Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies最新文献

{"title":"Development of new meat analogues from filamentous fungi cultivated on oenological by-products: A quality perspective","authors":"Luziana Hoxha ,&nbsp;Ivana Sucic ,&nbsp;Mohammad J. Taherzadeh ,&nbsp;Matteo Marangon","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interest in the link between diet, health, and sustainable nutrition has grown, driving exploration of alternative proteins. Edible filamentous fungi offer a promising high-quality protein source for meat analogues. This study explores <em>Neurospora intermedia</em> biomass, cultivated on grape marc and wine lees produced via submerged fermentation in a demo-scale bubble column reactor, to create clean-label, vegan, and gluten-free meat analogue balls (MABs). MABs were formulated with 21.4 % (<em>w</em>/w) fungal protein and compared with pea-based textured vegetable protein. Protein sources were evaluated for techno-functional properties, and MABs were assessed for cooking characteristics, nutritional value, color, texture, microstructure, and sensory attributes. Fungal proteins exhibited high water (5.92–6.51 g/g) and oil (up to 5.81 g/g) absorption capacities. Fungi-based MABs had a cooking efficiency of 86.5–87.6 % and crude protein content up to 37 % on a dry basis. Texture profile analysis showed improved cohesiveness (0.63–2.23), and springiness (0.55–2.45) compared to those made from pea-based texturized proteins. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed a fibrous microstructure. Sensory evaluation under blind conditions by untrained panelists highlighted juiciness, a fibrous texture, and a fungi- or meat- aroma mimicry. These results support the potential of <em>Neurospora intermedia</em> biomass grown on oenological by-products as a nutritious, functional protein source for next-generation meat analogues. The study has strong potential to contribute to the circular bioeconomy fields with broader sustainability implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104409"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735070","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":"Mycelial growth stimulus-responsive 4D printing: A novel approach for mycelium-based meat analogs fabrication","authors":"Xin Hu ,&nbsp;Haijin Tang ,&nbsp;Jingyu Wang ,&nbsp;Lifang Zou ,&nbsp;Xinlian Su ,&nbsp;Baocai Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mycelium emerges as a promising sustainable biomaterial for meat analogs, owing to its fibrous structure and rich nutritional profile. This study introduces a novel 4D printing approach that leverages mycelial growth as a biological stimulus to fabricate mycelium-based meat analogs. A printable bio-ink based on soy protein and <em>Pleurotus eryngii</em> mycelia was developed, enabling the fabrication of scaffolds with well-defined porous structures. The bio-ink formulation optimized with 5 % cassava starch yielded a maximum mycelial radial growth diameter of 50.97 mm. Incorporation of 6 % mycelium improved ink rheology, allowing the fabrication of stable, porous structures. A 40 % infill density was optimal for promoting uniform mycelial colonization, during which the fungal network penetrates and integrates with the scaffold, acting as a biological reinforcement. During 10 days of incubation, mycelial biomass accumulated to 18.2 %, leading to a 6.11-fold increase in hardness and enabling in situ texture development. Our work demonstrates that mycelium stimulus-responsive 4D printing is a viable approach for fabricating meat analogs, enabling dynamic modulation of textural properties post-fabrication via precisely controlled biological growth. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for developing a new sustainable mycelium-based meat analog, which integrates biological reinforcement and customizable textural properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104405"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735067","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 gel properties of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) myofibrillar protein by high-voltage electrostatic field: The role of protein oxidation, nitration, and structural changes","authors":"Xiaolong Bao ,&nbsp;Bingbing Guo ,&nbsp;Yinqiong Tian ,&nbsp;Liu Shi ,&nbsp;Sheng Chen ,&nbsp;Xiaojia Guo ,&nbsp;Chao Wang ,&nbsp;Lan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104387","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104387","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research was designed to explore how a high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) influences structural changes and functional characteristics of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) isolated from channel catfish under varying exposure durations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 min). HVEF treatment induced reactive species generation, leading to MPs oxidation and nitration. Proteomic analysis identified interactions between the reactive species and MPs, resulting in oxidative modifications in the MHC head (Met₇, Cys₈, Phe₇₇, Met₇₉, Met₁₆₅, Met₃₅₈, Lys₃₆₄, Lys₅₉₇, Met₆₈₅) and tail domains (Met₁₂₂₇, Tyr₁₄₈₉, Met₁₅₉₈, Arg₁₆₇₈, Met₁₈₀₆, Met₁₉₀₄), as well as nitration in the myosin heavy chain (MHC) head (His₆₂₅), rod (Met₁₀₆₆), and tail (Arg₁₆₇₈) domains. The results of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and protein composition analysis indicated that the loss of ordered structure, internal folding of hydrophobic amino acids, as well as the presence of intramolecular and intermolecular cross-linking in MPs. These conformational changes improved physicochemical properties of HVEF-treated MPs including surface electronegativity, viscoelasticity and gel strength, therefore providing a basis for developing high-quality protein products with superior functionality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104387"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735165","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":"Potential of Ohmic Cooking for Minimized Use of Gluten in the Production of Plant-Based Meat Analogue Patty","authors":"Yoo Jin Kwon ,&nbsp;Jun Bo Shim ,&nbsp;Seon Min Kim ,&nbsp;Sung Hee Park","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the feasibility of ohmic cooking for the production of plant-based meat analog patties (PMAP) with minimal gluten use. Ohmic cooking allows electrochemical reactions to form protein structures and meat-like textures. The customized ohmic cooking system provided an electric field of 15 <em>V</em>/cm to PMAP mixtures with different gluten contents (6, 8, 10, and 12 %). The temperature of PMAP mixtures was ohmically increased to 70, 80, and 90 °C and then cooked for 3 min. Ohmic cooking minimizes the use of gluten in PMAP. In ohmic cooking at 80 °C, once the gluten content decreased from 12 % to 6 %, hardness was lowered from 52.83 ± 1.74 to 45.09 ± 1.11 N. However, in conventional oven cooking, hardness decreased from 77.15 ± 0.50 to 50.83 ± 2.77 N. Ohmically cooked meat analogs exhibited uniform temperature distribution and texture throughout their geometry. In ohmic cooking at 80 °C with 8 % gluten content, the hardness of the external and internal positions were 48.00 ± 0.19 N and 47.53 ± 0.72 N, respectively. Oven cooking exhibited significantly different hardness for the external (98.47 ± 0.01 N) and internal positions (66.32 ± 1.42 N). In the microstructure of PMAP, ohmically cooked meat analogues showed a more compact structure, uniform distribution of air pores, and no visually observable cracks compared with oven-cooked meat. This study demonstrates the potential of ohmic cooking to produce PMAP with minimal gluten use and quality retention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104390"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735107","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":"Insight into the freezing of garlic cloves via dielectric relaxation characteristics and single-frequency dielectric properties","authors":"Ying Li ,&nbsp;Xinjie Wu ,&nbsp;Yuqiang Lu ,&nbsp;Yanli Yu ,&nbsp;Zhen Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To explore the information that dielectric spectroscopy (DS) can provide on the freezing of fruits and vegetables (F&amp;V), the freezing process of garlic cloves, employed as a representative, was monitored in real time by means of both dielectric scan in a frequency range of 50 Hz – 3 MHz and single-frequency dielectric characterizations. Four dominant <span><math><mi>β</mi></math></span> type dielectric relaxations were observed in the investigated frequency range throughout the freezing process, which are attributed to the interfacial polarization occurring at plasma membrane and tonoplast. The variation of the behavior of these relaxations sensitively reflects the alteration of the cellular composition and structure during freezing, where the variation of the relaxation intensity indicates the alteration of cellular structure and that of the characteristic relaxation time mainly denotes the freezing state of intra- and inter-cellular water. The dielectric properties at 10⁴, 10⁵, and 10⁶ Hz are found changing synchronously during the freezing process, and their dependences on freezing time are found able to accurately determine important thermal properties including the nucleation point and the initial freezing point. Though a case study, this contribution strongly suggests that DS could become a very promising real-time monitoring method to investigate the freezing and frozen storage of F&amp;V: the relaxation-based monitoring is capable of in-depth comprehension of the microscopic mechanism of the ice nucleation and crystallization in the matrix of F&amp;V, and the single-frequency monitoring could be an ideal alternative to the cooling curve method and differential scanning calorimetry in the determination of important thermal properties of F&amp;V.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104421"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788308","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":"Mechanisms of Pulsed-Light Antifungal Activity: Direct Cellular Damage and Stress Adaptation in Alternaria alternata from Chees","authors":"Shazia Akram ,&nbsp;Junior Bernardo Molina Hernandez ,&nbsp;Luca Valbonetti ,&nbsp;Annalaura Sabatucci ,&nbsp;Clemencia Chaves-Lopez","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fungal spoilage in cheese production poses a significant risk because of mycotoxin production. As a result, it is crucial to use a structured approach that combines practical measures with strategies that inhibit fungal growth and activity. In this work, we studied the antifungal effect of pulsed light (PL) technology, mainly focusing on <em>Alternaria alternata</em>, a mycotoxin-producing spoilage fungus, frequently present in the semi-hard cheese matrix. Pulsed light was found to be efficient in controlling <em>A. alternata</em>, inhibiting its growth in a dose-dependent manner both on cheese agar medium (CAM) and potato dextrose agar (PDA). The CAM closely mimics the physicochemical properties of real cheese surfaces, making it a relevant model for practical applications. PL treatment caused up to 30 % inhibition of mycelial growth, while spore germination was significantly reduced by up to 79 %. Confocal microscopy revealed that PL induced cell death in <em>A. alternata</em> FCS26, which was marked by cellular and mitochondrial membrane potential loss, suggesting membrane depolarization. Additionally, PL elicited oxidative stress through increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and calcium, along with DNA damage and mitochondrial impairment. Chitin accumulation and lipid droplet reorganization were identified as adaptive responses reflecting cell wall reinforcement and altered lipid metabolism. Overall, this study provides new mechanistic insight into <em>A. alternata</em> inactivation and highlights PL as a promising, non-thermal antifungal intervention for the dairy industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104411"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788373","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":"Effect of cold atmospheric plasma treatment on patulin decomposition: A kinetic approach","authors":"Varvara Andreou ,&nbsp;Aikaterini Lamprou ,&nbsp;Pantelis Natskoulis ,&nbsp;Chiara Dall'Asta ,&nbsp;Panagiotis Dimitrakellis ,&nbsp;Vasilis Valdramidis ,&nbsp;George Katsaros","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of direct Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) on patulin detoxification in both standard solutions and apple juices. A kinetic approach was applied to understand how the CAP process conditions' intensity may affect the patulin molecules related to toxicity. Various voltages ranging from 19 to 25 kV were applied, while the duration varied from 1 to 4 min for 5 mL aqueous standard solutions (pH = 4) or apple juices with a concentration of 100 ppb patulin. The residual patulin concentration after CAP treatment was determined by using HPLC. The concentration of generated RONS in water, such as H₂O₂, NO₃⁻ and NO₂⁻ was determined. CAP treatment led to patulin detoxification in water. Patulin decomposition efficiency reached 99 % at an applied voltage of 25 kV in a 4 min treatment period. The applied voltage significantly affects the formation of oxidizing species and decomposition of pollutants. Increasing the applied voltage and treatment time both promoted patulin decomposition. After 1 min treatment, the patulin degradation efficiency reached 16, 72 and 83 % at applied voltages of 19, 21 and 25 kV, respectively. Patulin decomposition products were detected in CAP treated samples, such as ascladiol, deoxypatulin and hydroascladiol, showing that the ring lactone was broken after CAP treatment. Patulin detoxification up to 50 % was achieved in CAP treated apple juices, while their quality remained almost unchanged. Further research is needed to understand the CAP mechanisms responsible for patulin decomposition and toxicity evaluation of the byproducts generated during processing.</div></div><div><h3>Industrial relevance</h3><div>Developing new strategies for controlling patulin in food products remains of utmost interest to the relevant industry. Cold atmospheric plasma is a promising technology for patulin detoxification, as the reactive species produced by CAP cause damage on patulin ring, leading to the formation of less toxic compounds. The mathematical description of patulin decomposition by CAP treatment in various process conditions is a useful tool aiming to prediction and evaluation of patulin detoxification. This tool allows for designing properly and effectively the CAP process applied, avoiding over-processing, food quality degradation as well the high energy consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104394"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735069","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":"Relation between texturized vegetable protein composition, intrinsic water mobility and sensory perceived texture of plant-based meat burger alternatives","authors":"Louise M. Arildsen Jakobsen ,&nbsp;Mette Hadberg Løbner ,&nbsp;Weiwei He ,&nbsp;Banny Silva Barbosa Correia ,&nbsp;Johanna Jorkowski ,&nbsp;Filip Oosterlinck ,&nbsp;Christian Zacherl ,&nbsp;Ulla Kidmose ,&nbsp;Hanne Christine Bertram","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing awareness of food's environmental impact is amplifying the development of plant-based meat alternatives. For these products to succeed, the sensory quality must meet consumers' expectations. The main constituents in the plant-based meat alternatives are texturized vegetable protein (TVP). TVPs exhibit major differences in structure and functionality due to the differences in protein source, moisture content during extrusion and other processing conditions. However, specific investigations of the proportion of different TVPs in actual products are lacking. The present study investigated and compared ratios from 25:75 to 100:0 of high-moisture TVP (HM-TVP) and low-moisture TVP (LM-TVP) in plant-based meat burger alternatives (PBMBA) to a commercial PBMBA and a conventional meat burger. Investigations included proton mobility and proportions using low-field NMR transverse (T₂) relaxation and characterization of texture attributes by sensory profiling. The results showed that proton mobility and proportions as well as sensory attributes were distinct in PBMBAs compared to the conventional meat burger. Increasing the ratio of HM-TVP to LM-TVP in the PBMBAs led to a decrease in T₂ relaxation time constants and changes in proportion of protons with low and high mobility. The sensory results further elaborated on this finding; samples with lower content of HM-TVP exhibited a meat-like texture more similar to the conventional meat burger (fibrousness, rubberiness, rubbery particles), but not juiciness. The commercial PBMBA, however, exhibited high juiciness, but differed from the meat burger in several texture attributes. These results are a significant contribution to the further enhancement and optimization of plant-based meat alternatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104406"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735071","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":"Stability and curcumin delivery characteristics of fibrillation zein-based Pickering emulsions: Influence of different fibrillation degree","authors":"Yuru Feng ,&nbsp;Mingrui Fu ,&nbsp;Shifeng Tian ,&nbsp;Siqi Han ,&nbsp;Xiaojun Xue ,&nbsp;Ye Chen ,&nbsp;Peng Guo ,&nbsp;Shuang Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, plasma was employed to assist acid-heat (AH) treatment to induce the self-assemble fibrillation of zein, and the influence of fibrillation degree on stability, loading and delivery performance of fibrillation zein-based Pickering emulsion was investigated (samples with ThT fluorescence intensity between 1358 and 2272 were assigned PZF₁ ∼ PZF₅ labels, while curcumin-containing samples were named PZF₁-C ∼ PZF₅-C). The results demonstrated that the average droplet size of fibrillation zein-based emulsions (6–15 μm) was markedly smaller than natural zein-based emulsion (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The droplet size reduction and higher absolute value of Zeta potential jointly contributed to the enhanced emulsion stability, as evidenced by microscopic observations revealing more uniform droplet distribution in fibrillated samples. Within a specific fibrillation degree range (PZF₁ ∼ PZF₄), multiple performance indicators, including static storage and heating stability, encapsulation efficiency, etc., demonstrated increasing trends with higher fibrillation degree. However, these performance indicators were slightly inferior under the highest fibrillation degree (PZF₅) due to the “over-fibrillation” effect. The encapsulation rate of curcumin in fibrillation zein-based emulsion was increased to the maximum of 63.87 ± 0.29 % at PZF₄-C. The strong zein-curcumin interaction significantly retarded curcumin release throughout simulated digestion, with fibrillation zein serving as a diffusion barrier. The plasma-assisted AH-induced fibrillation zein-based emulsion exhibited enhanced stability and enabled more effective encapsulation and controlled release of curcumin, which was expected to be more suitable for certain food and pharmaceutical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104404"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735057","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":"Air classification of starch-rich pulse flours: A generic method to predict starch-protein separation","authors":"Koen Wetterauw ,&nbsp;Patrick Wilms ,&nbsp;Remko Boom ,&nbsp;Erik van der Linden ,&nbsp;Paul Venema ,&nbsp;Maarten Schutyser","doi":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fine milling and air classification (AC) is an attractive method to concentrate protein from pea and faba bean, but many more starch-rich pulses can be fractionated into enriched ingredients. However, switching raw materials may require costly trial-and-error optimization of separation settings. This work aims to predictively model protein separation from starch-rich pulse flours, as function of classifier settings. This was possible by defining populations of microstructures created upon milling, and by using mass balances to deconvolute the particle size distribution (PSD) of the flour into individual PSDs of each microstructure, in a self-consistent approach. The model was successfully developed on data of adzuki bean flour, for which milling and air classification was not reported before, and could also adequately deconvolute flours of mung bean, faba bean, and yellow pea. A particular experimental finding for adzuki bean was efficient protein separation (&gt;90 % enrichment, &gt;60 % protein yield) in a single classifier milling step, omitting the need for an additional air classification step. Next, a cut size model was used to quantify particle size recovery from flours as function of air classifier settings. Coupling this cut size model to the compositionally deconvoluted flours accurately predicted protein separation in the fine fraction over a range of classifier wheel speeds and air flow rates. Conversely, it is also possible to predict e.g. starch separation in the coarse fraction. The model may replace trial-and-error tests regarding optimization of classifier settings, providing both academic and industrial relevance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":329,"journal":{"name":"Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 104407"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788374","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}