 may play key roles in the synergism of umami taste and hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions are important interaction forces.

Effect of 6-gingerol on physicochemical properties of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) surimi fortified with perilla oil during refrigerated storage.

BACKGROUND: Surimi is produced from deboned fish muscle through washing to remove blood, lipids, sarcoplasmic proteins and other impurities. There is an increasing interest in the fortification of surimi with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids because of their health benefits. However, lipid oxidation should be considered as an important factor during storage. Hence, in this study, the quality properties and oxidative stability of surimi fortified with 30 g kg-1 perilla oil (PO), or 5 g kg-1 6-gingerol (GI) or their combination (PO+GI) was investigated. RESULTS: Perilla oil significantly improved whiteness of surimi gel, but negatively influenced its gel strength, water holding capacity (WHC) and texture. However, there was no significant difference in texture properties among GI, PO+GI and control groups. During the whole storage period, GI and PO+GI groups had higher gel strength and WHC than control and PO groups. Moreover, lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), carbonyl content and total plate count (TPC) were observed in GI group compared with other groups. CONCLUSION: Perilla oil and 6-gingerol could be applied together to effectively fortify surimi qualities. Additionally, 6-gingerol could prevent lipid and protein oxidation and microbial growth of surimi during refrigerated storage. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Involvement of three annexin genes in the ripening of strawberry fruit regulated by phytohormone and calcium signal transduction.

KEY MESSAGE: Three annexin genes may be involved in the ripening progress of strawberry fruit. Phytohormones and calcium regulate the expressions of three annexin genes during strawberry fruit ripening. Plant annexins are multi-functional membrane- and Ca(2+)-binding proteins that are involved in various developmental progresses and stress responses. Three annexins FaAnn5a, FaAnn5b and FaAnn8 cDNA obtained from strawberry fruit encode amino acid sequences of approximately 35 kDa containing four annexin repeats, Ca(2+)-binding site, GTP-binding motif, peroxidase residue, and conserved amino acid residues of tryptophan, arginine and cysteine. During fruit development, the transcript levels of FaAnn5a and FaAnn5b increased while FaAnn5b declined after 3/4R stage. The expression patterns of annexins suggested their potential roles in strawberry fruit development and ripening. Expressions of annexin genes were also highly correlated with hormone levels. In addition, exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) enhanced the expressions of FaAnn5a and FaAnn8 while exogenous auxin (IAA) retarded it. However, both ABA and IAA promoted the transcript levels of FaAnn5b, indicating the independent regulation of annexins in fruit likely due to multi-functions of their large family. The responses of annexin genes to exogenous ABA and IAA inhibitors verified the involvement of annexins in plant hormone signaling. Besides, calcium restrained the expressions of FaAnn5s (FaAnn5a and FaAnn5b) but promoted the expression of FaAnn8. Effects of calcium and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) on the transcript levels of annexins confirmed that calcium likely mediated hormone signal transduction pathways, which helped to elucidate the mechanism of calcium in fruit ripening. Therefore, FaAnn5s and FaAnn8 might be involved in plant hormones' regulation in the development and ripening of strawberry fruit through calcium signaling in the downstream.

Evidence of programmed cell death induced by reconditioning after cold stress in cucumber fruit and possible involvement of ethylene.

BACKGROUND: Cucumber fruit is susceptible to chilling injury (CI), which could be accelerated significantly with subsequent shelf-life. This type of CI culminates in deterioration of organs and eventually leads to cell death. In this study, evidence of programmed cell death (PCD), involving cell death induced by cold stress, was investigated in cucumber. Harvested cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Zhexiu-1) fruits were stored at 2 °C for 3, 6 or 9 days and subsequently transferred to 20 °C for 2 days. RESULTS: Significant cell death acceleration was observed upon reconditioning after 9 days' cold stress when the hallmark of PCD - DNA laddering - was clearly observed. Further evidence of nuclear DNA cleavage was confirmed by the in situ TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Chromatin condensation and nucleus distortion were observed by nuclear staining of DPI. Ethylene burst was observed upon reconditioning after 9 days of consecutive cold stress. CONCLUSION: The features of PCD process induced by reconditioning after cold stress in cucumber fruit may be mainly attributed to ethylene burst.

Maturity-dependent chilling tolerance regulated by the antioxidative capacity in postharvest cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruits.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to reveal the effect of fruit maturity on the chilling tolerance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit and the oxidative and antioxidative mechanisms involved. Chinese mini-cucumber (cv. Hangcui-1) fruits were harvested at four developmental stages: Immature (3-8 days after anthesis (DAA)), Mature (9-16 DAA), Breaker (17-22 DAA) and Yellow (35-40 DAA). All fruits were stored at 2 °C for 9 days and rewarmed at 20 °C for 2 days. RESULTS: The chilling injury index declined with advancing fruit maturity. High superoxide anion radical production rate and hydrogen peroxide content were observed in Immature fruits after cold storage and rewarming. Under chilling stress, superoxide dismutase showed an early response. Fruits at earlier maturity stages exhibited higher catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities and glutathione content as well as its redox state, and lower peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase and glutathione reductase activities and ascorbate content as well as its redox state. CONCLUSION: Fruits at the earlier developmental stage are more susceptible to chilling injury, which is related to increased oxidative stress. High peroxidase activity and ascorbate content and maintenance of the latter's redox state appear critical to the chilling tolerance of cucumber fruits at later developmental stages.