Shrimp meat is prone to autolysis and decay due to the abundance of endogenous enzymes and contamination from microorganisms. HVEF freezing can slow the spoilage of shrimp, producing small and uniform ice crystals, resulting in less damage to muscle tissue. In this study, HVEF technique was used to freeze the shrimp (Solenocera melantho), and the UPLC-MS metabolic technique was used to investigate the metabolites of frozen shrimp meat. Compared with the control group, 367 differential metabolites were identified in the HVEF group. Mapping them to the KEGG database, there were 108 with KEGG ID. Purine metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism were the most enriched pathways. In addition, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), inosine (HxR), and l-valine were identified as potential biomarkers associated with lipid, nucleotide, and organic acid metabolism, respectively. Overall, HVEF can improve freezing quality of shrimp meat by slowing down the metabolism of substances in the muscle of S. melantho.
This is the first study to provide a preliminary investigation into the recovery of protein from wheat germ and the prediction of their extraction conditions in microwave cavity using a novel DES solvent. The response surface methodology was used to predict the microwaved protein extraction conditions of the DWG. The effects of DES buffer-concentration (X1: 0.01-1.00 g/mL), microwave power (X2: 50-250 W), irradiation time (X3: 1-5 min) and sample-to-buffer ratio (X4: 1:10-1:50) were tested using a single factor and Box-Behnken experimental design. Under the optimized conditions (X1 = 0.52 g/mL, X2 = 186 W, X3 = 3.28 min, and X4 = 1:39) protein yield and absorbed microwave were obtained at the optimal value of 33.00 % and 677 J/min, respectively with no denaturation of the protein as validated from the SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis profile. Consequently, this investigation provides a practical approach for the extraction of bioactive protein from DWG using a novel deep eutectic solvent.
The effect of melatonin treatment on the carotenoid metabolism in broccoli florets during storage was explored. The results indicated that 100 µmol/L of melatonin maintained the sensory quality of broccoli florets, which retarded the increase of the L* value and the decrease of the H value. Melatonin treatment increased the activities of tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC), tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H), serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) and N-acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT), leading to the enrichment of endogenous melatonin content in broccoli florets. Meanwhile, the treatment inhibited the concentrations of β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein, which was beneficial in delaying the yellowing of broccoli. In addition, a series of carotenoid biosynthetic genes such as BoPSY, BoPDS, BoZDS, BoLCYβ and BoZEP was also suppressed by melatonin. Further analysis revealed that the lower carotenoid content and the down-regulated BoNCED expression in treated broccoli resulted in less accumulation of abscisic acid precursors, inhibiting abscisic acid production during the yellowing process.
Surimi products have unsatisfactory gel properties. Hence, this study evaluates the effect of collagen-adding on surimi gel properties and provides the first observation results regarding collagen type influence. With higher water solubility and more charged amino acids than type II, collagen type I intertwines with surimi myofibrillar proteins better to induce higher exposure of protein functional domains, more sufficient conformational changes of myosin and greater formation of chemical forces among proteins. These enhancements accelerate the gelation rate, leading to a well-stabilized surimi gel. The collagen I-containing surimi gels show more compact structures with uniformly distributed smaller pores than those containing collagen II, thereby providing the final products with higher water holding capacity and better textural profiles. As such, the surimi gel fortification performance of collagen I and the well-elucidated collagen-myofibrillar protein interaction mechanism will guide the further exploitation of collagen as an effective additive in the food industry.
Application of non-thermal treatment to proteins prior to enzymatic hydrolysis can facilitate the release of novel bioactive peptides (BPs) with unique biological activities. In this study, lupin protein isolate was pre-treated with ultrasound and hydrolysed using alcalase and flavourzyme to produce alcalase hydrolysate (ACT) and flavourzyme hydrolysate(FCT). These hydrolysates were fractionated into 1, 5, and 10 kDa molecular weight fractions using a membrane ultrafiltration technique. The in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) studies revealed that unfractionated ACT (IC50 = 3.21 mg mL-1) and FCT (IC50 = 3.32 mg mL-1) were more active inhibitors of ACE in comparison to their ultrafiltrated fractions with IC50 values ranging from 6.09 to 7.45 mg mL-1. Molecular docking analysis predicted three unique peptides from ACT (AIPPGIPY, SVPGCT, and QGAGG) and FCT (AIPINNPGKL, SGNQGP, and PPGIP) as potential ACE inhibitors. Thus, unique BPs with ACE inhibitory effects might be generated from ultrasonicated lupin protein.
Increasing protein demands directly require additional resources to those presently and recurrently available. Emerging green technologies have witnessed an escalating interest in "Cavitation Processing" (CP) to ensure a non-invasive, non-ionizing and non-polluting extraction. The main intent of this review is to present an integrated summary of cavitation extraction methods specifically applied to food protein sources. Along with a comparative assessment carried out for each type of cavitation model, protein extraction yield and implications on the extracted protein's structural and functional properties. The basic principle of cavitation is due to the pressure shift in the liquid flow within milliseconds. Hence, cavitation emerges similar to boiling; however, unlike boiling (temperature change), cavitation occurs due to pressure change. Characterization and classification of sample type is also a prime candidate when considering the applications of cavitation models in food processing. Generally, acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation is applied in food applications including extraction, brewing, microbial cell disruption, dairy processing, emulsification, fermentation, waste processing, crystallisation, mass transfer and production of bioactive peptides. Micro structural studies indicate that shear stress causes disintegration of hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals interactions result in the unfolding of the protein's secondary and/or tertiary structures. A change in the structure is not targeted but rather holistic and affects the physicochemical, functional, and nutritional properties. Cavitation assisted extraction of protein is typically studied at a laboratory scale. This highlights limitations against the application at an industrial scale to obtain potential commercial gains.
The performance of lysozyme adsorption by the aminated nanofiber membrane immobilized with Reactive Green 19 (RG19) dyes was evaluated in batch and flow systems. The physicochemical properties of the dye-immobilized nanofiber membrane were characterized. The parameters of batch-mode adsorption of lysozyme (e.g., pH, initial dye concentration, and lysozyme concentration) were optimized using the Taguchi method. In a flow process, the factors influencing the dynamic binding performance for lysozyme adsorption in the chicken egg white (CEW) solution include immobilized dye concentration, adsorption pH value, feed flow rate, and feed CEW concentration. The impact of these operating conditions on the lysozyme purification process was investigated. Under optimal conditions, the recovery yield and purification factor of lysozyme achieved from the one-step adsorption process were 98.52% and 143 folds, respectively. The dye-affinity nanofiber membrane also did not exhibit any significant loss in its binding capacity and purification performance after five consecutive uses.
A higher specific activity of microbial transglutaminase (mTGase) is desirable for a broad range of applications ranging from food industry to biotechnology. Three-dimensional docking simulation of mTGase revealed that residues V65, W69, and Y75 were critical for substrate recognition. A semi-rational mutagenesis approach was applied to each residue to generate three separate mini mutant libraries. A high-throughput screening process identified five mutants that demonstrated improved specific activities than the wild type (WT) mTGase were isolated from the Y75 mini mutant library. Mutant Y75L showed approximately 60% increment in specific activity and improved substrate specificity. Conjugation of two heterologous single-chain fragment variable clones to generate a diabody with mutant Y75L was successfully performed and validated. This work demonstrates the successful application of semi-rational mutagenesis coupled with a high-throughput screening approach to identify mTGase mutants with improved specific activities and specificities which are beneficial for protein-protein conjugation.
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.
Tea is one of the world's most popular beverages, with several health benefits. Polyphenols are the predominant constituents to account for its health benefits. Despite the well-known benefits of tea on health, the uniqueness of its aroma, taste, and features is an added value that contribute to the increased popularity of this beverage worldwide, and they are associated with the alterations in the metabolites during tea processing and cultivation. The manufacturing of tea consists of several stages with various processes as withering, fixing, rolling, fermentation and drying. The classification into tea types is according to such processing. The high-quality production of the various tea classes also depends on agricultural conditions, such as shading, plucking, climate, and soil composition. Metabolomics is well recognized as an effective tool for evaluating the quality of tea products. Applications in controlling the quality of tea products and adulterant detection are discussed in this review.
This research assessed the influence of pickling, fermentation, germination, and tea brewing on lignan content of a variety of food highly consumed in Malaysia. Lignans have been measured by a validated LC-MS/MS method. Secoisolariciresinol (SECO) was the most abundant compound in fermented and germinated samples. Pickling significantly decreased larisiresinol content by approximately 86 %. Fermentation increased lignan content in a mixture of flaxseed and mung beans (799.9 ± 67.4 mg/100 g DW) compared to the unfermented counterpart (501.4 ± 134.6 mg/100 g DW), whereas the fermentation of soybeans and mung beans did not significantly affect the SECO content. Germination increased lignan content, which reached its peak on day 6 of germination for all the tested matrixes. In tea brew, lignans concentration increased with brewing time reaching its highest concentration at 10 min of brewing. The results of this study expand the knowledge on the effect of processing on lignan content in food.
The utilisation of quinoa protein concentrates (QPCs) is limited due to their poor protein digestibility (78.54 %). In this study, QPCs (1 % w/v) were fermented in 5 % (v/v) water kefir grains (WKG) for 5 days at 25 °C. The protein quality of the fermented QPCs was enhanced, whereby the protein digestibility increased significantly (P
This study investigatedthe mechanism of epinecidin-1 against Botrytis cinerea, in vitro, and its effectiveness at inhibiting gray mold on postharvest peach fruit. We found that in vitro, epinecidin-1 had significantly greater antifungal activity against B. cinerea than either clavanin-A or mytimycin, two other marine derived antimicrobial peptides that we tested. Its antifungal activity was heat-resistant (15 min at 40-100 °C) and tolerant to lower concentrations of cations (<100 mM Na+, K+; <10 mM Ca2+). Epinecidin-1 interacted directly with B. cinerea genomic DNA, and that in mycelia, epinecidin-1 exposure induced accumulation of intracellular ROS and increased the permeability of cell membranes resulting in leakage of nucleic acids and aberrant cell morphology. Meanwhile, 200 μM of epinecidin-1 had a significant inhibitory effect on gray mold injected into peach fruit. These results suggested that epinecidin-1 showed promise as a potential method for controlling postharvest gray mold in peaches.
The Southeast Asian rainforests, notably in East Malaysia, are home to a diverse range of medicinal plant species with limitless therapeutic potential. Physalis minima (family Solanaceae) is a native East Malaysia plant which is closely linked to P. angulata, are recognized for their various pharmacology properties are abundance in Withanolides, a C28-steroidal lactones based on an ergostane skeleton. This review focuses on the bioactive compounds of this herb, as it is frequently used to treat inflammation, neurodegenerative disease and cancer among East Malaysian ethnic groups. In this review, a total of 103 Withanolides were reported, with 59 of them being newly characterized. Previous scientific data revealed that Withanolides were intriguing principal compounds for inflammatory, neuroinflammatory and cancer treatment due to unique steroidal structure and strong bioactivities. Despite their excellent pharmacological characteristics, only a few Withanolides have been extensively studied, and the majority of them, particularly the newly discovered Withanolides, remained unknown for their therapeutic properties. This indicates that P. minima compounds are worth to be investigate for its pharmacological effects.
The aim of this study was to investigate the digestion and fermentation properties of fish protein fermented by Monascus. Semi-dried fish was fermented by applying Monascus purpureus Went M 3.439. Our results show that the Monascus fermentation of the fish protein enriched the free amino acids and achieved a relatively higher glutamate content than the control group. The Monascus treatment promoted the decomposition of the fish protein during in vitro digestion, reduced the ammonia and indole content and tended to increase the propionic acid content during in vitro fermentation. The Monascus treatment considerably changed the gut microbiota composition, and particularly increased the relative abundance of Parabacteroides in the in vitro fermentation model of human distal colon. Consumption of Monascus fermented fish protein could result in positive changes in fermentation metabolites and gut microbiota, which brings potential health benefits.
The pomegranate peel is a by-product of pomegranate fruit rich in polyphenols. In this study, pomegranate peel polyphenols were explored using LC-MS/MS, and punicalagin was the most abundant compound. The highest yield (505.89 ± 1.73 mg/g DW) of punicalagin was obtained by ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) with the ethanol concentration of 53%, sample-to-liquid ratio of 1:25 w/v, ultrasonic power of 757 W, and extraction time of 25 min. Punicalagin was further purified by the macroporous resin D101 and prep-HPLC, reaching the purity of 92.15%. The purified punicalagin had the IC50 of 82 ± 0.02 µg/mL against α-glucosidase, similar to the punicalagin standard with IC50 of 58 ± 0.014 µg/mL, both exhibiting a mixed inhibitory mechanism. Molecular docking further revealed that a steric hindrance with the intermolecular energy of -7.99 kcal/mol was formed between punicalagin and α-glucosidase. Overall, pomegranate peel is a promising source of punicalagin to develop anti-diabetic functional foods.
The nutrient composition of 50 commonly consumed Jordanian food dishes was determined to support the development of a novel nutrition management system designed to assist with dietary intake assessment and diet management. Composite dishes were selected by interviewing households located in the northern region of Jordan. For each dish, five different recipes were collected from experienced chefs and the typical recipe was formulated based on the average weights of ingredients and net weight of the dish. Proximate composition as well as vitamin and mineral contents were determined and related to ingredient composition and cooking conditions. The newly created food composition database was used to develop a user-centric nutrition management software tailored to reflect the characteristics of the Jordanian diet with representative items from this diet. This novel nutrition management system is customizable, enabling users to build daily meal plans in accordance with personalized dietary needs and goals.
The digestion behavior of epoxy triglyceride, the main cytotoxic product of deep-frying oil, remains unknown, which may affect its biosafety. In this study, epoxy triglyceride (EGT) and triglyceride (GT) were used to reveal the effect of epoxy group on digestion. Digestibility rate analysis showed that the free fatty acids release rate of EGT was slower. To clarify this phenomenon, binding ability with salt ions in digestive juice and particle size were also been studied. Cluster size analysis indicated that epoxy group increased triglyceride particle size, resulting in smaller contact area between EGT and lipase. Interface behaviors displayed EGT decreased binding ability with salt ions in digestive juice. Spectroscopic analysis showed EGT caused the red shift of lipase peak, indicating that epoxy group changed lipase structure. Molecular dynamics simulation suggested EGT leads to loosen lipase structure. In conclusion, this study highlights that epoxy group could weaken the triglyceride digestion.
Stingless bee honey (SBH) of four stingless bee species (Heterotrigona itama, Geniotrigona thoracica, Tetragonula carbonaria, and Tetragonula hockingsi) from two geographic regions (Malaysia and Australia, n = 36) were studied for their physicochemical parameters, including total phenolic and multi-elemental contents. Sugar analysis confirmed the prominent presence of trehalulose in all samples. All SBH failed to meet the CODEX Standard for honey moisture, free acidity, and total fructose plus glucose levels. One-way ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical component analysis (HCA) confirm distinctive differences between Australian and Malaysian SBH with Australian SBH having significantly (P
The objective of this work was to develop a plastic film from food sources with excellent thermal, mechanical, and degradability performance. Corn starch (CS)/nata de coco (NDC) were hybridized with addition of glycerin as plasticizer at different weight ratio and weight percent, respectively. Sample analysis found that the hybridization of CS with NDC improved the film forming properties, mechanical and thermal, degradation properties, as well as hydrophobicity and solubility of the film up to 0.5:0.5 wt hybrid ratio. The properties of the films were highly affected by the homogeneity of the sample during hybridization, with high NDC amount (0.3:0.7 wt CS:NDC) showing poor hydrophobicity, and mechanical and thermal properties. The glycerin content, however, did not significantly affect the hydrophobicity, water solubility, and degradability properties of CS/NDC film. Hybridization of 0.5:0.5 wt CS/NDC with 2 phr glycerin provided the optimum Young's modulus (15.67 MPa) and tensile strength (1.67 MPa) properties.