Modes of Disintegration of Solid Foods in Simulated Gastric Environment

A model stomach system was used to investigate disintegration of various foods in simulated gastric environment. Food disintegration modes and typical disintegration profiles are summarized in this paper. Mechanisms contributing to the disintegration kinetics of different foods were investigated as related to acidity, temperature, and enzymatic effect on the texture and changes in microstructure. Food disintegration was dominated by either fragmentation or erosion, depending on the physical forces acting on food and the cohesive force within the food matrix. The internal cohesive forces changed during digestion as a result of water penetration and acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis. When erosion was dominant, the disintegration data (weight retention vs. disintegration time) may be expressed with exponential, sigmoidal, and delayed-sigmoidal profiles. The different profiles are the result of competition among the rates of water absorption, texture softening, and erosion. A linear-exponential equation was used to describe the different disintegration curves with good fit. Acidity and temperature of gastric juice showed a synergistic effect on carrot softening, while pepsin was the key factor in disintegrating high-protein foods. A study of the change of carrot microstructure during digestion indicated that degradation of the pectin and cell wall was responsible for texture softening that contributed to the sigmoidal profile of carrot disintegration.     

Thermal Behavior, Microstructure, Polymorphism, and Crystallization Properties of Zero Trans Fats from Soybean Oil and Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil

Blends of soybean oil (SO) and fully hydrogenated soybean oil (FHSBO), with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (w/w) FHSBO content were interesterified under the following conditions: 20 min reaction time, 0.4% sodium methoxide catalyst, and 500 rpm stirring speed, at 100 °C. The original and interesterified blends were examined for triacylglycerol composition, thermal behavior, microstructure, crystallization kinetics, and polymorphism. Interesterification produced substantial rearrangement of the triacylglycerol species in all the blends, reduction of trisaturated triacylglycerol content and increase in monounsaturated–disaturated and diunsaturated–monosaturated triacylglycerols. Evaluation of thermal behavior parameters showed linear relations with FHSBO content in the original blends. Blend melting and crystallization thermograms were significantly modified by the randomization. Interesterification caused significant reductions in maximum crystal diameter in all blends, in addition to modifying crystal morphology. Characterization of crystallization kinetics revealed that crystal formation induction period (τ _SFC) and maximum solid fat content (SFC_máx) were altered according to FHSBO content in the original blends and as a result of the random rearrangement. Changes in Avrami constant (k) and exponent (n) indicated, respectively, that—as compared with the original blends—interesterification decreased crystallization velocities and modified crystallization processes, altering crystalline morphology and nucleation mechanism. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that interesterification altered crystalline polymorphism. The interesterified blends showed a predominance of the β′ polymorph, which is of more interest for food applications.     

Cold-Set Whey Protein Gels with Addition of Polysaccharides

Cold-set whey protein (WP) gels with addition of xanthan or guar were evaluated by mechanical properties and scanning electron microscopy. Gels were formed after the addition of different amounts of glucono-δ-lactone to thermally denatured WP solutions, leading to different acidification rates and final pH values. At lower acidification rates and higher final pH, gels showed more discontinuous structure and weaker and less elastic network, which was attributed to a predominance of phase separation during gel formation due to slower gelation kinetics. In contrast, at higher acidification rates and lower final pHs, gelation prevailed over phase separation, favoring the formation of less porous structures, resulting in stronger and more elastic gels. The gels’ fractal dimension (D _f; structure complexity) and lacunarity were also influenced by the simultaneous effects of gelation and phase separation. For systems where phase separation was the prevailing mechanism, greater lacunarity parameters were usually observed, describing the heterogeneity of pore distribution, while the opposite occurred at prevailing gelation conditions. Increase in guar concentration or lower final pH of xanthan gels entailed in D _f reduction, while the increase in xanthan concentration resulted in higher D _f. Such a result suggests that the network contour length was rugged, but this pattern was reduced by the increase of electrostatic interactions among WP and xanthan. Guar addition caused the formation of gel network with smoother surfaces, which could be attributed to the guar–protein excluded volume effects leading to an increase in protein–protein interactions.     

Age-related properties at the microscale affect crack propagation in cortical bone

The increased risk for fracture with age is associated not only with reduced bone mass but also with impaired bone quality. At the microscale, bone quality is related to porosity, microstructural organization, accumulated microdamage and intrinsic material properties. However, the link between these characteristics and fracture behavior is still missing. Bone tissue has a complex structure and as age-related compositional and structural changes occur at all hierarchical length scales it is difficult to experimentally identify and discriminate the effect of each mechanism. The aim of this study was therefore to use computational models to analyze how microscale characteristics in terms of porosity, intrinsic toughness properties and microstructural organization affect the mechanical behavior of cortical bone. Tensile tests were simulated using realistic microstructural geometries based on microscopy images of human cortical bone. Crack propagation was modelled using the extended finite element method where cement lines surrounding osteons were modelled with an interface damage law to capture crack deflections along osteon boundaries. Both increased porosity and impaired material integrity resulted in straighter crack paths with cracks penetrating osteons, similar to what is seen experimentally for old cortical bone. However, only the latter predicted a more brittle failure behavior. Furthermore, the local porosity influenced the crack path more than the macroscopic porosity. In conclusion, age-related changes in cortical bone affect the crack path and the mechanical response. However, increased porosity alone was not driving damage in old bone, but instead impaired tissue integrity was required to capture brittle failure in aging bone.     

枣果吸水动力学特征和果皮显微结构对裂果的影响

裂果是对枣产量和品质影响最大、最难防治的生理性病害,本研究旨在揭示抗裂果枣品种的抗性机制,为有效防治枣裂果和选育抗裂果枣品种提供依据。选择不同抗裂等级的枣品种为试材,通过室内浸水试验研究枣果水势、持水率、吸水率、吸水速率等吸水动力学指标与裂果率和裂果指数等抗裂等级指标之间的相关性,同时利用组织切片技术观测果皮显微结构与抗裂等级的关系。结果表明,枣果水势高低不能反映枣果固有的抗裂等级;枣果的持水率与裂果率、裂果指数之间均没有显著相关性;脆熟期枣果的吸水率与裂果率和裂果指数呈极显著正相关;吸水率阈值时的吸水速率随枣果抗裂等级的升高逐渐降低,极抗裂品种长红枣和极易裂品种骏枣吸水率阈值时的吸水速率分别为0.20%/h和0.52%/h;极抗裂品种长红枣的果皮蜡被厚度极显著高于其他品种,而且果皮细胞排列规则紧密;枣果抗裂性与果皮厚度相关性不显著;果实中上部(近果柄端)为开裂的敏感部位。     

Microstructural organization of the central nervous system in the harvestman Leiobunum japonicum (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Although the order Opiliones constitutes the third‐largest group of arachnids, this creature is still mysterious and has a rich unexplored field compared to what is known about insects and crustaceans. The order Opiliones is traditionally regarded as a close relative of mites, mainly because of morphological similarities in external body structure; however microstructural organization of the ganglionic neurons and nerves in the harvestman Leiobunum japonicum is quite similar to the central nervous system (CNS) in all extant arachnids. The CNS consists of a large neural cluster with paired appendicular nerves. The esophagus passes through the neural cluster and divides it into the upper supraesophageal ganglion (SpG) and the lower subesophageal ganglion (SbG). The dorsal part of the SpG has a quite condensed cell body compared with other parts of the CNS and has two main components, the protocerebrum and the cheliceral ganglion. The protocerebrum receives the optic nerves and has four main groups of neuropiles from the optic lobes, the superior central body, the lateral neuropils (corpora pedunculata) and the inferior neuropil. However, a pair of pedipalpal and four pairs of appendage nerves including several pairs of abdominal nerves arise from the nerve masses of the SbG.     

Nanoporous Structures Similar to Those Reported from Squid Sucker Teeth are also Present in Egg Shells of a Terrestrial Flatworm (Platyhelminthes; Rhabditophora; Geoplanidae) from Hachijojima (Izu Islands,Japan)

Shells of the egg cocoon of a terrestrial planarian (Diversibipalium sp.) from Hachijojima were found to be composed of a lattice of parallel nanotubes of ca. 120 nm diameter oriented perpendicular to the shell's surface. The arrangement of the porous proteinaceous tubes closely resembles that has recently been reported from the sucker teeth of squid and to date is the only other example of this kind of structure. Although the array of nanotubes undoubtedly contributes to the stiffness of the shell and helps protecting the embryo, questions such as to how the planary worm produces the array of nanotubes and what exactly their chemical and physical properties are versus those of the squid sucker tooth still remain to be answered.     

日本七鳃鳗消化系统显微与超微结构

采用光镜和电镜技术研究日本七鳃鳗(Lampetra japonica)消化系统的组织结构。结果显示,日本七鳃鳗食道褶皱处黏膜上皮为复层立方上皮,褶皱基部为变移上皮。由于生活方式的特化,其胃退化。前肠、中肠和后肠黏膜上皮均为单层柱状上皮,其中并未发现杯状细胞,有肠腺,肠上皮有密集的纤毛,上皮细胞内各种细胞器均较丰富,肌纤维斜行。肝小叶界限不清,肝内无胆管。内分泌性胰由若干个大小不等和形状不定的细胞团组成。口腔腺上皮细胞高柱状,游离端充满酶原颗粒和微管泡系,细胞间有分泌小管。日本七鳃鳗消化器官的组织结构特点与其特殊的取食方式和进化地位密切相关。     

杂色鲍足的显微与超微结构

杂色鲍（Haliotis diversicolor）隶属软体动物门、腹足纲、前鳃亚纲、原始腹足目、鲍科、鲍属。鲍的足是柔韧性很好的器官,它具有运动、支持、感觉与辅助捕获功能,是鲍生活中匍匐和吸附岩石等固着物的重要部位,因其首先接触环境而成为脓疱病、裂壳病、弧菌病等病病原体的主要侵袭部位,这些病可造成十分严重的鲍死亡现象。国内学者对鲍足的研究文献较少,仅有关于皱纹盘鲍（Haliotis discus hannai Ino）足的组织学（崔龙波等,1997）及皱纹盘鲍足的粘液细胞的片断研究（王宜艳等,2004）报道。     

Calorimetric and Microstructural Investigation of Frozen Hydrated Gluten

The thermal and microstructural properties of frozen hydrated gluten were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), modulated DSC, and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). This work was undertaken to investigate the thermal transitions observed in frozen hydrated gluten and relate them to its microstructure. The minor peak that is observed just before the major endotherm (melting of bulk ice) was assigned to the melting of ice that is confined to capillaries formed by gluten. The Defay–Prigogine theory for the depression of melting point of fluids confined in capillaries was put forward in order to explain the calorimetric results. The pore radius size of the capillaries was calculated by using four different empirical models. Kinetic analysis of the growth of the pore radius size revealed that it follows first-order kinetics. Cryo-SEM observations revealed that gluten forms a continuous homogeneous and not fibrous network. Results of the present investigation showed that is impossible to assign a T _g value for hydrated frozen gluten because of the wide temperature range over which the gluten matrix vitrifies, and therefore the construction of state diagrams is not feasible at subzero temperatures for this material. Furthermore, the gluten matrix is deteriorated with two different mechanisms from ice recrystallization, one that results from the growth of ice that is confined in capillaries and the other from the growth of bulk ice.