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A highly selective and effective method was successfully developed using magnetic molecular imprinted polymers (MMIPs) as solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) to rapidly determine cephalexin (CFX) in complex animal-derived food. MMIPs were creatively synthesized via suspension polymerization using Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as supporter, CFX as template, acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker. The MMIPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The binding process fitted well with pseudo-second-order model with good selectivity. Scatchard plot analysis suggested that MMIPs have two types of binding sites with the Qmax of 24.18 mg g−1 and 40.25 mg g−1, respectively. And Langmuir model proved that the recognition sites were uniformly distributed in a monolayer on the surface of MMIPs. The methodological assessment showed good applicability of MMIPs with excellent recovery (85.5%–94.0%), precision (1.2%–2.4%), and stability (intra-day 1.3%–3.6%; inter-day 2.6%–4.3%) in determining CFX content. In addition, the linearity of the calibration curve was good in the range of 0.02–5.00 mg L−1, with a sensitive detection limit of 5.00 μg kg−1. The results above suggest that the obtained MMIPs exert good performance for separation of CFX in animal-derived food, and the proposed method is suitable for the reliable determination of CFX in complex samples.

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensors based on Zr (IV)-loaded collagen fiber (ZrCF), a novel material with great porous structure, were developed. This novel material shows adsorbability by microorganisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli were used for the construction of BOD sensors. Factors affecting BOD sensor performance were examined. The ZrCF-based BOD sensor showed different sensitivities and linear response ranges with different biofilm densities. The amount of microorganisms strongly affected the performance of the BOD sensor. Poor permeability of previously reported immobilization carriers were greatly circumvented by ZrCF. The service life of the ZrCF-based BOD sensor was more than 42 days. The immobilized microorganisms can be stored for more than 6 months under 4 °C in PB solution. There was good correlation between the results of the sensor method and the standard 5-day BOD method in the determination of pure organic substrates and real water samples.

Magnetic molecular imprinted polymers with ionic liquid used as an auxiliary solvent (IL@MMIPs) for the recognition of the methyl carbamate pesticide carbaryl (CBR) in foodstuff have been synthesized. The properties and application of IL@MMIPs were determined. The kinetic and isotherm adsorption processes were found to follow the pseudo-second-order and the Scatchard models, respectively. The selective experiment showed that the IL@MMIPs exhibited good selectivity to CBR compared to magnetic nonimprinted polymers with IL (IL@MNIPs). By using the IL@MMIPs as an adsorbent for the enrichment of CBR in food samples, the limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ, S/N = 10) of this method were 3 μg kg−1 and 10 μg kg−1, respectively. Compared with the traditional method, the IL@MMIP method has better recoveries (83.23–99.83%), precision (1.12–2.09%), and stabilization (intraday, 1.08–2.81%; interday, 2.26–3.30%). IL@MMIPs are an ideal adsorbent that could be applied to conveniently detect CBR in complex food, and the proposed method can be considered as a selective and sensitive alternative to traditional methods with affordable cost, avoiding the complex pretreatment procedure.

The authors have synthesized a phosphorescent probe of type SiO2-QD-MIP, where QD stands for Mn:ZnS quantum dots and MIP is a polymer coating that was molecularly imprinted with cephalexin. The nanoprobe with high specificity was prepared via sol-gel polymerization using thioglycolic acid (TGA)-modified QDs as luminescent materials, cephalexin as the template, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the functional monomer, and tetraethoxysilane as the crosslinking agent. The SiO2-QD-MIPs were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The orange emission of the probe, with excitation/emission maxima at 295/590 nm, decreases linearly in the 2.5–50 μg·L−1 cephalexin concentration range with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.81 μg·L−1. The nanoprobe was successfully applied to the determination of cephalexin in (spiked) raw milk and milk powder. The recoveries ranged from 91.7 to 103.7%.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory mechanism of cell-free supernatants of Lactobacillus plantarum (LCFS) on Proteus mirabilis and estimate the expression of histamine synthesis-related genes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the LCFS and antibacterial curve assay was determined by the tube double-dilution method. The antibacterial mechanism was explored by cell integrity, morphology, and structure of P. mirabilis. Further, the expression of the histidine decarboxylase (hdcA) gene and histidine/histamine antiporter (hdcP) gene of P. mirabilis and the intracellular and extracellular contents of histidine and histamine were determined. The MIC of the LCFS was 12.5 mg/mL, and the antibacterial curve assay showed an inhibited growth of P. mirabilis. The increase in the Alkaline Phosphatase (AKP) content, membrane permeability, and potential indicated the destruction of the cytoplasm, cell membrane, and cell wall of P. mirabilis. The results of SEM and TEM revealed that the LCFS disrupted the normal morphology and structure of the cell. Moreover, differences in the extracellular and intracellular histidine and histamine content between the MIC group and the control group was consistent with the decreased expression of hdcA and hdcP genes in the MIC group observed in the previous antimicrobial studies. Hence, the inhibitory mechanism of LCFS on histamine formation was clarified at cellular and molecular levels.

In this study, the cypermethrin binding characteristics of lactic acid bacteria were investigated for the first time. Two strains, Lactobacillus plantarum RS60 and Pediococcus acidilactici D15, possessed the highest cypermethrin removal capacity and good tolerance to simulated digestive juices. They were employed for further studies on cypermethrin binding characteristics. 55.06% and 56.46% of cypermethrin were removed within 0.25 h by strains RS60 and D15, respectively. The effect of pH on binding capacity was negligible. Heat treatment enhanced cypermethrin binding rate. Moreover, inactive cells were capable of removing cypermethrin from fruit and vegetable juices, with over 60% cypermethrin reduction within 2 h. No adverse effect was found on the quality of juice during the biosorption process. Besides, these two strains also could bind other several pyrethroids and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid. These findings indicated that L. plantarum RS60 and P. acidilactici D15 may be useful to reduce cypermethrin in contaminated foods.

This paper reports the development of a novel probe based on magnetic room-temperature phosphorescence quantum dots with molecularly imprinted polymers (MQD-MIPs) for the rapid detection of trace norfloxacin (NFX) residual in complex food matrix. The highly selective probe was constructed by surface molecular imprinting technology using magnetic materials (Fe3O4 nanoparticles) as core, Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (Mn-ZnS QDs) as phosphorescent materials, NFX as template, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as functional monomer, and tetraethoxysilane as crosslinking agent. The as-obtained MQD-MIPs were characterized in detail by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and vibrating sample magnetometer. A magnetic strength of 37.64 emu g−1 was recorded. Also, the probe displayed excellent room temperature phosphorescence properties with excitation/emission peaks at 300/590 nm. Under the optimized conditions, the detection time was less than 40 min, phosphorescence intensity varied linearly with concentration from 1 to 90 μg·L−1, and detection limit reached as low as 0.80 μg·L−1. Furthermore, the MQD-MIPs-based probe successfully detected norfloxacin residues in spiked fish and milk samples with recoveries of 90.92–111.53% and RSD

In this study, an efficient, selective, and simple analytical method for the extraction of chloramphenicol (CAP) from food using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) as the solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent was successfully developed. MMIPs with varying ratios of methacrylic acid to acrylamide were prepared by suspension polymerization on the surface of double-bond-modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. Further, these MMIPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, as well as using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of MMIPs and MNIPs were investigated by binding experiments. Methodology evaluation for the detection of CAP from food was carried out using MMIPs as the SPE sorbent. By using an external magnetic field, MMIPs were separated by a simple and rapid method. The diameter of the so-obtained MMIPs, exhibiting good monodispersity, was 400–700 nm. The MMIPs exhibited the maximum apparent adsorption capacity of up to 42.60 mg g−1 with good selectivity. For the detection of food samples, the linear response range was 0.02–10.00 mg L−1, with a detection limit of 10 μg L−1, and intra- and inter-day stabilities ranged from 1.34% to 1.89% and from 1.76% to 2.77%, respectively, with good recoveries (95.31%–106.89%) and satisfactory relative standard deviations (1.21%–2.60%).

We extracted collagen (CL) from the scales of Ctenopharyngodon idella and fabricated a CL self-assembly film. Catalase (CAT) was immobilized on the films using cross-linking, adsorption, and embedding methods. The activity and operational stability of immobilized CAT were investigated, along with the influence of the concentration of glutaraldehyde (GTA) and of the initial concentration of embedded CAT. The results showed that the CL triple helix remained intact. Differential scanning calorimetry data showed that the thermal stability of CL was significantly improved by neutral salt-induced self-aggregation and GTA cross-linking. The immobilized enzyme had high activity and good operational stability. When the enzyme concentration reached 0.5 mg/mL, immobilized enzyme activity of grass carp scales reached a maximum of 2596 U/g, and after twenty-two uses, enzyme activity remained above 50%, and it could be reused >45 times (CAT = 0.5 mg/mL, GTA = 5%, Temperature = 30 °C, pH = 7). Moreover, the optimum temperature and pH of immobilized CAT were 35 °C and 7, respectively, while the same for free CAT was 30 °C and 7, respectively. This indicated that immobilization of CAT has a protective effect.

The exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Se-enriched Lactobacillus plantarum BC-25 was purified to illustrate its structure and conformational characterization. The yield of EPS (324.80mg/l) was obtained with a sodium selenite concentration of 6μg/ml. The results indicated that the EPS was soluble in water, but insoluble in organic solvents. The molecular weight of this highly thermal stability EPS was 1.83×10(4)Da and 1.33×10(4)Da with or without Se enriched respectively. The EPS was composed of mannose, galactose and glucose in a molar ratio of 92.21:1.79:6.00 and 91.36:2.44:6.20 with or without Se. This compound had a backbone of (1→2)-linked Man, (1→2.6)-linked Glc, (2→6)-linked Man, and (2→6)-linkedGal confirmed by GC-MS. IR analysis suggested that the EPS belonged to heteropolysaccharide with a pyran group, with possible presence of SeO and CSeC residues that Se may substitutes CH3 in -OCH3 in the polysaccharide as confirmed by NMR spectroscopy.