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Emulsion gels are widely used in food products, and they have the characteristics of both emulsions and biopolymer gels. When distributed in gels, functional ingredients are protected by the gels and immobilized by the gel network, and thus, they usually have improved physicochemical stability. Emulsion gels are generally prepared based on proteins, polysaccharides, or their mixtures, and characteristics of the oil droplets played essential roles in the properties and functions of the systems. Emulsion gels can be fabricated to behave differently when encountered with different environment by controlling the physical structures of the gels, including their digestion behaviors in the digestive tract, which allowed adjustment of the stability and releasing behaviors of the incorporated functional ingredients, contributing to their enhanced bioavailability. A lot of studies in the last 10 years have proved that emulsion gels can effectively deliver vitamins, carotenoids, minerals, phenolic bioactives, flavors, unsaturated fatty acids, and other functional ingredients, and they are also suitable for the development of fat-reduced food. This article systematically reviewed recent studies regarding the use of emulsion gels as delivery systems for various functional ingredients, trying to get an improved understanding of the structures and functionalities of emulsion gels, for the better design of functional foods.

Chondrocyte apoptosis is closely related to the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA); however, the underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic. Previous studies have confirmed that cell apoptosis is one of the main pathological alterations during oxidative stress, and chondrocyte apoptosis induced by oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of OA. Rat chondrocytes exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were used as the experimental oxidative stress model. We assessed cell viability, cell apoptosis, levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) production, gene relative expression level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and expressions of iNOS, PI3K, phospho-Akt, caspase-9, and caspase-3. With the rising of intracellular ROS and increasing iNOS synthesis, producing a large amount of NO in chondrocytes, H₂O₂ decreased the cell viability and induced cell apoptosis of chondrocytes. Furthermore, the levels of caspase-9 and caspase-3 protein expression were significantly elevated as well as the level of p-Akt protein expression when induced by oxidative stress. These findings suggest that oxidative stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis occurred via activating both PI3K/Akt and caspase pathways in the early stage in these processes.

Emulsion-based delivery systems can be used to control the release, target the delivery, and inhibit unfavorable chemical reactions of many nutrients. Over the last several years, many attempts have been made to understand the physicochemical changes of food emulsions during digestion and their effects on the delivery of nutrients therein. In vivo and in vitro studies focusing on oral environment or gastrointestinal tract have revealed that food emulsions experience complicated physical and biochemical stresses during digestion. Microstructural changes induced by droplet flocculation, creaming, phase separation, etc., are widely observed during digestion of food emulsions, and the intensity and the locations of the changes that occur greatly affect the delivery efficacy (i.e., bioavailability) of the nutrients. Careful design of emulsion structures provides ways to better control the responses of the emulsions over environmental conditions during digestion and thus improve nutrient delivery. This review summarizes current understanding of emulsion performances during digestion and their effects on nutrient release and digestion. We introduce several novel-structured emulsions, i.e., multilayer emulsions, multiple emulsions, gelled emulsions, Pickering emulsions, and solid lipid particles and their advantageous roles in delivering food nutrients in digestive tract. Examples of nutrient delivery, covering a wide range of food nutrients, including functional lipids, proteins, carotenoids, volatile flavor compounds and minerals, are discussed.

Plant proteins are constantly gaining attention as potential substitutes for dairy proteins, due to their suitable functionality and nutritional value. This study was designed to compare the structural and functional responses of different plant protein isolates (soy, pea, lentil, and chickpea) with two commonly used dairy protein (whey protein isolates and sodium caseinate) under different pH treatments (pH 3.0, 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0). The results showed that pH had a different alteration on the structural, surface properties and functional properties of plant and dairy proteins. Plant protein generally possessed a darker color, lower solubility, emulsifying properties, and foaming capacity, whereas their foaming stability and water holding capacity were higher than those of dairy proteins. Soy protein isolates were characterized by its comparable proportion of β-turn and random coils, zeta-potential, emulsifying (30.37 m2/g), and water-holding capacity (9.03 g/g) at alkaline conditions and chickpea protein isolates showed good oil-holding capacity (3.33 g/g at pH 9) among plant proteins. Further analysis confirmed that pH had a greater influence on the structural and functional properties of proteins as compared to protein sources, particularly at acidic conditions. Overall, this study might help processors select the appropriate plant protein as dairy alternatives for their target application in plant-based food products.

The solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI), a layer formed on the electrode surface, is essential for electrochemical reactions in batteries and critically governs the battery stability. Active materials, especially those with extremely high energy density, such as silicon (Si), often inevitably undergo a large volume swing upon ion insertion and extraction, raising a critical question as to how the SEI interactively responds to and evolves with the material and consequently controls the cycling stability of the battery. Here, by integrating sensitive elemental tomography, an advanced algorithm and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy, we unveil, in three dimensions, a correlated structural and chemical evolution of Si and SEI. Corroborated with a chemomechanical model, we demonstrate progressive electrolyte permeation and SEI growth along the percolation channel of the nanovoids due to vacancy injection and condensation during the delithiation process. Consequently, the Si–SEI spatial configuration evolves from the classic ‘core–shell’ structure in the first few cycles to a ‘plum-pudding’ structure following extended cycling, featuring the engulfing of Si domains by the SEI, which leads to the disruption of electron conduction pathways and formation of dead Si, contributing to capacity loss. The spatially coupled interactive evolution model of SEI and active materials, in principle, applies to a broad class of high-capacity electrode materials, leading to a critical insight for remedying the fading of high-capacity electrodes.A correlated structural and chemical evolution of silicon and the solid–electrolyte interphase was unveiled in three dimensions by integrating sensitive elemental tomography, an advanced algorithm and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy.

The trade-off between electrostrain and strain hysteresis for piezo/ferroelectric materials largely restrains the development of high precision actuators and remains unresolved over the past few decades. Here, a simple composition of (Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 ) 1- x /100 Sr x /100 TiO 3 in the ergodic relaxor state is collaboratively designed through the segregated domain structure with the ferroelectric core, local polarization heterogeneity, and defect engineering. The ferroelectric core can act as a seed to facilitate the field-induced nonpolar-to-polar transition. Together with the internal bias field caused by defect dipoles and adjusted through electric field cycling and heat treatment technology, a giant unipolar strain of 1.03% is achieved in the x  = 30 ceramic with a low hysteresis of 27%, while the electric-field-independent large-signal piezoelectric strain coefficient of ~1000 pm/V and ultralow hysteresis of <10% can be obtained in the x  = 35 ceramic. Intriguingly, the low-hysteresis high strain also exhibits near-zero remnant strain, excellent temperature and cycling stability. The development of precision piezo/ferroelectric actuators is hindered by the trade-off between electrostrain and strain hysteresis. Here, the authors report ferroelectric cores embedded into ergodic relaxor phase shells, showing giant unipolar strain and low hysteresis.

Crystallization by particle attachment (CPA) is a frequently occurring mechanism of colloidal crystallization that results in hierarchical morphologies 1 – 4 . CPA has been exploited to create nanomaterials with unusual properties 4 – 6 and is implicated in the development of complex mineral textures 1 , 7 . Oriented attachment 7 , 8 —a form of CPA in which particles align along specific crystallographic directions—produces mesocrystals that diffract as single crystals do, although the constituent particles are still discernible 2 , 9 . The conventional view of CPA is that nucleation provides a supply of particles that aggregate via Brownian motion biased by attractive interparticle potentials 1 , 9 – 12 . However, mesocrystals often exhibit regular morphologies and uniform sizes. Although many crystal systems form mesocrystals 1 – 9 and individual attachment events have been directly visualized 10 , how random attachment events lead to well defined, self-similar morphologies remains unknown, as does the role of surface-bound ligands, which are ubiquitous in nanoparticle systems 3 , 9 , 11 . Attempts to understand mesocrystal formation are further complicated in many systems by the presence of precursor nanoparticles with a phase distinct from that of the bulk 1 , 13 , 14 . Some studies propose that such particles convert before attachment 15 , whereas others attribute conversion to the attachment process itself 16 and yet others conclude that transformation occurs after the mesocrystals exceed a characteristic size 14 , 17 . Here we investigate mesocrystal formation by iron oxides, which are important colloidal phases in natural environments 18 , 19 and classic examples of systems forming ubiquitous precursor phases and undergoing CPA accompanied by phase transformations 15 , 19 – 21 . Combining in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 80 degrees Celsius with ‘freeze-and-look’ TEM, we tracked the formation of haematite (Hm) mesocrystals in the presence of oxalate (Ox), which is abundant in soils, where iron oxides are common. We find that isolated Hm particles rarely appear, but once formed, interfacial gradients at the Ox-covered surfaces drive Hm particles to nucleate repeatedly about two nanometres from the surfaces, to which they then attach, thereby generating mesocrystals. Comparison to natural and synthetic systems suggests that interface-driven pathways are widespread. Mesocrystal formation is investigated for haematite in the presence of oxalate, showing that chemical gradients at interfaces cause nucleation near surfaces rather than in the bulk, followed by particle attachment.

The objective of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of Salmonella in multiple food commodities in the People's Republic of China by performing a meta-analysis. Accordingly, we screened studies that examined the prevalence of Salmonella in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Methodological quality assessment and heterogeneity analyses were performed for included studies. The prevalence rate with the 95% confidence interval (CI) was selected as the effect size. Subgroup analyses for each food type were conducted and then stratified by regions, food chain processing points, and seasons. In total, 49 studies were included in the meta-analysis, among them, 8 (16.3%) studies were deemed \"high risk,\" 13 (26.5%) studies were \"unclear risk,\" and 28 (57.2%) studies were \"low risk.\" The overall prevalence rate of Salmonella was 20.0% (95% CI: 15.9 to 24.4). The prevalence rate of Salmonella in raw meat products was 23.6% (95% CI: 19.8 to 27.6), which was higher than that in aquatic products, 13.7% (95% CI: 3.1 to 29.9), milk products, 0.9% (95% CI: 0.0 to 3.9), frozen convenience foods, 6.5% (95% CI: 4.4 to 8.9), ready-to-eat foods, 2.0% (95% CI: 1.1 to 3.2), vegetables and fruits, 0.9% (95% CI: 0.0 to 5.2), and shell eggs, 4.2% (95% CI: 3.0 to 5.7). Subgroup analyses revealed that prevalence rates of Salmonella in raw meat products from abattoirs, 26.3% (95% CI: 17.4 to 36.3) and retail stores, 30.0% (95% CI: 24.6 to 35.8) were higher than those determined from farms, 10.2% (95% CI: 7.0 to 13.9); P < 0.05); however, no significant difference was observed in the prevalence of Salmonella stratified by different geographical regions or seasons (P > 0.05). On the basis of these findings, high levels of Salmonella contamination could be detected in raw meat products in China, and the prevalence rate of Salmonella in raw meat products from abattoirs and retail stores was high.

Given the highly temperature-sensitive nature of the polymorphic phase boundaries, attaining excellent piezoelectric coefficient with superior temperature stability in lead-free piezoceramics via direct compositional design remains a formidable challenge. We demonstrate the synergistic improvement of piezoelectric coefficient and thermal stability in lead-free piezoceramics via atomic-scale local ferroelectric structure design. Via modulation of the local Landau energy barrier at doping sites, we effectively mitigate fluctuations in piezoelectric d 33 . Our approach achieves an impressive d 33 of ~430 pC/N with a minimal temperature fluctuation range (△d 33  ~ 7%) across the room temperature to 100 °C in potassium sodium niobate ceramics. Further optimization through annealing extends this temperature up to 150 °C (△d 33  ~ 8%) while maintaining a high d 33 of ~380 pC/N, rivaling the performance of classic temperature stable lead zirconate titanate. This work establishes a framework for addressing the dilemma between high piezoelectric coefficient and inadequate temperature stability in lead-free piezoceramics. The authors reveal that the incorporation of doping elements with varying electronic structures and ionic radii alters the atomic-scale configuration, thereby affecting the local energy barrier associated with polarization rotation.

In the study, Lactobacillus paracasei H4‐11, Lactobacillus fermentum D1‐1, Lactobacillus casei H1‐8, Lactobacillus reuteri H2‐12, and Kluyveromyces marxianus L1‐1 were screened from traditional fermented rice acid based on several indicators: L‐lactic acid production capacity (13.46 ~ 19.69 g/kg), antioxidant capacity (DPPH clearance ability of 35.36 ~ 56.89%), and savory flavor indicators. Glutinous rice, quinoa, barley rice, and brown rice were selected to carry out rice acid fermentation. Different viable lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were screened, respectively, in the saccharification, acidification, alcoholization, and late acidification stages. Rice acid fermented with L. paracasei H4‐11 and K. marxianus L1‐1 in glutinous rice showed the high L‐lactic acid content (23.09 g/kg). The DPPH free radical scavenging ability in rice acid fermented with L. fermentum D1‐1 and L. paracasei H4‐11, respectively, reached 34.27% and 33.05% in 96 hr. Although quinoa rice acid had the highest L‐lactic acid content (33.74 g/kg) and the DPPH free radical scavenging ability (60.10%), it had the poor taste due to the high astringency intensity and bitter intensity. Rice acid fermented with both L. paracasei H4‐11 and K. marxianus L1‐1 in glutinous rice showed the highest savory flavor and had the lowest astringency and bitter. L. paracasei H4‐11 and K. marxianus L1‐1 were the potential strains for the fermentation of rice acid. These results promote the industrial development of Chinese rice acid. Practical applications Rice acid as a functional nondairy fermented product is widely accepted by Chinese consumers. However, rice acid fermentation is still a traditional spontaneous process, which causes instability in its flavor and quality. Lactobacillus paracasei H4‐11 and Kluyveromyces marxianus L1‐1 screened in this study contributed to the improvements in the flavor and antioxidant capacity of rice acid. In addition, glutinous rice was confirmed as the suitable fermentation material of rice acid in the study. The Lactobacillus paracasei H4‐11 and Kluyveromyces marxianus L1‐1 were isolated in this study contribute to the improvement of flavor and antioxidant capacity of rice acid. In addition, the mechanism of glutinous rice suitable for growth in rice acid system was verified, making our study particularly relevant. These results would aid in the development of industrial‐scale Chinese acidic fermented rice soup.