Using Flammulina velutipes derived chitin-glucan nanofibrils to stabilize palm oil emulsion:A novel food grade Pickering emulsifier.

We herein report chitin-glucan nanofibrils from edible mushroom Flammulina velutipes (CGNFs) as a novel stabilizer for palm oil Pickering emulsion (o/w, 30:70, v:v). Generally, these CGNFs being composed of glucose and glucosamine, are threadlike with 4.9 ± 1.2 nm wide and 222.6 ± 91.9 nm long. They were easily absorbed on the oil-water interface to form a compact layer around the oil droplets referring to Pickering emulsion. This emulsion presented shear-thinning and gel-like behaviors, wherein CGNFs concentration had a profound influence on the emulsion volume, droplet size, and stabilization index. Moreover, CGNFs showed an ability to stabilize the emulsion with a minimum of surface coverage approximately 30%. It indicated that moderate concentration of NaCl improved the emulsification effect, and the emulsion were stable in a large range of pH. These CGNFs are easy to prepare, eco-friendly and sustainable, which provides a potential for large-scale application of Pickering emulsion in food and nutraceuticals fields.

O/W Pickering emulsions stabilized by Flammulina velutipes polysaccharide nanoparticles as a fat substitute: the effects of phase separation on emulsified sausage's techno-functional and sensory quality.

BACKGROUND: The application of Pickering emulsion stabilized by food-derived particles is of great interest in the food field, including meat processing. However, the creaming phenomenon is a thorny problem and may impact the resulting product quality. Here, we used polysaccharide nanoparticles from Flammulina velutipes (FVPN) as a stabilizer to prepare a oil/water Pickering emulsion and partly replace the original fat of common emulsified sausage, focusing on exploring the influence of phase separation on the sausage's techno-functional and sensory quality, with the aim of developing a new alternative fat substitute. RESULTS: Reformulated sausages showed increases in moisture (53.24-64.85%) and protein content (11.97-12.76%), but were reduced in fat content (27.28-18.76%). The increased FPOE (FVPN-palm oil emulsion; substitution rate 5-37%) amount in sausages resulted in significantly reduced (P < 0.05) cooking loss (18.87-8.63%). Meanwhile, emulsion improved the springiness and cohesiveness of sausage and significantly reduced (P < 0.05) hardness and chewiness when the replacement amount was less than 20%. Experimental sausages attained a more compact pore structure without harming sensory characteristics. Compared with creaming emulsion, pristine emulsion resulted in a sausage with higher moisture content, lower cooking loss, better elasticity and denser structure. CONCLUSION: The characteristics of sausages could be influenced by emulsion stability. Emulsion, especially with no creaming, can be effectively used as fat substitute at a level of 20% or less without adversely affecting the sensory characteristics of emulsified sausages. The incorporation of FPOE provides the potential for developing a new alternative approach for animal fat improvement in meat products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

An Attempt of Using ß-Sitosterol-Corn Oil Oleogels to Improve Water Barrier Properties of Gelatin Film.

Oleogel with tailored viscoelasticity is a great interest for food structuring, while its potential benefits for edible film performance are not clear. In this study, ß-sitosterol (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%)-corn oil oleogel was developed and used in the formation of gelatin-based films. Importantly, adding oleogel significantly decreased water vapor permeability of the gelatin films, however, it had little negative influence on film strength. In addition, the results of this study demonstrated that increasing the sitosterol in oleogels led to an increasing number of ordered crystals formed in the oleogel, which contributed to compact and smooth surface of the film. Moreover, the incorporation of oleogel also caused some changes in molecule conformation and film barrier property. Therefore, the superior mechanical performance and moisture resistance properties of the film were obtained when 15% ß-sitosterol was used to prepare oleogel. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Corn oil oleogels ß-sitosterol was incorporated with gelatin to prepare the gelatin film aiming to improve the water resistance of the films for its variety of practical production. The enhanced vapor permeability and accepted strength of the emulsion film indicated the potential application of it with a variety of edible packaging forms, such as films, pouch and sachet in medium and high humid condition.

Fabrication and physicochemical and antibacterial properties of ethyl cellulose-structured cinnamon oil oleogel: relation between ethyl cellulose viscosity and oleogel performance.

BACKGROUND: Edible packaging and coating with natural antimicrobials such as essential oils is an emerging technology for the control of pathogen growth in meat products. This study aimed to explore ethyl cellulose (EC) of three viscosities for the structuring of cinnamon essential oil (CEO), and investigated the physicochemical properties of the resulting oleogel and its emulsion, as well as the corresponding antibacterial activity in model and actual environments (as in sausages). RESULTS: The network structure of CEO-EC oleogel was more compact with increased EC viscosity, thereby improving the binding capacity and stability of the oil. A positive correlation was found between EC viscosity and particle size of the CEO-EC emulsion. The 45 cP CEO-EC emulsion exhibited greatest antimicrobial activitiy in models with Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 (ATCC 700927) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (ATCC 29213), as well as in sausage, with respect to total counts of mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophs, lactobacilli, and pseudomonads. CONCLUSION: The CEO-EC oleogel has antibacterial activity, determined by the EC viscosity, that provide potential antibacterial protection for meat products and might be especially suitable for some traditional Chinese ready-to-eat sausages without strictly sealed packaging. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Subtotal colonic bypass plus colostomy with antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy for the treatment of slow transit constipation in an aged population: A retrospective control study.

AIM: To compare the efficacy, improved quality of life, and prognosis in patients undergoing either subtotal colonic bypass with antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy (SCBAC) or subtotal colonic bypass plus colostomy with antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy (SCBCAC) for the treatment of slow transit constipation. METHODS: Between October 2010 and October 2014, aged patients with slow transit constipation who were hospitalized and underwent laparoscopic surgery in our institute were divided into two groups: the bypass group, 15 patients underwent SCBAC, and the bypass plus colostomy group, 14 patients underwent SCBCAC. The following preoperative and postoperative clinical data were collected: gender, age, body mass index, operative time, first flatus time, length of hospital stay, bowel movements (BMs), Wexner fecal incontinence scale, Wexner constipation scale (WCS), gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI), numerical rating scale for pain intensity (NRS), abdominal bloating score (ABS), and Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications (CD) before surgery and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 mo after surgery. RESULTS: All patients successfully underwent laparoscopic surgery without open surgery conversion or surgery-related death. The operative time and blood loss were significantly less in the bypass group than in the bypass plus colostomy group (P = 0.007). No significant differences were observed in first flatus time, length of hospital stay, or complications with CD > 1 between the two groups. No patients had fecal incontinence after surgery. At 3, 6, and 12 mo after surgery, the number of BMs was significantly less in the bypass plus colostomy group than in the bypass group. The parameters at 3, 6, 12, and 24 mo after surgery in both groups significantly improved compared with the preoperative conditions (P < 0.05), except NRS at 3, 6 mo after surgery in both groups, ABS at 12, 24 mo after surgery and NRS at 12, 24 mo after surgery in the bypass group. WCS, GIQLI, NRS, and ABS significantly improved in the bypass plus colostomy group compared with the bypass group at 3, 6, 12, and 24 mo after surgery (P < 0.05) except WCS, NRS at 3, 6 mo after surgery and ABS at 3 mo after surgery. At 1 year after surgery, a barium enema examination showed that the emptying time was significantly better in the bypass plus colostomy group than in the bypass group (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic SCBCAC is an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of slow transit constipation in an aged population and can significantly improve the prognosis. Its clinical efficacy is more favorable compared with that of SCBAC. Laparoscopic SCBCAC is a better procedure for the treatment of slow transit constipation in an aged population.

Using Cellulose Nanofibers and Its Palm Oil Pickering Emulsion as Fat Substitutes in Emulsified Sausage.

Nano cellulose is attracting great interest in food and nutraceutical fields and also provides a potential additive to develop functional meat products such as low fat sausage. Here, we compared 1 wt% aqueous dispersion of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and its palm oil Pickering emulsion (CPOE) at the ratio of 1:1 (water: oil, v:v) for being fat alternatives replacing 30% and 50% of the original fat of the emulsified sausage. Replacing fat by CPOE and CNF resulted in lower fat content, lower cooking loss and higher moisture content and higher lightness values (P ≤ 0.05) at both fat levels. Textural analysis indicated that the products formulated with CPOE showed higher hardness, springiness, chewiness and the texture was enhanced by the addition of CNF, especially when 30% fat was substituted. Compared with the full-fat control, the sausages formulated with CPOE became more elastic and compact, especially by the incorporation of CNF according to the rheology and scanning electron microscope results. The reformulated products with CPOE and CNF at the 30% level showed higher sensory scores (P ≤ 0.05) while at the 50% level produced comparable quality to the control, but no significant differences were found in the overall acceptability. In summary, CNF and its Pickering emulsion provide the potential as potential fat alternatives for developing low fat meat products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Cellulose nanofibers present a variety of distinguishing properties, such as large surface area, great stability and high strength. The ability to stabilize emulsions and good biocompatibility enlarge its application in food. In this study, we attempted to use cellulose nanofibers and its palm oil Pickering emulsion as fat substitutes to partly replace the original fat of pork emulsified sausages, hoping to provide some basic information for using cellulose nanofibers and its Pickering emulsion as fat substitute to high fiber, low fat meat products.

Preparation of cellulose nanocrystals from asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) and their applications to palm oil/water Pickering emulsion.

Nano cellulosic materials as promising emulsion stabilizers have attracted great interest in food industry. In this paper, five different sized cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) samples were prepared from stem of Asparagus officinalis L. using the same sulfuric acid hydrolysis conditions but different times (1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5h). The sizes of these CNC ranged from 178.2 to 261.8nm, with their crystallinity of 72.4-77.2%. The CNC aqueous dispersions showed a typical shear thinning behavior. In a palm oil/water (30/70, v/v) model solution, stable Pickering emulsions were formed with the addition of CNC, and their sizes are in the range of 1-10µm based on the optical and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observation. The CNC sample prepared at 3h hydrolysis time, showed a relative efficient emulsion capacity for palm oil droplets, among these CNCs. Other parameters including the CNC, salt, and casein concentrations on the emulsion stability were studied.

Polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum leaves: isolation, characterization and splenocyte proliferation activity.

The polysaccharides from the fruits of Lycium barbarum have received considerable attention in previous publication, but the polysaccharides from the leaves were rarely reported. In the present work, four water-soluble polysaccharide fractions: LBP-I, LBP-II, LBP-III and LBP-IV isolated from L. barbarum leaves were purified through DEAE-Sephadex A-25. LBP-II and LBP-IV respectively showed one symmetrical peak on HPGPC with average molecular weight of 9.39 × 104 Da and 4.18 × 105 Da. UV and IR analysis of the two fractions showed the characteristics of acidic polysaccharides combined with polypeptides or proteins. GC analysis showed LBP-IV was mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, glucose and galactose with molar ratio of 1.61:3.82:3.44:7.54:1.00, and the uronic acid content was 47.68% (w/w) determined by sulfuric acid-carbazole method. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of LBP-IV also showed the presence of carboxyl carbon and five anomeric carbons, and suggested there may be both α- and ß-anomeric configurations in this fraction. Moreover, splenocyte proliferation activity assay showed that LBP-IV significantly enhanced the proliferation of splenocyte stimulated by ConA or LPS, indicating the fraction has the beneficial effect on immunostimulating activity.