Research Publications (Food Safety)

The development of new types of fungicides for agriculture and medicine is highly desirable due to the uprising fungal resistance against commonly used compounds. Herein, 4-substituted-4-nitropyrazolin-5-ones (nitropyrazolones) were proposed as highly active fungicides of the novel structural type.

Four new carotane sesquiterpenoids, byssocarotins A–D (1–4), two new nor-sesquiterpenoids, byssofarnesin (5) and byssosesquicarin (6), and three new polyketides, byssoketides A and B (7 and 8) and (8R)-paecilocin A (9a), were obtained from a macroalga-associated strain (RR-dl-2-13) of the fungus Byssochlamys spectabilis.

Eurotium cristatum is a potential probiotic fungus that is used to enhance Fuzhuan tea quality through fermentation and could reduce obesity by modulating gut dysbiosis. This study aimed to investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of killed E. cristatum (KEC) and its polysaccharides (ECP) in ulcerative colitis (UC) relief. KEC and ECP were administered to mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced UC.

Hundreds of different fast-growing Salix hybrids have been developed mainly for energy crops. In this paper, we studied water extracts from the bark of 15 willow hybrids and species as potential antimicrobial additives. Treatment of ground bark in water under mild conditions extracted 12–25% of the dry material.

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) secreted by Staphylococcus aureus frequently contaminate food and cause serious foodborne diseases but are ignored during food processing and even cold-chain storage. Notably, SEs are stable and resistant to harsh sterilization environments, which can induce more serious hazards to public health than the bacterium itself. Therefore, it is necessary to develop promising strategies to control SE contamination in food and improve food safety.

Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a polyphenol derived from olive oil, was examined against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis to study its potential in preventing colitis and the underlying mechanisms involved. The low dose and high dose of HT used in mice were 10 and 50 mg/kg, respectively. Research findings have shown that HT is effective in preventing colitis by alleviating the signs of colitis.

Salmonella is one of the main pathogenic factors that cause foodborne diseases. Rapid and accurate detection of Salmonella in food is of great importance to ensure food safety. Nicking enzyme-assisted amplification (NEAA) is one of the promising isothermal amplification methods finishing the in vitro amplification in ∼10 min; however, it suffers from nonspecific amplification a lot (∼70% products are noises).

Quinoa contains rich saponins, which are removed during processing and cause ecological waste. We extracted saponins from quinoa (SEQ) in black, white, and red cultivars and compared their composition by spectrophotometric assay and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis combined with acid hydrolysis. The digestion and fermentation properties of SEQ were investigated using an in vitro model.

Viable foodborne pathogens can cause intestinal infection and food poisoning. Herein, we reported an RNA assay allowing for sensitive (close to 1 CFU and 1% viable bacteria detectable) and rapid (within 2.5 h) detection of viable pathogenic bacteria by coupling isothermal RNA amplification (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, NASBA) with a CRISPR/Cas13a system. NASBA allowed direct amplification of 16S rRNA extracted from viable S.

The aim was to investigate the effect of lotus seed resistant starch (LRS) on lactic acid (LA) conversion to butyric acid (BA) fermented by rat fecal microbiota to construct an acetyl CoA pathway. According to growth curves, the microbiota compositions at 10 and 36 h were further analyzed. The microbiota in the LRS group had higher richness and diversity compared to glucose (GLU) and high amylose maize starch (HAMS).

Plantaricin EmF separated and identified from L. plantarum 163 was a novel class IIb bacteriocin. The molecular masses of plantaricin Em and F were 1638 and 3702 Da, respectively, with amino acid sequences FNRGGYNFGKSVRH and VFHAYSARGVRNNYKSAVGPADWVISAVRGFIHG, respectively. Plantaricin EmF not only exhibited broad-pH adaptability and thermostability but also showed high efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Its mode of action on L.

Plantaricin EmF separated and identified from L. plantarum 163 was a novel class IIb bacteriocin. The molecular masses of plantaricin Em and F were 1638 and 3702 Da, respectively, with amino acid sequences FNRGGYNFGKSVRH and VFHAYSARGVRNNYKSAVGPADWVISAVRGFIHG, respectively. Plantaricin EmF not only exhibited broad-pH adaptability and thermostability but also showed high efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Its mode of action on L.

The aim was to investigate the effect of lotus seed resistant starch (LRS) on lactic acid (LA) conversion to butyric acid (BA) fermented by rat fecal microbiota to construct an acetyl CoA pathway. According to growth curves, the microbiota compositions at 10 and 36 h were further analyzed. The microbiota in the LRS group had higher richness and diversity compared to glucose (GLU) and high amylose maize starch (HAMS).

This study was conducted to investigate how chito-oligosaccharides (COSs) affect the growth performance and immune stress response and to further explain their mechanisms. A total of 32 boars that were 28 days old and three-way weaned were randomly allotted to four equal groups [CON (basal diet) group, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) group, COS group, and COS*ETEC group].

Companilactobacillus crustorum usually serves as a starter culture for the food industry. Recent studies revealed that this species also possesses probiotic properties. Genome engineering, including point mutation or gene deletion, is desired to understand the mechanisms of its probiotic and fermentation properties. To tackle the hurdle in genetic manipulation in C. crustorum, here, we established a fast and easy CRISPR/Cas9-based platform for precise genome editing in this species.

An excellent bactericidal effect of octyl gallate (OG)-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) against foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) was evaluated in relation to the mode of action. UV-A irradiation (wavelength, 365 nm; irradiance, 8.254 ± 0.18 mW/cm2) of the bacterial suspension containing 0.15 mM OG could lead to a >5-log reduction of viable cell counts within 30 min for E. coli and only 5 min for S. aureus.

Accurate and rapid quantification of foodborne pathogens is of great significance for food safety and human health. In this work, we have successfully constructed a fluorescence quenching collapsar probe (FQCP) on the basis of a conventional aptamer-encoded molecular beacon (AEMB) and applied it for the detection of Salmonella. In structure, the FQCP is assembled by AEMBs in fours via specific streptavidin and biotin binding.

In this study, the dihydropteroate synthase of Staphylococcus aureus was obtained, and its recognition mechanisms for 31 sulfonamide drugs were studied. Results showed that their core structure matched well with the binding pocket of para-aminobenzoic acid, and all the sulfonamide side chains were out of the binding pocket. Hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the main intermolecular forces, and the key amino acids were Gly171 and Lys203.

The effects of ultrasound combined with glycation (UCG) on the allergenicity and human microbial community of β-Lg during in vitro digestion were studied by ELISA, cell experiments, and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. UCG modification and subsequent digestion significantly reduced allergenicity.

Cinnamaldehyde is a natural antimicrobial food preservative. Previous studies have suggested that cinnamaldehyde interacts with the cell membrane, but the molecular targets of cinnamaldehyde action on foodborne pathogens are still unclear. In this study, the structural changes of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli cells were observed after cinnamaldehyde treatment.

Foodborne pathogens can cause illnesses. Existing tools for detecting foodborne pathogens are typically time-consuming or require complex protocols. Here, we report an assay to directly analyze pathogenic genes based on CRISPR-Cas12. This new test, termed proximal DNA probe-based CRISPR-Cas12 (PPCas12), facilitates the detection of foodborne pathogens without amplification steps.

Acrylamide (AA) is a heat-induced toxicant, which can cause severe damage to health. In the present study, SD rats were used to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of allicin dietary supplementation in the rats with AA-induced intestinal injury. The elevated expression of occludin, claudin-1, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), mucin 2, and mucin 3 indicated that oral allicin alleviated the intestinal epithelial barrier breakage induced by AA, compared with the AA-treated group.

Staphylococcus aureus can cause many diseases and has a strong tendency to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics. In this study, benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) was shown to have an excellent inhibitory effect on S. aureus ATCC25923 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 10 μg/mL. Under a scanning electron microscope, shrinkage and lysis of the cellular envelope were observed when exposed to BITC, and a bactericidal mode of BITC against S.

A multifunctional surface, subsurface and systemic therapeutic (MS3T) formulation comprised of two bactericides, both didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and a zinc (Zn)-chelate, was developed as an alternative to copper pesticides for crop protection. Agricultural grade chemicals were used to prepare MS3T formulations. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined to be tested in vitro against Xanthomonas alfalfae subsp. citrumelonis (herein called Xa), Escherichia coli (E.

Staphylococcus aureus RF122 is a major pathogen that causes bovine mastitis, which is the most prevalent and costly disease in the milk and dairy industry. S. aureus expresses various virulence factors that are especially highly associated with iron metabolism, and the bacterial ferrous iron transport system Feo is important for bacterial growth or virulence in mammalian hosts. In this study, we evaluated a new antimicrobial agent, PHT-427, targeting the S.