June Online Cover
: Photographs before cooking and husk removal of the five bunya nut samples and the chestnut sample evaluated in the study, sensory profiles of bunya nuts vs. chestnuts and of ...boiled vs. roasted bunya nuts, and PCA bi‐plot of the sensory properties of 12 samples, from “Sensory properties of Australian bunya nuts” by Jaqueline Moura Nadolny, Odette Best, Emma Hassall, Heather M. Shewan, Sandra M. Olarte Mantilla, Jason R. Stokes, Heather E. Smyth. p. 2732–2743.
Commercially available convenience rice such as retorted, quick cooking or frozen rice suffers from sensory deficiencies compared to home cooked rice. The mechanisms causing deterioration in texture ...and flavour during convenience rice processing are, in many cases, poorly understood.
This review describes pre-cooking methods including washing and soaking, cooking methods including cooking in excess water, by absorption and by high pressure, and post-cooking technologies including cooling, freezing, retorting, canning, drying and storage, as well as the influence of each process on physical properties and sensory attributes of cooked rice.
Water diffusion and starch leaching, which occur in many processing steps, are important factors affecting cooked rice quality. Soaking saves energy by reducing cooking time. Cooking by absorption increases stickiness, but does not ensure uniform moisture distribution compared to cooking in excess water, thus is not applicable for rice manufacturers. Amylose leaching during soaking and cooking affects hardness and stickiness of cooked rice significantly. Non-thermal treatments such as high pressure soaking and cooking have potential to improve rice sensory properties compared to high temperature treatments, which change colour and flavour of convenience rice. Drying and freezing results in a porous structure resulting in spongy texture after rehydration and thawing, respectively. During storage, starch retrogradation deteriorates texture, but can be retarded by high pressure processing or storage below the glass transition temperature. Much is known about processing factors that affect freshly cooked rice, but more substantial knowledge of how processing steps affect the structure property relationships and sensory properties of convenience rice will assist manufacturers to specifically design products to meet the ever growing consumer demands for convenience food.
•Processing related reduction of convenience rice quality is mechanistically explained.•Flavour deteriorates as volatile profiles are altered by thermal processes and storage.•Cooked rice texture is dependant on the rate and extent of water and starch diffusion.•Different mechanisms in high pressure processes may improve convenience rice quality.
Infant formulas (IFs), the sole adequate substitute to human milk, undergo several thermal treatments during production that can damage milk proteins and promote the formation of Maillard reaction ...products, modifying nutritional and sensory properties. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a minimally processing route based on membrane filtration associated with different levels of heat treatment, on the odor, taste, texture and color attributes of IFs, then to compare with those of commercial milks. Three experimental IFs (produced with membrane filtration associated with low – T-, medium – T+, or high thermal treatments – T+++) were evaluated. Triangular tests conducted with a panel of 50 adults highlighted clear disparities between all the IFs. The same panel applied the Check-All-That-Apply method to evaluate the IFs: the range of variability between T- and T+++ was similar to that between the 2 commercial IFs, and the sensory characteristics of the experimental IFs were not far from the commercial brands for flavor and texture attributes. Analysis performed on the citation frequencies for each descriptor differentiated T-/T+ from T+++, but all the experimental IFs were described with positive sensory characteristics, unlike one commercial IF. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content of IFs with low and high thermal treatments were analyzed. Forty VOCs were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. T- contained a higher quantity of VOCs than T+++, except for benzaldehyde (Maillard reaction product), and aldehydes (oxidation-related products) were the most represented compounds. In conclusion, the processing was associated with sensory differences among IFs, but no marked difference in flavors was found according to CATA and physicochemical analysis. Additionally, no unpleasant sensory descriptors were noted. This shows that the minimally processed route leads to IFs that could fit well within the market from a sensory point of view.
Acute pain signaling has a key protective role and is highly evolutionarily conserved. Chronic pain, however, is maladaptive, occurring as a consequence of injury and disease, and is associated with ...sensitization of the somatosensory nervous system. Primary sensory neurons are involved in both of these processes, and the recent advances in understanding sensory transduction and human genetics are the focus of this review. Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are important determinants of sensory neuron excitability: they are essential for the initial transduction of sensory stimuli, the electrogenesis of the action potential, and neurotransmitter release from sensory neuron terminals. Na
1.1, Na
1.6, Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 are all expressed by adult sensory neurons. The biophysical characteristics of these channels, as well as their unique expression patterns within subtypes of sensory neurons, define their functional role in pain signaling. Changes in the expression of VGSCs, as well as posttranslational modifications, contribute to the sensitization of sensory neurons in chronic pain states. Furthermore, gene variants in Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 have now been linked to human Mendelian pain disorders and more recently to common pain disorders such as small-fiber neuropathy. Chronic pain affects one in five of the general population. Given the poor efficacy of current analgesics, the selective expression of particular VGSCs in sensory neurons makes these attractive targets for drug discovery. The increasing availability of gene sequencing, combined with structural modeling and electrophysiological analysis of gene variants, also provides the opportunity to better target existing therapies in a personalized manner.
The effects of fresh and dried Flammulina velutipes (FFV and DFV) on quality and sensory characteristics of Cantonese sausages were investigated. Sausage samples were prepared by adding 0% (control), ...2.5% FFV, 2.5% and 5.0% DFV, respectively, and their nutritional compositions, free amino acid profiles, lipid and protein oxidation, color and texture properties were determined. Addition of F. velutipes significantly decreased fat content while increased free amino acid contents of Cantonese sausages. Total free amino acid contents of 2.5% FFV, 2.5% DFV and 5.0% DFV incorporation were 2.8-, 2.4- and 3.5-fold as compared to control, respectively. Lipid and protein oxidation of Cantonese sausages were effectively inhibited by the addition of F. velutipes. Both FFV and DFV addition decreased hardness and chewiness while showed different effect on yellowness of samples. DFV added at 2.5% exhibited the best overall sensory acceptance. Therefore, appropriate addition of F. velutipes may be an effective way to improve meat product quality and function.
•The quality and sensory characteristics of sausages can be improved by addition of F. velutipes.•Addition of F. velutipes significantly decreased fat content of Cantonese sausages.•Lipid and protein oxidation can be effectively inhibited by the addition of F. velutipes.•Sausages incorporated with 2.5% dried F. velutipes showed the best overall sensory acceptance.
Recently, hydrogel-based conductive materials and their applications as smart wearable devices have been paid tremendous attention due to their high stretchability, flexibility, and excellent ...biocompatibility. Compared with single functional conductive hydrogels, multifunctional conductive hydrogels are more advantageous to match various demands for practical applications. This review focuses on multifunctional conductive hydrogels applied for smart wearable devices. Representative strategies for conduction of hydrogels are discussed firstly: (1) electronic conduction based on the conductive fillers and (2) ionic conduction based on charged ions. Then, the common and intensive research on multiple functionalities of conductive hydrogels, such as mechanical properties, conductive and sensory properties, anti-freezing and moisturizing properties, and adhesion and self-healing properties is presented. The applications of multifunctional conductive hydrogels such as in human motion sensors, sensory skins, and personal healthcare diagnosis are provided in the third part. Finally, we offer our perspective on open challenges and future areas of interest for multifunctional conductive hydrogels used as smart wearable devices.
Multifunctional conductive hydrogels with representative preparation strategies and related properties.
Abstract
April Online Cover
: Mandarin‐like
Citrus x Poncirus trifoliata
hybrid with inset of pure
Poncirus trifoliata
fruit from Feature Article, “Sensory quality of Citrus scion hybrids with
...Poncirus trifoliata
in their pedigrees”, by Sophie C. Deterre, Kristen A. Jeffries, Greg McCollum, Ed Stover, Clotilde Leclair, John A. Manthey, Jinhe Bai, Elizabeth A. Baldwin, Smita Raithore, and Anne Plotto. Photo credit: Randall Driggers, USDA.
We have come to recognize the brain as a predictive organ, anticipating attributes of the incoming sensory stimulation to guide perception and action in the service of adaptive behaviour. In the ...quest to understand the neural bases of the modulatory prospective signals that prioritize and select relevant events during perception, one fundamental dimension has until recently been largely overlooked: time. In this Review, we introduce the burgeoning field of temporal attention and illustrate how the brain makes use of various forms of temporal regularities in the environment to guide adaptive behaviour and influence neural processing.
PDF
