Diagnosis of Liposcelis entomophila (Insecta: Psocodea: Liposcelididae) based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcodes

Liposcelis entomophila infests stored grain and is one of the most important psocid species worldwide. Six geographically isolated strains of L. entomophila from Asia, Europe, and United States of America (USA) were compared based on morphological attributes and by molecular methods. Decisive characters of morphological diagnosis were studied using body size measurements and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Molecular identification of the six strains was performed via identification of DNA sequence similarities and phylogenetic analyses based on a 655-bp fragment from the 5′ end of the standard mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcode region. The results showed that both morphological and molecular approaches were able to accurately identify this species. Kimura-2-Parameter (K2P) divergence between geographically isolated strains was on average 1.75% for the COI sequence. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that sequences of L. entomophila strains' COI barcodes formed clusters with tight cohesion that were clearly distinct from those of allied species.     

Impact of oregano and virgin olive oil phenolic compounds on acrylamide content in a model system and fresh potatoes

In this study the effect of olive oil and oregano phenolic compounds on antioxidant activity (AOA) and acrylamide formation in a model system and fresh potatoes was evaluated. The addition of oregano phenolic extract in the model system resulted in an increase of AOA and in a reduction of acrylamide content, up to 49%, after heating. On the contrary, addition of olive oil extract resulted in AOA reduction and a concentration-dependent effect on acrylamide formation was observed with a reduction up to 15% (p < 0.05) followed by an increase up to 48%. The same trend, in acrylamide formation, was observed in fresh potatoes but to a lower extent. Finally, addition of tyrosol, oleuropein and p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid in the model system resulted in acrylamide reduction up to 50%. The discrepancy in acrylamide formation, caused by phenolic compounds, is ascribed to their structure and related to their terminal functional hydroxyl and aldehydic groups.     

Raising agents strongly influence acrylamide and HMF formation in cookies and conditions for asparaginase activity in dough

The impact of raising agents on formation of heat-induced contaminants, acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), with focus on the efficiency of enzyme asparaginase as a potent tool for acrylamide reduction was investigated in the model system of cereal products. Acrylamide formation was strongly supported by ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH₄HCO₃), observing 6 times higher level in comparison with control sample without raising agents, and was suppressed effectively by sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO₃) up to 52 %. Sodium pyrophosphate (Na₄P₂O₇) had no influence on the final acrylamide content. The level of HMF remained untouched by NH₄HCO₃ contrary to sodium raising agents that both diminished HMF concentration up to 95 % using NaHCO₃. Furthermore, enzyme asparaginase eliminated acrylamide formation in the range from 23 to 75 % depending mainly on pH value of dough and time of enzyme incubation (15, 30 and 60 min). The optimum pH value for asparaginase action was in neutrality. Na₄P₂O₇ shifted pH value of dough to the optimum in comparison with control (from 5.82 to 6.78). NH₄HCO₃ and NaHCO₃ changed pH value out of optimum up to 7.82 and 8.10, respectively. The longer the enzyme treatment, the higher the acrylamide elimination was observed, with the main importance in cases of pH shifting by raising agents. These findings indicate that a product-specific optimization of the conditions for enzymatic treatment is still challenging in terms of achieving desired quality parameters with improved safety, although acrylamide mitigation by means of asparaginase was proved to be a very effective tool especially in cereal-based products.     

Differentiation of toxigenic fungi using hyperspectral imagery

Some pathogenic fungi, Aspergillus flavus for example, produce mycotoxins that can contaminate grain products including wheat and corn. The contaminated grain poses a threat to the health of both humans and animals. Therefore, from the perspective of food safety and protection, it is important to detect and identify the different toxin-producing fungi encountered in food production. Earlier studies examined various spectral-based, non-destructive methods for the detection of fungi and toxins. The present report focused on the feasibility of using spectral image data for fungal species classification. A tabletop hyperspectral imaging system, VNIR-100E, was used for spectral and spatial data acquisition. A total of five fungal species were selected for a two-part experiment: Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium moniliforme (verticillioides), Aspergillus parasiticus, Trichoderma viride, and Aspergillus flavus. All fungal isolates were cultured on media under laboratory conditions and were imaged on day 5 of growth. The objective of the study was to use visible near-infrared hyperspectral imagery to differentiate fungal species. Results indicate that all five fungi are highly separable with classification accuracy of 97.7%. In addition, all five fungi could be classified by using only three narrow bands (bandwidth = 2.43 nm) centered at 743 nm, 458 nm, and 541 nm.     

Atorvastatin Modulates Bile Acid Homeostasis in Mice with Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Bile acids (BA) play a significant role in the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The present study evaluates the modulation of bile acid metabolomics by atorvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering agent commonly used to treat cardiovascular complications accompanying NASH. NASH was induced in mice by 24 weeks of consuming a high–saturated fat, high-fructose, and high-cholesterol diet (F), with atorvastatin administered orally (20 mg/kg/day) during the last three weeks. Biochemical and histological analyses confirmed the effectiveness of the F diet in inducing NASH. Untreated NASH animals had significantly reduced biliary secretion of BA and increased fecal excretion of BA via decreased apical sodium-dependent bile salt transporter (Asbt)-mediated reabsorption. Atorvastatin decreased liver steatosis and inflammation in NASH animals consistently with a reduction in crucial lipogenic enzyme stearoyl–coenzyme A (CoA) desaturase-1 and nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B-cell pro-inflammatory signaling, respectively. In this group, atorvastatin also uniformly enhanced plasma concentration, biliary secretion and fecal excretion of the secondary BA, deoxycholic acid (DCA). However, in the chow diet–fed animals, atorvastatin decreased plasma concentrations of BA, and reduced BA biliary secretions. These changes stemmed primarily from the increased fecal excretion of BA resulting from the reduced Asbt-mediated BA reabsorption in the ileum and suppression of synthesis in the liver. In conclusion, our results reveal that atorvastatin significantly modulates BA metabolomics by altering their intestinal processing and liver synthesis in control and NASH mice.     

In vitro study of partially hydrolyzed poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazolines) as materials for biomedical applications

Polymers based on 2-oxazoline, such as poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazolines) (PETOx), are considered to be a type of ‘pseudopeptide’ with the ability to form novel biomaterials. The hydrolysis of PETOx was carried out to evaluate its use in biomedical applications. In the present work, PETOx samples with a range of molar masses were prepared by living cationic polymerization. Hydrolysis was carried out at time intervals ranging from 15 to 180 min to prepare copolymers with different amounts of ethylene imine units. ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to identify the structure of the hydrolyzed polymers. The dependence of in vitro cell viability on the degree of hydrolysis was determined using three different model cell lines, namely, mouse embryonic 3T3 fibroblasts, pancreatic βTC3 cells, and mouse lymphoid macrophages P388.D1. It was demonstrated that increasing the degree of hydrolysis decreased cell viability for all cell types. Fibroblast cells displayed the highest tolerance; additionally, the effect of polymer size showed no observable significance. Macrophage cells, immune system representatives, displayed the highest sensitivity to contact with hydrolyzed PETOx. The effect of polymer hydrolysis, polymer concentration and the incubation time on cell viability was experimentally observed. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy provided evidence of cellular uptake of pyrene-labeled (co)polymers.     

Morphology of nymphs of common stored-product psocids (Psocoptera, Liposcelididae).

The last developmental instar of female nymphs of the 6 synanthropic Liposcelis species most frequently occurring in stored products worldwide are described. The morphological study deals with overall appearance, chaetotaxy and size measurements of nymphs. Morphological characters include the number and length of setae and their density on the pro- and mesothoracic sternites, vertex of head, lateral lobe of pronotum, abdominal tergites, and the number of ommatidia in the compound eyes. Morphological details are illustrated by SEM micrographs. A key for distinguishing the described instars of the six Liposcelis species is provided.