Chicken fillings can fully meet special dietary needs with swallowing difficulties. This study aims to evaluate the effects of enzymatic hydrolysis and trehalose addition on the easy swallowing, suitable for the elderly with swallowing disorders. Four treatments (treatment, trehalose addition, protease addition, and protease-trehalose addition) were designed to measure the total water loss, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, texture characteristics, rheological properties, and the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) grade indicators. The results showed that the dehydration rate was significantly reduced in the enzyme hydrolysis and trehalose co-treatment group. The cooking loss was 16.80%. And the dripping loss was significantly lower than that of the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the group between trehalose addition and proteinase addition. Water and fat loss decreased by approximately 3.75 percentage points and 0.04 percentage points, respectively, compared with the control group. The water-holding capacity significantly increased. The centrifugal and pressure loss decreased to 23.07% and 31.88%, respectively. The water activity decreased within the range of 0.80 to 0.88(P<0.05). The moisture content increased to 76.04% in the filling. The specific volume of the filling also decreased, due to the increase in the moisture content. The largest particle size was observed in the proteinase treatment. The particle size in the proteinase-trehalose co-treatment group was lower smaller than that in the proteinase treatment group, due to the protective effect of trehalose. The larger areas of clarification appeared in the filling during standing, as the cooking loss decreased, thus resulting in the lower standing stability. The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance results showed that the proportion of bound water in the proteinase addition group was higher than that in the control group. The peak area of the immobile water in the alginate addition group and the proteinase-alginate addition group increased by 2.23 and 2.59 percentage points, respectively, compared with the control group. Low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the red areas in the trehalose addition group and the protease-trehalose group were darker in color, larger in area, and more evenly distributed, compared with the control group. All tissueological parameters decreased significantly, such as hardness, viscosity, chewability, and shear force. Specifically, the hardness was approximately 59.42% lower than that of the control group, while the adhesiveness was approximately 71.43% lower, the chewability was approximately 65.41% lower, and the elastic modulus and loss modulus were the lowest in the rheological properties. Microscopic images showed that the cell and fiber structures with the more pronounced aggregated state were observed in the trehalose addition group and the protease-trehalose addition group, compared with the control. Grade 6 was classified after the IDDSI cross-pressure tests. Therefore, the soft and tender filling with of a moderate size was suitable for the difficult swallowing. In conclusion, the protease and trehalose were combined to effectively enhance the water-holding capacity and tenderness of fillings, significantly improving the moisture distribution and textures of fillings. The findings can also provide a theoretical basis and technical path to develop the functional foods.

As one of the important indicators for evaluating the quality of pears, stone cells exhibit a supportive effect on pear fruits and improve its storability. However, excess stone cells in pear fruits are not conducive to the accumulation of nutrients, affecting the taste, flavor and health benefits, ultimately reducing the marketability of pears. Gaining insights into the formation pathways of stone cells and developing methods to regulate the formation of stone cells are beneficial to improve the quality of pear fruits and promote the development of processed pear products. In this article, we review the key internal factors controlling the development of stone cells in pear fruits such as enzymes, lignin, vascular bundles and genes and the external factors affecting the distribution, size and content of stone cells in pear fruits such as exogenous calcium, hormones, and the environment. Moreover, we also discuss the effects of stone cells on the sensory and nutritional quality of pear fruits. It is our hope that this review will provide a reference for the deep processing and utilization of pear fruits in the future.

Fresh shiitake mushroom is rich in various nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, with antioxidant, anti-tumor, antibacterial and immunoenhancing effects. Due to its short storage life and susceptibility to deterioration, fresh shiitake mushroom is usually processed into dried products, which can effectively extend the storage period. The Maillard reaction during the drying process can provide a special flavor to shiitake mushroom, and the rehydration characteristics of dried shiitake mushroom are important factors determining its quality. This paper introduces the drying and rehydration processes of shiitake mushroom and the advantages and disadvantages of different rehydration methods, and reviews the characteristics of different rehydration methods, the factors affecting the rehydration process and the influence of rehydration on the quality of shiitake mushroom as well as recent progress on the modeling of rehydration kinetics. In addition, it deeply discusses the changes of texture, flavor, color and cell structure during the rehydration process of shiitake mushroom. The aim of this review is to provide new ideas and references for research on shiitake mushroom rehydration and processing.

This study was conducted in order to explore the changes in the texture and flavor of dried shiitake mushroom during rehydration. Dried shiitake mushroom was rehydrated at different constant temperatures (40 and 100 ℃) for up to 180 min. An electronic tongue, headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) were used to analyze the texture and flavor characteristics of shiitake mushroom during the rehydration process. The results showed that both rehydration temperature and time had significant effects on the texture, volatile flavor and taste of rehydrated mushroom. At 40 ℃, the rehydration ratio almost reached equilibrium after 30 min, and the umami intensity was the second highest, but the water retention capacity decreased compared with all other groups. The hardness and chewiness of the 40 ℃/30 min group were moderate, whereas the elasticity was the highest. The browning index of cap was the second highest, while the browning index of gills was not significantly different from that of any other group. Microscopic observation showed that the mycelium was unfolded and the shear force was moderate. In addition, the antioxidant activity of mushroom rehydrated at 40 ℃ was higher than that of mushroom rehydrated at 100 ℃, the loss of soluble protein was less, and the content of free amino acids was higher and reached its maximum after 30 min. Furthermore, the characteristic flavor substances, mainly sulfur compounds and ketones, were well retained after rehydration at 40 ℃, but decreased seriously at 100 ℃. In conclusion, the texture and flavor of shiitake mushroom changed significantly during the rehydration process, and rehydration at 40 ℃ for 30 min resulted in better quality of shiitake mushroom.