Journal of Food Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Monitoring the texture of high-moisture extrudates in the cooling die of an extruder using near-infrared spectroscopy","authors":"R. dos Santos ,&nbsp;J. Cruz ,&nbsp;I. Muñoz ,&nbsp;P. Gou ,&nbsp;E. Fulladosa","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-moisture extrusion processing (HMEP) is used to produce high-moisture extrudates (HME) with fibrous textures that mimic animal meat. However, many factors affect the final product, and industries require in-line control tools to monitor and optimise the process. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor HMEP in the cooling die of an extruder through the prediction of the textural properties of the final product. Different strategies to minimise the temperature effects over the spectra and different modelling approaches were evaluated. To do so, NIR spectra were acquired in the cooling die of the extruder during HMEP at different cooling die temperatures (10–30 °C) and flow rates (10.0, 12.5, 16, 19.5, and 22.0 g/min). Then, the moisture content and textural properties of the final HME were determined physicochemically. Various correction techniques were used to minimise the effects of temperature on the spectra and improve the in-line prediction accuracy of the extrudates' textural properties. Results showed that, with adequate preprocessing, the textural properties could be estimated using both partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component regression. Using PLSR models, the lowest predictive errors obtained were 0.87 N for transversal cut force, 9.15 N for hardness, and 7.90·10⁻³ for springiness. However, the data proved to be insufficient to train a convolutional neural network properly. Although more experimental work is needed, NIRS and chemometric techniques demonstrate potential for monitoring HMEP in the cooling die, enabling in-line optimisation of this process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112751"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144713661","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":"Humidity-responsive composite film for strawberry freshness control","authors":"Sulin You,&nbsp;Hui Li,&nbsp;Zilin Qi,&nbsp;Hengping Xu,&nbsp;Tianhua Ding,&nbsp;Zainab Rasheed,&nbsp;Mingrui Chen,&nbsp;Wen Qin,&nbsp;Suqing Li,&nbsp;Yaowen Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112736","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112736","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-based double-layer smart packaging film with both humidity-responsive and antimicrobial functionalities was developed for strawberry preservation and real-time freshness monitoring. CNC was extracted via sulfuric acid hydrolysis and modified with glycerol (Gly) to modulate its humidity-responsive properties, enabling reversible color transitions from blue to red within 30–98 % relative humidity (RH). Zein/gelatin (Gel) nanofiber layers loaded with 3 % Thymol (Thy) in a mass ratio of 1:1 was fabricated using electrospinning technology, achieving an encapsulation efficiency &gt;85 % and inhibition zones of 21.3 ± 0.5 mm (<em>Botrytis cinerea</em>) and 20.8 ± 0.4 mm (<em>Aspergillus niger</em>). The composite film exhibited a significantly reduced water vapor transmission rate (3.81 × 10⁻¹¹ g Pa⁻¹·s⁻¹·m⁻¹), indicating excellent moisture barrier properties. Strawberry preservation experiments demonstrated that the composite film effectively delayed hardness reduction (61.5 % of initial firmness retained), reduced weight loss to 8.5 %, and suppressed mold growth (&lt;10³ CFU/g). Through smartphone RGB analysis, the film color gradient (blue-orange-red) exhibited strong correlations with freshness indicators (hardness; mold colony count (CFU/g)), enabling non-destructive real-time monitoring. This study introduces an eco-friendly, cost-effective packaging solution that offers real-time freshness monitoring and prolonged strawberry preservation, paving the way for industrial applications in smart food packaging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112736"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144724278","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":"Optimized immobilization of Chenopodium murale phytase for functional food","authors":"Khalil ur Rehman ,&nbsp;Ehab A. Abdelrahman ,&nbsp;Mohammed Alissa ,&nbsp;Abdullah Alghamdi ,&nbsp;Suad A. Alghamdi ,&nbsp;Mohammed A. Alshehri ,&nbsp;Ghfren S. Aloraini ,&nbsp;Abdullah Albelasi ,&nbsp;Mortaga M. Abou-Krisha ,&nbsp;Abdulrahman G. Alhamzani","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, three phytase solid carriers AlgNa/PVA beads, glass microspheres, and cellulose beads were evaluated for their ability to reduce phytic acid in various foods. Phytase was either entrapped in the carriers or covalently immobilized onto the substrates for application. Among these, glass microspheres were selected due to their remarkable catalytic efficiency. The chromogenic indicator <em>p</em>-nitrophenyl phosphate disodium salt hexahydrate was used to assess enzyme activity under selected conditions (pH 5.5, 50 °C). The reaction rate constant (K) was calculated as 0.024 min⁻¹, while the time to hydrolyze 50 % of phytic acid (τ₅₀) and the time for complete hydrolysis (τ_complete) were determined as 36.1 min and 110 min, respectively. The activity of the free phytase enzyme was significantly reduced by all tested metal ions (Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Ca²⁺), whereas only Mg²⁺ showed an inhibitory effect on the immobilized enzyme, highlighting the protective role of immobilization. The ability of both free and immobilized phytase to hydrolyze phytic acid in various food matrices broad beans, chickpeas, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, brass, maize, dry corn, oats, rye, wheat, green lentils, and red lentils was examined. Although pH 5.5 and 50 °C promoted enzymatic activity, it is important to emphasize that a comprehensive optimization involving multi-variable experimental design was not conducted. Therefore, these conditions should not be interpreted as true optimal conditions, and further optimization studies are recommended.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112748"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144722529","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":"Active PLA thermoformed trays incorporating EDTA, ethyl maltol and ethyl lauroyl arginate: Synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging for refrigerated meat products","authors":"Atcharawan Srisa ,&nbsp;Sixtine Hahn ,&nbsp;Nathdanai Harnkarnsujarit","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polylactic acid (PLA)-based thermoformed trays incorporating antibacterial and antioxidant agents offer a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic packaging and help reduce food waste. Active PLA sheets were prepared via cast extrusion with 5 wt% of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethyl maltol (EMAL), or ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE). Binary mixtures of EDTA/LAE and EMAL/LAE were formulated at 5 and 10 wt% to enhance broad-spectrum antibacterial performance. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry suggested that EDTA/LAE more significantly influenced PLA crystallization and induced β-form crystals formation compared to EMAL/LAE. This led to decreased thermal stability, reduced tensile strength, and increased elongation at break. LAE significantly increased water vapor permeability. EMAL/LAE reduced oxygen permeability (OP) by 68 %, while the EDTA/LAE increased OP by 57 %. LAE showed a combined antibacterial effect in PLA/EDTA sheets against both types of bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) when compared to PLA/EMAL sheets. PLA/EMAL sheets showed excellent DPPH scavenging activity. To evaluate antimicrobial efficacy in food, bacon slices were placed between two sheets and sealed in polypropylene bags to prevent external contamination during 4 °C storage. The EDTA/LAE combination showed a strong synergistic antimicrobial effect, reducing bacterial counts by more than 4 logs in bacon after 7 days. These findings suggest that PLA/EDTA/LAE trays are promising for antibacterial packaging, while PLA/EMAL/LAE trays provide both antibacterial and antioxidant functionality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112750"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144704166","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":"Improved drying performance and mass transfer in ginger slices using hot air-assisted radio frequency technique","authors":"Zijun Mo ,&nbsp;Mengge Li ,&nbsp;Jinsong Zhang ,&nbsp;Liumin Fan ,&nbsp;Rui Li ,&nbsp;Shaojin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radio frequency (RF) heating technology has gained extensive attentions in agricultural product dehydration due to its volumetric thermal effect and rapid heating rate. But the drying efficiency and quality retention, especially for shape change, of ginger using RF technique are not clear as compared to conventional methods. This study comparatively evaluated performances (drying characteristics, physical characteristics and phytochemical profiles) between hot air drying (HAD) and hot air-assisted RF drying (HARFD) for processing ginger slice based on three target temperatures. Shrinkage ratio and roundness differences were systematically analyzed. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimal group of HARFD achieved a 19.23 % reduction in processing duration compared to the corresponding HAD, with notable improvements in mitigating structural deformation and volumetric shrinkage. The 60 °C HARFD protocol emerged as optimal, demonstrating significantly enhanced drying efficiency while preserving product quality relative to HAD60 since AA increased by 2.71 %, TPC and TFC differed by 0.22 % and 6.1 %, respectively. However, excessive RF heating at 70 °C caused notable quality degradation and microstructural damage. The findings indicate that combining hot air with RF drying at 60 °C may provide an effective industrial strategy for dehydrating ginger.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112749"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144702804","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":"Co-delivery of phycocyanin and astaxanthin using nanocochleates as a novel delivery vehicle: Effects of pigment concentration on physicochemical, structural, and in vitro digestion properties","authors":"Mohammad Molaveisi,&nbsp;Ya Zhao,&nbsp;Li Li,&nbsp;Qilong Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Astaxanthin and phycocyanin offer health benefits, but their stability and bioavailability are limited, restricting food industry use. This study explores nanocochleates to improve stability and enable controlled release of these pigments in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Nanocochleates co-loading 5 mg of astaxanthin and 5 mg of phycocyanin achieved the highest encapsulation efficiency, along with the smallest particle size, lowest polydispersity index, and highest antioxidant activity. The co-delivered nanocochleates showed significant stability over 28 days at both 4 °C and 25 °C. SEM revealed cylindrical structures with uneven surfaces, supporting dynamic light scattering results. DSC and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of nanocochleates and their effective co-delivery of astaxanthin and phycocyanin. Laurdan fluorescence and XRD show that Ca²⁺ reduces membrane fluidity and enhances lipid packing. Fickian transfer primarily drives the release of astaxanthin and phycocyanin, making nanocochleate a promising advancement for controlled pigment release in the food industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 112746"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686363","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":"Non-contaminative MIL-53(Fe)-anchored ultrafiltration membrane for apple juice sterilization: Anti-biofouling performance and mechanism","authors":"Sihang Li ,&nbsp;Xun Zhou ,&nbsp;Jiahao Cui ,&nbsp;Xingjian Zou ,&nbsp;Zijian Li ,&nbsp;Wirote Youravong ,&nbsp;Ming Li ,&nbsp;Haihua Wang ,&nbsp;Zhenyu Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Residual <em>Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris</em> severely impacts juice quality. Conventional thermal treatments fail to completely eliminate bacteria and simultaneously cause the loss of heat-sensitive components. Ultrafiltration (UF) has been a nonthermal alternative to conventional thermal process for the sterilization of apple juice. However, membrane fouling, particularly biofouling is an obstacle for deployment of UF in food processing. In order to tackle the challenging issue of membrane biofouling while ensuring food safety, functionalized UF membrane was developed by multi-stage modifications including metal chelator coating and chlorogenic acid-encapsulated MIL-53(Fe) microparticle grafting. The engineered membrane was applied for cold sterilization of apple juice to remove <em>Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris</em>. Results showed that (i) the engineered membrane could release chlorogenic acid in response to pH stimulation, (ii) the steady state flux of engineered membrane was maintained higher than the pristine membrane after filtration with contaminated apple juice. Only 4.9 % viable bacteria were observed on the membrane surface, (iii) the antibacterial mechanism of engineered membrane was mainly due to the disruption of cellular structural integrity and enhanced permeability of cell membranes, which caused the damage to <em>A. acidoterrestris</em> cell, (iv) after filtration, the Fe³⁺ concentration in the permeate solution was almost undetectable. The engineered membrane can simultaneously exclude and inactivate <em>A. acidoterrestris</em> in apple juice, while demonstrating excellent anti-adhesion and anti-biofouling properties. Furthermore, the engineered membrane complies with food safety requirements, which verifies that this metal-organic framework modification method has the potential for practical application in food processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112747"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144702803","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":"Modelling of moisture content during baking of beetroot slices via Fick's law: A comparison of constant and variable effective diffusivity","authors":"Melissa González-Camacho ,&nbsp;Rosalina Iribe-Salazar ,&nbsp;Yessica Vázquez-López ,&nbsp;Marco Carrazco-Escalante ,&nbsp;Olivia Caro-Hernández ,&nbsp;Miriam Gil-Gaxiola ,&nbsp;Roberto Gutiérrez-Dorado ,&nbsp;Kevin Cronin ,&nbsp;José Caro-Corrales","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During baking of vegetables, water migration is governed by both internal and external diffusion mechanisms that define the baking kinetics. Accurately describing this process requires diffusion models capable of reflecting changes in effective diffusivity. The objective of this study was to model the mass transfer during the baking of beetroot slices with Fick's law of diffusion, using constant and variable effective diffusivity. Baking kinetics of beetroot slices were analysed at 110, 120, and 130 °C. The mass transfer coefficient, <em>k</em>_<em>Y</em>; critical and equilibrium moisture concentrations (<em>C</em>_<em>c</em>, <em>C</em>_<em>∞</em>) ranged from 1.91 to 2.10 kg water/m²sΔ<em>Y</em>, 4.22–5.36 kg water/kg d.s., and 0.10–0.11 kg water/kg d.s., respectively, indicating a faster water movement with temperature. Fick's law of diffusion was used to obtain the average moisture concentration, using the methods of slopes-by-subperiods (MSS) and successive approximations (MSA), considering a constant effective diffusivity, as well as a quadratic function of time (QFT) and Weibull distribution models, presuming a variable effective diffusivity. Diffusivity modelling showed that MSS is inadequate for accurately capturing moisture transfer during the falling-rate period. Its limited accuracy stems from the oversimplified assumption of constant diffusivity throughout the baking process of beetroot slices. In contrast, variable diffusivity models, including the QFT model and the Weibull distribution model, provided satisfactory fits to experimental data on average water concentration. These models contribute to a better understanding of water migration within the food, offering valuable insights into water mobility during food processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"404 ","pages":"Article 112745"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144696936","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":"Exploiting xanthan–guar gum interactions for stable avocado oil emulsions: A multi-stage kinetic and rheological approach","authors":"Ana M. Sarinho,&nbsp;Rogerio Andrade,&nbsp;Janaina Lima,&nbsp;Leonardo Batista,&nbsp;Amanda Nascimento,&nbsp;Renata Almeida,&nbsp;Hugo M. Lisboa","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112741","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Avocado oil offers a valuable source of monounsaturated fatty acids and bioactive compounds, but stabilizing it in food emulsions requires effective thickening and droplet protection. This study explores how xanthan gum (XG) and guar gum (GG), individually and in blends of varying ratios (GG:XG = 1.0:0.0 to 0.0:1.0), impact the stability, texture, and droplet-size evolution of avocado oil emulsions at three oil contents (1 %, 5 %, 10 %) and storage temperatures (5 °C, 25 °C, 45 °C). Emulsion stability was assessed via spectrophotometric turbidity measurements and kinetic modeling to capture the flocculation (k_f) and coalescence (kd) phases, while texture profile analysis revealed time-dependent changes in firmness, cohesiveness, and work of cohesion. Droplet-size distributions were measured by microscopy and analyzed under a log-normal model. Results show that xanthan-enriched (≥0.75 XG) emulsions exhibit slower flocculation onset owing to higher zero-shear viscosity, yet eventually become susceptible to coalescence at elevated temperatures (45 °C) and higher oil fractions (≥5 %). Guar-rich systems initially display rapid droplet flocculation (high k_f), forming transient floc structures that undermine long-term stability. An intermediate ratio (0.5:0.5) balances the flexible thickening of guar with xanthan's more robust network, yielding minimized coalescence rates and stable droplet sizes. A depletion-potential model, incorporating polymer layer thickness and osmotic pressure, confirmed that guar-rich blends experience deep negative potentials (≥10³ kB T), indicative of strong depletion flocculation. Taken together, these findings elucidate that formulating avocado oil emulsions demands precise tuning of XG:GG ratios to avoid excessive depletion flocculation while promoting cost-effective, texture-enhancing synergy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 112741"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686362","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":"Characterization of walnut shell crushing under multi-point loading based on numerical simulation","authors":"Hong Zhang ,&nbsp;Bowen Han ,&nbsp;Haipeng Lan ,&nbsp;Yongcheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Yong Zeng ,&nbsp;Liping Zhang ,&nbsp;Yangwei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nuts are widely consumed nutrient-dense foods requiring efficient shelling for quality preservation. Walnuts represent an ideal model for nut-cracking studies due to their characteristic shell structure and mechanical properties. understanding walnut shell fracture mechanisms requires investigation of internal mechanical properties; however, traditional experimental methods often fail to accurately capture stress evolution under real loading conditions. Therefore, this study adopts a finite-discrete element method (FDEM) combined with cohesive elements to construct a numerical model of the walnut shell, aiming to analyze the stress transfer mechanism on the surface of the walnut shell. This study introduces a non-uniform distribution coefficient to describe the stress distribution characteristics on the surface of the walnut shell under multi-point loading conditions and delves into the impact of loading positions and the number of loading points on the crushing characteristics of the walnut shell, thereby revealing the cracking mechanism of the walnut shell under multi-point loading. The research results show that the internal stress distribution within the walnut shell exhibits significant non-uniformity under different loading conditions. Especially under four-point loading with a non-uniform distribution coefficient of 0.92, the number of stress concentration points on the surface of the walnut shell is significantly higher than other loading methods. These results demonstrate that walnut shell failure primarily stems from tensile stress amplification at weak zones (e.g., suture lines), not shear. The validated model achieves 98.1 % accuracy against device tests, showing that optimized four-point loading maximizes fragmentation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":359,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Engineering","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 112743"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144680609","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}