Vinegar is one of the most widely used acidic condiments. In recent decades, rapid advances have been made in the area of vinegar research, and the intellectual structure pertaining to this domain has significantly evolved. Thus, it is important that scientists keep abreast of associated developments to ensure an appropriate understanding of this field. To facilitate this current study, a bibliometric analysis method was adopted to visualize the knowledge map of vinegar research based on literature data retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. In total, 883 original research and review articles from between 1998 and 2019 with 19,663 references were analyzed by CiteSpace. Both a macroscopical sketch and microscopical characterization of the whole knowledge domain were realized. According to the research contents, the main themes that underlie vinegar research can be divided into six categories, that is, microorganisms, substances, health functions, production technologies, adjuvant medicines, and vinegar residues. In addition to the latter analysis, emerging trends and future research foci were predicted. Finally, the evolutionary stage of vinegar research was discerned according to Shneider’s four-stage theory. This review will help scientists to discern the dynamic evolution of vinegar research, as well as highlight areas for future research.
Summary Sediments will spontaneously form in traditional Chinese vinegars (TCVs), which negatively affect the product acceptability. Here, sediments in Shanxi aged vinegar, a representative TCV, were investigated to unravel the microstructure and composition. Morphologically, crystals, amorphous substances and thalli were three common forms. Composition analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy manifested starch/polysaccharides and proteins were present. Proteins (~30%), carbohydrates (>10%), crude fats (~17.00%) and metallic elements (~3%) were four main components determined, and polyphenols and flavonoids accounted for about 1% in the sediments. The crystals were recognised as calcium oxalate crystals by micro‐area energy‐dispersive X‐ray and micro‐Raman spectrometry, and they were mostly in dihydrate form. This is the first report on the discovery of calcium oxalate crystals in the vinegar. Crystallisation into crystals, self‐assembly and polymerisation of polymers, aggregation of particles, as well as interactions between polymers and particles form a basic model of sediments formation in TCV.
Bioactive macromolecule mining is important for the functional chemome dissection of traditional Chinese vinegar. Here, saccharide-bearing macromolecules in Shanxi aged vinegar (SBMSAV) were isolated, characterized, and their immunomodulatory activity was evaluated. Four sub-fractions were obtained through ethanol precipitation followed by refining and DEAE-650M column chromatography. All sub-fractions had a maximum molecular weight of more than 2,667 kDa, with 10 types of monosaccharides identified. Comparative analysis of these sub-fractions with melanoidins from real food and model systems showed that all four sub-fractions had similarities with both melanoidins in elemental composition, spectral signature, and pyrolytic characteristics. Immunological assays showed that the four sub-fractions significantly improved macrophage cell viability and phagocytic activity, and promoted the secretion of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6. Immunomodulatory mechanism investigation indicated that SBMSAV enhanced aerobic glycolysis in macrophages and were recognized through TLR2, TLR4, MR, SR, and Dectin-1. Additionally, the MyD88/PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway was found to be involved in the activation of macrophages.
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