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Food and wine pairing has been studied in marketing, sensory science, and hospitality fields to evaluate the gastronomic experience of consumers. In this study, three Chinese red wines (Cabernet Gernischt: CG, Marselan: MS, and Vitis amurensisRupr: VR) were paired with two French cheeses (Brie and Camembert) and two Chinese cheeses [sweet cheese (SWC) and salty cheese (SAC)]. The physicochemical properties of wines and cheeses were determined. Also, sensory profiles of wine and cheese samples were collected using 100 participants by a check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) test, and the ideal pairing of wines and cheeses was evaluated using hedonic, flavor intensity, and body‐to‐body relationship tests. The results showed that VR wine presented a sweet flavor and full body. MS and CG wines have a strong, bitter taste and a hot and rough mouthfeel than VR wine. The flavors of Camembert and Brie cheeses were richer and more complex than those of SWC and SAC. The textures of Camembert and Brie were elastic, smooth, creamy, fatty, and soft. VR wine enhanced consumer preference for all four types of cheeses (each combination liking score is more than six). Wine characteristics were suppressed and not enhanced by pairing with cheese. The ideal pair evaluation in terms of flavor intensity and body‐to‐body relationship confirmed that wines dominated these two aspects for cheese‐wine pairs. Practical Applications: CATA questions conducted with consumers are popular to profile and characterize food and beverage products. This investigation helps validate CATA method applications in food and wine pairing areas. In addition, the hedonic, flavor intensity, and body‐to‐body tests of Chinese wine and Chinese cheese pairing are helpful in promoting the development of the Chinese wine and cheese industry. The findings provide future research directions in pairing principles of food and beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of konjac glucomannan (KGM) at different concentrations on the physiochemical and sensory properties of soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), or peanut protein isolate (PNPI) compound gels were investigated. The results revealed that when the ratio of PNPI to KGM was 90:10, the denaturation temperature of PNPI could be significantly enhanced to 119.32°C by KGM modification. Concerning the textural and microstructural features, the amount of KGM addition had positive correlation with the hardness and chewiness of each compound gel, however, too much KGM addition will cause the unstable internal structure of the PNPI/KGM compound gels (70:30 and 60:40). Furthermore, sensory results indicated that PNPI/KGM (80:20), PPI/KGM (80:20), SPI/KGM (80:20) had great potential to be considered as prototypes for novel plant‐based products, which generated the highest acceptance scores of 5.04, 5.94, and 5.36 in each group, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ficus hirta Vahl. (FHV) is widely consumed because of its functional and aromatic compounds. The incorporation of adjuncts contributes to the functional and flavor properties of beers. This study aims to enrich FHV extractions to develop beers with satisfactory physicochemical, antioxidant, and sensory characteristics. As a result, beers with 0.1 g/mL (P1) and 0.067 g/mL (P3) FHV extraction showed the highest values of physicochemical properties including °Brix, antioxidant activity, foam, lightness, and color intensity. Electronic nose and tongue results show that the aroma of P1 and taste of P3 were quite different from those of other FHV beers, resulting in substantially high consumer preference. The liking drivers of FHV beers were color appearance, hop and malty odor, sweet and malty flavor, thickness, and carbonation mouthfeel. However, the astringency flavor attribute was the disliking factor for beers. The results of this study may provide some references and guidelines for the development of Ficus hirta Vahl. functional beer to control the physicochemical, antioxidative, and sensory properties of the beer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study investigated the physicochemical and sensory properties of six types of plant‐based milk alternatives prepared from soybean, peanut, adlay, adzuki bean, oat and buckwheat at a 1:9 grain‐to‐water ratio. The results revealed that all plant‐based milk types had stable hydrocolloid systems, except for the buckwheat milk alternative that had undergone a gelatinisation process that affected its rheological and sensory properties. The pH values and total solid content of the prepared plant‐based milk samples ranged between 6.60 to 6.83 and 2.13 to 8.17 g/100 mL, respectively. The sensory results showed that the overall liking score of adlay, adzuki bean and peanut milk alternative was 5.32, 5.30 and 6.10, respectively, suggesting a potential for commercial production. In conclusion, this investigation provides new insights on several new plant sources for plant‐based milk alternatives. Further studies are required to investigate the digestibility and the nutritional effects expected from plant‐based milk alternatives such as protein bioavailability, and the effects on human health compared to other animal milks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the demand for functional foods and their consumption have increased rapidly in recent years. Apricot kernels, originated in China, are rich in dietary protein, fat, fiber, and exhibit high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The effects of the agar–gelatin ratio and milk volume on the texture of apricot kernel milk puddings were evaluated. Texture profile analysis indicated that increasing volumes of agar and milk contributed to the hardness and gumminess but reduced the cohesiveness of puddings. The pudding sample S2 (250 ml of milk, 200 ml of water, 60 g of raw apricot kernels, 30 g of sugar, 5 g of gelatin, and 2 g of agar) was ultimately determined as the essential texture matrix prototype for further development of puddings. The effects of the ratio of raw apricot kernels to roasted apricot kernels and cream content in puddings on consumer preference were determined by quantitative descriptive analysis and consumer testing. Both quantitative descriptive analysis and external preference mapping of all puddings (12 samples) indicated that the pudding sample P6 (250 ml of milk, 200 ml of water, 40 g of raw apricot kernels, 20 g of roasted apricot kernels, 40 g of cream, 30 g of sugar, 5 g of gelatin, and 2 g of agar) showed enhanced consumer acceptance. The properties driving preference for P6 were oral smoothness, overall flavor, degree of roast, and milky taste. P6 was ultimately selected as the prototype to incorporate apricot kernels for the development of functional milk puddings with fortified essential nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Red sufu is a type of sufu produced by solid‐state fermentation of soybean curd and coloration with red mold rice. The purposes of this study were: (i) to characterize commercial red sufu samples using the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and flash profile (FP) by ten trained and ten untrained panelists, respectively; (ii) to compare the differences in panel performance, descriptive abilities and sensory maps between the two methodologies; and (iii) to compare the efficiency between QDA and FP using red sufu as the matrix. Techniques in multivariate analysis were utilized to explore the data. RESULTS: Results from generalized procrustes analysis (GPA) showed that panel performance by QDA was more repeatable and reached higher homogeneity than that by FP. Despite the confidence ellipse results of the 12 red sufus being better discriminated by QDA, the RV coefficient was high (RV = 0.852) between the configurations of the two‐dimensional model (F1 and F2) of the two methodologies, indicating that the two methods are similar and closely related. Overall, QDA provided more accurate and detailed information, while FP provided a similar sensory map on product location and descriptive results. CONCLUSION: The FP technique appeared to be an efficient alternative approach to quickly evaluate sensory properties, including appearance, flavor, aroma and textural properties of an array of red sufu products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The effect of wheat gluten (WG) modified by acetic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid on sensory profile and consumer acceptance of ice cream was examined. A sensory profile of ice cream including six flavours and six textures descriptors was developed by quantitative descriptive analysis. Principal component analysis and confidence ellipse analysis results indicated that ice cream C2 (substitution of 20% of skim milk powder with citric acid‐deamidated WG) was the most similar to ice cream control (Ctrl) (without acid‐deamidated WG). Multiple factor analysis proved that physical viscosity and overrun properties were key factors affected the sensory texture properties of ice cream samples. External preference mapping indicated that consumer acceptance of Ctrl and C2 was the highest, and the inducing factors were 'sweetness', 'dairy flavour', 'fat feel', 'meltdown' and 'density' attributes. The C2 ice cream was suggested as a prototype for further development of ice cream with citric acid‐deamidated WG. This study mainly investigated effect of acetic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid‐deamidated wheat gluten on sensory profile and consumer acceptance of ice cream. As a result, a sensory profile of ice cream was developed. Also, the ice cream with highest consumer preference and preference inducing factors were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultured keratinocytes are desirable models for biological and medical studies. However, primary keratinocytes are difficult to maintain, and there has been little research on lingual keratinocyte culture. Here, we investigated the effect of Y-27632, a Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, on the immortalization and characterization of cultured rat lingual keratinocyte (RLKs). Three Y-27632–supplemented media were screened for the cultivation of RLKs isolated from Sprague–Dawley rats. Phalloidin staining and TUNEL assay were applied to visualize cytoskeleton dynamics and cell apoptosis following Y-27632 removal. Label-free proteomics, RT-PCR, calcium imaging, and cytogenetic studies were conducted to characterize the cultured cells. Results showed that RLKs could be conditionally immortalized in a high-calcium medium in the absence of feeder cells, although they did not exhibit normal karyotypes. The removal of Y-27632 from the culture medium led to reversible cytoskeletal reorganization and nuclear enlargement without triggering apoptosis, and a total of 239 differentially expressed proteins were identified by proteomic analysis. Notably, RLKs derived from the non-taste epithelium expressed some molecular markers characteristic of taste bud cells, yet calcium imaging revealed that they rarely responded to tastants. Collectively, we established a high-calcium and feeder-free culture method for the long-term maintenance of RLKs. Our results shed some new light on the immortalization and differentiation of lingual keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the core functional microbiotas related to flavor compounds involving in a naturally fermented soybean curd (plain sufu). Properties such as physicochemical parameters, flavor compounds (17 free amino acids, 21 fatty acids, and 14 aroma volatiles) and microbiota profiles were investigated, and their correlations were explored at 8 stages during production. Results from principal component analysis, multiple factor analysis, and partial least squares-discrimination analysis showed that these properties varied significantly in the eight stages. Furthermore, based on Pearson correlation coefficients and Variable importance for predictive components values between the microbiota profiles and flavor compounds, nine bacterial (Bacillus , Enterobacter , Lactobacillus , Sphingobacterium , Stenotrophomonas , Tetragenococcus , Trabulsiella , Unclassified, and Weissella) and six fungal (Alternaria , Sterigmatomyces , Actinomucor , Fusarium , Debaryomyces , Candida) genera were identified as core functional microbiotas significantly affecting the production of flavor compounds during the natural production. Overall, this study provided a comprehensive description of the dynamic changes of physicochemical parameters, flavor compounds, and microbiota profiles throughout the natural production of plain sufu. The similarities and variations among different stages, as well as correlation between flavor compounds and microbiotas would help to understand the mechanism of plain sufu production, and further to enhance the quality control of plain sufu. • Eight stages of plain sufus were grouped into three clusters based on their physicochemical properties. • Long time ripening led to significant differences of the microorganisms during plain sufu production. • Nine bacterial genera significantly affected the formation of flavor compounds during the plain sufu production. • Six fungal genera were identified as core functional fungal influencing formation of flavor compounds of the plain sufu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) bran has recently attracted much attention because it is rich in neutral oil, which promises its potential usage as a health-promotion product. This study was firstly designed to select and optimize an optimum method to extract adlay bran oil (ABO). Secondly, differences of fatty acids profile and fatty acid synthase inhibitory activities between ABO and Kanglaite® injection (commercial adlay seeds oil) were determined to explore the potential application of ABO as an antitumor product. The optimized extraction conditions of ABO were ethanol-water extraction at AB particle size of 30.5 μm, pH of 7.0, ethanol volume of 30%, solid to liquid ratio of 1:5 (w/v), the temperature of 50 °C and reaction time of 2 h. After refining, the refined ABO had better properties than crude ABO except for the content of vitamin E. In addition, both crude and refined ABO extracted by ethanol-water had higher proportions of palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2) to oleic acid (C18:1) than Kanglaite®. The fatty acid synthase inhibitory activities of crude ABO were higher than refined ABO and Kanglaite® injection at a dose of 10 μL/mL inhibition for 2 h under 25 °C. The results proved that crude ABO extracted by the ethanol-water method probably had a potential higher anticancer function than Kanglaite® injection. The results will provide a theoretical foundation in studying the mechanism of the anti-cancer effects of ABO. It can also reduce production and increase the economic value of adlay processing industry. Image 1 • Qualities of adlay bran oi extracted by ethanol-water were better than water and aqueous enzymatic methods. • Ethanol-water extraction conditions were optimized by multiple factor analysis. • Qualities of refined adlay bran oil were improved compared to crude one except for the content of vitamin E. • Crude adlay bran oil had higher fatty acid synthase inhibitory activities than Kanglaite® injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selected physico- (texture and color) chemical (salt, protein, and moisture content) properties and 20 targeted volatile compounds (TVCs) from 12 commercial red sufus were investigated to identify correlations with sensory attributes obtained by either QDA or Flash Profile (FP). The intensities of 15 attributes from QDA and the ranking values of 19 attributes from FP of red sufus were evaluated, and a higher variance was generally found in the results from FP than those from QDA among the 12 samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) of TVCs showed that both the concentration and the ratio of volatile compounds influenced the flavor quality and the discrimination among the samples. Multiple factor analysis (MFA) was used to associate the sensory data from either FP or QDA with the physicochemical properties and TVCs of red sufus. The results showed that both FP and QDA data associated well with the physicochemical and TVC data, and the intensity of the sensory attributes could be predicted from the properties of red sufus. Pearson correlation coefficients between the sensory attributes (aroma/flavor) and TVCs pinpointed that a sulfur-like aroma was a key attribute in red sufus, and it might be a result of the comprehensive combination of different TVCs. The information reported here could be important for the quality control of traditional and new variants of red sufu products by providing an approach to substitute the sensory measurements with the instrumental measurements, and to strengthen the interpretation of sensory data by showing how they are affected by the physicochemical properties. Unlabelled Image • Physicochemical, sensory, TVCs and their relationships in red sufus were determined. • Concentration and ratio of TVCs influenced the flavor and discrimination among red sufus. • Both Flash Profile and QDA data associated well with the physicochemical and TVCs data. • Sulfur-like aroma was a key attribute which correlated with many TVCs in red sufus. • Flash Profile technique appeared to be an efficient alternative approach to QDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red sufu is a subtype of fermented soybean curd products that is red in color. There is little information available regarding the sensory properties of red sufu products. Therefore, the objectives of this investigation were to develop and validate a lexicon for profiling sensory properties of red sufu products. In this study, 10 qualified panelists were selected to develop a list of descriptors using 8 randomly selected commercial red sufus available from local market. M% value and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to reduce the number of descriptors from the initial 117 terms to the final 15 descriptors. Furthermore, 12 red sufu samples were selected for validation of the red sufu lexicon. Both PCA and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis validated that the newly developed lexicon could discriminate among red sufu samples. Practical applications: The lexicon developed in this study for red sufus will be useful for researchers and manufacturers to identify and describe similarities and differences of different commercial red sufus to help in their red sufu product development. Furthermore, it can be used to correlate with the instrumental data to strengthen the flavor quality control in the red sufu products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]