Do non-thermal effects exist in microwave heating of glucose aqueous solutions? Evidence from molecular dynamics simulations

Yuan Tao; Bowen Yan; Nana Zhang; Mingfu Wang; Jianxin Zhao; Hao Zhang; Daming Fan

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131677

Do non-thermal effects exist in microwave heating of glucose aqueous solutions? Evidence from molecular dynamics simulations

Food Chem. 2022 May 1:375:131677. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131677. Epub 2021 Nov 27.

Authors

Yuan Tao¹, Bowen Yan¹, Nana Zhang², Mingfu Wang³, Jianxin Zhao⁴, Hao Zhang⁴, Daming Fan⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
³ School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China. Electronic address: fandm@jiangnan.edu.cn.

PMID: 34865928
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131677

Abstract

The existence of microwave non-thermal effects in food processing is still debated. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the conformation, electrostatic profiles, and intramolecular hydrogen bonds (intra-HB) of glucose in aqueous solution under alternating electric fields of microwaves ranging from 0 to 10⁹ V/m at 2.45 GHz. The results showed a field-induced threshold of 10⁹ V/m. At the threshold, alternating microwaves reoriented the flexible moieties and thus enhanced the intra-HB. The conformational transition among gg, gt, and tg conformers at 10⁹ V/m possibly resulted from the uneven electrostatic potential and the increased intra-HB. In practice, the maximum electric field of microwaves is several times weaker than the threshold, verifying the absence of microwave non-thermal effects for glucose molecules in food processing. This study provides a novel strategy to evaluate the potential non-thermal effects of microwaves in food processing and the related underlying food safety issues.

Keywords: Conformation; Glucose; Microwave; Molecular dynamics simulation; Non-thermal effects.

MeSH terms

Glucose
Heating
Microwaves*
Molecular Dynamics Simulation*
Water

Substances

Water
Glucose