Food Chemistry: XPub Date : 2026-10-05eCollection Date: 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104560
Wei Huang, Hang Fu, Lijing Geng, Rong Qi, Dongsheng Jia, Wei Zhou
{"title":"Bromelain-induced physicochemical and structural changes in beef myofibrillar proteins and their molecular interaction mechanisms.","authors":"Wei Huang, Hang Fu, Lijing Geng, Rong Qi, Dongsheng Jia, Wei Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104560","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated bromelain-induced structural changes in beef myofibrillar proteins (MP) and explored related molecular mechanisms. Bromelain treatment markedly changed MP physicochemical features and structural conformation, facilitated aggregate dissociation, and increased dispersion and solubility (<i>P</i> < 0.05). The 0.50% bromelain treatment showed the greatest effect, increasing MP solubility to 81.53% and reducing the PDI to 0.338 ± 0.036. It also exposed previously buried hydrophobic moieties and thiol groups, reduced the proportion of ordered structures, and shifted MP from a compact, ordered conformation toward a loose, disordered state. Molecular docking indicated that bromelain bound stably to myosin heavy chain (MHC), primarily via hydrogen-bond interactions, with a binding energy of -12.4 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulations further revealed that bromelain binding reduced the structural stability of MHC and promoted a looser conformation. These results offered theoretical support for employing bromelain to improve meat tenderness and regulate product quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104560"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671051/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Food Chemistry: XPub Date : 2026-10-05eCollection Date: 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104541
Rui Zhang, Pingping Qu, Hongyan Sun, Guoqing Feng, Lihua Liu, Dayu Pan, Bin Luo
{"title":"Bilinear surface model-enhanced determination of gluten quality in whole wheat flour by NIR spectroscopy.","authors":"Rui Zhang, Pingping Qu, Hongyan Sun, Guoqing Feng, Lihua Liu, Dayu Pan, Bin Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104541","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gluten content and strength are key indicators of whole wheat flour processing quality, and their rapid non-destructive detection is crucial for quality screening and wheat variety breeding. This paper proposed a covariance guided stratified sampling (CGSS) algorithm for partitioning multi-indicator small sample sets. Furthermore, a novel analytical framework combining a bilinear surface model with machine learning algorithms is presented to simultaneously detect gluten content and strength indicators. The results showed that the novel modeling approach combined with CARS-LASSO achieved optimal prediction, with test <math> <msup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow> <mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow> </msup> </math> values of 0.98, 0.93, 0.89, 0.84, and 0.83 and RPD values of 6.73, 3.77, 3.08, 2.47, and 2.40 for WGS, GI, DGC, WGC, and WGC (14% MB), respectively. The proposed model, incorporating machine learning algorithms, provides a novel approach for the quantitative and rapid simultaneous detection of gluten properties in whole wheat flour.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104541"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13676096/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Fabrication of a citric acid-crosslinked β-cyclodextrin/silica composite and its selective adsorption of cholesterol from crude fish oil.","authors":"Kunpeng Wang, Jinxia Lin, Qing Zhang, Wanmei Liang, Imad Khan, Ume Habiba, Wen Xia, Zongyuan Han, Shucheng Liu, Tiezheng Ma, Qiuyu Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104574","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A novel β-cyclodextrin-modified silica composite (β-CD-SiO<sub>2</sub>) was prepared by in situ thermal esterification for selective elimination of cholesterol in tuna oil refining. Characterisations revealed the effective immobilisation of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) onto mesoporous silica (mean pore size 24.40 nm). The adsorption kinetics and isotherms results were fitted to pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models respectively, indicating spontaneous monolayer chemisorption due to host-guest hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. In the real refining process, β-CD-SiO<sub>2</sub> achieved cholesterol removal efficiency of 42.72% (capacity 54.46 ± 2.44 mg/g), which was better than silica (SiO<sub>2</sub>) (42.60 ± 1.95 mg/g). Furthermore, the retention rate of vitamin E was greater than 94.9% at 4 h treatment and the sum percentage of EPA and DHA was enhanced from 25.97 ± 1.19% to 29.31 ± 0.31%. Meanwhile, the acid and peroxide levels were considerably lowered (<i>P</i> < 0.05) with increased brightness and color difference. To summarise, β-CD-SiO<sub>2</sub> has promising application potential in marine oil refining.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104574"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671047/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Food Chemistry: XPub Date : 2026-10-05eCollection Date: 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104580
Zhongxing Chu, Can Long, Kangjie Xu, Xingjing Zhang, Dandan Qin, Zuomin Hu, Yaping Zhou, Feijun Luo, Qinlu Lin
{"title":"Screening and identification of a novel umami peptide with <i>in vitro</i> anti-inflammatory potential from sea cucumber protein: Integration of flavoromics, bioinformatic prediction, molecular simulation and experimental validation.","authors":"Zhongxing Chu, Can Long, Kangjie Xu, Xingjing Zhang, Dandan Qin, Zuomin Hu, Yaping Zhou, Feijun Luo, Qinlu Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104580","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104580","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sea cucumber protein was sequentially hydrolyzed with pepsin, trypsin, and enterokinase to obtain peptides with desirable taste characteristics and immunomodulatory potential. Multi-scale characterization, flavoromics, peptidomics, bioinformatic screening, molecular simulations, and cellular assays were employed to investigate the structural changes, flavor remodeling, and bioactivity of the resulting hydrolysates. Results showed that hydrolysis disrupted the compact protein structure, induced conformational unfolding, and yielded short peptides (0.5-1.5 kDa) with enhanced hydrophilicity and processing adaptability. The volatile profile was significantly reshaped, with marked enrichment of aldehydes and heterocyclic compounds. Through multi-dimensional screening, the pentapeptide FDRGF (TH) was identified with outstanding umami taste and low bitterness. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations confirmed stable binding of TH to immunomodulatory targets, and cellular assays verified that TH improved macrophage metabolic status and regulated the expression of inflammatory mediators under LPS-induced inflammatory conditions. This study elucidates the structure-flavor-activity relationships of sea cucumber protein hydrolysates and identifies a dual-function umami peptide with immunomodulatory activity, providing theoretical support for the value-added utilization of sea cucumber resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104580"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671053/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 fruit state shapes flavor quality and methanol accumulation in kiwi wine: A comparative study of three flesh-colored kiwifruit cultivars.","authors":"Jiahui Shao, Shiying Huang, Yuzhe Lou, Shiguo Chen, Xingqian Ye, Huan Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104583","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104583","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fermented fruit state represents a critical processing variable that simultaneously governs flavor development and methanol accumulation in fruit wine. In this study, three kiwifruit cultivars differing in flesh colors were fermented under four fruit states (peel presence/absence and pulp maceration/juice fermentation), following a 3 × 4 factorial design. Relative to juice fermentation, pulp maceration reduced total acidity and elevated total phenolic and flavonoid contents. A total of 130 volatile compounds were identified across all treatments, with alcohols and esters as the dominant classes. Pulp maceration generally favored ester accumulation and fruity and floral aroma attributes, whereas peeled or juice-fermented wines were characterized by higher contributions of volatile alcohols. Methanol accumulation increased with pulp maceration, and was accompanied by greater water-soluble pectin consumption, higher total pectin degradation, and elevated pectin methylesterase activity. Cultivar background further modulated these responses. These findings provide a practical basis for kiwi wine fermentation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104583"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13679310/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149227572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Fabrication of sodium caseinate-based emulsions gel with konjac glucomannan and κ-carrageenan for β-carotene protection.","authors":"Lihua Zhang, Zhenwei Li, Siqi Yu, Guanchen Wu, Jiawei Xue, Lala Li, Wei Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104572","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the effect of κ-carrageenan (CRG) concentration on konjac glucomannan (KGM)/sodium caseinate-based emulsion gels and evaluated their protective effect on β-carotene. Adding CRG induced a sol-gel transition, resulting in structured emulsion gels. Microstructural analysis showed that the synergistic interaction between CRG and KGM facilitated the formation of a denser and more stable gel network, within which oil droplets were uniformly distributed. These structural enhancements enhanced the rheological and textural properties of the gel and increased its water-holding capacity to 98.1%. Furthermore, the gels effectively protected β-carotene during storage and ultraviolet exposure. At 1.5% CRG, 62% of the β-carotene was retained after 15 days of storage, indicating reduced oxidative degradation. Notably, 1.0% CRG provided superior photoprotection, with more than 50% of the β-carotene retained after 8 h of ultraviolet irradiation. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of KGM/CRG emulsion gels as a delivery system for lipophilic nutrients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104572"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671054/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"White agrocybe cylindracea outperforms the brown strain in nutritional value, flavor profile, and anticancer activity.","authors":"Chengzhen Gu, Yangzheng Lin, Mengmeng Hao, Zhiying Lin, Jiaqi Fang, Jianwen Luo, Shujing Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104579","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104579","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Agrocybe cylindracea</i>, an edible and medicinal mushroom, comprises white (BC) and brown (CS) strains. The white strain is a new cultivar whose nutritional value remains unexplored. Nutritional components and bioactivities of BC and CS were compared using electronic nose, electronic tongue, texture analyzer, chromatography, taste re-addition experiments, and cytotoxicity assays. BC showed significantly higher crude polysaccharides, soluble protein, crude fiber, equivalent umami concentration, taste-active compounds (free amino acids and 5'-nucleotides), and stronger sourness, bitterness, sweetness, and umami than CS. Aspartic acid, glutamine, tryptophan, lysine, and 5'-cytidylic acid mainly contributed to sourness; glutamine and tryptophan to umami. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) identified 41 (BC) and 37 (CS) volatiles with distinct aroma profiles. Both strains inhibited HCT116 and HGC27 proliferation via elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). This first systematic comparison demonstrates BC exceeds CS in nutritional value, flavor, and anticancer activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104579"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13676911/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149220114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Combined application of pineapple core extract and <i>Aloe vera</i> gel for browning inhibition and quality preservation of fresh-cut 'Nam Dok Mai' mangoes.","authors":"Nichapat Keawmanee, Chairat Techavuthiporn, Xiaoyu Suo, Panida Boonyaritthongchai, Suriyan Supapvanich","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104571","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fresh-cut mangoes are susceptible to discoloration and quality loss. This study evaluated pineapple core extract (PC) and <i>Aloe vera</i> gel (<i>A. vera</i>) for preserving fresh-cut 'Nam Dok Mai' mangoes at 4 ± 1 °C for 6 days. Compared with individual treatments and control, PC + <i>A. vera</i> reduced browning, maintained firmness and color, and suppressed malondialdehyde accumulation and browning-related enzymes. On day 6, browning severity scores remained ∼2.8 with PC and PC + <i>A. vera</i>, while control and <i>A. vera</i> exceeded the acceptability limit (>5). <i>A. vera</i> showed the strongest antimicrobial effect, whereas PC + <i>A. vera</i> provided the best overall quality. Principal component analysis showed that PC1 and PC2 explained 62.2% of the total variance, with PC + <i>A. vera</i> associated with quality retention and separated from browning, oxidative damage, and microbial growth. These indicate that combining PC with <i>A. vera</i> effectively preserved fresh-cut mango quality during refrigerated storage.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104571"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671046/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149215431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Food Chemistry: XPub Date : 2026-10-04eCollection Date: 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104565
Rahul Sen, Christian Schubert, Heena Rani, Scott Lafontaine
{"title":"Targeted analysis of purine derivatives in beer and fermented beverages using HPLC-QDA.","authors":"Rahul Sen, Christian Schubert, Heena Rani, Scott Lafontaine","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104565","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dietary purines from fermented beverages contribute to hyperuricemia and gout risk, yet factors controlling concentrations in alcoholic and non-alcoholic products remain unclear. Purine bases, purine nucleosides and pyrimidine nucleosides were quantified in 43 beverages using HPLC-QDA in single-ion recording (SIR) mode. Full-strength beers showed the highest concentrations (45.6-223.4 mg/l), dominated by guanosine (41-68%), reflecting the solubilization of barley malt-derived nucleic acids. In contrast, rice-based sake contained lower total purines (8.5-40.2 mg/l) with a xanthine-dominant profile, while distilled spirits, hard seltzers, and white wine contained no detectable purines. Non-alcoholic beers produced via membrane dealcoholization retained purines comparable to full-strength versions. However, substituting barley malt with alternative starch sources, such as rice, reduced total purines by approximately 25-51% in experimental non-alcoholic beers. Total purines correlated strongly with original extract, free amino nitrogen, alcohol, and barley malt proportion. Overall, purine concentration is governed primarily by raw material composition, and HPLC-QDA-SIR provides an accessible platform for routine screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104565"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13677975/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Food Chemistry: XPub Date : 2026-10-03eCollection Date: 2026-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104570
Li Yang, Lanxi Zhang, Jinhua Bi, YingFeng Li, Yalin Li, Dong Zhang, Chang Su, Hongjun Li, Yu Rao
{"title":"<i>Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum</i> L-ZS9 fermentation enriches <i>Houttuynia cordata</i> polyphenols and protects myofibrillar proteins from oxidative damage.","authors":"Li Yang, Lanxi Zhang, Jinhua Bi, YingFeng Li, Yalin Li, Dong Zhang, Chang Su, Hongjun Li, Yu Rao","doi":"10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104570","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2026.104570","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clean-label natural antioxidants are increasingly important for limiting meat quality deterioration caused by protein oxidation. However, the effects of lactic acid bacteria fermentation on plant-derived antioxidants remain unclear. This study investigated <i>Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum</i> L-ZS9 fermentation on phenolic transformation of <i>Houttuynia cordata</i> and its protection against myofibrillar protein oxidation. Fermentation increased total polyphenols 2.45-fold, with flavonoids peaking on day 5, and increased isoquercitrin, rutin, and quercitrin while reducing hyperoside; isoquercitrin and rutin showed the strongest correlations with antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity increased 61-100% in DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl radical, and superoxide scavenging assays. FHC6 dose-dependently suppressed carbonylation, maintained solubility, reduced surface hydrophobicity, and restored intrinsic fluorescence. Protective effects may involve reactive oxygen species scavenging, interactions between oxidized phenolics and protein thiols, and inhibition of aggregation by glycosylated flavonols. These indicated L-ZS9 fermentation enhanced the antioxidant and protein-protective properties of <i>H. cordata</i>, highlighting its potential as a clean-label antioxidant for muscle foods.</p>","PeriodicalId":12334,"journal":{"name":"Food Chemistry: X","volume":"39 ","pages":"104570"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13677269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}