Xinjiang is a major wine-making region in China, but its hot climate in summer and intense sun exposure negatively affect the aroma quality of Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The aim of this study was to characterize and differentiate the volatile composition of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from two clones (169 and 191) in Xinjiang, and to study their aromatic profile evolution during 12-month oak barrel aging period. Results showed that before aging, clone 169 wine contained higher concentrations of several alcohols and ethyl esters, while acetate esters and furanic compounds were higher in clone 191 wine. After aging, levels of many terpenes, norisoprenoids, volatile phenols and phenolic aldehydes were significantly higher in clone 169 wine than 191 wine. Aroma series analysis revealed that clone 169 wine exhibited higher floral and roasty aromas after aging, while clone 191 wine had stronger chemical aroma. Principal component analysis indicated that aging process played a primary role in the alteration of volatile profile in these wines. Clone played a secondary role and oak barrel had a tertiary contribution to the variation. The present work indicates that clone 169 is a better choice for producing high-quality aged Cabernet Sauvignon wine with intense and elegant aroma in Xinjiang. Full article

Fluidized-bed agglomeration (FBA) is known to modify the structure and rheology of food powders. In this study, guar gum (GG) powders with various concentrations of sucrose binder (0%, 10%, 20%, or 30%) were subjected to fluidized-bed agglomeration. Subsequently, changes in the characteristics of the GG powders were evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size distribution (PSD) analysis, and rheological and dispersibility measurements. SEM images and FTIR spectra revealed surface morphology changes and structural modification, respectively, in the original GG powder after FBA, although the changes observed in FTIR spectra were only slightly dependent on sucrose concentration at low concentrations (0–20%). XRD patterns confirmed that the crystallinity of the GG powder was affected by FBA, but not greatly so by binder concentration. The PSD results showed that the GG particle size was increased by FBA and there was a clear relationship between sucrose concentration (10–30%) and mean particle size. The rheological behavior and dispersibility of GG (properties that are known to be affected by the structure of a powder) were also influenced by sucrose concentration. To sum up, FBA and the concentration of sucrose binder used can serve as factors for modifying GG powder. Full article

Handheld visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy can be cost-effective, rapid, non-destructive and transportable techniques for identifying meat species and may be valuable for enforcement authorities, retail and consumers. In this study, a handheld Vis-NIR (400–1000 nm) and a handheld NIR (900–1700 nm) spectrometer were applied to discriminate halal meat species from pork (halal certification), as well as speciation of intact and ground lamb, beef, chicken and pork (160 meat samples). Several types of class modeling multivariate approaches were applied. The presented one-class classification (OCC) approach, especially with the Vis-NIR sensor (95–100% correct classification rate), was found to be suitable for the application of halal from non-halal meat-species discrimination. In a discriminant approach, using the Vis-NIR data and support vector machine (SVM) classification, the four meat species tested could be classified with accuracies of 93.4% and 94.7% for ground and intact meat, respectively, while with partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), classification accuracies were 87.4% (ground) and 88.6% (intact). Using the NIR sensor, total accuracies of the SVM models were 88.2% and 81.5% for ground and intact meats, respectively, and PLS-DA classification accuracies were 88.3% (ground) and 80% (intact). We conclude that the Vis-NIR sensor was most successful in the halal certification (OCC approaches) and speciation (discriminant approaches) for both intact and ground meat using SVM. Full article

The production of good Meju soybean paste primarily depends on the selection of raw materials and fermenting microorganisms, which together influence its characteristic metabolites, taste, and aroma. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between properties and metabolites in Meju samples fermented by Aspergillus oryzae alone or with Bacillus velezensis. We developed fast-stable processing techniques to obtain Meju from A. oryzae and B. velezensis using the inoculation method, thereby ensuring safety in the production of soybean paste. The amino-type nitrogen content increased from an initial 180–228 mg% to a final 226–776 mg% during fermentation and was higher in Meju inoculated separately with the fungi and bacteria (C group) than in Meju co-inoculated with both the starters concurrently (D group). The levels of metabolites such as glucose, myo-inositol, glycerol, and fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids) in Meju fermented by A. oryzae with B. velezensis were higher than those in Meju fermented by A. oryzae alone. Fungal growth was affected by the inoculated bacteria, which often occurs during the fermentation of co-inoculated Meju. Full article

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) represents a medicinal plant known for its various health-promoting properties. Its extracts and essential oils exhibit antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial activities. The main compounds responsible for these effects are the diterpenes carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmanol, as well as the phenolic acid ester rosmarinic acid. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the pharmacological activities of rosemary and its compounds. To discern these mechanisms, we performed a large-scale inverse molecular docking study to identify their potential protein targets. Listed compounds were separately docked into predicted binding sites of all non-redundant holo proteins from the Protein Data Bank and those with the top scores were further examined. We focused on proteins directly related to human health, including human and mammalian proteins as well as proteins from pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The observed interactions of rosemary compounds indeed confirm the beforementioned activities, whereas we also identified their potential for anticoagulant and antiparasitic actions. The obtained results were carefully checked against the existing experimental findings from the scientific literature as well as further validated using both redocking procedures and retrospective metrics. Full article

Decapterus maruadsi surimi products were prepared using the thermal treatment methods of boiling (BOI), steaming (STE), back-pressure sterilization (BAC), roasting (ROA), microwaving (MIC), and frying (FRI), respectively. The effect of glutamine transaminase (TGase) addition was also investigated. The moisture distribution, water retention, microstructure, color, fracture constant, protein secondary structure, chemical forces, and flavor components of each sample were determined. The differences in gel and favor characteristics between D. maruadsi surimi products caused by thermal treatment methods were analyzed. The results showed that BOI, STE, and FRI had the largest protein secondary structure transitions and formed dense gel structures with high fracture constant. The kinds of flavour components in BOI and STE were completer and more balanced. The high temperature treatment available at BAC and FRI (110 °C and 150 °C) accelerated the chemical reaction involved in flavor formation, which highlighted the flavor profiles dominated by furans or esters. The open thermal treatment environments of ROA, MIC, and FRI gave them a low moisture content and water loss. This allowed the MIC to underheat during the heat treatment, which formed a loose gel structure with a low fracture coefficient. The addition of TGase enhances the gel quality, most noticeably in the ROA. The aldehyde content of the FRI was enhanced in the flavor characteristic. The effect of adding TGase to enhance the quality of the gel is most evident in ROA. It also substantially increased the content of aldehydes in FRI. In conclusion, different heat treatments could change the gel characteristics of surimi products and provide different flavor profiles. The gel quality of BOI and STE was consistently better in all aspects. Full article

Lutein is a kind of vital carotenoid with high safety and significant advantages in biological functions. However, poor water solubility and stability of lutein have limited its application. This study selected different weight ratios of sodium caseinate to acetylated mung bean starch (10:0, 9:1, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7, 1:9, and 0:10) to prepare lutein emulsions, and the microcapsules were produced by spray drying technology. The microstructure, physicochemical properties, and storage stability of microcapsules were investigated. The results show that the emulsion systems were typical non-Newtonian fluids. Lutein microcapsules were light yellow fine powder with smooth and relatively complete particle surface. The increase of sodium caseinate content led to the enhanced emulsion effect of the emulsion and the yield and solubility of microcapsules increased, and wettability and the average particle size became smaller. The encapsulation efficiency of lutein microcapsules ranged from 69.72% to 89.44%. The thermal characteristics analysis showed that the endothermic transition of lutein microcapsules occurred at about 125 °C. The microcapsules with sodium caseinate as single wall material had the worst stability. Thus, it provides a reference for expanding the application of lutein in food, biological, pharmaceutical, and other industries and improving the stability and water dispersion of other lipid-soluble active ingredients. Full article

Despite the popularity of online food delivery systems in the foodservice industry, there have been few studies into customers’ decision-making process to use online food delivery services during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study applied the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine the factors affecting customers’ intention to use online food delivery services. Results showed (a) the perceived usefulness affects customer’s online food delivery usage directly and indirectly through customer attitude; (b) enjoyment and trust are also key factors determining behavior intention toward customer attitude using online food delivery services; (c) positive relationship between social influence and customer attitude; and (d) a positive relationship between customer attitude and behavior intention in the online food delivery service context. These findings provide theoretical and managerial implications that contribute to the online food delivery service industry. Full article

Salt is one of the most important factors for fermented foods, but the effect of salt treatment time on the quality of fermented foods has rarely been studied. In this study, the effect of different salt treatment times (0, 48, and 96 h) after the start of fermentation on the quality of the soy sauce moromi extract (SSME) was investigated. As the salt treatment time was delayed, the population of Aspergillus oryzae, Lactobacillaceae, and Enterococcaecea in SSME increased, whereas the population of Staphylococcaceae and Bacillaceae decreased, leading to changes in the enzymatic activity and metabolite profiles. In particular, the contents of amino acids, peptides, volatile compounds, acidic compounds, sugars, and secondary metabolites were significantly affected by the salt treatment time, resulting in changes in the sensory quality and appearance of SSME. The correlation data showed that metabolites, bacterial population, and sensory parameters had strong positive or negative correlations with each other. Moreover, based on metabolomics analysis, the salt treatment-time-related SSME metabolomic pathway was proposed. Although further studies are needed to elucidate the salt treatment mechanism in fermented foods, our data can be useful to better understand the effect of salt treatment time on the quality of fermented foods. Full article

“Chinese paocai” is typically made by fermenting red radish or cabbage with aged brine (6–8 w/w). This study aimed to reveal the effects of paocai raw materials on fermentation microorganisms by metagenomics sequencing technology, and on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy, using red radish or cabbage fermented for six rounds with aged brine. The results showed that in the same fermentation period, the microbial diversity in cabbage was higher than that in red radish. Secundilactobacillus paracollinoides and Furfurilactobacillus siliginis were the characteristic bacteria in red radish paocai, whereas 15 species of characteristic microbes were found in cabbage. Thirteen kinds of VOCs were different between the two raw materials and the correlation between the microorganisms and VOCs showed that cabbage paocai had stronger correlations than radish paocai for the most significant relationship between 4-isopropylbenzyl alcohol, α-cadinol, terpinolene and isobutyl phenylacetate. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for understanding the microbiota and their relation to the characteristic flavors of the fermented paocai. Full article

Roasted coffee has been the target of increasingly complex adulterations. Sensitive, non-destructive, rapid and multicomponent techniques for their detection are sought after. This work proposes the detection of several common adulterants (corn, barley, soybean, rice, coffee husks and robusta coffee) in roasted ground arabica coffee (from different geographic regions), combining near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics (Principal Component Analysis—PCA). Adulterated samples were composed of one to six adulterants, ranging from 0.25 to 80% (w/w). The results showed that NIR spectroscopy was able to discriminate pure arabica coffee samples from adulterated ones (for all the concentrations tested), including robusta coffees or coffee husks, and independently of being single or multiple adulterations. The identification of the adulterant in the sample was only feasible for single or double adulterations and in concentrations ≥10%. NIR spectroscopy also showed potential for the geographical discrimination of arabica coffees (South and Central America). Full article

The aim of this study was to develop inclusions formed by γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) and three isothiocyanates (ITCs), including benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), and 3-methylthiopropyl isothiocyanate (MTPITC) to improve their controlled release for the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). These inclusion complexes were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, thermogravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), providing appropriate evidence to confirm the formation of inclusion complexes. Preliminary evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of the different inclusion complexes, carried out in vitro by agar diffusion, showed that such activity lasted 5–7 days longer in γ-CD-BITC, in comparison with γ-CD-PEITC and γ-CD-MTPITC. The biofilm formation was less in S. aureus treated with γ-CD-BITC than that of BITC by using crystal violet quantification assay and SEM. The expression of virulence genes, including sarA, agr, cp5D, cp8F, clf, nuc, and spa, showed sustained downregulation in S. aureus treated with γ-CD-BITC for 24 h by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the growth of S. aureus in cooked chicken breast treated with γ-CD-BITC and BITC was predicted by the Gompertz model. The lag time of γ-CD-BITC was 1.3–2.4 times longer than that of BITC, and correlation coefficient (R²) of the secondary models was 0.94–0.99, respectively. These results suggest that BITC has a more durable antibacterial effect against S. aureus after encapsulation by γ-CD. Full article