Hawthorn pectin/soybean isolate protein hydrogel bead as a promising ferrous ion-embedded delivery system.

In this study, hydrogel beads [SPI/HP-Fe (II)] were prepared by cross-linking soybean isolate protein (SPI) and hawthorn pectin (HP) with ferrous ions as a backbone, and the effects of ultrasound and Fe2+ concentration on the mechanical properties and the degree of cross-linking of internal molecules were investigated. The results of textural properties and water-holding capacity showed that moderate ultrasonic power and Fe2+ concentration significantly improved the stability and water-holding capacity of the hydrogel beads and enhanced the intermolecular interactions in the system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the hydrogel beads with 60% ultrasonic power and 8% Fe2+ concentration had a denser network. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic absorption experiments demonstrated that ferrous ions were successfully loaded into the hydrogel beads with an encapsulation efficiency of 82.5%. In addition, in vitro, simulated digestion experiments were performed to understand how the encapsulated Fe2+ is released from the hydrogel beads, absorbed, and utilized in the gastrointestinal environment. The success of the experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel beads were able to withstand harsh environments, ensuring the bioactivity of Fe2+ and improving its bioavailability. In conclusion, a novel and efficient ferrous ion delivery system was developed using SPI and HP, demonstrating the potential application of SPI/HP-Fe (II) hydrogel beads as an iron supplement to overcome the inefficiency of intake of conventional iron supplements.

Physicochemical properties and Pb2+ adsorption capacity of freeze-dried hawthorn pectin fractions by gradient ethanol precipitation.

Three fractions of FHP20, FHP40 and FHP60 were obtained from freeze-dried hawthorn pectin by gradient ethanol precipitation (20-60 %), and their physicochemical properties and adsorption performance on Pb2+ were investigated. It was found that the content of galacturonic acid (GalA) and esterification of FHP fractions gradually reduced with the increase of ethanol concentration. FHP60 had the lowest molecular weight (60.69 × 103 Da), and the composition and proportion of monosaccharides were significantly different. The experimental results of Pb2+ adsorption showed that the adsorption process fitted well with the Langmuir monolayer adsorption and the pseudo-second-order models. Our findings suggested that pectin fractions with good homogeneity of molecular weight and chemical construction can be obtained by gradient ethanol precipitation, and hawthorn pectin could be developed as a potential adsorbent for Pb2+ removal.

Effect of different processing methods of hawthorn on the properties and emulsification performance of hawthorn pectin.

Five types of hawthorns were obtained using hot air drying (HH), vacuum freeze-drying (FH), Parched processing (PH), Charred processing (CH), and blackening (BH). Five types of pectins (HHP, FHP, PHP, CHP, BHP) were extracted and characterized based on a series of characterization methods. The results indicated that the esterification and molecular weight of BHP were the lowest, which were 30.92 % and 73.67 × 103 (g/mol), respectively. FHP had the highest apparent viscosity and molecular weight (464.42 × 103 g/mol). PHP and CHP differ in galacturonic acid, molecular weight, and monosaccharide composition depending on the time of processing. The emulsion of HHP had the best stability, and the emulsification properties of FHP, PHP, and CHP also showed better performance compared to BHP. In conclusion, our results showed that different processing methods of hawthorn affected the physicochemical properties of pectin, and pectin with specific properties could be obtained by choosing the appropriate processing method.

Encapsulation and sustained release of curcumin by hawthorn pectin and Tenebrio Molitor protein composite hydrogel.

In this study, the effects of pH value, mixing ratio and the Ca2+ concentration on the complex gelation of hawthorn pectin (HP) and Tenebrio Molitor protein (TMP) were investigated. The turbidity results showed that the composite gel had the maximum polymer concentration when the mixing ratio was 2:1 and the pH value was 3.35. The rheological measurement results showed that TMP/HP (15 mmol/L) hydrogel (THIH) had the highest storage modulus and loss modulus, indicating that the properties of the hydrogel at this Ca2+ concentration had been significantly improved. The results of scanning electron microscope and pore size also proved that the network structure prepared under this condition was compact and uniform, the pore size was small, which was beneficial to the entrapment of active components. Subsequently, in order to explore the storage stability and antioxidant activity of THIH-loaded curcumin in simulated gastrointestinal environment, in vitro simulated digestion experiment was carried out and satisfactory results were obtained. To sum up, THIH was a promising delivery system with broad application prospects, which was expected to provide a novel idea for the entrapment and delivery of active components.

Comparative study of HG-type low-ester hawthorn pectin as a promising material for the preparation of hydrogel.

Homogalacturonan (HG)-type pectin has been considered suitable for the formation of hydrogel, but it is unknown whether the less side chain will limit the properties of hydrogel. The current study successfully obtained low methoxyl HG-type hawthorn pectin (LMHP) from hawthorn by sequential hot water extraction and alkaline de-esterification. The proportion of HG domain, the proportion of rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) domain, molecular weight, and particle size of LMHP were 81.13 %, 4.04 %, 348.43 kDa, and 1386.92 nm, respectively. Compared with commercial citrus pectin (CP), LMHP was more suitable for the preparation of hydrogel. The hydrogel with the densest network structure and relatively stable performance in digestion simulation environment can be obtained as the concentration of LMHP increases to 2.5 %, which is lower than the consumption of commercial citrus pectin. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of hawthorn pectin as a novel hydrogel raw material.

Synthesis, physicochemical characterization, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility of quaternized hawthorn pectin.

Quaternized polysaccharides are considered as potential antimicrobial materials due to their antimicrobial activity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and water solubility. In this work, hawthorn pectin (HP) was obtained by ultrasound­sodium citrate assisted extraction, quaternized hawthorn pectin (QHP) derivatives (namely: QHP-1, QHP-2, QHP-3, and QHP-4) with different degree of substitution were produced using (3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride under alkaline conditions. The structure, properties, and morphology of HP and QHP were characterized by FTIR, XRD, 1H NMR, high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), thermal analysis, and SEM. The results of FTIR and 1H NMR demonstrated that the quaternary ammonium modification was successful, and the degree of substitution (DS) of derivatives was calculated through elemental analysis. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations and biofilm inhibition assay exhibited that QHP has a certain inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Acceptable values of QHP were obtained in cytotoxicity assay on human keratinocytes.

Effect of ultrasound on the properties and antioxidant activity of hawthorn pectin.

In this paper, the effects of ultrasonic on the degradation kinetics, structure properties, and antioxidant activity of hawthorn pectin were studied. According to our study, as ultrasonic time extended, the intrinsic viscosity for different hawthorn pectin concentrations decreased. The ultrasonic degradation of hawthorn pectin reaction conformed to the first-order kinetic equation. As the reaction rate constant (k) decreased, hawthorn pectin concentration increased. When ultrasonic time was 10 min, the Gal A increased by 10.62% and the DE decreased by 45.57% compared with control, additionally, the particle size, turbidity and gel properties of hawthorn pectin decreased. Hawthorn pectin molecular weight and its distribution all decreased after ultrasonic treatment. FTIR analysis indicated that ultrasonic treatment did not change pectin's primary structures, and SEM analysis showed that the surface characteristic of ultrasonic treatment pectin was different from native pectin. Moreover, in vitro antioxidant activity assays indicated that ultrasonic treatment significantly improved the antioxidant activity of pectin. It was concluded that ultrasonic treatment not only affected the properties of pectin, but also affected its antioxidant activity.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of flavonoids compounds (FC) from hawthorn seed (HS).

Hawthorn seed (HS), an important by-product of the Hawthorn industry, is rich in potentially health-promoting flavonoids compounds. In this paper, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of FC from HS was investigated. Important variables and their levels were obtained using Plackett-Burman (PB) design and Box-Behnken (BB) design. A mathematical model was developed to show the effects of each variable and their combinatorial interactions on extraction yield of FC. A high coefficient of determination (R(2) = 91.26%) indicated good agreement between the experimental and predicted values of FC yield. The optimum levels of these significant parameters were determined using response surface methodology (RSM), which revealed these as follows: ultrasound temperature 65 °C, ultrasonic time 37 min, extraction temperature 91 °C, extraction time 1.5h, solid-liquid ratio of 1:18, and 72% ethanol. Under the optimum condition, the UAE rate of FC was up to 91.7%, and the yield of FC was 16.45 ± 0.02 mg/g (P<0.05) that was 1.32-fold the yield of conventional reflux extraction (CRE).

Effects of aqueous chlorine dioxide treatment on nutritional components and shelf-life of mulberry fruit (Morus alba L.).

Effects of aqueous chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) treatment on nutritional components and shelf-life of mulberry fruit (Morus alba L.) were investigated. Mulberry fruit were immersed into 20, 60, and 80 mg/l ClO(2) solutions for 5, 10, and 15 min, respectively. Mulberries were then rinsed with potable tap water for 1 min and stored at -1°C for 14 d. ClO(2) treatment was effective in retention of flavonoid, ascorbic acid, reducing sugar, and titratable acid. ClO(2) concentration and treatment time were significant factors affecting ClO(2) treatment. The shelf-life of the samples treated by 60 mg/l ClO(2) for 15 min was extended to 14 d compared to 8 d for the control. No ClO(2), ClO(2)(-), or ClO(3)(-) residues were detected in samples treated by 60 mg/l ClO(2) for 15 min. These results indicated that ClO(2) treatment was a promising approach to preserve mulberry fruit with no significant risks of chemical residues.