Canola oil was structured into oleogels with different amounts of carnauba wax, and their processing performances were assessed as an alternative to solid fat for imitation cheese low in saturated fat. The contents of solid fat in the oleogels were less vulnerable to the change in temperature than the palm oil. The replacement of palm oil with oleogels produced cheese samples with harder and more cohesive/chewy textures. Dynamic and transient viscoelastic measurements demonstrated that the use of oleogels was effective in increasing the elastic nature of the cheeses. Two distinct components with different proton mobilities were observed in the imitation cheeses, and longer T₂ relaxation times were detected in the oleogel samples. The meltability of the cheese with palm oil was not significantly different from those with 3% and 6% oleogels. The saturated fat level of the oleogel cheese was significantly reduced from 45.70 to 5.20%. The application of canola oil-carnauba wax oleogels could successfully produce imitation cheese high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat. This study thus demonstrated that the health-functional properties of imitation cheese could be enhanced by using oleogels.

The objective of this study is to develop suitable formulations to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. We selected lipid-based formulation as a drug carrier and modified the surface using positively charged chitosan derivative (HTCC) to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. Chitosan and HTCC-coated lipid particles had higher zeta-potential values than uncoated one over the whole pH ranges and improved encapsulation efficiency. In vitro drug release showed that all NLC formulations showed higher in vitro release efficiency than drug particle at pH 7.4. Furthermore, NLC formulation prepared with chitosan or HTCC represented good sustained release property. The results indicate that chitosan and HTCC can be excellent formulating excipients of lipid-based delivery carrier for improving poorly water soluble drug delivery.

The effects of instrumental quality indices on the sensory properties of Shine Muscat grapes harvested 16, 18, 20, and 22 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) were investigated. The berries harvested at 20 and 22 WAFB gained higher sweetness scores than those harvested at 16 and 18 WAFB, showing similar trends to that of total soluble solids (TSS) content. The sourness, astringency, and firmness scores were not significantly different among the samples. The flavor score showed a trend similar to that of sweetness perception. The higher flavor score in the berries harvested at 20 and 22 WAFB seemed to be derived from the development of floral aroma compounds, including linalool and its derivatives, with ripening. Consumer acceptance was highly correlated with sweetness and flavor perceptions. It was concluded that the TSS content and development of floral aroma compounds are the key quality parameters for Shine Muscat grapes, satisfying consumer acceptability in the market.

The effects of the level of berry thinning (30% and 50% berry removal) on the quality and sensory properties of Shine Muscat grapes were investigated. As berry thinning increased, the total soluble solids content increased and titratable acidity decreased. Berry thinning increased berry size and cluster weight but caused no change in individual berry weight. Phenolic concentrations as measured by total phenolic, proanthocyanidin, and polymeric tannin concentrations tended to increase with an increase in berry thinning. Gas chromatographic analysis indicated that C6-compounds were the significant constituents of volatile alcohols and aldehydes; linalool was the most abundant monoterpene. Odor activity analysis indicated that (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexenal, 1-hexanal, (Z)-3-hexenal, (E)-β-damascenone, linalool, and (E)-linalool oxide were active odorants. Berry thinning increased the accumulation of linalool contributing to high sensory flavor scores in thinned berries. Furthermore, its oxidized derivative-linalool oxide-contributed to enhancing the Muscat flavor. In conclusion, berry thinning induced compositional changes in Shine Muscat grape berries by accelerating the ripening rate, contribution to improved sensory properties.

The astringent sensation of wines is attributable to the composition and concentration of phenolic compounds. However, in many cases, experimental results have shown a gap in relation to sensory astringency. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationships between the experimental evidence of astringent attributes and perceived astringency. To this end, the concentrations of phenolic compounds, namely, the total phenolic content (TPC), the polymeric tannin content (PTC), the proanthocyanidin content (PAC) and the total anthocyanin content (TAC), in wines made from a variety of grape breeding lines were estimated and their relationships to perceived astringency were evaluated. The TPC and the PTC showed strong positive correlations with perceived astringency. In contrast, the PAC showed a moderate correlation with perceived astringency, which was lower than that shown by the PTC despite their similar phenolic compositions. Unlike the other attributes, the TAC showed a weak correlation with perceived astringency. We concluded that the TPC and the PTC showed good correlations with perceived astringency and could be used as an index for predicting the astringency of wines.