Study on multi-dimensional dynamic changes and quality control of Aurantii Fructus during the stir-frying with bran...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Aurantii Fructus (AF) is a valuable medicine-food homology substance used in food and traditional Chinese medicine.
• Raw AF's irritating properties limit its direct use; stir-frying with bran improves its suitability for food applications.
• Understanding the processing mechanisms of AF is crucial for standardizing its production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dynamic changes in physical, chemical, and biological parameters of AF during stir-frying with bran.
• To elucidate the underlying processing mechanisms of AF.
• To employ FT-NIRS for rapid, non-destructive quality control of processed AF.

Main Methods:

• Stir-frying Aurantii Fructus with bran.
• Analysis of multi-dimensional parameters (microstructure, color, moisture, volatile and non-volatile compounds).
• Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for quality control and prediction.

Main Results:

• AF transformed from dense to porous with altered color (reduced lightness, increased redness/yellowness).
• Decreased moisture and volatile compounds (e.g., d-limonene); increased non-volatile compounds (e.g., 5-hydroxymethylfurfural).
• Enhanced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gastrointestinal motility-promoting activities; FT-NIRS effectively monitored processing endpoints.

Conclusions:

• The study elucidated the processing mechanisms of AF through multi-dimensional parameter analysis.
• FT-NIRS and CNN-based models provide a data-driven strategy for standardizing AF production.
• Processed AF demonstrates improved safety, efficacy, and market adaptability for functional foods.