Li Qin, Li Hong-Tao, Bai Yi-Peng, Zhu Ke-Rui, Huang Ping-Hsiu
School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Food and Pharmaceutical Science College, 4 Meicheng Road, Huai'an 223003, China.
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Foods. 2022 Aug 10;11(16):2404. doi: 10.3390/foods11162404.
Euryale ferox seeds (EFS) were less gelatinized, preventing the release of nutrients and functional compounds, resulting in limited applications in meals and the food industry. Nutraceutical importance of EFS includes starch, protein, lipids, 20 amino acids, minerals, and vitamins (C, E, and beta carotene). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different thermal treatments on EFS’s physicochemical and nutritional properties and expected to improve its applicability. The results showed that the bulk density, thousand-grain weight, and hardness of thermal treated EFS were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), whereas the maximum decrease was observed in the industrial infrared heating-assisted fluidized bed (IHFH) treatment. Meanwhile, there were more crevices, fissures, and heightened porous structures in EFS between the pericarp and episperm and the endosperm after heat treatment, which facilitated grinding and water absorption. Notably, EFS’s water and oil absorption capacities increased significantly (p < 0.05) with microwave and IHFH treatments. EFS ground’s solubility into powder was increased significantly with thermal treatment (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the functional properties of TPC, TFC, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and reducing power were significantly increased (p < 0.05). In general, the changes in the physicochemical properties of EFS and increased bioactivity were caused by microwave and IHFH treatments. Hence, it might improve the food value of EFS while providing valuable information to researchers and food manufacturers.
芡实种子（EFS）的糊化程度较低，阻碍了营养成分和功能化合物的释放，导致其在食品和食品工业中的应用有限。EFS的营养保健价值包括淀粉、蛋白质、脂质、20种氨基酸、矿物质以及维生素（C、E和β-胡萝卜素）。本研究旨在评估三种不同热处理对EFS理化性质和营养特性的影响，并期望提高其适用性。结果表明，热处理后的EFS的堆积密度、千粒重和硬度显著降低（p<0.05），而在工业红外加热辅助流化床（IHFH）处理中观察到的降幅最大。同时，热处理后的EFS在果皮与外胚乳之间以及胚乳中的缝隙、裂纹增多，多孔结构增强，这有利于研磨和吸水。值得注意的是，微波和IHFH处理使EFS的吸水和吸油能力显著提高（p<0.05）。热处理显著提高了EFS磨粉的溶解度（p<0.05）。此外，总酚含量（TPC）、总黄酮含量（TFC）、DPPH自由基清除活性和还原力的功能特性显著提高（p<0.05）。总体而言，微波和IHFH处理导致了EFS理化性质的变化以及生物活性的提高。因此，这可能会提高EFS的食品价值，同时为研究人员和食品制造商提供有价值的信息。
