Gelatin (GA) is a natural protein widely used in food packaging, but its fabricated fibrous film has the defects of a high tendency to swell and inferior mechanical properties. In this work, a novel spinning technique, solution blow spinning (SBS), was used for the rapid fabrication of nanofiber materials; meanwhile, nylon 66 (PA66) was used to improve the mechanical properties and the ability to resist dissolution of gelatin films. Morphology observations show that GA/PA66 composite films had nano-diameter from 172.3 to 322.1 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray indicate that GA and PA66 had strong interaction by hydrogen bonding. Mechanical tests show the elongation at break of the composite film increased substantially from 7.98% to 30.36%, and the tensile strength of the composite film increased from 0.03 MPa up to 1.42 MPa, which indicate that the composite films had the highest mechanical strength. Water vapor permeability analysis shows lower water vapor permeability of 9.93 g mm/m2 h kPa, indicates that GA/PA66 film’s water vapor barrier performance was improved. Solvent resistance analysis indicates that PA66 could effectively improve the ability of GA to resist dissolution. This work indicates that SBS has great promise for rapid preparation of nanofibrous film for food packaging, and PA66 can be applied to the modification of gelatin film.
22 May 2023 in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
Active packaging is a novel strategy for maintaining the shelf life of products and ensuring their safety, freshness, and integrity that has emerged with the consumer demand for safer, healthier, and higher quality food. Nanofibers have received a lot of attention for the application in active food packaging due to their high specific surface area, high porosity, and high loading capacity of active substances. Three common methods (electrospinning, solution blow spinning, and centrifugal spinning) for the preparation of nanofibers in active food packaging and their influencing parameters are presented, and advantages and disadvantages between these methods are compared. The main natural and synthetic polymeric substrate materials for the nanofiber preparation are discussed; and the application of nanofibers in active packaging is elaborated. The current limitations and future trends are also discussed. There have been many studies on the preparation of nanofibers using substrate materials from different sources for active food packaging. However, most of these studies are still in the laboratory research stage. Solving the issues of preparation efficiency and cost of nanofibers is the key to their application in commercial food packaging.
This work optimized the formulation of the traditional Kyrgyz layered pastry Katima to lower its high butter-derived lipid content. High-gluten flour served as the base raw material, with butter, yeast, salt, egg liquid, and raisins as auxiliary ingredients. Single-factor trials combined with Box–Behnken response surface methodology (RSM) were carried out, with overall sensory score as the primary evaluation index to screen critical formulation variables: butter, yeast, and salt exerted distinct linear and interactive effects on product acceptability. The validated optimal formula contained 12.67 g butter, 0.78 g instant active dry yeast, and 0.56 g edible salt per 100 g flour, yielding a mean sensory score of 95.03 and a 37.21% fat reduction relative to full-fat traditional Katima. Significant intergroup differences (p < 0.05) were observed in texture, surface color, and physicochemical profiles. Reduced-fat Katima exhibited elevated moisture, hardness, and chewiness, alongside markedly lower fat, peroxide and acid values, reflecting enhanced lipid oxidative stability. This study provides standardized technical parameters and a feasible upgrading strategy for industrialized production of healthy Xinjiang ethnic cereal pastries.
In this study, Apocynum venetum was employed as the raw material to optimize protein extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis processes for the preparation of highly active angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides, achieving an ACE inhibition rate of 92.34%. Multispectral analyses and microstructural characterization demonstrated that enzymatic hydrolysis induced the unfolding of protein secondary structures, resulting in a looser and more porous morphology enriched with characteristic amino acids. A total of 2567 peptide sequences were identified by LC–MS/MS, among which 18 potential bioactive peptides were screened. Molecular docking analysis revealed that these peptides interact with the active site of ACE primarily through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, with WLRDFL exhibiting the strongest binding affinity. This study systematically elucidates the structural characteristics and antihypertensive molecular mechanisms of ACE-inhibitory peptides derived from Apocynum venetum, providing both theoretical insights and experimental support for the development of natural antihypertensive functional foods and the high-value utilization of this plant.