Jianbin Shi

Background: The Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi and Pueraria thomsonii Benth. are widely distributed and considered medicinal and edible plants in China. To explore the potential use in the food and nonfood industry, the structural and physicochemical properties of Pueraria starches were studied, which included the composition, morphology and size distributions, crystal structure, freeze–thaw stability, and in vitro digestion. Results: The results indicated that Pueraria starches showed significantly higher ( p < 0.05) amylose content and smaller average particle size D [3, 4] than commercial starches. The degree of crystallinity of KS, PBS1, and PBS2, characterized by C‐type diffraction patterns, was 28.27%, 24.97%, and 25.14%, respectively. PBS1 and PBS2 had higher paste temperatures than KS. The significantly higher ( p < 0.05) water binding capacity was observed in PBS2 and KS at 99.87% and 98.64%, respectively. PBS1 demonstrated the highest oil binding capacity but lower freeze–thaw stability compared to KS and PBS2. KS exhibited a high RDS content (90.85%) and low SDS and RS contents (3.26% and 5.89%, respectively). PBS1 had the highest RS content (11.26%). Conclusions: This research establishes a theoretical foundation for developing Pueraria starch resources in both food and nonfood industry applications.

The consumption of selenium‐enriched rice represents an effective approach for human selenium intake. However, the potential effects of selenium on rice texture after cooking and the physicochemical properties of rice starch remain insufficiently understood. In this study, four selenium‐enriched rice varieties and one conventional rice variety were selected to compare their nutritional components and eating quality and to investigate the microstructure and physicochemical properties of their starches. The results showed that selenium content in selenium‐enriched rice was significantly higher than that in conventional rice ( p < 0.01). Selenium enrichment had a positive effect on selenium accumulation, thereby promoting protein synthesis, with protein content increased by 3.01%–9.4%. However, it should be noted that the eating quality of selenium‐enriched rice was inferior to that of conventional rice, as indicated by lower taste values. Compared to conventional rice, the resistant starch content of selenium‐enriched rice increased by 13.41%–19.95%, the crystallinity increased by 4.89%–9.14%, the ordered double‐helical structure of starch granules was enhanced, and the gelatinization temperature increased. This study provides a theoretical reference for the processing, product development, and quality improvement of selenium‐enriched rice.

Intake of polyphenol-modified wheat products has the potential to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. In order to determine the modification effect of polyphenols on wheat gluten protein, the effects of grape skin anthocyanin extract (GSAE, additional amounts of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%, respectively) on the microstructure and physicochemical properties of gluten protein were investigated. The introduction of GSAE improves the maintenance of the gluten network and increases viscoelasticity, as evidenced by rheological and creep recovery tests. The tensile properties of gluten protein were at their peak when the GSAE level was 0.3%. The addition of 0.5% GSAE may raise the denaturation temperature of gluten protein by 6.48 °C–9.02 °C at different heating temperatures, considerably improving its thermal stability. Furthermore, GSAE enhanced the intermolecular hydrogen bond of gluten protein and promoted the conversion of free sulfhydryl groups to disulfide bonds. Meanwhile, the GSAE treatment may also lead to protein aggregation, and the average pore size of gluten samples decreased significantly and the structure became denser, indicating that GSAE improved the stability of the gluten spatial network. The positive effects of GSAE on gluten protein properties suggest the potential of GSAE as a quality enhancer for wheat products.

This study investigated the effects of rice preparation using different degrees of milling (DOM) from 0% to 13% on the nutritional composition, functional properties, major volatile compounds and safety of brown rice tea (BRT). We found that 2% DOM reduced 52.33% of acrylamide and 31.88% of fluorescent AGEs. When DOM was increased from 0% to 13%, the total phenolic content (TPC) of brown rice tea decreased by 48.12%, and the total flavonoid content (TFC) and condensed tannin content (CTC) also decreased significantly, with the smallest decrease at 2% DOM. In addition, the inhibitory activities of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase as well as the antioxidant activity also decreased gradually. Analysis by electronic nose and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that alkanes, furans, aldehydes, pyrazines and alcohols were the major volatiles in BRT, with 2% DOM having the greatest retention of aroma compounds. An orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and VIP score (VIP > 1 and p < 0.05) analysis were used to screen 25 flavor substances that contributed to the differences in BRT aroma of different DOMs. These results suggest that 2% milled BRT can improve safety and palatability while maximizing the retention of flavor compounds and nutrients. The findings of this study contribute to an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of changes and preservation of aroma compounds and nutrients present during the processing of BRT.