Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies最新文献

{"title":"A subcritical water extraction integrated process for simultaneous defatting and recovery of sialic acid from egg yolk powder","authors":"Zixiang Shen ,&nbsp;Bolin Hou ,&nbsp;Kaipeng Cai ,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Shan","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the residual organic solvent issue associated with conventional methods in sialic acid (SA) production from egg yolk, th<u>e</u> subcritical water extraction (SWE) technique was proposed as a green alternative to organic solvent-based defatting, achieving concurrent lipid removal and efficient SA recovery from egg yolk powder in this study. The protocol achieved 91.33% SA recovery yielding 16.7 mg/g under controlled conditions of 148 °C for 24 min, while generating 135 distinct bioactive peptides identified through LC/MS/MS coupled with bioinformatic analysis. Notably, the SWE process inherently reduced the lipid content to less than 1% compared to conventional methods, eliminating the requirement for organic solvent degreasing and facilitating downstream chromatographic purification. The extract demonstrated a significantly enhanced free radical scavenging capacity measuring 2–3 times that of the pure SA standard, an effect attributed to synergistic interactions between SA and peptide antioxidants. Thermal stability analysis confirmed that the structural stability of SA was maintained at the extraction temperature, with decomposition commencing only when the temperature exceeded 150 °C. Cellular biosafety assessments confirmed exceptional biocompatibility, maintaining over 95% viability at concentrations up to 5 mg/mL. This integrated approach provides an economically viable alternative to prepare SA, offering substantial advantages for clean-label food applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104469"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vacuum steam pulsed blanching enhances enzyme inactivation and quality attributes of Yam via moderate structural modification","authors":"Jamilu Mustapha Ahmed ,&nbsp;Samir Mowafy ,&nbsp;Jiale Guo ,&nbsp;Muhammad Hilal Kabir ,&nbsp;Samuel Ariyo Okaiyeto ,&nbsp;Yanhong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104478","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104478","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates Vacuum Steam Pulsed Blanching (VSPB) as a rapid and efficient hydrothermal alternative to conventional Steam Blanching (SB) for improving the quality of yam (Dioscorea spp.). VSPB integrates cyclic vacuum and steam pulses to enhanced steam penetration and thermal uniformity. Compared with SB, VSPB achieved over 90% polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inactivation within two pulse cycles (2 × 20 s), avoiding prolonged thermal exposure required by SB (120 s). PPO degradation followed first-order fractional kinetics, indicating diffusion-controlled enzyme inactivation. Under optimized VSPB conditions, DPPH antioxidant activity, total phenolics, flavonoids, and polysaccharides were markedly enhanced, while antinutritional factors including oxalate, saponin, and alkaloid were reduced by 14.95%, 36.46%, and 12.18%, respectively. Structural characterization through X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy revealed controlled starch amorphization and moderate cellular disintegration, which acted as a major driver for improved bioaccessibility by increasing matrix permeability and facilitating the release of bound bioactive compounds without compromising tissue integrity. Texture profile analysis indicated desirable softening under moderate treatment conditions. Principal component analysis identified moderate VSPB parameters as achieving the most balance improvement in enzyme inactivation, bioactive enhancement, antinutritional degradation, and structural preservation. Collectively, these findings position VSPB as a promising, and quality – preserving hydrothermal technology, with strong potential for industrial adoption in yam processing and functional food development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104478"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-target action of novel antimicrobial peptide N1-5W6L-LKKFA against Escherichia coli O157:H7: Membrane disruption, ROS accumulation, DNA binding, cellular interference, and its application in milk","authors":"Maomao Ma ,&nbsp;Jiayi Song ,&nbsp;Yunzhu Xiao ,&nbsp;Jingxin Liu ,&nbsp;Zhangli Hu ,&nbsp;Bin Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from milk exhibit considerable promise for applications in food preservation; however, their practical utility is often constrained by insufficient antimicrobial efficacy. To overcome this limitation, rational structural modification emerges as a viable approach to enhance AMP activity. In the present study, a novel AMP, designated N1-5W6L-LKKFA, was engineered from a buffalo colostrum whey-derived peptide N1 through terminal modifications and amino acid substitutions. These alterations increased the peptide's cationic charge and α-helical content, thereby markedly improving its antibacterial efficacy against foodborne pathogens, especially <em>Escherichia coli</em> O157:H7, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 μM, while maintaining low hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity. Mechanistic analyses demonstrated that N1-5W6L-LKKFA disrupted the membrane integrity of <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7, causing increased permeability of both the outer and inner membranes, depolarization of the membrane potential, and the release of intracellular substances. Moreover, N1-5W6L-LKKFA promoted excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, exhibited DNA-binding capacity, and facilitated the degradation of cellular proteins. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that N1-5W6L-LKKFA interfered with essential biological pathways in <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7, including membrane transport, nucleotide metabolism, two-component systems, and bacterial chemotaxis. Additionally, this peptide effectively suppressed the growth of <em>E. coli</em> O157:H7 in whole milk. Collectively, these results suggested that N1-5W6L-LKKFA exerts multi-target inhibitory effects, positioning it as a promising bio-preservative candidate for the dairy industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104448"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive review of the applications of pulsed electric field: Primary emphasis on extraction, modification, and inactivation","authors":"Wenhao Xiao ,&nbsp;Yuhuan Geng ,&nbsp;Wenhong Gao ,&nbsp;Xin-An Zeng ,&nbsp;Mengwai Woo ,&nbsp;Ji Ma ,&nbsp;Zhong Han","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology has emerged as a transformative non-thermal processing method, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional thermal techniques in the food industry. Its core mechanism, electroporation, reversibly increases cell membrane permeability under high-voltage pulses, enabling targeted applications while preserving nutritional and sensory quality. This review systematically synthesizes recent advancements across three primary domains: (1) enhancing extraction efficiency and yield of bioactive compounds (e.g., antioxidants, pigments); (2) modifying macromolecules (proteins, starches) to improve functional properties like emulsification and gelation; and (3) inactivating microorganisms and enzymes (achieving 3–6 log reductions) to extend shelf life. Beyond these, PEF's versatility is showcased in emerging areas such as drying enhancement and cryoprotection. However, widespread industrial adoption faces persistent challenges, including incomplete mechanistic understanding of non-thermal effects, high equipment costs, and the lack of standardized regulatory frameworks. To unlock PEF's full potential, future efforts must prioritize the development of predictive process models, comprehensive techno-economic analyses, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Addressing these gaps is crucial for scaling PEF into a mainstream, sustainable solution for food safety, quality optimization, and innovative applications in biotechnology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104420"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Curcumin inhibits enzymatic browning in fresh-cut potatoes through regulating membrane stability and SA signaling","authors":"Jingkui Shi ,&nbsp;Wenxin Xie ,&nbsp;Ke Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinchao Tian ,&nbsp;Zikai Zhao ,&nbsp;Lixia Liu ,&nbsp;Shuna Li ,&nbsp;Qingqing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During fresh-cut processing, potato tubers are highly susceptible to enzymatic browning, leading to quality deterioration and substantial product loss. Meanwhile, consumer demand has increasingly shifted toward biologically derived browning inhibitors as safer alternatives to synthetic compounds. Here, we aim to identify an effective biologically derived inhibitor of enzymatic browning. In this study, curcumin pretreatment significantly suppressed enzymatic browning in fresh-cut potato strips, reducing the browning degree by 34.7 % compared with the control at 48 h. The transcriptomic analyses indicated that this inhibitory effect is associated with salicylic acid (SA) signaling and the regulation of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Curcumin pretreatment markedly increased SA content by 37.9 % at 0 h and decreased PPO activity by 11.3 % at 7 h relative to the control, thereby enhancing resistance to browning. Notably, inhibition of SA biosynthesis largely abolished the curcumin-induced suppression of PPO activity and browning, confirming the central role of SA signaling. Additionally, curcumin significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of fresh-cut potatoes, as evidenced by a 67.3 % increase in DPPH radical scavenging rate at 48 h, and maintained membrane integrity, which was supported by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. All values were compared with the control and determined to be statistically significant based on analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by multiple comparison tests (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Collectively, this study identifies curcumin as a novel biologically derived anti-browning agent and elucidates its underlying regulatory mechanism, providing mechanistic insights that may facilitate the development of additional biologically derived anti-browning agents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104431"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous preparation of vitamin E nanoemulsions via a novel ultrasonic tube-in-tube reactor: Critical factors impacting physical and chemical stability","authors":"Jingjing Li ,&nbsp;Zehong Fang ,&nbsp;Xueqing Huang ,&nbsp;Yuhang Cai ,&nbsp;Boxin Jiang ,&nbsp;Giancarlo Cravotto ,&nbsp;Zhengya Dong ,&nbsp;Zhilin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultrasonic emulsification frequently serves to prepare nanoemulsions containing active ingredients, including Vitamin E (VE), which can be degraded by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during conventional ultrasonication. To address this issue, VE nanoemulsions were continuously prepared using a novel temperature-controlled ultrasonic tube-in-tube reactor (USTIT). Effects of formulation and process parameters on physical and chemical stability were systematically investigated. The mixing surfactant of Span-80/Tween-80 produced smaller, more stable, and uniform droplets (135 nm), remaining stable for 100 days. As the aqueous-to-oil (A/O) ratio increased, the droplet sizes decreased significantly, and the VE retention increased. With antioxidant Ascorbyl Palmitate (AP), the VE half-life reached 862 days at an A/O ratio of 15/1, significantly enhancing VE stability at room temperature. Moreover, VE degradation kinetics changed from first-order to second-order, leading to more persistent protection of VE by AP. In addition, lower ultrasonic power, higher flow rate, and higher temperature significantly reduced ROS yield and VE degradation. Based on the accelerating degradation kinetics of VE during a 60°C holding period, VE nanoemulsions with AP, prepared at 45 W of ultrasonic power, 3 mL/min of flow rate, and at 50°C, exhibited a long VE half-life of 205 h due to uniform ultrasonic energy distribution, and controllable residence time and temperature. In contrast, the VE half-life only reached 92.6 h by a conventional ultrasonic probe and 170.1 h by an ultrasonic bath. Therefore, the USTIT process provides a foundation for the continuous, stable preparation of high-value lipid-soluble bioactive nanoemulsions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104432"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural modulation of soy protein isolate and correlation with beany flavor: Effect of dry heating temperature","authors":"Yuwen Liu,&nbsp;Siyu Wu,&nbsp;Hanyu Song,&nbsp;Liangzhou Jiang,&nbsp;Shizhang Yan,&nbsp;Baokun Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The beany flavor in soy protein isolate (SPI) limits its food applications. The effects of different dry heating treatment temperatures (80, 100, 120 and 140 °C) on the physicochemical properties and structure of SPI were investigated, as well as their relationship with beany flavor were investigated. Results showed that increasing temperature elevated particle size, zeta potential absolute value, and carbonyl content, while decreasing solubility. Spectroscopic analysis showed that with increase of dry heating temperature, the content of <em>α</em>-helix and <em>β</em>-sheet decreased while the content of <em>β</em>-turn and random coil increased, the structure became more disordered, the fluorescence quenching increased, and the degree of SPI oxidation intensified. When the dry heating temperature was 80 °C and 100 °C, the free sulfhydryl group content of SPI decreased, the disulfide bond content increased, the protein microstructure did not change significantly, and the essential amino acid content increased and beany flavor was suppressed. At 120 °C and 140 °C, the structure of SPI was severely damaged, and the levels of free sulfhydryl groups, disulfide bonds, essential amino acids, and beany flavor showed opposite trends. Therefore, dry heating treatment at 100 °C maximized amino acid retention and most effectively reduced the beany flavor. Hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal and 1-octen-3-ol were screened by VIP and OAV as the key beany flavor of SPI. In addition, a strong correlation was found between the three key beany flavor and the structure of the protein. This study provides an effective method and theoretical basis for mitigating beany flavor in vegetable proteins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104446"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145923278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the drying efficiency and quality of heat pump dried scallop adductor muscles via employing instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) coupled with pretreatments involving tea polyphenol-loaded sodium alginate coating","authors":"Yoon Hlaine Barani,&nbsp;Ya Zhao,&nbsp;Zhuo Zhang,&nbsp;Mohammad Molaveisi,&nbsp;Qilong Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat pump drying (HPD) of scallops often compromises textural integrity and quality due to protein denaturation and lipid oxidation. This study pioneers a dual pretreatment strategy combining instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) with tea polyphenol-trehalose‑sodium alginate (TP/TR/SA) coating pretreatments to address these limitations. The scallop adductor muscles (SAMs) were processed through four protocols, viz., (1) Control: underwent single HPD; (2) HPD-DIC: initially partially dried by HPD to a moisture content (MC) of 0.82 kg/kg (d.b.), then subjected to DIC treatment (80 °C, 20 min under continuous vacuum), followed by completion through HPD; (3) EC1: coated with TP/TR/SA, partially dried by HPD to 0.82 kg/kg MC, then treated with DIC, and finalized by HPD; and (4) EC2: partially dried by HPD to 0.82 kg/kg MC, coated with TP/TR/SA, subsequently treated with DIC, and finalized by HPD. Lipid oxidation, free sulfhydryl content, protein retention, physicochemical properties (such as color, shrinkage, porosity), microstructure, and volatile compounds of the SAMs were systematically analyzed. EC1 reduced drying time by 29.6% and shrinkage rate by 12.7% compared to single HPD, while increasing crude protein content to 63.66%. Lipid oxidation markers decreased by 11.8%, and there was a 61.9% increase in free sulfhydryl content (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Microstructural analysis revealed that the EC1 sample had a porous architecture, correlating with improved rehydration capacity and a 62.9% retention of flavor-active aldehydes. The synergy between DIC's structural modification and EC1's antioxidant barrier functions offers a scalable solution for premium dried products, balancing drying efficiency and quality advancement beyond standalone HPD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104466"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergy of cold-induced aggregation and centrifugation to enhance microfiltration performance and protein purity in water-based pea protein extraction","authors":"Tadele Maru Alemu,&nbsp;Anja E.M. Janssen,&nbsp;Remko M. Boom","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avoiding the use of chemicals during the extraction of commercial pea proteins is crucial to preserve protein nativity and ensure sustainability, which is best achieved through water-only extraction coupled with membrane filtration. To minimize membrane fouling during filtration, this study evaluated various storage and centrifugation pretreatments of the pea extract to remove suspended solids prior to pilot-scale microfiltration (MF). Inducing aggregation via storage followed by centrifugations improved the flux significantly, where the cold-induced aggregation and centrifugation of the extract achieved nearly four times higher steady flux than the control. This flux improvement was due to the selective removal of aggregated legumin proteins during cooling and centrifugation, resulting in coextraction of pellets with protein purity &gt;90%. Ultrafiltration (UF) of the same treated sample showed slightly improved flux compared to the control, suggesting that fine-tuning the feed pretreatments with the membrane pore size is of importance. It was confirmed that the proteins had no major secondary structure changes across all pretreatments. Measured viscoelastic properties indicated that all the supernatants have formed stronger gel networks than pellets. Overall, coupling storage and centrifugation conditions as a pretreatment of pea extract before MF enhances filtration performance and enables the coextraction of highly pure native proteins using only water, laying groundwork for a scalable approach for sustainable pea protein extraction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104458"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-frequency ultrasound enhances physicochemical and functional properties of germinated lentil flour","authors":"Huicong Xu ,&nbsp;Bin Dai ,&nbsp;Jiayu Yin ,&nbsp;Zhijuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Zunaira Basharat ,&nbsp;Yuqing Duan ,&nbsp;Kai Hu ,&nbsp;Meihong Cai ,&nbsp;Haihui Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104472","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104472","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of single-frequency (SFU: 50 kHz), dual-frequency (DFU: 35/50 kHz), and triple-frequency (TFU: 20/35/50 kHz) ultrasound treatments on lentil germination, nutritional properties, functional characteristics, and protein structural properties. The results demonstrated that, compared to the control (without sonication), DFU not only significantly improved lentil seed germination rate and germination index, reduced germination time by 16.7% (3 h), but also enhanced the nutritional properties of lentil flour. These changes included accelerating sugar degradation, promoting the accumulation of proteins, reducing sugars, and total phenolics, and significantly reducing phytic acid and tannin contents by stimulating related enzyme activities. In addition, DFU reduced viscosity and increased peak temperature, whereas TFU significantly improved the hydration characteristic index of germinated lentil flour for 120 h, which is key to enhancing the flour's processability in water-based food systems. Moreover, all ultrasound treatments increased free thiol content, and DFU significantly enhanced surface hydrophobicity, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic interactions at 72 h. Besides, SFU and DFU significantly affected the fluorescence intensity by altering the spatial conformation of protein structures and the microenvironment around aromatic amino acids. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that DFU and TFU induced the changes in protein molecular weight, degrading high-molecular-weight proteins into low-molecular-weight proteins. Collectively, these changes enhanced the nutritional value and processing quality of lentil flour. In conclusion, these findings indicated that DFU and TFU effectively improve the quality of germinated lentil flour, but differ in enhancement effects and can specifically satisfy the requirements of various processing scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 104472"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}