Search

In food safety implementation, bacterial inactivation is an imperative aspect of hygiene and sanitation. Studies on lithium magnesium silicate (LMS) hydrosol incorporated with slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) for decontamination of pathogenic bacteria are limited. This present study aimed to investigate the bactericidal efficacy of LMS hydrosol incorporated with SAEW against Escherichia coli. Optimum combination conditions of SAEW, hydrosol concentration, and available chlorine concentration (ACC) were optimized by response surface methodology under the central composite design against the growth of E. coli. The optimum combination conditions of exposure time, hydrosol concentration, and ACC were 9.5 minutes, 1.7%, and 20.5 ppm, respectively. The results showed that the increase in ACC led to inactivation in the survival of E. coli compared with the control (p<0.05). It can be concluded that the best combination percentage between SAEW and hydrosol ranged from 1.5-1.7%, in which E. coli was reduced by 4.50 log10 CFU/mL at an ACC of 9.94 ppm. When increasing the ACC to 14.84 ppm, E. coli was reduced by 4.51 log10 CFU/mL compared with the initial number of bacteria (8.20 log10 CFU/mL) in the control group. The number of bacteria was undetected after increasing ACC to 19.93, 25.15, and 29.88 ppm at 10 min. This study suggests that LMS hydrosol incorporated with SAEW could potentially be used as an effective sanitizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the cholesterol-alleviating effect and underlying mechanisms of chitosan-oligosaccharide (COS) in hypercholesterolemic hamsters. Male hamsters (n = 24) were divided into three groups in a random fashion, and each group was fed one particular diet, namely a non-cholesterol diet (NCD), a high-cholesterol diet (HCD), and an HCD diet substituting 5% of the COS diet for six weeks. Subsequently, alterations in fecal bile acids (BAs), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and gut microflora (GM) were investigated. COS intervention significantly reduced and increased the plasma total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in hypercholesteremic hamsters. Furthermore, Non-HDL-C and total triacylglycerols (TG) levels were also reduced by COS supplementation. Additionally, COS could reduce and increase food intake and fecal SCFAs (acetate), respectively. Moreover, COS had beneficial effects on levels of BAs and GM related to cholesterol metabolism. This study provides novel evidence for the cholesterol-lowering activity of COS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and whey protein isolate (WPI) under various pH and ion concentrations conditions was examined by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that EGCG with WPI was linked mainly by electrostatic force, and EGCG caused the fluorescence quenching of WPI through a static quenching. Furthermore, in vitro static release results showed that the release process of EGCG from EGCG-WPI gel in release medium of different pH and ion concentrations follows the Korsmeyer-Peppas model and conform to the non-Fick diffusion law. Finally, the binding constant KA and the constant release Kapp kinetic model were established. The model followed the equation LnKA=A - 1 n LnKapp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze metabolite abundances and proteome differences between buffalo milk from Binglangjiang (BBM) and Dehong (DBM). Untargeted UPLC-MS/MS, label-free proteomics approach, and bioinformatics analyses including GO, KEGG, and PPI were performed. The results revealed that catechol, L-proline, γ-aminobutyric acid, hippuric acid, creatinine, and betaine were detected in BBM and DBM as the major metabolites. One hundred thirteen proteins, mainly within the molecular weight range of 20–80 kDa, were identified, and the differential protein numbers of BBM were higher than those of DBM. These proteins were primarily involved in cholesterol metabolism, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella infections, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway, and coagulation cascades. Relative abundances of α-s1-casein, α-s2-casein, and β-casein were plentiful in BBM, while κ-casein, albumin, and α-lactalbumin were in DBM. PPI network analysis indicated that the identified proteins were highly interconnected. These findings promote a better understanding of quality biomarkers in dairy product improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent findings on β-casein (β-CN) A2 cattle’s milk variant have triggered global research interest, as it is claimed to be a safer choice for human health. Only a few studies have been performed to investigate the presence of β-CN A1 and A2 alleles of the CSN2 gene in dual-purpose Simmental and Angus cattle in Yunnan province, China. This present study aimed to genotype cattle producing A2 milk, predict the physicochemical properties, and quantify the isoform concentration of β-CN A2 protein. Blood samples were collected from 286 cattle (201 Simmental and 85 Angus breeds). Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) coupled with the sequencing method. Physicochemical properties were predicted using several web-based bioinformatics tools. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure β-CN A2 protein isoform concentration in fresh A2 milk. Allele frequencies of β-CN A2 were more dominant in Simmental (0.642) and Angus (0.835) than A1. The β-CN A1A2 genotype was most frequent in Simmental (44.8%), while A2A2 genotype was primarily found in Angus (70.6%). The predicted monoisotopic mass, molecular weight, isoelectric point (pI), net charge at pH 7, total number of atoms, instability index, and grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) of β-CN A2 were 23,567.23 Da, 23,582.30 Da, 5.24, –6.5, 3,357, 96.53, and –0.355, respectively. The β-CN A2 protein isoform concentration in Angus (17.8 ng/ml) was higher than in Simmental (16.7 ng/ml). Identifying β-CN A2 milk provides new insights for screening favorable alleles and establishing breeding programs based on marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]