A review of sugar beet pectin-stabilized emulsion: extraction, structure, interfacial self-assembly and emulsion stability

Extraction, purification, structural features, biological activities, and applications of polysaccharides from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (cactus): a review

Cactus has attracted increasing attention from researchers due to its rich nutritional, edible, and medicinal value. Cactus contains abundant polysaccharides, polyphenols, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and more. Among them, polysaccharides are considered as important bioactive components in cactus. In the past period, polysaccharides have been isolated from cactus through various methods and their structures have also been studied. Some in vivo and in vitro experimental results indicate that cactus polysaccharides have promoting wound healing, anti-inflammatory, immune regulation, anti-glycosylation, and antioxidant effects. This article reviews the research progress in the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, and biological activities of cactus polysaccharides in recent years. In addition, the relationship between the structure and activity of cactus polysaccharides was also discussed. This review provides important research basis and latest information for the in-depth development and application of cactus polysaccharides in multiple fields such as medicine and functional foods.

Controlled lipid digestion in the development of functional and personalized foods for a tailored delivery of dietary fats

In recent decades, obesity and its associated health issues have risen dramatically. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this trend, underscoring the pressing need for new strategies to manage weight. Functional foods designed to modulate lipid digestion and absorption rates and thereby reduce the assimilation of dietary fats have gained increasing attention in food science as a potentially safer alternative to weight-loss medications. This review provides insights into controlled lipid digestion and customized delivery of fats. The first section introduces basic concepts of lipid digestion and absorption in the human gastrointestinal tract. The second section discusses factors regulating lipid digestion and absorption rates, as well as strategies for modulating lipid assimilation from food. The third section focuses on applications of controlled lipid digestion in developing personalized foods designed for specific consumer groups, with particular emphasis on two target populations: overweight individuals and infants.

Mechanisms of slow-release antibacterial properties in chitosan‑titanium dioxide stabilized perilla essential oil Pickering emulsions: Focusing on oil-water interfacial behaviors

Perilla essential oil (PLEO) offers benefits for food preservation and healthcare, yet its instability restricts its applications. In this study, chitosan (CS) and TiO2 used to prepare composite particles. TiO2, after being modified with sodium laurate (SL), was successfully introduced at 0.1 %-3 % into the CS matrix. The resulting CS-SL-TiO2 composite particles can be formed by intertwining and rearranging through intramolecular and intermolecular interactions, and form an O/W interface with stability and viscoelasticity. The Pickering emulsions stabilized by these particles exhibit non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior, shear-thinning properties, and slow-release characteristics, along with antibacterial activity. Emulsions with 0.5 % and 1 % CS-SL-TiO2 composites demonstrated superior antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The study revealed that all emulsions undergo Fickian diffusion and a sustained release of PLEO, with the Ritger-Peppas model best describing this release mechanism. The slow-release behaviors positively correlates with interfacial pressure, composite particle size, composite particle potential, composite contact angle, emulsion particle size and emulsion potential, but negatively correlates with diffusion rate, penetration rate, release kinetics and release rate. The findings lay groundwork for developing slow-release antimicrobial emulsions within polysaccharide matrices, showcasing promise for antimicrobial packaging solutions and enhanced food preservation techniques.

Enhancing the emulsification performance of hempseed protein hydrolysate through the incorporation of sugar beet pectin: Role of interaction mechanism and interfacial behavior

Effects of incorporating sugar beet pectin (SBP) at various pH levels (3.0-7.0) on the conformation, interfacial characteristics, and emulsification performance of hempseed protein hydrolysate (HPH) were explored. The introduction of SBP stimulated the conversion of protein conformation from α-helix and random coil into β-sheet. Besides, the incorporated SBP led to noticeable deformation and disruption of the original granular structure of HPH, and caused a remarkable reduction in surface hydrophobicity and intrinsic fluorescence intensity. FTIR analysis and pH-dependent molecular docking verified that hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions predominantly drove the interaction between HPH and SBP. Overall, the interaction of HPH with SBP limited protein diffusion to the interface but facilitated their rearrangement at the interface, ultimately contributing to the development of highly viscoelastic interfacial layers with reinforced intermolecular interactions. Consequently, the emulsifying activity and emulsion stability within the acidic pH range (3.0-6.0) were significantly improved by SBP binding, notably at pH 5.0. Furthermore, within this pH range, HPH-SBP emulsions exhibited smaller droplet sizes with a more homogeneous distribution and stronger electrostatic repulsion relative to HPH emulsions; yet, the apparent viscosity and elastic modulus of HPH-SBP emulsions were conspicuously elevated in the presence of SBP, conducing to emulsion stabilization.

Enhancing the Stability of Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil Emulsions Through Glycosylation of Fish Skin Gelatin via Dry Maillard Reaction

Emulsions are widely utilized in food systems but often face stability challenges due to environmental stresses, such as pH, ionic strength, and temperature fluctuations. Fish skin gelatin (FSG), a promising natural emulsifier, suffers from limited functional properties, restricting its broader application. This study explored the enhancement of emulsion stability in Litsea cubeba essential oil systems through the glycosylation of fish skin gelatin (FSG) with dextran via the dry Maillard reaction. Among dextrans of varying molecular weights (10 kDa, 100 kDa, 200 kDa, and 500 kDa), the 200 kDa dextran exhibited the best emulsification performance, achieving a remarkable 160.49% increase in stability index. The degree of grafting (DG) increased with molecular weight, peaking at 34.77% for the 500 kDa dextran, followed by 23.70% for the 200 kDa variant. The particle size of the FSG-Dex 200 kDa conjugate emulsion was reduced to 639.1 nm, compared to 1009-1146 nm for the unmodified FSG, while hydrophobicity improved by 100.56%. The zeta potential values approached 30 mV, indicating enhanced stability. Furthermore, glycosylation significantly improved antioxidant activity, as evidenced by increased radical scavenging capacity in both DPPH and ABTS assays. These findings underscore the potential of glycosylated FSG as a natural emulsifier in food applications.

Covalent Pectin/Arabinoxylan Hydrogels: Rheological and Microstructural Characterization

This research aimed to evaluate the gelation process of ferulated pectin (FP) and ferulated arabinoxylan (AXF) in a new mixed hydrogel and determine its microstructural characteristics. FP from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) and arabinoxylan from maize (Zea mays) bran were gelled via oxidative coupling using laccase as a crosslinking agent. The dynamic oscillatory rheology of the mixed hydrogel revealed a maximum storage modulus of 768 Pa after 60 min. The scanning electron microscopy images showed that mixed hydrogels possess a microstructure of imperfect honeycomb. The ferulic acid content of the mixed hydrogel was 3.73 mg/g, and ferulic acid dimer 8-5' was the most abundant. The presence of a trimer was also detected. This study reports the distribution and concentration of ferulic acid dimers, and the rheological and microstructural properties of a mixed hydrogel based on FP and AXF, which has promising features as a new covalent biopolymeric material.

Green Extraction of Pectin from Sugar Beet Flakes and Its Application in Hydrogels and Cryogels

Sugar beet flakes, a by-product of the sugar industry, were used as a source for pectin extraction that was performed using conventional citric acid extraction (CE) and two non-conventional extraction techniques-microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction (PUAE). The influence of extraction conditions was studied for each technique based on pectin yield and galacturonic acid content, and spectroscopic, chromatographic and colorimetric methods were used for pectin characterization. Better results for pectin yield were achieved through CE (20.80%), while higher galacturonic acid content was measured in pectin extracted using PUAE (88.53 g/100 g). Pectin extracted using PUAE also presented a higher degree of methylation and acetylation. A significant increase in the molecular weight of pectin was observed for the PUAE process (7.40 × 105 g/mol) by comparison with conventional extraction (1.18 × 105 g/mol). Hydrogels and cryogels prepared with pectin from sugar beet flakes also showed differences in physicochemical parameters determined by the method of pectin extraction. Hydrogels had higher bulk density values irrespective of the pectin extraction method, and overall lower values of the textural parameters. Cryogels prepared with pectin from CE showed higher values of the textural parameters of hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness, while gels obtained with pectin from MAE and PUAE had higher thermal stability. The results of this study prove that sugar beet flakes can be considered a potential source for pectin production, and the extracted pectin is suitable for obtaining hydrogels and cryogels with physicochemical parameters comparable to the commercial citrus and apple pectin available on the market.

Interfacial Behavior and Long-Term Stability of the Emulsions Stabilized by Sugar Beet Pectin-Ca2+ Complexes with Different Cross-Linking Degrees

Recent studies showed that sugar beet pectin exhibited more excellent emulsifying properties than traditional citrus peel pectin and apple pectin ascribed to the higher content of neutral sugar, protein, ferulic acid, and acetyl groups. It is precisely because of the extremely complex molecular structure of pectin that the emulsifying properties of the pectin-Ca2+ complex are still unclear. In this study, SBP-Ca2+ complexes with different cross-linking degrees were prepared. Subsequently, their interfacial adsorption kinetics, the resistance of interfacial films to external perturbances, and the long-term stability of the emulsions formed by these SBP-Ca2+ complexes were measured. The results indicated that the highly cross-linked SBP-Ca2+ complex exhibited slower interfacial adsorption kinetics than SBP alone. Moreover, compared with SBP alone, the oil-water interfacial film loaded by the highly cross-linked SBP-Ca2+ complex exhibited a lower elasticity and a poorer resistance to external perturbances. This resulted in a larger droplet size, a lower ζ-potential value, a larger continuous viscosity, and a worse long-term stability of the emulsion formed by the highly cross-linked SBP-Ca2+ complex. This study has very important guiding significance for deeply understanding the emulsification mechanism of the pectin-Ca2+ complex.

Sodium alginate emulsion loaded with linalool: Preparation, characterization and antibacterial mechanism against Shigella sonnei

This study aimed to prepare sodium alginate-linalool emulsion (SA-LE) to overcome the low solubility of linalool and explore its inhibitory activity against Shigella sonnei. The results indicated that linalool significantly reduced the interfacial tension between SA and oil phase (p < 0.05). Droplet sizes of fresh emulsions were uniform with sizes from 2.54 to 2.58 μm. The ζ-potential was between -23.94 and -25.03 mV, and the viscosity distribution was 973.62 to 981.03 mPa·s at pH 5-8 (near neutral pH) without significant difference. In addition, linalool could be effectively released from SA-LE in accordance with the Peppas-Sahlin model, mainly described by Fickian diffusion. In particular, SA-LE can inhibit S. sonnei with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 3 mL/L, which was lower than free linalool. The mechanism can be described as damaging the membrane structure and inhibiting respiratory metabolism accompanied by oxidative stress based on FESEM, SDH activity, ATP and ROS content. These results suggest that SA is an effective encapsulation strategy to enhance the stability of linalool and its inhibitory effect on S. sonnei at near neutral pH. Moreover, the prepared SA-LE has the potential to be developed as a natural antibacterial agent to address the growing food safety challenges.

A critical review of RG-I pectin: sources, extraction methods, structure, and applications

In recent years, RG-I pectin isolated by low-temperature alkaline extraction methods has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers due to its huge health benefits. However, studies on other applications of RG-I pectin are still lacking. In this study, we summarized the sources (e.g. potato pulp, sugar beet pulp, okra, apple pomace, citrus peel, pumpkin, grapefruit, ginseng, etc.), extraction methods, fine structure and applications of RG-I pectin in physiological activities (e.g. anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-oxidation, immune regulation, prebiotics, etc.), emulsions, gels, etc. These neutral sugar side chains not only endow RG-I pectin with various physiological activities but the entanglement and cross-linking of these side chains also endow RG-I pectin with excellent emulsifying and gelling properties. We believe that this review can not only provide a comprehensive reading for new workers interested in RG-I pectin, but also provide a valuable reference for future research directions of RG-I pectin.

Influence of Arabinan Fine Structure, Galacturonan Backbone Length, and Degree of Esterification on the Emulsifying Properties of Acid-Extracted Sugar Beet Pectins

Sugar beet pectins (SBPs) are known for their emulsifying properties, but it is yet unknown which structural elements are most important for functionality. Recent results indicated that the arabinose content has a decisive influence, but the approach applied did not allow causality to be established. In this study, a mostly intact SBP was selectively modified and the obtained pectins were analyzed for their molecular structure and their emulsifying properties. De-esterification only resulted in a moderate increase in droplet size. The length of the pectin backbone only influenced the emulsifying properties when the homogalacturonan backbone was cleaved to a higher extent. By using different arabinan-modifying enzymes, it was demonstrated that both higher portions and chain lengths of arabinans positively influence the emulsifying properties of SBPs. Therefore, we were able to refine the structure-function relationships for acid-extracted SBPs, which can be used to optimize extraction conditions.