Activity

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is known for its refreshing quality, though its sensory attributes have never been related to its perceived refreshment. Modified quantitative descriptive analysis by a trained panel was used to examine the sensory profile of seven watermelon varieties. Eleven attributes including perceived refreshing intensity were measured on a 0-10 line scale using chemical references. Watermelon samples were evaluated with and without nose clips to control orthonasal and retronasal aroma and temperature was included as a variable to observe their effects on perceived refreshment. The dominant watermelon attributes were wateriness, refreshing, crispness, sweet, mealiness, fresh, ripe, and melon. The varieties were best differentiated by refreshing (p less then 0.001), crispness (p = 0.002), sweet (p less then 0.001), mealiness (p = 0.016), green (p = 0.007), and sour perception (p less then 0.001). Captivation and Excursion were the most refreshing varieties. SB290157 Captivation, Excursion, and Seedless varieties were less refreshing when flavor perception was inhibited; ratings ranged from 6.8 to 7.2 without nose clips and 5.9-6.0 with nose clips (p = 0.002). Refreshing was most positively driven by wateriness, followed by crispness, fresh, melon, and sweet, and negatively driven by mealiness, as indicated by partial least square regression. Samples served cold were more refreshing (ratings of 7.1 without and 6.0 with nose clips) than those served at room temperature (ratings of 4.9 without and 3.5 with nose clips), p less then 0.001. This study defined the sensory profile of seven watermelon varieties and showed that flavor, texture, and temperature were responsible for the refreshing perception of watermelon for the first time.The physicochemical properties of κ-carrageenan (KC) can be improved by incorporation with small-molecule cosolvents. The texture and rheological properties, micromorphology, and crystallinity of KC incorporating indigestible dextrin (IDD) and beta-limit dextrin (BLD) were investigated. The rheological properties and sol-gel transition temperatures of the gels were slightly improved and the hardness of KC gels was significantly increased after the two dextrins were mixed in. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results indicated hydrogen-bonding interactions were strengthened in the presence of the dextrins. Confocal laser scanning microscope images revealed that a more homogenous structure was formed of the KC gel after the addition of dextrins. Moreover, X-ray diffraction patterns indicated the crystallinity of KC gel decreased upon dextrin addition. At the same dextrin content, IDD exerted a greater influence than BLD. IDD contents exceeding 3% (w/w) led to undesirable effects, whereas up to 5% (w/w) of BLD could be added. The two dextrins affected the rearrangement of the KC random coils in the sol state, and facilitated aggregation of the KC chains during cooling to form gel network structures after gelation. Therefore, the appropriate addition of these two dextrins can improve the texture and stability of KC gels and expand their application in functional foods.Russian sturgeon is a high-quality cultured fish and traditional heating methods may lead to deterioration of its food quality. This study aimed to evaluate the food quality and microbial composition of sturgeon fillets by low temperature vacuum heating (LTVH) and storage at 4 °C. The treatments varied in temperature (50, 60, and 70 °C) and duration (15 and 30 min); samples treated by traditional heating (100 °C, 15 min) methods were included as controls. We found that LTVH could reduce the values of lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), and pH and increase the values of redness (a*), chewiness, and hardness, to promote food quality. The biogenic amine content declined with the increase in heating temperature and time, the histamine of most concern was low at the end of storage, the values of LTVH70-30 and TC was 33.12 ± 1.25 and 30.39 ± 0.86 mg/kg. The total viable count (TVC) and biogenic amines showed the same trend, and the finial TVC values of LTVH60-30, LTVH70-15, LTVH70-30 and TC were 6.72 ± 0.17, 6.33 ± 0.18, 6.18 ± 0.08 and 5.93 ± 0.16 log CFU/g, which did not exceed the limit value (7 log CFU/g), indicating that the biosafety risk was reduced. According to the high-throughput sequencing results, the microbial composition of LTVH samples showed a lesser abundance pseudomonads than that found in the control. Thus, LTVH technology could be used as an alternative to traditional heating treatment.Fenugreek is a good source of galactomannan, however, conventional methods for its extraction are generally time-consuming and have relatively low recovery rates. In this study, we applied high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) as a pretreatment and investigated its effects on galactomannan extraction from dry fenugreek seeds and soaked seeds in NaCl solution, as well as its physicochemical properties. Results showed that HVACP treatment with air at 80 kV for 30 min caused apparent structural disruption on fenugreek seed surface and decreased the pH of extracting solution, resulting in increased galactomannan extraction yields, by 122% from soaked seeds and 67% from dry seeds. Galactomannan treated with HVACP had higher water-binding capacity, swelling index and viscosity, as well as lower melting enthalpy. HVACP treatment also altered the surface morphology of galactomannan due to plasma etching, but no significant changes in its molecular and crystalline structures were observed. The findings of this study prove that HVACP can be a green approach, in terms of reduced chemical use, to effectively enhance the extraction efficiency of fenugreek galactomannan and modify its functional properties, hence facilitate more diverse applications in both food and polymer industries.The genus Annona belongs to the family Annonaceae and includes several species of tropical and subtropical crops characterized by their edible and exotic fruits. Twenty species of Annona have been reported in Mexico, localized mainly in the tropical southeastern regions of the country. Most species, however, are not marketable and remain underutilized, and are often referred to as wild Annona species, but they are a valuable source of bioactive compounds. According to ethnobotanical evidence, extracts obtained from different Annona species and different parts of the plant (stem bark, leaves, roots, seeds, and peel) have been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. Most of their reported health benefits are attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds with various in vitro and in vivo biological activities, such as antidepressant, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, vasorelaxant, antipyretic, anti-ulcer, analgesic, and healing activities. Therefore, further extensive knowledge of these species especially information on their health benefits is essential to increase their cultivation and commercial use.