Lingyan Kong

University of Alabama | UA · Department of Human Nutrition & Hospitality Management

In the present study, we introduce a simple method to prepare inclusion complexes by “inserting” guest molecules into preformed “empty” V-type amylose helices. Ascorbyl palmitate (AscP) was used as a model guest material to investigate the effect of solvent environment, complexation temperature, annealing and guest concentration on inclusion comple...

The kidneys play a vital role in maintaining various homeostatic functions, yet the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been increasing globally. The review discusses how resistant starch supplementation in CKD patients can shift the gut microbiota composition, promoting short‐chain fatty acid‐producing bacteria, especially butyrate prod...

Lutein possesses antioxidant properties and is a main component of the macular pigment, vital for infant eye and brain development. However, its use is constrained by its poor aqueous solubility and low stability. High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are valued in food development for encapsulating and protecting hydrophobic nutraceuticals. The ob...

The microwave and millimeter-wave (MMW) imaging technology is gaining increasing interest for food inspection. It allows for noninvasive, contactless, and fast scanning capabilities, while being cost-efficient and safe to human. This review paper introduces the fundamentals in the interaction of electromagnetic wave with food materials and the curr...

Macular carotenoids, which consist of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, are dietary antioxidants and macular pigments in the eyes, protecting the macula from light-induced oxidative stress. Lutein is also the main carotenoid in the infant brain and is involved in cognitive development. While a few articles reviewed the role of lutein in earl...

Soy milk, rich in vitamin D and calcium, is a common alternative to dairy milk. However, its distinct 'beany off-flavor' has limited its acceptance, particularly in Western countries. A new technique employing preformed 'empty' V-type starch has been introduced to scavenge this off-flavor, aiming to promote soy milk consumption. The purpose of this...

Newborns’ eyes and brains are prone to oxidative stress. Lutein has antioxidant properties and is the main component of macular pigment essential for protecting the retina, but has low bioavailability, thereby limiting its potential as a nutritional supplement. Oil-in-water emulsions have been used as lutein delivery systems. In particular, octenyl...

Notably, electrospun fibers may be specially tailored to better fit their final application through the direct loading of materials during the spinning process as well as by choosing the correct base material for the fiber. For example, it is desirable to use a biocompatible and biodegradable material in fibers desired for applications in the biome...

Pecans have many health benefits and are known for being part of a heart-healthy diet. Nutrition education is a key component in increasing pecan consumption among young consumers. In an effort to improve the efficacy of nutrition education targeting a younger demographic, this study aims to investigate how the information quality of a nutrition ed...

High entropy oxide nanoparticles (HEO NPs) with multiple component elements possess improved stability and multiple uses for functional applications, including catalysis, data memory, and energy storage. However, the synthesis of homogenous HEO NPs containing five or more immiscible elements with a single-phase structure is still a great challenge...

Starch, especially its amylose component can form inclusion complex (IC) with various small molecules, such as flavor and aroma compounds. Complexation of flavor compounds using starch matrices is driven by the hydrophobic interaction and the successful complexation may increase the retention of flavor compounds. In the present study, thymol (2‐iso...

Aroma compounds are low-molecular-weight organic volatile molecules and are broadly utilized in the food industry. However, due to their high volatility and evaporative losses during processing and storage, the stabilization of these volatile ingredients using encapsulation is a commonly investigated practice. Complexation of aroma compounds using...

Resistant starch (RS) refers to the portion of starch that escapes intestinal digestion and reaches the colon where it can be fermented. RS in the diet may provide beneficial effects on individuals trying to reduce caloric intake and lose weight. Yet, current evidence on the impact of RS on appetite and satiety regulation is controversial, and the...

Vitamin D plays a significant role in the physiological functions of the human body. However, the application of vitamin D in functional foods is limited due to its sensitivity to light and oxygen. Therefore, in this study, we developed an effective method to protect vitamin D by encapsulating it in amylose. In detail, vitamin D was encapsulated by...

Resistant starch (RS) has been widely studied and reviewed for its health benefits. This commentary review aims to discuss some key questions that remain unclear regarding RS. First, the differences in the structural and functional properties of various types of RS are discussed. Next, this review details key differences between RS and other types...

Microwave imaging technology is a useful method often applied in medical diagnosis and can be used by the food industry to ensure food safety and quality. For fruit, ripeness is the primary characteristic which determines quality for the consumer. This paper proposes a novel microwave imaging system to determine the ripeness of watermelon as a proo...

The variation of structural heterogeneity at the nanoscale can significantly impact the mechanical and electrical properties of thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs). Such nanoscale heterogeneity is closely related to the diverse atomic configurations in the amorphous structure, which are influenced by TFMGs processing history. In this study, we inves...

Resistant starch (RS) is the indigestible portion of starch and can escape the small intestine and be fermented in the colon. The potential health benefits of RS have been widely studied in both animal studies and human clinical trials. The objective of this perspective review is to summarize and discuss recent evidence on multiple levels of health...

Pecans are a heart-healthy food, serving as an excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids, micronutrients, and phytochemicals. Despite rapid growth of the U.S. pecan export in global market, domestic pecan consumption has been stagnating, especially in attracting young consumers. This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of the nutrition e...

Amylose, the linear component of starch, can complex with small molecules to form single helical inclusion complexes of 6, 7, or 8 glucosyl units per helical turn, known as V6, V7, and V8. In this study, starch-salicylic acid (SA) inclusion complexes with different amounts of residual SA were obtained. Their structural characteristics and digestibi...

Objectives Lutein plays a critical role in the visual and cognitive development of infants. However, the application of lutein as a potential nutraceutical is limited by its low stability and poor water solubility. While various encapsulation systems have been developed for lutein to enhance its stability and bioavailability, few utilized bio-based...

Objectives Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has become a major health-threatening problem worldwide. Slowly digested or indigestible carbohydrates such as resistant starch (RS) are associated with a low glycemic index (GI) and decreased risk of developing T2D. Recently, starch inclusion complexes (ICs) have raised attention due to their thermally stable struc...

Ethylene gas was loaded into “pre-formed” V-type starch (V6, V7 and V8) by molecular encapsulation, and granular cold-water-soluble starch (GCWSS) was chosen as a control. The formation, structural characteristics and morphological properties of inclusion complexes (ICs) were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and ¹...

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by debranched starch-capric acid (DBS-CA) complex nanoparticles were fabricated and their performance was evaluated. DBS-CA was prepared through enzymatic debranching and solid encapsulation methods, and displayed V-type crystalline structure. Contact angle measurements show enhanced hydrophobicity o...

Resistant starch (RS) is well known for its health beneficial effects for glycemic control and gut health. In addition to some commonly reported RS types, such as raw high amylose maize starch (HAMS), potato starch, retrograded starch, and cross-linked starch, formation of starch inclusion complexes could also contribute to an increase in RS conten...

Background Electrospinning is a simple, versatile method that employs an electrostatic force to produce fibers in the micro-to nanometer range using a wide variety of materials ranging from natural biopolymers to synthetics. Variations on the basic electrospinning set-up can be used to produce fibers demonstrating various morphological and function...

Although perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have made revolutionary progress in terms of power conversion efficiency (PCE), to achieve long-term stability and low-cost device manufacturing for commercialization of the devices, selection of proper hole transport layer (HTL) and affordable back contact are still crucial to realize the upscale manufacturin...

Ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, was previously reported to inhibit the activity of pancreatic α-amylase, the primary digestive enzyme for starch. A major implication of such inhibition is a slowed rate of starch digestion into glucose, which thereby reduces postprandial hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to explore the inhibitory effe...

Cancer is a major health issue and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Many natural compounds, e.g., lycopene, curcumin, resveratrol, etc., have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Similarly, limonene, a major active component in citrus essential oils and widely used flavoring additive, has demonstrated anticarcinogenic effe...

V6, V7 and V8 amylose were prepared, their crystalline polymorphic transitions upon hydration at different moisture conditions examined by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS), and the relative degrees of crystallinity calculated. Upon the formation of V7 or V8 crystals, the WAXS peaks shifted to lower Bragg angles as compared to V6h due to the expa...

Heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) have profound deleterious effects on human health, with seafood being the primary dietary source. Dietary fiber (DF) has been reported to bind heavy metals in animal models, thus promoting their excretion. However, little is known about such effect in human subjects. To examine the rela...

Starch, especially its amylose component, is well-known to form inclusion complexes with a variety of small molecules such as fatty acids. The structure of the lipid guest could affect its complexation ability and other properties such as thermal stability. The present study aimed to investigate the complexation ability and the physicochemical prop...

Microgreens are young, tender greens that are used to enhance the color, texture, or flavor of salads and main dishes. They can be grown in small scales and indoors, making them widely adopted by controlled environment agriculture, an indoor farming practice is particularly important for feeding increasing urban populations. Besides, microgreens ar...

The linear component of starch, especially amylose, is capable of forming inclusion complex (IC) with various small molecules. It could significantly modify the structure and properties of starch, and it could bring beneficial effects when bioactive compounds can be encapsulated. This review discusses the formation and characterization of the starc...

Since starch is the major energy source of the human diet, retarding starch digestion could serve as an effective way for modulating glycemic response and for the prevention and treatment of obesity. In this study, a dietary bioactive compound, ascorbyl palmitate (AP), was evaluated as a potential inhibitor in the digestion of raw, cooked, and retr...

Objectives Retardation of starch digestion is an effective way of optimizing glycemic response. As the non-digestible portion of starch, resistant starch (RS) is associated with several beneficial effects such as regulating blood glucose level and improving gut health. Although all types of RS demonstrate such health benefits, different subtypes an...

Objectives Lutein is a natural carotenoid commonly found in dark leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach. It cannot be synthesized de novo in animals and therefore must be obtained from diet. In human body, lutein is a potent antioxidant that is mainly accumulated in the eye and can protect eye from blue-initiated light damage. However, the poor...

Catechin is a natural phenolic compound with various bioactivities. However, it is unstable under light and heat environments. Amylose can form a single helical hydrophobic cavity to encapsulate and protect bioactive compounds. In this work, we applied amylose inclusion complexes (IC) to encapsulate a lipophilized catechin, i.e., hexadecyl catechin...

Sb2Se3 is a promising absorber material for thin-film solar cells owing to its earth-abundant and non-toxic constituents, superior optoelectronic properties, and unique one-dimensional crystal structure. To further increase the power conversion efficiency of the Sb2Se3, we fabricated an n-i-p structure by integrating a solution-processed NiOx hole-...

Lutein, a potent antioxidant and the main macular pigment that protects the macula from light-initiated oxidative damage, has low bioavailability. Various nanoscale delivery systems have been developed for improving its bioavailability. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of nanoscale delivery systems on improving lutein bioav...

Phenolic compounds have been shown to decrease the rate of starch hydrolysis by inhibiting digestive enzymes for starch. Tea, rich in phenolic compounds, has been widely reported for its beneficial health effects. This study explored the inhibitory abilities of four types of tea, that is, green tea (GT), oolong tea (OT), black tea (BT), and white t...

We aimed to develop a greener process for dry-electrospinning food-grade modified starch through the elimination of organic solvents. The rheological properties and electrospinnability of aqueous dispersions of commercial octenylsuccinylated (OS) starches with various molecular weight (Mw) were investigated, yet only nanofibers with beads or defect...

Solar thermal techniques provide a promising method for the direct conversion of solar energy to thermal energy for applications, such as water desalination. To effectively realize the optimal potential of solar thermal conversion, it is desirable to construct an assembly with localized heating. Specifically, photoactive semiconducting nanoparticle...

Curcumin is a natural pigment with health benefits and potential uses in food and pharmaceutical industries, but its application is limited by its insolubility and instability. This study was to examine the effect of spray drying and freeze drying methods, as well as 12 combinations of ternary-composite wall materials, on microencapsulation efficie...

Objectives Although the circulating level of vitamin A (VA) is reported to be significantly lower in obese adults, it is unknown if maternal adiposity would influence the VA status of the offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate the status and distribution of VA in the offspring of rats consuming a normal fat diet (NFD) or a high fat die...

Objectives Retardation of starch digestion is an effective way of optimizing glycemic response. Certain bioactive food components inhibit starch digestion by binding with starch digestive enzymes or starch molecules in the digestive tract. Inclusion complexation between starch and guest compounds is a specific non-covalent binding mode and may cont...

Microgreens are young and immature plants that are harvested after the development of the cotyledon leaves, or seed leaves. Because of their potent flavors and appealing sensory qualities, microgreens have gained popularity. This study aimed to investigate the differences in sensory attributes and consumers’ perception between microgreens from comm...

The circulating level of vitamin A (VA; retinol) was reported to be lower in obese adults. It is unknown if maternal obesity influences the VA status of offspring. The objective of the study was to determine the VA status and deposition of neonatal and weanling rats reared by mothers consuming a normal or high-fat diet (NFD or HFD) with or without...

The interactions between starch and phenolic compounds have a great impact on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of starch-containing foods. One particular form of the interaction is starch-guest inclusion complexation, which is a specific non-covalent interaction formed between starch and guest molecules. This study investigates comple...

As a global public health issue with an increasing prevalence, obesity is related to several metabolic disorders, but is largely preventable. Resistant starch (RS), the indigestible portion of starch, has been studied for its potential effects on reducing obesity. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effect of dietary intake of RS on obe...

Microgreens are young and tender vegetables or herbs that provide attractive color, flavor, and nutrition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional and sensory qualities of broccoli microgreens grown by different methods (hydroponically vs. soil grown) and from different sources (commercial vs. local farm). No significant differenc...

Cellulose acetate (CA) is the acetate ester of cellulose produced from cellulose via the process of acetylation. Currently, electrospinning has become a widely used technique to produce CA nanofibers for potential applications such as filtration, medical dressings, and food packaging. Being biodegradable and biocompatible, CA nanofibers bring addit...

As phenolic compounds, alkyl gallates may inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes for starch. Furthermore, their alkyl chains may facilitate starch inclusion complexation and results in an increased resistant starch (RS) content or slowly digestible starch (SDS) content, which may further retard starch digestion. The significance of such inhibiti...

Flavoring ingredients are often the most expensive ingredients in food formulations, and their stability and release behavior are significant factors for quality and acceptability of food products. Among flavoring compounds, aroma compounds draw a lot of attention in research, as their volatile nature makes their release difficult to control. In th...

Amylose-guest inclusion complexes are a type of supramolecular host-guest assembly that can provide protection for and controlled release of guest molecules. The successful and efficient complexation between amylose and guest molecules is governed by factors including: guest structure and chemistry, and process method and parameters. Here we invest...

This study was to compare the characteristics of 21 starches isolated from chestnuts produced in different regions in China, also to investigate their potential food applications. Starches were isolated from chestnuts under the Castanea mollisima Blume variety with sub-varieties of Banli, Youli, and Maoli. Several properties of the starch samples w...

p-Coumaric acid (CA) is a natural phenolic compound with a wide range of bioactivities, but its tendency to degrade during food processing and storage limits its application in functional foods. Forming amylose-guest inclusion complex is a technique to molecularly encapsulate guest molecules of interest and protect them from adverse environmental c...

Starch/amylose-guest inclusion complexes, a class of supramolecular host-guest assemblies, are of critical importance in the processing, preservation, digestion, nutrients/energy uptake, and health outcomes of starch-containing foods. Particularly, the formation of inclusion complex has been suggested to lower the rate and extent of enzymatic diges...

Electrospinning is a versatile technique to fabricate non-woven fiber mats with an average fiber diameter ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Fibers produced by electrospinning have potential application in numerous fields owing to their light weight, high surface area, and high porosity. In certain applications, anisotropic properties are desi...

Electrospinning has become an increasingly attractive technique to produce micro-to nano-scale fibers from bio-based polymers, including starch. Compared to their synthetic counterparts, fibers electrospun from bio-based polymers generally have inferior mechanical strength. In the present study, we aim to enhance the mechanical strength of electros...

Electrospun starch fiber mats have many potential applications, but an improvement in their mechanical properties is required to realize them. In the present study, wet-electrospun starch fiber mats were subjected to post-drying conditioning at controlled equilibrium relative humidity and equilibration time. The weight-normalized ultimate tensile s...

Amylose is well known to form inclusion complexes with various small molecules including fatty acids. In this study, we prepared amylose inclusion complexes with stearic acid derived spin probes and demonstrated the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as an emerging tool for studying the microstructure and microenvironment of amylose...

The formation of high amylose corn starch (HACS)-alkylresorcinol (AR) inclusion complexes was demonstrated using HACS and a crude AR extract from rye bran, and was confirmed by complementary characterization techniques. Inclusion complex was extracted using hot 2-propanol/water (3:1), and thirteen different AR homologs were identified in the 2-prop...

In the current study, polarized infrared (IR) microspectroscopy was employed to characterize the macromolecular orientation in wet-spun and stretched κ-carrageenan fibers. The fibers were shown to be well oriented by X-ray diffraction, suggesting that the κ-carrageenan molecules were generally aligned along the fiber axis direction. Longitudinal fi...

In the present study, we report a novel composition based on amylose (or starch) inclusion complex with an amphiphilic material as an effective encapsulation platform technology to incorporate guests of interest. Specifically, the encapsulation of β-carotene in amylose-surfactant and amylose/starch-ascorbyl palmitate (AscP) inclusion complexes was...

In this study, we evaluated the binding behaviors and structural characteristics of multi-ligand complex of β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) with curcumin and fatty acids. Methods of fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, Turbiscan stability analysis, HPLC quantification, molecular docking studies, and molecular...