Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is an emerging non-thermal technology that shows potential to improve food quality and to maintain stability. Glutinous rice is composed mainly of amylopectin and has low amylose content. This study investigated the effect of PEF treatment at 3 kV/cm field strength for 50 to 300 pulses on whole, water-soaked glutinous rice grains. Micro-pores were created at the surface of PEF treated rice grains, increasing grain porosity from 7.3% to 9.8%. Peak viscosity of PEF treated rice flour decreased, and breakdown, final and setback viscosities increased as the number of PEF treating pulses increased, indicating that the swelling degree of rice starch was promoted after PEF treatment. Lower values of gelatinization enthalpy and lower crystalline degree of PEF treated glutinous rice flour were also observed. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies confirmed the secondary structure changes in rice protein and partial gelatinization of rice starch after PEF treatment.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is an emerging non-thermal technology that shows the potential to improve food quality and maintain stability. However, the attributes and retrogradation properties of food products made of PEF-treated rice grains are still unknown. In the current study, glutinous rice gels (GR-G) and sweetened glutinous rice cakes (GR-C) made of PEF-treated rice grains were prepared and investigated during 14 days of storage at 4 °C. The hardness values of both the GR-G and GR-C-control samples, respectively, increased from 690 g to 1423 g and from 720 g to 1096 g; the adhesiveness values of the GR-G-control and GR-C-control samples decreased to the range of −7.2 g s to −10.0 g s during storage. PEF-treated samples (3 kV/cm, 400 pulses) resulted in preventing effects against retrogradation, resembling the original textural values of the freshly prepared control samples. The high intensity of imposed PEF treatment (300–400 pulses) significantly reduced the gelatinization enthalpy values of both GR samples to 0.3–0.7 J/g. The diffraction patterns of PEF-treated GR samples were analogous to the amorphous peak of fresh-made rice gel. FTIR results indicated that PEF-treated rice grains presented fewer crystalline regions and a lesser extent of the organized double helices after refrigerated storage.

Baijiu distillers’ grains (BDGs, Jiuzao) are produced in large quantities by China’s solid-state Baijiu industry and remain largely underutilized. BDGs retain substantial levels of dietary fibers, proteins and peptides, phenolic compounds, and fermentation-derived metabolites. This review summarizes recent advances in the recovery, structural characterization, and functional evaluation of BDG-derived components, with particular emphasis on non-starch polysaccharides as the core functional fraction. We discuss how solid-state fermentation and processing conditions influence the structural features of arabinoxylan-rich polysaccharides, polysaccharide–protein associations, and feruloylated motifs, and how these characteristics relate to reported antioxidant activity, gut microbiota modulation, immunoregulatory effects, and prebiotic fermentation behavior. Beyond isolated fractions, growing evidence highlights the importance of matrix-level interactions among polysaccharides, peptides, and phenolics in shaping functionality within complex food systems. In parallel, emerging application opportunities in functional foods, nutraceutical formulations, biomaterials, and cascade utilization frameworks are summarized from a sustainable processing perspective. Finally, key challenges for industrial translation are identified, including batch variability, structure–function standardization, scalable and food-grade processing, safety evaluation, and regulatory considerations.

Bamboo shoots undergo rapid postharvest quality deterioration. To evaluate the effects of organic acid treatments on the quality preservation of green bamboo (Dendrocalamopsis oldhami) shoots (GBSs) and lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox f. preveynalis) shoots (LBSs), shoots were immersed in oxalic acid (2.5, 5, 7.5 mmol·L⁻¹), ascorbic acid (28.4, 56.8, 85.2 mmol·L⁻¹), citric acid (26, 52, 78 mmol·L⁻¹), or salicylic acid (0.5, 1, 1.5 mmol·L⁻¹) for 10 min and then stored at 4 °C for 14 days. Changes in weight loss, soluble protein, soluble sugar, lignin, cellulose, taste attributes (sweetness, bitterness, astringency, umami), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were monitored. Postharvest organic acid treatments effectively preserved the storage quality of both GBSs and LBSs by reducing weight loss; suppressing lignin and cellulose increases; maintaining higher soluble protein, soluble sugar, sweetness, and umami; and inhibiting bitterness, astringency, and PAL/POD/PPO activities. Optimal treatments were variety-specific when evaluated by the principal component analysis (PCA) comprehensive evaluation model: 5 mmol·L⁻¹ oxalic acid (OA2) for GBSs, and 56.8 mmol·L⁻¹ ascorbic acid (AA2) for LBSs. In contrast, 56.8 mmol·L⁻¹ ascorbic acid (AA2) performed best for both GBSs and LBSs when evaluated by the quality index model. Further comparison revealed that the PCA comprehensive evaluation model provided a more accurate and discriminative assessment of preservation efficacy for different organic acids than the quality index model. Moreover, OA2-treated GBSs had a longer shelf life than AA2-treated LBSs. Consequently, by employing the PCA comprehensive evaluation model, this study demonstrated that 5 mmol·L⁻¹ oxalic acid can effectively preserve bamboo shoot quality, and variety-specific organic acid selection is essential for optimal storage.