Effects of pre-cutting treatments and combination drying with different orders on drying characteristics and physicochemical properties of Lentinula edodes.

BACKGROUND: Combination drying is recognized as an energy-efficient method utilized for dry product processing, and proper order of combination is a critical factor determining the effectiveness of the technique. In this study, hot air drying (HD), vacuum freeze-drying (VFD), and combination drying with different orders (HD-VFD and VFD-HD) are performed on whole Lentinula edodes and pre-cut (half-cut and quarter-cut) L. edodes. The effects of various cutting and drying approaches on drying characteristics, physicochemical properties, and microstructures of dried L. edodes were investigated. RESULTS: The longest processing time required to dry the whole L. edodes by VFD was 25 h. In contrast, the pre-cutting treatment and combination drying certainly shortened the drying time. Compared with HD, use of VFD-HD and VFD significantly decreased the shrinkage ratio, hardness, and discoloration of dried products but increased the rehydration capacity, nutrient retention, and porous microstructure. Interestingly, switching the order of combination drying provoked entirely different drying effects. Specifically, HD-VFD triggered negative effects on the shrinkage and color of dried mushrooms, and its appearance color was similar to HD-treated samples. Moreover, pre-cutting dramatically enhanced the protein content of HD-treated mushrooms, and the quarter-cut samples obtained the highest level (21.69 g kg-1 dry basis) among the three types of cutting. CONCLUSIONS: The dried L. edodes processed through pre-cutting and combination drying (VFD-HD) have optimal industrial quality, accompanied by shorter processing time. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of bok choy on the dissipation of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in mollisol and its possible mechanisms of biochemistry and microorganisms.

Phytoremediation is an ecologically sustainable method for remediating contaminated soils, however, research on phytoremediation and its mechanisms are still rarely reported. The highest dibutyl phthalate (DBP) dissipation rate was 91% in 0-3mm bok choy rhizosphere via a 45-day rhizo-box experiment, and bok choy could regulate soil nutrients by increasing soil ammonia nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP). The biochemistry mechanism of interaction between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and DBP was also elucidated by various spectroscopy techniques. It was found that the alkyl ester in DBP produced the fastest response during the binding process, and the aromatic, hydroxyl and phenolic groups of the DOM humic-like substances preceded amide in DOM protein-like substance. It was found that DBP pollution reduced the Chao1 richness and Shannon index of bacteria in black soil via a pot experiment and high-throughput sequencing, which disturbed the metabolic activities and functional diversity of microorganisms in Mollisol. The microbial abundance increased in bok choy amendments, which has a specific microbial community structure and a high abundance of Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria. We concluded that some enriched genera were responsible for DBP dissipation, Alsobacter, Lacibacter, Myceligenerans, Schrenkiella parvula and Undibacterium. The findings of this study revealed that the possible biochemistry and microbial mechanisms of phytoremediation promoting the DBP dissipation in rhizosphere Mollisol and provided more useful information for phytoremediation of organic pollutants.