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• High-intensity ultrasound accelerated the maturation of soy sauce. • Reducing sugars and soluble salt-free solids were increased after ultrasonication. • The proportion of peptides (1–5 kDa) with umami taste was increased. • The content of free amino acids was decreased that mainly involved Maillard reaction. • Flavor compounds were largely generated, including esters, pyrazines, and ketones. High-intensity ultrasound was used as a means to promote maturation of soy sauce. The optimal conditions for ultrasound treatment were 90℃ at an ultrasound intensity of 39.48 W/cm2 for 60 min. The total reducing sugars and soluble salt-free solids content was significantly increased after ultrasound-assisted maturation. The free amino acid content was significantly decreased, mainly due to the Maillard reaction (MR). The promoted MR produced several types of flavor compounds, including esters, pyrazines, and ketones, which imparted an attractive aroma to the maturated soy sauce. The proportion of peptides with a molecular weight of 1–5 kDa provided umami as an important flavor characteristic, and the content in the ultrasound-matured soy sauce (10.19 %) was significantly higher than that in the freshly prepared soy sauce (8.34 %) and the thermally treated sample (8.89 %). Ultrasound-assisted maturation would improve product quality and meanwhile, shorten the duration and reduce the cost for the soy sauce industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kinetic model for a high-intensity ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction model system of d -glucose and glycine was proposed; activation energy ( Ea ) for each reaction step was calculated. Results showed that the generation of dicarbonyl compounds was significantly promoted by high-intensity ultrasound (e.g. Ea values for 1-deoxyglucosone were 60.9 ± 9.7 kJ mol −1 and 105.5 ± 9.9 kJ mol −1 in ultrasonic and thermal Maillard reaction, respectively), which resulted in a significantly higher concentration of colored and volatile Maillard reaction products generated in ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction compared with that in thermal Maillard reaction. However, as a competitive reaction, the isomerization of d -glucose was suppressed and required significantly higher Ea values in ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction (100.8 ± 6.2 kJ mol −1 ) compared with that in thermal Maillard reaction (84.2 ± 5.7 kJ mol −1 ). These finding may be attributed to an extremely high temperature and pressure environment, despite of being only momentarily, generated by high-intensity ultrasound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheme 1. Schematic of Ag-CQDs nanozyme construction and colorimetric determination of Glucose. [Display omitted] • Ultra-trace Ag-doped CQD were synthesized by one-step microwave method. • Ag can facilitate electrons transfer from the interior of CQDs to the surface. • Peroxidase-like activity of Ag-CQDs was used for glucose colorimetric detection. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have significant applications in nanozymes. However, previous studies have not elucidated the structure–activity relationship and enzyme mechanism. In this study, we employed a one-step microwave method to synthesize ultra-trace Ag-doped carbon quantum dots (Ag-CQDs). In the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), we used the oxidative coupling reaction of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to evaluate the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity, kinetics, and mechanism of Ag-CQDs. The trace amount of doped Ag (1.64 %) facilitated electron transfer from the CQDs interior to the surface. The electron transfer triggered the peroxide activity of CQDs, producing hydroxyl radical (·OH), which oxidized the colorless TMB to blue-colored TMB (oxTMB). By coupling with glucose oxidase (GOx), the Ag-CQDs/H 2 O 2 /TMB system has been used for colorimetric glucose determination. The system demonstrated a low detection limit (0.17 µM), wide linear range (0.5–5.5 µM), and satisfactory results when fruit juice was analyzed. This study reports a feasible method for the colorimetric detection of glucose by synthesizing ultra-trace Ag-doped carbon quantum dots with peroxidase‐mimicking activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Maillard reaction (MR) model system of d -glucose and l -lysine was investigated. • Generation mechanisms of furosine and pyrraline were revealed in the MR model system. • Furosine is preferred to undergo the reaction between methylglyoxal and l -lysine. • Pyrraline is preferentially started from 3-deoxyglucosone through Pyrrole reaction. A kinetic model for Maillard reaction (MR) model system of d -glucose and l -lysine was established; activation energy (Ea) of each step was calculated. Potential generation pathways of furosine and pyrraline were a combination of either 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) or methylglyoxal (MG) with l -lysine. Ea value for furosine generated through 3-DG pathway was 81.70 ± 14.01 kJ mol−1, which was significantly higher than that through MG pathway (52.08 ± 4.48 kJ mol−1). As for pyrraline, Ea for the 3-DG pathway (53.45 ± 4.02 kJ mol−1) was significantly lower than that through the MG pathway (110.22 ± 18.77 kJ mol−1). Results of the kinetic study indicated that furosine was preferred to be generated through the MG pathway since MG is more likely to react with each other and form a furan ring as a precursor of furosine. Pyrraline was more easily to be generated from the 3-DG pathway through cyclization of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds to pyrrole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sulfydryl-functionalized nitrogen-doped carbon dots (SH-NCDs) was synthesized and used to detect patulin selectively. • The addition reaction between patulin and the -SH on the SH-NCDs surface resulted in enhanced fluorescence. • The SH-NCDs fluorescent sensor has a high sensitivity for patulin detection with a LOD of 0.053 ng mL−1. In this study, sulfydryl-functionalized nitrogen-doped carbon dots (SH-NCDs) was synthesized by amide reaction of hydrothermally synthesized carbon dots with l -cysteine and used to detect patulin selectively. The SH-NCDs exhibited excitation wavelength-independent fluorescence in the range 300–360 nm. The modified sulfhydryl group (-SH) on the surface of NCDs served as a specific recognition site to capture patulin. The addition reaction between patulin and the -SH on the SH-NCDs surface resulted in enhanced fluorescence. SH-NCDs was used as a fluorescent probe for label-free detection of patulin, showing excellent sensitivity in the linear range of 0.1–400 ng mL−1, with detection limits as low as 0.053 ng mL−1. The fluorescent probe has specific selectivity for patulin. The recoveries of patulin in apple juice and grape juice were 88.9 %–99.2 % and 92.5 %–101.8 %, respectively. These results showed that the sensor designed in this experiment selectively detected the target patulin from complex food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Physical traits of frozen/thawed (F/T) beef were first predicted using Raman. • Raman is capable of predicting the thawing loss of F/T beef by CARS-PLS. • Raman based UVE-PLS is capable of predicting colour and water content of F/T beef. • T 21 water is contribute to the exudate loss during freeze–thaw. Freeze-thaw accelerated the colour deterioration of beef with the increase of colour b* and the decrease of colour a* values (P < 0.05). The maximum exudate loss reached 22 % after the seventh freeze–thaw. A strong correlation between the transversal relaxation time T 21 and thawing loss may mean that T 21 water contributed to the exudate loss during freeze–thaw. Afterwards, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling-partial least square (CARS-PLS) has the best prediction in thawing loss of frozen/thawed beef with correlation coefficients of prediction (R p) of 0.971, and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.436. Besides, Uninformative variable elimination-partial least squares (UVE-PLS) showed good prediction effects on colour values (R p = 0.932 – 0.994) and water content (R p = 0.928, RMSEP = 0.582) of frozen/thawed beef. Therefore, this work demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy coupled with multivariate calibration has a good ability for non-destructive prediction in colour and water-related properties of frozen/thawed beef. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Encapsulated LEO was successfully produced by ionic gelation process. • Chitosan films with LEO microspheres and cranberry juice were developed. • The effect of LEO microspheres and cranberry juice in the films were investigated. • LEO microspheres and cranberry juice improved some of the chitosan film qualities. • Chitosan films with LEO microspheres and cranberry juice showed antimicrobial activity. Research about biodegradable antimicrobial films continues to receive a lot of attention due to the plastic pollution crisis and the need for environment-friendly and safe food products. In this study, we developed chitosan-based antimicrobial films using a combination of encapsulated lemon essential oil (LEO) by ionic gelation and cranberry juice and evaluated the performance of the films. Our results indicated that the incorporation of LEO microspheres and cranberry juice into the chitosan films improved the UV barrier and thermal properties as well as antioxidant activity of the films. The increase in antioxidants was consistent with the chemical components in LEO and cranberry juice as determined by GC–MS; some of which possess antioxidant properties. Furthermore, following antimicrobial activity test, considerable inhibition halo of 11 and 20 mm were observed respectively against fungi Candida albicans and Penicillium roqueforti , particularly in presence of the film containing both LEO microspheres and cranberry juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The binding of tannic acid (TA) has no effect on the formation of degradation product. • The binding of TA significantly reduced the thermal degradation rate of boscalid. • Concentration ratio, pH and temperature are the main influencing factor. • Two of the degradation products were more toxic than boscalid. The effect of tannic acid (TA) binding on the thermal degradation of boscalid was studied in this work. The results revealed that TA binding has a significant impact on boscalid degradation. The degradation rate constant of bound boscalid was reduced, and its corresponding half-life was significantly prolonged compared to the free state. Four identical degradation products were detected in both states through UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, indicating that degradation products were not affected by TA binding. Based on DFT and MS analysis, the degradation pathways of boscalid included hydroxyl substitution of chlorine atoms and cleavage of C N and C C bonds. The toxicity of B2 and B3 exceeded that of boscalid. In summary, the binding of TA and boscalid significantly affected the thermal degradation rate of boscalid while preserving the types of degradation products. This study contributed to a fundamental understanding of the degradation process of bound pesticide residues in complex food matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasound and ultraviolet had synergistic effect on the degradation of chlorpyrifos. • The degradation mechanism mainly involves oxidation, hydrolysis and de-chlorination. • The toxicities of degradation products were lower than that of chlorpyrifos. • The combined treatment had little effect on the quality of the treated milk. The aim of this study was to compare the degradation kinetics of chlorpyrifos by treatment with ultrasound (US), ultraviolet radiation (UV) and a combination of both (US/UV), to evaluate the toxicity of the degradation products and the effect of the treatments on milk quality. US/UV markedly accelerated the degradation of chlorpyrifos. The half-life of chlorpyrifos by US/UV was 6.4 min, which was greatly shortened compared to the treatment with US or UV alone. Five degradation products were identified by GC–MS, and a degradation pathway for chlorpyrifos was proposed, based on density functional theory calculations. According to the luminescent bacteria test and predictions from a structure/activity relationship model, the toxicity of the degradation products was lower than that of chlorpyrifos. In addition, US/UV treatment had little effect on the quality of the treated milk. Therefore, US/UV can be used as a potential non-thermal processing method to degrade pesticide residues in milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Waxing of apples may increase the residual risk of pesticides. • The molecular model of a waxy apple coating was established. • Ozone could be used as a rapid method to remove pesticide residues from fruits. Dissipation of an organophosphorus pesticide, trichlorfon, in natural and waxed apples during storage was studied. The results showed that the trichlorfon content in natural and waxed apples decreased by 85% and 64%, respectively, during storage. The morphology of the surface film was dense and regular, which resulted in a higher water vapor resistance and a lower respiration rate in the waxed apples. This indicates that waxing affected the dissipation of pesticide residues in the apple storage environment, increasing food safety risk. Ozone was used to remove the residual pesticides on the apple surface. The trichlorfon degradation rate reached 73%. The ozone treatment had no effect on the surface color of the apple, which means that the fruit can be pre-treated with ozone prior to waxing or storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Red-emitting copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) stabilized by bovine serum albumin were synthesized by green hydrothermal method. • The prepared CuNCs exhibited bimodal emission at 395 nm and 650 nm (strong). • The detection strategy of acrylamide was based on thiol-ene Michael addition reaction between acrylamide and glutathione. • A ratiometric fluorescent "turn-on" sensor was applied successfully for the assay of acrylamide in toast. Acrylamide, as a Class 2A carcinogen, poses serious threats to human health. To achieve rapid and accurate determination of acrylamide in food, a ratiometric fluorescent "off–on" sensor was designed by incorporating red-emitting copper nanoclusters and glutathione. Copper nanoclusters with bimodal emission at 395 nm and 650 nm (excited at 310 nm) were synthesized by using bovine serum albumin as the ligand and ascorbic acid as the reductant. With glutathione addition, the fluorescence intensity at 650 nm gradually decreased, while the case at 395 nm slightly increased. The quenched fluorescence at 650 nm was subsequently restored by acrylamide through thiol-ene Michael addition reaction between acrylamide and glutathione. The constructed sensor showed excellent performance towards acrylamide detection in the range of 5–300 μM with a detection limit of 1.48 μM, and was further applied to real-sample detection of acrylamide in toast and exhibited good recoveries (90.29–101.30 %), indicating potential applications of this sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lactobacillus plantarum can degrade 81.28% of dimethoate in milk rapidly. • Enzyme is the main mechanism for Lactobacillus plantarum to degrade dimethoate. • Five degradation products of dimethoate were identified by UPLC-QTOF/MS. Bioremediation of pesticides in contaminated foodstuffs using probiotics has attracted great attention in recent years, but some intermediate products may have profound effects on the toxicity of treated food. Therefore, this work studied the degradation mechanism of dimethoate in milk by L. plantarum, and analyzed the toxicity of degradation products. The results showed that under the optimal conditions, L. plantarum can degrade 81.28% of dimethoate. Dimethoate had high binding affinities to phosphatase with the free energy of –16.67 kcal/mol, and amino acid residues, Gln375 and SER415 played important roles in the catalysis process. Five degradation products were identified using UPLC-QTOF/MS, and their toxicity was estimated using quantitative structure–activity relationship models. Some intermediate products were predicted to be toxic, which should not be ignored, but the overall toxicity of milk decreased after fermentation. Furthermore, the pH and titratable acidity of the fermented milk were 4.25 and 85 ◦T, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The degradation rate of different OPPs by L. plantarum is different. • Phosphatase from L. plantarum has no selectivity for OPPs degradation. • The selective uptake determines the degradation difference of OPPs in L. plantarum. • The selective uptake of pesticides by L. plantarum was discussed for the first time. Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are widely used worldwide, leading to varying degrees of residues in food. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can degrade OPPs by producing phosphatase. This study explored the reasons for the variation in the degradation of different OPPs by Lactobacillus plantarum. The results showed that the degradation effects of OPPs by L. plantarum (intact cells) varied greatly, the degradation rate constant of phoxim was 1.65-fold higher than that of dichlorvos. However, the phosphatase extracted from L. plantarum had no degradation selectivity for OPPs in vitro. It was speculated that the selective uptake of cells determines this degradation selectivity. The results of molecular docking supported this hypothesis because there was no difference in the binding energies between phosphatase and OPPs, while the binding energies between phosphate-binding protein and pesticides were different, and they were negatively correlated with the degradation rate constants of the eight OPPs by L. plantarum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sodium alginate and chitosan were assembled layer by layer to achieve self-healing. • The assembly properties and self-healing ability of coatings were characterized. • This self-healing coating can reduce the impact of coating damage on strawberries. Coating damage destroys the integrity features critical for maintaining the modified atmosphere inside the fruit. In this study, we developed a self-healing edible coating that maintains its barrier properties for extending the shelf life of strawberries. The coating was fabricated via the layer-by-layer assembly of chitosan (CS) and sodium alginate (SA). (SA/CS) 3 formed by three assembly cycles could completely heal the visibly damaged area by treating water. The mechanical properties and the water and oxygen rates of the healed coating were 97%, 63%, and 95%, respectively, of the intact coating. (SA/CS) 3 coating effectively delayed strawberry deterioration. Moreover, the coating reduced the impact of coating damage on strawberries by restoring the coating barrier properties. The present findings have important implications for solving the reduction in freshness caused by coating damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The spontaneous binding behavior of CTC to casein was revealed for the first time. • Binding sites engaged in the formation of the casein-CTC complex were deciphered. • The complexation between casein and CTC inhibited the thermal degradation of CTC. Bovine casein was selected as a model protein to evaluate the impact of food matrix on the thermal degradation of antibiotics. Fluorescence quenching and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed that chlortetracycline (CTC) could spontaneously bind to casein via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The amino acid residues forming the binding pocket were further identified using molecular docking, while saturation transfer difference NMR deciphered that the binding of CTC engages its -N(CH 3) 2 group. Moreover, the degradation behavior of free CTC versus that bound in casein-CTC complex was compared during thermal treatment. Compared with free CTC, a lower first-order rate constant was observed in the presence of casein. Removal of casein shortened the half-life of CTC by at least 48.1% at low concentrations. Elucidating that the formation of protein-antibiotic complexes alters the amenability of antibiotics to degradative reactions, which could help eliminate residual antibiotics and guarantee the safety of dairy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The optimized CP treatment extended the shelf life of fresh wolfberry by 3 d. • CP treatment inactivated microorganisms and inhibited the respiration of wolfberries. • The CP triggers the defence response of the wolfberries ROS metabolic system. • CP promoted the synthesis of flavonoids and enhanced wolfberry resistance to decay. Fresh wolfberries, a nutritious "super fruit", face limited marketing potential due to storage difficulties. This study aimed to enhance their storage stability using dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBD) pretreatment and investigate the intervention mechanism. The results indicated that the optimal condition of DBD pretreatment for fresh wolfberries was 13.64 kV, 70 s and 2.7 kHz, which extended their shelf from 2 to 5 d at room temperature. This pretreatment reduced decay, weight loss, and firmness reduction by inactivating microorganisms and inhibiting respiration. Additionally, the decline of phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity was inhibited, while maintaining high content of polysaccharides, titratable acid, and carotenoids. Interestingly, moderate DBD treatment produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) that triggered the defense response of wolfberries' ROS metabolism system and promoted the biosynthesis of flavonoids, thereby enhancing resistance to decay. The findings offer new insight into plasma effects on fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The combination of eugenol and citral (S EC) has synergistic inhibitory effect on A. niger. • S EC could damage the morphology of A. niger cells significantly. • S EC treatment could significantly induce lipid peroxidation and increase membrane permeability. • The antimicrobial sachets containing S EC could significantly prolong the shelf life of bread. Consumers' preferences for cleaner label products require the food industry to replace synthetic preservatives with natural substitutes. Therefore, the synergistic inhibitory effect of eugenol and citral (S EC) on Aspergillus niger was explored. On this basis, the antimicrobial sachet containing S EC was developed and its application potential in bread preservation was evaluated. The content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) showed that S EC could significantly induce lipid peroxidation in cell membranes, in which citral played a leading role. The permeation experiments of SEM, TEM, propyl iodide and fluorescein diacetate showed that S EC could destroy the integrity of the cell membrane. Eugenol contributed more than citral. The OD 260 and the relative conductivity of the S EC group increased by 5.2 and 4.1 times, respectively, after 8 h. Finally, the shelf life experiment of bread showed that the antimicrobial sachets containing S EC could significantly prolong the shelf life of bread without producing unpleasant odour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Carbon dots (CDs) in original breadcrumbs would be affected by frying. • The binding behavior of CDs with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated. • CDs corona (the complex in the form of CDs-coated HSA) was found. • Changes of HSA structure were studied. This research confirmed the existence of carbon dots (CDs) in breadcrumbs before frying, and CDs could be significantly affected by frying. The content of CDs increased from 0.013 ± 0.002% to 1.029 ± 0.002%, and the fluorescence quantum yield increased from 1.82 ± 0.01% to 3.16 ± 0.002% after frying at 180℃ for 5 min. The size reduced from 3.32 ± 0.71 nm to 2.67 ± 0.48 nm, and the content of N increased from 1.58% to 2.53%. In addition, the interaction of the CDs and human serum albumin (HSA) through electrostatic and hydrophobic induces the increase of α-helix structure and the change of the amino acid microenvironment of HSA. CDs corona, which may have physiological significance, was found through the transmission electron microscope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Natural N and S co-doped carbon dots (NSCDs) were fabricated by hydrothermal method. • The prepared NSCDs exhibited a blue emission with a quantum yield up to 18.57%. • An "off–on" fluorescence sensor for pentachlorophenol (PCP) assessment has been successfully established. Natural N and S co-doped carbon dots (NSCDs) were synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis using food-derived crawfish shells as green precursors. The relationship between quantum yield (QY) and protein content of six crawfish shells treated with different alkalis was investigated. The synthesized NSCDs displayed a large QY of 18.57 %, which was higher than most of the chitin-derived CDs. Due to the oxidation of hydroxyl radicals, adding H 2 O 2 and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) quenched the fluorescence of NSCDs, resulting in a detection limit (LOD) of 1.25 μM for H 2 O 2. The addition of pentachlorophenol (PCP) was supposed to consume part of the hydroxyl radicals and protect NSCDs from being oxidized. Accordingly, a facile and rapid "off–on" fluorescence sensor was developed to detect PCP with a LOD of 2.30 μM. Further, the method described was successfully used to detect PCP in three real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cadmium accumulates in the food chain and poses threat to health. • Cadmium reacts primarily with carboxyl, hydroxyl, mercapto and imidazole groups. • Cysteine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and histidine bind most to cadmium. • Methods for removing cadmium from food were reviewed and prospected. Since its discovery, cadmium (Cd) has played an important role in industry and brought certain conveniences to mankind, used for electroplating and making rechargeable batteries, etc. Cd is also a harmful pollutant, which will enter the food chain and cause damage to human tissues and organs. Food is the main source of Cd in the human body, so various technologies for removing Cd from food have been studied. These technologies are based on the binding mechanism between Cd and proteins. In this work, the enrichment of Cd and the harm of Cd are described. And the binding mechanism between Cd and protein is summarized. Finally, the removal technologies of Cd are prospected. This review analyzes the methods of removing cadmium from food from the perspective of the combination of cadmium and protein, which provides insights for ensuring food safety and reducing the harm of heavy metals to the human body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple and reliable reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosemarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA in Salvia herbs. The contents of these eight main components were compared between Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Salvia przewalskii Maxim, which were used for treating coronary heart diseases, cerebrovascular disease, bone loss, hepatitis, hepatocirrhosis and chronic renal failure. The samples were successfully separated by the HPLC method. All the standard compounds showed a good linearity (R 2 >0.9994) in the relatively wide concentration range. The limit of detection of the eight compounds was in the range of 0.05–0.5μg/ml and the limit of quantification was in the range of 0.25–1.50μg/ml. The intra-day variability was in the range of 0.03–8.08% and the inter-day variability was in the range of 0.18–12.36%. The recoveries of the selected compounds were in the range of 96.2–108.1%. This method was accurate, precise and reproducible, and could be successfully applied to the quality control and stable experiment for the preparations consisted of these active components, and the content comparison of the herbs from Salvia species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The effect of enzymolysis on FLP was analyzed. • The degradation pathways of FLP were proposed. • FLP can inhibit the activity of PG. • FLP causes a decrease in the yield of apple juice. China is one of the largest apple-growing areas in the world. Fluopyram (FLP) is a novel pesticide that has been widely used in agriculture. This work investigated the behavior of pesticides during enzymatic hydrolysis of apple juice and its effect on polygalacturonase (PG), apple juice yield, and flavor. The study findings revealed that 27.5% to 34.2% FLP was degraded during the enzymatic hydrolysis of apple. The three degradation products (P 1, P 2, and P 3) were identified by a hybrid ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometer. Based on toxicity assessment, it was found that carcinogenicity was higher for P 2 and P 3 than for FLP. Furthermore, FLP affected the yield and flavor of apple juice. FLP reduced yield by 4.8%, because FLP inhibited the activity of PG. Through molecular docking, it was found that there was an interaction between the active center of PG and FLP, resulting in a reduction in catalytic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Potentials of ultrasound (US) in food fermentation and maturation are reviewed. • US stimulates growth of microorganisms, promotes enzyme activities and metabolisms. • US promotes Maillard reaction, esterification, and proteolysis during food maturation. • Texture, sensory, and functional properties of fermented foods are improved by US. • US has a great potential to improve fermentation efficacy and fermented foods quality. Conventional food fermentation is time-consuming, and maturation of fermented foods normally requires a huge space for long-term storage. Ultrasound is a technology that emerged in the food industry to improve the efficacy of food fermentation and presents great potentials in maturation of fermented foods to produce fermented foods with high quality. Proliferation of microorganisms was observed along with promoted enzyme activities and metabolic performance when treated by a short-term ultrasonication (<30 min) at a relatively low-power (≤100 W). Additionally, ultrasound at a high-power level (≥100 W) was highlighted to promote the maturation of fermented foods through promoting Maillard reaction, oxidation, esterification, and proteolysis. As a result of promoted fermentation and maturation, texture, color, flavor and taste of fermented foods were improved. All the reviewed studies have indicated that ultrasound at the proper conditions would be a promising technique to produce fermented foods with high-quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of enzymolysis on trichlorfon was analyzed. • The properties of trichlorfon molecules were analyzed. • The transformation pathway of trichlorfon was proposed. • The toxicity of the trichlorfon and transformation products were evaluated. Trichlorfon is one of the most widely used organophosphorus pesticides in agriculture. In this study, the extent of transformation of trichlorfon to dichlorvos (DDVP), during the polygalacturonase (PG) treatment of apple pulp was monitored. A transformation pathway is proposed for trichlorfon molecules, based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The transformation of trichlorfon involves hydroxyl substitution and cleavage, which was confirmed by molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory. In addition, the toxicity of trichlorfon and its transformed products was analyzed using Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) software. The binding sites of the two pesticides are located in the hydrophobic grooves of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) active site region and both pesticides form hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds with a large number of surrounding amino acid residues. DDVP binds more strongly with AChE, so it is a better AChE inhibitor and more toxic than trichlorfon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review specifically focused on the natural protein-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs). The syntheses and applications of different natural protein-templated AuNCs were summarized and classified by two groups: animal protein and plant protein. Some merits, challenges and prospects in this research area were dialectically discussed to arouse the interest of researchers in food science. • This review focused specifically on the naturual protein-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters. • The main contents were organized based on the natural protein classification: animal and plant proteins. • Fundamental of synthesis was comprehensively and carefully discussed. • Recent reported protein-templated gold nanoclusters were collected in one table with application details. • Drawbacks and prospects were discussed in the last part of this review. For the past decades, the synthesis of metal nanoclusters has been a great interest for research, for their unique physicochemical properties and great contributions to the catalytic, electrical and biomedical applications. Protein-templated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) is a kind of fluorescent nanomaterials with good solubility, excellent stability, biocompatibility, decent quantum yields and active groups (–COOH, –NH 2) for facilitating modifications. Natural proteins are easily available, commercially affordable, diverse and multitudinous in animals, plants and foods, which provide a template pool for the exploration of AuNCs. This is one of the few reviews of specifically focusing on the natural protein-templated fluorescent AuNCs. The syntheses, properties and applications of different AuNCs were enumerated. Prospects were given on utilizing structure-modified proteins, bioactive enzymes, antibodies which should endow the AuNCs more favourable fluorescence performances and functional characteristics. The applications of AuNCs in analytical, biomedical and food sciences would be further heightened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasonic treatment effectively enhanced the degradation of parathion methyl (PM). • The degradation of PM was properly fitted the first order kinetics. • Three degradation products of PM were determined by UPLC-QTOF/MS. • The toxicities of three degradation products of PM were evaluated. • Among the degradation products, two of them were more toxic than PM. The removal of pesticide residues in food by ultrasound has attracted more attention in recent years, and the formation of intermediate products may have some profound effects on the toxicity of treated food. Therefore, degradation of parathion methyl (PM) in bovine milk by ultrasonic treatment was studied in this paper. Results showed that the ultrasonic intensity and the initial concentration of PM had a significant effect on the degradation rate of PM (P < 0.05). The maximum degradation rate of PM was 97.10%. Three transformation products were identified through UPLC-QTOF/MS analysis, and the oxidation pathway was proposed as the consequence of ultrasonication. Furthermore, according to Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) model prediction, the ecotoxicity of the transformation products may be higher than that of PM. These findings showed that although ultrasonic treatment can effectively degrade pesticide residues in food, it may also generate transformation products with the higher ecotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]