Determination of Volatile and Semivolatile Contaminants in Meat by Supercritical Fluid Extraction/Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Meat products that were exposed to a warehouse fire were collected and examined to identify contaminants present in the samples. An extraction method using supercritical carbon dioxide at 100 atm and 60°C was developed to analyse and characterise volatile and semi-volatile compounds from the samples. The major volatile compounds were lipid oxidation products, such as hexanal and nonanal. Volatiles concentrations from fire-exposed meat products were compared to control samples to determine compositional differences. Aromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were identified, and naphthalene was measured in suspected fire-damaged meat products. Direct supercritical extraction from the meat samples proved to be a rapid and reproducible method to assess contamination in commercial meat products.     

SHM1: A multicopy suppressor of a temperature-sensitive null mutation in the HMG1-like abf2 gene

HM, an HMG1-like mitochondrial DNA-binding protein, is required for maintenance of the yeast mitochondrial genome when cells are grown in glucose. To better understand the role of HM in mitochondria, we have isolated several multicopy suppressors of the temperature-sensitive defect associated with an abf2 null mutation (lacking HM protein). One of these suppressors, SHM1, has been characterized at the molecular level and is described herein. SHM1 encodes a protein (SHM1p) that shares sequence similarity to a family of mitochondrial carrier proteins. On glycerol medium, where mitochondrial function is required for growth, shm1 deletion mutants are able to grow, whereas shm1 abf2 double mutants are severely inhibited. These results suggest that SHM1p plays an accessory role to HM in the mitochondrion. The GenBank Accession Number for the SHM1 sequence is U08352.     

An extrusion system for the processing of microcellular polymer sheets: Shaping and cell growth control

A new processing system for the extrusion of microcellular polymer sheets is presented. Specifically, the detailed design of a shaping and cell growth control system is discussed in the context of an overall extrusion system design with particular emphasis on the system level functional requirements of cell nucleation, cell growth, and shaping. The principle of the basic extrusion system design is to shape a nucleated polymer/gas solution flow under pressure and accurate temperature control. In this way, the initial cell growth is controlled so as to prevent degradation of the nucleated cell density during shaping. Two foaming die designs for satisfying the initial shaping and cell growth requirements are presented. Critical experiments are then presented which verified the concept of shaping a nucleated polymer/gas solution. Moreover, these experiments demonstrated the feasibility of the overall microcellular polymer sheet extrusion system design.     

State of the Art: The Immunomodulatory Role of MSCs for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) has generally been introduced as a degenerative disease; however, it has recently been understood as a low-grade chronic inflammatory process that could promote symptoms and accelerate the progression of OA. Current treatment strategies, including corticosteroid injections, have no impact on the OA disease progression. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) based therapy seem to be in the spotlight as a disease-modifying treatment because this strategy provides enlarged anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects. Currently, bone marrow, adipose derived, synovium-derived, and Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs are the most widely used types of MSCs in the cartilage engineering. MSCs exert immunomodulatory, immunosuppressive, antiapoptotic, and chondrogenic effects mainly by paracrine effect. Because MSCs disappear from the tissue quickly after administration, recently, MSCs-derived exosomes received the focus for the next-generation treatment strategy for OA. MSCs-derived exosomes contain a variety of miRNAs. Exosomal miRNAs have a critical role in cartilage regeneration by immunomodulatory function such as promoting chondrocyte proliferation, matrix secretion, and subsiding inflammation. In the future, a personalized exosome can be packaged with ideal miRNA and proteins for chondrogenesis by enriching techniques. In addition, the target specific exosomes could be a gamechanger for OA. However, we should consider the off-target side effects due to multiple gene targets of miRNA.     

Proteins in longissimus muscle of Korean native cattle and their relationship to meat quality

Proteomic profiling by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry of longissimus dorsi muscle tissue from Korean native cattle identified seven proteins that are differentially expressed in animals producing low and high quality grade beef. The expression level of alpha actin is increased in high quality grade beef and the expression levels of T-complex protein 1 (TCP-1), heat shock protein beta-1 (HSP27), and inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor type1 (IP3R1), a new protein to be associated with meat quality, are increased in low quality grade beef. In particular, the quantitation of HSP27 and IP3R1 by both silver staining and immunoblotting correlated well with intramuscular fat content, meat tenderness, and free calcium levels. The data suggest that HSP27 and IP3R1 are potential meat quality biomarkers and their identification provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms and pathways associated with overall beef quality.     

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.     

Emergence and characterization of foodborne methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Korea

A total of 165 Staphylococcus aureus strains, isolated from different food samples between 2003 and 2006, were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The mecA-positive methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were further characterized by testing for various virulence genes and by molecular typing with multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Of the 165 S. aureus isolates, 150 strains (90.9%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic while no strain was resistant to vancomycin. Four strains were resistant to both oxacillin and cefoxitin and were mecA positive. The mecA-positive MRSA strains were isolated from raw meat and fish samples (two beef samples and two fish samples) and were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Based on multilocus sequence typing analysis, the isolates were assigned to sequence type 1 (ST1), ST72, and an undetermined ST (ST72 slv). All four MRSA isolates were shown to be enterotoxigenic. The ST1 MRSA isolate harbored the sea-seh gene combination and the ST72 and ST72 slv MRSA strains harbored the seg-sei and the sea-seg-sei gene combinations, respectively. However, none of the MRSA isolates had the genes for Panton-Valentine leukocidin, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, and exfoliative toxins. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of the ST72 isolates in our study were highly similar, even though they were isolated from food samples in different years and from different regions of Korea.     

Effect of Seed Roasting Conditions on the Antioxidant Activity of Defatted Sesame Meal Extracts

ABSTRACT: Antioxidant activities of defatted sesame meal extract increased as the roasting temperature of sesame seed increased, but the maximum antioxidant activity was achieved when the seeds were roasted at 200°C for 60 min. Roasting sesame seeds at 200°C for 60 min significantly increased the total phenolic content, radical scavenging activity (RSA), reducing powers, and antioxidant activity of sesame meal extract; and several low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds such as 2-methoxyphenol, 4-methoxy-3-methylthio-phenol, 5-amino-3-oxo-4-hexenoic acid, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol (sesamol), 3-hydroxy benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy benzoic acid, vanillic acid, filicinic acid, and 3,4-dimethoxy phenol were newly formed in the sesame meal after roasting sesame seeds at 200°C for 60 min. These results indicate that antioxidant activity of defatted sesame meal extracts was significantly affected by roasting temperature and time of sesame seeds.     

Differences in properties of myofibrillar proteins from bovine semitendinosus muscle after hydrostatic pressure or heat treatment

Hydrostatic pressure (HP) and heat treatments of myofibrillar proteins have both been shown to induce protein denaturation, but different gel formation properties result from these treatments. To characterise differences in the properties of proteins resulting from HP or heat treatment, Ca‐ and Mg‐ATPase activities (ATP, adenosine triphosphate) and protein solubility in 0.1 and 0.6 mol L^?1 KCl buffers (pH 7) were evaluated in this study. The inactivation rate of Ca‐ATPase of myofibrillar proteins (Mf) induced by HP was slower than that of Mg‐ATPase at each of the tested pressures. However, the inactivation rate of Ca‐ATPase induced by heating was faster than that of Mg‐ATPase at each of the tested temperatures. The level of soluble proteins in Mf suspension induced by HP in 0.1 mol L^?1 KCl buffer increased with increasing pressure up to 400 MPa and then decreased slightly at 500 MPa. However, the level of soluble proteins in Mf suspension induced by heat treatment in 0.1 mol L^?1 KCl buffer increased with increasing temperature up to 55°C. According to the results of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the levels of soluble myosin heavy chain and actin in Mf suspension induced by HP in 0.6 mol L^?1 KCl buffer decreased simultaneously at pressures higher than 300 MPa. The level of soluble MHC in 0.6 mol L^?1 KCl buffer decreased gradually with increasing temperature, but there were no changes in the level of soluble actin in 0.6 mol L^?1 KCl buffer with increasing temperature up to 50°C. These results showed that the mechanism of HP‐induced protein denaturation was different from the mechanism underlying heat‐induced protein denaturation. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry