Search Results (85)

The rapid global transition toward sustainable food systems has intensified interest in alternative protein ingredients derived from both terrestrial plants and blue foods. However, a critical bottleneck in the commercialization of these proteins is the stabilization of flavor profiles during dehydration. Drying technologies ranging from conventional hot-air and heat pump drying to microwave and vacuum freeze-drying inevitably induce structural reorganization and oxidative modifications. These transformations fundamentally modulate how volatile flavor compounds are bound, retained, and released within the food matrix. This review proposes a comprehensive structure–process–function framework that mechanistically connects intrinsic protein architectures, drying-induced denaturation, and flavor-binding behavior. The review first contrasts globular plant proteins (e.g., soy, pea, and emerging tropical crops) with fibrous marine myofibrillar and collagenous proteins, emphasizing their distinct hierarchies, amino acid compositions, and oxidative vulnerabilities. It then critically evaluates how varying drying modalities drive protein unfolding, aggregation, and carbonylation, and how these transformations alter binding pocket accessibility, surface hydrophobicity, and lipid–protein–flavor crosstalk. Furthermore, it highlights the emerging role of hybrid plant–marine protein matrices as a strategy to optimize techno-functionality. By integrating structural biophysics with computational approaches such as molecular docking and structure-based modeling, this review provides a predictive conceptual map for designing flavor–protein interactions under specific dehydration histories. Ultimately, the proposed framework offers practical design principles for selecting protein sources and tailoring drying strategies to produce high-quality, sensorially superior, and sustainable next-generation food products. Full article

Industrial processing of tomato generates large amounts of tomato pomace (TP), whose disposal and stabilization are challenging due to its high moisture content. This study evaluated, for the first time, the effects of increasing inclusion levels of enzymatic pre-treatment, vacuum paddle-dehydrated TP (ETP), in extruded diets for adult dogs. Three diets containing 0%, 2% or 4% ETP, replacing wheat bran and sunflower meal, were produced. Three two-bowl tests assessed palatability, and a feeding trial was performed using a four 3 × 3 Latin square design with 12 healthy adult Beagle dogs across three 28-day periods. Inclusion of ETP had negligible effects on the chemical composition of diets and kept unaffected palatability, body weight, food intake, fecal consistency and output. Fecal pH was lower, and valerate proportion was higher, in dogs fed the 2% ETP diet. All diets exhibited high digestibility (>90%) without effects of dietary treatments. Overall, ETP, a locally sourced co-product of the food industry, may represent a more sustainable alternative to imported raw materials, although further studies are needed to explore its effects on fecal microbiota and health-related parameters. Full article

Iron deficiency and associated anemia remain major public health concerns, requiring innovative food fortification systems with adequate technological and sensory performance. This study aimed to develop a multicomponent fortified gummy candy using heme iron from Cavia porcellus erythrocytes, non-heme iron from Feranin^®, and elderberry juice, integrated through microencapsulation and stabilized by vacuum foam drying. Erythrocytes were isolated, dehydrated, and microencapsulated in a tara gum–maltodextrin matrix, yielding a powder with 1.49 mg Fe/g dry matter. The microencapsulates exhibited compact morphology, lower polydispersity, and negative ζ potential, indicating suitable surface stability. Three gummy formulations (F1–F3) were prepared with different proportions of encapsulated erythrocytes, non-heme iron, and elderberry juice. Iron content increased significantly from 0.21 to 0.89 mg Fe/g of gummy candy. The formulations showed variations in water activity (0.84–0.88), moisture (33.79–40.22%), pH (4.64–6.15), soluble solids (41.00–46.67 °Brix), phenolic compounds (0.80–1.14 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (0.13–0.27 mg QE/g), and antioxidant capacity (1.53–3.75 µmol TE/g). FTIR and SEM confirmed structural preservation and matrix integration. Sensory evaluation showed comparable overall acceptability among formulations, with F3 showing higher mean ranks for flavor and texture. Overall, vacuum foam drying was a feasible strategy for valorizing animal-derived by-products in fortified gelled confectionery. Full article

Driven by the growing demand for sustainable polymers, polylactic acid (PLA) has attracted increasing attention due to its renewable origin and biodegradability. Lactide, the key cyclic monomer for PLA production via ring-opening polymerization (ROP), plays a decisive role in determining the molecular weight, stereoregularity, and final performance of PLA materials. However, current lactide synthesis processes still face significant challenges, including competing side reactions under high-temperature and high-vacuum conditions, difficulties in controlling stereochemical purity, and relatively high energy consumption. In this review, recent advances in lactide synthesis are systematically analyzed by examining the two principal industrial routes: the one-step process based on the direct dehydration–cyclization of lactic acid (LA), and the two-step process involving prepolymerization of LA followed by depolymerization/cyclization of oligomeric intermediates. The reaction mechanisms, key intermediates, and major side reactions—including racemization, transesterification, and deep polycondensation—are discussed, together with the regulatory roles of catalytic systems and reaction–separation coupling strategies. Comparative analysis reveals that the one-step route offers advantages in process integration and potential energy efficiency, whereas the two-step route provides superior control over stereochemical purity and process stability. Future research directions focusing on green catalysts, process intensification, and sustainable lactide production are also highlighted. Full article

The mechanistic impact of drying technologies on phenolic stability and gastrointestinal bioaccessibility in aronia remains poorly defined, limiting the development of functionally optimized dried berry products. This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the effects of different drying techniques—hot air drying (60, 70, and 80 °C), vacuum drying (60, 70, and 80 °C; 150 mbar), and microwave drying (180 and 360 W)—on total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assessed by DPPH, CUPRAC, and FRAP, and total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA) during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. UHPLC-DAD analysis showed that the phenolic profile was dominated by chlorogenic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, epicatechin, and quercetin. Drying enhanced extractable TPC, while TAC with DPPH and FRAP showed increasing trends and CUPRAC decreased after drying. Color changes indicated increased redness and pigment concentration following dehydration. Simulated digestion induced substantial losses in TPC (53–59%) and TMA (30.5–72.8%), alongside marked reductions in FRAP and CUPRAC, whereas DPPH activity increased significantly, suggesting matrix-driven transformation and release of antioxidant compounds under gastrointestinal conditions. Among the applied methods, vacuum drying (70 °C; 150 mbar) exhibited superior stability in terms of antioxidant and anthocyanin preservation during digestion. Overall, the findings demonstrate that drying-induced structural modifications play a key role in governing phenolic stability and bioaccessibility, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying the functional behavior of dried berry products. Full article

Vacuum drying is a promising alternative to conventional dehydration for heat-sensitive vegetables, although process temperature can significantly affect both drying behavior and product quality. In this study, vacuum drying of cauliflower florets (Brassica oleracea) was evaluated at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C under 10 kPa, using freeze-drying as a reference. Desorption isotherms were determined at 50 and 70 °C and fitted to common models, where the GAB model provided excellent fits (R² = 0.9999 and 0.9997, respectively). The drying kinetics were successfully described by four thin-layer models, with the Midilli–Kucuk and Weibull models performing best overall. Color was significantly affected, with total color differences (ΔE) ranging from 15.9 to 20.6 and higher browning indices at elevated temperatures. Bioactive compounds (total phenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolates) and antioxidant potential (by DPPH and ORAC assays) were quantified to assess changes in functional quality across treatments. Bioactive compounds showed the highest values at the highest temperatures (60–80 °C). The DPPH assay remained stable between 50 and 80 °C, but ORAC assay decreased with increasing temperature, suggesting that vacuum drying at 60–70 °C offers the best balance between overall bioactive retention and functionality for producing cauliflower powder. Full article

Previous studies on velvet antler processing have mainly evaluated single techniques, and systematic comparisons of processing combinations are limited. This study investigated the effects of different processing combinations on the nutritional composition and physicochemical properties of velvet antler from red deer and sika deer. A 2 × 2 factorial design was applied: Blood-Retained vs. Blood-Removed and Boiled/Fried (zhuzha; no deep-frying) vs. Vacuum Freeze-Dried. In this study, Boiled/Fried was treated as a single processing method. The four processing combinations were analyzed as independent groups using one-way ANOVA. Additionally, two-way ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the main effects of pretreatment, dehydration method, and their interaction on the measured indices. To account for species background, a three-way ANOVA (species × pretreatment × dehydration) was further conducted for key indices. Moisture, crude protein, ash, and crude fat contents were determined. All composition-related indices were evaluated on both wet-weight and dry-weight bases to distinguish moisture-driven concentration or dilution effects from processing-related retention changes. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were conducted for multivariate evaluation. Spearman’s rank correlation was used for association analysis, and Pearson’s correlation with linear regression was applied to quantify linear relationships (reported as r). Freeze-drying significantly reduced moisture content (p < 0.01) and increased crude protein content (p < 0.05). PCA and OPLS-DA demonstrated clear compositional separation among the four processing combinations, with moisture and crude protein as the main contributors (cumulative explained variance > 83%). The effects of Blood-Retained and Blood-Removed treatments differed between species. Three-way ANOVA indicated significant species-dependent effects (e.g., species × pretreatment and or species × dehydration interactions), while the pretreatment × dehydration interaction was significant for TAAs. In the Boiled/Fried groups, total amino acid content (TAA) decreased with increasing moisture. In the Freeze-Dried groups, moisture was significantly negatively correlated with TAAs in the Blood-Retained treatment (Pearson r = −0.886, p < 0.05), whereas no significant correlation was observed in the Blood-Removed treatment (r = 0.429, p > 0.05). Wet- versus dry-basis comparisons indicated that some between-treatment differences were attributable to moisture-related concentration or dilution effects, whereas differences persisting on a dry basis more directly reflected processing-related nutrient retention. Processing combinations produced species-dependent effects in velvet antler. The three-way ANOVA supported species-dependent pretreatment effects and confirmed that the influence of blood retention or removal on amino acid outcomes was contingent on the dehydration regime (pretreatment × dehydration for TAAs). From an application standpoint, no single processing route is universally optimal across all quality attributes; freeze-drying provides a robust baseline, whereas the choice of blood retention or removal should be made in a target-oriented manner (e.g., physicochemical stability versus protein and amino acid retention) while accounting for species background and interaction effects. Therefore, these findings provide a scientific basis for improving product quality, processing efficiency, and standardization in China’s velvet antler industry. Full article

Flammulina velutipes (Golden Needle Mushroom, F. velutipes) undergoes rapid postharvest deterioration characterized by browning and decay. Drying effectively extends its shelf life and processing window. This study systematically compared the quality attributes and metabolic profiles of F. velutipes subjected to different treatments: fresh F. velutipes as the control group (CK), hot-air drying (HAD), vacuum freeze drying (VFD), and natural air drying (NAD), to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of drying-induced changes. In appearance, VFD samples were uniformly bright with shape well maintained, while HAD and NAD were brownish yellow with significantly reduced volume. In terms of antioxidant capacity, VFD demonstrated the highest level, followed by HAD. A total of 2645 metabolites were identified in dried F. velutipes via metabolomics (positive/negative ion modes), primarily comprising lipids, terpenoids, polyphenols, amino acids, carbohydrates, and steroids. In contrast to VFD, both HAD and NAD showed reduced levels of certain metabolites. VFD treatment yielded the richest profile of differential metabolites in F. velutipes. These results position VFD as the superior method for preserving the quality and metabolic integrity in F. velutipes. This comparative study serves as a practical reference for selecting the most suitable drying method in the F. velutipes industry and enhances our understanding of the metabolic responses to dehydration stress. Full article

Calcium-ion batteries (CIBs) offer several advantages. CIBs are viable alternatives to lithium-based battery systems owing to the natural abundance, low cost, and high volumetric capacity of calcium. However, their development has been severely constrained by electrolyte instability and water sensitivity. We conducted a systematic examination of Ca(ClO₄)₂ and Ca(PF₆)₂ electrolytes, focusing on low-cost salt production, solvent selection, and stringent dehydration procedures. Acetonitrile (ACN) was the ideal solvent for high salt solubility and reversible Ca²⁺ electrochemistry, while carbonate solvents failed rapidly. We found that even a small amount of moisture in the electrolyte significantly affected the electrochemical performance. This study improved the dehydration process by using 3 Å molecular sieve (MS3A) and vacuum drying to reduce moisture to ppm levels, stabilizing the electrolyte. Prussian blue (PB) half cells exhibited reversible capacities of up to ≈95 mAh g⁻¹, whereas PB-hard carbon full cells utilizing dried Ca(ClO₄)₂ showed stable cycling over 240 cycles with a Coulombic efficiency of ≈99% and capacity loss of only ≈17%. This study establishes a moisture-controlled electrolyte as a critical enabler for practical CIBs. Full article

Edible mushrooms (Suillus luteus) represent valuable sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds that are sensitive to drying conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the drying time, kinetic model, effective diffusivity, activation energy, and color changes in S. luteus samples subjected to convective and vacuum drying at 70 and 50 °C, respectively, following pretreatments with 1% citric acid or blahing. The shortest drying time to reach equilibrium moisture was 14 h at 70 °C under a vacuum, whereas the longest was 44 h at 50 °C under convective drying. The Midilli, logarithmic, and Henderson and Pabis models provided the best fits for vacuum drying. The effective moisture diffusivity values ranged from 5.83 × 10⁻⁹ m²s⁻¹ at 50 °C to 1.159 × 10⁻⁸ m²s⁻¹ at 70 °C, while the mean activation energies for vacuum and convective drying were 10.27 kJmol⁻¹ and 24.7 kJmol⁻¹, respectively. The highest rehydration capacity was observed in untreated samples dried under a vacuum, with a value of 3.5 g H₂O/g dry matter, whereas convective drying yielded 2.4 g H₂O/g dry matter. The greatest shrinkage with respect to thickness was observed in those treated with citric acid and blanching. Correlation analysis of color revealed a strong negative relationship between lightness (L*) and total color difference (ΔE), as well as high positive correlations among a*, b*, and C*, suggesting that color transformations occur jointly throughout dehydration. The findings indicate that effective diffusivity increased with temperature, untreated samples exhibited greater water loss, and rehydration ratios were higher in untreated compared with pretreated samples. Full article

Drying is a widely utilized method for extending the shelf life of food products. This study applied four drying techniques—natural air drying (NAD), hot air drying (HAD), microwave drying (MD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD)—to dehydrate water bamboo shoots (WBS), and investigated their effects on the quality and volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of the dried WBS. The results showed that MD achieved the fastest drying rate, whereas NAD exhibited the slowest. Both MD and VFD samples possessed porous structures. However, the VFD-treated samples retained the highest levels of Vitamin C (VC) and total phenols, and showed the least color deviation compared to the fresh samples, which was closely associated with its low-temperature and vacuum processing conditions. A total of 52 VOCs were identified in this study. Among them, 3-methyl-butanal and 5-methyl-2-furfural were the most abundant VOCs in the treated samples. 3-methybutanal, pentanal, butanal, and 5-methyl-2-furfural were identified as the characteristic VOC markers for the HAD, NAD, VFD, and MD groups, respectively. In conclusion, this study determined that VFD effectively maintained the drying quality of WBS, with butanal identified as its characteristic VOC organic compound. These findings provide valuable insights for the practical production of high-quality dried WBS. Full article

A techno-economic and environmental evaluation of dehydrating five industrially relevant solvents (isopropanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, acetic acid, and n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) using pervaporation-based processes was performed and compared to their respective traditional distillation processes. A standalone pervaporation and two hybrid processes (i.e., distillation-pervaporation and distillation-pervaporation-distillation) employing HybSi^® AR membranes were simulated in Aspen Plus, where the pervaporation module was modeled as a separator block that followed the experimental data. The experiments were performed at a vacuum pressure of 20 mbar and a temperature of 130 °C. The performance was compared based on several technical, economic, and environmental measures, of which key metrics are the levelized cost of separation (LCOS) and CO₂ footprint reduction. From the economic perspective, the pervaporation-based processes are much more economical than the distillation processes for isopropanol (up to 42% reduction in LCOS) and acetonitrile (up to 39% reduction in LCOS), while their economic performance is similar to the benchmark process in the case of tetrahydrofuran (only up to 4% reduction in LCOS). For acetic acid (9% higher LCOS) and n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (124% higher LCOS), the pervaporation-based processes do not perform better than the distillation processes under the current technical and economic considerations. However, a sensitivity analysis showed the potential to make the pervaporation-based processes more economical by improving the permeate flux and membrane module cost. On the other hand, the pervaporation-based processes are much more environmentally friendly for all the solvents studied compared to their respective benchmark processes. The reduction in CO₂ footprint is in the order of 86%, 82%, 73%, 82%, and 65%, respectively, for the aforementioned solvents. Full article

Amidst environmental concerns regarding the use of petroleum-based materials, wood and wood-based products are among the key players in the pursuit of green construction practices. However, environmental degradation of these materials remains a concern during structural design, particularly for outdoor applications. Borrowed from anatomy to preserve human body parts, this study applies and assesses a technique called ‘plastination’ as a new means for moisture management of Western Red Cedar (WRC). Specifically, the proposed technique includes acetone dehydration of WRC, followed by SS-151 silicone vacuum-assisted impregnation and silicone curing. To evaluate the method’s effectiveness, Micro X-ray Computed Tomography (μCT), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and static water contact angle measurements were employed. Tensile testing was also performed to quantify the treatment’s effect on WRC’s mechanical properties under moisture conditioning. μCT confirmed an impregnation depth of 21.5%, while FTIR and TGA results showed reduced moisture retention (3.6 wt%) in plastinated WRC due to the absence of hydroxyl groups. Mechanical testing revealed enhanced deformability in treated samples without compromising tensile strength. Upon moisture conditioning, plastinated WRC retained its tensile properties and showed 59% lower moisture absorption and 15% lower weight as compared to conditioned virgin samples. Full article

This study presents the first combined techno-economic and environmental analysis of IPA dehydration using HybSi^® membranes across three configurations, offering a low-emission alternative to conventional azeotropic distillation. The processes are simulated in Aspen Plus, and include two hybrid separation processes (i.e., distillation–pervaporation and distillation–pervaporation–distillation) and one standalone pervaporation process. The pervaporation module uses data from experiments that were performed using HybSi^® AR membranes at 130 °C and two vacuum pressures (20 and 50 mbar). The separation processes were systematically compared using a comprehensive set of performance indicators covering technical, economic, and environmental aspects. A new cost-efficiency metric, COPCO, is introduced, alongside updated modeling under 2024 market conditions. The isopropanol recovery and water selectivity were >99.5% and >98.7%, respectively, in all pervaporation-based processes. It was found that the hybrid distillation–pervaporation process resulted in a 42% reduction in the levelized cost of the benchmark azeotropic distillation process, while standalone pervaporation resulted in a 38% reduction. The CO₂ footprint was also reduced significantly in all cases, up to 86% in the case of standalone pervaporation compared to azeotropic distillation. The COPCO analysis revealed that the distillation–pervaporation configuration offers the highest cost-efficiency among the evaluated systems. Sensitivity analysis revealed that feed flow rate, average water flux, membrane module price, membrane lifetime, and steam price significantly impact the levelized cost. Lower vacuum pressure and feed water near the azeotropic composition enhance economic performance. Full article

Resource reutilization of industrial waste mud has encountered challenges due to its high water content, enhanced fluidity, and inherent difficulty in segregating mud and water phases. The author first screened out efficient flocculants through flocculation dehydration tests and then adopted the technology of vacuum filtration combined with electroosmosis dehydration to conduct deep dehydration of waste mud. Among them, the independently designed vacuum filtration electroosmosis system effectively solves the problems of easy clogging and bending of the traditional system. On this basis, geopolymer fluid solidified soil was prepared using dehydrated mud, furnace slag, and fly ash as raw materials, and the influencing factors of its long-term service performance were studied. It was confirmed that the efficient treatment capacity of the combined dehydration technology for industrial waste mud, and the geopolymer fluid solidified soil prepared from dehydrated mud has engineering application potential. This research provides a reference for the resource utilization of industrial waste mud. Full article