Effects of frying on the surface oil absorption of wheat, potato, and pea starches.

The effects of structural changes on surface oil absorption characteristics of wheat starch, pea starch and potato starch during frying under different water content (20%, 30%, 40%, 50%) were studied. Fried potato starch with a 40% water content exhibited the highest surface oil content. When the initial moisture content reached 30%, the scattering intensity of the crystal layer structure decreased for wheat and pea starches, while the scattering peak for potato starch completely disappeared. At 40% moisture content, the amorphous phase ratio values for fried potato, wheat and pea starches were 13.50%, 11.78% and 11.24%, respectively, and the nitrogen adsorption capacity of fried starch decreased in turn. These findings that the structure of potato starch was more susceptible to degradation compared to pea starch and wheat starch, resulting in higher surface oil absorbed by potato starch during frying process.

Cellulolytic Bacillus cereus produces a variety of short-chain fatty acids and has potential as a probiotic.

Cellulolytic bacteria ferment dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids, which play an important role in improving fiber utilization and maintaining intestinal health. Safe and effective cellulolytic bacteria are highly promising probiotic candidates. In this study, we isolated three strains of Bacillus cereus, which exhibited cellulolytic properties, from Kele pig feces. To assess the genetic basis of cellulose degradation by the isolates, whole-genome sequencing was used to detect functional genes associated with cellulose metabolism. Subsequently, we identified that the B. cereus CL2 strain was safe in mice by monitoring body weight changes, performing histopathologic evaluations, and determining routine blood indices. We next evaluated the biological characteristics of the CL2 strain in terms of its growth, tolerance, and antibiotic susceptibility, with a focus on its ability to produce short-chain fatty acids. Finally, the intestinal flora structure of the experimental animals was analyzed to assess the intestinal environment compatibility of the CL2 strain. In this study, we isolated a cellulolytic B. cereus CL2, which has multiple cellulolytic functional genes and favorable biological characteristics, from the feces of Kele pigs. Moreover, CL2 could produce a variety of short-chain fatty acids and does not significantly affect the diversity of the intestinal flora. In summary, the cellulolytic bacterium B. cereus CL2 is a promising strain for use as a commercial probiotic or in feed supplement. IMPORTANCE: Short-chain fatty acids are crucial constituents of the intestinal tract, playing an important and beneficial role in preserving the functional integrity of the intestinal barrier and modulating both immune responses and the structure of the intestinal flora. In the intestine, short-chain fatty acids are mainly produced by bacterial fermentation of cellulose. Therefore, we believe that safe and efficient cellulolytic bacteria have the potential to be novel probiotics. In this study, we systematically evaluated the safety and biological characteristics of the cellulolytic bacterium B. cereus CL2 and provide evidence for its use as a probiotic.

Effects of maltogenic α-amylase on physicochemical properties and edible quality of rice cake.

Maltogenic α-amylase (MA) are commercially used in the baking industry to retard starch retrogradation. However, whether MA can be used to modify rice flour during the fermentation process to improve the quality of rice flour remains unclear. In this study, MA was introduced during rice cake (RC) processing, and the modification effect and underlying mechanism were explored. Mn showed a decreasing trend except for 4.0 × 10-3 U/g sample. Chain length distribution data showed that MA effectively hydrolyzed long chains in amylopectin and increased the concentration of amylopectin chain length with a degree of polymerization of ≤ 9. High-performance liquid chromatography results suggested that the maltose content increased to 3.14% at an MA concentration of 9.5 × 10-3 U/g, which affected the fermentation effect of MA-treated RC. MA effectively reduced the viscosity of RC, and the gelatinization enthalpy of RC changed to 0.835 mJ/mg. MA also reduced the hardness and chewiness of RC after storage for 7 d. Moreover, rapidly digestible starch and slowly digestible starch contents of MA-treated RC decreased and increased, respectively, and resistant starch contents were remained unchanged. These results indicate that MA exerts a significant and effective antiretrogradation effect on RC. Combining the above results with sensory evaluation findings, an MA concentration of 4.0 × 10-3 U/g was the best supplemental concentration for obtaining RC with better edible quality. These findings suggest that MA treatment to rice flour during the fermentation process not only preserved the edible quality of RC but also retarded its retrogradation, thus, providing a novel processing method for the industrial production of RC.

Preparation of robust, water-resistant, antibacterial, and antioxidant chitosan-based films by incorporation of cinnamaldehyde-tannin acid-zinc acetate nanoparticles.

Chitosan (CS) films have poor mechanical property, low water-resistance and limited antimicrobial activity, which hinder their application in food preservation industry. Cinnamaldehyde-tannic acid-zinc acetate nanoparticles (CTZA NPs) assembled from edible medicinal plant extracts were successfully incorporated into CS films to solve these issues. The tensile strength and water contact angle of the composite films increased about 5.25-fold and 17.55°. The addition of CTZA NPs reduced the water sensitivity of CS films, which could undergo appreciable stretching in water without breaking. Furthermore, CTZA NPs significantly enhanced the UV adsorption, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties of the films, while reduced their water vapor permeability. Moreover, it was possible to print inks onto the films because the presence of the hydrophobic CTZA NPs facilitated the deposition of carbon powder onto their surfaces. The films with great antibacterial and antioxidant activities can be applied for food packaging application.

Utilization of plant extracts to control the safety and quality of fried foods-A review.

Frying is one of the most common methods of preparing foods. However, it may lead to the formation of potentially hazardous substances, such as acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, trans fatty acids, advanced glycation end products, hydroxymethyl furfural and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and adversely alter the desirable sensory attributes of foods, thereby reducing the safety and quality of fried foods. Currently, the formation of toxic substances is usually reduced by pretreatment of the raw materials, optimization of process parameters, and the use of coatings. However, many of these strategies are not highly effective at inhibiting the formation of these undesirable reaction products. Plant extracts can be used for this purpose because of their abundance, safety, and beneficial functional attributes. In this article, we focus on the potential of using plant extracts to inhibit the formation of hazardous substances, so as to improve the safety of fried food. In addition, we also summarized the effects of plant extracts, which inhibit the production of hazardous substances, on food sensory aspects (flavor, color, texture, and taste). Finally, we highlight areas where further research is required.

Systemic Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Chinese Consensus-Based Interdisciplinary Expert Statements.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and causes many cancer-related deaths worldwide; in China, it is the second most prevalent cause of cancer deaths. Most patients are diagnosed clinically with advanced stage disease. Summary: For more than a decade, sorafenib, a small-molecular-weight tyrosine kinase inhibitor (SMW-TKI) was the only molecular targeted drug available with a survival benefit for the treatment of advanced HCC. With the development of novel TKIs and immune checkpoint inhibitors for advanced HCC, the management of patients has been greatly improved. However, though angiogenic-based targeted therapy remains the backbone for the systemic treatment of HCC, to date, no Chinese guidelines for novel molecular targeted therapies to treat advanced HCC have been established. Our interdisciplinary panel on the treatment of advanced HCC comprising hepatologists, hepatobiliary surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, orthopedic surgeons, traditional Chinese medicine physicians, and interventional radiologists has reviewed the literature in order to develop updated treatment regimens. Key Messages: Panel consensus statements for the appropriate use of new molecular -targeted drugs including doses, combination therapies, adverse reaction management as well as efficacy evaluation, and predictions for treatment of advanced HCC with evidence levels based on published data are presented, thereby providing an overview of molecular targeted therapies for healthcare professionals.

A review of nanostructured delivery systems for the encapsulation, protection, and delivery of silymarin: An emerging nutraceutical.

Silymarin exhibits biological activities that may promote human health and wellbeing, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Consequently, it has potential for application as a nutraceutical ingredient in functional foods and supplements. But its application for this purpose is currently limited by its poor water solubility, chemical stability, and bioavailability. The potential of nano-delivery systems to improve the functional performance of silymarin was reviewed in this manuscript. The formation, attributes, and applications of biopolymer-based, lipid-based, surfactant-based, and miscellaneous nanocarriers are discussed. In particular, the impact of the different delivery systems such as biopolymer-based, lipid-based delivery systems on the gastrointestinal fate of silymarin is summarized. The encapsulation in edible nanocarriers can improve the bioavailability of silymarin by enhancing its water-dispersibility, inhibiting its degradation, and increasing its absorption.These nanocarriers may therefore be utilized to incorporate this nutraceutical into functional foods and supplements in a bioavailable form.

Effects of whey protein on the in vitro digestibility and physicochemical properties of potato starch.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of whey protein isolate (WPI) on the digestibility and physicochemical properties of potato starch (PS) after heat treatment. WPI reduced the digestibility of PS and increased the order and aggregation structure of gelatinized PS. Examination of the rheological properties of the PS-WPI mixed system before and after adding different chemicals (sodium chloride, urea, and sodium dodecyl sulfate) indicated an involvement of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions in the PS-WPI gelatinization system. The pasting properties, swelling power, and thermal properties indicated that WPI suppressed the swelling and gelatinization of PS. The addition of WPI reduced the amylose leaching rate from the starch granules, indicating that the presence of exogenous protein could prevent amylose diffusion from the starch granules. Native WPI and its hydrolysate also inhibited amyloglucosidase activity. These findings indicated that the mechanism by which WPI reduces PS digestion involves hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding between WPI and PS, as well as enzyme activity inhibition.

The effect of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaves addition on antioxidant capacity, physicochemical properties, and in vitro digestibility of rice extrudates.

Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb.leaves (VBTL) are a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with potential natural pigments and antioxidants. Its application information on extrusion is limited. In this study, to increase the usage of foods containing VBTL, rice-based extrudates with VBTL were investigated. The extrusion was performed at a wide temperature range (60-140°C) and with different VBTL supplementations (3%-10%). The extrudates with 10% VBTL showed a significant decrease in total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity upon extrusion. TPC and TFC increased with the rise of barrel temperature. The VBTL color was stable during the wide-temperature extrusion process. The bioactivities of the extrudates were positively correlated with the VBTLsupplement (R = 0.943-0.989). In addition, different addition levels of VBTL significantly changed the water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), pasting properties, and in vitro starch digestibility of the extrudates. Moreover, extrudates with 3% VBTL showed the highest WAI and peak viscosity but the lowest in vitro starch digestibility. These results may suggest that rice extrudates with a low supplement of VBTL have an acceptable color and may be used as functional additives for high antioxidant and low glycemic response diets. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results showed that the Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. leaves (VBTL) color and antioxidation were stable during the wide-temperature extrusion process. Extrusion processing can be used to enlarge the usage of VBTL and simplify its traditional processing method. Applying VBTL to the process of extrusion appears to be a suitable method of producing value-added and low glycemic response extrudates.

Effect of annealing and heat-moisture pretreatments on the oil absorption of normal maize starch during frying.

The impacts of two hydrothermal pretreatments, annealing (ANN) and heat moisture treatment (HMT), on oil-absorption by normal maize starch (NMS) during frying were investigated using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The structural organizations of the fried samples were also evaluated using SEM, XRD, ATR-FTIR, and DSC, respectively. Both hydrothermal pretreatments significantly reduced the total oil content in the starch after frying, with the magnitude of the effect depending on the treatment conditions used. SEM showed that the pretreated fried starch granules preserved more of their original morphology. XRD, FTIR, and DSC showed that both pretreatments preserved more of the short-range double helices and long-range organizations within the orthorhombic crystalline structure for NMS during frying. The promoting effect of ANN/HMT on the interactions of starch molecules and the rearrangement of double helices were hypothesized to be responsible for the increased thermal stability of starch granules in the present work. As a result, fried starch pretreated by ANN/HMT were more organized and more compact than fried NMS, thus inhibiting oil absorption during frying.

Analysis of porous structure of potato starch granules by low-field NMR cryoporometry and AFM.

Pore size distribution is a crucial structural element affecting the adsorption and diffusion of reagents and enzymes within starch granules. An accurate and credible method of determining the pore size distribution of starch granules especially for smooth ones is therefore required. In this work, low-field NMR cryoporometry (LF-NMRC) was applied to analyze the pore structure of potato starch (PS). The reliability of the LF-NMRC method is verified by comparing with the traditional method, i.e. the low temperature nitrogen adsorption (LT-NA). Both LF-NMRC and LT-NA could characterize the PS pore structure in mesoporous range. However, LF-NMRC has superiority over LT-NA in terms of the distinguishment and determination of pore size distribution approaching to the micropores, gives more accurate and reliable results than LT-NA does. Structural evidences from scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) further indicated that the new proposed method is a non-destructive method that does not induce structural changes during sample preparation.

Development of pullulanase mutants to enhance starch substrate utilization for efficient production of ß-CD.

The inhibitory effect of ß-CD on pullulanase which hydrolyzes α-1,6 glycosidic bond in starch to release more available linear substrates, limited substrate utilization thus influencing the yield of ß-CD. Here, an aspartic acid residue (D465) which interacted with cyclodextrin ligand by hydrogen bond, was mutated to explore its contribution to bind inhibitors and obtain mutants with lower affinity to ß-CD. Enzyme activity results showed that mutants D465E and D465N retained higher activity than wild-type pullulanase in presence of 10 mM ß-CD. Circular dichroism spectra and fluorescence spectra results showed that D465 was related to structure stability. Chain length distribution results confirmed the improvement of substrate utilization by the addition of D465E. The conversion rate from potato starch, cassava starch, and corn starch into ß-CD, increased to 56.9%, 55.4% and 54.7%, respectively, when synchronous using ß-CGTase and D465E in the production process.

Structural modification and functional improvement of starch nanoparticles using vacuum cold plasma.

Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) have become one of the most interesting nanocarriers due to their relatively easy synthesis, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, the practical applications of SNPs are limited, as their aggregation reduce their functionality. Here, SNPs obtained by recrystallizing debranched waxy maize starch were modified using oxygen and ammonia vacuum cold plasma (CP). The modified SNPs were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, showing a new carbonyl or carboxyl peak at 1720 cm-1. SNPs modified with oxygen CP treatment have negative charges (-21.6 to -15.1 mV). Modified SNPs with diameter ranging from 75.94 to 159.72 nm had good dispersibility without much aggregation. The relative crystallinity of modified SNPs decreased from 44.13% to 33.80%. Moreover, modified SNPs showed high absorption of tea polyphenols, indicating that as nanocarriers, they can accommodate more cargo molecules than primary SNPs. CP modification of SNPs is simple, green, and inexpensive. Modified SNPs can be used as nanocarriers to deliver drug or food components in the food and pharmaceuticals industries.

Effect of dietary fibers on the structure and digestibility of fried potato starch: A comparison of pullulan and pectin.

The granular morphology, long-range and short-range ordered structures of fried potato starch were measured in the absence and presence of the dietary fibers. The in vitro digestibility of the fried starchy samples was also quantified using the Englyst method with logarithm-of-slope (LOS) analysis. After frying, the starch granules disintegrated, their internal crystalline structure disappeared, and the quantity of double helices present decreased. As a result of these changes, the fried starch was digested rapidly. Addition of pullulan or pectin to the samples prior to frying, reduced the structural changes observed in the starch granules during frying. Consequently, the fractions of slowly digestible and resistant starch (SDS and RS) increased significantly in the presence of the dietary fibers. These effects were attributed to the ability of the dietary fibers to sequester some of the water, thereby reducing starch granule structural changes, as well as due to their ability to coat the starch granules and interfere with the starch digestion process.

A Dual Cross-Linked Strategy to Construct Moldable Hydrogels with High Stretchability, Good Self-Recovery, and Self-Healing Capability.

Most conventional synthetic hydrogels suffer from poor mechanical properties; despite recent significant progress in fabricating tough hydrogels, it is still a challenge to simultaneously realize high stretchability, self-recovery, and self-healing capability in a hydrogel. In this work, a new type of starch/PVA/borax hybrid dual cross-linked (DC) hydrogel was synthesized by a one-pot method. The as-prepared DC hydrogels exhibited mechanical properties of remarkable extensibility (ca. 2485%), excellent toughness (ca. 290.5 kJ m-3), high compression strength (ca. 547.8 kPa), rapid recoverability (81.9% energy recovery after 30 min), and free-shapeable behavior. More impressively, the DC gels sustained approximately 300 times their own weight and exhibited an outstanding self-healing capability at room temperature both in air and underwater. Furthermore, the adsorption amount of methylene blue onto the anionic DC gel (144.68 mg/g) was much higher than that of corn starch gel. Consequently, the eco-friendly, stable, and biodegradable hydrogels will have a great potential application in removing anionic dyes from the wastewater produced by agriculture and industry.

Impact of amylose content on structural changes and oil absorption of fried maize starches.

The absorption of oil during frying has important implications for food quality, cost, and nutrition. Maize starches with low (WMS), intermediate (NMS), and high amylose (HAMS) contents were therefore heated in oil to mimic the frying process, and the impact of amylose content on the hierarchical structures and oil absorption of the fried starches was evaluated. Amylose affected the oil absorption by interfering with the structural evolution of the starch or by directly interacting with the lipids during frying. At low moisture level (20%), the granular state was preserved after frying and so the size and porosity of the granules played a dominant role in the oil absorption process, explaining why the highest oil absorption occurred in WMS. At 40% moisture content, NMS absorbed the most oil because of its granular morphology and lower crystallinity. At 60% moisture content, HAMS absorbed more oil than NMS, because more amylose molecules in HAMS provided more hydrophobic helical cavities available for lipids.

Improving properties of normal maize starch films using dual-modification: Combination treatment of debranching and hydroxypropylation.

Structure and properties of films made from native, debranched, hydroxypropylated and debranched/hydroxypropylated normal maize starches were determined and compared. The modified starch films were much smoother and more integrated than native starch film. Especially, the particles were not observed in dual-modified starch film but in debranched starch film, which might result from amylose recrystallization. Debranching substantially decreased elongation at break of starch films from 39.2% to 8.4% and hydroxypropylation decreased tensile strength from 4.82 to 2.92 MPa, indicating neither debranching nor hydroxypropylation could comprehensively improve the film properties. After dual-modification, elongation at break and tensile strength of the film were increased to 57.2% and 7.35 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the barrier performance of films was in the order of hydroxypropylated starch film < native starch film < dual-modified starch film < debranched starch film. It was suggested that dual-modification could be an effective approach to obtain starch films with tailor-made properties.

Fe3O4@ Astragalus Polysaccharide Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Iron Deficiency Anemia Therapy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Vivo.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common nutritional disease suffered by 1 billion people. To develop a new drug which avoids the side effects of traditional oral iron supplementation for IDA treatment, we have designed Fe3O4@ Astragalus polysaccharide core-shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4@APS NPs) and demonstrated them to be an efficient therapeutic drug for IDA treatment in vivo. The Fe3O4@APS NPs have been successfully synthesized with good water solubility and stability, especially in imitated digestion. Cytotoxicity assessment in cells and pathological tests in mice justify their good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The IDA treatment in rats shows that they have efficient therapeutic effect, which is contributed to both the iron element supplement from Fe3O4 and the APS-stimulated hematopoietic cell generation. Moreover, the superparamagnetic Fe3O4@APS NPs are capable for use as a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent. This study presents the possibility of nanocomposites involving purified natural products from Chinese herb medicine for biomedical applications.

Preparation, characterization and physicochemical properties of novel low-phosphorus egg yolk protein.

BACKGROUND: In order to supply adequate dietary protein for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients while simultaneously controlling phosphorus intake, a novel method was developed for the preparation of low-phosphorus egg yolk protein (LPYP) using alkaline protease auxiliary dephosphorization. In addition, the physicochemical properties of LPYP were studied. RESULTS: In comparison with raw egg yolk protein (RYP) and defatted egg yolk protein (DFYP), LPYP was found to exhibit differences in amino acid (AA) composition, protein secondary structure, surface hydrophobicity, solubility and emulsion stability. It was observed that dephosphorization improved the AA composition, soluble protein content and dissolution stability of egg yolk protein. In addition, phosphate groups were found to impose a critical influence on the emulsion stability and particle size distribution. The final phosphorus to protein mass ratio (P/Pro) of LPYP was 5.64, which met the requirements of a protein diet for CKD patients. The FAO/WHO mode closeness and stability coefficient were 0.958 and 98.62% respectively. CONCLUSION: LPYP can be effectively obtained by alkaline protease hydrolysis and subsequent alkali dephosphorization. The prepared LPYP can be considered to be a type of safe and suitable protein resource for CKD patients. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Aerobic granules cultivated with simultaneous feeding/draw mode and low-strength wastewater: Performance and bacterial community analysis.

Sequence batch reactors (SBR) with simultaneous feeding/draw mode and low-strength wastewater were used for the cultivation of aerobic granules, and analysis of bacterial community diversity were conducted. Results revealed that the ratio of chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen removal amount for R1 with real wastewater and R2 with synthetic wastewater decreased from 9.9 to 8.7 and, 29.9 to 21.1, respectively, when volumetric exchange ratio (VER) decreased from 90% (stage I) to 50% (stage II), indicating that organic matter in real and low-strength wastewater was fully utilized with lower VER by denitrifying bacteria. Relative abundances of the genus Dechloromonas, Pseudomonas, Bacillus in R1, which are responsible for denitrifying phosphorus removal, were much higher than that in R2, accounting for the high efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal from real wastewater with low influent C/N ratio of 3.6 on average. These results provide useful information for improving wastewater treatment efficiency in the future.