Additive manufacturing technology in the development of easy to swallow and digest foods for the elderly.

The ageing of the population is a major challenge for the world. The elderly face a number of functional deteriorations in the body during the ageing process. Among these, swallowing and digestion are the two biggest challenges that elderly individuals face.

Development, QbD-based optimisation, pharmacokinetics, and evaluation of Eudragit RS 100 loaded flurbiprofen nanoparticles for oral drug delivery.

This study aims to develop and evaluate flurbiprofen-loaded polymeric nanoparticles to achieve sustained drug release, enhancing therapeutic efficacy and minimising dosing frequency for improved patient outcomes. Flurbiprofen-loaded polymeric nanoparticles were prepared using a tubular microreactor and spray drying, optimised via Box-Behnken Design. Characterisation included particle size, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro and in vivo drug release, and techniques like FTIR, DSC, XRD, and SEM.

AI-based R&D for frozen and thawed meat: Research progress and future prospects.

Frozen and thawed meat plays an important role in stabilizing the meat supply chain and extending the shelf life of meat. However, traditional methods of research and development (R&D) struggle to meet rising demands for quality, nutritional value, innovation, safety, production efficiency, and sustainability. Frozen and thawed meat faces specific challenges, including quality degradation during thawing.

Improvement of 3D printing age-friendly brown rice food on rough texture, swallowability, and in vitro digestibility using fermentation properties of different probiotics.

Probiotics can promote the balance of the intestinal microbial community and enhance the biological activity of food. They are beneficial to the health of elderly people. Therefore, five different probiotics (4% of the total weight) were added to pasted brown rice to study the printability, swallowability, and digestibility of fermented inks (at 40 °C for 10 h).

Progress of plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides and their challenges and applications in future foods.

The development of future food is devoted not only to obtaining a sustainable food supply but also to providing high-quality foods for humans. Plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides (PNPs) are widely available, biocompatible, and nontoxic and have been largely applied to the food industry owing to their mechanical properties and biological activities. PNPs are considered excellent biomaterials and food ingredients contributing to future food development.

Intelligent System/Equipment for Quality Deterioration Detection of Fresh Food: Recent Advances and Application.

The quality of fresh foods tends to deteriorate rapidly during harvesting, storage, and transportation. Intelligent detection equipment is designed to monitor and ensure product quality in the supply chain, measure appropriate food quality parameters in real time, and thus minimize quality degradation and potential financial losses. Through various available tracking devices, consumers can obtain actionable information about fresh food products.

ANN-GA optimized composite color protectant combined with magnetic field assisted freezing: Effects on the quality of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus).

Due to their high water content, frozen mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were greatly affected by ice crystal formation, which can lead to the destruction of tissue structure, serious browning, high juice loss, and difficulty in maintaining good sensory characteristics. In order to improve the quality of frozen Agaricus bisporus, this study employed Artificial neural network and genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) to optimize the amount of composite color protectant, and identified the optimal freezing conditions for freezing Agaricus bisporus by determining the freezing curves under different magnetic field-assisted freezing conditions, the color variance, texture and structure, drip loss, and distribution of moisture. Furthering, using X-ray μCT three dimensional images were taken to characterize the microstructure of the samples.

Modulation of starch structure, swallowability and digestibility of 3D-printed diabetic-friendly food for the elderly by dry heating.

Elderly people often experience difficulty in swallowing and have impaired regulation of the nervous system. Furthermore, their blood glucose level can rise easily after eating. Therefore, functional foods that are easy to swallow and can maintain blood glucose at a lower level have been an important research topic in recent years.

3D/4D printed super reconstructed foods: Characteristics, research progress, and prospects.

Super reconstructed foods (SRFs) have characteristics beyond those of real system in terms of nutrition, texture, appearance, and other properties. As 3D/4D food printing technology continues to be improved in recent years, this layered manufacturing/additive manufacturing preparation technology based on food reconstruction has made it possible to continuously develop large-scale manufacture of SRFs. Compared with the traditional reconstructed foods, SRFs prepared using 3D/4D printing technologies are discussed comprehensively in this review.

A High-Efficiency Radio-Frequency-Assisted Hot-Air Drying Method for the Production of Restructured Bitter Melon and Apple Chips.

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly demanding processed food products with high levels of beneficial components. Bitter melon and apple are both nutritious foods rich in bioactive compounds. In this study, restructured bitter melon and apple chips were processed using four drying techniques: hot-air drying with/without exhaust air recirculation (EAR), and radio-frequency-assisted hot-air drying (RFHAD) with/without EAR.

Construction of photocatalytic coating for alleviating the shriveling of postharvest fruit cucumber after simulated transportation.

The shriveling of fruit cucumber was commonly occurred during supply chain, photocatalyst exposed to UV light can endow the coatings with ethylene removal capacity to reduce the respiration of fruit and water loss. The study developed a novel photodynamic technology responsive photocatalytic coating with exceptional ultraviolet (UV) photocatalytic degradation of ethylene ability to decay the shriveling of postharvest fruit cucumber during supply chain. This coating involved the integration of Carbon dots (CDs)-loaded nano ZnO and the skillful selection of pullulan (Pul) and apple pectin (AP) matrix.

Investigation of 3D printing of toddler foods with special shape and function based on fenugreek gum and flaxseed protein.

The practicability of using corn and flaxseed protein as printing inks for manufacture of printed products specifically designed for toddlers as a dysphagia diet with high precision and special shapes with addition of fenugreek gum (FGG) was investigated. 3D printing was used to process grains and dysphagia-compatible food (corn) into a dietary product with attractive appearance which was also easy to swallow. Rheological measurements shown that appropriate amount of flaxseed protein (FP, 0-10 %) can reduce the stickiness and yield strength of printing material.

Intermittent high voltage electrostatic field and static magnetic field assisted modified atmosphere packaging alleviate mildew of postharvest strawberries after simulated transportation by activating the phenylpropanoid pathway.

The mildew is a typical symptom of strawberries during storage. The effectiveness of intermittent high voltage electrostatic field combined with static magnetic field (HVEF-SMF) technique in inhibiting the mildew of strawberries (before and after simulation of transport vibrations) was investigated. Intermittent HVEF, SMF and HVEF-SMF treatments inhibited spoilage fungal growth on the surface of strawberries by increasing the membrane permeability and leakage of intracellular materials of spoilage fungal.

Improvement in the quality of frozen dough for fried flour products by electrostatic field-assisted freezing.

Background: With the development of the food industry, frozen dough technology has gradually become an indispensable part of dough processing but its quality is often reduced due to freezing during the production process. Electrostatic field-assisted freezing (EF) technology, a key research project in recent years, reduces the physical damage to food materials by reducing or changing the size of ice crystals in frozen products.

Results: In this study, different intensities of electrostatic fields were used to assist in the repeated freezing and thawing of dough.

Development of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) protein isolate-gum Arabic conjugates via ultrasound-assisted wet heating for spice essential oils emulsification: Effects on water solubility, bioactivity, and sensory stimulation.

Quinoa protein isolate-gum Arabic (QPI-GA) conjugates were developed by ultrasound-assisted wet heating to improve the water solubility and bioactivity of spice essential oils (EOs) in this study. The optimal conditions for QPI-GA conjugates preparation were found to be: heating temperature of 72 ℃, ultrasound power of 450 W, and reaction time of 46 min. QPI-GA conjugates displayed significantly higher emulsifying efficiency and stronger tolerance to pH variation, high salt concentration, and storage than raw materials.

Technological advances in protein extraction, structure improvement and assembly, digestibility and bioavailability of plant-based foods.

Plant-based foods are being considered seriously to replace traditional animal-origin foods for various reasons. It is well known that animals release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the environment during feeding, and eating animal-origin foods may also cause some health problems. Moreover, animal resources will likely be in short supply as the world population grows.

Consumer-oriented smart dynamic detection of fresh food quality: recent advances and future prospects.

Since fresh foods include a significant amount of water, fat, and protein, it is more likely to become infected by microorganisms causing a major loss of quality. Traditional detection techniques are less able to meet customer expectations owing to the limitations of high cost, slow response time, and inability to permit dynamic monitoring. Intelligent non-destructive detection technologies have emerged in recent years, which offer the advantages of small size and fast response at low cost.

Technological innovations enhance postharvest fresh food resilience from a supply chain perspective.

Fresh food is rich in nutrients but is usually seasonal, perishable, and challenging to store without degradation of quality. The inherent limitations of various preservation technologies can result in losses in all stages of the supply chain. As consumers of fresh foods have become more health-conscious, new technologies for intelligent, energy-efficient, and nondestructive preservation and processing have emerged as a research priority in recent years.

Novel strategies for controlling nitrite content in prepared dishes: Current status, potential benefits, limitations and future challenges.

Sodium nitrite is commonly used as a multifunctional curing ingredient in the processing of prepared dishes, especially meat products, to impart unique color, flavor and to prolong the shelf life of such products. However, the use of sodium nitrite in the meat industry has been controversial due to potential health risks. Finding suitable substitutes for sodium nitrite and controlling nitrite residue have been a major challenge faced by the meat processing industry.

Double-nozzle 3D-printed bean paste buns: Effect of filling ratio and microwave heating time.

With the aggravation of the global aging process, more and more elderly people are facing the problem of dysphagia. The advantages of three-dimensional (3D) printing in making chewy food are increasingly prominent. In this study, the two-nozzle 3D printer was used to explore the effects of different proportions of buckwheat flour, printing filling ratio, microwave power, and time on the quality of bean-paste buns.

Sensing materials for fresh food quality deterioration measurement: a review of research progress and application in supply chain.

Fresh food are consumed in large quantities worldwide. During the supply chain, microbial growth in fresh food can lead to the production of a number of metabolites, which make food highly susceptible to spoilage and contamination. The quality of fresh food changes in terms of smell, tenderness, color and texture, which causes a decrease in freshness and consumers acceptance.

Effects of magnetic field-assisted liquid carbon dioxide spray freezing on the quality of honeydew melon.

The effectiveness of static magnetic fields with different intensities (5, 10, 15 mT) combined with liquid carbon dioxide spray freezing (LCSF) technique in improving the quality of frozen honeydew melon was investigated. The results showed that LCSF with magnetic fields above 10 mT significantly improved ice nucleation and quality of frozen melons compared to conventional -20 °C freezing, -80 °C freezing and LCSF method without magnetic field assistance (P < 0.05).

Maillard reaction products of pea protein hydrolysate as a flavour enhancer for beef flavors: Effects on flavor and physicochemical properties.

This study evaluated the effects of Maillard reaction products of pea protein hydrolyzates (MRPs-PPH) as salt-reducing and umami-enhancing components on the flavor and physicochemical properties of beef flavors. The addition of MRPs-PPH reduced the brightness of beef flavors, increased the redness and yellowness, as well as changed the texture characteristics of beef flavors. With the addition of MRPs-PPH, the apparent viscosity, storage modulus and loss modulus of beef flavors decreased.