The exceptional biocompatibility of emulsion systems that rely on stabilizing protein–polysaccharide particles presents extensive possibilities for the transportation of bioactive carriers, making them highly promising for various biological applications. The current work aimed to explore the phenomenon of complex coacervation between sesame protein isolate (SPI) and four distinct polysaccharides, namely, Arabic gum (GA), carrageenan (CAR), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium alginate (SA). The study objective was achieved by fabricating emulsions through the blending of these polymers with oil at their maximum turbidity level (φ = 0.6), followed by the measurement of their rheological properties. The turbidity, ζ-potential, and particle size were among the techno-parameters analyzed to assess the emulsion stability. The microstructural characterization of the emulsions was conducted using both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the functional properties were examined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SPI incorporated with SA, CMC, and CAR reached the maximum turbidity (0.2% w/v) at a ratio of 4:1, corresponding to the pH values of 4.5, 3, or 3.5, respectively. The SPI–GA mixture exhibited the maximum turbidity at a ratio of 10:1 and pH 4.5. Results from the FTIR and XRD analyses provided evidence of complex formation between SPI and the four polysaccharides, with the electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions facilitating the binding of SPI to these polysaccharides. SPI was bound to the four polysaccharides through electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions. The SPI–CMC and SPI–SA emulsions were more stable after two weeks of storage.

Lotus Receptaculum Nelumbinis has been sparking wide research interests due to its rich phenolic compounds. In the present work, ultrasonic-assisted extraction coupled with glycerol was employed to extract phenolic compounds from Receptaculum Nelumbinis and the process was optimized using a response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimal conditions for the total phenolic content (TPC) extract were obtained: glycerol concentration of 40%, an extraction temperature of 66 °C, ultrasonic time of 44 min, and the solvent-to-solid ratio of 55 mL/g. Under these optimum extraction conditions, the extraction yield of TPC was 92.84 ± 2.13 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) /g. Besides, the antioxidant activities demonstrated the ability of free radical scavenging by four different methods that included 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and reducing activity (RA) were 459.73 ± 7.07, 529.97 ± 7.30, 907.61 ± 20.28, and 983.66 ± 11.80 μmol TE/g, respectively. Six phenolic compounds were identified by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography combined with triple-time-of-flight mass spectrophotometry (UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS) from the extracts. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was conducted to identify the characteristic functional groups of the extracts and thus reflected the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) illustrated the microstructure difference of four treatments, which might explain the relationships between antioxidant activities and the structures of phenolic compounds.

To explore the feasibility of the mechanochemical-assisted extraction (MCAE) of phenolic compounds from lotus seedpod (Receptaculum Nelumbinis), a single-factor experiment combined with response-surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction process. The results showed the optimal extraction conditions as follows: Li₂CO₃ as a solid reagent (25%), an extraction time of 80 min, liquid/solid ratio of 42.8 mL/g, and extraction temperature of 80.7 °C; and the maximum value of total phenolic content (TPC) was 106.15 ± 1.44 gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW). Additionally, the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were 279.75 ± 18.71, 618.60 ± 2.70, and 634.14 ± 7.17 µmol TE/g, respectively. Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography combined with triple-time-of-flight mass spectrophotometry (UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS) analysis identified eight phenolic compounds mainly consisting of polyphenols and flavonoids. Moreover, the phenolic compounds showed potent inhibitory effects on both α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with inhibition rates of over 80%. Furthermore, the results showed different degrees of inhibition activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, among which the inhibitory effect on the growth of B. subtilis was the best. This paper shows that the phenolic compounds have good biological activities, which provides a reference for the further exploitation of LSP.

This study presents an efficient and environmentally sustainable technique for extracting flavonoids from Artemisia argyi folium, employing natural deep eutectic solvents combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (NADESs-UAE). Among the ten DES systems evaluated, the Choline Chloride-Lactic Acid mixture (ChCl-LA, molar ratio 1:1, designated as DES-3) yielded the highest extraction of 93.39 mg of rutin equivalents (RE) per gram of dry weight (DW). This was much higher than the yields obtained with traditional 60% ethanol or water extraction methods. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize key extraction variables, including water content, extraction time, temperature, and liquid-to-solid ratio. Optimal conditions included 51.5 g/100 g water content, 56 min extraction time, and an extraction temperature of 59 °C. The liquid-to-solid ratio reached 48 mL/g under optimized conditions. Under these conditions, the predicted flavonoid yield was 99.27 mg RE/g DW, whereas the experimental value was 98.71 ± 0.66 mg RE/g DW, confirming the model's reliability. Kinetic investigations demonstrated that the extraction process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating enhanced diffusion-assisted mass transfer under ultrasonic cavitation conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that DES-3 induced pronounced cellular disruption, thereby facilitating enhanced flavonoid extraction. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy further confirmed the presence of strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between ChCl-LA and flavonoid compounds. Compared with conventional solvent systems, the ChCl-LA extract exhibited superior antioxidant activity, including DPPH radical-scavenging activity (959.98 ± 9.59 mg Trolox/g DW), as well as enhanced α-glucosidase inhibition (91.8% at 125 μg/mL) and antibacterial activity. Furthermore, treatment with AAF extracts effectively improved strawberry firmness and enhanced POD activity during storage, thereby prolonging strawberry shelf life. Overall, the findings demonstrate that NADESs-UAE represents a promising green extraction strategy for the efficient recovery and practical utilization of flavonoids from Artemisia argyi folium.

Mulberry anthocyanins are promising natural pigments and bioactive compounds, but their efficient recovery is limited by processing-induced degradation. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-assisted ultrasound extraction was investigated for recovering anthocyanins from Morus nigra fruits. Four PEG grades (PEG 200, 300, 400, and 600) were initially screened, after which PEG 200 was selected for process optimization using response surface methodology with a central composite design. The effects of PEG concentration, extraction time, ultrasonic power, and temperature on total monomeric anthocyanin content were evaluated. The optimized conditions were 75% PEG 200, 18 min, 420 W, and 40 °C, yielding 515.78 ± 0.53 mg cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalents/100 g dry weight. C18 solid-phase extraction was subsequently used to obtain an anthocyanin-enriched fraction for spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric characterization. FT-IR analysis indicated functional groups consistent with phenolic and glycosidic constituents, while UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS enabled the tentative annotation of five anthocyanin-related compounds. The optimized crude extract exhibited antioxidant, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory and antibacterial activities under the respective in-vitro assay conditions. Anthocyanin retention was higher under dark and low-temperature conditions than under fluorescent illumination and elevated temperatures. Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility of PEG 200-assisted ultrasound extraction for recovering anthocyanin-rich mulberry extracts and provide complementary information on their chemical characteristics, in-vitro bioactivities, and stability.