Spectroscopic Methods of Edible Flower Authentication and Quality Control for Food Applications
Fidele Benimana, Christopher Kucha, Anupam Roy
et al.
ABSTRACT The global demand for edible flowers has increased due to their diverse applications in food, nutraceuticals, and the medical field. However, issues of species identification, adulteration, contamination, and quality necessitate the use of advanced methods to authenticate product quality for edible flowers. Conventional methods are expensive, time‐consuming, and require highly skilled personnel and technical expertise. Spectroscopic methods, including Fourier transform infrared, near‐infrared, and Raman spectroscopy, are efficient, fast, and non‐destructive, providing rapid insight into the chemical structure and authenticity of edible flowers. This review systematically summarizes the recent advances in spectroscopic methods for authenticating edible flowers, including the detection of chemical changes and ensuring product integrity. The primary goal is to examine the applications of spectroscopic techniques for assessing quality changes in edible flowers during processing for food applications. Spectroscopic techniques, such as FT‐IR, NIR, and Raman spectroscopy, are rapid, accurate, and non‐destructive alternatives for authenticating the composition and quality of edible flowers. These methods enable the detection of bioactive compounds, differentiation of species, and identification of adulterants with minimal sample processing. Furthermore, chemometric models enhance data analysis, allowing for automated classification and real‐time quality monitoring of edible flowers.
Food processing and manufacture, Toxicology. Poisons
Optimization of lactic fermentation parameters of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) puree with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei
S. Khalajian, N. Mooraki, M. Honarvar
et al.
This research investigates the lactic fermentation process of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) puree with the aim of creating a functional probiotic product. The focus is on optimizing fermentation conditions to enhance health benefits, thereby serving as a functional ingredient for various applications within the food industry. The lactic fermentation process utilized two strains, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei, which were evaluated at different concentrations in both single (phase A) and mixed (phase B) applications. Critical parameters analyzed included fermentation duration, corn steep liquor (CSL), whey and glucose syrup, with a focus on their impacts on betaine levels, probiotic viability, antioxidant capacity, pectin content, sugar, lactic acid, and acetic acid. Through response surface methodology, optimal conditions were determined: For the A - L. casei sample, the optimal conditions included 4.78 % inoculation, 9.64 % syrup, and 1 % whey, with a fermentation period of 39.96 h. Under these conditions, the process yielded 1.833 mg/mL betaine and exhibited an antioxidant activity of 491.5 µm. The A - L. plantarum sample exhibited 5 % inoculation under similar conditions, yielding 1.863 mg/mL of betaine and an antioxidant activity of 475.71 µm. In the mixed B sample, the optimal conditions were identified as 5 % inoculation with a combination of 34.76 % L. plantarum and 25 % L. casei. Under these conditions, 1.38 mg/mL of betaine was produced after 67.76 h. These optimized samples hold significant potential as ingredients for the development of functional food products.
Food processing and manufacture
Fermentative Preparation and Antiallergic Activity of Houttuynia cordata Polysaccharides
LIN Yongfeng, CHENG Zhen, LIU Wenmei, ZOU Zehua, LIU Hong, LIU Guangming, LIU Qingmei
In this study, the physicochemical properties of polysaccharides from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HM6008 (FHCTP) were determined, and the antiallergic activity was evaluated using rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-2H3 cells. The results showed that fermentation increased the ratio of mannose to sulfate in FHCTP. Compared with H. cordata Thunb. polysaccharides (HCTP), the particle size of FHCTP decreased by 26.67%, and its stability in aqueous solution increased. The inhibition rate of FHCTP on the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells was significantly higher than that of HCTP, (82.79 ± 5.19)% versus (53.75 ± 1.95)%. After FHCTP intervention, the expression of fragment crystallizable epsilon receptor I (FcεRI) was significantly down-regulated, and the average fluorescence intensity decreased from 2 458.00 ± 7.50 to 1 495.00 ± 28.50. Both FHCTP and HCTP effectively inhibited the isomerization of cytoskeletal proteins and the increase of intracellular calcium ion concentration. In addition, in the mouse passive cutaneous anaphylaxis assay, FHCTP showed a more significant inhibitory effect on dye extravasation in mouse ears, indicating stronger antiallergic activity. In conclusion, FHCTP has better stabilizing effect on mast cells and effectively alleviates mast cell-mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in mice. The results of this research are expected to promote the development and application of antiallergic products from edible and medicinal materials.
Food processing and manufacture
Application of extrusion technology in plant food processing byproducts: An overview.
W. Leonard, Pangzhen Zhang, D. Ying
et al.
The food processing industry generates an immense amount of waste, which leads to major concerns for its environmental impact. However, most of these wastes, such as plant-derived byproducts, are still nutritionally adequate for use in food manufacturing. Extrusion is one of the most versatile and commercially successful processing technologies, with its widespread applications in the production of pasta, snacks, crackers, and meat analogues. It allows a high degree of user control over the processing parameters that significantly alters the quality of final products. This review features the past research on manufacture of extruded foods with integration of various plant food processing byproducts. The impact of extrusion parameters and adding various byproducts on the nutritional, physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological properties of food products are comprehensively discussed. This paper also provides fundamental knowledge and practical techniques for food manufacturers and researchers on the extrusion processing of plant food byproducts, which may increase economical return to the industry and reduce the environmental impact.
189 sitasi
en
Medicine, Business
Effect of extrusion processing on physicochemical, functional and nutritional characteristics of rice and rice-based products: A review
C. G. Dalbhagat, D. Mahato, H. Mishra
Abstract Rice is one of the major cereal crops that act as an attractive material for the manufacture of ready-to-cook (RTC) products like pasta, noodles, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, modified starch, weaning foods, snack foods, pet foods, and dried soup, because of its colour, bland taste, flavour as well as good processing characteristics. Extrusion is the most versatile processing technology used in the food industry to develop the product having better nutritional, functional and sensory characteristics. This technique enables the control of the different processes like mixing, heating, cooking, shearing, and shaping of products. This review highlights the research work on the use of extrusion process technology to produce rice and rice-based products. The extrusion process parameters namely feed moisture, barrel temperature, screw speed, and feed rate markedly affect the product quality and their acceptability among consumers. Emphasis has been given on the effects of feed mixture composition or ingredients and the extrusion process parameters on physicochemical, textural, pasting, thermal and nutritional properties of the rice extrudates.
221 sitasi
en
Mathematics
Value-added utilization of fruit and vegetable processing by-products for the manufacture of biodegradable food packaging films.
Iraj Karimi Sani, Mahdieh Masoudpour-Behabadi, Mahmood Alizadeh Sani
et al.
Currently, the demand for eco-friendly packaging materials to replace plastic is increasing. Edible or biodegradable packaging films prepared from natural compounds such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids have emerged as alternatives to non-biodegradable packaging materials. Fruit and vegetable waste has potential as a bioplastic material promoting environmental sustainability. In this regard, the use of underutilized compounds, such as by-products of fruit and vegetable processing in the production of biodegradable packaging films, is attracting more and more attention due to the availability of raw materials, cheapness, abundance, environmental friendliness, suitable physical properties, unique sensory and nutritional properties, and increased physical properties and functionality. The food industry, such as oil, juice, jam, or sugar production, contributes significantly to food waste generation. The agricultural/food processing by-products such as husks, seeds, offal, leaves, and gums from the production and processing of food contain high amounts of fibrous and plant proteins such as starch, cellulose, and pectin. As a result, food waste can be reused for recycling and high-value-added purposes, reducing environmental pollution and enabling sustainable green development. The present review discusses the use of fruit and vegetable by-products for producing biopolymers as an alternative to synthetic plastic polymers and the application of these biopolymers as value-added functional packaging films and coatings.
Advancements in Biodegradable Active Films for Food Packaging: Effects of Nano/Microcapsule Incorporation
F. Baghi, Adem Gharsallaoui, Emilie Dumas
et al.
Food packaging plays a fundamental role in the modern food industry as a main process to preserve the quality of food products from manufacture to consumption. New food packaging technologies are being developed that are formulated with natural compounds by substituting synthetic/chemical antimicrobial and antioxidant agents to fulfill consumers’ expectations for healthy food. The strategy of incorporating natural antimicrobial compounds into food packaging structures is a recent and promising technology to reach this goal. Concepts such as “biodegradable packaging”, “active packaging”, and “bioactive packaging” currently guide the research and development of food packaging. However, the use of natural compounds faces some challenges, including weak stability and sensitivity to processing and storage conditions. The nano/microencapsulation of these bioactive compounds enhances their stability and controls their release. In addition, biodegradable packaging materials are gaining great attention in the face of ever-growing environmental concerns about plastic pollution. They are a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative to conventional plastic packaging materials. Ultimately, a combined formulation of nano/microencapsulated antimicrobial and antioxidant natural molecules, incorporated into a biodegradable food packaging system, offers many benefits by preventing food spoilage, extending the shelf life of food, reducing plastic and food waste, and preserving the freshness and quality of food. The main objective of this review is to illustrate the latest advances in the principal biodegradable materials used in the development of active antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging systems, as well as the most common nano/microencapsulated active natural agents incorporated into these food-packaging materials.
A Comprehensive Review on Infrared Heating Applications in Food Processing
Salam A. Aboud, A. Altemimi, Asaad R S Al-HiIphy
et al.
Infrared (IR) technology is highly energy-efficient, less water-consuming, and environmentally friendly compared to conventional heating. Further, it is also characterized by homogeneity of heating, high heat transfer rate, low heating time, low energy consumption, improved product quality, and food safety. Infrared technology is used in many food manufacturing processes, such as drying, boiling, heating, peeling, polyphenol recovery, freeze-drying, antioxidant recovery, microbiological inhibition, sterilization grains, bread, roasting of food, manufacture of juices, and cooking food. The energy throughput is increased using a combination of microwave heating and IR heating. This combination heats food quickly and eliminates the problem of poor quality. This review provides a theoretical basis for the infrared treatment of food and the interaction of infrared technology with food ingredients. The effect of IR on physico-chemical properties, sensory properties, and nutritional values, as well as the interaction of food components under IR radiation can be discussed as a future food processing option.
203 sitasi
en
Medicine, Materials Science
Izzivi uporabe visoko-pretočnega sekvenciranja (HTS) za rutinsko diagnostiko viroidov
Tanja Guček, Sebastjan Radišek
Viroidne bolezni predstavljajo nenehno grožnjo svetovnemu kmetijstvu, saj lahko ti majhni in strukturno preprosti patogeni okužijo širok spekter gospodarsko pomembnih rastlin. Učinkovito preprečevanje in obvladovanje viroidnih okužb zato zahteva diagnostične pristope, ki omogočajo zanesljivo, občutljivo in specifično identifikacijo povzročiteljev bolezni. Z razvojem biokemije in molekularne biologije se je v zadnjih letih izboljšala občutljivost in specifičnost številnih diagnostičnih metod. Z zniževanjem stroškov sekvenciranja in večjo dostopnostjo se zelo hitro povečuje zanimanje za uporabo tehnologij visokopretočnega sekvenciranja (HTS) v rutinski rastlinski diagnostiki. Kljub velikemu potencialu HTS pa uvedba teh tehnologij v laboratorijsko prakso ostaja zahtevna. Med ključne izzive sodijo izbira ustrezne sekvenčne platforme in laboratorijskih protokolov, uporaba primernih bioinformacijskih orodij, zagotavljanje strokovno usposobljenega kadra ter vzpostavitev ustrezne računalniške infrastrukture. Čeprav so že oblikovani določeni standardi in smernice za uporabo HTS, ti zaradi specifičnih potreb laboratorijev niso univerzalno uporabni. Pregledni članek obravnava ključne vidike različnih pristopov HTS, njihove prednosti in omejitve ter prikazuje njihovo uporabnost na primeru diagnostike viroidnih bolezni.
Food processing and manufacture
Unlocking The Future of Food Security Through Access to Finance for Sustainable Agribusiness Performance
Ayobami Paul Abolade, Ibrahim Olanrewaju Lawal, Kamoru Lanre Akanbi
et al.
Access to finance is vital for improving food security, particularly in developing nations where agricultural production is crucial. Despite several financial interventions targeted at increasing agricultural production, smallholder farmers continue to lack access to reasonable, timely, and sufficient financing, limiting their ability to invest in improved technology and inputs, lowering productivity and food supply. This study examines the relationship between access to finance and food security among smallholder farmers in Ogun State, employing institutional theory as a theoretical framework. The study takes a quantitative method, with a survey for the research design and a population of 37,200 agricultural smallholder farmers. A sample size of 380 was chosen using probability sampling and simple random techniques. The data were analysed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings demonstrate a favourable relationship between access to finance and food security, with an R2-value of 0.615 indicating a robust link. These findings underline the need of improving financial institutions and implementing enabling policies to enable farmers have access to the financial resources they need to achieve food security outcomes.
MM-Food-100K: A 100,000-Sample Multimodal Food Intelligence Dataset with Verifiable Provenance
Yi Dong, Yusuke Muraoka, Scott Shi
et al.
We present MM-Food-100K, a public 100,000-sample multimodal food intelligence dataset with verifiable provenance. It is a curated approximately 10% open subset of an original 1.2 million, quality-accepted corpus of food images annotated for a wide range of information (such as dish name, region of creation). The corpus was collected over six weeks from over 87,000 contributors using the Codatta contribution model, which combines community sourcing with configurable AI-assisted quality checks; each submission is linked to a wallet address in a secure off-chain ledger for traceability, with a full on-chain protocol on the roadmap. We describe the schema, pipeline, and QA, and validate utility by fine-tuning large vision-language models (ChatGPT 5, ChatGPT OSS, Qwen-Max) on image-based nutrition prediction. Fine-tuning yields consistent gains over out-of-box baselines across standard metrics; we report results primarily on the MM-Food-100K subset. We release MM-Food-100K for publicly free access and retain approximately 90% for potential commercial access with revenue sharing to contributors.
Microphone Array Signal Processing and Deep Learning for Speech Enhancement
Reinhold Haeb-Umbach, Tomohiro Nakatani, Marc Delcroix
et al.
Multi-channel acoustic signal processing is a well-established and powerful tool to exploit the spatial diversity between a target signal and non-target or noise sources for signal enhancement. However, the textbook solutions for optimal data-dependent spatial filtering rest on the knowledge of second-order statistical moments of the signals, which have traditionally been difficult to acquire. In this contribution, we compare model-based, purely data-driven, and hybrid approaches to parameter estimation and filtering, where the latter tries to combine the benefits of model-based signal processing and data-driven deep learning to overcome their individual deficiencies. We illustrate the underlying design principles with examples from noise reduction, source separation, and dereverberation.
Extending FKG.in: Towards a Food Claim Traceability Network
Saransh Kumar Gupta, Rizwan Gulzar Mir, Lipika Dey
et al.
The global food landscape is rife with scientific, cultural, and commercial claims about what foods are, what they do, what they should not do, or should not do. These range from rigorously studied health benefits (probiotics improve gut health) and misrepresentations (soaked almonds make one smarter) to vague promises (superfoods boost immunity) and culturally rooted beliefs (cold foods cause coughs). Despite their widespread influence, the infrastructure for tracing, verifying, and contextualizing these claims remains fragmented and underdeveloped. In this paper, we propose a Food Claim-Traceability Network (FCN) as an extension of FKG[.]in, a knowledge graph of Indian food that we have been incrementally building. We also present the ontology design and the semi-automated knowledge curation workflow that we used to develop a proof of concept of FKG[.]in-FCN using Reddit data and Large Language Models. FCN integrates curated data inputs, structured schemas, and provenance-aware pipelines for food-related claim extraction and validation. While directly linked to the Indian food knowledge graph as an application, our methodology remains application-agnostic and adaptable to other geographic, culinary, or regulatory settings. By modeling food claims and their traceability in a structured, verifiable, and explainable way, we aim to contribute to more transparent and accountable food knowledge ecosystems, supporting researchers, policymakers, and most importantly, everyday consumers in navigating a world saturated with dietary assertions.
Additive manufacturing in aluminium of a primary mirror for a CubeSat application: manufacture, testing and evaluation
Ilhan Aziz, Younes Chahid, Jennifer Keogh
et al.
Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D Printing), a process which creates a part layer-by-layer, has the potential to improve upon conventional lightweight mirror manufacturing techniques, including subtractive (milling), formative (casting) and fabricative (bonding) manufacturing. Increased mass reduction whilst maintaining mechanical performance can be achieved through the creation of intricate lattice geometries, which are impossible to manufacture conventionally. Further, part consolidation can be introduced to reduce the number of interfaces and thereby points of failure. AM design optimisation using computational tools has been extensively covered in existing literature. However, additional research, specifically evaluation of the optical surface, is required to qualify these results before these advantages can be realised. This paper outlines the development & metrology of an AM mirror for a CubeSat platform with a targeted mass reduction of 60% compared to an equivalent solid body. This project aims to incorporate recent developments in AM mirror design, with a focus on manufacture, testing & evaluation. This is achieved through a simplified design process of a Cassegrain telescope primary mirror mounted within a 3U CubeSat chassis. The mirror geometry is annular with an external diameter of 84 mm and an internal diameter of 32 mm; the optical prescription is flat for ease of manufacture. Prototypes were printed in AlSi10Mg, a low-cost aluminium alloy commonly used in metal additive manufacturing. They were then machined and single-point diamond turned to achieve a reflective surface. Both quantitative & qualitative evaluations of the optical surface were conducted to assess the effect of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) on the optical surface quality. The results indicated that HIP reduced surface porosity; however, it also increased surface roughness and, consequently, optical scatter.
en
astro-ph.IM, physics.optics
Food Delivery Time Prediction in Indian Cities Using Machine Learning Models
Ananya Garg, Mohmmad Ayaan, Swara Parekh
et al.
Accurate prediction of food delivery times significantly impacts customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and profitability in food delivery services. However, existing studies primarily utilize static historical data and often overlook dynamic, real-time contextual factors crucial for precise prediction, particularly in densely populated Indian cities. This research addresses these gaps by integrating real-time contextual variables such as traffic density, weather conditions, local events, and geospatial data (restaurant and delivery location coordinates) into predictive models. We systematically compare various machine learning algorithms, including Linear Regression, Decision Trees, Bagging, Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM, on a comprehensive food delivery dataset specific to Indian urban contexts. Rigorous data preprocessing and feature selection significantly enhanced model performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the LightGBM model achieves superior predictive accuracy, with an R2 score of 0.76 and Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 20.59, outperforming traditional baseline approaches. Our study thus provides actionable insights for improving logistics strategies in complex urban environments. The complete methodology and code are publicly available for reproducibility and further research.
Microplastics contamination in selected staple consumer food products
E. Espiritu, J. L. Pauco, Renz S. Bareo
et al.
Protein digestion and absorption: the influence of food processing.
S. Loveday
The rates of dietary protein digestion and absorption can be significantly increased or decreased by food processing treatments like heating, gelling and enzymatic hydrolysis, with subsequent metabolic impacts e.g. on muscle synthesis and glucose homeostasis.This review examines in vivo evidence that industrial and domestic food processing modify the kinetics of amino acid release and absorption following a protein-rich meal. It focuses on studies that used compositionally-matched test meals processed in different ways.Food processing at extremely high temperature at alkaline pH and/or in the presence of reducing sugars can modify amino acid sidechains, leading to loss of bioavailability. Some protein-rich food ingredients are deliberately aggregated, gelled or hydrolysed during manufacture. Hydrolysis accelerates protein digestion/absorption and increases splanchnic utilisation. Aggregation and gelation may slow or accelerate proteolysis in the gut, depending on aggregate/gel microstructure.Milk, beef and eggs are heat-processed prior to consumption to eliminate pathogens and improve palatability. The temperature and time of heating affect protein digestion and absorption rates, and effects are sometimes nonlinear. In light of a dietary transition away from animal proteins, more research is needed on how food processing affects digestion and absorption of non-animal proteins.Food processing modifies the microstructure of protein-rich foods, and thereby alters protein digestion and absorption kinetics in the stomach and small intestine. Exploiting this principle to optimise metabolic outcomes requires more human clinical trials in which amino acid absorption rates are measured and food microstructure is explicitly considered, measured and manipulated.
A comprehensive review of specific activity and intrinsic connections of food‐derived bioactive peptides for human health
Tiantian Zhao, Guowan Su, Lijun Zhang
et al.
Abstract Food‐derived peptides have garnered significant attention in research due to their multifaceted functionalities, abundant availability, efficient utilization of agricultural by‐products, and environmentally sustainable preparation methods. These peptides play a crucial role in human health, yet their precise mechanisms of action remain largely unexplored, posing challenges in their screening, preparation, and effective application utilizing protein‐based raw materials. This review offers an extensive examination of 19 types of bioactive peptides derived from food. The sources of food‐derived bioactive peptides are well concluded and the classifications are made according to their potential health benefit based on five primary systems: general bodily functions, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the metabolic system, and the immune system. This review specifically highlights the multifaceted impacts of tasty peptides on human health, extending beyond their gustatory effects. Furthermore, it explores the interplay between various functions of bioactive peptides, noting a progression from basic to advanced functionalities. Antioxidant activity and the modulation of key enzymes are identified as fundamental actions that are interconnected with other functional properties. This implies that a single bioactive peptide could exhibit multiple beneficial effects. The key role of antioxidant capabilities is underscored based on their broad influence and straightforward assessment. This comprehensive analysis aims to deepen the systematic understanding of the diverse benefits offered by various food‐derived peptides.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Food processing and manufacture
Release behaviour of flavour filled yeast cells produced with the concentrated powder form technology
Philipp Lotz, Marcus Petermann, Andreas Kilzer
Cells of spent brewer's yeast represent a natural and sustainable material for the encapsulation of aroma compounds. Although the usability of yeast cells as microcapsules was proven decades ago, respective technologies are not established in the market. The conventional production method involves the suspension of yeast and aroma oil in water. Resulting mixtures have a poor processability, which likely contributes to the lack of industrial interest. Production of flavour filled cells without the suspension step is possible using the concentrated powder form technology. In the given work, this high-pressure spraying process was used to fabricate a dry powder of yeast cells containing 15 wt% limonene. The release behaviour in different model matrices was investigated to predict the applicability in food products. Immediate or prolonged release was observed depending on the media composition. Water was confirmed as the main release trigger. The fabricated yeast capsules can serve as a controlled release system.
Food processing and manufacture
Chemical Diversity of Fuzhuan Brick Teas from Hunan and Shaanxi
ZHANG Ning, YU Shilan, YAN Haoyi, ZHANG Yunjun, HAN Xiaoyu, REN Hongyu, CHEN Yuqing, LING Tiejun, AN Maoqiang
This study aimed to explore the diversity of metabolites and compare the metabolite profiles of Fuzhuan brick teas from Hunan and Shaanxi, to find out the difference in chemical components between fresh tea leaves and Fuzhuan brick tea and to identify the metabolites from fungi in Fuzhuan brick tea. Metabolomic studies on fresh tea leaf samples, Hunan and Shaanxi Fuzhuan brick teas and fungi from them were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and molecular networks of characteristic metabolites. The results showed no significant difference between Hunan and Shaanxi samples in the diversity or profile of metabolites. However, the diversity of metabolites significantly increased as fresh tea leaves were processed into Fuzhuan brick tea, with a decrease in the contents of flavan-3-ols, alkaloids, most amino acids and their derivatives being observed, as well as an increase in the contents of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) and fatty acids, which was accompanied by the appearance of a rich variety of fungal metabolites. Among them, the typical ones included isopentenyl cyclic dipeptides, isopentenyl benzaldehydes, whose existence enriched the diversity of metabolites in Fuzhuan brick tea.
Food processing and manufacture