Functional properties of reduced moisture fruits as ingredients in food systems

Fruit pieces of some species have been processed to be used as ingredients in various food systems, either by partial dehydration alone or by osmosis and partial dehydration, to achieve different levels of water activity and solids contents in the final products.

The relationships existing among processing, phase composition after processing and functional properties of the products have been assessed within a useful range of water content and water activity.

The functional properties are expressed as diagrams relating the phase composition (soluble solids, insoluble solids and water) to the range of consistencies obtainable at various water activities. These diagrams provide a useful tool for preparing fruit ingredients suitable for specific food systems.     

Determination of Iron Species in Samples of Iron-Fortified Food

The paper presents the determination of iron forms in food products. The procedure of sample extraction was developed and optimized, preserving the content of particular forms of iron. The colorimetric method using 2,2′-bipirydyl (measurements at 520 nm) was applied in Fe(II) determinations, while in Fe(III) determinations, the colorimetric method with potassium thiocyanate (measurements at 470 nm) was applied. The total content of iron was determined by the technique of atomic absorption spectrometry, which allowed for the determination of iron content in organic and inorganic complex compounds. Detection limits of 1 mg kg^?1 were obtained for all determined iron forms, with the precision ranging between 0.7 % and 1.5 % for 10 mg kg^?1 concentration. The optimized analytical procedure was applied in the determinations of iron forms in iron-fortified food products.     

Determination of viability of Aeromonas hydrophila in increasing concentrations of sodium chloride at different temperatures by flow cytometry and plate count technique

Aeromonads in waters and foods can represent a risk to human health. Factors such as sodium chloride concentration and temperature can affect growth and viability of several food and water-borne pathogens. The behaviour of an Aeromonas hydrophila strain in the presence of 1.7%, 3.4% and 6% NaCl concentrations at 24 degrees C and 4 degrees C was studied over a 188 day period. Viability and membrane potential were assessed by flow cytometry; growth was evaluated by plate count technique. Flow cytometry evidenced that A. hydrophila retained viability over the period although varying according to temperature and salt concentrations. Colony Forming Units were generally lower in number than viable cells especially in the presence of 6% NaCl, indicating the occurrence of stressed cells which maintain metabolic activity yet are not able to grow on agar plates. In conclusion, A. hydrophila showed a long-term halotolerance even at elevated (6%) NaCl concentrations and a lesser sensitivity to salt at low temperature; therefore, low temperature and salt, which are two important factors limiting bacterial growth, do not assure safety in the case of high initial contamination. Finally, cytometry appears a valid tool for the rapid detection of the viability of pathogenic bacteria in food and environmental matrices to control and prevent health risks.     

Campylobacter jejuni loss of culturability in aqueous microcosms and ability to resuscitate in a mouse model

Water is known as one of the main transmission routes of Campylobacter and contributes to increase the number of sporadic infections and outbreaks. Campylobacter jejuni persists in the environment, especially in water, in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) form that is thought to be a possible cause of water-borne outbreaks. In this study, we evaluated the loss of culturability and viability of 9 C. jejuni strains of clinical origin and one ATCC reference strain when kept at 4 degrees C in artificial sea water (ASW). Culturability was measured as colony-forming units while viability was evaluated by CTC-DAPI double staining and the combined CTC-specific fluorescent antibody technique (CTC-FA). When cultured on Columbia Agar plates, strains exhibited different growth profiles which allowed to classify them into three different groups. Both techniques used to monitor the viability of the bacterial cells showed that C. jejuni strains survived in the VBNC form in the microcosms through a period lasting from 138 to 152 days. The recovery of C. jejuni VBNC forms to culturability, as evidenced by cell division, was obtained by passage in the mouse intestine. Our results indicate that C. jejuni VBNC cells were able to remain in this state for a few months and regain their culturability after in vivo passage depending on their lasting in the VBNC state, which affects the number of respiring bacteria. In fact, the resuscitation was achieved when the number of respiring bacteria became higher than 10(4) cell/ml. Therefore, a relatively high microbial titer of respiring bacteria in the VBNC state seems to be important for the resuscitation and subsequent intestinal colonisation.     

Characterizing dissolved and particulate phosphorus in water with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Management of aquatic ecosystems is hampered because current methodology limits characterization of phosphorus (P)forms. We developed a procedure to characterize dissolved (DP) and particulate (PP) P from river waters by solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, using 4-L samples, and tested this procedure with a spiking trial. Most P was orthophosphate. Organic P forms included phosphonates, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate, and orthophosphate diesters. This research represents an important technical advance to characterize DP and PP in natural waters. It is simple, uses samples small enough for routine collection, and puts PP and DP into the same chemical environment for direct comparison. The technique is sensitive, detecting changes in spectra from P additions as small as 2% of total P, and identifying differences from two points along the flow path of a single river. However, lyophilizing samples in NaOH-ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) may alter some P forms, which requires further investigation.     

Rapid Analysis of Multiple Sudan Dyes in Chili Flakes Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Coupled with Au–Ag Core-Shell Nanospheres

Sudan dyes are often illegally added as colorants into a variety of foodstuffs and have been tied to many food safety issues. In this study, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) coupled with Au–Ag core-shell nanospheres (Au@Ag) was applied to analyze standard solutions of Sudan I–IV and Sudan dyes in chili flakes. With the use of 90 ± 5 nm Au@Ag (Au seed 20 ± 2 nm) as SERS substrate, the lowest detectible concentrations for Sudan I and II were 0.10 mg/L, for Sudan III was 0.08 mg/L, and for Sudan IV was 0.2 mg/L. The use of principal component analysis (PCA) could successfully classify different Sudan dyes based upon the SERS spectra of their standard solutions. For chili flakes, the use of acetonitrile as extraction solvent led to an overall higher sensitivity for analysis of Sudan dyes with SERS method compared to that of methanol, ethanol, and n-hexane. The lowest detectible concentrations for Sudan I–III in chili flakes were 1 mg/kg and for Sudan IV was 2 mg/kg, which were about ten times as much as that for their standard solutions due to the interference of non-target compounds from sample matrices. Partial least squares (PLS) models developed for quantitative analyses showed relatively high linear correlation between the actual and predicted amounts of Sudan dyes in chili flakes (R ² _cv = 0.869–0.959). The results showed great potential of applying Au@Ag as SERS substrate for qualitative and quantitative analysis of Sudan I–IV with simplified sample preparation method.     

Sulfur in wheat gluten: In situ analysis by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy

The sulfur containing gluten proteins largely determine the baking quality of wheat. In order to probe the speciation of sulfur, gluten proteins [gliadin, high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) subunits of glutenin], stored glutenin subunits as well as flour were investigated in situ by S K-edge X-ray near edge absorption structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The spectra confirmed the existence of disulfide bonds in oxidised (oxygen stream) glutenin subunits, supporting their significance for the formation of gluten networks. Additionally, glutenin subunits, which were stored under ambient air and temperature conditions, predominantly contained sulfur of higher oxidation states (sulfoxide, sulfonic acid). The disulfide state and also sulfoxide and sulfonic acid states were detected after reoxidation of glutenin subunits with potassium bromate.     

TBP,PPIA, YWHAZ and EF1A1 Are the Most Stably Expressed Genes during Osteogenic Differentiation

RT-qPCR is the gold standard and the most commonly used method for measuring gene expression. Selection of appropriate reference gene(s) for normalization is a crucial part of RT-qPCR experimental design, which allows accurate quantification and reliability of the results. Because there is no universal reference gene and even commonly used housekeeping genes’ expression can vary under certain conditions, careful selection of an appropriate internal control must be performed for each cell type or tissue and experimental design. The aim of this study was to identify the most stable reference genes during osteogenic differentiation of the human osteosarcoma cell lines MG-63, HOS, and SaOS-2 using the geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper statistical algorithms. Our results show that TBP, PPIA, YWHAZ, and EF1A1 are the most stably expressed genes, while ACTB, and 18S rRNA expressions are most variable. These data provide a basis for future RT-qPCR normalizations when studying gene expression during osteogenic differentiation, for example, in studies of osteoporosis and other bone diseases.