Objective To establish a method for the determination of glucocorticoids (GCs) (betamethasone and dexamethasone) in livestock and poultry products with 3 kinds of different substrates by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Methods The samples were extracted with ethyl acetate and purified by QuEChERS, filtered by 0.22 µm organic microporous membrane. The target analytes were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry under positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) pattern, using a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile. Results The calibration curve showed a good linear from concentration 0-100 μg/L and the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.9994. The recoveries were from 79.3% to 105.8%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 1.4% and 9.4%. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) of betamethasone were 4.4-4.8 μg/kg and 14.6-15.9 μg/kg respectively. The LODs and LOQs of dexamethasone were 2.7-3.4 μg/kg and 8.9-11.2 μg/kg, respectively. Conclusion The method is suitable for the determination of glucocorticoid residues in livestock and poultry products with its high sensitivity and accuracy.

In recent years, microcapsule technology has shown broad application prospects in food science and biomedicine due to its protection and controlled release characteristics of active ingredients. Among a variety of wall materials, whey protein has become a promising candidate due to its natural non-toxicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. This paper first provided an overview of the putamen structure of whey protein-based microcapsules. Secondly, this paper mainly discussed the modification methods of whey protein wall materials: Building composite wall materials with other biological macromolecules; structural modification by physical or chemical methods, as well as improvement of interface properties by Maillard reaction. This paper analyzed the technical characteristics of spray drying, freeze drying and complex coacervation methods and their effects on the properties of whey protein-based microcapsules. The results showed that the embedding rate and stability of microcapsules could be significantly improved by precisely regulating the process parameters. Finally, in the field of application, whey protein-based microcapsules could not only effectively protect the activity of probiotics and achieve targeted delivery of active substances, but also showed application potential in biomedical fields such as controlled drug delivery systems and wound dressings.

Objective To evaluate the edible safety of HuangqiSangyeYuzhu granules. Methods The edible safety of HuangqiSangyeYuzhu granules was comprehensively evaluated by acute oral toxicity test, 3 genotoxicity tests, and 28 d oral toxicity test. Results The results of acute oral toxicity test showed no abnormality in the test animals, and the maximum tolerated dose of HuangqiSangyeYuzhu granules was greater than 30.0 g/kg·BW, which was practically non-toxic substance. The results of bacterial reverse mutation test, mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus test and spermatogonial chromosome aberration test were negative, indicating that the HuangqiSangyeYuzhu granules had no genotoxicity. During the 28 d oral toxicity test, the rats growed well, and no signs of toxicity were observed, and no adverse effects associated with HuangqiSangyeYuzhu Granules were seen in blood routine, blood biochemistry, and pathology indices, and the no observed adverse effect level was 10.0 g/kg·BW. Conclusion HuangqiSangyeYuzhu granules have edible safety within the dosage range of this experiment.

Objective To establish a method for rapid determination of 26 kinds of elements in liquor by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) adopting matrix matching. Methods Combining with kinetic energy discrimination (KED) and internal standard correction mode, the determination method of Cd, Sn, Ba, Pb, Li, B, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Na, Se and Hg in liquor had been established though direct dilution injection, and compared with the standard test method. Results The results showed that the correlation coefficient of standard curve was 0.9990-0.9999, the limit of determination was 0.1-300.0 μg/L, the standard recovery rates were 94.5%-104.4%, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0.1%-1.2%. The standard recovery rate was obviously better than that without matrix matching method. The performance parameters of the method met the requirements of GB 5009.295—2023 National food safety standards-General rules for verification of chemical analysis methods. Compared with the standard test method, it could effectively reduce the pre-treatment steps, shorten the pre-treatment time, and save consumables. The results of the 2 kinds of methods showed no significant difference. Conclusion The method is simple, fast, accurate, stable and reliable, and is suitable for the bulk detection of multielement in liquor. The method provides technical support for ensuring liquor quality and safety.

Objective To study the effects of modified atmosphere packaging on the quality changes of lotus seeds during storage. Methods Fresh lotus seeds were used as the test material, and the appearance and nutritional quality of the lotus seeds were treated with a film-covered 20% modified atmosphere packaging (T1), and a film-covered 20% modified atmosphere packaging with 1-methylcyclopropene (T2), with a regular preservation box used as the control (CK). Results The results showed that compared to CK, both T1 and T2 treatments significantly reduced the weight loss and browning of lotus seeds, and maintained the content of nutrients such as vitamin C, amylose, total phenols and soluble solids. Under the condition of 7 days of room temperature storage, the weight loss of CK was 16.4%, T1 was 3.4%, and T2 was 4.0%. The total phenol content of CK, T1 and T2 was 5.453, 9.210 and 10.916 mg/g, respectively. The vitamin C content in T1 and T2 was 0.41 mg/100 g and 0.84 mg/100 g higher than that of the control group, and the amylose content was 0.856 mg/g and 1.438 mg/g higher than that of the control group. Conclusion The results of the study indicate that the T1 and T2 treatments have a good effect in reducing the post-harvest nutrient consumption of lotus seeds and maintaining their color, with T2 treatment showing a more significant effect compared to T1 treatment. This research provides practical evidence for the optimization of post-harvest preservation techniques for fresh lotus seeds.

Objective To establish 2 kinds of methods for the determination of 17-pentatriacontene in honey by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Methods After dissolved in water, the sample was extracted with petroleum ether, purified on a florisil cartridge, separated by DB-5MS column (15 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm), and determined by GC-FID and GC-MS, then quantified by external standard method. Results The GC-FID and GC-MS were quantified using matrix-free standard curve and matrix-matched standard curve respectively, with limits of quantification of 1.0 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg, linear ranges of 1-100 mg/kg and 0.5-40.0 mg/kg, and recovery rates ranging from 88.9% to 94.5% and from 91.2% to 98.2%, respectively. The relative standard deviations were 4.0%-6.4% and 4.6%-7.3%, respectively. The results of the 2 kinds of methods were basically consistent, with a relative deviation of no more than 2.4%. The proposed methods were applied to 158 honey samples of Apis cerana honey and Apis mellifera honey, 17-pentatriacontene was only detected in Apis cerana honey, with a content range of 0.58-51.10 mg/kg. Conclusion The accuracy and precision of the GC-FID and GC-MS methods established in this study are both good, and the 2 kinds of methods can be applied to the determination of 17-pentatriacontene in honey. The results of real sample tested indicate that 17-pentatriacontene can be used as a characteristic marker for Apis cerana honey.

Objective To quantitatively analysis and comprehensively evaluate the active component content and nutritional value of hybrid Gastrodia elata and its parent varieties. Methods A combination of ultra performance liquid chromatography, automatic amino acid analyzer and Dumas nitrogen analyzer was employed to conduct a quantitative analysis and comprehensive evaluation of their active component contents and nutritional values. One-way analysis of variance was performed using SPSS. Results The hybrid Gastrodia elata exhibited significant advantages in active component content. For instance, the total content of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in WH03 reached 1.082%, with a parishin content of 0.750%, both significantly higher than those of the parent varieties. In terms of nutritional value, the total amino acid content and protein content of hybrid Gastrodia elata were also superior to those of the parent plants. Specifically, the hybrid Gastrodia elata WH03 exhibited a total amino acid content of 7.604% and a protein content of 10.12%. Conclusion This study establishes a chemometrics-based comprehensive evaluation model for Gastrodia elata quality, revealing the chemical quality improvement patterns of hybrid strains, and provides critical scientific evidence for the genetic improvement and industrial development of Gastrodia elata.

Objective To investigate the difference of hydrogen isotope ratio between whole grains and cereals flour and their components and the influence of drying conditions and moisture on the determination of hydrogen isotope ratio in grains and cereals. Methods High temperature cracking/elemental analysis-stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (TC/EA-IRMS) was used to determine the δ²H values of whole grains and cereals flour (maize, rice, wheat and sorghum) and the fractions (starch, defatted portion, fat, crude fiber and protein). The effects of different drying conditions on the δ²H values of grain were analyzed, and the influence of exchangeable hydrogen on the determination of starch hydrogen isotope ratios was explored. Results The δ²H values of various fractions in the grains and cereals were different. Drying the grain samples at 105 °C to a constant weight was the best water removal effect. After being treated with different standard water samples under the optimal drying conditions, the maximum difference in δ²H of grains and starch was 12.11‰ and 18.41‰. This indicates that exchangeable hydrogen had a significant effect on the δ²H value of starch (P<0.001). Conclusion The isotopic fractionation of sugar, fat, protein and cellulose during the growth of grain makes the distribution of hydrogen isotopes in samples not uniform. Organic compounds contain exchangeable hydrogen, which will exchange isotopes with the water in the environment where the sample is located, affecting the accurate analysis. When measuring the hydrogen isotope ratio in grain, it is necessary to exclude the interference of water. This study provides an effective reference for the determination of hydrogen isotope ratios in grain starch and the study of grain traceability in the future.

Objective To investigate the effects of ultrasound-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis on the sensory properties and metabolomics profiles of Dosidicus gigas viscera. Methods Three experimental groups were established: Autolytic group (B), exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis group (C) and ultrasound-assisted exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis group (U). Sensory evaluation, amino nitrogen content determination, and non-targeted metabolomics analysis were conducted to systematically compare the protein conversion efficiency under different hydrolysis strategies. Results Ultrasonic pretreatment significantly improved hydrolysis efficiency. The umami score and amino nitrogen content [(0.12±0.00) g/100 mL] of the hydrolysate in the ultrasound-assisted group (U) surpassed those of the conventional exogenous enzymatic group (C). Non-targeted metabolomics showed that the metabolites in the ultrasound-assisted exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis group (U) and the self-enzymatic hydrolysis group (B) were significantly different, and the number of differential metabolites was greater than that in the conventional exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis group (C). Primarily enriched in pathways related to plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis and ABC transporters. These findings indicated that ultrasound pretreatment enhanced enzymatic efficiency by altering protein conformation and metabolic networks. Conclusion Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis effectively improves the sensory characteristics of Dosidicus gigas viscera, promotes protein degradation and metabolite production, and enhances the high-value utilization and industrial production efficiency of Dosidicus gigas by-products. This study provides theoretical support and technical guidance for optimizing the processing of aquatic by-products.

Objective To investigate the optimal sterilization effects of ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization processes on thermophilic spores in plant-based drinks, and construct a UHT moderate sterilization model. Methods The physicochemical properties of 6 types of functional plant-based drinks (FPD) were compared, to determine the main changes in physicochemical indicators and the objects of characteristic drinks. The effects of pH, viscosity and solid content on the UHT sterilization effect against thermophilic spores were investigated, and a regression model was constructed. Results The pH and viscosity significantly influenced the UHT sterilization F-value (P<0.05), while the effect of solid content was found to be relatively minor. The linear fitting coefficients of pH and viscosity for the F₀ values were determined to be 208.927 (P<0.05) and 23.767 (P<0.01), respectively, while the nonlinear fitting coefficients were found to be 171.067 (P<0.05) and 0.543 (square variable value, P<0.05). These results indicate that the sterilization effectiveness weakened as the values of pH and viscosity increased. When the temperature reached 130 ℃, the significance of both parameters diminished, whereas the significance of the solid content coefficient was observed to increase, with the P decreasing to approximately 0.03. The predicted values of the models and the actual F₀ values showed a generally close correlation, with fitting trends resulting in R² values of 0.868 (linear) and 0.869 (nonlinear), indicating that the model possesses a high level of predictive performance. Conclusion The constructed UHT model can accurately fit the sterilization parameters and predict the effect according to the physicochemical properties of the plant-based drinks. This study provides essential guidance for the design of the UHT sterilization process for FPD, ultimately enhancing the nutritional and flavor quality of the drink products.