Understanding stickiness in sugar-rich food systems: A review of mechanisms, analyses, and solutions of adhesion

Pull-Off Forces on Implant-Supported Single Restorations by Sticky Food: An In Vitro Study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the pull-off forces on implant-supported restorations caused by sticky food, to understand how much retention force cemented restorations must have to withstand chewing forces without unintentional retention loss. The influence of food type, restoration design, and surface treatment were investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Monolithic implant-supported CAD/CAM zirconia crowns were fabricated and divided into groups according to their design: no (NC), flat (FC) and high cusps (HC) and subdivided according to surface roughness: rough (r) and smooth (s) (n = 10/group). NC represented the control group. The crowns were fixed in a universal testing machine opposite to each other. Four sticky foods (caramel, fruit jelly, candy strips and licorice) and a resin crown remover were tested. These were heated (36.4°C), placed between the crowns and compressed, then tensile strength tests were performed. The maximum pull-off force was recorded (Newton [N]). Statistical analysis was performed using 3-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

The highest mean pull-off force among food samples was with caramel_HC_r (12.09 ± 1.26 N), whereas the lowest was with licorice_FC_s (3.21 ± 0.15 N). For the resin crown remover, a mean pull-off force of 55.41 ± 3.87 N was measured in the HC_r group. Both food type and crown design showed a significant influence on pull-off force (p < 0.001), whereas no significant effect was reported with different surface roughnesses (p = 0.344).

CONCLUSION

This study reported pull-off forces of up to 20 N between all-ceramic restorations caused by sticky food. The clinical implication of these findings is that a cemented implant-restoration must have a minimum retention force of 20 N to withstand unintentional displacement during function.

Effects of saccharide type and extended heating on the Maillard reaction and physicochemical properties of high-solid gelatin gels

This research delves into the Maillard reaction (MR) in high-solid gelatin-saccharide mixtures consisting of 8% and 72% of allulose, fructose, or fructo-oligosaccharides, which were subjected to varied duration (0-60min) of thermal processing prior to gelation. Physicochemical properties of the gels, including color, chemical composition, protein crosslinking, mechanical strength, in-vitro digestibility and antioxidant activities, were characterized. At pH ∼5.5 and intermediate water activities (0.6-0.7), fast browning was observed through sugar degradation and sugar-amine interactions, which were intensified by prolonged heating. The MR reactivity of saccharides followed: AL > FRU > FOS. Characteristic products (MRPs, e.g., α-dicarbonyls, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and advanced glycation end products) were identified, with the spectra of MRPs varying significantly between monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. The MR-induced protein glycation and crosslinking exhibited certain negative impacts on the gel strength and in-vitro protein digestibility. Furthermore, all gelatin-saccharide mixtures exhibited augmented antioxidant properties, with the gelatin-AL mixtures displaying the highest free radical scavenging rates.

Transformation of cell wall pectin profile during postharvest ripening process alters drying behavior and regulates the sugar content of dried plums

This study evaluated the effects of postharvest ripening (0-6 days, D0-6) on cell wall pectin profile, infrared-assisted hot air-drying characteristics, and sugar content. Results showed that during postharvest ripening progress, the content of water-soluble pectin (WSP) and chelate-soluble pectin (CSP) increased while the content of Na2CO3-soluble pectin (NSP) and hemicellulose (HC) decreased. In addition, the average molecular weight of WSP increased while the average molecular weight of NSP decreased. Secondly, the drying time of plums with different postharvest ripening periods was in the order: D3 < D4 < D2 < D1 < D0 < D5 < D6. Furthermore, the sugar content of dried plums was mainly influenced by drying time, with three stages of sugar changes observed, tied to moisture content: (1) Sucrose hydrolyzes (50-85%); (2) Fructose and glucose degrade (15-50%); (3) Sorbitol degrades (15-42%). These findings indicate that the transformation of cell wall pectin profile during the postharvest ripening process alters drying behavior and regulates the sugar content of dried plums. CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS STUDIED IN THIS ARTICLE: Galacturonic acid (PubChem CID: 439215); Acetone (PubChem CID: 180); Distilled water (PubChem CID: 962); Trans-1,2-Diaminocyclohexane-N, N, N, N'-tetraacetic acid (PubChem CID: 2723845); Na2CO3 (PubChem CID: 10340); Glucose (PubChem CID: 5793); fructose (PubChem CID: 2723872) sucrose (PubChem CID: 5988) sorbitol (PubChem CID: 5780) and Sodium borohydride (PubChem CID: 4311764).

Engineered Sustainable Omniphobic Coatings to Control Liquid Spreading on Food-Contact Materials

The adhesion of sticky liquid foods to a contacting surface can cause many technical challenges. The food manufacturing sector is confronted with many critical issues that can be overcome with long-lasting and highly nonwettable coatings. Nanoengineered biomimetic surfaces with distinct wettability and tunable interfaces have elicited increasing interest for their potential use in addressing a broad variety of scientific and technological applications, such as antifogging, anti-icing, antifouling, antiadhesion, and anticorrosion. Although a large number of nature-inspired surfaces have emerged, food-safe nonwetted surfaces are still in their infancy, and numerous structural design aspects remain unexplored. This Review summarizes the latest scientific research regarding the key principles, fabrication methods, and applications of three important categories of nonwettable surfaces: superhydrophobic, liquid-infused slippery, and re-entrant structured surfaces. The Review is particularly focused on new insights into the antiwetting mechanisms of these nanopatterned structures and discovering efficient platform methodologies to guide their rational design when in contact with food materials. A detailed description of the current opportunities, challenges, and future scale-up possibilities of these nanoengineered surfaces in the food industry is also provided.

Pea protein–sugar beet pectin binders can provide cohesiveness in burger type meat analogues

Methylcellulose is commonly used in meat analogues for binding ingredients. In this study, we compared the binding properties of a methylcellulose hydrogel (5% w/w) to a novel, clean-label binder based on a mixture of pea protein and sugar beet pectin (r = 2:1, 22.5% w/w, pH 6.0) with and without laccase addition in a burger type meat analogue. It was shown that the pea protein–pectin binder glued vegetable protein particles and fat mimic particles together prior to cooking and frying, thereby improving forming of the mass into burger patties. Furthermore, sensory analysis revealed that the cohesiveness of the fried burger patties was better when the protein–pectin binder was used. However, the used binder system did not affect the hardness of the burger patties indicating that the binders rather affected the coherence of the structural elements. Burgers with solid fat particles were rated better in terms of appearance as compared to emulsified fat particles, since the former were not visible. This study is useful to better understand meat analogue product design for a higher acceptance among consumers.

Comparison of Binding Properties of a Laccase-Treated Pea Protein-Sugar Beet Pectin Mixture with Methylcellulose in a Bacon-Type Meat Analogue

A bacon-type meat analogue consists of different structural layers, such as textured protein and a fat mimetic. To obtain a coherent and appealing product, a suitable binder must glue those elements together. A mixture based on pea protein and sugar beet pectin (r = 2:1, 25% w/w solids, pH 6) with and without laccase addition and a methylcellulose hydrogel (6% w/w) serving as benchmark were applied as binder between textured protein and a fat mimetic. A tensile strength test, during which the layers were torn apart, was performed to measure the binding ability. The pea protein-sugar beet pectin mixture without laccase was viscoelastic and had medium and low binding strength at 25 °C (F ≤ 3.5 N) and 70 °C (F ≈ 1.0 N), respectively. The addition of laccase solidified the mixture and increased binding strength at 25 °C (F ≥ 4.0 N) and 70 °C (F ≈ 2.0 N), due to covalent bonds within the binder and between the binder and the textured protein or the fat mimetic layers. Generally, the binding strength was higher when two textured protein layers were glued together. The binding properties of methylcellulose hydrogel was low (F ≤ 2.0 N), except when two fat mimetic layers were bound due to hydrophobic interactions becoming dominant. The investigated mixed pectin-pea protein system is able serve as a clean-label binder in bacon-type meat analogues, and the application in other products seems promising.

Study of the consistency of defrosted aerated fermented milk desserts by rheological methods

The aim of the research was to quantify the consistency of defrosted aerated fermented milk desserts. The objects of research were samples of desserts with a mass fraction of fat of 2.5%, in one of the samples whey protein concentrate was used (WPC). Rotational viscometry, penetrometric and thermostatic methods were used. It has been established that the use of WPC allows increasing dynamic viscosity by 4.5 times, mixture overrun by 1.4 times, dimensional stability (less shrinkage degree) by 1.26 times, adhesion by 1.65 times and stickiness by 1.93 times. Also, the hardness decreases by 1.6 times and the elastic modulus by 1.65 times. The results obtained are of practical importance in substantiating the composition, parameters of the production process and the sale of defrosted aerated fermented milk desserts.