Addition of phytochemical-rich plant extracts mitigate the antimicrobial activity of essential oil/wine mixtures against Escherichia coli O157:H7 but not against Salmonella enterica

Marinades for preparing raw meats for cooking are frequently made of wine and herbs. We simulated several formulations of potential antimicrobial marinades with these components and other food compatible/food derived extracts. Red wine formulations containing essential oils from oregano or thyme, or their primary active components carvacrol and thymol, respectively, and a mixture of plant extract powders from phytochemical-rich apple skin, green tea, and olive, were evaluated for inhibitory activity against the foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica. Red wine alone exhibited low activity, as did the plant extract suspended in the wine. Surprisingly, the high activity of oregano or thyme essential oils in red wine was reduced in E. coli, but not in Salmonella, by addition of the plant extract. This study shows that essential oils in red wine can be an effective antimicrobial in food, however the possibility exists that phytochemicals, added to the treatment solution or natively present in the food itself, could adversely impact the antimicrobial activity and should be addressed with future studies.     

The protective effect of monosodium glutamate on survival of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus rhamnosus E-97800 (E800) strains during spray-drying and storage in trehalose-containing powders

The use of trehalose as a means of preserving Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and L. rhamnosus E-97800 (E800) during spray-drying and the effects of incorporated monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the carrier medium on the survival rates during drying and storage were examined. E800 was more resistant to heat than LGG in 20%, w/w, trehalose; the d-values at 65 °C were 14 s and 5.1 s, respectively. An air outlet temperature of 65–70 °C was taken as optimal for the drying process, as the resultant moisture levels in trehalose containing these bacteria were 4.1% (w/w) and 3.79% (w/w) with corresponding viable counts of 3.65 × 10⁸ cfu mL^?1 and 1.80 × 10⁹ cfu mL^?1, respectively. The presence of MSG increased the final viable counts of LGG and E800 to 3.05 × 10⁹ cfu mL^?1 and 1.30 × 10⁹ cfu mL^?1, respectively. Survival of LGG and E800 remained constant at a minimum level of ～10⁸ cfu mL^?1 during storage at 25 °C in trehalose–MSG medium.     

不同干燥成形方式的白叶红茶品质分析

目的 研究不同干燥成形方式对白叶红茶品质的影响。方法 以白叶1号鲜叶为原料, 采用相同的萎凋、揉捻、初烘程序, 用不同的干燥做形方式制成不同形态的红茶,以感官审评结合理化分析的方法对不同形态的红茶进行了品质分析。结果 通过不同干燥成形方式获得了卷曲形、毛峰型、针形、扁形4种形态的红茶。4种红茶茶黄素、茶红素及氨基酸含量稍有差别,针形红茶茶黄素、类黄酮与氨基酸总量略高, 有利于提高其饮用价值,但4种红茶色、香、味感官品质总体接近。二次干燥(足火)-成形过程促使不同形态白叶红茶香气组成发生一定变化, 进而对红茶香型产生了细微影响,4种红茶以甜香为基本香型,卷曲型红茶香气特征偏于花香,扁形红茶略带果香。结论 毛火过程对白叶红茶品质的形成和固定具有关键意义, 干燥成形方式不改变总的香气特征, 但可使白叶红茶的具体香型发生细微分化。     

Mechanical properties of graphene films enhanced by homo-telechelic functionalized polymer fillers via π–π stacking interactions

Most researches on graphene/polymer composites are focusing on improving the mechanical and electrical properties of polymers at low graphene content instead of paying attention to constructing graphene’s macroscopic structures. In current study the homo-telechelic functionalized polyethylene glycols (FPEGs) were tailored with π-orbital-rich groups (namely phenyl, pyrene and di-pyrene) via esterification reactions, which enhanced the interaction between polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules and chemical reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets. The π–π stacking interactions between graphene sheets and π-orbital-rich groups endowed the composite films with enhanced tensile strength and tunable electrical conductivity. The formation of graphene network structure mediated by the FPEGs fillers via π–π stacking non-covalent interactions should account for the experimental results. The experimental investigations were also complemented with theoretical calculation using a density functional theory. Atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to monitor the step-wise preparation of graphene composite films.