Search

Hydrophilic natural gums have gained increasing attention as food cryoprotectants due to their special functional properties. In this study, the functional properties of Chinese quince seed gum (CQSG), i.e., rheological, textural, emulsifying and foaming properties, were characterized. Effects of gum concentration (0.50–3.00% in w/v) and freezing temperature (−18 °C and −34 °C) were investigated. During freeze–thaw process, there was insignificant change in the flow behavior of the CQSG solution, presumably due either to the random distribution or to the flexibility of the gum molecular chains. After freeze–thaw treatment, the textural properties were stable at low gum concentrations, and the cohesiveness and springiness were relatively stable at high gum concentrations. The hardness and gumminess were enhanced after being frozen at −34 °C and then thawed. The CQSG solutions at all concentrations exhibited enhanced emulsifying and foaming capacities after freeze–thaw treatment, and their stabilities were improved significantly. These results suggest that Chinese quince seed gum can be used as a cryoprotectant in frozen foods.

In the present work, effects of reaction temperature, reactant concentration, catalyst loading, and rotation speed on the kinetics of sesamin conversion in a sesame oil system were studied by using citric acid loading on Hβ zeolite (CA/Hβ) as a catalyst. A kinetic model was built for sesamin conversion. The kinetic model fits correctly the experimental concentration of sesamin and asarinin (RS⁢e⁢s⁢a⁢m⁢i⁢n2 = 0.93 and RA⁢s⁢a⁢r⁢i⁢n⁢i⁢n2 = 0.97). The sesamin conversion is an endothermic reaction (△HrIso = 3 4.578kJ/mol). The CA/Hβ catalyst could be easily regenerated by calcination, and there was no obvious loss of catalytic activity when reused. Knowledge of the sesamin conversion is of great significance for guiding production and improving the value and nutrition of sesame oil. In a word, this study lays the foundation for the scale-up of the production of asarinin from sesame oil using CA/Hβ as the catalyst.

To expand industrial utilization of tigernut starch and meet the demand for industrial starch, the influence of dry heat treatment (130 °C for 2 h and 4 h, 7% moisture) on the functional properties and structure of tigernut starch alone and mixed with Chinese quince seed gum (1% w/w) was investigated. Modifying the starch significantly (p

Tigernut has been recognized as a promising resource for edible oil and starch. However, the research on the quality characteristics of tigernut from different regions is lagging behind, which limits the application of tigernut in food industry. Tigernut tubers were obtained from six major growing regions in China, and the physicochemical properties of their main components, oil and starch, were characterized. Tigernut tubers from Baoshan contained the most oil (30.12%), which contained the most ß-carotene (130.4 µg/100 g oil) due to high average annual temperature. Gas chromatography analysis and fingerprint analysis results indicated that tigernut oil (TNO) consists of seven fatty acids, of which oleic acid is the major component. Changchun TNO contained the least total tocopherols (6.04 mg/100 g oil) due to low average annual temperature. Tigernut tubers from Chifeng (CF) contained the most starch (34.85%) due to the large diurnal temperature range. Xingtai starch contained the most amylose (28.4%). Shijiazhuang starch showed the highest crystallinity (19.5%). Anyang starch had the highest pasting temperature (76.0°C). CF starch demonstrated superior freeze-thaw stability (syneresis: 50%) due to low mean annual precipitation. The results could be further applied to support tigernut industries and relevant researchers that looks for geographical origin discrimination and improvements on tigernut quality, with unique physicochemical and technological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]