Ran Ye

Transglutaminase-induced crosslinking of gelatin–calcium carbonate composite films

The effects of transglutaminase (TGase) on the rheological profiles and interactions of gelatin-calcium carbonate solutions were studied. In addition, mechanical properties, water vapour permeability and microstructures of gelatin-calcium carbonate films were also investigated and compared. Fluorescence data suggested that the interaction of TGase and gelation-calcium carbonate belonged to a static quenching mechanism, and merely one binding site between TGase and gelatin-calcium carbonate was identified. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the mechanical properties and the water vapour permeability studies revealed that TGase favoured the strong intramolecular polymerisation of the peptides in gelatin. The microstructures of the surfaces and cross sections in gelatin-calcium carbonate films were shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs. The results of the fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that TGase caused conformational changes in the proteins films. Therefore, TGase successfully facilitated the formation of gelatin-calcium carbonate composite films.

Mechanical properties and solubility in water of corn starch-collagen composite films: Effect of starch type and concentrations

This study investigated the possibility of enhancing the properties of collagen with three different maize starches: waxy maize starch, normal starch, and high amylose starch. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that starch-collagen films had a rougher surface compared to pure collagen films which became smoother upon heating. Amylose starch and normal starch increased the tensile strength of unheated collagen films in both dry and wet states, while all starches increased tensile strength of collagen film by heating. Depending upon the amylose content and starch concentrations, film solubility in water decreased with the addition of starch. DSC thermograms demonstrated that addition of all starches improved the thermal stability of the collagen film. Moreover, X-ray diffraction results indicated that except for high amylose starch, the crystallinity of both starch and collagen was significantly decreased when subject to heating. FTIR spectra indicated that intermolecular interactions between starch and collagen were enhanced upon heating.

Thermal behavior and gelling interactions of Mesona Blumes gum and rice starch mixture

In this research, thermal behavior and gelling interactions of Mesona Blumes gum (MBG)/rice starch mixture were extensively investigated. MBG/rice starch gel displayed significant endothermal and exothermal properties at different MBG concentrations, indicating essential interactions between MBG and rice starch. In addition, the gelling interaction between MBG and rice starch was studied by using hydrogen-bond forming agents (1,4-butanediol, ethane-1,2-diol, glycerol) and hydrogen-bond breaking agents (urea, tetramethyl urea, ethanol, methanol) on rheological spectra. The results indicated that the hydrogen bond between MBG, rice starch and water might be the major force of maintaining the complete structure of the mixed gel. Their hypothetic interactions have been schemed in computer using hyperchem 8.0.

Physical crosslinkings of edible collagen casing.

Although edible collagen casing has been commercially used in meat industry, the safety and effectiveness of collagen cross-linking with minimally invasive treatments are still big concerns for manufacturers. In this study, ultraviolet irradiation (UV) and dehydrothermal treatment (DHT) were used to improve the properties of casing. UV, DHT, and their combination (UV+DHT) significantly increased tensile strength and decreased elongation at break of casing, in which DHT showed the best performance. Swelling of casing was also partially inhibited by the treatments. Furthermore, UV and DHT slightly improved thermal stability of the casings. In addition, X-ray diffraction patterns showed the treatments caused different extents of denaturation of collagen. No obvious effects in thickness and light transparency except for surface roughness were observed in the treated casings. The physical treatments could potentially be used as safe and effective alternatives to chemical cross-linking for the production of collage casing.

Comparison of analytical methods to assay inhibitors of angiotensin I-converting enzyme.

The linearity, precision and repeatability of visible spectrophotometric (VSP) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for analysis of inhibitory activity of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) were compared by using several inhibitors and Hip-His-Leu (HHL) as substrates. IC50 values (concentration at which ACE activity is inhibited by 50%) of 0.00206±0.00005 μg/mL for captopril, 192±4.53 μg/mL for soybean peptides, and 153±4.29 μg/mL for grass carp peptides determined by the VSP method, and these values were 1.07, 1.07, 1.18 and 1.44-fold, respectively, higher than those from the HPLC method. In addition, the inhibitory constant (Ki value) of captopril was determined to be 7.09 nM and 4.94 nM using VSP and HPLC method, respectively. These results showed that the HPLC method revealed a higher level of sensitivity and precision, suitable for assaying ACE inhibition activity of antihyper-sensitive peptides. In contrast, the VSP method can simultaneously measure several samples with simple operations, suitable for analysis of ACE inhibition activity of food protein enzymatic hydrolysates.

Structural characterization and bioavailability of ternary nanoparticles consisting of amylose, α-linoleic acid and β-lactoglobulin complexed with naringin

Naringin is a bioflavonoid that is rich in citrus plants and possesses enormous health benefits. However, the use of naringin as a nutraceutical is significantly limited by its low bioavailability. In this study, a novel water-soluble ternary nanoparticle material consisting of amylose, α-linoleic acid and β-lactoglobulin was developed to encapsulate naringin to improve its bioavailability. The physicochemical characteristics of the ternary nanoparticle-naringin inclusion complex were analysed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and particle size distribution. The results confirmed the formation of the ternary nanoparticle-naringin inclusion complex. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading content (LC) of the ternary nanoparticle-naringin inclusion complex were 78.73±4.17% and 14.51±3.43%, respectively. In addition, the results of the ternary nanoparticle-naringin inclusion complex in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) demonstrated that naringin can be gradually released from the complex. In conclusion, ternary nanoparticles are considered promising carriers to effectively improve the bioavailability of naringin.

Comparison of Different Extraction Methods in the Analysis of Volatile Compounds in Pomegranate Juice

Consumption and production of pomegranate fruit and juice have been increasing. Many pomegranate volatile reports involved commercial samples, complicated isolation methods, or different cultivars. In this study, three different techniques including simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), and purge and trap (P&T) with Tenax TA absorbent were employed to extract the aromatic compounds of two different juices (PJ and PJS) of red Socotran pomegranate. A total of 36 compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the P&T and HS-SPME methods complementarily contributed to extract the aroma compounds related with the pomegranate flavor, and the most important contributors to the pomegranate juice flavors were identified as n-hexaldehyde, leaf aldehyde, 1-hexyl alcohol, butyl acetate, myrcene, and phenyl acetaldehyde in this paper.

The Production of Gelatin-Calcium Carbonate Composite Films with Different Antioxidants

Gelatin-calcium carbonate films incorporated with different natural antioxidants (sodium ascorbate, d-sodium erythorbate, and tea polyphenols) were investigated in this study. The results indicated that all of the films with antioxidants displayed promoted tensile strength and higher thickness than that of the control (p < 0.05), and most films had higher values of elongation at break. Furthermore, the addition of antioxidants favored the reduction of water vapor permeability and water solubility in comparison with the control (p < 0.05). The alternations of light transmission could vary depending on the type and concentration of antioxidants. In addition, the surface properties of films were characterized by atomic force microscopy, indicating that antioxidants caused the formation of gelatin-calcium carbonate aggregates and clusters. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra demonstrated that antioxidants facilitated the conformational changes of the secondary structure and functional groups of gelatin in films. Gelatin-calcium carbonate films containing different natural antioxidants exhibited improved 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging capacities, compared to the control (p < 0.05).

Evaluation of Different Analysis Methods for the Encapsulation Efficiency of Amylose Inclusion Compound

Recently amylose has drawn much attention as a potential vehicle for the nanoencapsulation of different flavor molecules, and the encapsulation efficiency of the complex is an important index for the evaluation of its embedding effect. In this study, three different methods for assessing encapsulation efficiency of amylose-flavor complexes were compared. We chose heptanol and menthone as the flavor molecules, as both of them exhibit a typical odor. The complexes were prepared by the melting method, and their structures were characterized by XRD. In addition, the encapsulation efficiency was determined by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), potentiometric titration (PT), and headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography (HS-SPME-GC), respectively. The results showed that PT results were within the reported literature range while HS-SPME-GC seemed to overestimate the results and TGA results were the lowest. What is more, the operations of TGA and PT were relatively simple and the results were reproducible, while the HS-SPME-GC method displayed excellent high sensitivity. Therefore, PT method is the best method for assessing encapsulation efficiency of amylose-flavor complexes.

Mechanical and barrier properties of maize starch-gelatin composite film: effects of amylose content.

BACKGROUND In order to obtain new reinforcing bio-fillers to improve the physicochemical properties of gelatin-based films, three types of maize starch, waxy maize starch (Ap), normal starch (Ns) and high-amylose starch (Al), were incorporated into gelatin film and the resulting film properties were investigated, focusing on the impact of amylose content. RESULTS The thickness, opacity and roughness of gelatin film increased depending on the amylose content along with the starch concentration. The effects of the three starches on the mechanical properties of gelatin film were governed by amylose content, starch concentration as well as environmental relative humidity (RH). At 75% RH, the presence of Al and Ns in the gelatin matrix increased the film strength but decreased its elongation, while Ap exhibited an inverse effect. Starch addition decreased the oxygen permeability of the film, with the lowest value at 20% Al and Ns. All starches, notably at 30% content, led to a decrease in the water vapor permeability of the film at 90% RH, especially Ns starch. Furthermore, the starches improved the thermal stability of the film to some extent. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated that some weak intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding occurred between gelatin and starch. Moreover, a high degree of B-type crystallinity of starch was characterized in Gel-Al film by X-ray diffraction. CONCLUSION Tailoring the properties of gelatin film by the incorporation of different types of maize starch provides the potential to extend its applications in edible food packaging.