Foods
·
2025
·Vol. 14
·期 9
·1563
·
IF 5.1
Xiumei Wang,Yibin Chen,Xiaoxu Zhao,Jie Pang
The effects of stearic acid (SA) and lauric acid (LA) with different concentrations on the structure and physicochemical properties of konjac glucomannan (KGM)/chitosan (CTS)/Zein (KCZ) film were systematically investigated in this paper. The rheology results suggested that the apparent viscosity of the KCZ film solution was significantly enhanced after adding fatty acids (FAs), and all the film-forming solutions were typical non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluids. Hydrogen bond interactions were formed among KGM, CTS, Zein, and FA molecules. KCZ-FA films had higher crystallinities than KCZ film, and their crystallinities increased with the increase in FA concentrations. Microstructure indicated that adding FAs significantly affected the surface morphologies and roughness of KCZ film. KCZ-LA films exhibited much rougher surfaces than KCZ-SA films when FA concentrations were the same. Moreover, the incorporation of FAs significantly (p< 0.05) decreased the transmittance of KCZ film. KCZ-FA films exhibited higher hydrophobicities and water vapor barrier properties than KCZ film due to their significantly (p< 0.05) higher water contact angle, lower water solubility, water content, and vapor permeability values. The thermal stabilities, color attributes, and mechanical properties of KCZ film were also improved after adding appropriate concentrations of FA. Therefore, KCZ-FA films with excellent performances are promising food packaging materials in the future.
研究领域:
食品科学
·
材料科学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Small
·
2025
·
IF 12.1
Minseo Jeong,Seokgyu Kwon,Changhwan Hyeon,Juhoon Baek,Myeongsu Seong,Minkyung Kim,Dasol Lee
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a promising material for radiative cooling owing to its high infrared emissivity and mechanical flexibility; however, its inherent hydrophilicity limits its practical applications, particularly in humid environments. In this study, a scalable and environmentally friendly approach is introduced to overcome this limitation by incorporating Zein—a hydrophobic protein derived from corn—into a PVA matrix in conjunction with aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles. The resulting composite nanofiber membrane, PZAS, exhibits significantly enhanced hydrophobicity, achieving an average water contact angle of 118.5° over 60 s, compared with ≈40° for pure PVA nanofibers. A high solar reflectance of 91.7% and strong infrared emissivity of 96.9% within the atmospheric transparency window are demonstrated. In outdoor measurements, a temperature reduction of up to 6.9 °C is achieved below ambient temperature. These findings underscore the potential of PZAS as a viable and sustainable radiative cooling material for applications in thermal regulation, particularly in textiles and wearable cooling technologies. The initial hydrophobicity followed by gradual water absorption of PZAS highlights its suitability for advanced biomedical applications, including moisture-managing textiles, sweat-based biosensors, and controlled drug delivery systems.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物医学工程
·
纳米技术
·
热调节
·
柔性电子
·
可穿戴设备
·
环境功能材料
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
RSC Advances
·
2026
·Vol. 16
·期 9
·7717-7725
·
IF 6.1
Siyang Chen,Jinhui Jia,Jian Du,Ningbo Qin,Xiaodong Xia
Due to its capacity to form complexes with polyphenols and to self-assemble as nanoparticles, zein could be utilized as an excellent carrier for polyphenols. The objective of this study was to examine the interaction between zein and phloretin (PHL) through multispectral analysis and molecular docking, and to prepare and characterize PHL-loaded zein nanoparticles. Spectral analysis and docking data confirmed that the binding process of the zein-PHL complex is mainly influenced by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces, and hydrophobic interaction was auxiliary, with static quenching as the primary fluorescence quenching mechanism. Meanwhile, zein nanoparticles loaded with PHL were successfully prepared using the anti-solvent precipitation method, which was evidenced by the morphology and size characterization. The hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction in the nanoparticles were further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This study elucidates the noncovalent interaction mechanism between zein and PHL, providing a theoretical foundation for the design of zein-polyphenol nanocarriers. These carriers show promising applications as emulsion stabilizers or delivery systems for lipophilic bioactives, thereby facilitating the development of functional foods with improved stability and enhanced bioavailability.
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
FOOD CONTROL
·
2021
·
IF 5.548
Hongxia Tan,Hongyuan Zhou,Ting Guo,Yuhao Zhang,Liang Ma
Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most polluted mycotoxins in maize and maize-products. To date, however, previous studies have only focused on the presence of free ZEN. To confirm the occurrence of hidden ZEN in maize and maize-products, the samples were pretreated using different hydrolysis methods and in vitro digestion. In this study, significantly increased amount of total detectable ZEN was found by the hydrolysis with compound protease and especially in vitro digestion, which indicated the presence of hidden ZEN in maize. The hidden ZEN can be converted into its free form by in vitro digestion and then be found/detected out. Especially, zein-bound zearalenone was the main “hidden mode” for the presence of hidden ZEN. The amount of total detectable ZEN in digested zein was 7 times higher than that in undigested zein. And also, fluorescence quenching and ultrafiltration studies also showed that ZEN can bind with zein spontaneously by non-covalent bonds. Overall, this study aroused an important issue for risk assessment that the total amount of ZEN in maize products might be underestimated due to the presence of zein-bound ZEN.
研究领域:
食品安全
·
毒理学
·
生物化学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2019
·
IF 4.784
Lingli Deng,Yang Li,Aiping Zhang,Hui Zhang
In this study, the gelatin/zein nanofibrous membranes with incorporation of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) were fabricated via electrospinning. The gelatin/zein/nHA solutions as the spinning dispersions showed the viscoelastic property with a shear-thinning non-Newtown behavior. The incorporated nHA particles in the composite nanofibrous membranes did not affect the average fiber diameter significantly, but induced agglomeration and nodules at higher contents. It was found that nHA was dispersed within the gelatin/zein nanofibers by the formed hydrogen bonding, resulting in a more extensional structure of the proteins. The addition of nHA significantly increased the hydrophobicity of the nanofibrous membranes, due to the lower ratio of polar groups exposed outside. However, the incorporation of nHA improved the mechanical property at a low content of 10%, but resulted in a more brittle and fragile property at higher contents. The copper adsorption capacity of the gelatin/zein nanofibrous membrane increased from 27.2 to 67.8 mg/g after the addition of up to 50% nHA. This work suggests the potentials of the electrospun gelatin/zein/nHA nanofibrous membranes as desirable materials for metal removal applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
环境科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2022
·
IF 9.231
Ying Wan,Jian Li,Jitong Ma,Yanan Li,Ren Wang,Zhengxing Chen,Tao Wang
In this study, co-assembled protein-polysaccharide complexes (ZCs) were prepared by fixing zein nanoparticles at the fibrillar carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by pH-driven anti-solvent precipitation. The complexation boosted the dispersity of zein from 17.3% to 88.6%. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirmed the formation of network structures where the fibrous polysaccharides inserted into the interval of granular proteins. Circular dichroism spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, and X-ray diffraction verified the electrostatic interaction pattern between zein and CMC. Besides, the ZCs presented favorable amphiphilic properties, and the electrostatic interaction between zein and CMC can be fine-tuned by the substitution degree (DS) of carboxymethyl in CMC. Therefore, the Pickering emulsions stabilized by ZCs had controllable size and long-term stability using DS as a stimulus. Our study offers a novel strategy developing bio-based materials as novel stabilizers of Pickering emulsions.
研究领域:
食品科学
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
PROGRESS IN ORGANIC COATINGS
·
2023
·
IF 6.6
Qiuhua Xie,Zhihua Zhang,Na Li,Li Cui,Ping Wang,Yuanyuan Yu,Qiang Wang
In this study, transglutaminase-mediated alkylation modification of zein with octadecylamine (OA) was carried out to enhance the hydrophobicity of zein and the potential application of modified zein in the functionalization of textiles was evaluated. The reaction between OA and zein was demonstrated from the results of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H MIR). The hydrophobicity of zein significantly increased and the secondary structure of zein slightly changed after alkylation modification. The alkylated zein imparted excellent hydrophobic function to cotton textiles with a water contact angle (WCA) value of 131.7° and the hydrophobicity was long-lasting. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed a coarse surface formed on cotton fabric due to the participation of OA. The hydrophobic functionalization of the cotton fabric with alkylated zein did not cause negative impact on the mechanical properties and air permeability of the fabric.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
纺织工程
·
化学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2018
·
IF 3.412
Heting Hou,Dong Zhang,Jiewen Lin,Yingying Zhang,Chengyong Li,Zhe Wang,Jiaoyan Ren,Maojin Yao,Ka-hing Wong,Yi Wang
Prodrug, in which the inactive parent drug with good bioavailability is metabolized into an active drug in the body, is one of the main strategies to target the disease site to improve the drug efficiency and reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapy. Because of the good capability of chemical modification, zein, a plant derived protein, and drugs can be conjugated through environmentally sensitive links to form prodrugs capable of triggered drug release. In this study, a novel prodrug was synthesized using paclitaxel (PTX), zein, and a disulfide linker, and nanoparticles were formed by self-assembly of the prodrug. An effective in vitro triggered release, 80–90% in 5 min, of the prodrug based nanoparticles (zein-S-S-PTX_NP) was successfully approached. The cytotoxicity of zein-S-S-PTX_NP as well as the zein encapsulation of PTX (zein_PTX_NP) and pure PTX on HeLa cells and NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells was tested using MTS assay. It showed that, after the treatment of zein-S-S-PTX_NP at the equivalent PTX concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 5 μg/mL, respectively, zein-S-S-PTX_NP had zero damage to normal cells but a similar cytotoxicity to cancer cells as pure PTX. In the animal study, the tumor was 50% of the original size after the treatment of zein-S-S-PTX_NP for 9 days with 3 doses. This study suggested that the novel prodrug based nanoparticle zein-S-S-PTX_NP could be a promising approach in chemotherapy with targeted delivery, improved efficacy, and reduced side effects.
研究领域:
药物化学
·
生物医学工程
·
肿瘤学
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DOI
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2022
·
IF 8.025
Zhe Li,Xiaoxia Jiang,Hao Huang,Ao Liu,Hongning Liu,Naeem Abid,Liangshan Ming
The purpose of this study was to prepare chitosan/zein (CS/Zein) edible films reinforced with Mosla chinensis essential oils (EOs) nanoemulsions (NEs) and nanoparticles (NPs) in order to compare their properties. NEs and NPs containing EOs could be used to fabricate films with functional properties, and the films were prepared using a casting method. The influence of EO concentration and mixing methods on the physical, mechanical, and functional properties of the films was investigated. The results indicated that the films formulated with EO NEs generated favorable fundamental and functional characteristics with excellent mechanical properties, moisture barrier capacity, and significant antioxidant and antibacterial activity . In addition, the use of NEs-based films improved the release of bioactive compounds, and the mechanism of EO release was found to follow a first order model. In summary, EO NEs were more effective in preserving the fundamental and functional properties of CS/Zein nanocomposite edible films than NP-based films. These differences may reflect different forms and methods of dispersing EOs in NEs and NPs. This study demonstrated that NEs reinforced films could be used to enhance the effectiveness of EOs in food products and develop new strategies for their delivery and application.
研究领域:
食品科学
·
材料科学
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DOI
高影响因子
Nanomedicine-Nanotechnology Biology and Medicine
·
2026
·
IF 4.3
Kun Ma,Zicheng Liu,Senchao Chai,Qingxian Fang,Ruifan Xu,Wenrong Zhu,Yu Liu,Tong Zhang,Zhaoming Guo,Changhao Cui,Jianqiang Xu,Shigang Guo,Yang Chen
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most malignant and lethal primary brain tumors, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant challenge to its treatment. In this study, disulfiram-loaded Zein Janus nanoparticles (Lf/M2pep@ZEN-DSF) were developed using the Pickering emulsion method for enhanced GBM therapy. Lactoferrin (Lf) was modified to one side of the Janus nanoparticles to facilitate BBB penetration and GBM targeting, while M2pep peptides were modified to the opposite side for targeting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The results demonstrated that Lf/M2pep@ZEN-DSF effectively crossed the BBB and targeted brain tissues. Additionally, the Janus nanoparticles selectively targeted M2-polarized TAMs via M2pep and repolarized them into the M1 subtype for GBM therapy. Furthermore, the Janus nanoparticles significantly enhanced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in GBM cells. In vivo studies confirmed that the nanoparticles significantly increased drug accumulation in the brain and prolonged the survival of GBM-bearing mice. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that Lf/M2pep@ZEN-DSF treatment induced M2-to-M1 TAM repolarization, effectively remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment. These findings collectively indicate that Lf/M2pep@ZEN-DSF is a promising nanomedicine with favorable biosafety for enhanced GBM treatment.
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
·
2024
·
IF 6
Xinyu Zhang,Yingxue Cheng,Hong Lin,Hailong Zhang,Weinong Zhang,Junbo He
To overcome the instability of sodium caseinate (NaCas) and zein binary nanoparticles in gastric digestion, and to improve the encapsulation of curcumin (Cur), hexaglycerol monooleate (HGMO) was employed as an anti-pepsin component to form ternary nanoparticles. The NaCas-Zein-HGMO nanoparticles were prepared using a self-assembly method that only required mixing at room temperature, and the optimal mass ratio for the components was determined to be 2:2:1. At a mass ratio of 1:20 between curcumin and zein, the NaCas-Zein-HGMO nanoparticles showed high encapsulation efficiency (91.18%) and provided effective chemical protection for curcumin. The Cur-NaCas-Zein-HGMO nanoparticles exhibited nanoscale dispersion, with a particle size about 236 nm, and demonstrated remarkable stability. In addition, the Cur-NaCas-Zein-HGMO nanoparticles exhibited improved resistance to simulated gastric fluid (SGF) digestion, increased antioxidant activity, sustained release profile, and exceptional rehydration capability. The results clearly showed that HGMO plays a crucial role in improving the physicochemical properties and encapsulation of curcumin of NaCas-Zein-HGMO nanoparticle. Hence, the novel ternary nanoparticles, NaCas-Zein-HGMO, have the potential to serve as an excellent delivery carrier for hydrophobic bioactive compounds, thereby mitigating their susceptibility to degradation by gastric digestion.
研究领域:
食品科学
·
材料科学
·
生物化学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2025
·
IF 8.5
Yanming Feng,Sanmei Long,Mengyao Liu,Qi Zheng,Young-Rok Kim,Ke Luo
Spray drying is a conventional drying method for producing resistant starch particles (RSP) powder, but it may negatively affect crystallinity and anti-digestibility. To overcome this limitation, we propose a zein-coating strategy to improve the anti-digestive properties of spray-dried RSP powder. We found that zein densely adsorbed on the surface of RSP through spray drying, resulting in the formation a shell structure. The water contact angle of zein-coated RSP (Zein@RSP) was increased from 20° to 75°, rendering the semi-hydrophobic surface properties. The results of CD and XPS analysis demonstrated that the adsorption of zein on the surface of RSP is based on the hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between zein and RSP, enhancing their intermolecular interactions and structural compactness. In vitro digestion experiments demonstrated that Zein@RSP exhibited significantly improved resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis, showing that the resistant starch content increased up to 82.92 % and digestibility decreased to 29.06 % through zein coating. Furthermore, enzyme activity assays indicated that zein effectively inhibited α-amylase and amyloglucosidase via non-competitive inhibition, with a maximum relative inhibition rate of 50 % and 47 %, respectively. Thus, this spray-drying-based zein coating approach to improving the anti-digestive properties of RSP, offers potential applications in functional foods and low-glycemic-index products.
研究领域:
食品科学与技术
·
功能食品
·
碳水化合物化学
·
营养学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）