a–b, Changes of soluble proteins (a) and carbohydrates (b) within 24 h of PAA oxidation. c, Soluble proteins and carbohydrates contents after pretreatment with significance test results. d–h, EEM spectra after pretreatment: Control (d), 10 (e), 15 (f), 20 (g), and 25 mg PAA per g TSS (h). i, Peak fluorescence intensity of EEM spectra. “∗” represents p < 0.05, “∗∗” represents p < 0.01, “∗∗∗” represents p < 0.001. Error bars represent standard deviations of triplicate experiments.