Investigating Milk Fat Globule Structure, Size, and Functionality after Thermal Processing and Homogenization of Human Milk.

Human milk provides bioactive compounds such as milk fat globules (MFGs), which promote brain development, modulate the immune system, and hold antimicrobial properties. To ensure microbiological safety, donor milk banks apply heat treatments. This study compares the effects of heat treatments and homogenization on MFG's physicochemical properties, bioactivity, and bioavailability.

Image-based assessment and machine learning-enabled prediction of printability of polysaccharides-based food ink for 3D printing.

Despite the growing demand and interest in 3D printing for food manufacturing, predicting printability of food-grade materials based on biopolymer composition and rheological properties is a significant challenge. This study developed two image-based printability assessment metrics: printed filaments' width and roughness and used these metrics to evaluate the printability of hydrogel-based food inks using response surface methodology (RSM) with regression analysis and machine learning. Rheological and compositional properties of food grade inks formulated using low-methoxyl pectin (LMP) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with different ionic crosslinking densities were used as predictors of printability.

Flor yeast immobilization in microbial biocapsules for Sherry wine production: microvinification approach.

Sherry wine is a pale-yellowish dry wine produced in Southern-Spain which features are mainly due to biological aging when the metabolism of biofilm-forming yeasts (flor yeasts) consumes ethanol (and other non-fermentable carbon sources) from a previous alcoholic fermentation, and produces volatile compounds such as acetaldehyde. To start aging and maintain the wine stability, a high alcohol content is required, which is achieved by the previous fermentation or by adding ethanol (fortification). Here, an alternative method is proposed which aims to produce a more economic, distinctive Sherry wine without fortification.

Yeast cell vacuum infusion into fungal pellets as a novel cell encapsulation methodology.

Immobilized yeast cells are used industrially in winemaking processes such as sparkling wine and Sherry wine production. Here, a novel approach has been explored for the infusion and immobilization of yeast cells into filamentous fungal pellets, which serve as a porous natural material. This was accomplished through vacuum application to force the yeast cells towards the core of the fungal pellets followed by culture in YPD medium to promote their growth from the interior.

Apple-derived 3D scaffold for improving gastrointestinal viability and in-situ growth of probiotics.

This study develops a novel low-cost microbial delivery system by transforming common food materials such as apple tissue into a 3D scaffold. Apple tissue scaffold was constructed by decellularization of intact tissue using a minimal amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate (0.5 % w/v).

Lactic Acid Bacteria Simultaneously Encapsulate Diverse Bioactive Compounds from a Fruit Extract and Enhance Thermal Stability.

This study develops an innovative cell-based carrier to simultaneously encapsulate multiple phytochemicals from a complex plant source. Muscadine grapes (MG) juice prepared from fresh fruit was used as a model juice. After incubation with inactivated bacterial cells, 66.

Engineering cell-based microstructures to study the effect of structural complexity on bioaccessibility of a lipophilic bioactive compound.

A fundamental understanding of the influence of food microstructures on the bioaccessibility of micronutrients is vital for the design of functionally efficient foods. This study investigated the effect of microstructural features of model foods on the bioaccessibility of a bioactive compound - curcumin, using a unique bottom-up approach. In this approach, individual yeast cells with infused curcumin were coated with oppositely charged polyelectrolytes: first in poly(diallyl-dimethylammonium chloride), then in dextran sulfate or alginate, and assembled electrostatically to generate two types of cell clusters.

Synergistic inactivation of bacteria based on a combination of low frequency, low-intensity ultrasound and a food grade antioxidant.

This study evaluated a synergistic antimicrobial treatment using a combination of low frequency and a low-intensity ultrasound (LFU) and a food-grade antioxidant, propyl gallate (PG), against a model gram-positive (Listeria innocua) and the gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7). Bacterial inactivation kinetic measurements were complemented by characterization of biophysical changes in liposomes, changes in bacterial membrane permeability, morphological changes in bacterial cells, and intracellular oxidative stress upon treatment with PG, LFU, and a combination of PG + LFU. Combination of PG + LFU significantly (>4 log CFU/mL, P < 0.

Carbon dots from roasted chicken accumulate in lysosomes and induce lysosome-dependent cell death.

Thermal processing may generate toxicants. Carbon dots (CDs) from baked foods are toxic to cells; however, their molecular mechanism is still unexplored to date. The present study investigated the effects of CDs from roasted chicken breasts on normal rat kidney (NRK) and Caco-2 cells.

Infusion of trans-resveratrol in micron-scale grape skin powder for enhanced stability and bioaccessibility.

A novel delivery system using micron-scale grape skin powder (GSP) was developed that enhanced loading, stability and bioaccessibility of trans-resveratrol (trans-Res). Vacuum assisted infusion of GSP results in a high yield (~1 mg/g) of trans-Res and improved photostability of infused trans-Res in GSP exposed to UV-A light. The release of trans-Res from GSP was ~ 45% during gastric digestion and the total release in the intestinal phase during sequential digestion processes using low and high bile salts was ~ 70% and ~ 90%, respectively.

Bioaccessibility of curcumin encapsulated in yeast cells and yeast cell wall particles.

This study evaluates the role of intracellular composition and integrity of cell walls in modulating the release and bioaccessibility of phytochemicals during simulated gastrointestinal digestion of cell-based carriers. Native yeast and yeast cell wall particles (YCWPs) were used as model cell-based carriers with distinct intracellular composition and curcumin was a model encapsulated bioactive. The results highlight the essential role of gastric treatments and the presence of bile salts in the release and bioaccessibility of encapsulated compound from cell-based carriers.

Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity by Light or Thermal Treatment and Lauric Arginate: Membrane Damage and Oxidative Stress.

The need for more effective antimicrobials is critical for the food industry to improve food safety and reduce spoilage of minimally processed foods. The present study was initiated to develop an efficient and novel antimicrobial approach which combines physical treatments (UV-A or mild heat) and generally recognized as safe lauroyl arginate ethyl (LAE) to inactivate surrogate strains, including and Synergistic inactivation of bacteria resulted in an ∼6-log reduction of target bacteria, while individual treatments resulted in <1.5-log inactivation under the same set of conditions.

Self-aggregation of sodium dodecyl sulfate within (choline chloride + urea) deep eutectic solvent.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have shown tremendous promise as green solvents with low toxicity and cost. Understanding molecular aggregation processes within DESs will not only enhance the application potential of these solvents but also help alleviate some of the limitations associated with them. Among DESs, those comprising choline chloride and appropriate hydrogen-bond donors are inexpensive and easy to prepare.

Solvatochromic probe response within ionic liquids and their equimolar mixtures with tetraethylene glycol.

Synergism in a probe response within a mixture hints at the presence of strong interactions involving the solvent constituents of the mixture and possibly the probe. Unusual and rare "hyperpolarity" resulting from the synergism in probe response exhibited by ionic liquid (IL) mixtures with glycol family solvents is investigated in detail for equimolar mixtures of tetraethylene glycol (TEG) with many structurally different ILs using several UV-vis absorbance and fluorescence solvatochromic probes. Thirteen different ILs, of the same cation 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium and different anions, of the same anion bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and different cations, and of C2 methyl-substituted imidazolium cations, are used to assess the structural dependence of the IL on synergism exhibited by (IL + TEG) mixture.

Evidence of water-in-ionic liquid microemulsion formation by nonionic surfactant Brij-35.

Brij-35, a common and popular nonionic surfactant, is shown to form water-in-ionic liquid (w/IL) microemulsions with IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) as the bulk phase. The presence of w/[bmim][PF6] microemulsions is hinted by the significantly increased solubility of water in Brij-35 solution of [bmim][PF6]. The formation of w/[bmim][PF6] microemulsions by Brij-35 is confirmed using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements.

Aggregation of a model porphyrin within poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG): effect of water, PEG molecular weight, ionic liquids, salts, and temperature.

Understanding molecular aggregation within environmentally-benign media is of utmost importance. Aggregation of a common porphyrin, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP), dissolved in media composed of poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) up to an average molecular weight (MW) of 8000 as major components, is investigated. J-aggregates of TSPP are well-manifested via the bathochromically-shifted UV-vis absorbance band of TSPP.

How polar are choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents?

Developing and characterizing green solvents with low toxicity and cost is one of the most important issues in chemistry. Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs), in this regard, have shown tremendous promise. Compared to popular organic solvents, DESs possess negligible VOCs and are non-flammable.

Excimer formation of 6-(1-pyrenyl)hexyl-11(1-pyrenyl)undecanoate within an ionic liquid and cosolvent-modified ionic liquid mixture.

The ring closing metathesis within an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF(6)]), a 'green' solvent tetraethylene glycol (TEG), and their equimolar mixture is investigated through the intramolecular excimer formation of 6-(1-pyrenyl)hexyl-11-(1-pyrenyl)undecanoate [1]. The excimer formation efficiency correlates directly with the inverse of the bulk viscosity of the systems. A simplistic double exponential decay model based on Birk's scheme is enough to fit the excited state intensity decay of 1 in these liquids.

Effect of ionic liquid on J-aggregation of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin within aqueous mixtures of poly(ethylene glycol).

Aqueous mixtures of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different compositions offer widely varying physicochemical properties that may support porphyrin aggregation. Aggregation behavior of a common water-soluble porphyrin, meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS), is investigated within aqueous PEG mixtures constituted of PEGs of average molecular weights 200 (PEG200), 400 (PEG400), 600 (PEG600), and 1000 (PEG1000) using UV-vis molecular absorbance, steady-state fluorescence, and resonance light scattering techniques. No aggregation of TPPS is observed in neat PEGs; addition of 10 wt % water to PEG at pH 1.

Ionic liquid-induced unprecedented size enhancement of aggregates within aqueous sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.

Physicochemical properties of aqueous micellar solutions may change in the presence of ionic liquids (ILs). Micelles help to increase the aqueous solubility of ILs. The average size of the micellar aggregates within aqueous sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) is observed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to increase in a sudden and drastic fashion as the IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF(6)]) is added.