The present study aimed to investigate the gel characteristics of hydrogels formed by 10% (w/v) polymerized whey protein (PWP) and 0-0.75% (w/v) okra polysaccharide (OPS) through heat-induced gelation. The potential application of these hydrogels as thickening agents in goat yogurt was also assessed. Results demonstrated that the addition of OPS promoted the formation of a stable three-dimensional network structure in the PWP-OPS hydrogels, mediated by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Simultaneous rheology and FTIR spectroscopy analysis revealed conformational changes and the burial of aromatic amino acid residues during the heating process. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed the spontaneous polymerization and stable complex formation between PWP and OPS. The PWP-OPS hydrogels exhibited superior physicochemical properties and gelation characteristics compared to the individual components. When applied in goat milk yogurt, the incorporation of 1% PWP-OPS hydrogel (comprising 10% PWP and 0.75% OPS) significantly improved (P < 0.05) the texture, sensory attributes, and microstructure, as determined by texture profile analysis, electronic nose and tongue, and scanning electron microscopy. These findings provide a fundamental theoretical basis for the development and application of protein-polysaccharide hydrogels in dairy products.

Suancai has a lengthy history and a wide range of categories, which has some influence on the pickled diet culture around the world. Suancai production is transitioning to a large-scale, standardized production due to the growth of the market. It has a unique flavor and is rich in nutrients, and its abundance of free amino acids, vitamins and phenolics has many positive effects on the human body. This review gives the types and history of suancai, as well as its impact on the world’s pickled culture. The changes in nutritional composition and flavor of suancai during fermentation are summarized. It presented the production technology and influencing factors of the northeast suancai, examined the quality and safety issues in suancai, and put forth some ideas and opinions on the standardization development of the suancai industry. It also summarized the geographic distribution and flora diversity of pickles around the world. In order to provide some knowledge and guidance for the promotion of modern industrial production in the suancai industry.

Goat’s milk contains a rich variety of oligosaccharides with various physiological functions, and its content and structure are close to those of human milk oligosaccharides. Goat’s milk can be regarded as a natural alternative source of human milk oligosaccharides with potential applications in the food field. This paper briefly introduces the composition, content and structure of oligosaccharides in goat’s milk, analyzes the factors affecting the composition and content of oligosaccharides in goat’s milk, and focuses on the comparison of various preparation methods such as membrane separation, chromatography and biosynthesis. In addition, the pre-treatment methods for and the characteristics of different techniques for the detection of goat’s milk oligosaccharides are summarized, and finally, the probiotic functions of goat’s milk oligosaccharides as well as the prospects and challenges for their application in the future research are discussed. Finally, the probiotic functions of goat’s milk oligosaccharides and future prospects and challenges for their research and application are discussed.

This study aimed to investigate the difference between low-temperature sterilization methods including induced electric field (IEF) technology and the high-pressure microjet (HPM) and traditional thermal treatment including pasteurization and ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization on the sterilization effect and physicochemical properties of milk. The number of harmful colonies, particle size, thermal properties, protein secondary structure, and microstructure were characterized. Results demonstrated that low-temperature sterilization methods were equally effective as thermal sterilization methods. Differential scanning calorimetry results indicated that UHT treatment had enhanced the thermal stability of proteins in milk, while IEF treatment had improved the thermal stability of fats in milk. IEF sterilizing milk (IM) sample exhibited the largest particle size, followed by UHT sterilization milk (UM), raw milk (RM), and pasteurization milk (PM) according to the results of microstructure and size distribution. HPM sterilizing milk (HM) had the smallest particle size due to high pressure. Fourier transformed infrared spectra revealed that UHT sterilization changed the structure of milk protein due to the interactions between proteins, and protein-lactose. Conversely, the low-temperature sterilization methods had less effect on the protein structure. In conclusion, IEF and HPM have the similar sterilization effects to that of thermal sterilization methods, but have less effects on heat sensitive proteins, which has reference significance for the updating of sterilization technology in food field.