Fumin Chi

Tibetan butter and Indian ghee are both fat products derived from cow’s milk or other dairy products that are rich in nutrients. Although both Tibetan butter and Indian ghee are primarily produced by filtering, heating, separating, cooling, and molding, there are differences in their production processes. Tibetan butter is produced in a process similar to that of butter, while Indian ghee is clarified butter obtained by further extraction based on the obtained butter. Both types of ghee are susceptible to adulteration; Indian ghee is primarily adulterated with vegetable oils, animal fats, and other fats or non-fats, while Tibetan butter is typically adulterated with animal body fat and non-fats, including mashed potatoes. There are numerous research reports on the detection techniques for adulteration in Indian ghee, while there are very few reports on the detection technology for adulteration of Tibetan butter. Studies have shown that techniques such as gas chromatography (GC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electronic nose (E-nose), either individually or in combination, are efficient in distinguishing adulterated Indian ghee. These findings could serve as a reference for the detection of adulteration in Tibetan butter in the future.

This study combined rice starch (RS) with cactus polysaccharide (CP) at different composites (0.6%, 1.2%, 1.8%, 2.4%, and 3.0%, w/w), and analyzed the variations in the complex gelatinization properties, rheological properties, thermal properties, structural properties, digestibility, and freeze–thaw stability. As a result, the pasting parameters (p < 0.05) and storage modulus (G′) together with the loss modulus (G″) decreased as the CP concentration increased; meanwhile, the RS and the CP–RS gels were pseudoplastic fluids. As revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), incorporating CP into the starch elevated the starch gelatinization temperature while decreasing gelatinization enthalpy, revealing that CP effectively retarded long-term retrogradation in RS. The gel microstructure and crystallization type altered after adding CP. Typically, CP inclusion could enhance the proportion of resistant starch and slowly digestible starch (SDS), thereby slowing RS hydrolysis. Concurrently, adding CP promoted the RS freeze–thaw stability. These findings could potentially aid in the innovation of CP-based food products.

The effects of fennel essential oil (FEO) and peppermint essential oil (PEO) on chitosan-based films were evaluated in this study. The results showed that the addition of FEO and PEO slightly increased the density and thickness, while significantly decreasing the moisture content, water swelling, and solubility properties. The color values (L, a, b, ΔE and whiteness index (WI)) of the composite films containing FEO and PEO changed obviously with a tendency toward yellowness, which was beneficial in resisting food decomposition caused by ultraviolet light. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fourier-transform-infrared (FTIR) results indicated that the addition of FEO and PEO affected the structure of the chitosan films, while the interaction between the chitosan and polyphenols in FEO and PEO established new hydrogen bonds and improved the thermal stability. The environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) illustrated that the surfaces of the composite films containing FEO and PEO were smooth, but the cross-section was rougher than in pure chitosan film. Furthermore, the composite films containing FEO and PEO exhibited prominent antioxidant activity. In short, the novel active chitosan-based films with incorporated FEO and PEO present broad application prospects in fresh-cut meat or vegetable packaging.