Publications by authors named "Yunwei Niu"

Food flavors and fragrances are vital for foods. They can impart aroma and flavor to foods, enhance and compensate for flavor perception of foods, and mask the undesirable flavor of foods, thus increasing overall food acceptability and consumers' purchase intention. However, most of the flavors and fragrances are sensitive to air, moisture, heat, and light, leading to difficulties in processing them and adding them to foods.

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Lard imparts unique organoleptic properties that underpin its essential role in Chinese gastronomy; however, the specific lipid precursors contributing to its aroma remain unclear. This study explores the flavor formation mechanism of lard by comparing its texture and aroma at two preparation temperatures, 130 °C and 100 °C. We identified a total of 256 and 253 lipids at these temperatures, respectively, with triacylglycerols (TGs) and diacylglycerols (DGs) being the predominant lipid species.

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Zebrafish with unique biological traits can serve as an ideal model for studying olfactory mechanisms. This review analyzes their olfactory system, focusing on the regulation of receptor gene expression, mechanisms of odor recognition, and research methodologies including behavioral assays, molecular docking, and biotechnological approaches. Current limitations include predominantly qualitative data, insufficient cross-species comparisons, and unclear mechanisms of environmental modulation.

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Lactic acid (LA) is commonly presented in Baijiu, but its influence on flavor is ambiguous. The volatile pyrazines and LA content in Laimao Baijiu were investigated by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-qMS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS). The results demonstrated that 5 kinds of pyrazine with odor activity values ≥1 were identified as important odorants, and the content of LA was 857.

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The aroma profile of sweet oranges, a critical determinant of fruit quality, arises from complex interactions among volatile compounds rather than their simple summation. While existing studies focus on compound identification, the mechanistic basis of aroma interactions remains underexplored. This study innovatively integrates the S-curve method and molecular simulation to decode the molecular logic of aroma interplay in sweet oranges.

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Depression imposes a heavy burden on patients and society, and current antidepressants often cause side effects such as dryness in the mouth and constipation. The explorations about aromatic plant essential oils provide a new method for the treatment of depression, but the mechanisms of antidepressant effect of these oils are not deeply enough. Here, the rosemary essential oil analyzed by GC-O and GC-MS techniques, whose main aromatic compounds are determined as 1,8-cineole (OAV = 1869.

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The -curve method, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) were used to explore the interaction between the aroma compounds of Longjing tea and receptors. The ratio of experimental and theoretical threshold () values for (+)-(1,2)-methyl epijasmonate and β-ionone was 0.46, indicating a synergistic effect between them.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how rising living standards are increasing demand for healthier, sugar-reduced food options, particularly focusing on sweet orange juice and its aroma compounds.
  • It identifies 12 key aroma compounds and finds that several, particularly (E)-citral and others, enhance the sweetness of a sugar solution while nonanol does not.
  • Molecular docking and dynamics analysis reveal that the stability of the binding between sucrose and sweet taste receptors is improved by (E)-citral, indicating potential for developing novel sweeteners using these aroma substances.
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At present, there are relatively few studies on the influence of green aroma and aldehyde aroma compounds on the sweetness perception of sucrose. This study examined the effects of 11 aroma compounds from sweet orange, characterized by green and aldehyde flavors, on the sweetness of a 5 % sucrose solution. Using artificial sensory analysis and electronic tongue technology, it was found that most aromatic compounds can inhibit sweetness perception, and the inhibitory effect of trans-2-decenoaldehyde is the most significant.

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Article Synopsis
  • Microcapsules are a promising delivery system, with their mechanical properties influencing their suitable applications, such as biomedical uses where lower strength is preferred for better biocompatibility.
  • The paper outlines four methods for characterizing the mechanical properties of microcapsules: nanoindentation, parallel plate compression, microcapillary technology, and flow deformation.
  • It discusses how to regulate these properties through size and shape changes, incorporating sacrificial bonds, and creating hybrid shells, while also exploring future applications in fields like food, textiles, and pharmaceuticals.
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Traditional pressure-sensitive microcapsules used in textiles face challenges of insufficient environmental friendliness in the production process and uncontrollable fragrance release. To address this issue, this study utilized quaternary ammonium chitosan and silica as wall materials to develop a magnetic aromatic microcapsule. The microstructure of the microcapsules was controlled by magnetic field induction, and its evolution pattern was investigated.

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The characteristic aroma compounds of five-fold sweet orange oil were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with the odor aroma value (OAV) method. The results indicated that limonene, linalool, dodecanol, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, (E)-citral, linalool, (E)-2-decenal, and geraniol are important contributors. The sweetening effects of key compounds on sucrose solutions were experimentally investigated.

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Chitosan (CS) has physicochemical properties including solubility, crystallinity, swellability, viscosity, and cohesion, along with biological properties like biocompatibility, biodegradation, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor effects. However, these characteristics of CS are greatly affected by its degree of deacetylation, molecular weight, pH and other factors, which limits the application of CS in biomedicine. The modification of CS with catechol-containing substances inspired by mussels can not only improve these properties of CS, but also endow it with self-healing property, providing an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to promote the application of CS in biomedicine.

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Batch coupled enzymatic hydrolysis and membrane separation mode (BCEH-MSM) is efficient in preparing active peptides due to enzyme being more purposeful in hydrolysing macromolecular. Therefore, BCEH-MSM probably could be an alternative option to the traditional enzymatic hydrolysis and offline membrane separation mode (TEH-OMSM). This work aimed to explore the potential of BCEH-MSM in enhancing the enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) efficiency and the umami of the enzymatic hydrolysate.

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For health and safety reasons, the search for green, healthy, and low-calorie sweeteners with good taste has become the demand of many consumers. Furthermore, the need for sugar substitutes of natural origin has increased dramatically. In this review, we briefly discussed the safety and health benefits of stevia sweeteners and enumerated some examples of physiological functions of steviol glycosides (SGs), such as anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antihypertensive, anti-diabetes, and anticaries, citing various evidence related to their application in the food industry.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cyclodextrins (CDs) can effectively stabilize and enhance the use of fragrant ester molecules in food, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals, which often have strong odors and storage issues.
  • The study used both molecular modeling and experiments to show that ester aroma compounds can be encapsulated within β-CD molecules, although with low binding affinity, relying on hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions.
  • FTIR, NMR, and ITC experiments confirmed these interactions, and the research found differences in release rates of aroma compounds based on their molecular structure, suggesting potential applications for improving industries that use these compounds.
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Due to the trace concentrations of gallic acid (GA), the interaction mechanism between GA and flavor compounds is limited, and the effects on the aroma compounds of Moutai Baijiu are even more unclear. In this study, the aroma compounds and phenolic compounds in Moutai Baijiu were investigated by stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A total of 63 volatiles and 10 phenolic compounds were identified, and 16 esters and 4 alcohols were identified as the important aroma substances (odor activity values ≥1).

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Until now, no effective method has been found to monitor the Maillard reaction process for complex protein hydrolysates. Dynamic changes in the concentration of α-dicarbonyl compounds, fluorescence intensity, and browning degree were investigated during the Maillard reaction of corn protein hydrolysates. When the fluorescence intensity reached the peak, deoxyosones would continue to be increased by ARP's degradation.

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Reducing NaCl content in food while maintaining acceptability poses a significant challenge. Odor-induced saltiness enhancement (OISE) emerges as a promising solution. This study utilized gas chromatography-olfactory (GC-O) in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify 37 key volatile compounds in three representative Chinese dry-cured hams.

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Starch is non-toxic, low cost, and possesses good biocompatibility and biodegradability. As a natural polymer material, starch is an ideal choice for microcapsule wall materials. Starch-based microcapsules have a wide range of applications and application prospects in fields such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and others.

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Creaming could be generated during storage of the starch-based Pickering emulsions. And cellulose nanocrystals in the solution are usually dispersed by relatively strong mechanical force, otherwise they may appear in the form of aggregates. In this work, we investigated the effects of cellulose nanocrystals on the stability of the starch-based Pickering emulsions.

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Yashi Xiang (YSX) is a flavor of Fenghuang Dancong tea and famous for its name and floral aroma, which is a type of semi-fermented oolong tea. However, previous research into the aroma characteristics of YSX tea mostly focused on the aroma compounds, and little research on chiral compounds in YSX has been performed. Therefore, the current study was conducted to explore the aroma characteristics of YSX tea from the perspective of enantiomers of chiral compounds.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles enhances the hydrogels' mechanical strength and provides functionalities such as targeting capabilities and controlled release, making them useful in applications like drug delivery and environmental clean-up.
  • * The review discusses methods for creating chitosan hydrogels, the properties of these magnetic composites, and their potential for future technological advancements in various fields.
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Odor activity value (OAV) and S-curve were used to study the content, proportion, and contribution of lactone chiral enantiomers in Longjing tea. A total of 10 enantiomers were identified in this study, among which ()-(-)-δ-decalactone (45.4-84.

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Background: Laimao baijiu is a typical soy-sauce aroma-type baijiu in China. Amino acids are non-volatile compounds in baijiu and are beneficial to human health. Aroma is one of the important indicators that are used to evaluate the quality of baijiu.

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