This study quantitatively analyzed the alkaline spreading degree of brown rice flour using scanned and binarized images. Transparency increased and the white area decreased over time, enabling the construction of alkaline gelatinization curves. The effects of stirring time, temperature, potassium hydroxide concentration, and moisture content were examined. Gelatinization accelerated with longer stirring and slowed at lower temperatures, while an optimal potassium hydroxide concentration of 3.6 % was identified. Moisture content had little effect, confirming the robustness of the method. The curves were fitted using both sigmoid and exponential models. The sigmoid model yielded K₀ (gelatinization extent), K₁ (half-life), and K_₂ (rate constant), while the exponential model provided A (gelatinization extent) and invTau (rate constant). Both models showed high fitting performance (R² = 0.99, RMSE = 0.71–4.03) and enabled quantitative interpretation of the alkaline gelatinization process. This method enables objective, time-resolved evaluation of alkaline gelatinization behavior, overcoming limits of traditional rice solubility tests.

In this study, a positively charged emulsifier was developed by hydrophobic modification of chitosan with linoleic acid (LA), and a 5 % LA grafting degree was subsequently confirmed by TLC, ¹H NMR, and DOSY measurements. The emulsifying ability of chitosan was markedly improved by LA modification, which allowed the preparation of a stable nanoemulsion at more than 0.5 % (w/w) emulsifier concentration after 5–10 microfluidization passes. Under these conditions, the LA-chitosan stabilized emulsion exhibited a unimodal nanoscale droplet size distribution and remained creaming-free during 29 days of storage. Compared with SDS -stabilized nanoemulsions, which exhibited significant destabilization in the presence of positively charged proteins, the LA–chitosan-stabilized nanoemulsions maintained high stability. The results suggest that LA-chitosan has potential for use as a food-grade emulsifier for the formulation of stable nanoemulsions.

We developed new fermented foods —Moringa tempe Rm and Rs—from Moringa seeds fermented under aerobic conditions with Rhizopus oligosporus and Rhizopus stolonifer, respectively. In this study, Moringa tempe Rm and Rs were treated under additional anaerobic conditions to enhance their functional ingredients. The amounts of essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the free amino acids of anaerobically treated Moringa tempe Rm were approximately five, seven, and eight times higher than those in samples maintained under aerobic conditions, respectively. Similarly, the anaerobically treated Moringa tempe Rs exhibited approximately six, eight, and six times higher levels of these compounds, respectively. Additionally, the total polyphenol contents of both anaerobically treated Moringa tempe Rm and Rs increased significantly. However, the antioxidant activities of both tempes did not differ significantly between aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Altogether, our results demonstrate that anaerobic fermentation effectively improves the nutritional quality.

This study presents a novel method for quantitative estimation of gel-type food texture using a vision-based tactile sensor. A transparent silicone elastomer layer, containing embedded markers and having an apparent elastic modulus similar to that of the human tongue, was used as the sensor’s soft contact surface. Marker displacements were recorded during compression–fracture tests of eight gel samples. Texture features were extracted and correlated with sensory evaluation scores for “smoothness (tsuru-tsuru),” “elasticity (mochi-mochi),” “granularity (zara-zara),” and “stickiness (nettori)” to build regression models in accordance with previously established methods. The use of marker displacement data as input features is a novel contribution of this study. Model accuracy was assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation, yielding high determination coefficients (R^² = 0.861–0.928). The findings demonstrated the effectiveness of vision-based tactile sensing for high-resolution evaluation of gel-type food textures, suggesting its potential utility in the development and quality control of texture-modified foods for elderly individuals or patients with swallowing difficulties.

Unripe Unshu mandarin oranges are so hard that they are discarded. However, these whole oranges are richer in polyphenols than ripe ones and other citrus fruits. Micro wet milling (MWM) and spray drying (SD) are inexpensive processing methods that preserve nutrients. In this study, MWM and SD were used to produce unripe mandarin orange powder. In MWM, adjustment of the total solid ratio (TS) of unripe mandarin oranges to 10 % and 12 % yielded pastes with homogenous particle size after three to four MWM repeats. In SD, increasing the ratio of wall material and adjusting the TS to 15 % increased the powder yield to about 50 %. The properties of the powders were affected by the SD operating conditions such as air pressure, SD inlet temperature, and content of feed sample.

The antimicrobial activities of grated radish and radish sprout extracts against food-spoilage yeasts and bacteria were evaluated. The viable bacterial counts in lightly pickled cucumbers were between 4.0 log and 4.8 log CFU/g, whereas viable yeast counts increased from ≤1 log to 4.5 log CFU/g after incubation for 21 d at 10 °C. The bacterial counts decreased from 5.2 log to 2.8 log CFU/g, whereas yeast counts were <1 log CFU/g in cucumbers lightly pickled with 9 % (w/w) grated radish for 21 d. Both grated radish and sprout water extracts showed stronger antimicrobial activity against yeast than against bacteria in broth. The antimicrobial activity against 16 species of food-spoilage yeasts differed, even among species of the same genus. Our results suggest that radish can prevent yeast-induced deterioration in lightly pickled vegetables.

We used a batch-type Aqua-gas ^® (AQG) device to investigate the effects of batch-type AQG treatment on the viable bacterial count of broccoli and its component glucoraphanin: broccoli samples underwent AQG treatment in comparison to steaming treatment. The untreated samples' viable bacterial count was 10⁷ cfu/g. Both treatments (30sec) resulted in undetectably low counts. More glucoraphanin was retained by AQG treatment versus steaming treatment. We also investigated bactericidal effects on egoma seeds' component changes by batch-type and inline-type treatments combining AQG and superheated steam and then analyzed the post-bactericidal action degree of oil oxidation. Untreated egoma seeds had a 10⁵ cfu/g viable bacterial count; 5 min of inline-type AQG treatment resulted in undetectably low counts. The batch-type AQG treatment resulted in a 10³ cfu/g bacterial count. Coliforms and heat-resistant bacteria were reduced by the inline-type AQG treatment. The AQG-treated seeds' degree of oil oxidation was similar to that of untreated seeds.

In this study, both fatty acid composition and bioactive components in the virgin oils extracted from 14 Camellia oleifera cultivars from representative production regions in China were determined and compared for evaluating the comprehensive nutritional quality. The highest contents of linoleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids were found in the oil of the cultivar Dabie Mountains, which was also named Lu’an camellia oil. In terms of bioactive components, the oil of the cultivar Xianglin had the highest content of β-sitosterol, squalene, total flavonoids, total triterpenes and tea saponin. Lu’an camellia oil had the highest α-tocopherol content and was also rich in other bioactive compounds. The principal component analysis demonstrated that the cultivars Xinshu, Dabie Mountains, and Changlin emerged as the top three candidates with the highest comprehensive scores for fatty acid composition, while the cultivars Xianglin, Dabie Mountains, and Daqingguo exhibited superior rankings in bioactive constituent evaluations.

In this study, to minimize the degradation caused by pasteurization in processed foods, pasteurization conditions of 98 °C were determined for the preservation of curry sauces inoculated with psychrotrophic Paenibacillus spores for 12 weeks at 10 °C, leading to a proposed approach. Paenibacillus spores underwent vegetative growth in some samples heated for 25 min. Probabilistic analysis predicted that 16–51 of the spores survived in those samples. The number of surviving spores that did not exhibit vegetative growth during 12-weeks of storage was estimated by comparing the ratio of the samples without vegetative growth to the cumulative probability of spore survival, with this number, estimated to be below 43 spores per sample. Theoretically, this value could be achieved by heating for 27.1 min at 98 °C equivalent. For challenge tests alone, samples should be heated for at least 31 min; however, combining challenge tests with probabilistic analysis could shorten the pasteurization time.

We examined the impact of steamed rice moisture content during solid-state saccharification (SSS) on the fermentation process and the flavor profile of rice-flavor baijiu. Rice-flavor baijiu was produced using steamed rice with 60% and 36% moisture. The 60 % saccharified rice showed significantly higher levels of enzyme activities, lactic acid, and amino acids, as well as accelerating fermentation. The 60 % baijiu had stronger alcoholic and sour aromas, while 36 % baijiu exhibited sweeter, fruity, and floral aromas. Ethyl lactate levels, a key compound, showed no significant differences between treatments. Ethyl lactate production activity from lactic acid and ethanol was detected in the intracellular fraction of yeast, with a Km value of 22 mM for lactic acid. Since the lactic acid concentration in both the 60 % and 36 % mash was about twice the Km value, ethyl lactate levels became similar in both baijiu preparations. These results indicate that the 60 % moisture condition promotes alcohol fermentation and reduces the risk of contamination.

The effects of salmon nasal cartilage-derived proteoglycan complexes (SNC-PG) on the gut microbiota were examined by assessing changes in microbial composition, concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), epithelial cell morphology, distal ileal gene expression levels, and fecal mucin content. Mice were assigned to one of two groups and fed either the standard AIN93G diet (control group) or the same diet supplemented with 0.04 % (w/w) SNC-PG (SNC-PG group) for 12 weeks. The SNC-PG diet increased fecal mucin content, reduced expression of inflammatory cytokine genes in the distal ileal mucosa, and high levels of acetic and butyric acid in the cecal contents compared with the control group. The relative abundance of Desulfobacterota, a bacterium that uses sulfate as an energy source, was higher in the SNC-PG group than in the control group. These findings suggest that SNC-PG intake may contribute to increased SCFA levels and fecal mucin content.

In this study the effect of fat on the elution of inorganic elements from a mixture of minced meat and fat during boiling was investigated using sausage-like cased samples made of wild boar minced meat and coarsely dispersed pork back fat. The retention rates of the easily eluted elements, including K, Na, Mg, and P, were less than 0.8, and no correlation was observed between the retention rates and the amount of fat added. Considering that fat suppresses the release of inorganic elements from meat slices and cubes, the effect of fat on the elemental elution depends on the meat tissue structure and distribution state of fat in it. Wild boar meat was characterized by its high Fe content compared with pork, and lean meat was particularly rich in Fe. Regardless of the amount of fat added, Fe and Zn were hardly eluted, and they remained in the sausage-like sample.

Food metabolomics, which is the study of food material components, has contributed significantly to the advancement of food science. Recently, molecular network analysis has attracted attention as a new method in metabolomics. Based on the theory that “compounds with similar skeletons give similar fragment ions when analyzed by MS/MS”, molecular network analysis can provide chemical profiles of natural ingredients in food materials easily and rapidly. In this review, we introduce a workflow for molecular network analysis and its applications to food materials. In food science, molecular network analysis is suitable for the elucidation and comparison of chemical profiles, the selective isolation of new or bioactive compounds, and the exploration of potential chemical markers and hazardous substances.