FOOD CHEMISTRY
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2026
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IF 10.4
Shudong He,Yanni Wu,Tong Jin,Qiming Li,Tianjiao Niu,Xiaodong Cao,Ran Xiao,Hanju Sun,Walid Elfalleh
Universal 6–10% DH window enables controlled WPI nanofiber assembly. • DH >20% disrupts fibril formation, yielding disordered aggregates. • Pepsin-2 h nanofibers enable 93% β-carotene encapsulation and 86% retention. • Hydrolysis kinetics enable assembly; protease specificity dictates function. • High β-sheet content, hydrophobicity and charge drive superior performance. The rational design of whey protein-based nanocarriers for hydrophobic bioactives has been hindered by the lack of universal guidelines for limited enzymatic hydrolysis that transcend protease specificity. In this study, whey protein isolate (WPI) was subjected to limited hydrolysis (0–5 h, 5–80% degree of hydrolysis) using four proteases (pepsin, trypsin, papain, and neutral protease), followed by thermal incubation at pH 2.0 and 90 °C for 10 h to induce fibril assembly. The structural evolution of the resulting nanofibers was monitored via ThT fluorescence, TEM, zeta potential, surface hydrophobicity and FTIR, while encapsulation performance was evaluated using β-carotene as a model bioactive. A narrow, enzyme-agnostic hydrolysis window (6–10% degree of hydrolysis, achieved within ∼2 h) was identified as both necessary and sufficient to form β-sheet-rich nanofibers with high aspect ratios (>1 μm). Beyond ∼20% degree of hydrolysis, excessive cleavage led to disordered aggregates, accompanied by decreased β-sheet content and colloidal stability. Among all conditions, pepsin-hydrolyzed WPI (2 h, ∼10% degree of hydrolysis) yielded nanofibers with the highest surface hydrophobicity, ζ-potential (+48 mV), and encapsulation efficiency (93.0%) for β-carotene. Moreover, these complexes also retained 86% of β-carotene after 4 weeks of ambient storage, outperforming other enzymatic treatments. This work establishes a limited-hydrolysis framework centered on a specific degree of hydrolysis (6–10%) as a universal design principle for fabricating WPI nanofibers, decoupling fibril formation propensity from protease choice while demonstrating that enzyme specificity within this window dictates functional performance. This approach offers a scalable strategy for the delivery of sensitive lipophilic bioactives in food and pharmaceutical applications. Download: Download high-res image (361KB) Download: Download full-size image
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JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
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2026
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IF 9.6
Xing Dai,Lijie Duan,Chaozhong Wang,Feng Qian,Linghao Kong,Bohan Jia,Kongna Wu,Yonghui Song
Bi 2 O 2 S/BN heterojunction: carbamazepine (CBZ) photodegradation. • Built-in electric field promotes spatial charge separation and migration. • Dual •OH/O 2 •− channels selectively attack distinct reactive sites in CBZ. • Bi 2 O 2 S/BN removes 93.4% of CBZ with a 4.7-fold rate enhancement. • Catalyst remains robust in real waters and reduces overall toxicity. The persistent and ecotoxic pharmaceutical carbamazepine (CBZ) poses a significant threat to aquatic environments. Although semiconductor photocatalysis offers a green solution, its efficiency is often hindered by rapid charge recombination and limited light absorption. In this study, we reported the rational design and construction of an S-scheme dibismuth oxysulfide/boron nitride (Bi 2 O 2 S/BN) heterojunction through intimate interfacial coupling between Bi 2 O 2 S and BN. This strategic integration induced strong interfacial electron coupling, resulting in a built-in electric field that regulated interfacial band bending and facilitated spatial charge separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, as unequivocally validated by experimental characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The optimized Bi 2 O 2 S/BN heterojunction achieved 93.4% ± 0.1% CBZ removal within 120 min, with an apparent rate constant of 0.0155 ± 0.0001 min −1 , representing a 4.7-fold enhancement over pristine Bi 2 O 2 S. Notably, beyond conventional activity improvement, this system established spatially partitioned redox sites via work-function-driven charge redistribution, enabling a dual-channel oxidative pathway that selectively targeted distinct electrophilic and nucleophilic sites of the CBZ molecule. This molecular-level reaction matching distinguished the proposed system from previously reported CBZ photocatalysts, which primarily relied on indiscriminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidation. This study reports a highly effective and stable photocatalyst for remediating persistent pollutants. Additionally, it provides mechanistic insights into interfacial charge regulation and charge-transfer dynamics in heterojunction systems, offering a valuable blueprint for designing advanced photocatalytic systems for practical environmental applications. Download: Download high-res image (404KB) Download: Download full-size image
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FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
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2026
·
IF 8.8
Yongsheng Ni,Yuran Zhang,Xiandong Huang,Jianmei Zhang,Ye Zhang,Tian Li,Dazheng Pang,Kequan Xing,Baocai Xu
Two plant oils were used as raw materials to synthesize a more stable edible coating. • The coating offered antibacterial-antioxidant, moisture-retaining, and aroma-preserving functions. • The addition of β-carotene enhances the dispersion and antioxidant activity of grape seed oil. • The coating suppressed the formation of spoilage-related volatile compounds. Meat products are prone to drip loss, lipid oxidation, and microbial contamination during storage, leading to quality deterioration and flavor loss, thereby limiting shelf life. To address these issues, a triple-functional “O-O" oil-based coating with antibacterial-antioxidant activity, moisture retention, and flavor preservation was developed by combining β-cyclodextrin/cinnamaldehyde essential oil (β-CD@CEO) with β-carotene/grape seed oil (β-Car/GSO). The coating exhibited sustained release of CEO through β-CD encapsulation, maintaining stable antibacterial activity of approximately 80%–85% against B. thermosphacta and P. fragi within 24 h. β-Car and GSO formed a stable oil phase and exhibited synergistic antioxidant effects, significantly enhancing radical scavenging capacity, with DPPH • and ABTS •+ values of 86.17 ± 1.08% and 85.28 ± 1.20%, while inhibiting lipid oxidation and TVB-N accumulation, thereby extending the shelf life of lamb by 4 days under refrigerated storage at 4 °C. In addition, the coating reduced moisture loss by suppressing water migration, decreasing weight loss by about 19.92% after 9 days of refrigerated storage. GC-O-MS analysis demonstrated that the coating suppressed the formation of spoilage-related volatile compounds while maintaining the relative stability of key aroma compounds. This study provides a novel strategy for the design of novel multifunctional “O-O" type oil-based coatings and highlights their potential application in the preservation of active oil-based meat products. Download: Download high-res image (217KB) Download: Download full-size image
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Biotechnology Journal
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2026
·Vol. 21
·期 8
·e70288
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IF 3.7
Yanxuan Wu,Chengan Liu,Shuli Liang,Yuchen Jiang,Xinying Zhang,Yuqi Zhou,Ying Lin
Retinol, a derivative of vitamin A with potent antioxidant and therapeutic properties, is in high market demand. In response to the low productivity of conventional methods, metabolic engineering has been explored for microbial retinol production. However, systematic engineering strategies for high-level retinol synthesis in Komagataella phaffii remain limited. In this study, the methylotrophic yeast K. phaffii was developed as an engineered chassis for efficient de novo retinol biosynthesis. Based on a previously constructed β-carotene-producing strain, β-carotene-15,15′-dioxygenase (Blh) and retinol dehydrogenase (RDH12) were screened and introduced to establish the synthetic pathway of retinol. To increase precursor supply, key genes in the β-carotene biosynthetic pathway were overexpressed. The mevalonate (MVA) pathway was further optimized, and central carbon metabolism was reprogrammed to enhance metabolic flux toward retinol. Transport engineering was also performed to improve retinol secretion. Several candidate transporters were overexpressed, and the protein encoded by chr1-4_0619 in K. phaffii was identified as an endogenous retinol transporter. The final engineered strain produced 3.38 g/L retinol with BHT supplementation in fed-batch fermentation using a 1.5 L bioreactor. This work represents de novo microbial synthesis of retinol from a one-carbon feedstock, demonstrating the formidable potential of K. phaffii as a sustainable chassis for retinol production.
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2026
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IF 12.5
Hao Zheng,Jinlin Yin,Ping Lu,Yi Lu,Xinyan Jiang,Shaoke Chen,Yifei Pan,Ning Zhang,Jin Wang,Zhengquan Li
Fe 2+ -doped Cs 2 CuBr 4 induces strong spin polarization, resulting in efficient charge separation. • O 2 is efficiently activated through antiferromagnetic coupling upon spin-polarized Fe 2+ centers. • The optimized Fe-doped Cs 2 CuBr 4 enables highly efficient and selective photocatalytic oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde. The high thermodynamic stability and spin-forbidden transition of ground-state triplet oxygen ( 3 O 2 ) to reactive species like superoxide radical (•O 2 − ) pose a formidable challenge for the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene. In this work, we introduced Fe 2+ active sites into Cs 2 CuBr 4 to achieve highly efficient and selective photocatalytic oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde. The magnetic coupling between Fe 2+ and Cu 2+ breaks the intrinsic antiferromagnetic ordering of the lattice, significantly enhancing spin polarization. Crucially, this enhanced spin state not only facilitates the separation of photogenerated charge carriers but also directly drives the otherwise spin-forbidden conversion of 3 O 2 into reactive oxygen species ( e.g. , •O 2 − ). As a result, the Fe-doped Cs 2 CuBr 4 delivers a dramatically improved benzaldehyde production rate of 15.88 mmol g −1 h −1 (86.4% selectivity), far surpassing the pristine Cs 2 CuBr 4 (0.34 mmol g −1 h −1 ). More strikingly, the application of a 50 mT magnetic field triggers an additional boost to 27.23 mmol g −1 h −1 . This work highlights spin-polarization engineering as an effective strategy for advancing the efficiency and selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation systems. Download: Download high-res image (153KB) Download: Download full-size image
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POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
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2026
·Vol. 37
·期 2
·e70521
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IF 3.8
Xu Zheng,Mingzhu Chen,Jun Zhang,Weijun Zhen,Yufeng Guo
The treatment of semi-coking wastewater generated during the semicoke production process has long been a bottleneck restricting the development of the coal chemical industry. The Fenton reaction is recognized as one of the most effective strategies for addressing water pollution; however, the susceptibility to mineralization and poor reusability of highly active catalysts has limited their practical application. Herein, a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) doped with oleic acid modified Mn 2 O 3 @Mn 5 O 8 (Mn 2 O 3 @Mn 5 O 8 -OA) composite fiber membrane was prepared via melt-blown spinning and blending using a melt-blown pilot setup. This composite was employed to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of semi-coking wastewater, achieving a maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 72.4%. Material characterization confirmed successful catalyst immobilization and enhanced surface properties. Theoretical calculations provided molecular-level insights into the adsorption behavior of phenol and its degradation intermediates. The TPU-based membrane significantly improved catalyst stability and reusability while maintaining high catalytic activity, offering an effective strategy for advanced oxidation processes in complex wastewater treatment.
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JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
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2026
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IF 6.2
Jiaqi Miao,Xiaoyi Zou,Yanshan Ke,Qian He,Weizhu Zeng,Jingwen Zhou
β-Carotene is a fat-soluble terpenoid substance that is often used as a food additive. The use of microbial cell factories to synthesize β-carotene is a promising alternative to plant extraction methods. Ogataea parapolymorpha is a nonconventional yeast with thermotolerance, a broad substrate spectrum, and high-density fermentation, making it an excellent host for the biological production of β-carotene. Accordingly, we applied global metabolic engineering to O. parapolymorpha. First, a β-carotene biosynthetic pathway was constructed by screening and identifying the enzymes involved in its synthesis. Subsequently, β-carotene was produced by optimizing the mevalonate pathway and increasing the supply of precursor acetyl-CoA and cofactor NADPH. Finally, competing pathways were downregulated to increase β-carotene production. Our strategy culminated in a β-carotene titer of 3861.21 mg/L during fed-batch fermentation in a 5-L bioreactor. This study provides an alternative platform for the biosynthesis of carotenoids.
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
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2026
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IF 7.3
Mengyu Ouyang,Mingxia Sun,Yingying Su,Yi Lv
Chemiluminescence (CL) sensing has emerged as a promising paradigm due to its advantages of high sensitivity, simple operation, low cost, and low background. However, the availability of effective chemiluminophores remains limited, which substantially impedes their practical applications. Herein, we utilized the donor 4-[2-(4-formylphenyl)ethynyl]benzaldehyde (EDA) and the photosensitive acceptor 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine (TMT) to synthesize a D–A COF (EDA-TMT) with excellent charge transfer, charge carrier separation efficiencies, and fluorescence properties. For the first time, it was found that the DMSO suspension of EDA-TMT can be induced to produce distinct CL by water after being exposed to natural light for a period. The CL mechanism was unveiled in-depth by various characterization techniques and analyses. The results indicated that solvation and the annihilation/recombination of EDA•+-TMT and EDA-TMT•– are core to the CL. Based on this, a solvation-based CL sensing platform for water in organic solvents with an exceptionally wide linear range, impressive sensitivity, and reproducibility has been successfully constructed. This study builds a bridge between photocatalysis and CL, which opens up a novel pathway to obtain effective chemiluminophores and design a CL sensing platform for practical application.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
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2026
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IF 8.7
Shan Zhang,Peng Chen,Jie Shi,Bingyu Han,Ruofan Zheng,Zhanxia Liu,Yashu Chen,Qianchun Deng
The interface formed by biomolecular assemblies is crucial for the stability and functionality of emulsions. Oil body (OB), natural organelles with a triglyceride core surrounded by protein-phospholipid monolayer, represent ideal biomacromolecular complexes. However, how their unique protein-phospholipid interactions determine functional advantages over artificial emulsions remains unclear. This study analyzed the interfacial components of flaxseed oil body. Based on this, the FOB group (contained OB and carotenoids loaded OB) was selected as the experimental group, while the EO group (contained artificial emulsion and carotenoids loaded artificial emulsion) with similar composition ratios to OB was constructed as the control. Unlike the random arrangement of components in artificial emulsions, membrane proteins in OB were anchored via a central hairpin domain that penetrated the phospholipid alkyl chains, with their hydrophilic ends interact with the lipid headgroups. This well-ordered interface endowed the FOB group with superior stability during storage and digestion, thereby improving the utilization of sensitive loads (carotenoids and α-Linolenic acid) by 1.3-fold compared to the EO group. Interestingly, this structure also helped maintain oil droplet sphericity in the intestine, facilitating interfacial lipolysis and thus increasing free fatty acid release to 1.37 times that of EO group. Additionally, carotenoids transmembrane loading into OB induced interfacial loosening, increasing the lipolysis rate while slightly compromising stability. In contrast, pre-dissolved carotenoids did not alter the interface of artificial emulsion, leaving its delivery behavior unchanged. These findings clarify the key advantages of the OB interface, offering clear guidance for developing better delivery systems by learning from natural design.
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BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY
·
2026
·Vol. 40
·期 3
·e70382
·
IF 1.7
Linghao Zhao,Wei Yang,Shengjin Cui,Jingang Luo,Yaxin Cao,Nan Yan,Hongying Wang
Interference is a significant source of laboratory errors that can cause erroneous measurement results. In clinical practice, all the measured results should exclude the influence of interference. In this study, the ion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was evaluated via three brands of HbA1c analyzers, and 12 endogenous and 24 exogenous substances were added to hemoglobin solutions with different HbA1c levels to simulate the corresponding clinical samples. After the potential interfering substances were screened via interference screening testing, the interference concentration thresholds of each potential interfering substance were determined on the basis of dose–response experiment. When these substances exceed the interference concentration thresholds, elevated HbA1c values are caused by endogenous cholic acid and low pH, whereas exogenous ethanol increases HbA1c measurements in samples with low values. However, HbA1c measurements decreased in samples with high values. Although there are some differences in the thresholds of interferent concentrations between different brands of analyzers, the differences are not significant. On the basis of the detailed interference concentration thresholds and interference substances, this evidence can be provided to clinical laboratory experts and help them interpret and determine the testing results of clinical laboratories.
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ACS Omega
·
2026
·
IF 5.2
Xintong Zhai,Mengjiao Wang,Wenfei Li,Xinyi Yin,Huiran Qi,Yuejiu Pang,Shupeng Su
Stabilizing Pickering emulsions with highly hydrophilic biopolymers such as chitosan remains challenging due to their strong hydrophilicity. By adjusting the pH to impart minimal or zero charge, these highly hydrophilic particles can form stable Pickering emulsions. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the optimal pH to fabricate stable Pickering emulsions. Hence, this study focused on the narrow pH window near the pKa of chitosan (pH 6.1–6.9) to clarify the optimal pH and the related formation and stability mechanisms. At pKa (pH 6.5), chitosan formed self-aggregated particles with optimal amphiphilicity and moderate surface charge, facilitating robust adsorption at the oil–water interface. The resulting emulsions exhibit remarkably small droplet sizes, good fluidities, high encapsulation capacities, and exceptional stability against creaming, coalescence, flocculation, and centrifugation. In contrast, emulsions prepared at pH below 6.5 suffered from excessive hydrophilicity and poor coalescence stability, while those at pH above 6.5 experienced particle overaggregation and gelation, leading to compromised fluidity and interfacial integrity. This superior performance of Pickering emulsions at the optimal pH was attributed to the optimal hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance and moderate surface charge of the chitosan particles, facilitating smaller droplet formation and uniform particle coverage. This finding is pivotal for future applications of chitosan Pickering emulsions and offers insights for developing food-grade Pickering emulsions with other hydrophilic charged particles.
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SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
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2026
·
IF 9.1
Shuxin Zhang,Kun Liu,Shuyuan Yu,Zifeng Lin,Yu Xie,Yanbin Jiang,Longfu Wei,Changlin Yu
Traditional propylene oxide (PO) production processes consume large amounts of organic feedstock and release hazardous by-products. The synthesis of PO via the epoxidation of propylene using O 2 is an ideal route offering 100% atomic economy. However, achieving high selectivity and high efficiency under mild conditions remains a significant challenge. In this study, we have developed a visible-light-driven tandem reaction system combining a carbon- and oxygen-co-doped three-dimensional spherical indium sulfide (C,O-In 2 S 3 ) photocatalyst with titanium silicate molecular sieve (TS-1), thereby achieving the distinctly selective oxidation of propylene at ambient temperature. Assembled from ultra-thin nanosheets, the three-dimensional structure of C,O-In 2 S 3 provides abundant active sites and mass transfer space, with carbon‑oxygen co-doping narrowing the bandgap and enhancing visible light absorption. In a pure water system, the H 2 O 2 yield of C,O-In 2 S 3 reached 1450.40 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 , which is 17.8 times that of pristine In 2 S 3 . Utilizing the excellent compatibility of the methanol/water system, the photocatalytic generated H 2 O 2 was directly employed in the TS-1-catalysed epoxidation of propylene, achieving a PO yield of 2230.03 μmol·g −1 within 2 h with a selectivity of 99.1%. This work applies sulfide-based photocatalysts to a tandem reaction involving photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production and propylene epoxidation, providing a new strategy for the green, safe and efficient synthesis of PO.
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