Antibacterial films with enhanced physical properties based on poly (vinyl alcohol) and halogen aminated-graphene oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets as great nanofiller have been utilized for the enhancement of a polymer matrix. In this work, polymeric N-halamine poly[5,5-dimethyl-3-(3′-triethoxysilylpropyl)hydantoin] (PSPH) was covalently grafted onto GO, which was denoted as GO-PSPH. The chlorinated GO-PSPH (GP-Cl) was then mixed with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution to obtain the PVA/GP-Cl hybrid films. The as-prepared hybrid films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. Compared with PVA film, the addition of GP-Cl into PVA matrix endowed the film with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties, and the crystallinity, tensile strength, and Young's modulus increased by 45, 21, and 246%, respectively. It can be deduced that the interfacial interaction between PVA matrix and GP-Cl nanosheets was the crucial factor for the physical enhancement. Furthermore, the synergistic effect between GO and polymeric N-halamine greatly improved the antibacterial activities of the hybrid films with 3.95 logs reduction of Staphylococcus aureus and 4.53 logs reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with 30 min of contact time, respectively. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48176.     

Improvement of thermal,microwave and ultrasonication pretreatment on the production of antioxidant peptides from sweet potato protein via in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

Effects of thermal (boiling, steaming and autoclaving), microwave and ultrasonication pretreatments on the production of sweet potato protein hydrolysates (SPPH) through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID) were investigated. All pretreatments significantly increased the degree of hydrolysis (DH), antioxidant activities and molecular weight (MW) <3 kDa peptide fractions contents of SPPH in the order of autoclaving > microwave, steaming > boiling > ultrasonication (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis between peptides content and antioxidant activity suggested that antioxidant activity of SPPH mainly attributed to MW <3 kDa peptides. Diverse peptides ranged from 487.24 to 1477.74 Da with 7–13 amino acids were identified in the MW <3 kDa peptides fraction with autoclaving pretreatment and matched sporamins A, A precursor and B sequences from LC–QTOF–MS/MS analysis. Conformational structures of nine peptides were predicted with well-known antioxidant amino acids. There is a high potential for SPPH used as a functional supplement in food system.     

Development and Characterization of Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Against Salmonella enterica Typhimurium for Biosensor Detection

ABSTRACT: For the construction of a biosensor to specifically and effectively detect Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) 1B4 and a polyclonal antibody (pAb) S48 were developed against purified outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium. Gel electrophoresis data indicated that the apparent molecular weight of the main OMP was 55 kD. The mAb 1B4 strongly reacted to Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica Paratyphi and had no cross-reaction to other gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria that were tested. The pAb S48 also showed high reactivity to Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, but had cross-reactivity with other tested bacteria. Because of the high specificity and sensitivity of 1B4 against S. enterica Typhimurium, it was immobilized onto a sensor platform to capture bacteria. The captured bacteria were visualized byalight microscope fortheir detection. The detection limit of the biosensorwas 1 × 10² colony forming units/mL in bacterial culture and in a milk sample, and no other bacteria interfered with the binding of targeted cells. Therefore, a biosensor was developed that would rapidly detect Salmonella in the laboratory and in a food processing plant.     

Magnetoelastic biosensor for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium in food products

In this article, a magnetoelastic sensor immobilized with polyclonal antibody for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium in food products is described. The remote query nature of magnetoelastic sensors enables the detection of bacterial species in sealed and opaque containers. Bacterial binding to the antibody on the sensor surfaces changed the resonance parameters, and these changes were quantified by the shift in the sensor’s resonance frequency. Response of the sensors to increasing concentrations (5 × 10¹–5 × 10⁸ cfu/ml) of S. typhimurium in three different food products (water, fat-free milk and apple juice) was studied and similar responses were observed. These results were also further ascertained by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies. A detection limit of 5 × 10³ cfu/ml, with a sensitivity of 139 Hz/decade was obtained for the sensors tested in water samples, as compared to 129 Hz/decade in apple juice and 127 Hz/decade in fat free milk. A 2 × 0.4 × 0.015 mm sensor was employed in all the investigations. The dissociation constant K _d and the binding valencies for S. typhimurium spiked in water samples was 435 cfu/ml and 2.33 respectively; as compared to 309 cfu/ml and 2.38 for apple juice; and 1389 cfu/ml and 1.85 for fat free milk samples. Bacterial binding was specific and a divalent binding was observed.     

Use of Electrolyzed Oxidizing Water for Quality Improvement of Frozen Shrimp

The bactericidal effect of electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water was evaluated on Escherichia coli O157:H7‐inoculated and Salmonella‐inoculated shrimp. The shrimp were inoculated on day 0 and stored frozen at ‐20°C. Bacterial enumeration was done on days 0, 24, 49, and 119 of frozen storage. Acidic EO water at 40 ppm free available chlorine was as effective as aqueous chlorine of the same concentration and was significantly more effective (P < 0.05) than tap water in reducing pathogen load on the inoculated shrimp. Further reduction of pathogen numbers was observed after each frozen storage period. Prewashing with alkaline EO water did not enhance the bactericidal activity of the acidic EO water on the shrimp. The washed acidic EO water of the inoculated shrimp had a nondetectable bacterial population compared with treated aqueous chlorine, alkaline EO water, and tap water. Non‐inoculated shrimp subjected to similar treatments were served cooked or uncooked to a minimum of 10 experienced panelists for sensory evaluation on days 0, 24, 49, and 119 of frozen storage. The cooked shrimp were evaluated for the presence of off‐odor, juiciness, tenderness, shrimpy flavor, aftertaste, and overall acceptability; whereas the raw shrimp were evaluated for color, firmness, presence of off‐odors, melanosis, and overall acceptability. Raw shrimp thawed from each frozen storage period were stored at refrigeration temperature (4 °C) for 3 d to observe for melanosis. No difference of sensory attributes was detected among the various treatment groups. Therefore, acidic EO water can be used as an effective disinfectant to replace aqueous chlorine for thawing shrimp blocks.     

Decontamination Efficacy of Combined Chlorine Dioxide with Ultrasonication on Apples and Lettuce

ABSTRACT:  The bacterial reduction of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7-inoculated apples and lettuce by ClO₂ at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 ppm with and without 170-kHz ultrasonic treatments for 3, 6, and 10 min, respectively, have been studied. The treatments of ClO₂ at 20 and 40 ppm for 3, 6, and 10 min or at 5 and 10 ppm for 6 and 10 min with 170-kHz ultrasonication caused 3.115 to 4.253 log reductions in Salmonella and 2.235 to 3.865 log reduction in E. coli O157:H7 on inoculated apples. Using combined ClO₂ and ultrasonication to treat 4.48 × 10⁴ CFU/g Salmonella and 1.07 × 10⁵ CFU/g E. coli O157:H7-inoculated lettuce, the bacterial reductions were 2.257 to 2.972 and 1.357 to 2.264 log, respectively. The residual ClO₂ decreased with increasing treatment times, over 80% of ClO₂ was detected after the 3-min treatment, and more than 70% remained after the 10-min treatment time. No bacteria were recovered from the posttreatment solutions of ClO₂ or ClO₂ combined with ultrasonication. The temperature of the ClO₂ treatment was 20.1 °C, and it increased to 40.1, 44.9, and 50.3 °C, with 170-kHz ultrasonic treatments for 3, 6, and 10 min, respectively, on apples.     

Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial films based on nanocrystalline cellulose

Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) has great potential in applications in medical and food packaging due to its abundance, high specific surface area, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and reproducibility. N-Halamine is one of the most effective antibacterial agents, with broad-spectrum efficacy against microorganisms, good stability, and reproducibility. Due to the nanosize effect and high specific surface area of NCC, N-halamine-modified NCC is potentially an excellent biocidal compound. In this paper, an N-halamine precursor 1-hydroxymethyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (HDH) was used to modify NCC with cyanuric chloride (cych) as the bonding agent. After chlorination, the produced NCC-cych-HDH-Cl became antibacterial. The synthesized NCC-cych-HDH-Cl was added to a chitosan (CS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution to prepare antibacterial films. The optimum mixing ratio of PVA and CS in the PVA/CS films and concentration of NCC-cych-HDH-Cl were investigated. The surface morphologies and mechanical properties of the antibacterial films were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and mechanical strength tests. The results indicated that the film with 90/10 PVA/CS and 7.0% loading of NCC-cych-HDH-Cl exhibited excellent tensile strength. The antibacterial film with 5.91 × 10¹⁷ atoms/cm² of active chlorine displayed an excellent antibacterial property against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43895). © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47101.     

Development of immunoassay for detection of meat and bone meal in animal feed

An immunoassay system was developed for efficient detection of prohibited meat and bone meal (MBM) in animal feed. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were raised against bovine smooth muscle autoclaved at 130 degrees C for 20 min. Among the 1,500 supernatants of hybridoma cells screened, MAbs 3E1, 1G3, and 3E10 were selected and characterized in this study. The first set of MAbs produced, 3E1 and 1G3, had stronger reactivity against MBM than against smooth muscle that was heat treated at 90 degrees C for 10 min. However, reactivity gradually increased against smooth muscle that was autoclaved at 130 degrees C for up to 1 h. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of MBM in animal feed was optimized with the MAb 3E10 because of its superior performance. MAb 3E10 diluted to 100-fold was used to differentiate bovine MBM from that of other species in ingredients used for commercial animal feeds and could detect down to 0.05% MBM mixed in animal feed.     

Efficacy of gamma radiation and aqueous chlorine on Escherichia coli O157:H7 in hydroponically grown lettuce plants

Interaction of Escherichia coli O157:H7/pGFP with hydroponically grown lettuce plants was evaluated in this study. Lettuce seedlings were planted in contaminated Hoagland's nutrient solution and thereafter subjected to gamma radiation at 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 kGy, and aqueous chlorine at 200 ppm. There was no trace of E. coli O157:H7/pGFP in lettuce leaves harvested from noncontaminated nutrient solution (control); however, for plants grown in contaminated nutrient solution, the pathogen was recovered from the leaves disinfected with 80% ethanol and 0.1% mercuric chloride. Most of the lettuce seedlings grown in contaminated nutrient solution tested negative for E. coli O157:H7/pGFP under controlled conditions. Gamma radiation at 0.25 and 0.5 kGy, and aqueous chlorine at 200 ppm failed to eliminate E. coli O157:H7/pGFP in lettuce tissue completely; however, the bacteria were not detected in 0.75-kGy treated plants. The presence of E. coli O157:H7/pGFP in lettuce leaves is an indication that the pathogen migrated from the contaminated hydroponic system through the roots to the internal locations of lettuce tissue. Due to inaccessibility and limited penetrating power, aqueous chlorine could not eliminate the bacteria localized in the internal tissue. Findings from this study suggest that gamma irradiation was more efficacious than was aqueous chlorine to control internal contamination in hydroponically grown lettuce. Gamma irradiation is a process that processors can use to inactivate E. coli O157:H7 and therefore, consumers benefit from a safer food product [corrected]     

Production and characterisation of antioxidant peptides from sweet potato protein by enzymatic hydrolysis with radio frequency pretreatment

Effect of radio frequency (RF at 70, 80 and 90 °C) pretreatment on production and characterisation of sweet potato protein hydrolysates (SPPH) prepared using Alcalase (ALC), Protease (PRO) and the combination of ALC + PRO was investigated. RF highly improved degree of hydrolysis (DH) and enhanced antioxidant activity of all SPPH produced by ALC, PRO and the combination as compared to traditional water bath (WB) heating pretreatment (P < 0.05). RF significantly increased molecular weight (MW) <3 kDa peptide fraction from SPPH produced by ALC, and MW <3 kDa peptide fraction from RF80- and RF90-pretreated samples has higher antioxidant activity. Diverse peptides in MW <3 kDa fractions with RF80 and RF90 pretreatments were identified using LC–QTOF–MS/MS, which matched the sequences of sporamins and contained antioxidant amino acids Trp, Tyr, Met, Phe and/or His. There is a great potential application of using SPPH in functional foods as a novel ingredient.