This paper examines the effect of mechanical activation on the amorphization of starch having different types of crystalline structure (A-type corn starch; B-type potato starch; and C-type tapioca starch). Structural properties of the starches were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill reduces the degree of crystallinity in proportion to pretreatment duration. C-type tapioca starch was found to have the highest degree of crystallinity. Energy consumed to achieve complete amorphization of the starches having different types of crystalline structure was measured. The kinetic parameters of the process (the effective rate constants) were determined. The rate constant and the strongest decline in the crystallinity degree after mechanical activation change in the following series: C-type starch, A-type starch, and B-type starch.

Introduction: Starch is widely used in the food industry and biotechnology, including for manufacturing food packaging materials. Native starches from various sources exist in the form of three polymorphic modifications (A-, B- and C-types) differing in their crystal structure, which has an indirect effect on their physicochemical and technological properties.Purpose: To properly and efficiently use starch as a raw material for biotechnology, one needs to preliminarily identify its polymorphic modification and crystallinity, as well as detect and discard adulterants or substandard raw materials. X-ray diffraction is suggested to be a rapid and accurate method for solving the outlined problems.Methods: In this study, properties of commercial starch from various plant sources (corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, peas, and tapioca) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.Results and conclusion: Starch of some brands was shown to be adulterated: the more expensive potato starch was replaced with cheaper corn starch. The crystallinity indices were determined for all the selected samples; the crystal structure of corn starch was found to be most highly ordered. Contrariwise, the C-type pea starch was characterized by the lowest degree of crystal structure ordering. The findings obtained in this study show that it is necessary to preliminarily determine the source of starch in order to identify its polymorphic modification, as well as physical and chemical properties by X-ray diffraction. This information will be demanded for developing the new types of functional foods and reproducing the currently used biotechnologies.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is widely used for studying proteins and protein-containing objects. However, it is employed most frequently as a qualitative method rather than a quantitative one. This paper shows the feasibility of routine digital image acquisition and mathematical processing of electropherograms for protein quantification when using vertical gel electrophoresis and Chrom & Spec software. Both the well-studied model protein molecules (bovine serum albumin) and more complex real-world protein-based products (casein-containing isolate for sports nutrition), which were subjected to mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill to obtain samples characterized by different protein denaturation degrees, were used as study objects. Protein quantification in the mechanically activated samples was carried out. The degree of destruction of individual protein was shown to be higher compared to that of the protein-containing mixture after mechanical treatment for an identical amount of time. The methodological approach used in this study can serve as guidance for other researchers who would like to use electrophoresis for protein quantification both in individual form and in protein mixtures. The findings prove that photographic imaging of gels followed by mathematical data processing can be applied for analyzing the electrophoretic data as an affordable, convenient and quick tool.

Background and Objective: Currently, there is a trend towards a healthy lifestyle. Interest in specialty foods is increasing due to the desire for a balanced diet. One of the main food products of the population is bread and bakery products. These products often have an unbalanced composition. Therefore bakery products are enriched with easily digestible and bioavailable free amino acids and peptides to increase the nutritional value. This study aims to develop new types of bakery products using the mechanoenzymatic hydrolysis technology and assess their quality. Material and Methods: A distinctive feature of the study was that the production line involved mechanical pretreatment of the biomass in the presence of the enzyme. Mechanical pretreatment of pea seeds without adding the enzyme product (when the enzymes were added immediately before the hydrolysis and did not undergo mechanical treatment) reduced the hydrolysis rate almost twofold compared to that in the system “biomass + enzyme treated simultaneously.” A complex enzyme product Protosubtilin G3x exhibiting protease, xylanase, β-glucanase, and pectinase activities was used for hydrolysis of biomass. Results and Conclusion: The optimal hydrolysis parameters (enzyme concentration and duration of the process) were determined. The finished hydrolysate of the mechanically treated pea seed biomass was added to dough to enrich bakery products with macro- and micronutrients. The sponge-and-dough method was the optimal dough mixing method according to a combination of sensory and physicochemical parameters. Quality parameters of the pre-ferment depending on yeast and hydrolysis contents was assessed using mathematical modeling. Regression equations were derived to predict the formation of water-soluble substances during fermentation of the dough semi-finished product. The action of the selected enzyme was found to be efficient as the finished products were enriched in free amino acids, while the protein content was reduced. The finished products were classified as functional food products due to the optimal content of minerals and vitamins. The new products are recommended to be included in the diet of people allergic to legume proteins and healthy individuals to increase the digestibility of plant-based proteins.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is widely used for studying proteins and protein-containing objects. However, it is employed most frequently as a qualitative method rather than a quantitative one. In this paper, we show the feasibility of routine digital image acquisition and mathematical processing of electrophoregrams for protein quantification. Both the well-studied model protein molecules (bovine serum albumin) and more complex real-world protein-based products (casein-containing isolate for sports nutrition), which were subjected to mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill to obtain samples characterized by different protein denaturation degrees, were used as study objects. Protein quantification in the mechanically activated samples was carried out. The degree of destruction of individual protein was shown to be higher compared to that of protein-containing mixture after mechanical treatment for an identical amount of time. The methodological approach used in this study can serve as guidance for other researchers who would like to use electrophoresis for protein quantification both in individual form and in protein mixtures. The findings prove that photographic imaging of gels followed by mathematical data processing can be applied for analyzing the electrophoretic data.