Xingjian Huang

Acid-induced gelation behavior of soybean protein isolate with high intensity ultrasonic pre-treatments.

High intensity ultrasonic (HUS, 20 kHz, 400 W) pre-treatments of soybean protein isolate (SPI) improved the water holding capacity (WHC), gel strength and gel firmness (final elastic moduli) of glucono-δ-lactone induced SPI gels (GISG). Sonication time (0, 5, 20, and 40 min) had a significant effect on the above three properties. 20 min HUS-GISG had the highest WHC (95.53 ± 0.25%), gel strength (60.90 ± 2.87 g) and gel firmness (96340Pa), compared with other samples. Moreover, SH groups and non-covalent interactions of GISG also changed after HUS pre-treatments. The HUS GISG had denser and more uniform microstructures than the untreated GISG. Rheological investments showed that the cooling step (reduce the temperature from 95 to 25 °C at a speed of 2 °C/min) was more important for the HUS GISG network formation while the heat preservation step (keep temperature at 95 for 20 min) was more important for the untreated GISG. HUS reduced the particle size of SPI and Pearson correlation test showed that the particle size of SPI dispersions was negatively correlated with WHC, gel strength and gel firmness.

Effect of high intensity ultrasound on transglutaminase-catalyzed soy protein isolate cold set gel

The effects of high intensity ultrasound (HIU, 105-110 W/cm(2) for 5 or 40 min) pre-treatment of soy protein isolate (SPI) on the physicochemical properties of ensuing transglutaminase-catalyzed soy protein isolate cold set gel (TSCG) were investigated in this study. The gel strength of TSCG increased remarkably from 34.5 to 207.1 g for TSCG produced from SPI with 40 min HIU pre-treatment. Moreover, gel yield and water holding capacity also increased after HIU pre-treatments. Scanning electron microscopy showed that HIU of SPI resulted in a more uniform and denser microstructure of TSCG. The content of free sulfhydryl (SH) groups was higher in HIU TSCG than non-HIU TSG, even though greater decrease of the SH groups present in HIU treated SPI was observed when the TSCG was formed, suggesting the involvement of disulfide bonds in gel formation. Protein solubility of TSCG in both denaturing and non-denaturing solvents was higher after HIU pretreatment, and changes in hydrophobic amino acid residues as well as in polypeptide backbone conformation and secondary structure of TSCG were demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy. These results suggest that increased inter-molecular ε-(γ-glutamyl) lysine isopeptide bonds, disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions might have contributed to the HIU TSCG gel network. In conclusion, HIU changed physicochemical and structural properties of SPI, producing better substrates for TGase. The resulting TSCG network structure was formed with greater involvement of covalent and non-covalent interactions between SPI molecules and aggregates than in the TSCG from non-HIU SPI.

Physicochemical properties of peanut protein isolate–glucomannan conjugates prepared by ultrasonic treatment

Peanut protein isolate (PPI) was glycated with glucomannan through classical heating or ultrasound treatment in this work. The physicochemical properties of PPI-glucomannan conjugates prepared by ultrasound treatment were compared to those prepared by classical heating. Compared with classical heating, ultrasound treatment could accelerate the graft reaction between PPI and glucomannan and improve the concentration of available free amino groups of PPI. Solubility and emulsifying properties of the conjugates obtained by ultrasound treatment were both improved as compared to those obtained by classical heating and native PPI. Decreases of lysine and arginine contents during the graft reaction indicated that these two amino acid residues attended the covalent linkage between PPI and glucomannan. Structural feature analyses suggested that conjugates obtained by ultrasound treatment had less α-helix, more β-structures and random coil, higher surface hydrophobicity and less compact tertiary structure as compared to those obtained by classical heating and native PPI.

Antimicrobial application of nanofibrous mats self-assembled with quaternized chitosan and soy protein isolate

Positively charged N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium) propyl] chitosan chloride (HTCC) and negatively charged soy protein isolate (SPI) were alternately assembled on cellulose acetate (CA) electrospun nanofibrous mats via electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. CA nanofibrous mats coated with bilayers of HTCC and SPI possessed more orderly-arranged structure than uncoated CA mats according to the observation from scanning electron microscopy images. The average diameter of the nanofibers was enlarged by the increase of the bilayer number. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that HTCC and SPI were coated on the surface of the CA mats successfully. The average diameters of inhibition zones of (HTCC/SPI)10.5-films-coated nanofibrous mats against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 9.6mm and 11.53mm, respectively, which demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity among samples in presented study.

Physicochemical and functional properties of micronized jincheng orange by-products (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) dietary fiber and its application as a fat replacer in yogurt

Abstract Orange by-products from juice extraction are generally discarded or used in animal feed due to their low market value. However, orange by-products show potential as dietary fiber (DF) and fat replacers in products such as yogurt. This study assessed the benefits of using orange by-products in DF-enriched materials such as DF powders (OP) and micronized DF with ball-milling (MDF). The study also investigated the effects of adding different levels of OP and MDF on the quality of low-fat yogurt. Results show that MDF showed better physicochemical and functional properties than OP, and that 2% MDF as a fat replacer in yogurt retained most of the textural and sensory properties of full-fat yogurt. Therefore, this study showed that MDF is a promising alternative as a fat replacer in low-fat yogurt, without sacrificing good taste and other qualities of full-fat yogurt.

Yield improvement of exopolysaccharides by screening of the Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC and optimization of the fermentation and extraction conditions

Exopolysacharides (EPS) produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus play an important role in food processing with its well-recognized antioxidant activity. In this study, a L. acidophilus mutant strain with high-yielding EPS (2.92±0.05 g/L) was screened by chemical mutation (0.2 % diethyl sulfate). Plackett-Burman (PB) design and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to optimize the EPS fermentation parameters and central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize the EPS extraction parameters. A strain with high-yielding EPS was screened. It was revealed that three parameters (Tween 80, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate and trisodium citrate) had significant influence (P < 0.05) on the EPS yield. The optimal culture conditions for EPS production were: Tween 80 0.6 mL, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate 3.6 g and trisodium citrate 4.1 g (with culture volume of 1 L). In these conditions, the maximum EPS yield was 3.96±0.08 g/L. The optimal extraction conditions analyzed by CCD were: alcohol concentration 70 %, the ratio of material to liquid (M/L ratio) 1:3.6 and the extraction time 31 h. In these conditions, the maximum EPS extraction yield was 1.48±0.23 g/L. It was confirmed by the verification experiments that the EPS yield from L. acidophilus mutant strains reached 5.12±0.73 g/L under the optimized fermentation and extraction conditions, which was 3.8 times higher than that of the control (1.05±0.06 g/L). The results indicated that the strain screening with high-yielding EPS was successful and the optimized fermentation and extraction conditions significantly enhanced EPS yield. It was efficient and industrially promising.

A dielectric loss angle based portable biosensor system for bacterial concentration detection

A new type of portable sensor is proposed to detect bacterial concentration based on the change in dielectric loss angle δ. The performance of the sensor is tested in four types of drinks, namely, milk, orange juice, peach juice, and tomato juice. Notably, the sensor can detect δ when the bacterial concentration reaches a critical threshold value (approximately 106 cfu mL−1) by applying a 1 V peak-to-peak 200 Hz sinusoidal test signal of 0.25 mA at intervals of 10 min. This work introduces a portable and low-system for rapid detection. The system is a useful tool for microbial screening in industrial and commercial environments.

Textural properties and morphology of soy 7S globulin-corn starch (amylose, amylopectin)

ABSTRACT The texture properties (hardness, adhesiveness, cohesion, elasticity) of composite gels with different ratios (0:100, 6:94, 8:92, 10:90, 12:88, and 14:86, respectively) of soy 7S globulin to corn starch (amylose, amylopectin) were studied. Furthermore, the morphology and crystal structure of the mixed gels were investigated. The results showed: the addition of soy 7S globulin could weaken the hardness of corn starch (amylose, amylopectin) and increased the adhesiveness of corn amylose significantly (p < 0.05). Generally, when the additive amount of soy 7S globulin was 10%, the composite gels of soy 7S globulin and corn starch (amylose, amylopectin) appeared to have the best consistency, cohesion, and elasticity.

Detection of bacterial concentration variations based on dielectric magnetic flux.

This study is based on the development of bacterial count quantification generated by medium dielectric variations and consequent polarization material release. The proposed approach is an action method for the fast detection of bacterial concentration in orange juice. The sensing method relies on bacterial attachment up to biofilm formation. Furthermore, different media provide more oxygen group content to enhance capacitance and self-discharge. The test took only 30 min and it provided the means for rapid bacterial detection in the juice industry.