Chinese Food Research Articles

FoodMask: Real-time food instance counting, segmentation and recognition

Food computing has long been studied and deployed to several applications. Understanding a food image at the instance level, including recognition, counting and segmentation, is essential to quantifying nutrition and calorie consumption. Nevertheless, existing techniques are limited to either category-specific instance detection, which does not reflect precisely the instance size at the pixel level, or category-agnostic instance segmentation, which is insufficient for dish recognition. This paper presents a compact and fast multi-task network, namely FoodMask, for clustering-based food instance counting, segmentation and recognition. The network learns a semantic space simultaneously encoding food category distribution and instance height at pixel basis. While the former value addresses instance recognition, the latter value provides prior knowledge for instance extraction. Besides, we integrate into the semantic space a pathway for class-specific counting. With these three outputs, we propose a clustering algorithm to segment and recognize food instances at a real-time speed. Empirical studies are made on three large-scale food datasets, including Mixed Dishes, UECFoodPixComp and FoodSeg103, which cover Western, Chinese, Japanese and Indian cuisines. The proposed networks outperform benchmarks in both terms of instance map quality and speed efficiency.

Multi-immunoaffinity column for the simultaneous analysis of bisphenol A and its analogues in Chinese foods by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and its four analogues have been receiving considerable attention owing to their potential endocrine disrupting effects. The European Food Safety Authority has proposed 0.04ng/kg·body weight/day of thetemporary tolerable daily intake for BPA. Therefore, a more sensitive analytical method was urgently needed for the necessity of the risk reassessment of bisphenols (BPs). The matrix effect of Chinese foods is a challenge for the analysis of ultra-trace analytes due to the presence of various spices. A multi-immunoaffinity column (mIAC) was prepared for the purification of BPA, BPB, BPF, BPS, and BPAF in Chinese foods following ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection (UHLPC-MS/MS). The recoveries of each of BPs were ranged from 84.6% to 116.7%, and the intra-day precision and inter-day precision were ranged from 1.6% to 12.4%, and from 4.1% to 14.0%, respectively. This is the first report on the mIACs for simultaneous clean-up and analysis of BPs in complex Chinese foods.

Nomenclature of Chinese Street Food Names in Malaysia: A Scalar Analysis

This study examines how the nomenclature of street food names includes trans-local, trans-regional, and trans-national scales in local language resources. The study adopts a qualitative case study on street food names in Malaysia. The study sample comprised 856 street food names collected in Kuala Lumpur. The food nomenclature framework and the concepts of trans-local, trans-regional, and trans-national scales were adopted to elicit the data. It was found that: (i) there are more complex combinations based on ingredient, cooking method, food attribute, commemorative aspect, and good name; (ii) there are scale-making ways, via the presentation and the transliteration of street food elements. In conclusion, the nomenclature of street food names labels Malaysia as a multiscalar locality in which trans-local, trans-regional, and trans-national scales can be discerned. Thus, this study reveals how nomenclature shapes and is shaped by geographical scales. Therefore, it contributes to the nomenclature of food and place marketing.

Exploring the changes in microorganisms and metabolites during the fermentation process of traditional Chinese watermelon–soybean paste

Watermelon–soybean paste (WSP) is a traditional Chinese fermented food item. Changes in the microbial community diversity affect the final product quality. However, the correlation between microorganisms and their metabolites in WSP is not clearly understood. In this study, seven bacterial and eight fungal genera were found to be dominant during WSP fermentation using 16S rRNA and ITS gene sequencing. A total of 838 metabolites were identified using UHPLC-TOF-MS; of which, 99 were identified as differential metabolites. Correlation analysis showed that the microbial metabolic activities of Bacillus sp., Candia sp., and Kodamaea sp. were associated with amino acid production. Bacillus sp. and Aspergillus sp. correlated with dipeptide production. Metabolic pathway analysis suggested that amino acid metabolism was the most significant differential metabolic pathway, which may be related to the fermentation quality of WSP. Our study provides a new theoretical basis for improving WSP quality from the perspective of metabolomic and microbial diversity.

Comparison of milling methods on the properties of common buckwheat flour and the quality of wantuan, a traditional Chinese buckwheat food.

The microstructural and techno-functional properties of buckwheat flour and its processability for making wantuan, as affected by different milling methods, were investigated. Results showed that the particle sizes (d(0.5)) of the flours made by stone-milling (SM), hammer-milling (HM), laboratory grinding with steaming pretreatment for 5min (LG-5) and 10min (LG-10) were 95.5, 111.5, 35.4 and 41.1μm, respectively. Moreover, SM and HM flours had less liberated starch granules and 20.84%-24.32% higher relative crystallinity than LG-10 flour. Slurries of laboratory-grinded flours showed excellent suspension stability. LG-10 flour had lowest pasting viscosities but greatest storage modulus and loss modulus. Color differences among the wantuan made from different flours were not visibly perceived (ΔE<5). Wantuan made from LG-5 flour exhibited highest textual quality due to its greatest resilience (0.376), good springiness (0.933) and accepted chewiness (1093.31). Concluding, steaming prior to grinding could improve the qualities of buckwheat flour for wantuan making.

International Media and Perception Creations: A Study About the Strategic Narratives to Spread Chinese Cultural Values Through China Radio International in Sri Lanka

The research has been conducted to indicate about the China’s main international media in Sri Lanka, “CRI Sinhala Service” The study was aimed to find largely the communication strategies used by CRI Sinhala service to spread China’s culture in Sri Lanka. This was a mix methodological research. The qualitative data collected through 25 interviewees from five major categories such as government officers, private company officers, University academics, journalists and businessmen. Further the data also collected through the CRI Facebook page and CRI website. The quantitative data collected through 300 questionnaires given through social media platforms to Sri Lankans. The research used thematic analysis, content analysis and statistical analysis through SPSS to identify the interesting findings. The research indicated that there are main themes reporting in CRI to spread the China’s culture. Therefore, the main themes indicated as Chinese language, Chinese aesthetics and beauty, Chinese food and Chinese festivals customs and rituals. Each theme has different sub themes as well. There are three main communication strategies indicated to spread Chinese culture. Integrating social media influencer, style repertoire and arrangement and live video reporting. The highest influenced strategy was social media influencer according to the findings.

Comprehensive profiling of amino and carbonyl compounds in the Hong Yao sour soup, a type of fermented sour soup, in Huangluo Yao Village of Guangxi, China

Fermented sour soup is a traditional condiment in daily southwestern Chinese cuisine. Compounds found in Hong Yao sour soup were fractionated using size-exclusion chromatography. Amino compounds were identified through derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate and liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with precursor scan, followed by identification using product ion scan. Other compounds lacking amino groups were isolated using solid-phase extraction with a strong cation exchanger and detected through LC-MS in full scan mode. Carbonyl compounds, including carboxylic acids, were detected and identified by derivatization with 2-nitrophenylhydrazine and LC-MS/MS. Besides amino acids and carboxylic acids including lactic and acetic acid, amino acid metabolites such as monoamines (tyramine, pyrrolidine, tryptamine), polyamines (cadaverine, putrescine), N-acetyl- and N-lacoyl-amino acids, and α-keto acids from Val, Ile, and Leu were also detected. However, unlike Japanese rice wine, only a few dipeptides were detected. This information aids in understanding the unique characteristics of Hong Yao sour soup.

China’s food problem: Issues of system transformation and security in a crisis

Against the background of a global decline in food security over the past three to four years, China, remaining the world’s largest food importer, has made notable progress in improving its food security. China’s food security transformation has greatly improved not only the availability but also the affordability of food, as well as the sustainability of the Chinese food system. The increase in agricultural production, including grain production in China, indicates a transition from an extensive development model with high resource dependence to a sustainable intensification model. As a result of rapid economic and social development, the food pattern has changed based on high value foods such as meat, dairy products, fish and fish products. However, there are a number of serious problems in China’s food system. China has insufficient self-sufficiency and high import dependence on a number of food products. New to China’s nutritional challenges are the overweight part of the population and the resulting increasing burden on the health care system. In addition, China’s food losses exceed those of developed countries. The changes that the world economy is undergoing, the influence of non-market factors such as ideology, geopolitics and challenges to the multilateral trade and investment system, can seriously disrupt the global agricultural market and reduce the food security of China, which is heavily dependent on foreign food trade. The transformation of China’s food system is aimed at preventing and eliminating the risks of disruption of food imports, diversifying import sources, reducing the cost of agricultural products through scientific and technological progress and increasing investment in infrastructure, the transition of Chinese agriculture from a strategy of increasing production to improving the quality of products and its security.

Research on the Impacts of Corporate Sustainability Reporting Disclosure of Chinese Food Enterprises on Financial Performance

"With the proposal and continuous updating of sustainable development concept in China, actively assuming social responsibility by enterprises has become a direct manifestation of the progress of the times. While operating and developing, food enterprises should not only focus on their own profits, but also fulfill their social responsibilities. The article analyzes the causes of food safety issues that have emerged in the Chinese food industry, and proposes to focus on improving the skills and qualities of enterprise employees, constructing a policy system for food safety supervision and management, in order to provide beneficial insights for promoting sustainable development of enterprises. At the same time, using a combination of theoretical and empirical analysis methods, this study explores the impact of sustainable development responsibilities on financial performance of enterprises, providing strong support for enterprises to actively disclosure their Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and promoting listed companies in the food industry to attach importance to future sustainable development."

A novel multivariate time-lag discrete grey model based on action time and intensities for predicting the productions in food industry

The food industry is a pillar industry and plays an important role in the development of China's national economy. In view of the complex environments and the characteristics of fluctuating development in which the Chinese food industry are located, this paper delves into the mechanism of action of relevant factors on the system behavior and proposes a grey prediction model based on action time and intensities considering the widespread existence of time-lag effects that is applicable to the prediction of the food industry. Firstly, considering the action time and intensity of the factors, this paper introduces the action duration, the parameters of time lag and intensity coefficient to expand the multivariate discrete grey prediction model. Secondly, the bidirectional grey A-S (Area-Slope) comprehensive relational model is used to calculate the degree of correlation between relevant factors acting on time-effect sub-sequence and the system behavior sequence under different action durations and time lag, to identify the driving factors and estimate their action durations and time lag. Then, the driving factors are incorporated into the grey prediction model based on action time and intensities, and the structural parameters and intensity coefficients of the model are estimated by using the least square and particle swarm algorithm. Finally, by fitting and predicting two examples in the food industry, the results of the proposed novel model are compared with those of six other prediction models to verify effectiveness. The results demonstrates that the prediction accuracy of the proposed model is better than those of other grey models in time-lag data sequences.

Microbial Succession and Flavor Changes During Fermentation of Semi-Dried Sea Bass (Lateolabrax maculatus)

ABSTRACT The Chinese traditional food, fermented semi-dried sea bass (FSSB), is famous for its unique flavor. The microbiota succession and flavor formation during fermentation remain unknown. This study utilized high-throughput sequencing to investigate the evolving microbiota and chemical determination to explore volatile compounds. The relevant abundance of microorganisms in the middle-fermented stage was significantly (p <.05) higher than that of the post-fermented stage. In addition, the main microbial phyla during fermentation were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. In conclusion, this study contributes to understanding the changes in flavor substances during fermentation and the varying patterns of change among different floras.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Risk of Overweight or Obesity in Chinese Adults: Chinese Food Consumption Survey 2017-2020.

Overweight and obesity have increased rapidly in the past few decades in China, and less research has focused on the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and overweight or obesity in Chinese adults. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of UPF consumption with the risk of overweight or obesity in Chinese adults. Residents aged 18 years and above who participated in the nationally representative survey Chinese Food Consumption Survey in 2017-2020 were included in this study. Dietary intake data were collected via non-consecutive three-day 24 h dietary recalls and weighing household foods and condiments. According to the NOVA food classification system, UPFs were classified depending on the purpose and extent of food processing. Multiple logistic regression and multivariate-adjusted restricted cubic spline (RCS) regressions were performed to estimate the association between UPF consumption (categorized into quartiles: quartile 1 (Q1), quartile 2 (Q2), quartile 3 (Q3), and quartile 4 (Q4)) and risk of overweight or obesity. A total of 38,658 adults aged 18 years and above participated in the present study. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults was 33.0% (95% CI: 32.91-33.10) and 9.6% (95% CI 9.55-9.67), respectively. After a multivariable adjustment, the risk of overweight or obesity was increased by 10% in Q3 (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.17) compared to Q1 as a reference. Women (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20) and adults living in small and medium-sized cities (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01-1.26) with higher UPF consumption had higher odds of overweight or obesity. Nevertheless, the effect of higher UPF consumption on the risk of overweight or obesity was relatively weak for overall adults in China. The top three categories of subgroups consumption of UPFs were 1: sugar-sweetened beverages; 2: sauces, cheeses, spreads, and gravies; and 3: ultra-processed breads and breakfast cereals. These findings provide evidence that higher UPF consumption was positively associated with overweight or obesity, which was defined based on Chinese criteria among women and adults living in small and medium-sized cities in China. Further studies, such as intervention trials, are needed to identify the mechanism of correlation between the consumption of UPFs and health-related outcomes in Chinese adults. From a public health perspective, with the prevalence of overweight and obesity growing and the increase in UPF consumption in Chinese adults, it is necessary to promote healthy food intake and a balanced diet through active nutritional education actions for overweight and obesity prevention and control.

Chinese food self-provisioning: key sustainability policy lessons hidden in plain sight

Chinese food self-provisioning: key sustainability policy lessons hidden in plain sight

Higher Adherence to the AMED, DASH, and CHFP Dietary Patterns Is Associated with Better Cognition among Chinese Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults.

The available evidence regarding the association between adherence to the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary patterns and cognitive performance exhibits inconsistency, and its applicability within the Asian population remains uncertain. The association between adherence to the Chinese Food Pagoda (CHFP) and cognitive function is also unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between adherence to the AMED, DASH, and CHFP different dietary patterns and cognitive function. The study included 3353 Chinese adults aged 55 years and over from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 2006. A 24 h dietary recall over three consecutive days was used to collect dietary information. Dietary patterns included AMED, DASH, and CHFP. A subset of items from the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified was used for cognitive screening. Poor cognitive performance was defined as a global cognitive function score < 7. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the association between adherence to the three different dietary patterns and cognitive function. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that there is a negative association between higher adherence to the AMED, DASH, and CHFP and poorer cognitive performance (AMED: OR = 0.594, 95% CI = 0.458-0.771, p < 0.001; DASH: OR = 0.652, 95% CI = 0.504-0.843, p = 0.001; CHFP: OR = 0.599, 95% CI = 0.417-0.861, p = 0.006). There was a significant interaction between each of the three dietary patterns and residential regions (AMED: p for interaction = 0.045; DASH: p for interaction = 0.003; CHFP: p for interaction < 0.001). Higher adherence to the AMED, DASH, and CHFP dietary patterns was inversely associated with poor cognition in Chinese middle-aged and elderly adults, particularly among urban residents.

Analysis on KFCs Business Model in China

In China, in addition to KFC and McDonald's, there are numerous new Chinese fast food restaurants, such as Mr. Rice, Xiangcun Ji, Real Kung Fu, etc. In China, however, KFC has done a much better job of "adapting to the local cuisine and implementing numerous adjustments" than McDonald's. Therefore, Chinese fast food hasmuch to learn from them. This study will employ three methods of research: comparative analysis, survey method, and case study. The study explains why KFC performs significantly better than McDonald's in China, both in terms of revenue and number of locations. The paper analyzed several business strategies that can be taught from KFC's business model in order to make China's new fast food as global as KFC. The paper demonstrates to the viewers how to use KFC's superior marketing techniques to Chinese fast food and turn it into a global chain. The paper will provide some suggestions forthese fast food restaurants in becoming more international and expanding their number of stores, as well as teaching them how to apply marketing strategies to increase their revenue.

The Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Microscopic Properties of Dumpling Wrappers.

Dumplings are a traditional Chinese food welcomed by Chinese people. Research has indicated that process of quick-frozen wheat cultivars and their gliadins are all related to the quality and shelf-life of dumplings. Therefore, the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the textural properties and microscopic characteristics of two types of quick-frozen dumpling wrappers (Zhaomai and Wenmai 19) and conformation of their gliadins were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Wenmai 19 dumpling wrappers had apparent damage after the first cycle, but Zhaomai wrappers did not reveal significant changes until the fourth cycle. The particle size distribution in the starch granules of Wenmai 19 wrappers varied in terms of mechanical damage, but Zhaomai delayed or avoided such effects. FT-IR found a loose protein structure of the gliadins. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that gliadins of Wenmai 19 degenerated more than those of Zhaomai. The crosslinking of gliadin and glutenin maintained a high-quality gluten network, thus protecting the gliadin stability from ice crystals. In turn, the gliadin maintained the strength of the gluten network. Therefore, raw flours with high-quality protein networks are more suitable for frozen dumplings. Freeze-thaw cycles dramatically decreased the textural characteristics of dumpling wrappers and the microscopic characteristics of their gliadin proteins. Concerning wheat cultivars with weak gluten, flours with high-quality protein networks are more suitable as raw materials for frozen dumplings.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the flavor of bitterness in the tip shoots of Bambusa oldhamii Munro

The young bamboo shoot of Bambusa oldhamii (green bamboo) has a good taste and is rich in nutrition and widely used in traditional Chinese cuisines. But the shoots flavor of Bambusa oldhamii changed from deliciously sweet to a little bitter when the shoots grew from underground to aboveground. In this paper, we explored the bitterness chemicals of the green bamboo shoot when growing from underground to aboveground using transcriptome and metabolome techniques. Finally, several bitter chemicals were mined out counting for the flavor transformation, such as Solanidine, Amygdalin, Salicin, Arbutin, and others. The transcription factor family of AP2/ERF plays the main role in key bitter chemical regulation via correlation analysis. Moreover, the pathway of Biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids might be the key pathway in the formation of the bitter chemicals in green bamboo shoot development.

Simultaneous determination of six rare sugars in solid foods by high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light-scattering detection

Excessive sugar consumption is associated with metabolic health problems. Rare sugars are gradually being used as substitutes for sugar, and their consumption is increasing daily, raising food-safety issues such as false advertising, adulteration, and overdosing. The determination of rare-sugar compounds has attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, no standard method for the simultaneous determination of six rare sugars (allulose, tagatose, trehalose, isomaltulose, erythritol, and mannitol) in solid foods is available. Therefore, establishing a suitable analytical method for these sugars is necessary. In this study, high performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light-scattering detection was used to determine rare sugars in solid foods. The optimum chromatographic and detector conditions were determined by evaluating the instrument parameters. Analysis was carried out on a Zorbax Original NH2 column (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) via flow-rate gradient elution (0-15 min, 1.0 mL/min; 15-18 min, 1.0-2.0 mL/min; 18-25 min, 2.0 mL/min) with acetonitrile-water (80∶20, v/v) as the mobile phase. Sharp and symmetric chromatographic peaks were obtained under these conditions. The resolutions for all the six rare sugars were greater than 1.5. Optimization of the evaporative light-scattering detector was extremely important to the responses of the rare-sugar compounds. The two most significant parameters were the nebulizer carrier gas flow rate and drift tube temperature. The detection system was operated under the following conditions: the drift tube temperature was set to 50 ℃, the nebulizer carrier gas was high-purity nitrogen, the carrier gas flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, the nitrogen pressure was regulated to 275.79 kPa, and the gain factor was set to 3. The sample was extracted with 25 mL of water, shaken and vortexed for 10 min, purified with 200 μL of zinc acetate solution and 200 μL of potassium ferricyanide solution, and centrifuged at 4500 r/min for 10 min. Next, 1 mL of the supernatant was passed through a 0.22 μm aqueous-phase filter membrane, and the filtrate obtained was analyzed using the evaporative light-scattering detector. The six rare sugars were quantitatively analyzed using the external standard method and showed good linearity with coefficients of determination (R2) greater than 0.9985. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.020-0.60 and 0.60-1.8 g/100 g, respectively. In addition, when blank solid food samples were spiked with the analytes at three levels, the average recoveries of the six rare sugars were 92.6%-103.2%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.7%-4.4%. An RSD of <5% indicated that the method had good precision. Interference experiments were performed to determine whether the sugars and artificial sweeteners commonly found in solid foods affected the targets. The method established in this study was used to analyze the contents of the six rare sugars in actual solid food samples. The experimental results showed various levels of rare glycoconjugates in different solid foods. Moreover, the actual compositions and labeled of rare glycoconjugates in the solid foods were generally consistent. The proposed method features simple operation, rapid results, high sensitivity, and good reproducibility; thus, it meets the requirements for the detection of the six rare sugars in solid foods. It also provides technical support for the development of methodological standards and detection limits for rare sugars in Chinese foods. The results of this study are of great relevance for the daily monitoring of the levels of the six rare sugars in solid foods.

“Relationship can talk” - Relationship quality and its applications to STARBUCKS

&lt;p&gt;In Taiwan, Western food has replaced Chinese cuisine, and coffee consumption is rising. Previous studies have suggested that Experiential Marketing (EM) can improve Customer Satisfaction (CS), Brand Loyalty (BL) and trust (TRT), while Brand Image (BI) impacts a brand’s perception. Furthermore, Relationship Quality (RQ) has three key dimensions: commitment (COMMIT), TRT and CS. Starbucks, a major brand in Taiwan, was chosen for the relationship marketing study. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on 294 valid respondents, this study examines six hypotheses as well as the moderating effect of EM. The results showed three mediating effects centered on CS, and EM moderated the pathway between TRT-CS and CS-COMMIT.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Application of GC-IMS coupled with chemometric analysis for the classification and authentication of geographical indication agricultural products and food.

Geographical indications (GI) are used to protect the brand value of agricultural products, foodstuffs, and wine and promote the sustainable development of the agricultural and food industries. Despite the necessity for the traceability and recognition of GI product characteristics, no rapid, non-destructive approaches currently exist to identify, classify, and predict these properties. The application of gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) has increased exponentially due to instrument robustness and simplicity. This paper provided a detailed overview of recent GC-IMS applications in China for the quality evaluation of GI products and food, including agricultural products, as well as traditional Chinese food and liquor. The general workflow of GC-IMS coupled with chemometric analysis is presented, including sample collection, model construction and interpretation, and data acquisition, processing, and fusion. Several conclusions are drawn to increase partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model precision, a chemometric technique frequently combined with GC-IMS.