In this study, comparative investigation on the effect of dry heating treatment (DHT) and annealing (ANN) on multi-structure, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of black highland barley (BHB) starch was done. Results revealed that both DHT and ANN did not affect the \"A\"-type crystalline pattern and FT-IR spectroscopy of BHB starch, but changed the morphology, raised water absorption capacity and lowered viscosities. Compared to native starch, DHT- and ANN-modified samples had totally opposite alteration trends in amylose content, color characteristics, oil absorption capacity, gelatinization parameters and pasting temperature. These changes were positively related to treatment temperature and time for DHT-modified starches, while which were dependant on treatment duration for ANN-modified starches. Total in vitro hydrolysis rate and rapidly digestive starch content in starch markedly raised after DHT, whereas slowly digestive starch and RS levels decreased. Nevertheless, ANN significantly improved the hydrolyzation stability with treatment time prolonging, especially increased RS content and lowered RDS level. Therefore, this study identified both DHT and ANN were effective methods to alter the properties of BHB starch, and more importantly, they had distinguishing influence by different mechanisms, which would remind user to select appropriate means for physical starch modification based on different application purposes.

UNASSIGNED: The incorporation of Staphylococcus xylosus in sausage production is hypothesized to affect various physicochemical properties and flavor profiles of sausages. This study aimed to evaluate the simulation of these features in a sausage model and establish its applicability for in vitro studies.
UNASSIGNED: Both a control and an experimental model, inclusive of Staphylococcus xylosus, were assessed for changes in physicochemical indexes (pH and water activity, Aw) and the concentration of flavoring components (esters and aldehydes). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were also measured to evaluate lipid oxidation.
UNASSIGNED: The introduction of Staphylococcus xylosus resulted in no significant changes in pH and Aw between the sausage and the model. However, there was a considerable increase in the content of volatile flavor compounds, specifically esters and aldehydes, in the experimental groups compared to the control. Additionally, the TBARS values in experimental groups were significantly lower than those in the control group at the end of the testing period.
UNASSIGNED: The findings indicate that Staphylococcus xylosus plays a critical role in enhancing the flavor profile of sausages through the increased synthesis of volatile compounds and inhibiting fat oxidation. The sausage model effectively simulated the physicochemical and flavor index responses, demonstrating its potential utility for further in vitro research on sausage fermentation and preservation techniques.

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) flour is a viable carbohydrate alternative and a functional additive for food formulation; however, different taro varieties may possess distinct characteristics that may influence their suitability for food production. This study evaluated the nutritional, physicochemical, and functional properties of flours from five Hawaiian taro varieties: Bun-Long, Mana Ulu, Moi, Kaua\'i Lehua, and Tahitian. Tahitian, Bun-long, and Moi had high total starch contents of 40.8, 38.9, and 34.1 g/100 g, respectively. Additionally, Moi had the highest neutral detergent fiber (25.5 g/100 g), lignin (1.39 g/100 g), and cellulose (5.31 g/100 g). In terms of physicochemical properties, Tahitian showed the highest water solubility index (33.3 g/100 g), while Tahitian and Moi exhibited the two highest water absorption indices (5.81 g/g and 5.68 g/g, respectively). Regarding functional properties, Tahitian had the highest water absorption capacity (3.48 g/g), and Tahitian and Moi had the two highest oil absorption capacities (3.15 g/g and 2.68 g/g, respectively). Therefore, the flours from these Hawaiian taro varieties possess promising characteristics that could enhance food quality when used as alternative additives in food processing.

The present study focused on the extraction of water-soluble dietary fiber (CSDF) and water-insoluble dietary fiber (CIDF) from celery. It investigated their effects on glutinous rice starch\'s (GRS) physicochemical, structural, and digestive properties. The results showed that as the addition of the two dietary fibers increased, they compounded with GRS to varying degrees, with the complexing index reaching 69.41 % and 60.81 %, respectively. The rheological results indicated that the two dietary fibers reduced the viscosity of GRS during pasting and inhibited the short-term regrowth of starch. The FTIR and XRD results revealed that the two fibers interacted with GRS through hydrogen bonding, effectively inhibiting starch retrogradation. Furthermore, both fibers increased the pasting temperature of GRS, thus delaying its pasting and exhibiting better thermal stability. Regarding digestibility, the starch gels containing dietary fibers exhibited significantly reduced digestibility, with RS significantly increased by 8.15 % and 8.95 %, respectively. This study provides insights into the interaction between two dietary fibers and GRS during processing. It enriches the theoretical model of dietary fiber-starch interaction and provides a reference for the application development of starch-based functional foods.

A field trial was performed to carry out an enhanced phytoremediation technique for multi-metal contaminated copper tailings by Sudan grass (Sorghum Sudanese), ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), using conditioner (TH-LZ01) and straw combination into composite amendments as soil amendments, aimed to obtain the maximum of phytoremediation effect. The results showed that compared with untreated herbaceous plants, the application of conditioner and straw planted with herbaceous plants reduced the pH and conductivity and increased the organic matter and water content of the copper tailings to different degrees. With the addition of conditioner and straw, the DTPA-Cd, DTPA-Cu, DTPA-Pb, and DTPA-Zn contents in the copper tailings showed a decreasing trend compared with the untreated group. The herbaceous plants were promoted to reduce the percentage contents of acid soluble fractions Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn and to increase the percentage contents of reducible, oxidizable, and residual fractions heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in the copper tailings to different degrees. The contents of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the underground part of herbaceous plants were higher than those in the aboveground part, and the contents of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the aboveground part and underground part decreased after adding conditioner and straw, which indicated that the conditioner and straw inhibited the transport of heavy metals in the plant. Furthermore, the principal component analysis showed that the application of conditioner and straw with planting ryegrass had more potential for improving the physicochemical properties of copper tailings and reducing heavy metal toxicity, followed by Bermuda grass and Sudan grass.

In this study, three acidic polysaccharides (OFPP-1, OFPP-2 and OFPP-3) were isolated from the pulps of Opuntia dillenii Haw. fruits, and their chain conformations, physicochemical and rheological properties were investigated. The molecular weight and conformational parameters (Mw, Mn, Mz, Rg and Rh) of OFPPs in 0.1 M NaNO3 solution were detected by HPSEC-MALLS-RI. In addition, based on the parameters ρ and v, it was concluded that these three polysaccharide chains exhibited sphere-like conformation in 0.1 M NaNO3 solution, which was consistent with AFM and TEM observations. Furthermore, the Congo Red experiment showed that OFPP-2 had a triple-helix structure, which may be conducive to its biological activity. This study also found that OFPPs were semi-crystalline structures with high thermal and pH stability. The rheological analyses indicated that the apparent viscosity of OFPPs solutions exhibited concentration-, temperature-, and pH-dependence, and the viscoelasticity of them was affected by molecular characteristics and concentration. The results of this study are helpful to elucidate the structure-activity relationship of OFPPs. Moreover, this study can provide theoretical reference for the application of OFPPs as bioactive ingredients or functional materials in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and the development and utilization of the O. dillenii Haw. fruits resource.

Grain quality indicates rice commodity value. This research compared grain quality and physicochemical properties of premium japonica rice from three production regions, Yangtze River downstream of China (YRDCN), Northeast region of China (NECN) and Japan. Results showed that there were distinct quality and physicochemical characteristics variance among the three groups of japonica rice, while CVs of most quality parameters from low to high was Japan, YRDCN and NECN. YRDCN rice presented obvious lower apparent amylose content (AAC) and ratio of each chain-length sections of amylopectin, and showed higher protein contents especially glutelin and ratio in short and intermediate amylopectin molecules. Among three rice groups, YRDCN rice presented weaker appearance, whereas did not show inferior cooking and eating properties, which was primarily linked to lower AAC. Rice AAC and starch fine structure significantly correlated with pasting parameters, swelling power and solubility, while protein content had close relation with taste analyzer parameters. Results of this study indicated improvement direction for japonica rice of YRDCN, and also provided reference for consumers\' rice purchasing selection in accordance with individual taste preference.

Cocrystal engineering, which involves the self-assembly of two or more components into a solid-state supramolecular structure through non-covalent interactions, has emerged as a promising approach to tailor the physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Efficient coformer screening for cocrystal remains a challenge. Herein, a prediction strategy based on machine learning algorithms was employed to predict cocrystal formation and seven reliable models with accuracy over 0.890 were successfully constructed. Imatinib was selected as the model drug and the models established were applied to screen 31 potential coformers. Experimental verification results indicated RF-8 is the optimal model among seven models with an accuracy of 0.839. When the seven models were combined for coformer screening of Imatinib, the combinational model achieved an accuracy of 0.903, and eight new solid forms were observed and characterized. Benefiting from intermolecular interactions, the obtained multicomponent crystals displayed enhanced physicochemical properties. Dissolution and solubility experiments showed the prepared multicomponent crystals had higher cumulative dissolution rate and remarkably improved the solubility of imatinib, and IM-MC exhibited comparable solubility to Imatinib mesylate α form. Stability test and cytotoxicity results showed that multicomponent crystals exhibited excellent stability and the drug-drug cocrystal IM-5F exhibited higher cytotoxicity than pure API.

BACKGROUND: Carboxymethylpachymaran (CMP) is created by carboxymethylating pachyman (PM), which increases its water solubility and enhances a number of biological activities. Traditional polysaccharides modified by carboxymethylation employ strong chemical techniques. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) has been used previously for liquid fermentation to carboxymethyl modify bacterial polysaccharides. This theory can be applied to fungal polysaccharides because Poria cocos has the ability to naturally utilize cellulose.
RESULTS: CMC with different degrees of substitution (DS) (0.7, 0.9 and 1.2) were added to P. cocos fermentation medium, and CMPs with different DS (0.38, 0.56 and 0.78, respectively) were prepared by liquid fermentation. The physical and chemical properties and biological activities of the CMPs were determined. Their structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and monosaccharide composition. With the increase of DS, the viscosity and viscosity-average molecular weight of CMPs decreased, whereas polysaccharide content and water solubility increased, although the triple helix structure was not affected. The results of bioactivity assay showed that the higher the DS of CMPs, the higher the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging ability, and the stronger the bacterial inhibition ability.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study has developed a method for producing CMPs by P. cocos liquid fermentation. The results of the study confirm that enhancing the DS of CMP could effectively enhance its potential biological activity. The findings provide safe and reliable raw materials for creating CMP-related foods and encourage CMP application in the functional food industry. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

BACKGROUND: Microand nanoplastics pollution can cause substantial damage to ecosystems. Since scientists have focused mainly on their impact on aquatic environments, less attention has been paid to the accumulation of polymer particles in terrestrial organisms.
OBJECTIVE: We checked if submicron (<5 mm) polystyrene (PS) particles, which can accumulate in living organisms, lead to changes in the physicochemical properties of mammalian cell membranes.
METHODS: The influence of submicron PS particles on the properties of rat-derived L6 myocytes and H9c2 cardiomyocytes was analyzed. Non-functionalized and amine-functionalized PS particles of 100 nm and 200 nm in diameter were used. The MTT assay was performed to evaluate the viability of the polymers-treated cells. The effect of short (6 h) and prolonged (48 h) incubation with different concentrations of PS particles on the cell\'s zeta (ζ) potential was examined with the electrophoretic light scattering technique (ELS). Polystyrene particles\' physicochemical characteristics (size and stability) were performed using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electrophoretic light scattering methods.
RESULTS: The results show that submicron PS particles affect cell viability and cause changes in the physiochemical parameters of rat cell membranes. Differences were observed depending on the origin of the cells. We observed doseand time-dependent alterations in the studied parameters after submicron PS particle incubation in L6 myotubes and H9c2 cardiomyocytes.
CONCLUSIONS: The size and modification of PS particle surfaces determine the extent to which they affect the analyzed properties of rat cardiomyocytes and myocytes membranes.