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Biofilm formation is one of the most serious threats in the food industry, mostly due to its contribution to the survival of spoiling and pathogenic microorganisms. Essential oils (EOs) are classified as secondary metabolites of plants which are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and are typically mixtures of numerous components, and the monoterpenes constitute about 90% of their composition. The worldwide increase in foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh produce made us conduct a systematic review on in vitro application of EOs to remove biofilms in fruit and vegetables. Databases such as Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science were probed for relevant studies. The search criteria was restricted to published papers in English language up to August 2022. A total of 299 studies were extracted and after removing irrelevant papers, 17 papers were included in this review. Results indicated the effectiveness of EOs and their exposure time with fresh products on the breakdown of biofilms. Among the findings, only a part of a study indicated no effect of EOs (Citrus sinensis , Citrus aurantifolia , Coffea arabica and Vitex agnus-castus) against Erwinia amylovora biofilms in pear. Moreover, EOs were shown to act as pesticides and were reported to be effective against biofilm formation at pre-harvest stages. Most of the studied EOs showed strong effect on reducing bacterial burden without affecting the sensory score of fruits and vegetables; however, it is suggested that more attention should be paid to sensory evaluation of treated samples in future studies. These data underline the need for conducting more research on novel essential oils (or combinations) and characterization of them as natural antibiofilm agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authentication of gelatin, an ingredient in food and drug products, is of interest with respect to some regulations and religion rules. Determination of the gelatin origin is particularly challenging because of the similarity in amino acid sequences of collagen types in different species. In this study, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique using species-specific primers and also chemometrics analysis of mass spectral data were investigated to differentiate bovine, porcine and fish source of gelatin in commercial pure gelatin and gelatin-containing food and drug products. The specific PCR primer set was optimized using real-time PCR approach to routinely determine the gelatin source. Real-time PCR is sensitive to identify gelatin origin from traces of species-specific DNA. However, source determination is impossible when DNA is denatured or removed during production process. Alongside, chemometrics methods (PLS/DA and PCA) were used for mining LC/MS data sets to obtain patterns for discrimination of gelatin origins. LC/MS data sets involve MS spectrum of tryptic gelatin peptides generated from gelatin samples. Using PLS/DA method, a discrimination model is developed for identifying origin of the extracted gelatin. The method is practical to determine the halal authenticity of gelatin in the pure and processed products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to assess microplastic (MP) pollution in some aquatic animals inhabiting planted and natural mangrove swamps in the northern Gulf of Oman. The KOH-NaI solution was used to retrieve MPs from the gastrointestinal tracts of animals. The highest MP prevalence was recorded in crabs (41.65 %) followed by fish (33.89 %) and oysters (20.8 %). The abundance of MPs in examined animals varied from zero in Sphyraena putnamae to 11 particles in a Rhinoptera javanica specimen. When polluted-only animals were considered, the mean abundance of MPs significantly varied among species and between locations. The mean density of ingested MPs was higher in the planted mangrove animals (1.79 ± 2.89 vs. 1.21 ± 2.25 n/individual; mean ± SD). Among the examined fish species, R. javanica ingested the highest number of MPs (3.83 ± 3.93 n/individual; mean ± SD). The polyethylene/ polypropylene fragments or fibers of average 1900 μm size were recorded as predominant (>50 % occurrence) MP particles. [Display omitted] • Microplastic (MP) contamination in the marine biota of mangrove swamps was assessed. • The highest prevalence of MPs was recorded in crabs followed by fish and oysters. • Polyethylene and polypropylene make up 62.0 % of the ingested MP particles. • The predominant forms of ingested MPs were fragments and fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to determine the effects of grape products on liver enzymes in adults.Methods: Databases including PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus were searched up to February 2021. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of grape products on serum concentrations of liver enzymes were included. Data were pooled using the random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the summary effect size.Results: Eight RCTs enrolling 291 participants met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The overall effect illustrated no significant change in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (WMD: - 2.04; 95 % CI: - 5.50 to 1.42; P = 0.24; I2 = 72.5 %), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (WMD: - 1.40; 95 % CI: - 3.80 to 0.99; P = 0.25; I2 = 76.0 %) in intervention group compared with the control group. Subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of grape products on ALT (WMD: - 4.97; 95 % CI: - 8.73 to - 1.21; P = 0.01) and AST (WMD: - 2.89; 95 % CI: - 5.69 to - 0.08; P = 0.04) levels was significant when the intervention period was equal or more than 12 weeks.Conclusion: Overall, grape products had no significant effect on liver enzymes in adults. However, due to the low number of included studies, these findings must be interpreted with great caution. Larger, well-designed RCTs are still needed to further evaluate the capacity of the grape products as a complementary treatment to improve liver enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this meta-analysis was to determine the effect of soy and soy product supplementation on serum adiponectin levels. A systematic search was conducted using Medline (PubMed and Web of Science), Scopus, and Cochrane Library for eligible trials up to August 2020. A random-effects model was used to pool calculated effect sizes. Seven trials were included in the overall analysis. Our analysis showed that soy and soy product supplementation did not significantly affect adiponectin concentrations (WMD = −0.77 μg/ml, 95% CI: −0.61, 2.15, P = 0.27) in comparison with a placebo. The between-study heterogeneity was high (I 2 : 68.2%, P = 0.004). Subgroup analysis, based on participants' health status and duration of the supplementation, could not detect the potential source of the observed heterogeneity. In addition, subgroup analysis showed that the effect was not statistically significant in all subgroups. Overall, soy and soy product supplementation did not change the circulatory adiponectin levels. In addition, the results were not affected by the participant's health status and duration of supplementation. However, further studies are needed to confirm the present results. • We aimed to evaluate possible effects of soy and soy products on circulating adiponectin. • Soy and soy product supplementation had no beneficial effect on serum adiponectin levels. • Additional RCTs are required to further examine this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adulteration of sheep butter with cow butter and margarine is a significant challenge in the food industry, impacting product authenticity and consumer confidence. In this research article, a comprehensive and accurate approach is proposed for detecting sheep butter adulteration by employing Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with the combined method of DD-SIMCA and PLS-DA. Initially, Raman spectroscopy employed to collect spectral data from pure butter and margarine samples, enabling the modeling of target objects by DD-SIMCA to exclude adulterated samples. Subsequently, PLS-DA was utilized for the discrimination of sample classes. Raman spectroscopy, combined with the classification and discrimination strategy, is a powerful tool for quickly and non-destructively detecting sheep butter adulteration, ensuring food quality control. The combined strategy successfully discriminated between pure samples, achieving high performances based on the figures of merit (sensitivity: 77.78–100% and specificity: 88.23–100%) for detecting and identifying the type of adulteration in sheep butter. These outcomes underscore the efficacy of the proposed approach in not only detecting but also identifying the specific type of adulteration present in sheep butter, thereby addressing a critical need in the food industry. This research contributes significantly to advancing the field of food quality assurance and holds great implications for support consumer confidence in product authenticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aflatoxins are highly toxic, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic compounds. The purpose of this survey was to determine natural occurrence and level of AFM1 in pasteurized liquid milk, infant formula and milk-based cereal weaning food consumed in Tehran, Iran. A total of 328 branded milk products and liquid milk samples were collected and investigated by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). The samples of pasteurized liquid milk (n =128), infant formula (n =120) and milk-based cereal weaning food (n =80) showed that the incidence of contamination with AFM1 is 96.3%, the presence of AFM1 in each group was 72.2±23.5, 7.3±3.9 and 16.8±12.5ng/kg, ranging between 31–113, 1–14 and 3–35ng/kg, respectively. In general, the amount of AFM1 in 100 (78%) of liquid milk samples and 24 (33%) of milk-based weaning food was higher than the maximum tolerance limit accepted by European Union, but in all of the infant formula samples was lower (European Communities and Codex Alimentarius has prescribed a limit of 50ng/kg for AFM1 in milk and 25ng/kg in infant milk products). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A method was developed to distinguishing bovine bone from skin gelatins for the first time. • Full scan LC/MS spectra were acquired from trypsin-digest gelatin samples. • PLS-DA method were used to build a stable and reliable model for classification. • An entry-level LC/MS instrument was used, eliminating the need for more complex equipment. • The strategy was used to accurately identify tissue origin of gelatin in commercial products. Gelatin, as a by-product of the meat industry, is extracted from bone and skin of mainly bovine and porcine origins. It is used widely in the food, drug, and cosmetic industries. Authenticity testing methods can be used to confirm whether labelled ingredients are present in the product. Generally, studies on gelatin are concerned mainly with determining species, but detecting tissue origin is also important from religious, health, and commercial perspectives. In the present study, for the first time, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) was used to differentiate bovine bone gelatin from gelatin derived from bovine skin. Tryptic-digested gelatins were measured using HPLC/MS and, subsequently, two powerful chemometrics approaches (i.e., PCA and PLS-DA) were used to classify samples as either skin or bone gelatins. Origin of bovine gelatins in different test samples were predicted accurately using this method. The results showed both the stability and reliability of the proposed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined the exposure of infants to aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and of lactating mothers to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), using AFM1 in breast milk as a biomarker for exposure to AFB1. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was modified for the analysis of AFM1 in breast milk samples from 160 women in Tehran, Iran. AFM1 was detected in 157 samples by average concentration of 8.2±5.1ng/kg (range 0.3–26.7ng/kg). The concentration of AFM1 in one sample was higher than the maximum tolerance limit accepted by European Union and USA (25ng/kg), but in 55 samples was higher than the maximum concentration recommended by Australia and Switzerland (10ng/kg). Logistic regression Analysis failed to show significant correlation between AFM1 and gestational age, education, postnatal age, gender, nationality, clinical condition, the number of family member, the number of children, type and amount of dairy consumption, vegetable, fruits, oil and meat. But it was significant relation to the cereal consumption, also to the height at birth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• DABCO-based poly (ionic liquid) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were successfully synthesized, characterized and applied as an adsorbent. • Effective parameters of UA- d -MSPE were optimized using experimental design. • The measurement uncertainty was evaluated by GUM (bottom-up) approach. • The method is suitable for the monitoring of trace heavy metal ions in water and fruit juice samples. A poly (ionic liquid) (PIL) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles methodology was developed and utilized as an efficient adsorbent for the simultaneous extraction of cadmium, lead, and copper ions from water and fruit juice samples. The novel adsorbent was fabricated by grafting DABCO-based PIL onto silica-coated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles via copper (0)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization. Different techniques properly characterized the developed nanoparticles. The central composite design was used to analyze the simultaneous effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency. The detection limits for water samples ranged between 3.2 and 9.2 ng.L-1, and fruit juice samples varied from 0.0103 to 0.1082 μg.kg−1. The recovery ranged from 94.1 to 101.3% and 93.6 to 105.1% for water and fruit juice samples, respectively. The relive measurement uncertainty ranged from 7.7 to 13.6%. The proposed method is rapid, sensitive, environmentally friendly, and useful for monitoring the residues of heavy metal ions in water and fruit juice samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]