Influence of beeswax-based fish oil oleogels on the mechanism of water and oil retention in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) meat emulsion gels: Filling, emulsification and phase transition.

Oleogels have been used in the gelled surimi products to replace animal fats due to its structure characteristics. The effect of structure characteristics in fish oil oleogels on the mechanism of oil/water retention was investigated in meat emulsions. Beeswax assembly improved the oil and water retention. The unsaturation degree of fatty acids lowered the mobility of bound water, immobilized water as well as bound fat in the fish oil oleogel, but enhanced the mobility of free water and protons of unsaturated fatty acids. Beeswax addition and oil phase characteristics could enhance ß-sheets, disulfide bonds and hydrophobic force to improve the viscoelasticity, gel strength and oil/water retention. Beeswax assembly facilitated the tight micro-sol network and filling effect, and high unsaturation degree promoted the emulsification effect, thus reducing phase transition temperature and juice loss. The study could lay the foundation for development of gelled shrimp meat products with EPA and DHA.

From Lignin to Value-Added Pharmaceutical Intermediates Based on a Benzylic Oxidation Method with O2.

We present a catalytic strategy for converting lignin into various pharmaceutical intermediates based on a highly selective lignin depolymerization method and a green benzylic oxidation method employing O2. Selective depolymerization of lignin first afforded 4-ethylphenol, which then efficiently generates several pharmaceutical intermediates with a simple 5-step process, resulting in substantial economic benefits. The study provides an innovative solution for the efficient utilization of lignin and the green acquisition of pharmaceutical intermediates.

Development of Carbon Black Coating on TPU Elastic Powder for Selective Laser Sintering.

Increased usage of selective laser sintering (SLS) for the production of end-use functional components has generated a requirement of developing new materials and process improvements to improve the applicability of this technique. This article discusses a novel process wherein carbon black was applied to the surface of TPU powder to reduce the laser reflectivity during the SLS process. The printing was carried out with a preheating temperature of 75 °C, laser energy density of 0.028 J/mm2, incorporating a 0.4 wt % addition of carbon black to the TPU powder, and controlling the powder layer thickness at 125 µm. The mixed powder, after printing, shows a reflectivity of 13.81%, accompanied by the highest average density of 1.09 g/cm3, hardness of 78 A, tensile strength of 7.9 MPa, and elongation at break was 364.9%. Compared to commercial TPU powder, which lacks the carbon black coating, the reflectance decreased by 1.78%, mechanical properties improved by 33.9%, and there was a notable reduction in the porosity of the sintered product.

Direct and specific detection of methyl-paraoxon using a highly sensitive fluorescence strategy combined with phosphatase-like nanozyme and molecularly imprinted polymer.

Methyl paraoxon (MP) is a highly toxic, efficient and broad-spectrum organophosphorus pesticide, which poses significant risks to ecological environment and human health. Many detection methods for MP are based on the enzyme catalytic or inhibition effect. But natural biological enzymes are relatively expensive and easy to be inactivated with a short service life. As a unique tool of nanotechnology with enzyme-like characteristics, nanozyme has attracted increasing concern. However, a large proportion of nanozymes lack the intrinsic specificity, becoming a main barrier of constraining their use in biochemical analysis. Here, we use a one-pot reverse microemulsion polymerization combine the gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), polydopamine (PDA) and hollow CeO2 nanospheres to synthesize the bright red-orange fluorescence probe (CeO2@PDA@AuNCs-MIPs) with high phosphatase-like activity for selective detection of MP. The hollow structure possesses a specific surface area and porous matrix, which not only increases the exposure of active sites but also enhances the efficiency of mass and electron transport. Consequently, this structure significantly enhances the catalytic activity by reducing transport distances. The introduced MIPs provide the specific recognition sites for MP. And Ce (III) can excite aggregation induced emission of AuNCs and enhance the fluorescent signal. The absolute fluorescence quantum yield (FLQY) of CeO2@PDA@AuNCs-MIPs (1.41 %) was 12.8-fold higher than that of the GSH-AuNCs (0.11 %). With the presence of MP, Ce (IV)/Ce (III) species serve as the active sites to polarize and hydrolyze phosphate bonds to generate p-nitrophenol (p-NP), which can quench the fluorescent signal through the inner-filter effect. The as-prepared CeO2@PDA@AuNCs-MIPs nanozyme-based fluorescence method for MP detection displayed superior analytical performances with wide linearities range of 0.45-125 nM and the detection limit of 0.15 nM. Furthermore, the designed method offers satisfactory practical application ability. The developed method is simple and effective for the in-field detection.

Dependency of mitochondrial quantity on blastocyst timeline obscures its actual effect to pregnancy outcomes.

Objectives: To explore the correlation between mitochondrial quantity and the blastocyst development timeline as well as their respective contributions to early pregnancy. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using a dataset comprising 2,633 embryos that underwent preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) between January 2016 and December 2023. The study was divided into three subsets to address distinct aspects: the representativeness of a single trophectoderm (TE) biopsy for mitochondrial quantity (n=43), the correlation between morphokinetic features and mitochondrial quantity (n=307), and the association analysis among mitochondrial quantity, blastocyst timeline factor, and reproductive outcomes (n=2,283). Distribution assessment of mitochondrial quantity across an individual blastocyst involved the identification within multiple biopsies and spent culture media. Timeline evaluation included correlating mitochondrial quantity with time-lapse datasets. Finally, multivariate logistic regression models, incorporating potential effectors alongside mitochondrial quantity, were employed to analyze their respective contributions to early pregnancy endpoints. Results: Of distribution assessment, mitochondrial quantity exhibited an even distribution across the entire trophectoderm (Spearman's ρ=0.82), while no detectable mtDNAs in the corresponding spent culture media. Then the timeline correlation study revealed significant association between mitochondrial quantity and blastocyst features of both the day of expanded blastocyst formation (95% Confidence intervals, CIs: 0.27~4.89, p=0.03) and the timing of expanded blastocyst formation (tEB) (95% CIs: -0.24~-0.01, p=0.04) in the regression model, indicating a strong dependency between mitochondrial quantity and the blastocyst development timeline. For the contribution to early pregnancy, multivariate logistic regression models showed that the day of expanded blastocyst formation contributed to four endpoints persistently: positive for HCG (odd ratio, OR: 0.71, p=0.006), gestational sac (OR: 0.78, p=0.04), fetal heartbeat (OR: 0.71, p=0.004), and progression to 14 weeks (OR: 0.69, p=0.002). Contrastingly, no notable correlation was observed between the mitochondrial quantity and these endpoints. Conclusions: Strong interaction was observed between mitochondrial quantity and the blastocyst timeline, particularly the timing of expanded blastocyst formation. It suggests that the primary determinant influencing pregnancy outcomes lies in the time-dependent parameter of blastocyst rather than in the specific mitochondrial quantity.

Effects of chitosan-gentianic acid derivatives on the quality and shelf life of seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus) during refrigerated storage.

Chitosan is a natural polymer material with antibacterial, biodegradable and biocompatibility. At present, the research is mainly to enhance the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of chitosan by grafting with phenolic acids to further expand its application in food. In this study, the effect of chitosan-g-gentisic acid graft copolymer (CS-g-GA) on the shelf life of refrigerated seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus) was investigated. The results of microbial analysis demonstrated that GA and CS-g-GA treatment could effectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms. In addition, physicochemical analysis showed that GA and CS-g-GA treatment could reduce the increase of pH value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) and K-value, delay water loss, maintain texture and color, and postpone the decrease of sensory score. Compared with the control sample, CS-g-GA could keep the quality of Lateolabrax japonicus and extend its shelf-life for another 9 days. In summary, CS-g-GA has good application and development prospects for the preservation of seabass.

A double machine learning model for measuring the impact of the Made in China 2025 strategy on green economic growth.

The transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry is supported by smart and green manufacturing, which have great potential to empower the nation's green development. This study examines the impact of the Made in China 2025 industrial policy on urban green economic growth. This study applies the super-slacks-based measure model to measure cities' green economic growth, using the double machine learning model, which overcomes the limitations of the linear setting of traditional causal inference models and maintains estimation accuracy under high-dimensional control variables, to conduct an empirical analysis based on panel data of 281 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2021. The results reveal that the Made in China 2025 strategy significantly drives urban green economic growth, and this finding holds after a series of robustness tests. A mechanism analysis indicates that the Made in China 2025 strategy promotes green economic growth through green technology progress, optimizing energy consumption structure, upgrading industrial structure, and strengthening environmental supervision. In addition, the policy has a stronger driving effect for cities with high manufacturing concentration, industrial intelligence, and digital finance development. This study provides valuable theoretical insights and policy implications for government planning to promote high-quality development through industrial policy.

Interactions between partially gelatinized starch and nonstarch components in potato flour and their performance in emulsification.

To develop natural complex materials as starch-dominated emulsifiers, pregelatinization was conducted on potato flour. The effects of gelatinization degrees (GDs, 0 %-50 %) on the structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, and emulsifying potentials of potato flour were investigated. Increasing GD of potato flour promoted protein aggregation on starch granules surfaces and transformed starch semicrystalline structures into melted networks. The emulsion stabilized with 50 % GD potato flour exhibited excellent storage stability (7 d) and gel-like behavior. With increasing GD from 0 to 50 %, the respective apparent viscosities and elastic moduli of emulsion increased from 21.4 Pa to 1126.7 Pa, and from 0.133 Pa·s to 1176.6 Pa·s, promoting the formation of a stable network structure in the emulsion. Fourier transform infrared spectra from emulsions with a continuous phase of >20 % GD displayed a new peak around 1740 cm-1, suggesting improved covalent interactions between droplets, thereby facilitating emulsion stability. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images indicated that droplets could be anchored in the melted networks and broken starch granules, inhibiting droplets coalescence. These results suggest that pregelatinization is a viable strategy for customizing natural starch-dominated emulsions.

Investigation on 3D printing of shrimp surimi under different printing parameters and thermal processing conditions.

Improving the printing accuracy and stability of shrimp surimi and finding appropriate printing parameters and suitable thermal processing method can help to develop high value-added 3D printing products of shrimp surimi. It was found that in order to make the 3D printing products of shrimp surimi have higher printing adaptability (printing accuracy and printing stability reach more than 97%), by choosing nozzle diameter of 1.20 mm and setting the printing height of the nozzle to 2.00 mm, the layers of the printed products were better fused with each other, and the printing accuracy of the products could be greatly improved; there was no uneven discharge and filament breakage when the nozzle moved at the speed of 30 mm/s; and the products were internally compact and had good stability when the printing filling rate was 80%. In addition, the deformation rates of steamed, boiled and deep-fried shrimp surimi products were significantly higher than those of oven-baked and microwaved shrimp surimi products (P < 0.05). Microwave heating had a greater effect on the deformation and color of shrimp surimi products, and was not favored by the evaluators. In terms of deformation rate, sensory score, and textural characteristic, the oven-baked thermal processing method was selected to obtain higher sensory evaluation scores and lower deformation rates of shrimp surimi 3D printed products. In the future, DIY design can be carried out in 3D printing products of shrimp surimi to meet the needs of different groups of people for modern food.

Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum and flavourzyme on protein degradation and flavor development in grass carp during fermentation.

This study examined the effect of Flavourzyme and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) on protein degradation and flavor development during grass carp fermentation. The control groups comprised natural fermentation and fermentation with L. plantarum. Compared with the two control samples, those exposed to combined Flavourzyme and L. plantarum fermentation exhibited lower moisture content and enhanced protein hydrolysis, which accelerated the production of water-soluble taste substances (trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptides and free amino acids). The electronic tongue and electronic nose results indicated that the grass carp subjected to combined fermentation way displayed a more intense umami taste and aroma. Moreover, the sensory evaluation results confirmed that the combined fermentation method significantly improved the taste and odor attributes of fermented grass carp. In conclusion, combined fermentation with Flavourzyme and L. plantarum may effectively reduce fermentation time and enhance the flavor of fermented grass carp products.

Two novel angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibiting peptides from tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) skin and their molecular docking mechanism.

In the study, papain was used to hydrolyze tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) skin to obtain a tilapia skin hydrolysate (TSH) with dual angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory activities. The resulting TSH was sequentially fractionated by ultrafiltration, size exclusion separation chromatography, and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Its inhibitory effects on ACE and DPP-IV were determined by commercial reagent kits. Two peptides purified from TSH were identified as Gly-Pro-Leu-Gly-Ala-Leu (GPLGAL) and Lys-Pro-Ala-Gly-Asn (KPAGN) by the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Inhibitory concentration (IC50) of GPLGAL on ACE and DPP-IV were 117.20 ± 1.69 and 187.10 ± 2.75 µM, respectively. IC50 of KPAGN on ACE and DPP-IV were 137.40 ± 2.33 and 259.20 ± 2.85 µM, respectively. The molecular simulation demonstrated that the binding affinities of GPLGAL to ACE and DPP-IV proteins were -8.5 and -7.4 kcal/mol, respectively, whereas those of KPAGN to ACE and DPP-IV proteins were -7.9 and -6.7 kcal/mol, respectively. GPLGAL interacted with 21 amino acid residues of the ACE active site, whereas KPAGN engaged with 19 amino acid residues. Additionally, GPLGAL interacted with 10 amino acid residues of the DPP-IV active site, whereas KPAGN engaged with 13 amino acid residues. The two peptides predominantly occupied the active sites of ACE (His513, Tyr523, and Ala354) and DPP-IV (Tyr662 and Arg125) through hydrogen bonding. This leads to the deactivation of ACE and DPP-IV. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Accelerate tilapia skin development and high-value utilization; provide foundation for preparing the peptides with dual ACE and DPP-IV inhibiting activity.

Enzymatically produced acylglycerol and glycerin monostearate additives improved the characteristics of gelatin-stabilized omega-3 emulsions and microcapsules.

The impacts of enzymatically produced acylglycerol and glycerin monostearate on the characteristics of gelatin-stabilized omega-3 emulsions and microcapsules were investigated. Tuna oil was enzymatically produced and the resulting acylglycerol was mixed with tuna oil at 12.5% (w/w) to prepare a novel oil phase. This oil phase was stabilized by gelatin to prepare oil-in-water emulsions and subsequent microcapsules via complex coacervation. The tuna oil with glycerin monostearate (GMS) at 1 and 2% (w/w) were used as controls. Results showed that both acylglycerol and GMS significantly reduced the emulsion droplet size and zeta potential, while increasing the viscoelasticity and stability. The diacylglycerol/monoacylglycerol were involved in the oil/water interfacial layer formation by lowering interfacial tension and increasing droplet surface hydrophobicity. Overall, the changed emulsion properties promoted the complex coacervation and contributed to the formation of microcapsules with improved oxidative stability. Therefore, enzymatically produced acylglycerol can develop high-quality stable omega-3 microencapsulated novel food ingredients.

Insight into the correlation of key taste substances and key volatile substances from shrimp heads at different temperatures.

This study aimed to investigate taste substances of shrimp heads stored at 20 °C, 4 °C, -3 °C, and - 18 °C, and the correlation between taste substances and 25 key volatile substances. Notably, samples stored at 20 °C showed significant changes in bitter amino acids and hypoxanthine, and quickly deteriorated. Samples stored at 4 °C for 14 d or - 3 °C for 30 d facilitated the development of umami amino acids, sweet amino acids, and IMP. Furthermore, samples stored at -18 °C for 30 d demonstrated no significant changes in taste profile. Changes in taste substances through quantitative analysis were consistent with changes in taste profile through e-tongue analysis. Based on the results of O2PLS (VIP > 1), Cys, Arg, Glu, Ser, Val, Ala, Ile, ADP, and IMP were correlated with 25 key volatile substances. This study provides fundamental data for the storage, transportation, and value-added utilization of shrimp heads.

Cryoprotective effect of epigallocatechin gallate replacing sucrose on Hypophythalmichthys molitrix surimi during frozen storage.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate the cryoprotective effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) replacing sucrose on surimi during frozen storage. Substitution or partial substitution of 0.1% EGCG for sucrose (1.5%) was added to surimi, and the surimi samples without and with commercial cryoprotectants (4% sucrose and 4% sorbitol) were used as the control group. RESULTS: The results obtained suggest that, with the increase in frozen storage time, the structural performance of surimi protein gradually weakened (e.g. the decrease in the surface hydrophobicity, the increase in the total sulfhydryl and solubility, and the protein myosin heavy chain bands became shallow) and surimi gel quality gradually deteriorated (e.g. the decrease in water-holding capacity, gel strength and all texture profile attributes). However, compared with the other three group surimi samples during the frozen period, the surimi proteins with partial replacement of sucrose by EGCG had a higher total sulfhydryl group content and solubility of proteins, as well as lower surface hydrophobicity of protein, suggesting that the addition of EGCG as a partial substitute for sucrose can enhance the antifreeze ability of surimi. Meanwhile, the surimi gel with the partial replacement of sucrose by EGCG had a higher water retention capacity, gel strength and texture attributes (e.g. hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience), indicating that the addition of EGCG as a partial substitute for sucrose can inhibit the deterioration of surimi gel quality. CONCLUSION: Overall, EGCG partially replacing sucrose can play an alternative cryoprotectant with a lower sweetness to prevent the quality of surimi from deteriorating. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Estimation of the spatial pattern of gout prevalence across China by wastewater-based epidemiology.

Gout is a metabolic arthritis caused by hyperuricemia. In recent years, the prevalence of gout has been increased significantly in China due to the improvement of the living standards, and gout has become another common metabolic disease following diabetes mellitus. Gout severely affects the health status and life quality of human. In order to monitor the near real-time prevalence of gout, a wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach was carried out in 257 Chinese cities using febuxostat as the biomarker. Febuxostat in wastewater was measured by a LC-MS/MS method with satisfactory results of method validation. The average concentration of febuxostat in wastewater was 53.05 ± 31.76 ng/L, with the estimated per capita consumption of 124.40 ± 73.37 mg/day/1000 inhabitant. The calculated prevalence of febuxostat was 0.41 % ± 0.24 %, and the prevalence of gout was finally estimated to be 1.30 % ± 0.77 % (0.60 % to 2.11 %), which was nearly consistent with value of 1.10 % obtained from the Guideline for the diagnosis and management of hyperuricemia and gout in China (2019). The results indicated that the febuxostat-based WBE approach might be reasonable to assess the near real-time gout prevalence in China.

Wastewater-based estimation of diabetes mellitus prevalence in 237 cities: A cross-China study.

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, has been witnessed as a rapidly escalating worldwide health crisis. China currently had 140.9 million diabetic population in 2021, which was the largest globally. DM has witnessed a significant surge in the past few decades, leading to an alarming rise in the overall burden caused by this disease. To monitor the near real-time DM prevalence and the consumption of first-line anti-diabetic drugs, a wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach based on the back-calculation of metformin concentration was implemented in 237 cities in China. The quantitative analysis of metformin in wastewater was conducted by LC-MS/MS with satisfactory results of method validation. The average concentration of metformin in wastewater was 14.07 ± 13.16 µg/L, and the per capita consumption was 5.16 ± 2.08 mg/day/inh, ranging from 0.90 to 10.36 ± 4.63 mg/day/inh. The calculated metformin prevalence was found to be 0.52 % ± 0.28 %, and the final estimated DM prevalence was 11.33 % ± 4.99 %, which was nearly consistent with the result of the International Diabetes Federation survey of 9.98 %. The results suggested that metformin might be one of the suitable WBE biomarkers in DM monitoring and WBE strategy could potentially enable the estimation of DM prevalence in most of Chinese cities after reasonable correction of associated parameters.

Bactericidal efficacy of plasma-activated water against Vibrio parahaemolyticus on Litopenaeus vannamei.

In this study, the antimicrobial mechanism of plasma-activated water (PAW) against Vibrio parahaemolyticus and the effectiveness of PAW in artificially contaminated Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The results demonstrated a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in viable counts of V. parahaemolyticus with increasing plasma discharge time (5, 10, 20, and 30 min) and PAW immersion time (3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 s). Specifically, the count of V. parahaemolyticus decreased by 2.1, 2.7, 3.3, and 4.4 log CFU/mL after exposed to PAW 5, PAW 10, PAW 20, and PAW 30 for 30 s, respectively. Significant cell surface wrinkling, accompanied by notable nucleic acid and protein leakage were observed after treatment with PAW. The permeability of the inner and outer cell membranes was significantly increased (p < 0.05), along with an increase in electrical conductivity (p < 0.05). The reactive oxygen species (ROS) within V. parahaemolyticus cells were significantly increased (p < 0.05), while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and the relative expression of the ompW, emrD, and luxS genes were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). A reduction number of 1.3, 1.8, 2.1, and 2.2 log CFU/g of V. parahaemolyticus in artificially contaminated L. vannamei was obtained with PAW for 5 min. The study elucidated that PAW could destroy cell membranes, leading to cell death. The findings would strengthen strategies for V. parahaemolyticus control and provide a potential application of PAW for preserving aquatic products.

Pretreatment of shrimp shells with an acidic deep eutectic solvent system for chitin extraction and its enhanced performance as a carrier for immobilized lipase.

Existing methods for chitin extraction usually produce substantial waste, which poses ecological hazards. Natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) offers a promising one-step pretreatment alternative, replacing the resource-intensive demineralization (DM) and deproteinization (DP) process. Hence, in this study, the influence of various acidic NADES, on achieving a simplified one-step DM and DP in the chitin extraction process was investigated. The study yielded chitin with 87.73 % purity, and microstructural analysis showed that NADES pretreatment minimally affected chitin quality without deacetylation. In addition, chitin extracted using choline chloride-oxalic acid as a carrier displayed excellent performance in the immobilization of Geobacillus thermocatenulatus lipase 2 (GTL2) because of obvious Ca2+ activation effect. This process contributed to enhancement of immobilized enzyme activity. The immobilized GTL2 showed excellent hydrolytic capabilities, with its highest activity reaching 547.80 ± 20.62 U/mg, significantly better than the five commercial lipases that exhibited <40 % of the enzyme activity. Furthermore, the hydrolytic capacity of immobilized GTL2 was notably high for 4-nitrophenyl butyrate, measuring 935.47 ± 51.60 U/mg. This study provided a constructive approach for the one-step pretreatment of shrimp shells with organic acid-based NADES to isolate and purify chitin and its potential application as an immobilized carrier to enhance enzyme activity.

Tracking protein aggregation behaviour and emulsifying properties induced by structural alterations in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) myofibrillar protein during long-term frozen storage.

The effect of ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing (UIF), air freezing (AF), and immersion freezing (IF) on the protein structure, aggregation, and emulsifying properties of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) myofibrillar protein during frozen storage were evaluated in the present study. The result showed that, compared with AF and IF samples, UIF sample had higher reactive/total sulfhydryl, protein solubility, and lower protein turbidity (P < 0.05), indicating that UIF was beneficial to inhibit protein oxidation and aggregation induced by frozen storage. UIF inhibited the alteration of secondary structure and tertiary structure during frozen storage. Meanwhile, UIF sample had higher emulsifying activity index, and smaller emulsion droplet diameter than AF and IF samples (P < 0.05), suggesting that UIF was beneficial for maintaining the emulsifying properties of protein during storage. In general, UIF is a potential and effective method to suppress the decrease in protein emulsifying properties during long-term frozen storage.