Elucidation of rheological, microstructural, water mobility, and noodle-making properties of rice flour affected by turanose

Effect of curdlan addition and thermal sterilization on the structural and properties of rice starch gel

This study delves into the effects of curdlan integration and thermal sterilization on the rheological properties, structure, and quality attributes of concentrated rice starch gel. Acting as a heat-set polysaccharide, curdlan established a dual-network gel structure with rice starch gel, displaying strong interactions with rice starch, as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The addition of curdlan expedited the gel formation of rice starch, yielding a denser gel structure. Consequently, this enhanced G', solid-like behavior, textural properties, and cooking quality while reducing frequency-dependence. Given the cooling-induced gelation behavior of pure rice starch, thermal treatment disrupted inter-chain hydrogen bonding, compromising the structural integrity of the gel. This disruption manifested in a softer texture and diminished mechanical properties and cooking quality. Notably, this decline in mechanical properties and cooking quality of rice starch gel was markedly ameliorated with the incorporation of curdlan, particularly at a content of ≥1.0 %. Compared with pure RS, 1.0 % CD inclusion showed a reduction in cooking breakage rate by 30.69 % and an increase in hardness by 38.04 %. This work provides valuable insights for the advancement of fresh starch gel-based foods that exhibit exceptional quality and an extended shelf life.

Determination of characteristic evaluation indexes for novel cookies prepared with wax oleogels

BACKGROUND

Wax-based oleogels showed better performance as a substitute for shortening in cookies, but the relationship between the structure and physical properties of wax oleogels and cookies quality has not been elucidated, which limit its further application. In this regard, the effect of structure and physical properties of wax oleogels on the quality of cookies was investigated, and the characteristic indexes for evaluating the quality of novel cookies prepared with wax oleogels were determined.

RESULTS

The results showed that oleogels with 5-9% proportion of rice bran wax (RBX) and candelilla wax (CDW) produced soft cookies with porous structure, desired spread and color. Compared with shortening, wax oleogels with lower solid fat content (SFC, 4.5-11%, 25 °C) and higher β' crystals (2795.7-11 671.3) produced cookies with similar hardness to that of shortening. Besides, the hardness of wax oleogel-based cookies depends more on the amount of crystals than crystal size. In the results, SFC, β' crystals, viscosity and elastic modulus (G') were determined to be the characteristic evaluation indexes for the quality of cookies prepared with wax oleogels. Cookies with wax oleogels with higher SFC, β' crystal, viscosity and G' are softer.

CONCLUSION

The quality of novel cookies prepared with wax oleogels can be controlled by the SFC and β' crystal of wax oleogels. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Relationship between the microstructure and physical properties of emulsifier based oleogels and cookies quality

In this paper, the correlation between microstructure and physical properties of emulsifier based oleogels and qualities of cookies, as well as the key factors affecting cookies hardness was studied by using four kinds of food-grade emulsifiers with different concentrations. Monoacylglycerol (MAG) and sorbitan monostearate (SPAN) cookies showed similar hardness and L*, a*, b* to those of shortening cookies, in the concentration range of 6-15% and 12-18%, respectively, and their cross sections are uniformly porous. The solid fat content and α crystals content of emulsifier based oleogels showed no significant effect on cookie hardness. Besides, oleogel cookies prepared with emulsifier gelators with higher hydrophile-lipophile balance value showed lower hardness. In the results, higher shear viscosity (at 25 °C) of emulsifier based oleogels were determined to be the key factor for softer cookies. This study provides theoretical support for the quality control of novel cookies with emulsifier based oleogels.

Effects of different modified starches and gums on the physicochemical, functional, and microstructural properties of tapioca pearls

The effects of different modified starch and gums on the physicochemical, functional, and microstructural properties of tapioca pearls were investigated. The addition of starch acetate (SA) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) improved the springiness, hardness, cooking properties, and overall acceptability of pearls. Samples added with CMC presented higher peak viscosities, breakdown viscosities, onset gelatinization temperature, and lower enthalpy of gelatinization values compared to control pearls. Furthermore, Rheology and LF-NMR results indicated that all five kinds of modifiers promoted the formation of tighter network structures in products. SEM showed that the addition of SA and hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (HDP) could fill the voids in the internal gel network of the pearls, thus promoting the formation of a continuous phase network. This study proved SA, HDP, and CMC as modifiers could have tremendous potential to improve the quality of pearls before and after cooking.

Formation and Physical Analysis of Oleogels Composed of Edible Oils and High-Melting Fat Crystals

This paper reports the preparation of oleogels composed of edible oils (olive oil, squalene, and caprylic/capric triglyceride) and high-melting fat crystals (tribehenoyl-glycerol (BBB)) to explore the potential use of BBB/edible oil mixtures as low-cost and stable gelators. These mixtures exhibited gel-like behaviors upon rapid cooling and subsequent heating. The mixtures of BBB in the liquid oils formed oleogels at BBB concentrations > 4.0 wt%. The thermal behaviors, crystal structures, and crystal morphologies of mixtures of BBB produced from 6.0 wt% BBB crystals in 94.0 wt% liquid oils were examined following the treatment of these systems according to different temperature regimes. In addition, rheological analysis was conducted to evaluate the physical properties and storage stabilities of the prepared oleogels. It was found that rapid cooling to the crystallization temperature (T_c) from 70°C and subsequent heating to the final temperature (T_f) were necessary to reveal the gel-like behavior. In addition, the crystals treated with rapid cooling were smaller and more uniform in size than those treated with a simple cooling procedure. The differential scanning calorimetry melting peaks were broad or split, and exhibited the eutectic mixing behavior of multi-component triacylglycerols. The X-ray diffraction spectra showed that the melt-mediated α to β transformation of the mixtures was a prerequisite for revealing the gel-like behavior. Moreover, the tempering procedure was found to influence the physical properties of the oleogels, wherein no visible changes were observed for any of the oleogels after rapid cooling and storage for 6 months at 25°C.

Solid Fat Replacement with Canola Oil-Carnauba Wax Oleogels for Dairy-Free Imitation Cheese Low in Saturated Fat

Canola oil was structured into oleogels with different amounts of carnauba wax, and their processing performances were assessed as an alternative to solid fat for imitation cheese low in saturated fat. The contents of solid fat in the oleogels were less vulnerable to the change in temperature than the palm oil. The replacement of palm oil with oleogels produced cheese samples with harder and more cohesive/chewy textures. Dynamic and transient viscoelastic measurements demonstrated that the use of oleogels was effective in increasing the elastic nature of the cheeses. Two distinct components with different proton mobilities were observed in the imitation cheeses, and longer T₂ relaxation times were detected in the oleogel samples. The meltability of the cheese with palm oil was not significantly different from those with 3% and 6% oleogels. The saturated fat level of the oleogel cheese was significantly reduced from 45.70 to 5.20%. The application of canola oil-carnauba wax oleogels could successfully produce imitation cheese high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat. This study thus demonstrated that the health-functional properties of imitation cheese could be enhanced by using oleogels.

Roles of gelator type and gelation technology on texture and sensory properties of cookies prepared with oleogels

In this paper, different types of oleogels were prepared by five gelators including hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), monoacylglycerol (MAG), sodium stearyl lactate (SSL), rice bran wax (RBW) and beeswax (BW), and their applications in cookies were compared. Texture, microstructure, and colour results showed that MAG, RBW and shortening based cookies had similar hardness, porous structure, and L*, a*, b*. MAG and RBW exhibited excellent rheological properties similar to shortening. Regarding the consumer sensory evaluation of cookies, RBW, MAG and shortening had similar scores of 3.9, 4.3 and 4.1, respectively. For wax-based oleogels, the higher the content of β' crystal and solid fat content (SFC), the lower the hardness of cookies, but the cookies hardness of emulsifier based oleogels do not depend on β' content and SFC. This paper confirmed the best gelators for cookies, and provided a reference for developing the oleogels to match the quality of shortening in cookies.

Evaluation of pasting and gelling properties of commercial flours under high heating temperatures using Rapid Visco Analyzer 4800

In this study, pasting and gelling behaviors of flours were investigated at heating temperatures of 95-140 °C. Overall, both peak and breakdown viscosities of the flours were positively correlated with starch contents (p < 0.01) but inversely correlated with protein (p < 0.01) and fiber contents (p < 0.05) at 95-140 °C. When the heating temperature increased, pasting temperatures and peak viscosities of most waxy and normal flours largely remained the same, but their holding strengths and final viscosities gradually decreased. However, pulse and high-amylose maize flours required a holding temperature above 95 °C to achieve the highest peak and final viscosities. Normal maize and pulse flours formed hard gels after cooking at 120 °C, and high-amylose maize flour developed the firmest gel after cooking at 140 °C. Chemical compositions, particle sizes, and thermal properties of the studied flours influenced their pasting and gelling properties to certain levels under the different heating temperatures.

Signatures for torque variation in wheat dough structure are affected by enzymatic treatments and heating

Molecular interactions in dough are poorly defined but affect final product usage. By monitoring changes in torque as dough is formed, we identified 80-85 °C as a gateway stage determining dough collapse during the mixing/heating process. We propose that this phenomenon is a diagnostic signature linked to integral features of dough complexes formed by some wheat varieties but not others. We found the dough at 80-85 °C was stabilized by increasing the starting bowl temperature (before a standard linear increase in temperature) of the mixing process and demonstrated the significance of specific macromolecular interactions that are formed early in the mixing process. Enzymes including papain, alpha-amylase, glucose oxidase and phytase stabilized dough structure to facilitate transition through the gateway temperatures between 80 and 85 °C. Our results show that if the dough initially formed a protein-starch complex that was too large, instability and collapse of the structure can occur later.

Sucrose isomers as alternative sweeteners: properties, production, and applications

In the daily diet, sweeteners play an indispensable role. Among them, sucrose, a widely occurring disaccharide in nature, is a commonly used sweetener. However, the intake of sucrose can cause a rapid increase in blood glucose, which leads to a number of health problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for possible alternatives to sucrose. Currently, four naturally occurring sucrose isomers, trehalulose, turanose, leucrose, and isomaltulose are considered to be possible alternatives to sucrose due to their suitable sweetness, potential physiological benefits, and feasible production processes. This review covers the properties of these alternative sweeteners, including their structure, sweetness, hydrolysis rate, toxicology, and cariogenicity, and exhibits their potential applications in chronic diseases management, anti-inflammatory supplement, prebiotic dietary supplement, and stabilizing agent. The biosynthesis of these sucrose isomers using carbohydrate-active enzymes and their industrial production processes are also systematically summarized.