The flavonoids in Cornus officinalis (CO) have various pharmacological activities, however, the flavonoid instability limits its application in food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, Cornus officinalis flavonoid (COF) microcapsules were prepared by using a combination of whey isolate protein (WPI), soy isolate protein (SPI), gelatin (GE), and maltodextrin (MD) as wall materials, respectively. Meanwhile, the encapsulation efficiency, solubility, color, particle size, thermal stability and microstructure as well as the antioxidant capacity of microcapsules were assessed. When the protein/MD ratio was 3:7, three kinds of combined wall materials realized high encapsulation efficiency (96.32–98.24%) and water solubility index (89.20–90.10%). Compared with other wall material combinations, the microcapsules with WPI-MD wall ratio at 3:7 had lower particle size (7.17 μm), lower moisture content (6.13%), higher encapsulation efficiency (98.24%), better water solubility index (90.1%), higher thermal stability (86.00°C), brightness L^* (67.84) and higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity (6.98 mgVc/g), and better flowability. Results suggested that WPI and MD could be better wall materials applied in encapsulating COF.

To improve the water solubility of ursolic acid (UA), UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were firstly prepared by the ionotropic gelation method and dried by freeze drying (FD), microwave freeze drying (MFD) and spray drying (SD). The characterization of UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles was performed with particle size, drug loading (DL), scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dissolution studies and antioxidant activity. The results demonstrated that UA was successfully encapsulated into chitosan nanoparticles using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a cross-linker, with a 79% encapsulation efficiency. The spray-dried, UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles had the lowest drug loading (11.8%) and the highest particle size (496.9 ± 11.20 nm). The particle size of UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles dried by MFD and FD was lower, at 240.8 ± 12.10 nm and 184.4 ± 10.62 nm, respectively, and their antioxidant activity was higher than those nanoparticles dried by SD. Moreover, the drying time and energy consumption of UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles dried by MFD and SD were lower than that of FD. The dissolution rates of UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles prepared by FD and MFD were 60.6% and 57.1%, respectively, in a simulated gastric fluid, which was a greater value than SD (55.9%). Therefore, the UA-loaded chitosan nanoparticles encapsulation method, combined with MFD technology, showed a promising potential to improve the water solubility of UA.

The present study is designed to evaluate the effect of infrared assisted spouted bed drying (IR-SBD) on the product quality and energy consumption of whole peanut fruits (including peanut kernels and shells). The dehydration of whole peanuts by means of hot-air drying (HD) and infrared drying (ID) were used as the control groups, and the drying characteristics, energy consumption, microstructure, porosity, hardness and fatty acid content were compared. The results showed that, compared to HD and ID, IR-SBD could reduce the drying time by 40% and 33%, respectively, and reduced energy consumption by 66% and 32%, respectively. During the drying process, the structures of both the peanut shells and peanut kernels underwent significant deformation; specifically, the porosity gradually increased gradually. The maximum porosity value was obtained by the samples dried by means of IR-SBD. Under the three drying conditions, the hardness of the peanut shells first decreased and then increased, while the hardness of the peanut kernels showed a trend of first increasing, then decreasing and finally increasing. Compared to the fresh whole peanuts, the IR-SBD dried samples exhibited a 4.07% decrease in fatty acid. This study shows that IR-SBD is a suitable application for the dehydration process of whole peanuts for the purposes of achieving high-efficiency and -quality production in the industrial sector.

Lonicera japonica Thunb

Microwave freeze-drying (MFD) is a new freeze-drying technique, which differs from single microwave treatment; it involves simultaneous effects of microwave power, time, and the moisture state applied to the materials. In this study, the effects of MFD under various microwave power densities (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 W/g) on the drying characteristics of Chinese yam slices and the physicochemical, pasting, and thermal properties as well as the starch digestibility of the flour were investigated using conventional hot air drying (HAD) at 50 °C as a control. Compared to HAD, MFD shortened the drying time up to 14.29~35.71%, with a higher drying efficiency at a high microwave power density (1.5 W/g). MFD yam flours provided benefits over HAD products in terms of color, water/oil absorption capacity, and solubility, exhibiting high hot-paste viscosity but low resistant starch content. The content of total starch and free glucose of the yam flour and its iodine blue value were significantly influenced by the drying method and the MFD process parameters (p < 0.05). MFD processing could disrupt the short-range ordered structure of yam starch. Among the MFD flours, samples dried by MFD at 1.5 W/g presented the highest ratio of peak intensity at 1047 and 1022 cm⁻¹ (R_1047/1022) value, gelatinization enthalpy, and resistant starch content. These results gave a theoretical foundation for the novel freeze-drying method that MFD applied to foods with a high starch content, enabling the production of a product with the desired quality.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a kind of probiotic that benefits the host by regulating the gut microbiota, but it is easily damaged when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, hindering its ability to reach the destination and reducing its utilization value. Encapsulation is a promising strategy for solving this problem. In this study, transglutaminase (TGase)-crosslinked gelatin (GE)/sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) hydrogels were used to encapsulate L. plantarum. The effects of TGase concentration and drying method on the physiochemical properties of the hydrogels were determined. The results showed that at a TGase concentration of 9 U/gGE, the hardness, chewiness, energy storage modulus, and apparent viscosity of the hydrogel encapsulation system were maximized. This concentration produced more high-energy isopeptide bonds, strengthening the interactions between molecules, forming a more stable three-dimensional network structure. The survival rate under the simulated gastrointestinal conditions and storage stability of L. plantarum were improved at this concentration. The thermal stability of the encapsulation system dried via microwave vacuum freeze drying (MFD) was slightly higher than that when dried via freeze drying (FD). The gel structure was more stable, and the activity of L. plantarum decreased more slowly during the storage period when dried using MFD. This research provides a theoretical basis for the development of encapsulation technology of probiotics.