Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods最新文献

{"title":"Arctiin attenuates lipid accumulation, inflammation and oxidative stress in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through inhibiting MAPK pathway","authors":"Lin Li, Ying Zhang, Fang-xi Xiao, Zhigang Wang, Ju Liu","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1150","url":null,"abstract":"Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease that predominantly affects the adult population. It was reported that arctiin improves functioning of the liver through multiple pathways, but the exact molecular mechanism is not clear yet. First, a mouse obesity model was successfully constructed, and hematoxylin and eosin staining and enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay (ELISA) were used to assess the levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, respectively, in liver tissue damage. Then lipid accumulation in liver tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and detection kits were used to determine the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol in serum. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of adipose synthesis proteins, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, stea-royl-CoA desaturase-1 and fatty acid synthase, in liver tissues. Further, the levels of glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase and reactive oxygen species as well as that of interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and the expression of p-P65 and P65, in liver tissues were mea-sured by ELISA and IHC, respectively. Finally, the protein expression levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phospho-ERK, Jun N-terminal kinase, phospho-JNK, p38 and phospho-p38 in liver tissues were examined by WB. The results showed that relative to normal diet, mice on high-fat diet had increased body weight as well as fat content in liver tissues, increased liver tissue damage, decreased oxidative stress capacity and enhanced inflammatory response, while arctiin changed these adverse effects and inhibited mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Arctiin exerts hepatoprotective effects by inhibiting MAPK pathway and improving lipid accumulation, inflammatory response and oxidative stress.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84851877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening of Lactobacillus from breast milk and infant feces and evaluation of their bile salt tolerance","authors":"Yujun Huang, Junjuan Yu, Haodong Yan, Chenchen Zhang, Wenli Kang, Lina Pan, Jiaqi Wang, Zhiyong Dai, R. Gu","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1053","url":null,"abstract":"The intestinal bile salt concentration of infants is lower than that of adults, and the necessary bile salt tolerance of probiotics for infants remains unclear. In this study, Lactobacillus strains were isolated from breast milk and infant feces. The strains with better bile salt tolerance were screened, and their bile salt tolerance was compared with Lactobacillus strains from the adult intestine. The results showed that the bile salt concentration had a better distinguishing effect when it was 0.075 and 0.1%. Among the 28 strains of Lactobacillus with better bile salt tolerance, there were 16 strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, among which eight strains had greater than 70% survival under 0.075% bile salt and two strains had more than 50% survival under 0.1% bile salt. L. plantarum strains iso-lated from breast milk and infant feces had a significantly lower survival rate than those isolated from the adult intestine (P < 0.05) under 0.1% bile salt, while there was no significant difference in the survival rate under 0.075% bile salt (P > 0.05). Therefore, the demands for bile salt tolerance of probiotics for infants might be lower than that for adults. It is suggested that the standard for the screening of probiotics from breast milk and infant feces should differ from adults.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87240785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eucommia ulmoides extract alleviated spinal cord injury in rats by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress","authors":"H. Cheng, Haoyu Dong, Jie Wei, Guopeng You","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1109","url":null,"abstract":"Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the major cause of severe disability worldwide, which leads to neuron death, neuronal degeneration, and functional changes in the spinal cord. Eucommia ulmoides extract (EUE) is composed of mul-tiple iridoids and phenols and possesses anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in various pathologies. This study aims to evaluate the effects of EUE on SCI and the underlying mechanisms. Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats (250–280 g) were applied to mimic SCI in vivo. Western blot and ELISA kits assessed the expressions of apoptosis, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress)-relevant proteins. The apoptosis rate of neurons in spinal cord specimens was measured by TUNEL assay. Finally, our data indicated that EUE inhibited SCI-induced apoptosis, oxidative stress, and ER stress through the suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Our data manifest EUE as a potential therapeutic target in SCI.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82018621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extraction, purification, food applications, and recent advances for enhancing the bioavailability of 6-gingerol from ginger","authors":"Dilukshi Vichakshana Ginithillawala Arachchilage, D. Young, W. Choo","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1043","url":null,"abstract":"6-Gingerol is the major pharmacologically active component of ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome widely used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Various extraction and purification methods have been devel-oped to obtain highly purified 6-gingerol. 6-Gingerol can be extracted using conventional and nonconventional extraction techniques. Hydroalcoholic solutions and liquid CO2 are the most suitable solvents for the extraction of 6-gingerol, while microwave-assisted extraction is the best extraction method. High-speed counter-current chro-matography is the purification technique resulting in the highest purity of 6-gingerol. Despite the various biological properties of 6-gingerol, the low bioavailability of 6-gingerol is the main challenge that limits its application. Novel encapsulation and solubilization techniques, including nanoemulsion, complexation, micelles, and solid dispersion methods, have been introduced to enhance the bioavailability of 6-gingerol, overcoming its limitations. 6-Gingerol showed potential applications as a natural antioxidant, preservative, and flavor enhancer as well as demonstrated a synergistic effect with different ingredients for maintaining the quality and shelf-life of the food products. The current work provides a comprehensive review of the prevailing techniques applied for extraction and purification of 6-gingerol from the rhizome of ginger, current research on the application of 6-gingerol in the food industry, and novel advances for increasing its bioavailability.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91222092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of the top 100 most cited papers on food safety","authors":"Helen Onyeaka, Christian Kosisochukwu Anumudu, C. Okolo, A. Anyogu, O. Odeyemi, A. Bassey","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1124","url":null,"abstract":"With the ever-increasing changes and growing scientific output in the field of food safety, it has become imperative to measure, analyze, characterize and compare existing publications quantitatively. The present study aimed to identify and analyze the characteristics of the 100 top-cited studies on food safety. Food safety articles published in the Web of Science Core Collection database between 1950 and 2020 were collected, and bibliometric parameters were assessed. Data analysis was performed using VOSviewer software to visualize linkages and estab-lish relationships between articles, keywords, research areas, authors, countries and institutions, among others, providing insight into the most impactful studies related to food safety. This study highlights that research focused on food safety is growing rapidly globally and cuts across several fields, including biotechnology, microbiology, food processing and preservation, consumer studies, and policy development. There is a dearth of research articles in the areas of chemical contamination of foods by pesticides and other chemical residues and in food fraud detection and prevention studies.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90487424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of high hydrostatic pressure on the single nucleotide polymorphism of stress-related dnaK, hrcA, and ctsR in the Lactobacillus strains","authors":"Joanna Bucka-Kolendo, B. Sokołowska","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i0.1118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i0.1118","url":null,"abstract":"Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widespread in environments and can either have a positive impact because their ability to survive in harsh conditions and influence the product (probiotic properties, change of structure-EPS [exopolysaccharides], etc.), or a negative impact, (so not needed) because of their spoilage ability (beer, juices). High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), one of the non-thermal preservation methods used in the food industry, can force the LAB to activate the adaptative mechanisms. Under pressurization, the changes in the bacteria cells can occur at the transcriptional or translational level. This study evaluated the HHP on the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) changes in three genes, dnaK, ctsR, and hrcA, related to the stress-response mechanism in LAB. The correlation between the DNA polymorphism and the gene expression under HHP stress was assessed. The applied pressure of 300 MPa resulted in a low ratio of nonsynonymous substitutions to the synonymous substitutions (0 to 1.12), and a lower number of mutations was observed for pressurized strains (from 6 in hrcA to 11 in dnaK) than in controlled (from 3 in ctsR to 92 in hrcA). In all pressurized strains, the expression of genes was observed, whereas, in control strains, the gene expression was detected in three out of five strains. Although there was a noticeable change in stress-related gene expression after HHP, there was no correlation with SNPs. At the same time, with a high frequency of synonymous changes in nucleotide and high diversity for hrcA and dnaK, a very low diversity was found in ctsR sequences. The LAB strains stress response mechanisms are much more complex. The study requires information on the general mechanism and changes in the membranes’ composition, proteome changes, and gene expression patterns. The mutations in genes related to stress can have important implications for the strains’ fitness effect and adaptive ability of LAB strains, especially considering their food industry implication where the HHP techniques are used.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76969568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of growth, photosynthesis, dry matter partition and roots to combined nitrogen–potassium stress in cucumber","authors":"H. Mao, Yong Liu, Yafei Wang, Guoxin Ma, Bin Wang, Xiaoxue Du, Qiang Shi, J. Ni","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1065","url":null,"abstract":"In order to improve the yield of cucumber and ensure food safety by investigating the response of cucumber to nutrient stress, especially compound stress, gas-exchange and growth parameters, biomass, and root development were measured and compared. The results showed that compared with control (CK), different treatments had different effects on these parameters, and under short-term nitrogen (N) or potassium (K+) stress, the development of lateral roots and root hair was promoted. The research on the response of cucumber to nutrient stress provided a basis for establishing reasonable irrigation strategies as well as improvement of fertilizer utilization rate and cucumber yield, which was of great significance for maintaining national food security. In addition, this was beneficial to reveal the stress response mechanism of crops under NK stress and conduct in-depth research on the phenotypic information characteristics of cucumber under compound stress. It provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent construction of a comprehensive evaluation system for greenhouse cucumber health status.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88212988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of the health risks associated with exposure to toxic metals and metalloids following consumption of freshwater catches in China","authors":"Cuirong Luo, Junxiao Sun, Yunfei Tan, Lijing Xiong, Bo Peng, Guohui Peng, X. Bai","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1117","url":null,"abstract":"Crayfish, carp, and crab threaten the consumer’s health due to the enrichment of the toxic elements. The concentration of the toxic elements (As, Cr, Cd, and Pb) in these aquatics was less investigated simultaneously in situ. In this study, the toxic elements in these aquatics from the same site of Hanchuan, Hubei Province, China were measured by ICP-MS to assess the enrichment of the four toxic elements in them and the health risk to the consumer. The results showed that the concentrations of these elements in muscle were lower than those in hepatopancreas/ liver, except for Cr in crayfish. Furthermore, the concentrations of Cd in the hepatopancreas of crayfish and crab exceeded the standards of China and the European Union. Accordingly, the hepatopancreas of crayfish and crab are not recommended for consumption. The estimated daily intake of these elements in the muscle of crayfish, carp, and crab did not exceed the provisional tolerable daily intakes, the corresponding target hazard quotient (THQ), and the cancer risk (CR) values for As were lower than 1 and 1 × 10–6, respectively. However, the accumulated consumption of the muscle of the three freshwater catches could result in a significant increase in the total THQ value. The total ingestion of the muscle of these catches should be limited. Collectively, these findings may renew interest in food safety and the health risk to humans owing to the consumption of freshwater catches.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89540235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elucidating the contribution of microorganisms to the spontaneous fermentation and the quality of Ivorian cacao (Theobroma cacao) beans","authors":"K. F. Oussou, G. Guclu, H. Kelebek, S. Selli","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1078","url":null,"abstract":"Cacao (Theobroma cacao) beans are among the most important ingredients in food and beverage industries. They are mainly produced in tropical and subtropical forests. Africa is the biggest producer of cacao bean providers in the world and the Ivory Coast remains the world leader with an estimated yearly production of 3 million tonnes. Cacao beans are used in many food items such as chocolate products, cocoa butter, confectionary products, iced drinks, cocoa powder, etc. The quality and organoleptic characteristics of these food products are strongly related to those of the cocoa beans obtained from different processing treatments. The pulps surrounding the cacao beans are rich in water, sugars, pectins, proteins, minerals, vitamins, citric acid, and phenolic compounds. Many different processing methods are utilized and fermentation is a crucial postharvest treatment having a great influence on the quality of cacao beans and their related products. Spontaneous fermentation is a common practice carried out by the cacao farmers in Ivory Coast. The microorganisms involved in this process are primarily the yeasts (anaerobic phase), which convert the pulps containing sugars into alcohol with a sporicidal temperature increase and then the lactic and acetic acid bacteria (aerobic phase) that produce lactic and acetic acids, respectively. The degradation of the substrates inside the cacao pulps results in the generation of aroma precursors and compounds. The goal of this review was to elucidate the factors affecting the spontaneous fermentation of Ivorian cacao beans and clarify the transformation of the raw material during fermentation.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88813024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brusatol inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells and reduces HIF-1α/VEGF expression and glycolysis under hypoxia","authors":"Mi Wang, Liyang Dai, Wei Yan, Ying Chen, Yakun Wang","doi":"10.15586/qas.v14i4.1141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15586/qas.v14i4.1141","url":null,"abstract":"Prostate cancer (PCa) has a high rate of morbidity and mortality, which urges us to find a unique and effective drug for treatment. Brusatol, a triterpenoid-degraded derivative, possesses antitumor activities. However, the significance of Brusatol in prostate cancer has not yet been completely elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how Brusatol affected prostate cancer cells. DU145 and PC-3 cell lines were chosen as experimental models. After Brusatol was added to relevant cells in culture, CCK-8 and colony formation experiments were used to assess cell viability; apoptosis rates were calculated using flow cytometry; and transwell assays were utilized to assess cell migration and invasion ability. Vimentin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1), hexokinase 2 (HK2), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA) protein expression were evaluated by western blotting, and glucose consumption in cells was assessed using related equipment. In DU145 and PC-3 cells, Brusatol drastically reduced cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, hindered migration and invasion. Considerably decreased HIF-1α and VEGF protein levels under hypoxia were detected. Furthermore, the expression of GLUT1, HK2, and LDHA was diminished, resulting in decreased glucose consumption in a Brusatol concentration-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that Brusatol serves as a potent antitumor drug that suppresses DU145 and PC-3 cancer cell growth, metastasis, and glycolysis. This discovery could provide a possible clinical treatment strategy for prostate cancer.","PeriodicalId":20738,"journal":{"name":"Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &amp; Foods","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77126033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}