Effect of Electrohydrodynamic Drying on Drying Characteristics and Physicochemical Properties of Carrot.

This study investigates the effects of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying technology on the drying kinetics, microstructure, quality, and nutritional components of carrots, along with conducting experiments on EHD drying under different voltage gradients. The experimental results showed that EHD drying technology could significantly increase the drying rate and the effective moisture diffusion coefficient. Within a certain range, the drying rate was directly proportional to the voltage. When the range was exceeded, the increase in voltage had a minimal effect on the drying rate. In terms of quality, the EHD drying group's color, shrinkage rate, and rehydration performance were superior to the control group, and different voltages had no significant effect on the shrinkage rate and rehydration performance. The retention of carotenoids in the EHD drying group was 1.58 to 2 times that of the control group. EHD drying had a negative impact on the total phenolic content and vitamin A content of dried carrot slices. Based on the results of infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the dehydrated carrot slices showed wrinkling due to water loss, with numerous pores, a generally intact structure, and retained functional groups. EHD drying had a significant impact on the secondary structure of proteins, where an increase in voltage led to an increase in disordered structure, with a smaller proportion of disordered structure in the lower voltage group compared to the control group, and a similar proportion of disordered structure between the higher voltage group and the control group. Results from low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed that EHD drying could retain more bound water compared to the control group, with the best retention of cellular bound water at a voltage of 26 kV and the best retention of cellular immobilized water at a voltage of 38 kV, indicating the superiority of EHD drying in preserving cellular structure. This study provided a theoretical basis and experimental foundation for the application of electrohydrodynamic drying technology to carrot drying, and promoted the practical application of EHD drying technology.

Maternal supplementation with human milk-derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WLPL04 affects the immunity and gut microbiota of offspring rats.

Pregnancy and lactation are a window period during which interventions on mothers bring beneficial effects to newborns. This study aims to investigate the effects of maternal supplementation with human-milk-derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WLPL04-36e during pregnancy and lactation on the physiology, immunity and gut microbiota of dams and their offspring. We found that after maternal supplementation, L. plantarum WLPL04-36e could be detected in the intestines and extraintestinal tissues (liver, spleen, kidneys, mammary gland, MLN and brain) of dams, as well as in the intestines of their offspring. Maternal supplementation with L. plantarum WLPL04-36e could significantly increase the body weights of dams and their offspring during the middle to late lactation period, elevate the serum levels of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 of dams and IL-6 level of offspring, and increase the proportion of spleen CD4+ T lymphocytes of the offspring. Moreover, L. plantarum WLPL04-36e supplementation could increase the alpha diversity of milk microbiota during early and middle lactation periods, and elevated the abundance of Bacteroides in the intestines of offspring at week 2 and week 3 after birth. These results suggest that maternal supplementation with human-milk-derived L. plantarum can regulate the immunity and intestinal microbiota composition of offspring and play positive roles in the growth of offspring.

Whole Field Strain Measurement on Complex Surfaces by Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry.

Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI), originally known as electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI), is an interferometry based method applicable for conducting 3-dimensional whole field strain characterization. The present DSPI systems are suited for analyzing a relatively simple surface (e.g., a plane surface). However, few existing systems are able to accurately determine strain distributions on a surface with significant contour complexity. Here, we present development of a novel DSPI system that allows strain characterization of a sample with a complex surface. In the described DSPI system, deformations and contours as well as an absolute phase value are determined. Furthermore, variations in measurement sensitivity are considered. We describe a principle and methodology using two examples in the area of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering, and discuss potential usages and future directions.