Boosting foam ferformance of egg white protein: synergy between supercritical carbon dioxide and sucrose for superior freeze-thaw stability

Spray-Dried Probiotic Microencapsulation Using Hazelnut Protein Modified by High-Pressure Homogenization: Microcapsule Properties, Thermal Stability, In Vitro Gastrointestinal Resilience, and Storage Stability

Curcumin-loaded carboxymethyl cellulose/sodium alginate films with enhanced solubility and bioactivity for freshness monitoring of fish and beef.

Intelligent active food packaging films were developed by enhancing curcumin solubility through 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes (EC). EC was incorporated at varying concentrations into a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)‑sodium alginate (SA) matrix. Sedimentation tests revealed that free curcumin exhibited severe precipitation (80.00%), whereas EC showed negligible sedimentation, confirming markedly improved aqueous dispersion. The optimized CMC-SA-EC3 film exhibited uniform morphology, enhanced thermal stability, strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and reduced water vapor permeability. It also demonstrated excellent antioxidant activity and broad-spectrum antibacterial effects against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. When applied as freshness indicators for refrigerated silver carp and beef, the films displayed distinct color transitions from yellow to red in response to spoilage. This formulation achieved the highest sensitivity and reliability for real-time spoilage detection. These findings provided a feasible strategy for designing dual-functional packaging materials that integrated preservation and intelligent sensing. Further work is needed to validate the long-term stability and scalability under practical storage conditions.

Development and Stability Evaluation of Oleogel-in-Water Emulsions Using Whey Protein Isolate–Ferulic Acid Nanoparticles for Ganoderma Lucidum Spore Oil Encapsulation

This work evaluated how ferulic acid (FA) impacted the conformational properties of whey protein isolate (WPI) and altered the environmental tolerance of oleogel/water (Og/W) emulsions formulated with Ganoderma lucidum spore oil (GLSO). Molecular dynamics simulation analyses revealed that FA interacted with α-lactalbumin via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, whereas it bound into the hydrophobic cavity of β-lactoglobulin through a “lock-and-key” mode driven primarily by hydrophobic forces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis verified that such non-covalent forces triggered the dissociation and structural extension of WPI, which was manifested as a significant loss of α-helix and β-sheet architectures along with a corresponding rise in random coils. FA addition increased the positive charge, mean droplet size, interfacial contact angle and antioxidant stability of WPI-FA nanoparticles when the WPI-to-FA ratio exceeded 1:2 (i.e., WPI was in excess relative to FA). The GLSO-based Og/W emulsions exhibited a weak gel structure with predominantly elastic characteristics. Furthermore, WPI-FA nanoparticles fabricated at a 2:1 ratio minimized emulsion droplet size and imparted optimal stability to the Og/W emulsions, demonstrating superior freeze–thaw and salt resistance, alongside suppressed GLSO flavor release. This work provides critical insights into tailoring protein-polyphenol interactions to stabilize GLSO-based Og/W emulsion delivery systems for food applications.

Stability of soy protein isolate-citrus pectin stabilized Pickering emulsion and its application in pound cake.

The global trend toward low-fat diets is creating a critical need for efficient fat replacement technologies. This study explored the stabilization behavior of soybean protein isolate (SPI)-citrus pectin (CP) Pickering emulsions and their effectiveness as butter substitutes in pound cakes. The results indicated that emulsions with 5% particle concentration (c) and 50% oil phase volume fraction (ϕ) exhibited excellent storage, centrifugal, thermal, and lipid oxidation stability. It also demonstrated superior structural and rheological properties, effectively replicating the physical characteristics of butter. Moreover, replacing butter with SPI-CP Pickering emulsion significantly enhanced the quality of pound cakes, with a 40% substitution level proving optimal. At this ratio, the specific volume increased by 21.01%, while hardness and chewiness decreased by 57.48% and 52.43%, respectively. Meanwhile, a decrease in fat migration capacity was observed, along with increases in in vitro cholesterol adsorption capacity and sodium cholate adsorption capacity. Electronic nose analysis confirmed similar aroma profiles, and sensory evaluation yielded the highest scores, indicating that the SPI-CP-stabilized emulsion effectively maintained cake quality while serving as a butter alternative. This study offers valuable insights for developing low-fat foods and novel functional ingredients.

Formulation and characterization of a corn starch-soy protein isolate coacervate for encapsulation of fennel essential oil and its application in the pre-velveting of chicken cubes.

Pre-velveting foods suffer from significant flavor loss and limited shelf life during storage, motivating a demand for multifunctional starch-based carriers. To address this, corn starch (CS)-soy protein isolate (SPI) coacervates with varying CS ratios were fabricated to encapsulate fennel essential oil (FEO), yielding a pre-velveting material with antimicrobial and flavor-enhancing properties. Results indicated that higher CS/SPI ratios (4,1 and 5,1) enhanced viscoelasticity and reduced particle size by forming a dense polysaccharide-protein network that inhibited FEO aggregation compared with the lower ratios. The resulting microcapsules (CSSP4 and CSSP5) similarly demonstrated improved DPPH radical scavenging capacity (59.49% and 56.15%, respectively) and enhanced thermal stability. SEM and XRD confirmed increased cross-linking of CS upon coacervation with SPI, which provided the basis for the improved encapsulation efficiency of FEO via the dense structure, while FTIR and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that this structure was primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between CS and SPI, and the starch-protein interface was visualized. Electronic nose combined with GC-MS analyses identified anethole as the primary flavor compound of FEO microcapsules and showed that the stable structure delayed its release, with CSSP4 exhibiting the slowest release due to its higher density. Furthermore, among all formulations, CSSP4 showed the lowest TBARS values and pH increase, as well as the most favorable volatile profile and improved textural properties in cooked chicken cubes. This study presents a novel starch-based carrier designed to improve flavor retention and extend the shelf life of pre-velveting foods.

Stabilization of Red Palm Oil Nanoemulsions with Cellulose Nanofibers Derived from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches