Inactivation Kinetics of Food Poisoning Microorganisms by Carbon Dioxide and High Hydrostatic Pressure

The inactivation kinetics of food poisoning microorganisms using a combined treatment of carbon dioxide (CO₂) with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was investigated. Staphylococcus aureus, Fusarium oxysporum, and Fusarium sporotrichioides were totally inactivated by a combined treatment of carbonation and HHP at 500 MP_a. Bacillus subtilis, a spore forming bacteria, were not completely inactivated after the combined treatment. The microorganisms treated by carbonation and HHP were exponentially reduced in a pressure range and the D_p ‐value, the Z^p‐value, and the activation volume were determined. UV absorbing materials leaked from injured cells. Morphological changes of the cells were observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.     

Metabolic responses of lactating dairy cows to 14-day intravenous infusions of glucagon.

Twenty cows were assigned at parturition to two groups to study metabolic effects of continuous intravenous infusions of glucagon. Groups were control cows and cows treated with glucagon at 10 mg/d for 14 d starting at d 21 postpartum. Daily blood samples and nine liver biopsies were taken from d 7 to 49 postpartum. Plasma glucagon increased six- to seven-fold during infusions of treated cows. Plasma insulin was increased heterogeneously by glucagon infusions. Plasma glucose increased 11.5 and 9.0 mg/dl during wk 1 and 2 of glucagon infusions. No other plasma metabolites tested (nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and urea N) were affected by glucagon infusions. Liver glycogen decreased by d 2 of glucagon infusion but was repleted to preinfusion values by d 7 and increased to 169% of the preinfusion baseline values at 3 d after cessation of glucagon. Milk production decreased transiently during glucagon infusions. Both milk production and milk protein percentage decreased during glucagon infusion, which could imply a decreased availability of amino acids for milk protein synthesis. Feed intakes did not increase during glucagon infusions, which was in contrast to the control group. Results indicated that glucagon infusions caused liver glycogenolysis initially and probably enhanced gluconeogenesis but glucagon did not appear to increase lipolysis from adipose tissue in these early lactating dairy cows.     

Lipid production in Porphyridium cruentum grown under different culture conditions

Autotrophic growth of Porphyridium cruentum under 18:12 h and 12:12 h light:dark cycles showed the maximum cell concentration of 2.1 g-dry wt./L, whereas the specific growth rate, 0.042 (1/h), at 18:6 h is faster than that of 12:12 h, 0.031 (1/h), respectively. The highest lipid accumulation level, 19.3 (%, w/w), was achieved at 12:12 h cycle. Under dark cultivation condition with 10 g/L of glucose, the lipid accumulation in the cell was 10.9 (%, w/w), whereas the heterotrophic growth with glycerol as the carbon resource showed low level of cell concentration and lipid production, compared to that of glucose. The glucose was decided to be a suitable carbon resource for the heterotrophic growth of P. cruentum. The lipids from P. cruentum seemed be feasible for biodiesel production, because over 30% of the lipid was C₁₆–C_18:1. The cultivation time and temperature were important factors to increase the maximum cell concentration. Extending the cultivation time helps maintain the maximum cell concentration, and higher lipid accumulation was achieved at 25 °C, compared to 35 °C. The fed-batch cultures showed that, under the light condition, the specific production rate was slightly decreased to 0.4% lipid/g-dry wt./day at the later stage, whereas, under the dark condition, the specific production rate was maintained to be a maximum value of 1.1% lipid/g-dry wt./day, even in the later stage of cultivation. The results indicate that the heterotrophic or 12:12 h cyclic mixotrophic growth of P. cruentum could be used for the production of biodiesel in long-term fed-batch cultivation of P. cruentum.     

A rapid method for the simultaneous determination of 25 anti-hypertensive compounds in dietary supplements using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography

A novel, stable, simple and specific ultra-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection (205 nm) for the simultaneous analysis of 25 anti-hypertensive substances was developed. The method was validated according to the International Conference of Harmonisation guidelines with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and stability. From the ultra-performance liquid chromatography results, we identified the LOD and LOQ of solid samples to be 0.20–1.00 and 0.60–3.00 μg ml^?1, respectively, while those of liquid samples were 0.30–1.20 and 0.90–3.60 μg ml^?1, respectively. The linearity exceeded 0.9999, and the intra- and inter-day precisions were 0.15–6.48% and 0.28–8.67%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were 82.25–111.42% and 80.70–115.64%, respectively, and the stability was lower than 12.9% (relative standard deviation). This method was applied to the monitoring of 97 commercially available dietary supplements obtained in Korea, such as pills, soft capsules, hard capsules, liquids, powders and tablets. The proposed method is accurate, precise and of high quality, and can be used for the routine, reproducible analysis and control of 25 anti-hypertensive substances in various dietary supplements. The work presented herein may help to prevent incidents related to food adulteration and restrict the illegal food market.     

Characterization of wines from grape varieties through multivariate statistical analysis of H NMR spectroscopic data

¹H NMR spectroscopic analysis coupled with multivariate statistical data was used to characterize wines vinified from four grape varieties: Muscat Bailey A (Vitis labrusca), Campbell Early (V. labrusca B.), Kyoho (V. labrusca L.) and Meoru (Vitis coignetiae). Pattern recognition methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), showed clear differentiation between wines made from these grape varieties. Metabolites responsible for the differentiation were identified as 2,3-butanediol, glycerol, malate, citrate, tartrate, succinate, lactate, proline, alanine, choline and trigonelline. The PCA score plot of quantitative analysis of targeted profiling data also showed clear separation between the wines. The highest levels of glycerol, 2,3-butanediol, succinate and alcohol were found in Kyoho wines, suggesting higher sugar content in the Kyoho grape berry compared to other grape varieties. Higher contents of citrate and trigonelline in Muscat Bailey A wines, alanine in Campbell Early wines and proline, malate and choline in Meoru wines demonstrated that the metabolites of the wines vary with the grape variety. This study provides insight into the relationship between grape variety and its wine through global and targeted analysis of ¹H NMR spectral data.     

Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol isolated from Pae (Ishige okamurae) protects high glucose-induced damage in RINm5F pancreatic β cells via its antioxidant effects

Pancreatic β cells are very sensitive to oxidative stress and this may play an important role in β cell death in diabetes. The protective effect of diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC), one of phlorotannin polyphenol compound purified from pae (Ishige okamurae) against high glucoseinduced oxidative stress was investigated using RINm5F pancreatic β cells. High glucose (30 mM) treatment induced RINm5F pancreatic β cells cell death, but DPHC, at concentration 10 or 50 μg/mL, significantly inhibited the high glucose-induced glucotoxicity and apoptosis. Furthermore, treatment with DPHC dose-dependently decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and nitric oxide level increased by high glucose. In addition, DPHC treatment increased activities of antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) in high glucose pretreated RINm5F pancreatic β cells. DPHC treatment improved the secretory responsiveness following stimulation with glucose. These findings indicate that DPHC might be used as potential nutraceutical agent which will protect the glucotoxicity caused by hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress associated with diabetes.     

Microbial Succession and Metabolite Changes during Long‐Term Storage of Kimchi

Kimchi is often stored for a long period of time for a diet during the winter season because it is an essential side dish for Korean meals. In this study pH, abundance of bacteria and yeasts, bacterial communities, and metabolites were monitored periodically to investigate the fermentation process of kimchi for 120 d. Bacterial abundance increased quickly with a pH decrease after an initial pH increase during the early fermentation period. After 20 d, pH values became relatively stable and free sugars were maintained at relatively constant levels, indicating that kimchi fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was almost completed. After that time, a decrease in bacterial abundance and a growth in Saccharomyces occurred concurrently with increased free sugar consumption and production of glycerol and ethanol. Finally, after 100 d, the growth of Candida was observed. Community analysis using pyrosequencing revealed that diverse LAB including Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc holzapfelii, Lactococcus lactis, and Weissella soli were present during the early fermentation period, but the LAB community was quickly replaced with Lactobacillus sakei, Leuconostoc gasicomitatum, and Weissella koreensis as the fermentation progressed. Metabolite analysis using ¹H‐NMR showed that organic acids (lactate, acetate, and succinate) as well as bioactive substances (mannitol and gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)) were produced during the kimchi fermentation, and Leuconostoc strains and Lactobacillus sakei were identified as the producers of mannitol and GABA, respectively. Practical Application In this study, we have shown that the growth inhibition of yeasts including Saccharomyces and Candida is necessary to extend the shelf life of kimchi in long‐term storage. Additionally, we have shown that a mixed culture of Leuconostoc strains and Lactobacillus sakei is necessary to produce kimchi that contains both mannitol and gamma‐aminobutyric acid.     

Template-Free Preparation of a Mesopore-Rich Hierarchically Porous Carbon Monolith from a Thermally Rearrangeable Polyurea Network

A mesopore-rich, hierarchically porous carbon monolith was prepared by carbonizing a polyisocyanurate network derived by thermal rearrangement of a polyurea network. The initial polyurea network was synthesized by the cross-linking polymerization of tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)methane (TAPM) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) in the sol-forming condition, followed by precipitation into nanoparticulate solids in a nonsolvent. The powder was molded into a shape and then heated at 200–400 °C to obtain the porous carbon precursor composed of the rearranged network. The thermolysis of urea bonds to amine and isocyanate groups, the subsequent cyclization of isocyanates to isocyanurates, and the vaporization of volatiles caused sintering of the nanoparticles into a monolithic network with micro-, meso-, and macropores. The rearranged network was carbonized to obtain a carbon monolith. It was found that the rearranged network, with a high isocyanurate ratio, led to a porous carbon with a high mesopore ratio. The electrical conductivity of the resulting carbon monoliths exhibited a rapid response to carbon dioxide adsorption, indicating efficient gas transport through the hierarchical pore structure.     

Next‐Generation Sequencing Analyses of Bacterial Community Structures in Soybean Pastes Produced in Northeast China

Fermented soybean foods contain nutritional components including easily digestible peptides, cholesterol‐free oils, minerals, and vitamins. Various fermented soybean foods have been developed and are consumed as flavoring condiments in Asian regions. While the quality of fermented soybean foods is largely affected by microorganisms that participate in the fermentation process, our knowledge about the microorganisms in soybean pastes manufactured in Northeast China is limited. The current study used a culture‐independent barcoded pyrosequencing method targeting hypervariable V1/V2 regions of the 16S rRNA gene to evaluate Korean doenjang and soybean pastes prepared by the Hun Chinese (SPHC) and Korean minority (SPKM) populations in Northeast China. In total, 63399 high‐quality sequences were derived from 16 soybean paste samples collected in Northeast China. Each bacterial species‐level taxon of SPHC, SPKM, and Korean doenjang was clustered separately. Each paste contained representative bacterial species that could be distinguished from each other: Bacillus subtilis in SPKM, Tetragenococcus halophilus in SPHC, and Enterococcus durans in Korean doenjang. This is the 1st massive sequencing‐based study analyzing microbial communities in soybean pastes manufactured in Northeast China, compared to Korean doenjang. Our results clearly showed that each soybean paste contained unique microbial communities that varied depending on the manufacturing process and location.