Off-flavors remain a major hurdle in expanding the use of soy protein isolate (SPI) in mainstream food applications. The complexity in solving this problem arises from the presence of protein-bound precursors in SPI. Among the most predominant sources of off-flavors in SPI is the residual amount of phospholipids that contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Autoxidation of PUFAs generates several classes of volatile compounds that contribute to the beany, grassy, or green odor of SPI. In addition, several polyphenolic compounds, such as isoflavones, saponins, phenolic acids, etc., impart bitter and astringent tastes to SPI. Traditional methods for removing protein-bound precursors from SPI and their limitations are reviewed. The most notable trade-off of conventional methods is the loss of protein functionality to some degree. Therefore, pursuit of gentler treatments to overcome SPI off-flavor has been the focus of industry and academia alike. Novel approaches that employ β-cyclodextrin to remove both SPI-bound precursors and volatile compounds are described.

Neuroimaging experiments implicate the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in episodic memory processing, making it a potential target for responsive neuromodulation strategies outside of the hippocampal network. However, causal evidence for the role that PCC plays in memory encoding is lacking. In human female and male participants (N ϭ 17) undergoing seizure mapping, we investigated functional properties of the PCC using deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stereotactic electroencephalography. We used a verbal free recall paradigm in which the PCC was stimulated during presentation of half of the study lists, whereas no stimulation was applied during presentation of the remaining lists. We investigated whether stimulation affected memory and modulated hippocampal activity. Results revealed four main findings. First, stimulation during episodic memory encoding impaired subsequent free recall, predominantly for items presented early in the study lists. Second, PCC stimulation increased hippocampal gamma-band power. Third, stimulation-induced hippocampal gamma power predicted the magnitude of memory impairment. Fourth, functional connectivity between the hippocampus and PCC predicted the strength of the stimulation effect on memory. Our findings offer causal evidence implicating the PCC in episodic memory encoding. Importantly, the results indicate that stimulation targeted outside of the temporal lobe can modulate hippocampal activity and impact behavior. Furthermore, measures of connectivity between brain regions within a functional network can be informative in predicting behavioral effects of stimulation. Our findings have significant implications for developing therapies to treat memory disorders and cognitive impairment using DBS.

We report for the first time a direct comparison among traditional and deep learning methods of binary classification to the problem of predicting successful memory encoding using human brain electrophysiological data. Our findings will inform the design of brain machine interface devices to affect memory processing.