Wrinkled alfalfa seeds harbor more aerobic bacteria and are more difficult to sanitize than smooth seeds

At least 14 separate outbreaks of food poisoning attributed to either Salmonella enterica or Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been traced to sprouts in the past decade. Seeds contaminated with human pathogens caused most of these outbreaks, thus many sprout growers are now treating alfalfa seeds with the sanitizing agent, calcium hypochlorite (Ca[OCl]2), prior to sprouting. The efficacy of alfalfa seed sanitation varies between seed lots and between seeds within each lot. Alfalfa seeds from different seed lots were sorted by type in an effort to determine if certain seed types carry more aerobic bacteria than other seed types. Seeds with a wrinkled type, characteristic of lygus bug damage, had significantly higher levels of culturable aerobic bacteria and were more difficult to sanitize than smooth, healthy seeds. After sanitation, wrinkled alfalfa seeds that had been inoculated with S. enterica ser. Newport carried significantly higher levels of Salmonella Newport than smooth seeds. If S. enterica is present on wrinkled seeds in naturally contaminated seed lots, it may be difficult to chemically sanitize the seed lot. Removal of the wrinkled alfalfa seeds from the seed lots, perhaps by adapting color sorting equipment similar to that used to sort rice grains and other seeds, should reduce the level of aerobic bacteria in seed lots and may result in lower levels of human pathogens on contaminated alfalfa seeds.     

Detection and enumeration of Salmonella enteritidis in homemade ice cream associated with an outbreak: comparison of conventional and real-time PCR methods

Salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) is a significant cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States. Consumption of undercooked eggs and egg-containing products has been the primary risk factor for the disease. The importance of the bacterial enumeration technique has been enormously stressed because of the quantitative risk analysis of SE in shell eggs. Traditional enumeration methods mainly depend on slow and tedious most-probable-number (MPN) methods. Therefore, specific, sensitive, and rapid methods for SE quantitation are needed to collect sufficient data for risk assessment and food safety policy development. We previously developed a real-time quantitative PCR assay for the direct detection and enumeration of SE and, in this study, applied it to naturally contaminated ice cream samples with and without enrichment. The detection limit of the real-time PCR assay was determined with artificially inoculated ice cream. When applied to the direct detection and quantification of SE in ice cream, the real-time PCR assay was as sensitive as the conventional plate count method in frequency of detection. However, populations of SE derived from real-time quantitative PCR were approximately 1 log higher than provided by MPN and CFU values obtained by conventional culture methods. The detection and enumeration of SE in naturally contaminated ice cream can be completed in 3 h by this real-time PCR method, whereas the cultural enrichment method requires 5 to 7 days. A commercial immunoassay for the specific detection of SE was also included in the study. The real-time PCR assay proved to be a valuable tool that may be useful to the food industry in monitoring its processes to improve product quality and safety.     

Preenrichment versus direct selective agar plating for the detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs

The relative effectiveness of two methods for the recovery of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) from jumbo and medium shell eggs was compared. The first method used in the comparison consisted of a preenrichment of the sample, and the second method was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Three bulk lots of blended, pooled eggs, each containing 220 liquid whole eggs that were thoroughly mixed manually were artificially inoculated with different levels of SE cells between approximately 10(0) and 10(3) CFU/ml. Twenty samples containing the contents of approximately 10 eggs each (by weight) were withdrawn from each of the inoculated bulk lots and incubated for 4 days at room temperature (ca. 23 degrees C). For the APHIS method, each sample was cultured by direct plating onto brilliant green (BG), brilliant green with novobiocin (BGN), xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD), and xylose lysine agar Tergitol 4 (XLT4) agars. For the preenrichment method, 25-g portions from each pool were enriched in modified tryptic soy broth with 30 mg/liter of FeSO4. After 24 h of incubation, the preenrichments were subcultured to tetrathionate and Rappaport-Vassiliadis broths, and streaked to BG, BGN, bismuth sulfite, XLD, and XLT4 agar plates. SE isolates were confirmed biochemically and serologically. In all of the experiments, the preenrichment method recovered significantly more SE isolates (P < 0.05) of all the phage types and inoculum levels than did the APHIS method. From a total of 539 jumbo egg test portions analyzed, 381 (71%) were SE-positive by the preenrichment method and 232 (43%) were positive by the APHIS method. From a total of 360 medium egg test portions analyzed, 223 (62%) were SE-positive by the preenrichment method and 174 (48%) were positive by the APHIS method. The preenrichment method provided greater sensitivity for the isolation of SE in contaminated egg slurries than did the APHIS method.     

新疆玛纳斯赤霞珠葡萄生长结果习性调查简报

赤霞珠是北疆地区主栽酿酒葡萄良种,通过对新疆玛纳斯种植的8年生赤霞珠葡萄调查和分析,萌芽率平均为77．6％,成枝率88．2％,结果枝率85．8％,结果系数1．63,表现出较国内其它省区较优的生产结果习性。中结果母枝（3～4节）、短结果母枝（1～2节）的结实能力较长结果母枝（5～6节）强,相同节位芽的结果能力随着结果母枝长度增加而下降。冬季修剪主要应以中、短梢修剪为主,幼龄树可对主蔓进行延长修剪。     

高光谱图像技术检测枇杷叶片三萜酸含量及叶面分布

枇杷叶富含三萜酸类化合物,具有较高的药用价值。本研究首先建立枇杷叶高光谱信号与三萜酸含量的对应关系,然后利用高光谱图像包含每个像素点的光谱信号这一独特优势,检测枇杷叶片的三萜酸分布。通过联合区间偏最小二乘法(si PLS)建立三萜酸含量分析模型,结果表明,采用si PLS将全光谱均匀划分11个子区间,选择1、5、6、7联合,主因子数为4 h,建立的si PLS谱区筛选模型预测效果最佳,其交互验证均方根误差(RMSECV)和预测均方根误差(RMSEP)分别为3.392 mg/g和3.731 mg/g,校正集和预测集相关系数分别为0.8449和0.8223。根据si PLS模型计算叶片上所有像素点处的三萜酸含量,并通过伪彩色方法描述叶片中三萜酸含量的分布。研究结果表明,利用高光谱图像技术分析枇杷叶片三萜酸含量及叶面分布是可行的。     

Recipes for antimicrobial wine marinades against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica

ABSTRACT:  We have evaluated bactericidal activities against Bacillus cereus , Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes , and Salmonella enterica of several antimicrobial wine recipes, each consisting of red or white wine extracts of oregano leaves with added garlic juice and oregano oil. Dose-response plots were used to determine the percentage of the recipes that resulted in a 50% decrease in colony-forming units (CFU) at 60 min (BA₅₀). Studies designed to optimize antibacterial activities of the recipes demonstrated that several combinations of the naturally occurring plant-derived ingredients rapidly inactivated the above mentioned 4 foodborne pathogens. We also showed that (a) incubation temperature affected activities in the following order: 37 °C > 21 °C > 4 °C; (b) varying the initial bacterial concentrations from 10³ to 10⁴ to 10⁵ CFU/well did not significantly affect BA₅₀ values; (c) storage of 3 marinades up to 2 mo did not change their effectiveness against Salmonella enterica ; and (d) polyphenolic compounds isolated by chromatography from red wine exhibited exceptional activity at nanogram levels against 2 strains of Bacillus cereus . These observations suggest that antimicrobial wine formulations have the potential to improve the microbiological safety of foods.     

原油产量分析中动态盈亏平衡的应用

近年来,盈亏平衡分析在油田开发项目中得到了广泛应用。在进行油田储量经济评价的同时,应做到使每一个新投产的油田从一开始就有经济产量,并且是保证以后各项决策符合经济效益的前提。动态盈亏平衡分析就是将项目盈亏平衡状态定义为净现值等于零的状态。根据动态盈亏平衡分析的原理,建立了油田初始经济产量的数学模型,推导出了油田初始产油量的经济边界值的计算公式。若油田的初始产量大于经济边界值,则表明该区域的开发具有经济价值,在目前的经济技术条件下可以投入开发;如果油田的初始产量小于经济边界值,则表明该区块在目前的各项条件下不具有开发价值,这一开发活动即为无效益甚至亏损的,可以暂时不投入开发,等待以后技术进步、经济许可时再考虑投入开发。以某油田为例验证了该公式的应用过程。     

Food protein-derived bioactive peptides: production, processing, and potential health benefits

Bioactive peptides (BAPs), derived through enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins, have demonstrated potential for application as health-promoting agents against numerous human health and disease conditions, including cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and cancer. The feasibility of pharmacological application of these peptides depends on absorption and bioavailability in intact forms in target tissues, which in turn depends on structure of the peptides. Therefore, production and processing of peptides based on important structure-function parameters can lead to the production of potent peptides. This article reviews the literature on BAPs with emphasis on strategic production and processing methods as well as antihypertensive, anticancer, anticalmodulin, hypocholesterolemic, and multifunctional properties of the food protein-derived peptides. It is recommended that future research efforts on BAP should be directed toward elucidation of their in vivo molecular mechanisms of action, safety at various doses, and pharmacological activity in maintaining homeostasis during aberrant health conditions in human subjects.