Fabrication and characterization of sunflower oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with sunflower stem pith cellulose nanofibril.

Sunflower stem pith (SSP), an agricultural residue, was used to isolate the main source of the SSP cellulose. Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) with a length of about 2.0 µm and a width of approximately 26.3 nm was separated by using TEMPO oxidation from the SSP cellulose. Characterization of sunflower oil-in-water emulsions was assessed by visual inspection, emulsion index (EI), particle size, surface coverage, and rheology. The surface coverage ratio (SC) of emulsified droplets decreased from 8.8 to 0.5 with the variation of oil phase volume and SSP CNF phase content. Pickering emulsions (oil/water volume ratio was 1/9) prepared with CNF (0.5 wt%), which possessed the highest stability, and the smallest particle size. However, the high oil volume system resulted in polydispersity and larger droplet sizes. The storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") offered evidence for the rheological behavior of the emulsions. The findings indicated that it is feasible to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions using SSP cellulose. The integrated process is suggestive of viable methods for the industrial utilization of sunflower.

Transcriptomic analysis of de novo folate biosynthetic genes in Lactobacillus plantarum strain 4_3 in fermented soybean.

Folate is an important intermediate in cellular metabolism. However, because of a lack of key enzymes in the folate biosynthetic pathway, humans require supplementation with dietary folate. Some Lactobacillus plantarum strains have the ability to produce folate. To gain a better understanding of the folate biosynthetic pathway in the L. plantarum strain 4_3, which generates high folate yields, L. plantarum strain 4_3 was grown in folic acid casei medium (FACM) and fermented soybean, after obtaining a draft genome sequence. The pH values and folate yields were monitored during culturing, as were the transcriptomic profiles of cultured bacteria. The folate content increased for 12 h and then decreased before increasing again. All the genes involved in the de novo biosynthesis of folate were detected in both the genomic and transcriptomic data. The upregulation of the para-aminobenzoate biosynthesis pathway could explain the folate production in fermented soybean. Soybeans are a good substrate for the production of functional foods because of their well-suited cultivation and nutritional quality. The results of this study provide a good explanation for the high folate production observed during the fermentation of soybeans.