The germination of barley grains is an important step in malt production for beer brewing. This study examines the changes in starch molecular structure in barley grains under optimal conditions for sprouting. Two barley varieties were tested: Schooner and Grimmett, which are low and moderate dormancy grains, with >90 and <5% of grains germinating within two days in sprouting conditions, respectively. The barley grains were germinated in humid conditions after being soaked in excess water for 24 h. The grain weight and starch content of Schooner decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with germination time, whereas those of Grimmett showed no significant changes (P > 0.05). The starch chain‐length distributions, analyzed from enzymatically debranched starch molecules with size‐exclusion chromatography, indicated that the shorter amylopectin branches of Schooner were degraded at a faster rate than its longer amylopectin branches, which was also confirmed by the decreasing degree of branching with germination time. The changes in starch molecular structure of Grimmett grains were less apparent. The results of this study showed that barley grains containing shorter starch chains can produce sugars more quickly, which indicates that starch structure can serve as one of the specifications when selecting barley grains for brewing.

Three major protein components, namely, albumin, globulin, and glutenin, were extracted from Xinjiang SC-1 defatted almond kernel powder using the Osborne classification method, and their molecular and structural properties were analyzed. SDS-PAGE indicated that the molecular weight distribution of almond kernel proteins was within the range of 21-245 kDa. The percentages of essential amino acids in the defatted almond kernel powder, albumin, globulin, and glutenin were 31.17, 24.56, 32.22, and 39.96, respectively. Among the three major protein components, almond albumin had a relatively tighter and more stable structure, resulting in a higher denaturation temperature and lower surface hydrophobicity. Spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that the almond glutenin had more aromatic amino acids distributed on its surface and was more sensitive to ultraviolet and fluorescence spectrums. This information is essential for the understanding and application of almond kernel proteins. Practical applicationsThe present study separated the defatted almond kernel powder into its major protein components, namely, albumin, globulin, and glutenin, and the structural properties of these three major protein components were analyzed. This study aimed to provide essential information for the research and application of the almond kernel proteins.

This paper presents an approach to design composite panels via multiple stacking sequence tables (SST) such that the continuity constraints between adjacent regions are maintained. Traditional SST methods determine all the stacking sequences with only one SST, but this simplification limits the design option space. To increase the design freedom, this research utilizes multiple SSTs to blend the stacking sequences of a laminated structure. In the design process of the proposed approach, the monotonicity property of predicted laminate thicknesses is employed to determine the number of SSTs, and an SST rebuilding method is developed to satisfy the blending constraints. In the implementation of the simulated annealing algorithm for solving the optimal design problem, an SST difference code is introduced to represent feasible solutions, and a particular neighborhood structure is proposed to sufficiently explore the solutions in design space. Finally, the 18-region benchmark problem is chosen to validate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. The results reveal that, compared with other existing methods, the proposed method can generate manufacturable solutions with lower weights under the symmetry and balance constraints.

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Pomegranate peel pectin is an important acidic anionic plant polysaccharide which can be used as a natural emulsifier. In order to study its emulsifying properties, this paper systematically analyses pomegranate peel pectin samples from Chinese Xinjiang, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, through rheometer, interfacial rheometer, Zetasizer Nano-ZS and mastersizer. It is shown that pomegranate peel pectin can effectively reduce the oil-water interfacial tension, reaching an emulsion droplet size of only 0.507 μm, 0.669 μm and 0.569 μm, respectively, while the pectin concentration is 1.5% and the oil phase (MCT) is 10%. It has also shown that the extreme conditions of pH and ion strength can not significantly change its emulsion stability. However, freeze-thaw cycles can cause the pomegranate peel pectin emulsion to become less stable. Furthermore, the effects of decolourization, protein removal and dialysis on the emulsifying properties of pomegranate peel pectin are investigated using mastersizer rheometer and interfacial rheometer. It is found that the protein and pigment in pomegranate peel pectin have little effect on its emulsifying properties, while the results from dialyzed pectin show that the small molecule substances can reduce the emulsion particle size and increase the emulsion stability. The research outcomes of this study provide technical support for the further application of pomegranate peel pectin in the food industry.

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