Tailored Eating Quality and Starch Structural Features of Frozen Wet Rice Noodle: Influence of Retrogradation Time, Freezing Temperature, and Rice-Water Ratio.

The production of quick-frozen wet rice noodles involves wet-milling, steaming, shaping, retrogradation, and freezing. This study investigated the changes in the quality and starch structural characteristics of frozen rice noodles (RN) prepared at different retrogradation times, freezing temperatures, and rice-water ratios. It was revealed that extending the retrogradation time would help to enhance the toughness of the product, increasing the rice-water ratio would reduce the hardness of the RN, and too low a freezing temperature would cause higher cooking losses.

Integrated analysis of COVID-19 multi-omics data for eQTLs reveals genetic mechanisms underlying disease severity.

The global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus provided an unprecedented opportunity to investigate genetic factors influencing the disease severity of the viral infection. Despite a plethora of recent research on both SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, few have taken a systems biology approach to address individual-level variation, especially based on non-European populations. Accordingly, we analyzed multi-omics data generated at three timepoints from 193 Korean COVID-19 patients with mild or severe symptoms, composed of whole genome sequencing, blood-based single-cell RNA-sequencing (2.

A Photo- and Electrochromic Dual-Responsive Smart Window for Full-Day Photothermal Management.

Smart windows, which can intelligently regulate indoor temperature and improve living comfort provide a promising solution for reducing building energy consumption. Active and passive smart windows have their own advantages and disadvantages, yet it is a challenge to perfectly combine the two to achieve complementary advantages. In this work, photo- and electrical dual-responsive films containing WO, ethylene glycol (EG), and Ag are prepared, which can simultaneously realize photochromism and electrochromism.

Revealing the indigestion mechanism of starch-γ-oryzanol complex to starch digestive enzymes: Insights from structural properties, molecular dynamics simulation and molecular docking.

Starch and γ-oryzanol molecules can form the starch-γ-oryzanol complex with stable structure under co-heat treatment. The effect of the complex on starch digestion has applications in the starch-based foods industry. The present study is based on the digestive properties of this complex and further discusses its mechanism of indigestion.

Decreasing the pH value would improve the swallowing characteristics of whey protein isolate-enriched thickened fluids for dysphagia populations.

The global aging of the population is accelerating, and dysphagia poses a threat to the health of the elderly. Thickened fluid foods prepared from polysaccharides and proteins could address dehydration and protein deficiency in the elderly dysphagia population. In this work, the structural characteristics, rheological properties, and swallowing characteristics of complexes formed by whey protein isolate (WPI) and polysaccharides (xanthan gum (XG), λ-carrageenan (λC), and konjac glucomannan (KGM)) at different pH values were investigated.

Germination and fermentation synergistically tailor the starch structure within brown rice and the quality features of brown rice tea.

Notwithstanding brown rice (BR) has recently evoked extensive exploration owing to its rich nutrients and exceptional health benefits, it remains largely unclear how germination combined with fermentation (GCF) impact the starch structure within BR as well as the quality features of BR-based products. Here, the BR samples under different inoculum sizes (0.4-4 %) were used.

Incorporating maltitol regulates the gel properties and structural features of κ-carrageenan-corn starch-soy protein isolate based quaternary system and its application of low glycemic index gummies.

This study investigated the structure and gel features of maltitol-κ-carrageenan-corn starch-soy protein isolate quaternary system under the different maltitol addition (5 %-25 %), and evaluated the glycemic index (GI), digestibility, sensory and texture properties of gummies prepared based on this system. As maltitol incorporation increased, gelatinization temperature raised from 69.87 °C to 97.

Enhancement on the solubility of polyploid and diploid rice proteins by enzymatic hydrolysis: From structural and functional characteristics of rice protein hydrolysates.

Polyploid rice protein (PRP) has the advantage of high nutritional value, but its functional properties are minimal due to its poor solubility. This work aims to improve the solubility of PRP through enzymatic hydrolysis and assess the effect of hydrolysis time (5-330 min) and protease type (Alcalase, Neutrase, and Trypsin) on the structural, functional, and antioxidant properties of PRP hydrolysates (PRPHs). Compared to PRP, PRPHs exhibited significantly decreased free sulfhydryl content and surface hydrophobicity and improved structural flexibility, regardless of the protease used.

A quasi-periodic two-nanophase structure within starch-based hydrogels containing acetylated starch: An insight of small angle X-ray scattering.

The inclusion of acetylated starch (AS) tunes the nanoscale characteristics of starch-based hydrogels, thereby enhancing their performance in biological, pharmaceutical, and material fields. Hence, quantitively analyzing the nanostructures of such hydrogels is conducive to guiding further improvements in their mechanical and functional properties. Through a small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis, we substantiated a quasi-periodic two-nanophase arrangement in starch-based hydrogels, and accordingly developed a comprehensive model consisting of Debye-Bueche, Teubner-Strey, and Beaucage functions.

Identification and Analysis of Two Critical Structural Parameters Governing the Strength of Carbon Nanotube Fibers.

Despite significant advancements in theoretical and experimental research, the strength of state-of-the-art carbon nanotube fibers (CNTFs) still falls short of their theoretical limits. To bridge this gap, a detailed understanding of the structure-strength relationships of CNTFs is urgently needed to guide enhancement of the fiber strength. In this work, a mesoscale quantitative model employing coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations was proposed to investigate the relationship between the conformation of CNTFs and fiber strength.

The development of thickened fermented rice milk formulation for people with dysphagia: A view of multiple in vitro simulation methods.

Based on the huge blank of thickened fluid staple food for people with dysphagia, multiple in vitro simulations were utilized to develop the thickened fermented rice milk. Here, the effect of amylase content, hydrolysis time and thickener content were considered. The rheological study and Cambridge throat evaluation revealed that hydrolysis could significantly reduce the viscosity and yield stress of fermented rice milk, accompanied by the decreased swallowing residue.

Radiative Cooling Meta-Fabric Integrated with Knitting Perspiration-Wicking and Coating Heat Conduction.

Radiative cooling is an emerging zero-energy-consumption technology for human body cooling in outdoor scenarios during hot seasons. However, existing radiative cooling textiles are limited by low intrinsic cooling power, high hydrophobicity, and heat-insulating properties, which seriously impede a satisfying cooling effect, perspiration-wicking, and heat dissipation, thus limiting human thermal comfort in practical situations. Here, we developed a radiative cooling meta-fabric that was integrated with high perspiration-wicking and thermal conduction capacity.

Revealing the mechanism underlying the viscosity improvement of rice protein yogurt by the presence of in-situ-produced dextrans.

The in-situ-produced dextrans (DXs) could effectively enhance the viscosity of rice protein (RP) yogurt, but the reason for this improvement has not been elucidated. This study aims to reveal the mechanism underlying the viscosity improvement of RP yogurt by the presence of in-situ DXs. DXs synthesized in RP yogurts under different optimum conditions were purified and fully characterized.

Breaking the Stability-Activity Trade-off of Oxygen Electrocatalyst by Gallium Bilateral-Regulation for High-Performance Zinc-Air Batteries.

The rational design of metal oxide catalysts with enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance is crucial for the practical application of aqueous rechargeable zinc-air batteries (a-r-ZABs). Precisely regulating the electronic environment of metal-oxygen (M-O) active species is critical yet challenging for improving their activity and stability toward OER and ORR. Herein, we propose an atomic-level bilateral regulation strategy by introducing atomically dispersed Ga for continuously tuning the electronic environment of Ru-O and Mn-O in the Ga/MnRuO catalyst.

Understanding the application-related features of sweet potato starch varying in multi-scale supramolecular structure.

Understanding the application-related features of sweet potato starch (SPS) is necessary for its utilization, which remains limited. Here, seven starches isolated from different sweet potato varieties (HA, SS, YSA, YSB, YSC, YSD, and YSE) were used. It was confirmed that the multi-scale structure possesses significant effects upon the application-related features of SPS.

Protective effects of insoluble dietary fiber from cereal bran against DSS-induced chronic colitis in mice: From inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, intestinal barrier, and gut microbiota.

Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) is a crucial component of cereals, and IDF from cereal bran (IDF-CB) has been reported to have multiple biological activities. However, the effect of IDF-CB on chronic colitis remains underexplored. The study aimed to investigate the impact of IDFs from wheat bran (WBIDF), rice bran (RBIDF), millet bran (MBIDF) and oat bran (OBIDF) on chronic colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).

Resolving differences in digestion features of cooked rice and wheat noodles: A view from starch multiscale structure.

The staple foods play an important role in providing energy in the human daily diet. Wheat is the main staple food in northern China, rice in southern China, and the different staple food patterns between the north and south result in health disparities. Therefore, analyzing the differences in the digestion of staple foods are particularly important for understanding the digestive energy supply of staple foods.

A Facile Electrochemical Strategy for Achieving a High-Conductivity Polypyrrole Derivative with Intrinsic Metallic Transport as a High-Performance Electrochromic Conducting Polymer Film.

Conjugated polymer electrochromic materials (PECMs) with tailored optical and electrical properties are applied in smart windows, electronic displays, and adaptive camouflage. The limitation in the electrical conductivity results in slow and monotonous color switching. We present a polypyrrole film incorporated with a toluene--sulfonic group (PPy-TSO-F), via a one-step electrodeposition technique.

Prolonging heat-moisture treatment time at medium moisture content optimizes the quality attributes of cooked brown rice through starch structural alteration.

Brown rice (BR), one of the popular whole grains worldwide, is still limited to consumption due to its rough texture after cooking. Through inspecting structural alteration, this work discloses how heat-moisture treatment (HMT) moisture content (15 %-25 %) and time (1.0 h-3.

Zein and gum arabic nanoparticles: potential enhancers of immunomodulatory functional activity of selenium-containing peptides.

Food-derived nanomaterials optimizing bioactive peptides is an emerging route in the functional food field. Zein and gum arabic (GA) possess favorable encapsulation properties for controlled release, targeted delivery and stabilization of food bioactive ingredients, and thus are considered as promising carriers for delivery systems. In order to improve the bioavailability of rice selenium-containing peptide TSeMMM (T), the nanoparticles (ZTGNs) containing peptide T, zein and GA have been previously prepared.

Incorporating ions during thermal processing tailors the microstructure and practical features of rice starch/anthocyanin binary system.

Understanding the interplay among salt ions, anthocyanin and starch within food matrices under thermal conditions is important for the development of starch-based foods with demanded quality attributes. However, how salt ions presence influences the microstructure and properties of starch/anthocyanin binary system remains largely unclear. Herein, indica rice starch (IRS) and rice anthocyanin (RA) were used to construct an IRS-RA binary system, with thermal treatment under different concentrations of Na (10-40 mM) and types of salt ions (Na and Ca).