Effects of high-speed shear homogenization on the emulsifying and structural properties of myofibrillar protein under low-fat conditions

Formulation and evaluation of HPMC and pullulan-based rapidly dissolving films containing cilnidipine nanosuspension

Cilnidipine is used to treat hypertension. However, it has poor solubility and undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism, which leads to poor bioavailability. This work aimed to prepare rapidly dissolving films (RDFs) containing nanosuspension of CLD with HPMC and pullulan as film-formers. These RDFs deliver the drugs through the buccal mucosa and bypass the first-pass metabolism, thereby increasing bioavailability. The nanosuspension was prepared using the nanoprecipitation technique and was optimized using the CCD. The optimized formulation had an average size and zeta potential of 362.23 nm and -39.1 mV, respectively. FT-IR studies indicated no interaction between CLD and stabilizers. DSC and XRD studies confirmed reduced crystallinity of CLD. SEM revealed the capsular morphology of nanoparticles. The optimized RDFs had a 2.83 ± 0.24 N/mm2 tensile strength, 11.61 ± 2.87 % elongation, 17.21 ± 1.06 s disintegration time, and in-vitro release of 91.77 ± 6.22 % in 60 min. A more than two-fold increase in drug permeation was recorded from the CLD NS-RDF as compared to the CLD CS-RDF. The CLD NS-RDF exhibited a significant increase in AUC0-24h, Cmax, and a decrease in Tmax and MRT as compared to the CLD CS-RDF. The CLD NS-RDF also had a superior effect to control the blood pressure in rats as compared to the CLD CS-RDF.

Ultrasound improves the digestibility of oxidized silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) myofibrillar protein: Changes from structure to peptide release

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasound on the digestibility of oxidized silver carp myofibrillar protein (MP). The MP solutions were oxidized with a hydroxyl radical generating system, and subsequently subjected to 100 W, 150 W, 200 W ultrasound treatment, respectively. The results showed that ultrasound effectively recovered the reduction in the digestibility of oxidized MP, especially the 150 W ultrasound achieved the best effect. The 150 W ultrasound reduced the particle size and turbidity of oxidized MP by 26.71 % and 35.49 %, respectively. The analysis of sulfhydryl, disulfide bonds, intrinsic fluorescence, and surface hydrophobicity suggested that ultrasound caused the breakage of disulfide bonds, which promoted the depolymerization oxidized MP. The morphology observed by atomic force microscope further evidenced that ultrasound reduced the degree of oxidized MP aggregation. The results of peptidomics showed that ultrasound treatment largely increased the peptide release of oxidized MP during the gastrointestinal digestion, especially the peptide containing lysine and arginine. Take together, ultrasound promoted the break of disulfide bond, which led to the depolymerization of oxidized MP and thus improved the digestibility of oxidized MP.

Comprehensive Sensory Evaluation in Low-Fat Emulsions: A Systematic Review of Diverse Food Applications

The prevalence of diet-related health issues has driven the demand for healthier food options, particularly those with reduced fat content. This systematic review evaluates the integration of sensory analysis in low-fat emulsion research, highlighting a significant gap in current practices. From an initial pool of 400 articles, 227 unique studies were screened, but only 15 (6.6%) included sensory analysis, underscoring a major shortfall in evaluating consumer acceptance. The reviewed studies investigated various emulsion types, including simple emulsions, emulsion gels, and Pickering emulsions, utilizing a diverse range of fat replacers, such as plant-based oils, proteins, and modified starches. These fat replacers included natural and modified ingredients such as banana peel flour, lard-based diacylglycerols, cedar oil cake, microparticulated egg white proteins, Nigella sativa oil, avocado, whey protein, flaxseed oil, polyphenol extracts, okara, microcrystalline wax and cellulose, rapeseed cake, and polysaccharide nanoparticles. These innovative approaches aimed to improve the sensory attributes of meat products, dairy-type applications, salad dressings, and bakery products. The review highlights a disparity in the rigor and comprehensiveness of sensory evaluations among studies. While some studies have thoroughly assessed multiple attributes, others have been limited to general acceptability. This variability underscores the need for standardized, detailed sensory analysis in low-fat emulsion research to ensure a comprehensive understanding of consumer preferences and product quality.

Impact of high-speed shear homogenization pretreatment on structure, functional characteristics, and interfacial properties: A case of Rice Glutelin

In this study, rice glutelin (RG) was pretreated using high-speed shear homogenization (HSSH) to enhance its functional characteristics and interfacial properties through structural modification. Its structure was characterized using techniques such as SDS-PAGE, FT-IR, SEM, interface analyzer, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering. The results indicated that HSSH preserved the primary structure of RG but significantly affected its secondary structure. It increased the surface hydrophobicity and conformational flexibility, enhanced electrostatic repulsion, reduced the particle size, and produced a loose and porous microstructure. These alterations resulted in variations in the functional and interfacial properties of RG. After HSSH treatment at 12,000 rpm for 2 min, RG exhibited optimal improvements in solubility (5.56 %), WHC (6.00 g/g) and OHC (2.20 g/g), EAI (10.19 m2/g) and ESI (341.98 min), as well as FC (16.20 %) and FS (64.21 %). However, excessive HSSH treatment induced the formation of aggregates, which is detrimental to the improvement of these properties.

Effect of psyllium husk powder on the gelation behavior, microstructure, and intermolecular interactions in myofibrillar protein gels from Andrias davidianus

The interaction between proteins and soluble dietary fibers plays a vital role in the development of animal-derived foods. Herein, the effects of different contents (0-3.0%) of round-bracted psyllium husk powder (PHP) on the gelation behavior, microstructure, and intermolecular interactions of Andrias davidianus myofibrillar protein (MP) were investigated. Rheological and chemical forces suggested that PHP (1.5%-2.0%) enhanced the functional properties of MP at low ionic strength, thereby increasing the viscoelasticity of mixed gels. SDS-PAGE revealed that PHP reinforced the cross-linking and aggregation of protein molecules. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that PHP induced the transformation of α-helix (decreased by 14.85%) to an ordered β-sheet structure (increased by 81.58%), which was more favorable for the formation of dense network structure and improved (10.53%) the water retention of MP gels. This study provided new insights for PHP to effectively meliorate the heat-induced gelling properties of MP.

Modulating the properties of myofibrillar proteins-stabilized high internal phase emulsions using chitosan for enhanced 3D-printed foods

The 3D printability of myofibrillar proteins (MP)-based high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) is a concern. This study investigated the influence of chitosan (CS) concentrations (0-1.5 wt%) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, rheological properties, and stability of MP-based HIPEs. Results showed that the interaction between MP and CS efficiently modulated the formation of HIPEs by modifying interfacial tension and network structure. The addition of CS (≤ 0.9 wt%, especially at 0.6 wt%) acted as a spatial barrier, filling the network between droplets, which triggered electrostatic repulsion between CS and MP particles, enhancing MP's interfacial adsorption capacity. Consequently, droplet sizes decreased, emulsion stability increased, and HIPEs became more stable during freeze-thaw cycles, centrifugation, and heat treatment. The rheological analysis further demonstrated that the low energy storage modulus (G', 330.7 Pa) of MP-based HIPEs exhibited sagging and deformation during the self-supporting phase. However, adding CS (0.6 wt%) significantly increased the G' (1034 Pa) of MP-based HIPEs. Conversely, increasing viscosity and spatial resistance attributed to CS (> 0.9 wt%) noticeably caused larger droplet sizes, thereby diminishing the printability of MP-based HIPEs. These findings provide a promising strategy for developing high-performance and consumer-satisfaction 3D printing inks using MP-stabilized HIPEs.

Effects of Baking and Frying on the Protein Oxidation of Wheat Dough

Protein oxidation caused by food processing is harmful to human health. A large number of studies have focused on the effects of hot processing on protein oxidation of meat products. As an important protein source for human beings, the effects of hot processing on protein oxidation in flour products are also worthy of further study. This study investigated the influences on the protein oxidation of wheat dough under baking (0-30 min, 200 °C or 20 min, 80-230 °C) and frying (0-18 min, 180 °C or 10 min, 140-200 °C). With the increase in baking and frying time and temperature, we found that the color of the dough deepened, the secondary structure of the protein changed from α-helix to β-sheet and β-turn, the content of carbonyl and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) increased, and the content of free sulfhydryl (SH) and free amino groups decreased. Furthermore, baking and frying resulted in a decrease in some special amino acid components in the dough, and an increase in the content of amino acid oxidation products, dityrosine, kynurenine, and N'-formylkynurenine. Moreover, the nutritional value evaluation results showed that excessive baking and frying reduced the free radical scavenging rate and digestibility of the dough. These results suggest that frying and baking can cause protein oxidation in the dough, resulting in the accumulation of protein oxidation products and decreased nutritional value. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce excessive processing or take reasonable intervention measures to reduce the effects of thermal processing on protein oxidation of flour products.

Microcapsules of Sacha Inchi seed oil (Plukenetia volubilis L.) obtained by spray drying as a potential ingredient to formulate functional foods

Sacha Inchi seed oil (SIO) is rich in omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids with important health benefits, but is temperature sensitive. Spray drying is a technology that improves the long-term stability of bioactive compounds. This work aimed to study the effect of three different homogenization techniques on some physical properties and bioavailability of microcapsules of Sacha Inchi seed oil (SIO) emulsions obtained by spray drying. Emulsions were formulated with SIO (5%, w/w), maltodextrin:sodium caseinate as wall material (10%, w/w; 85:15), Tween 20 (1%, w/w) and Span 80 (0.5%, w/w) as surfactants and water up to 100% (w/w). Emulsions were prepared using high-speed (Dispermat D-51580, 18,000 rpm, 10 min), conventional (Mixer K-MLIM50N01, Turbo speed, 5 min), and ultrasound probe (Sonics Materials VCX 750, 35% amplitude, 750 W, 30 min) homogenization. SIO microcapsules were obtained in a Mini Spray B-290 (Büchi) using two inlet temperatures of the drying air (150 and 170 °C). Moisture, density, dissolution rate, hygroscopicity, drying efficiency (EY), encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity, and oil release in digestive fluids in vitro were studied. Results showed that the microcapsules obtained by spray-drying had low moisture values and high encapsulation yield and efficiency values (greater than 50% and 70%, respectively). The thermogravimetric analysis indicates that heat protection was assured, enhancing the shelf life and the ability to withstand thermal food processing. Results suggest that spray-drying encapsulation could be a suitable technology to successfully microencapsulate SIO and enhance the absorption of bioactive compounds in the intestine. This work highlights the use of Latin American biodiversity and spray drying technology to ensure the encapsulation of bioactive compounds. This technology represents an opportunity for the development of new functional foods, improving the safety and quality of conventional foods.

Effects of carboxymethyl cellulose on the emulsifying, gel and digestive properties of myofibrillar protein-soybean oil emulsion

Improving the qualities of vegetable oil replaced animal fat meat products is particularly fascinating for the development of healthy meat products. This work was designed to investigate the effects of different carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) concentrations (0.01 %, 0.05 %, 0.1 %, 0.2 %, and 0.5 %) on the emulsifying, gelation, and digestive properties of myofibrillar protein (MP)-soybean oil emulsions. The changes in MP emulsion characteristics, gelation properties, protein digestibility, and oil release rate were determined. Results demonstrated that CMC addition decreased the average droplet size and increased the apparent viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus of MP emulsions, and a 0.5 % CMC addition significantly increased the storage stability during 6 weeks. Lower CMC addition (0.01 % to 0.1 %) increased the hardness, chewiness, and gumminess of emulsion gel especially for the 0.1 % CMC addition, while higher CMC (0.5 %) content decreased the texture properties and water holding capacity of emulsion gels. The addition of CMC decreased protein digestibility during the gastric stage, and 0.01 % and 0.05 % CMC addition significantly decreased the free fatty acid release rate. In summary, the addition of CMC could improve the stability of MP emulsion and the texture properties of the emulsion gels, and decrease protein digestibility during the gastric stage.

Effects of ultrasound on the oxidation and structures of the myofibrillar protein in the presence or absence of soybean oil

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound is widely used as a novel non-thermal processing technique to improve protein properties. In recent decades, applying ultrasound-assisted emulsification (UAE) to produce protein-stabilized emulsion has attracted people's attention. Instead of applying ultrasound to treat a single protein solution, UAE treatment refers to the use of sonication to a mixture of protein and oil. The purpose of this study was to compare the different effects of ultrasound treatment on the properties of the myofibrillar protein (MP) in the presence or absence of soybean oil. A suitable sonication power was selected based on the change in emulsion properties.

RESULTS

The 300W sonication power was selected due to its most effectively decreased emulsion droplet size and increased absolute zeta potential. Sonication more significantly increased the protein carbonyl content and disulfide bonds of the MP-soybean oil sample than MP sample. Due to the existence of oil, ultrasound could unfold more protein molecules illustrated by a lower α-helix content and intrinsic fluorescence intensity, and a higher surface hydrophobicity. LC-MS/MS results illustrated that sonication enhanced the myosin heavy chain and actin content at the soybean oil interface as well as accelerated the myosin light chain to separate from myosin in the MP-soybean oil system.

CONCLUSION

In summary, ultrasound treatment could lead to a higher level of protein oxidation and more protein molecule exposure in the MP with the presence of oil system than in the oil-free MP system. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Moderate Protein Oxidation Improves Bovine Myofibril Digestibility by Releasing Peptides in the S2 Region of Myosin: A Peptidomics Perspective

This study aimed to investigate the influence of protein oxidation on the digestive properties of beef myofibrillar protein (MP). MP was treated with a hydroxyl radical-generating system containing various concentrations of H₂O₂. The increased content in a free sulfhydryl group and surface hydrophobicity indicated that oxidation treatment with 1 mM H₂O₂ induced unfolding of MP. Reducing and nonreducing SDS-PAGE results suggested that 10 mM H₂O₂ oxidation treatment resulted in aggregation of MP; meanwhile, the disulfide bond was the major covalent bond involved in aggregation. Peptidomics showed that peptides in the digestion products of MP were mainly derived from myosin tail. Moderate oxidation (1 mM H₂O₂) facilitated the release of peptide in the rod portion (S2) of myosin, whereas excessive oxidation (10 mM H₂O₂) inhibited peptide release in the light meromyosin region. This work presents insightful information for the crucial impact of oxidation on meat protein digestibility from the peptidomics perspective.

Physical Stability of Chestnut Lily Beverages (CLB): Effects of Shear Homogenization on Beverage Rheological Behavior, Particle Size, and Sensory Properties

The processing parameters have a crucial influence on the stability and sensory quality of beverages. The focus of this study is to observe the rheological behavior, particle size distribution, stability, color change, and sensory evaluation of chestnut lily beverages (CLB) at different rotational speeds (0~20,000 rpm) using a high-shear homogeneous disperser. The CLB system exhibited non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior. As the homogenization speed increased (0~12,000 rpm), the viscosity increased (0.002~0.059 Pa.s). However, when the rotational speed shear continued to increase (12,000~20,000 rpm), the viscosity decreased slightly (0.035~0.027 Pa.s). Under all homogeneous conditions, the turbidity and precipitation fractions were the lowest when the rotational speed was 12,000 rpm: the sedimentation index was lowest at this point (2.87%), and the relative turbidity value of CLB was largest at this point (80.29%). The average beverage particle diameter and ascorbic acid content showed a downward trend at the homogenization speed from 0 to 20,000 rpm, whereas the total soluble solids (TSS) content followed the opposite trend. The results show that these physical properties can be correlated with different rotational speeds of homogenization. This study explained the effect of homogenization speed on CLB properties, which needs to be considered in beverage processing, where high-speed shear homogenization can serve as a promising technique.

Comparison of oil-in-water emulsions prepared by ultrasound, high-pressure homogenization and high-speed homogenization

This study was designed to compare the properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) stabilized soybean oil-in-water emulsions fabricated by ultrasound-assisted emulsification (UAE), high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and high-speed homogenization (HSH). The emulsion properties, droplet characteristics, interfacial proteins, protein exposure extent, microrheological properties, multiple light scattering results, and 7 d storage stabilities of the three emulsions were specifically investigated. Our results indicate that UAE and HPH were better emulsification methods than HSH to obtain high-quality emulsions with higher emulsifying activity index (UAE 20.73 m²·g^-1, HPH 11.76 m²·g^-1 and HSH 6.80 m²·g^-1), whiteness (UAE 81.05, HPH 80.67 and HSH 74.09), viscosity coefficient (UAE 0.44 Pa·sⁿ, HPH 0.49 Pa·sⁿ and HSH 0.22 Pa·sⁿ), macroscopic viscosity index (UAE 2.31 nm^-2·s, HPH 0.38 nm^-2·s and HSH 0.34 nm^-2·s), and storage stability, especially for the UAE. Furthermore, UAE was a more efficient emulsification method than HPH to prepare the fine MP-soybean oil emulsion. The protein-coated oil droplets were observed in the three emulsions. The emulsion droplet size of the UAE-fabricated emulsion was the lowest (0.15 μm) while the interfacial protein concentration (93.37%) and the protein exposure extent were the highest among the three emulsions. During the 7 d storage, no separation was observed for the UAE-fabricated emulsion, while the emulsions fabricated by HPH and HSH were separated after storage for 5 d and 2 h. Therefore, this work suggests that UAE could be a better method than HPH and HSH to fabricate MP-soybean oil emulsion.

Effects of ultrasound-assisted vacuum tumbling on the oxidation and physicochemical properties of pork myofibrillar proteins

The present research aimed to investigate the effects of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU, 20 kHz, 0 W, 100 W, 300 W and 500 W)-assisted vacuum tumbling (UVT) for 60 min and 120 min on the oxidation and physicochemical properties of the pork myofibrillar proteins (MPs). Compared with the vacuum tumbling (VT) groups without the HIU assistance, the carbonyl content increased, while the total sulfhydryl (SH) content was reduced with the increase of HIU power and treatment time (P < 0.05). The reactive SH content was increased significantly after treated by UVT with 300 W compared with the VT group (P < 0.05) regardless of the treatment time. Similarly, the surface hydrophobicity (S₀), the intrinsic tryptophan intensity, and the solubility in the UVT group (300 W) were remarkably higher than those of the VT group (P < 0.05). In contrast, the α-helix content and the particle size of MPs significantly decreased when the HIU power was at 100 W and 300 W (P < 0.05). The results suggest that UVT treatment could change the structure and physicochemical properties of MPs accompanied by protein oxidation.

Effect of Interaction between Mealworm Protein and Myofibrillar Protein on the Rheological Properties and Thermal Stability of the Prepared Emulsion Systems

In this study, we investigated the effect of replacing myofibrillar protein (pork ham) with edible insect proteins (Tenebrio molitor L.) in meat emulsion systems and examined the interaction between the two types of proteins. We also evaluated the rheological properties and thermal stability of these meat emulsions. The replacement ratios of myofibrillar protein and edible insect protein were as follows: 100:0 (EI0), 80:20 (EI20), 60:40 (EI40), 40:60 (EI60), 20:80 (EI80), and 0:100 (EI100). The pH, redness, and yellowness of the emulsion systems, after replacing myofibrillar protein with T. molitor protein, significantly increased with T. molitor protein concentrations. In contrast, the lightness, hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, apparent viscosity, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the emulsion systems decreased significantly with increasing T. molitor protein concentrations. The backscattering values of EI0, EI20, and EI40 decreased evenly in all spots of the dispersions as the storage time increased. Thus, up to 40% of pork myofibrillar protein could be replaced with T. molitor protein in meat emulsion systems. The results also suggest that the interaction between edible insect protein and myofibrillar protein degrades the rheological properties and thermal stability of the meat emulsion systems.