Laboratory of Food Analysis and Bioprocess Engineering
Our lab focuses on the agricultural and aquatic products, and their processing into value-added foods or products. Our lab also provides food analysis services for food industries, government institutions and other clients, such as qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of raw food and processed food in the following areas: chemical analysis, physical analysis, microbiological analysis and food quality analysis. Our research is based on food analytical techniques integrate with bio-catalysis, food engineering, biochemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology to develop process or products. Please click here for our research.
Recent Research
Evaluation of wheat noodles supplemented with soy protein isolate for nutritional, textural, cooking attributes and glycemic index
The elderly population in developed countries has increased rapidly in recent years that may be at greater risk of protein deficiencies due to dietary, socio-economic, dental, and physical restrictions. Therefore, to address the issue of protein deficiency in elderly people, the present study aimed to enhance the protein content of high-gluten flour noodles, an Asian staple food by supplementing them with soybean protein isolate (SPI) powder. The effect of SPI addition (5-20%, w/w) on composition, quality, texture, physical and sensory properties, and glycemic index (GI) of high-gluten flour noodles was investigated. The noodles made only from high-gluten flour served as control. In comparison to control noodles, 20% SPI noodles showed a rise in protein and moisture content from 16.17% to 30.64% and 36.06 to 44.84%, respectively. The cooking yield and cooking loss increased with increase in SPI concentration as compared to control noodles. Moreover, the addition of SPI to the noodle significantly decreased the GI of the noodles reaching the standard of low GI food. The findings of the current study indicate that soy protein noodles besides supplementing the desired nutrients may also prevent the risk of diabetes in elderly people.
Applied Sciences. 2023, 13(13), 7772.
Ultrasonic-assisted extraction and structural characterization of chondroitin sulfate derived from jumbo squid cartilage
In this study, the UAE of ChS from jumbo squid was successfully developed by a Box-Behnken experimental design and RSM. The mass transfer coefficient results showed that the ultrasonic-assisted extraction had greater efficiency. The optimal UAE conditions were obtained by ridge-max analysis. At present, the large-scale ultrasonic extraction equipment is available on the market, so this process has the potential for industrial production. The use of ethanol fractionation of crude ChS provided a low-production cost to obtain high purity ChS. The FTIR and NMR spectra showed that ChS was present in the form of chondroitin-4-sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate. Unlike the common ChS from shark currently on the market, ChS from jumbo squid has a higher 4S sulfation. At present, the ChS from marine source of ChS has attracted increasing attention. The ChS from jumbo squid cartilage not only increases the value of waste, but also provides a cost-effective source of raw material.
Foods. 2021, 10, 2363.
Chitosan-based anti-oxidation delivery nano-platform: Applications in encapsulation of DHA-enriched fish oil
Refined cobia liver oil (CBLO) is rich in the human-required nutritional supplement of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as DHA and EPA; however, PUFAs are easily prone to oxidation. In this study, the fabrication of chitosan-TPP encapsulated CBLO nanoparticles (CS@CBLO NPs) was achieved by a two-step method, including emulsification and ionic gelation of chitosan with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The obtained nanoparticles were inspected by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and showed a positively charged surface with a z-average diameter between 174 and 456 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed the three-stage weight loss trends contributing to the water evaporation, chitosan decomposition, and CBLO decomposition. The loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of CBLO loading in CS@CBLO NPs were 17.77-33.43 % and 25.93-50.27 %, respectively. The successful encapsulation of CBLO in CS@CBLO NPs was also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The oxidative stability of CBLO and CS@CBLO NPs was monitored by FTIR. As compared to CBLO, CS@CBLO NPs showed less oxidation with a lower generation of hydroperoxides and secondary oxidation products after four weeks of storage. The CS@CBLO NPs is comprised of two health ingredients: chitosan and fish oil in a nano powdered fish oil form with excellent oxidative stability that will enhance the usage in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.
Marine Drugs. 2021, 19, 470.
Bioprocessed production of resveratrol-enriched rice wine: Simultaneous rice wine fermentation, extraction and transformation of piceid to resveratrol from Polygonum cuspidatum roots
A new bioprocess to produce resveratrol-enriched rice wine was established and the effects of adding Polygonum cuspidatum root powder to rice wine fermentation were investigated. In this new process, piceid and resveratrol were extracted from P. cuspidatum roots to rice wine and piceid was converted to resveratrol by β-glucosidase during fermentation. Ultrafiltration (UF) was employed in this study using hollow fibers to clarify the end product, increase shelf life without heat treatment, and maintain the quality of the phenolic compounds. The boiled and UF-treated rice wine were evaluated for ethanol, piceid, resveratrol, clarity, aerobic plate count, total acidity, pH, reducing sugars, and amino acids. The quality of the resveratrol-enriched rice wine was maintained after 4 weeks storage at normal refrigeration temperatures.
Foods. 2019, 8, 258.
中華民國專利發明第I703211號
2021台灣創新技術博覽會發明競賽 銀牌獎
The effect of extrusion puffing on the physicochemical properties of brown rice used for saccharification and Chinese rice wine fermentation
Extrusion puffing operates at high temperatures, high pressure and provides mechanical shearing forces, resulting in the puffed extrudates having a higher degree of gelatinization, as determined by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), revealed the disruption of the native crystalline structure. The effect of extrusion on enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated using amylase digestion. The results indicated that puffed extrudates significantly improved the enzymatic hydrolysis rate and yield. Moreover, the catalytic efficiency was evaluated by kinetic constants, with extrusion puffing treatment demonstrating an efficiency18-fold higher than steam-cooked brown rice. Finally, extruded-puffed blown rice was used for Chinese rice wine fermentation. The extruded-puffed blown rice improved alcohol yield during the fermentation process, which increased the wine yield by 12.4% compared to traditional cooking methods.
Food Hydrocolloids. 2019, 94, 363-370.
Highly efficient extraction of EPA/DHA-enriched oil from cobia liver using homogenization plus sonication
Increasing the value of low quality processing waste is important in the food and nutraceutical industries. Cobia liver, comprising 5% of total fish mass, is a potential source of EPA/DHA-enriched fish oil. EPA and DHA decompose easily when exposed to high temperatures for a long time. Homogenizer extraction has an advantage over traditional extraction methods due to its ability to operate at a low temperature for a short period (2 min), thereby preventing EPA and DHA decomposition. Cobia are already bred in the aquaculture industry; their livers are readily available by-products obtained after fillet processing. The oils extracted from cobia liver have high levels of EPA and DHA, therefore it is an excellent raw material to produce EPA/DHA-enriched oil.
Cover picture in 2017 issue 10 of European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology
中華民國專利發明第I673005號
Hydrolysis of orange peel with cellulase and pectinase to produce bacterial cellulose using Gluconacetobacter xylinus
Oranges (Citrus sinensis) are the world's most processed fruit. The waste from processing is rich in soluble sugars, cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectin and therefore has potential as feedstock for bacterial cellulose (BC) production. This study also demonstrates that orange peel fluid can be used to cultivate G. xylinus in a static culture for BC production, but with a lower yield. The improvement in BC production and conversion could be achieved by using an acetate buffer and supplementing the orange peel media with a yeast extract and peptone. The use of orange peel media to produce BC not only reduces production costs but also solves the waste disposal problem in the orange juice industry.
Waste and Biomass Valorization. 2019, 10(1), 85-93.
Predicting sugar content of candied watermelon rind during osmotic dehydration
Watermelon rind, comprising 35% of the fruit’s total mass, usually discarded due to its unappealing flavor and lack of sweetness. In this study, candied watermelon rind was prepared through osmotic dehydration at vacuum (VOD) and atmospheric pressure (OD). The effects of independent variables (sucrose concentration, immersion time and temperature) on the dependent variables, including solid gain (SG) and water loss (WL) of watermelon rind, were evaluated. The kinetic constants were obtained by fitting the data of SG and WL to the Fick’s diffusion model. The VOD had higher kinetic constants and dehydration efficiency indices than that of OD. This study provides information about the osmotic dehydration for predicting the sugar content of candied product, and helping the designers and researchers find the best design parameters and the most effective process conditions.
Food Science and Technology. 2018. 38, 228-235.
A novel enzyme-assisted ultrasonic approach for highly efficient extraction of resveratrol from Polygonum cuspidatum
Artificial neural network (ANN) is a system with the ability to predict a set of input variables into a set of outcomes, which has been successfully applied to investigate the possible interactions of reaction parameters and to optimize various valuable. In this study, a novel enzyme-assisted ultrasonic approach for highly efficient extraction of resveratrol from P. cuspidatum was developed. According to results, the resveratrol yield significantly increased after glycosidases were used in the process of extraction, and better extraction efficacy was found. Following, a 5-level-4-factor central composite rotatable design with response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) was selected to model and optimize the enzymatic-assisted ultrasonic extraction.
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 2016. 32, 258–264.