Current Research in Food Science最新文献

{"title":"Utilizing kombucha culture for coffee fermentation and biochemical characteristic analysis","authors":"Hayeong Kim ,&nbsp;Jihyeon Jeon ,&nbsp;Jiyeon Lee ,&nbsp;Chaeri Song ,&nbsp;Boncheol Gu ,&nbsp;Nahyun Mariah Kim ,&nbsp;Tae-hui Yang ,&nbsp;Sejin Oh ,&nbsp;Soochul Park ,&nbsp;Kunal Pal ,&nbsp;Ghahyun Jeffrey Kim ,&nbsp;Doman Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.100996","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.100996","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coffee, an important global commodity, is grown on 10.2 million hectares in over 80 countries. Arabica coffee (<em>Coffea arabica</em>) is popular worldwide due to its superior flavour. As consumer interest in coffee flavour and quality continues to grow, this study aims to enhance the bioactive compounds, functionality, and sensory properties of Arabica coffee (<em>Coffea arabica</em>) by fermentation with black tea kombucha (K-coffee) and coffee kombucha (CK-coffee). Coffee showed a decrease in pH and an increase in titratable acidity during fermentation. The total phenolic and flavonoid content increased 1.77- and 1.95-fold in K-coffee and 2.07- and 2.60-fold in CK-coffee, respectively, after 24 h of fermentation compared to the coffee control, in which the kombucha broth was not inoculated, with an increased in trigonelline, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid content. The caffeine content in CK-coffee increased 1.33-fold after 12 h of fermentation and remained relatively stable in K-coffee up to 24 h of fermentation compared to the coffee control. The antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase of fermented coffee increased to 2.24- and 2.40-fold after 24 h of fermentation, respectively, compared to the coffee control. Sensory evaluation highlighted noticeable differences in flavour among unfermented coffee, K-coffee, and CK-coffee with changes in volatile aroma compounds. These results support the feasibility of kombucha fermentation as a novel approach to develop specialty coffees with enhanced flavour and nutritional profiles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100996"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Encapsulation of D-limonene in Lepidium perfoliatum seed gum/PVA electrospun nanofibers: Physicochemical characterization and modeling the kinetics of release","authors":"Roya Kamalpour ,&nbsp;Arash Koocheki ,&nbsp;Behrouz Ghorani","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To improve the stability of D-limonene, a protective barrier is essential to prevent degradation and maintain its integrity. Therefore, the potential of using <em>Lepidium perfoliatum</em> seed gum (LPSG) as a novel source for creating electrospun nanofibers for D-limonene encapsulation was investigated by varying LPSG concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% w/v) and LPSG/PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol) mixing ratios (ranging from 100:0 to 0:100 v/v). Surface tension, electrical conductivity, zeta potential, and viscosity of solutions increased as LPSG concentration and its ratio in the LPSG/PVA blend increased. Uniform, smooth, and small size nanofibers were created by electrospinning a LPSG to PVA ratio of 30:70 (v/v) using LPSG concentrations of 0.5% (w/v) and 0.75% (w/v). The FTIR analysis demonstrated that D-limonene was physically trapped within the nanofibers and confirmed the compatibility of LPSG and PVA. Following its encapsulation inside LPSG/PVA nanofibers, D-limonene's thermal stability increased. The highest D-limonene encapsulation efficiency was 96.23% for 0.75% LPSG/PVA nanofibers, which was chosen to measure the D-limonene release kinetics in simulated food models. D-limonene was most readily released in distilled water with an explosive release mechanism. The mechanism of D-limonene release from LPSG/PVA electrospun nanofibers was best described by the Peppas-Sahlin model, and the release followed Fickian diffusion mechanism. The results of this study confirmed the potential of LPSG/PVA electrospun nanofibers to effectively trap D-limonene and improve its thermal stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100966"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11741907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cold plasma-induced structural and thermal enhancements in marshmallow root mucilage-gelatin aerogels","authors":"Marzieh Rownaghi ,&nbsp;Mahdi Keramat-Jahromi ,&nbsp;Mohammad-Taghi Golmakani ,&nbsp;Mehrdad Niakousari","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aerogels are highly regarded for their low density and large surface area, attracting significant attention due to their diverse applications. This study explored nitrogen cold plasma's impact on the structure and thermal stability of mucilage-gelatin aerogels (MGA). Aerogels were prepared using marshmallow root mucilage and gelatin in a 1:1 ratio and gelatin-only as a blank under different pH conditions (5 and 7). Rheological and texture analyses identified pH 7 as optimal. Aerogels at pH 7 were then exposed to cold plasma for varying durations (0, 3, and 6 min). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed enhanced thermal stability and structural changes with increased plasma exposure. Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed functional group changes, and contact angle measurements showed that 3 min of plasma treatment increased hydrophilicity (88.37–82.05°), while 6 min enhanced hydrophobicity in 1:1 MGA (93.27°). BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) analyses of the MGA samples revealed changes in surface area (2.9–4.33 m²/g after 3 min of plasma) and BJH (Barrett-Joyner-Halenda) pore volume (0.004–0.02 cm³/g), with a complex trend over time. This study highlights nitrogen cold plasma's potential to enhance mucilage-based biopolymer aerogels, paving the way for advanced materials via optimized treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101027"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143611568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hawthorn leaf and its extract alleviate high-fat diet-induced obesity and modulate gut microbiome in mice","authors":"Ziqi Liu ,&nbsp;Tianrui Gao ,&nbsp;Haoyu Chang ,&nbsp;Yuqing Xu ,&nbsp;Letao Wang ,&nbsp;Xiangyi Wang ,&nbsp;Jiayin Lang ,&nbsp;Yingxing Yu ,&nbsp;Ying Xiao ,&nbsp;Ye Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Obesity has emerged as a global health issue with its prevalence continuously increasing and being associated with multiple comorbidities. Although existing medications are effective, they often come with significant side effects, making dietary therapy an advantageous alternative. Hawthorn leaves and their active component, vitexin, have shown potential in regulating lipid metabolism and improving gut microbiota imbalance. This study utilized a high-fat diet-induced obese mouse model, administering different doses of hawthorn leaves and vitexin for 13 weeks, and employed 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics to analyze the composition of gut microbiota and metabolites. The results demonstrated that hawthorn leaves and vitexin significantly slowed body weight gain, improved glucose tolerance, regulated blood lipid levels, and downregulated the expression of obesity-related gene in mice (<em>ppar-α, ppar-γ, fas</em>). Additionally, the treatment groups showed a significant improvement in gut microbiota diversity. Both vitexin and hawthorn leaves increased the abundance of <em>Kineothrix</em>, <em>Paramuribaculum</em>, <em>Lawsonibacter</em> (which belong to the Bacillota phylum) and <em>Olsenella</em> (Actinobacteria phylum), while reducing the abundance of <em>Anaerotignum</em> (Bacillota phylum). Moreover, the hawthorn leaves and vitexin treatments may alleviate obesity-related symptoms by increasing the fecal content of testosterone propionate, formoterol, and isoleucyl-prolyl-proline, and decreasing the content of Trolox. These findings highlight the potential of hawthorn leaves and vitexin as functional foods for obesity management by modulating gut microbiota pathways, offering a promising dietary therapy approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101025"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143611567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing isotopic fingerprints: Unveiling the impact of noodle formulation and cooking water on the isotopic signatures of wheat-derived noodles","authors":"Jingjie Yang ,&nbsp;Sara W. Erasmus ,&nbsp;Qianqian Sun ,&nbsp;Yingquan Zhang ,&nbsp;Ming Li ,&nbsp;Bo Zhang ,&nbsp;Boli Guo ,&nbsp;Saskia M. van Ruth","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how variations in δ²H and δ¹⁸O values of cooking water affect the isotopic fingerprint of noodles with different gluten-to-starch formulations, aiming to enhance the current understanding of isotopic changes during food processing and their implications for food authenticity. Eight differently formulated noodles were boiled using waters with six distinct isotopic compositions ranging from of −160‰ to +50‰ for δ²H and from −22.9‰ to +99.9‰ for δ¹⁸O, respectively. Linear regression analysis revealed that formulation and water isotopic composition significantly affected the δ²H in cooked noodles (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), with model <em>R</em>² values ranging from 0.66 to 0.94. Additionally, the δ²H values of noodles changed with the isotopic signatures of the cooking water. On the contrary, δ¹⁸O in the noodles remained stable despite boiling processing and was also not changing due to the water's isotopic signature. Since consistent effects of formulation and cooking water isotopic signature was observed, an equation for determining the exchange factor (<em>f(H)ex</em>) between noodles and cooking water was developed. The fraction of hydrogen atoms in different noodles for exchange was highest at 19.3% in noodles with the formulation of 45:55(gluten-to-starch) and the lowest at 11.1% in noodles with 100% gluten. The findings prove that cooking water systematically alters the isotopic signatures of noodles, underscoring the necessity of considering this type of effect in food authentication and traceability practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101024"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143549424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Consumer behavior at sale point and consumption according to strawberry quality: How to use those data to evaluate food waste?","authors":"Emma Pignères ,&nbsp;Marine Masson ,&nbsp;Steven Duret ,&nbsp;David Blumenthal ,&nbsp;Maëlle-Ahou Gouton ,&nbsp;Nathalie Gontard ,&nbsp;Hélène Angellier-Coussy ,&nbsp;Valérie Guillard ,&nbsp;Fanny Coffigniez ,&nbsp;Sébastien Gaucel","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fresh fruits and vegetables present some of the highest food loss rates, due to their high perishability. The ability to model food waste and loss is key to understanding the levers for its reduction and evaluating which parameters are the most impactful. The highest food waste occurs at consumer level. Therefore, consumer behavior must be understood to accurately model food waste. In the present study, a quantitative consumer survey was performed among 509 French consumers to understand their behavior when purchasing, storing, and eating strawberries. The results of the survey were used to create several purchasing groups, with different purchase intentions and consumption behaviors, and were combined with a state-of-the-art deterioration model to evaluate food waste. Seven scenarios were tested by varying the initial deterioration of strawberries at the supermarket. A first and most expected result of the model was the significant impact of storage management habits (temperature and duration) on the resulting food waste: all the trays that went from 0 to 1% deterioration at the supermarket to more than 95% at consumption were kept in ambient conditions. Moreover, the predicted food waste was between 9.4 and 57.5% depending on the initial deterioration at the supermarket, highlighting the impact of the upstream supply chain before retailers on food waste at the consumer level. Finally, the results showed a non-linear relationship between deterioration and consumption, and thus, food waste. By considering this diversity of consumer behaviors, this model proposes a more accurate link between deterioration and food waste compared with the existing literature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101001"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143549425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fermented beetroot modulates gut microbial carbohydrate metabolism in prediabetes and prevents high-fat diet induced hyperglycemia in a prediabetic model","authors":"Eric Banan-Mwine Daliri ,&nbsp;Ashwinipriyadarshini Megur ,&nbsp;Jonas Mingaila ,&nbsp;Akshay Kumar Vijaya ,&nbsp;Toma Balnionytė ,&nbsp;Debalina Sakar ,&nbsp;Yaiza Carnicero-Mayo ,&nbsp;Volker Behrends ,&nbsp;Adele Costabile ,&nbsp;Aurelijus Burokas","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global increase in prevalence of (pre-)diabetes demands immediate intervention strategies. In our earlier work, we demonstrated <em>in vitro</em> antidiabetic potential of a fermented beetroot product (PN39). Here, we examined the impact of PN39 on glucose tolerance and gut microbiota in C57BL/6J male mice and on prediabetic (PD) subjects’ stool microbiota. In mice, high-fat diet (HFD) consumption for 9 weeks resulted in hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance (GT) while concomitant consumption of PN39 and HFD (PN39+HFD) prevented GT impairment. Meanwhile, feeding the mice with HFD for 5 weeks to induce PD and later administering them with PN39 for 4 weeks (PD + PN39) neither improved fasting blood glucose nor GT. Relative to control groups, the gut microbiota of both PD mice and humans were characterized by decreased <em>Clostridia UCG-014</em> and Lactobacilli as well as significantly altered gut microbial carbohydrate metabolism. Feeding PN39 together with HFD preserved <em>Clostridia UCG-014</em> and Lactobacilli, increased short chain fatty acid production relative to mice fed with HFD only. Treating gut microbiota of PD subjects with PN39 however increased <em>Clostridia UCG-014</em> and Lactobacilli populations and increased short chain fatty acids concentrations in the stools. In both mice and humans, PN39 treatment rectified the altered microbial carbohydrate metabolism observed in their PD counterparts. This suggests that the gut microbial modulatory effects of PN39 coupled with its capacity to regulate gut microbial glucose metabolism, likely played a role in preventing PD in mice receiving PN39+HFD. Taken together, our results indicate that PN39 could act as a potent antidiabetic functional food for preventing diabetes and its associated dysbiosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101052"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing the formation of aged aroma in raw Pu-erh tea during the storage through comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry and molecular docking","authors":"Bingsong Ma ,&nbsp;Cunqiang Ma ,&nbsp;Binxing Zhou ,&nbsp;Shujing Liu ,&nbsp;Jing Zhuang ,&nbsp;Zhihui Feng ,&nbsp;Junfeng Yin ,&nbsp;Xinghui Li","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pu-erh tea undergoes significant flavor transformations during long-term natural storage. This study systematically examined changes in quality components and characteristic attributes of raw Pu-erh tea (RaPT) various storage stages through extensive sampling. The total contents of tea polyphenols including six catechins (i.e. C, EC, EGC, GC, ECG and EGCG), free amino acids decreased, while the total flavonoid content increased over time. Additionally, 363 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified using HS-SPME/GC × GC-TOFMS. Multivariate statistical analysis, combined with quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), revealed progressive changes in aroma profiles throughout RaPT storage. Based on these dynamic changes, RaPT storage duration was classified into three distinct stages. Thirty aged characteristic aroma compounds, predominantly associated with woody odor, were identified through Pearson's correlation analysis. Furthermore, by integrating molecular docking technology and aroma recombination experiments, 18 key VOCs responsible for the aged aroma characteristics of RaPT were confirmed. These findings elucidate their interaction mechanisms with olfactory receptors (ORs), providing new insights into the molecular basis of RaPT aroma evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 101038"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143681347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Odor-active aroma compounds in traditional fermented dairy products: The case of mabisi in supporting food and nutrition security in Zambia","authors":"Thelma W. Sikombe ,&nbsp;Anita R. Linnemann ,&nbsp;Himoonga B. Moonga ,&nbsp;Stefanie Quilitz ,&nbsp;Sijmen E. Schoustra ,&nbsp;Eddy J. Smid ,&nbsp;Anna Alekseeva","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.100976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2025.100976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aroma is a key sensory attribute that determines consumer preference and acceptability of foods. The aroma of fermented dairy products comprises the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the activity of fermenting microbes and the compounds originally present in unfermented raw milk. A unique combination of specific compounds detectable by human olfactory senses creates the distinct odor profile of fermented products. This study investigated the influence of different production methods on the VOCs responsible for the odor-active compounds, and the microbial communities present in mabisi, a traditional Zambian fermented dairy product. The VOCs and microbial community composition of four mabisi variants were investigated using GC-O-MS and PTR-QiTOF-MS techniques, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, respectively. A panel of three assessors identified the odor-active compounds from the GC-O-MS, and the compound's quantitative aspects were obtained by the PTR-QiTOF-MS.</div><div>Twelve volatile compounds were identified as odor-active compounds during the GC-O-MS analysis. The most prominent were ketones and esters, which imparted a buttery and fruity aroma, respectively. The PTR-QiTOF-MS run identified and quantified a total of 390 m/z peaks, 55 of which were tentatively identified. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed a diverse microbial community, with <em>Lactococcus</em> species dominating. While the VOC profiles showed significant variation in functionality among the variants, minor differences were observed in microbial composition.</div><div>The study confirms that high compound concentration does not necessarily correlate with compound odor activity. Our findings offer insights into the significance of aromas and microbial ecology to support optimization strategies for upscaling traditional fermented products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100976"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143096299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the effect of natural deep eutectic solvents on zein: Structural and functional properties","authors":"Adieh Anvar ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hossein Azizi ,&nbsp;Hassan Ahmadi Gavlighi","doi":"10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100965","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crfs.2024.100965","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the effects of chemical modification, including ethanol, acetic acid, and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), on the secondary and tertiary structures, hydrophobicity, free amine content, protein-protein interactions, and functional properties of zein. The NADES used included choline chloride: oxalic acid, choline chloride: urea, choline chloride: glycerol, and glucose: citric acid. The results reveal that the NADES system significantly altered zein's structures, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence, and Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy analysis. Circular dichroism spectroscopy analysis indicated significant conformational change in modified zein, with decreased α-helix and increased random coil content. Notably, the NADES system leads to greater disruption of hydrogen bonds and facilitates the exposure of hydrophobic regions compared to water, ethanol, and acetic acid systems. This resulted in enhanced solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and free amine content in zein, indicating a more significant change in protein structure. In contrast, water and acetic acid solvents maintained more stable disulfide bonds within zein, which correlates with lower solubility and less unfolding. The NADES system promoted interactions between zein and its solvent components, improving emulsifying properties. Water, ethanol, and acetic acid systems had higher solubility in urea, thiourea, and dithiothreitol than the NADES system, revealing disruption of both covalent and noncovalent bonds in zein modified by NADES. Overall, this study highlights the superior ability of the NADES system to modify zein's structure and functionality compared to conventional solvents, suggesting its potential for enhancing protein applications in the industrial production of foods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10939,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Food Science","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100965"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11748687/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143001815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}