ABSTRACT Volatile compounds generated during food processing are closely associated with product quality, and their real‐time monitoring provides an effective approach for dynamically tracking quality changes and ensuring product consistency. This review aims to summarize the formation mechanisms of volatile compounds during food processing and to examine current principles, methods, and application progress in real‐time monitoring, with particular emphasis on biological olfaction and biomimetic sensing technologies. The available studies indicate that food flavor is shaped by complex processes such as water migration, browning, oxidation, and sugar metabolism, and that the resulting volatile compounds play a decisive role in the sensory properties of final products. Because different volatile compounds exhibit distinct chemical characteristics, effective monitoring depends on sensor systems with appropriate sensitivity and selectivity, as well as on the integration of real‐time detection with automation for process regulation and quality control. Although challenges remain in sensor performance, selectivity, and system integration, real‐time volatile monitoring shows considerable promise for food processing applications. Overall, advances in ultra‐fast and highly selective sensors, customizable hardware architectures, and data‐driven intelligent platforms with integrated multi‐sensor systems are expected to further promote the development and practical implementation of e‐nose technologies.

ABSTRACT Amaranth grains can be thermally processed by several methods, such as oven puffing, gun puffing, extrusion puffing, oil puffing, and pan popping, but their small size, puffing characteristics, and low volume expansion ratio limit the effectiveness of these conventional techniques. In this study, Amaranth grains are puffed using a specially designed Special Purpose Machine (SPM) with a heating plate, developed to overcome these limitations and to enable controlled, continuous processing. The key process variables considered are the heating plate temperature, plate angle, nozzle hole size, and plate material, which strongly influence the popping yield (PY), volume expansion ratio (VER), and sensory score (SS) of the grains. These quality indicators are evaluated to understand the influence of process parameters and to establish a basis for systematic optimization. The primary objective of this work is to identify and optimize the most influential process parameters governing the puffing quality of Amaranth grains. The Taguchi design of experiments framework is employed to study the effect of multiple process variables on the grain quality, using an L16 orthogonal array to minimize the number of experiments while capturing the main effects. Significant factors are identified through signal‐to‐noise ratio analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA), carried out using Minitab 17 software. Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) is used to perform multiobjective optimization by combining PY, VER, and SS into a single performance index. Experimental analysis and optimization indicate that the design of the process parameters can be significantly improved by jointly considering PY, VER, and SS. An L16 orthogonal array is implemented, and the initial parameter combination P4Q2R3S2 yields a gray relational grade (GRG) of 0.778. By adopting the optimized combination P3Q4R3S2, the GRG increases to 0.790, corresponding to a 1.89% improvement in overall performance. These results confirm that the design factors have been effectively optimized using Gray Relational Analysis, leading to improved machine settings for the Lahi machine and enhanced puffing quality of Amaranth grains. This work applies Gray Relational Analysis in conjunction with the Taguchi method for the multiobjective optimization of Amaranth grain puffing, demonstrating a quantifiable 1.89% improvement in quality indicators while using a specially designed SPM‐based heating system.

ABSTRACT Avian eggs are globally consumed, typically heat‐treated to denature proteins and enhance palatability. However, novel processing methods are required to improve the functional performance while preserving nutritional quality. This study investigated a novel oil‐assisted thermal processing (OATP) using vegetable oils as non‐polar heating media. The objective was to determine the synergistic effect of oil type and temperature on moisture loss, structural changes, and functional performance of the resulting egg albumen and yolk powders. In‐shell eggs were immersed in canola or corn oil at 100°C–170°C, freeze‐dried, and milled into powder. All treatments were performed in triplicate, and data were analyzed using one‐way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test ( p < 0.05). Moisture loss exhibited non‐linear temperature dependence, peaking at 130°C for canola oil (30.6%, 40–42 min) and corn oil (28.9%, 50–55 min), significantly exceeding water‐boiled eggs (2.26%, 12 min). The higher thermal conductivity of canola oil enhanced heat transfer, reducing residual moisture by 35% compared to water boiling. OATP at 100°C–150°C significantly improved the albumen powder dispersibility index (0.59–0.82) compared with water‐boiled eggs (0.22). Corn oil‐processed eggs showed lower dispersibility (0.37–0.49) but higher water rehydration capacity (4.86%–6.42%). The maximum foaming capacity (85.8%) and emulsifying activity (12.9 m 2 /g) were achieved at 130°C with canola oil. Three mechanistic regimes were identified: diffusion‐dominant (100°C–130°C), optimal denaturation (130°C), and over‐aggregation (≥ 150°C). Compared to conventional boiling, OATP offers superior temperature control, enabling tailored production of egg powders with enhanced solubility, hydration, and interfacial properties for diverse food applications.

ABSTRACT With the increasing demand for food quality and safety, the innovative development of food preservation technologies is crucial. Spatial electric field combined with low‐temperature storage technology has become a research hotpot in the field of food preservation due to its unique mechanism and significant preservation effect. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of food preservation technology using spatial electric field combined with low‐temperature storage. Firstly, it introduces the definition, classification, and characteristics of spatial electric fields and deeply analyzes the preservation mechanisms of this technology in inhibiting microbial growth, regulating enzyme activity, managing moisture and ice crystals, and retaining antioxidants. Subsequently, it summarizes the achievements in the application of this technology in fruits and vegetables, aquatic products, livestock and poultry products domestically and abroad. Meanwhile, it discusses the development trends of technology integration and equipment intelligence, as well as the main challenges in large‐scale application costs, electric field uniformity control, and long‐term food safety verification. Studies have shown that spatial electric field combined with low‐temperature storage technology exhibits good application potential in food preservation, but further research is still needed in technology optimization and mechanism exploration.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to enhance mechanized walnut shelling efficiency by developing a novel pre‐treatment strategy designed to mitigate uncontrolled cracking and maximize oversized kernel yield (OKY). This study focused on establishing a directional cracking methodology derived from a walnut shell curvature mechanical analysis. The crack initiation and propagation mechanisms were elucidated within the frameworks of classical and fracture mechanics. A mechanistic model, correlating shell curvature with stress distribution, was validated using a combined approach of finite element analysis and physical compression experiments. Furthermore, a three‐factor, three‐level orthogonal experimental design was employed to systematically evaluate the effects of compression mode, notching position, and notch length. Statistical significance was assessed using p ‐values to determine the influence of these variables on the shell breakage rate (SBR) and kernel yields. Validation results confirmed the reliability of the mechanistic model regarding stress distribution. Statistical analysis indicated that the compression mode significantly ( p < 0.01) affected SBR, while notching position and notch length significantly ( p < 0.05) influenced OKY. Optimal performance was achieved using dual‐point compression, circumferential ridge notching, and a 20 mm‐notch length, resulting in a 99.05% SBR and a 94.20% OKY. These figures represent improvements of 7.55% and 9.48% over conventional shelling processes, respectively. The findings confirm that the directional notching‐assisted compression cracking approach effectively addresses the objective of reducing uncontrolled shell fracture. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation and practical parameters for the development of high‐performance, low‐damage directional nut‐shelling equipment.

ABSTRACT Recently, the infrared‐based retort (RIR) was developed for sustainable food production in the canning process. However, its industrial applications require assessing its effects on product properties during storage. This study aims to comparatively evaluate the novel RIR and conventional retort (CR) for canned Talang Queenfish's quality parameters and to define optimal processing conditions by altering sterilization temperature (110°C–121°C) and time (10–20 min) to minimize peroxide value (PV), acid value (AV), free fatty acid (FFA), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile nitrogen (TVN), and maintain acceptable pH. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and sensory evaluation were also performed, and the products were assessed monthly during a 1‐year storage period. The optimal product was achieved at 116.5°C/15.6 min, with significantly ( p < 0.05) extended shelf‐life and reduced PV, AV, FFA, TBA, TVN, with a slight decrease in pH compared to CR. SEM revealed that the RIR product exhibited more organized cellular structure with a smoother surface. Despite the similarity of spectra, FTIR analysis indicated differences in functunal group characteristics between RIR and CR samples, particularly in hydroxyl and carbonyl regions. RIR‐sterilized fish achieved higher overall acceptance sensory score than CR (8.9 ± 0.6 vs. 7.4 ± 0.8). Results indicate RIR capability for practical applications and contribution to food quality enhancement and waste reduction.

ABSTRACT Sweet cherry ( Prunus avium L .) and tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) are highly perishable fruits that frequently undergo rapid quality deterioration after harvest, largely due to oxidative stress during the storage period. Although exogenous ATP (adenosine triphosphate) has been reported to delay senescence in several species of fruits, whether exogenous ATP treatment could delay the quality deterioration in postharvest sweet cherry and tomato fruits and its effects on oxidative stress during the postharvest storage of sweet cherry and tomato fruits remain unknown. In this study, the effects of postharvest dip treatment with ATP (1.0 mmol/L for 30 min) on quality maintenance and oxidative status of sweet cherry and tomato fruits were investigated during the storage at 28°C with 80% relative humidity by a sensor humidifier for 8 days. Key quality and physiology parameters, including fruit firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content, soluble protein, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)), reactive oxygen species accumulation (H 2 O 2 and O 2 − ), lipid peroxidation (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) were evaluated. The observations showed that the ATP‐treated fruits were helpful in maintaining quality and exhibited delayed firmness loss, higher retention of nutritional components, reduced oxidative damage, and enhanced antioxidant capacity, compared with the controls. These results suggest that exogenous ATP treatment is helpful in the maintenance of the postharvest quality of sweet cherries and tomatoes and alleviate oxidative stress during the storage period, and its effects could depend on the regulation of physiological characteristics by extracellular ATP signaling.

ABSTRACT Under high temperature and humidity environments, the pollution characteristics of rice exhibit instability and high complexity, which makes traditional prediction models face challenges of insufficient stability and robustness in feature screening and outlier processing. Therefore, this paper proposes a rice safety risk prediction model of OREDRVFL (Outlier‐robust Ensemble Deep Random Vector Functional Link Network) improved by the FAOA (Fitness‐Distance‐Balance‐Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm). First, the MI (Mutual Information) method is employed to screen a series of key risk factors. Second, the AOA (Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm) is improved by the FDB (Fitness‐Distance‐Balance) strategy. Then, regularization constraints and sparsity modeling are used to construct the OREDRVFL network, and FAOA is employed to optimize its number of hidden layers and regularization parameters. Finally, experimental verification is carried out using the detection data of a major rice‐producing province from 2022 to 2023. The results show that the improved MI‐FAOA‐OREDRVFL model significantly outperforms traditional models in terms of indicators such as root mean square error (RMSE = 0.4300), mean absolute error (MAE = 0.2900), and correlation coefficient ( R 2 = 0.8800). Under noise interference, its RMSE remains stable at 0.1700, verifying the high precision and strong robustness of the model, and providing technical support for the prediction of rice safety risks under high temperature and humidity environments.