Search

Background Korean traditional food (KTF), originated from ancestral agriculture and the nomadic traditions of the Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria, is based on healthy food that balances disease prevention and treatment. Fermented foods that include grains, herbs, fruits, and mushrooms are also an important practice in KTF, providing high levels of Lactobacilli, which confer relevant health benefits, including antiviral properties. Some of these probiotics may also protect against the Influenza virus through the modulation of innate immunity. Scope and approach The emerging of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to other diseases of viral origin, and the problems associated with other respiratory disorders, highlight how essential is a healthy eating pattern to strengthen our immune system. Key Findings and Conclusions: The present review covers the information available on edible plants, herbs, mushrooms, and preparations used in KTF to outline their multiple medicinal effects (e.g., antidiabetic, chemopreventive, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial), emphasizing their role and effects on the immune system with an emphasis on modulating properties of the gut microbiota that further support strong respiratory immunity. Potential functional foods commonly used in Korean cuisine such as Kimchi (a mixture of fermented vegetables), Meju, Doenjang, Jeotgal, and Mekgeolli and fermented sauces, among others, are highlighted for their great potential to improve gut-lung immunity. The traditional Korean diet and dietary mechanisms that may target viruses ACE-2 receptors or affect any step of a virus infection pathway that can determine a patient's prognosis are also highlighted. The regular oral intake of bioactive ingredients used in Korean foods can offer protection for some viral diseases, through protective and immunomodulatory effects, as evidenced in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Highest third worldwide production of the agricultural product namely rice causes a huge quantity of waste residues especially, rice bran concurrently with rice husk. It fabricates the residual wastes nearly of about 31.9 MMT annually throughout the world and owing to the thermal point of view they are not easily upgradable due to high silica content. Meanwhile, rice bran after extrusion in broilers have been used to extract oil containing free fatty acids (FFAs) (15–30%) such as cis–9–, & cis–12–octadecadienoic and cis–9, cis–12 & cis–15–octadecatrienoic oils. Rice bran fatty oil methyl esters are suitably converted into biodiesel for compression ignition (CI) engines via transesterification path in the presence of Ni/H2 heterogeneous basic catalytical environment along with 4–methoxy–2–hydroxybenzalidene–p–toluidine promoter. Owing to significant viscous and volatile nature drawbacks of potential alternative first and second generation biofuels, there occur some troubles in their long application in CI engines could effectively minimized by such a catalytical pathway. The literature has been found a very little research on this oil as a potential substitute for petro–diesel. Finally, the produced rice bran based biodiesel was analyzed for its appropriateness as a fuel for CI engines. The outcomes explored the characteristics for the biodiesel extracted, under the most promising circumstances are resembling those of the petro–based fuels. The observed yields are high when compared to other enzymatic transesterification and homogeneous catalysis. In addition, in vitro microbial and antioxidant potentialities of RBOB were tested and compared with standard controls. Alternatively, low value by–products for the biodiesel industries like glycerol were also obtained and it gave oil suitable to feed the power generators.

Kenaf biomass (KB) was employed as feedstock for the synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using Ralstonia eutropha to replace conventional petroleum-derived polymers. Various pretreatments followed by enzymatic saccharification were applied to release monomeric sugars from KB for PHB production. The effects of increasing concentration of Na2CO3 + Na2SO3 (NaC + NaS) pretreated KB hydrolysates (20–40 g/L) on PHB production were investigated. NaC + NaS pretreated KB hydrolysates (30 g/L) exhibited maximum 70.0% PHA accumulation, with PHB titers of 10.10 g/L and PHB yields of about 0.488 g/g of reducing sugar produced within 36 h of fermentation. PHA accumulation, PHB yield and R. eutropha growth performance using KB hydrolysates were found to be comparable with those of synthetic sugar mixture. Characterization of the produced PHB in terms of crystalline structure, and thermal properties was done using various analytical techniques and results coincide with standard PHB. Thus, green liquor pretreated KB hydrolysates deliver a promising and economically feasible carbon substrate for PHB production.

In this study, a green approach by utilizing Acacia nilotica leaves (ANL) extract to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been made. The biosynthesized AgNPs displayed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) centered at 430 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive spectra (EDS) results showed the contribution of phyto-constituents of ANL in the reduction, capping and stabilizing matrix for AgNPs. The AgNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) revealed the synthesized ANL-AgNPs were crystalline and spherical forms having about ∼20 nm average particle size. ANL-AgNPs exhibited significant antineoplastic efficacy towards SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells (LD50; 66.5 µg/mL) thus could be useful to treat the cancer and to trounce limitations of conventional chemotherapy treatment. The synthesized AgNPs unveiled substantial antioxidant activity represented by common enzyme markers 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) (IC50; 48.4 µg/mL) and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50; 55.2 µg/mL) activity. The ANL-AgNPs displayed substantial anti-bacterial activity against human pathogenic bacterial strains and also studied their minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC and MBC) for individual strain. Additionally, the synthesized ANL-AgNPs exhibited colorimetric detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with better selectivity which showed its viability in determining reactive oxygen species in biological and environmental samples. Overall, the ANL-AgNPs could be used in multitasking biomedical applications, including anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial potential and also in sensing application.

Background Entrepreneurs involved in the commercialization of natural products are currently displaying significant interests in herbal drugs, medicines, and natural product-based herbal products. A broad range of bioactive chemical compounds have been derived from medicinal plants, either in their pure form or as homogenous extracts. As these compounds have broad structural and functional diversities, they offer pharmaceutical companies numerous opportunities for the development of new drug leads. They also represent an excellent source of molecules for the production of food additives, functional foods, nutritional products, and nutraceuticals for the growing number of natural food companies. Scope and approach A number of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, are present in high concentrations in plant species whereas a number of other important compounds such as saponin are present at very low levels. Several identification, extraction, and isolation techniques are currently used to extract bioactive compounds from plants. However, as these techniques are generally laborious and very expensive, there is an urgent need for new advanced techniques for identification, extraction, and isolation of plant bioactive compounds in quantities sufficient for their potential applications in various sectors. Key findings and conclusions The aim of this review is to collate and present information on the identification, extraction, and isolation of the most widely used bioactive compounds from selected commercial medicinal plants, thereby providing a useful resource for medicinal scientists and pharmaceutical and food-related industries seeking to generate high yields at low cost to meet market requirements.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized by various ways but the green technology methods using food waste materials has been accepted now a days for their cost effectiveness, environmental friendly and effective biomedical application. In the present study an attempt has been made to synthesize AgNPs by using the outer accrescent fruiting calyx of Physalis peruviana fruits, a food waste material under different light source condition, and to investigate their cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cells as well as their antibacterial and radical scavenging potential. The surface morphology and elemental composition of the biosynthesized AgNPs were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray powder diffraction analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the sample extract and AgNPs was performed to determine the involvement of functional groups in the synthesis, capping, and stabilization process. The AgNPs showed promising cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The biosynthesized AgNPs also exhibited moderate antibacterial activity (8.14–10.22 mm inhibition zones) against two Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria with promising radical scavenging potential. Overall, the results highlight the effectiveness of the AgNPs for use in antibacterial wound dressing materials and other biomedical applications for the treatment of critical diseases such as cancer.

This study quantified eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fishery products. Satisfactory linearity (r > 0.99), recovery (80.00–120.00%), LOD (0.21–0.54 μg/kg), LOQ (0.07–0.18 μg/kg), accuracy (81.00–120.00%), and precision (0.61–15.00%) of 8 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were obtained. The average concentration of PAH8 was 2.13 μg/kg. PAHs concentrations were converted to carcinogenicity of benzo [a]pyrene (BaP) to recalculate the toxic equivalent value (TEQ) of individual PAHs and then divided by age group to evaluate the average exposure to PAHs for the whole population and determine the 95th percentile of exposure from daily intake of fishery products. The exposure amount of PAH8 was 7.18 × 10−4μg-TEQBaP/kg/day. Based on estimated total dietary exposure to PAHs published by WHO/JECFA, the margin of exposure (MOE) of PAH8 was 6.54 × 1010, demonstrating that intake associated with fishery products is negligible. Based on MOE, incremental lifetime cancer risk of total PAHs showed low level of potential risk.

Over the last few years, nanotechnology is increasingly developing in scientific sector, which has attracted a great deal of interest because of its abundant applications in almost all the areas. In recent times, green nanotechnology is a relative and multidisciplinary field that has emerged as a rapidly developing research area. This is serving as an important technique that spotlight on making the procedure which is clean, safe and in particular environtmentally friendly, in a gap with the currently employed methods such as chemical and physical methods for nanosynthesis. The present review recaps the existing knowledge on various biogenic synthesis methods relying on bacteria, fungi, yeast, algae, viruses and on using biomolecules. The green nanosynthesis refers to the employment of reducing and stabilizing agents from plants and other natural resources, to fabricate nanomaterials. The green synthesis method does not engage the use of exceedingly venomous chemicals or elevated energy inputs during the synthesis. Nanoparticles (NPs) with distinct shapes, sizes and bioactivity can be produced from the variations in the bio-reducing agents employed for nanosynthesis. Hence, this review article summarizes the present information regarding the biological methods which are employed to fabricate greener, safer, and environmentally sustainable nanosynthesis routes. This review mainly highlights the wide-scale fabrication of NPs via green synthesis for biomedical and agricultural applications.

The present study proposes a natural cellulosic adsorbent for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) generated during the manufacture of smoked pork sausage. Cellulose aerogels regenerated from three different solutions (NaOH/urea, LiBr, and LiOH/urea) were prepared and evaluated for adsorption of PAHs (benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and benzo[a]pyrene) under different smoking conditions by high-performance liquid chromatography) with fluorescence detection. The quality properties (moisture content, protein content, pH, peroxide value, microbial and sensory properties) of smoked sausages after adsorbent treatment were also noted. All the adsorbents proved suitable for the removal of PAHs. The adsorption efficacy was strongly dependent on the surface structure and pore size distribution of the cellulosic aerogels. Among the three adsorbents, the LiBr-functionalized absorbent displayed the highest adsorptive efficiency for total PAHs, without causing noticeable quality changes in pork sausages. It was concluded that functionalized cellulosic aerogels have prospects as eco-friendly adsorbents that effectively remove PAHs from smoked meat and meat products.

This work evaluates lignocellulolytic enzymes production by a selected strain Streptomyces sp. MDS cultivated in various agricultural wastes under solid-state fermentation (SSF). Maximum activities (U/gds) of endoglucanase (132.6 ± 1.15), exoglucanase (14.6 ± 0.62), cellobiase (125.6 ± 1.75), filter paperase (19.7 ± 0.42), amylase (278.5 ± 3.53), and xylanase (342.5 ± 3.36) were produced with rice waste biomass (RWB). Operational parameters and supplementation of nitrogen sources, metal additives, and surfactants were systematically optimized with a view to maximizing enzyme production. The harvested enzyme exhibited good stability at high pH (5 to 8) and temperature (50 to 80 °C) and showed robust nature in the presence of organic solvents, surfactants, and commercial detergents. The potential of crude enzyme mixture for hydrolysis of mild alkaline pretreated RWB was demonstrated, resulting in equivalent saccharification (64.85 ± 1.11%) relative to commercial enzymes (69.41 ± 1.15%). Yeast co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus resulted in higher ethanol production (21.12 ± 0.82 g/L) and sugar consumption (88%) from enzymatic RWB hydrolysates (50 g/L) than monoculture. Finally, the leftover spent slurry from SSF effectively decolorized individual dyes and the actual textile wastewater, which increases the practical applicability of the developed bioprocess.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are biocatalyzed systems which can drive electrical energy by directly converting chemical energy using microbial biocatalyst and are considered as one of the important propitious technologies for sustainable energy production. Much research on MFCs experiments is under way with great potential to become an alternative to produce clean energy from renewable waste. MFCs have been one of the most promising technologies for generating clean energy industry in the future. This article summarizes the important findings in electro-active biofilm formation and the role of exo-electrogens in electron transfer in MFCs. This study provides and brings special attention on the effects of various operating and biological parameters on the biofilm formation in MFCs. In addition, it also highlights the significance of different molecular techniques used in the microbial community analysis of electro-active biofilm. It reviews the challenges as well as the emerging opportunities required to develop MFCs at commercial level, electro-active biofilms and to understand potential application of microbiological niches are also depicted. Thus, this review is believed to widen the efforts towards the development of electro-active biofilm and will provide the research directions to overcome energy and environmental challenges.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are appealing as an important alternative to replace synthetic plastics owing to its comparable physicochemical properties to that of synthetic plastics, and biodegradable and biocompatible nature. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research activities dealing with PHA production by utilizing different waste fluxes generated from food, milk and sugar processing industries. Valorization of these waste fluxes makes the process cost effective and practically applicable. Recent advances in the approaches adopted for waste treatment, fermentation strategies, and genetic engineering can give insights to the researchers for future direction of waste to bioplastics production. Lastly, synthesis and application of PHA-nanocomposites, research and development challenges, future perspectives for sustainable and cost-effective PHB production are also discussed. In addition, the review addresses the useful information about the opportunities and confines associated with the sustainable PHA production using different waste streams and their evaluation for commercial implementation within a biorefinery.

In the food processing environment, Listeria monocytogenes has the ability to persist on the surfaces, resulting in serious safety concerns. This study aimed to determine the anti-biofilm activity of N-Mannich bases of berberine linking piperazine (MBP) against L. monocytogenes. Among the MBPs used in this study, MBP5 and MBP6 (200 μg/mL) showed a significant decrease in the L. monocytogenes biofilm on the surface of polystyrene at low (4 °C) and high (37 °C) temperatures (approximately ≥ 50% reduction). Both MBPs also reduced the L. monocytogenes biofilm on the surface of stainless steel at low and high temperatures (approximately ≥ 1 log CFU/cm2 reduction). According to fluorescence and scanning electron microscopic analyses, both MBPs prevented the clustered and aggregated forms of L. monocytogenes, which are typical biofilm characteristics; thus, suggesting that both MBPs effectively reduced the L. monocytogenes biofilm. In addition, XTT reduction and ATP production clearly showed that the viability of L. monocytogenes was obviously decreased in the presence of MBP5 and MBP6. Collectively, these results suggest that MBP5 and MBP6 might be used as promising anti-biofilm agents to prevent the L. monocytogenes biofilm.

In this study, Lysinibacillus sp. RGS was evaluated to synthesize polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from a broad range of pure carbon sources and residual sugars of chemically pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysates. Effects of supplementation of nutrients and various experimental variables to enhance PHB accumulation were investigated. Results of optimized parameters were identified as 48 h, 37 °C, pH 7; inoculums concentration (2.5% v/v) and shaking condition (100 rpm). Growth kinetics and bioprocess parameters of Lysinibacillus sp. using SCB hydrolysates with corn steep liquor (2%) accounted for the maximum cell growth (8.65 g/L) and PHA accumulation (61.5%) with PHB titer of (5.31 g/L) under optimal conditions. The produced biopolymer was studied by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and the results revealed the obtained to be PHB. Thus Lysinibaciluus sp. exhibits high potential in industrial scale manufacture of PHB using SCB as an inexpensive substrate.

A method has been developed and validated for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the electronic liquid/gas (e-liquid/e-gas) of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and ignitable/non-ignitable smokeless cigarettes by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. The proposed method was further applied to detect the presence of PAHs in 16 commercially available smoking cessation aids. The analytical method for benz [a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo [b]fluoranthene, benzo [k]fluoranthene, benzo [a]pyrene, dibenz [a,h]anthracene, and benzo [g,h,i]perylene (BghiP) was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery (%), accuracy (%), and precision (%). Results showed low levels of PAHs in all samples, except for the non-ignitable cigarettes. In particular, BghiP was detected in e-liquid even though a mixture of food-grade propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin was used, and at least one PAH was present in the e-gas of all e-cigarettes, except for one. From these results, it is necessary to prepare an accurate quantitative analysis method and investigate unexpected hazardous materials generated from smoking cessation aids to prevent health problems and provide the scientific basis for safety management.

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are an important waste product millions of tons generated from coffee consumption and could be effectively utilized for various applications due to their high organic content. SCG can be used as a potential feedstock to develop coffee-based biorefinery towards value-added products generation through various biotechnological processes. Considerable developments have been reported on emerging SCG-based processes/products in various environmental fields such as removal of heavy metals and cationic dyes and in wastewater treatment. In addition, SCG are also utilized to produce biochar and biofuels. This review addressed the details of innovative processes used to produce polymers and catalysts from SCG. Moreover, the application of these developed products is provided and future directions of the circular economy for SCG utilization.

Equisetum arvense is well known to hold numerous bioactive phytochemicals. In biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs), the bioactive compounds existing in natural materials like medicinal fern act as reducing and capping elements and this NPs synthesis process do not comprise of any toxic elements making them advantageous from other NPs synthesis process. After collection, identification and extraction of Equisetum arvense (Ea) aqueous extract, the biosynthesis of AgNPs was achieved followed by its characterization and multi-biopotential activity studies. The UV–visible spectroscopy, confirmed the biosynthesis of Ea-AgNPs. X-ray diffraction configurations (XRD) identified the crystalline nature of the NPs. The Elemental composition of the NPs was elucidated by the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the structure of Ea-AgNPs. Bioactive compounds existing in Ea-extract accounting for Ag + ion reduction, capping and stabilization of NPs was detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and the zeta potential was carried out to know the size and charge of Ea-AgNPs. The Ea-AgNPs exhibited high antidiabetic effect in terms of α-glucosidase inhibition, high cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cell lines along with antibacterial and antioxidant effect. This study reports biosynthesis of Ea-AgNPs using aqueous extract of Ea, its substantial anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant and antibacterial effects, which could be advantageous to pharmaceutical industries in the controlling of various diseases including diabetes, cancer, and antibacterial related diseases.

This study investigated a one-pot green and sustainable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis by utilizing Portulaca oleracea leaves (PNL) aqueous extract as a reducing agent. The physical and chemical characteristics of the produced AgNPs were studied by employing numerous standard analytical techniques. The analytical outcomes suggest that PNL-AgNPs were crystalline in nature, fabricated with PNL phytochemicals, and circular in shape measuring ∼20 nm in size. Biosynthesized PNL-AgNPs exhibited a significant photocatalytic activity for degrading various reactive textile dyes without the need of any reducing agent. Particularly, of the reactive textile dyes, PNL-AgNPs exhibited higher photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Green 19A (RG19A), wherein its deterioration was studied by measuring the reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD; 84%) and total organic carbon (TOC; 75%) within 60 min of incubation. The effects of various influencing operational factors, such as temperature, pH, light condition, photocatalyst amount, and dye concentrations, on the photocatalytic degradation of RG19A were systematically examined. The catalytic activity of PNL-AgNPs remains stable up to three repeated cycles, which upsurges the real-world applicability of PNL-AgNPs in textile wastewater treatment. PNL-AgNPs showed significant antibacterial activity and synergy with commercial antibiotics against human pathogenic bacteria. The mechanism underlying antibacterial activity was determined based on bacterial cell membrane disruption and cytoplasmic content leakage. PNL-AgNPs potentially constrain the activity of α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes, which are marker enzymes of diabetes. The results obtained indicate the potential application of synthesized PNL-AgNPs in environmental and nano-biomedical applications.

Development of an effective pretreatment method is a vital stage to enhance biomass-based biopolymers production. The present study aims on the pretreatment of wheat waste biomass (WS) with alkaline and in combination with ultrasound (US) treatment to enhance enzymatic saccharification of WS into monomeric sugars. Effects of chemical dosage, substrate loading, US power and US pretreatment time on the pretreatment efficiency were systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions; US + NaOH pretreatment attained maximum 70% delignification of WS, with 84.5% hydrolysis yield, 90% glucose yield and 65% xylose yield after enzymatic hydrolysis (30 FPU/g of dry WS) which is substantially higher than the individual pretreatment. Analytical studies (XRD, FTIR, and SEM) revealed that the combined US + NaOH pretreatment can effectively destroyed the ultrastructure of biomass and improved the accessibility to hydrolyzing enzymes. The resulted enzymatic hydrolysates were utilized as a possible biomass feedstock for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production using Ralstonia eutropha. Effects of supplementation of nutrients, stressing agents and initial concentration of US + NaOH pretreated WS hydrolysates (20 to 40 g/L) on PHB production were evaluated. The maximum 74% PHA accumulation, PHB titer of 7.85 g/L and yield of PHB about 0.441 g/g of reducing sugar production was obtained. Analytical characterization and thermal characteristics of extracted biopolymer showed the poperies of standard PHB. The foregoing results suggested the potential of WS as an alternate renewable resource for sustainable biopolymer production and enables WS waste biomass disposal concerns.

Present day rising necessity for rare earth elements (REE) is of great interest for its recovery through processing various waste materials concerning both economic and environmental benefits. The present study investigates the recovery potential of yttrium from fluorescent lamp waste using a hydrometallurgical process. Leaching of metals from the waste was studied by applying acids viz. hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Influence of various factors (solid:liquid ratio, reaction temperature, reaction time, and acid concentration) were conducted by full factorial design for the recovery of yttrium. Experimental variables such as decomposition, leaching and the oxide preparation were studied and the mechanisms responsible during the progress in each step was systematically investigated. The optimal experimental conditions attained with 40% solid/liquid ratio, at 45 °C in 0.5 h at 150 rpm, with 3N H2SO4 concentration. Whereas, HCl and HNO3 leachants showed poor performance. Leaching process conducted in this study were best suited to ‘ash diffusion control dense constant size-spherical particles model’, which means that the diffusion process through the ash is the rate regulatory step in the leaching process. With increase in the concentration of oxalic acid as precipitating agent, a reduction in the nuclear induction period resulted indicating a higher sedimentation rate and shorter equilibration time. In addition, crystal nucleation rate and crystal growth rate, showed that the reaction velocity of the crystal nucleation ‘p’ is 2.88 and the crystal growth degree and value increases with the increase in the concentration of oxalic acid (n: 0.3437–0.4872). The precipitation rate was improved with the rise in temperature (from 25 °C to 45 °C) while the sedimentation rate was found negligible above 45 °C. This detailed study methodology can be considered as a feasible process thus creating a possibility to treat fluorescent waste lamp powders for various industrial applications.

The present investigation aimed to develop analytical methods to determine carbonyl compounds and nicotine and to assess the carbonyl compounds and nicotine concentrations in commercial refill solutions for electronic no-smoking aids (ENSAs). The analytical methods for carbonyl compounds and nicotine in refill solutions for ENSAs were developed and analyzed from 30 popular branded products by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography. They were then validated in terms of linearity of the calibration curve, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy (%), and precision (%). Further, the existence of carbonyl compounds and nicotine in the refill solutions for ENSAs was also evaluated. None of the samples contained nicotine, but carbonyl compounds were sensed in a concentration range from 0.9 to 11.65 μg/mL. Manufacturers of ENSA refill solutions have advertised no-smoking aids as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and as free from harmful substances. However, carbonyl compounds were detected in all 30 samples. The investigation of ENSA refill solutions needs to be broadened to gain a better accepting of the existence of harmful materials in ENSA refill solutions and prevent unsuspected ill-health effects.

Cooking-related carcinogens are formed during the heating or processing of foods. To date, numerous studies analyzing carcinogens present in cooking ingredients or formed through different cooking methods have been conducted. However, combined risk assessment is important for practical reasons. The purpose of this study was to conduct a combined risk assessment of five cooking-related genotoxic carcinogens encompassing 25 chemicals: heterocyclic amines, acrylamide, furan, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrosamines. Oral Slope Factor (OSF) and benchmark dose lower-bound confidence limit 10% (BMDL10) of the compounds were obtained from public databases, and the values for the compounds that did not have published reference values were approximated using related toxicity values. The high-risk contributing food items and cooking methods for each carcinogen were selected for the study based on the Korean Total Diet Study (TDS) and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Exposure to the carcinogens from selected dishes per serving was estimated based on concentrations determined in TDS and consumption data gathered from 24-h recalls in the 2014 to 2016 KNHANES. The combined cancer risks were obtained by summing the risks of individual compounds in a dish, which were calculated by multiplying the OSF values by the concentrations of carcinogens per serving. The combined risks were used to compare the risk of different dishes, not to calculate the lifetime risk from the individual dishes. The risks of the dishes prepared with potatoes were found to be high, whereas namul (vegetable dish) had the lowest risk. Soup or stew dishes exhibited relatively high risks. Estimated combined risks based on BMDL10 showed similar trends, except for fried potatoes and roasted or fried meat dishes. Combined risks of cooking-related carcinogens may vary based on the major contributors of individual carcinogens. The results of this study could provide an insightful guideline for selecting menus for consumers.

Five human intestinal Bifidobacterium spp. (B. longum, B. adolescentis, B. breve, B. bifidum, and B. infantis) and intestinal microorganism (Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron, Clostridium perfringens, Eubacterium aerofaciens, and Enterococcus faecalis) were cultured in De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) medium or thioglycollate medium supplemented (5% w/v) with different unifloral honeys (sourwood, alfalfa, or sage). Inoculated samples were incubated anaerobically at 37 °C for 48 h. Samples were collected at 12 h intervals and examined for specific growth rate. Levels of fermentation end products (lactic and acetic acids) produced by Bifidobacterium spp. were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Growth of intestinal microorganisms co-cultured with Bifidobacterium spp. in the presence of different unifloral honeys were also examined. All three honeys enhanced (p