Wheat germ (WG) is quite susceptible to deterioration due to the presence of lipase (LA) and lipoxygenase (LOX). Therefore it is indispensable to adopt a stabilization step to decrease the activity of LA and LOX while retaining a maximum level of nutrients. But over-drying can make foodstuffs more susceptible to autoxidation. So a stabilization protocol for inactivating LA and LOX of WG with a temperature- controlled short wave infrared (SIR) radiation system was adopted to retard its rancidity and retain a maximum level of fat-soluble nutrients. Meanwhile, the critical storage water activity (Aw) of WG for inhibiting both hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity was appraised. Results indicate that WG irradiated at 90°C for 20 min acquired the optimal stabilization effect, and its residual LA and LOX activity were 18.02% and 19.21%, respectively. At this condition, the free fatty acids (FFA) content and peroxide value (PV) increment of WG oil at 40°C remained below 5% and 2.24 meq O2/kg for 60 days, respectively. The residual Aw of this WG sample was 0.13, and it is near the Aw corresponding to its monolayer. No significant decrease of fatty acids was observed during SIR processing, while about 96.42% of its original tocopherols still retained in WG treated at 90°C for 20 min.

Emulsifiers play a key role in the stabilization of foam bubbles. In food foams, biopolymers such as proteins are contributing to long-term stability through several effects such as increasing bulk viscosity and the formation of viscoelastic interfaces. Recent studies have identified promising new stabilizers for (food) foams and emulsions, for instance biological particles derived from water-soluble or water-insoluble proteins, (modified) starch as well as chitin. Microfluidic platforms could provide a valuable tool to study foam formation on the single-bubble level, yielding mechanistic insights into the formation and stabilization (as well as destabilization) of foams stabilized by these new stabilizers. Yet, the recent developments in microfluidic technology have mainly focused on emulsions rather than foams. Microfluidic devices have been up-scaled (to some extent) for large-scale emulsion production, and also designed as investigative tools to monitor interfaces at the (sub)millisecond time scale. In this review, we summarize the current state of the art in droplet microfluidics (and, where available, bubble microfluidics), and provide a perspective on the applications for (food) foams. Microfluidic investigations into foam formation and stability are expected to aid in optimization of stabilizer selection and production conditions for food foams, as well as provide a platform for (large-scale) production of monodisperse foams.

An imidazolium-based bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic efficiency in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in aqueous medium. The superior catalytic performance and the enhanced enantioselectivity is attributed to the synergistic effect of salient imidazolium phase-transfer function and the confined nature of the chiral organoiridium catalyst.

In this study, the effects of short‐wave infrared radiation (SIR) on enzyme‐assisted aqueous extraction process (EAEP) of peanut oil (PO) are investigated, including peanuts cotyledon cells mircrostructure and yield as well as quality of extracted PO. GC‐flash electronic nose (EN) combined with principal components analysis (PCA) is applied to select conditions for SIR process. The appropriate roasting condition based on the overall flavor is determined as 150 °C for 55 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to investigate the effects of SIR on cotyledon microstructure. The results demonstrated that SIR damaged the cell microstructure and oil body membrane, and the extraction of oil is facilitated. Accordingly, the oil yield increased significantly by 8.74% compared to that of the control (p < 0.05). Further analysis on the quality properties of PO revealed that the content of polyphenols of oil extracted from SIR roasted peanuts (2.79 ± 0.05 mg GAE kg−1) is 62.21% higher than that from the control. It is in consistent with the significantly enhanced oxidation stability of oil in the present study (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the variety and relative content of volatile compounds which contributed to a better overall flavor are greatly increased. Practical Applications: SIR as a mild and efficient roasting method could enhance the oil extraction yield in EAEP and improve the oxidation stability of the extracted oil. With the appropriate pre‐roasting of peanuts by SIR, the overall flavor of EAEP extracted peanut oil was improved. Its volatiles pattern was close to that of the commercial hot‐pressed PO. It was confirmed that SIR is a novel choice for roasting processing, as well as a potential and available pre‐roasting method of peanuts to improve the EAEP technology. In order to improve the enzyme‐assisted aqueous extraction process (EAEP) of peanut oil, short‐wave infrared radiation (SIR) to roast peanuts before the extraction process is used. SEM and TEM are employed to evaluate the roasting effects on cotyledon microstructure. Some chemical properties, the content of antioxidant compounds, and the flavor of extracted oil are assessed to show the effects on oil quality. The oil yield is also evaluated to explain the roasting effects together with the changes of the microstructure.