Mass spectrometry-based electric nose system for assessing rice quality during storage at different temperatures

A mass spectrometry-based electronic nose (MS e-nose) was used to measure changes in rice quality during storage at different storage conditions. Rice was stored for 4 months at four different temperatures (0 °C, 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C) and tested for fat acidity, sensory characteristics, and flavor pattern analysis using the MS e-nose. When the rice was stored for long durations at higher temperatures, fat acidity increased and sensory quality was low. Flavor volatile profiles of the rice determined by MS e-nose revealed a tendency for the results to separate into three groups (months 1 + 2, 3, and 4). Volatile profile changes in rice during storage depended on the storage time, regardless of storage temperature. It is likely that the fat acidity and sensory evaluation results, which were related, could be distinguished by their volatile-producing metabolic activities. Accordingly, MS e-nose system was successfully used to screen and qualitatively evaluate stored rice.     

Reduction effect of the selected chemical and physical treatments to reduce L. monocytogenes biofilms formed on lettuce and cabbage

As people shift their attention away from unhealthy foods, healthy fresh produce has become popular. However, fresh produce has contributed to many outbreaks of Listeria monocytogenes, which can form a mature biofilm within 24 h. Recent control strategies have proved ineffective in ensuring safe food production. This study focuses on L. monocytogenes biofilms formed on lettuces and cabbages using a viable plate count method and field emission electron microscopy. We investigated the reduction efficacy of treatment with 200 parts per million (ppm) chlorine, 2% each of citric, lactic, and malic acids, 32 Hz ultrasonication (US), 390 mJ/cm² ultraviolet-C (UV-C), or 750 mJ/cm² cold oxygen plasma (COP) on L. monocytogenes biofilms. Following treatment, the quality of the vegetables was analyzed with standard procedures. UV-C and COP showed the best CFU reduction, regardless of the nature of the vegetable surface, while US failed to produce any significant reduction (P > 0.05). Furthermore, chemical treatments reduced count by < 1 log colony forming unit (CFU)/cm² on lettuces, whereas a > 2 log reduction was observed on cabbages. The effect of chemical treatment largely depended on the particular vegetable, while UV-C and COP achieved high reduction regardless of the vegetable, and had no effect on quality. We, therefore, speculate that UV-C and COP show promise in overcoming L. monocytogenes biofilms on food produce.     

海参废渣皂苷通过核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体信号通路抵抗环磷酰胺诱导小鼠的免疫抑制

在我国海参是一种具有多种生物活性的传统滋补品。本实验系统性地研究了2.5、5.0、10.0 mg/（kg mb·d）海参废渣皂苷（saponins extracted from sea cucumber residues，SCRSS）对免疫抑制小鼠的调节作用。结果表明，与模型对照组相比，5.0 mg/（kg mb·d）SCRSS使小鼠的体质量、脾脏指数和胸腺指数分别增加了15.3%、23.8%和39.8%；5.0 mg/（kg mb·d）SCRSS也极显著增加了免疫抑制小鼠的吞噬指数（P＜0.01）。此外，与模型对照组相比，各剂量SCRSS均明显地增加了血清中细胞因子的水平，并促进了脾淋巴细胞和腹腔巨噬细胞的增殖活性。其中，中等剂量（5.0 mg/（kg mb·d））SCRSS可以更有效地上调免疫抑制小鼠核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域蛋白1、核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域蛋白2、受体相互作用蛋白-2和核因子-κB的表达。结论：SCRSS具有作为提高免疫力的功能性食品补充剂的潜力。     

Emerging functional nanomaterials for the detection of food contaminants

Along with the progress in nanoscience, a variety of advanced functional nanomaterials were constructed to develop effective and innovative analytical techniques for food safety surveillance. In this review, we summarized the advanced analytical methods that have been developed based upon advanced functional nanomaterials, including plasmonic nanomaterial-based colorimetric methods, fluorescent nanomaterial-based fluorescent methods, advanced functional material-based molecular imprinting technology, advanced functional material-based chromatographic methods, plasmonic nanomaterial-based surface enhanced Raman scattering technology, and advanced functional material-based electrochemical methods. This review provides a progressive roadmap for further development of portable, rapid, and in situ detection technology to promote food safety surveillance from bench to market and eventually reduce the gap between research in the laboratory and industrial applications.     

Effects of H2/Cl2 ratio on CVD synthesis of superconducting Nb3Ge tapes

This Paper investigates the effects of H₂/Cl₂ ratio, R_g, [H₂/Cl₂(Nb,Ge)] in chemical vapour deposition processes on the synthesis and superconducting properties of Nb₃Ge tapes. Critical temperature, T_c, critical current density, J_c, and grain size of A15 Nb₃Ge vary considerably with the gas ratio, R_g. The lattice parameter of A15 Nb₃Ge and its volume ratio to Ge-rich Nb₅Ge₃ phases are also dependent on R_g. The volume ratio of A15 Nb₃Ge to Nb₅Ge₃ increases with increasing R_g, while the grain size of Nb₃Ge considerably decreases. The highest T_c, 19 K, (mid-point) was obtained for Nb₃Ge tape where the A15 Nb₃Ge compound coexisted with a small amount of tetragonal or hexagonal Nb₅Ge₃ compounds. The largest J_c was ≈ 4.5 × 10⁸ A m⁻² at 16 T and 4.2 K.     

A helium-filled time projection chamber for a neutron lifetime measurement

The design and performance of a⁴He-filled TPC, constructed to measure the neutron half-life, are described. Preliminary results obtained with radioactive sources and with a chopped neutron beam are discussed.     

Isolation and characterization of Listeria monocytogenes in Chinese food obtained from the central area of China

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from Chinese food, including frozen dumplings, flavored raw meat, roasted meat, braised meat, and a cold vegetable dish with sauce. A total of 900 food samples were collected from supermarkets, open-air markets, and delicatessens in three large cities in the central area of China to examine the presence of L. monocytogenes; 21 (2.3%) of the samples were positive for this pathogen. Among the different samples, braised meat showed the highest L. monocytogenes detection rate (4.4%). Samples obtained from delicatessens showed a much higher L. monocytogenes contamination rate (8.3%) than those from open-air markets (6.7%) or supermarkets (0%). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis indicated that the 21 bacterial isolates belonged to 12 ST subgroups. ST5 was the largest and contained 7 isolates (33.3%); it was followed by ST474, ST121 and ST9 (each containing 2 isolates [10.5%]). Antibiotic susceptibility analysis showed that the 21 L. monocytogenes isolates were thoroughly resistant to cefoxitin but highly susceptible to doxycycline and ciprofloxacin. The presence of 10 virulence genes was evaluated by PCR, which showed that inlA, inlC, inlJ, prfA, hlyA, and plcB were present in all isolates and that inlB, actA, plcA and iap were present in 71.4–90.5% of the isolates. This study provides a useful reference for risk assessment and control of L. monocytogenes contamination in Chinese food and for the treatment of clinical listeriosis.