Spinnability and rheological properties of globular soy protein solution

Viscoelastic behavior, gelation properties and structural characterization of Deccan hemp seed (Hibiscus cannabinus) protein: Influence of protein and ionic concentrations, pH, and temperature

This study investigates the viscoelastic behavior, gelling properties, and structural characteristics of Deccan hemp seed protein (DHSP) to overcome limitations in its application in food formulations. Small amplitude oscillatory shear measurements were employed to investigate the impact of protein concentration, pH, ionic concentration, and temperature on DHSP's rheological features. The study revealed that the 20 % protein dispersion had the highest storage modulus (G') and yield stress at 63.96 ± 0.23 Pa and 0.61 Pa, respectively. DHSP dispersion exhibited pseudo-plastic behavior across various conditions. The gelling performance was higher at pH 4 and 8 and at ionic concentration in the range of 0.1 M - 0.5 M. Gelation time and temperature were observed from the temperature ramp test. Structural characterizations, including fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectra, FTIR spectra, SEM, AFM images, zeta potential analysis, and DSC, provided insights into DHSP's tertiary and secondary conformation, surface characteristics, and thermal properties. Notably, the study highlighted DHSP's exceptional rheological properties, making it a promising gelling material for the food and nutraceutical industries. The findings also offer new insights into DHSP's structural characteristics, suggesting potential applications in food packaging and product development within the food industry.

Natural polysaccharides and proteins-based films for potential food packaging and mulch applications: A review

Conventional nondegradable packaging and mulch films, after reaching the end of their use, become a major source of waste and are primarily disposed of in landfills. Accumulation of non-degradable film residues in the soil leads to diminished soil fertility, reduced crop yield, and can potentially affect humans. Application of degradable films is still limited due to the high cost, poor mechanical, and gas barrier properties of current biobased synthetic polymers. In this respect, natural polysaccharides and proteins can offer potential solutions. Having versatile functional groups, three-dimensional network structures, biodegradability, ease of processing, and the potential for surface modifications make polysaccharides and proteins excellent candidates for quality films. Besides, their low-cost availability as industrial waste/byproducts makes them cost-effective alternatives. This review paper covers the performance properties, cost assessment, and in-depth analysis of macromolecular structures of some natural polysaccharides and proteins-based films that have great potential for packaging and mulch applications. Proper dissolution of biopolymers to improve molecular interactions and entanglement, and establishment of crosslinkages to form an ordered and cohesive polymeric structure can help to obtain films with good properties. Simple aqueous-based film formulation techniques and utilization of waste/byproducts can stimulate the adoption of affordable biobased films on a large-scale.

Type-Independent 3D Writing and Nano-Patterning of Confined Biopolymers

Biopolymers are essential building blocks that constitute cells and tissues with well-defined molecular structures and diverse biological functions. Their three-dimensional (3D) complex architectures are used to analyze, control, and mimic various cells and their ensembles. However, the free-form and high-resolution structuring of various biopolymers remain challenging because their structural and rheological control depend critically on their polymeric types at the submicron scale. Here, direct 3D writing of intact biopolymers is demonstrated using a systemic combination of nanoscale confinement, evaporation, and solidification of a biopolymer-containing solution. A femtoliter solution is confined in an ultra-shallow liquid interface between a fine-tuned nanopipette and a chosen substrate surface to achieve directional growth of biopolymer nanowires via solvent-exclusive evaporation and concurrent solution supply. The evaporation-dependent printing is biopolymer type-independent, therefore, the 3D motor-operated precise nanopipette positioning allows in situ printing of nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and proteins with submicron resolution. By controlling concentrations and molecular weights, several different biopolymers are reproducibly patterned with desired size and geometry, and their 3D architectures are biologically active in various solvents with no structural deformation. Notably, protein-based nanowire patterns exhibit pin-point localization of spatiotemporal biofunctions, including target recognition and catalytic peroxidation, indicating their application potential in organ-on-chips and micro-tissue engineering.

A Narrative Review of Alternative Protein Sources: Highlights on Meat, Fish, Egg and Dairy Analogues

The research and development of alternatives to meat (including fish) and dairy products for human consumption have been increasing in recent years. In the context of these alternatives, there is a diversity of products such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, pulses, algae, seeds, nuts and insects. Apart from these, some products require new technical processes such as needed by milk drink alternatives, mycoprotein and meat, cheese and fish analogues. The aim of these analogues is to mimic the physical and organoleptic properties of animal origin products through fibrous composition and mix of ingredients from vegetable sources using adequate technology, which allow providing similar texture and flavor. Using a narrative approach to review literature, the objectives of this paper are to systematize the arguments supporting the adoption of meat, eggs and dairy alternatives, to identify the diversity of alternatives to these products on the market, including the related technological processes, and to project the challenges that the food industry may face soon. From a total of 302 scientific papers identified in databases, 186 papers were considered. More research papers on products associated with alternatives to milk were found. Nevertheless, there are products that need more research as analogues to meat and dairy products. A general scheme that brings together the main reasons, resources and challenges that the food industry faces in this promising area of alternatives to meat and dairy products is presented.

Innovative Process Coupling Short Steam Blanching with Vacuum Flash-Expansion Produces in One Single Stage High-Quality Purple Passion Fruit Smoothies

Short steam blanching coupled with flash-vacuum expansion (FVE) and de-pulping was used to obtain purée from purple passion fruits discarded from the export chain. Different steam blanching holding times (80, 95, 110 s) were tested at pressure of 130 kPa. After FVE and vacuum de-pulping, fibers, anthocyanins, carotenoids, rheological properties, and microbial reduction were evaluated in the purées. Fruit purées are obtained with a much higher content of cell-wall and bioactive compounds compared to the fresh arils since part of the fruit shell is incorporated into the purée (approximately 20%), which greatly increases the yield of production. Purées exhibited increasing shear-thinning flow behavior with blanching holding time, resulting in a smoothie-like beverage. A reduction greater than 5 log10 CFU/mL was obtained for molds, yeasts, aerobic mesophilic, and coliforms for all the treatments. The shelf life of smoothies based on nutritional and sensorial quality was extended up to 90 days at refrigeration temperature.

Plant protein-based fibers: Fabrication, characterization, and potential food applications

Proteins from plants have been considered as safer, healthier, and more sustainable resources than their animal counterparts. However, incomplete amino acid composition and relatively poor functionality limit their applications in foods. Structuring plant proteins to fibrous architectures enhances their physicochemical properties, which can favor various food applications. This review primarily focuses on fabrication of fibers from plant proteins via self-assembly, electrospinning, solution blow spinning, wet spinning, and high-temperature shear, as well as on several applications where such fibrous proteins assemble in quality foods. The changes of protein structure and protein-protein interactions during fiber production are discussed in detail, along with the effects of fabrication conditions and protein sources on the morphology and function of the fibers. Self-assembly requires proteolysis and subsequent peptide aggregation under specific conditions, which can be influenced by pH, salt and protein type. The spinning strategy is more scalable and produces uniformed fibers with larger length scales suitable for encapsulation, food packaging and sensor substrates. Significant progress has been made on high-temperature shear (including extrusion)-induced fibers responsible for desirable texture in meat analogues. Structuring plant proteins adds values for broadened food applications, but it remains challenging to keep processes cost-effective and environmentally friendly using food grade solvents.

Plant-Based Seafood Analogs

There is a growing global need to shift from animal- towards plant-based diets. The main motivations are environmental/sustainability-, human health- and animal welfare concerns. The aim is to replace traditional animal-based food with various alternatives, predominantly plant-based analogs. The elevated consumption of fish and seafood, leads to negative impacts on the ecosystem, due to dwindling biodiversity, environmental damage and fish diseases related to large-scale marine farming, and increased intake of toxic substances, particularly heavy metals, which accumulate in fish due to water pollution. While these facts lead to increased awareness and rising dietary shifts towards vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, still the majority of seafood consumers seek traditional products. This encourages the development of plant-based analogs for fish and seafood, mimicking the texture and sensorial properties of fish-meat, seafood, or processed fish products. Mimicking the internal structure and texture of fish or seafood requires simulating their nanometric fibrous-gel structure. Common techniques of structuring plant-based proteins into such textures include hydrospinning, electrospinning, extrusion, and 3D printing. The conditions required in each technique, the physicochemical and functional properties of the proteins, along with the use of other non-protein functional ingredients are reviewed. Trends and possible future developments are discussed.

Transferring feather wastes to ductile keratin filaments towards a sustainable poultry industry

Technology for the transformation of waste feathers to quality regenerated filaments has been developed. Regardless of superior properties of natural keratin materials, previously developed regenerated materials from keratin had tensile properties much lower than their natural counterparts due to backbone hydrolysis and inefficient reconstruction of disulfide crosslinkages. In this work, tough keratin filaments have been regenerated from white duck feathers via efficient restoration of disulfide crosslinkages using a dithiol reducing agent. Dithiol substantially reserves free thiol groups in the extraction and formed lengthy intermolecular crosslinkages in regenerated keratin filaments. Due to the high degree of intermolecular reconstruction of disulfide bonds and formation of lengthy crosslinkages via dithiol chain-extension, the keratin filaments exhibited considerable improvements in mechanical properties, especially for ductility and water stability. The tenacity and elongation at break were 160.7 MPa and 14%, respectively. The filaments retained about 80% of the tenacity of natural feathers at either dry or wet conditions and demonstrated stretchability 150% higher than natural feathers. The fiber regeneration technology makes it possible to substitute primary fiber sources by renewable poultry feathers. Successful filament substitution or addition can bring more than 88-billion-dollar revenue. The technology not only contributes to a sustainable fiber and poultry industry but adds substantial values to poultry feathers.