Lifeng Wang

Plant-based high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) are promising structured fat systems for spreadable sauces, but their performance depends on stabilizer composition and processing. In this study, oil-in-water HIPEs (oil-phase volume fraction 0.75) were prepared using rice protein/carboxymethyl cellulose (RP/CMC) complexes at mass ratios of 10/0–10/4, with or without Lactiplantibacillus plantarum fermentation. Oil-binding capacity (OBC), rheological properties, response to heating (90 °C for 60 min), and microstructure were evaluated. CMC incorporation improved self-supporting behavior, macroscopic homogeneity, and OBC compared with RP alone. The 10/3 formulation showed the numerically highest OBC (99.84 ± 0.13% for unfermented and 99.69 ± 0.04% for fermented samples), with no significant difference from the corresponding 10/4 formulation. All HIPEs exhibited shear-thinning and elastic-dominant, gel-like behavior. Fermentation reduced apparent viscosity and storage modulus, indicating a less rigid and more deformable structure. After heating, samples maintained their semi-solid appearance and oil-in-water dispersion characteristics. Microscopy showed more compact droplet arrangements in CMC-containing systems, whereas fermentation was associated with a less compact apparent arrangement. These findings indicate that RP/CMC complexes can structure plant-based HIPEs and that fermentation can modulate their rheological properties; storage stability and direct spreadability require further evaluation.

The structural characteristics of intermediate materials generated during wheat roller milling are strongly related to the initial fracture behavior of kernels, yet this relationship has been insufficiently investigated.Three wheat samples with distinct hardness levels (H1–H3) were examined. Triaxial compression and two-way analysis of variance were used to assess single-kernel fracture behavior and the effects of compression orientation, wheat hardness, and their interaction on yield load. Representative milling intermediates were obtained by laboratory roller milling and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) Z-stack imaging. Kernel yield load showed clear directional dependence, and compression orientation, wheat hardness, and their interaction significantly affected mechanical behavior. Major fractures propagated mainly along interfaces between endosperm cells. At the break-stock stage, H2 showed the highest intact-domain proportion (81.62%) and the lowest dispersed-region proportion (4.70%), whereas H1 showed the opposite pattern. In reduction and scratch stocks, H3 retained the highest intact-domain proportions, while H1 showed the highest fracture-edge proportions. SEM and CLSM revealed differences in block morphology, fracture-edge characteristics, boundary organization, and component distribution. Overall, the initial structural state established during kernel fracture continued to affect intermediate-material structure throughout subsequent milling passages.

In this study, a microfluidic coculture electrochemical sensing platform was developed for the sensitive detection of ovalbumin (OVA). The chip integrated dual-layer serpentine microchannels separated by a porous PET membrane, enabling coculture and communication between Caco-2 and RBL-2H3 cells. OVA was quantified indirectly by monitoring interleukin-6 (IL-6) released during the cellular allergic response. The screen-printed electrode was modified by diazonium grafting, followed by AuNP electrodeposition for antibody immobilization and signal amplification. The integrated platform exhibited a linear response to OVA from 0.2 to 4 pg/mL, with a calibration equation of R_et(kΩ) = -7.450C_{OVA(kΩ·mL/pg)} + 47.342 (R² = 0.998) and a detection limit of 0.161 pg/mL. A maximum electrochemical response was observed after 4 h of OVA stimulation, allowing dynamic monitoring of allergen-induced cellular responses. The proposed platform provides a sensitive and biomimetic strategy for response-oriented food allergen analysis.

Background and Objectives: Coix seed polyphenols (CSPs) and their potential lipid‐lowering functions have been underexplored in scientific literature. The study aims to extract crude polyphenols from defatted Coix seeds using ethanol. Column chromatography was applied for further purification. After identifying and analyzing the structure and content of these polyphenols, we investigated their inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase (PL) and related enzymatic kinetics. Additionally, we assessed their lipid‐lowering activity in an oleic acid‐induced high‐fat HepG2 cell model. Results: In this study, we identified over 30 phenolic compounds in Coix seeds; the compounds with the highest proportions were followed by taxifolin, paeonol, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), (−)‐secoisolariciresinol, arbutin, and cyanidin chloride, reaching 2.14%, 2.02%, 1.63%, 1.38%, 1.36%, and 1.08%, respectively. These compounds accounted for 93.09% of the total CSP. CSP demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against PL, achieving an inhibition rate of 76.8% at a concentration of 2 mg/mL. Enzymatic kinetic analysis suggested that CSP exerts a typical mixed noncompetitive inhibitory effect on PL. In HepG2 cells induced with oleic acid, supplementation with 100 μg/mL CSP significantly reduced triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels by 45.05%, 40.56%, 12.36%, 39.30%, and 28.49%, respectively ( p < .05). Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of CSP as a natural lipid‐lowering agent, warranting further exploration in functional foods and therapeutic applications.