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In this paper, a novel strategy of "pick the best of the best" was proposed for the nondestructive identification of different‐origin and adulterated Poria cocos with near‐infrared spectroscopy. First, various preprocessing methods were divided into three classes: baseline correction, scattering and trend correction, and scaling. The single preprocessing methods with the best predictions in each class were selected. Then, the selected preprocessing methods were combined in pairs according to three classes. The pair combination preprocessing methods with the best predictions and also better predictions than single methods were selected. Finally, the selected pair combination preprocessing method was combined with the methods in the unselected class. The three combination preprocessing methods with the best predictions and also better predictions than pair combination methods were selected as the final prediction. With this strategy, the optimized preprocessing combination can be obtained quickly, and the identification accuracy with principal component analysis method can be greatly improved. 0% identification accuracy of adulterated samples and 12.5% identification accuracy of different‐origin samples were obtained with the raw data. However, 100% accuracy of adulterated samples, 93.8% accuracy of calibration dataset, and 75% accuracy of validation dataset can be obtained with the novel strategy. The developed technology can be regarded as a simple, rapid, and accurate nondestructive identification method for different‐origin and adulterated samples, and has a broad application prospect in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) is closely correlated with the aging time. However, CRPs in different storage ages are similar in appearance, and the young CRP may be labeled as the aged one to obtain the excess profit by some unscrupulous traders. Most traditional analysis methods are laborious and time‐consuming, and they can hardly realize the nondestructive classification. In this paper, a novel method based on near‐infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (NIRDRS) and data combination technique for the nondestructive classification of different‐age CRPs was proposed. The CRPs in different storage ages (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years) were measured. The near‐infrared spectra of outer skin and inner capsule were obtained. Principal component analysis (PCA), soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), and Fisher's linear discriminant analysis (FLD), with different data pretreatment methods, were used for the classification analysis. Data combination of the outer skin and inner capsule spectra was discussed for further improving the classification results. The results show that multiple sensors provide more useful and complementary information than a single sensor does for improving the prediction accuracy. With the help of data combination strategy, 100% prediction accuracy can be obtained with both second‐order derivative–FLD and continuous wavelet transform–multiplicative scatter correction–FLD methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and nondestructive method for the analysis of soluble solid content in citrus was established using portable visible to near‐infrared spectroscopy (Vis/NIRS) in reflectance mode in combination with appropriate chemometric methods. The spectra were obtained directly by the portable Vis/NIRS without destroying samples. Outlier detection was performed by using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation (LOOCV) with the 3σ criterion, and the calibration models were established by partial least squares (PLS) algorithm. Besides, different data pretreatment methods were used to eliminate noise and background interference before calibration, to determine the one that will lead to better model accuracy. However, the correlation coefficients are all <0.62 and the results of all pretreatments are still unsatisfactory. Variable selection methods were discussed for improving the accuracy, and variable adaptive boosting partial least squares (VABPLS) method was used to get higher robustness models. The results show that standard normal variate (SNV) transformation is the best pretreatment method, while VABPLS can significantly simplify the calculation and improve the result even without pretreatment. The correlation coefficient of the best prediction models is 0.82, while the value is 0.48 for the raw data. The high performance shows the feasibility of portable Vis/NIRS technology combination with appropriate chemometric methods for the determination of citrus soluble solid content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the interaction of Chrysanthemum indicum (CI) flavonoids (luteolin, acacetin, and buddleoside) with α‐amylase. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay showed their equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) are 1.9695 ± 0.12, 2.9240 ± 0.20, and 3.2966 ± 0.08 mM at pH 6.0, respectively. Furthermore, their binding affinities were influenced by KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2. Enzymatic kinetic studies revealed that three flavonoids exhibited noncompetitive α‐amylase inhibitory activity. The inhibitory sequence is luteolin > acacetin > buddleoside, which was in accordance with the results of binding affinity from SPR. 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picryl hydrazyl radical assay demonstrated that antioxidant activities of three flavonoids were inhibited significantly with α‐amylase. Meanwhile, the study reveals that hydroxyl on C′‐4, C′‐5, and C‐7 of flavonoids play an important role on the interaction of three flavonoids with α‐amylase. Also, SPR could be used as sensor for rapid screening inhibitors of α‐amylase and provide useful information for the application of C. indicum flavonoids in food and pharmaceutical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive study of the metabolome during the Douchi fermentation can provide new knowledge for optimizing the fermentation process. In this work, the metabolic characterization throughout the fermentation of Mucor racemosus Douchi was investigated using gas chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. A total of 511 peaks were found, and 114 metabolites were identified. The fermentation process was clearly distinguished into two main phases by principal components analysis and orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis. All the samples in the score plots were within the 95% Hotelling T2 ellipse. Two separated clusters can be seen clearly in the score plot, which represents the two stages of fermentation: koji‐making (within 48 hr) and postfermentation (after 48 hr). Besides, clear separation and discrimination by both methods were found among different fermentation time within 15 days, while the discrimination cannot be found with more than 15 days of fermentation, indicating that the fermentation of Douchi was finished in 15 days. Due to the synergistic effect of protease and hydrolase accumulated in the early stage, proteins and other big molecular substances are rapidly hydrolyzed into a large number of small molecule components. However, the activity of enzymes decreased with the further fermentation, and some free amino acids were consumed in Maillard reaction. Therefore, there was no significant change in the content of small molecular substances after 15 days of fermentation. Furthermore, the levels of some metabolites such as alanine and lysine involved in the fermentation varied significantly throughout the processes. This study provides new insights for the metabolomics characteristics of Douchi fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to produce southern stinky tofu, a famous traditional Chinese snack, at industry scale due to the complex composition of its brine. In this study, the fingerprints of organic volatile flavor compounds in the southern stinky tofu brine samples from five manufacturers were studied using headspace solid‐phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS‐SPME/GC‐MS) with the aid of chemometric methods. The fingerprints were obtained by HS‐SPME/GC‐MS and analyzed with the time shift alignment method, Shannon entropy, correlation coefficient, and principal component analysis. The results show that the time shifts in the samples can be accurately corrected by the time shift alignment method despite unexpected interferences. The fingerprint information was evaluated by Shannon entropy, while the similarities and differences in the fingerprints were investigated by correlation coefficient. Moreover, the identification of stinky tofu manufacturers can be achieved by principal component analysis. The predominant volatile compounds in southern stinky tofu brines were indole, 3‐methylindole, phenol, and 4‐methylphenol. Therefore, the established fingerprinting of volatile compounds for the brines by combining HS‐SPME/GC‐MS with chemometric methods was a simple and reliable method. The fingerprints of organic volatile flavor compounds in the southern stinky tofu brine samples from five manufacturers were obtained by HS‐SPME/GC‐MS and analyzed with the time shift alignment method, Shannon entropy, correlation coefficient, and principal component analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image is based on the ORIGINAL RESEARCH I An assessment of the interaction for three i Chrysanthemum indicum I flavonoids and -amylase by surface plasmon resonance i by Pao Li et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1349. Cover Credit: Cover image © Pao Li and Xia Liu Images. [Extracted from the article]

The cover image is based on the Original Research Fingerprints of volatile flavor compounds from southern stinky tofu brine with headspace solid‐phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and chemometric methods by Pao Li et al., DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.943. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]