Browsing by Author "Cheng L"
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- ItemB, N-dual doped sisal-based multiscale porous carbon for high-rate supercapacitors(The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019-01-11) Wu H; Yuan W; Zhao Y; Han D; Yuan X; Cheng LB, N dual-doped sisal-based activated carbon (BN-SAC) with a multiscale porous structure for high-rate supercapacitor electrode was prepared through a novel and facile strategy. With the inherent cellular channels serving as primary macropores, secondary mesopores and micropores are generated on the fiber surface and tracheid walls through low-pressure rapid carbonization of (NH4)2B4O7-containing sisal fibers and successive KOH activation. In addition to introducing B, N atoms into the BN-SAC, the additive also facilitates the formation of mesopores due to the rapid gas evaporation during its decomposition, leading to significantly increased specific surface area (2017 m2 g-1) and mesoporosity (68.6%). As a result, the BN-SAC-3 shows highly enhanced electrochemical performance including a high specific capacitance of 304 F g-1, excellent rate capability (with 72.6% retention at 60 A g-1) and superior cycling stability (4.6% capacitance loss after 3000 cycles). After assembling the BN-SAC-3 into symmetric supercapacitor, it shows a specific capacitance of 258 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 with 76.4% retention at 40 A g-1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte, and delivers a maximum energy density of 24.3 W h kg-1 at a power density of 612.8 W kg-1 in 1 M TEABF4/AN electrolyte. This work provides a new strategy for the synthesis of multiscale porous ACs for high-performance supercapacitors or other energy storage and conversion devices and is expected to be applied on other biomasses for large-scale production.
- ItemEffects of the consumption of algal biomass versus protein concentrate on postprandial satiety and metabolism(Elsevier BV, 2024-12) Wu JY; Tso R; Yong YN; Lim SPS; Wheeler T; Nag A; Cheng L; Talukder MMR; Huffman L; Quek SY; Leow MKS; Haldar SAlgae are promising sources of nutritious and sustainable protein, but little is known about their metabolic health impact and acceptability as meal ingredients. This acute, randomized, controlled, five-way crossover trial compared whole algal biomasses and their corresponding protein concentrates to soy protein concentrate in terms of palatability, appetite, satiety, and metabolic response. Nineteen healthy Chinese males (21–50 years, 18.5–25.0 kg/m2) consumed noodle meals supplemented with 10 g of nori biomass/protein concentrate (NB/NC), Chlorella vulgaris biomass/protein concentrate (CB/CC) or soy protein concentrate control (CON) in randomized order. At regular intervals, blood samples were collected to measure biochemical markers, while gastrointestinal tolerance, palatability, and appetite were assessed using questionnaires and visual analog scales (VAS). Results indicated that algae-enriched meals were well-tolerated and comparable to soy in both visual appeal and smell, with NB and CC outperforming soy in aftertaste (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between treatments in glucose, insulin, C-peptide, appetite/satiety, plasma ghrelin, and GLP-1. However, exploratory analysis of serum triglycerides revealed significant time × treatment effects (p < 0.004) and differences in incremental area under the curve (iAUC0–120 p = 0.0249). Our findings reveal that algal biomasses and protein concentrates are as comparable to soy protein concentrate in palatability, satiety, and metabolic outcomes, highlighting their potential as practical, sustainable, and nutritious ingredients.
- ItemEnhanced denitrification driven by a novel iron-carbon coupled primary cell: chemical and mixotrophic denitrification(Springer, 2024-01-10) Wu R; Jeyakumar P; Nanthi B; Zhai X; Wang H; Pan M; Lian J; Cheng L; Li J; Hou M; Cui Y; Yang X; Dai KIron-carbon micro-electrolysis system is a promising method for promoting electron transfer in nitrate removal. However, many traditional approaches involving simple physical mixing inevitably suffered from the confined iron-carbon contact area and short validity period, leading to the overuse of iron. Here, a ceramsite-loaded microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI) and acidified carbon (AC) coupled-galvanic cell (CMC) was designed to support chemical, autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification. Long-term experiments were conducted to monitor the nitrogen removal performance of denitrification reactors filled with CMC and thus optimized the denitrification performance by improving fabrication parameters and various operating conditions. The denitrification contributions test showed that the chemical denitrification pathway contributed most to nitrate removal (57.3%), followed by autotrophic (24.6%) and heterotrophic denitrification pathways (18.1%). The microbial analysis confirmed the significant aggregation of related denitrifying bacteria in the reactors, while AC promoted the expression of relevant nitrogen metabolism genes because of accelerated uptake and utilization of iron complexes. Meanwhile, the electrochemical analysis revealed a significantly improved electron transfer capacity of AC compared to pristine carbon. Overall, our study demonstrated the application of a novel mZVI-AC coupled material for effective nitrate removal and revealed the potential impact of CMC in the multipathway denitrification process. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
- ItemFibrillisation of faba bean protein isolate by thermosonication for process efficacy: Microstructural characteristics, assembly behaviour, and physicochemical properties(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-09) Hu Y; Cheng L; Gilbert EP; Loo TS; Lee SJ; Harrison J; Yang ZThe effect of thermosonication (TS) (90 °C, 10–30 min) on the fibrillisation of faba bean protein isolate (FPI) was studied. The self-assembly behaviour, microstructural characteristics and techno-functional (gelation and emulsification) properties of FPI fibrils obtained from TS treatment were compared with those obtained from conventional prolonged heating (CH) at 90 °C up to 8 h. Compared to CH treatment, TS treatment was shown to significantly accelerate the formation of FPI fibrils with prominent β-sheet structures as revealed by Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD). The characteristics of fibril building blocks were analysed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and liquid chromatography linked to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to obtain the differences between TS and CH induced fibrillisation of FPI. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) showed that 4 h CH and 10 min TS treatments resulted in the fibrils with similar radius (from 5 to 10 nm). Furthermore, SANS indicated that TS treatment induced the formation of an entangled FPI fibrillar network, which could lead to the observed viscoelastic properties of FPI at a high concentration (10 wt%). Finally, high internal phase O/W emulsions (HIPE, φ = 0.75) stabilised by 30 min TS induced FPI fibrils (3 wt%) demonstrated a stronger gel strength and smaller oil droplet size compared to those prepared with untreated FPI, suggesting a superior emulsification capability of FPI fibrils. This finding demonstrates that TS treatment is a promising and efficient method for fibrillisation of plant proteins with the resultant fibrils generating excellent gelation and emulsification properties.
- ItemFormation and characterisation of concentrated emulsion gels stabilised by faba bean protein isolate and its applications for 3D food printing(Elsevier BV, 2023-08-20) Hu Y; Cheng L; Lee SJ; Yang ZConcentrated emulsions were prepared at a fixed oil concentration (50 wt%) using faba bean protein isolates (FPI) as an emulsifier and texturizer. Effects of FPI concentration (1, 3 and 5 wt%; at pH7), pH (pH 3, 5, 7, and 9; 3 wt%) and addition of salts (200 mM NaCl and 40 mM CaCl2; at 3 wt% FPI and pH 7) on the emulsion formation were studied. The oil droplet size and microstructural characteristics were examined by static light scattering and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and the viscoelastic behaviours of emulsions were characterised by oscillatory rheology. At all different FPI concentrations, the emulsions formed viscoelastic gels with different gel strengths and stability due to network formation and interactions between jammed oil droplets and protein aggregates. The oil droplet size, rheological properties, and 3D printability of emulsions were not significantly changed by the presence of salts. The storage modulus G′ (1 Hz) values were higher at higher FPI concentrations, and higher pH values (i.e., pH 7 and 9) as the droplet size was smaller and the droplet packing was more compact, resulting in a better 3D printing performance. Furthermore, the heat treatment (90 °C for 30 min) remarkedly improved gel strength and the 3D printability because of protein denaturation and oil droplet aggregation. This finding demonstrated that the emulsion gel formed with FPI was tuneable for food 3D printing. Most of samples displayed high printing precision with great self-supporting capability, which may find potential applications in creating specialised diet.
- ItemFormation and properties of highly concentrated oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by emulsion droplets(Elsevier Ltd, 2023-12) Cheng L; Ye A; Yang Z; Hemar Y; Singh H70% (v/v) concentrated emulsion has been prepared using Ca2+-cross-linked sodium caseinate particles (Ca-CAS) or Ca-CAS coated nano-sized primary emulsion droplets as emulsifiers. The primary droplet-stabilised emulsion (DSE) was compared with the conventional Ca-CAS stabilised-emulsion (PSE) in terms of viscoelasticity as affected by aging (30 days) and heating (80 °C, 30 min) at pH 5.8 and 7.0. DSE at pH 5.8 showed the highest complex modulus (G* = 1174 ± 39 Pa), approximately was six-times higher than other emulsions (G* ≤ ∼250 Pa) due to the thick emulsifier layer consisting of primary droplet increasing the effective volume faction of core droplets by a factor of ∼1.21. After aging, G* of DSE at pH 5.8 increased to 1685 ± 68 Pa, while G* of other three emulsions were ∼400 Pa. After heating, G* of DSE reached 1801 ± 69 Pa and 1312 ± 205 Pa at pH 5.8 and pH 7.0, respectively, while G* of PSE were ∼600 Pa at both pHs. The possible mechanism for aging-induced gelation was the gravity-driven microphase separation, in which the droplets flocculate together with the entrapped aqueous phase increasing the effective volume fraction. The heat-induced gelation was attributed to the increase in droplet interactions through protein aggregates and/or primary droplets forming three-dimensional networks at elevated temperature. This study suggests that the mechanical strength of food-grade concentrated emulsions can be effectively improved using nano-sized primary emulsions as emulsifying agent and can be further modulated by aging or
- ItemImpact of incorporations of various polysaccharides on rheological and microstructural characteristics of heat-induced quinoa protein isolate gels(Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2022-09) Patole S; Cheng L; Yang ZThis study aimed to investigate the properties of heat-induced gels (85 °C for 30 min) of quinoa protein isolate (QPI) in the presence and absence of various polysaccharides including guar gum (GG), locust bean gum (LBG), and xanthan gum (XG) at pH 7. For this purpose, samples with three gum concentrations (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt%) at a fixed QPI concentration (10 wt%) and a fixed ionic strength (50 mM NaCl) were studied in terms of their gelation behaviour, small and large deformation rheological properties, water holding capabilities, and microstructural characteristics. Rheological measurements revealed that all polysaccharides incorporation could improve gel strength (complex modulus, G*) and breaking stress, accelerate gel formations, and more stiffer gels were obtained at greater polysaccharide concentrations. The XG exhibited the most gel strengthening effect followed by LBG and GG. Incorporation of 0.2 wt% XG led to a 15 folds increase in G* compared to the control. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observation revealed that the polysaccharides also altered gel microstructures, with the gels containing XG showing the most compact gel structures. The findings of this study may provide useful information for the fabrication of novel QPI based food gel products with improved texture.
- ItemImpact of thermosonication at neutral pH on the structural characteristics of faba bean protein isolate dispersions and their physicochemical and techno-functional properties(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-09) Hu Y; Cheng L; Gilbert EP; Lee SJ; Yang ZThe effect of thermosonication (TS) (90 °C, 10–30 min) on faba bean protein isolate (FPI) at pH 7 was investigated. The microstructural and techno-functional properties of TS-treated FPI were compared with native FPI or FPI treated with conventional prolonged heating (CH, up to 8 h) at 90 °C. TS treatment effectively converted FPI to amorphous aggregates containing predominant β-sheet secondary structures, as determined by Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD). According to sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), these amorphous aggregates could be formed by disulfide bonds. Additionally, TS treatment is efficient in disrupting large protein aggregates of FPI, thus improving their solubility. Both TS and CH treatments induced formation of viscoelastic FPI hydrogels, whose gel strength depends on the type and time of treatment. Hydrogels formation is likely to arise from the entanglement and interaction of protein aggregates as revealed by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TS-treated FPI was also used to prepare O/W emulsions and whose structural and physical properties were compared with those stabilised by untreated FPI. At all oil volume fractions (φ = 0.2, 0.5, and 0.7) and FPI concentrations (1, 3, and 5 wt %), emulsions stabilised by TS-treated FPI exhibited smaller oil droplet size, greater mechanical strength and superior stability compared to those stabilised by untreated FPI. The study suggests that TS treatment is promising in improving techno-functional properties of FPI; further studies are needed to exploit TS-treated plant proteins as a novel food ingredient in food product development.
- ItemImpact of Ultrasound Emulsification on the Physicochemical Properties of Emulsions Stabilised by Quinoa Protein Isolates at Different pHs(Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2024-03) Yang Z; Cheng LUltrasonication (20 kHz, 19.9 W/10 mL sample) was used to form O/W emulsions stabilised by quinoa protein isolate (QPI) particles at 3 wt%. Effects of pH (3, 5, 7, 9) and oil volume fractions (20%, 40%, and 60%) on rheological properties and microstructural characteristics of emulsions were investigated. All emulsions show viscoelastic behaviours and form a network structure comprising aggregated oil droplets and QPI particles. Emulsions stabilised by QPI at pH 5 showed largest droplet sizes and lowest gel strength due to extensive aggregation of proteins around the isoelectric point (pI ~ 4.5). The gel strength (G´(1 Hz)) were enhanced when the oil volume fraction increased and reached ~ 1100–1350 Pa at 60% oil volume fraction at different pH. This could be attributed to a tighter packing of oil droplets at 60% oil. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that interdroplets bridging and voids filling of QPI particles between oil droplets are critical in formation of aggregated emulsions network. Emulsions stabilised by QPI at pH 7 and 9 possessed thinner interfacial layers compared to those at pH 3 and 5. Finally, this study shows a potential of using ultrasonication to prepare gel-like emulsions stabilised by QPI, broadening applications of quinoa proteins in making dairy substitutes with semi-solid textural characteristics.
- ItemLimited Alcalase hydrolysis improves the thermally-induced gelation of quinoa protein isolate (QPI) dispersions(Elsevier BV, 2022-11-01) Wang X; Cheng L; Wang H; Yang ZGelation is critical in many food applications of plant proteins. Herein, limited hydrolysis by Alcalase was used to promote thermally induced gelation of quinoa protein isolates (QPI). Mechanical properties of various QPI gels were characterised by small and large oscillatory shear deformation rheology while the microstructural features were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Both the gel strength and microstructure are strongly related to the hydrolysis time. The maximum gel strength (∼100 Pa) was achieved after Alcalase hydrolysis for 1 min, which was ∼20 folds higher than that of untreated QPI. Extended hydrolysis up to 5 min progressively decreased the gel strength. A string-like interconnected protein network was formed after proteolysis. The change of gel strength with hydrolysis time correlated well to the Gʹ 20°C/Gʹ 90°C value and results of intrinsic fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity. The Gʹ 20°C/Gʹ 90°C value is sensitive to hydrogen bonds formation while the intrinsic fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity are associated with protein unfolding and exposure of hydrophobic groups. Therefore, both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions are critical in improving the gel strength of QPI hydrolysates. Finally, FTIR analysis revealed that protein secondary structures are affected by the proteolysis and formation of inter-molecular hydrogen bonds between polypeptides. This study provides an efficient strategy for improving thermally induced gelation of QPI and enables a deep understanding of QPI gelation mechanism induced by Alcalase hydrolysis.
- ItemSelf-assembly and hydrogelation of a potential bioactive peptide derived from quinoa proteins(Elsevier BV, 2024-02) Cheng L; De Leon-Rodriguez L; Gilbert EP; Loo T; Petters L; Yang ZIn this work the identification of peptides derived from quinoa proteins which could potentially self-assemble, and form hydrogels was carried out with TANGO, a statistical mechanical based algorithm that predicts β-aggregate propensity of peptides. Peptides with the highest aggregate propensity were subjected to gelling screening experiments from which the most promising bioactive peptide with sequence KIVLDSDDPLFGGF was selected. The self-assembling and hydrogelation properties of the C-terminal amidated peptide (KIVLDSDDPLFGGF-NH2) were studied. The effect of concentration, pH, and temperature on the secondary structure of the peptide were probed by circular dichroism (CD), while its nanostructure was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Results revealed the existence of random coil, α-helix, twisted β-sheet, and well-defined β-sheet secondary structures, with a range of nanostructures including elongated fibrils and bundles, whose proportion was dependant on the peptide concentration, pH, or temperature. The self-assembly of the peptide is demonstrated to follow established models of amyloid formation, which describe the unfolded peptide transiting from an α-helix-containing intermediate into β-sheet-rich protofibrils. The self-assembly is promoted at high concentrations, elevated temperatures, and pH values close to the peptide isoelectric point, and presumably mediated by hydrogen bond, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and π-π interactions (from the F residue). At 15 mg/mL and pH 3.5, the peptide self-assembled and formed a self-supporting hydrogel exhibiting viscoelastic behaviour with G' (1 Hz) ~2300 Pa as determined by oscillatory rheology measurements. The study describes a straightforward method to monitor the self-assembly of plant protein derived peptides; further studies are needed to demonstrate the potential application of the formed hydrogels in food and biomedicine.
